UPenn Dining Hall
Where Do Students Eat At UPenn?
More than just satisfying your stomach, feeding the mind, and fueling success, it involves understanding what it takes to get through the day and dominate it. Penn Eating provides a dining plan for everyone, even if you are best friends with your microwave or have a varied taste in food. Where do students eat at UPenn? Around the campus, there are a lot of dining options such as the UPenn dining hall, retail dining establishments, and food trucks that serve affordable, nutritious meals from all over the world.
Residential Dining
Do you want pasta? Pizza, too? A salad? And ice cream? It appears that you are seeking all-you-can-eat dining. You can locate everything you need by swiping into one of the residential halls for a sit-down meal or a grab-and-go option.
Students can choose from a range of meal selections in UPenn dining halls in an all-you-can-eat setting. When they arrive, students use their visits (sometimes known as “meals” or “swipes”). One visit will be taken from their balance for each visit they make to a home café.
Retail Dining
The retail outlets have something for every craving, whether you’re searching for a hearty dinner or a straightforward bowl of soup. You can use your Dining Dollars to savor everything from freshly crafted salads to Starbucks coffee while lounging next to the glass fireplace. This includes fresh, hand-rolled sushi.
Accenture Café
The School of Engineering and Applied Science’s Accenture Café is located just off Chancellor Walk and offers a large selection of brewed beverages, fresh sandwiches, salads, soups, muffins, scones, and other pastries, as well as a new range of made-to-order dishes.
West Café
This Gutmann College House coffee shop fuels students’ success from early in the morning until late at night.
Gourmet Grocer
The campus market is a favorite among Penn residents.
Houston Market
Located on Houston Hall’s lower level, it has eight separate stations that include a made-to-order salad bar, grill station, hand-rolled sushi, hot foods with an international flair, and hearty soups.
Joe’s Café
Not just for Wharton students—a lovely location for study or a coffee break.
McClelland Sushi & Market
An express cafe serving convenience foods and sushi to busy students is situated in the Quad.
Pret a Manger
Pret offers students freshly prepared cuisine and healthy coffee just off the Locust Walk.
Starbucks
Starbucks is a great place to study downstairs at 1920 Commons and is home to specialty coffees and popular favorites.
Micro-Markets
Providing a range of healthy food options, such as vegetarian, gluten-free, and vegan options, as well as coffee and other drinks. With its longer hours of operation and selection of food goods, the Micro-Market at Mark’s Cafe caters to the needs of students.
Mark’s Café Micro-market
The self-checkout micro-market, which is situated in Van Pelt-Dietrich Library, offers a selection of coffees and beverages along with vegetarian, gluten-free, and vegan goods.
Mark’s Cafe and Penn Dining’s Micro-Market are cashless establishments that take credit and debit cards, Dining Dollars, Penn Cash, and other payment methods at two self-checkout kiosks. Simply choose your things and proceed to checkout to maintain your hectic schedule.
Vending
Penn Dining’s vending, which has more than 180 machines scattered around campus, provides a full selection of food and drinks, including both classic snacks and healthier alternatives.
Penn Eats Mobile Ordering
Students have the option of placing orders in advance and paying in advance at a few select retail establishments thanks to Penn Eats, the official mobile ordering app for Penn Dining. All students are urged to utilize the mobile ordering platform as Penn Eats is the official mobile ordering app for Penn Dining and is a significant perk of your dining plan.
Off-Campus Dining
The Philadelphia region is home to a variety of eateries. Around the Penn campus and throughout the city, there are many different types of food. The following websites, among others, provide information about nearby eateries, take-out options, and delivery services: Grubhub, University City District, Urbanspoon, and Yelp.
How Many Dining Halls Does UPenn Have?
How many dining halls does UPenn have? At six separate sites, Penn Dining provides a few different meal plans. A nutritionist is available to talk about your specific dietary requirements while a wide choice of hot and cold foods, including vegetarian options. There is also a Kosher dining area accessible to students.
1920 Commons
A plentiful salad and mezze bar, hot pizzas, comfort food, a barbecue, an expo, and an oasis station are included. 1920 Commons offers staples including Philly Roast Pork Sandwiches, Seven-Herb Rotisserie Chicken sliced to order, Jackfruit Shawarma, and more. It is open early for breakfast, till late at night during the week, and serves brunch on the weekends.
English House
Visit this tight-knit neighborhood for toast bars, expo stations, and made-to-order smoothies. They also have a special Halal Cafe there. During the week, it is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner and offers a variety of dishes, including smoothies, eggs benedict, chicken tikka masala, and a pierogi bar. Additionally, there is a Halal-only building that does not use pork or alcohol.
