There’s little that’s pleasant about a hospital stay. It can be stressful, and the sight of needles, shared rooms, and backside-baring gowns can leave patients feeling like they’d rather be anywhere but there. To make matters worse, hospitals often serve bland, uninspiring food that tastes like cardboard. But there’s hope: A growing number of medical centers are bringing in trained chefs, creating low-fat recipes, and substituting herbs for salt to counter the over-reliance on processed foods. Others are revamping their kitchens to give patients room service-style meals any time of day or night, and turning cafeterias into bistro-style operations for employees. And some are even starting to grow their own produce and meats, reducing the carbon footprint and delivering fresher, better-tasting food to their patients.

While it’s true that hospital food has a bad reputation, the truth is that it can be quite tasty. A recent post on the r/hospitalfood subreddit shows photos of some pretty impressive meals from hospitals all over the world, including paediatric units and private wards. But in many public hospitals, the food is abysmal, with vegetables limp and reheated, and the main course often sparse. The dreary menus don’t reflect the restrictive war-time rationing that is so often suggested, but rather third rate cooks, lacklustre meal planning and financial restrictions.

For people who have to spend extended periods of time in a hospital, eating right is an important part of their recovery, but it can be difficult with meals that come on plastic trays and are reheated several times. Some patients will bring their own food from home to eat while they’re in the hospital, but most can only afford modest sandwiches and snacks from the cafeteria.

One hospital, however, is taking this issue seriously, and allowing patients to bring their own meals into the hospital in special coolers. They’re also serving a “Point Restaurant” where guests and patients can order dishes like sesame seared tuna, orange chicken with coconut shrimp, or mahimahi with shallot ginger glaze. The Point Restaurant has even earned a spot on the New York City’s list of best restaurant for dinner.

A more affluent medical center has a different approach. Through what’s known as an amenities unit, wealthy hospital guests can pay a fee to upgrade their room to a penthouse suite with butler services, high-thread count sheets, and a view of the city—and a more luxurious menu. Matzo ball soup, green tea cake, baklava, and dates may not sound like typical hospital fare, but they are among the dishes served at the Huntsman Cancer Institute in Salt Lake City. And at Kaiser Permanente’s 21 Northern California hospitals, patients have been treated to a more festive menu for Passover, Chinese New Year, and the end of Ramadan. They’ll soon be able to enjoy meals for Pride Month, Diwali and Hannukah, too.