Best college food?

College Confidential Community
1

I am doing some research on colleges with the best food and nicest dining halls, and I’d love some help from this knowledgeable community!

Based on your first-hand experiences:

  • Which schools stand out as having excellent food?
  • What makes their food stand out?
  • Which menu items that are the best? Which should you skip?
  • Which colleges have the nicest dining halls, and what makes them so nice?

Thanks all! Feel free to share this with others so we can build a great list.

3

2021 Best College Food in America - Niche

As for me - the best I’ve experienced were at Florida Tech (on visit day) and Colorado School of Mines…although the students there said it was only that day that families were there.

1 Like
4

Duke stood out amongst the schools we visited…

3 Likes
5

Duke

2 Likes
6

My kid went to Santa Clara. They only had one main dining hall but it had a bunch of different stations. Lots of choices. Lots of farm to table, and locally grown options.

There was a terrific coffee shop/breakfast place with great pastries and teas, coffee, juices, yogurt, etc.

In addition, the “meal plan” was totally points, not per meal. So you only paid for what you actually ate.

Food quality was excellent. Climate was very mild and there was a huge outdoor patio area too.

1 Like
7

UGA was D20’s favorite for food.

4 Likes
8

JMU is the best I’ve personally had.

2 Likes
9

Cornell!

3 Likes
10

Bowdoin!

1 Like
11

I’d be interested to find out, but best means something different to everyone. We would be looking for organic and heavy on vegetables and fiber with gluten and dairy free options. I wish I could say that we were just being picky, but we are actually dealing with an unknown digestive issue and have not been able to find a diagnosis from the GP the gastroenterologist or the naturopath…plus a rheumatologist and dermatologist, so we just try not to poke the bear.

1 Like
12

Students seeking food choices that might align with their values may want to consider this PETA grading system:

1 Like
13

Virginia Tech. Sushi, steak and lobster!

2 Likes
14

such a good point! would be great to have lists of good colleges for vegetarians/ vegans, gluten free, or other dietary preferences and needs.

15

awesome resource - thank you!

1 Like
16

wow this is great - thanks for sharing!

1 Like
17

Ironic as a follow up to the PETA friendly list.

18

St. John Fisher in upstate NY has great food! and a nice dining hall IIRC. It’s pretty small, so not as many options, but a great less-competitive option for someone wanting good food and lots of merit aid.

1 Like
19

The relatively new facilities we saw at Duke (West Campus) were impressive. Good variety and high quality food.

3 Likes
20

College donuts, sushi and sandwiches are beyond perfection.