CANNON CENTER

Where: The Commons at the Cannon Center, BYU Campus

Who Went: Every freshman at BYU practically, plus my family :)

What It Cost: $10.75 for adult dinner 

What We Ordered: Ummm...anything and everything (its an ever-changing buffet). And you can always count on Jello...

What We Thought:

Ohhhh....the BYU Cannon Center. I mean, what blog called "Eat BYU" could get away with not talking about one of the most classic university establishments. So many wonderful freshman year memories were made here, not to mention those come by during summer sport camps or Women's Conference. But --- how is the food?

I have to admit, the excitement of all of the many food stations and the possibility of eating as much as you want caused a memory lapse, and I totally forgot to actually take pictures of the food. Shame, I know. But, there is this adorable picture of me and my not-so-little brother above that can give you a pretty good idea about the Cannon Center highlights. Here they are:

1. BYU CREAMERY CHOCOLATE MILK
There is no other chocolate milk on this earth that is as worthy of your stomach as this BYU Creamery delight. It is seriously soooo crave-worthy. And at the Cannon Center, you can get as much chocolate milk as you want. It's true. You can put just twenty cups of chocolate milk on your tray and GO FOR IT. There is nothing I miss more from freshman year than this chocolate milk.

2. Unlimited Waffles and Soft-Serve Ice Cream
Even better when you put the ice cream on top of the waffles, as seen above.

3. Constantly rotating menu
Which they oh-so-kindly post online for you to see, which is pretty great. If you are just a random visitor, like we were, you can check their website and go on a day when the food stations offer items that sound delicious to you. They almost always have some sort of burger, a pasta dish, a couple of soups, one exciting type main dish (it was chimichangas for us! But I've also had salmon, chicken cordon bleu, fajitas, and a whole bunch of other things) and also an extensive array of desserts (some better than others...)

4. Unlimited pre-cut fruit and you don't have to do your dishes
Things you really don't appreciate until you move out of the freshman dorms.

What You Should Do: If you're a freshman who doesn't like to cook and/or likes to eat a lot, you gotta stay in Helaman Halls and get the Cannon Center meal plan. You'll probably get tired of it by the end of the year, but it's pretty great, with an awesome salad bar at every meal, and THE CHOCOLATE MILK! And if you're just in the Provo area, there really is no more quintessential BYU eatery than the Cannon Center, so you have to try it at least once!

BRICK OVEN PIZZA

Where: Brick Oven Pizza, 111 E 800 N, Provo, UT (just east of the tennis courts on BYU campus)

Who Went: Chelsey, Owen, Devynne, Mom, everyone from BYU...

Number of Visits: Many 

What We Ordered: We've tried a bunch -- buffalo pizza, meats-a-pizza, BBQ chicken and pineapple, make-your-own. Also, spinach & artichoke dip, lasagna, and something amazing which we will get to later...

What It Cost: ~$40 for three people

What We Thought: 

Brick Oven - a BYU-classic since 1956! I know a lot of people think that Brick Oven isn't that great, and that's it's a little overrated and just has a good location. Though they may not have the best pizza in the whole world, I love the classic and cozy environment, friendly staff, consistent food and great memories at Brick Oven.

Um yeah, a pile of cheese and spinach and artichoke. YUM. I have to be honest, I don't think that there has ever been a spinach and artichoke dip that I ever didn't like, so this may not be the most discretionary dish to order. But if you're looking for comfort food that's close to campus because that organic chemistry test didn't quite go as you were hoping...yeah, this fits the bill.

I normally refuse to order any type of pasta at a restaurant because it's so easy to make pasta and always seems insanely overpriced. But lasagna is the one exception, since it's such an ordeal to make at home! Their lasagna is pretty great - I mean, it has mushrooms (not a personal favorite), but I still like it! Also, look how much lasagna that is. Yeah, definitely good for dinner and lunch the next day.

