Winter has come, and from 25 Science Park to Yale West Campus, cold and hungry Yalies have some fabulous warm breakfast, lunch, and beverage choices. This writer shuttled around campus to visit five Yale Hospitality cafés and sample their offerings. Between sips and bites, she discovered each location’s unique vibe and most popular menu items.
Café 25 at Science Park
Located in the lobby of 25 Science Park, this café offers breakfast and lunch choices. Options include freshly brewed coffee and specialty drinks, homemade pastries, sweet and savory all-natural snacks, soup, hot and cold sandwiches (such as grilled cheese or a roast beef sandwich with onion dip), sushi, and fresh salads. Hungry patrons can opt for the daily meal special — a sandwich/salad, chips, fruit, and a drink. If it’s chilly outside, sit in the café’s spacious lounge that includes tables, chairs, and comfy Yale-blue couches. No time to chillax? Café 25 has great grab-and-go items.
Hours: 8:30 a.m. – 2 p.m., Monday – Friday; accepts credit and debit cards and Eli Bucks (cashless).
Getting there:150 Munson Street
Recommend: Turkey and cheddar with cranberry chutney sandwich
Café Med
Explore all of Yale’s delicious eateries!
Mornings and noontime, Café Med is bustling. As the main dining area at the School of Medicine, students, staff, and faculty mingle and munch in this bright and welcoming space. Stop in for hot breakfast sandwiches, fair-trade coffee and teas, crafted barista drinks, and freshly baked breads and pastries. Options for lunch and dinner feature customizable whole-grain rice bowls, soups, stew, macaroni and cheese, and pizza. Choose from four pre-made salads — kale Caesar, cobb, southwest, and seasonal special — or the popular make your own. Dine in or grab custom-made sandwiches, snacks, or assorted desserts.
Hours: 7:30 a.m. – 7 p.m., Monday – Friday; accepts credit and debit cards, meal transfers (for lunch) and Eli Bucks (cashless).
Getting there: Edward S. Harkness Hall
Recommend: Beef stew or mac and cheese
Health Center Café
This small but welcoming space offers items to satisfy any craving for breakfast, lunch, or late-day snacks. Tucked inside the Yale Health Center, adjacent to the pharmacy, the café is conveniently located and offers fair-trade coffee and teas, freshly baked bagels and pastries, sandwiches, sushi, and two daily soups. In addition to fresh fruit, yogurts, juices, and a variety of all-natural snacks, it also sells greeting cards and Yale apparel. Depending upon the season, hungry guests can eat their treats inside the café or at picnic tables behind the building. In either spot, they can munch away and watch the world bustle by.
Hours: 7:30 a.m. – 3 p.m., Monday – Friday; accepts credit and debit cards, and Eli Bucks.
Getting there: 55 Lock Street
Recommend: Butternut squash soup
McNay Café
Edward P. Evans Hall is home to the School of Management (SOM) and McNay Café — a cozy spot for a casual meeting or break time respite. The café features fair-trade coffee, teas and barista drinks that can be paired with their selection of yummy pastries and baked goods. Additional offerings include small-batch yogurt, artisanal sandwiches, fresh salads, fruit, all-natural snacks, and chocolate. The café is located just off an expansive outdoor courtyard with tables and chairs aplenty. Take your goodies to go or sit and relax at one of the café’s high-tops or comfy leather chairs. Behind the concession is a giant-sized television screen that features SOM happenings and programs.
Hours: 8 a.m. – 5 p.m., Monday – Friday; accepts credit and debit cards or Eli Bucks (cashless)
Getting there: 165 Whitney Avenue, across from the Peabody Museum
Recommend: Almond Croissant, lavender lemonade
West Campus Café
The West Campus Café offers visitors mood and food options. This café serves as a chill dining hub, central gathering spot, or temporary workspace. With ample indoor and outdoor seating, breakfast, lunch, and an extended menu, be prepared to plunk down with a computer or colleague and enjoy plenty of choices.
Breakfast is à la carte. Lunch features a “chef’s special” (with a hot entrée, two sides, and a salad), or salad bar (with fruit), or sandwich combo (with chips), all of which come with a drink and dessert. Other items include hot soups and flatbreads, freshly brewed fair-trade coffee and teas, and crafted barista drinks. For those late-day munchies, the extended menu offers pizza, salads, soup, and chicken tenders.
Hours: 8 a.m. – 6:30 p.m. , Monday – Friday; accepts credit and debit cards or Eli Bucks (cashless)
Getting there: Yale West Campus Conference Center, 800 West Campus Drive
Recommend: Grilled cheese and tomato basil soup
