Macalester College - Campus Dining

Quick Stats

College Prowler Take

Mac students share a certain unspoken guilt when it comes to complaining about the food options on campus. Yes, cafeteria food does get old after eating it day-in and day-out for a minimum of two years. In comparison to most other college cafeterias, however, Café Mac has a much greater and healthier array of choices. As far as the food at Café Mac goes, students often joke that it’s very “Macalester.” The food provider, Bon Appétit, categorizes the cafeteria cuisine as “international,” and maintains that the four food stations be regarded as different hemispheres of the world, according to the type of food served there. The Northern Hemisphere functions as the smorgasbord station, the Western Hemisphere serves more traditional American food from the short order grill, the Eastern Hemisphere has noodles and wraps influenced by Pacific Rim recipes (along with Spanish, Italian, Greek, and Middle Eastern features), and the Southern Hemisphere offers chilies and tortillas from the recipes of Latin America, Mexico, Brazil, Venezuela, and the Caribbean Islands, along with curry and sambals from African and Indian menus.

There are also several clearly-labeled vegetarian and vegan options every day. Many students had never even heard of a vegan brownie before coming to Macalester. Students who think that tofu is a type of foot fungus need not fear. For the more traditional eater, there is the daily option of a salad bar, deli meats and cheeses, burgers, chicken breasts, pasta, and several other entrées. After your first semester at Macalester, you can also exchange some of your 19 meals at Café Mac for “flex dollars” which can be used at the Café Mac Grillé to get food on the go. Considering that getting up early enough to eat breakfast isn’t too popular on campus, most students tend to switch to the 14 or 12 meal plan by the time they’re sophomores.

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Students Speak Out

Anonymous says:

Regrettably, the only dining... Regrettably, the only dining option on campus is Café Mac. Although the food is some of the best cafeteria food on college campuses nationwide, one can easily tire of the options when forced to eat there for the first two years at Mac. After all, it is required, along with mandatory on-campus living. 12345 Campus Dining Report

Anonymous says:

If there’s pot roast in the... If there’s pot roast in the cafeteria, eat it. It’s good! 12345 Campus Dining Report

Anonymous says:

Café Mac (the one and only... Café Mac (the one and only cafeteria) is really good, at least for the first year. I really shouldn’t complain, though. The food at Mac is better than the food at any other college I visited. It’s kind of expensive, though, and if you want extra money to spend at the Grillé (snack bar-type place), you end up getting ripped off. Sometimes I think Macalester assumes that because we go to a private institution, we’re all rolling in dough. Many of my friends and I couldn’t afford this place without a generous financial aid package. 12345 Campus Dining Report

Anonymous says:

Although there is only one main... Although there is only one main food option on campus, Café Mac is generally a great place to eat. I may fall into habits of eating burgers and fries sometimes, but there are several options for food, and all of them are well prepared by chefs who appear enthusiastic and friendly. 12345 Campus Dining Report

Anonymous says:

On-campus food is very good, but... On-campus food is very good, but it has one huge drawback. Everything closes down on campus before I get the munchies. This means you can’t just go to the cafeteria and get some Cheetos whenever you want. 12345 Campus Dining Report

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