Dining @ MIT
Campus Dining Service Guide
Nutrition and Special Diets
Purchasing Meals
Kosher Dining, W11
Where to Eat
Campus Dining Service Guide
MIT Campus Dining has over 30 on-campus operations to serve the MIT Community. The operating hours of each location vary based on type of service, location and time of year. Some Dining locations open early in the morning, some for lunch and dinner, some for dinner only and some stay open around the clock. Menus for many locations are available online at web.mit.edu/dining/menus.
Nutrition and Special Diets
If you adhere to a special diet, such as low fat, organic, vegetarian or vegan, you will find a supportive menu and a staff committed to helping you with your dietary needs. MIT Campus Dining and MIT Medical work together extensively to continually improve MIT’s dining options and to provide personal attention for students with special dietary requirements. Campus Dining staff members are happy to assist you and confidential consultations with MIT Medical are available.
Services in House Dining rooms are particularly sensitive dietary needs. Chef Managers will plan and prepare menus for students with special dietary needs wherever possible. Jewish students will find Shabbat dinners available at the Religious Activity Center Fridays at 7pm and a selection of kosher convenience items at Baker Dining. Muslim students will find Halal menu offerings at Baker Dining and at Sepal Restaurant in W20 as well. House Dining rooms are open to all MIT Community members, not just undergraduate students and not just residents of the halls in which the dining rooms are located.
Purchasing Meals
There are two declining balance debit accounts at MIT; Dining Dollars and TechCASH. A Dining Dollars debit account is your best way to manage a budget strictly for meal purchases. The Dining Dollars account can be used in all dining halls, restaurants, food courts and cafes on campus. The TechCASH account can be used for ALL campus services, including food purchases where Dining Dollars are accepted.
House Dining operations offer a House Dining Membership program. For a per semester fee, House Dining Members enjoy a 50% discount on most purchases at the four House Dining locations, Kosher Shabbat dinners on Friday night and at the Simmons Late Night Café. Membership is required for students living in Baker, Next, Simmons and McCormick. This value-added program is available to all undergraduate and graduate students regardless of where they reside.
Kosher Meals, W11
Shabbat is a festive, traditional family-style atmosphere and a special time for the Jewish campus community. Kosher Dining offers prepared kosher dinners for Friday Shabbat meals and high holidays. Meals are served Fridays at 7pm in the MIT Religious Activities Center (W11).
MIT Campus Dining also offers kosher convenience items in the Baker Dining Room in the Baker House residence hall. This store stocks an inventory of kosher grocery, meat, dairy and ready-to-heat prepared entrees based on student feedback. Baker Dining is open 7 days a week from 5–8pm.
Kosher Dining is conveniently located in the MIT Religious Activities Center. If you maintain a strict kosher diet, you can be assured that MIT Kosher Dining adheres to the highest standards of Jewish dietary law. Program oversight is by the Vaad Harabonim of New England [Rabbinical Council of New England], MIT Campus Dining, and MIT Hillel.
Currently Kosher Dining offers some weekday dinners at 6pm Shabbat meals are served Fridays at 7pm and Saturday at 12:30pm offering a special enhanced menu with grape juice, challah bread and more. Shabbat is a festive, traditional family-style atmosphere and a special time for the Jewish campus community!
“Where to Eat”
Campus Dining venues include restaurants and cafés, house dining rooms, convenience stores, pubs and more – in short, you can find lots of flavors without having to leave campus. All Campus Dining menus offer vegetarian items and many restaurants offer catering services as well.
On-Campus Restaurants and Cafés
Anna's Taqueria
Stratton Student Center (W20) First Floor
A Boston-area favorite. The menu includes tacos, burritos, SUPER burritos, quesadillas, chips and salsa, guacamole and rice dishes. Breakfast burritos and Mexican coffee are available in the mornings.
Au Bon Pain
Zesiger Sports and Fitness Center (W35) First Floor
Au Bon Pain in the Z-Center offers sandwiches, snacks, pastries and soups, as well as coffee and bottled beverages. The Au Bon Pain in Kendall Square also accepts TechCASH.
