Best places for VU students to eat on a shoestring budget
One of the greatest aspects about living off-campus in Uptown East is the freedom. It’s something every student aspires for in their four years of college; as a senior experiencing off-campus housing at Valparaiso University, I’ll be eating all of my meals off-campus. In today’s blog, you’ll learn the best places to go for Valparaiso University students on a shoestring budget.
Confessions of a VU Senior
One of the best things about being a senior at Uptown East is that I get to eat every meal out.
You’re finally off a meal plan, and you’re free to eat however and whenever you’d like. The Uptown East apartments are conveniently located right in between Downtown Valparaiso and Valpo’s largest shopping center.
With this, you have access to all of the food you can imagine. Often times you’ll find yourself cooking or preparing food from within your apartment unit at Uptown East, but sometimes you’ll want to go out and grab a bite.
“I’m a broke college kid”
In this series of Confessions of a VU Senior , I’m going to cover just where residents at off-campus Uptown East should go when they are on various budgets. In my first blog of the series, I will be discussing where students should go when they are short on money at the moment, or simply don’t want to spend so heavily.
We’ve all heard people say, “Sorry I can’t, I’m a broke college kid”. This blog will give you ideas just where to go when you’re in this unfortunate predicament.
There’s food for everyone
When you go out to eat, you usually have a few things on your mind: do I just want something that tastes good, do I want something that’s healthier or won’t kill me, or do I want a little mixture of both? In my suggestions, I’ll try my best to cover a broad range of these categories so that when you’re a senior at Uptown East, you’ll know just where to go when you’re on a shoestring budget.
Jimmy John’s
Located right next door to all of the freshman dorms, just about every person at Valparaiso University has made a visit here at least once, maybe dozens of times.
Jimmy John’s is a quick sandwich joint where you can literally go in and walk out 45 seconds later because the employees make your sandwich and basically finish it while they listen to your order. If you’re in the area and want something quick, this is always an option for you.
Domino’s Pizza
Also behind the freshman dorms, Domino’s is a go-to for many students who want pizza, and cheap. Domino’s frequently has deals on their menus in which you can get your pizza, or pizzas, at a special price.
They offer delivery, but if you’re really trying to save a penny, go ahead and just walk over there and pick up your pizza directly. From Uptown East, your walk will take no longer than 5 minutes.
McDonald’s
Located amongst the shopping center nearby, McDonald’s almost never disappoints. It’s cheap, my friends and I find it delicious, and it’s open almost all waking hours of the day.
It’s a perfect place to go for someone at Uptown East when they want to have that “special fast food occasion”. I almost forgot to mention, McDonald’s has a killer phone app that sports amazing deals. When used, expect free food or drinks to come along with whatever you order.
Quiznos
Just across a tiny road from McDonald’s, Quiznos will make you a very tasty sandwich. It’s perfect for someone at Uptown East when they’re in the area and want something that won’t make them feel so guilty.
They toast their sandwiches, so they all come out hot and crisp. They also allow topping customization. Get the sandwich just how you like it.
Taco Bell
Taco Bell is right behind the engineering building at Valparaiso University right off of Highway 30. It should do the trick when you want to take care of your Mexican food craving, and it won’t hurt your wallet.
It’s a great place to go when you live off-campus but are doing some on-campus studying.
Popeyes
Popeyes recently opened for business just a couple minutes walk away from Taco Bell. They are best known for their fried chicken, and I will say they have incredible biscuits.
Valpo isn’t the South, but if you’d like to take a quick visit there, but live in Uptown East, this will be a good way to take you down and back in no time at all. It’s probably the one place on the list I’d encourage you get a ride to instead of walk.
Subway
Subway is located behind the freshman dorms as well. They are known to be the place where you get to customize your sandwich from start to finish. Because of this, you can seriously stuff your sandwich up with condiments and fill your stomach in a very cost-effective manner.
It’s about a 5 minute walk from Uptown East. Consider it to be part of your neighborhood.
Papa John’s
Papa John’s is a place to order for delivery directly from your room at Uptown East. It’s probably my favorite of the fast food pizza joints, and in the box of pizza are always a couple pepperoncini peppers that are marinated perfectly.
I recommend ordering from them after the Chicago White Sox win a game of baseball. Using the promo code “SOXWIN” enables you to get 50% off of your online orders.
Dairy Queen
My all time hangout as a kid, Dairy Queen is right off the roundabout near Valparaiso University’s Urschel Hall. The best thing to order from Dairy Queen is the “$5 Buck Lunch”. It’s available to order from 11 AM to 4 PM. It includes an entrée, a side of fries, a sundae, and a drink, just for $5.
Dairy Queen is a great Uptown East refresher while you’re going about your day.
King Gyros
Located behind the freshman dorms, King Gyros creates a powerful aroma that will make anyone hungry walking by. As generic as it sounds, I recommend getting the lamb gyro. It tastes very authentic, and it’s guaranteed to fill you up with it being the only thing you order.
Culver’s
An Uptown East “must-visit”. You probably won’t be surprised to hear that Culver’s competes with, and is located directly across the street from Dairy Queen. Culver’s offers burgers, chicken strip baskets, and the like, and they are very well known for their delicious frozen custard.
They offer various meal sizes. When on a budget, I highly recommend you order from the “Snackpak” section of the menu.
Say no more
Being a resident at the off-campus Uptown East, you’re surrounded by a wide variety of food that can make its way into your diet even when you’re on a tight budget.
Being a “broke college kid” won’t end all of your fun. You can certainly still eat out on occasion using this guide.
Off-campus living will always be the best choice when you’re at the Uptown East Apartments. I hope you enjoyed this blog on where to indulge when you’re on a shoestring budget.
Matt Jano Janesheski
