By Emily Huizenga, News Staff

Whether students have 10, 15 or 19 meal swipes a week (or, God forbid, actually pay cash for food), the dining halls on campus all offer the same general fare:  burgers and fries, some fancy Italian, salads, sandwiches and, of course, the token cereal, toast and waffle station.

It’s not surprising that many students head out of the dorms for food, frequenting on-campus eateries like Qdoba, Au Bon Pain and Panera.

But this year’s best campus eatery was Rebecca’s Café, the meal-swipe alternative in the basement of Churchill Hall, which scored 31 percent of students’ votes and beat out Chicken Lou’s, which has earned the honor for the past 12 years.

“Rebecca’s is great – definitely better than the dining halls,” freshman engineering major Mary Costigan said. “Plus you can use meal swipes.”

From breakfast sandwiches to apple struesel french toast, taco pizza to turkey burgers, and chicken ceasar wraps to London broil, Rebecca’s offers both daily standards and changing menus, often accompanied by a bag of chips and a drink.

Rebecca’s, ranked No. 1 caterer by the Boston Business Journal and Best Caterer by Lawyers Weekly, is open from 7 a.m. until 4 p.m. Monday through Friday and is known for having long lines during peak lunch hours.

“The California chicken sandwich is the best,” freshman engineering major Sakura Dallaire said. “Definitely worth the wait.”