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Northwestern University
- Campus Dining

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Northwestern University - Campus Dining - College ProwlerCollege Prowler4.24

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 16
Average Meal Plan Cost $5277 per year
Freshman Meal Plan Required? Yes
Freshmen living in University housing are initially assigned to a 13-meals-per-week plan, but this can be changed.
Student Favorites: Campus Dining Hall
  • 1835 Hinman
  • Allison
Student Favorites: Campus Restaurant/Vendor
  • Jamba Juice
  • Lisa's Café
Student Favorites: Breakfast Food on Campus
  • Make-your-own waffles
  • Omelets
Student Favorites: Lunch/Dinner Entrée on Campus
  • Made-to-order pizza
  • Stir-fry
Student Favorites: Late-night Snack on Campus
  • The Great Room
  • Lisa's Café

Student Author OverviewWhat's This?

Students can get by on Northwestern’s food— as long as they don't come in expecting Wolfgang Puck's finest. The menus don't have too much variety, so you'll probably get bored with the dining hall food pretty quickly. Still, each dining hall has a specialty. 1835 Hinman has made-to-order pizzas and sandwiches (and occasionally stir-fry and pasta), Foster-Walker’s specialty is an omelet bar, and Willard features a kiosk ordering system that you won't find anywhere else on campus. Eventually, however, you'll probably end up switching to a meal plan that offers more flexibility to eat at some of the various cafés and on-campus establishments, such as Einstein Bros. and Jamba Juice.

And as for those other on-campus establishments, there are plenty of cafés on campus—the most popular probably being Lisa's on North Campus and Plaza Café in University Library. Norris University Center houses plenty of alternative dining options, and Tech is home to a secret Einstein Bros. Bagels and Tech Express. Convenience stores ("C-stores") are found in several dorm buildings and are a great place to go to stock up on snacks and energy drinks to supplement that all-nighter you're about to pull for that Orgo exam. The Great Room, which just opened, has become another pretty popular late-night hangout and gives students an option after midnight that isn't Burger King. Despite its rampant popularity among students, however, Evanston residents have been trying to get it shut down, so keep an eye on this one.

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Northwestern University Student ReviewsWhat's This?

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Campus Dining at Northwestern University

sethumz

'14

Music Performance

3.1
B-

Too Expensive

The food isn't terrible, but considering what you pay to eat it, it makes more sense to move off campus and make your own food. Sometimes I feel like you're better off being a vegetarian, because the meat can be terrifying, and should usually be avoided. Toward the middle of the year I went on the waffle diet. It was a great decision. I do like that each dining hall is slightly different. It's still exciting to go to Willard every once in a while because they have a really cool buzzer system that makes you feel fancy.

Dec 29, 2011

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Campus Dining at Northwestern University

bc14

'15

Biological Sciences

3.8
B+

Good Food, but Can Get Old

Dining is overall fine as long as you take the effort to move around campus rather than going to the same dining hall for every single meal. Most dining halls have a decent variety of stations: grill, sandwiches, pasta bar, salad bar, pizza, stir fry, and entrees. Sargent is known for its sandwiches, Allison has a good salad bar, Hinman excels at its entree area. Personally, I usually eat at Sargent since it's near my dorm, but a few trips south for lunch each week keep that from getting too dull.

Dec 12, 2011

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Campus Dining at Northwestern University

Jdkatzy

'14

Business Administration and Management

3.8
B+

Sargent

There are a lot of dining hall options and most dorms have one. The biggest dinning halls are in Alison and Sargent. The variety isn't the greatest. It's typical dorm food. Sargent is the most social dining hall because it is on north campus where all the parties happen and is next to BOB and the frat quad and across the street from Elder which combined make up most of the party scene on campus. Alison is the nicest place to eat, but the problem is it is on south campus and most people want to live north. It also has the most diversity.

Nov 28, 2011

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Page 1 of 12

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 None
Special Options NU offers carb-friendly, low-fat, vegan, and vegetarian menu options on a daily basis.

Dining Halls & Campus RestaurantsWhat's This?

1835 Hinman
Location: 1835 Hinman
Food: Cereal bar, grill, ice cream bar, pasta, salad bar, stir-fry
Hours: Monday–Thursday 7:30 a.m.–8 p.m., Friday 7:30 a.m.–7 p.m., Saturday 10:45 a.m.–1:30 p.m., 4:45 p.m.–7 p.m., Sunday 11 a.m.–2 p.m., 4:45 p.m.–7:30 p.m.

1835 Hinman C-Store
Location: 1835 Hinman
Food: Convenience store
Hours: Monday–Thursday 7:30 a.m.–12 a.m., Friday 7:30 a.m.–7 p.m., Saturday 10:45 a.m.–7 p.m., Sunday 11 a.m.–12 a.m.

Allison Dining Hall
Location: Allison Hall
Food: Cereal bar, grill, ice cream bar, pasta, salad bar, soup
Hours: Monday–Friday 7:30 a.m.–9:45 a.m., 11:15 a.m.–1:15 p.m., 4:45 p.m.–7 p.m.

Café a la Cart
Location: Loder Hall
Food: Breakfast pastries, coffee, desserts, drinks, salads, sandwiches, soups
Hours: Monday–Friday 8:30 a.m.–1:30 p.m.

Crepe Bistro
Location: Norris Center
Food: Crepes
Hours: Monday–Thursday 8 a.m.–11 p.m., Friday 8 a.m.–9 p.m., Saturday 9 a.m.–9 p.m., Sunday 10 a.m.–11 p.m.

