What makes a food hipster? Basically any restaurant that is unique or serves up twists on classic dishes can be considered hipster. Extra points if the place is on wheels, has tons of vegan options or if it features mason jars, a record player or other quirky pieces of decor. Small local coffee shops are a hipster’s main stomping ground so a cozy spot for a cup of joe is a must for any school on this list.
Oberlin College
Photo by Vicky Nguyen
Oberlin College in Ohio made national headlines last year because students were protesting the cultural appropriation of foods in their dining halls. What’s more hipster than protesting against the man? Not much. Also, Oberlin’s list of alums includes some of the most famous hipsters in the world including Lena Dunham and Allison Bechdel.
NYU
Photo by Tallie Gabriel
New York City is a hipster’s paradise. NYU’s Greenwich Village location makes it the perfect spot for hip eats. There are plenty of oquirky coffee shops, sandwich shops and other places that are unique enough to keep hipsters happy without sacrificing for taste. You won’t have to look hard to find a restaurant that serves their drinks in mason jars. Here’s a handy guide for hipsters in the Lower East Side.
Brown University
Photo by Abby Levy-Westhead
Providence has all the foods a hipster could want. In fact, there are tons of great, unique restaurants on College Hill itself so students don’t have to venture far for their hip eats. Crepes, pita pockets, bento boxes and more, are easily accessible to Brown‘s students. They also have a student-run coffee shop which puts them into uncharted hipster territory.
McGill University
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Canada is one of the most socially progressive countries in the world and Montreal is no exception to this characterization. Since hipsters tend to be very liberal, this makes McGill the perfect university for hipsters to flock. With abundant cozy cafes and hidden gems offering all kinds of cuisines, the area around McGill is a hip foodie’s heaven. Don’t be afraid to venture into other Montreal neighborhoods too.
American University
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DC has a wide variety of hipster restaurants. American University’s campus itself features a vibrant food scene complete with food trucks. Furthermore, the school caters to the hipster’s taste for locally-grown foods with a weekly farmers’ market on campus. That’s right there is a farmers’ market actually on campus, does it get more hipster than that?
Portland State University
Photo by Walker Foehl
Portlandia makes it very clear just how hip of a city Portland is. Portland State is in downtown Portland in the heart of hipsterdom. Food near the campus includes cheap food carts and an on-campus farmers’ market in the center of campus. The Portland food scene is teeming with hipster favorites like Brussels sprouts and Ramen and some restaurants feature both.
University of California – Berkeley
Photo by Luna Zhang
At least one Cali school needed to be featured on this list and what school embodies the hipster ideal more than Berkeley with its history of student protests? From hot sauce shops to farmers’ markets, Berkeley has got their hipster status on lock. They also have a coffee tasting house near campus which is an upgraded version of the classic coffee shop, to say the least.
University of St. Andrews
Photo courtesy of fisheranddonaldson.com
For a school in a small area, St. Andrews has tons of restaurant options including some hipster staples like coffee shops, donut shops, food trucks and signature beers. St. Andrews also features some hip spots to get drinks with pals and several late night coffee shops.
Pitzer College
Photo by Stephanie Mace
Pitzer is one of the Claremont Colleges and is known for being the most hipster of the bunch. The food in Claremont helps Pitzer live up to this rep. They’ve got everything from artsy coffee shops to finer dining with minimalist decor to a Chef’s academy where you can learn to cook your own hipster meals at home. Also, the school is only about an hour from LA which opens up a whole city of hipster foods.
Hampshire College
Photo courtesy of hampshire.edu
Hipsters are a crowd that cares about the environment and sustainability. Hampshire has been making waves in the past few years with their commitment to serving as much local food on campus as possible. Their on-campus farm aids them in this mission. There are also several farms near the school where students can go to get local milk and treats like ice cream and cider donuts.
Bard College
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Bard is surrounded by tons of hipster-friendly spots. I’m talking a burrito stand, a chocolate and coffee cafe and a quirky restaurant with tons of local beer on tap. Bard is also pretty vegan-friendly, they label all the vegan foods in the dining halls and have a vegan student adviser.
University of Texas at Austin
Photo by Jamie Medina
Austin’s food scene has been absolutely killing it in recent years, so this school was a must on this list. What other school has vegan kebaps, a food co-op, a paleo cafe, and a Japanese food truck just steps from campus? And trust me, that list doesn’t even begin to cover the hipster eats that you can find in Austin.
Northwestern University
Photo by Naib Mian
Evanston is home to tons of classic hipster restaurants. Just minutes from Northwestern, you can find a wide variety of options for vegans, a spot for old-fashioned frozen custard, a Parisian bakery and amazing brunch options. Don’t forget Chicago is just an el ride away. Chitown has no shortage of hipster spots either.
University of Washington
Photo courtesy of yelp.com
UW is located in Seattle, a quintessentially hipster city. There are tons of vegetarian spots nearby along with the rest of Seattle to explore. USA Today even put together a guide for how to have a hipster weekend in Seattle. Don’t forget, Seattle is home to the original Starbucks which means Seattle coffee shops are unparalleled.
University of Wisconsin – Madison
Photo by Libby Aik
Madison has a bunch of hip and quirky spots to keep Wisconsin’s students satisfied. You can get açaí bowls, gluten-free brunch, unique cocktails, and all the greens you could want. In 2013, Madison was named one of the most up and coming coming hipster zip codes in America. We can honestly say that they are no longer up and coming, Madison has achieved full on hipster status.