Campus Eats: Concordia University

The 2013 Maclean’s University Rankings includes an examination of the dining on Canadian campuses. We found healthier options than ever, but also a new problem—high prices.

Maclean’s On Campus is continuing the conversation by having students review food on their campuses and showing what it costs to dine. If you’re a student, you can help. Send us a review of the food at your school. Keep your receipts. If we publish it, we’ll reimburse you.

Buzz Bistro
Two stars out of five
Total Price: $13.28

The artichoke salad was the only thing I managed to finish from my recent dinner at the all-you-can-eat buffet at Concordia University’s Buzz Bistro in the SP building of the Loyola Campus. I chose the bistro as it was the only hot food option I could think of that had a wide selection of meals.

I bypassed the counter with the sad looking burritos and pale fries and headed for the stir fry station. I could pick any veggies, sauce, protein, and noodles or rice and the staff would cook it up. I asked for chicken and the cook lifted a plastic lid off small chunks of grey meat. Tofu might have been a safer protein, I thought. While waiting for my stir fry, I filled some small bowls at the vegetable station with coleslaw, artichoke salad, raw veggies, and clam chowder.

After tasting it all, I didn’t go back for more. The clam chowder was flavorless and thin, the coleslaw was just greasy, and most of the chicken from my stir fry included strips of fat and gristle. Despite asking for Spicy Thai sauce, the whole thing didn’t taste like much. There were a lot of desserts, but they were as bland as the meal. The chocolate-frosted brownie also tasted like nothing.

I give this two stars, only because I didn’t find any bugs in the salad and, even though the quality was lacking, at least there was a tonne to choose from. Overall the food was bland, greasy, and a waste of money. It makes me feel bad for students on meal plans who eat here every night.

Elysha del Giusto-Enos is a student in the graduate journalism program at Concordia University.