Where to grab a bite around campus when time isn’t on your side.

As a full-time student, I understand that it isn’t always easy to juggle both your academics and your meals. Being caught up in the whirlwind that post-secondary schooling causes, you don’t always have time to carefully plan and prepare homemade food — which is why it is important to know how to get by when you don’t have time to pack a lunch. Here’s a list of places I like to check out when I don’t have the luxury of time.

Anyone who knows me knows I love sushi. Honestly, that might be an understatement —I adore sushi. If I could eat it constantly I would. Sushi is a nice, exquisite meal choice to take with you on the go because it isn’t super time-consuming to eat, and it is not messy at all, especially when you are in a time crunch. I like to check out the sushi from Superstore, as they offer pre-made family packs that are priced decently. Some family packs have up to 3-6 servings, which can last for multiple meals. 

Although I definitely would never get sick of sushi, pizza is also way too delicious to pass by. I don’t often make homemade pizza since there isn’t enough time these days to make a proper one. However, when I do have the occasional pizza, it is often when I am on campus and have neglected to figure out what I should have brought with me the night before. Right across campus, Wow Pizza offers all kinds of pizzas with many toppings to choose from. They also have other kinds of food you can check out if you’re not feeling a pizza. My go-to is the small ‘Veggie Delight’ pizza for about $10, which is one of the many discounts they have to offer.

On the same street, we have Dairy Queen. This is another place I like to check out from time to time, because come on, who doesn’t love a nice little treat from DQ? This establishment also has a lot to offer, despite their ice cream-based focus. Recently, I tasted their poutine and was pleasantly surprised about how much I liked it. However, the reason I specifically go to the DQ across campus is for their drinks. I love their ‘MooLatte’ drink, which is a caffeinated milkshake. I order it without the whipped cream to keep it lighter, but it sure does the trick with rejuvenating my brain power when I need to keep working on my tasks. DQ offers a happy hour period for all their drinks, where the prices are slashed in half. Be sure to download the app as well so you can build those points and use them for discount purposes or free items!

If you turn right around that corner on that exact street, you’ll eventually come across a Subway establishment. Let me tell you how wonderful Subway can be for a student who is trying to manage everything at once. I go there sometimes to order a footlong tuna sandwich, with pretty much every vegetable available. I can’t eat an entire footlong all at once, so I always eat half of it for one meal and save the other half for my next meal. That way I am covering for two meals that I need to have during the day with one purchase. This specific Subway is also a nice place to sit down and get some work done while you have a scrumptious sub. While they offer a bunch of other options, I stick to getting a sub because it is easier for me to eat faster and get back to what I was doing.

Next to Subway, we have a little restaurant called Filosophi, if you’re feeling fancy. This restaurant is known for its authentic cuisine and a wide variety of options for customers to choose from. I really enjoy coming here because it is a much more formal place near campus where I can suggest meeting with people. The convenience of it being nearby has allowed me to go in whenever I can and have a productive study session as well while enjoying some of their delicious food. I like to order the ‘Prawn Pomodoro’, which consists of a flavourful pasta dish with shrimp and a garlic piece of bread. The food and overall environment make it a great place to relax and stay productive. 

I’m not promoting or encouraging eating out constantly, as that is not a healthy way of living on a long-term basis. It is important to try to plan how to manage what meals will be prepped for the week. However, if there are times when you just can’t seem to figure that out, it is okay to check out these options to save time you already barely have. 

There is no need to put too much pressure on yourself for having to eat out instead. Finding a balance between meal planning and the occasional convenience of eating out is key — after all, nourishment should be about sustaining both your body and your peace of mind.