Friday, May 27, 2022

Places to Eat in State College

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.


  1. 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)

  1. North 

  • Deli/Grill - Sandwiches, burgers, chicken tenders, etc.

  • Buffet dining hall

  1. Pollock

  • Edge - Serves Starbucks coffee and food

  • Asia Kitchen - Customizable bowls

  • Buffet

  1. 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

  1. 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


No comments:

Post a Comment