Top Five: Snacks at Carleton

“Last night, made a list of my top five
Top five favorite things of all time
[Snack box, spring roll, popcorn, sushi]
And number one, [matcha from Anderson]”

–“TOP 5” by ZERBOBASEONE (2026)

Welcome to my guide to snacking on campus! To set the stage for my ultimate snacking guide, I’ve borrowed this intro from ZEROBASEONE’s track “TOP 5.” Whether you’re looking for a quick lunch, snack, or otherwise, here is what you need to try:

1. Matcha Latte: Cold, Unsweetened, Oat Milk ($4.95) 

Taking the number one spot is the iced matcha from Anderson Cafe, specifically when Phoebe makes it. My go-to order is the cold, unsweetened, oat milk latte. Just look at the matcha—is it not the most beautiful thing you’ve ever seen? Top tip: milk substitutions here are free, so you can opt for oat milk or something else if dairy milk isn’t your thing—hooray for the lactose-intolerant crowd (me)!

2. Salmon Avocado Sushi Roll ($7.85) 

Yes, we have campus sushi, and honestly, it’s pretty good! I get this 1–2 times a week from Anderson Cafe (though Sayles has it too)—and it’s almost always out by the late afternoon. I will say that the sushi does vary in quality, so make sure to check in on your sushi before buying it (sometimes the salmon looks really yummy, and sometimes… I’ll skip on the sushi). Personal tip: Let the sushi sit in room-temp for a while before eating (otherwise, the rice can be slightly too hard).

3. Kettle Corn Popcorn ($2.25) 

I am so, so obsessed with sweet and salty kettle corn popcorn. At Sayles Cafe, I always ask for “the purple popcorn,” since apparently purple equals kettle corn flavor in the popcorn world. I like how they always have sweet and salty popcorn, but they switch up the brand every term. This past year they had the Kardashian protein brand (see above), Boom Chicka Pop (my one and only), and Skinny Pop (woah… what??). Who knew so many brands had kettle corn popcorn?

4. Chicken Spring Roll ($8.50) 

Unfortunately, I don’t have a photo of this, so you’ll just have to put on your best imagining cap. These spring rolls are made of chicken, avocado, carrots, greens, and rice paper. Each box comes with 3 spring rolls and a sauce packet, although I never use the sauce. Just hearing the ingredients makes me feel happy (yay to avocados and no green onions!). These spring rolls aren’t just super fresh, they’re super yummy and light… whilst being filling too—a great option for a quick lunch, snack, or otherwise!

5. Turkey Cheddar Snack Box ($4.30) 

This super cute snack box comes with turkey, cheddar, grapes (red or green), and crackers! It’s super delicious (if you like these four ingredients) and filling too. Whenever I buy these, I feel like I could go on a picnic, and just that thought makes me cheery (heh). It’s small, cute, and the absolute perfect snack for sitting in class or outside.

Honorable Mentions: If these top five didn’t catch your eye, I’ll shout out a few more: yogurt pretzels, drumstick ice cream, berry tarts, overnight oats, and the giant spinach feta danish. I also recommend the chocolate Awake bars—they’re only $1.00 and (apparently) have half a cup of Joe’s worth of caffeine! Also, did I mention that these don’t come with tax? The prices you’re seeing are the prices you’re paying with Dining Dollars.

Alice (she/her/hers) is a rising junior from the Bay Area majoring in Cognitive Science and Psychology. During the summer, she works as a Student Researcher for the Decision-Making Lab and as a Fellow for Admissions. During the school year, she is a Resident Assistant and a former Student Baker for the Bakery. In her free time, she is engaged in Aikido, Karl-Pop and KRUSH Dance Crew (our K-pop clubs), Fellowship in Christ, and In Other Words, our multilingual literary magazine. Things she considers yummy include: strawberries, matcha (ft. Little Joy), picnics, memoirs, poetry (ft. Time is a Mother), violet (the color), naps, heart-to-hearts, tiny outings, random interactions, and Pikmin walks.