Colleges With the Best Food in the United States

Kent State University is officially a best university for food! For those on a vegetarian or vegan diet, or for those simply looking to eat less meat, Kent State University has you covered! The University offers a call-ahead vegan and vegetarian meal program, called Veggie-A-Go-Go, which makes it convenient to eat meat-free.

The Prentice Café offers a similar program for those on a gluten-free diet, and Eastway Market & Deli also offers gluten-free, vegetarian and vegan to-go meals. Kent State takes goody boxes to a new level, with packages for every occasion.

Parents and friends can send baskets containing soups, teas, and tissues to students who have fallen ill.

Other options, like the fruit basket and the healthy snack basket, are packed with nutritious treats for health-conscious students. Kent State’s carry-out containers are 100% biodegradable, and much of its produce is purchased locally.

Grind2Energy turns food scraps into energy. This innovative process was implemented at Kent State in 2020.

Ranked number 3 by Princeton Review for best campus dining, Bowdoin College also raises the bar for college food. This includes Bowdoin’s commitment to sustainability.

The school’s eco-container program allows students to save money by re-using to-go containers, and students also save 5% on drink purchases for bringing their coffee cups to the café. A percentage of the produce served here is grown on campus in the organic garden.

Bowdoin also strives to make dining fun! The college hosts an annual Lobster Bake for students, as well as various other events throughout each academic year.

Another best college for food is Cornell University. Cornell houses ten all-you-can-eat dining rooms with plenty of menu options, including:

• Create-your-own pancake and omelet bars
• Ethnic and regional food
• Kosher stations
• Salad bars

Each fall, in observance of Day of Dead, the Risley Dining Hall hosts “Night at Hogwarts,” a Harry Potter-themed dinner. Other halls host similar celebrations, such as the:

• Fall Harvest Dinner
• Diwali Festival
• A Mardi Gras celebration with Cajun-style meals and live music

Twenty-two percent of the food served at Cornell is locally and regionally-grown and produced. Cornell’s dairy processing plant is a major source of the dairy products served in the dining facilities.

Sustainability is also important at Cornell; the university offers discounted coffee when students use reusable mugs and facilitates a trayless dining practice to save water and reduce waste.

Have you thought of Georgetown University when considering the best colleges for food? Georgetown University’s dining hall is an all-you-can-eat establishment with:

• Vegan and vegetarian options
• A salad bar
• A make-your-own stations for pasta dishes, pizza, sandwiches, burritos and more

Georgetown University Dining purchases locally-sourced food and sends 25 tons of waste to be composted each month and recycles 100% of used fryer oil. Georgetown also practices trayless dining, saving millions of cups of water annually.

During finals, the dining hall offers themed midnight breakfasts where students are served a late-night meal by university staff members. Some alternative options are available for students and visitors, including Grab n’ Go stations and an on-campus grocery store run by the CORP, an entirely student-run organization.

Emory University makes eating healthy easy with the implementation of its “well-being” food rating. In the dining hall, each food selection is matched with an arrow; the fuller the arrow, the more nutritious the option is.

The dining hall features options for those with dietary restrictions:

• Vegetarian
• Vegan
• Gluten-free
• Kosher

Students and visitors can check the website for a rotating food truck schedule to see where their favorite trucks will be each day.

A farmer’s market is held on Tuesdays throughout the academic year, with vendors selling:

• Bread
• Organic produce
• Tamales
• Gluten-free baked goods
• Artisan salsas

Much of the campus food served at Emory is sustainably or locally grown, and in addition to recycling, the university composts unused food scraps.

With all-you-can-eat dining facilities, grab-and-go meals, an on-campus grocery store and an entirely kosher café, the University of Pennsylvania has thought of everything.

Students have access to free nutrition counseling for information on healthy eating and to address problems ranging from eating disorders to allergies. The university has taken many initiatives toward sustainability, including purchasing humanely raised, antibiotic-free ground beef and rBGH-free dairy.

The chefs at the University of Pennsylvania prepare all meals from scratch using local, seasonal ingredients. Food scraps are composted, and fryer oil is recycled as biofuel, which is used to run some of the catering vans on campus.

The University of California, Los Angeles is home to one of the first health-themed dining halls in the United States. The Bruin Plate Residential Restaurant serves local, unprocessed, organic and nutritious meals to students. For those looking for heartier meals, Covel Commons offers:

• A pasta station
• A wood-fired pizza oven
• Grilled hotdogs, burgers and chicken

UCLA offers online menu containing nutrition information is available for all dining facilities.

Much progress has already been made toward sustainability; most to-go packaging is compostable or recyclable, food scraps are similarly composted, beef-less Thursdays significantly reduce the environmental impact of food consumption, and cooking oil is recycled into biodiesel.

Trayless dining, fryer oil recycling, and hydration stations are just a few of the ways that New York University shows its commitment to sustainability. Each semester, University employees attend training on energy and water conservation to reduce overuse of these resources.

