As we are in the heart of Manhattan, Fordham Lincoln Center students have the luxury of trying various dishes from different cultures, all within a half-mile radius of the campus. However, since the Lincoln Center campus neighbors the Metropolitan Opera House, some restaurant menus read off staggering prices.

Due to the high prices of basic foods at a few restaurants, some students refuse to go out and grab a bite to eat even sporadically. Jenna Pulvermiller, Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC) ’18, realized later on as a student that there are more restaurants around the area that can be affordable for students. “I think the small restaurants, like Burrito Box, are cheaper than restaurants that are part of a chain, like Rosa Mexicana. It is possible to find affordable food around this area, it just requires a bit more work.” Burrito Box, along with Alan’s Deli and Market, The Flame, Holey Cream, Mee Noodle and Kumo are all great restaurants with a remarkable atmosphere and fairly reasonable prices.

Alexandra Rebosura, FCLC ’18, agreed that there are great restaurants around campus that have changed her thoughts on food and grown her appreciation of cultural dishes. “The FCLC campus is in a prime location for trying a variety of new foods. Our campus is so close to Hell’s Kitchen on Ninth Avenue and has just about everything one can possibly think of. My favorite restaurant changes every week because of how many options there are,” she said.

Some of the healthy selections one can make around the Lincoln Center campus range from a salad bar with a plethora of toppings at Alan’s Market, to three scoops of ice cream shoveled in between a frosted doughnut with toppings at Holey Cream.

College students might also find it challenging to choose the overall healthy option when they are given such a wide variety of choices when dining off campus. However, because of the limited dining options on campus, students who go outside of Fordham to eat have to be conscious of the healthy, inexpensive options.

Nadia Semmar, FCLC ’18, agreed that finding healthy, inexpensive food off campus can be quite challenging for some students. Therefore, most students just stick with the dining hall and pick from unhealthy options. “I think that the dining hall does not have a lot of options, especially when it comes to healthy eating. It’s hard for a lot of people I know who are vegetarians or vegans. Eating off campus gives you so many more options, but is hard sometimes because it is not always cheap,” Semmar said.

Eating off campus all of the time is not the best option, as students will end up spending a lot of money and eating an abundance of food. Students should instead consider buying groceries from inexpensive grocery stores, such as Trader Joe’s, and making their own meals either in the kitchens of McMahon, in the kitchen of McKeon, or the microwaves in the Ram Cafe.