By: Rebecca Loux
We all went through it as a freshman: the realization that comes around the third week of spring quarter that we just can’t eat another bite.
We’d tried it all: getting creative with the ice cream to make milkshakes and rootbeer floats, mixing all the sodas together, and making use of the microwaves in all manners of ways. But the fact of the matter remains that eventually the dining staff simply runs out of new meal ideas.
To be fair, Ortega, Carreo, Portola and the DLG really are superb dining commons, especially in comparison to many other schools. Did you know students at UC San Diego have to pay for each item individually with something called “Dining Dollars“? All-you-can-eat meal plans with good food (even good food that gets repetitive) seem better in comparison.
So, incoming freshmen, fear not. You are at a campus that deals with your gastrointestinal needs far better than its peers. Anyway, you probably won’t be tired of dining commons food for at least another quarter and a half. But just in case, why not mix it up a little, and try some of the other dining commons? If you’re not a freshman and you still have meals, you are probably past desperate and this will be even more useful to you. Either way, here is a list- from worst to best- of where you should and shouldn’t waste your meals.
4. Portola
The legendarily bad dining hall is just one of the many things that separate FT freshman from on-campus ones. But don’t get your knickers in a twist, living with so many other freshman is a great way to make lots of new friends. And Portola, while perhaps not the best food on campus, is another place to meet people.
But don’t hate on Portola too much. First, it boasts a beautiful poolside view, a perfect place to get your creep on, or just people watch as students head to and from class.
Also, Portola has an upright piano inside the eating area, and occasionally a decent player will play a delicate melody, setting the stage to quite a nice evening.
What people like most about Portola, is the huge tables allow entire floors to have regular family dinners, something definitely needed in a fast paced hedonistic college lifestyle.
3. Ortega
The upside to Ortega is its yummy specialized make-your-own-food station, with a day for everything—tacos, nachos, or even sundaes! The downside is a lack of selection and their sad excuse for sushi that only makes you crave the real stuff.
Something else students enjoy about Ortega is it’s quiet sort of home-style feel, as well as the shortest lines of all the dinning commons.
2. DLG
De La Guerra Dining Commons missed the top spot only because of a slight lack of variety. But it was a close second; they have multiple stations including a salad bar, Mexican food, and either Italian or an Asian dish. Best of all, have the best ice cream with the most flavors. Plus, the DLG gets mentioned audibly in a Jack Johnson song.
At De La Guerra, take advantage of the awesome salad bar. Here’s the tip: take two bowls instead of one, and toss your salad yourself for the perfect spread of dressing and croutons.
Also, the DLG is a great place to grab a meal by yourself, without looking like a complete square. Check out the bar seating, the personal box-like study seats, or enjoy some rays of sun in the outdoor eating section.
Finally, don’t miss out on late night dinning at the DLG!
1. Carrillo
Everyone knows that Carrillo is the luxury dining commons. With many different stations, all serving multiple dishes from around the world, smart UCSBers go there. Due to the sweet brick oven, their pizza is by far superior to all other dining commons.
While not entirely as tasty as the DLG’s dessert section, they still have soft serve ice cream and a wide variety of baked goods.
With two large rooms, Carrillo easily seats plenty of students.
Carrillo earns the number one spot for the freshest tasting food, however, each dining common has something worth checking out!
First, there are many delicious foods served daily and you get to eat and laugh and build ice cream towers of epic proportions. Second, you’re done with them after a year. Learn to love the dining commons, learn to hate the dining commons, but most of all, follow these guidelines and you will succeed in navigating them.
For a related article check out: How To Lose the Freshmen 15
For something entirely random check out: What Women Want
I bet a more insightful article could be written by a labrador retriever. This article somehow manages to divulge less information about what each dining common is like than reading each one’s menu once.
You must be thinking of air bud. I enjoyed the article and don’t see why some people are so negative. Clearly this article’s main purpose isn’t to be insanely insightful, but to provide mostly freshmen and transfers some tips and information about the dining commons.
So, in short, I’m glad you’ve let out your complaints. The entire viewing community would like to thank you for your intelligent and well thought out opinions!
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