One thing I like about Brick Oven is their flexibility and how nice (usually!) their staff is. They are always willing to substitute out a topping if you don't like mushrooms (or anything else :) and the service is generally pretty quick, even though it can get super busy. They have a great blend of cheeses on their pizzas, the sausage is super flavorful, and I'm a big sucker for fresh tomatoes on pizza!

Obviously none of these pictures are very great, since I took them on my phone, but this one above especially does not do proper justice to the amazing dessert that it is. So on their menu, they have a baked cookie with ice cream on top (a pizookie, for those who like the funny term), and it's pretty good. But, after talking with a friend who used to work at Brick Oven, I learned about the Sasquatch, a secret menu item which is the ultimate dessert -- two cookies with a brownie baked in between. Yeah. Its so, so, so amazing. And super intense, so get it to split!

What You Should Do:  Like I said before, I'm not going on the record saying that Brick Oven Pizza is the best in Utah County, but I have to admit, every now and then I get a craving that can only be satisfied by this classic BYU campus establishment. Even though its so close to campus, I love that it's big enough that you can almost always get a table within 15 minutes, even on a busy Friday night. They have a ton of cozy booths, they don't ever rush you, and they have great options if you want to share a meal (check out the pasta and pizza meals for two -- it's enough food for at least two meals!). Another perk -- nearly everyone knows where it's located, so it's super easy to meet here with friends! Plus, the Sasquatch. I'm telling you. I have dreams about the Sasquatch.

Read other reviews here:

BYU CREAMERY

Where: BYU Creamery, 1209 N 900 E Provo

Who Went: Chelsey, Owen, Monica, Devynne, and many more

Number of Visits: Many, many, many

What We Ordered: Guacamole Bacon Cheeseburger and Garlic Fries

What It Cost: ~$8

What We Thought: 

Well everyone, it's been a crazy summer. Hopefully most of you have not noticed my utter lack of posting, but you know, we all need a summer break every now and then. Between trips to Armenia, France, San Francisco and Portland (twice), I didn't have much computer time or Provo eating time, so you'll have to forgive me. But, now we are back to the grind -- some people already have midterms, BYU's already killed it at the LaVell, and surely some people are already engaged. So let's get to it, starting with a good ol' back to school classic -- BYU Creamery! 

I seriously can't believe I haven't posted about the Creamery yet. I love this place! It's actually my favorite burger in Utah County, and it just has so many good memories and flavors and everything! The burgers are great. They are more of the thin-style burger, and their meat is always super fresh and delicious. Add some guac and bacon -- you've won my heart. I love the texture and taste and everything about them!

Another great part about the Creamery is their flavored fries -- I can never decide what my favorite flavor is! The garlic fries go great with burgers, the spicy ones are so flavorful and fun, and Owen is so pepper-obsessed that we also love ordering the black pepper ones. I would say try them all, but they are pretty filling so you may have to make more than one trip :)

It's sad, but we were so full after this meal that we didn't even get the main event -- the ICE CREAM! But don't worry, I've had it a million times before, and can't say enough good things about it. Their ice cream may be my all-time favorite, competing greatly with Tillamook and all its goodness. BYU Creamery has some amazing flavors -- my top two are Graham Canyon (graham cracker flavored ice cream with chocolate bits, don't think its weird until you try it!!) and Earnestly Chocolate (chocolate ice cream with caramel and marshmallow, another surprisingly amazing combo!), but really you can't go wrong here. Share your fries so you have enough room to get some ice cream -- and my little trick is to always get the "child size." It seems like the same size as 1 scoop, its just the right amount to satisfy your craving, and it's totally cheaper!

What You Should Do: Get in the back-to-school spirit and give the BYU Creamery a visit! They are a BYU classic, and definitely for a good reason. Everything is delicious, and the old-school decor will make you feel like BYU's been around for forever (which it has). Not to mention, you can do a little grocery shopping, and take some creamery ice cream home with you afterwards! Win win!

