Try something new this semester and visit one of the many food trucks coming to campus this fall. 

​​Elisabeth Bernard | Food and Health Editor 

For college students, packing a lunch and carrying it from one class to the next is not always a feasible option. Many students also have minimal time in between classes around lunchtime, so they are unable to leave campus to grab food if they want more variation in their meals than eatingat the campus dining halls or buying food in the Student Center. Luckily for The Universtiy of Alabama students, we have plenty of food truck options on campus that offer diverse menu items, accept dining dollars and rotate location daily, and the schedule is updated weekly on Bama Dining’s website.  

For fresh, cool menus, try Blenz Bowls, BobaMania or Juice Bar. 

Blenz is the perfect pitstop on the way to class if you’re looking for a refreshing snack or meal to beat the heat. Blenz has seven signature acai bowls with your choice of five toppings, ten signature smoothies and two bullet coffee options. Whether you are looking for a caffeine boost or a tropical taste, this menu offers flavors ranging from the richness and creaminess of Nutella and peanut butter to tangy pineapple and mango.   

If you crave something cool and refreshing but want to expand your flavor horizon, try a drink from BobaMania. Its store front on University Boulevard, which offers over 25 varieties of boba teas, recently introduced a food truck on campus. BobaMania has both natural and extravagant teas, covering flavors from brown sugar boba to oolong tea. At under six dollars per drink, BobaMania has great options to help cool you down in between classes. 

Juice Bar offers smoothies and bowls, four types of bottled juices for a healthy and light midday boost, wellness shots for a pick-me-up and protein balls and overnight oats in case you rushed to campus without breakfast. The price point for bowls is $12, and smoothies are a few dollars less, at $10-$12. Both are great options with similar prices that come in both sweet and more natural-tasting flavors. During the semester, you can usually find the Juice Bar food truck on Colonial Drive or in between the student center and Gorgas Library. 

For comfort food, visit Cheese Louise or La Mexicana. 

The Cheese Louise food truck takes a household classic and elevates it with deliciously strange food combos. Some of the sandwiches contain bacon, mac and cheese and cookies if you are up for experimenting, but they also offer staples like peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for when you crave the taste of a simple childhood snack. The price of Cheese Louise sandwiches ranges from $5 to $11, factoring in the number of toppings and more expensive ingredients, like meat, that the sandwich contains. Cheese Louise also stations its food truck in between the student center and Gorgas at times, but you are also likely to run into it at Presidential Village at night. 

La Mexicana’s food truck menu contains all of the classic items that are essential in forming a Mexican restaurant menu. If you just want a snack, they offer chips and queso, nachos and fries. If you need something more substantial, the arroz con pollo, burritos and quesadillas do not disappoint. When you receive your food at La Mexicana, you have the option to add sour cream, salsa, jalapeños and other toppings to the meal at the toppings bar connected to the outside of the truck. For $2, you can also purchase a cold, bottled Coke product to go along with your meal. You can typically find La Mexicana parked behind Gorgas Library during the school year. 

For something in-between, try Urban Cookhouse. 

Urban Cookhouse makes restaurant quality food at a faster rate in a food truck. With a menu is composed of salads, wraps and sandwiches that are so well made, it feels like you’re seated in the main restaurant. Not only are these menu items delicious, but they are also farm-to-table, so you know that the produce used in your meal is locally and ethically sources., so you know that the produce used in your meal is locally and ethically sources. 

Some of our campus food trucks are already accepting business on campus, so be sure to check the Bama Dining website to test out their menus and find your favorites before classes start. 
 

Elisabeth Bernard serves as our Food and Health Editor. This is her first year with Alice. She is a self-proclaimed “foodie” who loves to try new things. Originally from Knoxville, Tennessee, Elisabeth is a rising junior studying Political Science and English with a minor in Spanish.