
Brown University provides a range of dining options for its students, including two all-you-can-eat dining halls, four campus restaurants, three coffee carts, and two convenience markets. The university is committed to providing high-quality, fresh, and sustainable food options, and also offers various meal plans to cater to different dietary needs, including vegetarian, vegan, kosher, and halal options. Students at Brown University can enjoy a diverse food experience on campus, with plenty of choices to suit their preferences and requirements. Additionally, they can explore nearby Thayer Street, which offers a variety of restaurants, or take a short trip to Providence for even more dining options.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Number of dining halls | 5 full-service dining halls, including 2 all-you-can-eat dining halls |
| Number of cafes | 2 |
| Number of campus restaurants | 4 |
| Number of coffee carts | 3 |
| Number of convenience markets | 2 |
| Meal options | Vegetarian, vegan, kosher, halal, nutritionally complete meals |
| Meal plans | Flexible meal plans, meal credits, flex points, guest passes |
| Meal assistance | E-Gap applications, Meal Gap program |
| Local food initiatives | Apple Fest, Eat Local Challenge, Brown Market Shares, local bakery deliveries |
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What You'll Learn

Brown University's dining halls
Brown University offers a wide variety of dining options for its students. There are two main dining halls on campus: the Sharpe Refectory, affectionately known as "the Ratty", and the Verney-Woolley, or "V-Dub". Both are all-you-care-to-eat dining halls, serving a range of options to cater to different dietary needs. The Ratty is the only dining hall open seven days a week for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, while V-Dub is closed on weekends. Students can swipe in at the entrance and enjoy as many plates as they like, with options such as a nightly entree, kosher kitchen station, allergen-aware station, halal station, salad bar, sandwich bar, grill, and pasta and pizza station.
In addition to the main dining halls, Brown University also has smaller eateries like Jo's, the Gate, the Blue Room, and the Ivy Room, which is located right below the Ratty. These eateries offer more of a restaurant-style experience with specific specialties, such as a make-your-own smoothie station, sushi, and sandwiches at the Ivy Room.
For students who want to cook their own meals, Brown provides a small food exchange/pantry shelf stocked with non-perishable goods and supplemented by the Office of the Chaplains and Religious Life. Students can also opt to go off their meal plan starting sophomore year, giving them more flexibility in their dining choices.
Brown Dining Services is committed to serving fresh, healthy, and high-quality foods, and supports local agriculture by partnering with regional farms, food producers, and vendors. They also organize events such as Apple Fest and an Eat Local Challenge, further engaging the campus community in supporting local food initiatives.
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On-campus cafes
Brown University offers its students a variety of on-campus dining options, including two all-you-care-to-eat residential dining halls and several retail dining spots. The university has five full-service dining halls, two cafes, and one grab-and-go, ensuring that students have plenty of dining options throughout the week.
The Sharpe Refectory, affectionately known as "The Ratty," is one of the two all-you-can-eat dining halls on campus. It offers a wide variety of options, including a nightly entree, a kosher kitchen station, an allergen-aware station, a halal station, a salad bar, a sandwich bar, a grill, and a pasta and pizza station. The Ivy Room, located right below The Ratty, is another popular dining option, known for its healthy and fresh food options, such as make-your-own smoothies, sushi, and sandwiches. It also offers nightly dinner specials, like grilled cheese night.
The Verney-Woolley, or "V-Dub," is the other all-you-can-eat dining hall, offering similar options to The Ratty, including an action station, sides, a grill, and a salad bar. In addition to these dining halls, Brown University also has the Blue Room/ERC Cafe and the Gourmet-To-Go as on-campus cafe options. The Blue Room, located in the Stephen Robert '62 Campus Center, is a full-service cafe open all day, serving coffee, breakfast sandwiches, and baked goods. It is a great spot for students to relax and watch campus life unfold. The ERC Cafe offers similar fare, including sandwiches, salads, and baked goods, and students can use flex points or Bear Bucks at both locations.
Gourmet-To-Go, located in the basement of the student centre, is a grab-and-go option offering ready-to-eat meals like sushi, pastries, and pre-made salads and sandwiches. It also offers frozen foods, snacks, and toiletries, making it a convenient option for students on the go. With its diverse and flexible dining options, Brown University ensures that its students have access to delicious and nutritious meals that cater to various dietary needs and preferences.
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Restaurants near campus
Brown University offers a wide variety of dining options for its students. The university has two main dining halls, the Sharpe Refectory (aka "The Ratty") and the Verney-Woolley (aka "V-Dub"), which offer all-you-can-eat meals. The Ratty is known for its quantity and daily specials, including a nightly entree, kosher kitchen station, allergen-aware station, halal station, salad bar, sandwich bar, grill, and pasta and pizza station. It is also the only dining hall open seven days a week for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. V-Dub, located conveniently below the freshman dorms, offers similar options but on a smaller scale and is known for its make-your-own waffle station.
