Get to know University Housing’s dining halls
Ike is a popular choice for University Housing residents because it has a dining hall, A La Carte store, and coffee shop.
August 24, 2017
If you have a meal plan, there are six University locations to eat at. This includes Busey-Evans, LAR, FAR, PAR, ISR and the Ike. Each dining hall is a buffet style, and you can use a classic meal credit, cafe credits or a credit card to pay. Where to go depends on preference, location and hours.
Busey-Evans, LAR, FAR, PAR and ISR are all located in Urbana, and the Ike is located in Champaign.
I live in Urbana, and I usually eat at Busey-Evans, LAR, Ike and PAR. During the week I have lunch and dinner at either Busey-Evans or LAR. and on weekends, I go to PAR or Ike—it depends on what is on the menu.
Each dining hall has a specialty, where they make a certain dish on certain days of the week.
Busey-Evans has Oodles every Friday, which includes a variety of pasta dishes. You can stand in line for the cooks to make you a customized pasta dish, or you can get a variety of pasta dishes on the buffet line. The wait for the lines are long, but many people say it’s worth it.
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PAR has stir-fry Monday through Friday. You can stand in line for the cooks to make you customized stir-fry with a variety of vegetables and proteins like shrimp, steak or chicken. You can also get noodles and rice in your meal or on the side.
If you don’t have time to eat a sit-down meal and you need something on the go, most dining halls have an A La Carte store where you can use your credits.
The Ike is my go to spot because it has a dining hall, A La Carte store and bakery. It has the biggest convenience store where they sell prepackaged meals and snacks like chips, drinks, fruit and yogurt. Within the store, there’s also a mini to-go restaurant with wraps, burgers, fries, and more. The Caffeinator, the bakery on the second floor, sells coffee, smoothies and pastries.
When you know you won’t have time for a sit-down meal, plan ahead and stop by an A La Carte location.
I recommend downloading the UI Dining app to see the menus and hours of each location—it makes the daily dining hall decision much easier.
Cindy is a junior in Media
