How is the mess food in DTU? What is in the menu?

The mess food in DTU is quite average, to be honest. You get a mix of North Indian and South Indian dishes, but it can get repetitive after a while. For instance, the menu usually includes dal, rice, rotis, and some curry with a side of salad. The breakfast options are typically bread, butter, and sometimes upma or poha. It’s not bad, but if you're someone who enjoys variety, you might find it lacking. Overall, it does its job of keeping us fed, but don't expect gourmet meals.

Honestly, the mess food at DTU is a mixed bag. You’ll get your usual fare like dal, rice, and roti, along with some veggies. Breakfast is usually simple stuff like bread and eggs, but once in a while, they surprise us with something special like dosa or idli. The taste is okay, but after a few months, it can get boring. Since most of us are on a budget, it’s a good option, but if you’re hoping for restaurant-quality food, you might want to explore outside campus occasionally!

At DTU, we have 9 boys' hostels and 3 girls' hostels. Each hostel has its own mess, but post-COVID, only 3-4 hostels are currently operational. Students are required to take a monthly subscription for the mess, which costs 2700 per month. This is quite reasonable, and I doubt you can find 4 meals for this price anywhere else.

Here’s the mess menu:

• The menu might look appealing, but trust me, it’s not great in reality.
• The food quality is pretty average. Some days it's decent, but there are definitely days when it’s worse, especially lunch, which is usually the worst meal of the day.
• The food tends to be too spicy, and the taste often leaves much to be desired. So, sometimes we opt for the college canteen or order tiffins from day scholars.
• Breakfast is decent, but I rarely manage to eat it due to classes or oversleeping.
• On Fridays, the mess is closed for dinner; we only get breakfast and lunch, so we often head to nearby restaurants or order from Swiggy or Zomato.

Each hostel has a mess feedback register, but honestly, it seems to be of no use. I’ve been living in the hostel for over 4 months, and I haven’t seen any improvement in the food quality.

Overall, considering the mess conditions...

When it comes to the first-year mess, DTU offers better food compared to many other government colleges. You do need to pay extra for shakes and cold drinks, but they are available!

Breakfast (8:30–10): Dosa/Vada/Chole Bhature/Puri Sabji, and omelette for non-vegetarians. Milk and tea are also served.

Lunch (12–2): Dal Chawal roti with raita every day, with variations in sabji.

Snacks (4:30–5:30): Bread Pakora/Poha/Sandwich/Pasta/Samosa/Pastries, along with Coffee/Tea/Rasna.

Dinner (7:30–9): Daal Chawal roti with sabji. Egg and chicken dishes are available on Mondays and Wednesdays. A dessert item is also served.

The food is nice and simple, and the mess is kept clean. Plus, DTU is located in Rohini, so there are plenty of nearby joints to grab food!

I’m a first-year student at DTU and recently moved into the hostel. I had always heard that mess food is usually terrible. However, I found the food in DTU’s girls hostel mess to be pretty decent!

Here are some pictures of the food -

Here's the menu for the week -

Even though the food tastes fine, after eating the same dishes week after week without any change in the menu, I’ve started to get bored of it. I often order food from Zomato when I don’t feel like having mess food.