Commonly Asked Questions: How is the Food?

Category Student Voices

Author

Gabriela Class of '18 Alumni
Authored on June 15, 2015

Article

I know when I was applying to college one of the first questions I asked was about food.

I needed  to know how many meal swipes I would get, how good the food was, where was the Chipotle, literally any information I could find out about food. Thankfully, I can answer all these questions for you easily. 

What kind of meal plan does Harvard offer? 

The good thing about Harvard is that they offer an unlimited meal plan. I remember when I was visiting other schools and I was told I would have a meal plan of 19 swipes a week. I immediately got scared because I knew I would need at the very least 3 meals a day. So when I came to Harvard and heard the meal plan was unlimited all my fears were quelled. 

How is the food? 

By far probably the most important question to ask. At the end of the day, you're not going to get your Grandma's home-cooking, but Harvard University Dining Services (HUDS) tries its best to get as close to that as possible. There is a great variety of food from the different dishes they offer each and every day to the food you will always have from the Grill. The Grill is where you can get everything they serve on the grill, usually burgers, hot dogs, eggs and an assortment of other things. Each week they have a different special dish on the grill, like Meatball Sub, Grilled Tuna Melt, or Salmon Burgers. Each day HUDS offers a different meal like Spicy Pierogis or Korean Buffalo. HUDS offers vegetarian, vegan, and options for those with food allergies. All the dishes have their ingredients listed. It's great having so many different options to choose from. I love going into the dining hall each day and having something new to eat. 

Picture of pound cake with ice cream and chocolate syrup.

My own creation of HUDS pound cake, ice cream, and chocolate syrup.


Where do you eat? 

The freshmen all eat in the freshmen only dining hall known as Annenberg or The Berg, as we like to call it. (That's the one that looks like Hogwarts.) It's great getting to see all of your freshman class and knowing you can sit at any table and meet someone new each day.  All the upperclassmen, sophomores, juniors, and seniors, eat in their House dining halls or Dhalls as we call them. There are all great social places as well as eating places and the food is the same in all of them, which means everyone is getting the same thing. 

 

Picture of Annenberg Dining Hall

Annenberg or The Berg or The Great Hall of Hogwarts

 

Author at Freshman Formal on the balcony of Annenberg

Me at Freshman Formal on the balcony of Annenberg

 

Dunster Dining Hall decorated for the holiday season

Dunster Dining Hall, one of the 12 Upperclassmen Dining Halls Source: Crimson

What's there to eat in the Square? 

There are a multitude of restaurants to eat from in the Square. Some favorites are Felipe's Taqueria, Hong Kong, Pinocchio's., and Tasty Burger. Besides those, there is also Chipotle, a personal favorite, Border Cafe, Fire and Ice, IHOP, and many many more. If you have a sweet tooth like me, then you can go to Zinneken's, Pinkberry, and L.A. Burdick. I have gone to all of these at least once in my time here and they are all great! 

A photo of author with two friends and another photo of three cups of hot chocolate

Me (on the right) with my two close friends Sarafina and Nuha having a study break with L.A. Burdicks famous hot chocolate

 

Photo of a waffle from Zinneken's

A Zinneken's waffle

There are many food options open to you from HUDS to the various restaurants in the Square. I am a lover of food and I can tell you that I have not had any trouble with the food here. The hardest part for me is always picking what to eat. 

Gabriela Class of '18 Alumni