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Valparaiso University
- Off-Campus Dining

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Valparaiso University - Off-Campus Dining - Off-Campus Dining - College ProwlerCollege Prowler2.69

Off-Campus Dining

C+
Where does this grade come from?View all Off-Campus Dining rankingsReview this school to add your opinion

Comparable Schools' Off-Campus Dining Grades:

Quick Stats

Student Favorites
  • BuffaLouie's
  • Gelsosomo's
  • Jade Garden
  • Maria Elena's
24-Hour Dining
  • Arby's
  • Johnnies Round the Clock
  • Steak 'n Shake
Best Asian
  • Dynasty Buffet
  • Jade Garden
Best Breakfast
  • Bob Evans Restaurant
  • Broadway Café
  • Jimmy's Café
  • Viking Chili Bowl
Best Coffee
  • Designer Desserts
  • Evelyns Bay Coffee Company
  • Starbucks
Best Dessert Designer Desserts
Best Healthy
  • Noodles and Company 510
  • Subway
Best Late-Night
  • El Amigo
  • Jimmy John's
  • Steak 'n Shake
Best Mexican
  • El Amigo
  • El Charro
  • El Salto
Best Pizza
  • Domino's (best for your wallet)
  • Gelsosomo's (best taste)
  • Greeks Pizzeria
  • Hungry Howie's
Best Wings
  • Buffalo Wild Wings
  • BuffaLouie's
  • Wings, Etc.
Best Place to Take a Date Maria Elena's
Best Place to Take Your Parents
  • Kelsey's Steakhouse
  • Pikk's Tavern
Other Places to Check Out
  • Buffalo Wild Wings
  • Denny's
  • Dynasty Buffet
  • Greek's Pizzeria
  • Jimmy John's
  • King Gyros
  • Panera Bread
  • Quiznos
  • Starbucks
  • Taco Bell
  • Tony's Place
  • Wings, etc.

Student Author OverviewWhat's This?

What the town of Valparaiso lacks in exciting activities, it makes up for in dining. Valparaiso has an incredible blend of fast food, casual eats, and fancy dining options. Every fast food venue you can think of is available, including a Quizno’s and Panera Bread, along with old favorites like Steak ‘n Shake. Casual dining options like Applebee's and Chili's are available close to campus. Everything from Italian to Chinese to Spanish is waiting for your taste buds. Maria Elena's is a huge favorite of everyone on campus. They have American, Mexican, and Italian cuisine with prices comparable to Chili’s. El Amigo, while not fancy in the least, is a late-night favorite. You'll need a car to get there, but from what everyone says, the burritos are worth more than the five-minute drive. There are many unique small restaurants in the city, too.

Dining hall options can quickly exhaust themselves despite the Dining Services' staff doing what they can to vary the menu and come up with new and exciting meals. It’s easy to take an evening and head out with friends to one of the great restaurants in Valparaiso. The best thing is that once you’ve tried one place, you know you could always go back again, but with all the other options, why not try something new?

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Valparaiso Student ReviewsWhat's This?

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Off-Campus Dining at Valparaiso University

kbrisson25

Nursing '13

3.5
B

Convenient Dining Options on and Off Campus

There are different options such as a noodle restaurant. There are vegetarian food options. There are many dining shops and market places.

Sep 06, 2011

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Off-Campus Dining at Valparaiso University

bfeigenb

Music Teacher Education '14

3.5
B

Dining Off-Campus at Valpo

While there are several restaurants surrounding Valpo's campus, it is difficult to get to them unless you have a car. Certainly in the warmer months, you could walk to places, but during the winter it is recommended that you ride the city bus, which conveniently stops on campus. However, if you ride the bus, it takes quite a while to reach your destination, so if you're hungry or in a hurry, I wouldn't recommend it. Some of the restaurants around include but are not limited to: Panera, Chili's, Industrial Revolution, Red Robin, Noodles & Co., Chipotle, Starbucks, Culvers, McDonalds, TGI Fridays, Jimmy Johns, Papa Johns, and more. The prices at all of these places are affordable, and the campus offers a complimentary discount card that includes a lot of places off campus.

