After a long night out with friends or during a mid-afternoon study break, there’s no better feeling than indulging in greasy, delicious food at your favorite campus eatery. We had college students across the country weigh in on the best spots to chow down on campuses all the way from Los Angeles to Boston. Just a warning; these drool-worthy eats might make you consider transferring schools. Bon appétit!
1. Eggs Francisco from Kerbey Lane Café (Austin, Texas)
College and late-night food are practically synonymous, which explains the appeal of a 24/7 restaurant. Kerbey Lane Café is just that, offering breakfast, lunch and dinner all day and all night at their location at UT Austin.
UT Austin students flock to Kerbey for its famous queso, gingerbread pancakes and $2 mimosas. One of the most popular dishes is the Eggs Francisco, which includes an English muffin layered with scrambled eggs, bacon, tomato, avocado and queso.
One Yelp reviewer says, “If I were on death row (especially if it were in Texas) and had my choice of a final breakfast, my last breakfast on this green Earth would be served by one of the tattooed and generously pierced servers and chefs at Kerbey Lane Café.” That’s some dedication.
2. South of the Border Fiesta Nachos from Sunset Cantina (Boston, Mass.)
There are nachos, and then there are no-holds-barred loaded nachos, like those from Sunset Cantina in Boston. “Everyone's obsessed with nachos from Sunset Cantina, and rightly so,” says recent BU grad Irene Berman-Vaporis. “These are, without a doubt, the largest portions of nachos I've ever seen, and they are loaded with toppings.”
Piled high with chili, jalapenos, scallions, tomatoes, black olives, cheese, lettuce, guacamole and sour cream, it’s easy to see why this cheesy pile of goodness is so popular.
“It's pretty much a campus staple to come here with a large group and dive into an order of XXL South of the Border Fiesta Nachos,” Irene says. “I swear, you haven't had amazing nachos until you've been here.”
Anyone else contemplating a road trip to Beantown?
3. Matcha Tiramisu from Urth Caffé (Los Angeles, Calif.)
California is known for its variety of fresh, healthy eats, so it makes sense that students like Iris Goldsztajn, a junior at UCLA, love anything organic! One restaurant that stands out from the crowd is Urth Caffé, which Iris describes as an “organic/vegan/health-conscious/environment-friendly eatery” perfect for going to for lunch or brunch with friends. This famous café is also a favorite spot for health-conscious celebrities like Jessica Alba and Ashley Benson.
“It's the type of place that has all-natural ingredients, usually a bit of fusion-style snack food, beautiful salads, green juice and smoothies, organic coffee, etc.” Iris says.
Be sure to try the organic Moroccan mint tea latte, the grilled chicken salad with pesto or the matcha tiramisu. All we can say is, “Yum!”
4. Binny’s Brooklyn Reuben from Zingerman’s Delicatessen (Ann Arbor, Mich.)
If there’s one thing that Zingerman’s Deli knows, other than how to make an amazing sandwich, it’s that comfort food sells.
The Ann Arbor staple serves delicious made-to-order sandwiches, soups and more to everyone from hungry college students to President Obama.
Their most popular sandwich (and President Obama’s pick), the Reuben, features pastrami, real Switzerland Swiss cheese, Brinery sauerkraut and Russian dressing on grilled pumpernickel bread.
5. Chicken & Pesto Calzone from The Dough Co. (Eugene, Ore.)
Whether your dough craving is of the pizza or cookie variety, The Dough Co. has you covered. This local establishment boasts 31 different kinds of calzones, from cheeseburger to breakfast and everything in between.
If you’re not sufficiently stuffed, you can also order a batch of warm, oven-baked cookies and a cold pint of milk. Plus, Dough Co. delivers until 3 a.m. every night. If that’s not beautiful, we don’t know what is.
6. The Fat Bitch Sandwich from PJ’s (Columbus, Ohio)
If you’re an Ohio State student and you haven’t been to PJ’s, you may need to reevaluate your life decisions.
“Imagine all the greasy, fried foods you crave at 2 a.m. after a long night out, and then put them all on one sandwich. That’s PJ’s,” says OSU junior Brenna Welzbacher.
PJ’s offers 49 specialty sandwiches with ridiculous names like the “Skinny Hippie” and “Fat Barnyard.” One of the most popular sandwiches, the Fat Bitch, includes buffalo chicken fingers, beer fries, mac and cheese wedges, a mozzarella stick and ranch dressing. It’s totally disgusting, and yet totally genius. How have we not thought of this before?!
7. The Orchard Grilled Cheese from American Meltdown (Durham, N.C.)
Two words: food truck. If you’re dying for a perfectly cheesy grilled cheese, look no further than American Meltdown, a Duke University student favorite. This famous food truck serves up every kind of grilled cheese sandwich imaginable, from The Orchard, which has cheddar, sliced apples, rosemary and ham, to French Monster, which is essentially French onion soup on a sandwich. Is your mouth watering yet? Because ours are!
Check out the online calendar to find out where and when the food truck will be setting up shop each week.
8. Unicorns & Rainbows Cakecup from Baked & Wired (Washington, D.C.)
What better way to satisfy your sweet tooth than with a cupcake (or two, or three)? Eliza Lavine, a sophomore at George Washington University, says that GWU students are obsessed with Baked & Wired, a coffee shop and bakery in Washington, D.C.
She recommends the Unicorns & Rainbows cakecup (vanilla cake with heart confetti mixed into the batter topped with cream cheese icing), the Smurfette (a lemon cupcake with fresh blueberries topped with lemon buttercream frosting) and the Chocolate Cupcake of Doom, which is exactly what it sounds like.
9. Death by Chocolate Ice Cream from Berkey Creamery (State College, Pa.)
Berkey Creamery, a famous ice cream shop on the Pennsylvania State University campus, is known for having the “most delicious, decadent ice cream ever,” according to Penn State senior Sarah Desiderio.
“The ice cream is made from cream from local cows,” Sarah says. “Seriously bomb ice cream. I used to stock up with my extra meal points at the end of the semester and bring it home.”
However, Sarah says that “they have two rules, though, that have always been in place out of school pride and respect for how good the ice cream is: The only topping you can get is blue and white sprinkles, and you can't mix flavors. President Clinton was the only person to ever get away with it, and no one has since.”
Rules aside, this Penn State staple (which is the largest university creamery in the nation!) is definitely worth a visit. Not in the area? No worries! Berkey Creamery ships half-gallon or quart-size portions of their creamy treats all over the country.
From the West Coast to the East Coast, no college campus would be complete without a go-to spot for late-night munchies. What’s the best food in your college town? Let us know in the comments below!