Navigating the food options on campus seems to be an easy task. As students, we have “tons of options”! We have all of the restaurants in LaFun, we have North and South Dining Halls, we have Café de Grasta, Au Bon Pain, Waddicks, and tons of other cafés in various buildings around campus. After two years at Notre Dame, I think I’ve tried just about all of them, and if not, I’ve certainly heard my friends talk about the options. Although the menus seem to be unique to each place, unfortunately many of them are very repetitive or deceivingly unhealthy. What should we know walking into each café and restaurant on campus? I’ve chosen a few of the most popular places to eat on campus to discuss, looking at both the upsides and the downsides of all of them.
One of the busiest cafés on campus is definitely Waddicks. Located in the main hallway of O’Shag, Waddicks is in a convenient location for students to stop at on their way to class. Though Waddicks offers refrigerated food, it is mostly recognized for the hot options on the menu. Most notable are their breakfast sandwiches and their baked potatoes (both regular potatoes and sweet potatoes). They also offer a daily special during lunch hours, and the hot chocolate with whipped cream is to die for during the winter months. Many of their food options are healthy, such as yogurts, granola bars, salads, and soups. One of the only issues with Waddicks is that between classes, the line is extremely long. If you want a hot chocolate before heading to your 10:40 class, make sure you get there early!
Another well-known café on campus is Café de Grasta. Located in Grace Hall, it is very out of the way for students on South Quad and those who have classes in Jordan or DeBart, but for those who have class in Flanner, Grace, or Haggar (or even Geddes or O’Shag!), this café is a great choice for breakfast or lunch. They have an oatmeal bar in the morning that changes into a soup station for lunch hours. A large self-serve salad bar sits in the center of the café, surrounded by refrigerated food options and a granola bar/candy wall. The best part of the cafe, however, is the sandwich station. The chicken wraps are filling and absolutely delicious, as are all of their deli options. You cannot go wrong with a sandwich from this café.
Finally, one of the most easily accessible cafés is Au Bon Pain in the Hesburgh Library. Located right next to the Library Auditorium, ABP is perfect for both coffee breaks and lunch dates. Au Bon Pain offers a coffee deal where you can purchase a reusable cup and every time you use the cup at ABP, you get a discount on your coffee. This prime location also offers delicious sandwiches, hot and cold, that are either premade and in the refrigerator, or made to order at the counter. The soups, macaroni and cheese, pastries, and bread at ABP are comforting and perfect for any meal while studying in the library. ABP is extremely similar to Panera and having one in the library makes Sunday studying a little easier to bear. One small caveat – if you’re watching your calories, you might want to stick to a salad or a snack pack!
Although the cafés don’t have a lot of variety in their menus, a lot of places have specialties that are worth trying. Take a break from the dining halls sometimes and use your flex points while exploring all the buildings on campus!
Follow the HCND Pinterest account, pin with us, and remember to keep posted with HCND on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook!
Image: 1