Read other reviews here:

TACO BELL

Where: Taco Bell, many locations

Who Went: Chelsey, Owen & Devynne

Number of Visits: 1

What We Ordered: Cool Ranch Doritos Taco

What It Cost: Like $2?

What We Thought:

I've really not been the biggest fan of Taco Bell for most of my life (too many post-chalupa stomachaches after tennis matches...), but I had to try their newest concoction - the taco that is made with Doritos for the shell. Sounds amazing, right? I was disappointed when the first one they came out with was the classic nacho cheese flavor -- everyone knows Cool Ranch is the BEST. So obviously when Cool Ranch come on the block, I had to try it. Yeah, the Taco Bell meat is still gross, the lettuce still horribly pale, the cheese still plasticy, and sadly there was nothing an awesome giant Dorito could do about it.

What You Should Do: Pretend this never happened, and don't get sucked into the wonderful marketing and dreams of what could have been. It's still Taco Bell and it's still gross.

Legends Grille

Where: Legends Grille, 106 SAB, BYU Campus, Provo

Who Went: Chelsey & Owen, plus Chelsey & a lot of people freshman year

Number of Visits: Too many to count

What We Ordered: BBQ Chicken Pizza, Hawaiian Burger, Giant Cookie

What It Cost: $17.54


What We Thought:



Being the avid volleyball fans that we were my freshman year, my friends and I would always stop by Legend's Grille before the game to get some food with our super awesome meal plan (man, I really miss those days sometimes...) In addition to having a relief from the Cannon Center that was pretty close, Legends Grille also offered free pizza delivery to the dorms, which made you feel like you were having that super cool dorm-room pizza experience, but the pizza was actually good (is that an experience I just made up in my mind?) Of course, they could only have boys deliver the pizza during visiting hours, but you know how it is...Anyway, I've always had a special place in my heart for Legends Grille (a great place for spotting hot football/basketball/rugby players after practice too), and decided to go back there and see if all my taste buds had been skewed freshman year, or if they were really as good as I had remembered.

We started out with one of my traditional favorites - the gigantic chocolate chip cookie. Most BYU food service places are notorious for slow service, so we always get the dessert first, ask for it to be warmed up, and then snack on this deliciously huge cookie while waiting for our dishes. Despite its large size, somehow these cookies are always cooked just right - a little soft and doughy in the middle, and just crispy enough on the outside. I love them. Definitely my favorite cookie in Utah County.

As I have mentioned before, BYU actually does a pretty decent job with their burgers. My favorite is the Hawaiian one, which comes with a thick slice of ham and pineapple. The pineapple isn't as great as the kind they had at JCW's, but the amazing sweet and spicy sauce they add makes up for it. I love that sauce. Lucky for me, they also have bottles of it on the table, and I usually add at least 4 more squirts for good measure. And eat fries with it. And want to secretly sneak it out with me, but never do because well, we're on BYU campus. I got my burger with a side of fruit, but they have lots of other options that are all delicious, like mac & cheese, fries, a green salad, and more.

Here's the burger with all the toppings added. Good luck trying to hold all that together! I usually make a huge mess, but it is so worth it.

The pizza is also delicious, and super filling. Plenty of chicken and huge chunks of pineapple, with a savory sweet barbecue sauce, all baked to perfection in their little pizza hearth. I don't really know what else to say about this pizza besides hey, it's pretty dang good. And you should try it.

What You Should Do: Go here, especially if you're a lucky little freshman with a meal plan! Take advantage of it! And even if you're not, the prices aren't too high for a date night out - our meal was under $20 and we ended up taking half the pizza home. Not bad! And feel the BYU spirit with all the fun sports decor and fieldhouse across the street. But if you're in a hurry, you can call ahead of time to place your order because they do take between 10-20 minutes to get you your food...on a good day.

