When trying to decide between colleges, I never thought dining hall food would be a factor in my decision making process. However, as a vegan, I sometimes have to do a little extra planning. Luckily, I ended up at UCSD which is one of the most vegan friendly campuses in the nation. As someone who has tried almost all of the vegan options on campus, I’m going to share a few of my favorite meals to help you navigate the plant based options here on campus.
- Crave – Lemon Basil Wrap
The Lemon Basil Wrap at Crave, located in Sixth Dining Hall is by far one of my favorite vegan options on campus. It contains hummus, cherry tomatoes, edamame, smashed red potato, roasted corn, and spring mixed greens with a lemon basil vinaigrette in a whole wheat lavash wrap. If you have a large appetite, I recommend adding the crispy tofu and Avocado to it to give it some extra substance. With or without the additions, this wrap is light enough where it won’t be feeling heavy in your stomach, but satisfying enough to make you full. It also tastes amazing if you heat it up in a microwave.
- Bistro – Tofu Udon Stir Fry
For all my vegan Japanese food lovers, the tofu udon stir fry at the Bistro will definitely satisfy your cravings. This stir fry is composed of udon noodles, bell peppers, red onions, shiitake mushrooms, and seared tofu with a soy chile sauce. The one downside is that the wait time for the Bistro can sometimes be inconvenient, however if you don’t mind the wait, this is one of the best options on campus. The tofu portion is rather large, so it’s super filling and has a high protein content and the noodles are also super saucy which is always a plus. I love this option so much I’m currently eating it while writing this!
- Spice – Falafel Mazza Bowl
I tried the Falafel Mazza Bowl from Spice, located in Ocean View, for the first time today and let me say, it did not disappoint. This bowl contains falafel, rice, roasted harissa vegetables, pickled onions, tzatziki sauce and pita. When I ordered they were out of pita which made me sad at first, but upon starting to eat the bowl I realized I didn’t miss the pita. I found this dish extremely filling to the point where I had leftovers. The roasted vegetables had great flavor and the falafel pieces were big. They also gave a good portion of tzatziki sauce so the falafel wasn’t dry.
- Wok – Kung Pao Tofu Wok
I hate walking, but I will gladly walk to Wok, located at 64 Degrees in Revelle, for some Kung Pao Tofu Wok. This dish contains Wok fired kung pao tofu and vegetables with your choice of base and finishing sauce. You’ll be able to choose between brown and jasmine rice (I recommend the jasmine rice, but the brown option is also delicious) as well as three finishing sauces (I heavily recommend the Kung Pao Sauce). It may just be my low spice tolerance, but I found this option to be slightly spicy, but tolerable. This is also a very saucy dish so every bite is coated in saucy goodness which I love.
- Bistro – Horizon Roll
Once again, the Bistro has delivered another delicious vegan option. I am a huge sushi lover so of course I’m a fan of the Bistro’s Horizon Roll. This roll contains tofu, cucumber, avocado, and pickled burdock root wrapped in rice and nori. It is also topped with daikon sprouts, sesame seeds, and lime juice. This opinion is on the lighter side so it may not be ideal if you’re super hungry or have a huge appetite, but I still found it pretty filling due to the tofu. I definitely prefer this sushi to the one Seventh Market serves.
- Roots – Acai Bowl
I couldn’t leave off an option from Roots, UCSD’s plant-based dining hall, from this list. To be honest I’ve only been to Roots a handful of times because I’m never in Muir, but I have found the Acai bowl to be my favorite dish there. It contains Acai Sorbet with strawberries, mangos, bananas, blueberries, flax seeds, and walnuts. The mangos and blueberries are slightly frozen which is a huge plus in my book. Even though this option lacks protein, I do find it to be quite filling. The only downside is that sometimes the acai sorbet is too frozen to eat at first, so you may have to wait 5-10 minutes for it to slightly melt before you can dig in.
- Cafe Ventanas – Tater Tots, Veggie Sausage, Fruit Cup
To be honest, I find the breakfast options at UCSD a little underwhelming, but Cafe V’s tater tots, veggie sausage patty, and fruit cup create a pretty solid breakfast. The tater tots are my guilty pleasure and I wish they were served all day because I simply can not get enough of them. They are so crispy and hit the spot every single time I eat them. Just don’t leave them in a Triton2Go container because they will get soggy. The veggie sausage is a pretty standard veggie sausage. It’s filling, has good protein content, but can get dry if it’s overcooked. If you prefer to substitute the veggie sausage with something else, I recommend the Just Scrambled Vegan Eggs. They taste pretty similar to regular scrambled eggs, just remember to add salt to them. The fruit in the fruit cup slightly varies, but it’s usually composed of melons and berries.