The Marketplace at Neil

The service can be really slow at times but it is definitely the best dining location at OSU and works with the dining plan.
There are many eating options from ranch pizza and quesadillas to Chinese food and Italian food. While it’s not gourmet, it is quite good and works well for a lunch or dinner with friends. Don’t forget about the salad bar and parfait bar. Always an acceptable choice!

This is one of OSU Dinning restaurants, but takes cash/​credit cards and is open to the public. It is nice, and seems clean. They have «stations» inside. They have an Asian station for typical American-​Chinese fare, a Fire Brick station for pizza products, a Panini station for some sandwiches, a smallish salad bar, and a drink station for soft drinks. They also offer some chips, candy, fresh fruit, and premade dishes like potato salad and the like.
I got a Panini sandwich, a salad, a bag of chips, and a drink. The salad was good, but the rest of my experience was not. There were 3 (student?) workers in the sandwich station, all doing next to nothing, talking about social things. I was standing at the counter looking right at them. Finally, one of them said «Can I help you?» I told here I would like to order a sandwich, to which she replied to the procedure… you fill out this little paper outlining what you want, and put your name on it. When they finish it, they wrap it and call your name.
Well, they all looked at my «paper» and had a discussion on who was going to make it, one making the excuse «I made the last order». Finally, one of the girls started to make my sandwich when a friend of hers showed up. They began to chat about social things, as I watched the build of my sandwich grind to a slow. It was really bad. I was staring right at her, and she even looked at me a couple times, but that did not deter her from continuing her conversation, and neglecting her job. This process continued through the whole process. It was painfully obvious, the workers just didnt care, and I can only presume this work ethic and attitude is condoned by management.
After 15 minutes, I finally get my sandwich (which took 4 minutes to cook), I take my order to the check out. $ 12.50! Are you kidding me? I asked for a breakdown, and he said my sandwich was $ 7, salad was $ 3, drink was $ 1.50, and my chips were $ 1. And this was just a regular 2-​slice-​meat sammy too, and not even that good either. And my salad was probably ¾ cup. Way over priced.
So I pay, and he just looks at me. It obvious I need a bag, but he makes me ask, «Can I have a bag please?» and he says they dont have bags. I ask if they are out, and he says no, they never have had them, BUT, will sell me a cloth tote bag for $ 1. Are you kidding me? I would guesstimate 90% of their business is take out, and then try hold you hostage by buying yet another over-​priced item.
Sorry OSU. Bad service for over-​priced food that doesnt even taste good, then trying to spring a tote-​bag on me because you dont have plastic bags is game breaker for me.
Goodbye…forever.

The Marketplace gets my vote for the best dining facility on the Ohio State University. This is a place were you might actually go to eat even if you weren’t attending OSU, if you felt like fighting through the crowds of students.
The Marketplace probably would get a higher rating from me if I were still going to school at OSU, but since I’m not on campus anymore, the location and the student crowd become more of a drawback than an advantage.
The Marketplace offers the best variety for food on campus in one place. There are several different «restaurants» to choose from inside. At the front of the place is StreetSweets, where you can get yummy ice cream, coffee in the morning, tea, pound cake treats, etc. This was especially handy for me to grab a coffee to help me stay awake during my early morning classes. The Marketplace was the best because I lived in the dorms above it, so it was very convenient. I could go out of my room and go down there in my pajamas if I wanted to, without ever having to go outside. So cool. And their coffee was really good. The ice cream was a nice touch too, and that gets really popular during the nice weather with students. They have a pretty good variety, but it is always changing.
Once you make your way to the inside of The Marketplace, you’ll find a little convenience-​store type section where you can buy simple groceries like milk or bread, and there was even the option to get soups and salads that were pretty good.
Then there was The Deli, where you could get wraps and paninis off the grill. There was some wrap that had pineapple in it and I was all about that, but I also enjoyed the Turkey and Avocado wrap. The paninis were pretty tasty as well.
Then there was East/​West. Loved it. Their menu was mostly Asian food, but they also had pastas. I really liked their General Tso’s chicken. It tasted like typical Chinese takeout, but it was great to have that option so close to home, and without having to take chances at other questionable Chinese places around campus. The Asian dishes all came with rice, but I think you also had the option of getting noodles.
Then there was the Stone Hearth. Ahhh, I loved it. They had oven baked pizza, and you can see the pizza being made inside the stone hearth. Their pizzas were really good. I didn’t really have a favorite because they were all so good, but they had plenty of options. The breadsticks were also delicious!
The Marketplace seemed to have a big enough seating area — kind of cafeteria style. In the front towards the coffee stand there are comfy chairs. I didn’t really like the way it was set up. I mean, it works how it is, but it really made it feel like a campus cafeteria when everything else made it seem like a restaurant. I should mention that the different sections all had different hours, so it got a little confusing sometimes.
When you ordered from East/​West, Stone Hearth or The Deli, you got an order slip and marked down what you wanted and put your name on it. Then you hand that in they call you when your food is ready. Then you take your food and slip to the line of cash registers and they ring you up. They accept BuckID, of course, but also cash.
The prices weren’t too bad, but for campus food I thought it was a little pricey, but I guess paying a little extra was worth it for the quality I was getting. And since The Marketplace is pretty new, everything in there looks so nice and it’s just a place you want to be.
One huge downside is when it’s crowded. Don’t even try it. Usually during the week at dinnertime, 5:30−7, it is so packed and you can wait 45 minutes for your food. I always tried to go at random unconventional times, which was easy since I lived right upstairs. I could simply wait until the busy crowd was gone and then head on down. And take my food upstairs if I wanted. I think things were served on trays but you could also get them to go.
I miss The Marketplace. If you’re a student, you probably already frequent it. But if not, maybe give it a try sometime. Parking would definitely be an issue. There are metered spots right out front, but the spaces are almost always taken, and parking on campus is always a risk because their meter maids like to go way too ticket happy. But if you’re taking a stroll down Neil, stop in! You’ll wish you ate like this in college.

But this is a campus dining option, the audience cries. I don’t even have meal plans at Ohio State, they roar. Why would I give a shit about Marketplace?
Well, because, it’s not all that bad. Sure the bulk of my eating there was done on meal plan, when I lived two floors above the place– but I’ve gone back since, cash money and all, to eat. And spending cash on their coffee drinks, pastries and ice cream at the coffee shop at the front of the cafeteria is well worth the price.
In the back of the Marketplace is the real scene. There are three stations where food is prepared to order: East/​West, serving Asian and pasta dishes; the Deli, serving wraps and panninis; and the Stone Hearth, with its foccaccia-​style flatbread pizzas (cooked in a stone oven and all!). There’s also a salad bar, a soup bar, and a small amount of groceries for sale. Yeah, it’s all made to be bought with meal plans but the prices aren’t outrageous– plenty of people pay cash for food here without complaining, including me.
For my money, I go for East/​West, specifically the orange chicken. It’s really hit-​or-​miss but when it’s on, it’s really on. Nearly unrecognizable as what it basically is: cafeteria food.
So even if you don’t have meal plans, don’t be afraid to stop in at the Marketplace if you’re around. It’s definitely the best dining option to hit up on campus if you’re spending moolah.