Buy our guides
Read our blog
Login Register

University of California - Irvine
- Off-Campus Dining

RT
Currently attending or alumni?
Review this school!
Are you interested
in this school?
Yes, let this school know
Maybe, bookmark for later
No, get better matches
Saving your decision
Yes
Maybe
No

Your information has been sent to this school through our partnership with .

This school has been saved to your schools list.

This school has been removed from your recommended schools list.

For your next recommendation, check out .

Jump to a section:

Grade
Quick Stats
Student Author Overview
Student Reviews
Student Polls
Facts
Listings
Take A SurveyWrite A ReviewUpload A PhotoLink Up A VideoWrite The Guide
University of California - Irvine - Off-Campus Dining - College ProwlerCollege Prowler3.08

Off-Campus Dining

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

Comparable Schools' Off-Campus Dining Grades:

Quick Stats

Student Favorites
  • Cha for Tea
  • In-N-Out Burger
  • Islands Restaurant
  • Le Diplomate
  • Yogurtland
  • Z Pizza
24-Hour Dining Denny's
Best Breakfast Denny's Restaurant
Best Healthy Mother's Market Kitchen &Restaurant
Best Pizza Z Pizza
Best Place to Take Your Parents
  • India Cook House
  • Islands Restaurant
  • Taiko Japanese Resaurant
  • Thai Spice
Other Places to Check Out
  • Albertacos
  • Baja Fresh
  • The Cheesecake Factory
  • Chili's
  • Del Taco
  • El Torito
  • Gina's Pizza
  • Golden Spoon
  • Mimi's Café
  • Red Lobster
  • Roundtable Pizza
  • Sam Woo
  • Taco Bell

Student Author OverviewWhat's This?

As is the case with many of the attractions near Irvine, you’re going to need a car to get to many of the fine eateries off campus. Since Orange County is a fairly spread out, wealthy area, there are always going to be restaurants ranging from fine dining to grab-and-go restaurants looking to satisfy consumers and keep attracting their money. While well-known national chains such as IHOP, Denny’s (make friends with a waitress!), and Olive Garden are student favorites, local spots like Claim Jumper are worth a visit, too. Fear not, though, because there are still many relatively cheap places close to campus, including the ever popular In-N-Out Burger. If this restaurant isn’t around your home area, trust that you’re likely to become a fan.

Since UCI has a booming commuter population, it shouldn’t be hard to find a friend to mooch off of for rides when you’re in the mood to eat out. Restaurants within walking distance from campus tend to be a little a bit more understanding to the student budget, versus the more popular restaurants distributed throughout the rest of Irvine that normally cater to the upper-middle class. Overall, what the restaurants around campus lack in variety, they make up for with low prices.

See how you stack up against students who were accepted to this school . . .And calculate your chances!Register to get started

UC Irvine Student ReviewsWhat's This?

Sort by:

Loading...

Off-Campus Dining at University of California - Irvine

mgarcia8

'11

Animation, Video Graphics and Special Effects

4.6
A

Food

There are plenty of places to eat within walking distance (though those are mainly fast food). There are several shopping centers around the area (all are driving distance). Everything is average priced, not super expensive but it isn't cheap either.

Jan 27, 2012

Comment actions: Rate
Report as inappropriate/inaccurate

Off-Campus Dining at University of California - Irvine

AnonymousStudent12345

'14

Nursing

4.6
A

Great for Vegetarians

As a vegetarian, I have found a good number of options available to me at the University Town Center. One of the options include the Veggie Grill, which has great vegan food which is healthy and delicious.

Another option I like is Yogurtland which allows you to make your own frozen yogurt creations.

Further off campus, my absolute favorite restuaruant is Native Food Cafe, in Tustin. This is about 10-15 minutes off campus and has great vegan food.

Dec 18, 2011

Comment actions: Rate
Report as inappropriate/inaccurate

Off-Campus Dining at University of California - Irvine

gnchu

'14

Bioengineering and Biomedical Engineering

5.0
A+

Close, Convenient, Variety.

