Syracuse University boasts lots of great dining options on and around campus. That’s good news for food lovers, and bad news for the Freshman Fifteen. The Daily Orange Pulp Staff has cooked up this handy food guide with instructions on which dining halls to avoid and which Marshall Street veterans are a hit with students.

 

Marshall Street Veterans

Acropolis Pizza House 

Address: 167 Marshall St.

Hours: Monday-Wednesday 11 a.m.-1:25 a.m., Thursday-Saturday 11-1:45 a.m., Sunday 12-11:45 p.m.

Phone number: 315-472-4876

Price range: $
Atmosphere: Looking for wings? Acropolis has them. Looking for Greek food? Acropolis has it. Looking for pizza? You guessed it, Acropolis has it. This place has every variety of food so if you and your friends can’t decide what to eat, you can get it all here.

Popular menu items: Plain pizza by the slice

Do they deliver? Yes

Something to know before you go: “It’s nice seeing students and all of the new students here for four years and then you see them two years after they graduate as alumni. It’s like they’re coming back to the old neighborhood. It’s nice.” Steven Papazides, restaurant manager

How long has it been on Marshall Street? Since 1982

 

Bleu Monkey Cafe

Address: 163 Marshall St.

Hours: Monday-Friday 11 a.m.-9 p.m., Saturday-Sunday 12-10:30 p.m.

Phone number: 315-474-0099

Price range: $$$
Atmosphere: This Marshall Street staple is one of Syracuse University’s prime sushi spots. Students flock to Bleu Monkey for a quick meal with friends, but it also provides a good atmosphere for dinner with visiting family members.

Popular menu items: Cobra Roll, Katsu Chicken Bento Box, Vegetable Bowl

Do they deliver? Yes
Something to know before you go: The menu offers over 20 “specialty rolls,” including the Ying Yang Roll, Swamp Thing Roll, Shark Roll, Golden Monkey Roll, and Mermaid Roll, for the more adventurous eaters.

How long has it been on Marshall Street? Since 2004

 

Funk ‘n Waffles 

Address: 727 S. Crouse Ave. #8

Hours: Sunday-Monday 9 a.m.-4 p.m., Tuesday 9 a.m.-9 p.m., Wednesday 9-12 a.m. Thursday-Saturday 9 a.m.-9 p.m.

Phone number: 315-477-9700

Price range: $$$
Atmosphere: With this restaurant, what you see is what you get. It’s a restaurant that serves waffles and plays funky music. With crazy recipes, stand-up comedy, open mic nights and its signature music, this is a great late-night stop.

Popular menu items: Chicken ‘n Waffles, Bootsy Brunch

Do they deliver? Yes

How long has it been on Marshall Street? Since 2008
“People come here not just to eat, just to meet up. There’s room here to chill during the afternoon hours. And then there are events down here nearly every weekend for people to come hangout and see bands of all different genres or for open mic night. Everyone is welcome.” Randy Tallo, Manager

 

King David’s Restaurant 

Address: 129 Marshall St.

Hours: Monday-Saturday 11 a.m.-9 p.m., closed Sunday

Phone number: 315-471-5000

Price range: $$$
Atmosphere: Hidden in a cozy upstairs lounge, King David’s was Syracuse’s first Middle Eastern restaurant. Since then, it has gained a reputation as a perfect spot for a grab-and-go lunch.

Popular menu items: Falafel, gyro

Do they deliver? No

Something to know before you go: “Try different foods across campus. I always have seniors who come in for the first time ready to graduate and tell me they wish they had known about us earlier.” Charlie Hatem, owner

How long has it been on Marshall Street? Since 1974

 

Panda West

Address: 135 Marshall St.

Hours: Monday-Thursday 11 a.m.- 9 p.m., Friday-Sunday 11 a.m.-10 p.m.

Phone number: 315-474-7777

Price range: $
Atmosphere: A quiet, classy atmosphere and cheap, tasty food makes for the perfect combination. Panda West is a great way to experience a sit-down meal at an extremely affordable price.

Popular menu items: General Tso’s Chicken, Sliced Chicken with Broccoli

Do they deliver? No
“Lots of businesses here come and go. But when you stay here as long as we have — 24 years — you know we’re good.” Alfred Lam, Owner

 

Pita Pit 

Address: 107 Marshall St.

Hours: Sunday-Wednesday 11-3 a.m., Thursday-Saturday 11- 4 a.m.

Phone number: (315) 840-0315

Price range: $
Atmosphere: Not in the mood for a regular sandwich? Need more carbs than a wrap? Somewhere between the two lies a pita. Pita Pit caters to all dietary needs with a variety of vegetarian and gluten-free choices, and, of course, plenty of options for carnivores.

Popular menu items: Buffalo chicken, gyros, Caesar, falafel

Do they deliver? Yes

Something to know before you go: The Pita Pit on Marshall is the original restaurant in the U.S. after the franchise originated in Canada. It is a healthy option where a build-your-own pita is an option.

How long has it been on Marshall Street? Since 1995

 

Unique Tea House

Address: 171 Marshall St.