The best college for food has a 100% kosher dining hall, open Sunday-Friday, and plenty of vegetarian options are available in most dining facilities.

The website has a nutrition calculator and full online menus for six of the dining locations. Additionally, students can check out the website for expert advice on healthy eating.

Boston University hosts a farmers’ market each fall. Students are also invited to participate in the CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) program, purchasing a share of seasonal produce from a local farm during the growing season.

Boston University switches things up each semester with its visiting chef series night, during which time visiting restaurants or celebrity chefs contribute a new menu to the dining options.

The university offers nutrition counseling, covering issues such as:

• Weight management
• Iron-deficiency
• Healthy meal planning
• Nutrition for exercise

Its four dining halls all offer kosher dining; a halal meal program is also available. Students can eat late at the Late Night Kitchen, open until 11 pm Monday-Wednesday and until 1 am Thursday-Saturday, during the academic year.

To encourage students to stay home when ill, the dining service offers a flu meal program. Students can purchase a package online, which is then delivered to the buyer by student volunteers.

The pork, beef, turkey and rotisserie chicken served at Boston University is humanely raised and most is sourced locally.

Washington University was recognized by the Environmental Protection Agency in 2014 for converting used fryer oil into biofuel, which fuels campus delivery trucks. The university also provides reusable dishes and compostable or recyclable containers for on-the-go meals, drastically reducing the amount of waste typically generated by student dining.

Meat and produce are purchased from local vendors and meals are available diet options like:

• Allergen-free
• Kosher
• Halal
• Vegetarian

The university offers plenty of on-campus cafes, dining halls and quick stops, such as the Paws & Go market with fresh produce and grab-and-go meals.

Another ranking with best college food is Warren Wilson College. The seasonal menus at Warren Wilson College feature fresh ingredients that are often locally grown. Nutrition labels help students with dietary restrictions quickly identify foods that they can eat.

The Cowpie Café serves GMO-free ingredients and is entirely vegetarian. The café’s menu is also mostly vegan and gluten-free.

The Owl Nest café offers artesian bagels and locally roasted organic coffee, and is nearly a zero-waste facility, composting all waste and recycling 100% of recyclable materials.

Virginia Tech is definitely a top college for food. Rated number 8 on Princeton Review’s “Best Campus Food” list for 2024, Virginia Tech makes it convenient to eat healthily.

Each day, students can check the online menu for each dining facility to view the selections offered and track nutrition information. Results can be filtered to remove foods containing selected allergens.

Virginia Tech Dining Services also has a commitment to sustainability, using:

• Trayless dining
• Food diversion
• Composting and recycling methods to minimize waste

Many of the fruits and vegetables served at Virginia Tech are produced at the university’s 6-acre farm or purchased locally. To switch things up, the university hosts themed meals, such as a Chili Challenge and Thanksgiving Feast.

Middlebury College adds flexibility to the traditional swipe-based meal service. During a dining period, students may enjoy a meal at any all-you-can-eat location. Then, without worrying about wasting a “swipe,” students can return to the same building or gain entry into another facility.

Sustainability is also important at Middlebury College. The University composts roughly 99% of food waste and outdoor meals are served with compostable and biodegradable:

• Plates
• Napkins
• Paper cups
• Eating utensils

Check out the University of Washington, a best college for food! A percentage of the produce served at the University of Washington is grown on-campus at the UW farm.

Eggs are cage-free, and all dairy is purchased locally. Even the local pizza chain’s campus-based location serves pizza with seasonal, local produce. Those who desire to view the nutrition content of their meals may find this information on the website.

To reduce the amount of waste sent to landfills, the University of Washington composts all food scraps and utilizes compostable take-out packaging. Students are also encouraged to bring reusable mugs for a discount on each drink purchase.

Oberlin College is committed to the health of its students, with an abundance of healthy menu items and transparent nutrition information.

The online menu features icons that identify foods with certain criteria, such as:

• Gluten-free
• Vegan
• Organic
• Heart-healthy options

There are plenty of vegan and vegetarian meals available for each dining period; think soy yogurt, vegan pizza, and hummus!

Parents who wish to send their students “Thinking of You” gifts can save a trip to the store by purchasing a boxed gift packed with healthy snacks, cards and games.

All food and paper waste is composted here, and much of the food is sourced locally. Online, Oberlin College has posted a list of local farms, along with the food items that each vendor provides.

Bates College is dedicated to the diversion of solid waste, with numerous methods for minimizing the school’s footprint. The college composts unwanted food waste and donates extra food to local homeless shelters. Milk products are produced hormone-free, and produce and meat are purchased locally. Bates Dining also has an incentivized reusable mug program.

Students earn points for every use of a reusable beverage container, eventually earning free guest passes to the dining facility.

