Every college has food, but only some colleges have excellent food. Anyone who has attended college knows that cafeterias are essential in students’ lives on or off campus. This article explores the 20 best colleges with the best food in 2024.
Many students can testify that some college cafeterias can be nasty! It is challenging to cook for thousands of people with food preferences and allergies; however, some college foods can be awful and inedible.
Some schools make delicious and nutritious meals. Some institutions have been awarded A+ for their excellent food quality.
We have analyzed which colleges have the best foods after combining their meal plan cost reported by the colleges and students’ good reviews, so continue to read this.
Table of contents
- What is the Most Important Meal of the Day for College Students?
- What is the Best Food for College Students?
- What is the Most Common College Food?
- Colleges with the Best Food
- #1. Grand Canyon University
- #2. Roger Williams University
- #3. The Culinary Institute of America
- #4. Florida international university
- #5. University of Dayton
- #6. Bowdoin college
- #7. Liberty University
- #8. Kennesaw State university
- #9. University of Oregon
- #10. Wesleyan University
- #11. Muhlenberg College
- #12. Hendrix College
- #13. St Fisher College
- #14. Virginia Tech
- #15. Bates College
- #16. California Baptist College
- #17. University of California, Los Angeles
- #18. James Madison University
- #19. University of Guelph – Creelman Marketplace
- #20. Bishop’s University – Dewhurst Dining Hall
- FAQs
- Conclusion
- References
- We Also Recommend
What is the Most Important Meal of the Day for College Students?
Generally, college students’ most important meal of the day is breakfast. A nutritious meal is crucial for everyone, but children and their learning require it most of all.
According to studies, having a nutritious breakfast before classes begin comes with benefits, including higher focus, better test results, and more energy and productivity.
What is the Best Food for College Students?
Fresh or dried fruit, pretzels, butter-free popcorn, rice cakes, or whole wheat crackers are possible snacks. Consider serving fresh veggies with low-fat yogurt or cottage cheese dip if you have a refrigerator. Eat a lot of calcium-rich meals.
See: 20 Colleges With Men’s Volleyball Team In 2024
What is the Most Common College Food?
Here are some of the most common foods college students eat:
- Cheese Pizza
- Frozen Yogurt
- Taco Salad
- French Fries
- Chicken Wings
- Vegetable Spring rolls
- Fried Rice with Hibachi Chicken
- Chocolate Chip Brownies
Colleges with the Best Food
Here are our top picks on the colleges with the best food:
- Grand Canyon University
- Roger Williams University
- The Culinary Institute of America
- Florida international university
- University of Dayton
- Bowdoin college
- Liberty University
- Kennesaw State university
- University of Oregon
- Wesleyan University
- Muhlenberg College
- Hendrix College
- St Fisher College
- Virginia Tech
- Bates College
- California Baptist College
- University of California, Los Angeles
- James Madison University
- University of Guelph – Creelman Marketplace
- Bishop’s University – Dewhurst Dining Hall
#1. Grand Canyon University
In Phoenix, Arizona, GCU is one of the best college campuses in America. This is the largest Christian university, with over 20,000 students attending on campus and over 70,000 attending online. GCU offers variety and value and provides over 20 dining options and multiple stores.
No matter the food you are craving, you will get them all in GCU. You are given dining dollars you can use at all dining locations and GCU mobile apps, which you can also use to track the spending and helps to budget your remaining dining dollars.
There are many locations around the campus to enjoy delicious and tongue-licking meals. Their dining options include lopes way, thunder alley, arena café, chick-fil-A, canyon pizza company, kaminari, taco thunder, French fusion, herd stop, lopacellis pasta, panda express, and many more great options you can choose to eat from.
#2. Roger Williams University
Roger Williams is a private university in Bristol, Rhode Island, founded in 1956. According to the student satisfaction survey, Roger Williams is again in the top 5% in the United States.
The dining experience at this university is exceptional. This university has Bon appetit, a food service provider dedicated to making sure that there is something for special dinners such as Ramadan, Christmas, Thanksgiving, and the Chinese new year.
The food is not only excellent and healthy; it is also local. Places, where you can find food at Roger Williams University, include upper commons (which is the main dining hall serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner and a whole station of gluten-free foods), lower commons (which offers sushi, pizza, grills, salad bar, etc.), the law school cafe, global café, bay point café and more.
