All About TU Food... or my Ode to Panera

The Waffle Food Truck is my fave. Bet you never had a caesar salad waffle wrap? Cuz I have. 

I have this lunch schedule that pretty much alternates between Panera (in the LBC) and Subway (in the Dana Center, next door at Loyola) every other day. Both are on our meal plan and I am a creature of habit.

It occurred to me while planning for Destination Tulane, our admitted student days on campus, that I have never written a blog about all the dining options on campus. I have blogged about our main dining hall, Bruff Commons, and many of the dining options around campus and in New Orleans. Although I have eaten my weight in Panera on campus, I have never written down a full account of where all the deliciousness can be found. So now I am here to rectify my oversight. Here’s the (semi) authoritative guide to campus dining at Tulane.

Bruffin'

Let’s start at square one: Bruff Commons. This is the dining hall on campus and the primary spot for campus eating. Check out my blog about Bruff Commons I wrote a few years back as an introduction to Bruff. Since that blog post, Bruff has undergone a major remodel and added many new food stations. There is now a pho bar, an additional healthy food/dietary restriction station, and sweet potato bar. If you don’t have time for a full meal at Bruff, you can always visit Bruff To Go to pick up a meal and take it wherever you’re headed.

Next stop on our tour of campus dining is the LBC food court. Last summer, the LBC got a major remodel as well and now boosts some ridiculous food options. Before I bite into the options, I should explain how the LBC food court works. Students on meal plans can use their Wavebucks to purchase meals, snacks, and drinks from the food court. If you’re not on a meal plan (oh the glory days), you can also use cash or a credit/debit card at the food court.

The LBC food court offers Mexican food including homemade tortillas at Al Fuego, all your soup, salad, and sandwich needs at Panera (have I mentioned there is a Panera), delicatessen style options at Pickles, Asian-fusion cuisine at Star Ginger, New Orleans specials like red beans and rice and po’boys at Zatarain’s Cafe, and healthy smoothies at Freshëns (don’t ask me about the umlaut on the e), among many other tasty dining options in the food court.

Hillel's salads! 

After the LBC food court, you can take a short walk (less than 3 minutes) off campus to Hillel. Besides being an incredible study space and hosting Tulane classes in their two classrooms, Hillel also has an out-of-this-world restaurant appropriately called Hillel’s Kitchen or HK NOLA for short. HK NOLA specializes in healthy cuisine that is sourced from local, organic farms in the South. Besides the fantastic ingredients, the best part of HK NOLA is you can use your Wavebucks there to purchase healthy meals and luscious coffee drinks served up from the barista station.

Bruff, the LBC food court, and Hillel’s Kitchen are the primary dining options at Tulane, but if you look a little deeper around campus, you’ll also find some hidden gems that few others know about.

Tucked away in the Richardson Memorial building, aka the Architecture building, is the Drawing Board Cafe. The Drawing Board is something that few people at Tulane know about, but really should because it’s one of the best dining spots on campus. The Drawing Board is open for breakfast and lunch and is a great option if you are trying to grab a bite on your way to class. The Drawing Board serves great breakfast sandwiches (topped with some of the best bacon I’ve ever had) and a daily lunch special that is always filling and delicious.

If you are looking for a gourmet salad, sandwich, or wrap then Le Gourmet is the place for you. This dining location has a make-your-own sandwich and wrap station as well as an awesome salad bar where you pay per pound. You can also shop around for organic fruit and other healthy snacks you can munch on during those all-night study sessions.

Giant pancake from City Diner (photo from Trip Advisor) 

Speaking of late night study sessions, The Original City Diner in the basement of the LBC is open from 5pm to 7am every Monday-Sunday. You can keep your brain active with giant pancakes, hand-scooped shakes, and other diner favorites from City Diner. The giant pancake comes in a pizza box. I am not exaggerating.

While not technically a dining location, McAlister Market (or Mac Mart as students call it), is an on-campus grocery store stocked with everything you’ll ever need to fill up your dorm room mini fridge.

Food Trucks on campus

Shout out to my #PreviewTU students visiting today! Here they are in front of the food trucks.

For all you food truck lovers, Tulane also has two food trucks that you can find throughout campus during lunch and dinner time. There is Ironside Waffles which serves up crazy waffle tacos including a savory duck that you have to try and some of the crunchiest waffle fries in the game. There is also the Roulez food truck which is the first food truck in the entire country to accept student meal plans instead of cash or card. Both food trucks are awesome if you want to enjoy a nice lunch outside with friends while you bask in the 70 degree weather that is New Orleans in the winter.

Tulane farmers' market 

Tulane dining facilities also hosts twice monthly farmers’ markets on campus. You pick up some local, in-season veggies and fruit and know that you are doing an awesome thing supporting local farmers. It’s really a win-win for everyone involved.

PJ's; a staple of the NOLA coffee scene. 

Finally, if you’re a coffee fanatic like me, you’ll be happy to hear that we have three PJ’s Coffee shops (the New Orleans equivalent of Starbucks) on campus. There are two PJ’s on either side of campus and one location in the Howard Tilton Library so you can inject some caffeine into your study sessions. Each PJ’s also has sandwiches and other food options that you can take on the go. You can also head right next door to Loyola if you need a Starbucks fix. I did that this morning.

If you were getting worried that all these dining options are going to cut into your wallet, there is no need to fret. Every dining location on Tulane’s campus accepts either meal swipes or Wavebucks!

So there you have it! And I didn't even cover all of the options next door at Loyola, which are all included as part of your Tulane meal plan. FYI, that is where the Subway is.

Time to head over and get a "you pick two" from my jam, Panera.

Did I mention I love Panera?