CafeTIERia
Raking many JD school lunches in a tier list
School lunches are either notoriously good or infamously bad. Obviously, taste is subjective, but I’m going to be rating some of the best and worst school lunches in a tier list(be warned, there are some hot takes). I’d also like to mention that I will not be including snacks or sides like fries and mozzarella sticks; I will be sticking purely to meals. Also, I will only be ranking the meals that I have tried.
Chicken Fried Steak:
It’s steak. Fried like chicken. This dish sounds weird and looks even weirder. Need I explain more?
Walking Tacos:
Walking tacos are a very interesting dish. Is it a side? Is it a meal? I feel that the chips combined with the meat and cheese are just too much and this is a super heavy lunch. I would personally prefer tacos with chips on the side.
Garlic Cheese Pizza:
I am a huge fan of pizza but I hate this pizza with a passion. It is very doughy and often very oily and the cheese doesn’t stick on. It gets super mushy and soggy. Even the red sauce(which is pretty good as I will mention later) can’t save this pizza.
Orange Chicken:
The chicken dishes don’t come with a lot of chicken, and in this dish’s case, I think it’s for the better. The chicken is usually pretty overcooked and the orange sauce has a little bit of a funny taste to it; I can’t quite place my finger on it. It isn’t the worst thing in the world, but I think it could be better.
Corn Dogs:
I’m not a huge fan of corn dogs to start with and these mini corn dog bites only back my opinion. The outside is almost a bit leathery and the hot dogs are usually lukewarm when I get to them. Again, I’m already a little biased against corn dogs so take this opinion with a grain of salt.
Buttered Pasta:
Plain. If I could use one word to describe this dish, that would be it. This dish represents the quintessential meaning of bland. I really don’t mind it too much but if there were multiple foods at lunch and this was one, I’d probably pick it last.
Burgers:
The burgers are often pretty dry and also a little bland in my opinion. If I get one, I’ll go for the cheeseburgers because that provides more flavor. Also, similar to the corn dogs, I’m not a huge fan of burgers so this definitely isn’t my go-to.
Chicken Nuggets:
Chicken nuggets really aren’t bad and they’ve become a lot better as my time at JD has gone on. I vividly remember dreading chicken nugget day but now they are actually not bad. The reason I have them on the C-tier is because I feel that they’re not quite special enough to be in the B-tier.
Chicken Alfredo:
This dish has more flavor than the buttered noodles but I think it is lacking in chicken. If this dish had more chicken and more alfredo sauce, I could see it in B or even A-tier. It’s a solid dish otherwise in my opinion.
Chicken Pot Pie:
This dish is very unappealing and I think that is why it’s in this tier. I was honestly a little nervous to get it but once I tried it, I found that it wasn’t all that bad. It isn’t anything to rave about, but it definitely isn’t bad either.
Pasta Marinara:
The pasta marinara is my favorite type of pasta the school serves. It is a solid meal and I do enjoy the red sauce. It isn’t super special, but I do enjoy the meal, which is what puts this meal in B-tier.
Pizza:
The main thing here is that this dish is very inconsistent. Overall, this dish gets a B-tier but there are some pizzas that I would put in A-tier but also ones that I would drop to F-tier (bbq chicken, I’m talking to you). In addition, the cooking seems to vary quite often. Some weeks, the pizza is very, very crispy and other weeks, it is slightly undercooked. If this dish was more consistent, it would be higher.
Meatball Sub:
Some people wouldn’t rate the sandwich this highly, but I think it’s a pretty good meal. The bread is pretty good along with the sauce and the meatballs aren’t terrible. I think that it’s a solid sandwich, but like the pasta marinara, I don’t think it’s as good as the items above it.
Chicken Tenders:
The common theme with B-tier foods is that they just aren’t that special and that’s the case here. Chicken tenders are always a safe, solid option no matter what and I can always rely on these to be a decent meal.
Grilled Cheese and Soup:
This has been one of my favorite lunches but contrary to chicken nuggets, I feel that it has gotten slightly worse. It was an S-tier lunch back in middle school but now the sandwich is often just overcooked. The soup also pairs great with the sandwich and I feel that this is a great lunch.
French Toast Sticks:
Who doesn’t love breakfast for lunch? The french toast sticks are very solid and consistently good and come with just the right amount of syrup to match. I guess my only criticism is that I’m usually not full after eating them, which the sides take care of.
Teriyaki Chicken:
They haven’t had it for a long time, but the chicken teriyaki is always very good. Like the other chicken dishes, I do wish that there was more chicken, but otherwise, I really like this lunch. Who doesn’t love some good chicken teriyaki?
Chicken Parm Sandwich:
This sandwich is very good. It’s fried chicken with red sauce and cheese on a bun; how could you go wrong? If they have this at lunch, it’s often my first choice.
Ravioli:
I think the ravioli is a very underrated lunch that a lot of people don’t get, but it is really good. There’s a good amount of sauce and a lot of ravioli so I am very full when I finish my plate. I really enjoy this dish and don’t see anything wrong with it.
Potstickers:
This is my undisputed #1 JD lunch. The potstickers are super good, especially for school lunch standards. They’re always super crispy and the soy sauce tastes so good with them. If they have these, I’m getting them no questions asked.
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