Throughout my time at Penn State thus far, I have been under different COVID-19 rules and regulations at the university. These new policies have certainly impacted the dining hall experience at Penn State. Regardless, I have gained an opinion of each of the five dining halls at Penn State: East, North, West, South, and Pollock. Here are my rankings, from best to worst, of the on campus dining halls at Penn State.
West Dining Halls
If you have've ever heard of the dining halls in Waring Commons, you must have heard about the infamous West cookies. I can attest: West Halls does indeed have the best chocolate chip cookies on campus. The people who work at these halls always tend to be the nicest, funniest people to work at a Penn State dining commons. They always offer a large variety of food options — including staples and special features every single day. I would highly recommend this dining hall; the quieter atmosphere also leads to a shorter line!
Pollock Dining Halls
Pollock Dining Commons has such a lovely home vibe to it. The food is always delicious for being dining common food, and the menu always has some unique feature items to it. I know that without COVID-19 restrictions, this dining commons is even better!
South Dining Halls
While the numerous places to eat inside of Redifer Commons are quite appealing (and do not get me wrong, I absolutely love the bowls and pizza options they offer here), the food itself is practically the same as in East Halls. You can always find something good to eat here, but the buffet is not as good as every other menu item!
East Dining Halls
While my opinion here may cause some controversy, I personally felt as though East Dining Commons were slightly overrated. The line was always dreadfully long, so if you are in a hurry, do not try Findlay Commons. The food at East is basically the same as that in South, and while the menu items can be quite tasty, the wait may not be worth it.
North Dining Halls
I lived in North Halls my freshman year of college, so I visited the North Dining Commons first. Their menu is always the most limited one of any dining commons at Penn State. The food is simply not as good as anywhere else on campus. Additionally, the Commons is super quiet with very limited seating.
