College dorm cafeteria food -- which ones are the best?

Question

For parents who have been touring college campuses, have you been able to sample the food served by the college dorm cafeterias?

About 15-20 years ago, I always thought that Cornell had pretty good dorm food. Not sure if that's still the case, and I hear they no longer serve lunch? Anyone know, or can comment on Cornell's food offerings?

UCLA, unfortunately, has not improved much in the past 2 decades or so, and now I understand that all dorm cafeterias will stop serving beef (though not dairy products).

That said, USC is probably worse.

Both Cal and Stanford are extraordinary in my opinion, although I may get stoned by this from Golden Bear alums, but Stanford is probably better.

Any recent experiences at college dorms? And have any of you, or your Chow pups, made (or will make) a decision in part based on the campus food?

Answer

Not sure if this helps, but I know there are quite a few lists online for "Best College Meals/Meal Plans" along these lines:

http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2009-10-07/the-best-college-food/

Answer

Not a parent, but I graduated UCLA in 2007 and I have to say that the dorm food was pretty darn good, especially when compared to the other UC system schools I visited. Although I will admit that while food quality hasn't improved, the options have over the years. Just looking at the online menus seems to indicate they've expanded their vegetarian and vegan offerings and the various dorms have more diversity in their menus.

Answer

Washington University in St. Louis uses a company called Bon Appetit, which also services other schools like MIT. They've installed a tandoori oven, for example, do lots of local foods and are very green-conscious. They also have consulting chefs like Jim Dodge and Raghavan Iyer. As much money as they charge for tuition, they ought to be serving good food, and in this case, they are, at least what I've tried at on-campus functions.

Answer

ipsedixit, could you please post what you know about Stanford's dorm food? (I see it's on the dailybeast's list.) We recently visited a freshman dorm and peeked in at its cafeteria, but didn't see, let alone taste, the food.

Answer

Harvard's food sucks, especially at Annenberg.

Answer

As someone who used to work in campus dining (7 long years in the catering division), I can note that around 75% or more now, of college campuses are represented by either Aramark or Marriott. Both operate at the Lowest Common Denominator level. Food is okay, edible and it is possible to eat decently with some effort.

Answer

Highlander had so many health food violations, they closed the place down, and made something vegetarian instead.... I think they closed that down too, actually...
The Original Hot dog shop served decent food at CMU for a while.

Answer

Due to my job, I'm on many college campuses often, and eat in the dining halls. In the past 5-10 years there has been a big push for more healthier, local, organic options, especially at private and bigger schools. Made-to-order is very common. UCLA actually has very good food. Alice Waters even revamped Yale's menu at one point (he daughter went there).

Answer

I was on the meal plan at the University of Florida during my freshman and sophomore years (1996-98), when I lived in the dorms and didn't own a car. The all-you-can-eat cafeteria carried Aramark food, and it was HORRIBLE. Bland, boring, and probably unhealthy to boot. It was only after those two years of bad "Gator dining," when I had my own car and my own apartment kitchen, that I swore I would learn how to cook and get adept at it.

Now granted, the on-campus food may be better by now, but I'm skeptical.

Answer

Just something to remember - a meal or even a couple days worth isn't the same as that being what you eat for every meal every day. I thought the food was fine during an overnight campus visit (3 meals), but after a few weeks of bland, mass produced crap or salad I was starving for something, anything else. Actually, I became a lot more adventurous because of this. 

Basically, just remember that if it seems pretty good during a visit, just think about what 2-3 meals a day, 7 days a week would be like. I think it is hard bill to fill.

Answer

I don't know how much I would trust normal, everyday food to be compared to what is served at visiting days and parent's weekends, homecomings, etc. Parents weekend was one of the few times I would try to eat at our cafeteria for several meals because the food was usually very good. I remember one parents weekend breakfast where there must have been at least 20 different kinds of fresh fruit on the salad bar and really good pastries made fresh that morning, and breakfast meats that weren't just thrown in the deep fryer. Our everyday food was a lot different.

Answer

Columbia's food was not that bad. 
Northwestern was ranked #1 by PETA--it has tons of vegan options at each meal. 
University of Chicago's food was wretched: really odd concoctions.

Answer

I graduated from UNC (Carolina, not Colorado) in 2004, lived on campus from 2000-2003. Marriott ran campus dining my first year, then Aramark took over, but I didn't notice much change. The food was generally good, and there were enough different options to keep it from being too repetitive. I did find myself falling into a pattern of about 8 meals that I rotated through for dinner, plus huge salads for lunch. I kept breakfast food in my room, so I only ate breakfast in the dining hall on weekends. My favorite option was the made to order stir fry bar - load up a plate with vegetables, and the cook would stir fry, adding your meat and sauce of choice. I had that at least twice a week. The dessert bar was also really good. One of the dining halls had hand scooped ice cream with a full toppings bar.

