St. Olaf CollegeOff-Campus Dining Summary

Written by Nathan Hopkins

Nathan Hopkins

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For a rural Minnesota town, Northfield offers prodigious dining in terms of both variety and quality. Just walk down Division Street, and you're sure to find a good meal at a nice locally-owned restaurant. Whether you're looking for something simple, something exotic, or something more gourmet, you'll be able to find it in or near Northfield. Sure, the Caf has great food, but sometimes you walk in and nothing sounds appealing, so it is nice to have so many inexpensive places to grab a bite that are just a quick walk away. Also, if all the local restaurants aren't appealing to you for some reason, you can always make the drive into Minneapolis or St. Paul for the boundless gastronomic possibilities of the big city.

One of the most talked about culinary features of Northfield is the great Greek pizza feud. Every person you talk to about this ancient rivalry has a different story to tell, so it is difficult to come up with the real story. One can only say with certainty that there are some familial relations between the owners of Basil's, B&L's, and George's Vineyard, and some sort of falling out resulted in these three rival restaurants. Everyone seems to have a favorite out of the three, so try them all and pick your preference.