some dipshit's guide to NEU food

Location info:
Huntington 1: Anything on (or very close to) the section of Huntington Ave that's between the Northeastern subway stop and before the Panera Bread intersection
Huntington 2: Anything between Huntington 1 and the Symphony subway stop
Huntington 3: Anything between Huntington 2 and the Prudential Center
Mass Ave: Anything on Massachusetts Ave (off of the the Symphony stop)
Prudential Center: Inside the Prudential Center

Ratings:
1 - Bad
2 - Tolerable
3 - Decent
4 - Great
5 - Excellent

All prices noted should account for tax hopefully maybe

**Meal Swipe Only:**

International Village:
Hours: Opens at 7. Serves Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner. Closes around 9 or 10
Notes:
- Has good Pizza and a lot of different other foods (Pasta, Chicken, other stuff I can't remember)
- Has dedicated areas to people with religious dietary restrictions or allergies
- Has Sushi that's...okay the first time around, but once you've had Symphony Sushi it's hard to go back
- Udon and Rice are decent, but not a fan of either to being with
- It's just solid I guess
Rating: 3/5

Stetson East:
Hours: Opens at 7. Serves Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner. Closes around 10 or 11
Notes:
- It's basically just an inferior IV. Even simple stuff like Pizza is noticeably better in IV
- That said, it's much better for Breakfast than IV is for two reasons
1. IV's food area is very spread out, but it doesn't make use of most of it for Breakfast, making it a pain to navigate
2. IV's Waffle Makers suck. East's are much better, and the toppings are in reasonable locations
- Probably less of a walk than IV
- The salad bar is self-serve in East, unlike IV. While most people would not prefer this, I'd rather not tell a person to give me my minimal vegetable servings :X
Rating: 2/5

Stetson West:
Hours: Serves Lunch and Dinner. Has odd hours, tends to open kinda late and close kinda early (around 8 or 9), and weekends/holidays are iffy.
Notes:
- Does not have a lot of food to choose from
- Has a stir fry sort of place. Novel and quite good at first, though you may eventually get sick of it a semester in.
- Really good Pizza
- Has a back room that is occasionally open that no one sits in: Perfect if you just want an empty seat.
- Even if that room isn't open, it's usually not too crowded, unless there's some event going on
Rating: 3/5

Outtakes:
Hours: Varies. Typically from around 7 to midnight.
Notes:
- Assorted packaged food and some pre-cooked meals (that aren't very good btw)
- A complete rip-off for your meal swipes lol
- Only go here when you have meal swipes and guest swipes to burn (or get a smaller meal plan), since you could just stockpile some snacks
- Also good if you oversleep and you REALLY need breakfast before class...or you can go to Wollaston's.
Rating: 1.5/5

**Other Relatively Close Eateries I've been to:**

Qdoba:
Location: Next to Marino. Not considered on campus, but it might as well be lol
Hours: Opens around 11:30. Closing time varies on the day, 11 for most of the week and midnight for Thursday and weekends. Good for late-night dinners in general.
Price: Usually $8.35, can be up to $10 depending on what you order. (+ $2.50 with drink; if you're getting your food to go, you can save money but going to Wollaston's for your drink instead). Accepts Dining Dollars.
Notes:
- It's like Chipotle but not quite as great...still good, and thankfully there's no extra price on Guac
- Expect to eat here a good number of times...if you're not, I'd guess that you're probably going to Amelia's instead.
Rating: 4/5

Au Bon Pain:
Location: Next to Marino
Hours: 7am-10pm seems like
Price: A bit cheaper than Panera, let's say ~$7-8
Notes:
- It's Au Bon Pain
Rating: Go Walk To Panera Bread Instead Tbh / 5

B. Good:
Location: Next to Marino
Hours: 11am-10pm
Price: ~$8-10, can be more with drinks/sides
Notes:
- Cool guy healthy place. No fattys allowed :(
- Food is good, but not great imo
- Probably good post-workout meal...
Rating: 3.5/5

