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 locations including Sid’s Cafe, MedSci, and the 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. 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.
Chestnut Tree
The Chestnut Tree is the dining hall of the Chestnut Residence, one of the main residences for engineering students. It works on an “All-You-Care-To-Eat” basis, meaning that you swipe once when entering the hall, and leave with as much food as you’d like. Since many of the students in Chestnut are also in engineering, this dining hall is a great place to make new friends and hangout while eating.
CampusOne Dining Commons
The CampusOne Dining Commons 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.
Audrey Taylor Dining Hall
The Audrey Taylor Dining Hall is New College’s dining hall, and offers more or less the same menu as the Chestnut Tree. Most importantly, you can use your meal plan at both locations.
Howard Ferguson Dining Hall
The Howard Ferguson Dining Hall is located in Morrison Hall, which is a part of University College. There are a variety of food options here, and there are even a couple of cafés within the building which make for nice dessert.
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.
The Arbor Room is a cafe/restaurant situated downstairs in Hart House. It provides a variety of food and snack options for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, in addition to serving as a space where you can study or socialize with your peers. They accept TBucks and are also available on the aforementioned U of T Mobile Order app. For more details regarding their menu and hours of operation please refer to their website.
From Andy: Their bagels are, in my opinion, amazing. After getting introduced to it myself, I feel a responsibility to sing the praises of the bagel to everyone else. You can get a bunch of different fillings, and I think a toasted everything bagel with smoked salmon and an egg for less than $10 (before tax) is an absolute steal.
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. 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 notice that students often refer to food trucks by their color – e.g., “Green Truck”, “Pink Truck”, etc. This is more-or-less a convention among students, although the food trucks do have official names.
The trucks offer a diverse selection of food options, with each truck having their own menu. Some trucks sell shawarmas and salads, some sell hot dogs, burgers, and fried chicken, some sell a wide variety of Chinese rice and noodle dishes, while some exclusively sell drinks. You will also see a hot dog stand in front of Sidney Smith, often with long lineups.
Note that not many of these trucks stay open until late, and even the latest closing ones close at around 11pm.
From Andy: It is a good idea to try all the food trucks just to know all your options. For example, although the Green Truck has two shawarma wraps for $11.99 (before tax), the Food From East truck parked outside Sidney Smith also has two shawarma wraps for $9.99 (also before tax).
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 within walking distance of campus that we couldn’t name them all. Some popular restaurant clusters near campus are located at:
- College St. opposite the main gates on King’s College Rd.
- College St. and Huron St.
- College St. and Spadina Ave.
- actually basically all of Spadina Ave.
- Spadina Ave. and Dundas St. West
- and more…
You can also choose to visit some iconic local locations. For example, Kensington Market, known for its many restaurants and dessert places is within walking distance from campus, and Chinatown is located a couple blocks south of campus on Dundas St. West.
Cooking for Yourself
If you have access to a kitchen, then cooking at home is an affordable and healthy option. Some grocery stores located close to campus include:
- T&T Supermarket College Store
- Metro (northwest)
- Metro (southeast)
- Farm Boy
If this is your first time cooking for yourself, check out the University of Toronto Cooking & Food Club or ask a dietician for some help with meal planning.