By Audrey ’26
The Harvard Westlake middle school cafeteria is truly a gem on campus. Starting from the
morning when the HW app blasts the daily menu, the anticipation of the coming lunch rises. You
prepare for your designated lunch period (or any other free period you have) and walk in.
Even though the cafeteria is praised for being a godly haven of food, inside it doesn’t look like
anything special. The entering double doors open up to some refrigerators, and a hot food
serving line, like you would see at any high school cafeteria. On a normal school day, lunch is
served from 4th to 7th period, and that is when the cafeteria is bustling with activity. Long lines
of students start from the double doors and wind through the hot food counter, into the snack
section, and finally to a head at the two cashiers. It’s busy and super loud, but the thought of a
warm, nice lunch doesn’t discourage you from braving the chaotic lines.
You get a lot of options in the cafeteria every day. The menu is shown on the HW app
mentioned above, on the student portal, and scrawled in chalk on a wall in front of the hot food
counter. There’s 2-3 specials, a daily sandwich, and vegetarian options that are usually just the
specials but made without meat. But no matter which item you pick, whether it be a special or
the chicken strips and pizza available every day, any lunch you pick will satisfy your hunger.
Since there are so many dishes that can appear on your daily menu, here are a few that I really
recommend:
1. Plum Beef: This one is a favorite among me and my friends. It’s crispy, meaty, and very
delicious even for this cafeteria’s standards!
2. Orange Chicken: Another classic meat dish. The sauce is great and eating it with a heap
of rice underneath elevates the dish that much more.
3. Chicken Pot Pie: Really scrumptious and filling, but be sure to grab a couple knives to
cut it open. Also watch out for crumbs, lest you turn your lunch table into a flaky mess!
4. Chicken/Beef Tamale: Worth eating just for the yummy wheat outside and the savory
sauces coating it, but the meat inside is great too.
After braving the lines, being careful not to drop your lunch, and checking out using your
Harvard Westlake ID, you have finally reaped your reward from the cafeteria. Now it’s finally
time to go sit at one of the lunch tables and enjoy a moment of delicious rest from a busy day of
school!