Orville & Wilbur's

Where: Orville & Wilbur's, 1171 WSC, Brigham Young University

Who Went: Chelsey & Devynne

Number of Visits: 1

What We Ordered: Boneless Chicken Wings with BBQ sauce, Buffalo Chicken Burger, Cheeseburger

What It Cost: ~$10 for 2 people


What We Thought:


Yeah, I bet you didn't even know that this place existed. Because I totally didn't. Until I was looking at the BYU Dining website and saw a place that I totally did not recognize. And then I convinced Devynne to go there with me for lunch. It is down in the basement of the Wilk, by Outdoors Unlimited and all the pool tables. It is seriously a whole different world down there. Even though it was right in the middle of the lunch hour rush upstairs in the Cougareat, there were plenty of open tables and we did not have to wait in line to order our food. It was like the Twilight Zone of BYU Dining.

Also, I have to apologize for the not-so-quality food photos here - my camera is too big to lug around campus, and Devynne forgot to bring her camera, so these were taken on her iPod. Cool.

So, being my wing-loving self, I was excited to see that they have wings. But I should have known better when on the website it said "boneless." Basically these were chicken nuggets, not wings. They still tasted good, and the barbecue sauce that came with them was tasty, but they were certainly not the wings I was envisioning. They weren't even tossed in the sauce, which was good and bad - bad because it made them seem even more like chicken nuggets, but good because I was eating lunch and didn't particularly want to get super messy.

BYU makes good burgers. They are pretty consistent across campus, and they are delicious. People will wait in like at the Scoreboard Grill upstairs for 20 minutes for a basic cheeseburger, but they should just head downstairs where there is no line and get the equally delicious sandwich here at Orville & Wilbur's. They weren't super speedy because they only had two guys working, but it was nice that we did not have to wait in a huge line in the super crowded Cougareat.

I have to admit, I really liked this buffalo chicken burger. It was like the spicy chicken burger at Wendy's that I used to love, but twenty times better. The buffalo sauce was surprisingly good, and the breading was thick and crunchy. It was a very filling sandwich, and pretty unique compared to other chicken sandwiches I've experienced on campus.

What Should You Do: If you're in the mood for a burger, skip the lines and head to the Games Center and get some lunch at Orville & Wilbur's! Don't go for the chicken "wings," unless you're in the mood for some pretty good chicken nuggets. But it is a fun little place and they can make a decent, fresh, delicious burger and a lovely buffalo chicken burger. Check it out!

Pendulum Court

Where: Pendulum Court, Eyring Science Center, Brigham Young University

Who Went: Chelsey & Devynne

Number of Visits: 3

What We Ordered: Mediterranean Chicken Pasta, Beef Taco Salad, Tuxedo Cheesecake (we've also tried the Macadamia Chicken, Lasagna Soup, and a few other things)

What It Cost: $5.75 for one entrée, about $7/person


What We Thought:

Though it has crazy limited hours and you have to make a reservation before going, I think that the Pendulum Court may be my overall favorite place to eat on BYU campus. It's totally inconvenient, but if you can make it, you're in for a somewhat reasonably priced and usually healthy meal. The PenCourt is run by students who major in Nutrition and Food Science (or other related majors), so they try to focus on making the meals well-rounded and balanced. They include healthy things like whole grain pasta, lean meats, sides of fruits, and low-fat dairy products. And even though it's usually just students putting on the whole show, it is usually pretty well prepared and tastes fantastic.

When we visited the other day, Devynne got the Mediterranean Chicken Pasta. Pros: A rather large portion, good tasting cream sauce, and a nice touch of artichoke hearts. Cons: We could count the number of chicken pieces on one hand. And it's not because they were particularly large pieces either...Oh well. They are on a BYU budget, I get it. It was still pretty good overall, and very satisfying.

