Upperclassmen talk campus dining | The Triangle

Upperclassmen talk campus dining

Incoming freshmen are required to have meal plans with the exception of commuters. With that in mind, it’s one of the top priorities of new students on campus.

Perhaps the most frequent area that incoming students will utilize is the Handschumacher Dining Center. The Hans is Drexel’s dining hall: no more, no less. Many love to complain about the food there, but at the end of the day, it’s a dining hall with food quality to match its station. While it’s no five star restaurant, it’s worth going to simply because it’s part of the mandatory meal plan.

Don’t be afraid to go to the dining hall alone. No one actually cares if you’re sitting alone and it’s not worth going hungry to avoid it.

Coffee drinkers: bring your thermos! The Hans has pretty good coffee and, as it’s buffet-style, bottomless refills. This will become increasingly useful as finals week approaches.

Most students find that the meal plan with fewer dining hall swipes is more than enough (14 swipes/week, $475 dining dollars).

The next venue that is available to students is the North Side Dining Terrace. Due to its proximity to the dorms and acceptance of dining dollars, Northside is quick to become a freshman’s favorite place. The food quality from Currito, Subway and Chick fil A is a bit different from the chains’ other standalone locations, but will be a welcome break from dining hall food. Their grab-and-go options are excellent options when time is of the essence.

Currito’s smoothies are a high point of Northside: the Nutella milkshake especially. For fruit lovers, the Berry Blitz is a must. Not bad for dining dollars!

Be sure to budget out dining dollars. Prices at Northside are higher than at most grocery stores, and it’s easy to feel like dining dollars are “play” money.

For students with a more specific palate, Vegetate is able to serve those student’s needs. Drexel’s resident vegetarian/vegan restaurant is also friendly to dining dollars. As part of the Chestnut Square complex, this restaurant is located conveniently close to Main Building and the bulk for Drexel’s academic buildings.

Both the flatbread and smoothies here are some of the campus favorites.

Vegetate employs students! Any interested students can look into getting involved here through work/study.

There’s also an ATM nearby between Franklin Mint and Yogorino.

A staple for any college campus is the local coffee shops. The Gerri C. LeBow Hall conveniently has a Starbucks located inside its first floor. With greatly reduced hours and increased traffic compared to their other locations, this Starbucks may not be the best, but it is the closest. For longer study sessions, the locations on Walnut and Chestnut near the University of Pennsylvania might be better options, but they do lack one thing: acceptance of dining dollars.

As noted above, this Starbucks takes dining dollars: that means that all the cups, mugs and merch can also be bought with dining dollars. A high quality $20.00 thermos will be well-worth the investment as the winter months hit and is the gift that keeps on giving. Don’t forget that other Starbucks locations offer a $0.10 discount for bringing your own thermos!

Something that every city goer will quickly realize tis that 7/11 are almost omnipresent. As if anyone really needs a run-down on this convenience store. Located both next to Towers and across from the Science Center and open all day, every day, every Drexel student will make a stop here for something.

There’s an ATM inside: the transaction fee is $2.00 (a dollar less than the one in Main), but paying by debit card for a small purchase and selecting cash back has no fee!

The Arizona teas here are $0.99 flat for 23 ounces — one of the best deals on campus.

If a sit down restaurant is something you want, two restaurants in particular stand out and are close to campus: Savas and Ed’s Pizza. Located just past the 7-Eleven down Lancaster Avenue sits two great pizzerias. The question “Ed’s or Savas?” is one most Drexel students are bound to ask at least once a weekend. With both toting hours until 2:00 a.m. on the weekend and delivery options, the real winner of this rivalry is the hungry coed.

Savas has a bar and full restaurant option, which is well worth checking out. They’re reasonably priced and provide that kind of dining option that is often missed during college life.

Ed’s is known for their wings as well, and often post special deals for orders of their delicious finger foods. Keep an eye out for flyers and updates to save a few dollars!

A local favorite for everyone living on or near Powelton Avenue, Pizza Wings and Steaks or “PWS” is everyone’s go to late night stop. With a somewhat secluded location near Drexel Park and no indoor seating available, PWS, pronounced “P-dubbz,” is a true diamond in the rough. Open until 3 a.m., this eatery serves large amounts of food for a great price. In the battle between Ed’s and Savas, many choose PWS.

They even have a Coca-Cola freestyle machine! It’s the only one on campus.

PWS is known for their “Big Daddy” pizza: breaded chicken, bacon, ranch dressing and barbeque sauce. They offer vegetarian and vegan options for pizza as well!