Best of Hillsdale 2020

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Best of Hillsdale 2020

Below are the results of The Collegian’s annual “Best of Hillsdale” survey. The survey ran for two weeks in the Student Activities Board newsletter and received 108 responses.

Best Pizza: Cottage Inn

When students need a study snack or a dorm-wide feast, pizza is the natural go-to. Cottage Inn is just the place for those looking for a cheesy meal. With the classic, pepperoni-topped pizza, Cottage Inn also offers deep dish pizzas and a variety of toppings. Their specialty pizzas include pulled pork, ranch taco, BLT, and the Cuban. Plus, Cottage Inn’s new location on M-99 adds plenty of attractions to your pizza-based experience.

Nolan Ryan

Best Dinner Date: Olivia’s Chop House

Olivia’s provides couples with a wonderful atmosphere and delicious food that is perfect for any date night. Couples can start their date off with the spicy buffalo cauliflower or the fish tacos. When picking an entree, couples can choose from a wide variety of dishes in different price ranges. If it’s the first date or a special occasion, couples may order the ribeye or blackened salmon. When couples are looking for a more casual entree, they could order the cheeseburger or a salad. Couples should always save room for dessert at Olivia’s. The bananas foster will delight the taste buds, and the colossal chocolate cake is great for double dates. Whether it’s your first date, a birthday, or a special anniversary, Olivia’s is the place to enjoy good company and good food. 

Julia Mullins

Best Ice Cream: Udder Side

When you need to satisfy your sweet tooth with a frozen treat, The Udder Side is the right choice for you. Located less than a 10-minute drive from campus, this Jonesville business has all the classic ice cream flavors you’d want, plus some unique options. You will find plenty of flavors on the menu to pique your interest, such as Dinosaur Egg, Paintball Blast, and Twisted Terrier. The Udder Side also offers a variety of its own creations — like the Cowabunga and the Happy Heifer — for the more adventurous dessert daredevils.

Nolan Ryan

Best Coffee: Rough Draft

Rough Draft is the off-campus hot spot for studying and meeting up with friends. But it’s more than the coffee shop’s hipster vibes which make it a great place — the coffee itself is roasted perfection. From drinks like bourbon vanilla and honey lavender lattes, to their regular drip coffee, Rough Draft has the caffeine options to fuel your day, be it for work or play.

Nolan Ryan

Best Burger: Hunt Club

With a full menu devoted to its specialty burgers and countless “trimmings” to go with them, everyone is bound to find a burger they love at the Hunt Club. Diners can play it safe and build their own, or try something a bit more unique like the “Sunny Side Up Burger” topped with American cheese, bacon, a fried egg, lettuce, tomato, and mayo on Texas toast. 

Calli Townsend

Best Nature Spot: Baw Beese Lake

Baw Beese is Hillsdale’s jewel, mostly because of its man-made accessories. Besides its natural geographic beauty, Sandy Beach is well-kept and has phenomenal volleyball and basketball courts. Take your loved ones here when they come to visit, but don’t expect privacy. This is exactly where you should throw your end-of-finals rager. The beach features the remnants of a charcoal grill, and if you’re dedicated enough, you might even get it to work.

Cal Abbo

Best Bar: Here’s to You Pub & Grub

Whether you’re celebrating acceptance into graduate school, getting over a breakup, going out with the gals for Wednesday night karaoke, or cracking open a cold one with the boys on a Friday, Pub & Grub is Hillsdale’s spot for a fun night out. Like any good hole-in-the-wall dive bar, the dimly-lit bar boasts a delicious menu of burgers and sandwiches, fries, crispy onion rings, gooey mozzarella sticks, and fried mac and cheese bites. It’s a small-town establishment where everybody knows your name — or, if they don’t remember your name, they’ll at least remember your drink order. 

Alex Nester

Best Entertainment: Hillside Lanes

If you aren’t creative enough to make your own fun, go to Hillside Lanes and get a pint. This alley offers unusually cheap lanes so you can bowl your heart out. It’s also a great place to go and relax with some friends after a long day of studying in Mossey. Lane 17, the alley’s own restaurant, makes great greasy bar food for you to chow down on.

Cal Abbo

Best Fast Food: McDonald’s

McDonald’s is always an interesting place, especially in the middle of the night. It’s hard to describe just how good hot fries taste at 11:30 p.m. on Saturday after picking up your drunk friends (none of them under 21, of course). McDonald’s has all the heart-stopping goodies that lower your life expectancy — chicken nuggets, burgers, shakes, McChickens, soda. This fast-food chain (I hesitate to call it a restaurant) tends toward the expensive side, but for good reason: its ice cream machine is never, ever broken.

Cal Abbo