California College of the ArtsCampus Dining Summary

Written by Maria Vaza-Kaczynski

Maria Vaza-Kaczynski

Hometown

Pacifica, Calif.

Major

Animation

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California College of the Arts does not offer a traditional dining hall or any meal plans. This is mainly because many artists have elaborate work schedules, spend many hours in the studio, and have specific times they like to work, so the school found that having set meal times and options wouldn’t work and a lot of students would probably miss meals. However, even though there isn’t a traditional dining hall at CCA, there is a privately run café, called A2 Café, on each campus that serves inexpensive and healthy food like breakfast sandwiches, interesting sandwiches (such as tuna basil and smoked trout with fig chutney), pizzas, and salads. Students can pay in cash or use a credit/debit card for orders of more than $3. The A2 Café on the Oakland campus is conveniently located close to student housing and classes, and is open all day during the school week.

In addition, there are nice grocers around campus and community kitchens in the residence halls, so many students prefer to buy groceries and cook for themselves. There are also plenty of nearby restaurants, and if you need something at 2 in the morning, there’s a 24-hour Safeway near the Oakland campus.