Behold the University of East Anglia
UEA
Campus Kitchen
The UEA is a village in its self with all the amenity’s students need to live including literally over a dozen food places.
Let me tell you all about them as everyone is welcome to enjoy.
@ck_uea = Campus Kitchen are the caterers who sort out all the food in all their dozen or so cafes, restaurants and bars. They even have a dedicated bakery where all the cakes and bread is made.
You’ll find places to enjoy your food all over campus in casual seating areas, plus with just under a 200 acre park, picnicking is always an option.
The Sportspark ( CAFÉ ) is usually 50p entrance, I’m ok I have silver membership which is handy as it’s the best restaurant on campus, coming close to the Sainsburys centre Modern Life café.
Anyway its order at the counter, canteen style with all the drinks including made to order smoothies. Plus all sorts of healthy and not so healthy mains, salads, curry’s, soups, stir fry’s and pasta dishes inc a breakfast menu with all the usuals.
And of course they serve the CK cakes and bakes with an array of hot coffees, teas and hot chocolates.
Plus they have a sandwich fridge with kids boxes.
Open – 7.30 – 9.30pm Mon – Thur / Fri- Sunday 7.30 – 7.30pm
Walk down to the main square and you can hit half a dozen places to eat all within 5 minutes of each other.
The main and biggest foodie hub is ZEST that’s more of a students fast food done better kind of affair.
In Zest you’ll find a salad bar and 3 hot food counters, that the menu changes every day. They have a Mexican wrap, taco station, which will sometimes be more middle eastern. A hot roll station which could be burgers and subs. And an Asian one which I’ve mainly seen rice bowls topped with goodies like katsu. But every week it will keep you happy with all the choices.
They also sell donuts and cold drinks.
Open – 8 – 7pm mid-week and 10-4.30 weekends
Upstairs from this you will find BLEND a takeaway food hall, with a hot filled takeaway cup section – think jacket wedges, onion rings, chicken wings, nugz and more. Plus the daily changing soup (made in house) with house made bread too. A fridge full of sarnies and wraps, plus a coffee machine with cold drink options.
Prices start from £1.70 – perfect for a quick snack or takeaway bite. But there is also lots of tables and chairs to munch away on.
Open – 10 – 3.30pm
Across the way – on the ground floor in the main square is the UEA Students union bar called S U BAR students need a student’s card to order booze but its open to the public when events and concerts are on.
BUT from 4pm – 10pm they open the BOX where they serve pizzas and more, I’d say along the junk food, beige variety of comforting food. Perfect for a student bar or on the way home snax as the food side of things is open to the public.
And above that is the UNIO café a coffee bar, with bubble tea, cakes and bakes along the counter and a fridge full of sushi with a tray of sushi for one being just under a fiver.
Open 8 – 6pm midweek and weekends 10 – 5pm
Plus this big open area also serves host to local pop ups. Last week I saw a bread and baking company selling bakes, samosas and artisan loaves of bread. Plus a Caribbean pop up takeaway but all sorts of caterers and sellers are on the rota.
The Shop at the Uea is in the main square, on The Street its more of a bigger mini market / small supermarket – there is everything you would want to live and eat on campus inc a Hot Bake takeaway counter and its licensed.
Ziggys café next door and the Shop are both on the Too Good To Go app.
The Shop is Open – 7.30 – 11 weekdays and Saturdays 10 – 11pm Sundays 11 – 7pm
ZIGGYS café is next door a casual café you can pop into for coffee and a brownie (£2 – £2.50) plus they have packaged sarnies and sushi platters all under a fiver.
Don’t forget to take your reusable cup (£5.70) for 30p off a hot drink each time you use it.
Walk down to the middle of the 200 acre site just before you hit the river and the woods and you will find the Sainsburys centre, with its own Terrace café and the CK restaurant called the
MODERN LIFE CAFÉ all food is made in their kitchen out back. A mug of soup is only £2 and a portion of salad around £4, but they also make fresh hot toasties in lovely flavours and main salads. Plus they have a canteen style serving area for 3 hot dishes of the day around £12 for a main. Plus they also serve cakes and hot drinks.
The restaurant has the best seating area in a big high roofed light building with a sheer glass back wall overlooking a Sainsburys centre statue and the woods. You’ll also find functions and events in this space, which can also be hired.
The newest building on site is what we affectionately call the Shredded Wheat building, it’s the thatched straw Enterprise centre. Inside you will find GRAIN a small pick-up counter where they also serve soup and make fresh smoothies. Along with salad boxes and packaged sarnies. There is a few tables and chairs but it’s minutes’ walk from the Dutch gardens so a picnic is advisory in good weather.
Other places that I haven’t had the pleasure of trying yet BUT will update when I have are – –
Café 57 – a coffee shop in the Julian Study Centre. Open Mon – Fri 8.30 – 3.30pm
Quadram Café – in the Quadram institute NRP
Kiosk – The Hive, union building open Mon – Fri – 11 – 5pm
But this might also be part of the Unio Café ?! – I’ll let you know soon. Plus
Vista – level 1 the Square also might be the same area. Open midweek – 8.30 – 3.30pm
Atrium Café – School of Biological Sciences – open midweek 8.30 – 3.30pm
Bob champion Café – Bob Champion research and education NRP open midweek 8 – 3pm
Night Hatch – The Street – I’m assuming a late night pick up takeaway counter open 11pm until 2 in the morning for those late night hungers, usually on the way back from the city. Possibly using the BOX in SU bar kitchen ? Who knew!
Well that’s it folks – – enough places to keep you refreshed and hydrated in any eventuality of an apocalyptic zombie insurgence. I’ll be locking my-self into the SU building as I think that will keep me going for longer and sushi is life, bubble tea is everything else.
Links – – – https://www.uea.ac.uk/uea-life/campus-life/eat-and-drink
Zena – – Foodie