At the many ethnic food trucks frequented by students, professors, and workers in University City for 20 years, summer means shorter lines and quick service for the cheap and tasty fare that normally requires a wait of 20 minutes or more.

While some Penn campus food trucks farther from the hospital work fewer hours or even close during the summer, there are still plenty scattered around serving menus ranging from vegetarian to Vietnamese.

At the popular Chinese truck Yue Kee, at 38th and Walnut, the summer scene is relatively quiet, unlike the noisy and chaotic crowds of students usually waiting for a cheap lunch before Poli Sci class.

I wait a mere five minutes for my Beijing noodles, which come topped with a peppery, delicate blend of ground meat and tofu. These noodles, only $2.25 for a generous portion, make a satisfying summer lunch, a perfect meal enjoyed on one of the many benches on Penn's shady campus.

One of the friendly owners at nearby Koja, Sujung Lee, tells me that "spring or summer vacation goes slowly, and the economy is slow."

I do sympathize, but I also appreciate how quickly I receive my favorite summer bargain: Koja's addictive tofu stir-fry, quick-cooked with crunchy cabbage and a light, spicy sesame-flecked sauce. The udon, simmered in a homemade dashi broth and topped with thin, pillowy strips of fried tofu, is rich and satisfying, if not entirely seasonal. To cool off from the heat of the sun and the kimchi, I order the single most refreshing drink you can buy for a buck - Koja's sweet and tangy, handmade honey lemonade.

If you walk a couple of yards to the Middle Eastern Hanan House of Pita, you will be met by the serene hum of the electrical generator and the soft glow of candles from inside the truck. Well-spiced, tangy zucchini patties and golden falafel, drizzled with rich tahini, were accompanied by fragrant yellow rice and a tabbouleh heavy on the parsley, and the chef cut slices from a yellow bell pepper and tore lettuce to top my vegetarian platter (a much-appreciated touch different from typical truck garnish).

For meat eaters like myself, the kofta pita was pita paradise, packed with spicy, crumbly, lean ground beef topped with feta, crunchy onions, and shredded lettuce.

With all the trucks in the West Philly area, the options can be overwhelming - especially if you have 30 minutes for lunch and are determined to find the best burrito.

A couple of Penn students decided to put an end to truck anxiety, launching www.pennfoodtrucks.com in March. The site, featuring a map of the area marked with each truck, has become a forum for tasters to rate and review their experiences with the mobile dining offerings, while also listing hours and telephone numbers.

"The original idea comes from our collective love for cheap and easy food," says Mike Yuan, one of the four founders of the site. "Think of us as the Zagat guide for food trucks."

Filling the needs of West Philly's hungry herbivores is the Magic Carpet, at 36th and Spruce, offering hearty, flavorful salads and pitas with mock meat products prepared inventively and served efficiently. The tofu meatball pita, filled with cheese, lettuce, and a sweet tomato sauce, is just as savory - and messy - as its meaty counterpart.

The tempeh salad, its nutty flavor and bite enlivened with shredded carrots, sweet pickles and green onion, makes for an utterly addictive diplike pita filler.

The Magic Carpet offers standard Middle Eastern fare - rice-filled vine leaves, baba ghanoush and hummus - but the true magic is in the mock meat. Go for the wraps and pitas filled with baked tofu, seitan and veggies, or the daily specials - if you're lucky, it'll be jambalaya day.

Venture away from Penn to other Philly campuses and you'll find more top-notch cuisine at college student prices. The crepes at La Dominique, at 33d and Market in the midst of Drexel's sprawling campus, are worthy of a short hike. Artist and owner Zbigniew Chojnacki serves elegant, crispy crepes of the breakfast, lunch and dessert variety, all for about $5.

If it's curried goat you crave, your best bet is Dave Dawes' Jamaican D's, parked on 17th Street alongside Philadelphia Community College. My fave is a platter piled high with tender jerk chicken, slow-cooked, savory stewed beef, and gravy-topped rice and beans.

Are the portions generous? Let me put it this way: I'm still feasting on the leftovers in my fridge.