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University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
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University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign - 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 20
Average Meal Plan Cost $5420 per year
Freshman Meal Plan Required? Yes
Student Favorites
  • Fat Don’s
  • A La Carte
  • Sbarro

Student Author OverviewWhat's This?

College is often known for two things: parties and bad food. The dining halls at U of I don't do much to break out of that stereotype. Most students agree that instead of working hard to make creative new foods and variety, the University should just stick to learning how to make Rice Krispie treats properly. Cafeteria food is always going to be cafeteria food, though, which means either boring repetition or outlandish creations that make you skip right to the cereal bar.

Keeping the food fresh is also a problem, as students who have eaten slimy lettuce or stale Cheerios can tell you. It is a good idea to come early to take advantage of the fresh food. On the other hand, the hours can also be a problem. Most students don't like eating dinner by 6:30 p.m., especially when they are going to be up until 2 a.m. studying. Consequently, most dorm rooms are stocked with snacks and sodas. Seven specialty restaurants like A La Carte offer better food at more reasonable hours. When you are up late studying or just hanging out, there is nothing better than pizza or onion rings at Illinois Avenue Residence Hall. If it was not for specialty restaurants, the dining at U of I would be bleak. Even with these options, the University must work on its healthy food menu, as most main courses and appetizers are all simmering in grease and fat. Also, the vegetarian fare is limited to pasta and salads in most residence halls, which is less than tempting. All in all, the dining experience at U of I is stereotypically bad.

 

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Illinois Student ReviewsWhat's This?

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Campus Dining at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

illinistudent554

International Studies '14

1.2
D

Illini Tower

I lived in the six pack last year and I can say I enjoyed the wide variety of good food but Illini Tower food was absolutely disgusting. Numerous people complained about the disgusting quality of food that Illini Tower served and they did nothing about this quality. They always had fried food and rarely had any healthy food. The offered omelets in the mornings.... at first I was excited for this but then they poured fake eggs and it tasted terrible. I wanted at least some REAL food, not processed food. Their meal plan is expensive and not worth it at all. The last week of school (finals week) they started running out of food (including small things like types of cereals). This is an example of the terrible management the Illini dining hall contains. They are interested in making money instead of providing quality meals for their residents. I would never recommend anyone to live there because of this. I lost ten pounds living here because I never had anything to eat. If they took you on a tour and provided you with a semi-decent meal, do not be fooled, they only provided semi-decent meals when they knew that incoming freshman were going to be there.

May 16, 2012

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Campus Dining at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

ckwon7

Industrial and Product Design '15

4.2
A-

Dining in Urbana-Champaign

Dining is great here at the University of Illinois at Urbana- Champaign. There are great little restaurants all around campus. There are always new places to eat at and be pleasantly surprised by as the quality of the restaurants in the area are pretty high! Dining hall food on campus isn't that bad either. After hearing horror stories about school food, I was bracing myself for the worst but it turned out to not be that bad. It's a bit different than what I'm used to at home but it'll do.

Apr 17, 2012

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Campus Dining at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

soconnor14

Mathematics '14

4.2
A-

SDRP

There are so many options at SDRP from vegan to steaks-made-to-order. There is always pizza and pasta. Once a month there is a themed dinner, like during November they host a Thanksgiving themed dinner. There are also FABULOUS desserts like key lime pie, tiramisu, pumpkin pie and chocolate cake almost every night.

Apr 17, 2012

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Page 1 of 18
User rating for University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign - Campus Dining is 3.5 out of 5 based on 53 user reviews.

Student Survey Poll ResultsWhat's This?

Rate campus dining on the following topics

Facts

24-Hour Dining None, but Merry-Ann’s Diner is located nearby.
Special Options Some students choose to skip dinner and instead have a pizza delivered to their room later that night. It counts as a meal and most students agree it is better than eating in the cafeteria. Check out CampusFood.com to order delivery online.
Did You Know? During Finals Week, the residence hall cafeterias host snacks and drinks for late-night studiers. Some even offer Midnight Breakfast, a full course complete with French toast and pancakes. It is a tradition that should not be missed.

Dining Halls & Campus RestaurantsWhat's This?

