# Cheapest food on campus at UCalgary

Eat on campus at UCalgary for a few dollars. The MacEwan Student Centre, The Landing, and free programs like the Campus Food Hub.

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Eating on campus at the University of Calgary doesn't have to drain your budget. Between the MacEwan Student Centre food court, The Landing dining centre, and a set of subsidized and free programs run by the Students' Union and the Campus Food Hub, you can eat well for a few dollars most days. This guide breaks down the cheapest options on main campus, what they cost, and where to get a free or nearly-free meal when money is tight.

## The cheapest spots on campus, at a glance

Most of the budget-friendly food on main campus lives in two places: the MacEwan Student Centre (MSC) and the Campus Food Hub in Crowsnest Hall. Both sit close to the middle of campus, so you're never far from a cheap meal between classes.

| Spot | Location | What you'll pay | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ladle UP! soup and bun | Campus Food Hub, Crowsnest Hall | $2 | A hot lunch on Wednesdays |
| The Den vegan meal | MacEwan Student Centre | $3 | A cheap plant-based meal |
| Breakfast Club | Campus Food Hub, Crowsnest Hall | Low-cost | Thursday morning fuel |
| The Landing meal plan | Dining Centre | $8.55 to $15.13 per meal | All-you-care-to-eat |
| The Landing door rate | Dining Centre | $13 to $20 | Walk-in breakfast, lunch, dinner |
| Good Food Box | SU Campus Food Bank, MacEwan Hall | From $35 | A box of fresh produce |

Prices shift, so treat these as a rough guide. The point is that a filling meal on campus rarely needs to cost more than a few dollars if you know where to look.

## MacEwan Student Centre: the main food court

MacEwan Student Centre is the busiest food hub on campus, and it's where you'll find the widest range of options. The vendor lineup changes, but as of this writing the food court includes:

- **A&W** (burgers and breakfast)
- **Tim Hortons** and **Tim Hortons Express** (soup, sandwiches, coffee)
- **Subway** (subs and salads)
- **Canadian Pizza Unlimited** and **Mr. Pretzels** (pizza and snacks)
- **Carl's Jr.** (burgers)
- **OPA! of Greece** (gyros and souvlaki)
- **Noodle and Grill Express** and **Umi Sushi** (Asian options)
- **Dairy Queen / Orange Julius**, **Jugo Juice**, and **Starbucks** (drinks and treats)
- **The Den & Black Lounge** (a pub-style spot with a $3 vegan meal option)

A&W and Tim Hortons are the go-to cheap options here. Both run budget items that keep a meal well under $10, and the food court has plenty of seating for eating between classes.

## The Landing: the all-you-care-to-eat dining centre

The Landing in the Dining Centre is the biggest meal option on campus. It serves breakfast, lunch, dinner, and continuous dining in between, with stations for vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, and halal food. Anyone with a Unicard can buy a meal plan, whether or not they live in residence.

For 2026-27, the meal plans are:

- **7-day unlimited:** $6,000, works out to $8.55 per meal
- **5-day unlimited:** $5,350, works out to $10.67 per meal
- **250 swipes:** $3,455, works out to $13.82 per meal
- **120 swipes:** $1,815, works out to $15.13 per meal

Unlimited meal plans are mandatory for first-year residence students. The 5-day plan only works Monday through Friday, which suits students who are off campus on weekends. Meal plans can only be used at The Landing, and they expire at the end of the academic year.

If you don't have a plan, the door rates are steep:

- **Breakfast:** $13.00
- **Lunch:** $17.50
- **Dinner:** $20.00

All door rates are subject to 5% GST. The Landing runs a loyalty card where you buy 5 meals and get the 6th free, but only within the same meal time. At those walk-in prices, The Landing is only worth it if you plan to eat a lot in one sitting. For a quick cheap meal, the food court or the Campus Food Hub is the better call.

## Free and nearly-free food on campus

UCalgary has real support in place if your food budget is tight. You don't need to go hungry to make ends meet.

**The Campus Food Hub** in Crowsnest Hall is a collaboration between Student Experience and Support, Ancillary Services, the Students' Union, and the Graduate Students' Association. It runs several low-cost programs:

- **Ladle UP!** serves a bowl of soup and a bun for $2, Wednesdays from noon to 2 p.m.
- **Breakfast Club** runs Thursdays from 9 to 11 a.m. as an affordable way to fuel up for the day.
- **The Affordable Food Market** sells groceries at subsidized prices, with products supported by the SU Quality Money program. You can also grab $1 coffee and tea during opening hours.

**The SU Campus Food Bank** (Room 225, MacEwan Hall) offers year-round emergency food relief to the campus community. It provides nutritionally balanced food hampers assembled in line with the Canada Food Guide, with vegetarian options available. You can request a hamper by emailing foodbank@ucalgary.ca or calling 403-220-8599. It also runs a Holiday Hamper and a Ramadan Hamper during those seasons.

**The Good Food Box** is a produce program run through the Community Kitchen Program of Calgary, and the SU Campus Food Bank is a depot. You order a box of fresh fruits and vegetables at an affordable price, with the small box (15 to 20 lbs of produce) at $35. Order in person at the Volunteer Services Office in MacEwan Student Centre, cash only.

**The Fresh Fruit Initiative** keeps bowls of apples and oranges in offices across campus for students to grab as a free snack. **Edible gardens** on main campus grow apples, pears, apricots, and more, and picking them is encouraged. The **Foothills Campus Community Pantry** runs on a take-what-you-need model for the Foothills campus.

## How to spend less on campus food

A few habits stretch your food budget further than any single menu item:

- **Bring your own.** Packing a lunch is almost always cheaper than buying one. A thermos of coffee and a sandwich cost a fraction of what you'd pay on campus.
- **Hit the Campus Food Hub on Wednesdays and Thursdays.** A $2 soup and bun on Wednesday or a low-cost breakfast on Thursday beats any food court price.
- **Use the subsidized market.** The Affordable Food Market sells groceries at prices below retail, so you can stock up instead of eating out.
- **Skip The Landing unless you're on a meal plan.** At $17.50 for lunch, the door rate is the most expensive way to eat on campus.
- **Check the SU Campus Food Bank before you pay full price for groceries.** The hampers and the Good Food Box make healthy food more affordable.

## The bottom line

The cheapest reliable meals at UCalgary are the $2 Ladle UP! soup and bun, the $3 vegan meal at The Den, and the subsidized groceries at the Campus Food Hub. If you live in residence, a meal plan at The Landing is the most cost-effective way to eat if you use it regularly. And if money is tight, the SU Campus Food Bank and the Campus Food Hub are there for you. Eating on campus cheaply is less about finding one magic spot and more about knowing which options give you the most for your dollar.

For more on stretching your money as a student, see our guides to [budgeting on a student income](/learn/budget-student-income/) and [student housing at UCalgary](/universities/university-of-calgary/student-housing-ucalgary/).