Harvard has 13 undergraduate dining halls between Annenberg Hall—the First-Year dining hall—and the dining hall in each of the 12 upperclassmen Houses. Beyond being a source of socialization, the dining halls also attract curiosity as to what will be served for the day.
Harvard Undergraduate Dining Services (HUDS) continually innovates new meal options while improving upon the existing options. HUDS also offers a multitude of dietary accommodations ranging from halal options to vegan meal options and allergy accommodations as well; the HUDS staff are very accommodating with requests, so seek and you shall find something that you can eat! With that said, however, there are well over two dozen distinct meal options and entrees HUDS prepares between breakfast, lunch, and dinner—with some options admittedly being better than others.
Though I have only experienced 1 year of HUDS food, I would argue that red-spiced chicken, chicken drenched in red hot sauce, is one of—if not the best—options offered by HUDS despite it being offered very rarely. As expected, all students do not share this same opinion. As such, HUDS operates a “grill” during dinner where students can order anything they like off a menu consisting of items ranging from grilled cheese sandwiches to french fries. As for even obtaining access to the dining hall, students get unlimited swipes into the dining hall (during operating hours) provided they pay for board. For those with a sweet tooth, HUDS offers dessert during both lunch and dinner with options including cookies, pie, cake, and ice cream depending on the day. My favorite dessert option among HUDS is easily the Tres Leches cake as it is a common Mexican dessert and thus a taste of home.
While students will occasionally offer criticisms of HUDS and dining hall food, stained by the stereotypes of college dining hall food, I would argue that HUDS is several tiers above the food typically seen in American public high schools. On certain holidays such as Thanksgiving week, the dining halls will have special meals with turkey, gravy, artisanal cheeses, and cider as food options to instill the holiday spirit in students. For those studying late into the night, the dining halls will open up at 9pm for “Brain Break” which is a period during which the dining halls serve snacks ranging from fresh fruits to tortilla chips.
Regardless, you will find something appetizing during your time in Harvard’s dining halls.
