At the beginning of the semester meal plans may seem like the Holy Grail, offering the promise land of “free” Chick-fil-A and other popular fast food chains to UK students.

However, within the first month of school the lines at Bowman’s Den seem to grow as fast as the hair on a Chia Pet and the unhealthy food options only make the negative sentiment worse.

While Bowman’s Den is one of the most advertised locations to use Wildcat Deals, plenty of other restaurants across campus also allow students to use meal swipes. 

Freshii

Freshii is a healthy alternative to the usual greasy fast food saturated with fat offered at most Wildcat Deal locations. Situated in the Don and Cathy Jacobs Science building, students who eat at Freshii can order salads, wraps, burritos, bowls and soups. Freshii also uses Tapingo so students can order ahead of time and pick their food up later.

Rising Roll

Rising Roll is a great place to go for breakfast sandwiches, smoothies and oatmeal. The restaurant which is located near White Hall in the Engineering building is also open for lunch, providing students with their signature staples such as their “Cadillac Chicken Sandwich” and the “FireCracker Chicken Sandwich.” Along with Freshii, Rising Roll uses Tapingo which will save students time throughout their day.

Fusion

Erikson Hall which is home to the School of Human Environmental Sciences, also houses a hidden restaurant. Fusion is a variety restaurant providing students with anything from chicken alfredo pasta to a chicken quesadilla to sandwiches. Whatever students are craving, Fusion’s eclectic menu is sure to provide exactly what they need.

Intermezzo

A quaint café located in the tallest building on campus (Patterson Office Tower), Intermezzo offers students a high quality breakfast all for the price of a meal swipe. Their breakfast menu includes omelets, French toast, eggs, and biscuits and gravy. For lunch students can have made to order sandwiches along with a variety of other dishes including a grilled cheese, soup of the day and a grilled chicken cobb salad.

UK Dining

Finally, UK Dining introduced a new meal plan this year called “VIP.” As a part of the “VIP Program,” each month restaurants that normally only accept flex dollars, accept meal swipes. This month the new restaurants are Apothecary Café and La Madeleine. Apothecary Café is located in the College of Pharmacy building and offers sandwiches and soups whereas La Madeleine is a French restaurant located at The 90 that provides students desserts along with soups and salads. Next month the restaurants taking meal swipes will be Papa Johns and Einstein Bros. Bagels.

While Bowman’s Den is one of the most popular places to eat on campus, students may find the real treasure is in the lesser known locations to eat across campus.