Each semester, those who chose to have standard dining plans, Cardinal and Gold, receive 250 “dining dollars” to spend at select stores around the Iowa State campus. I have taken it upon myself to waste my dining dollars for you to let you know what’s a yay and what’s a nay.
Lance and Ellie’s (Memorial Union)
Named after the two iconic campus swans that I have yet to see despite attending the university for three years, Lance and Ellie’s offers a similar disappointment to that of the missing swans. Their sandwiches are dry and underwhelming. With such a wide selection of foods at the Memorial Union, Lance’s and Ellie’s is a last choice for me.
MU Food Court (Memorial Union)
The MU Food Court offers a wide variety of options, including poke bowls, pizza, fruits, salads and fries, but the real gem hides within their burrito bowls. Despite being no Chipotle, they offer very similar style bowls with hefty portions that are easy to take home and enjoy later. Their pizza is also quite good at the cost of being somewhat small and steeply priced.
Clyde’s (Union Drive Community Center)
Clyde’s is a classic hit; however, the most seasoned of dining dollar spenders know not to go when in a hurry, because the wait times during rush hours are not worth the $8 burger. For me, they’ve really gone down since taking off their seasonal rodeo burger, but their grilled cheeses are still exceptional. My personal favorite of theirs is the tomato grilled cheese that — for some reason — is no longer pictured in their menu but still available for order.
Heaping Plato (The Roasterie)
I’ve never tried the Heaping Plato food myself; however, they offer one item that puts every other dining dollar dessert to shame: the baklava. If you are a fan of sweet and syrupy goodness, make a stop by Heaping Plato on your way to the library next time, and enjoy a sweet almond baklava.
Union Drive Marketplace (Union Drive Community Center)
When the year is coming to an end, finals are taking over your head and you have a few dining dollars left, the Union Drive Marketplace has your back. Every semester without fail, I spend my final dining dollars stocking up on ramen and microwave foods to save myself the grocery trip in between study sessions. They are also a great place to stock up on essentials like toothpaste, Advil and Dayquil during those times where you really need them but have no time to go far.
The Cafes (All around campus)
We have a cafe in nearly every section of campus, so I couldn’t possibly review all of them. However, the cafes all have a similar stock of pastries and salads, which are an underrated pick-me-up for those hungry hours between classes. My personal favorites are the strawberry cream cheese croissants, their plain croissants and their garden salads. Finally, out of the multitude of dining dollar cafes I’ve tried, the business cafe makes the best hot chocolates for the colder months.
Panda Express (Memorial Union)
Naturally, I had to save the best for last. The Memorial Union’s Panda Express phenomenon is one worthy of studying. Somehow, it manages to be exponentially more delicious than any wild Panda Express, despite working with such a small kitchen. I’ve personally tried a great majority of their menu, and all of it is great, but my personal go-to is a bowl of Beijing beef with fried rice and an appetizer of cream cheese rangoons.
It’s important to know where you can go when dining halls don’t have anything to your taste, or if, like me, you suffer from food allergies and don’t want to risk things. A lot of these also have flex meals and Get & Go available for further student convenience. To learn more about your food options on campus, visit the Iowa State Dining website.
