Places to eat
We're committed to providing nutritious, locally sourced food in our catering outlets. Each one offers its own unique service, ranging from convenient grab-and-go options to freshly prepared homemade meals.
Opening hours
Each of our catering outlets operates its own opening hours.
During term-time, the majority of them are open on weekdays and closed on weekends. Opening hours vary throughout the year, particularly during holidays. For key events such as Open Days and Registration, we operate extended opening times.
You can check the Catering team's Facebook and Instagram pages for the latest updates to opening hours.
Newton Park
The Refectory
Located at the heart of Newton Park campus, The Refectory is our main eating and social hub. It serves a variety of freshly prepared hot and cold food.
Our daily 'Street Food' special is influenced by popular dishes from all around the world, and each one is crafted with authenticity and passion. The menu changes weekly, so there’s always something new to try from every corner of the world.
The 'Student Eats' section keeps meals affordable without compromising on taste or quality. It offers budget-friendly options – such as jacket potatoes and hot dogs – that will fill you up without breaking the bank.
We pride ourselves on providing quality homemade food at competitive prices and ingredients are as locally sourced as possible.
Café Commons
You can find Café Commons on the ground floor of Commons at Newton Park. It serves a wide range of teas, coffees, iced drinks and matcha, including plenty of seasonal options. Choose from a variety of sandwiches, homemade paninis and toasties, premium cakes and muffins, and other sweet treats.
There's plenty of seating in Café Commons, making it an ideal place to meet.
At the beginning of the 2025 academic year, Café Commons rebranded and welcomed a new coffee supplier into its roster – Triple Co Roast. Triple Co Roast is a specialty coffee roastery based in Bristol, and its commitment to quality and sustainability has earned it a dedicated following among coffee enthusiasts in Bristol and Bath.
The Interval
Located outside Twiverton at Newton Park, The Interval serves delicious smoothie bowls and sandwiches, along with hot and iced coffees and a selection of teas.
It's a great place to grab a bite to eat while on your way to classes. Alternatively, sit comfortably in our new outdoor sofas and indulge in a pastry or a sweet treat in the sun.
The Barn
The Barn is located in the Students’ Union building at Newton Park.
It's run by the SU, and serves hot drinks, alcoholic and soft drinks, plus a variety of hot meals and snacks. Whether you fancy a fresh, homemade pizza or one of the SU's ever-popular Hash Tubs, there will be something on the menu for you, including vegan and gluten-free options.
There's plenty of seating – including sofas and armchairs – as well as pool tables and table football.
Vending machines
You can find vending machines in Café Commons, The Library, University Theatre, Michael Tippett Building, Newton and outside the Gardens student accommodation blocks. There are also water coolers located throughout the campus.
The General Store
You can find The General Store on Newton Park campus, located in the same building as the Refectory. It stocks a wide range of essential products, including groceries, household items and local goods.
Be sure to check out our sustainable Refill section and nostalgic Pick 'n' Mix!
Locksbrook Campus
Locksbrook Café
Located on the ground floor at Locksbrook Campus, our 'cook-to-order' café serves homemade food such as hot breakfasts, mac and cheese and chargrilled burgers, along with a range of paninis, sandwiches, flatbreads and more.
Many menu items are gluten free, vegetarian, vegan and dairy free.
We have barista trained staff serving our locally supplied coffee beans from Bristol Twenty, plus a wide range of hot drinks.
A large choice of confectionery is also available, including delicious pastries from the renowned Bertinet Bakery in Bath, plus cakes, muffins, traybakes and chocolate.
Vending machines
The vending machines at Locksbrook Campus offer Lavazza coffee and a range of confectionary, snacks and cold drinks. There are also water coolers located throughout the campus.
Sion Hill
Café Sion
You can find Café Sion on the first floor at Sion Hill.
It serves barista style espresso coffee, hot chocolate and a selection of teas, all of which are Fairtrade or Rainforest Alliance. We use locally supplied coffee beans from Bristol Twenty.
We also offer a range of grab-and-go options such as soup, paninis, toasties, pizza twists, salads, sandwiches, jacket potatoes and more.
Vending machines
The vending machines at Sion Hill offer Lavazza coffee and a range of confectionary, snacks and cold drinks. There are also water coolers located throughout the site.
Award-winning food
The Refectory has been awarded the Bronze Food for Life Award, certifying that our kitchen has upheld part of the Soil Association’s Food for Life programme which supports schools, nurseries and other institutions in providing healthy, sustainable, and ethically sourced food.
It comes in recognition of our healthy menus, sustainable practices and dedication to fresh, seasonal and local ingredients.
We've also achieved the Green Kitchen Standard Certification. This recognises our alignment of kitchen practices with the energy, water and waste requirements of the Defra Plan for Public Procurement and the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.
Refill Cup Scheme
Our Refill Cup Scheme allows students and staff to use refillable cups free of charge, provided they are returned to the drop boxes after use. As a University we have saved over 10,000 cups from landfill – that's more than 200kg of CO2 saved!
Pay It Forward
As of September 2025, the Pay It Forward scheme allows customers to purchase a hot drink or hot meal for a student who may not be able to afford to.
Students can pick up a voucher from the blackboard outside The Refectory and bring it to the till, where a member of staff will serve them as normal – no questions asked. The scheme is now available at all outlets.
Fairtrade commitment
Bath Spa University is committed to ethical consumerism, and supports Fairtrade products in all our catering outlets. All our coffee products are certified Fairtrade.
Fairtrade products ensure better working conditions, better pay and improved opportunities for workers in developing countries. Bath Spa University is proud to support these ventures in keeping with our dedication to integrity and sustainability.
Sustainable Food Policy
We understand that the provision of food and catering services has environmental and social impacts, and are committed to minimising these impacts and making them positive whenever we can. You can view our Sustainable Food Policy for more information.
Our local suppliers
- Arthur David – West
- Bidfood – Chepstow
- Booker – Bath
- Bristol Twenty – Bristol
- Chappel & Jenkins – Bristol
- Crockery Hire – Bristol
- Edgie Eats – Bath
- Nisbets – Bristol
- Olleco – Wales
- Pattersons Cleaning – Bristol
- RD Johns – Devon
- Real Wrap – Bristol
- Sharps Tills – Taunton
- Total Produce – Bristol