recently compiled a list of the 14 best college dining halls in America and good luck arguing against them! From oysters and lobster to rattlesnake and roasted leg of lamb, these schools’ menus are enough to make you fill out an application today! Just be sure not to drool on the paper.
Here are highlights from some of the schools.
CORNELL UNIVERSITY (NY)
Locally sourced food is always a win because it’s hard to go wrong with fresh ingredients, no matter what the dish. But double down with ice cream and yogurt from the Cornell dairy, fresh fruits and vegetables from the school’s plantations and recipes like goat cheese and fig pizza, and there’s no room for mistakes.
WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY (MO)
Late-night study sessions often require refueling. If you’re sick of pizza, you can always indulge in the nightly chicken and waffles (after 10 p.m.) or the chicken fingers and fries (until 2 a.m.) served at Washington University.
UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS AMHERST
For those who like to venture into exotic food, you’ll love this school’s pho station (think Vietnamese soup with noodles, meat and herbs) and the specialty days, like the Brazilian-style dining with waiters slicing fresh meat off a stick at your table.
VIRGINIA TECH
Students can eat like royalty on a regular basis thanks to daily servings of lobster, steak and salmon. Other must-try menu staples include roasted leg of lamb, chicken-fried steak, and scallop and bacon chowder.
KENNESAW STATE UNIVERSITY (GA)
How can you serve 150 new dishes every day? With a nine-section, 54,000-square-foot dining facility and SUPER-local (as in, right on campus) ingredients, including herbs, mushrooms, grits, meats, cheeses and pickles! But we’re guessing that the stranger foods—like emu, rattlesnake and kangaroo—come from a bit farther away.
BOWDOIN COLLEGE (ME)
Mussels, clams, fresh fish, oh my! Seafood-lovers won’t find a better on-campus menu than at Bowdoin College. And how many schools can boast an actual lobster bake at orientation?
NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY (IL)
Nothing says “home” like chocolate chip cookies, and since you can’t take Mom to college, Northwestern’s weekly hot cookie bar makes the perfect surrogate. With cookies so gooey that they need to be scooped out with a spoon, the only thing that makes them better is topping them off with a scoop of ice cream and chocolate sauce.
TANFORD UNIVERSITY (CA)
You know you’re in good hands when celebrity chefs stop by to give demos in the kitchen for your school’s Food Network TV show. The same dining commons also hosts a “Performance Dining” program to help athletes and other students eat nutritious meals for peak mental and physical performance.
For the full list of schools, visit www.thrillist.com/eat/nation/best-college-dining-halls-in-america.