Bio Café
Biology Building (68) First Floor
Visit the Bio Café for soup from Kettle Cuisine, homemade chili, a made-to-order sandwiches or one of the chef’s daily entrées. Breakfast sandwiches are available all day.
Bosworth's
Rogers Building Lobby (7)
Designed for MIT by MIT, this café features fresh-brewed Peet’s Coffees, hot and iced specialty drinks and gourmet teas, plus fabulous pastries and desserts by renowned Boston bakeries. Bosworth’s is a coffee and dessert lover’s dream!
Café 4
(44) First Floor (off the Infinite Corridor)
Designed for quick grab-and-go service, Café 4 is MIT's busiest location per square foot. It’s perfect for a bagel or pastry in the morning, soup and a sandwich in the afternoon or an early-evening meal on the run. The café also offers salads, sandwiches and specialty items, including sushi, prepared daily.
The Cambridge Grill
Stratton Student Center (W20) First Floor
At the Cambridge Grill you can BYOB – that’s build your own burger – or try another off-the-grill favorite like chicken, grilled cheese or a tuna melt. This restaurant also serves salads, stone-oven pizzas and calzones.
Dunkin' Donuts
Stratton Student Center (W20) First Floor
Dunkin's menu features donuts, bagels, cookies, lattes, breakfast sandwiches and, of course, Boston’s favorite coffee!
Forbes Family Café/Forbes at Night/Starbucks
Stata Center (32) First Floor
Forbes Family Café is a 220-seat dining facility that serves hot breakfast and an extensive lunch menu. Breakfast items include eggs, pancakes and breakfast meats. At lunch, you’ll find pizza, deli items, toasted sandwiches, hot entrees and made-to-order specials as well as grab-n-go sushi, sandwiches and salads. Visit “Forbes at Night” in the same location for hot entrees, pizza, soup, salads, coffee and more. Forbes Café proudly serves Starbucks Coffee and Pastries; the Starbucks kiosk is open for breakfast service. Starbucks offers hot breakfast sandwiches and breakfast pastries.
Lobdell Food Court (Subway, Sepal, and Shinkansen)
Stratton Student Center (W20) Second Floor
The Lobdell Food Court offers three cuisine choices. Try Sepal for Middle Eastern dishes, Shinkansen for Japanese cuisine such as sushi and teriyaki dishes, or enjoy a made-to-order sandwich or salad from Subway. Sepal offers Halal-certified foods.
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Pacific St. Café
Sidney-Pacific (NW86)
This cozy café in the northwest section of campus offers hot entrées, comfort foods, ethnic cuisine, made-to-order hot and cold sandwiches, soups, salads, pastries and specialty coffee drinks.
Refresher Course
Sloan Building (E52) First Floor
Refresher Course is a deli that serves made-to-order sandwiches and wraps, a daily hot entrée special, cappuccino, assorted fresh-baked goods and a salad bar. Open for breakfast and lunch, Refresher Course caters to the Sloan community; but all are welcome.
Steam Café
Rogers Building (7) Fourth Floor
Steam Cafe was developed jointly by The School of Architecture and Planning (students and administration) and MIT Campus Dining. The menu is designed to offer delicious, simple and substantial food from around the world with an emphasis on diversity, nutrition and community interaction. You’ll find two ragouts (one with meat, one vegetarian), daily offered with a choice of whole grain organic brown rice or the grain of the day.
Zigo Café
600 Memorial Drive (E98), First Floor
Zigo offers sandwiches and prepared foods, as well as a hot entrée bar.
House Dining
All House Dining Rooms are open to the entire MIT Community. Undergraduates, graduate students, faculty and staff members with an MIT ID are all welcome, as a courtesy please check in with the house desk. These dining facilities are open for dinner only and accept TechCASH, Dining Dollars and cash. House Dining Membership is accepted in all of the facilities listed below. Entrées and stations offer fresh, exciting menus every day; view menus online at web.mit.edu/dining.
Ashdown Dining (NW35)
Ashdown Dining offers All-You-Care-to-Eat dining that includes hot entrées (vegetarian and meat), salad, soup, desserts, fruit and beverages.
