Food on Campus

The dining halls at the University of Michigan have various food options available which cater to different dietary needs such as gluten free, halal, vegan, vegetarian, kosher, etc. They will surely have something to satisfy your cravings.  From salads to desserts, they have it all. There are multiple dining halls spread across both the North and Central Campus. Dining halls are open through all meals on weekdays and few selected halls operate for shorter duration on weekends. You can find the menu for the day at different halls on the MDining mobile application or visit the Michigan Dining website. You can also find out the hours of operation on these two platforms. Depending on your requirements, you can choose a meal plan with a limited number of meals per year or an unlimited meals deal.

In addition to the Dining halls, there are various cafes in different student buildings across campus like the libraries, Angel Hall, academic buildings as well as the residential Quadrangles. They have varied hours of operation so be sure to check that out. These cafes are also enriched with food options and are a good choice for a quick on the go snack. You can also get your sandwiches made to order. Depending on your chosen meal plan, you can use your “Blue Bucks” at these venues as well as the Markets. Blue Bucks are like regular US dollars, but they are already credited to your account when you purchase a meal plan and can be accessed through your M-Card. There are also coffee shops around the campus area like Panera Bread, Starbucks, Sweetwaters and many more. 

Apart from the campus food joints, there are a lot more restaurants you can visit. There are regional restaurants that will surely remind you of the tastes of home. Some Indian restaurants are Madras Masala, Taste of India and Shalimar. You can find some Jamaican flavors at the Jamaican Jerk Pit and some well-known Asian restaurants among the students are No Thai, Totoro, Panda Express and One Bowl Asian Cuisine. South State Street has a line of local coffee shops and restaurants which will make you want to come back to them. Near the Michigan Theatre you can be sure to find some lively music being played in the evening on weekends. University Avenue is another Street that has various fun food and activity joints to check out. 

So far as a vegetarian, I have not faced any troubles with food. If you’re living in campus housing, there are options to cook your own meal in the kitchenettes and you can borrow pots and pans from the resident staff working in the residence halls. You can buy grocery items from nearby grocery shops like Kroger, Walgreens and 7 Eleven at affordable prices. You could even try out tiffin services offered by the locals. You can find their contacts online through University Facebook pages or your peers.

Written by Dharivi Bansal

Summer Orientation Peer Advisor

Undergraduate Student

India