The cheapest, closest and tastiest food options in the coldest season

Finding places to eat on campus can often be tricky when you have to consider time, distance, money, nutrition and taste. Here are a few gems in close proximity that are worth a visit.

The Innis Cafe is a great start, located inside Innis College. It is one of the few places that combines great taste and affordability on campus. The menu is filled with simple meals that taste home-cooked including an all-day breakfast, lasagna, sandwiches, burgers, burritos and sides. A filling chicken burrito with a side salad only costs $5.50. Gluten-free and vegetarian diets are also taken care of with a vegetarian burger and salad. The cafe also sells a variety of cold and hot beverages including freshly squeezed orange juice, smoothies, brewed coffee and tea. This place is a personal favourite.

However, Innis students also have a great advantage in the food truck scene. The best food trucks are always parked near Robarts or beside Innis College- Pita Express, Good Pho’ U and Wokking on Wheels. Those who spend long hours incubating inside Robarts during the midterm season can take a break and go to one of these trucks for filling and affordable meals.

Good Pho’ U, a family based Vietnamese truck serves hearty pho garnished with classic items like lime, bean sprouts and basil, topped with thin slices of beef that will instantly reboot your system. That’s at a cost of only $5, and the same goes for their delicious Bahn Mi sandwich.

Wokking on Wheels, the red truck, is a seven-day operation outside of Robarts library that has reliably been serving hungry students Chinese food for over two decades. My favourite thing to order is the fried vermicelli noodles with vegetables because I can make it into two portions. It’s not the best, but is readily available.

Finally, El Furniture Warehouse, a Vancouver based restaurant located in The Annex, is a detour worth taking for their menu, where all food items are $4.95. The dishes are tasty, filling and most come with side of fries or salad. Friendly staff also serves it in a relaxed setting.

Overall, these are my favourite picks. Innis Cafe is best for the early morning or lunch. They offer home-style food and are conveniently located. On other hand, Wokking on Wheels offers meals throughout the day up until the late night. Good Pho’ U is more of a treat, because the truck is not always parked at the same spot. For those who don’t mind the walk, El Furniture Warehouse serves as a great escape with friends, for their tasty yet cheap food.

Featured image courtesy of Google