Adelaide University Eateries

When you visit a city, the last place you’ll probably look for a meal is a university campus. However, the University of Adelaide offers some good quality dishes for very cheap prices. Since the perimeter walls have been removed and access to the public has been opened to all, you can easily go inside to grab a bite.

Source

A cafeteria is actually a group of eateries that do not offer their own seating but have a large area with shared tables and seats in the centre of the area. There are also more seats and tables provided outside if you’re looking to escape the bustle or grab some sun.

You can access this cafeteria from North Terrace, in front of the university. You’ll need to make your way into Hub central and walk to the northwestern part of the main entrance. From there you’ll have full access.

I would eat here 2-4 times a week due to the pricing and quality. It's also convenient to eat here for those studying long hours and can’t break for the supermarket. Let's start off with the newest addition to the list

Burger Theory

The newest selection that has recently appeared at the cafeteria. Its very popular due to, you guessed it, its burgers. If you’re looking for a solid meal with a side of fries, this is the perfect place for you. They have many of the meats on display to showcase its freshness.

Source

They have three different chains in Burger theory. One located in Flinders, another at Union street and in Adelaide. They offer different styles of beef burgers, cheeseburgers, falafel burgers, fried chicken burgers and a monthly burger. This burger ranges from many different types of flavours.

Grass roots

This, along with its sandwich selling counterpart are in constant competition for the most popular coffee seller in the Hub. This eatery specialises in wholesome foods and a more vegetarian oriented menu than its counterpart.

It mainly sells wraps of different kinds, falafels, vegetarian rolls and more. However, their most popular options are their salads. From about six to eight options to choose from depending on the day, you will always have a wild combination to select from. Their salads include roasted mushroom, rice noodles, wombok, capsicum, parsley, tabouli, quinoa, sunflower seeds, kale, chickpeas, green peas, soybeans, pasta, ginger, garlic and many more combinations. I have eaten here quite often due to how nutritious and absolutely delicious their salad menu is. An added bonus is that the salads are usually switched up for a new flavour to indulge your taste buds.

For those looking for meat, they offer meat pies and sometimes curries. At times they would add spicy Spanish sausage in their salads which heavily augments the flavour.

Source

They also offer a wide range of cold beverages from their fridges, including ice-teas and carbonated drinks. This place is pretty good if you’re looking for Starbucks-esque sweet coffees.

The counterpart

This coffee-making rival which focuses on more carb fueled greasier options is a great option for an affordable and satisfying meal. Firstly the coffees. If you were keen to grab a hot caffeinated drink, this place is more affordable although much simpler. It serves coffee with the intention of it being a quick 'pick me up' for work weighed students rather than a long enjoyable sugar-fueled drink.

This place offers a large selection of sandwiches. You could great the regular baguettes or the larger slices of bread that allow for more juicer filling. They offer many options such as Portuguese chicken, Vietnamese vegetarian, Schnitzel, steak, pork, regular vegetarian and more. You could buy a selection of different salads. Three out of the four of the bulbed shaped salads are chicken-based. They cycle through different ingredients every day. The constant one is the Chicken Caesar salad filled with crusted bread, chicken, caesar sauce and different vegetables. The only non-chicken-based bulb salad is a chewy type of beef. My favourite salads of the whole are the quinoa chicken and the pumpkin chicken salad. Both sublime options with the latter being a rather rich dish.

For the regular salads, you have the option of curried chicken, beef and tofu for vegetarians. You can grab either fish or soy sauce to augment the flavour.

One of the favourites of the products on offer that would be perfect for a long day of walking is fries. For a cheap price of 6 AUD you can get a massive box of fries enough for yourself and two other mates. They are quickly prepared and decently good. If you’re looking for something with more flavours, try out the wedges with the different sauces on offer, they’re tasty as. The fries are perfect for students who want to take them down to the study rooms to share with mates or for those who want to enjoy a bit of sun with the large portable fries box.

They also offer croissants, banana bread, muffins, cakes and small pastries to go with your main meal or a bulb-shaped fruit salad for a healthier option.

The best part about this eatery and the reason it's my favourite to go to is its 4:30 PM deal. At 4:30 Pm, every day, all the sandwiches and salads on display are sold for a whopping 50% off. This offer is absolutely crazy by Adelaidian standards. You could buy enough delicious food to fuel you for the rest of the day. The reason behind this is that they would prefer selling this food cheap rather than throwing it all away.

