Food & Drink at Trinity
Trinity is known for its excellent quality of food and meals are guaranteed to be available for all students in the College Hall during term time.
Meal sittings can be booked here.
Breakfast, Brunches & Lunches
These are all served in Hall, canteen-style where you choose your food and pay per item. The food is heavily subsidised for Trinity students to make it very affordable - you’ll be hard pressed to find a cheaper lunch in central Oxford! There’s always an MCR contingent sat in Hall so feel free to join them.
Breakfast is served every weekday from 8-9am in Hall, and includes sausages, bacon, scrambled egg, poached egg, fried egg, tomatoes, mushrooms, beans, black pudding, pastries, porridge, fruit, cereal, tea & coffee, and juice. Depending on choices, usually costs £2-4.
Brunch is served on Saturdays and Sundays from 10:30am-12:30pm, and has a great reputation for its diversity of choices, including all of the above plus pancakes, waffles and a larger range of pastries. Depending on choices, usually costs £2-4.
Lunch is served every weekday between 12:30-1:30pm, and has a genuinely impressive range of choices: usually around 10-12 hot dishes catering for a range of dietary requirements from nut-free to vegan. Plus, a large selection of desserts (the chocolate fudge cake is amazing at only £1 per slice!). Depending on choices, usually costs £3-5.
Dinners & Formals
Dinner is served every day in Hall, but its format varies from day-to-day:
Informal Hall is served on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays between 5:45-6:45pm. It’s the same set-up as lunch: a canteen-style service where you pick the food you want. There’s no need to book in advance, and depending on choices it usually costs £3-5.
Formal Hall is served on Mondays, Wednesdays (7:05pm) and Sundays (7:15pm). It’s a sit-down three-course meal which includes table service, and usually finishes around 8pm. Gowns are required (over normal casual clothes) and you can bring up to two guests. Formal Hall must be booked online in advanced by midday on the day, and the menus are available online a term in advance. Formal Hall is £4.53 for Trinity students (for a 3-course meal!) and £7.32 for guests.
Guest Night is served on Fridays at 7:05pm. It’s a four-course black-tie dinner with gowns, usually ending around 9pm, and is where the chefs showcase some of their finest dishes! You sign up online by midday the day before. Menus are available a term in advance, and can be very impressive (some examples here, here and here). Guest Night is £19.15 for Trinity students and guests, and you can bring one guest (though unofficially you can arrange with a Trinity friend to use their guest slot to bring another guest, for example).
Beer Cellar
The Beer Cellar is Trinity’s bar. It’s run by a professional team, and is heavily subsidised during term time for students.
During the day, the Beer Cellar sells coffees/teas/drinks and sandwiches from 10:30am-2pm on weekdays.
In the evening, the Beer Cellar is open 6:30-10:30pm on weekdays, and 6:30-11pm on Sundays. Drinks can be bought from the Beer Cellar before, during and after any Formal Hall or dinner, and it’s is a great place to relax, chat or challenge friends to a game of table football, darts or pool post-dinner.
Outside of term time, the Beer Cellar is open on nights when College alumni events occur.
Out of Term Meal Times
Out of term, Hall serves breakfast and lunch, but dinners are more limited. The below timetable is subject to change week by week, especially during the summer and Christmas period, but is a general guide:
Breakfast: Monday - Sunday, 8-9am
Lunch: Monday - Friday, 12-1pm
Dinner: Most evenings no dinner is served out of term time, with the exception of 9th week, where there is usually a self-service dinner that is booked in advance on the day.