University of IowaCampus Dining Summary

Dining at the University of Iowa is nothing for incoming students to get too excited about. The dining halls offer many different food choices, yet after a few weeks, the choices grow old, and you’ll be clamoring for some home cooking. Many students complain that the selection seems very narrow after the first few weeks, and they want different types of food. But take consolation in the fact that most students only have to eat in the dining halls for a year. The IMU also provides students a chance to get away from dorm food for a night or two. The only downfall is that you have to pay cash or Hawk Dollars for these meals—you can’t use your meal plan.

Unlike other major universities, there are very few halls at UI for students to use their meal plan. However, in the past few years, the University has redone Burge Dining Hall and added many satellite cafés all over campus. The food itself is better than almost every high school cafeteria, but it still tends to grow old after a while. The staff has about two weeks worth of differentiation in meals, but after that, they just begin to repeat. It’s a good idea to try your own combinations out of what is offered at the dining halls—you never know when you’re going to stumble across the next great sandwich.