Rebecca's:
Location: Walk forward from Snell Library. You should notice a descending stairway at some point. This is where Rebecca's is (tricky to find at first). Alternatively, walk straight through Chruchill Hall and you should get there if you head downstairs
Hours: Opens around 7, closes around 4 or 5, so no Dinner here. Also, they stop doing grilled food around 1:30 and food in general becomes limited to fridge items and the sandwhich bar from 3 onwards.
Price: Depends on what you order, probably around $7-10. You can use both Meal Swipes and Dining Dollars here (this is where you'll realize Meal Swipes are a bit of a rip, but you won't care)
Notes:
- Offers plenty of "American" food: Chicken Tenders, Burgers/Grilled Sandwiches, Pizza, and, most importantly the Sandwich Bar (there's a reason why it has a long line). Food is quite good overall, but nothing mind-blowing
- This is my go-to for lunch when I need to use up my meal swipes, assuming I can afford to wait in line
- You can grab the amount of food equivalent to 2 Meal Swipes worth and you can have them charge you for two swipes.
Rating: 4/5

Popeye's:
Location: Curry Center
Hours: Not sure, probably around 11 to 5, lunch hours basically
Price: $5-8 I think? Been a while since I went there. You cannot use Dining Dollars here, or in most Curry places.
Notes:
- Fried Chicken
- I saw a rat come out from the kitchen once. I was like /watch?v=kkDMz2ml0gw
- Good for satisfying your gluttony
Rating: 2.5/5

Chick-Fil-A:
Location: Curr...oh wait! Thanks a lot guys!!!

Boston Shawarma:
Location: Huntington 1
Hours: 10:30 open and 11 closing it seems like
Price: Surprisingly cheap. Meal with drink should be about $7
Notes:
- Vegetable + Indian-style Meat wrap sort of a thing.
- Not my personal favorite kind of food, but probably healthy and I know other people would like this
- I personally have a Tree Nut allergy, and found out soon after eating it that they probably used Coconut Oil in their food, hence why I've only been there once. Be careful out there.
Rating: 4/5 (gotta account for other peeps despite my fun night with mild anaphylaxis)

Panera Bread:
Location: Huntington 2
Hours: 6 am - 11 pm it seems. Bakery tends to be a bit empty around 9.
Price: Varies, probably under $10 though
Notes:
- It's Panera Bread
- Free Wi-fi !!! (though you'll probably still be in range of campus wi-fi)
Rating: Panera Bread / 5

Symphony Sushi:
Location: Huntington 2
Hours: Opens around 11:30, closes around 10 or 10:30
Price: For lunch, it's around $10.50-12.50 including tip. Dinner varies; if you stick to just sushi you can probably stay under $15 after tips, but with most dinner dishes you'll at least be close to $20 after tips
Notes:
- Proper restaurant
- Very good Japanese food
- Sushi is really good <3
- Can get very crowded at lunch time (gets less packed around 1:30) or early dinnertime (it gets less packed around 7). Expect to wait or be seated at the bar.
- I almost left my backpack there but the staff kept it for me when I realized what I'd done <3
- They do take-out, never tried it though. Don't think they do delivery.
- It's pricey though. What will probably end up happening is you'll go here when you want to treat yourself to something nice (let's say a pre-midterm or post-midterm meal?) but you want to stay close to campus and don't want something *too* pricey
Rating: 4.5/5

Pho and I:
Location: Huntington 2
Hours: Opens at 11:30 and closes around 10
Price: For lunch, it's around $9.50-11.50 including tip. There are plenty of dishes available at dinner time that are around the price of lunch.
Notes:
- Proper restaurant
- Very good Thai and Vietnamese food
- Pho and Fried Rice <3
- Staff is chill
- Can get busy like Symphony Sushi, but there's a lot more seating space so you should never have to wait
- They do take-out, never tried it though. Don't think they do delivery.
- A very nice companion to Symphony Sushi in terms of food options
Rating: 4.5/5