Aug 06, 2011

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Off-Campus Dining at Valparaiso University

edinger2

Education '11

3.1
B-

Close but Not Great

I think the food off campus is close but the variety is lacking.

Apr 09, 2011

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Page 1 of 8
User rating for Valparaiso University - Off-Campus Dining is 3.5 out of 5 based on 22 user reviews.

Student Survey Poll ResultsWhat's This?

Rate the off-campus restaurants on the following topics

How would you rate the diversity of off-campus dining options?

Facts

Did You Know?
  • Valparaiso is home to the Popcorn Festival in honor of Orville Redenbacher, a Valpo native.
  • Want to eat healthy? A Natural Ovens Bakery (3400 Mariposa; www.naturalovens.com) is located in Valparaiso, and their products are available at area grocery stores. In addition, Au Naturel (1708 Lincolnway) is an organic and health food market, and it's now within walking distance of campus.

Grocery StoresWhat's This?

Town and Country Market
1605 Calumet Ave.
(219) 464-8606

Wal-Mart SuperCenter
2400 E Morthland Dr.
(219) 465-2799

WiseWay
2800 Calumet Ave.
(219) 464-3571

Restaurant ListingsWhat's This?

Applebee's
Food: American
670 Morthland Dr.
(219) 477-3868
www.applebees.com
Price: $8–$15

Arby's
Food: Fast food
2101 Calumet Ave.
(219) 464-4147
www.arbys.com
Price: $2–$8

Billy Jack's Café & Grill
Food: Californian, Southwestern, Italian, Mediterranean
2904 Calumet Ave.
(219) 477-3797
Price: $10–$20
Cool Features: For $24.95, you can pick up dinner for 4 to go.

Bistro 157
Food: Gourmet
157 Lincolnway
(219) 462-0992
Price: $15–$50
Cool Features: Very upscale, and very expensive.

Bob Evans
Food: Diner
2201 E. Morthland Dr.
(219) 464-9201
www.bobevans.com
Price: $5–$10
Cool Features: New menu items all the time.

Broadway Café & Ice Cream Parlor
Food: American, Greek, Italian
1805 Morthland Ave. (U.S. 30)
(219) 464-0112
Price: $5–$10
Cool Features: Great ice cream!

BuffaLouie's
Food: Wings, salads, sandwiches
3300 Calumet Ave.
(219) 462-1717
www.buffalouies.com
Price: $20–$50
Cool Features: Restaurant decorated with Valpo athletic gear.

Café Paradiso
Food: Northern Italian
21 Linconway
(219) 476-0099
Price: $10–$15
Cool Features: Chef/owner from Rome—all meals are authentic Italian.

Chili's Grill & Bar
Food: American
250 Silhavy Rd.
(219) 465-7344
www.chilis.com
Price: $8–$15

China House
Food: Chinese
120 E. Lincolnway
(219) 462-5788
Cool Features: Part of old downtown Valparaiso, China House is quite authentic.

Designer Desserts
Food: Baked goods
56 E. Lincolnway
(219) 465-0008
designerdessertsbakery.com

Dish Restaurant
Food: American
3907 N. Calumet Ave.
(219) 465-9221
Price: $10–$25
Cool Features: Urban dining in a small-town setting.

Domino's Pizza
Food: Pizza
1707 La Porte Ave.
(219) 465-5500
www.dominos.com
Price: $3–$8

Don Quijote
Food: Spanish
119 E. Lincoln Way
(219) 462-7976
www.donquijoterestaurant-in.com
Price: $8–$25
Cool Features: Only authentic Spanish in Indiana.

El Amigo Mexican Restaurant
Food: Mexican
3032 N. Calumet Ave.
(219) 531-5606
Price: $3–$7
Cool Features: Late-night favorite for Valpo students.

