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Macalester College
- Campus Dining

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Macalester College - Campus Dining - College ProwlerCollege Prowler4.62

Campus Dining

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

Comparable Schools' Campus Dining Grades:

Quick Stats

Meal Plan Available? Yes
Average Meals/Week 19
Average Meal Plan Cost $4224 per year
Freshman Meal Plan Required? Yes
All freshmen must have the 19-meals-per-week plan.
Student Favorites: Campus Restaurant/Vendor Café Mac Grille
Student Favorites: Breakfast Food on Campus
  • Chocolate croissant
  • Eggs made-to-order
  • French toast
  • Hash browns
  • Omelets
  • Pastries
  • Sausage/bacon
Student Favorites: Lunch/Dinner Entrée on Campus
  • "Breakfast for Dinner"
  • Burritos
  • Caesar salad
  • Mashed potatoes
  • Pierogies
  • Tater tot hot dish
  • Veggie wrap
Student Favorites: Late-night Snack on Campus
  • Appetizer sampler
  • Avocado sandwich
  • Chicken burrito with guacamole
  • Chicken tender melt
  • Mozzarella sticks
  • Smoothies

Student Author OverviewWhat's This?

Compared to countless other college campus dining options, Macalester offers its students a Grade-A cafeteria. Café Mac offers a huge variety of options for students (and often professors). Students can take a trip around the world during one meal, with different food stations that include a diverse selection of international cuisine. The North Side of Café Mac offers deli items including cold cuts, chicken and tuna salad, hummus, soups, and a well-stocked salad bar. The East Side of the cafeteria offers Italian and Asian cuisines. Chefs constantly bake pizzas in the wood oven, and there are always pasta options available, too. Rice is a staple in the Asian line accompanied by stir-fry, and on occasion, the ever-popular cream cheese wontons or tempura make an appearance. The West Side features the Iron Grill with traditional American food, including hamburgers, veggie burgers, and different types of entrées. The South Side carries a made-to-order burrito station and a curry line that presents brown rice with several different curries. Desserts include cookies, cakes, and a soft-serve machine with ice cream cones for warm days.

Though Café Mac really does offer a smörgåsbord of choices for students, many people soon grow tired of the cafeteria fare. While there are a lot of options from week to week, the food itself seems pretty similar on a daily basis. Students are also frustrated by Café Mac’s strict rules about what kind of food one may take from the cafeteria. Don’t try to sneak a sandwich out because Café Mac workers are known to chase students. Instead, go for a discreet cookie or an ice cream cone.

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Macalester Student ReviewsWhat's This?

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Campus Dining at Macalester College

amohamme

'14

Political Science and Government

3.8
B+

Cafe Mac

The food in Cafe Mac is good--there's a huge variety of cuisines available to keep people from getting too bored. Also, you can use your flex dollars for decent food from the grille.

Sep 22, 2011

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Campus Dining at Macalester College

mpvarano

'12

English

3.8
B+

Good Food, but Little Selection

The food offered is typically of a high quality, but menus repeat often/lack variety, and some of the best meals (more expensive) are only available on a monthly basis. A meal plan is still well worth the money for first and even second year students, but anyone who lives off-campus would find better deals shopping for themselves.

Apr 20, 2011

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Campus Dining at Macalester College

trotskysoup

'14

Neuroscience

3.8
B+

Good Food, No Variety

There's actually a good deal of day-to-day variety at Cafe Mac but over time it all starts to taste pretty similar--good, but similar. I like it for the most part, though I wish the Grille had better hours.

Apr 19, 2011

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Student Survey Poll ResultsWhat's This?

Rate campus dining on the following topics

Facts

24-Hour Dining None
Off-Campus Places to Use Flex Money Coffee News
Did You Know?
  • The best and newest perk about Café Mac is that anyone with meal-plan money on their ID cards can now go out into the surrounding community on Grand Avenue and use that money at participating restaurants.
  • One of the biggest upsides to Café Mac is its attention to detail regarding diet restrictions and sustainability. Have an allergy to nuts or shellfish? No problem! Café Mac always puts out signs next to its menu items that say what's in the food. Café Mac also includes and labels food for vegetarians and vegans. Café Mac also tries to buy its food from as many local food sources as possible.
  • For students living off campus, Café Mac is an expensive option (for those on the “Commuter” plan) in comparison to buying groceries.

Dining Halls & Campus RestaurantsWhat's This?

Atrium Market
Location: Ruth Stricker Dayton Campus Center
Food: Healthy
Hours: Monday–Friday 11 a.m.–1:30 p.m.

Café Mac
Location: Ruth Stricker Dayton Campus Center
Food: International cuisine, divided into four “hemispheres”
Hours: Monday–Friday 7:30 a.m.–9:30 a.m., 11 a.m.–1:30 p.m., 5 p.m.–7:30 p.m., Saturday 10:30 a.m.–1 p.m., 5 p.m.–6:30 p.m., Sunday 10:30 a.m.–1 p.m., 5 p.m.–7:30 p.m.

Café Mac Grillé
Location: Ruth Stricker Dayton Campus Center, in front of Café Mac
Food: Appetizers, burgers, deli-style sandwiches, desserts, grilled foods, salads
Hours: Monday–Friday 7:30 a.m.–12 a.m., Saturday 2 p.m.–12 a.m., Sunday 2 p.m.–10:30 p.m.

Scotty's at Leonard Center
Location: Leonard Center
Food: Healthy, organic
Hours: Monday–Friday 8 a.m.–5 p.m.

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Most Recent Student Author

College Prowler guides are in the hands of students throughout the entire process. Because you can't make student-written guides without the students, we have students at each campus who write, edit, and survey their peers for every guide that we publish. Thanks to our most recent student author at Macalester

Name: Tatiana Craine

Hometown: Eden Prairie, MN

Major: English with emphasis on Creative Writing

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