Dining Hall Favorites - Turner Place
Turner Place is by far the newest dining hall at Virginia Tech and it has lived up to the hype. Opened in 2012, it features various appetite educing options such as a Japanese Hibachi Steakhouse on your meal plan (find me another college that has this), a southern restaurant pumping out fried chicken, a wood-fire pizzeria, and popular chain restaurants, among other spots.
Turner may be the most frequented dining hall simply due to the fact that it is the only one on the academic side of campus. No one wants to walk across a blustery drillfield during a break between classes in the middle of winter for lunch, so this new dining hall was a very welcomed site.
Just like the other Hokie dining halls, Turner Place has been rated as one of the best in the country. In July 2013, only a year after it opened, Turner was awarded as the country's best new dining facility by the National Association of College and University Food Services.
While Turner Place may be the newest dining hall, it has still produced some of our favorite on-campus meals:
Adam Rothe - Origami Box / 1872 Fire Grill Fried Chicken
What other schools have a Japanese steak house available with your on-campus meal plan? You can even get the full show experience for dinner. However, the meal I frequented the most from there was the Box. You could get it with chicken or steak with noodles or rice. I mixed it up on the protein but always went with noodles. Then get it doused with Yum Yum sauce, shake it up, and you have the most delicious lunch. My friends and I probably got this at least three to four times a week.
However, not to be outdone is the fried chicken from 1872 Fire Grill. This is probably the best southern food available at Tech. The chicken is crispy and juicy, then you have delicious sides of mashed potatoes, cornbread, mac and cheese, and more. It's all just soooo good.
Preston Huennekens - 1872 Fire Grill Chicken + Waffles
I imagine that 1872 Fire Grill will be a popular choice here. That is for good reason - it is easily the best option in Turner, which is saying something. I avoided choosing Qdoba because that isn't exactly a Virginia Tech special, although I frequented it often. Similarly, Bruegger's is great in the morning, but I can still get that in DC. Origami is great, but it has nothing on the rotating menu at 1872 Fire Grill. My personal favorite was the chicken and waffles on Fridays. It really is impossible to beat, and if I had to choose one place in Turner to visit as an alum, it would be 1872. And if its Friday - I'm going with chicken and waffles.
Ryan Wilkes - Qdoba Steak Bowl
As a non-frequent Turner customer, Qdoba is about all I've had. It's a sure-fire option and hits the right note every time. You can never go wrong with Qdoba.
Madelyn Mirek - Dolci e Caffè Crepes
This place is amazing. They have both sweet and savory crepes. So if you're feeling something sweet they have it. If you want something not sweet I would recommend the ham and cheese crepe. All options are 10/10.
Robert Irby - Atomic Pizzeria
Atomic Pizzeria: so slept on! There is nothing worse than walking into Turner after getting obliterated by an exam to see hour-long lines across the board at Qdoba, 1872, Origami and Bruegger's. But then, you walk downstairs, look to your left and see Ol' Reliable waiting for you. Atomic Pizzeria may have the occasional line, but it pales in comparison to the others.
Not to mention, they have a Grab 'N Go section with slices of pepperoni or cheese pizza, as well as chicken parm and chicken pesto subs. This is, by no means, great pizza. Is it good pizza? Probably not. But it's greasy, the pepperonis are enormous, and it is the perfect pick-me-up after a rough day of class. Two slices of pepperoni pizza with a cup of Cherry Coke? Unmatched.
Pat Finn - Qdoba
"Never a bad day for 'Doba" - Josh Little, 2014.
Billy Ray Mitchell - Soup Garden
Virginia Tech is a world-class university with some very intelligent young men and women preparing themselves to invent the future and make a difference in this world. With that said, a walk through Turner Place during "rush hour" is where students make decisions that are, with a lack of better words..., just dumb. If you are willing to wait for 30+ minutes for Qdoba, especially on a campus where there are countless other incredible options, I have to question your decision making ability. That said, I do enjoy a bowl if there is no line.
This one is tough. The sushi at Origami was solid as I frequented there quite often. The steaks at 1872 were also a hit, but if I want steak I am going to West End. I am going to go with *surprise* SOUP GARDEN! Turner salads were a staple of my senior year with lobster bisque or the savory soup of the day every once in a while. Sammy Sieger, Liz Witko, and Allison Mairena got me hip and from then on I was hooked. Often washed my salad down with a smoothie from Jamba Juice as well.
