Stanford Dining Hall
Where Do Students Eat At Stanford?
At Stanford, you can choose from a wide selection of award-winning chefs’ freshly prepared regional and international cuisines. For a complete list of delectable options, including 11 Stanford dining halls and dozens of high-quality retail cafés throughout Stanford, check out the answer to the query “Where do students eat at Stanford?”
Residential Community Dining Halls
Seasonal, healthful, and culturally varied food is served at each Stanford dining hall: Arrillaga Family Dining Commons, Florence Moore, Manzanita, Branner, Ricker, Stern, Wilbur, Lakeside, Yost, Murray, and EAST. Vegan, vegetarian, halal, and kosher alternatives are also available. This long-standing Stanford custom of a living and learning environment in the dorms and dining halls greatly encourages the development of the student community in collaboration with Residential Education.
Conversations over meals with classmates, teachers, or advisors improve social and educational opportunities, create new friendships, and foster a sense of community in a friendly and informal setting. The dining halls offer theme events, just-in-time display cooking, unique menus, student cooking competitions, and many other celebrations to keep the ambiance exciting and enjoyable.
Café and Retail Locations
Every student on campus can find a convenient meal at one of the R&DE cafés. You will find a variety of cuisines produced by our expert culinary team utilizing seasonal, locally-sourced, and sustainable foods whenever feasible, ranging from made-to-order meals to convenient grab-and-go alternatives. Some selections are halal, kosher, vegetarian, vegan, and allergy-friendly.
The Axe & Palm
The Axe & Palm provides mouthwatering burgers, well-made shakes and smoothies, salads and comfort food, Starbucks coffee, and more. Numerous grab-and-go alternatives, including vegan and vegetarian food. Both indoor and outdoor seating is available.
EVGR Pub & Beer Garden
Upscale pub fare, including California wines, local craft beers on tap, unique sandwiches prepared in-house, salads, and desserts. With vegetarian and vegan choices. On weekdays from 5 to 7 p.m., a happy hour special takes place. Only people aged 21 and older may consume alcohol.
Coffee Bar @ the Clark Center
Visit the Coffee Bar @ the Clark Center for Peet’s specialty coffee, tea, and espresso drinks, along with delectable breakfast fare and freshly baked goods. Additionally, they provide salads, sandwiches, wraps, and ready-to-heat meals that are prepared on campus. There are vegetarian and vegan choices available.
The Med Café
Serving a selection of snacks, freshly baked pastries, grab-and-go salads, sandwiches, and blended beverages made by hand at Starbucks. The Med Café is situated in the stunning Li Ka Shing Center at the Stanford School of Medicine.
Forbes Family Café
The plant-based cuisine of Forbes Family Cafés features seasonal, regional, and international flavors. Daily Pho and Laksa, hot entrée specials, fresh grab-and-go salads, sandwiches, and other items are all available on the menu.
SLACafé
The state-of-the-art SLAC complex’s SLACafé proudly serves made-to-order Peet’s coffee along with a selection of tantalizing lunch and snack options. Every taste is catered to on their weekly menu, which has tasty entrée specials, healthful sandwiches and salads, and ready-to-heat entrees. Offering both indoor and outdoor dining.
Cardinal Café
In addition to other specialties, Cardinal Brew serves hand-crafted coffees and loose-leaf teas. Weekly hot menu specialties, fresh gourmet sandwiches, wraps, salads, ready-to-heat meal kits, grab-and-go snacks, and more are all available in the Cardinal To-Go market. Enjoy delectable burgers, grilled sandwiches, and sides at the grill at Cardinal Café.
Law School Café
The Law School Café has breakfast and lunch items that can be taken to go along with coffee, tea, cold drinks, snacks, and other items.
Olives at Bldg. 160
Along with grab-and-go breakfast and lunch selections, self-serve specialty coffee, and famous hot sandwiches themed after Stanford landmarks and sites like the Fear the Tree! Olives also serves grab-and-go breakfast and lunch.
Late Night Dining
You study until you are not only delirious but also ravenous, which is the usual case. Fortunately, Stanford’s Residential & Dining Enterprises offers a wide range of selections that are ideal for late-night snackers.
The Late Night Kitchen at Lakeside
For those up late, Lakeside has plenty of delectable food options. Try a juicy, all-beef burger or one of the many subs, such as chicken parmesan, meatball, and turkey/avocado. Do you avoid meat? On buttery brioche bread, the vegetarian burger has a chipotle black bean patty.
Milkshakes and the pizookie, a warm chocolate chip or peanut butter cookie topped with vanilla ice cream, are available as dessert options.
Arrillaga Nights at Arrillaga Family Dining Commons
The cuisine at Arrillaga Nights includes quesadillas and crispy chicken tenders, just as Late Night at Lakeside. Both Arrillaga and Lakeside have a lot of customers that order breakfast burritos. They are served with tater tots, a whole wheat tortilla, scrambled eggs, onions, peppers, bacon, and Monterey Jack cheese.
Late Night Pizza at Stern
In search of the ideal pizza pie? On Fridays and Saturdays, Late Night Pizza @Stern offers custom-built pizzas. Choose from a variety of conventional and premium toppings to make this late-night snack unique.
