City Eats Dining Center — Restaurant in San Francisco

“From omelets to tears to tacos, Maria made City Eats unforgettable.” City Eats, affectionately (and often not-so-affectionately) known as “Shitty Eats” is the dining hall at San Francisco State University, and over time, it became a source of pride for me. Unlike the nickname suggests, at least not anymore, the dining hall is actually very good. I think the real secret is being able to improvise & make some unusual combinations to keep things interesting, it keeps me very healthy too. I eat there almost every day, and while the food itself is consistent in its chaos, the real story is in the people behind the counter. That’s where I met Maria, who worked the omelet bar in 2023. I practiced my Spanish with her every morning, slowly learning her story. Her husband had passed away the year before, and yet she greeted every student with warmth. Before winter break, Maria gifted little baggies of caramels, nuts, and sweets to her regulars. I wondered if anyone had gotten her something in return. The next morning, I brought her flowers from Trader Joe’s. She cried. I felt bad for making her cry, so I started bringing her flowers every few weeks. Before leaving City Eats to start her own food truck; Brazuca Grill in SF, Maria’s daughter made a Mother's Day tribute video, and somehow, I ended up in two photos in that montage. City Eats may not be gourmet, but it fed more than just students, it gave me one of the most unexpectedly meaningful connections I’ve...

It was my first time dining here on campus and I was really impressed! I was expecting ho hum American food and was pleasantly surprised to find a lengthy salad bar with a large variety of topping, star bucks brand coffee, cereal, two different skillet areas where they fresh prepare hot foods for students to order. Omg I took out the dessert bar! I love their soft serve machine and they had vegan jello and even a healthy chia, oatmeal super food ball thingy that was super tasty.The restaurant was really warm but minimalist vibe that made me feel welcome, but felt very clean at the same time. I could eat, study there or handout any time here...plus they have heating. Their salami and chicken was really good quality and so juicy too. The salami tasted like this expensive type my mom bought a couple times as a kid and I wish I could take...

It's definitely not as bad as people say it is. There's ample seating and most of the food looks decent, but the selection is limited for a buffet place. However, there were still options, including vegan and vegetarian foods. Some of the food is self-service and some of the food is made to order. You can order ahead on the Transact Mobile Ordering app, but the selection will only be a handful of dishes. If you do not have a meal plan or if you're not a student, I think it costs $14 to enter. However, I'm not sure about that. It's very good value, being one of the very few all-you-can-eat places in San Francisco. The location is very clean. The staff were very kind and seemed to do their best to answer...