Blimpie
Location: Union, lower level
Food: Sub sandwiches
Hours: Mon-Fri: 11 a.m.–7 p.m.

Busey Beanery
Location: Busey-Evans
Food: Grab and go snacks, coffee
Hours: Monday-Thursday 9 p.m.-12 a.m.

Cactus Grill
Location: Union, lower level
Food: American
Hours: Monday–Thursday 10 a.m.–7 p.m., Friday 10 a.m.–4 p.m., Saturday 11 a.m.–2 p.m.

Cocina Mexicana
Location: Illinois Avenue Hall
Food: Mexican
Hours: Friday 4:45 p.m.–7 p.m.

Cracked Egg Cafe
Location: Gregory Hall
Food: Breakfast
Hours: Tuesday 4:45 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.

Espresso Royale
Location: Union, main level
Food: Coffee, sandwiches
Hours: Monday–Friday 7 a.m.–11 p.m., Saturday 8 a.m.–11 p.m., Sunday–10:30 a.m.–7 p.m.

Fat Don’s
Location: Peabody-Snyder Dining Room
Food: American
Hours: Wednesday 4:30 p.m.–7:30 p.m.

Field of Greens
Location: Lincoln Avenue Hall
Food: Vegetarian
Hours: Monday–Friday 11 a.m.–1:15 p.m.

Gregory e-Chomps
Location: Forbes Dining Room
Food: Grab and go snacks
Hours: Monday-Thursday 9:30 a.m.-12 a.m., Friday 9:30 a.m.-1 a.m., Saturday 1:30 p.m.-1 a.m., Sunday 1:30 p.m.-12 a.m.

Illini Union Ballroom
Location: Union, second level
Food: Variety buffet
Hours: Monday–Friday 11:30 a.m.–1:30 p.m.

Illini Union Vending Room
Location: Main level
Food: Chips, candy, muffins, bagels
Hours: Daily 7 a.m.–3 a.m.

ISR Chomps
Location: Illinois Street Residence Hall
Food: Grab and go snacks
Hours: Monday-Thursday 9:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m., 8 p.m.-12 a.m., Friday 9:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m., 8 p.m.-1 a.m., Saturday 8 p.m.-1 a.m., Sunday 8 p.m.-12 a.m.

Kosher Kitchen
Location: Allen Dining Room
Food: Breakfast
Hours: Monday-Thursday 5 p.m.-6 p.m.

McDonald’s
Location: Union, lower level
Food: American
Hours: Monday–Friday 7 a.m.–11 p.m., Saturday–Sunday 8 a.m.–11 p.m.

Oodles
Location: Busey-Evans Hall
Food: Variety buffet
Hours: Friday 11 a.m.–1:30 p.m.

PAR Underground
Location: Pennsylvania Avenue Residence Hall
Food: Grab and go snacks
Hours: Sunday-Thursday 8 p.m.-12 a.m., Friday-Saturday 8 p.m.-1 a.m.

Penn Station
Location: Peabody
Food: Grab and go snacks
Hours: Monday-Thursday 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m., 8 p.m.-12 a.m., Friday 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m., 8 p.m.-1 a.m., Saturday 8 p.m.-1 a.m., Sunday 8 p.m.-12 a.m.

Quad Shop
Location: Union, main level
Food: Snacks and sundries
Hours: Everyday 7 a.m.–10 p.m.

Rice Garden
Location: Union, lower level
Food: Chinese
Hours: Monday–Thursday 10 a.m.–7 p.m., Friday 10 a.m.–3:30 p.m., Saturday 11 a.m.–3 p.m.

Sbarro
Location: Union, lower level
Food: Italian pizzeria
Hours: Monday–Thursday 10 a.m.–7 p.m., Friday 10 a.m.–4 p.m., Saturday 11 a.m.– 2:30 p.m.

Soul Ingredient
Location: Florida Avenue Hall
Food: Southern cooking
Hours: Thursday 4:45 p.m.–7:30 p.m.

Sushi San
Location: Union, lower level
Food: Sushi
Hours: Monday–Thursday 10 a.m.–7 p.m., Friday 10 a.m.–3:30 p.m., Saturday 11 a.m.–3 p.m.

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Name
Emily Thiersch
Hometown
Wilmette, Ill.

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.
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