Eating on Campus: What to Grab and Where to Go

The Gateway Garden at 32nd and Market streets in September 2021. Photo credit: Jeff Fusco.

Please visit the ‘Drexel’s Response to Coronavirus’ website for the latest public health advisories. 

It’s breakfast. It’s lunchtime. It’s coffee-break-o’clock. Whatever the time, whatever the reason, and whatever the food — you just want to eat. But with masking, social distancing and other COVID-19 procedures and hesitancies, it’s hard to figure out how you can eat on campus and where you can eat (not forgetting, of course, choosing what you want to eat!).

For starters: here are some do’s and don’ts about eating on Drexel campuses, as taken from the “Where will I be able to eat and drink on campus?” section of FAQ page of the “Drexel’s Response to Coronavirus” website:

• DO eat outdoors when you can. It’s safer regardless of your vaccination status.
• DON’T eat in classrooms or lobbies.
• DO eat indoors on campus only in designated eating areas (like dining halls and eateries). On the Center City Campus, there are indoor eating areas marked for use.
• DON’T eat with more than four people, to further reduce your risk.
• DO eat indoors if you can eat in your office with the door closed or at a work cubicle with cubicle walls higher than you are when seated.
• DON’T take off your mask unless you are seated with your meal when eating indoors.

Now that you have a better idea of what you need to do, you can start to think about what you want to eat and where you can eat it.

• What to eat:
  • Dining options provided by Drexel Campus Dining
  • Local cafés, restaurants and other dining options on or near campus that accept DragonDollars and may have special deals for customers with valid Drexel IDs
  • On-campus vending options
• Where to eat:
  • A map of outdoor seating areas on the University City Campus, plus a list of available options on the Center City Campus and Queen Lane Campus.

Too many options? Not sure what to pick? That’s okay. The @drexeluniv Instagram account recently asked its followers to “share a recommendation for a lunch or dinner spot for our New Dragons.” The answers (saved as the “Food Spots” highlight on their page) were pretty good — and applicable not just for incoming students, but for all Drexel students, faculty and professional staff. DrexelNow went through the many, many options and picked out the spots that were on or near the University City Campus, near designated seating areas and, equally important, delicious.

The weather is nice now for outdoor eating (though you can always bundle up to safely eat outside) so now is the time, especially as we all are starting back up again at the University, to eat your way through Drexel’s campus.

So here are those Dragon-recommended eats and extra DrexelNow-recommended spots. Pull up the Drexel University City Campus map, check available websites of each establishment for additional and updated information — and, most importantly, start planning! 

31^st–33^rd streets and Market and Chestnut streets-ish 

• Drexel outdoor seating:
  • Korman Quad

• Constantine N. Papadakis Integrated Sciences Building (PISB)
• Starbucks @ Gerri C. LeBow
• Bossone Research Center (2^nd floor patio!)
• Center for Automation Technology (tables outside)
• Gateway Garden

• Drexel outdoor tents with seating for dining:
  • Creese Patio at the Creese Student Center
  • Perelman Plaza
• DrexelNow-approved additional places to eat:
  • Old Nelson (deli, outdoor/indoor seating; 129 S. 31^st St.; online ordering and pick-up)
  • Saxbys (café, outdoor/indoor seating; 3245 Chestnut St.; DragonDollars; online ordering and pick-up; download the Saxbys App for $3 off your first order)
  • Handschumacher Dining Center (various options for breakfast–dinner; outdoor/indoor; Meal Swipes; Dining Dollars; Dragon Dollars).
  • Fuel Healthy Kitchen (breakfast–dinner, outdoor/indoor seating; DragonDollars; 15% off your purchase with a valid Drexel ID; free smoothie with first-time app download; online ordering, pickup, delivery)
  • ThirtyOne41 (café, Dining Dollars, DragonDollars)
• DrexelNow-approved additional places to sit:
  • Cira Green
  • Schuylkill Banks

Shake Shack

• Menu: Hamburgers, hot dogs, chicken, fries, milkshakes, frozen concretes, alcoholic beverages.
• Location: 3200 Chestnut St.
• Additional seating options: Indoor and outdoor seating at the restaurant.
• Additional eating options: Online ordering, pickup and delivery.
• Additional payment options: DragonDollars.

The Board and Brew

• Menu: Coffee and tea, breakfast, lunch, dinner, desserts, alcoholic beverages
• Location: 3200 Chestnut St.
• Additional seating options: Indoor seating as well as outdoor seating, when available.
• Additional payment options: DragonDollars. Online ordering, pick-up, delivery. Use the code BBDELIVERY to get 15% off your delivery. [PDF]

Boba King

• Menu: Milk tea, fruit tea, smoothies, coffee, honey bread.
• Location: 3200 Chestnut St.
• Additional seating options: Indoor seating.
• Additional eating options: Delivery.

CO-OP

• Menu: Breakfast, brunch, dinner, coffee and tea.
• Location: 20 S. 33^rd St.  
• Additional seating options: Indoor seating.
• Additional eating options: Takeout and delivery.

33^rd–34^th streets and Market Street and Lancaster Avenue-ish

• Drexel outdoor seating:
  • Buckley Green (Volleyball)
  • Buckley Recreational Field (tables outside)
  • Daskalakis Athletic Center (DAC)
  • Nesbitt Hall
  • Rush Building
  • Lancaster Walk
  • W. Hagerty Library
  • Thomas R. Kline School of Law (restricted access for Kline students only)
• Outdoor tents with seating for dining:
  • Rush Building/Lancaster Walk

• DrexelNow-approved additional places to eat:
  • Urban Eatery (various options for breakfast–dinner; 3400 Lancaster Ave.; Meal Swipes, Dining Dollars, DragonDollars)
• DrexelNow-approved additional places to sit:
  • [Editor’s note: repeated because it’s that good] Rush Building has lots of trees (and shade) and has a fountain!
  • James G. Kaskey Memorial Park

Landmark Americana

• Menu: Finger foods, fries, chicken, soups, salads, sandwiches, burgers, brunch, alcoholic beverages
• Location: 3333 Market St.
• Additional seating options: Indoor and outdoor seating.
• Additional eating options: Online ordering, pick-up, and delivery.
• Additional payment options: DragonDollars.

