26 Eating Out

The Mensa (university cafeteria) located on campus offers inexpensive and substantial meals throughout the week except on Sundays. To pay for the meals, you can use the UniCard which can be loaded with cash at the Mensa or with your bankcard at the University Library. You can choose between Schneller Teller (a dish that can be served on a single plate or in a bowl, e.g., Ravioli), Tagesgericht (consisting of one main component and 2 – 3 sides), Menü (main course with soup and dessert), Salattablett (a large plate you can fill yourself at the salad bar), snacks, and French fries. A (small) food-court style section has been added recently. It boasts, among others, a serving station where food is freshly prepared in a wok and an organic food line. Visit the Studierendenwerk homepage at https://www.swfr.de/and click on the link “Essen & Trinken.”

Restaurants in the downtown area range from relatively inexpensive to frankly overpriced. In Germany, restaurants often post their menus outside, next to the front door, so it’s easy to check out prices before you enter.