By Stephanie Hyde | October 11, 2021
Eating out can be a stressful task when trying to figure out what to get. For UAlbany, the Campus Center adds a convenient option with a wide variety of meals. If you are tired of wandering around the CC not knowing what to get, or getting the same thing every day, check out some of the best meals to eat.
Umai Sushi
Meal: Premium Chirashi Seafood Bowl
The Premium Chirashi Seafood bowl with avocado, rice, and lettuce is the perfect option when a salad bowl isn’t enough. While the sushi from Umai Sushi is delicious, depending on how hungry you are, it may take more than one package of regular sushi to fill you up. The best part about this sushi bowl is the combination of rice and lettuce that makes for a filling meal along with bits of sushi. There is a savory taste with a little tang from the soy sauce that adds a kick of flavor, and the lettuce adds a nice refreshing crunch.
Halal Shack
Meal: fry bowl with chicken, cheese, onion, tomato, cheese, white sauce
When a side of regular fries isn’t enough, hit up Halal shack for a bowl of loaded fries. A perfect combination of meat, vegetables, and sauce will leave you satisfied. The mild creamy white sauce is a perfect substitute for the ordinary strong flavor of ketchup. The subtle flavoring of sauce and the unsalted fries allows the other flavors in the bowl to flourish.
Nikos
Meal: Nikos wrap with egg, onion, cucumbers, feta cheese, tzatziki sauce, ham, egg, and home fries
A wrap from Nikos packs a well-needed lunchtime punch. This specific wrap is the perfect breakfast/lunch combination. The satisfying crunch of home fries and cucumbers is perfectly balanced out by egg and ham. Ham is the better option over sausage or bacon because of its smokey flavoring. The feta cheese and tzatziki sauce add a refreshingly cool flavor.
Baba’s Pizza
Meal: Broccoli Chicken Bacon Ranch Pizza
This slice of pizza is an underrated and appetizing way to eat your vegetables, paired with double the meat. The creamy ranch is an upgrade from the typical tomato sauce that elevates the flavoring, along with the seasoned chicken and generous-sized bacon piece. The taste of broccoli is barely noticeable, along with the powerful combination of other flavors and the crisp pizza dough.
And if one slice is not enough to fill you up….
Meal: Baked Ziti Pizza
Pasta. Pizza. Pasta on top of pizza. The perfect combination of double the Italian food. The marinara sauce and penne ziti are more succinct on a slice of pizza rather than eating them separately. Ricotta and parmesan make the ultimate cheesy combination.
Jamal's Chicken
Meal: Garlic Parmesan Wings with Fries
Located in the same spot as the old Damian’s restaurant, Jamal’s Chicken is a new and improved upgrade from the old restaurant. Jamal’s menu includes crispy chicken tenders, wings, fires, hot chicken sandwiches as well as vegan chicken tenders and fried cauliflower.
Jamal’s Chicken's wings actually taste like chicken wings with the courtesy of the sauce on top rather than how Damien’s used to prepare their wings with the sauce on the side. While the garlic parmesan flavor was not as overpowering as other wings, it still held its own along with a side of blue cheese for dipping sauce. While the fries were unsalted, the crispness stood out.
Calypso
Meal: Jerk Chicken, Rice, and Mac and Cheese
This combination is a reliable big three that knows how to complement each other perfectly. Creamy mac and cheese with jalapeños is the ideal partner with the Caribbean jerk chicken with enough spices to thoroughly clear your sinuses. The yellow rice with beans is packed with flavor to add to the already powerful duo.
Fountain Grill
Meal: Milkshake
A Fountain Grill milkshake is a guaranteed treat, and it is the best combination of cookies and cream. For those who want less, there is the option of a vanilla shake.
Fountain Grill Breakfast
Meal: Blueberry Pancakes with Bacon
Back during pre-pandemic times, the Fountain Grill pancakes used to be bigger. Although the size has decreased, the quality remains as delicious as ever with the consistent fluffy buttermilk pancakes infused with blueberries. Blueberry pancakes along with crispy bacon will satisfy you at any time of the day.
Seasonal Treat: Donuts
Right in time for fall festivities, the Campus Center had a station for apple cider flavored donuts and ice cream sundaes with doughnuts at the same location as Corner Deli Bagel. In this case, you never know when strolling through the CC at the right time might reward you. The four-pack of doughnuts had the following flavors from top left to bottom right: plain, vanilla cinnamon, cappuccino glazed, and maple glazed. The doughnut flavor that stood out the most was the maple glazed as a sweet flavor with a caramel drizzle on vanilla icing over apple cider fry cake. Be on the lookout for ‘pop up’ food options as different holidays and finals approach.
While this list is not exhaustive, it is a good start and the best way to expand your taste to try food that you never have before. Now it is your turn to conquer the variety of the Campus Center for yourself!