I’ve eaten school lunch throughout high school and I’ve been less than impressed with the quality of the food that’s served. Everyday seems to be a coin toss on whether or not the food is edible. Yes there’s some above par meals, but that’s a rarity. Some of the meals I’ve eaten over the years have made me question if the district prioritizes food nutrition. But with that being said, after venturing into the depths of the school lunch menu, here’s my brutally honest review and ratings.

Monday 

1. Pizza: I’ve been at this school for four years and every year the pizza is horrible. It tastes bland, soft, soggy and the pepperoni lacks an edge. The cheese tastes fake and the crust lacks a crunch. Calling this pizza bad would be a major understatement. There’s nothing good about this, it’s the worst pizza I’ve ever eaten. (0/10)

2. Chicken and Rice Burrito: The burrito tastes like it has nacho cheese filling inside it, which works for flavor. It’s pretty decent but with every bite I began to question the realness of the ingredients. There’s not that much chicken or rice in it, it mostly consists of cheese and filling. It’s not bad but it gave me a stomach ache halfway through. (4/10)

Tuesday

1. Chicken Patty: Over the years I’d often question if the meat was real or not, it would taste decent but lack the real chicken texture. It’s the type of meal that needs condiments to be good, without it, it’s bland. With your choice of either ketchup, mustard or mayo, the combination of that with the chicken patty actually tastes good and it makes you forget about whether or not you’re eating real chicken or not. (5.5/10)
2. Taco Nada: It’s an empanada with taco filling and it’s one of the best items on the menu. Since my freshman year the taco nada has always been a hit. The way the taco filling is flavored is top notch. The breading itself goes really well with the filling inside which consists of beef, taco sauce and other spices. The only negative about it is that it falls apart at the bottom really easily so when your half way through it starts falling out. (9/10)

Wednesday 

1. Hamburger/Cheeseburger: Similar to the chicken patty, this has you questioning the meat’s quality. For starters the burger is saltier than a spoonful of salt, with and without cheese. It’s often dry and the bun is often bland. The cheeseburger tastes less dry and the buns blandness is less noticeable. But either version is still poor. (2.5/10)  

2. Orange Chicken: This is the biggest “depends on the day” meal served for lunch. One day it’s delectable and the next it’s soggy and inedible. Every time I’ve had it, it’s either pretty good or pretty miserable. But it’s nothing special. Even on the good days, it lacks the crispness that orange chicken needs to be good. It’s hit or miss on the orange taste and is often served with not enough rice to balance out with the chicken. Most days the rice is the best part of the meal, and that says something. (5/10)

3. Spicy or regular chicken tenders: Same quality as the chicken patty so not much different from that, the upside is the spicy tenders have a delectable bite to them. But despite the spiciness it lacks the crispness that’s needed for great tenders. (5.5/10)

Thursday 

1. Hotdog: It’s arguably one of the most scrumptious things on the menu as well as being the most consistent. Hot dogs are simple to get right and the school did just that. The combination of the bun and the dog gives every bite a succulent touch. The only downside of it is that it’s not that big, so it leaves you wanting more. (9/10)

2. Oven Roasted Chicken Wings: Calling this the driest chicken known to mankind might be an understatment. How do they manage to underseason, overcook, yet still not have the chicken be crispy? It’s rubbish and it’s gotta be on the list for the worst wings I’ve eaten. (0/10)  

3. Walking Taco: This is one of the most interesting items on the menu because, its not like a taco in terms of how you eat it, it’s more of a bowl with meat (beef), cheese (cheddar), and lettuce that you throw over either Doritos or Fritos (it depends on what they give out). The chip bag looks like a taco so A+ for looks. The combination of all the ingredients make every bite quite flavorful. But I like a lot of flavor so I added the salsa they give out for chips to it and it made it taste even better. But without the salsa, it’s still a flavor-filled meal and the way that all the ingredients come together makes it one of the best items on the menu by far. (9.5/10)     

Friday

1. Chicken Nuggets: These aren’t much different from the chicken tenders, only a different shape. The quality of the meat, the overall taste, and the level of flavor is the same. It’s not horrible but not good, it’s average. Not much more can be said. (4/10)  

2. Spicy Chicken Patty: The quality and overall lack of crispiness mirrors the regular version but the overall taste tops it. While condiments elevate it, it doesn’t necessarily need them to be good, the spiciness of the patty is enough to lift it up to a pretty decent meal. (6.5/10)

3. Spaghetti with Meatballs: Spaghetti and meatballs…more like soggy noodles with pleasantly decent meatballs, tasteless cheese and tomato sauce that doesn’t cut it. When it all gets combined it’s not the worst but definitely not good. The only edible part of it are the meatballs, which actually have some flavor and, if I’m being honest, I’d rather eat a bowl of them then have the spaghetti and tomato sauce it’s served with. (4/10)

Speciality items

1. Chicken Tikka Masala: The chicken tikka masala is amazing. Every bite is delectable, the chicken is tender and real, the masala sauce rocks, and the naan tastes great and isn’t dry like most school provided bread is. The way everything blends together made my mouth water. The only bad thing is that it doesn’t come with much chicken or masala sauce so there’s not enough to mix evenly with the rice. Besides the one bad thing it’s pretty close to perfect; it should be served every week. It would definitely bless the tongues of Encinal students. (10/10)

2.Chicken Chow Mein: The combination of everything in this makes it quite delicious. The chicken is rather fatty but I could tell that the chicken is real. The noodles used are simple but do job and the vegetables (chopped carrots, cabbage) combine really well with the other ingredients. This isn’t the best chow mein I’ve ever tasted, but it’s quite decent for a school lunch. It should become a regular meal that’s served more often. (7/10)

3. BBQ Beef Brisket: The BBQ beef brisket is sneaky good. At first glance it doesn’t look appetizing but after a couple of bites it had my mouth watering in between every one. The beef is tender and juicy and the BBQ sauce is seasoned to perfection. The more I ate of it the more I wanted more. It wasn’t the most filling of meals but in terms of flavor it blew it out of the park. This item should definitely be served more consistently. (9/10)

Sides 

1. French Fries: If you picture what the worst french fries would be, these would probably be worse than that. These fries are served raw, bland and soggy majority of the time. On the rare outing it’s not, it comes too hard to eat. These fries are a disgrace, I’d rather eat soggy bread than this abomination. (0/10)

2. Chips and Salsa: The chips are bland and unsalted, they lack real authentic flavor. In contrast the salsa is above par. It’s got really good flavor and it makes the chips taste better. It’s not spicy at all which is probably the only downside. Overall, chips and salsa is a solid side that goes well with most meals that are served here. (7.5/10) 

3. Tater Tots: This is the best thing that’s served at Encinal. They’re crispy on the outside, fluffy on the inside, salted perfectly and go well with anything that’s served here. They’ve been consistently amazing every year I’ve eaten them here. I genuinely look forward to having them every week, they are immaculate. They NEED to be served everyday. (11/10)

After tasting a week’s worth of Encinal school lunch, I can confidently say the food is below par. It’s unrealistic to think students would get first class meals served in a school setting, but we shouldn’t have to debate whether or not the food is real or not. Given that the country we live in is the richest in the world, the quality of school lunches should be better, but quality isn’t something that’s prioritized, and it shows. 

Check Encinal’s full lunch menu here.