In my opinion, one of the best things about UConn is the vast selection of restaurants you have at your fingertips, and the unique array of foods you get to sample there. From boba tea, to ramen, to dumplings, to calzones, there is no shortage of options to try out from the restaurants on campus. If you want to know which restaurants to try, here’s a list of some of my personal favorites:
1. Brooklyn Dumpling Shop
This restaurant is fairly new — it opened just last year! It is also one of the more unique restaurants on campus because instead of ordering at the register and being given your food by an employee, you either order at a kiosk, or scan a QR code to order on your phone, and pick up your order in an automatic compartment, or “automats,” which open after you scan a QR code. No human interaction required.
So let’s cut to the chase: what kind of food does Brooklyn Dumpling Shop serve? You guessed it. As the name suggests, they sell dumplings. All kinds of dumplings. More kinds than you even thought were possible. They sell the kinds you’d expect, like potstickers, pork dumplings, shrimp dumplings, and duck rolls. But they also have dumplings you’d never expect to exist, like pepperoni pizza dumplings, Philly cheesecake dumplings, and Greek gyro dumplings. You name it, they’ve got a dumpling of it. But my favorite part of all is their dessert dumplings. They offer apple caramel dumplings, dark melted chocolate dumplings, and peanut butter and jelly dumplings (between us, I like their dark melted chocolate dumplings best). The chocolate is so gooey, and I love how rich it is. I recommend everyone try Brooklyn Dumpling Shop at least once, for the novelty of it. There really is no other place like it on campus!
2. Eatjoy
Out of all the restaurants on campus, this one is my favorite. I always enjoy going there to order their boba tea. It tastes so nice, sweet, cold, and refreshing, and of course, it is fun to suck up all the tapioca bubbles. They offer both milk teas and fruit teas. I highly recommend the mocha milk tea, but the Sakura rose one is also pretty good. But that’s not all they offer: they also offer burritos, which are either house curated or you can build your own. They also make Poke bowls, which, again, are either house-curated or build-your-own and are very yummy. There are so many options you can choose to put in your bowl or burrito, from salmon, to crispy chicken, to cucumbers, to shredded cheese, to kimchi (fermented cabbage) or unagi (eel). I cannot recommend this restaurant enough.
3. whale Tea
Next up on our list, we have another boba tea cafe. But unlike Eatjoy, Whale Tea sells exclusively boba tea. They offer a wider variety of teas than Eatjoy, more kinds than you ever thought possible. They offer milk tea, crystal tea, Creme brulee, fruit tea, Foam Fresh tea, Slush, and Oolong tea. There are so many choices at Whale tea! Also, Whale tea makes their boba tea with fresh ingredients, unlike some other Boba tea shops, which makes their boba tea healthier than other kinds. If you like experimenting with a wide range of flavors and ingredients in your bubble tea, and like fresh ingredients, then whale tea is for you.
4. Insomnia cookies
One of the perks of Insomnia Cookies is that, as the name suggests, they are open late in the night — 4 a.m to be exact, which is later than most other UConn restaurants. This is good if you end up getting hungry in the middle of the night and need to satisfy your sweet tooth. Not only that, but the cookies are really good, some of the best I’ve had, in fact. They just are so warm, and gooey, and mouth watering, and just a good snack to eat if you’re pulling an all-nighter and you need some fuel. They offer many flavors, like Classic M&M’s, Sugar Cookie, or Double Chocolate Chunk, but my favorite thing to get from Insomnia cookies is a 4-pack with two chocolate chunk cookies, two peanut butter chip cookies, chocolate cookie butter, and milk. Peanut butter and chocolate are quite the delectable combination — you can’t go wrong with it, also you got to get a double chocolate chunk to taste all the fresh, warm chocolate, and no order of cookies is complete without milk to wash it down. If you need a midnight snack, or to satisfy the cravings for your sweet tooth, this is right up your alley.
5. D.p. Dough
Speaking of restaurants open late, another restaurant perfect for ordering late is D.P. Dough, which is open until 3 a.m. and specializes in calzones. It is good if you need a late dinner and miss the window when the dining halls are open. Another convenient thing about them is that they deliver directly to your dorm, which is good when you don’t feel like making the trek to pick up your calzones. Their calzones are steamy, savory, and filling. My personal favorite is the Falling Rock Zone, which is stuffed with bacon, tater tots, cheddar, and mozzarella, and comes with a side of sour cream. D.P. Dough is a staple amongst UConn students, so I recommend you try it at least once.
6. Daddy’s noodle bar
Another staple of a UConn student’s diet is ramen, and if you want to know where you can get the best ramen around, I have the answer. That place is Daddy’s Noodle Bar, which has ramen that is amazing to look at and even more amazing to eat. My favorite kind is the Daddy’s Noodle Ramen, which has pork, Tajima egg, scallion, nori, and fish cake, along with the ramen. Their ramen tastes so warm, savory, and a little spicy. It is perfect for the cold weather.
7. mooyah
Last, but most certainly not least, we have Mooyah. Mooyah makes nice, fresh, juicy burgers and shakes, and fries that are hand-cut. The milkshakes are made out of real ice cream too and are very good! My favorite flavor personally for milkshakes is mint chocolate chip, and I think the bacon cheeseburger is the best burger. They also have veggie burgers if you’re a vegetarian. If you’re looking for some good burgers on campus, Mooyah is your place!
As you can see, there is a multitude of different restaurants to choose from on the UConn campus, all of them unique in their own way. If you happen to be in Storrs Center, you should definitely give them a try! The UConn experience would not be complete without it.