Falk at Penn Hillel
Serving a completely Glatt kosher menu at Penn Hillel. The Community Kashrus of Greater Philadelphia oversees the Glatt kosher preparation of all meals. They cordially invite residents of the neighborhood, including Penn students, to take lunch at Falk Dining Cafe and taste the incredible food and feel the welcoming atmosphere.
Hill House
Designed to resemble a typical Food Hall, this area is a favorite hangout among Penn students. Open constantly for brunch and dinner on the weekends, as well as breakfast, lunch, and dinner during the workweek. Showcasing a Mongolian Grill, breakfast available all day, a rotisserie and smoked meat section, a huge salad bar, a fruit and yogurt station, a designated vegan section, and an oasis station.
Lauder College House
A dining experience in the style of a restaurant with a chef-curated special. Open for dinner Monday through Friday, the establishment features a weekly “Featured Entree” that is a Chef specialty and includes dishes that are popular with students, such as lobster mac and cheese, surf and turf, crab cakes, and duck cassoulet.
Quaker Kitchen
Quaker Kitchen, which is housed in Gutmann College House, provides students with a distinctive dining experience unmatched anywhere else on campus. Open for dinner five nights a week, with a variety of locally produced veggies and meals such as orange tarragon roasted chicken, steamed soy-shiitake striped bass, and horseradish-crusted roast beef. The Quaker Kitchen in Gutmann College House has a special layout that makes it feel comfortable.
What Time Do Dining Halls Open At UPenn?
A university campus is a hive of activity. It might be challenging for students to stop and eat when they are hurrying between classes, part-time jobs, dorms, and basketball games. That’s where residential dining halls come into the picture. You can align your meal time to the operating hours of the residential dining halls or other dining options on campus. So, what time do dining halls open at UPenn? We’ll take a look at the schedule of each UPenn dining hall below.
1920 Commons
| Breakfast: Served from 7:30 am – 10:30 am |
| Lunch: 11:00 am – 4:30 pm |
| Dinner: 5:00 pm – 9:30 pm |
| Weekly Schedule |
| Breakfast: Mon-Fri, 7:30 am – 10:30 am |
| Brunch: Sat-Sun, 9:00 am – 2:00 pm |
| Lunch: Mon-Fri, 11:00 am – 4:30 pm |
| Dinner: Mon-Thu/Sun, 5:00 pm – 9:30 pm |
| Dinner: Fri-Sat, 5:00 pm – 8:00 pm |
English House
| Breakfast: Served from 8:00 am – 10:30 am |
| Lunch: 11:00 am – 4:30 pm |
| Dinner: 5:00 pm – 8:00 pm |
| Weekly Schedule |
| Breakfast: Mon-Fri, 8:00 am – 10:30 am |
| Lunch: Mon-Fri, 11:00 am – 4:30 pm |
| Dinner: Mon-Fri, 5:00 pm – 8:00 pm |
Falk Kosher Dining
| Lunch: Served from 11:30 am – 2:00 pm |
| Dinner: 5:30 pm – 7:30 pm |
| Weekly Schedule |
| Lunch: Mon-Fri, 11:30 am – 2:00 pm |
| Lunch: Sat, 12:00 am – 12:00 am |
| Dinner: Mon-Thu, 5:30 pm – 7:30 pm |
| Dinner: Fri, 5:30 pm – 7:30 pm |
| Dinner: Sun, 7:30 pm – 9:30 pm |
Hill House
| Breakfast: Served from 7:30 am – 10:30 am |
| Lunch: 11:00 am – 4:30 pm |
| Dinner: 5:00 pm – 9:00 pm |
| Weekly Schedule |
| Breakfast: Mon-Fri, 7:30 am – 10:30 am |
| Brunch: Sat-Sun, 10:00 am – 2:00 pm |
| Lunch: Mon-Fri, 11:00 am – 4:30 pm |
| Dinner: Mon-Thu/Sun, 5:00 pm – 9:00 pm |
| Dinner: Fri-Sat, 5:00 pm – 8:00 pm |
Lauder College House
| Dinner: Served from 6:30 pm – 10:30 pm |
| Weekly Schedule |
| Dinner: Mon-Thu/Sun, 6:30 pm – 10:30 pm |
Quaker Kitchen
| Dinner: Served from 5:00 pm – 8:00 pm |
| Weekly Schedule |
| Dinner: Mon-Thu, 5:00 pm – 8:00 pm |
Does UPenn Have Good Dining Hall Food?
