Edible?: Students weigh in on the best and worst of cafeteria chow

The quality of college food ranges from the average depths of community college cuisine to the pinnacle of Virginia Tech's daily rib eye and whole lobster.  To say DePaul's standard meal fare sits somewhere in-between is an obvious statement, but to which side of the spectrum does DePaul best identify?

Freshman Marty Murphy said, "At first, the food isn't that bad, but you get tired of eating the same thing after a while."

The DePaul student body is definitely not deprived of a thriving food environment.  Not only do both the Lincoln Park and Loop campuses have diverse dining halls, but both campuses are also surrounded by various external food options.  

Sophomore and vegetarian Richard Rodriguez said, "The Loop campus has limited options–it gets redundant."

Junior Mike Chamernik looks down on Lincoln Park campus food as "all a stream of mediocrity."

So which foods keep students coming back to the Student Center for their meals, and which items send students running for the nearest Chipotle?  Turn to page 3 for a list of the best and worst meals at DePaul.

the worst....

Pizza

How could you go wrong with one of the nation's most-adored food items? It's seems difficult to do, but the Loop and Lincoln Park Student Centers are filled with students who complain about the pizza being too greasy and bland.

DePaulia Off-Campus Solution: Pequod's Pizzeria at 2207 N. Clybourn Ave. provides Lincoln Park with delicious, traditional Chicago-style deep-dish.  Pequod's is holding four-stars strong on Yelp with almost 800 reviews.

Orange Chicken

The award for the most disgusting, worst-of-the-worst meal on the DPU menu is almost unanimous: the orange chicken.  Junior Mike Metivier said, "the worst is the Chinese food, but they make it look good.  It's like food with charisma."

Sophomore Laura Dunham agrees with the strong opposition to the Chinese food and said, "It's so bad. It's pretty much chicken nuggets in orange sauce."

DePaulia Off-Campus Solution: Mix it up with elements of Thai and Asian Fusion! To get your Asian cuisine fulfillment, try Duck Walk on Fullerton Ave. right under the 1237 West apartments.

Soups

Daily soup is offered at each DePaul campus.  Some flavors stay consistent while others rotate weekly.  Junior Danny Pietro said the soup in the Loop campus seems to be "decent at least," unlike the soups offered up in Lincoln Park, which "taste watered-down." 

DePaulia Off-Campus Solution:  A Lincoln Park favorite, Uncle Sammy's on Fullerton Ave. is not only open until the early hours of the morning, but also serves up fresh soup daily, including broccoli cheddar, minestrone and chicken noodle.

Mexican food

Lincoln Park Mexican Food:  The Mexican-style cuisine at the Lincoln Park Student Center lacks two of the most important attributes to enjoyable food: variety and authenticity.  The convenient location of this attempt at ethnic variety might be the only appealing attribute.

DePaulia Off-Campus Solution:  For close-by Mexican food that rattles your taste buds and fulfills your variety needs, visit the newly opened Qdoba on Clybourn and Webster Ave.

...and the best

Brownstones Coffee & Treats

Lincoln Park's equivalent to Starbucks, Brownstones Cafe is a favorite go-to spot for specialized coffee drinks and breakfast sandwiches.

Senior Amber Kaminski said, "I like the house coffee, blended drinks and the Brownstones pre-made sandwiches–they're really healthy and tasty."

Grilled Cheese

Grilled cheese of any variance is a popular choice. Pietro likes his cheese sandwich grilled with seasoned chicken. Murphy turns to grilled cheese often.

"The grilled ham and cheese is really good, actually," Murphy said.

Even the most skeptical of students turn to this surefire food option.  Senior Marisa Silberman said, "Everything sucks since freshman year."  Silberman thinks the new rehab in the LP Student Center doesn't make any difference.

 "The food is still terrible.  It was a complete waste of money," said Silberman.  "But at least there's always the grilled cheese..."

Deli Delicacies

Students like to take charge of their lives, calling the shots on what they do and what they eat.  The deli sections of the Loop and LP campuses cater to these demands well, with custom-order sandwiches and wraps.

"I like the deli. You can taste the difference between that and subway – fresh, neat and clean," said junior Olivia Metelski. "The taste is like a home-cooked meal. It's closer to what I'd get at home."

Other tasty meals reign the campuses as well.  Sophomore Doug Davenport loves the spicy chicken, bacon and ranch sandwich, "I see no reason to eat anything else."

Chartwells' Jimenez said the other most common food items bought under her supervision consist of waffle fries, chicken fingers, candy, salads and double-cheeseburgers.

Main Event Meal

Main Event Meals:  This DePaul option is a safe bet and resembles what some students miss most when living on campus–a home-cooked meal.  This relief to the taste buds and stomach can be found in the Loop's Main Event and Lincoln Park's Market Carvery.

"I like the Main Event," said Chartwells cashier Eugenia Jimenez, who often eats among the students at the Loop Campus.  "It is made fresh every day--hot and a good selection."