Dumpling Palace:
Location: Mass Ave
Hours: Does not close until 3 am. Decent choice for super late-night food, and they do take-out even then. Expect people to be eating there alongside you at midnight.
Price: Not too bad, think it's around $10 for most dishes
Notes:
- Proper restaurant
- Not the best of locations
- The dumplings are ehhhhhhhhh. I've heard the other food is pretty decent
- They screwed up my order one of the two times I went there :X
- I know there's people who like it, but I find it hard to recommend...the late hours are very nice though
Rating: 2.5/5

Alfredo's:
Location: Mass Ave
Hours: Closes around 1 am
Price: Nothing should cost more than $10. Slices of Pizza are of course much less.
Notes:
- Never had the Pizza there to be honest. Pasta was okay
- It's...it's food. Quite far though. Might be worth checking if you're trying to walk to campus from the Hynes subway stop
Rating: 2.5/5

California Pizza Kitchen:
Location: Prudential
Hours: Closes around 11pm
Price: $15+. Not a good lunch place, fine for dinner
Notes:
- Proper restaurant
- Probably the best Pizza option that's fairly close to campus
- Not very convenient though, you might as well suck it up and order Domino's or take a train to Regina's
- Still good, oh well
Rating: 3.5/5

Wagamama:
Location: Prudential
Hours: Closes around 10 or 11?
Price: ~$15. Acceptable for dinner...
Notes:
- Proper restaurant
- The food is pretty good, but it's not amazing, and the portions aren't very big
- When Symphony Sushi (which has Unadon and other rice bowls as well as noodles) and Pho and I (which has fried rice among other things) exist, it's really hard to justify spending the time and money going here.
Rating: 2.5/5

**Notable Boston-area Food places that I've been to that are pretty far from NEU:**

Chipotle:
Location: Near the Copley subway stop and, by extension, the Boston Public Library. Good if you plan on heading to the library and need food. There's also one very close to the Kendall/MIT stop if you're ever in that area.
Hours: Probably 11:30 - 10ish
Price: Around $7.50, can be around $9 if you get Guac. Also drinks and other stuff bump up the price too
Notes:
- Does not have good bottled drink variety
- Other than location and some other logistics, it's superior to Qdoba...
- The question is whether or not you're willing to do the 20 minute walk from campus to here. Even then, I've heard Amelia's is better
Rating: 3.5/5

Regina's Pizza North End:
Location: A sketchy alleyway that's a 5 minute walk from Haymarket. I wish I was joking.
Hours: Dunno when it opens, I go here for dinner. Closes around midnight.
Price: Around $15. Expensive for lunch, but reasonable for dinner. Don't forget to factor in subway costs of course.
Notes:
- Proper restaurant
- God tier Pizza. Probably the best pizza I've ever had tbh
- I think they do pickup/delivery?
- Can get a bit crowded, but usually you'll get a decent spot even if you're alone
- RELATED STORY TIME: One time when I went there there was a massive line to get in, I'm talking 20+ people outside, and it was a very chilly night too. The host comes out and gathers a list of everyone and how many people are in their party. I was the only person to say 1. A few people snickered, but after counting everyone in the line, the host told me to come on in, allowing me to cut past everyone there. Moral of the story is that sometimes having no social life can be pretty nice.
Rating: 5/5

Giacomo's South End:
Location: Take a right down the street before reaching the Prudential Center. You'll find it eventually
Hours: Dinner only, 5-11pm
Price: Around $20. I don't know if they expect tips considering they asked if I wanted change...also it's CASH ONLY
Notes:
- Proper restaurant
- Long wait and crowded. Even if there don't seem to be many people waiting, expect to wait for an hour or so before getting in.
- Very spiffy place, but they seem okay with undergrad degenerates like me walking in with my basic af aeropostale polo and khakis
- Food is quality Italian/Seafood. I ordered the wrong thing (not the waiter's fault, it was mine) and still really liked it
- ...Not sure if that justifies that hassle it was to get in. I heard they do reservations though.
Rating: 4/5

Dumpling House:
Location: In the No-Man's-Land between Harvard and MIT
Hours: 11am-10pm
Price: Lunch prices are good at under $10 before taxes/tips. Not sure about dinner.
Notes:
- Proper restaurant
- Excellent Chinese food
- Not much more to it. Honestly worth the trouble it is to get there
Rating: 5/5

