Hall Overview

Food & Drink

St Catherine’s College has an excellent dining hall, which is actually the largest of all Oxbridge colleges. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are available. Note that dinner is a 3-course waitered meal. Alternatively, “scaf” is available each weekday night during term. This is an informal, cafeteria-style dinner BEFORE dinner (i.e. it’s a self-service hot and cold buffet if you don’t want to have the waitered 3-course meal afterwards).

Opening Times (During Term)

MealTimeType:Booking Required
Breakfast8.15 am – 8.45 amSelf-Service in HallNo
Lunch12.45 pm – 1.30 pmSelf-Service in HallYes
Scaf (Mon to Fri)6 pm – 6.45 pmSelf-Service in HallNo
Dinner (Tue)7 pm –Waiter & Waitress Service in HallYes
Dinner (Saturday)6.30 pm – 7.00 pmSelf-Service in HallYes

Note that the above information only holds during term time (that is Weeks 1-8), and outside of term time provision of meals may differ.

In addition to the above meals, food and drink is available through:

  • Buttery, which is in the dining hall and open Monday-Saturday 10:00am-11:30am and Monday-Friday 2:00pm-4:30pm.
  • JCR Bar, which is open Monday-Saturday 6:30pm-11:30pm.
  • MCR Bar, which is open Friday after MCR guest dinners finish.

Booking is done through the UPay website. For booked meals, payment is taken at the time of booking. Otherwise, payment is taken at the point of purchase. For this, your university card is used to take money from your UPay account. This applies to both the hall, JCR Bar and MCR Bar. The MCR Bar also accepts card payments.

Additionally, MCR members are eligible to attend MCR guest dinners, which run on Friday during term time, and run concurrently with regular dinner. These are booked through this website, although payment is still taken from UPay. These dinners are explained in further detail on a separate page.

High Table Dinners

Ordinary Members

MCR graduate members have the right to dine on High Table one a year with the fellows of the college, at their own cost. To sign up for this please email the SCR Butler: butler@stcatz.ox.ac.uk before 10am of the day you wish to dine at High Table. You can take up your dining right on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays in full term (weeks 1-8). You should make your way to the SCR by 7pm. Please wear your gown; men should wear jacket, tie and no jeans, women should be dressed smart casual. This applies to graduate students only; unfortunately associate, honorary and undergraduate members are not eligible.

MCR Executive Committee Members

In addition to the annual dining right, MCR executive committee members can dine at High Table once per term in full term while they are in office. The sign-up process is the same as for ordinary members.

MCR College Scholars

In addition to the annual dining right, MCR scholars can dine on High Table once per week in full term. Scholars can sign-up either on the sheet in the SCR corridor or by emailing the SCR butler: butler@stcatz.ox.ac.uk.