Another best university for food is James Madison University.  James Madison students have access to 28 dining facilities, including:

• All-you-can-eat dining halls
• Food courts
• A smoothie bar

Students can view online menus for the three dining halls to see which diet-specific options will be available that day. The website also features a nutritional calculator and educational brochures on:

• Healthy eating
• Wellness tips
• Nutrition information
• Handy recipes

The university has implemented a number of sustainability initiatives, including trayless dining, composting, donating unused food, recycling 100% of fryer oil, and purchasing produce locally.

Themed events like the New Orleans-style lunch and Chinese New Year dinner add excitement to the college dining experience and Wheaton College know this.

Transparency is abundant at the Chase dining hall. Meals are prepared in front of students, and the menu and nutritional information is available on the website. The university is home to some other dining halls, like the Emerson retail location with:

• Tossed-to-order salads
• Fresh sandwiches
• Baked goods

Wheaton College purchases its produce from local farms, which are all listed on the website, and has recycling stations in every dining facility. 100% of fryer oil is recycled and, to save water and reduce cleaning chemical usage, trays are not used in the dining areas.

The College of William & Mary is among the best colleges for food. The William & Mary campus features:

• Two all-you-can-eat facilities
• Five coffee shops
• Four convenience stores
• A bake shop
• A food court

The dining service website is equipped with a nutrition calculator, which students can use before or after a meal to track the percentages of calories, sodium, etc., contained in their meals.

The university participates in composting, recycling and trayless dining. Dairy and produce are purchased locally and a portion of the produce and spices used in cooking are grown in the campus garden and herb gardens.

William & Mary also tracks uneaten food to raise awareness of wasteful dining and its impact on the environment.

Much of the produce served at Evergreen State College is grown on the on-campus organic farm or produced locally. The hormone-free dairy offered here is also purchased from a nearby vendor.

Unwanted food scraps are composted, and reusable dishware is utilized to reduce waste. To-go containers are compostable and reusable. Evergreen College offers:

• A POD Market with fresh grocery items
• A farm stand with local and organic produce
• A student-run café
• A  cafeteria with meals that cater to gluten-free, vegetarian and vegan diets The herbs used for cooking are often freshly picked from Evergreen’s community garden.

Vanderbilt is known for its prestige but also as for its superb dining hall food. Vanderbilt students are invited to attend themed dining events year-round, such as Comfort Food Night and Prime Rib Night.

The university website features a nutrition calculator, where students can view this information on computers or download the mobile app to keep track of their nutrition intake.

The Commons dining facility was constructed using environmentally friendly methods and materials, making it the first gold-certified building in Nashville.

From the salad and vegan bars at Verney-Wooley (V-Dub) to the Ivy Room’s exclusively vegetarian evening menu, there are plenty of options to choose from for vegans and vegetarians alike.

Brown University students with kosher and halal diets can purchase diet-specific meal plans. Menu ingredients are listed on the website, and students can use the online meal planner to view information like:

• Calories
• Sodium
• Fat
• Protein
• Fiber
• Vitamins

Brown Dining actively purchases from local farms and hosts a farmers’ market on campus. The to-go program uses compostable containers, and cups and Brown offers discounted beverage prices to students who bring reusable mugs.

Brown Dining actively purchases from local farms and hosts a farmers’ market on campus. The to-go program uses compostable containers and cups, and Brown offers discounted beverage prices to students who bring reusable mugs.

Known for its top academics, Duke University has a lot to offer, including its campus food selections. To help students make healthy choices, Duke University provides a wealth of information on its website, including informational videos and dietary advice for the university’s “Balance Your Plate” educational campaign.

Dietitians are also on staff to answer any questions that a student may have about healthy eating. Duke is also committed to sustainability. In addition to recycling and composting waste, Duke has completely banned bleached napkins and Styrofoam from all dining locations.

Some of the produce served in the dining facilities are grown on the one-acre Duke Campus Farm. Additionally, to reduce the environmental impact of meat consumption, Duke hosts Meatless Mondays with plenty of meat-free choices.

Every single meal at College of the Atlantic is prepared from scratch, often with local and organic ingredients. Meat and seafood served at this best food college is humanely raised and sustainably sourced.

At the Blair Dining Hall, students are served three meals Monday-Friday, each of which includes a vegetarian and vegan option. During weekends and evenings, the Sea Urchin Café offers a 24-hour vending machine with:

• Fresh sandwiches
• Fruit
• Yogurt
• Soup

Discarded food scraps are composted either on-site at the community garden, or at a local farm. Much of the produce served in the kitchen is grown at the university-owned, 73-acre Beech Hill Farm.

John Hopkins University is among the best universities for food in the U.S. The dining locations at Johns Hopkins use organic ingredients like:

• Cage-free eggs
• Hormone-free milk
• Locally-grown, seasonal produce

Paper products used at John Hopkins are biodegradable, and students with dietary restrictions can enjoy vegetarian, vegan and kosher meals. Parents are invited to participate in the Better Than Mail program, which allows them to choose freshly-made care package treats for students.

Parents can also submit a recipe to the Fresh Food Café’s rotating menu so that students can enjoy a meal that reminds them of home.