College is hard and it’s harder when you don’t have good food to eat. Food is a dangerous comfort. You could end up eating too much or too little. Food probably isn’t on your mind when you’re pulling an all-nighter before finals week, but you need to eat because your knowledge of physics isn’t going to keep your heart pumping. Lucky for you, the University of Iowa campus is close to a multitude of great places to get some grub.
Burge/Hillcrest
The go-to places for all incoming freshman, Burge and Hillcrest are convenient places to grab lunch, dinner, breakfast, or snacks. You can get anything, especially if you splurged and purchased the Gold Meal Plan. While Hillcrest is noted for being tastier than Burge, you simply can’t beat a Burge omelet for breakfast.
Hamburg Inn No. 2
Speaking of breakfast, the Hamburg Inn No. 2 is renowned for their breakfast specialties. Talk to any former University of Iowa student and they’ll tell you that eating eggs or pancakes at the Hamburg Inn No. 2 should be on your bucket list. The small diner is located on the east side of campus and has been a staple in Iowa City since the 1930s. A stop at the Hamburg Inn No. 2 has been important to people like Barack Obama and Bill Clinton and it should be to you too.
High Ground
Like I mentioned earlier, sometimes those all-nighters just have to happen. What better place is there to start at than a coffee shop? High Ground is close to campus and it offers a wide variety of tasty coffees and teas, as well as sandwiches and other snack foods to pull you through a night of studying. Coffee is the elixir of the Gods in college and High Ground’s coffee is the best, but you can’t just live on coffee and doughnuts, which makes High Ground and their sandwiches even better. Get your caffeine fix and also take in some much needed nutrients. Plus, the building is packed with great study spots.
Buffalo Wild Wings
Hawkeye Basketball is hot right now and before we know it Hawkeye Football will be rolling back into Kinnick Stadium. What's a better study break than eating cheap chicken wings and watching the game on multiple flat screen televisions? Study breaks are important and Buffalo Wild Wings is located right in the Old Capital Mall, which is accessible to basically any student. Chicken is one of those comfort foods, but if wings aren’t your thing, they offer a variety of other options (dessert nachos…mmm) and it’s an affordable treat.
Molly’s Cupcakes
Molly’s Cupcakes was a winner of Food Network’s "Cupcake Wars," so that says something right there. They’re located close to the Pentacrest and they offer multiple vegan and gluten free options, so there is something for everybody. After a day of classes, and perhaps dinner at Hillcrest or Buffalo Wild wings, a deluxe cupcake is the best way to wind down and prepare for breakfast the nest day at the Hamburg Inn No. 2.
No matter where you choose to spend your time, though, don’t forget the importance of eating.
