Best food and drink deals at Warwick University

There is no doubt that social life at university this year will be nothing like ever before. Clubbing is completely out of the question, and freshers won’t be able to experience the classic Warwick night out of the week – POP!

Eating dinner in a restaurant or going to the pub or a bar seem like the best social options for university students this academic year, provided there is a maximum of six people.

As students, we all like a good bargain. Lucky for us, the eateries and watering holes of campus, Leamington Spa, and Coventry have some great deals for having a blast on a student budget.

Here are the secrets of where to find the best food and drink deals around Warwick campus and beyond.

Campus

We are very lucky on campus to have a great range of cafes and restaurants – 21 different options to be precise, with some more expensive than others.

The best way to guarantee a deal on food and drink around campus is to use your Eating at Warwick card. All students have access to discounts through their student ID card and once topped up you can get 10% off food and drink in all cafes, bars and restaurants, including money off whole meals. You can manage your spending through the online portal, making it easy to budget for the week.

It is very easy to get a coffee on campus, a must for most students. In practically every academic building is a cafe. Using a travel mug in a campus cafe gets you 20p off your hot drink. It is not a huge amount, but in the long term you’ll have saved up to get a few extra hot drinks.

Pret A Manger is a typical choice for coffee-loving students at Warwick, but there is no hiding its extortionate expense. Pret does give out free food in its actual company policy called “random acts of kindness”. This deal is more luck than anything, but I have seen it occur in the Pret on campus.

If you are fussy about where your coffee is from, Pret is offering a coffee subscription for £20 a month, giving you five drinks a day.

T Bar has a ‘Bus Stop’ drinks promotion, with very cheap drinks from Monday-Saturday, 4-9pm

According to the Students’ Union website, it seems that The Dirty Duck, Curiositea and Canopy will be reopening for the new academic year, but it hasn’t been confirmed as to whether The Terrace Bar and Bread Oven will be reopening.

If you’ve got time to grab breakfast or brunch before a class, head to Canopy – Warwick’s Instagrammable restaurant. Breakfast offerings include a traditional full English, pancakes and waffles for as little as £3.95 – much cheaper than going for brunch in Leamington’s famous cafes.

If you’re eating out for dinner on campus, Warwick’s very own pub, The Dirty Duck, offers a burger and a soft drink for £7, or you can add a pint of Carling or Magners for an extra £1.

For campus drinks to end the day, head to The Terrace Bar for a view on the terrace over the Piazza and a pint of purple. T Bar has a ‘Bus Stop’ drinks promotion, with very cheap drinks from Monday-Saturday, 4-9pm. Carlsberg, Magners and spirits with a mixer are £1.95, a medium glass of wine for £2.45 and a pint of diet coke or lemonade for £1.

Off campus

There are so many places to eat and drink in Leamington, with quite a few targeted to the more affluent residents of the town.

Most students who choose to live in Leamington for their second or third year get to know the popular student pubs, bars and kebabs – The Old Library, The Benjamin Satchwell, Kelsey’s, and Viallis. But Leamington’s bars and restaurants have so much more to offer.

For all the brunch lovers, Cafe Royal is one of the cheapest (and most delicious) brunch places in Leamington. The royal name is not an indicator of price, and you get a lot in a portion for your money!

Ordering pizza is one of the easiest and tastiest meals for students, but, instead of staying in, head to Basement Browns – a popular restaurant among students and societies. An individual pizza starts from £5.95, and a family size for sharing (or keeping all to yourself) starts from £17.50. They also have two cocktails for £8.50 everyday from 3-7pm. There is a Basement Browns branch in both Leamington and Coventry.

The best cocktail happy hour is at Las Iguanas in Leamington

If you’re looking to splash the student loan cash, head to Bill’s in Leamington for dinner. Bill’s are extending the Eat Out to Help Out scheme in their restaurants throughout September. It is a separate menu, but you can get one course for £10, two for £14.50 or three for £18.95.

The best cocktail happy hour is at Las Iguanas in Leamington. Cocktails are 2-for-1 all day, everyday. A few doors down, rivalling Las Iguanas is Turtle Bay. Cocktails are 2-4-1 everyday up until 6.30pm and from 9.30 until close.

The cocktails are slightly cheaper than Las Iguanas, but both deals are great for students who want to try something fancier. Luckily for student houses of more than six, Turtle Bay is taking bookings of a maximum of eight, provided you are a single household group.

Virtual welcome week events might not be for everyone, but there are so many restaurants and great food and drink deals on campus and beyond to get you out of your student accommodation.