Having been a vegetarian all of my life, one of my main worries when I came to WashU was whether I would have accessible food options at all times. Now that I have a year of experience under my belt, I can confidently say that there are definitely vegetarian and vegan options available at each restaurant and dining hall on campus. This guide is meant to support you to find food more easily and quickly in your first few weeks. This is not comprehensive, however, and I encourage you to look around! Campus is large and exploring the food scene will bring you to places you would never see otherwise. 

Bear’s Den

Bear’s Den, a.k.a. BD, is the dining hall on the South 40, where you will be living for your first year at WashU. BD can be hit or miss when it comes to solid vegetarian options and definitely for vegan options. I always go from station to station to mix and match, especially because the All You Care To Eat model allows you to get as much variety as you want for dinner. My personal favourites are the Build Your Own Stir-Fry station for tofu and noodles. The mashed potatoes from Savory are also awesome (but not vegan). The best way to prepare for BD is to get the Everyday app by Sodexo so you can see the menu before even entering. The menu changes every day.

Danforth University Center (DUC)

The DUC is built the same way as BD because they are both dining halls. I would go to each station in the DUC to see what they have. They consistently serve the same things at each station. For vegetarians, I recommend the pasta from Crushed Red (formerly known as Neapolitan), and for vegans, the falafel from Kalamata is alright, though it can be dry. There is a salad bar in Crushed Red that is popular. The DUC can be tough for plant-based eaters. 

Vegetarian: pizza or pasta from Crushed Red

Vegan: falafel from Kalamata or salad bar from Crushed Red

Qdoba (in the DUC)

Qdoba is a classic for me, despite the long lines during lunchtime. While they don’t have tofu or any other meat replacements, the veggies are usually quite good, and the variety of toppings always excites me. A bowl with free guacamole is perfect for vegans, and a veggie quesadilla with the chile crema is a must-try for vegetarians. The only snags are the quality control and the availability of veggies. There have been multiple instances where the beans are undercooked and/or there are no veggies available. Qdoba, in my experience, prioritizes cooking meats, leading to veggies being nonexistent after 4 p.m.. This sucks because they are one of the only dining options available on campus after 3 p.m. 

Vegetarian: veggie quesadilla 

Vegan: veggie bowl or burrito

Ibby’s (in the DUC)

Ibby’s is a tough one, unfortunately. Almost all of the entrees are meat-based except for the falafel, which is pretty dry, and the grilled cheese, which is too cheesy (I know, I know). I do like their tomato bisque for lunch and they have three vegetarian salads, one of which is also vegan. They have one great appetizer, which is bruschetta. The best option is to load up on appetizers, salads, and sides if you want to have a full meal. There also isn’t a vegan dessert, but for my vegetarian friends, get a baked all-nighter. The warm chocolate chip cookie and delicious local ice cream is heavenly. 

Vegetarian: bruschetta, baked all-nighter, sweet potato fries

Vegan: falafel wrap

Collins Farms (in Schnucks Pavillion)

Collins Farms has salads, paninis, pastries, acai bowls, and drinks. The drinks and acai bowls are the stars of the show for me. I love getting lemonade or dirty sodas, and the acai bowls are super refreshing in the fall heat. There are premade and create-your-own salads available. My gripe with Collins is that there are no tofu options and the bean options that do exist are not seasoned. I’m not a fan of eating chickpeas and black beans straight from the can, which seems to be what Collins offers. There are also only two vegetarian panini options and no vegan ones. One is a grilled cheese and the other is a caprese, containing only cheese, basil, tomatoes, and balsamic vinegar. The caprese is good but just isn’t filling. I would experiment with salad combinations to see what works for you. 

Vegetarian: caprese panini

Vegan: salads, bagels, acai bowls, smoothies, alternative milk drinks

Coffeestamp at Grounds for Change (in Hillman Hall)

Coffeestamp is my favorite lunch spot on campus. I love their cherry tomato quesadilla with their incredible salsa. This is a staple in my diet. They also have great empanadas, including the vegan three sisters empanada, with squash, beans, and corn. They have an amazing hibiscus iced tea (the best drink on campus) and alright horchata. Their pastries, such as the s’mores cookie, are also incredible. I would caution you against the other coffee-based drinks, however. Most people agree that they are pretty flavorless.

