Places to Eat in State College
By: Team A
State College has some amazing on and off-campus restaurants for any occasion. Whether you are looking for a quick bite to eat between classes or a nice place to take your parents for dinner, this is a breakdown of some of the best places to eat at Penn State.
On Campus Dining
While living on campus, you will be using your meal plan to pay for your meals. With your meal plan, you get a discount on dining hall meals and any of the other places the commons have to offer. Each residence hall’s dining hall menus can be accessed on http://menu.hfs.psu.edu/ and all of the other options that your meal plan can be used at can be accessed on https://liveon.psu.edu/university-park/dining. Each residence hall has its own traditional buffet-style dining hall where you swipe your ID and can get anything you want. In addition to that, each dining hall has extra grab-and-go-style restaurants. Food from these places can be ordered through the Penn State Go app and can be picked up for a quick lunch between classes. Each commons also has a grab-and-go market (similar to 7/11) where you can grab pre-made wraps, sandwiches, or any type of snack food.
East Halls
Bowls - Acai bowls
Chef's table - Burrito bowls
Deli - Sandwiches
Buffet
Edge - Serves Starbucks coffee and food
Flips - Burgers, chicken tenders, etc.
Pure (healthy and dietary restriction options)
North
Deli/Grill - Sandwiches, burgers, chicken tenders, etc.
Buffet dining hall
Pollock
Edge - Serves Starbucks coffee and food
Asia Kitchen - Customizable bowls
Buffet
South
Bowls - Acai bowls
Edge - Serves Starbucks coffee and food
Fresco y Caliente - Burritos, quesadillas, nachos and tacos
In a Pickle - Subs and wraps
Piatto Felice - Pizza and pasta
Grill - Burgers, chicken tenders, etc.
Buffet
West
Buffet
Deli and Grill - Sandwiches, burgers, chicken tenders, etc.
Edge
The HUB also offers many different restaurants to choose from that will also accept meal plan. All of the different places to eat in the HUB can be found here: https://liveon.psu.edu/university-park/dining/hub-dining. Some of our other favorite places on campus are the Panera locations and the Starbucks in the library, which also accept meal plan.
Quick Off-Campus Dining
One of my favorite things to do after a long week of classes and work is to find a place downtown to grab dinner with my friends and thankfully, downtown State College has a lot to offer. Almost all of the restaurants are within easy walking distance; most are on Beaver or some of the side streets. Downtown offers so many options for whatever you’re craving that night: burgers, chicken, sushi, pizza, Chinese, or even ice cream. Whether you want to sit and enjoy your dinner, or just grab a pizza to go, downtown State College is the place to eat! All of these places are all along the main strip of downtown and are all pretty affordable. Most of the places downtown accept LionCash which is loaded onto your account in eliving and accessed with your Student ID. Here are some of our favorites:
Off campus (downtown)
Yallah Taco - Tacos, burritos, burrito bowls
El Jefes - Tacos burritos and bowls
SNAP pizza - Custom personal sized pizzas (also offers Gluten Free (GF) crusts)
Roots - Like healthier chipotle (GF)
Hello Bistro - Burgers and salads (has GF buns)
Sauly Boys - Burgers/chicken tenders, fries, and milkshakes
Tadashi - One sushi location, one ramen location
The Corner Room - Home cooked/diner type food, famous Penn State grilled stickies
Off Campus (Driving Distance) and Places to Take Your Parents
Most first-year students do not have their cars on campus, so going far off campus is pretty rare, but if your parents are visiting and you want a nice sit-down place to go to, here are some of our favorites. Most of these places are more on the pricier side, so they are nice to go to for special occasions or when your parents are in town.
Gigis (Drive)
Federal Taphouse (Walking distance)
The Corner Room (Walking distance)
Tavern (Walking distance)
Otto’s Pub and Brewery (Drive)
The Field (Drive)
Bistrozine (Walking distance)
Breakfast
In addition to weekend brunch at the dining halls, downtown also has a wide variety of breakfast places. Many of these places are quick service and some are sit down. Here are some of our favorites:
Bagel Crust - Bagels and omelets (2 locations downtown)
Irvings - Bagels (and GF bagels), coffee, smoothies
Waffle Shop - Waffles and omelets
Starbucks
Dunkin
Duck Donuts - Specialty donuts
Playa Bowls - Smoothie bowls
