During the summer, Pacific Dining food services were integrated into onto the De Anza College campus, replacing the self-sufficient food stations the school had operated for more than a decade.

Despite the changes, the new food stations offer a wide variety of menu options for students and staff on campus. With the exception of the iconic curly fries that once had a vice grip on my heart, they will be dearly missed.

I had the chance to visit several restaurants in the food court and try some of the items on their menus. 

The Grill

To start off, I ordered the De Anza classic burger from The Grill. 

This featured burger is the cheapest option of the seven varieties available, priced at $7.50. A friend from my philosophy class had recommended it, praising the flavor and price.

The environment was especially hectic ordering during the lunch rush around 12:30 p.m., but the chefs were diligent and turned out food at a quick rate. They cooked on grill grates, which gave the patties those char lines you see commonly in advertisements, such as Burger King and their Whoppers.

My burger came out within minutes of ordering. I paid and took a seat in the Hinson Campus Center cafeteria to indulge.

The burger features a charred beef patty, topped with American cheese, toasted buns, sliced tomato, large crisp lettuce, and a condiment spread of mustard and mayonnaise.

From my first bite, the freshness of the ingredients was evident. The lettuce and tomato were crisp to a tee, perfectly complementing the juicy patty that had faint hints of a smoky flavor. 

If I ordered this again, I would have added ketchup. But for the price, I would highly recommend trying this burger.

Rating 4/5

Heated Display Case

I then made my way to the center of the food court, where you will find a heated display case featuring items from 8 Dragons.

The display case is  self-service allowing customers to pick up their food and go quickly. 

I chose the prepackaged orange chicken bowl, which costs $10.99. Other items featured on the heated display included chicken teriyaki with white rice and fried dumplings.

The meal is a simple serving  of orange chicken over white rice, served hot. The portion is generous for the price. 

The chicken itself is extremely crispy, each bite offers a satisfying crunch, and is complemented by the tangy and citrus based orange sauce. Compared with Panda Express’ orange chicken, it is more vibrant in flavor and crisper.

I recommend this meal if you are overwhelmed in the cafeteria, where the lack of interaction and cooking time speeds up the process and overall makes it a more pleasant experience.   

With the inclusion of accessibility and flavor of this item, I would grade it a 4.25 out of 5.

Rating: 4/5

Casa Sabor

Lastly, I ordered the Bean & cheese burrito from the Casa Sabor, located just outside the food court facing the cafeteria. 

The burrito consists of refried beans and a shredded Mexican-blend cheese, wrapped in a large flour tortilla. 

It costs $7.10, making it the second cheapest item on the menu, behind the original nachos at $6.15.

My food was served quickly, with complementary chips and salsa. The burrito was compact and dense. 

The flavor was underwhelming. The ratio of beans to cheese was too high for my liking. Beans oozed out of the tortilla with every bite, creating an inconvenient mess before my next class.

I believe the burrito is overpriced, I’ve bought similar burritos for half the price.

I would not recommend it unless you are absolutely craving a burrito and are not willing to make the drive to a taco truck.

Rating 2.9/5 

“Pacific Dining brings with them extensive experience serving colleges, and a strong track record of providing diverse, fresh and affordable options for students and employees,” De Anza College President Omar Torres said.

I believe these statements have been upheld, but as the contract with Pacific Dining is set to last only one year,  raising questions about the future of the cafeteria.

Until those final decisions about food on campus are made, hungry recipients of De Anza students and employees are in good hands.

Overall rating: 4/5