As an undercover Yelp reviewer, I can be critical of food. I focus on presentation, color, flavor, and creativity -- I want to be on the Food Network so bad, if you couldn’t tell. At a university dining hall, that can be a hefty set of expectations to uphold. Tufts does a great job at providing quality food options, varying in cuisine type, while acknowledging dietary restrictions. The dining facilities mentioned below vary in food, structure, and hours of operation.
Let’s kick it off with the dining halls first! Swipe into the Dewick and Carmichael dining halls for a dynamic eating experience. Carmichael (Carm) dining hall is more than just a dining facility, but also a residence hall! It is located uphill between first-year residences Houston and Miller. It is a buffet-style dining facility and is gluten, peanut, and tree nut free. The food here provides students with food allergies a safe place to dine on campus. Similarly to Carm, Dewick is a buffet-style dining option with an extensive serving area and seating. However, Dewick is located downhill, closer to the Campus Center, which is almost central to the campus. Dewick also has a ALL9FREE section with foods free of the top nine allergens. Additionally, all meat options at the ALL9FREE section are halal. Both dining halls have salad bars, pizza stations, and fruit stations. However, Dewick specifically has numerous other stations, like a char broiler with freshly grilled meats and house-made soup section. Additionally, Dewick also has a house-made desserts and soft-serve ice cream section (my absolute favorite thing about Dewick - their cookies are amazing!). Not feeling a dining hall? There are many other on-the-go spots across campus. Pax et Lox Glatt Kosher Deli and Hodgdon (“Hodge”) are amazing take-out destinations where students can use a meal swipe, and create customizable orders. You won’t go wrong with a Hodge or Pax et Lox meal!
On the Go? Stop by Commons Marketplace, Kindlevan, Hotung, or Tower Café to grab a quick bite before spending excessive amounts of time doing homework, meeting with friends, or grab a brief pick-me-up. The Sink is another amazing spot. It is a student-run cafe with chill vibes, great music, and a nice ambiance to grab a coffee or muffin. Unfortunately, Kindlevan is the only option of these few that accepts meal swipes. All others require Jumbocash, Tufts form of currency where you load money on to your student ID and then pay with your ID, or a credit/debit card.
In addition to these on-campus food options, there are various off-campus spots very close to campus. For example, there are numerous cafes, like Danish Pastry House, Tasty Cafe, and Tamper Cafe, only a few feet from one another. If you’d like to go further off-campus, take the Tufts shuttle or walk 15 minutes to get to Davis Square. This gem is filled with restaurants, shops, and new cafes to check out! No matter what you decide, there is a food option on this campus for all, even a Food Network fanatic like myself.