Blue Express

A very convenient location for those working in LSRC or along Research Drive. The classical music they play in the morning is a nice touch.
Blue Express offers different entrees for lunch each day, as well as regular items including pizza and sandwiches. The breakfast menu includes scrambled eggs, sausage, bacon, and breakfast croissants. All of the food is made fresh and the desserts are delicious. My favorites are the baklava and the oreo pudding.
A great venue for those who work nearby; I’d eat here quite often if I had classes near here. Definitely earns four out of five stars.

The food here is bland, non nutritional, and expensive. Sandwiches are unimaginative and the only thing made fresh. Everything else uses a lot of heat lamps. Second star because my friend says its halal, (I’m vegetarian)

Blue Express is located at one of the far corners of campus, next to huge collection of laboratories and classrooms in the Levine Science Research Center, with a food selection that is ultimately just touching the above average line. The layout is cafeteria style; after you tell the servers what you want, you pay at the cash register at the end.
The typical offerings include handmade and toasted sandwiches which are usually good, pizza, a selection of hot dishes such as fish, pasta, barbecue, or chicken cordon bleu, though here all the options lean towards the unhealthy side. Refrigerating cases also offer cold sandwiches, some limited salad options, beverages, and desserts.
Since students typically eat here and depending on when the next section of class gets out, the wait time can be about 5 to 15 minutes. Thankfully there are plenty of seating options, though the booths against the windows offer the best cushioned seats and are consequently hard to snag.
A note: recently the construction has spread to this corner of campus as well, so one of the main entrances of both LSRC and Blue Express have been cordoned off. Now after you go down the stairs, you have to enter from the far left side.

I had to write a review. After going here for over a year almost every other day, I was really disappointed to find out today that they raised their prices, especially since they were already higher than normal. I think they have this idea because it is Duke and rich students go here, that it is a decent price. 7 dollars with tax for a sandwich of just meat lettuce and bread is highway robbery. Other sandwiches in the area of the same quality are all around 5 dollars.
I usually get the Caesar which is essentially chicken chunks in Caesar dressing which is pretty tasty. I am not sure why it is priced so high though. The dressing comes from a large jar. There is always a variety here but I am disappointing in the pizza as well. Whilst I understand they try to have great toppings and assortments, the pizza crust is dry and thick.
They have also buffalo chicken tacos which are cold fried chicken pieces in a tortilla which is pretty tasty but cost close to 5 bucks.
I won’t be going back anytime soon. As I work on campus I will probably look around to other restaurants. The food quality isn’t bad, but the price per quality and what you get is extremely high. I am not sure why they raised their prices but that is why I gave it two stars. They are over charging.
The service is also really great and friendly, but the pricing in my opinion is astronomical for the quality and portion size.
I really didn’t want to write a bad review but I was really upset about the pricing.

Excellent service and one of the best eateries on campus for Duke students. It is very popular with students, especially the science and engineering ones who work nearby. However, if you are a visitor to the campus I still highly recommend that you take the extra few minutes walk to Blue Express, rather than going with the typical Loop or fast food in the Bryan Center.
Every day they have a special for $ 6.25; my favorite is the chicken shawarma, which barely resembles the authentic kind but is still crazy delicious. Their food is all freshly prepared and they change up the menu everyday with at least one vegetarian or seafood special, with some days offering slightly disappointing fare. However, this remains my favorite place to eat lunch after classes!

I eat here a few days a week, not only because it’s convenient to my office on campus, but the cuban and the shwarma specials are to die for. I have joked before that the special sandwiches are the only reason I come into work some days… still though, breakfast is great, and having real food like barbeque and mashed potatoes on the quick really fill up a tummy for not too much.

Blue express is far and away my favorite place to eat on campus. I eat here every single day, it helps that am a science student and always down there. The food is great and service is maximally efficient, as it should be for lots of scientists, researchers and engineers.
There are tons of options mainly sandwiches, pizza, and entrees. There are a bunch of sandwiches to choose from in addition to the daily sandwich specials. There are typically 2 types of pizza: one meat and one veggie. These change daily but on no regular schedule that I’ve noticed. There are 4 entrees, always a veggie option, and lots of side salads to choose from. The value is great: large portions for prices less than anywhere else on campus.
Wednesday is my favorite day. The chicken cordon bleu and mashed potatoes with a side Caesar is delicious and I get it every Wednesday without hesitation. I haven’t missed a Wednesday in months.
Other favorites of mine include the veggie quesadillas with rice and beans, the spinach lasagna, the sausage peppers and roasted potatoes, and the gyro sandwich on Thursday’s.
The staff is super friendly and I love Blue! I eat here every day and encourage everyone to try it. It’s kind of a secret among the student body outside us science kids, but it’s definitely worth the trip down here.

