Back to school means back to being in charge of your meals. No one is waiting for you at home with a nice home-cooked meal. College means fending for yourself and trips to the dining hall.
The dining hall is nice, but it is not the same as a home-cooked meal. Thankfully, life does exist beyond college, with food beyond the four walls of the dining hall.
If you are like me, you will be tempted to escape the dining hall every day and open up the UberEats app. But one day, your bank account will read “$0,” and the days of eating out will be over. It is important to space out those meals and pick up your order whenever you can because every dollar counts.
Living in Boston has many perks — one being quick access to some of the best restaurants in the country — and that can be overwhelming. There are already too many options on or right outside campus. Here are a few of my must-tries around the area.
1. Pavement Coffeehouse is my go-to coffee spot on campus. Their coffee is good, but it’s their bagels that put them over the edge. They have multiple types of fresh bagels — rosemary salt being my favorite — and different types of spreads. Pavement is also vegan-friendly and includes tofu cream cheese spreads and other protein substitutes. My go-to order is a rosemary salt bagel with veggie tofu cream cheese and cucumbers.
2. Life Alive Organic Cafe is a nice lunch or dinner option right on Commonwealth Avenue. It has all types of healthy options, including salads, rice bowls and more. This spot is perfect for when you have had too many dining hall pizzas and need a dose of healthy food in your life. My go-to order is the Forbidden Kale salad.
3. T. Anthony’s is a campus hotspot. This will be your go-to place for pizza, subs and all the comfort food. They are open until 1 a.m. most nights — and 2 a.m. Friday and Saturday — just in time for a light night snack. But when you are not grabbing your midnight cheese pizza, they are also open starting at 7 a.m. most days for breakfast, which is my favorite. You can build your own omelet, get some pancakes or grab a breakfast sandwich on the way to class. My go-to is the feta, spinach and broccoli omelet
4. Closer to West Campus in the Allston area is Spike’s Junkyard Dogs. If you told me two years ago that a hot dog joint would be on my list of favorite foods, I would have died a little inside. I am in no way a hot dog girl but a veggie dog is something that I have become a full supporter of. As a kid, my mom was the “healthy” mom serving up turkey burgers, salads and every health alternative you can think of. So when I first walked into Spike’s with a friend just to walk with her, I had to leave with a veggie dog.
5. Healthy Blends, located right inside our Fitness and Recreation Center, is what gets me through my workouts. I walk into the gym already thinking about what smoothie I am going to reward myself with. All of their smoothies are dairy-free and they have some protein add-ins, perfect to refuel with after a long workout. My go-to is the Healthy Protein Blend smoothie, which is full of protein and fruits and vegetables.
The number of food options in and around campus can be overwhelming. There are so many options, but just not enough time in the day or money in the bank account to try them all. So when you find yourself desperate for a home-cooked meal, try out one of my go-to orders.
