Many students eat all three meals a day on-campus while others may drop in for a quick breakfast or lunch. Everyone has different schedules that they eat around. Busy or not, here are the best breakfast, lunch and dinner options available through DePaul’s dining services. 

DePaul has many different dining services available to students on their two campuses. A combination of rotating menus and staple meals help make the on-campus eats feel fresh and new, while maintaining an air of familiarity through its staple meals like the Demon Melt at the 312 Diner or the penne with marinara at the Blue Demon Dining Hall. 

The Demon Melt at the 312 Diner is a must- try. It is an improvement on the classic patty melt that features beef, gouda cheese, Thousand Island dressing, honey and a handful of spices. All of these great flavors combine on the grill to become an iconic sandwich at DePaul. The beef can also be substituted with a black bean patty. 

“I’d say I eat on-campus about three times a day,” DePaul freshman Patrick McIntee said. “My go-to option is at the 312 Diner, The Demon Melt, which is just a great sandwich, just great. I had this white fish at the dining hall in the Stu, and I just thought, I can’t eat this again. My favorite coffee spot is definitely the Brownstones at the Stu.”

BREAKFAST

My go-to breakfast that DePaul has to offer is easily the omelet bar at the Blue Demon Dining Hall in the Stu. You can’t expect a perfectly flipped omelet every time, but you can almost always expect a decent — at worst— meal that you can make your own. Personally, I love almost everything the bar has to offer on my omelet except broccoli. A consistent meal that you can make to suit your own diet or change depending on what you want to taste is wonderful. Flexibility is nice when it comes to food, especially for breakfast, the most important meal of the day. You can make your omelet as simple or complicated as you like. 

LUNCH

For lunch, Sushi with Gusto provides an easy and quick option when you’re busy midday in-between classes. Sure, the sushi is not of high quality like many of the other places around Chicago, but nonetheless, I always pick the crispy tempura roll or anything with shrimp or crab since those tend to come cooked or pre-made. The crispy tempura roll hits every flavor profile, sweet, salty, spicy and savory. A combination of the soy sauce, wasabi and eel sauce make this sushi roll worth it. 

“I would say Sushi with Gusto is my go-to on-campus meal,” said DePaul senior Sahar Din. “I think the dining service is doing better these days when it comes to catering to a variety of diets. I know they have gluten-free options, vegetarian options, halal options, but there can always be more done for those with dietary needs.”

If sushi isn’t your thing, the 312 Diner provides a variety of dietary options that are usually served moderately quickly, if it isn’t super busy. Featuring a variety of skillets, burgers, sandwiches and sides, the 312 Diner has plenty of American diner classics to fit your needs, many students choose this as their go-to lunch meal due to its variety of vegetarian and non-vegetarian options. 

DINNER

Even though the 312 Diner has been used as an example a lot, it is a DePaul staple, it’s almost always busy, especially for lunch and early dinners. For dinner, despite the variety of classic American food they serve, I always get any of their chicken sandwiches. Recently, their California chicken sandwich has been their best choice. It feels a little healthier and lighter due to the avocado and sundried tomato aioli, yet still holds the iconic taste and juiciness of a fried chicken sandwich. Almost everything at the 312 Diner can be made to suit your taste buds since they have many different sauces and toppings that can be added to whatever meal you choose. Sometimes some caramelized onions, cheese or honey sriracha can really make a tasty impact on your meal. 

“I used to eat on-campus every day,” said DePaul freshman Joseph Alemu. “The food options … I feel like they’re a bit bland. If I don’t like what they have in the meal plan, I usually go to the 312 diner and get a spicy chicken sandwich. It’s always my go-to, most of the time it’s pretty good. Some of the Stu food, there isn’t that much variety. As a person who can’t eat pork and some other foods, it’s a bit lacking.”