The UConn dining halls, ranked

The following list of UConn dining halls is ranked on the food that was served there during my freshman and sophomore year as well as the overall experience that I had in each dining hall.

I encourage new Huskies to try all of the eight dining halls to see what works for them and what they like! Also, a little piece of advice: check the menus on the My UConn app! Happy dining!

8: Whitney

First of all, I know a lot of students who would agree with me on this. Although this dining hall is special in that it focuses on using sustainable, locally sourced items, many students feel that it is difficult to find favorite dishes here. While Whitney does have a salad bar and sandwich station, it does not have pizza, a dedicated grill station or many other entrée or side options.

However, Whitney’s late night breakfast food can be pretty good. When I’ve eaten late night here, I’ve had French toast, scrambled eggs and even pancakes with Reese’s pieces in them!

7: Buckley

Coming in not-too-distant-from-eighth is Buckley. Similarly to Whitney, I feel like the food served at Buckley just isn’t that great. Again, there’s not many options, so you might have to go with the old faithful salad bar, sandwich station or pizza.  

Buckley’s status is lowered because it’s pretty far from the rest of the campus and it’s not open on weekends.

6: North

I lived in North my freshman year, but I did not frequent this dining hall. While it was conveniently located near some of my science classes, I always felt that there were better options available.

The food at North is hit-or-miss, but their crepe bar is delicious! North does have various other food bars throughout the week, and I believe that these are good, but the rest of the food isn’t that great. North does always have grilled chicken, fries, hot dogs and hamburgers if that’s what you’re up for.

5: Putnam

I didn’t go here a lot because it was kind of far from my classes, but Putnam is pretty good. The inside of the dining hall is really unique. There’s two stories, there’s a smoothie bar and the central staircase has a modern design.  

Putnam’s food felt standard to me, but definitely better than the three previous dining halls I discussed, as there were more options here.

4: McMahon

McMahon does have really good food, especially pizza. What detracts from McMahon’s rating (at least for me) is that some of their food is a little adventurous, especially for a picky eater, and that the dishes are already plated. While this plated portion is probably the recommended serving size, I’ve heard a lot of students complain about the portions being too small. Additionally, the popularity of this dining hall ensures that there’s always a line to wait in for the best dish!

3: Towers

Towers has many different food bars throughout the week, such as pasta bar, stir fry and waffle bar (they’re all yummy!), and the Kosher Kitchen and Halal also have great options for people with dietary restrictions. There’s usually grilled chicken, hot dogs or hamburgers here, as well as some pretty good entrée options.

The dining hall itself is open and bright, so Towers can be a nice place to eat far from the bustle of the campus center.  

2: South

South has a lot of options. There’s always something tasty at their international station and they’ve also got more “homestyle” fare, which is both delicious and comforting. South has a good salad bar, grilled options and pizza.

Unfortunately, South is also always busy, and you’re definitely going to have to wait in line to get lunch and might have to walk around the dining hall three times to find an empty seat.

1: Northwest  

In my experience, Northwest always has something good to eat. Their pasta bar is always a great option and they also serve some pretty good food at the comfort station. Additionally, Northwest has various grilled foods and a diverse salad bar.

Stephanie Santillo is a campus correspondent for The Daily Campus. She can be reached via email at stephanie.santillo@uconn.edu.