Bates College is known to serve students really good food in their dining hall. With fresh and local ingredients, Bates cooks up food ready to serve each day for three meals a day. Bates is on many of the top 10 best dining halls in America lists that surface on the internet. Many people are skeptical about which list is correct and which dining halls are best but here are 10 reasons why Bates should be on any and all lists:
1. Chicken Nuggets
About every other week, commons cooks up a copious amount of chicken nuggets. Everyone knows when it’s chicken nugget day. Bates can also cook them to perfection; not too crispy and never undercooked. Students line up early for these tender, yet crispy bundles of joy. And the very best part is that they are unlimited. Who doesn’t like chicken nuggets?!
2. Crispitos
Like taquitos, but better. They are bigger than regular taquitos from the store and carry more flavor in every bite. Filled with chicken and cheese they are sure to bring happiness to anyone and everyone who eats them. Unless you don’t eat meat of course! But that’s beside the point! They are cooked so they are crispy on the outside, yet still soft inside. Bates also offers lots of good sauces to dip them in because sauce is the only thing that could make crispitos even better. Especially when dipped in ranch!
3. Cereal
One of the things Bates College is known for is their cereal wall. Commons carries over 30 different kinds of cereal. If your absolute favorite cereal is not being served, don’t fret, there are still 32 types of cereal you can pick and choose from at all times. With the friendly serve yourself lever, people can get as much as they want whenever they want! Bates also has different kinds of milk for whatever fancies your liking!
4. Pizza
Bates really has perfected its pizza making skills because their pizza is always SO good. Bates really outdoes itself with the pizza cooked perfectly in a big brick oven. Commons has the regular cheese, pepperoni, meat lovers, and mushroom kinds of pizza which are all cooked to excellence! But Commons also serves margherita pizza, spinach & red onion, cheeseburger pizza, reuben pizza, chicken alfredo, and even a breakfast pizza which all rotate every week. About 4 kinds of pizza are served almost every day for lunch and dinner! The dough also changes regularly and the pizza is sometimes made with a thick crust, whole wheat or French bread. Can’t go wrong with the pizza!
5. Soup
Another things Bates Commons does really well is serve two kinds of soup everyday. Their homemade soups rotate from beef minestrone, to Italian wedding soup, to creamy tomato soup. Many people’s favorites are the French onion soup, the beef and barley soup, and various kinds of chowder. Commons keeps the soups hot and flavorful.
6. Salad Bar
The salad bar never disappoints. There are 3 kinds of lettuce to choose from, and not just iceberg lettuce that everyone hates. Bates offers kale and mixed greens as well. There are many things you can put in your salad too. There is the normal tomato, cucumber and carrot sort of deal, but there are also various kinds of peppers, artichokes, mandarin oranges, different kinds of cheese and croutons, celery, hard boiled eggs, etc. All the fixings for a one of a kind salad, plus about 20 dressings to choose from. Unlike other schools, Commons’ salad bar won’t get boring, even after a while.
7. Dessert
Bates has phenomenal desserts ranging from no bake cookies to red velvet cake. Commons switches things up with different desserts for lunch AND dinner everyday. Some of the best desserts Bates has are the baklava, toll house pie, chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting, and tiramisu coffee cake. Many of their desserts are vegan and sugar free, so no one should be too worried about their consumption of sweets!
8. Pho
While vegan food isn’t too great to begin with, Bates Commons makes their vegan food pretty good tasting… for vegan food. They offer students a wide variety of options with a rotating menu. But the one thing that is a must is the pho! It’s so good and very tasty. Pho is not a food you would think is served in dining halls across the country, but Bates knows what’s up. The pho is served about every 3 weeks and there is always a line for it. While the vegan bar is not a first choice for some, it is still in high regards and most definitely better than vegan bars at other schools.
9. Omelettes
Every Tuesday and Thursday morning, Commons has omelettes! You can choose what you want in your omelette and what kind of omelette (regular, half & half, or whites). Then one of the chefs cooks it right in front of you. The omelettes are super good and large in size. It’s good to get there early because by 8:30 a.m. they are super busy. Omelettes are a definite “pick me up” kind of meal to start your day!
10. Tacos
Tacos are served on Friday every once in a while. They are almost like a special treat for students. Taco could be consumed everyday if we wanted but that wouldn’t end well. Commons puts out a whole buffet with soft or hard shells, different kinds of meat, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, guacamole, sour cream, cheese, and more. You can never go wrong with tacos. Tacos are an awesome end to your week and start to your weekend!
Main image from Rubicon.