OCAD University has no cafeteria and no meal plan. The upside is that campus sits at 100 McCaul Street, a five-minute walk from two of the cheapest food neighbourhoods in Toronto, and the students’ union runs free food programs on campus every week. Here’s where to eat without draining your budget.
Free food on campus
OCAD SU, the students’ union, runs two programs every student should know about, and both cost nothing.
Hot Lunch runs every Tuesday and Thursday at 2:30 p.m. in Lambert Lounge (Room 187 at 100 McCaul). It’s pay-what-you-can, meaning free if you need it to be, with a suggested donation or non-perishable food item. The menu is mostly vegan and gluten-free, so it covers most dietary needs.
Student Pantry is a free, no-questions-asked food bank with fresh produce, non-perishables, premade meals, snacks, and personal care items. Find it in Room 271 at 100 McCaul and at the OCAD SU office in Room 620 at 230 Richmond Street West. If your budget is tight in a given month, this is what it’s there for.
OCAD U also runs a Good Food Box program, where a bag of fresh produce costs around $10. Check the pickup schedule with OCAD SU for current dates and prices.
Cheap eats near campus
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There’s no on-campus food service to compare prices against, so the neighbourhood does the work. The campus sits between Kensington Market, Chinatown, and a handful of student-priced food courts, and everything below is within a ten-minute walk.
| Spot | Where | What you’ll pay | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grange food court | 290 Adelaide St W | $8 to $12 | Fast, cheap lunch between classes |
| Kensington Market | Baldwin Ave area | $8 to $14 | Taquerias, bakeries, cheap produce |
| Chinatown | Spadina & Dundas | $8 to $15 | Noodle shops, dumplings, rice plates |
The Grange food court across McCaul from the main building is the closest and fastest option, and it’s where most OCAD students grab lunch between studio sessions. Kensington Market on Baldwin Street is the pick when you want a proper cheap lunch rather than a snack. A taco and a bakery run there costs less than a sandwich anywhere downtown. Chinatown along Spadina is the value winner for dinner: a filling bowl of noodles or a rice plate regularly lands under $15, with portions big enough to cover two meals.
The grocery move most students miss
Cooking is the biggest saver, and OCAD’s downtown location makes groceries awkward if you don’t know where to look. Kensington Market is a full neighbourhood of independent produce shops, butchers, and bakeries, and the prices beat the big grocery chains for most staples. A weekly produce run in the Market keeps a food budget near $50 a week if you cook most of your own meals.
Add the free Hot Lunch twice a week and the Pantry when money is tight, and eating well at OCAD U costs a lot less than it does at schools with mandatory meal plans.
Sources
For where to live while you’re eating all this, see our guide to student housing at OCAD U.
This guide is general information for Canadian students, not personalized financial advice. Program rules and dollar amounts change, so confirm the details with the official government source before acting on them.
