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Northern Illinois University
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Northern Illinois 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 $3520 per year
Freshman Meal Plan Required? Yes
Student Favorites
  • Blackhawk Food Court
  • Douglas Dining and Dog
  • Pound Deli
  • Stevenson Dining

Student Author OverviewWhat's This?

As long as you don’t arrive with high expectations, the quality and variety of on-campus dining can be a pleasant surprise. Each dining hall offers a different menu, be it all-you-caneat or a la carte, and the number of options a student has is impressive—American, Italian, and Mexican foods are all well-represented every day. In fact, students might experience too much of a good thing, as freshmen pack on the pounds due to the availability of fried foods. Vegetarian students might be frustrated that mashed potatoes and hot dog buns are among the scant offerings in some of the dining halls, and sometimes salad- and sandwich-bar offerings need to be replaced at a quicker pace for freshness reasons, but overall, the food is generally tasty and well-prepared. It’s disappointing that the University forces students to commit at least $55 a week to a meal plan that might not suit their needs, but that’s a reality on any college campus. It would be nice if meal plans could be used at independent restaurants, but at least Huskie Bucks are a viable (if more expensive) alternative. The inflexibility of the mandatory meal plan is often cited as one of the reasons that students move out of the dorms after freshman year, but what’s odd is how many of those students talk longingly of not having to cook and how much they miss the variety.

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Northern Illinois Student ReviewsWhat's This?

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Campus Dining at Northern Illinois University

cschmitt

Speech Language Pathology '15

3.1
B-

Good Variety but Low Quality

They switch up the food a lot but many of the meats and cheese and other foods have the highest fat because those are the cheapest. So many meals are such high calorie. So easy to gain that freshman 15!

May 16, 2012

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Campus Dining at Northern Illinois University

davideck4

Electrical and Electronics Engineering '14

3.1
B-

Nothing Special

The best cafeteria is at University Plaza. There aren't any places cool-hole-in-the-wall places.

Mar 17, 2012

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Campus Dining at Northern Illinois University

Kmart09

Physical Therapy '15

3.5
B

NIU Dining

The food is good but good luck eating on the weekends. Food sources are limited and sometimes you have to go for a walk if you want to eat before 4:00.

Feb 06, 2012

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Page 1 of 10
User rating for Northern Illinois University - Campus Dining is 3.5 out of 5 based on 30 user reviews.

Student Survey Poll ResultsWhat's This?

Rate campus dining on the following topics

Facts

24-Hour Dining Vending machines in Student Center and Residence Halls
Off-Campus Places to Use Flex Money None
Did You Know?
  • Unless you are a 300-pound offensive lineman, do not sign up for the Titanium meal plan, because there is no way that you will spend that much on food in a given week, and unused dining dollars don't rollover and are non-refundable. Make friends with someone who goes home every weekend and get them to load you up with whatever dining dollars they have left before they leave.
  • If you do choose a meal plan that doesn't fit your stomach, you may change your meal plan once a year without penalty by filling out forms at Student Housing & Dining Services.
  • Don't confuse your meal plan with your Huskie Bucks account. Huskie Bucks are a prepaid debit account that most freshmen sign up for during orientation. Huskie Bucks can be used for copying, laundry in the dorms, and for food on and off campus. A list of nearby restaurants that take Huskie Bucks can be found at: www.niu.edu/OneCard/huskie_bucks/vendor_locations.shtml.

Dining Halls & Campus RestaurantsWhat's This?

Blackhawk Food Court
Location: Holmes Student Center
Food: A la carte, breakfast, lunch
Hours: Monday–Friday 7 a.m.–10:30 a.m., 11 a.m.–1:30 p.m.

Coffee Corner
Location: Holmes Student Center
Food: Starbucks coffee, pastries
Hours: Monday–Thursday 7:30 a.m.–5:30 p.m., Friday 7:30 a.m.–3 p.m.

Douglas Dining
Location: Douglas Hall
Food: Buffet
Hours: Monday–Thursday 4 p.m.–7 p.m.

Douglas Dog Pound Deli
Location: Douglas Hall
Food: Sandwiches, salads, desserts
Hours: Monday–Thursday 11 a.m.–3:15 p.m., Friday–Sunday 11 a.m.–6:30 p.m.

Douglas Grab N’ Go
Location: Douglas Hall
Food: Grab ‘n go, breakfast, lunch
Hours: Monday–Friday 7 a.m.–10:30 a.m., 11 a.m.–1:30 p.m.

Grant Dining
Location: Grant Towers
Food: Buffet
Hours: Monday–Thursday 7 a.m.–10 a.m., 10:30 a.m.– 1:30 p.m., 4 p.m.–7 p.m.; Friday 7 a.m.–10 a.m., 10:30 a.m.–1:30 p.m.; Sunday 11 a.m.–3 p.m.

Grant’s Chicago Blues Coffee Bar
Location: Grant Towers
Food: Coffee, snacks
Hours: Monday–Friday 7 a.m.–10 a.m.

Grant’s Northern Lights Grill
Location: Grant Towers
Food: A la carte grill
Hours: Monday–Thursday 11 a.m.–9 p.m., Friday 11 a.m.–6:30 p.m., Saturday 11 a.m.–3 p.m., Sunday 4 p.m.–9 p.m.

Lincoln Dining
Location: Lincoln Hall
Food: A la carte meals
Hours: Monday–Friday 7 a.m.–10:30 a.m., 11 a.m.–3:30 p.m., 4 p.m.–7 p.m.; Saturday–Sunday 11 a.m.–3:30 p.m., 4 p.m.–6:30 p.m.

Lincoln Neon Grill
Location: Lincoln Hall
Food: Short–order grill
Hours: Monday–Thursday 7:30 p.m.–11 p.m., Sunday 7 p.m.–11 p.m.

Neptune Dining
Location: Neptune Central
Food: Buffet, grill
Hours: Monday–Friday 7 a.m.–10:30 a.m., 11 a.m.– 1:30 p.m., 4 p.m.–7 p.m.; Saturday–Sunday 10:30 a.m.– 1 p.m., 4:30 p.m.–6:30 p.m.

Stevenson Dining
Location: Stevenson Towers
Food: Grill, Italian, desserts, deli, coffee, pizza
Hours: Monday–Thursday 7 a.m.–7 p.m., Friday 7 a.m.–6:30 p.m., Saturday–Sunday 10:30 a.m.–1 p.m., 4:30 p.m.–6:30 p.m.

Stevenson’s The Corner
Location: Stevenson Towers
Food: Grab ‘n go, snacks
Hours: Monday–Friday 8 a.m.– 11 p.m., Saturday–Sunday 10 a.m.–11 p.m.

Subway
Location: Holmes Student Center
Food: Subs
Hours: Monday–Friday 7 a.m.–10 p.m., Saturday–Sunday 11 a.m.–5 p.m.

Three Sons Café
Location: Barsema Hall
Food: Coffee, sandwiches, salads
Hours: Monday–Friday 7:45 a.m.–6 p.m.

Trident’s Grab ‘N Go
Location: Neptune Central
Food: Grab ‘n go snacks
Hours: Monday–Thursday 7:30 a.m.–11 p.m., Friday 7:30 a.m.–6 p.m., Saturday 11 a.m.–6 p.m., Sunday 11 a.m.–9 p.m.

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How do we get our information? Find out here or report an error here. The statistics on our site are from the National Center for Education Statistics IPEDS database.
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.
For additional information we encourage you to visit school websites or contact the schools directly.