Commons Dining Hall

Superb food options, with great variety and flavor!

I will start by saying that I eat at the commons dining hall ATLEAST twice a day. And the atmosphere, service, and food are all great. Despite the dining hall having not too many great options at times, they still deliver quality food.

Arijit Paul

Superb food options, with great variety and flavor!

Little Dizzy

I will start by saying that I eat at the commons dining hall ATLEAST twice a day. And the atmosphere, service, and food are all great. Despite the dining hall having not too many great options at times, they still deliver quality food.

The food is decent. You have a wide variety of options, and you can eat as much as you want.

Pretty good selection, can get alot of food for the price of one entry. Food may is not insanely delicous but still good

Lots of great food choices, it's a good idea to avoid the lines during the "rush hours"

Good place to eat. The people behind the counter are definitely nicer than the ones at Sbisa.

This is definitely better than Sbisa, the food is good, and you can always find something to eat.

Typical student dorm dining. I thought they had quite a good variety for $14/ person.

A good go to for campus dining. Lots of options that change daily, and food that is actually pretty decent. If you have a meal plan, go for it. If not, go somewhere else, because you're gonna have to pay $8-14 depending on the meal.

Going to the Commons Dining Hall is like going to another planet. All sorts of bizarre alien life forms and food here. Highly recommend.

Only used the upstairs as son first week in school. We went to get a po box. Everyone was very nice and the place quite, sadly the game room is currently closed.

A great place to eat. Plenty of room and has study areas and gaming areas nearby. Staff are very friendly and food is great and a variety of food os offered.

Gotta try it to know what I mean. Little times the food slaps and sometimes it’s mid. Really this review should be a 3.5 but meh. I’ll give extra .5 for good honeydew 😋

aaron wang

Gotta try it to know what I mean. Little times the food slaps and sometimes it’s mid. Really this review should be a 3.5 but meh. I’ll give extra .5 for good honeydew 😋

Large variety of food and has 4 main categories: things on buns, pasta, meat with vegetables and stir fry. The things on buns is usually pretty good with a hamburger or chicken with some lettuce as an add on with curly fry's or chips. The pasta is tube noodles with some sauce and meat in the pasta. It's cooked in from of you so the line is pretty long. The meat with vegetables is in the corner and is literally some meat with some vegetables. The line for that is pretty short so I eat there a lot because the other lines can get to multi minute some times. The stir fry line is usually the longest line of them all taking some times up to 20 minutes to get your food. I do not recommend. They don't have many vegetables either which is a disappointment. They also have pizza usually but it can disappear as the day goes on and they don't replenish it as fast as they should sometimes. Recommended times to eat here are from 5-6 or 730-815 for dinner as then the crowd is mostly gone and the lunch crowd is from 12-1:30 if you want to avoid it.

Enjoyed a good hot breakfast here during a summer New Student Conference. Clearly the dining hall was in "summer mode" and not in full swing, so the selection was somewhat limited. Understandable.

If you don't have a meal plan you'd probably be better off going somewhere else, but to anyone who lived in the Commons this place is truly special. The location is perfect, the staff is extremely nice, and the freedom in what you can do here makes this restaurant a place that holds a soft spot in many a student's hearts.

Ken Sellers

Enjoyed a good hot breakfast here during a summer New Student Conference. Clearly the dining hall was in "summer mode" and not in full swing, so the selection was somewhat limited. Understandable.

Reggie Frank

If you don't have a meal plan you'd probably be better off going somewhere else, but to anyone who lived in the Commons this place is truly special. The location is perfect, the staff is extremely nice, and the freedom in what you can do here makes this restaurant a place that holds a soft spot in many a student's hearts.

