I don’t care what anyone says, Brower is the best dining hall on campus

Brower Commons: everyone at Rutgers knows it. Most people try to avoid it at all costs and go to the Wendy’s in the student center instead, but if they do end up going, there will be constant complaints. But, in my opinion, it’s the best dining hall on campus.

Yes, Brower’s setup is awkward, with its many food stations dispersed throughout the entire room.  But the beauty is that you rarely wait in lines, feel overcrowded, or even bump into someone. So take your time making your salad or sandwich—no one is rushing you.  Plus, with all of the walking you do around Brower when you can’t decide on what to eat, you essentially burn off the meal you’re about to indulge in.

Unlike other dining halls at Rutgers that have walls dividing their sitting area, Brower is one large dining room. You can sit by the cereal, make-to-order bar, and pizza all within one room, and never have the struggle of finding an empty table.  Whenever I go to the dining hall on Livingston, I can never find an open table, despite it having three rooms to eat in.  Also, because Brower has such an open landscape and is located on the most social campus, you always end up either making new friends or finding friends you weren’t expecting to see.

And for single diners (like me), Brower offers a dinner and a show. Living on College Ave means constantly running into frat boys—most of which are good-looking. So while stuffing your face with pizza, ice cream, and everything else in sight, you can admire the boys from afar. And most of the time, the brothers go to Brower together, so you don’t have to fight with your best friend over which one is hers or yours.

Brower also has the best salad bar. Brower has more dried fruit, nuts, and vegetables available than any other dining hall. Also, has anyone seen the salad dressing options? From sesame Thai to parmesan peppercorn, Brower has all of the salad necessities. Also, the pizza never disappoints. Whether it’s vegetable, buffalo chicken, nutella, or plain cheese, Brower has the freshest pizza with at least two employees working behind the counter, constantly rolling out dough and sliding pizzas in and out of the oven.

For a late night bite, Brower’s takeout is substantially better than other dining hall’s, which is why its line is always long. Getting a sub on Tuesday nights has taken me an hour before, but I have never regretted waiting for it. Unlike other dining halls, the subs and Mexican food are made-to-order and are personalized by each student through filling out a checklist. They are never pre-made, and you can watch your order being made, guaranteeing a fresh meal.

To end your meal, Brower undoubtedly has the best options. The cereal bar takes up a whole wall, with four different granolas to choose from, and more cereal choices than any other dining hall. The ice cream will always be worth the calories. I don’t know why it tastes better than the other dining halls’, but it does. Brower offers more ice cream flavors rather than the typical four the other dining halls serve, and everyone always finishes their meal with scoops of ice cream.

So to those people who refuse to eat at Brower, that’s okay. It means more food and frat boys for me.