You know the end-of-semester feeling: cravings for real food, high. Bank account balance, low. The last thing you want is another typical dining hall meal or more grab-and-go, but having $0 in flex dollars even takes away Epi as an option. With these hacks, you can have some of M Street’s greatest without spending more than a meal swipe at Leo’s.
Mai Thai’s Pad Thai
Photo by Hailey Maher
It’s hard to go wrong at the wok station, but you can take it to the next level with this pad thai replica. At the wok, get noodles, a protein of your choice and plenty of mix-ins – we love pineapple, baby corn and mushrooms.
For your sauce mix-in, go with plain soy sauce. You can make your own peanut sauce by combining peanut butter from downstairs, warm water from the coffee station, and sriracha from the wok station. Mix it all together and top it with crunchy noodles. Finally, add a fortune cookie if you’re feeling lucky.
Farmers Fishers Bakers’ Brûléed Pink Grapefruit
Photo by Hailey Maher
When you’re too broke to spend $30 on Farmers Fishers bottomless buffet brunch, here’s how to make Leo’s Sunday brunch seem restaurant-quality. Grab a grapefruit from the fruit bar and some sugar from the coffee station. Pour the sugar on top of the grapefruit and caramelize it using the toaster in the gluten-free section, which allows you to heat from the top only. Cravings satisfied – wallet spared.
Wisey’s Hot Chick Sandwich
Photo by Hailey Maher
All Wisey’s sandwiches are a staple in any Hoya’s diet, but few come close to the perfection that is the Hot Chick. Luckily, it’s easy to replicate even in the dining hall. The panini station supplies the ciabatta, Swiss, tomatoes and lettuce. Layer the chicken fingers, peppercorn dressing from the salad bar, and red pepper from the pizza station. Panini press that beauty until it’s toasted, and enjoy.
Good Stuff Eatery’s Cookies & Cream Shake
Photo by Hailey Maher
When you feel the urge to “Treat Yo Self” but don’t have time to walk all the way to M Street, here’s the solution: combine crushed Oreos and vanilla ice cream from the ice cream station in a cup. Head to the cereal section for some whole milk, then microwave for 10 seconds. Mix it all together and you have a Cookies & Cream Shake that rivals that from Good Stuff without having to set foot outside the front gates.
Nando’s Nandoca’s Choice Sandwich
Photo by Hailey Maher
After eating your thousandth turkey-cheese-tomato panini, here’s how to break the sandwich streak. Layer grilled chicken (carving station), coleslaw (salad bar), chipotle mayo (panini station), and red pepper (pizza station) between slices of garlic bread (pasta station). Panini press until warm and enjoy your break from the basic.
#spoontip: No coleslaw at the salad bar? Make your own with the cabbage from the wok station and mayo from the panini station.
The Tombs’ Hoya Salad
Photo by Hailey Maher
Fact: any salad is better when it’s served on top of a pizza crust. Bring The Tombs to Leo’s by building its signature Hoya Salad on top of plain crust from the personal pizza section. Take it to the salad bar and add lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, grilled chicken, cheese, black beans, tortilla strips and anything else your stomach desires. Top with ranch and congratulate yourself on killing the salad bar game.
Don’t let the prices of food outside the front gates get you down – Leo’s has all you need to bring delicious back to campus.