James Kinard

Large variety of food and has 4 main categories: things on buns, pasta, meat with vegetables and stir fry. The things on buns is usually pretty good with a hamburger or chicken with some lettuce as an add on with curly fry's or chips. The pasta is tube noodles with some sauce and meat in the pasta. It's cooked in from of you so the line is pretty long. The meat with vegetables is in the corner and is literally some meat with some vegetables. The line for that is pretty short so I eat there a lot because the other lines can get to multi minute some times. The stir fry line is usually the longest line of them all taking some times up to 20 minutes to get your food. I do not recommend. They don't have many vegetables either which is a disappointment. They also have pizza usually but it can disappear as the day goes on and they don't replenish it as fast as they should sometimes. Recommended times to eat here are from 5-6 or 730-815 for dinner as then the crowd is mostly gone and the lunch crowd is from 12-1:30 if you want to avoid it.

Good place to go eat but there were many things that needed to be refilled ex: ice, milk, and sauces

Had it during my NSC. Pulled pork tasted horrendous. The pasta dishes were decent. Most of the food is okay but not something you should eat in succession or you'd get sick of it.

The breakfast here is awful. Lunch and dinner are much better and worth the price. On weekends, given that there are no events being held, the food is scarce and most of the food items are unavailable. Otherwise, it's worth the price usually.

It's good until they run out of food, or you're just the tiniest bit late then you are out of luck and you've wasted a meal swipe. But not to rag on it, it's good just sometimes can be underwhelming.

Gourmet dinner from a 250 million dollar dining system located withing the #1 public university in the state of Texas.

Francisco Otero

Gourmet dinner from a 250 million dollar dining system located withing the #1 public university in the state of Texas.

As a person with a lot of eating restrictions I tend to go to the dining halls when im on campus for a meal. They have a lot of gluten free options but the food can be hit or miss. I know I get my money’s worth because of all the veggies and gluten free stuff I eat but it seems over priced for people with no eating restrictions where you can go to like chic fil a and get a better meal for less.

It’s convenient because I have a dining plan and live in the Commons, but the food is not usually great, sometimes bad, and mostly just ok. It’s often over seasoned/salty and many times the dining hall is cheap on main ingredients like meat and veggies. A lot of carbs. For example, the veggie pizzas only have veggies toward the middle. However, you can ask for extra vegetables, which helps. Not always the case with meat, except when not busy. It helps that it’s all you can eat, so you can go back for more. Eat at Sbisa instead when you get the chance. Update (semester end): they have lowered their sodium for the most part, but still sometimes have high sodium food. A while back, they responded to my request for lower sodium, so good job to their team. The amount of meat also seems more sufficient, but I may have just gotten used to it. Also, after more times eating at the dining halls, I can say that Sbisa isn’t too much better, so I don’t go out of my way.

Food is always mediocre, but if you have a dining plan then it's nice to have the consistency. If you live in the commons, then it's convenient to have it so close. When I was a freshman I couldn't wait to leave the commons to have my own kitchen and not have to eat food from the dining halls anymore.

As a freshmen living on campus the Commons is very accesible and convenient with good hours to visit. However their value is only worth the cost if you use a meal swipe from your meal plan. 14$ for dinner is pricey considering you'll be eating the same thing over and over again. The food tastes okay with only certain dishes being good. Breakfast is the best this place has to offer.

Ryan Kadlubar

It’s convenient because I have a dining plan and live in the Commons, but the food is not usually great, sometimes bad, and mostly just ok. It’s often over seasoned/salty and many times the dining hall is cheap on main ingredients like meat and veggies. A lot of carbs. For example, the veggie pizzas only have veggies toward the middle. However, you can ask for extra vegetables, which helps. Not always the case with meat, except when not busy. It helps that it’s all you can eat, so you can go back for more. Eat at Sbisa instead when you get the chance. Update (semester end): they have lowered their sodium for the most part, but still sometimes have high sodium food. A while back, they responded to my request for lower sodium, so good job to their team. The amount of meat also seems more sufficient, but I may have just gotten used to it. Also, after more times eating at the dining halls, I can say that Sbisa isn’t too much better, so I don’t go out of my way.

Tom Wismar

Food is always mediocre, but if you have a dining plan then it's nice to have the consistency. If you live in the commons, then it's convenient to have it so close. When I was a freshman I couldn't wait to leave the commons to have my own kitchen and not have to eat food from the dining halls anymore.

