New to dining at Fordham Rose Hill? Well, this is the article to read. One thing I love about Fordham is how many dining options there are. This article will give you a rundown of each food option, as well as my recommendations. Have any allergies? Stick around for the end. 

First, let’s understand Fordham’s meal plan. You likely have meal swipes and dining dollars, which are two separate entities. You use a meal swipe when purchasing a meal. This typically covers a meal and a fountain drink. You use dining dollars when buying a snack, bottled drink, groceries or Starbucks. To check your dining dollar balance, you can use the Grubhub app and connect your Fordham account to order food online if you don’t want to order in person. However, you will have to go to the dining location and pick up the meal yourself. Also, credit and debit cards are accepted at each of these dining establishments if you do not have a meal plan. 

Let’s start with the most obvious location: the dining hall. For the past year, the dining hall has been located on the second floor of the McShane Center, but the renovated version is set to reopen back on the first floor this fall. The dining hall has six different stations that have multiple food options. Included will always be pizza, a grill station, a salad bar, pasta dishes, vegetarian options and more. One station called True Balance is free of the nine main allergens: milk, eggs, nuts, fish, crustaceans, shellfish, wheat, soy and sesame. Desserts, cereals, fruits and drinks are also offered. Honestly, the dining hall isn’t my favorite destination, but you will definitely get the most bang for your buck there, as you can get as much food as you want just for one meal swipe when you enter. Note that while the dining hall renovation is ongoing,  there is another miniature dining hall at Bepler Commons in Faber Hall with similar options. 

Next up is the Grotto, formerly known as POD, short for “provisions on demand,” or simply Boar’s Head. This dining location is technically part of Queen’s Court, but only has one entrance which is across from Rod’s. There is a deli where they serve customizable Boar’s Head sandwiches, and starting this year, the location will offer a new breakfast menu. POD is also similar to a convenience store. You can buy snacks, ice cream, drinks, frozen prepared meals, fruits and more using dining dollars. Rodrigue’s Coffee House, famously known as Rod’s, is the small building across from POD’s entrance. It is a small and inexpensive coffee shop, but more of a chill place to hang out and study. Note that you cannot use dining dollars or meal swipes at this location. 

Next is Cosi, located on the first floor of Campbell. If you’re not familiar with this chain, it is similar to Panera. There are sandwiches, salads, soups and pizzas. Note that Cosi is notorious for extremely long waits during rush hour at dinner time, between 7 and 8 p.m. Then there’s Urban Kitchen, which I would deem the most favored dining location at Rose Hill. It is part of O’Hare Hall, and the entrance is right next to the parking garage ramp. If you’re craving some fast food, this is the place to go. Urban serves chicken tenders, burgers, wraps and fries, but they also serve custom smoothies, salads, rice bowls and, new this year, Jack’s Burritos. I am personally a huge fan of their smoothies and get one almost every day. 

Now let’s travel back to the McShane Center. On the first floor, just to the right of where the entrance to the new dining hall will be, is BKG Coffee Roasters, Sambazon and Grab N Go Retail. Here you can order coffee and açai bowls. There is also a convenience store with mainly allergy-friendly options, such as lots of dairy-free and gluten-free snacks and desserts that I recommend to anyone with allergies or intolerances. I definitely consider this a hidden gem on campus. 

Then, in the basement of McShane is Dagger John’s — one of my favorite dining locations at Rose Hill. This one might be tricky to find, but there are some signs to help you. There are three different areas to order from. First is BONMi, where you can order Vietnamese-inspired sandwiches or bowls. In the middle is Saiko Sushi, where you can order sushi rolls and poké bowls. To the right is Saiko Bubble Tea, where you can order exactly that. This location also has the Bronx Bagel Company that serves, you guessed it, bagels, in the seating room in the mornings. These lines are extremely long before noon, so make sure you get there early if you want to avoid a wait. 

The last dining location is Salt & Sesame, located on the first floor of Faculty Memorial Hall, also known as FMH. You can order bagels, breakfast sandwiches, coffees and teas. This is a great place to go before or after a class in FMH, but it does close much earlier than all the other dining locations. 

I must also mention the Starbucks on the first floor of Dealy Hall. But beware of the lengthy line inside and on the Grubhub app. I do believe that waiting over 20 minutes for your dinner with a friend is a great bonding experience, but if you would rather avoid waiting up to an hour for your dinner, utilize the Grubhub app. Keep in mind that your food may not be ready in time if you’re ordering during busy hours — between around 1 and 2 p.m., and 7 and 8 p.m. 

Now for allergies. Dining at Fordham with an allergy is a subject I am now a master of, as I developed an extremely restrictive soy allergy during my second semester. Due to this allergy, I was no longer able to eat most of the foods offered at any of the dining places at Fordham. Thankfully, I have still managed to find ways to eat on campus around that restriction. Skeptical that a certain meal has your allergen? You can find the ingredients of some meals that Fordham offers online. You can also find many of the menus online on Fordham’s Ram Hospitality page. Fordham’s dietitian Susana Debbe is also a great resource to use. You can contact her at [email protected] if you have any questions regarding ingredients, cross-contamination or even eating habits and overall safety. If you have an extremely restrictive soy or gluten allergy and are having immense difficulty finding food you can eat on campus, I would then recommend asking Susana Debbe about the meal pick-up program from the dining hall. I utilized this for three semesters and would highly recommend it.

I recommend discussing dining options with others to help you learn which meals you should try and which to avoid so you can find your favorite spots on campus. Good luck and bon appétit!