Notre Dame’s two dining halls, North and South, are bustling hubs of campus rich with tradition. Students sometimes spend hours in the halls with friends catching up on their days, making it the center of social interaction on campus. And that’s what makes them so special.
Opening in 1927, South Dining Hall is the older of the University’s two dining halls. It is one of the finest examples of Gothic design in the United States, its architecture reminiscent of a medieval Guild Hall. In the early days of its operation, students dressed in coats and ties and dined family style. Today, students come as they are to take advantage of modern kitchen facilities and a food court design that blends with the building’s original murals, stone fireplaces, and oak tables and chairs.
A painted reproduction of “The Last Supper” by Leonardo da Vinci was acquired as a gift and sits over the entrance of the west dining room in South. The artist of the new “Last Supper” is Lumen Martin Winter of New York, who specializes in murals. He completed the Leonardo reproduction in 1951 on commission from Alfred E. Holton of Miami, Fla.
North Dining Hall is located adjacent to Haggar Hall and Farley Hall on North Quad. Built in 1957, it was the final building to be constructed on North Quad. North offers the same menu as its counterpart, South, but in a more contemporary setting.
The building was renovated and expanded in 1987 to add a second level, and again in 2017 to modernize the kitchen, serving, and dining areas. The original wood relief of The Last Supper, carved by famed sculptor Ivan Mestrovic and retained through each transformation, is on display in the north dining room.
Each dining hall features long communal tables, unique to Notre Dame. The communal tables help students connect with each other during meal periods and increase fellowship. Breaking bread with fellow students nourishes mind, body, and spirit, and aligns with the University's mission: “to provide a forum where, through free inquiry and open discussion, the various lines of Catholic thought may intersect with all the forms of knowledge found in the arts, sciences, professions, and every other area of human scholarship and creativity.”
Dining halls are open to the public. Guest meal tickets may be purchased at the monitor’s desk in each dining hall lobby. Please note, Notre Dame is a cashless campus. Payment must be made by credit card. Learn more about guest meals.