A recipe for greatness
UCLA Student Dining
Curated Cuisine
When people imagine campus cuisine, they rarely envision it in elevated terms. Unless they’re at UCLA. Here, the home of the best college food in America, food is carefully considered, thoughtfully sourced, expertly crafted in-house and serves as a basis to nourish, inspire, teach and create connection. Our 10 distinct dining establishments are created with student needs and desires in mind and each has a distinct concept that allows students to explore delicious cuisines and versatile dining spaces with curiosity and excitement. We know that students excel when they are fueled with the best food, and our mission is to give them that and more.
#1 Best College Food in America
Niche.com (2022, 2021, 2020), Business Insider (2020)
Local = Fresh
We believe in the importance of fresh, nutritious and well-prepared food that paints a picture of the natural bounty grown in Southern California and the people and cultures that turn it into amazing dishes. With an excellent climate for year-round growing, we are extremely fortunate and take great pride in working with local farmers and distributors to bring our guests the best our region has to offer. We also care for our very own tower garden at Sproul Hall to grow vegetables and herbs right on-site for use at Plateia, an award-winning full-service restaurant located in the nearby UCLA Meyer and Renee Luskin Conference Center.
Diversity = Strength
UCLA is one of the most diverse universities in the country. Each year, our campus welcomes students who come from myriad cultures, backgrounds and traditions. Food is a perfect way to bring people together to share in the beauty that our diverse community. That’s why we work to showcase regional and global cuisines with excellence and enthusiasm. Whether that is Mediterranean-inspired menus at Epicuria, American classics at DeNeve, Asian and Latin options at Rendezvous, or rotating international selections at Bruin Bowl, we bring the world to you with every bite. We also provide kosher and halal options for guests whose diets require them.
14,500 Thoughtfully Prepared Meals Served Each Day
Options = Opportunity
With roughly 14,500 student residents using our restaurants each day, we know how important it is to provide options that everyone can feel good about. For some of our students that includes knowing that their food allergies or other food-related factors are not going to slow them down once they pass through our doors. Our dining program also has a dietician on staff to provide nutrition education and help students with meal planning. We also operate our own gluten-free pantry for students living with celiac disease, wheat allergies and gluten intolerance.
Sustainable = Sensible
We take every possible opportunity to minimize food waste and maximize environmental sustainability through our culture of conservation, which includes offering smaller portion sizes, providing ample vegetarian and vegan options, composting food waste, and finding creative and efficient ways to use unserved food ingredients, such as repurposing vegetable peelings for use in stocks and soups, among other things. We also encourage students to consider the carbon-footprint of their choices by paying attention to our labeling of various dishes, and we conduct assessments of how much waste leaves our restaurants so that we can develop waste reduction strategies.
“UCLA Housing & Hospitality is well on its way to making a difference in protecting our natural resources and improving the overall health of the environment. I invite you to learn more about our sustainability initiatives and join us by doing what you can do—however large or small—to help improve the planet for all of us.
Here’s to Sustainable Living!”
— Peter Angelis, Assistant Vice Chancellor, Housing & Hospitality
Comfort = Connection
We believe in multi-functional spaces where eating, socializing and studying can happen simultaneously. From the distinct design of each of our 10 concept-driven restaurants, to the architecture, lighting, wall art, aesthetic features, comfortable furniture and access to charging stations for electronic devices, each space provides room for guests to excel and feel their best. Many of our locations also offer outdoor seating, which allows guests to enjoy California’s incredible year-round weather, listen to music, meet friends and have great open-air conversations over a great meal.
Eating = Education
Preparing food is an important life skill, and we love to get students excited about cooking by getting them involved. Not only do we integrate platform cooking into many of our restaurant concepts so that guests can watch our chefs and cooks prepare their meals, we also provide many opportunities for guests to customize their meals. In addition, we support the UCLA community through various food security efforts and proudly work closely with the Semel HCI Center at UCLA and the national Menus of Change consortium to promote healthy eating and food literacy efforts on our campus and across the nation.
Care = Community
UCLA Dining is comprised of more than 600 team members who work to provide the very best food, service and guest experience each day. Each brings a wealth of experience and a desire to make the student experience a memorable one. In fact, it is not uncommon for our team members to treat our guests with the same care they would give to their own family members, especially those who have college-aged children of their own. When asked, many UCLA alumni can still recall their favorite dining hall team members years after graduation and remember the care and attention they received during mealtimes.
