Guides · By Victor Hardt · Updated · 4 min read
Where to study near UChicago
Ex Libris is open later than the other student-run cafes, Harper posts its quarter and break hours, and the Reg is not open 24 hours. Z and H, Dollop, Istria and Third World Cafe are closed.
Plan around closing time. Campus cafes keep short hours and the libraries keep long ones, and the two don't overlap the way you'd want. Decide which one you need before 4 pm, since that's when your options start to shrink.
The four student-run coffee shops
The Student Centers lists four student-run coffee shops on campus. All four keep short hours.
| Cafe | Hours |
|---|---|
| Ex Libris Regenstein, first floor | Mon to Thu 9 am to 10:30 pm, Fri 9 am to 5 pm, Sat 11 am to 5 pm, Sun 11 am to 10:30 pm |
| Hallowed Grounds Reynolds Club, second floor | Mon and Tue 9 am to 6 pm, Wed and Thu 9 am to 9 pm, Fri 9 am to 8 pm, Sat noon to 5 pm, Sun noon to 9 pm |
| Harper Cafe Harper Memorial, third floor | Mon to Thu 9 am to 6 pm, Fri 8:30 am to 5 pm, Sat closed, Sun noon to 5 pm |
| Cobb Coffee Shop Cobb Hall, basement | Mon to Fri 9 am to 4 pm, closed weekends |
Hours from the UChicago Student Centers cafes page, checked September 2026.
Grounds of Being, in the basement of Swift, is the Divinity School coffee place people talk about. The Divinity Students Organization runs it separately from those four, and it takes cash only. The Divinity School's 2023 story on it gives weekday hours of 7:45 am to 4 pm, so check the door before you count on that.
Hours change when the quarter starts
Autumn Quarter classes started Monday, September 28, so hours published before then may be interim or summer hours. The libraries went back to quarter hours on Sunday, September 27, and Harper switched to its quarter schedule on September 29. Check the date on any hours page you find, this one included.
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.
Get PoolLibrary hours
The Reg isn't open 24 hours. This Autumn Quarter it's open Monday to Thursday 8 am to midnight, Friday 8 am to 11 pm, Saturday 9 am to 11 pm and Sunday 9 am to midnight. Around finals the library has kept the first floor reading room open until 4 am, as it did December 1 to 12, 2024. It also ran a pilot in spring 2023, from April 16 to May 11, that kept the same room open from midnight to 4 am, Sunday through Thursday.
The College posts Harper's quarter and break schedules separately. From September 29 it's open Monday to Thursday 8 am to 1 am, Friday 8 am to 5 pm, Saturday 10 am to 5 pm and Sunday 10 am to 1 am. On breaks it's open Monday to Friday 8 am to 3:30 pm and closed on weekends.
Crerar, at 5730 S Ellis, has a quiet reading room. Eckhart, on the second floor of Eckhart Hall, holds the math, computer science and statistics reserves. This quarter it closes at 6 pm on weekdays and 5 pm on Fridays, and it's closed all weekend. Mansueto is the dome, a reading room the library designed for quiet study. It's my favorite room, and the worst place to take a phone call.
Coffee shops off campus
Plein Air, next to the Robie House at 5751 S Woodlawn, is open Monday to Friday 7 am to 8 pm and weekends 8 am to 6 pm. Its site doesn't mention wifi, so ask at the counter before you settle in.
Build Coffee & Books, at 6100 S Blackstone inside Experimental Station, is a coffee shop and bookstore. It's open Tuesday to Friday 7:30 am to 3 pm and Saturday 9 am to 3 pm. TrueNorth is at 1323 E 57th, the old Z and H address, and it's open 8:30 am to 4 pm every day. Robust, at 6300 S Woodlawn, lists free wifi and plenty of seating on its site. It's a longer walk, south of the Midway. Hours change, so check before you go.
Places that have closed
Z and H closed at both locations. Dollop in Campus North closed, and Fairgrounds is in that space now. Istria has been gone for years. Third World Cafe is closed.
Paying less
Pool is a food deals app for UChicago students, free and open only to verified students. This quarter that means 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.
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.
Questions people ask
- Is the Regenstein Library open 24 hours?
- No. This Autumn Quarter the Regenstein runs Monday to Thursday 8 am to midnight, Friday 8 am to 11 pm, Saturday 9 am to 11 pm and Sunday 9 am to midnight. Around finals the library has kept the first floor reading room open until 4 am. The library ran a midnight to 4 am pilot in spring 2023.
- What is the best place to study near UChicago?
- My picks are Harper Memorial for its posted hours, and Crerar's quiet reading room or Mansueto if you want the room. Ex Libris in the Regenstein is the student-run cafe that stays open latest, to 10:30 pm Monday to Thursday and Sunday.
- Which campus cafe is open the latest?
- Ex Libris, on the first floor of the Regenstein. Monday to Thursday and Sunday it runs to 10:30 pm. The other three student-run shops close at 4, 5, 6, 8 or 9 pm depending on the day.
- Does Plein Air have wifi?
- Its own site does not say, so ask at the counter. It is at 5751 S Woodlawn Ave, open Monday to Friday 7 am to 8 pm and weekends 8 am to 6 pm.
- Is Z and H still open in Hyde Park?
- No. Zaleski and Horvath closed at both locations. TrueNorth Cafe is in the old 1323 E 57th Street space now. Dollop, Istria and Third World Cafe are also closed.