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Campus Dining:

B+

(explain this grade)

Comparable Schools'
Campus Dining Grades:

Quick Stats

Freshman Meal Plan Requirement

Yes

Off-Campus Places to Use Meal Plan

  • None

Average Meal Plan Cost

$4,404

Student Favorites

  • Holmes Lounge
  • The Village Café
  • Ursa’s

24 hour Dining

  • None

Other Options

  • Each residential college has one full kitchen and each floor.

College Prowler Take

College food is notorious for being bland, unhealthy, and expensive. Wash U is guilty on the last count, but the first two are at least up for debate. Wash U was, as many students mention, voted number two by “somebody” for the quality of the food service (it was actually The Princeton Review). How the ranking was determined is anyone’s guess, but campus dining does offer a wide variety of possibilities, including a sushi bar and tasty vegetarian counter in the Danforth University Center, salmon with truffle sauce at Ibby’s, omelettes and sirloin steak in the all-you-can-eat Centre Court, ethnic food and quesadillas in Small Group Housing, and fruit smoothies and crepes at Ursa’s. While great food is available, upperclassmen eventually become bored and like to branch out to off-campus restaurants.

In fact, it’s possible to eat very well on campus, and although it isn’t easy, it is possible to eat healthy as well (the frenetic pace of life at Wash U does make it hard to eat regular and balanced meals). Dining on campus is by no means cheap, though. All students are required to have some meal plan, with the minimum Freshman plan costing about $4,000 per year (Kosher plans are more expensive). And even after students move off campus, they are still required to purchase the Off-Campus Plan. On-campus dining is convenient, but students who know how to cook for themselves can save more than a thousand dollars by getting off campus.

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Students Speak Out

Love your school more than free food? Hate your school more than term papers?
Somewhere in between? Show the world what YOU think of YOUR school:

jdross says:

Washington University in St. Louis 2016

Business

The food here is plentiful, fresh,...

The food here is plentiful, fresh, and delicious... for the first couple of months. Then you get kind of sick of it. That said, we have everything from wraps, crepes, ice cream, coffee and tea bars, steak, tuna, turkey burgers, etc. Even still, sometimes you just want to go off campus to eat on the loop.

Campus Dining: February 22, 2009
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Anonymous says:

As far as good on-campus eating...

As far as good on-campus eating spots go, Wash U does not disappoint. Holmes Lounge is a student favorite. It opens up into the Quad, and on nice days it’s an awesome place to hang out. They serve tons of wraps, paninis, and meats. Holmes Lounge is a beautiful place to study, too. It was the Queen’s ballroom during the 1904 World’s Fair. They now hold jazz concerts there in the summer. In the winter, they light up the fireplace and if you can grab a chair near it with a good cup of tea, you’re set. Ursa’s Cafe on the South 40 residential area is kind of fun. Students call it ‘the Max,’ like from Saved by the Bell. Ursa’s has pool tables and table tops with board games built into them, so you can rent games like Sorry or Monopoly and play while you eat. It’s got a big screen TV, a stage, computer kiosks, and an all-around friendly atmosphere. The food there is okay—it’s generally the same as on campus: wraps, smoothies, soups, sushi, and salads.

Campus Dining
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Anonymous says:

I’ve visited friends at other...

I’ve visited friends at other schools and the food here is actually quite good in comparison. There’s a lot of variety here, so you don’t get sick of eating the same thing every day. The main places to eat are Bear’s Den and Center Court on the South 40. Bear’s Den is kind of a sandwich and snack place (i.e., burgers, sandwich’s, pasta, salad) while Center Court is more of, like, this huge buffet where, once you’re in, it all-you-can-eat (everything you could think of). Center Court is really popular because your whole freshman floor goes together; it’s really fun. Mallinkrodt has a huge food court with everything from Subway, Taco Bell, various pizzas, a salad bar with garden fresh veggies, Chinese, wraps, and so much more. This is a great place to grab a bite to eat between classes. There are also little cafés in some of the buildings, so you’ll never lack for variety!

Campus Dining
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Anonymous says:

Dude, the food here rocks! I may...

Dude, the food here rocks! I may be in the minority here, but I seriously think the food is really excellent at Wash U. Sometimes people complain about the lack of variety of food on campus, but I personally always feel like you can always find something to satisfy your taste buds. As far as good spots to grab a bite go: we’ve got Subway and Taco Bell if you’re into fast food, Holmes lounge which is gorgeous and has tasty food, Center Court which offers an awesome unlimited buffet (they also have an incredible brunch there on Saturday and Sunday), and also available is the Small Group Housing Café which has things like shrimp, Moroccan food, and Indian food—I kid you not!

Campus Dining
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Anonymous says:

Center Court is a gigantic...

Center Court is a gigantic buffet-style place that is only open for dinner all week and offers brunch on the weekends. I thought it was pretty good. There’s always a big variety, and you can usually find what you want. On the main campus (where you have your classes) there’s one large building (called Mallinckrodt) that has sort of a food court like you’d find at the mall. The restaurants seem to change every few years, but last time I checked, there is a Subway, a Mexican place, a Chinese place, an Italian place, and a giant salad bar. Most students eat here for lunch during the day. There are a few other little places scattered around campus; one popular place, called Holmes, sells wraps and coffee.

Campus Dining
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Dining Halls

Arch/Art Cart
Salads, bakery, soups
Bixby
Monday–Friday 8:30 AM–2:30 PM

Bear Mart
Sandwiches, soups
Wohl Center
Monday–Friday 10 AM–1 AM, Saturday–Sunday 8:30 AM–1 AM

Bear’s Den
American, bakery, salads
Wohl Center
Monday–Thursday 7:30 AM– 2 AM, Friday 7:30 AM–3 AM, Saturday 11 AM–3 AM, Sunday 11 PM–1 AM

Café Olin
Coffee, bakery
Olin Hall
Monday–Thursday 8 AM–6:30 PM

Center Court
Marketplace
Wohl Center
Monday–Thursday 6 PM–9 PM; Saturday 11 AM–2 PM; Sunday 11 AM–2 PM, Sunday 11 AM–2 PM

Dains Dining Hall
Food court-style cafeteria
Danforth University Center
Daily 11 AM–7:30 PM

Holmes Lounge
Sandwiches, bakery
Ridgley Hall
Monday–Friday 7:30 AM–3 PM

Law School Café
Panini, salads
Busch Hall
Monday–Thursday 8:15 AM–3:45 PM, Friday 8:15 AM–2 PM

Lopata Cart
Hot dogs, sandwiches
Engineering Complex
Monday–Friday 10:30 AM–1:30 PM

Northern Bites
Sandwiches, soups, salads, pastries
Danforth University Center
Monday-Friday 7:30 AM-2 PM

Subway
Sandwiches
Old Rathskeller, behind Mallinckrodt
Sunday–Thursday 10:30 AM–10 PM, Friday–Saturday 10:30 AM–9 PM

The Hilltop Bakery
Bakery, smoothies
Mallinckrodt
Monday–Friday 7:30 AM–10 PM, Saturday 8:30 AM–5 PM, Sunday 11 AM– 6 PM

The Village Café
Grill, International
Small Group Housing
Sunday–Thursday 8 AM–12 PM, Friday–Saturday 5 PM–12 AM

Ursa’s Café
Coffee, bakery, sushi
Under Lien Hall on the South 40
Monday–Sunday 6 PM–1 AM

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