El Charro
Food: Mexican
807 E. Lincoln Way
(219) 548-3703

El Salto
Food: Mexican
3304 Calument Ave.
(219) 462-0100
Price: $10–$15
Cool Features: Giant margaritas!

The Evelyn Bay Coffee Company
Food: Coffee
3800 Calumet Ave.
(219) 510-5802
asipabove.com

Gelsosomo's Pizza
Food: Pizza and Italian
2605 La Porte Ave.
(219) 477-4255
Price: $10–$25
Cool Features: Great place to enjoy pizza as a sit-down dinner.

Hungry Howie's Pizza
Food: Pizza
15 Roosevelt Rd.
(219) 476-0800
hungryhowies.com

Jade Garden
Food: Chinese
3022 N. Calumet Ave.
(219) 464-9860
Price: $10–$15
Cool Features: Jade Garden delivers to VU dorms.

Jimmy's Café
55 Michigan Ave.
(219) 462-9167

Johnnies Round the Clock Restaurant
217 E. Lincoln Way
(219) 462-6339
www.roundtheclock.com
Price: $8–$15
Cool Features: Dinner and lunch specials.

Kelsey's Steak House
Food: Steak, seafood
1905 Morthland Ave. (U.S. 30)
(219) 465-4022
Price: $10–$25
Cool Features: There's a giant steer out front.

Maria Elena's
Food: American, Italian, Mexican
454 S. Greenwich
(219) 477-2490
Price: $10–$15
Cool Features: A romantic place for a date if you lack transportation—very close to campus!

Martini's
Food: Steak, seafood
1004 Calumet Ave.
(219) 464-0801
Price: $10–$25
Cool Features: VU Jazz Lab provides live music regularly.

Mia Cucina
Food: Italian, sports bar
210 Aberdeen Dr.
(219) 548-3300
Price: $8–$15
Cool Features: Good drink specials (Tuesdays 10-beer buckets for $10).

Noodles and Company 510
Food: Asian, Mediterranean
71 Silhavy Rd,
(219) 548-0921

Pastimes
Food: American
175 Lincolnway
(219) 462-3786
Price: $5–$10
Cool Features: Full bar.

Pesto's Italian Restaurant & Pizzeria
Food: Italian, pizza
3123 Calumet Ave.
(219) 462-0993
Price: $10–$20
Cool Features: Looks like a real Italian bistro, complete with balcony.

Pikk's Tavern
Food: Steak, sandwiches
62 E. Lincoln Way
(219) 476-7455
pikkstavern.com

Steak 'n Shake
Food: Fast food
1251 Strongbow Center Dr.
(800) 357-8768
www.steaknshake.com
Price: $5–$10

Strongbow Inn
Food: Turkey, fresh bakery
1251 Strongbow Center Dr. (U.S. 30)
(219) 462-5121
Price: $10–$30
Cool Features: Strongbow has the best rolls in the world and an awesome buffet on Wednesdays.

Subway
Food: Subs, salad, soup
3004 Calumet Ave.
(219) 462-9666
www.subway.com
Price: $3–$8

Suzie's Café & Catering
Food: Homemade bread, cinnamon rolls, soup, sandwiches
1050 South Point Dr.
(219) 462-5500
Price: $5–$10

Viking Chili Bowl
Food: Chili, breakfast
105 Morthland Ave. (U.S. 30)
(219) 462-0800
Price: $5–$10

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Most Recent Student Author View all

Name
Amber Will
Hometown
Schofield, WI
Major
Political Science and History

College Prowler is seeking talented student authors to assist with writing and updating the College Prowler guides to their schools. This is a great opportunity for a student to gain experience and tremendous exposure, utilize new media techniques, and share advice with high school students about what life is really like at your college.

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How do we get our information? Find out here or report an error here. The statistics on our site are from the National Center for Education Statistics IPEDS database.
We update this information twice annually, most recently in May 2012, but it may not be the most recent information available for a particular school.
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