One of the biggest issues that highschoolers run into is how to go out and get food without going completely bankrupt spending $30 on one meal. Luckily, there are lots of great and affordable places to get food near Oakton highschool. There are the widely popular places that people flock to after school, and there are also lesser known restaurants, all having great options to offer. 

Among those Oakton students polled in an instagram survey and in person, the most popular places to get food were Tropical Smoothie Cafe, Chick fil A, Panda Express, McDonalds, and by far the most popular, Chipotle. 

Tropical Smoothie Cafe offers a variety of lunch foods and smoothies that can fit the needs of any customer. Being one of the more healthy places to eat on the list, it is a great place to go for a cheap, healthy, and tasty snack. In terms of food, a standout item on the menu is the avocado grilled cheese, which is both delicious and relatively healthy. 

Chick fil A is the perfect place to visit after school, since it is open every weekday. Just don’t try to visit on Sundays because sadly, it will be closed. Chick fil A’s food is exactly what it sounds like it would be: chicken. They have chicken sandwiches, chicken nuggets, and more healthy grilled chicken items. They also have a wide array of delicious sauces to try.

Panda Express provides a great value for your money, as you can get a meal that you are rarely able to finish in one serving for less than $10. Panda Express features a choice of either fried rice and chow mein, combined with different meats, with standouts being the orange chicken and the honey walnut shrimp. 

McDonalds doesn’t even need an explanation, as it is the most popular chain restaurant in the whole US. This guilty pleasure meal is incredibly affordable, and admittedly, pretty tasty. 

Chipotle, just like Panda Express, also offers a very large serving size for the amount of money spent. As they liberally apply a huge variety of burrito fillings, your mouth will be watering before you even get your food. It is no wonder that a large portion of oakton students love Chipotle, as it is delicious and has a location about 5 minutes from the school.

In the survey, these were not the only places to eat that came up in conversation. There were multiple pizza places mentioned, such as: Santini’s, Tony’s Pizza, and Luciano’s. All of these restaurants are within a mile of each other, so there is no reason not to try all of them to figure out which one of these pizza places has the best food. In the same shopping center as Chipotle and Luciano’s is Hangry Joes, which serves hot chicken. Coffee shops and breakfast food were also popular. Places mentioned were: Starbucks, IHOP, and Dunkin’. Another restaurant mentioned was Bebop, a Mexican-Korean fusion restaurant. All of these restaurants are worth trying, as trying new things can be exciting, and Oakton students eating at the same places strengthens the sense of community in the school. Lastly though, one student mentioned the most indisputably great food that any Oakton student has ever eaten: school lunch.