Feeling hungry? There are plenty of places to eat in and around U of T! We have divided the food options on and near campus into four categories – campus dining halls, food spots inside campus buildings (perfect for a quick meal between lectures, or when the weather isn’t great for a trip outside), food trucks on St. George Street, and food spots near campus for when you have the time for a longer walk or want to explore downtown Toronto’s food scene.
Note: If you have dietary restrictions or concerns, please refer to the specific eating establishment for detailed information on their menu and food preparation.
U of T Mobile Order
U of T Mobile Order is an app on which you can order food from on-campus locations for in-person pickup. Mobile Order is compatible with many locations such as Sid’s Cafe, MedSci, and residence dining halls. Some items, such as fried rice or burgers at Sid’s Cafe, can only be accessed via Mobile Order. Mobile Order is a convenient method that can be used with Meal Plan Dollars or other forms of payment, so we encourage you to install the app and scroll through the various options!
On-Campus Dining Halls
If you’d like to spend some of your meal plan balance, or have a craving for some classic cafeteria food, you might want to check out an on-campus dining hall.
New College Dining Hall
If you will be living at Chestnut Residence, you probably won’t want to walk back and forth every time you want a meal. Fortunately, the New College dining hall offers more or less the same menu as the Chestnut Tree. Most importantly, you can use your meal plan at both locations!
CampusOne Dining Hall
The CampusOne dining hall also operates on a similar system and menu to those of Chestnut and New College but does not allow non-residents of CampusOne to use their meal plans; they must instead use TBucks or external payment.
Dining hall menus have a variety of options to complement all your dietary wants and needs. For more information, check out the U of T Food Services website.
Food Spots Inside Campus Buildings
The Hard Hat Café located in the Sandford Fleming basement (the Pit), is run by students, for students. The Café provides some of the most affordable meal and snack options on campus, from pizza slices to patties, and of course, cup noodles. You also get a 5% discount when using TBucks.
Located right next to the Hard Hat Café and sharing space with Suds (EngSoc-run pub), Veda is an Indian takeout restaurant. Veda is a popular lunch option for engineers, and offers offers Indian-inspired foods such as curry, as well as other dishes such as naan pizzas, Halal burgers, soups, sandwiches, desserts, and more.
Second Cup Coffee has multiple locations throughout campus, with the one at Myhal being especially notable among EngSci students given its proximity to the famous MY150 lecture hall (this is where you’ll have your Praxis I, II, and III lectures, along with many others). You can also find Second Cup Coffee at the Athletic Centre, Rotman, New College and Sid Smith. Most of these locations accept TBucks and Meal Plan Dollars and serve a range of coffee, tea, snacks and baked goods.
The Medical Sciences Building (AKA MedSci or MSB) is located extremely close to the engineering buildings and contains various food spots including Fresco Fresca (salads and grilled meat), Gourmet Burger House (different burgers/sandwiches, fries/poutine/chicken, and more), Grab ‘N’ Go (prepackaged salads and sandwiches, fruit, and other snacks), Pasta Pappardelle (different pasta options), So Sushi (sushi bowls), Stone Oven Pizzeria (ready-to-go pizza slices), and Za’atar (Mediterranean food including Greek salads, wraps, and shawarmas), and Starbucks. MSB’s acceptance of Meal Plan Dollars as well as its proximity to the engineering buildings make it a popular location. However, the cafeteria is often busy around noon and is closed on weekends, so plan accordingly.
Sid’s Cafe, located in Sidney Smith Hall (near Myhal and Bahen) hosts a variety of options such as Gourmet Burger House, Kung Fu Tea, Ramen Ya!, Tortillas, and many other options through Mobile Order. This cafeteria is a relatively underrated location amongst EngScis!
Robarts Cafeteria, located on the 2nd floor of the John P. Robarts Research Library, has a range of food spots including Grab ‘N’ Go, Kung Pow, So Sushi, Stone Oven Pizzeria, Tortillas, and more. The cafeteria is a great option for when you need a quick meal during a long study session at the library, however, some locations may not be open on the weekends.
Food Trucks on St. George Street
Several food trucks are conveniently located along St. George Street, beginning near Bahen and extending all the way to Innis College. These trucks offer a variety of food options, including shawarma wraps, burgers, hot dogs, rice and noodle dishes. If you are planning on venturing to the trucks near Robarts or Innis, you may want to do so during your lunch break or when you have an hour or so between lectures, since they’re a bit farther away.
You will also notice that students often refer to food trucks by their color – e.g., “Green Food Truck”, “Pink Food Truck”, etc. This is more-or-less a convention among students, although the trucks do have official names.
Food Spots Near Campus
*Note: we do not endorse any particular eating location off campus.
Toronto is one of the food capitals of the world. There are so many incredible restaurants that are located a walking distance from campus that we couldn’t name them all. Some popular locations can be found on Spadina Avenue, College Street, and pretty much anywhere! In addition to food chains, you should try to visit some iconic local locations.
