As a student at the University of Maryland, it’s inevitable that you’ll find yourself wandering along Route 1, looking for something to eat. Trust me, as a junior at the University of Maryland, I’ve been there. Many times. While there are many options to choose from, this guide will help point you in the right direction and give you the best options for the specific occasions you will most likely encounter while living in College Park.
When You’re Trying to Be Healthy: sweetgreen
This restaurant has a salad-based menu and advertises that it gets all its ingredients from local farmers in the DC, MD, and VA area. Their menu includes seasonal ingredients and vegan and gluten-free options.
What to Order: Build your own options are always a little slice of heaven when you go to restaurants. Personalize your own salad at this restaurant and pick exactly what you want, down to the dressing. The options include seven bases, 23 additional ingredients, 17 premium ingredients, and 15 dressings to choose from.
Location: 8300 Baltimore Ave, College Park, MD
When You’re Trying To Watch The Game: Cornerstone Grill & Loft
This local bar offers the best space to watch the game with additional projectors and TVs in each room. There is plenty of seating and a large selection of beers and game day food. Cornerstone is a perfect place to watch the game with great food and discounted drinks.
What to Order: On Sunday nights, Cornerstone offers half-priced burgers and “Big A$$ Drafts,” where you can buy a souvenir beer mug and get refills at a lower price.
Location: 7325 Baltimore Ave, College Park, MD 20740 (On Route One, at the corner of Knox Road).
When You’re Craving Something Sweet: Insomnia Cookies
Cookies at 3am? “Why not?” is the real question. Insomnia Cookies will deliver right to your door and are open every night until 3am. The cookies arrive warm and gooey, fresh out of the oven. They have a variety of cookie options, ice cream flavors, and cookie-ice cream combos to make ice cream sandwiches.
What to Order: If there is an option with deluxe in the title, you bet I’m ordering it. The deluxe options go far beyond your basic chocolate chip cookie. My personal favorite is the chocolate peanut butter deluxe cookie.
Location: 4435 Lehigh Rd, College Park, MD 20740 (near South Campus across from Landmark Apartments).
When You’re Craving a Slice: Slices Pizza Co.
What better place to grab a slice than Slices? You walk into this pizza shop and are automatically overwhelmed by the rows of pizzas lined up next to the cash register. There are so many pizza options you just don’t even know where to start. So here, I’ll help you out.
What to Order: Mac n’ Cheese pizza. That is all.
Location: 7313 Baltimore Ave, College Park, MD 20740 (on Route One, across from CVS).
When You’re Hungover: Bagel Place
My friends and I like to call this place the palace. Go here after tailgates, before basketball games, or just on a Sunday morning while you’re trying to contemplate your life decisions. They have great breakfast sandwiches, fresh bagels with a variety of flavors, and the always necessary coffee.
What to Order: A toasted bacon, egg, and cheddar cheese on an Old Bay bagel, please!
Location: University of Maryland, 7423 Baltimore Ave, College Park, MD 20740 (on Route One, next to the Landmark Apartments).
When You’re Craving Indian Food: Krazi Kebob
Krazi Kebob identifies itself as a restaurant that offers a cuisine mixing Indian and Pakistani flavors with Mexican style, but I like to think of it as an Indian version of Chipotle. Here, you get to go through an assembly line similar to the ones found at restaurants like Chipotle. Instead of a tortilla, you get Naan. Instead of basic grilled chicken, get yourself some spicy chicken tikka.
What to Order: Go Naan Wrap or go home. The “burrito” of Krazi Kebob, the Naan Wrap lets you personalize your order with choice of meat and toppings. They also have veggie-base options.
Location: 4427 Lehigh Rd, College Park, MD 20740 (near South Campus, across from the Landmark Apartments).
When You’re Sick of Starbucks: The Board and Brew
Open most days at 8am, The Board and Brew is a cute café that offers a nice place to study, play board games with your friends (they have over 500 different games to play), and designated trivia nights. They offer a breakfast menu in addition to a main menu.
What to Order: Board and Brew offers your basic coffee menu. One yummy, unique addition is the Affogato, an almost dessert espresso with vanilla ice cream. Perfect for a late night cram session.
Location: 8150 Baltimore Ave, College Park, MD 20740 (on Route One, under the View Apartments).
When You’re Going on a Tinder Date: Blaze Pizza
Blaze Pizza is a perfect casual location for a first date with someone you don’t know very well. They give you the option to “build your own” pizza, so you can pay attention to what your date chooses. Does your date overload on the meats or stick to strictly vegetable toppings? Or maybe they choose to top their pizza with a variety of cheeses. You can learn a lot about a person based on what they put on their pizza.
What to Order: Definitely build your own. The toppings will not cost extra and you can choose everything that goes on it down to the type of sauce.
Location: 7419 Baltimore Ave, College Park, MD 20740 (on Route One, next to Bookholders).
When Your Parents are Visiting and Footing the Bill: Nando’s Peri-Peri
Nando’s is a South African chain that specializes in chicken dishes. There are also vegetable dishes, for those who don’t eat meat. While it is one of the more expensive restaurants along Route 1, if your parents are paying, why not splurge?
What to Order: The chicken thigh skewers are always delicious and fun to eat. The meal includes two skewers with tender chicken, red pepper, and onions.
Location: 7400 Baltimore Ave, College Park, MD 20740 (on Route One, at the corner of Knox Road).
When You Turn 21: Looney’s Pub
Come enjoy this gorgeous fall weather with Lunch or Happy Hour on the best patio in College Park! #CPLooneys pic.twitter.com/n5M4Cv4bUj
— Looneys Pub (@CPLOONEYS) September 22, 2016
While there aren’t many bars in the College Park area, one of the most common bars for the 21 and over crowd is Looney’s Pub. Not only do they have a wide selection of beer and alcoholic beverages, they also have a great selection of food on their menu.
What to Order: The crab dip is the main reason anyone should go to Looney’s. Grab a beer or mixed drink, a burger, and some crab dip, and you won’t be sorry.
Location: 8150 Baltimore Ave, College Park, MD 20740 (beneath the Varsity, near North Campus).
When You’re Craving Italian Food: The Original Ledo Restaurant
Ledo’s is a sit-down restaurant with a large variety of Italian cuisine on the menu. While there are many options to choose from, Ledo’s is best known for its square-shaped pizza with a variety of topping choices.
What to Order: If you like bacon, try the Ledo’s pizza with both styles of bacon they offer. There is no such thing as bacon overload, I promise you.
Location: 4509 Knox Rd, College Park, MD 20740 (across the street from Smoothie King).
When You need to Grab Lunch for Under $10 Between Classes: Chick-fil-A
Stamp is a nice central location for grabbing lunch in between classes. While there are many places in Stamp you can stop for lunch, you can never go wrong with Chick-fil-A.
What to Order The 8-piece nugget meal is just the right amount of food to get you through your next two classes without your stomach grumbling. Plus, waffle fries are always a delicious bonus.
Location: Inside the Stamp Student Union, Ground floor.