Where To Eat: Dining at RIT

Hungry? Looking for something to eat after class? RIT’s got you covered. Campus has a variety of dining options you can choose from, not to mention food you can make yourself from the market! While college food doesn’t always have the best reputation, I actually really enjoy the food RIT has to offer.

Breakfast

While you’re not going to find the Froot Loops bar, campus has some great opportunities for breakfast items. Gracie’s has breakfast if you want to get up early, but if you don’t want to worry about timing, you can always check out some of the other spots on campus that sell breakfast goodies. Artesano Bakery & Café sells croissants, donuts, cookies, and drinks that could be great to get your morning started. I personally adore their croissants- that’s my go-to pickup! This bakery has special events from time to time with special desserts. I adore the pumpkin spice brownies that come up during the Fall season- I recommend trying them if you get a chance. 

Apart from Artesano, Midnight Oil in Global Village is a great place for your breakfast and coffee if you’re heading back from the academic side of campus. Croissants, muffins, donuts, and bagels are sold here, alongside some more unusual treats such as elephant ears. I highly recommend this spot, especially if you get a chance to pick up an elephant ear- one or two of those placed into the microwave for 30 seconds makes for an amazing sugary breakfast. Both of these locations offer coffee and other drinks alongside your pastries.

The last option is Brick City Cafe, open through breakfast and lunch. This is where you could get croissants, eggs, and a collection of breakfast and lunch treats. The only downside with this location is the difficulty with getting there! While it’s not hard to find, located right in the SAU, the hours of this cafe make it so that I always had a hard time making it there before they closed. My classes were often in the morning in such a way that I just couldn’t make it unless I stopped in after an 8 am class. Not impossible, but if you want to make the best use of this location’s offerings, you want to be a morning person!
 

Lunch and Dinner

There’s a ton of places to find food, some of them open later than others. You'll have no issue checking the RIT Dining website to make sure the spots you have your eyes on are open. RITZ Sports Zone has personal pizzas and pasta bakes alongside a grill. The Commons has oven-baked pizzas, another grill (a staple of campus!), and a sandwich building sector. Crossroads offers similar things to other areas on campus, although they often have visiting chefs who bring food unique cuisines to campus. Cantina and Grille at Global Village offers a collection of Mexican, Mediterranean, Asian, and Indian cuisine. This makes it a great place to get something unique and tasty.

The largest dining hall on campus is Gracie’s. You can expect to see large variety of food: pizza, fries, breakfast items, salad, and so much more. Gracie’s is the place you go if you want to find something new every day of the week! Gracie’s tries to give something new every time. Ice cream, pulled pork, burgers, pizza…there’s a ton of offerings here. Plus, it's close to the dorm side of campus, so it's not too hard to get there and back in time to study for that upcoming test. If you have any food allergies, Gracie’s is a nut-free area where you don’t have to worry about any nut-based allergens getting into your food (...except for coconut, the one exception). 

What’s the Best? 

So… what’s the best thing on campus? That’s for you to decide! Different people have different favorites due to differences in taste. My favorite is RITZ, but I’ve met people who hate the pizza there and prefer Crossroads. Some people will adore your favorite, and sometimes there’s going to be a line for that dining hall you just don’t understand. The best thing about RIT Dining is that you can explore the offerings in your first year using your dining dollars and learn what your favorites are for later!