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Campus Dining:

B

(explain this grade)

Comparable Schools'
Campus Dining Grades:

Quick Stats

Freshman Meal Plan Requirement

Yes - All campus residents are required to purchase a meal plan.

Off-Campus Places to Use Meal Plan

  • None

Average Meal Plan Cost

$2,828 per year

Student Favorites

  • Hawthorn Market & Café

24 hour Dining

  • None

Other Options

  • Use Dining Dollars at C-Stores to buy frozen food, sodas, chips, and more. Dining systems are not open 24 hours, so C-Stores help you snack to your next meal.

College Prowler Take

While it is nowhere near gourmet quality, Iowa State offers pretty decent food choices. Whether or not you like cafeteria food, Iowa State has a place to eat when the need arises. While most students find the cafeteria to be at least edible, there are a few who absolutely love it. But, one thing is indisputable: choice. Different foods are served at each dining hall, and the menus are always changing. Variety keeps food from being totally unbearable for those who miss mom’s cooking.

Students need to find their niche in dining. If hot meals really don’t appeal to you, make sure you eat when the deli sandwich line is available. The salad bar is always available during dining hours and offers various vegetables, yogurt, cottage cheese, and a form of Jell-O or other fruit salad. Soft-serve ice cream is also available in most dining halls. Sack meals are available for students who have class during dining hours or would just prefer to eat in another location. Dining plans and meal times are becoming more flexible, attempting to accommodate more students. The Hawthorne Market & Café offers food that is not mass-produced, and most people find that the food is quite good and reasonably priced. It also offers Starbucks coffee, soft-serve ice cream, and daily specials.

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Students Speak Out

Love your school more than free food? Hate your school more than term papers?
Somewhere in between? Show the world what YOU think of YOUR school:

ISUAB says:

Iowa State University 2013

Communication and Journalism

The food is not bad if you like...

The food is not bad if you like having the same meal on certain days of the week. The UDCC is probably the best place to eat along with the MU. The dining halls are about the same throughout campus, I think.

Campus Dining: April 13, 2009
Report

ISURD says:

Iowa State University 2015

Agriculture and Related Science

The food is great—for like a...

The food is great—for like a month. You tend to get sick of it really fast. The UDCC has a wide selection, but there are still some days that I can't find anything that I want—and I am not a picky eater.

Campus Dining: March 31, 2009
Report

ISUTM says:

Iowa State University 2014

Other

The food is pretty good. The good...

The food is pretty good. The good spots are Clyde's and the Hub.

Campus Dining: March 12, 2009
Report

Anonymous says:

The only bad food on campus is in...

The only bad food on campus is in the cafeterias. Everywhere else is good. I especially enjoy the food at the union and the Hawthorn Market & Café.

Campus Dining
Report

Anonymous says:

I enjoy food on campus. Go Maple...

I enjoy food on campus. Go Maple and Willow-Larch! Being away from mom’s cooking was made easier by the cooks at Maple. Frederiksen Court also has a café that makes almost anything you could ever want, which is nice. Prices for the café items are reasonable.

Campus Dining
Report

Dining Halls

Business Café
Bagels, baked goods, salads, sandwiches, salads
Gerdin Business Building
Monday–Friday 7:30 a.m.–3 p.m.

Clyde’s Sports Club
Cheeseburgers, chicken strips, salads
UDA Community Center
Monday 4 p.m.–9 p.m., Tuesday–Thursday 11 a.m.–8:30 p.m., Friday 11 a.m.–2:30 p.m., Sunday 4 p.m.–9 p.m.

Courtyard Café
Deli sandwiches, paninis, salads, soups
Lagomarcino Hall
Monday–Thursday 7:30 a.m.–6 p.m., Friday 7:30 a.m.–3 p.m.

Deli Case
Sandwiches, soups
Memorial Union
Monday–Thursday 7 a.m.–7 p.m., Friday 7 a.m.–4 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m.–2 p.m.

Design Café
Salads, sandwiches
College of Design
Monday–Thursday 7:30 a.m.–6:30 p.m., Friday 7:30 a.m.–3 p.m.

Fresh Burritos
Mexican
Memorial Union
Monday–Thursday 10:30 a.m.–7 p.m., Friday 10:30 a.m.–3 p.m.

Gentle Doctor Café
Salad, sandwiches, soups
College of Veterinary Medicine
Monday–Friday 7:30 a.m.–3 p.m.

Greek Odyssey Café
Greek, gyros
Memorial Union
Monday–Friday 10:30 a.m.–2 p.m.

Hawthorn Market & Café
Deli, hot meals, ice cream, pizza, smoothies
Frederiksen Court Community Center
Monday–Thursday 7 a.m.–11 p.m., Friday 7 a.m.–7 p.m., Saturday 11 a.m.–7 p.m., Sunday 11 a.m.–11 p.m.

Hearthstone
Healthy, veggies
Memorial Union
Monday–Friday 7 a.m.–2 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m.–2 p.m.

Hub Caf
Sandwiches, snacks
The Hub
Monday–Friday 11 a.m.–2 p.m.

Maple-Willow-Larch
Cafeteria-style
Maple-Willow-Larch Commons
Monday–Friday 6:45 a.m.–6:45 p.m., Saturday 7:30 a.m.–6:45 p.m.

Oak-Elm Dining Center
Cafeteria-style
Below McGlade House in Elm Hall
Monday–Friday 6:45 a.m.–6:45 p.m.

Onion’s
Snacks
Memorial Union
Monday–Thursday 8 a.m.–10 p.m., Friday 8 a.m.–6 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m.–5 p.m., Sunday 10 a.m.–10 p.m.

Panda Express
Chinese
Memorial Union
Monday–Thursday 10 a.m.–7 p.m., Friday 10 a.m.–3 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m.–2 p.m.

Subway
Subs
Memorial Union
Monday–Thursday 10 a.m.–8 p.m., Friday 10 a.m.–6 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m.–5 p.m.

Sunset Strips
Chicken
Memorial Union
Monday–Thursday 10:30 a.m.–7 p.m., Friday 10:30 a.m.–4 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m.–2 p.m.

Tomassito’s
Italian
Memorial Union
Monday–Friday 10:30 a.m.–2 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m.–2 p.m.

Union Drive Marketplace
Hot meals, international cuisine, salad bar
UDA Community Center
Monday–Friday 6:45 a.m.–7 p.m., Saturday 7:30 a.m.–7 p.m., Sunday 7:30 a.m.–2 p.m.

West Side Market
Boxed lunches, snacks
Union Drive Community Center
Monday–Thursday 7:30 a.m.–11 p.m., Friday 7:30 a.m.–8 p.m., Saturday 11 a.m.–8 p.m., Sunday 11 a.m.–11 p.m.

Did You Know?

Iowa State holds the world record for making the world’s largest Kellogg’s Rice Krispies Treat. The 2,480-pound Treat, made by students, faculty, staff and volunteers during Iowa State’s April 2001 Veishea celebration, broke the previous record of 2,260 pounds set by Michigan State University.

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