In addition to these main dining halls, Brown University also has four campus restaurants, three coffee carts, and two convenience markets. Smaller eateries like Jo's, the Gate, the Blue Room, and the Ivy Room are also available and tend to serve better, restaurant-quality food with their own specialties. The Ivy Room, located below The Ratty, is a favourite among students for its healthy and fresh food options, including a make-your-own smoothie station, sushi, and make-your-own sandwiches.
For those seeking off-campus dining options, Thayer Street, located practically on campus, offers a variety of restaurants, from cheap eats to upscale dining. Students can also take a bus or walk down to Providence for even more choices, including East Side Marketplace, Farm Fresh RI Farmer's Market, and Stop & Shop. Brown University also has various dining programs and initiatives, such as the Brown Market Shares program, where students can purchase weekly shares of local produce from regional farms.
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Meal plans and credits
Brown University offers flexible meal plans to suit students' needs. All meal plans come with meal credits, flex points, and guest passes. Students can add a meal plan at any point in the semester and plans are also available during breaks.
The two main dining halls, the Ratty and the V-Dub, are all-you-care-to-eat and offer a wide variety of food options. For a meal credit, students can access various food options, including fresh fruit, cereal, soup, and salad bars, as well as vegan and vegetarian options. The Ratty is open seven days a week for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, while the V-Dub is closed on weekends.
In addition to the main dining halls, there are smaller eateries on campus, such as the Ivy Room, which is known for its healthy and fresh food options, including a make-your-own smoothie station and sushi. Other eateries include Andrews, Jo's, the Gate, and the Blue Room. These smaller eateries tend to serve better-quality food but have fewer options as they specialise in specific dishes.
Students experiencing acute food needs can apply for support through the Graduate School's E-Gap applications. The Meal Gap program may provide meal credits for short-term, immediate needs, and the number of meals and the duration will be determined on a case-by-case basis.
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Local food initiatives
Brown University has a variety of on-campus eateries, including two all-you-can-eat dining halls, four campus restaurants, three coffee carts, and two convenience markets. The dining halls are called the Sharpe Refectory (aka "the Ratty") and Verney-Woolley (or "V-Dub"). The Ratty is the only dining hall that is open seven days a week for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and it offers a wide range of options, including a nightly entree, a kosher kitchen station, an allergen-aware station, a halal station, a salad bar, a sandwich bar, a grill, and a pasta and pizza station. V-Dub is similar to the Ratty, with an action station, sides, a grill, and a salad bar, but it is smaller and closed on weekends.
Beyond these main options, Brown University students can also eat at smaller eateries like Jo's, the Gate, the Blue Room, and the Ivy Room, which tend to serve better, restaurant-quality food with more specialized options. Additionally, there are various restaurants on Thayer Street, which is very accessible from the campus, offering both cheap and upscale dining options.
Brown University also has several local food initiatives. The university invested $218 million in 2022 to purchase goods and services from over 1,000 Rhode Island vendors, including $13 million worth of food. Approximately 35% of this annual food spend is supplied by regional farms, orchards, mills, and other local food producers and vendors. For example, Brown sources cheese from a local vendor to support local businesses and spark growth. The university also organizes events like Apple Fest and an Eat Local Challenge, where an entree in the Sharpe Refectory is 100% locally sourced. Brown Dining Services plans to introduce a farmer's market during the spring semester to further support local agriculture. Students have also organized a campus-based food distribution program called Brown Market Shares, enabling the campus community to purchase weekly shares of local produce from regional farms.
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Frequently asked questions
Brown University has two main dining halls, the Sharpe Refectory (aka "the Ratty") and the Verney-Woolley (aka "V-Dub"), which are both all-you-care-to-eat. There are also four campus restaurants, three coffee carts, and two convenience markets.
The Ratty serves a variety of dishes, including nightly entrees, kosher meals, halal food, salads, sandwiches, pasta, and pizza. It also has an allergen-aware station.
Besides the two main dining halls, there are smaller eateries like Jo's, the Gate, the Blue Room, and the Ivy Room, which is located right below the Ratty. These tend to serve better, restaurant-quality food, though they have fewer options.
Yes, there are restaurants on Thayer Street, which is very accessible from the university. There are also various food and grocery stores nearby, including East Side Marketplace, Stop & Shop, and Walmart, which are accessible via the On-Call Shuttle.
Yes, students experiencing acute food need can apply for support through the Graduate School's E-Gap applications. For students in residence in Providence, meal credits for on-campus meals may be provided for short-term needs.











