The Axe & Palm
Pick up a tasty burger and shake! Providing a wide selection of comfort food in addition to nutritious and plant-based options, such as:
- The Palm Burger is a brown/quinoa rice patty that is loaded with vegetables.
- The Impossible Burger, which is deceptively beefy despite having no animal components in the patty.
- Crispy Vegan Tenders: Even vegans require their fix of crispy tenders.
New Dining Options
Starting on October 12, students interested in trying out a distinctive on-campus fine dining experience can register for the weekly Wednesday Chef’s Tables. Chef’s Tables, available to all students at no extra cost, let members of the Stanford community enjoy small-group dinners in a restaurant-style setting in their very own dining halls.
In the past, Stanford’s Executive Chefs have created menus that range from casual, new-American fare to modern interpretations of vegan Korean temple cuisine (inspired by Jeong Kwan Seunim’s guest chef presentation). Students have the chance to learn more about the dining staff and recognize the culinary skill at Chef’s Tables.
Decadence, a gelato and smoothie-bowl bar in Tresidder Union open every Monday through Friday from 12 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., is another outlet that recently reopened in spring 2022. Although “Stanford’s Sweet Spot” no longer offers the luscious chocolate cake slices and freshly baked cookies it used to, it nevertheless lives up to its name with the variety of sweet ice-cream toppings it offers.
How Many Dining Halls Does Stanford Have?
How many dining halls does Stanford have? The vivid Chicano paintings in Stern Dining, the tasty pho and robust Thai curries served at Wilbur, and the decadent sweets at Arrillaga are just a few of Stanford’s 11 residential community-based dining halls’ many benefits.
- Florence Moore – Consists of seven houses and was built in 1956. It is the home dining hall for Florence Moore Residence Hall. It is 19,770 square feet in size.
- Lakeside – Lagunita and Roble Residence Halls’ dining hall, Lakeside, consists of five houses and is 21,200 square feet in size.
- Yost, Murray, and EAST – Row houses for Yost, Murray, and EAST were built in 1982 and is about 2,500 square feet each.
- Ricker – This Stanford dining hall is for residents of the Sterling Quadrangle residents (FroSoCo in Adams and Schiff; Potter and Robinson) and is made up of four houses that were constructed in 1983. Each hall is 16,986 square feet.
- Arrillaga Family Dining Commons – For students in the upper-class residence hall and is 31,119 square feet in size.
- Branner – A 12,872-square-foot dining facility that was opened in 1927 for Branner students.
- Manzanita – A dining facility built in 1992 serving students who reside in Manzanita. Manzanita measures 15,581 square feet.
- Wilbur – Serves Wilbur Residence Hall students and consists of seven separate houses. It was built in 1941 and is 37,421 square feet in size.
- Stern – A dining facility that serves Stern Residence Hall students. Consists of six houses and is 37,847 square feet.
What Time Do Dining Halls Open At Stanford?
This fall at Stanford, there’s a distinct change in the atmosphere. Students arrive on a campus that feels much more like it did before the outbreak, but with enhancements made as a result of the lessons gained after the pandemic.
This pattern is continued by the adjustments to Stanford Dining, which range from new experiences and locations to altered operating hours. So, what time do dining halls open at Stanford? The following are the operating hours of each Stanford dining hall this quarter.
Arrillaga Family Dining Commons
Fall Quarter Hours of Operation with Continuous Dining:
Monday – Friday
Breakfast: 7:30 AM – 10:30 AM
Lunch: 11:00 AM – 4:30 PM
Dinner: 5:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Saturday – Sunday
Brunch: 9:30 AM – 1:30 PM
Dinner: 5:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Lakeside Dining
Fall Quarter Hours of Operation with Continuous Dining:
Monday – Friday
Breakfast: 7:30 AM – 10:30 AM
Lunch: 11:00 AM – 4:30 PM
Dinner: 5:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Saturday – Sunday
Brunch: 9:30 AM – 1:30 PM
Dinner: 5:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Wilbur Dining
Fall Quarter Hours of Operation:
Monday – Friday
Breakfast: 7:30 AM – 9:00 AM
Lunch: 11:00 AM – 1:30 PM
Dinner: 5:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Saturday – Sunday
Brunch: 10:30 AM – 1:30 PM
Dinner: 5:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Stern Dining
Fall Quarter Hours of Operation:
Monday – Friday
Breakfast: 7:30 AM – 9:00 AM
Lunch: 11:00 AM – 1:30 PM
Dinner: 5:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Saturday – Sunday
Brunch: 10:30 AM – 1:30 PM
Dinner: 5:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Note: East Campus’ Nut-Sensitive Dining Area
Branner Dining
Fall Quarter Hours of Operation:
Monday – Friday
Lunch: 11:00 AM – 1:30 PM
Dinner: 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM
Florence Moore Dining
Fall Quarter Hours of Operation:
Monday – Friday
Breakfast: 7:30 AM – 9:00 AM
Lunch: 11:00 AM – 1:30 PM
Dinner: 5:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Saturday – Sunday
Brunch: 10:30 AM – 1:30 PM
Dinner: 5:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Ricker Dining
Fall Quarter Hours of Operation:
Monday – Friday
Breakfast: 7:30 AM – 9:00 AM
Lunch: 11:00 AM – 1:30 PM
Dinner: 5:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Saturday – Sunday
Brunch: 10:30 AM – 1:30 PM
Dinner: 5:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Note: West Campus’ Nut-Sensitive Dining Location.