My engineer friends swear by this place. On the other hand, I don’t think it’s that impressive. I’ve been here like 3 – 4 times and had their pork loin with baked potatoes, the lasagna and their chicken shwarma.
The pork was remarkably bland. The potatoes were tasty, but really it’s kind of hard to mess up baked potatoes, especially if you eat them with ketchup.
Their chicken shwarma. well… it’s not authentic, granted. It’s dripping with mayonnaise-​sauce. It’s edible I guess. I just don’t think it’s worth the calories or even really all that tasty.
I did like their lasagna, I have to say.
You do get generous portions so I can see how this place would be popular. Blue Express, though, is nowhere near any of my classes so I really have no reason to venture out here. Sorry Pratt friends, I’m sticking to lunch at the Refectorys.

Having been a Duke engineering student for over 6 years, I have come to know the Blue Express very well. In short, the Blue Express serves a well-​balanced meal with good flavor and relatively low prices. It is definitely one of my favorite places on Duke’s campus.
The sandwich section has specials everyday, and the workers are pretty fast at making and toasting the sandwich. The entrée section always has 4 different options: two different meats, one fish, and one vegetarian — a pretty good selection for a simple on-​campus eatery. There are also 3 different salads everyday, one of which is always lettuce. They also have a selection of deserts and drinks.
My favorite sandwich is the gyro special on Thursdays. My favorite entrees are anything with baked chicken (Mandarin orange chicken is typically on Fridays but check the menu; I think they post it online now.) The servers are very friendly and generous with the portions.
I would give 3.5 starts but 3 will have to do. Overall it’s a great place for lunch. It has a simple menu, but with a good variety for all tastes; the staff is friendly; the service is prompt even with long lines during the lunch rush (which is typically right around 1 pm); and the flavors are pretty good. Engineering/​Compsci students already know about this place, but I definitely recommend this to employees or other students at Duke. The only problem for people not at Duke is that parking is impossible. I don’t think it’s worth it to pay for parking just to visit this restaurant, but if you’re already on campus then you should definitely stop by for lunch. They close at 2:30 pm on Fridays and 3 pm on other weekdays.

I absolutely adore Blue Express. In terms of value and deliciousness, Blue Express beats all else. I don’t even know where to start, so I’m going to have to divide it up in chunks. Pick which ones matter to you most and read. (:
FOOD
— Entrées and pizzas switch up every day and come back weekly. Yay for choices! There are 2 – 3 kinds of pizzas per day, but you only see 2 at a time. The pizza is so original and awesome. Some featured pizzas: Mexican-​style (beans, chicken, peppers, etc), barbecue chicken, alfredo chicken … mmm
— Wednesday is a fabulous day to go — there’s the chicken cordon bleu entrée and the alfredo chicken pizza.
— I get extremely excited when I can get the alfredo chicken pizza — it’s smotheringly yummy, and very filling. $ 3.25 for a GIANT slice. This makes Blue Express quite reasonably priced even when you don’t have food points!
— You’re not required to get a salad when you get an entrée. It’s just an automatic option because of the line, but you can opt not to have it and pay less. (Well, you pay more if you get the salad, actually).
DECOR
— I love that it’s circular and incredibly tall has these HUGE windows that you can people-​watch out of. They let in a lot of light and it’s just a wonderful place to be.
— It’s very clean and wonderful.
— Outlets are spaced pretty evenly along the cushioned seats. (:
— A lot of round tables available!
PEOPLE
— I usually don’t have a description for people, but Blue Express gets points for that, too.
— Most of the people here are engineers or pre-​meds, aka cool people. Jk. But it’s nice if your friends are engineers, or if you just want to people-​watch. They come back … all the time.
— The people who serve are so nice!
Also, Blue Express can be a bit daunting if you come in for lunch hour (there’s no dinner hour, actually). It’s going to be full of students, but be patient! There are actually different lines for each section (pizza, sandwiches, and entrées), so just look for your respective line. The pizza line’s usually really short or non-​existent. Once you’re done, you can go straight to the cashier.
I’ll miss the Blue Express a lot when I leave. :(