It is pretty ridiculous how much food you have access to in Irvine, as a commuting college there is ample amounts of transportation. You only have to cross a bridge to cross the street to reach UTC where there is so much food In-n-out, taco bell, KFC, pizza, sushi, pho, lee's sandwiches, you name it. Also, any other dining area is only a few miles away like chipotle, an assortment of asian cuisine in Diamond Jamboree, and even the vast variety in the Spectrum with places such as MarketWorld. Not to mention there is a group of food trucks that come every Wednesday to Irvine lanes, or they come to the campus.

Nov 17, 2011

Comment actions: Rate
Report as inappropriate/inaccurate
Page 1 of 11

Student Survey Poll ResultsWhat's This?

Rate the off-campus restaurants on the following topics

How would you rate the diversity of off-campus dining options?

Facts

Did You Know?

If you go to In-N-Out, you can order off-menu items like grilled cheese and fish burgers. Also, if you like your hamburgers extra messy and stuffed with veggies and sauce, order your hamburgers “animal style.”

Grocery StoresWhat's This?

Albertson's
3825 Alton Pkwy.
(949) 476-1922

Trader Joe's Company
4225 Campus Dr.
(949) 509-6138

Restaurant ListingsWhat's This?

Cha for Tea Tea Bar & Restaurant
Food: Asian, boba drinks
4187 Campus Dr., Irvine
(949) 725-0300
www.chafortea.com
Price: $4-$9

Claim Jumper Restaurant
Food: American, steaks
3935 Alton Pkwy.
(949) 851-5085
www.claimjumper.com
Price: $10-$50

Denny's
Food: American
14160 Culver Dr.
(949) 857-5500
www.dennys.com
Price: $5-$10

Fatburger
Food: American
3021 Michelson Dr.
(949) 474-5060
www.fatburger.com
Price: $3-$5

IHOP
Food: Breakfast, sandwiches, salads
5301 University Dr.
(949) 786-5203
www.ihop.com
Price: $10-$15

India Cook House
Food: Indian
14130 Culver Dr.
(949) 857-4858
Price: $10-$15

In-N-Out Burger
Food: American
4199 Campus Dr.
(949) 509-6200
www.in-n-out.com
Price: $3-$5

Islands
Food: American
4020 Barranca Pkwy.
(949) 552-1888
www.islandsrestaurants.com
Price: $10-$15

Le Diplomate Café
Food: Sandwiches, Vietnamese
4237 Campus Dr., Irvine
(949) 854-5161
Price: $5-$10

Lee's Sandwiches
Food: Sandwiches, Vietnamese
4127 Campus Dr., Irvine
(949) 509-9299
leesandwiches.com
Price: $3-$5

Mother's Market & Kitchen Restaurant
Food: Healthy American
2963 Michelson Dr.
(949) 752-6667
Price: $5-$10

Olive Garden Italian Restaurant
Food: Americanized Italian
3955 Alton Pkwy.
(949) 263-8692
www.olivegarden.com
Price: $10-$15

Rubio's Restaurants
Food: Mexican
31 Fortune Dr.
(949) 727-9527
Price: $5-$10

Taiko Japanese Restaurant
Food: Japanese
14775 Jeffrey Rd.
(949) 559-7190
Price: $10-$15

Thai Spice
Food: Thai
15455 Jeffrey Rd.,
(949) 857-8424
www.orderthaispice.com
Price: $5-$10

Yogurtland
Food: Frozen yogurt
4187 Campus Dr.
(949) 854-4580
www.yogurt-land.com
Price: $3-$7

Z Pizza
Food: Italian/American
4237 Campus Dr.
(949) 725-9000
Price: $5-$10

Buy The Guidebook

Buy a hard copy of "UC Irvine 2012: Off The Record"

Read more about the book . . .Add to Cart

Buy the eBook:

AmazonBarnes & NobleGoogleSmashwordsDownload the FREE Printable Summary (PDF)

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 UCI

Name: Tracey Xuan Nguyen

Hometown: Hawthorne, CA

Major: Business Economics

see all student author bios > Become a student author to help update the guide for this school

Find a college

Find a major

Scholarships

Reviews

Company

Buy College Prowler school guides in our bookstore Get the real scoop on what it's like on campus and see what school is the place for you!

How do we get our information? Find out here or report an error here. Please note that the information presented on this site is updated periodically, but 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.