Hours: Monday-Thursday 11 a.m.-midnight, Friday-Saturday 12 p.m.-1a.m., Sunday 12 p.m.-12 a.m.

Phone number: 315-422-7385

Price range: $$

Atmosphere: Known around campus as “The Bubble Tea Place,” Unique serves delicious drinks and snacks. Its cozy upstairs location is a great place to study, but fair warning: it gets busy during finals week because of the fast, free Wi-Fi.

Popular menu items: Black tea with milk, smoothies

Do they deliver? Yes

“We’ve been here for 10 years and we’re just a little mom and pop corner shop. But at our busiest, there’s a line out the door and around the counter.” Rian Repass, Manager

How long has it been on Marshall Street? Since 2006.

 

 

Varsity Pizza 

Address: 802 S. Crouse Ave.

Hours: Monday-Friday 9 a.m.-9 p.m., Saturday 11 a.m.-9 p.m., closed Sunday

Phone number: 315-478-1235

Price range: $$
Atmosphere: This laid-back pizza joint is the grandaddy of Marshall Street. It’s perfect for game day, with two counters, a variety of food and more pizza than you can imagine.

Popular menu items: Plain pizza, white veggie pizza, Varsity cheesesteak

Do they deliver? Only in walking distance to university office buildings
How long has it been open near Marshall Street? Since 1926

“It’s a tradition for everyone to come here — for both alumni and students. Varsity is familiar to the community because everything has been the same since 1926 except any new menu items — it’s been owned by the same family and has the same atmosphere as it did 90 years ago.”  Diana Hester, Manager

 

Pro tip: For even more dining options, check out Marshall Square Mall right behind Starbucks on Marshall Street.

 

On-campus Dining

 

There are 5 residential dining halls on campus: Brockway, Sadler, Graham, Shaw and Ernie. They all serve pretty much the same food, but some of them are better than others. Here’s the breakdown:

 

Sadler: (Monday-Friday 7 a.m.-10 a.m., 11a.m.-3 p.m., 4:30 p.m.-9 p.m., Saturday-Sunday 9 a.m.-10 a.m., 11a.m.-3 p.m., 4:30 p.m.-9 p.m.)

 

This dining hall is consistently average. The food is never terrible, but never great either. They have a burger station, a pizza station, a stir fry station, a salad bar, both self-serve and made-to-order sandwich stations, as well as daily entrees. Sadler basically has everything you need, but on a smaller scale as compared to Ernie or Shaw.

 

Ernie: (Monday-Friday 7 a.m.-10 a.m., 11a.m.-3 p.m., 4:30 p.m.-9 p.m., Saturday-Sunday 9 a.m.-10 a.m., 11a.m.-3 p.m., 4:30 p.m.-9 p.m.)

Ernie is by far the busiest of all the dining halls as it’s most central to campus and serves residents from not only Ernie, but Watson, DellPlain, Booth, and any other students who may be in the area. It’s big and has a lot of options. Their salad bar has pretty much every reasonable option for a salad bar and changes its selection to some degree. They also have all the food options that Sadler has, but on a scale that can cater to a significant portion of the student body.

 

Pro tip: Ernie puts out a jar of Nutella near the fruit station from time to time.

 

Brockway: (Monday-Friday 7 a.m.-10 a.m., 11 a.m.-3 p.m., 4:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m., Saturday-Sunday 9 a.m.-10 a.m., 11 a.m.-3 p.m., 4:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m.)

Brockway is the dining hall that serves Brockway, Brewster and Boland Halls. It’s on the smaller side, but still offers most of the same selection that the other dining halls do. Perhaps Brockway’s best feature is the large windows that surround the cafeteria space; the panoramic view is pretty nice.

 

Shaw: (Monday-Friday 7 a.m.-10 a.m., 11a.m.-3 p.m., 4:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m., Saturday-Sunday 9 a.m.-10 a.m., 11a.m.-3 p.m., 4:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m.)

 

Shaw is not one of the most popular dining halls, as it only serves a small part of campus. However, if you are willing to make the trip over, it will become a favorite as the food is always good and there are plenty of options. The fact that it is never too busy is also a plus, because the quiet environment is perfect for reading through a textbook or doing some last-minute studying while you grab a bite to eat.

 

Pro tip: Shaw is the only dining hall on campus with Honey Nut Cheerios.

 

Graham: (Monday-Friday 7 a.m.-10 a.m., 11a.m.-3 p.m., 4:30 p.m.-9 p.m., Saturday-Sunday 9 a.m.-10 a.m., 11a.m.-3 p.m., 4:30 p.m.-9 p.m.)

Graham serves the residents of Mount Olympus. Its biggest plus by far is the tunnel that connects it to both Flint and Day Halls. The underground passageway might sound unnecessary at this stage of the year, but just wait until winter when you won’t be taking it for granted.
Pro tip: Sometimes they have snack bar legends like mozzarella sticks and fiery chicken tenders, which could be overflow from the Junction, a snack bar found under Graham.

Published on August 24, 2016 at 12:08 pm