#3. The Culinary Institute of America
Located in Hyde park New York and has branch campuses in St. Helena and Napa, California; San Antonio, Texas; and Singapore. This private college and school specialize in baking, pastry arts education, and culinary.
Paul Bocuse, a world-renowned chef, and restaurateur, say, “the first time I visited, I knew I had finally found a school that teaches the traditions of the world’s cuisines…. It’s the best culinary school in the world.”
#4. Florida international university
Located in university park, Florida, and was established in 1965. The food options are as diverse as the campus. FIU has a food service provider called shop FIU which is dedicated to giving you quality food and customer service by offering catering, online ordering, panther dining, and restaurants.
Whether you need a cup of coffee, a snack, or a full meal, ShopFiu offers it all. From local favorites to classic brands, food trucks, markets, and café, there is no scarcity of variety on campus.
#5. University of Dayton
Founded in 1850 and based in Ohio, Dayton Is a private mid-size research college. University of Dayton’s dining services provide students and visiting guests with the highest quality food, beverages, and service.
UD offers nine unique options to satisfy all your cravings. Dining venues include Au Bon Pain, spice, toss, Mary crest dining, passports, the granary, brown street bistro, etc. students and parents with the University of Dayton ID use GET mobile (it can be downloaded on apple IOS OR android app or online by going to get.cbord.com) to manage their campus card accounts, pre-order foods from online campus.
#6. Bowdoin college
Bowdoin is a private liberal arts college in Brunswick, Maine, and was established on June 24, 1794. As of Princeton review in the 2024 ranking, Bowdoin college has 2nd best campus food in the USA. This school has received many awards and honors for its quality food.
Their staff of culinary professionals make the meals from scratch. They also offer a variety of regional and international cuisines. Also, they include recipes submitted by students and families for international students, which is excellent for homesick students.
They provide a variety of healthy choices with diverse menus. Also, they offer vegan options and other selections made with gluten-free ingredients. Their ingredients are carefully sourced, which brings about the excellent quality and taste of their meals.
#7. Liberty University
Liberty university: located in Lynchburg, Virginia, established in 1971. It is a private Baptist affiliated with the conservative of Virginia.
They have over 20+ dining locations with prepared savory foods across campus, from Mountview student union to the food court at Reber-Thomas. They have a variety of delicious meals, including vegan foods.
#8. Kennesaw State university
This is a public research university in Georgia with two separate campuses in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The university dining provides dining options for on-campus KSU students, facility/staff, and visiting guests.
Their award-winning university operates two full-service dining halls with quick service and KSU catering.
#9. University of Oregon
Founded in 1876, this public research university in Eugene is known for its small class sizes and strong athletic tradition. This university has dining venues drake bell, Carson dining, bullseye taco, Barnhart dining, etc.
Their chefs use ingredients from 25 local farms to prepare top-notch meals from scratch.
#10. Wesleyan University
It is a private liberal arts college in Middletown, Connecticut, founded in 1831. Bon Appetit has been a food service provider for Wesleyan University since 2007.
Bon appetit management is an onsite custom restaurant company that provides cafe and catering services to corporations, colleges and universities, and specialty venues.
Also, it manages the dining program for Wesleyan university. Multiple on-campus dining venues are driven by Bon appetite, including Usdan markets, pi cafe, Summerfield, Usdan, marketplace, and the Wes shop.
#11. Muhlenberg College
Located in Allentown, Pennsylvania. This is a private liberal arts college founded in 1948. Muhlenberg is #1 college food for 2024 Pennsylvania. Providing you with a variety of healthy options.
They select healthy, delicious, nutritional, and satisfying meals, snacks, and desserts by highlighting well-balanced menu choices and giving nutritional information and tips to help you make good decisions that suit your feeding needs.
You are also provided with the Muhlenberg’s dining app, which lets you know what breakfast, lunch, and dinner are, and lets you know the ingredients and their items, including nutritional values and calories.
#12. Hendrix College
A private liberal arts university in Conway, Arkansas is affiliated with the United Methodist church. Their mission is to serve hot, nutritious meals in a pleasant and tidy environment. Their dining option is to give students high-quality food.
They serve a large variety of foods, so you have different delicious options.
