Campus Life

Berkeley's Cal Dining program is a favorite among students. Along with the 4 resident dining halls, Cal Dining also consists of a number of Cafes, convenient stores, and fast food joints, all of which accept Cal Dining's payment program, known as Meal Points. Payments are made using the student ID card, meaning that there is no need to carry around a separate card. Food wise, Cal Dining offers a variety of dishes from cuisines around the world, a reflection of the cultural mosaic that is 21st century California. Students almost always have great things to say about the food offered by Cal Dining, but should they fancy something else, there are a massive number of resturants and markets scattered within walking distance from campus. Asian resturaunts are particularly good here as, there is an entire block off campus known as the Asian Ghetto, where students flock to everyday for Korean barbeque, Japanese sushi or ramen, Chinese pot stickers, and Indian curry and tandoori.

Nothing will ever beat home meals, of course, but there are tons of restaurants that don't cost too much and taste pretty awesome. Then, of course, there's San Francisco. There are loads of grocery stores within walking or bus riding distance from the campus, including Berkeley Bowl which has incredibly cheap and amazing produce.

The school food isn't fantastic, but it's not as bad as it could be. I don't eat there now that I no longer have a meal plan. The food got exhaustingly repetitive, but it was definitely amazingly convenient.

There are so many campus dining options at Cal. Resident dining halls, on-campus dining locations, and smaller grocery-like stores all take meal points and are accessible to students. The menus are always very diverse, there are always fantastic staff member available to help, and your appetite will never suffer!

The Foothill dining hall, although a bit small, has a considerable amount of variety available; the food is good enough that becoming familiar with the local cafes is a pleasant but not mandatory pastime. Ingredients and allergens are always clearly labeled for every dish except the ice cream and salad bars, and there are halal, kosher, vegetarian, and vegan options available year-round for every meal. The on-campus cafes are all quite nice, and if you're willing to search off-campus, there are a wide variety of affordable good options in Berkeley proper, including an improbable number of boba/bubble tea shops.