This is especially perfect for those who have classes during lunchtime or are staying in for the long haul study sesh.

I would definitely recommend the bulb-shaped salads and the tofu salad as it is especially good. They add fried thin dough such as that found in spring rolls and actual spring rolls as well. It's a very delicious combo that may not be too healthy but it is still vegetarian.

Asian Cuisine

The last eatery left in the cafeteria. As the name implies, they offer different types of predominantly Chinese and Vietnamese dishes. Spring rolls, different types of noodle soups, chicken teriyaki, chicken and almonds in rice, dim sims and many more different options. They also offer a lot of finger foods such as vegetable rolls and different types of sushis packaged in plastic containers that you can have on the go. They also offer several types of cakes, including cheesecakes, to choose from. Many of them taste exquisite and are of high quality. I have not yet resolved whether they order them from a prime bakery or simply bake it themselves. Regardless they’re all good choices.

They also offer fruits such as apple and bananas on the counter for a dollar each if you’re looking for a quick healthy snack. They also sell large prawn chip bags for two and if you’re looking for a soul-food snack. I have had the prawn chips many times and would definitely recommend them. However, be careful not to eat them in one go, they’re designed to be split between many people.

An honorable mention

Adelaide Unibar

It would be a shame to talk about the best eateries at Adelaide University without mentioning the Unibar, located in a nearby building. It is extremely popular for its accessibility and good quality food. It's also very budget friendly. Many university students would find themselves having a cheeky pint between lectures to keep the concentrative juices flowing.

The Unibar was set up to allow students a relaxing place to enjoy a pint after (or during) uni. It is also conveniently set up next to the Adelaide University gym. It is not uncommon to listen gym-goers during a session suggest going to the Unibar after for a cheat meal. However, I would not recommend going to the unibar for dinner if you’re looking to keep in shape unless you order one of their salads.

Source

It hosts many Exchange Student Network (ESN) events, including many other clubs and association meetups. On the weekends and on some weeknights they have live music performances from local bands or students themselves. At some points, they hire national or international DJs to rock the large dance floor for those looking to shake a leg. So the genres range from Hip hop, electronic, Rock, Indie and many more to enjoy. The bar has a history of setting up gigs for three decades. Sometimes the salsa club hosts big Latino nights to add a bit of spice to the norm. Trivia and other social games are not a rare sight at this bar.

Normally, the venue has a relaxed and chilled out atmosphere. Upon entrance, you’ll have the stage and dance floor immediately to your right and the bar to your left. On the right side, you can access the balcony with several tables and a great view of the Torrens River. Perfect for a warm, sunny day.

In the inside area, in front of the pub, you have a couple of pool tables to enjoy a competitive or chill match against some mates. They also have some arcade machines to choose from. There are also many round tables, some padded benches and sofas to enjoy a relaxed lay back.

The bar offers all sorts of Aussie classics such as Hahn Superdry, Coopers Pale Ales and many more. They also offer many different types of hard spirits and cocktails to try from. Often throughout the week, they have special drink deals including large jugs of beer with prices matched by no other establishment excluding the Austral bar. This is a place perfect to start a long night out or enjoy it calmly with a group of mates.

The menu is also pretty good and affordable. They sell large nachos doused in different sauces and chilis. They offer a wide cycling menu. However, their staple Schnitty (schnitzel) and fries is a great option to take for its affordable price.

If you ever find yourself in Adelaide for an extended period of time, make your way down to the Unibar and cafeteria if you're looking for a budget, filling and delicious meal. Check out the Grassroots salads especially.

Happy adventuring!

If you’re looking to live within the area of Adelaide city and you’re looking for a place packed with fellow international and exchange students then look no further. Located on Grote street you have the University of Adelaide Village. This accommodation is the cheaper counterpart to Urbanest. It is an extra fifteen minutes walk to get to Adelaide University although it has its own perks.

On this street you have a few South Korean and Chinese restaurants around. There are also some good bars just a five minute walk away. You also have the Anytime Fitness gym located less than a five minute walk away. The Adelaide University Village is located close to the Central Market.

