Eating on campus is a convenient way to consume a delicious variety of foods and meals from different cuisines. It is important to eat a balanced meal to succeed in your courses and to keep you energized throughout the day. Columbia Dining is here to support your nutritional needs while you are on campus. You are in for a treat!
The Student Dining Plan offers options for meals per week or term. The meals per term option allows you to spread your meal balance throughout the semester. This is useful if you are someone who doesn’t eat enough on campus to use the weekly meals before they expire. You can visit our Student Dining Plan webpage to determine the best plan that meets your needs. If you do not want to commit to a dining plan, you still have the option to purchase a meal when you arrive at the dining hall!
Columbia Dining considers food and allergen safety a top priority. A registered dietitian on staff consults with Dining Plan holders to develop a personalized food allergy management plan. The culinary team within Columbia Dining is trained in proper food allergy handling, and our menus are labeled so you can dine safely. In select dining halls, nuts and nut products are served exclusively at “nut zones” to limit cross-contact with other foods. For more information regarding food allergies or dietary restrictions, please visit the Food Allergies & Special Diets webpage for accommodations.
There are several themed dinners hosted by Columbia Dining throughout the year, such as French Night, Taste of the Caribbean, Campout, Halloween-themed dinner, Spongebob Event, Breakfast for Dinner, and Taste of Indigenous America. Additionally, there are wonderful events such as the Battle of the Dining Halls, which is a tasty and friendly competition among the five Columbia Dining Halls: JJ’s Place, Ferris Booth Commons, John Jay, Chef Mike’s Sub Shop, and Faculty House. Each dining hall makes a signature dish that is presented to the judges, which includes a panel of students and a celebrity chef. I would highly recommend visiting the Columbia Dining Events Calendar to stay updated on the delicious events that are happening around campus.
Columbia Dining makes changes within the dining halls based on student feedback and overall needs. For more information about the Columbia Dining updates for the 2024-2025 Academic Year, click here.
If you are experiencing food insecurity, please contact The Food Pantry at Columbia for resources. All of their locations are accessible to any student, regardless of school affiliation! There are no other criteria or financial requirements. If you have a need, they are here to support you. You can register and place your order online.
Food Pantry Locations:
Alfred Lerner Hall
Our Lerner location is on the 5th floor of Lerner Hall, Campus Side, 2920 Broadway (between 114th and 115th St.).
Tuesdays & Thursdays
4:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Medical Center
Our Medical Center location is on the 1st floor at 50 Haven Avenue, between 168th & 169th Streets.
Mondays & Thursdays
6:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Let’s take a look at some of the options available to you for dining halls! At TC, we have two food-service locations on campus: Grace Dodge Dining Hall and Blue Java at Everett Cafe, but students are also able to access dining halls on the main Columbia campus. Before heading out, it is important to review the menu online to see what is being served for the entire week. Visit this page to see the full list of locations and menus. I will share some information on three of my favorite places to dine on campus.
Grace Dodge Dining Hall
Grace Dodge Dining Hall is one of the three preserved original spaces on TC’s campus. Students often say that our dining hall is reminiscent of Hogwarts and has a similar architecture and design to other Ivy League institutions. One unique feature of this dining hall is the piano towards the back of the room, which is open for anyone to play. There are a few events hosted in the Grace Dodge Dining Hall during the academic year, such as the Annual TC Community Thanksgiving Dinner & the Holiday Pasta Dinner.
For those who are returning to TC this year, there are a few important changes to Grace Dodge that you should know. For the upcoming 2024-2025 academic year, the two main stations will be the made-to-order salad bar and the ramen bar. A meal at Grace Dodge Dining Hall will be one swipe, or one price, and will include a customized salad or customized ramen bowl, plus fruit, dessert, and drink. Additionally, the dining hall will no longer be open on Fridays; it will only operate Monday to Thursday.
Everett Cafe
Everett Cafe is a great location to grab your espresso drink or tea in between classes or get a salad, soup, or sandwich if you are on the go. This is also a great space to study with the ambience of a cafe, including the smell of freshly brewed coffee or the sounds of steamed milk from the espresso machine. On certain evenings, the Music Department organizes jazz or blues live band performances so you can study with harmonious background music.
Ferris Booth Commons
Ferris Booth Commons is an excellent location for an afternoon brunch, which is served until 2:00 pm. If you would like a BYO omelet from the omelet station, my personal favorite, you will need to arrive during breakfast hours, which end at 11:00 am. This location has two floors of seating, and if you get a seat by the window, you can overlook the Great Lawn. During lunch, the pasta station and salad bar are very popular spots, with dozens of toppings to choose from! The action station offers something different daily, from burritos to noodles, falafel bowls, a pho bar, and much more.
See below for a list of all the dining locations available to TC students.
On Teachers College campus:
Retail Location:
Blue Java at Everett Library Café
Fall Hours:
Monday – Thursday, 8:30 am – 7:30 pm
Friday, 8:30 am – 2:00 pm
Location: Teachers College, on the first floor of Zankel Hall
Dining Hall
Fall Hours: Monday – Thursday, 11:00 am – 7:00 pm.
Location: Teachers College, on the ground floor of Grace Dodge Hall
On Columbia’s main campus:
Retail Locations:
Blue Java Café – Butler Library
Fall Hours: Monday – Thursday, 8:00 am – 12:00 pm.
Location: Butler Library
Fall Hours: Monday – Friday, 8:00 am – 10:30 am
Location: first floor of Mudd Hall
Fall Hours: Monday – Friday, 8:00 am – 5:30 pm
Location: Uris Hall
Fall Hours:
Monday – Thursday, 8:00 am – 6:30 pm
Friday, 8:00 am – 3:00 pm
Location: Second floor of Columbia Law School, in Jerome Greene Hall
Fall Hours:
Monday – Thursday, 11:00 am – 2:00 pm
Friday, 7:00 pm – 11:00 pm
Location: By the John Jay gates to W. 114th Street,
Dining Halls:
Fall Hours:
Monday – Friday, 7:30 am – 8:00 pm.
Saturday, 9:00 am – 8:00 pm.
Sunday, 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Location: 3rd floor of Alfred Lerner Hall
Fall Hours: Sunday – Thursday, 9:30 am – 9:00 pm.
Location: John Jay Hall
Fall Hours: Sunday – Saturday, 12:00 pm – 10:00 am.
Location: Lower level of John Jay Hall
Fall Hours: Monday – Friday, 10:30 am – 10:00 pm
Location: Uris Hall
Fall Hours: Monday – Friday, 8:00 am – 6:00 pm.
Location: Mudd Building
Fall Hours: Monday – Wednesday, 11:00 am – 2:30 pm
Location: Second floor of Faculty House