In an Argus article entitled “WesEats: A Definitive Ranking of the University’s Many Eateries by Meal” published on Friday, Sept. 29, 2017, then-Assistant Features Editor Erin Hussey ’20 compared different eateries on campus, deciding which would be best for each meal of the day. This week’s Argives columnist decided that it was due time to review and reassess the best food options for students, especially first-years on limited meal points, using Hussey’s previous categories. While Hussey ultimately argued that The Star & Crescent was the superior food option on campus, it seems that the University’s cafés and dining halls have fluctuated in popularity since then. In this issue, I am here to release an updated WesEats ranking based on interviews conducted with current first-year students.
Best Breakfast: Pi Café
Echoing the consensus Hussey reported in 2017, the students I sampled still believe Pi Café has the best breakfast because of its convenient location and to-go options.
“I like Pi because all my morning classes are in [Exley Science Center], so it’s really convenient,” Adrie Young ’28 said.
For many students, it is too big of a hassle to go to Usdan Marketplace in the morning unless they have class in a building nearby.
“If you’re in a hurry or just looking to find a tasty snack before class, Pi is the place to go,” Hussey wrote. “It is conveniently located in Exley, which means it’s not too far from any of your classes.”
Back in 2017, Usdan breakfast was only open until 9:00 a.m., whereas now it’s open until 10:30 a.m. That extra hour and a half doesn’t seem to sway many people, though, as Pi Café still holds its reign as the best breakfast spot.
Best Brunch: Usdan
Hussey then moved to the best brunch spot, naming Usdan as the ultimate winner of this category. While Usdan Marketplace is still a popular brunch choice, some students have since turned to Story and Soil at RJ Julia Bookstore or Red & Black Cafe instead.
“If you’re not a breakfast person and you’re a brunch person, then you’re stuck with all this breakfast food,” Amelia Haas ’28 said about Usdan’s brunch.
This led Haas to choose Story and Soil as her top pick due to its heartier choices.
“Usdan is too crowded,” Young said. “RJ Julia is too far.”
She instead ultimately cited Red & Black Cafe as her favorite brunch spot.
However, there still are Usdan brunch lovers.
“I’m a big fan,” Maribel Ocampo ’28 said. “I like home fries and sausage and French toast or pancakes, and I think that [there are] a lot of options. You can also get omelets and make your own waffles. It keeps me energized for a while.”
Although it would be nice for Usdan to have more options for those who don’t like breakfast foods, this reporter would have to agree that Usdan is the superior place for brunch.
Best Lunch: Usdan
While WesWings, commonly referred to as Swings, was Hussey’s acclaimed lunch spot in 2017, it seems that this rating is not applicable for the entire student body, because Swings only accepts points. Since first- and second-year meal plans come with fewer points than junior or senior plans, Swings is more popular among upper-class students.
Young chooses to get her lunch from the food truck outside Usdan instead. The food truck has the same menu every day, providing consistent and reliable good eats.
Others believe that Weshop is a good alternative to Usdan because of the sushi and poke bowl options. However, students seem to agree that Weshop is not the place to go if you want a hearty meal, since the meal swipe sushi pack only comes with six pieces.
Nevertheless, due to its reliability, Usdan is the winner. Although the food truck and Weshop may have more favorable food at times, the line for the food truck is always extremely long and Weshop quickly runs out of meal swipe options. Usdan provides the safest lunch option for filling food and bearable/reasonable lines.
Best Dinner: Summerfields
“They make delicious gourmet meals like fajitas and miso salmon,” Hussey wrote in 2017 about Star & Crescent. “It’s Wes’ best kept secret.”
Although Star & Crescent seemed to be preferable a few years ago, Usdan and Summerfields are the two main options for dinner today. Ultimately, students feel that the best dinner is currently served at Summies.
“I like Summies because they have things that I can consistently rely on to be good,” Haas said.“[Usdan meals are] seven times bad [and] two times good.”
Ocampo agreed with this sentiment, emphasizing the inconsistencies of Usdan.
“There’s either a good day or a bad day in Usdan,” Ocampo said.
Despite the disparaging reviews of dinner at Usdan, it remains a popular dinner place and is this reporter’s go-to on the days when it serves mac and cheese. However, Summies’ meals are typically more substantial than those in Usdan, therefore earning Summies the title of “Best Dinner.”
Best Dessert: Usdan
In 2017, Hussey deemed Red & Black as the best dessert option.
“They have ample table space for laying out mountains of notebooks, and the booths are perfect for crying in the fetal position,” Hussey wrote. “Nurse your sadness with one of Red & Black’s amazing cookies or fresh-made desserts.”
It seems that current students now deem ice cream their dessert of choice. Thus, Usdan takes the cake (or the ice cream) for this category. Ocampo usually opts for ice cream at Usdan but has recently been liking their cupcakes as well. Lucinda Boys ’27 also shouted out Swings, which has similar desserts to Red & Black while being substantially closer to campus.
Late Night: Summies
After covering dessert, Hussey moved on to students’ favorite late night eats, crowning Usdan’s late night as the winner for this category. Since Usdan no longer has a late night option, Summies (by default) wins this category.
However, a special shoutout must go to Mamoun’s Falafel Truck for their mozzarella sticks and mac and cheese bites. Unfortunately, Mamoun’s cannot be considered a candidate because it is not a university-affiliated establishment.
Summies is definitely the top pick for late night, especially considering its to-go option. Boys highlighted Summies’ pancakes, and Young underscored the quesadillas. The late-night crowd most often includes those coming back from a party and those who just want a late night treat, making Summies a fun spot to be at any time of the night.
Best Coffee: Espwesso
Finally, this issue will dare to introduce a new and (in this reporter’s opinion) exceedingly important category: the best coffee spot on campus.
Espwesso, the University’s student-run coffee shop, wins this category by a landslide. Among the interviewees, Haas said that she prefers Espwesso’s coffee because she believes that their baristas go through training—including workshops for their employees to improve their techniques—that show through in their performance.
“The vibes in there are always good,” Ocampo said about Espwesso.
While Pi Café is a close second, student-run Espwesso has a more homey feeling and has a stronger connection to the broader student community.
Whether you agree or disagree with this new list of campus favorites, we are lucky as a school to have so many options for each meal, ranging from the Mongolian Grill counter in Usdan to Weshop’s sushi options.
“We have good eats compared to other schools, even though we tend to complain,” Ocampo said.
Lara Anlar can be reached at lanlar@wesleyan.edu.
“From the Argives” is a column that explores The Argus’ archives (Argives) and any interesting, topical, poignant, or comical stories that have been published in the past. Given The Argus’ long history on campus and the ever-shifting viewpoints of its student body, the material, subject matter, and perspectives expressed in the archived article may be insensitive or outdated, and do not reflect the views of any current member of The Argus. If you have any questions about the original article or its publication, please contact Archivists Lara Anlar at lanlar@wesleyan.edu, Hope Smith at hnsmith@wesleyan.edu, and Maggie Smith at mssmith@wesleyan.edu.
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