By giving you easy access to conveniently accessible, delicious meal alternatives on campus, Penn Dining delivers you savory, nutritious cuisine, and fosters community across campus. Spend time with your friends while taking advantage of the variety of tastes, exciting activities, and flexibility that a meal plan offers. Penn Dining offers a dining café within 600 steps of where you live, work, or study, from the east side of campus to the west side.
Does UPenn have good dining hall food? More than the taste of the food, nutrition is Penn Dining’s top priority. Lean and/or plant-based proteins are the mainstays of meals, which are cooked with only little amounts of good, plant-derived lipids. Instead of using unhealthy shortcuts like oil, sugar, and salt, flavors are created through professional healthy cooking methods employing fresh herbs and genuine spices. Penn Dining also hosts events like sushi nights, chef specials, quiz nights, and movie nights so you may unwind with friends at UPenn dining halls.
Menus that have been carefully curated consider seasonality and the availability of local, fresh ingredients. Each of the cafes can highlight its distinctive flavors and particular touch on your favorite cuisine because each of the chefs creates their own menus and recipes.
How Much Is the UPenn Meal Plan?
There is a sense of camaraderie among the Penn students, faculty, and staff because of the eating meal plans at the UPenn dining hall. Penn Dining is confident that you will find something to suit your tastes in one of the two first-year plans, which include different combinations of trips to all-you-care-to-eat residential eating cafes and Dining Dollars (used largely at the retail locations).
All first-year students must enroll in one of the two First-Year Dining Plans. The deadline for choosing a dining plan is June 15; if you haven’t signed up by then, they will automatically put freshmen on the First-Year 296 food plan. After June 15, students may modify their eating arrangement during the Fall Change Period, which runs from August 30 through September 20.
Of course, it’s important to take note of how much is the UPenn meal plan. Here are the meal plan costs for the current semester of the UPenn academic calendar.
First-Year 187
Annual cost: $6,134 (billed per semester)
Best for:
Eating more meals at UPenn’s retail locations.
- 187 swipes per semester
- $400 Dining Dollars per semester
- Averages to 12 meals per week
- Priced & contracted annually, billed per semester
For the first four semesters of their undergraduate studies (at Penn and/or their prior university combined), all students must sign up for a dining plan. No matter their class year, first-year transfer students are obliged to sign up for a dining plan for the minimum of their first two semesters at Penn. Students in their third and fourth years are invited, but they are not required to join a food plan. They are free to select from any of the options.
First-Year 296
Annual cost: $6,134 (billed per semester)
Best for: Eating most of your meals at all-you-care-to-eat locations.
- 296 swipes per semester
- $125 Dining Dollars per semester
- Averages to 19 meals per week
- Priced & contracted annually, billed per semester
First-Year 187
Annual cost: $6,134 (billed per semester)
Best for: Eating more meals at UPenn’s retail locations.
- 187 swipes per semester
- $400 Dining Dollars per semester
- Averages to 12 meals per week
- Priced & contracted annually, billed per semester
Second-Year 156
Annual cost: $4,124 (billed per semester)
Best for: Smaller tailored meals and grab-n-go options.
- 156 swipes per semester
- $300 Dining Dollars per semester
- Averages to 10 meals per week
- Priced & contracted annually, billed per semester
Upperclass-108
Annual cost: $4,686 (billed per semester)
Best for: Mix of daily sit-down meals with dining dollars to get you through the week.
- 108 swipes per semester
- $600 Dining Dollars per semester
- Averages to 7 meals per week
- Priced & contracted annually, billed per semester
Upperclass-78
Annual cost: $2,896 (billed per semester)
Best for: One all-you-care-to-eat meal per day with grab-n-go in between.
- 78 swipes per semester
- $175 Dining Dollars per semester
- Averages to 5 meals per week
- Priced & contracted annually, billed per semester
Upperclass-47
Annual cost: $2,580 (billed per semester)
Best for: Flexible, grab-n-go options with supplemental meals in between.
- 47 swipes per semester
- $500 Dining Dollars per semester
- Averages to 3 meals per week
- Priced & contracted annually, billed per semester
Dining Dollars Only
Annual cost: $3,000 (billed per semester)
Best for: Paying per food purchased as needed with guaranteed funds.
- 0 swipes per semester
- $1,500 Dining Dollars per semester
- Priced & contracted annually, billed per semester
If the UPenn dining halls and other dining options caught your attention, then you can start preparing your application materials to increase your chances at UPenn. AdmissionSight has assisted students with their college admissions strategies for over 10 years now. Feel free to book an initial consultation with AdmissionSight experts to discuss how to kickstart your application.
