Are you a prospective O’Dowd student wondering how good your next school’s food scene is? Are you an alum, keeping tabs on the progress of O’Dowd student life? Or are you neither, possibly a current student, simply wanting a critique of your school lunch? Well, no matter who you are, honesty regarding school lunch is the best way to seek improvement in the future. This is an honest review of a week of lunch at Bishop O’Dowd.
Monday: Greek Chicken Bowl
While Bishop O’Dowd’s chicken has been known to disappoint, I was vaguely impressed with the Greek chicken bowl consisting of chicken, rice, and a side salad–all in one bowl. I use the word “vaguely” intentionally, as the bar is relatively low for O’Dowd chicken bowls. Some positives I observed in this one were that I did not receive any raw chicken, and the rice was fluffy and properly cooked. The salad was well dressed and overall the dish did not lack moisture. However, around half of the volume of the bowl was pure rice. My overall rating is a 7.1/10.
On Tuesday, the Junior class had early dismissal for career day, resulting in me not consuming school lunch. I am incredibly sorry for this betrayal, but I will continue with Wednesday’s review.
Wednesday: Chicken Quesadillas
In my opinion, the Dragon Lair’s quesadillas are possibly O’Dowd’s best and most consistent food offering. They are filling, delicious, and a great “bang for your buck” deal compared to smaller portioned meals. The chicken quesadilla, while perhaps not as good as the slow cooked beef or pork option, was extremely solid. The only downside that I can possibly note is that perhaps the Dragon Lair goes too heavy on the sour cream: it quickly becomes pretty awkward to pick up and eat without adequate napkin use. My overall rating is an 8.7/10
Thursday: Delectable Barbecue–with a catch
On Thursday, O’Dowd offered a special barbecue option consisting of chicken or beef with mac and cheese and coleslaw. The chicken was very well cooked, with either wings or whole pieces available, and the dish was flavorful and filling. I am a huge fan of O’Dowd’s mac and cheese, so I thoroughly enjoyed eating this. Elliott Zatkin ’27, who also chose to purchase the barbecue, stated that “This is the best chicken [he has] ever had at O’Dowd. Seeing it come off of the grill fresh really changed [his] life.” Perhaps this is hyperbole, but Elliott’s experience reflects how when Bishop O’Dowd puts real effort into lunch, students feel satisfied and jubilant. My overall rating is a 9.1/10
The catch to this delectable barbecue is the alternate offering from the cafeteria. The line for the barbecue was extremely long, resulting in many students choosing to prioritize their time and buy the loco moco. What is a loco moco, you may ask? In theory, it is a Hawaiian comfort food featuring a hamburger patty and fried egg on a bed of rice covered in a delicious brown gravy. However, Bishop O’Dowd’s version perhaps did not live up to this description. Levi Hazer ’27 shared that “They ran out of chicken so [he] was forced to get this loco moco. It tastes hard and dry. The slab of beef is sucking the moisture out of [his] mouth.” His rating was a 3.2/10
Friday: Pesto Chicken Sandwich
Last but certainly not least was a classic O’Dowd sandwich: the pesto chicken. I appreciate how this sandwich prioritizes moisture, something that other sandwiches tend to cast aside. The chicken and bread is covered in adequate amounts of pesto, which, while for some reason very white, is delicious and flavorful. To me, the pesto chicken sandwich is the lunch equivalent of a modern Toyota Corolla. It is not the most flashy car, and it can’t go the fastest, but it is extremely reliable. My overall rating is a 7.6/10.
Ultimately, lunch at Bishop O’Dowd can be a windy road filled with high peaks and low valleys. When they lean into quality and established favorites, such as the stellar quesadillas or barbecue, the student body relishes in delicious and nutritious lunch. However, as evidenced by the stark contrast between those high-effort meals and the disappointing alternatives like the loco moco, there is clearly room for improvement in ensuring every student has access to a quality lunch, regardless of which line they find themselves in. Experimentation is not always the answer, and I hope that O’Dowd implements solutions such as surveys regarding favorite lunchtime meals. After all, a well-fed student is a high-achieving student. Whether you are a prospective student, an alum, or a current Dragon, we all have a stake in ensuring that our school lunch lives up to the standard of excellence that we expect from the rest of our O’Dowd experience.
