Check out Northwestern Dining’s website here. They list things like menus, dining hall hours, and more.

A Comprehensive Analysis of NU Dining Halls

Every Northwestern student has a different favorite dining hall. This is because each dining hall offers something different for diners, although most of them offer the same basic things (a main option, vegetarian options, cereal, etc.).

Breakfast typically includes eggs, some type of potato or other carb, a meat of choice (including veggie options), pastries, hot vegan options, cereal, make-your-own waffles, and/or an omelet bar.

Lunches and dinners vary from place to place, but usually have a main option (complete with protein, sides, and vegetables), vegetarian/vegan options, allergy-friendly dishes, a grill (with hamburgers and other items), pasta, pizza, a salad bar, a sandwich station, and dessert.

Each dining hall also offers water (including fruit-infused waters some places), juice, milks (dairy and soy), soda, and hot beverages.

Sargent – Sargent is the go-to dining hall of CCSers, as well as most of North Campus. Sarge (as it is referred to by most Northwestern students) is probably the largest dining hall on campus, offering students meal options at several stations. Highlights include veggie sausage and avocado toast at breakfast, Taco Tuesdays for lunch, and S’mores bars for dessert. Because it’s so large, Sargent suffers from the most severe backups during peak meal times, although lines never last too long. Sargent is also where the CCS dining room is – two or three times a week, we’ll have faculty chairs and fellows join us for a meal. It’s the most convenient dining option for CCSers, and while nothing exceptional, Sarge always provides a decent meal.

Allison – Allison is on the opposite side of campus from CCS, but is located near lots of classes on South Campus (including humanities, performing arts, and journalism classes). Allison is a little bit smaller than Sarge, and delivers about similar-quality meals. Allison breakfasts are reportedly worse than Sargent’s, but its pizza is miles better. Allison is also noteworthy for offering a Kosher (meat, but with vegetarian options) station in the dining hall that always delivers quality meals. CCSers will find themselves at Allison pretty much exclusively when they have classes or other events on South Campus.

Elder – Elder is the most underrated dining hall on campus. It is one of the smaller dining halls, and is located just a few minutes north of CCS and is still relatively convenient to walk to. Elder was recently renovated to include a street-food station that delivers high-quality, fresh food from around the world. Elder also has a Kosher station, but suffers from lack of options in a lot of other places – it can be pretty hit-or-miss because there are only a couple of food items to choose from during any given meal. When Sarge’s lines are out the door during the lunch rush, Elder is noticeably quieter and has virtually no wait, plus the line always remains indoors (a perk when it’s raining hard outside). Elder is a place to go when you aren’t feeling Sarge but don’t want to walk south or use Dining Dollars for other dining options.

Plex (East and West) – The Plex (officially known as Foster-Walker) dining halls are seldom visited by most CCSers because their location is incredibly inconvenient – Plex is located towards the center of campus, but it’s on the opposite side of Sheridan and tucked away a little bit. Plex West is notable for being the only dining hall that’s open past 8PM on weekdays, so anyone looking for a late dinner at a dining hall will often head there. Plex East is unique in only offering Pure Eats, or allergen-free food. While other dining halls have Pure Eats stations, Plex East takes it a step further, only offering food (including made-to-order stir-fry!) that doesn’t contain the top 8 allergens or gluten. Neither Plex dining hall is anything to write home about, but they aren’t terrible options and each have very specific niches to fill.

C-Stores and On-Campus Dining

There are several other on-campus dining locations where you can buy a meal with Dining Dollars (which come with your meal plan), meal exchanges (if you’re on a meal plan that has meal equivalency), or Cat Cash (if you choose to purchase it). C-Stores offer pre-packaged or pre-made food, as well as some sundries (like plastic utensils or deodorant), which can also be paid for with Dining Dollars or Cat Cash.

Lisa’s Cafe – Lisa’s is the go-to place for CCSers if you’re looking for a late-night snack or if you missed the dining hall hours. It’s located in Slivka, which is a minute away.They sell some made-to-order food like sandwiches (Lisa’s egg sandwiches are a go-to) and chicken tenders, but they also have pre-made sandwiches and salads or food that you can make for yourself, like frozen meals and ramen. They sell baked goods like donuts and croissants, and they have a variety of drinks. Lisa’s also features Plum Marketplace, which sells a lot of snack foods, including pints of ice cream, and other items.

Tech Express – Tech Express is inside of Tech. If you’re looking for some quick food between classes, you can go here to get hot food, baked goods, or a pre-made salad/sandwich.

Café Coralie – Café Coralie is an offshoot of Patisserie Coralie in downtown Evanston, and is located on the second floor of Pancoe, which is behind Tech. It has a nice view of the lake and lots of natural light, and not many people know where it is, so it’s often a nice, quiet place to study. They offer French pastries, great coffee, and a few sandwiches or other to-go snacks.

Café Bergson/BrewBike – When you enter University Library, go down the steps, past the computers, towards the stairs. On a mezzanine between the first and second floors is a student-run coffee shop. This is a great place in Main (how students refer to University Library) to get work done, and they offer typical coffee-shop fare. Highlights include cinnamon cold brew and almond croissants.

Plex C-Store – Right outside of the Plex West dining hall is a C-store that mainly sells snack food, convenience items, and to-go meals.

Fran’s Cafe – Fran’s is located in Willard, the largest res-college on campus and the largest dorm in the Southwest area (aka the sorority quad). Its three big-ticket items are its quesadillas, burgers, and milkshakes. Fran’s is absolutely worth the trek from CCS because the quesadillas and burgers can be meal-exchanged (meaning that you can get two per week for no additional cost on an open-access meal plan), and its food is delicious.

Norris – Norris offers several dining locations, including Starbucks, Dunkin’, MOD Pizza (meal-exchange friendly), a deli (meal-exchange friendly), a burger joint (meal-exchange friendly), an Asian fusion restaurant, a traditional C-store, and a rotating “Best of Local” stop, where different Chicago-area restaurants come for limited times to open up shop in our student center.

Eating Out

There are a ton of restaurants in Evanston. Here are a few of our favorites:

Tomate (914 Noyes St.) – Located on Noyes, right by our closest “L” stop, Tomate serves amazing Mexican food for cheap.

Coffee Lab (910 Noyes St.) – The only coffee shop close to North Campus (other than on-campus dining locations), Coffee Lab is a go-to study spot for many CCSers.

10Q Chicken (816 Church St.) – Located in downtown Evanston, 10Q Chicken serves American fried chicken classics with an Asian twist, as well as amazing matcha soft-serve.

Farmhouse Kitchen (703 Church St.) – Also in downtown Evanston (right off South Campus), Farmhouse Kitchen serves pricier, but delicious American, farm-to-table cuisine. A must-visit with family.

Blind Faith Cafe (525 Dempster St.) – Farther south than most Northwestern students venture into Evanston, Blind Faith is a vegetarian and vegan restaurant with delicious, globally-inspired cuisine and baked goods.

Shang Noodle (608 Davis St.) – Shang Noodle is an amazing Chinese restaurant with homemade noodles and dumplings.

Tealicious Bubble (1565 St.) – One of two boba, or bubble tea, places in Evanston, Tealicious has amazing drinks and waffles.