The Central Market is a large area with multiple stalls of many different types of meals, desserts, fruits, ingredients and many different things. It's a popular place to go as they sell veggies and fruit cheaper than most supermarkets. You’ll also find some great places to eat as Central Market is within Adelaide’s Chinatown. Here you can find some amazing cuisines from all over Asia. The main focus is Japanese, Chinese, South Korean, Thai and a few other Southeast Asian countries. There are also some student friendly shops which are not too harsh on the budget to shop in. If you're lookng to cool off or want a bit of sugar in your life then there are some Gelato shops located in the nearby Chinatown and food courts where you get to taste foods from all over. Bubble tea pop-up stores are very popular in Adelaide and found nearby.

One of the best bits about food shopping is the nearby Coles supermarket. Most supermarkets are open till 9PM on weekdays and 5 pm on weekends. The Coles supermarket on Grote street is open on weekends late into the morning. This allows for any emergency shopping. You would have access to anything you would ever need (except alcohol). So if you’re inspired to make drunk nachos at 4am in the morning with mates then you’ll have all the ingredients available to you just over five minutes of walking away.

When you enter the glass doors of the student residence you will be faced with the reception. Here you’ll have 24/7 service if you need help of any kind. If you walk ahead you’ll have a couple of sofas to chill on that's next to a room. Within this room you’ll have access to several computers to study or do other type of work. They aren’t exactly fit for gaming and are more designed for using university access computers outside university.

Source

On your left you’ll have a door to your right where you’ll need to swipe your key card to enter. This will lead you through a hallway that will then bring you to the main area where small buildings are strewn around with rooms. Before entering this door you could keep walking left and you’ll have the main lounge area. On your left you’ll have several sofas and a flat screen t. v. People usually play PlayStation console games on the television. You could ask for the Playstation from the reception who will also provide you with several games such as Fifa. Often enough they have movie nights here. During a movie night they would spread out the sofas and set up a projector. I recall the first movie I watched was the second last Pirates of the Caribbean.

Source

On your right you’ll have a billiards table and more lounge chairs. To play billiards you’ll need to ask for the cue sticks from the reception. There are also bathrooms in the back area. Behind the other lounge area there is a kitchen with coils, fridges, microwaves and all. There is a counter that looks outward to the room. Often enough there are cooking classes and even cooking presentations by some of the students. You could sign up to be part of these classes or simply attend.

Source

It is quite common to have events in the main area of the Adelaide University Village. Sometimes they have special deals and presentations for the Anytime Fitness gyms. Other times they simply sit around and Urbanest would even offer Subway platters which are basically large boxes filled with warm segmented sandwiches. I recall one time when my mate kept a whole bunch of leftovers and they tasted darn good. Often they have Adelaide University related events. It's usually pretty lively with something new to do quite often. They often maintain a schedule which states what's happening on which day. For example, fifa tournaments are quite common.

Source

After inspecting the whole area, you can head through the secured glass door that leads you to the deeper part of the accommodation. Once inside, you will be in an open sky area. This place is basically a gated community. You can walk around the narrow paths to find your house number. Throughout the whole area there are plants and small trees around to make the place look a bit more alive.

Outside the different buildings there are places to lock your bikes securely. So its common for the area to be covered with bikes. Now, there are two main areas for rooms. The main ground floor area that has several buildings. These are much larger than the second ones. The second ones are apartments and can be found up a flight of stairs. I’ve mostly been visiting mates in the bottom floor and enjoyed the more spacious bits. I’ve been to the apartments once and did not enjoy the smaller setting.

The rooms vary in size although they are generally the same. Since the whole building is accessible by the 4-7 people living there then everybody has access to the roof area. From there you can have a relaxing sit in with mates or simply enjoying a smoke in warm night. The kitchen is pretty large and connected to a living room. There are also balconies to all the kitchens in the Adelaide University Village. There are is a public toilet and shower for everybody to use. Although most rooms have their own shower and bathrooms for your own comfort. The shared living area is usually a couple of sofas between tables. It's a pretty open and spacious areas. You could often throw house parties or get togethers here. Although, if you're too noisy and are reported or the patrolling security guard deems you too noisy, then the party will probably shut down early.

Overall, I would recommend staying at the Village. It’s better priced than other accommodations such as Urbanest. It is also close to many things and is all pretty exciting. The only real con I could see is that the two Universities are in the North Eastern part of the city. This would take roughly twenty five minutes of walking. Although, if you walk eastwards for a few minutes you could catch the free circuit bus that goes around the edge of the city. From there you can get off North Terrace and walk for seven minutes to get to Adelaide University.