Crowe Café
Location: Norris
Food: Pre-made sandwiches, snacks, Seattle’s Best coffee
Hours: Monday–Thursday 8 a.m.–5 p.m., Friday 8 a.m.–3 p.m.

Einstein Bros. Bagels
Location: Pancoe Life Sciences Pavilion, second floor
Food: Coffee, bagels, salads, sandwiches, soups
Hours: Monday–Thursday 8 a.m.–4 a.m., Friday 8 a.m.–3 p.m.

Elder Dining Hall
Location: Elder Hall
Food: Grill, healthy, hot line
Hours: Monday–Friday 11:15 a.m.–1:15 p.m., 4:45 p.m.–7 p.m.

Foster-Walker Complex Dining Hall East
Location: Foster-Walker Complex, east wing
Food: Cereal, desserts, hot line, salad bar, soup, tofu stir-fry
Hours: Monday–Thursday 10:45 a.m.–4:45 p.m., 5:15 p.m.–8 p.m., Friday 10:45 a.m.–4:45 p.m., 5:15 p.m.–7:30 p.m., Saturday 10:45 a.m.–1:30 p.m., 4:45 p.m.–7 p.m., Sunday 11 a.m.–2 p.m., 4:45 p.m.–7 p.m.

Foster-Walker Complex Dining Hall West
Location: Foster-Walker Complex, west wing
Food: Made-to-order burgers, burritos, salads, sandwiches
Hours: Monday–Thursday 7:30 a.m.–10:45 a.m., 11:15 a.m.–1:15 p.m., 4:45 p.m.–7:30 p.m., 8 p.m.–11:30 p.m., Friday 7:30 a.m.–10:45 a.m., 11:15 a.m.–1:15 p.m., 4:45 p.m.–7 p.m., Saturday 7:30 a.m.–9:45 a.m., 10:45 a.m.–1:30 p.m., 4:45 p.m.–7 p.m., Sunday 11 a.m.–2 p.m., 4:45 p.m.–7:30 p.m.

Foster-Walker C-Store
Location: Foster-Walker Complex, west wing
Food: Convenience store
Hours: Monday–Thursday 7 a.m.–12 a.m., Friday 7 a.m.–7 p.m., Saturday 7:30 a.m.–7 p.m., Sunday 11 a.m.–12 a.m.

The Great Room
Location: 610 Haven St.
Food: Pub food
Hours: Sunday–Thursday 5 p.m.–2 a.m.

Jamba Juice
Location: Norris Center
Food: Smoothies
Hours: Monday–Thursday 11 a.m.–11 p.m., Friday 11 a.m.–9 p.m., Saturday 12 p.m.–9 p.m., Sunday 12 p.m.–11 p.m.

Lisa’s Café
Location: Slivka Residential College
Food: Baked goods, coffee, juices, soup, sub sandwiches
Hours: Monday–Friday 10 a.m.–2 a.m., Saturday 11 a.m.–2 a.m., Sunday 12 p.m.–2 a.m.

Nu Sushi
Location: Norris Center
Food: Sushi
Hours: Monday–Thursday 11 a.m.–7 p.m., Friday 11 a.m.–3 p.m.

Paws 'N Go
Location: Norris Center
Food: Convenience store, grab-and-go items
Hours: Monday–Thursday 10 a.m.–11 p.m., Friday–Saturday 10 a.m.–9 p.m., Sunday 11 a.m.–11 p.m.

Plaza Café
Location: 1970 Campus Dr.
Food: Seattle’s Best coffee, smoothies, sub sandwiches, sushi
Hours: Monday–Thursday 8:30 a.m.–12 a.m., Friday 8:30 a.m.–3 p.m., Saturday 12 p.m.–4 p.m., Sunday 5 p.m.–12 a.m.

Sargent Dining Hall
Location: Sargent Hall
Food: Cereal bar, grill, ice cream bar, pasta, salad bar, soup
Hours: Monday–Friday 7:30 a.m.–8 p.m., Saturday 7:30 a.m.–9:45 a.m., 10:45 a.m.–1:30 p.m., 4:45 p.m.–7 p.m. (open until 8 on Fridays), Saturday 7:30 a.m.–9:45 a.m., 10:45 a.m.–1:30 p.m., 4:45 p.m.–7 p.m., Sunday 11 a.m.–2 p.m., 4:45 p.m.–7:30 p.m.

Sbarro
Location: Norris Center
Food: Italian, pizza
Hours: Monday–Thursday 11 a.m.–10 p.m., Friday 11 a.m.–9 p.m., Saturday 12 p.m.–9 p.m., Sunday 12 p.m.–10 p.m.

Starbucks
Location: Norris Center
Food: Baked goods, coffee
Hours: Monday–Thursday 8 a.m.–11:45 p.m., Friday 8 a.m.–9 p.m., Saturday 9 a.m.–9 p.m., Sunday 10 a.m.–11:45 p.m.

Tech Express
Location: Technological Institute
Food: Coffee, pastries, salad, soup, sub sandwiches
Hours: Monday–Thursday 7:30 a.m.–6:30 p.m., Friday 7:30 a.m.–3 p.m.

Willard Dining Hall
Location: Willard Residential College
Food: Cereal bar, grill, ice cream bar, pasta, salad bar, soup
Hours: Monday–Friday 11:15 a.m.–1:15 p.m., 4:45 p.m.–7 p.m.

Willie's Food Court
Location: Norris University Center
Food: Asian, café, cereal bar, deli, grill hot dogs, Mexican, salad, soup
Hours: Monday–Thursday 11 a.m.–7 p.m., Friday–Saturday 11 a.m.–3 p.m., Sunday 12 p.m.–7 p.m.

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