Food and drink

A variety of dining options are available for students in College. Most students also have access to kitchen facilities if they wish to prepare their own food.

St John’s Dining Hall

• Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner Monday-Saturday, as well as Sunday brunch and dinner.
• Food is served informally, cafeteria-style
• We do not take bookings for informal meals- just turn up during opening hours and enjoy!

Formal Halls

• A delicious, three-course, waiter-served meal, served in the lovely surroundings of the Dining Hall
• Served 4 evenings a week: Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday
• These dinners are reservation only-bookings are made through the online student booking system (Intranet)
• A great opportunity for students to invite guests to enjoy St John’s hospitality

Kendrew Café

• Kendrew Café is very popular with students as a place to relax and meet up with friends, as well as being a more informal study space for those days you don't want to work in the library.
• Open for morning coffees, pastries and lunch Monday-Friday, as well as Saturday brunch
• Food is served informally, cafeteria style
• The menu is varied and healthy, concentrating on vegetarian and vegan dishes
• A coffee machine is available to purchase coffee when the serving area is shut. The seating area is open from 8am-11pm, but can be shut at any time at the discretion of the Duty Porter. The Cafe may be closed, at short notice if required for an event.

All dining areas can provide for all dietary requirements.

Breakfast, brunch, lunch and informal dinner are paid for in Hall by a pre-paid charge card (your University ID card, which you will receive on arrival – known as a BOD card) or debit/credit card. Credit can be added to your BOD card online using the student meal booking system.

Weekly menus and any changes to opening times are advertised on the ‘Hall and Kendrew Catering’ section of the College intranet- Hall and Kendrew Catering | SJC Intranet (ox.ac.uk)

Average meal costs:

Breakfast: £2.50-£3
Lunch: £3.50-£5
Dinner: £3.50-£5 at Informal Hall and £5.30 at Formal Hall

These are subsidised, SJC student rates. Please note that guests are required to pay a higher, non-subsidised rate +VAT on meals.

Fairtrade and Sustainability:

St John’s is one of a few Oxford Colleges to be an accredited Fairtrade College.

We recognise the impact on both the climate emergency and nature crisis of over-consumption of meat, fish, and dairy products, particularly those from intensive systems. We will play our part in addressing this by reducing the amount of meat, fish, and dairy products that we are buying and by increasing the proportion of healthy, plant-based options on our menus. We will source animal products from higher welfare systems and with stronger environmental standards as much as possible

Opening Times:

Details of the opening times for the Dining Hall and Kendrew Café are given below. However, please note that open times may vary on an ad hoc basis: all changes will be advertised on the 'Catering Information' section of the College Intranet.