If you currently go to, or are an alumni of, Lafayette College, then you can surely relate to this list.
6. Skillman Café
In the library, time can fly quicker than you’d imagine; you may find your stomach grumbling when it’s 10:30 p.m. and you haven’t eaten since noon. If you’re three hours into studying for that midterm and can’t see an end in sight, or you still have eight pages to go on your nine-page paper, then Skillman Café is your place to go. It offers grab-and-go meal options such as salads, cold sandwiches and wraps, as well as lighter fare like fruit, yogurt, and bakery items. The biggest draw, however, is the feature most likely to draw Lafayette students: coffee. Skillman Café is the only place on campus that brews Starbucks coffee and alternative beverages. While the food is not the best on campus, the countless cups of caffeine produced definitely compensate.
5. Upper
If you’re thinking about Lafayette’s most stereotypical college dining hall, you’re likely picturing Upper. Located in Farinon College Center, the hub for student life on campus, Upper is a classic all-you-can-eat buffet-style dining hall. At breakfast time, one can find egg entrees made to order, classic breakfast foods like pancakes and sausage, and an assortment of continental items such as bagels and pastries. A salad bar, a deli station, and a pizza and pasta area stay constant for both lunch and dinner, with other sections, such as a health-inspired station and a theme station changing with every meal. It’s safe to say that there’s a good deal of variety. Although you may unfortunately come across something that makes your stomach turn every once in a while, the food offered is your typical college cafeteria-level cuisine. If you’re looking for something different, go elsewhere.
4. Marquis
Once described as “Upper’s more sophisticated cousin,” Marquis is a great place to go for a meal between classes or with friends. Having just been renovated this past summer, Marquis Dining Hall is a picturesque spot with big windows, open spaces, and beautiful furnishings. The food received an upgrade as well; different selections are unveiled every day, and the brand-new crepe station, which provides crepes for multiple meals, has students filled with excitement. In addition to the stations which regularly change, Marquis also offers a deli station, salad bar, and pizza and pasta area nearly identical to those at Upper. Unfortunately, Marquis is not open on the weekends, leaving Upper as the only available main dining hall, but many students argue that Marquis offers better food than Upper. That praise combined with its central location on campus make it an all-around solid option for a quick meal on campus.
3. Lower
When you have a class in 25 minutes and need something quick to eat, or if you’re just really craving chicken tenders, Lower is where you go. Offering a plethora of options from salads and soups to hot and cold sandwiches to wings, burgers, and even sushi, Lower is definitely a Lafayette favorite. Lower is another on-the-go option that allows you to either serve yourself salad or soup or order entrees from a display and pick them up when your number is called. Although the hot options can take a decent amount of time to be made, causing some students to get frustrated, the freshness of the options makes up for the occasional wait. Lower also functions as a 7-Eleven-esque market, selling snacks, ice cream, and other novelties, which carries more convenience than a trip to Wawa. Ultimately, the variety and quality of the food offered at Lower makes it a go-to option for many students.
2. Gilbert’s
If you’ve been on campus for a couple months and you’re really missing Panera, Gilbert’s is the way to go. No it’s not the same, but it’s the closest you’re going to get on College Hill. Gilbert’s Café offers a broad selection of soups, sandwiches, flatbreads, and even breakfast items, and carries some of the most favored food items on campus, such as the cali chicken wrap and the chicken caesar flatbread. The food is made-to-order, and it carries options different than what can be found in other dining halls. The café style, which incorporates pagers that buzz when a student’s food is ready, is perfect for studying, but also welcomes groups of friends or classmates to gather to relax or study. During the lunch hour, it can get extremely crowded, and you may have some trouble making it to class in a short period of time, but the food makes it worth the wait.
1. Simon’s
If you ever venture past Marquis and the few nearby sorority houses to the lesser-known side of campus in the evening, you’ll almost definitely see a crowded building with a line coming out the door. All of the seemingly crazy people who have been in line for half an hour are simply waiting for some of the best food on campus. Simon’s is the final dining location on campus, which offers hoagies and pizza-like flatbreads made-to-order, providing food much different than anything else on campus. Not only is the food unlike what is found in the other dining halls, but in many students’ opinions, it’s the better than anything else you can get on campus. In addition, the fact that it doesn’t open until 5:30 p.m. every night explains why it’s always so busy; people take advantage of its few operating hours and storm the place as soon as they can. The sometimes frustrating wait can be a turn-off for many people, but if you time your trip right, going to Simon’s is a great way to change up your dining routine, and have a great meal in the process.