Vegetarian: cherry tomato quesadilla, caprese empanada, horchata, s’mores cookie

Vegan: three sisters empanada, hibiscus iced tea

Corner 17 (in Olin Library)

The home of boba! Corner 17 is an absolute staple in my diet due to their incredible fruit iced teas with lots of topping options. I love a passionfruit iced tea with lychee jelly. Their mango pomelo drink is a great vegan option made with coconut milk. They also have cafe drinks and the best matcha on campus (and it’s not even a competition). I love getting an everything bagel and strawberry matcha for breakfast here. For lunch, they have an egg or eggless fried rice, a veggie bun, veggie rice paper roll, veggie dumplings, and mapo tofu. The mapo tofu is by far the most popular among the student body. I love the veggie dumplings the most as they come with a great soy sauce and chilli oil dressing. I would skip the rice paper roll and the fried rice because I found them to be quite bland. 

Vegetarian: veggie fried rice, vegetable rice paper roll (has a dairy-based sauce)

Vegan: Bagels, cafe drinks (with milk substitutes), lots of boba options, eggless fried rice, vegetable bun, vegetable dumplings, mapo tofu

Stanley’s Sushi & Tea (in Lopata Hall)

Stanley’s has a plant-based sushi option, but I just do not enjoy it. It is quick and convenient because it’s grab and go, but it’s bland and boring. I do enjoy their boba, but Corner17 outshines it.

Vegetarian: boba tea (taro, lavender, etc.)

Vegan: vegetable roll

LaJoy’s Coffee Cafe (in Anheuser-Busch Hall)

LaJoy’s has some lemonades and pastries that are good in a pinch, but not a whole lot of plant-based options. They serve local Old Town Donuts, which are incredible and definitely worth a try for vegetarians. They supposedly have a large variety of smoothies, but they’re often unavailable. Their only plant-based lunch option is a veggie wrap, which I didn’t enjoy.

Vegetarian: Old Town Donuts, egg & cheese breakfast sandwich

Vegan: lemonades, salads, coffee (with milk substitutes), veggie wrap, smoothies

Beast Craft BBQ (in Schnucks Pavillion)

Beast Craft is pretty meat-based, as you can probably tell from the name, but they have a few options for vegetarians. They have fries with an incredible fry sauce, a pretty good mac and cheese, a mushroom burger, and plant-based chicken nuggets. This style of food doesn’t entice me very much because I find it to be quite heavy, especially before classes. But if this doesn’t bother you, they are definitely worth checking out.

Vegetarian: mushroom burger, mac and cheese, fry sauce

Vegan: fries, plant-based chicken nuggets

The Fattened Caf. (in McKelvey Hall)

This Filipino restaurant has some incredible calamansi mint lemonades with different syrups that are really refreshing, especially after the hike to get down there. They also have an ube banana pudding, which I found to be quite a good flavour combination. They have one plant-based lunch entree, which is a jackfruit adobo rice bowl. I find it a bit sour with the atchara, but still a hearty and delicious lunch option. 

Vegetarian: ube banana pudding, most items from Liz’s Bakery

Vegan: jackfruit adobo bowl, calamansi mint drinks

Subway (in Mallinkrodt Center)

Subway is a crucial part of my diet because of their veggie patty. This whopper adds 20 grams of protein to a 6-inch sub, and protein can be hard to come by when you are plant-based. I also love how customizable everything is and their cookies. 

Vegetarian: cookies

Vegan: veggie patty

Cafe Bergson (in DUC)

Berg is a cafe serving pastries, Kaldi’s coffee, and smoothies. I like their smoothies a lot, though they have a slight powdery taste. I do enjoy a donut or danish from Berg as well. It’s convenient, in the DUC, and a bit boring. 

Vegetarian: some smoothies, pastries

Vegan: some smoothies, cafe drinks (with milk substitutes)

Being plant-based on campus can seem daunting at first, especially in a world that doesn’t seem to enjoy accommodating us. However, no matter where you are on campus, there will be something nearby to enjoy. Transitioning to college can be a time of nervousness, but I hope this guide will give you one less thing to worry about.. The food we eat fuels our bodies and minds to achieve all that we want to do, and it deserves to be prioritized. To my plant-based friends, stay full and happy!