The Daily Catch:
Location: North End
Hours: 11am-10pm
Price: Dinner is $20, lunch is about half that for half portions :| CASH ONLY
Notes:
- Proper restaurant
- Expect a longish wait, though not as long as Giacomo's
- Food was good, but honestly not amazing
- VERY small and crowded place, can seat maybe 20 people tops.
- RELATED STORY TIME: There was a group of three ahead and me and I was the only solo there. They ended up seating me in a 4 person table *with that group*. Got to see them bicker about their school life and drink alcohol. Judging from their conversations, they were probably upperclassmen at MIT or Harvard. It was very weird.
- As an NEU student, you're better off sticking to Giacomo's
Rating: 3/5

Sam Lagrassa's:
Location: Somewhere around the Park Street subway stop
Hours: Lunchtime only
Price: $12-15 depending on what you get
Notes:
- Crowded and there's a bit of a line, but it won't take long to get your order in, and even less to actually get the food.
- You'll probably still find a place to sit
- VERY good sandwiches
- The price is the real problem though...
Rating: 4/5

**Misc. Food Places:**

Big Boys Wollaston's:
Location: Behind Marino
Hours: Opens around 7 or 8. Closes at midnight
Price: The deli sandwhiches are around $6-8
Notes:
- Convenience store PogChamp
- Drinks are cheaper here than at Qdoba.
- They also serve sandwhiches. They're pretty decent
- They have Fresca because they respect Brown people
Deli Rating: 3.5/5
Store Rating: 4.5/5

Small Boys Wollaston's:
Location: Next to West Village B
Hours: Think it's the same as Big Boys
Price: Same as Big Boys
- Location is much more convenient for CS nerds trying to get food before class
- They usually don't have Fresca because they don't respect Brown people
- I never ate from here, but I have no reason to believe the Deli is worse
- While I'd say they have less items in general and are more cramped, they seem to have a better drink variety in general...
Deli Rating: 3.5/5
Store Rating: 4/5 (hey they're discriminating Brown people what can I say)

Chatime:
Location: Huntington 1
Hours: Dunno when it opens since it's better midday or evening. Supposed to close around 10, but it seems they extended it to 11?
Price: $5-6
Notes:
- "Hi, could I get a Hot Vanilla Milk Tea with Bubbles"
- Once you find your favorite drink, you will become addicted to it I promise
- Be warned that they tend to run out of ingredients, namely Pearls/Bubbles, later in the night, so keep this in mind if you plan on going there late (if you go before 8:30 you'll probably be fine)
- Apparently the people who work there go to NEU so you might know them idk (I personally don't lol)
Rating: 4/5

Kung Fu Tea:
Location: Huntington 3
Hours: Closes around 11
Price: $4.50-6
Notes:
- They don't have Vanilla :( Hot Oreo Milk Tea is still decent though
- Better variety in terms of toppings and flavors overall
- I don't think it's quite as good as Chatime taste-wise, but oh well. I'm sure some people prefer it
Rating: 3.5/5

Cold Stone Creamery:
Location: Prudential
Hours: Closes around 8 I think? I prefer this in the afternoon anyways
Price: ~$5
Notes:
- Ice Cream PogChamp
Rating: 4/5

**Food places I haven't eaten at but heard good things about:**

Amelia's:
Location: Huntington 1
Notes:
- Allegedly a superior burrito/Mexican place to Qdoba and Chipotle
- I'd say it's a 95-5 split between people who love it and people who got food poisoning from it
- Never visited cause I could never find a time where I could afford to be food poisoned (and yet I'd go to Qdoba any time). Will visit when I stop being a pussy

Wings Over Boston:
Location: Huntington 1
Hours: Closes around midnight.
Price: Varies a lot. $10 seems like the price for a standard meal.
Notes:
- Seems like they do delivery
- Probably better than Popeyes for for satisfying your gluttony

West End:
Location: Inside Curry Center
Notes:
- Make your own salad place
- Apparently accepts meal swipes
- Pretty good from what I've heard