An incoming student’s guide to campus dining
For Cal Poly’s Open House, Reporter Dylan White breaks down some of the dining options available for new students.
Dining at Cal Poly begins by choosing one of the university’s meal plans. One of the options for first years is the Mustang 150 Plan, which gives you 150 Dining Dollars weekly, which is about 2,250 when spent equally across a quarter.
According to Cal Poly Partners, continuing students and transfer students can choose plans like the Mustang 120, Mustang 80, or Mustang Freedom. Students can plan to spend about 21 a day if you want to make your money last through finals week, according to Campus Dining Representatives during Open House.
You can get your coffee fix at the Starbucks Food Truck, serving espresso drinks, breakfast sandwiches and pastries as one of the only Starbucks trucks in the country outside Spanos Stadium. Walking up to the University Union (UU) Market, you can find frozen meals, packaged snacks, bottled drinks and specialty Cal Poly apparel.
Just south of the UU, the 1901 Marketplace transforms the building space into an open-air food court with seven unique spots to dine — Poly Deli (sandwiches), Pom & Honey (Mediterranean), Pico’s (Mexican), Red Radish (salads), Julian’s (coffee and smoothies), Chick-fil-A and Panda Express.
Chick-fil-A offers chicken sandwiches, nuggets and waffle potato fries from early morning until late at night. Meanwhile Panda Express has orange chicken, chow mein and egg rolls at the ready.
In between freshman dorms lives the Vista Grande Dining Complex, where upstairs you can take in an all-you-care-to-eat meal at six upper-level stations: Balance Café (top-eight allergen free), Hearth (artisan pizzas & oven-roasted entrées), Brunch (breakfast items all day), Streets (global street-food bowls), Mingle + Nosh (custom salads & wraps) and Noodles (hand-crafted pastas & Asian fusion).
Downstairs the Grand Ave. Market is a campus convenience store, located right in the middle of first year housing. They carry snacks, ingredients for meals and Cal Poly-produced dairy and meat. It also has a Jamba Juice for fruit bowls, fresh juices and smoothies.
Shake Smart, stationed just outside of the Recreation Center, offers protein and fruit smoothies, acai bowls and energy bars to go with an afternoon workout or studying session. In the Yakʔitʸutʸu neighborhood, Scouts Coffee Co. — a locally owned, family-operated roaster — offers craft-roasted espresso, cold brews and made from scratch pastries in an informal, small-batch setting within easy walking distance of the Welcome Center.
And if you’re living at Poly Canyon Village, you can eat at their establishments without needing to travel to the main campus. They have a Subway for fresh sandwiches, Einstein Bros Bagels for breakfast sandwiches and bagels and Taco Bell for late-night cravings.
Cal Poly features dining choices from full-service centers and revolving buffets to chain restaurants and convenience markets. More information can be found on Cal Poly Dining’s website
