I never thought I would be writing a blog post on USC Dining Halls as a Senior, but since I decided to become a Resident Assistant at USC and have access to 19 meal swipes per week, I spend more time in the dining halls than I would like to admit. Each dining hall has its hidden gems, so let’s explore them, shall we?
- USC Village Dining Hall: literally my second home for the past few years. I currently live in McCarthy Honors College as an RA, the same dorm I lived in my freshman year, so the Village Dining Hall has a special place in my heart. It’s annexed to the McCarthy dorm (though all USC students can enter it), so it’s always been beyond convenient to just roll out of bed and go downstairs for some quick eats. Its hidden gems for me are definitely the crepes (lines get absurdly long, but definitely worth it), and the vegan bar, which quite literally NEVER disappoints.
- Parkside Restaurant & Grill: Just thinking about Parkside brings tears to my eyes. I am a HUGE Parkside fan&advocate; it is a common agreement that Parkside is the best dining hall at USC, with its only con being the fact that it is quite isolated from the rest of campus. Nonetheless, the walk down there is always worth it. It is also right next to the Viterbi buildings, so quite convenient for us engineers! My favorite things about Parkside is that it has so many different options, it’s impossible you won’t find something you like, even on its off days. My favorite Parkside gems are the fries and the pizza bar!
- Everybody’s Kitchen (EVK): Most underrated dining hall at USC. There. I said it! EVK doesn’t have the best reputation among the dining halls, but I think people just like to hate on it for no reason. EVK always has great pizza that you can rely on, and you might even get lucky and catch EVK’s quesadilla bar. 10/10!!!!
Cherish your dining hall days as much as you can! Although you might get tired of dining hall food every now and then, it is so convenient not to have to cook every time you get hungry. Definitely going to miss the DHs when I graduate next year :’).
