Sometimes it feels like getting your daily recommended food intake is a game of chance—will the cafeteria be open and will you have enough time to eat there? Will your waimai delivery come in time to chow down before class? To help you fuel your long days, from morning lectures to late-night study sessions, here’s a guide to where to find food on campus.
Let’s start with the most clearcut location, the cafeteria. NYU Shanghai’s cafeteria is spread across two floors and serves a wide range of options. You can check the weekly menu in advance and even order ahead on NYU Shanghai’s Official Wechat Enterprise account, under Catering Services.
Cafeteria (B2)
Breakfast: Monday to Friday, 7:00am - 9:00am
Lunch: Monday to Friday 11:00am - 1:30pm
Dinner: Monday to Friday 5:00pm - 7:00pm * fewer options available after 6:30pm*
With plenty of indoor and outdoor seating, the cafeteria’s B2 level is your likely first stop for food on campus. If you manage to arrive early enough for breakfast, you’ll discover an array of Chinese breakfast standards like youtiao (fried dough sticks), baozi (steamed buns), congee (rice porridge) and western options like toast , eggs, potatoes, and sausage.
During lunch and dinner hours, multiple stations serve a variety of cuisines—you can literally eat your way around the world with Chinese dishes a la carte, Western set meals, American-style burgers and hotdogs, pizzas, pastas, dumplings, noodles, dry pot rice, teppanyaki, and an assortment of Japanese, Korean, Indonesian, and Thai style dishes. You’ll find everything from bibimbap and burritos to fish and chips and nasi lemak. The drinks stand has a rotating menu of milk teas and smoothies, and there are grab-and-go desserts and cut fruits right at the register.
Don’t feel like queuing or having difficulty choosing? Snag a 9.9RMB “Mystery Box” option at the register—it comes with a protein, a grain, vegetables, and there’s even a gluten free option. Supplies are limited, so either get one early or order one day ahead.
Cafeteria (B1)
Open: Monday to Sunday
Lunch: 11:00am - 2:00pm
Dinner: 4:30pm - 7:00pm
One level up on B1, you’ll find another whole selection of meal options, from Chinese halal standards like hand-pulled noodles and dumplings to sushi, cold sandwiches, salad boxes, and other vegetarian options.
This is also your best bet for a lunch option on campus over the weekend, as the Halal station is open seven days a week for lunch and dinner. During Ramadan, the Halal station stays open one hour later to accommodate our community’s needs.
Magnolia House Cafe (East 3F)
Open: Monday - Friday 7:30am -6:30pm, Saturday- Sunday 9:00am - 5pm
Located on E3 in the hub of campus, drop by the Magnolia House Cafe for a morning snack to hold you over until lunch or for a quick bite later in the afternoon.The cafe features coffee and hot drinks but you can also find bagel sandwiches, grilled cheese or peanut butter sandwiches cookies, egg tarts, and other snacks.
Order Ahead
Did you know you can also place an order for your meal via WeChat? Try this hack if your class extends into mealtime hours: Visit NYU Shanghai’s WeChat enterprise account and select the “Catering” tab. You can make your food order from B2 between 9:30am and 4pm (make your order one day in advance for lunch or dinner) and from Magnolia Cafe between 10am and 4pm (same day bookings allowed). All meal orders must be placed one day in advance.
Manner Coffee (East 1F)
Open: Monday to Friday 7:30am to 5pm, Saturday to Sunday 8am to 5pm
Need a caffeinated pick me up while getting in a few steps? Stop by Manner Coffee’s service window on East 1F at the back of the Campus Store or enter their shop from the street just outside of the North gate to enjoy your drink while people watching.
Delivery Drop Box (outside North gate)
The most popular option for busy students? Online food delivery. Order meals from nearby restaurants on your phone using a delivery app like Eleme or Meituan, where you can even track the status of your delivery until it arrives. Place your order and wait for the call: “Waimai daole!” All deliveries are kept at the delivery drop box station outside of the North gate. Use your mobile app to scan and unlock the cabinet to pick up your order.
Snack Machines
(East B2, North 2, North 3, South 3, East 3, East 4)
For an on-the-go snack or drink between classes, there are six vending machines stations open 24/7 on campus. There’s also one in Tower 5 of the Residence Hall. You pay with your phone using WeChat or Alipay.
Stay tuned, word on the street is that an exciting new snack option may soon appear on campus (in April).
Dining Off Campus
There’s plenty more eating options if you’re willing to cross the street! From Xinjiang halal food to noodles, you can grab a relatively inexpensive meal within a few minutes walk from campus. For more extensive and finer dining options head to the malls (try Qiantan Taikoo Li or Crystal Plaza). And of course there are several convenience stores located near campus, including C-Store, Lawson’s, and 7-11.
And if you’re at the residence hall, definitely hit up the pancake man selling jianbing for when you’ve got the munchies. He sets up his stall nearby most nights after dark.