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University of California - Santa Barbara
- Campus Dining

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University of California - Santa Barbara - Campus Dining - Campus Dining - College ProwlerCollege Prowler3.85

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

Meal Plan Available? Yes
Average Meals/Week 19
Freshman Meal Plan Required? Yes
If living on campus
Student Favorites
  • Gaucho Deli & Café
  • Jamba Juice
  • Nicoletti’s
  • Panda Express
  • Romaine’s

Student Author OverviewWhat's This?

Students say the dorm food doesn’t make them gag, but that it does become boring fairly quickly. Most enjoy eating in the on-campus restaurants instead, where the variety ranges from fast food to more café-like food and deli standards. Even the drinks are varied, with everything from coffee and frappuccinos to frozen juice drinks at Jamba Juice. Everyone seems to have their favorite place to recommend, like Romaine’s for salads, Gaucho Deli for sandwiches, and The Coral Tree Café for a good breakfast. The Die Bretzel and Chilitos Express stands in the centrally located Arbor are popular stops.

 

The dorm cafeterias do have one advantage—they offer vegan and vegetarian options. Santa Catalina used to be known as having the best dorm food because it was privately owned, had the best hours, and offered an unlimited meal plan. But since UCSB bought Santa Catalina, the food has become more like the on-campus food, yet continues to offer some of the extras it used to. All of the dorm cafeterias have a salad bar, a grill, frozen yogurt, and a hot-food line. Despite the fact that the food gets boring and isn’t always very healthy or gourmet, dorm food is bearable for a year. If your tastes run similar to most of the students around here, you’re going to want to stock up on your Access Card, which you can use at any of the on-campus restaurants.

 

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UC Santa Barbara Student ReviewsWhat's This?

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Campus Dining at University of California - Santa Barbara

graciegoogin

English '14

4.2
A-

Got Food, Will Travel

The first two weeks of living in the residence hall are the best because all of the junk food you will be exposed to in the dining commons will seem like heaven. However, after a while the usual stuff like the pasta, meat, and salad will get boring so it will be time to explore fast food joints in Isla Vista. There are a good number of 24 hour restaurants in Isla Vista, such as Subway and Freebirds, which are already great in themselves, but boy do they taste better when you find yourself starving at 3AM. Not to mention tons of hamburger shops, coffee shops, and fresh food choices too. Lots of variety and very close in proximity.

May 23, 2012

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Campus Dining at University of California - Santa Barbara

arod1102449

International Relations and National Security Studies '13

3.5
B

Ok

The food is alright but they don't give the good food consistently.

May 19, 2012

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Campus Dining at University of California - Santa Barbara

gaucho08

English '12

4.2
A-

OK but Gets Old After a While

The food is good--for freshmen especially--but it gets boring (they have similar things to eat every night) and it gets somewhat confining to have to eat in the dining halls three meals a day, seven days per week. You'll get well-fed, though.

May 16, 2012

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Page 1 of 20
User rating for University of California - Santa Barbara - Campus Dining is 3.5 out of 5 based on 60 user reviews.

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
Did You Know?
  • Students choose a meal plan of either 10, 14, or 19 meals per week and can eat at any of the four dining halls. Once students swipe their access card to get into the dining common it's all you can eat until you leave . Take-out meals, and vegan, vegetarian, organic and low-fat options are also offered.
  • Carrillo Dining Commons offers students indoor and outdoor tables and different food stations, such as a salad bar, grill, Mongolian line (which specializes in stir-fries), and an "oven" section that has freshly made pizzas and desserts.
  • Possibly the biggest of UCSB's dining halls, De La Guerra was most recently renovated and offers the usual food stations, its specialty being a taco station. Jack Johnson (UCSB graduate) sings about this dining hall, "the DLG," in his song "Bubble Toes."
  • Bought by the University from private ownership in 2003, Santa Catalina features a salad bar, hot line, grill, deli bar, desserts, beverage bar, and a specialty bar that is usually made-to-order Mexican or stir-fry. Vegetarian, vegan, and even organic options are offered.
  • Ortega Dining Commons is a smaller dining area that offers salads, a hot food line, deserts, and a "sushi machine" that allows Ortega to serve sushi everyday for lunch and dinner.
  • Bin candy is the top seller at the Corner Store on campus. Sour Patch Kids and Chocolate Covered Graham crackers are the top choices.