Webkinznerd123

As a person with a lot of eating restrictions I tend to go to the dining halls when im on campus for a meal. They have a lot of gluten free options but the food can be hit or miss. I know I get my money’s worth because of all the veggies and gluten free stuff I eat but it seems over priced for people with no eating restrictions where you can go to like chic fil a and get a better meal for less.

Vic

As a freshmen living on campus the Commons is very accesible and convenient with good hours to visit. However their value is only worth the cost if you use a meal swipe from your meal plan. 14$ for dinner is pricey considering you'll be eating the same thing over and over again. The food tastes okay with only certain dishes being good. Breakfast is the best this place has to offer.

Smells like freshmen. Lunch ladies will bark at you if you get in line more than once, even though it's marketed as an "all you care to eat" meal. Sometimes there's good food, but mostly eh.

The only reason I'd recommend this place is that they can make a decent omelet. Other than that, they are constantly out of food. The lady at the register sounds and looks like shed rather be anywhere else but there. I've been every single morning and everyday I'm unsatisfied. Youd think since we pay thousands of dollars for a meal plan, they'd be just a little more kind, and just have at least some quality in food.

Food is underwhelming for the cost of a meal swipe. Some employees will hiss at you if you ask for more food on your plate or if you grab another one. Besides that, it's really only worth your money if you go there for a binge and make up your lost money.

This place used to be pretty good when I came here as a freshman, now that I am a junior I have noticed that the food quality and selection has grown consistently worse and worse every single year. For example, the grill used to serve chicken tenders on a regular basis, whereas now the typical item being served at the grill is a measly hot dog or a grilled cheese. This university has an immense amount of resources yet we are shorted on our dining quality.

Charlie Cole

This place used to be pretty good when I came here as a freshman, now that I am a junior I have noticed that the food quality and selection has grown consistently worse and worse every single year. For example, the grill used to serve chicken tenders on a regular basis, whereas now the typical item being served at the grill is a measly hot dog or a grilled cheese. This university has an immense amount of resources yet we are shorted on our dining quality.

Jonathan Ruiz

Food is underwhelming for the cost of a meal swipe. Some employees will hiss at you if you ask for more food on your plate or if you grab another one. Besides that, it's really only worth your money if you go there for a binge and make up your lost money.

Andrew Paré

The only reason I'd recommend this place is that they can make a decent omelet. Other than that, they are constantly out of food. The lady at the register sounds and looks like shed rather be anywhere else but there. I've been every single morning and everyday I'm unsatisfied. Youd think since we pay thousands of dollars for a meal plan, they'd be just a little more kind, and just have at least some quality in food.

saw a roach in the pasta bar. will NOT be going back. if you have to eat here, stick to the stir fry.

Made me pour out a cup of milk I was leaving with. Really wanted to use that for a protein shake, kinda ruined my day

Food is awful on most days. It will give stomachs the first few weeks eating here but you get used to it.

Poor service. long waits, bad food, rude staff, small serving sive. only go here because there arent other choices near by

Absolutely terrible, came in at 10 AM on a Thursday and no stations were open but one which had a line wrapping around myPantry. All of the self serve areas were out of stock, and I don't have time to sit around until lunch. Employees wandering around having loud conversations with seemingly no regard for the growing line now pushing into the dish return area for the only open station.

I have never seen a slower moving more apathetic set of workers in my life. No matter the time of day, or length of lines they will move at whatever pace they feel like to seeming scrape by. In addition, I am not sure if it is because of the masks but the workers will barely listen to you or give you an exasperated look if you ask for anything to be changed about your food (like not wanting a certain item). This is not to mention the fact that the drunk dispensers are often broken, empty, or in some state of disrepair at almost all times. This is not even mentioning the other less that satisfying things that happen here. On countless occasions I’ve seen employs drop food into the counter and then place it back into a basket or straight into a plate. In the stir fry station many times the food is dropped into other containers raising concerns for cross contamination. The food Itself is on par with the Other dining halls, but it is completely overshadowed by the lack of care expressed by the workers.

