Guides · By Victor Hardt · Updated · 5 min read
UChicago ID discounts in Hyde Park
UChicago ID discounts in Hyde Park, university programs for students, and the 2-for-1s on Pool, with the date each row was last checked.
With your UCID, a handful of Hyde Park restaurants list 10 to 20 percent off, the Griffin Museum of Science and Industry and the DuSable let you in free, and the 171 and 172 buses cost nothing. Each row below shows when it was last checked. A few haven't been checked yet, and they say so.
Show your UChicago ID
These are the restaurants' own discounts. Show your student ID at the register. There's no app and no booking. Most rows come from the list on Welcome to Hyde Park, so confirm at the counter before you order. The Checked column shows when I last confirmed each row.
| Place | Discount as listed | Listed by | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cedars, 1206 E 53rd St | 10% off, dine in or to go | Told Pool | Sep 2026 |
| StruggleBeard Bakery, 5221 S Harper Ct | 12% off on Tuesdays, any student ID | Its own site | Sep 2026 |
| Ja' Grill, 1510 E Harper Ct | 10% off, dine-in | Welcome to Hyde Park | not yet |
| Saucy Porka, 1164 E 55th St | 10% off, dine-in | Welcome to Hyde Park | not yet |
| Kilwins, 5226 S Harper Ave | 10% off | Welcome to Hyde Park | not yet |
| Capital One Café, 1465 E 53rd St | 10% off handcrafted drinks | Welcome to Hyde Park | not yet |
| Sit Down Café, 1312 E 53rd St | 20% off, exclusions apply | Welcome to Hyde Park | not yet |
If a row is wrong, tell us on the contact page and we'll fix it at the same URL.
The 2-for-1s on Pool
Pool is a food deals app for UChicago students. Its deals are separate from the ID discounts above, and you can't combine the two. You verify your uchicago.edu email once, book a time in the app, show your pass at the counter and pay the restaurant for one. Each deal works once every 30 days per student. The first went live Monday, September 28, and the last ones start Thursday, October 1.
| Place | Deal | Where | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deep Purpl | 2-for-1 açaí bowls, the 12 oz bowl only, any toppings | 5229 S Harper Ct, Harper Court | September 2026 |
| Subway | 2-for-1 subs, every sub except 5 Meat Italian, Steak & Avocado and Chicken & Avocado, paid extras excluded | 1400 E 53rd St | September 2026 |
| Nando's PERi-PERi | 2-for-1 half chicken plates, Mon to Fri 6 to 9 pm, walk in | 1447 E 53rd St | September 2026 |
| B'Gabs Comfort Cafe | 2-for-1 Philly sandwiches, chicken or mushroom, Wed to Sun | 1450 E 57th St | September 2026 |
| Chemistry | 2-for-1 Wagyu Steak Frites, dine in only, dress code, 20% gratuity added to every bill, Sat to Thu 7 to 11 pm | 5121 S Harper Ave | September 2026 |
| Ja' Grill | 2-for-1 Jerk Wings or Honey Wings, wings only, not the Jerk Chicken entrée, dine in or pickup | 1510 E Harper Ct | September 2026 |
| Litehouse Whole Food Grill | 2-for-1 wraps, salads and bowls, the 12 on its Wraps, Salads, Bowls menu, Sun to Fri 12 to 6 pm | 1368 E 53rd St | September 2026 |
| Cedars | 2-for-1 chicken shawarma wraps, the wrap only, 11 am to 8 pm | 1206 E 53rd St | September 2026 |
| StruggleBeard Bakery | A free refresher, one of four house-made lemonades, with any treat | 5221 S Harper Ct | September 2026 |
| 5 Rabanitos | A free third taco when you buy two, or a free drink with a Taco Dinner, one per visit, closed Tuesdays | 1301 E 53rd St | September 2026 |
| Rajun Cajun | 2-for-1 Indian combo meals, Tandoori Chicken, Butter Chicken, Chicken Curry or Vegetarian, not the Lamb Curry, closed Sundays | 1459 E 53rd St | September 2026 |
| Dawn A.M. Eatery | 2-for-1 Chicken & Waffle Bites, not the vegan bites, closed Mondays | 1642 E 56th St | September 2026 |
| Sweet Drip | 2-for-1 lattes, any latte, hot or iced, matcha too | 1658 E 53rd St | September 2026 |
| The Sit Down Café & Sushi Bar | 2-for-1 sushi, pizza and more, the lower-priced item free, combos and lunch specials excluded, daily 11 am to 9:30 pm, from October 1 | 1312 E 53rd St | September 2026 |
The cheap eats guide covers the rest of the week.
