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University of California - Santa Cruz
- Campus Dining

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University of California - Santa Cruz - 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

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Quick Stats

Freshman Meal Plan Required? No
Student Favorites
  • Joe's Pizza & Subs
  • Owl’s Nest at Kresge
  • Tacos Moreno

Student Author OverviewWhat's This?

There are five dining halls on campus, varying only slightly in regards to the food they serve. Most UCSC students can handle the dining halls and actually find the food edible, but most students get sick of it—some literally—by the end of the year. Although the dining halls try to offer a wide array of food, it seems to get repetitive toward the end of the year. The food is served in an all-you-can-eat buffet style, so once you swipe your student ID card to get in, you can eat as much as you want. All of the dining halls have an extensive salad bar, main course options, a sandwich bar, and drinks. There are always vegetarian options, and at some of the dining halls, there is a vegan option for every meal. Every week at UCSC, sushi rollers, hired from outside sources, rotate through the dining halls.

All of the colleges on campus have a café or eatery of some sort, which include taquerias, coffee shops, and pizza joints. They are a nice alternative to the dining hall, and students with meal plans can use flexi dollars to buy food there. Favorites are the Hungry Slug, which specializes in sandwiches and Mexican food; the Stevenson Coffee House, which offers delicious baked goods and a great atmosphere; and the Kresge Café, where you can score a great burger and fries for a decent price. Joe's Pizza & Subs is located on central campus and is a popular place due to its prime location, decent food, and because it is the only place on campus that serves beer. It gets crowded on Fridays when they serve $2 pints. A bit of advice: Make sure you watch your flexi dollars. It’s easier than you think to empty your account once you start to grow tired of dining hall food. Oh yeah, and don’t forget the Tums.

 

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UC Santa Cruz Student ReviewsWhat's This?

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Campus Dining at University of California - Santa Cruz

Wilara

'15

Education

4.6
A

Super Good Organic Local Food

The food at Santa Cruz is extremely yummy. It's mostly all locally and organically grown, and it tastes super good. You won't be disappointed with the food here, trust me.

Jan 11, 2012

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Campus Dining at University of California - Santa Cruz

slugbug

'15

Drama and Theatre Production

3.1
B-

False Advertising. Dont' Believe the Hype!

UCSC has been ranked as having one of the top two most vegan-friendly dining halls on campus. Although theoretically speaking there is a vegan food stand in the dining hall, there hardly ever actually is food there... But they make a big deal advertising how they provide high quality, organic and locally grown food. In reality it is neither of these, and what they offer is quite mediocre, and oftentimes downright disgusting (chorizo and cheddar cheese mushy pizza, anyone?).

Dec 31, 2011

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Campus Dining at University of California - Santa Cruz

aochoa377

'13

Psychology

3.5
B

Dining Halls

The dining halls always have food, but sometimes they are the same style of food. There is variety, but that variety is usually the same at each dining hall (there are 5 dining halls). The breakfast is really good, as is lunch, but dinner is usually a disappointment.

Nov 30, 2011

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Page 1 of 10

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 University Inn, The Village Kitchen
Did You Know?

About a quarter of the produce served on campus is certified organic, half of which comes from local farmers.

Dining Halls & Campus RestaurantsWhat's This?

ARCafè
Location: The Academic Resources Collaborative (ARC)
Food: Fruit drinks, sandwiches
Hours: Monday–Friday 9:30 a.m.–4 p.m.

Banana Joe’s
Location: Crown College
Food: Burgers, chicken fingers, fries
Hours: Monday–Thursday 9 a.m.–8 p.m., Friday 9 a.m.–4 p.m.

College 8 Café
Location: College 8
Food: Ready-made sandwiches, snacks
Hours: Monday–Thursday 7:45 a.m.–11:30 p.m., Friday 7:45 a.m.–5 p.m.

College 9 /10
Location: Colleges 9/10
Food: Cafeteria-style
Hours: Monday–Friday 7:15 a.m.–8 p.m., Saturday–Sunday 10 a.m.–12 a.m.

Cowell Coffee Shop
Location: Cowell College
Food: Pre-made salads and sandwiches
Hours: Monday–Thursday 8 a.m.–11:30 p.m., Friday 8 a.m.–3 p.m., Sunday 7 p.m.–11:30 p.m.

Cowell/Stevenson
Location: Cowell College
Food: Cafeteria-style
Hours: Monday–Friday 7:15 a.m.–7 p.m., Saturday–Sunday 10 a.m.–7 p.m.

Crown Merrill
Location: Merrill Hall
Food: Cafeteria-style
Hours: Monday–Friday 7:15 a.m.–8 p.m., Saturday–Sunday 10 a.m.–12 a.m.

The Hungry Slug @ Porter
Location: Porter College
Food: Mexican
Hours: Monday–Thursday 7:30 a.m.–12 a.m., Friday 7:30 a.m.–4 p.m., Saturday–Sunday 4 p.m.–10 p.m.

Joe’s Pizza & Subs
Location: Bookstore Quarry
Food: Pizza, subs
Hours: Monday–Friday 9 a.m.–7:30 p.m., Sunday 6:30 p.m.–11 p.m.

Kresge Café & Coffee House
Location: Kresge College
Food: Breakfast, salads, sandwiches
Hours: Sunday–Saturday 7:45 a.m.–9 p.m.

Merrill Cultural Center
Location: Merrill College
Food: Cafeteria-style
Hours: Monday-Friday 7 a.m.-8:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m., 5 p.m.-7 p.m., Saturday-Sunday 10 a.m.-1 p.m., 5 p.m.-7 p.m.

Oakes Cafè
Location: Oakes College
Food: Coffee, snacks
Hours: Monday–Thursday 10:30 a.m.–11 p.m., Friday 10:30 a.m.–5 p.m.

Oakes/College 8
Location: Oakes College
Food: Cafeteria-style
Hours: Monday–Friday 7:15 a.m.–8 p.m., Saturday–Sunday 10 a.m.–12 a.m.

Owl’s Nest
Location: Kresge College
Food: Rice bowls, salads, sandwiches, smoothies
Hours: Monday-Friday 8 a.m.-2 p.m.

Perk Coffee Bar
Location: Baskin Engineering Buildings
Food: Coffee, pastries
Hours: Monday-Friday 8 a.m.-2 p.m.

Perk Coffee Bar
Location: McHenry Library Atrium
Food: Coffee, pastries
Hours: Monday-Friday 8 a.m.-2 p.m.

Porter/Kresge
Location: Porter Hall
Food: Cafeteria-style
Hours: Monday–Friday 7:15 a.m.–8 p.m., Saturday–Sunday 10 a.m.–12 a.m.

Stevenson Coffee House
Location: Stevenson College
Food: Salads, sandwiches, soups
Hours: Monday–Thursday 7:30 a.m.–11:30 p.m., Friday 7:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m.

Tacos Moreno
Location: Merrill College
Food: Mexican
Hours: Monday-Friday 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

Terra Fresca
Location: Above College 9/10 Dining Hall
Food: Entrees, falafels, salad
Hours: Monday-Friday 8 a.m.-2 p.m.

University Inn & Conference Center
Location: UCSC Conference Center
Food: Fine dining
Hours: Monday–Friday 6:45 a.m.–9:30 a.m., 10 a.m.–1 p.m., 5:45 p.m.–7:15 p.m., Saturday–Sunday 6:45 a.m.–9:30 a.m., 10 a.m.–12 p.m., 5:45 p.m.–7:15 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 UCSC

Name: Alexandra Iorfino

Hometown: Huntington Beach, CA

Major: Politics and Psychology

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