The beef taco salad is a choice that they offer everyday, and was a lot better this time than what I remembered. The beef is not ground (thankfully), but is shredded, marinated, and pretty juicy overall. They use plenty of crisp, fresh Romaine lettuce, and the cheese, though clearly pre-processed, actually had some flavor. I've had both dressings and enjoyed both options - the jalapeño ranch being my favorite choice.

And the cheesecake, wow. This was a good cheesecake. It has marvelous flavor, rich and luxurious texture, and just enough chocolate sauce to make it perfect. My only regret is that I had to wolf down this amazing treat in 2 minutes so that I could rush to class since they have such limited hours!

What You Should Do: Definitely go. Of all places on campus to have lunch, I like the food best here of all. They serve healthy, well-balanced options, and even though it's not super cheap, it's modestly priced compared to other on-campus locations. Just make sure to check their limited schedule of hours, and make a reservation! 

The Skyroom

Where: The Skyroom, 6th Floor, WSC, Brigham Young University, Provo

Who Went: Chelsey & Devynne (plus Owen once)

Number of Visits: 4

What We Ordered: Buffet

What It Cost:  $30 for 2 people

What We Thought: 

Basically, the Skyroom is the "fanciest" place that you can eat on BYU campus. First off, you have to figure out how to get up to the 6th floor in the Wilk (take the elevator that is just east of Taco Bell). Then you get up there and they ask if you have a reservation (recommended, but usually they aren't super busy, so you can just go). Then you have a server who comes to your table and asks what you want to drink -- a server, on BYU campus? Well, sort of. Mostly they just function to bring you a drink (all soft drinks are included in the price, but you have to pay more if you want a special lemonade) and clear your plates, but it does feel kind of nice.

Once they take you drink order, you get to go to the buffet! Woo! Stuff yourselves people! Honestly, I haven't really been to many buffet places because from a young age, my mother instilled a deep fear of buffets within me (all those people touching the same food...yikes!), but the Skyroom is not bad for a BYU location. The food is obviously all prepared offsite beforehand (those beans look way too from-a-can...), but as far as on-campus food goes, it's pretty dang good. One thing I have to warn you about - the buffet menus they post on the website are almost always wrong. The day we went was supposed to be Chinese day, but instead we got Carne Asada tacos and enchiladas. Oh well. Just don't get your hopes up too high for any particular food.

They have a pretty good selection -- a regular salad bar on one side, a side with fruit and mixed salads (use caution when choosing here, I've had bad luck with a couple. The chicken curry salad and California salad are pretty good though), one side with soups, one side with entree-type items (rice, beans, enchiladas, tacos, carrots for us). And then they have another table with the meat cut of the day -- ours was BBQ ribs (seemed kind of strange), and they also had a little salsa bar which was fun. And then...the dessert table. This my friends is the #1 reason I come to the Skyroom. BYU knows how to do their sugar right!

Of the food we had, I felt like the tacos were better than I expected. The carne asada was surprisingly meaty and juicy, and the chicken ones were average. The enchilada was a little too greasy for me (but I'm not a huge ground beef fan), but the BBQ ribs were actually alright! Devynne didn't like her tortellini salad, and the tortilla soup had a strange flavor. But they always have a great selection fruit and the BYU cottage cheese is THE BEST!

Yeah that's a lot of desserts. Don't worry about it. We mostly only grabbed every kind just to sample them all, not to eat the whole thing...

Of all the desserts, I think the cheesecake bars were my favorite. The breads I had were a little dry, and the fruit crumble bars were not super flavorful. But the rocky road and 7-layer bars were both heavenly, and I actually really liked the coconut cake! Plus there were even MORE options that we didn't even try! Yeah man. Dessert Central.

What You Should Do: Go for a special school day. If you don't have a car, but want to eat somewhere with service and lots of options, then the Skyroom is the place for you. It certainly is not cheap, but you WILL leave feeling quite full, since you can eat as much as you want. It's only on-campus food so it's not anything super gourmet or unique, but they always have many choices, and usually at least 3/4ths of them are pretty tasty. Plus -- DESSERTS! Yay!

