When my professors release me from class, I, like many other students, am usually hungry and need to feed myself before my next commitment begins. But the lines everywhere are long, the food is expensive without my single daily meal exchange and my stomach is grumbling. My question is never what to eat, but instead where to eat for the best combination of price, time and taste. I don’t want to be disappointed because I spent $16 and 30 minutes in line on slop.
To solve this dilemma once and for all, I visited campus’ most prominent dineries and catalogued the best deals and biggest minefields.
CRAVE: Interesting concept, dead on arrival
CRAVE is located in the Student Union where Moe’s used to be. As a virtual food hall, it has many types of food under one roof and one name instead of just one style like a typical restaurant. UTD CRAVE offers City Mac, Bon Mi and Veg 23; City Mac provides a variety of macaroni and cheese dishes, Bon Mi offers banh mi bowls and sandwiches and Veg 23 offers all vegetarian options.
I tried out the Cheesesteak Mac n’ Cheese bowl from City Mac but quickly regretted it as it seemed to be just chunks of shaven meat and a mystery sauce in a bowl, entirely unlike the meal advertised in the photos. The menu picture looked quite appetizing, with an expert finish that did not indicate anywhere the mystery sauce would be added. The meat also wasn’t in chunk form in the picture. I got a few bites in before throwing it away. The meat’s texture was extremely chewy and bland with an unnerving air of sickness to it. The price of the bowl was $13, which made it feel like a waste, but I at least won’t be getting food poisoning from finishing it.
Because I could not finish the food, I rate it one star out of five.
I also decided to try the banh mi sandwich, the build-your-own from Bon Mi. I asked the cashier for the build-your-own banh mi sandwich, but when I asked when I would tell them what I wanted for the order, they said I would see what I got on my receipt at the end. In other words, they had already made the order, which was confusing. I was given the BBQ Sandwich and decided to rate that instead. While there was no reference photo this time, one glance at the sandwich made me realize that it, too, looked rancid, with pink insides, sauce that smelled funky and mysterious coleslaw. I got one bite in, then threw it away.
I rate it zero stars out of five. I didn’t even get to make my own sandwich.
The median score CRAVE earned after trying two out of three restaurants was half a star out of five. No need to waste your money or meal exchange here — over $20 was wasted on less than half-eaten meals.
COMET PI: A hopeful change from before
Next, I decided to try Comet Pi, which replaced Papa John’s at Dining Hall West. Open late, Comet Pi seems ideal for midnight snacks if one does not feel like walking to Taco Bell or 7/11. Instead of trying the pizza, one of their more popular items, I decided to try a unique menu item, the Baked Basil Pesto Vegetable Pasta. It was less than $10, which is considerably cheaper than most other food options on campus, especially for a meal.
When I opened the box my pasta came in, it seemed unfortunately over-baked. The smell of pesto was extremely strong, and all I could see were dark red-brown spots, a sign that it did not cook properly. The vegetables were good with the pesto sauce, but because it was over-baked, I could barely get the vegetables through the cheese, which was too hard to consume. I ended up finishing half of it before packing it for leftovers, scraping off basically all the vegetables so that it could become edible. The pizza, meanwhile, is nearly identical to what Papa John’s offered. If you’re in a pinch, perhaps a different option may be better, as convenience doesn’t triumph over taste in this case.
I rate it two and a half stars out of five.
FIREHOUSE SUBS: An expensive light in the darkness
I decided to try Firehouse Subs in the Student Union, which was incredibly busy around noon, so if you’re running late to class and want a quick bite, this might not be the best choice. It took around 30 minutes to receive my food with the rush. I ordered the Hook and Ladder Sandwich, forgoing the full meal option. A meal includes cookies and chips, but the sandwich itself is already pretty expensive for what it is. Over the past few days, I had only had UTD food, and the sandwich was very decent, so I scarfed it down. Opening the very small box, all I could smell was mustard coming from the sandwich, but aesthetically, it looked appetizing. Unfortunately, even a smaller sandwich is over $10, so I was still hungry by the end of it, but it was good for what it was.
Because of the sandwich’s disappointing size and price, I rate it three out of five stars. It’s good if you have the money to spend, and ideal if you make it a meal with some chips.
HALAL SHACK: Small but beautiful portions
Halal Shack is one of the first restaurants you see walking into the Student Union. It boasts long lines and later closing times compared to most other restaurants on campus. I got the most basic meal, the rice bowl with chicken, onion, spicy white sauce and spinach. It was very good, but the portions are fairly small like with Firehouse Subs. If you’ll be paying for it instead of using Meal Exchange, I would recommend going somewhere else, as it is more expensive — over $13 for a bowl without any add-ons. Add-ons add a couple extra dollars, similar to a place like CAVA or Chipotle. Taste-wise, though, it is one of the best options on campus, and healthier as well. The spinach blended nicely with the chicken and spicy white sauce. A little tang gave it the edge over the other restaurants. This is probably your best option to avoid the rush in the winding-down evening.
Because of the portion size, I do have to dock points, but I rate it 3.75 stars out of five.
CHICK-FIL-A: Reliable through it all
Chick-fil-A is one of the safest options on campus regarding food quality. You know what you will get at Chick-fil-A most of the time. I ordered a Spicy Deluxe Chicken Sandwich for $11 with no tomatoes and American cheese — and got a Spicy Deluxe Chicken Sandwich with the very topping I asked for to be removed. The line was extremely long, so I gave grace to the workers who had to work a mid-day rush. To avoid mistakes being made with your food, coming around early in the evening would be best. The taste was one of the best across campus. A good little sting on your tongue as soon as you bite down into the chicken with sourness from the pickles.
Chick-fil-A has no meal exchange option, but using the money on your Comet Card here won’t be wasted. Compared to Firehouse Subs, the sandwich was more filling despite being smaller. An average meal would keep you full for the day. Plan to arrive before the 1 p.m. rush or after 4 p.m. to avoid horrendously long lines.
I rate it 4.7 stars out of five.
Overall, out of everything sampled, the best taste and quality belongs to Halal Shack while the best bang for your buck is Chick-fil-A. Neither CRAVE nor Comet Pi, new additions to our campus dining scene, managed to dethrone — or even meaningfully challenge — these well-established campus icons. These will be the same places one avoids as usual. This is from the perspective of a broke college student, so being harsher was the best policy.
Those interested in the whole campus dining menu can check the Boost app or the UTD Dining website. The website lists operating hours for all dining areas on campus as well.