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 PoolUniversity programs
These are university programs for students.
| What | What you get | Checked |
|---|---|---|
| CTA U-Pass | Unlimited CTA rides, September 23 to December 17, about $106 a quarter through the student fee, no opt-out. First-years get the card at Orientation Check-In. | September 2026 |
| 171 and 172 buses | Free with your UCID, the two routes that loop campus and the Metra stops | September 2026 |
| RideSmart | Free rides 5 pm to 4 am inside the service area, through the RideSmart by Via app, not Lyft anymore | September 2026 |
| Divvy | $83 a year with the code bikeUChicago and your uchicago.edu email | September 2026 |
| Arts Pass | One free general admission ticket per visit at the Griffin Museum of Science and Industry, and free admission at the DuSable, with your UCID | September 2026 |
| Grubhub | Phoenix cASH works on Grubhub, and the student plan has a $0 delivery fee through graduation. The bursar's page says additional fees may apply. | September 2026 |
| Fourth Meal | For students on a meal plan, Monday to Thursday, 9 pm to midnight, from week 3, dine-in only. | September 2026 |
Student discounts at the big chains
I checked each chain on its own website in September 2026. Two of the three have no student discount, and the third has a rewards tier.
| Place | Student discount | What their own site says |
|---|---|---|
| Chipotle, 1522 E 53rd St | Sort of | Chipotle U Rewards gives points instead of money off at the till. You verify you're a student through ID.me and get 1,000 points for joining and 12 points per dollar instead of 10 |
| Chick-fil-A, 1512 E 53rd St | No | Its help page answers this by name. Restaurants don't offer discounts or promo codes, and anything local is up to the operator and not guaranteed. Open 6:30 am to 9 pm, closed Sundays |
| Starbucks | No | Nothing for students on its rewards page. The College Achievement Plan covers tuition for people who work there. It isn't a coffee discount |
Dunkin', Potbelly, Panda Express, Insomnia Cookies, Five Guys and Shake Shack aren't in the table. Their own sites don't say either way, and I don't count coupon sites as a source. If you get a student discount at one of them, tell me and it goes in with the date.
The rest of the neighborhood
Plenty of places in Hyde Park have no student discount and are worth the walk anyway. The Family Weekend page maps them by meal. Welcome to Hyde Park lists the neighborhood's events and businesses.
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
- What discounts can I get with my UChicago student ID?
- Unlimited CTA rides through the U-Pass, paid through the student fee, free 171 and 172 buses, free night rides through RideSmart, free general admission at the Griffin Museum of Science and Industry and the DuSable, and a list of 10 to 20 percent restaurant discounts in Hyde Park.
- Does Chipotle give a student discount?
- Not money off at the counter. Chipotle U Rewards verifies you are a student through ID.me and gives 1,000 points on joining and 12 points per dollar instead of 10. That is a faster-earning rewards tier, not money off. The Hyde Park store is at 1522 E 53rd Street.
- Do Starbucks or Chick-fil-A give a student discount in Hyde Park?
- Neither does, per their own sites, checked in September 2026. Chick-fil-A's help page says its restaurants do not offer discounts or promo codes.
- Do I need my UCID for the Pool deals?
- No. Pool verifies your uchicago.edu email once, then you book a time, show the pass at the counter and pay the restaurant for one. The UCID discounts are separate and need the card at the register.