Baker Dining (W7)
House Dining is an important part of the Baker tradition, history and community, and is the campus destination for Halal meals and Kosher Convenience foods. Baker’s kitchen is in open view so you can see the care that goes into our culinary preparations.
McCormick Dining (W4)
McCormick features all the quality and freshness that House Dining is known for with an emphasis on lighter cooking techniques, healthier dining and enhanced vegetarian options. Contemporary applications of mahogany woods and granite counters create a rich environment to match the elegance of the House.
Next House (W71)
Glass walls give Next House a panoramic view of the Boston skyline and big upholstered booths, banquets and chairs make the dining room a place to relax and unwind. Build your own antipasto, have steak off the grill, or enjoy a veggie burger (don't worry, for cooking integrity, vegetarian items are prepared on their own dedicated grill).
Simmons Dining (W79)
With free form curved walls and 35 foot ceilings, Simmons Dining defies description and convention. And what a stir-fry bar! Choose any protein, Bok Choy, bean sprouts, bamboo shoots, water chestnuts, snow peas, baby corn, Chinese cabbage, and mushroom caps just to name a few. Or visit the grill for sandwiches, quesadillas, fish, steaks and other favorites!
Pacific Java, Simmons Late Night Café (W79)
Simmons Late Night Café opens when the dining hall closes. Enjoy a late night study break with coffee drinks, pressed sandwiches, salads and pastries.
Campus Convenience Stores
LaVerde’s Market (W20)
La Verde's combines the level of choice you expect from a supermarket with the easy access of a convenience store. Shop for anything from basic ingredients to fully prepared meals, as well as household staples and beauty items.
MacGregor Convenience (W61)
Located on West Campus, MacGregor Convenience (or “Mac Con”) features snack foods and prepared microwavable meals, along with domestic staples from toothpaste to laundry detergent. Open until the wee hours, Campus Convenience also offers an international food section to help you prepare your own culinary creations.
Pubs – Ages 21+ only please.
The Muddy Charles
The Muddy Charles Pub was founded in 1968. The Muddy Charles Pub Board of Governors, a sub-committee of the MIT Graduate Student Council, oversees the operations of the Pub. The Muddy, as it’s known, has welcomed everyone from Nobel Laureates to graduate students, played host to entrepreneurs and their start-ups, and enjoyed global exposure. Visit http://web.mit.edu/muddy/ for more information. Open to the MIT Community and their invited guests. 21+ only please.
The Thirsty Ear
Ashdown House (NW35)
Known affectionately as “the Institution of the Institute,” The Thirsty Ear is a popular graduate student hang out and offers beer and wine along with a menu featuring favorite pub foods. The Thirsty Ear hosts regular karaoke, music and trivia nights; for schedules and more information, please visit http://thirsty-ear.mit.edu/. Open to the MIT Community and their invited guests. 21+ only please.
The R&D
Stata Center (32) Fourth Floor
The R&D, like all of the Stata Center, is a creative space designed to offer a relaxed atmosphere for the MIT. The Pub offers ample seating for impromptu gatherings with friends and colleagues, including a mezzanine with soft seating. Order everything from crudités, fruit and cheese, to sushi and personal pan pizzas. Beverages include beer and wine, along with soft drinks, tea, and coffee. Open 4 pm – 10 pm, Thursday and Friday. The R&D is available for event reservations other nights of the week. 21+ only please.
Other
Food Trucks
Near outbound T Stop in Kendall Sq. (Carleton Street)
Food trucks (or “the trucks” in MIT-speak) offer a quick alternative to East Campus diners during the lunch rush. On-Campus food truck operators are held to the same high standards of food safety as other campus food services. The four trucks offer Chinese, Mexican, Vegetarian/Vegan, and Middle Eastern cuisines (respectively).
MIT Produce Market
East Campus Courtyard, Near Walker Memorial
Purchase fresh fruits and vegetables every Tuesday (weather permitting) from Noon – 6 pm in the East Campus Courtyard.