Arizona colleges, ranked by how good their food is
Whether you’re attending (or plan to attend) an Arizona university from out of state or as a local, you need to know the full deets of each campus before committing your hard-earned money and time to one. Looking up professors and programs is important, but understanding the food available to you on each campus is arguably even more important. After all, if you’re not nourished, you won’t be able to sustain your studies. And with college being many young folks’ first time living on their own, having a variety of foods readily available is paramount.
This is why we’ve done the hard work for you. We’ve examined the dining options at nine Arizona colleges to give you a comprehensive view of their offerings, including the number of options, options based on specific diets (vegetarian, gluten-free, etc.), and other special attributes (such as food-delivering robots).
Without further ado, let’s get into this ranking — we know you’re hungry for it.
9. Diné College – Tsaile Campus
Diné College, a Navajo institution in Tsaile, is the smallest campus on this list, and its food selections reflect that. Home of the Warriors, Warrior Dining serves a rotating menu in its cafeteria, with past entries including pesto-seasoned potatoes, pot pies, and more. While everything on its menu sounds delicious, we had to rank it low on the list for its lack of variety alone. Outside of its in-house cafeteria, the only other establishment on campus appears to be a Starbucks. That said, students can order Starbucks ahead on Warrior Dining’s website, which is quite handy.
8. Prescott College
Located in Prescott, Arizona, this eponymous campus doesn’t offer a variety of restaurants or food or drink establishments like the higher-ranking campuses on this list. Prescott College‘s main campus houses just one dining hall, but it does have its very own Crossroads Cafe and a special tradition. Students can indulge in homemade soup and bread every Wednesday — just the hearty meal you need to get through the rest of the school week. Not many people get to say that they enjoyed a home-cooked meal while living on a college campus, so if a tradition like this sounds heartwarming to you, Prescott College may be the choice for you.
7. Arizona Christian University
Arizona Christian University is a good middle-ground campus on this list. It doesn’t have an endless supply of restaurants, but it has several on-campus dining options for students to refuel at. Chief among these — and separate from the dining halls — is Tower Grill, a more upscale option for when you want to sit down for a nice meal and forget about impending midterms or celebrate the end of a stressful finals week.
One particularly great aspect of ACU’s fare is its pledge to be socially responsible and sustainable. For instance, unlike some other campuses, ACU actively works to increase water conservation, lower greenhouse gas emissions, and quash unnecessary energy consumption. The university does this while producing healthy options for its students, as it wants its students to thrive, not just survive another term. It offers organic, vegan, vegetarian, whole-grain, and locally sourced foods.
6. Arizona State University – West Valley Campus
At this point in the list, we’ve graduated from smaller campuses that have just a couple of central eateries and are beginning to see campuses with many types of establishments. However, we’re not in the big leagues yet. The West Valley Campus of Arizona State University has several options but is much more limited than the following locations, which is why the West Valley Campus has landed at no. 6. Still, with spots like Domino’s, Jamba Juice, Qdoba, and the Verde Dining Pavillion, you can’t really go wrong.
5. Arizona State University – Downtown Phoenix Campus
It pains us to put the Downtown Phoenix Campus of Arizona State University — go, Sun Devils! — this low on the list, but it unfortunately has a fraction of the offerings of the campuses higher on our list. Still, it has some pros: The Downtown Phoenix Campus houses several cafes, tea shops, and espresso bars, so your coffee needs will always be met. Beyond that, though, it’s slim pickings. Outside of the campus’ central residential restaurant, the main options include Panda Express, Wild Blue Sushi, The Pub at Thunderbird, and Flip Kitchen, among a few others.
Now, we do need to give this campus the benefit of the doubt. Since it’s located in downtown Phoenix, it undoubtedly has mouth-watering food options around it, just not technically on its campus. This is both a plus and a minus, as non-campus restaurants most likely won’t accept students’ dining plans.
4. Northern Arizona University
This is the turning point of our list where the acceptable gets separated from the outstanding. Northern Arizona University features 25 retail venues on its premises, all in addition to three campus markets and two dining halls. Because of these options, NAU has a plethora of vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free foods and dishes. The best part? The university has an app students can use to search for locations serving foods from specific diets. This can prove especially useful for the dining halls, as their options typically change daily. With the app, students can see exactly what vegan, vegetarian, etc. dishes are being served where.
Students can also use their swipes for pre-made foods — typically in specific combinations, such as a sandwich, bag of chips, and a drink — at the retail stores to help alleviate time stress. Then, when students want something fresh, they can check out the Open-Air Market. This seasonal market opens every semester for weeks at a time and allows students to peruse and purchase local produce and goods à la farmers markets. The cherry on top? NAU has several sustainability projects in place, including a leftovers program to combat waste.
3. Arizona State University – Tempe Campus
While Arizona State University doesn’t have the same number of food venues on campus as our top two universities, it still boasts a great, varied selection — and the ability to cater (pun intended) one’s meals to their dietary needs. This is especially true in the dining halls, which are buffet-like. Students can choose from many types of dishes, letting them easily eat within their diet. And this is true outside of the dining halls, too, with ASU having roughly 50 establishments on campus.
Curious about what’s included in that big number? We’ve crunched some numbers so you can get a fuller picture of the campus: ASU has three kosher establishments, six Starbucks locations, six other cafés, and five P.O.D. Markets for all of your convenience store needs. (Grab those chips you’ve been eyeing — they’re the perfect study snack.) ASU also has classics like Subway and Burger King for those moments when you need a taste of home. Oh, and food trucks, including a Wetzel’s Pretzels truck, frequent the campus. Full stop.
2. The University of Arizona
Despite having a unique campus since sections of it are interspersed throughout its corner of Tuscon, The University of Arizona is a premier college choice for foodies. It has countless restaurant options since it’s located in a big city, but even its campus-specific options are vast. We’re talking Einstein Bros. Bagels, On Deck Deli, Sushi With Gusto, Más Tacos, Sichuan Kitchen, and so much more.
In addition to boasting many global cuisines, The University of Arizona has foods for all diets across its campus. In fact, the university won the Best Food Allergy Innovation award in 2023, proving that it puts its students first. One of its facilities, Cactus Grill, even won Best Residential Dining Facility in 2023. And if you can’t make it to one of UA’s award-winning restaurants, don’t worry — the campus employs food-delivery robots, meaning healthy and delicious food is never out of reach.
If all of this wasn’t enough, UA runs several sustainability programs, including efforts to increase composting and reduce plastic waste via using recyclable food containers.
1. Grand Canyon University
While our selection was neck and neck with some other placements in this ranking, there was never a doubt that Grand Canyon University wasn’t going to land in the top spot. GCU’s on-campus dining options are vast, including fast-food favorites like Jimmy John’s, Taco Bell, and Chick-fil-A and fresher options like Kaminari (a poké bar) and Nekter Juice Bar.
The university also has you covered on those days when you just need some hearty carbs to feel full and warm — and to power long nights of studying — as Lopacellis Pasta serves breadsticks with each and every pasta bowl. The Lope House Restaurant even offers dine-in seating with a view, as it overlooks the sprawling GCU Golf Course. (And it cooks up hot breakfast dishes all day, which is the perfect grub for the day after long nights out — but you didn’t hear that from us.)
Ultimately, there are countless spots to fuel yourself on GCU’s campus — it does have the highest enrollment in Arizona, after all — and it’s precisely this selection and the ability to cater to any diet that unequivocally puts GCU in our no. 1 position.
This article may have been created with the assistance of AI.
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