Dining Halls & Campus RestaurantsWhat's This?

The Arbor
Location: Across from main library
Food: Convenience store
Hours: Monday–Thursday 7:30 a.m.–10 p.m., Friday 7:30 a.m.–4 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m.–3 p.m., Sunday 10 a.m.–9 p.m.

Chilitos
Location: Hub
Food: Mexican
Hours: Monday–Thursday 10:30 a.m.–6 p.m., Friday 10:30 a.m.–5 p.m., Saturday 11 a.m.–2 p.m.

Chilitos Express
Location: UCen
Food: Mexican
Hours: Monday-Friday 11 a.m.-2 p.m.

The Coral Tree Café
Location: Near Cheadle Hall, about a 10-minute walk from UCen
Food: Breakfast, sandwiches
Hours: Monday–Friday 7:30 a.m.–5 p.m.

The Corner Store
Location: Upstairs UCen
Food: Convenience store with a wide variety of snacks
Hours: Monday–Thursday 7:30 a.m.–11 p.m., Friday 7:30 a.m.–7 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m.–6 p.m., Sunday 11 a.m.–8 p.m.

Die Bretzel
Location: UCen cart
Food: Gourmet hot dogs and pretzels
Hours: Monday–Friday 10 a.m.–3 p.m.

Gaucho Deli & Café
Location: Upstairs UCen
Food: Greek, Italian
Hours: Monday–Friday 7:30 a.m.–5 p.m.

Jamba Juice
Location: Upstairs UCen
Food: Smoothies
Hours: Monday–Friday 7:30 a.m.–6 p.m., Saturday–Sunday 11 a.m.–4 p.m.

Nic Too
Location: UCen
Food: Coffee cart
Hours: Monday–Friday 8 a.m.–4 p.m.

Nic’s Northwest
Location: UCen
Food: Coffee cart
Hours: Monday–Friday 8 a.m.–3 p.m.

Nicoletti’s Coffeehouse
Location: Upstairs UCen
Food: Baked goods, coffee, espresso, fresh fruit
Hours: Monday–Thursday 7:30 a.m.–1 a.m., Friday 7:30 a.m.–7:30 p.m., Saturday 11 a.m.–3 p.m., Sunday 6 p.m.–1 a.m.

Panda Express
Location: Hub
Food: Chinese
Hours: Monday–Thursday 10:30 a.m.–8 p.m., Friday 10:30 a.m.–7 p.m., Saturday 11 a.m.–5 p.m.

Pateró
Location: Upstairs UCen
Food: Daily specials, famous homemade cheese bread, pasta with homemade sauces
Hours: Monday–Thursday 10:30 a.m.–6 p.m., Friday 10:30 a.m.–4 p.m.

Romaine’s
Location: Upstairs UCen
Food: 26-foot salad bar, breadsticks, fruit, homemade soups, muffins
Hours: Monday–Friday 10:30 a.m.–4 p.m.

The Store at Buchanan
Location: Right outside of Buchanan Hall
Food: Convenience store and coffee cart
Hours: Monday–Thursday 7:30 a.m.–7 p.m., Friday 7:30 a.m.–4 p.m.

Wendy’s
Location: Hub
Food: Fast food
Hours: Monday–Thursday 10 a.m.–8 p.m., Friday 10 a.m.–7 p.m., Saturday–Sunday 11 a.m.–5 p.m.

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Most Recent Student Author View all

Name
Michael Cooper
Hometown
Danville, CA
Major
Sociology/Sports Management minor

College Prowler is seeking talented student authors to assist with writing and updating the College Prowler guides to their schools. This is a great opportunity for a student to gain experience and tremendous exposure, utilize new media techniques, and share advice with high school students about what life is really like at your college.

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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.