UCD Restaurant

It’s been a while since anyone reviewed this place, so I thought I’d give it a refresher. Cheap food and massive portions from the UCD Restaurant are probably going to be high on my list of things I miss about college come graduation this year. The food selection isn’t exactly gourmet, but it’s all the students want, it’s filling and cheap. They sell a nice selection of salads which you can self-​serve, as well as two daily soups, which are delicious with a very nice soda bread. The other options are pizzas, pastas, roast dinners, some random selections (sausages, chips, roasties, veg) that you can put together, chicken sandwiches and other daily specials. They also have the usual pre-​packaged sandwiches, fruit salads and yogurts. There is a nice selection of bakery goods and you can also get coffee and drinks. The staff are pretty efficient and it’s easy to get around– also a lot of seating, though you’re going to be beside strangers if you choose to go around lunch time.
The price is the real draw, it’s usually no more than 5 or 6 euro for a big meal, 2.50 for soups. The pre-​packed stuff is more expensive but there’s really no need to go for it when you have the full kitchen.
I’m not going to give it five stars because like I said, it’s not exactly gourmet, but it’s a grand spot.

Probably the worst and most expensive sandwiches in Dublin. Avoid if possible! What else can I tell you?!?
I’ll eat before going there.

It’s a regular college cafeteria. Grab a tray, pick what you want to eat (there’s a pretty wide selection), get something to drink and pay. The prices can be a bit over the top, and then finding a place to sit, especially if you’re in a group, can be an adventure. The place is extremely packed during the main eating times, as is expected, but with how close all the tables are it’s extremely difficult to maneuver the place when there’s a lot of people already filling the seats. Not really a bad place by any means though, just pricy and crowded.

It’s a university caff. What more is there to say? Son is a student here and we met for lunch. Hadn’t been here for 25 years and it really hasn’t changed very much. Everything with chips was the expectation, natch, based on dim memories. Astonishingly, they seemed to have healthier options as well which, in the interests of nostalgia and research, I of course eschewed. Sausage, beans and chips is a guilty pleasure and those on offer were just as you’d expect. A tenner for two including soft drinks can’t be bad. Cholesterol heaven, I could feel the arteries harden as I ate. Since it’ll probably be another 25 years before I go back, I took the chance. Great. Would I eat here every day? Not a chance.

I used to be famous in here! Okay famous is not the word to use but there used to be a really big picture hanging on the wall in the dowstairs part of the restaurant and I was in it!
Other than being in the restuarant constantly (because of that picture) I was in the restaurant a LOT of the time, the big tables were perfect for eating your lunch while simultaneously writing that assignment that is due at 5pm! I usually ended up in the dowstairs part, mainly because of the baked potatos, yum yum!
I love how this place is called the restaurant, nice and simple and unassuming, just like the place itself.
Do they still make those sausage rolls upstairs? they have them in the morning? I havent been the very recently!

Like the weather, the buses and 9am lectures, one of the common topics of complaint on campus is the food in the Restaurant. More of a canteen than a restaurant, the main restaurant is one of those places you find yourself complaining about but constantly using, and when you think about it, it’s because it’s not actually as bad as all the complaining makes it sound.
Downstairs there’s couches and tables for students to bring their own lunch or eat sandwiches purchases elsewhere. The middle level provides a sandwich bar which makes the best sandwiches on campus. With fresh ingredients and friendly service it’s hardly surprising that the lunchtime queues are really long, so try to get there before 1.
Upstairs there the ‘first restaurant’ which is the more controversial element of the place, perhaps I’d only give this section 2 stars. Here you’ll find hot food of varying flavours… the rule though for regular eaters here is to ignore the written menu and have a good gander at what actually looks good, or at least not bad! In the mornings they do breakfast, with a selection of hot foods at lunchtime and later in the evening. Even within this array of institutional food you’ll sometimes find a hidden gem, like the chocolate pudding with custard.
My biggest gripe with the restaurant is that it’s actually quite expensive for a university canteen. A large cup of tea is 1.70, and a hot meal is usually 7 euro. However you can save money with the student special which is usually a meal with tea or soup for around 4.50.

My sister works in UCD so I pop out to visit her a few times, we ate here recently. Bearing in mind that it is located within a college, the food was pretty good.
It goes without saying that the food is cheap but at the same time you get what you pay for. So as a result it can be very hit and miss with dinner. Although anytime I or she has had breakfast here it’s been really good.
It’s open from 8am — 7pm and I love that you can take-​away your food. They also have a post office there which is actually very handy.
I used to play for one of their clubs, so it’s good to know that there is a place to eat if you are involved with a team there.