campus resource centers
A
s you made your way down M Street to campus for the first time, you probably imagined spending every day grabbing lunch at Sweetgreen, buying groceries at Dean & DeLuca and dining in style at Cafe Milano. But soon enough, your bank account will be drained and you’ll have to return to closer and cheaper pastures to keep yourself fuelled. Make the best of your on-campus options with this handy guide.
✔
ACCEPTS MEAL
O’Donovan Hall ✔✔✔
O’Donovan Hall, lovingly (or, at least, commonly) known as Leo’s, is Georgetown’s only dedicated dining hall, boasting a range of options for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Extensively renovated just last year, Leo’s is now split into two distinct floors: The bottom floor is all-you-can-eat, and the top includes a range of vendors offering set meals in exchange for meal swipes. On the lower level, you’ll find hot food, vegetarian and vegan options, meals accommodating students with gluten, nut or other allergies and many other options including fruit, cereal and desserts. Lower Leo’s is renowned for its weekend brunch, offering not only a range of food choices but also the opportunity to debrief your friends on the previous night. If you’re looking for a more distinctive flavor, you’d better aim for Upstairs Leo’s. The top floor includes six separate vendors with rotating menu selections. Whisk, a bakery and coffee shop, is a popular option for a quick breakfast before class. 5Spice offers Asian-inspired fare emulating a range of regional recipes. Launch Test Kitchen, the most eclectic of the bunch, plays host to a variety of menus, from Indian food one week to traditional American chicken and waffles the next. Bodega offers pre-made sandwiches and groceries, as well as hot homestyle meals until as late as 11 p.m. Olive Branch cooks up Mediterranean food, to include Italian personal pizzas and Greek and Spanish cuisine. Finally, Sazón, a Latin-inspired option, tantalizes with customizable salsa, guacamole and a healthy helping of chips. No matter what’s on your plate, Leo’s will undoubtedly become the social hub of your freshman year, a place where you will share countless meals and conversations with your classmates. When you go home for break, you might even miss it.
Bulldog Tavern ✔✔✔
Located in the Healey Family Student Center below New South, Bulldog Tavern has a cozy restaurant and bar atmosphere that will make you feel like you are dining out without ever having to leave campus. Partly staffed by students, the tavern features a menu full of pub fare such as nachos, burgers, bread-bowl soups, wings and
8
✔
ACCEPTS DEBIT DOLLARS
✔
a signature Nutella shake. Wednesday’s Bulldog trivia nights are a student favorite, and the takeout window provides a bountiful supply of cheesy fries to hit the spot during study breaks.
The Hilltoss ✔✔
Students of Georgetown, Inc. — better known as The Corp — opened Hilltoss in 2014 to meet the ever-expanding demand for avocado toast, salads, smoothies and acai bowls. In 2018, The Corp replaced Hilltoss’ smoothie and acai bowl offerings with Grounded, an espresso bar with an expanded breakfast menu that finally provides the Healey Family Student Center with an easily accessible coffee shop. Students can now find their espresso, bagel sandwiches, parfaits, made-to-order salads — and, yes, avocado toast — all in the same place.
ACCEPTS FLEX DOLLARS
come in, conveniently dispersed throughout campus so that you’re never far from a cup of coffee or tea to keep you going. Midnight MUG, located in Lauinger Library, is an indispensable study savior open as late as 2 a.m. on Sunday through Wednesday. The ICC’s More Uncommon Grounds coffee stand will fuel your pre-class needs, and Uncommon Grounds, located on the second floor of the Georgetown University Bookstore, combines The Corp’s signature blends and breakfast options with convenient access to the serene Leavey Esplanade.
Epicurean and Co. ✔✔
Sometimes, you might not have time to sit down and grab a full meal in between classes. Never fear, Georgetown has you covered. Down the hall from Hoya Court inside the Leavey Center, the Grab ‘n’ Go Market Place Express offers a selection of hot meals as well as sandwiches, salads, wraps, bagels, chips, fruit or yogurt for a single meal swipe.
Your freshman year will not be complete without many trips to Epicurean and Company. Epi boasts fully stocked sushi, noodle and salad bars, a large buffet and a range of made-toorder sandwiches and pizzas. But the true stars of the menu are the quesadillas and onion rings — late-night staples of the Georgetown social scene, especially on the weekends. Epi is located adjacent to Darnall Hall and open nearly all hours, only closing briefly between late Sunday night and early Monday morning, making it ideal for midnight snacks and postgame gorging.
Vital Vittles/Hoya Snaxa ✔✔
Hoya Court ✔✔✔
Grab 'n’ Go ✔
If you live in Village C or Darnall Hall, Hoya Snaxa and Vital Vittles will soon become your goto stops for dorm room snacks and groceries. The Corp-run stores could sustain you for an entire semester: Snaxa, located under the archway in the Southwest Quadrangle complex, will satisfy your chip, popcorn and slushie needs. Vittles, located inside the Leavey Center, is stocked full of groceries, microwaveable meals and pharmacy products to save you the trip to Safeway or CVS.
The Midnight MUG, Uncommon Grounds, and More Uncommon GroundS ✔✔
Although you may have survived high school caffeine-free, you might soon find yourself desperate for a pick-me-up before a long night of studying or your 9 a.m. class. This is where The Corp’s trio of coffee shops
The newly revamped Hoya Court is wellsuited to those who spend long hours in the Leavey Center or have classes in Regents Hall or the Intercultural Center. The Chick-fil-A fastfood joint and Crop Chop salad and smoothie spot are dominant forces on the Georgetown dining scene. While these two stellar options are sure to grab your eye, don’t forget to look around the corner to Royal Jacket Deli for creative sandwiches.
Einstein Bros. Bagels ✔✔✔
Located on the second floor of the Car Barn on the easternmost edge of campus is Einstein Bros. Bagels, the hidden gem of Georgetown dining. Einstein’s is fully stocked with bagels, sandwiches, smoothies, coffee and shmears of all kinds. A meal swipe at Einstein’s can get you a warm bagel sandwich, coffee and a snack, which may be just what you need before you start your day.