UC Cafes
The Beanery Cafe
The Beanery Cafe, located on the ground floor of the William Benton Museum of Art, is popular among University of Connecticut students for its relaxing, artsy atmosphere. With comfortable seating, unique decor — such as chairs covered in magazine collages — and the Benton Museum only a staircase away, the Beanery provides a comfortable spot to study, grab a coffee, or hang out with friends. Though space is limited inside the cafe — woe to anyone who tries to find a seat during the lunch rush — students can sprawl out on the nearby Student Union lawn. The Benton and the Beanery are also adjacent to a shady stone courtyard surrounded by trees and sculptures, providing a perfect spot to sit on warm days.
Bookworms Café
For students looking to grab a bite to eat during study breaks, Bookworms Café, located on the plaza level of Homer Babbidge Library, is the perfect spot. The seating area is spacious, accommodating plenty of students to work on projects, study, or simply hang out. With a closing time of 9 p.m. from Sunday to Thursday, Bookworms stays open much later than the other UConn Cafes, providing students with caffeine well into a late-night study session. However, if you need a silent study space, consider taking your coffee and bagel to go: Bookworms is one of the spaces in the library where talking is allowed, making it a warm but noisy place.
Up and Atom
Deep in the heart of the Biophysics building’s winding hallways, Up and Atom Cafe offers an array of food and drinks to soothe exhausted STEM students or anyone else who happens to find themselves on the north end of campus. With plenty of seating and natural light, Up and Atom is a restful environment where students can catch a breath between classes, labs, exams, study sessions, or greenhouse visits.
Market Café
Among the overwhelming array of dining options at the Student Union Marketplace, the Market Cafe is a dependable option, offering classic baked goods, coffee, sandwiches, and snacks. Located in the heart of campus, the Market Cafe is the perfect spot to grab a coffee or a quick breakfast before class. If you have time to stay and you manage to secure one of the larger tables in the Union, this cafe is also the perfect place to grab coffee with a group of friends.
Crossroads
Below the distinctive gold dome of the Wilbur Cross building lies Crossroads Café, a cozy coffee shop located in the corner of the building’s first floor. Consider yourself lucky if you secure a table — Crossroads is one of the smaller of the UC cafes, but what it lacks in seating options, it makes up for with ambience. Further, Wilbur Cross has plenty of comfortable study spots, so if you can’t find any space in Crossroads itself, you can always bring your food elsewhere. South reading room, in this writer’s humble opinion, is one of the best study spots on campus; however, this area also has a strict no-noise policy, so any particularly crunchy snacks would be best enjoyed outside in the main hallway.
Written by Mary Lasley Photos by Caleb White