While the food usually pales in comparison to other aspects of the college experience, some schools have really stepped up their game in recent years.
And we're talking, locally-grown, vegan-friendly, lobster-on-the-reg type of game.
We looked college-centric sites like Princeton Review, and lists from food publications like The Daily Meal and Thrillist to get the most comprehensive idea of which schools are truly gourmet.
Bon Appétit.
Bowdoin College hosts a lobster bake for students at the beginning of every school year.
Even though the school has only two dining halls, their options are plenty gourmet. They top nearly every list with meals like, "mussels in butter sauce, haddock with jalapeños, squash fettuccine, and roasted root vegetables with polenta."
Rated #4 on Princeton Review for best campus dining, their salad bar features fruits and veggies from the campus’s organic garden, with other ingredients from local providers. Finally, Bowdoin students are invited to the Down East Lobster Bake to celebrate the start of each school year.
They even post their recipes online and have their own app.
Cornell has an awesome brunch with a make-your-own pancake station.
Cornell hosts a ton of delectable events.
They host a "Night at Hogwarts," which features British fare, butterbeer, chocolate frogs, and live owls from the Cornell raptor program.
Their Sunday brunch includes a create your own pancake bar with fillers like M&M's, fruit, and sprinkles and batters like pumpkin and blueberry. They also have a create your own omelet bar.
In their Cornell Dairy shop, they sell ice cream, milk, yogurt, pudding, and Big Red Cheddar produced from Cornell's dairy processing plant.
Johns Hopkins University offers classy options like a brunch with live jazz, and food and wine pairing events.
Snagging the #2 spot on The Daily Meal rankings this year, Johns Hopkins’ hosts food and wine pairings for seniors and cooking classes in right residence halls that focus on healthy eating.
They're also another school that takes its brunch seriously. Once a month they host a fancy feast with with a live jazz band, with meals that include baked brie, shrimp cocktail, bananas foster, cinder-brined pork, and butternut squash & leek frittata.
The coffee shop, Chesapeake Bay Roasting Company, on campus offers locally-roasted fair trade coffees and teas as well as a host of refreshing smoothies.
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