From Southern hospitality to warmer weather all year round, there’s no better place to go to school than in the South. But before you pack your bags and head down South for your college tour, just know that you can and should spare yourself from eating at their crowded cafeterias.
Instead, make sure to stop by these signature restaurants and bistros to really get a feel for the school. What’s more important than the food options it has to offer?
Wake Forest University: Silo Bistro Bar
The five-minute walk from Wake’s campus isn’t the only reason students go crazy for Silo’s unique sandwiches and salads. The pesto chicken sandwich (pictured above) is a welcomed favorite and nice break from the traditional college food options on campus.
Make sure to order a homemade Orangina to sip on while starting with the baked brie appetizer as you enjoy this indoor-outdoor bistro.
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill: Al’s Burger Shack
Photo by Aisling Quirke
Al’s Burger Shack is a cant-miss place to stop by and enjoy the hustle and bustle of game day if you ever find yourself on Franklin St. during football season. Whether a die-hard Tarheel or just stopping by, the rosemary covered crinkle fries, ice-cold Cheerwine, and local-beef burgers really cant be beat (even if the Tarheels can).
An order that’s a definite crowd-pleaser is the Classic Al’s burger with guac and a side of those to-die-for signature crinkle fries.
Elon University: Pandora’s Pies
You know it’s going to be an Elon favorite if the creator and owner is recent graduate of the university. At Pandora’s Pies, you’re in for a treat no matter what you order. Whether it’s the classic margarita pizza (pictured above) or one of their specialty pis like the Sinatra with tomato, prosciutto, goat cheese, and pesto drizzled all over, it takes a true Elon grad to create the perfect food for an Elon student’s study break.
Washington and Lee University: Kind Roots Cafe
Photo courtesy of kindrootscafe.com
Run by Lexington natives, ever since opening in 2012 Kind Roots has been the go-to spot for all things healthy and fresh for W&L students. Their menu consists of trusted organic food sourced from local farms. Everything from eggs, bagels, to the fruits used in their smoothies is farm fresh. Speaking of smoothies, we highly recommend pairing one of their delicious breakfast options like the bull’s eye with their refreshing green mountain smoothie complete with banana, pineapple, kale, and apple.
Duke University: Monuts
New today: BLT biscuit with housemade pimento cheese and a local farm egg! #2nd best biscuit in Durham! A photo posted by Lindsay Moriarty (@monutsdonuts) on Jun 18, 2015 at 7:11am PDT
Don’t let the line that literally trails out the door and down the sidewalk scare you away from this unreal brunch spot. An absolute favorite here is the build-your-own-biscuit option, offering mouth-watering additives such as sriracha and fresh avocado.
As you can probably tell by the name, Monuts does donuts right. Make sure to try any of the daily specials, you really can’t go wrong.
Vanderbilt: Burger Up
Standing out as a restaurant in a major US food hub like Nashville isn’t an easy task. That being said, Burger Up has made its mark on the city and Vanderbilt’s campus through tasty menu options such as the Parmesan truffle fries, kale salad with a burger on top, and quinoa fritters.
No matter what you select as your main, you better be sure to start with their famous fried mac & cheese bites (seen above).