It’s 10:42 AM, the omelet station just closed because the server was “done taking people”, the kitchen has no food and neither does my other station except the one place selling chili dogs... at 10:42 AM. They also stop serving food at 8 pm, an hour before they close. Always running out of food and never cooking their frozen meatballs right. If I can get a brain freeze from biting into a meatball, something’s not right.

I think the picture perfectly explains the review. The staff is always rude and unfriendly, and the options for my dietary restrictions are so limited. I’m a vegetarian, and I’ve legit had to incorporate chicken into my diet occasionally because there are no other options. I’ve asked for the black bean burger which they supposedly always have but have always been told that they do not offer it. I waited in line for this Alfredo for 20 mins when the menu said the sauce was vegetarian, just for the sauce to be premixed with chicken. I ended up just eating bread. My meal today was a slice of bread and this dry cold broccoli. I can’t explain how disappointed I am in the amount of money I spent on a meal plan for it to result in this.

Hanna Huett

I think the picture perfectly explains the review. The staff is always rude and unfriendly, and the options for my dietary restrictions are so limited. I’m a vegetarian, and I’ve legit had to incorporate chicken into my diet occasionally because there are no other options. I’ve asked for the black bean burger which they supposedly always have but have always been told that they do not offer it. I waited in line for this Alfredo for 20 mins when the menu said the sauce was vegetarian, just for the sauce to be premixed with chicken. I ended up just eating bread. My meal today was a slice of bread and this dry cold broccoli. I can’t explain how disappointed I am in the amount of money I spent on a meal plan for it to result in this.

I get the overwhelming sensation the dining hall staff despise me and every other student that dares to use the meal plan we paid for. I’m harassed by workers for using the cereal dispensers after the hall is technically closed, even though other stations leave remaining plates of food for students to grab freely. Workers are either power tripping and bothering students or so thoroughly depressed that I wonder if they’re whipped by their managers out of sight.

The food gets worse and worse. The meat in the stir fry area is never cooked correctly. Today I was served a half raw egg for breakfast! If you want a special order that’s too bad, the staff won’t remember it or doesn’t bother to pay attention to what you wanted. Can’t wait for winter break to come so I don’t have to eat here for a month!

Please someone speak to Andrew! He always looks mean and like he doesn’t want to be there. No need to be giving students attitude.

Okay so I don't live in the dorms so I only ate here once with a friend. But from previous cafeteria experiences it's what I expected. I got the stir fry and thought it was nice how you could pick what you wanted in it, so I got a bunch of veggies and steak. But the steak ended up being so hard I could not eat it. The rice also had a hard texture, but that's pretty much what I expected. The sauce I got was bourbon I think? It just tasted really artificial, it would've been better without the sauce.

Rossy Munoz

Please someone speak to Andrew! He always looks mean and like he doesn’t want to be there. No need to be giving students attitude.

Logan

I get the overwhelming sensation the dining hall staff despise me and every other student that dares to use the meal plan we paid for. I’m harassed by workers for using the cereal dispensers after the hall is technically closed, even though other stations leave remaining plates of food for students to grab freely. Workers are either power tripping and bothering students or so thoroughly depressed that I wonder if they’re whipped by their managers out of sight.

Noel Wafflenut

Okay so I don't live in the dorms so I only ate here once with a friend. But from previous cafeteria experiences it's what I expected. I got the stir fry and thought it was nice how you could pick what you wanted in it, so I got a bunch of veggies and steak. But the steak ended up being so hard I could not eat it. The rice also had a hard texture, but that's pretty much what I expected. The sauce I got was bourbon I think? It just tasted really artificial, it would've been better without the sauce.

Vivian Cassina

The food gets worse and worse. The meat in the stir fry area is never cooked correctly. Today I was served a half raw egg for breakfast! If you want a special order that’s too bad, the staff won’t remember it or doesn’t bother to pay attention to what you wanted. Can’t wait for winter break to come so I don’t have to eat here for a month!