Amid the global pandemic, self-made meals became repetitive and bland for many Menlo students; furthermore, minimal trips to the grocery store limited food options. Some Menlo students turned to DoorDash, a convenient online delivery service boasting approximately 340,000 restaurants, according to CNBC.

Even though the number of restaurants on DoorDash can be quite overwhelming, Chipotle is a standout option, according to Woodside Priory School freshman William Day. “It always tastes super fresh and high quality even though it’s fast food,” Day said. Chipotle also ranks as the second-most ordered from DoorDash restaurant, according to DoorDash. 

Freshmen Jackson Deutch and Nicholas Ekstrand believe that carne asada and chicken are the two best types of meat at Chipotle. Burrito bowls are the best way to eat Chipotle because they are less messy, according to freshman Sohan Gaitonde. Freshman Max Tawlar’s favorite meal is a set of three tacos because they are smaller snacks he can eat one at a time. Chipotle seems to be a go-to option, according to around half of the students interviewed for this article. It averages 1 million weekly transactions, according to Nation’s Restaurant News.

Another popular location is Chick-fil-A, which is known for its exceptional customer service and delicious chicken, according to reviews from Consumer Affairs. One possible downside to Chick-fil-A is its lack of menu diversity. “I don’t care [about the lack of options]. All I get is [chicken nuggets] anyway,” freshman Teddy Meeks said. The chicken sandwich and chicken nuggets are the most ordered items at Chick-fil-A, according to The Chicken Wire. “The food was fresh and delicious,” freshman Evan Burnett said. Burnett particularly likes the fried chicken sandwich. “I like it [Chick-fil-A] because it is fast and convenient,” freshman Yasin Abdulkariem said.

Many local restaurants offer excellent Japanese food through DoorDash, according to freshmen Bernardo Olivera and Brady Jung. Yayoi Restaurant in Palo Alto provides hot Japanese food, meaning all the dishes are served warm. Even though they are expensive, the tempura ramen, yakiniku, sukiyaki and curry are some of the best meals to order, Olivera said. Another superb Japanese restaurant is Kemuri Japanese Baru, according to Jung. Like Yayoi, it is costly but offers delicious items like the wagyu garlic rice and wagyu steak bowl, Jung said.

Panda Express is another popular location; it offers greasy and delicious Americanized Chinese food. “I like Panda for the orange chicken. […] It has a super tasty sour-sweet flavor,” freshman Nicky Scacco said.

However, Panda Express is not particularly healthy; the orange chicken has 490 calories and 23 grams of fat, according to CalorieKing. Getting two orange chicken orders is not out of the ordinary, according to Scacco, so calories add up to around 980 per meal. That is 480 to 280 calories more than the average meal, according to Global News. It is best to integrate the vegetable options, including broccoli or string beans, to keep your meals relatively healthy, according to Spoon University.