Look, sometimes it’s a Friday night at like 7:30 p.m. and you don’t have time to go to the campus dining hall and engorge yourself with a six-course meal complete with two desserts like you normally would. Or sometimes you just need something that doesn’t come from a buffet. Luckily, you have options, young friend.
Here’s a look at each of the City Six colleges, complete with information of where you can spend that ca$h money on some, um, normal food:
Drexel
Drexel student? Get a full list of where you can use your Drexel Dollars here, because it’s pretty extensive. Here are some of the best locations:
- Axis Pizza, on S. 36th St.
- Baby Blues BBQ, at 34th and Sansom
- California Pizza, at 3231 Powelton Avenue
- Chik-Fil-A on the Northside Dining Terrace at 3351 Race Street
- Distrito, at 39th and Chestnut
- Fresh Grocer, near 40th and Walnut
- Hip City Veg, on S. 40th St.
- Jimmy John’s, at 3233 Powelton Avenue
- Sabrina’s Cafe, at Powelton
- Sang Kee Noddle House, at 35th and Chestnut
- Shake Shack, at 32nd and Chestnut
- Vegetate, at 32nd and Chestnut
- White Dog Cafe, at 34th and Sansom
- Zavino, at 32nd and Chestnut
La Salle
Here’s a full list of where you can use your La Salle dining money:
- B&G POD, a one-stop snack shop located on campus
- Bene Pizza, at 1900 W. Olney Ave.
- Benilde P.O.D., 1 Penn Blvd.
- Blue & Gold, 2001 W. Olney Ave.
- Explorer’s Den, 2160 W. Olney Ave.
- Greens to Go, 1900 W. Olney Ave.
- Grille Works, West Olney Avenue
- Starbucks, 1900 W. Olney Ave.
- Subway, campus
- Treetops Cafe, 1900 W. Olney Ave.
- Union Market on campus
- Zoca on campus
Penn
PennCash, meal plans and Dining Dollar$ are separate accounts that are all linked to your PennCard. Find more information here. Here are some of the locations that accept Penncash, which are notably on campus:
- Accenture Cyber Café in the Towne Building
- Class of 1920 Commons Food Court
- Houston Market
- Falk Dining Commons, located at the Hillel at Steinhardt Hall
- Joe’s Cafe, located at the Steinberg-Dietrich Hall
- Mark’s Café, located at the Van Pelt-Dietrich Library
- Tortas Fronteras at the ARCH
- Heathland near Huntsman Hall
- Café Prima in Harrison College House
- Hill House Café
- Le Petit Creperie in Houston Hall
- Oasis, located in Kings Court English College House
- Riepe College House Store
- Rodin High Rise ‘N Shine Café
- The Energy Zone, in the Pottruck Center
- Brysi, at the Weiss Pavilion
- The Snack Bar at the Palestra
(The Daily Penn has more on why privately-owned establishments don’t partner with Penncash in the same way they do with Drexel.)
St. Joes
At St. Joe’s, it’s important to know the difference between your different dining plans. Both your meal plan and Hawk Cash can be accessed via your Hawk Card, but meal plans are used specifically on campus and Hawk Cash works more like a debit card. Here’s a full list of where you can use Hawk Cash off-campus, and a selection of some of the best locations:
- Elevation Burger, located on East Wynnewood Rd.
- Jimmy John’s, on E. City Ave.
- Larry’s Steaks, on N. 54th St.
- Overbrook Pizza, on N. 63rd St.
- Panera Bread, E. Lancaster Ave.
- Taco Bell/ Pizza Hut combo place, (I mean, it’s open 24 hours a day) on City Ave.
- Fuel, on West Lancaster Ave.
- Corner Bakery Cafe 153 E. City Ave.
- Bistro Thirty, on East Lancaster Ave
- City Line Pizza, at N. 47th St.
Temple
Temple has one of the most extensive lists of where you can use your Diamond Dollars. You can find a full list here, but these are some of the best locations:
- The Fresh Grocer on Broad Street just north of the intersection with Fairmount
- Potbelly’s Sandwich Shop on campus
- Valaida S. Walker Dining Court at SAC, which includes cheesesteaks, Einstein bagels and Auntie Annes
- Morgan Hall Food Court (say hello to Tony Luke’s on campus)
- Qdoba, the location just west of Broad
- Cosi, near McGonigle Hall
- Tai’s Vietnamese, which is one of the best options at the outdoor food locations near 12th Street
- Jimmy Johns, the location just west of Broad
- Dunkin Donuts, near Broad and the bookstore
- McDonald’s (I mean, look sometimes it’s late…)
- City View Pizza, located west of Broad
- Ray’s Lunch Box, next to Master’s Bar and Grill
Villanova
There’s a full, comprehensive list of where your Nova Bucks can be used here. Here are some of the best spots:
- Bruegger’s Bagels, at 396 West Lancaster Avenue
- Anthony’s Coal Fire Pizza, at 309 E. Lancaster Ave.
- The Bagel Factory, at 968 County Line Road
- Country Squire Diner, at 2560 West Chester Pike
- Ekta Indian Cuisine, at 1003 Lancaster Avenue
- Five Guys Burgers and Fries, at 311 East Lancaster Avenue
- Jimmy John’s, at 226 North Radnor Chester Road
- Nova Grill, at 815 East Lancaster Avenue
- Pietro’s Pizzeria, at 236 North Radnor Chester Road
- Pinkberry, at 763 West Lancaster Avenue
- Samurai Japanese Restaurant, at 1201 West Lancaster Avenue
- Smashburger, at 550 East Lancaster Avenue
- Zoe’s Kitchen, at 761 West Lancaster Avenue
