The monotony of dining hall food gets old very quickly on many college campuses. Luckily for Northeastern students, there are plenty of other options to choose from — and some even take meal swipes.

Rebecca’s Cafe

Like most students, I heard about Rebecca’s through the grapevine. I’ll never forget the first time my friends and I went to Rebecca’s from the library — we put it in Google Maps and realized we were standing 500 feet away. 

Rebecca’s is our favorite spot because it offers a variety of fresh and premade sandwiches, grill options and soups and salads — and is also open for breakfast. Most students choose it as their go-to on-campus eatery due to the variety and high quality. More than those factors, the atmosphere in Rebecca’s is one that most students would agree is purely “Northeastern.” It’s the perfect place to go for anything from a casual lunch with friends to an intense study session.

Amelia’s Taqueria

After Rebecca’s, the next most beloved restaurant on campus is Amelia’s. It’s a Chipotle or Qdoba-esque Mexican-style eatery. But ask any Northeastern student and they’ll emphatically tell you that Amelia’s blows both out of the water. It doesn’t take meal swipes, but the prices are reasonable — and the fact that it’s open until 2 a.m. on Saturdays is enough to ensure that every student will most likely go there at least once.

Cafe Crossing

Located far from everything else on campus — at the back of International Village — Cafe Crossing is worth the hike. In exchange for one meal swipe you can get a salad, sandwich or soup and a piece of fruit. All that comes with a bottled drink, or a Starbucks coffee or tea. They also offer baked goods and snacks daily. 

Catherine Titcomb, a third-year business administration and design major, likes Cafe Crossing because it’s a healthy option and “it’s so bright and sunny in there, you just feel good about yourself when you’re in there.” The atmosphere and variety of options make it a popular spot. Between classes, the line snakes through the entire restaurant and out the door.

Tatte Bakery and Cafe

Ever since this popular Boston chain came to Northeastern in the fall of 2018, it has been almost constantly full of students. Tatte is an Israeli-inspired cafe, serving breakfast, lunch and dinner, as well as a full espresso and drink menu. It’s hard to miss on Northeastern’s campus — right underneath Marino Recreation Center. The line can sometimes be out the door, but the wait is worth it for their famous shakshuka and cappuccino.

Outtakes

An important place for freshmen with meal swipes to remember is Outtakes. Situated right next to Stetson West Eatery, it offers groceries and premade meals in exchange for meal swipes. If on Sunday you still have seven unused meal swipes, Outtakes is the place to go.

There are so many more delicious restaurants on campus. Some others to mention are Chicken Lou’s,  Kigo Kitchen and Boston Shawarma. 

The most important thing about all the restaurants on campus are the relationships they build with Northeastern students. There are plenty of delicious options for Northeastern students to choose from when it comes to on-campus restaurants, and it’s probably one of the reasons many students stick around for six years!