University of California-San Diego Top Questions

Every college within UCSD has a different dining commons, and while most aren't spectacular, 3 of the better ones are called Pines, Cafe V, and Ocean View Terrace (OVT). Students' dining plans are valid across all dining commons as well as markets (that function as combinations of grocery and convenience stores) that accompany them. The dining plan is essentially a debit card: everyone must pay for a certain amount at the beginning of the year and eating is a la carte, charged directly to your student dining dollars. There is no limit, besides the amount of money that is associated with a student's account, and money can be added in near the end of the year.

Each college has its own dining hall with it's own options. Revelle has Plaza, which is generally considered to be one of the worst dining halls, though it can have decent options. Muir has Pines, which is the newest dining hall. I personally don't really care for it, though it is visually appealing, but there are other students who like it. I've heard that their stir fry is good. Marshall has OVT, which is usually considered one of the better dining halls, mostly known for its breakfast burritos or saute. ERC has Cafe V, which has a nice atmosphere and a good salad bar. I've heard the sushi bar is good, though I've never tried it myself. The village in ERC has the Bistro, which is supposed to an actual restaurant that you can use your dining dollars at. I've never been there, but I've heard that the wait is pretty long, the food is overprice (but most of the food is overpriced), and the food is just okay. Warren has Canyon Vista, which in my experience, tends to have fairly generous portion sizes. I like Canyon Vista, though there aren't very many healthy options and everything tends to be fried. Sixth has Foodworks, which is pretty small and kind of cramped, though the pizza is pretty good. They make individual sized pizzas to order, and I believe their the only one's that do so. In addition to dining halls, each college has a market place that sells some grocery-type goods. The markets tend to be rather small with limited variety, but they're convenient and you can use your dining dollar at them. They also serve beverages, like coffee or smoothies, and are open late (I believe most are open until 1AM). Goody's (in Marshall) is the only dining hall that also serves some food like a dining hall. It has a desert/salad/sandwich area and a burrito bar (sort of like Chipotle). There's also Price Center on campus, which has food court type places (like Burger King, Panda Express, Tapioca Express, Subway, etc), although you can't use your dining dollars here.

Each college has its own dining hall with it's own options. Revelle has Plaza, which is generally considered to be one of the worst dining halls, though it can have decent options. Muir has Pines, which is the newest dining hall. I personally don't really care for it, though it is visually appealing, but there are other students who like it. I've heard that their stir fry is good. Marshall has OVT, which is usually considered one of the better dining halls, mostly known for its breakfast burritos or saute. ERC has Cafe V, which has a nice atmosphere and a good salad bar. I've heard the sushi bar is good, though I've never tried it myself. The village in ERC has the Bistro, which is supposed to an actual restaurant that you can use your dining dollars at. I've never been there, but I've heard that the wait is pretty long, the food is overprice (but most of the food is overpriced), and the food is just okay. Warren has Canyon Vista, which in my experience, tends to have fairly generous portion sizes. I like Canyon Vista, though there aren't very many healthy options and everything tends to be fried. Sixth has Foodworks, which is pretty small and kind of cramped, though the pizza is pretty good. They make individual sized pizzas to order, and I believe their the only one's that do so. In addition to dining halls, each college has a market place that sells some grocery-type goods. The markets tend to be rather small with limited variety, but they're convenient and you can use your dining dollar at them. They also serve beverages, like coffee or smoothies, and are open late (I believe most are open until 1AM). Goody's (in Marshall) is the only dining hall that also serves some food like a dining hall. It has a desert/salad/sandwich area and a burrito bar (sort of like Chipotle). There's also Price Center on campus, which has food court type places (like Burger King, Panda Express, Tapioca Express, Subway, etc), although you can't use your dining dollars here.

Every college within UCSD has their own dining hall but anyone can eat anywhere. Eleanor Roosevelt College: Cafe Ventanas -This dining hall serves a lot of vegetarian/vegan/nutritious food -The structure of the dining hall is BEAUTIFUL; it is a luminous glass box, hence the name (ventanas = windows) -It is very close to the students living at ERC and it is in front of the ERC Green (an open grass area) Thurgood Marshall: OceanView Terrace -This is one of the best dining halls on campus! -The food is rarely "bad" and the portion sizes are of great value -There is literally an ocean view -They sell ice cream/frozen yogurt here! Earl Warren College: Canyon Vista -The location is pretty good; you get a view of the "forest" at UCSD -The food itself varies in taste (sometimes it's really good but other times it is a shame) -They have twinkling lights on part of the ceiling -The actual dining hall is a bit outdated-looking 6th College: Foodworx -I'm actually unfamiliar with Foodworx since it is really far away John Muir College: Pines -Another good-looking dining hall -The actual hall is kind of small -It is very modern (some plasma TV's) -The food is pretty good too Revelle College: Plaza Cafe -The dining hall looks pretty old -A lot of people complain about the food but I think it's okay Goody's (Part of Marshall college) -This place is basically a grab-and-go kind of place -There are some places to sit outside -They only prepare burritos (yummy!) but they sell cheesecake here too and sub sandwiches The Market (ERC) -This is a mini-convenient store on campus (every college has one but this one is by far the best one) -They sell whole pizzas (already prepared) -They also sell salads, etc.

A cafe for students