How Is the Food at Rutgers?

Last Updated on September 6, 2023

As we begin our tour through the selection of food available at Rutgers, keep in mind that dining hall items change on a day-by-day basis. The food covered in my post simply retells the story of my own experience. You may or may not find similar items in the dining halls.

Good Morning! Let’s Begin with Breakfast

Rocky begins his day with a standard breakfast of buffalo chicken and fruity pebbles.

The dining halls at Rutgers have something for everyone. Whether you like to begin your day with Fruity Pebbles or kickin’ buffalo chicken, you’ll get what you want.

If you prefer fruit, they have apples, oranges, bananas, and sometimes other fruits like star fruits and pomegranates. The bananas are good but they break a lot.

Now It’s Time for Lunch!

When you get hungry again, your next meal swipe will unlock access to a new variety of items. Sometimes those items are kept a mystery.

Mystery meat.

When I want to play it safe, I opt for a salad. If you’re lucky like me, you may come across special olives with unique markings. Those are the best olives.

A special olive for a special salad.

A Delightful Dinner

After 5 or 6, the dining halls transition over to their dinner menu. The dining halls are open until 9 PM so make sure you eat on time otherwise the only option is take-out. Take-out doesn’t close until midnight.

I like the food in the dining halls better than take-out but that’s a personal preference. Just take a look for yourself:

Sausage with a Dash of Flask

Dinner selection is by far the most diverse. It’s like an all-you-can-eat buffet of fried food. Bite Night is once a week so don’t miss out! Though if you do, there will be more fried options the next day.

What would you like? Fried chicken, fried pickles, fried mozzarella sticks, or fried jalapeno pepper poppers? Or the half-eaten bread on the side?

Sometimes they have a nacho bar. The nacho bar is pretty good.

Chicken Chili Cheese Nacho Bar

If you lose track of time, the dining halls will close and you’ll only be able to swipe for take-out. Take-out is a healthy alternative to eating in the dining hall.

Take-Out makes for a nutritious dinner.
It’s only a little greasy.

So tell me, what is the food like at your college?

For more stuff related to the food at Rutgers Dining Halls, check out posts like King Neptune Night 2014, King Neptune Night 2013, Thanksgiving at Rutgers, and Rutgers Boardwalk Bonanza Carnival!

16 Comments

  1. julianasuelee

    HAHAH, this is golden. Honestly, I think the Busch dining hall is on par with Brower… *throws up*
    I rarely go to the dining hall because it’s horrible. I honestly feel like they put laxatives in their food because whenever I eat dining hall food I always have to go to the bathroom. You should try the takeout! Mondays and Wednesdays are my favorite because they give you chicken nuggets for dinner. And for lunch I usually get the chicken burger or the italian sub. I usually stay away from the pizza because it tastes like cardboard.You should too!

  2. seyforrester

    Hi Rocky!
    I like how you documented your food intake for the day. At first I could not recognize the dining hall, but I kept scrolling and saw that it looked like Cook’s Dining Hall. It is interesting that you wrote about this dining hall because so many people prefer Livingston’s. I personally enjoy College Avenue’s dining hall, and heard great things about the dining hall on Cook. I tried it once and I was impressed. I think the dining halls definitely have great options to choose from, even if you are a picky eater. Sometimes you may not be content with the selection, but I think takeout as an option or the cafes is definitely what makes food at Rutgers enjoyable.

  3. This post is so relevant to my life right now! I LOVEEEE food. Unfortunately I am not too fond of the food at Rutgers at the moment. Compared to other universities it is great. So I guess I can’t complain too much. I just get tired of eating the same thing over and over again. Luckily I live on Livi so I am closer to the “best dining hall”.

    1. Whenever I get tired of the food, I remind myself that we are so fortunate to have SO MANY DINING HALLS at Rutgers plus so many alternative options (Rock Cafe, Woodys, etc.) You’re super lucky to eat at Livi! I was there everyday last year and now I barely go. I miss it!

  4. Rocky,

    I am LOLing at your post. “When you get hungry again, your next meal swipe will unlock access to a new variety of items. Sometimes those items are kept a mystery.” Haha! I think your view of the dining hall is pretty similar to mine. That being said, the language that you used to share your experience was brilliant! Your posts all have a very unique tone to them and I think that’s what I appreciate most about your blog. It’s very conversational! The pictures in this post also add a lot of character. I was excited to scroll down and see what the next gourmet meal was. HAHA At first, it was really difficult for me to come up with what to write about on your blog. (most likely because I’m not funny) But I appreciate the content so much for the quirky, witty nature of your posts! Great blog! I will definitely continue following all that you post.

    1. Thanks for checking out my posts and being such a loyal follower of my posts, Brooke! I want you to know that I really appreciate it!! And don’t worry, I think you are very funny, loved your guest post, and I enjoyed reading your new post this week! Thanks again for the kind words. See you around! 🙂

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