Where do UChicago students eat cheap in Hyde Park?

Along 53rd, which has the biggest cluster of restaurants, and around 55th and 57th for the Thai and Mediterranean spots. Valois for cafeteria-style breakfast, Harold's for late takeout, and the dining halls for what you already paid for.

Where do UChicago students eat?

In the dining halls on weekdays, since first-years live in campus housing with a required meal plan, and on 53rd Street the rest of the time. Valois for breakfast, Harold's for late takeout, Subway on 53rd, which lists itself as open 24 hours, and the 2-for-1s on Pool at Deep Purpl and Subway.

What restaurants are on 53rd Street in Hyde Park?

The biggest cluster in the neighborhood. On the 1300 to 1500 blocks of East 53rd alone: 5 Rabanitos at 1301, Sit Down Café at 1312, Litehouse Whole Food Grill at 1368, Subway at 1400, Mesler at 1401, Rajun Cajun at 1459, Capital One Café at 1465, Valois at 1518 and Roti at 1526, then Sweet Drip at 1658 further east, with Harper Court (Deep Purpl, Ja' Grill, StruggleBeard, Stan's) just off it.

Is there a 24-hour restaurant near UChicago?

Subway at 1400 E 53rd St is listed open 24 hours on Subway's own locator, and it is the 2-for-1 subs deal on Pool. Most of the rest of 53rd closes early, and Sunday hours are shorter than you expect, so check before you walk over.

Is the UChicago meal plan worth using every day?

You have paid for it, so use it, but do the math once on what a single swipe costs you. That number decides which meals are worth a swipe and which are worth walking to 53rd for.

Guides · By Victor Hardt · Updated September 29, 2026 · 3 min read

How to eat cheap in Hyde Park as a UChicago student

Learn 53rd, 55th and 57th first, do the swipe math once, and cook three nights a week.

Eating cheap in Hyde Park starts with three streets. 53rd has the biggest cluster of restaurants, 57th has the bookstores, and the Thai and Mediterranean places are spread across 55th and 57th. Learn those first and the rest gets easier.

Use your meal plan, then explore

If you are on a meal plan, you have already paid for it, so use it. The dining halls are also the easiest option. Work out once what a single swipe costs you. With that number in mind, it gets easier to decide which meals to eat in the hall and which are worth going out for.

Where the cheap food is

Valois on 53rd is cafeteria style and opens early. You point at what you want and they plate it in front of you.

Harold's Chicken is a counter spot and is usually open later than much of the neighborhood. Plan on takeout rather than a sit-down dinner.

The Thai and Mediterranean spots are around 55th and 57th. Prices change, so check a menu before you walk over and treat any number you hear as a rough guide.

53rd Street runs from counter spots to full sit-down places, across a wide range of prices. Walk the whole street once, slowly, early in the quarter to see what is there. Hyde Park also has a lot of cafes, on campus and off, and finding one you like working in is a project for your first quarter.

2-for-1 12 oz açaí bowls at Deep Purpl (from October 8) and 2-for-1 subs at Subway 53rd Street, plus deals at 12 more Hyde Park restaurants (one from September 29, one from September 30, four from October 1 and one from October 8). Free for verified UChicago students, live Monday, September 28.

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Check hours first

A lot of the good spots close early, and Sunday hours are shorter than you would expect. Check before you walk over.

Coffee and groceries

Coffee is where money leaks out slowly. A daily coffee adds up to real money by the end of a quarter wherever you buy it. It still helps to know more than one spot, if only for the seats.

Groceries are the other half. If you have any kind of kitchen, one grocery run a week does more for your budget than any single cheap meal. My answer to eating cheap here is cooking three nights a week.

The 2-for-1s

Everything above saves a few dollars at a time, and a 2-for-1 saves you a whole item. Pool is a food deals app for UChicago students, free and open only to verified students. The first deals are 2-for-1 12 oz açaí bowls at Deep Purpl (from October 8) and 2-for-1 subs at Subway 53rd Street, plus deals at 12 more Hyde Park restaurants (one from September 29, one from September 30, four from October 1 and one from October 8), live from Monday, September 28. You book a time, show the pass at the counter and pay the restaurant for one.

On Pool this quarter. The app is free right now.

2-for-1 12 oz açaí bowls at Deep Purpl
2-for-1 subs at Subway 53rd Street
2-for-1 half chicken plates at Nando's PERi-PERi
2-for-1 Philly sandwiches at B'Gabs Comfort Cafe
2-for-1 jerk or honey wings at Ja' Grill
2-for-1 Wagyu Steak Frites at Chemistry
2-for-1 wraps, salads and bowls at Litehouse Whole Food Grill
2-for-1 chicken shawarma wraps at Cedars
a free refresher with any treat at StruggleBeard Bakery
a free third taco or a free drink with a Taco Dinner at 5 Rabanitos
2-for-1 Indian combo meals at Rajun Cajun
2-for-1 chicken and waffle bites at Dawn A.M. Eatery
2-for-1 lattes at Sweet Drip
2-for-1 sushi, pizza and more at The Sit Down Café & Sushi Bar

Live Monday, September 28. StruggleBeard Bakery starts Tuesday, September 29. B'Gabs Comfort Cafe starts Wednesday, September 30. Rajun Cajun, Dawn A.M. Eatery, Sweet Drip and The Sit Down Café & Sushi Bar start Thursday, October 1. Deep Purpl and Nando's PERi-PERi start Thursday, October 8.

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Questions people ask

Where do UChicago students eat cheap in Hyde Park?: Along 53rd, which has the biggest cluster of restaurants, and around 55th and 57th for the Thai and Mediterranean spots. Valois for cafeteria-style breakfast, Harold's for late takeout, and the dining halls for what you already paid for.
Where do UChicago students eat?: In the dining halls on weekdays, since first-years live in campus housing with a required meal plan, and on 53rd Street the rest of the time. Valois for breakfast, Harold's for late takeout, Subway on 53rd, which lists itself as open 24 hours, and the 2-for-1s on Pool at Deep Purpl and Subway.
What restaurants are on 53rd Street in Hyde Park?: The biggest cluster in the neighborhood. On the 1300 to 1500 blocks of East 53rd alone: 5 Rabanitos at 1301, Sit Down Café at 1312, Litehouse Whole Food Grill at 1368, Subway at 1400, Mesler at 1401, Rajun Cajun at 1459, Capital One Café at 1465, Valois at 1518 and Roti at 1526, then Sweet Drip at 1658 further east, with Harper Court (Deep Purpl, Ja' Grill, StruggleBeard, Stan's) just off it.
Is there a 24-hour restaurant near UChicago?: Subway at 1400 E 53rd St is listed open 24 hours on Subway's own locator, and it is the 2-for-1 subs deal on Pool. Most of the rest of 53rd closes early, and Sunday hours are shorter than you expect, so check before you walk over.
Is the UChicago meal plan worth using every day?: You have paid for it, so use it, but do the math once on what a single swipe costs you. That number decides which meals are worth a swipe and which are worth walking to 53rd for.

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