Welcome back to Hoot Recommends! In this edition, members of our editorial board will be sharing their favorite on-campus dining options.
James
As I wrote about in my opinion piece last week, my favorite thing to eat on campus is the Einstein’s Santa Fe Bagel, which is thankfully back on the meal exchange menu. It is just the right mix of spicy, cheesy and savory. The Santa Fe bagel will have you licking the jalapeno schmear right off the wrapper. Like all Einstein’s meal exchanges, it comes with a free soda. Although you can’t go wrong at Einstein’s, the Santa Fe is the way to go.
Lucas
I mostly just eat at the dining halls on campus, so I don’t have much of an opinion on the various food options available. That being said, between the Sherman and Usdan places, I much prefer Usdan. I think it generally has higher quality food, and crucially, its food stocks are usually full— as compared to Sherman, where if you come across a popular dish at a busy time, it’s likely to all be gone already.
Rachel
Personally, I believe the food on campus gets a bad reputation. I have heard the horror stories on campus of people’s experience with the food, and while I understand some people have had food poisoning, I have had an overall positive experience at all of the eating locations on campus. Every so often I get some bland chicken or some food that just doesn’t mesh well together, but most of the time I get some pretty decent food. Well, my friends, I believe the best spot to eat food on campus is the Sherman Dining Hall. However, I don’t mean the dining hall all of the time. I mean going to the Sherman dining hall for Sunday brunch. Arrive at around noon, get some “eggs” that are surprisingly good, some delicious pancakes and addicting tater tots, then get some juice and go to a table. Then, just camp out there, they can’t kick you out. Eat your meal, then sit there and get work done. You can spend hours in a quiet environment with so much food at your disposal. Granted, between lunch and dinner it is just fruits, vegetables, cereal, pizza and desserts, but those are all delightful study snacks. Then, when the dinner rush comes, you will have a prime seat because you get to choose early. Finally, it’s dinner time! You get dinner! As someone with a limited meal plan, two meals for the price of one is like gold for me. It is what keeps me nourished on the weekends. So to sum up, when you go to Sherman dining hall for Sunday brunch, you get two meals, a quiet afternoon, a comfy booth and you get your work done. So basically, it is the best meal spot possible, and I will always stand by that.
Michael
It’s Stein. And before I start, DON’T believe that Stein has been closed for the rest of the semester. That is MISINFORMATION! The sign on the Stein doors is probably from finals week LAST semester, and it seems to have been taken down. DON’T TRUST @brandeis.chungles. Anyway, what was I going to say? Stein may have terrible burgers, yes, but especially with its three-piece tenders meal, it has the most consistent quality on campus. That may be a low bar, perhaps. But when you’ve just come off of a workout session in Gosman, exhausted and hungry, and you stumble into the doors of the Stein, suddenly the Pepsi feels like the Water of Life, and suddenly the chicken and the fries seem like the best food in the world.
Cooper
There is no good food on Brandeis’ campus. Full stop. The food on this campus borders on inedible sometimes, and is just unappetizing at every other point. To any student who has any time left at Brandeis beyond this year, hear me now: Move off campus and learn to cook for yourself. It is quite literally the best decision you’ll ever make.
Ella
I’d prefer to cook in the comfort of my apartment, but if it came down to it, Stein all the way. The chicken nuggets and fries are to die for. The burgers are solid. I can’t speak to the flatbreads as I’ve never had them. I don’t care for anything else on campus and have been traumatized on multiple occasions at both Sherm and Usdan. If only the Stein was open seven days of the week! I rely on the nuggets and fries with ALL of the sauces. I can’t count on any food in the dining halls or at the Hive to be comparable. Stein is the reason I have no meal exchanges left!
Jenna
La Sabrosa, hands down. If you are asking about the debate of whether Sherm or Usdan is the best, I think it’s Sherman. When I lived in upper campus I only went to Usdan and, while I do think the food tends to be better in Usdan, the seating is a nightmare. For me, part of enjoying my food is enjoying the atmosphere, but how can I do that when my group of a few friends has to be shoved in a back corner while watching one person take a whole booth to eat their lunch like an ancient tortoise. Rant aside, the Kosher section at Sherm is a recent staple in my dining experience, since I find the food generally has a fresher taste and I like the wide variety of meat options on meat days. Anyways, just go to La Sabrosa. I order the corn tacos, beef barbacoa, cilantro lime rice, lettuce and cheddar cheese—I’ve yet to be disappointed (except in the fact that they charge for chips and drinks now … in that I am thoroughly disappointed.)
Avery
Ok, I feel like everyone will be put under fire no matter what they say, as this is truly a “best of the worst” type of situation. So, in honor of the nacho addiction that fueled me through the first few weeks here, I choose La Sabrosa. While they did scare us all momentarily by getting rid of their quesadillas (a solid third of my on-campus diet), their meat is sometimes more suspicious than solid, and the options fluctuate based on the cycles of the moon, the nachos can truly not be beat. A chip base, chicken tinga, fajita vegetables, black olives (or “black onions”, as per the latest typo on the slips) and most crucially, the jalapeno queso makes for a drool worthy late lunch, and ties in nicely with the Spanish class I leave right before.
Jason
I’m tempted to say The Stein, cause the three-pieces of golden deep-fried goodness with fries is sometimes the only thing at Brandeis that doesn’t make me lose my appetite, but really that’s such a basic answer that it almost feels dishonest. If we are all being honest, Sherman fucking hits when it doesn’t give you the shitz. Remember last semester’s carnival theme? Incredible. Sadly, Sherman is both the best and the worst place to eat on campus. Yes, I’m telling you your taste buds are wrong.