Museum of Art Café

Since this site is called Eat BYU, I figured that it would only be appropriate if I reviewed all of the places to eat that are actually on BYU campus! We started with one of my favorites from freshman year -- back when I had a good old meal plan and ate at this place probably once a week.

Where: MOA Café, 452 Museum of Art, BYU Campus, Provo (just north of the HFAC and east of the ASB)

Who Went: Chelsey & Devynne

Number of Visits: A ton throughout my BYU career, but 1 in this past year

What We Ordered: Fontina Cheese Panini, Turkey Harvest Croissant, Pumpkin Soup, Truly Berry (1/2 salad) Salad, Carrot Cake, Red Velvet Cake -- they were having a 2 for 1 deal on desserts since it was close to Valentine's Day. Awesome!

What It Cost: $12.91 (me - I got the cakes) + $8.71 (Devynne)

What We Thought: 


I think that the main reason I loved the MOA café so much as a freshman was because it seems like an escape from campus. When you feel like you spend your entire life at school but you don't have a car (like me freshman year), sometimes you just need a break. The MOA café is on the corner of campus, kind of tucked away in some trees and reflection pools, and you get to walk through the museum entrance to head upstairs to this little lunch sanctuary.

Despite the convenience of it being right on campus, there are of course some drawbacks. The service is notoriously slow, it's way overpriced, and since it is run by students, and not restaurant professionals, the presentation and meal assembly is not always perfect. My Turkey Harvest Croissant was as yummy as I remembered from freshman year -- I love the combination of the tart, crisp apples against the light shredded turkey, all put together with a sweet cinnamon sauce and buttery croissant. It's no wonder I ate this at least every other week my first year here.

The Fontina Cheese Panini was a little different than I remembered. First off, the presentation was just abysmal. The bread looked pathetic, and the sandwich itself looked so puny on the huge plate it was served on. Plus the green basil of the filling matched the green plate, so it was just kind of sad. I am pretty sure that this sandwich normally comes with some sundried tomato spread which was obviously lacking on the smooshed lunch we received -- luckily the girl who sat next to us got some of the red filling on the same sandwich, so we must have just missed out somehow...

We both went with the combo option ($7.99), so I got a soup with mine, and Devynne got a half salad. My pumpkin soup originally came without the apple relish on top, but when I went back and asked about it, they apologized and happily gave me a nice large dollop of the sweet topping. I'm a huge sweet & salty fan, so I really like this comforting fall-ish soup, but Devynne thinks it's kind of gross, so I guess it depends on your taste preferences.

The berry salad was crisp, refreshing and delicious. They didn't skimp on the berries, which was awesome, and it was a great mix overall. One thing that drives me crazy about the MOA café is their stupid salad bowls. They are slanted on one edge, which makes it impossible to mix in your salad dressing without spilling salad everywhere. There are a couple of options to alleviate this issue that I've discovered -- 1) Get your salad to go. They will put it in a styrofoam box and it will be much easier to mix it in the box than in that bowl. Plus (at least in my past experiences) they make the to-go salads bigger than regular ones! 2) Ask them to mix the dressing in for you. 3) If you forgot these options like we did yesterday, just dump your salad out on a plate and mix it there! Less pretty, but better tasting :)

Oh, the desserts. This is the best part of the MOA café to me. Insanely overpriced, but very pretty and very delicious. This is the best thing to congratulate yourself on campus after kicking butt on that organic chemistry exam.

I love carrot cake. Not as divine as Magleby's, but still amazing.

What You Should Do: Go. Of all the places to eat on campus, this one has my favorite atmosphere and you don't have to make reservations or anything. Plan on spending an exorbitant amount for lunch, but you've earned it. They don't really change their menu that often anymore, so probably once a month would be a reasonable maximum number of visits if you eat on campus often. Unless you love the Turkey Harvest Croissant as much as I do!