Central Dining Hall - Boone

I have only been here a couple weeks, but the food has been pretty good so far. You just need to know what to get as some items are really good and other are not. Pizza, burgers, chicken tenders are hit or miss. The salad bar is always fresh and good. Usually they serve an international dish, and that is always good. The pasta station is also always pretty good. When they have roasted chicken breast with mashed potatoes, vegetables, and Mac n cheese, that is also usually good. I just usually stay away from the burgers, pizza, and tenders because aside from those items, the food here is good.

It's very hit or miss. When the food is good, it's great. But when it's bad it's horrible. People say it's better than it used to be, so no telling how it'll improve (if it does). Beats starving if your on campus though.

Lower Central/Sanford Commons (I'm not going to be commenting on the quality of Upper/Rivers Street Cafe since I don't have a meal plan and haven't been up there tends to be incredibly hit or miss depending on what you get. Here's my thoughts on all the options I've had there: The Carving Board's sandwiches and wraps are consistently really good. Everything from there tastes super fresh. The tomatoes they use specifically are extremely flavorful and I'm kinda shocked? I don't play about tomatoes, and these are REALLY good tomatoes. Habenero's burritos are alright, I've had one with chicken and one with beef. The chicken is okay, but the ground beef is extremely salty and hard to eat. On the plus side, they are very filling. Chick-Fil-A has your standard Chick-Fil-A fare. Good option if you're in a rush or don't have the patience to wait for your food to be made since they just have a shelf where you can grab your sandwiches and/or nuggets. Do note that for the two semesters I've been here, I've never seen them stock the grilled options once despite having them on the menu. Mountaineer Grille's burgers and sandwiches are alright. Definitely get toppings on them since they can be a bit dry otherwise. I'd skip on the fries, they're very plain and not that great. If you really want fries, the Chick Fil A ones are better. The little dessert section occasionally has one dollar donuts and they're actually really good. Have not tried the Salad bar (I've noticed flies hanging around on more than one occasion, so I've been hesitant , but there's a little fridge next to the Chick Fil A that stocks the market salad which is good. The sushi here is NOT good. Last fall I took my chances on one of the bigger platters as a treat for myself after finishing a decently big project and it was absolutely not worth it. Took me like an hour to get through it, it sucked so bad. Cascades has better sushi in my experience. TL;DR: Carving Board is best option from my experience. Everything else is passable or below average. Also heads up: There is an upcharge for takeout boxes (I think like 80 cents? . Didn't realize this for like two months cause I didn't trust the cleanliness of those trays and got everything in a box instead. I eventually got over it though. There's also an upcharge for extra Chick-Fil-A sauces but y'know. They're in big containers out in the open. Do what you will with that information

The college has its students in a chokehold for food options so they are consistently being wrung dry of all their money to pay for a mandatory dining plan at one of the worst dining halls in the state. Food is awful, chefs are awful, cleanliness is disregarded, not worth the money. Not a single item on the website’s “menu” is accurate to what is served and its quality is very much over stated. Vegetarian options: Tempeh and tofu are the only consistently offered option and they are the worst tasting items I’ve ever had. Any beyond/impossible alternative meats rarely meet temperature standards and I have gotten sick off of them.

Don’t expect anything like the photos I took. Every time the food is good, I take a picture. That makes 15 times in the past 2 semesters.