Dos Hermanos Tacos food truck

• Menu: Tacos, quesadillas, nachos
• Location: Near Hagerty Library and Kline School of Law on Market Street, but days/hours vary. Check Facebook and Instagram for updates and daily specials.
• Additional eating options: Online ordering, pickup.

Moshava food truck

• Menu: Pita sandwiches, potatoes, hummus, fries.
• Location: Near Hagerty Library and Kline School of Law on Market Street, but days/hours vary. Check Facebook and Instagram for updates and daily specials.

Blaze Pizza

• Menu: Pizza, salads, cheesy breads, dessert.
• Location: 3400 Lancaster Ave. 
• Additional seating options: Indoor seating.
• Additional eating options: Online ordering, pick-up, delivery.
• Additional payment options: DragonDollars.

Chipotle

• Menu: Burritos, burrito bowls, salads, quesadillas, tacos.
• Location: 3400 Lancaster Ave.
• Additional seating options: Indoor seating.
• Additional eating options: Online ordering, pick-up, and delivery.

Savas Brick Oven Pizza

• Menu: Pizza, pasta, wings, salads, stromboli, sandwiches, burgers, quesadillas, dessert, coffee.
• Location: 3505 Lancaster Ave.
• Additional seating options: Indoor and outdoor seating.
• Additional eating options: Online ordering, pick-up, and delivery.
• Additional payment options: DragonDollars.

Ed’s Buffalo Wings & Pizza

• Menu: Pizza, calzones, stromboli, wings, sandwiches, salads, burgers, dessert.
• Location: 3513 Lancaster Ave.
• Additional seating options: Indoor seating.
• Additional eating options: Online ordering, pick-up, and delivery.
• Additional payment options: DragonDollars.

32^nd­­–34^th streets and Powelton Avenue to Arch Street-ish

• Drexel outdoor seating:
  • Drexel Park
  • Perelman Center for Jewish Life
  • Residential Campus (Millennium Hall; Myers Hall; North Hall; Race Street Residencies Lawn; Race Street Walk)
  • Drexel outdoor tents with seating for dining:
  • Race Street Walk (outside Race Street residencies)

• DrexelNow-approved additional places to eat:
  • The Café at Perelman Center for Jewish Life (lunch­–dinner; kosher; 118 N. 34^th Street; Meal Swipes, Dining Dollars, DragonDollars)

• DrexelNow-approved additional places to sit
  • Perelman Center for Jewish Life sukkah

  Sabrina’s Café

  • Menu: Brunch, breakfast, sandwiches, burgers, soups, salads, coffee, tea.
  • Location: 227 N. 34^th St.
  • Additional seating options: Indoor and outdoor seating.
  • Additional eating options: Online ordering, pick-up, and delivery.

  D.P. Dough

  [Editor’s Note: you don’t have to only go there late at night!]

  • Menu: Calzones, chicken, tater tots, “stix”.
  • Location: 3235 Powelton Ave.
  • Additional seating options: Indoor seating.
  • Additional eating options: Online ordering, pick-up, and delivery.

  El Taco

  • Menu: Tacos, burritos, burrito bowls, quesadillas, nachos, fries, desserts.
  • Location: 3233 Powelton Ave.
  • Additional seating options: Indoor and outdoor seating.
  • Additional eating options: Online ordering, pick-up.

   

  Greek from Greece

  • Menu: [from Uber Eats] Pies, breakfast, sandwiches, salads, platters, desserts, smoothies, juices, coffee, tea.
  • Location: 107 N 33rd St.
  • Additional seating options: indoor and outdoor seating.

   

  Extra sides of food options:

  The @drexeluniv Instagram responses also contained many, many recommendations that were near Drexel’s campus, both further into West Philly and across the Schuylkill River into Center City. Be sure to check them out!

  There are a lot of food trucks on campus with different menus and locations. Some reliable places to find them are:

  • Food Truck Alley (behind Main Building at 31^st and Ludlow streets)
  • The intersection of 33^rd and Market streets near the near the Mario the Magnificent dragon statue, the W. W. Hagerty Library and the DAC.
  • The intersection of 33^rd and Arch streets near Bentley Hall and the Buckley Green volleyball courts.

  Drexel is located right next to the University of Pennsylvania, which has its own massive and multicultural dining scene. Shop Penn has a list of restaurants and fooderies near Penn’s campus (including the DrexelNow-recommended Franklin’s Table). Recently, the Penn student newspaper The Daily Pennsylvanian, through its 34th Street Magazine arts and culture magazine, published a “Dining Guide 2021” roundup of stories related to the local dining scene, including Pizza Plus West at 48^th and Spruce streets, Alif Brew & Mini Mart at 45^th Street and Baltimore Avenue, HUDA at 18^th and Ranstead streets, and the Chilly Banana on East Passyunk Avenue.

  Next month, the University City Dining Days will be held from Oct. 20–31 and will feature special multi-course meals and deals at local restaurants in University City — including ones on Drexel’s campus previously mentioned in this story:

  • The Board and Brew ($30 three-course meals for lunch and dinner; dining in only)
  • CO-OP ($35 three-course meals for dinner; dining in only)
  • El Taco (free chips and salsa with a $10+ purchase for dinner; dining and takeout)