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Carnegie Mellon University
- Campus Dining

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Carnegie Mellon University - Campus Dining - Campus Dining - College ProwlerCollege Prowler3.08

Campus Dining

B-
Where does this grade come from?View all Campus Dining rankingsReview this school to add your opinion

Comparable Schools' Campus Dining Grades:

Quick Stats

Average Meal Plan Cost $4970 per year
Freshman Meal Plan Required? Yes
Student Favorites: Campus Dining Hall
  • The Exchange
  • Resnik House
Student Favorites: Campus Restaurant/Vendor
  • Entropy
  • The Exchange
Student Favorites: Breakfast Food on Campus Breakfast sandwich (The Underground)
Student Favorites: Lunch/Dinner Entrée on Campus
  • Pasta (Pasta Villaggio)
  • Sushi (Sushi Too)
Student Favorites: Late-night Snack on Campus Pizza (Skibo Café)
Student Favorites
  • The Original Hot Dog Shop
  • Si Señor
  • Taste of India

Student Author OverviewWhat's This?

In comparison to most campus dining halls, Carnegie Mellon's dining options are really varied. There is only one dining hall-style eatery that utilizes the system of trays to collect pre-cooked, buffet-style food. This dining hall, Schatz, is really only used by students on weekend mornings when they want their dose of greasy and soothing hangover food. The rest of the vendors and restaurants on campus cook food to order, which almost guarantees a hot meal. Even though the options are varied, students with meal plans usually have to eat on campus three meals a day to make the most out of their expensive meal plan. As such, even the most varied of options becomes monotonous, a downside many students are quick to exclaim. Some vendors also have higher quality food than others, which is why places like The Exchange and Tazza D'Oro are favored over Si Señor and The Underground. 

Another downside to campus dining is the block system. Unlike most schools, where a meal is an all-you-can-eat affair, a block is a set amount of food at most of the restaurants on campus. Also, there are set meal times in which blocks can be used, and more than one block cannot be used for the same meal time. It gets confusing, and many students find it frustrating that they aren't always getting what they pay for, especially because when you do the math, the price of a meal is usually less than the price of a block. Students are usually astounded by the food variety at first, but it gets old quickly. However, overall, it's better quality than the dining hall mush served at most schools, so many students just grin and bear it and eat off campus as much as possible.

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Carnegie Mellon Student ReviewsWhat's This?

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Campus Dining at Carnegie Mellon University

csteph41593

Psychology '15

3.5
B

Decent

I personally don't find the campus food that bad, but I'm also not a picky eater. I know a lot of students who think the food here is really unhealthy and that it doesn't taste that great. There's plenty of lunch options. The food for dinner can get boring though. I personally wouldn't stay on the meal plan for too long since it's super expensive.

May 13, 2012

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Campus Dining at Carnegie Mellon University

sven

International Relations and National Security Studies '15

3.1
B-

Take the Cheapest Plan

Don't bother with the meal blocks, take the plan that offers the lowest amount of blocks possible.

Apr 03, 2012

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Campus Dining at Carnegie Mellon University

CMUTartan

Chemical Engineering '15

2.3
C

Hit or Miss

On the rare occasion that the food being served at any given dining location resembles anything tasting good, it is extremely unhealthy. While this is generally true most of the time, with some searching, students can find healthy alternatives at a few great spots on campus.

Apr 03, 2012

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Page 1 of 16
User rating for Carnegie Mellon University - Campus Dining is 3.5 out of 5 based on 46 user reviews.

Student Survey Poll ResultsWhat's This?

Rate campus dining on the following topics

Facts

24-Hour Dining None—although the Maggie Murph Café in Hunt Library is open 24 hours Monday through Thursday.
Off-Campus Places to Use Flex Money
  • Eat'n Park (Squirrel Hill)
  • Subway (Craig Street)
  • Vocelli Pizza
Special Options On Margaret Morrison Street, right next to the soccer field, there are four or five food trucks open for lunch and dinner. These vendors, fondly called "the trucks," offer Thai, Chinese, Indian, and more at cheap prices.

Dining Halls & Campus RestaurantsWhat's This?

Asiana
Location: Newell-Simon Atrium
Food: Chinese
Hours: Monday–Saturday 10:30 a.m.–7:30 p.m.

Carnegie Mellon Café
Location: Resnik House
Food: Hot breakfast, fried foods, sundaes and milkshakes
Hours: Monday–Friday 7:30 a.m.–12 a.m., Saturday–Sunday 10 a.m.– 12 a.m.

City Grill
Location: University Center
Food: Burgers, fries
Hours: Monday–Friday 11 a.m.–4 p.m.

Downtown Deli
Location: University Center
Food: Panini, sandwiches, wraps
Hours: Monday–Thursday 11 a.m.–8 p.m., Friday 11 a.m.–4 p.m.

Entropy
Location: University Center
Food: Campus convenience store
Hours: Monday–Thursday 7:30 a.m.–2 a.m., Friday 7:30 a.m.–12 a.m., Saturday 10 a.m.–12 a.m., Sunday 10 a.m.–2 a.m.

Evgefstos
Location: University Center
Food: Vegan, vegetarian
Hours: Monday–Friday 11 a.m.–4 p.m.

