October 30, 2024 by mosaiconline

The Miley Dining Hall Review: How Is It In 2024?

By: Ryan Ciolfi | Staff Writer

At Salve Regina, the dining hall is a controversial topic of discussion. Miley Dining has been a widely talked about feature of campus ever since students arrived at Salve this fall. Some high praise, some strong critique, stories, and rumors. I even heard Salve ranked among the worst dining halls in the country according to the most reliable source on the internet: TikTok. So, according to its consumers, how is the food at Miley really?

With all the hype around the dining hall, I was anticipating my first meal in Miley. The first impression I got was positive. The dining hall itself is very well kept, the staff is hard-working and friendly. Everything is organized and clearly labeled. What I’ve discovered to be a key factor in making the right food choice is “The Miley Lap.” The Miley Lap is the walk around Miley to scout and observe the food choices for that respective day. Sometimes it takes more than one lap, other times it’s a one and done kind of adventure.

To pick one option as a clear front runner is a difficult task. However, the burgers have yet to let me down. According to returning students, the burgers last year were very flat and likely came from a box. This year, you can see the Salve chefs cooking up on the grill, putting a handmade touch on every patty. They are seasoned deliciously. My only complaint about the burgers is that every so often, the patty doesn’t take up the full diameter of the bun, creating an unbalanced bun to patty ratio.

Another great feature is the Mongolian Grill station, dubbed “Mongo” by students. This is the most consistent option in the dining hall. The chefs do a great job frying up those noodles, steak, vegetables, and more. Add some teriyaki sauce to your bowl and you have yourself a delicious meal for the evening. The only drawback is the popularity of Mongo. If you are at the dining hall at prime dinner time, the line usually wraps around. Occasionally, the line will reach the salad area. Another challenge is remembering the number of your ticket. Sometimes an 83 could look like a 38, or maybe you thought you were 42 but 44 looks like what you got. Either way, you always end up with good-tasting food.

How do the upperclassmen view Miley? The dining hall has undergone significant changes in the time since these students have been here.

“The smoothie station and UCook are the best additions,” said Liam Marr, a junior. “The dining hall has a lot more open and a lot more options than previous years.”

Marr believes that the dining hall has undergone many changes to improve each station, specifically the Mongolian grill. “They changed [the Mongolian station] from putting the food out to grab. Now it’s personalized, there’s individual meals,” he commented.

Liam said his go to meal is a chicken wrap or chicken sandwich.

“If I’m feeling good, I’ll hit up the deli for a sandwich. I’m not a fan of the apple cider chicken though,” he advises.

The consensus I’ve received from talking to Salve students is that the dining hall has changed for the better. So far, I don’t have any major complaints. Everything has been solid. The Savory option seems to be the “ol’ reliable.” When all else fails, I can always count on the savory station to hook me up with some chicken and broccoli. The chicken can be hit or miss, but it always gets the job done.

The salad bar is consistent as well, the vegetables always seeming to be relatively fresh. Also, it’s always a good day when they load up your sandwich at the deli. The panini press is a great finishing touch to spice up a standard sandwich. One thing worth considering is putting whatever chips they have available inside the sandwich before you press it. Fritos work especially well.

Breakfast has a lot of good options as well. They always have a good variety of cereal, and bagels are hard to mess up. My mind was blown the first time I used the toaster in Miley. It’s insanely cool how the bagel goes down the little slide right on to a conveyor belt, into the toaster abyss, and then pops out of the machine perfectly toasted. This toaster feels like the equivalent of flying cars. The UCook eggs don’t hold together very well for an omelet, but scrambled eggs with some meat or vegetables is always a good move. You can also get a delicious omelet where they cook it for you. The oat and yogurt bar seem to always come through in the clutch. If everything else is lacking they are there for you, a nice one two combo.

Overall, Miley has a lot of great options and gets it done for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The staff is very hardworking, friendly, and they deserve a lot of credit for putting out great food every day.

Miley Power Ranking Top 10 features

Ranked by a small sample of students.