Yost, Murray, EAST Dining
Fall Quarter Hours of Operation:
Monday – Friday
Continental Breakfast: 7:30 AM – 9:00 AM
Lunch: 11:30 AM – 1:30 PM
Dinner: 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM
Does Stanford Have Good Dining Hall Food?
The start of this academic year promises a gradual return to the campus that former students knew and loved. Many undergraduates have yet to experience a typical year at Stanford in full swing. Students and Stanford affiliates may anticipate a wide range of food options to satisfy their appetites, from upscale to budget-friendly.
You might be curious “Does Stanford have good dining hall food?” As students think in general, dining halls are infamous for serving poor cuisine, with some being worse than others. Stanford, however, came in at rank number 10 on Niche’s list of the best college food in California.
And now, without further ado, here is the list of the popular Stanford dining halls and their specialties:
- Florence Moore Dining: Daily hand-scooped ice cream and excellent Indian cuisine on Sunday nights. All throughout campus, FloMo is a favorite.
- Manzanita Dining: Every day, Manz serves pizza, grilled foods, and frozen yogurt. Enjoy all your favorite cuisine in one eating area.
- Ricker Dining: Death by chocolate cake, in four words. If its renowned honey biscuits aren’t enough to convince you to visit Ricker on Tuesdays for lunch and Thursdays for dinner.
- Branner Dining: Branner doesn’t do anything particularly special, but its abundant vegan and vegetarian selections, homemade soups, and consistently delicious meals served five evenings a week make it a popular dining hall.
- Stern Dining: Burrito bowls in the style of Chipotle save a bland dining room. The berry bars are also beloved by this correspondent. Get there early because the lineups can grow quite lengthy very quickly.
- Lakeside Dining: If you’re a Stanford student and you haven’t visited Late Night @ Lag and had a sizzling churro, you haven’t truly experienced Stanford.
- Wilbur Dining: Mongolian Noodles on Monday nights and brunch with DIY smoothies on Saturday and Sunday are Wilbs’ two redeeming features. The paninis are also fantastic.
- Arrillaga Family Dining Commons: The chicken from Arrillaga is infamous for being desert-dry. Arrillaga routinely delivers nutritious meals, but hey, if that’s not your thing, they also have a fun late-night menu choice.
How Much Is the Stanford Meal Plan?
Any open dining hall will accept student meals for breakfast, brunch, lunch, and supper. Any R&DE Stanford Dining site, including all late-night operations, and a few R&DE Stanford Hospitality & Auxiliaries retail stores accept Meal Plan Dollars. All R&DE Stanford Dining and R&DE Stanford Hospitality & Auxiliaries retail stores accept Cardinal Dollars.
Except for those residing in Mirrielees, all undergraduate students living on campus are expected to have a food plan. However, during the first three weeks of the quarter, students may change their Stanford dining hall meal plan. How much is the Stanford meal plan? We’ll take a look at the 2022-2023 meal plan costs and inclusions for this academic year at Stanford.
2022-23 Academic Year Neighborhood Dining Hall Meal Plans
| Meal Plan | Fall Quarter | Winter Quarter | Spring Quarter | Total | |
| 19 Meal Plan includes:
• 19 meals per week |
Meal Plan Cost | $2,509 | $2,244 | $2,184 | $6,937 |
| 15 Meal Plan includes: | Meal Plan Cost | $2,509 | $2,244 | $2,184 | $6,937 |
| • 15 meals per week • 300 Meal Plan Dollars for use in any dining hall or R&DE retail venue. • 5 guest meals per quarter for use in any Stanford dining hall. • Unused Meal Plan Dollars will be carried over to the next quarter.This is the default meal plan for freshmen and upper-class students. |
Meal Plan Dollars | $110 | $100 | $90 | $300 |
| 12 Meal Plan includes: | Meal Plan Cost | $2,509 | $2,244 | $2,184 | $6,937 |
| • 12 meals per week • 575 Meal Plan Dollars for use in any dining hall or R&DE retail venue. • 5 guest meals per quarter for use in any dining hall.This meal plan is only available for upper-class students. |
Meal Plan Dollars | $210 | $185 | $180 | $575 |
While the Stanford dining hall and retail dining options around campus are inviting, you should focus first on getting admitted to Stanford. Stanford has always had record-low acceptance rates, making admission difficult. Although there is a lot of competition, it is not impossible. AdmissionSight is here to help you with the tough college admissions.
On average, 75% of AdmissionSight students are admitted to an Ivy League university, Stanford, MIT, UChicago, and Caltech, one of the highest track records in the industry. Feel free to set up an appointment today to book your initial consultation.