The Exchange
Location: Tepper School
Food: Sandwiches, hot soups, and entrées
Hours: Monday–Thursday 8 a.m.–7 p.m., Friday 8 a.m.–5 p.m.

Ginger’s Express
Location: Baker Hall and Purnell Center
Food: Coffee, sandwiches, salads, and soups
Hours: Monday–Friday 8 a.m.–3 p.m.

Heinz Café
Location: Hamburg Hall
Food: Grab-'n-go
Hours: Monday–Thursday 8:30 a.m.–5:30 p.m., Friday 8:30 a.m.–2 p.m.

Kosher Korner
Location: University Center
Food: Kosher meals, salad bar
Hours: Monday–Friday 11 a.m.–4 p.m.

La Prima Espresso
Location: Wean Hall
Food: Espresso, cappuccino, Italian pastries
Hours: Monday–Thursday 8 a.m.–6 p.m., Friday 8 a.m.–4 p.m.

The Maggie Murph Café
Location: Hunt Library
Food: Starbucks coffee, pastries
Hours: Sunday 12 p.m.–Friday 9 p.m. (24 hours), Saturday 10 a.m.–5 p.m.

Mitchell's Mainstreet Marketplace
Location: Newell-Simon Atrium
Food: Soup, hot entrée and salad bar
Hours: Monday–Friday 8 a.m.–3 p.m.

Pasta Villaggio
Location: University Center
Food: Made-to-order pasta bowls
Hours: Monday–Friday 11 a.m.–4 p.m.

Quick Piks
Location: University Center
Food: Grab-'n-go
Hours: Monday–Friday 11 a.m.–4 p.m.

Schatz Dining Hall
Location: University Center
Food: Buffet-style breakfast, daily specials, grill, salad bar
Hours: Monday–Thursday 7:30 a.m.–8 p.m., Friday 7:30 a.m.–2 p.m., Saturday–Sunday 10:30 a.m.–2:30 p.m.

SEIber Café
Location: Software Engineering Institute
Food: Sandwiches, hot entrées, coffee and pastries
Hours: Monday–Friday 7:30 a.m.–4 p.m.

Si Señor
Location: University Center
Food: Southwest/Mexican
Hours: Daily 10:30 a.m.–1 a.m.

Skibo Café
Location: University Center
Food: Coffee, sandwiches, salads, and soups
Hours: Daily 9 a.m.–2 a.m.

Souper Soup
Location: Resnik House
Food: Soup and full salad bar
Hours: Monday–Friday 11 a.m.–9 p.m., Saturday–Sunday 5 p.m.–9 p.m.

Spice it Up Grill
Location: Resnik House
Food: Burgers, steaks and fries
Hours: Monday–Friday 11 a.m.–9 p.m., Saturday–Sunday 5 p.m.–9 p.m.

Spinning Salads
Location: University Center
Food: Fresh salad bar
Hours: Monday–Thursday 11 a.m.–8 p.m., Friday 11 a.m.–4 p.m.

Stephanie's
Location: Mellon Institute
Food: Grab-'n-go
Hours: Monday–Friday 8 a.m.–2 p.m.

Sushi Too
Location: Resnik House
Food: Sushi
Hours: Monday–Friday 11 a.m.–9 p.m., Saturday–Sunday 5 p.m.–9 p.m.

Take Comfort
Location: Resnik House
Food: Hot entrées
Hours: Monday–Friday 11 a.m.–9 p.m., Saturday–Sunday 5 p.m.–9 p.m.

Take Comfort Too
Location: University Center
Food: Hot entrées
Hours: Monday–Friday 11 a.m.–4 p.m.

Tartans Pavillion
Location: Resnik House
Food: Pasta, pizza
Hours: Monday–Friday 11 a.m.–11 p.m., Saturday–Sunday 4 p.m.–11 p.m.

Taste of India
Location: Resnik House
Food: Indian
Hours: Monday–Friday 11 a.m.–9 p.m., Saturday–Sunday 5 p.m.–9 p.m.

Tazza D'Oro
Location: Gates Hillman Center
Food: Coffee, paninis, pastries
Hours: Monday–Friday 7 a.m.–7 p.m.

Totally Juiced
Location: University Center
Food: Fruit and juice bar
Hours: Monday–Thursday 11 a.m.–8 p.m., Friday 11 a.m.–4 p.m.

The Underground
Location: Morewood E-Tower
Food: Hamburgers, sandwiches, salads
Hours: Monday–Friday 8:30 a.m.–11 p.m., Saturday–Sunday 10:30 a.m.–11 p.m.

The Zebra Lounge
Location: College of Fine Arts
Food: Baked goods, coffee, sandwiches
Hours: Monday–Friday 8 a.m.–5 p.m.

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Most Recent Student Author View all

Name
Raina Bradford-Jennings
Hometown
Brookfield, CT
Major
Professional Writing
Grad Year
2014

College Prowler is seeking talented student authors to assist with writing and updating the College Prowler guides to their schools. This is a great opportunity for a student to gain experience and tremendous exposure, utilize new media techniques, and share advice with high school students about what life is really like at your college.

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We update this information twice annually, most recently in May 2012, but it may not be the most recent information available for a particular school.
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