A city is defined by its street food, and between the wide variety of global fare and traditional favorites Philly has to offer, we’re not doing too bad in the food department. One of the best parts of attending college in a city is the delicious food choices available right at your fingertips. This year, Travel + Leisure named Philadelphia in their 2015 America’s Next Great Food City list, saying it has “blossomed into one of the U.S.’s most exciting restaurant cities.” It’s no joke that food in the city just tastes better — the diverse mix of cultures, world-renowned celebrity chefs and wealth of resources is probably what does it. Not to mention the fact that many Philadelphians are obsessed with trying new, unique foods and finding the tastiest cuisine in the city. Attending a university located in the heart of Philly really gives students the advantage of trying some of the best new foods by famous chefs, because they’re right inside Philly’s major food scene everyday.
A big part of this scene is food trucks — many restaurants and celebrity chefs offer food trucks in various locations around the city, making it easier for people to try a quick bite of their established menu items. A handful of universities located in the heart of Philly — Drexel University, Temple University and University of Pennsylvania — have tons of unique food trucks splattered all around their campuses, making it easy for students to try new and diverse foods, or get a quick bite of their old favorites, between classes. And if you’re in the city or the area for the day, this a great way to get samples of some of the best food Philly has to offer on a student budget.
UPenn and Drexel University have campuses essentially right next to each other, and together, they have more than 60 food trucks! The selections are never-ending — students have options of Chinese, Korean, Jamaican, Japanese, Middle Eastern, Mexican, Greek, American, vegan and more. Many of the food trucks also specialize in one certain type of food, such as sandwiches, hot dogs, fruit, pizza, burgers, cheesesteaks, crepes, desserts, coffee, cupcakes and many more. The campuses also often see specialty food trucks or restaurant-owned food trucks that will only be there on certain days of the week. Specialty dessert trucks include the Buttercream Cupcake Lady, Little Baby’s Ice Cream, Sugar Philly Truck and Sweet Box Cupcakes. Other well-known trucks include Spot Gourmet Burgers serving tasty burgers, cheesesteaks and other fried options, Koja Food Truck as part of the popular Koja Asian and Korean restaurant, and Say Cheese Philly serving cheesy specialties and a variety of gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches.
Just up Broad Street in North Philadelphia, Temple University also offers a wide selection of food trucks on its urban campus. With a huge variety of fare, specialty trucks that occasionally stop by and popular food trucks recognized from all over the city, Temple is one of the best places to go if you’re craving some yummy street food. Along with all the selections listed above for Drexel and UPenn campuses, Temple also has widely-recognized trucks The Creperie, Sexy Green Truck, Dapper Dog, The Burger Tank, Richie’s Lunch Box and more. The Creperie has been a staple of Templetown for many years, offering delicious sweet and savory crepes with options ranging from dessert crepes with Nutella, banana and chocolate, to buffalo chicken crepes and pizza crepes. Sexy Green Truck, with its unique name, bright green appearance and as many healthy as unhealthy options, has also been a city favorite for years. It boasts a healthy vegan menu, with salads, pita, hummus and meat-free sandwiches, as well as a not-so-healthy menu, with a variety of grilled paninis and waffle fries. Dapper Dog frequents Temple’s campus with its creative loaded hot dogs — they might make you feel full for the rest of the day, but will still be the most delicious thing you’ve ever tasted. The Burger Tank offers a wide variety of burgers, tater tots and other greasy cuisine perfect for a college kid’s diet. Richie’s, another Temple staple, is probably the food truck of choice for more than half the student body at Temple. Serving typical American food, the friendly and well-liked owner, Richie, makes his business stand out from the others with his fast service and unbeatable breakfast and lunch sandwiches.
No matter where you are in the city, there’s bound to be a food truck with some kind of tasty cuisine on nearly every street corner. The food trucks on these city campuses are so diverse and unique in what they offer, but they all have one thing in common: they’re absolutely delicious.