#13. St Fisher College
Located in Pittsford, New York, St Fisher is a private liberal arts college founded in 1948. Fisher College dining services manage the food court, catering, and maintaining meal plans.
Fisher has earned #1 for the best college food in New York on niche.com and NO 6 in the country, all thanks to fisher college dining services. Each dining location in St. Fisher College has its own identity with many food platforms.
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#14. Virginia Tech
Virginia polytechnic institute and state university is a public land grant research college with its main campus in Blacksburg, Virginia. The dining services at Virginia tech provide students with exceptional and innovative foods, venues, and programs.
From chick-fil-a to hokie grill to freshly carved London broil at the west end market, students have the flexibility and variety to eat traditional burgers and Asian and Latin-inspired meals. Food trucks also move around the school. This school has over 47 different dining venues in 11 locations.
#15. Bates College
Founded in 1855, Bates is a private liberal arts college based in Lewiston, Maine. They offer delicious varieties of savory meals. Their foods are locally sourced, skillfully prepared, and thoughtfully served.
#16. California Baptist College
CBU is a private Christian college in riverside California and was established in 1950. They offer students and staff a variety of restaurant choices with authentic, high-quality, and healthy cuisine.
Their dining staffs are family oriented and provide a welcoming and interactive experience for their students. They also cater to students and staff with food allergies and food intolerances.
#17. University of California, Los Angeles
Located in Los Angeles and established in 1882, UCLA is a highly-rated public land–grant research college. Provides a variety of tasty, healthy meals to residents on campus. Their ingredients are locally sourced, and professional chefs skillfully make their foods.
#18. James Madison University
It is a public research college located in Harrisonburg, Virginia, and renamed in 1938 I n honor of James Madison, America’s fourth president. This school offers excellent dining options.
JMU consistently ranks among the top ten in the U.S. for best campus food. According to the Princeton Review, JMU students have plenty of food options, with about 28 dining locations.
James Madison campus ranks No 7 out of 1,932 as the best college food in America.
#19. University of Guelph – Creelman Marketplace
Located in Ontario, Canada, and was established in 1964. U of G Hospitality Services can organize any meal for its students.
Creelman Marketplace is the most loved and preferred, dishing up fresh, healthy, local items and even some not-so-healthy ones — like candy stations. On-campus meal plans are mandatory for all students in traditional residences.
It is hard to resist the tasty meals, and it is almost impossible to walk away with an empty belle.
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#20. Bishop’s University – Dewhurst Dining Hall
This is an English language liberal arts university in lennoxville Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada. It was founded in 1843.
Dewhurst Hall is the right place to eat on campus, and with the Continuous Dining plan’s customizable options such as Hearty Eater, Square Mealer, or Flexible Diner, you can eat what’s right for you and what you want, whether it is freshly made crepe or a sizzling stir-fry.
Menus are posted daily with unique entrees such as a carving station and paella Valencia offered alongside plenty of vegetarian and vegan options. They also attend to people with special diets.
FAQs
Japanese Sushi Source is prepared with various ingredients, including seafood, vegetables, and occasionally fruits, together with vinegared rice. The ideal accompaniments to sushi are wasabi, pickled ginger, and soy sauce.
Grand Canyon University
No matter the kind of food you are craving, you will get them all in GCU. You are given dining dollars accepted at all dining locations and GCU mobile apps, which can be used to track the spending and helps to budget your remaining dining dollars.
Grand Canyon University
Roger Williams University
The Culinary Institute of America
Florida international university
University of Dayton
Bowdoin college
Liberty University
Kennesaw State university
University of Oregon
Wesleyan University
Muhlenberg College
Hendrix College
St Fisher College
Virginia Tech
Bates College
California Baptist College
University of California, Los Angeles
James Madison University
University of Guelph – Creelman Marketplace
Bishop’s University – Dewhurst Dining Hall
Conclusion
This is the list of the 20 best schools in 2024. These schools made a list of the reviews from satisfied students and visiting guests, the Princeton Review, and the awards they received for serving quality foods.
If you are looking for a good college with excellent quality and varieties of food, then you can look up these schools. If you are an international student worried about missing the foods from your home country, you can go to any of these schools and get all those tasty meals you enjoyed in your home country.
References
- Princetonreview.com – Best Campus Food
- Besthospitalitydegrees.com – Universities with the Healthiest and Freshest Food
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