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From Booches Burgers to Buddha Bowls, exploring Columbia cuisine

Many locally owned joints offer convenient, vegan-friendly food.

Published June 3, 2009

Being new to college might conjure up images of the "college diet" -- pizza, pizza, energy drinks and likely more pizza. And if pizza is your thing, we've got you covered (a few times over). College students just love the stuff. It's cheap, it's fast, chances are you don't even have to leave your couch to get it and, for those micromanaging types, certain chains let you track the progress of your pizza being made via online ordering, right down to the name of the person making it (as always, thank you Xandria).

But there will be plenty of time for that. A stay in Columbia -- whether it's a quick stop for Summer Welcome or an extended stay of four (or five, let's be real) years -- yields plenty of options for eats and drinks.

MU students in particular are lucky in the regard that good food doesn't necessarily have to come from the most conveniently located dining hall on campus when a walk across campus to downtown Columbia leads to a mecca of food. We're not knocking campus food: don't get us wrong. There's something strangely gratifying about walking into Plaza 900 and finding out that it's "kindergarten dinner" day, where MU's class-act dining hall serves up dinosaur shaped nuggets (which also come in a veggie variety) and macaroni and cheese. It gets better when on your way out the door you can grab a couple of ranger cookies. (We won't tell anyone you grabbed some on the way in, too.) You'll get to know these pleasures well, and you'll grow to look forward to them. Give it time.

But you'll also grow to love late-night trips to the local Mexican joint, El Rancho and taking a break from the relentless summer heat and humidity by paying a trip to Sparky's, the locally owned ice cream place. There are a lot of food traditions in this town, from the aforementioned El Rancho stops to the must-do-before-graduation trip (read: "experience") of heading to Broadway Diner in the late hours of the night, preferably after a football game (if you want an even seedier experience, hit it up after a big loss).

With all this in mind, grabbing food in Columbia might seem a bit overwhelming. While this isn't a comprehensive best of Columbia, we have your convenience in mind. Nothing is further than a walk across campus to downtown. Best of all, most places featured are locally owned and operated and even some are meat-free friendly for the meatless among us. As always, MOVE breaks it down.

Booches

110 S. Ninth St.

A good burger is not hard to come by downtown. But when you're talking burgers in Columbia, chances are you're talking Booches. In 2000, the sit-in restaurant's burgers were named one of the top 10 in the country by USA Today. And although they've earned that title, if you give this place a try, you'll likely need to order more than one. Booches serves their burgers on nothing but a small square of wax paper, and the burgers are about half the size of your standard fare. If you like your burgers with potatoes, heads up: you'll have to settle for chips.

After filling up, Booches is also home to three iconic pool tables. Nevermind the "unattended children will be sold as slaves" sign on the wall, but don't bring your plastic. Booches doesn't accept credit cards.

Which Wich

304 S. Ninth St. #102

There's just nothing that can be said against the almighty sandwich, and Columbians have long rejoiced over the variety of options available within convenient reach (or delivery). From Subway and Jimmy John's to Pickleman's and Which Wich, you can take your pick. Closest to campus is Which Wich, which probably sports the most elaborate sandwich menu in Columbia. SPAM sandwiches, montecristos (ham, turkey, grape jelly and powdered sugar) and standards such as turkey and cheese are a few standouts.

For meat-free diets (MOVE has your back, veg-heads), Which Wich is more accommodating than most, offering five vegetarian options, of which about four can probably be veganized by holding the cheese in the Caprese or the honey in the Elvis Wich. But as always, ask ahead to be sure.

Shakespeare's Pizza

225 S. Ninth St.

Shakespeare's is to Columbia as the tiger is to MU: There's no separating the two. The locally owned and operated pizza place is an icon of Ninth Street for equal parts great pizza and quirk. From tongue-in-cheek ad campaigns to the eclectic atmosphere, you'd be hard pressed to find a Columbia cupboard that isn't home to the prolific take-out cup. Shakespeare's uses fresh ingredients and the result is always piping hot. Wheat crust can also be substituted and it tastes just as great. And if a European vacation for two is more your style than dorm life and you think $21,234 is better spent traveling with a free pair of Shakespeare's T-shirts, hit up their online store. Just putting it out there.

Main Squeeze Natural Foods Cafe & Juice Bar

28 S. Ninth St.

The words vegan and vegetarian might not be synonymous with Missouri, but Columbia's own Main Squeeze is in business to keep those with animal product-free diets from going without. The locally owned restaurant strives to include local, organic produce and is one of the few places in town you might hear Neutral Milk Hotel playing overhead. Popular items include the Buddha Bowl (brown rice, tofu, assorted vegetables and sesame ginger sauce) and you can't go wrong with a hummus sandwich (vegans can hold the cheese on this one). Fresh juice is abundant, too, from apple to wheatgrass.

Honorable mentions:

Noodles & Company

406 S. Ninth St.

Look, you're going to be eating a lot of Easy Mac in college. It's a fact of life. If Summer Welcome is on your parents' dime, eat some semi-fancy mac and cheese while you still can. Noodles offers plenty of pasta, soup and salad, from the old standards like chicken noodle soup to Indonesian peanut sauté.

The Heidelberg

410 S. Ninth St.

Here's a tip. On weekdays from 4 to 7, the Heidelberg hosts happy hour, which means one thing: buy one get one free appetizers. Although bacon and cheddar skins and chicken dominate the appetizer menu, there are a few vegetarian options as well, such as the onion strips and breaded mushrooms.

El Rancho

1014 E. Broadway

El Rancho is the closest stop for Mexican food near campus, and it's a Columbia favorite, particularly after the bars close or when that late night craving for a taco kicks in. Dishes are made to order and the menu includes all the traditional favorites -- enchiladas, tacos, burritos and more. The staff is friendly and accommodating and it's likely the only place in town with a mural on the wall that includes a tiger in a sombrero, in case you were wondering.

Sparky's Homemade Ice Cream

21 S. Ninth St.

Every town has a Baskin-Robbins or a Coldstone, but Columbia loves its Sparky's. Constantly creating new flavors and famous for the bulldog namesake that can be seen at the shop now and then, Sparky's has created a loyal fan base. You won't find flavors like lavender honey or mango in most other ice cream shops. But don't get too attached -- the menu switches up often.