Answer

I went to NYU, and they contracted with Aramark, at least up until 2009. For the most part, the food was really boring, and often it was the same thing every day. Granted, I have food allergies, so I probably didn't get the whole experience, but the only good meal was Sunday brunch at a few of the dining halls, and that was because of the omelet station. Also, if you advertise that you have a "vegetarian option" and it's rice and beans every. single. day, the (large) vegetarian population is going to boycott. It happens.

Aside from NYU, I've only eaten at a few other schools. I was decidedly unimpressed with the dining hall at Indiana University. They weren't that allergy friendly, so I didn't get to try much, but my sister said I wasn't really missing anything. She's very health-conscious, and was having trouble finding a lot of options. Cornell on the other hand, was great, at least as of 2005. I never minded eating in the dining hall when I went to visit, and used to request that we go to their Sunday brunch instead of sleeping in.

Answer

Our son is now a junior at UCLA. He's in an apartment this year, but spent the previous two years in a dorm. He was very happy with the food in general, and rotated among the various dining commons to take advantage of each one's specialties. He also occasionally visited the various fast food places on "the hill" that were included in the dining plan, eating Mexican, Asian, and Italian offerings. I ate in the commons several times and was impressed with the many healthy choices that were available, though one could certainly put on the famous "freshman 15" by making the wrong choices. UCLA seems to compare quite favorably with other schools that I've heard about.

Answer

I attended a tiny little college in PA called Elizabethtown that was known for its good cafeteria. STudents from other colleges would envy me. You did eventually grow tired of it. Things were usually decently prepared, but there was never much variety. The campus did have its own bakery though so the cakes, cookies, brownies, pies and many of the breads were made right on campus.

Someone new took over the cafeteria a few years after I graduated though, so I don't know what it's like now. I'd be curious.

Answer

Dominican college in San Rafael Ca. has some of the most outstanding college food I have been ever privileged to taste. One of the best organic kitchens in the country. The breakfast buffet is split between unusual tastes and basic foods, but it's all good, well-prepared and delicious. They were kind enough to give me a recipe for Barley Risotto that works every single time; one of my alltime favorite side-dishes. Oh, and International House up at Berkeley is doing organic, mostly-local and seasonal food 3 times a day, for a very fair sum. They have an awesome barbeque during the springs and summers, and i've never been charged more than 10 bucks a meal.

Answer

UMD (College Park, MD) has pretty awful dining hall food. The only saving grace was the salad bar ... and the non-food service (and not covered by the meal plans) vegetarian co-op in the student union. 

UCSD had much better food then UMD, still nothing wonderful, but better.

Answer

I would go to my alma mater, Roanoke College in Salem, Virginia, where we had dishes such as chicken Marsala on an ordinary weeknight and were treated to prime rib and crab legs at Christmas!

Answer

Boston University west campus and warren towers dining halls are the best!

Answer

Boston University was pretty good - they had a wide range of options every day and also posted which items were healthier choices.

there were a lot of "make-your-own" options, including sandwiches, omelets, salads, omelets, stir fry, pasta,and even oatmeal.

the sweet potato fries were great too, and they did a lobster dinner each semester!

Answer

When I was at Penn there was no meal plan- just the Quad Grill with a cash register, freshman year. The food sucked. It was cafeteria style and closed at 11:00. Everyone caught on early that it was mobbed by 10:45 for last call, and one could easily eat everything on one's plate before getting through the log jam to the cash register.

Answer

I occasionally lunch at UC Berkeley's International House and Crossroads dining halls. They have buffet spreads that are reminiscent of Home Town Buffet (which I do like), with the addition of many ethnic options. Lots of food, some tasty, low price. I can't say that I recall any particular dish, but I definitely left satisfied. I do recall going to a Mardi Gras night at the I House with my project team, shortly after returning from New Orleans. It wasn't Brigtsen's, but we all had a good time.

Topics

Locations

Your post has been published!

College dorm cafeteria food -- which ones are the best?

More from Chowhound

Guides

The Ultimate Spring Produce Guide: What's in Season & How to Use It

Recipe Round-Ups

Quick and Easy Instant Pot Breakfast Recipes for Less Morning Stress

Guides

How to Care for Enameled Cast Iron So It Lasts a Lifetime

Home

The Best Tool to Clean a Wood Cutting Board Is Probably in Your Compost Bin

Trending Discussions

Chowhound Recipes That You are Saving

A Final Goodbye for Chowhound

Favorite Chowhound Memories

NY Times: Chowhound Closes After 25 Years of Food Obsession, Wisdom and Debate

January–April 2022 Baking COTM: DESSERT PERSON by Claire Saffitz

Quick Links

Latest Discussions

Cookbook of the Month

Dish of the Month

Weekly Menu Planning

Get fresh food news delivered to your inbox

12 Irish Foods to Celebrate St. Patrick's Day That Aren’t Corned Beef and Cabbage

Chowhound

Policies

Community

Editorial

Content