Sammy’s Student Exchange

Service is hit or miss. There is an Asian woman usually working behind the tea/​cashier and she is extremely rude! People working behind the food counters are generally polite and friendly. The butter chicken is the best dish I’ve tried, but the other chicken and salmon dishes look satisfying and reasonably healthy. A bit overpriced, but that is the norm with campus eateries.

What $ 3.50 gets you at The Green Bean, located a 2 minute walk from Sammy’s in Gerstein library: Half a panini with camembert and cranberry, market vegetables, or apple and brie, toasted and served on fresh greens with balsamic dressing
What $ 3.50 gets you at Sammy’s: a small box of bagged supermarket lettuce mix with Kraft dressing squirted all over it
Basically the only decent thing about this place now is the broccoli salad (but you never know if they will be serving that or not) and the Arabic pies. Prices have gone up again and are now ridiculous considering the poor quality of most of the food.

No, I don’t think the food deserves 4 stars. But the Arbour Room at the Hart House is an establishment. It’s one of the few places on the U of T campus where students can nosh on half descent food in a comfortable environment. Yes this place has all the charms of a university cafeteria filled with students cracking under the pressure. But it’s also a bit «lounge» and people can relax and interact. What more, on Friday evenings they have some live music. And the big plus is that they seem to be now equipped with a bar serving some half descent liquor. They probably should shut it down during exam time…

I’ve eaten here a few times, and in all cases was forced to because I was in a super hurry, other places are closed, or I’m out of cash so I can’t buy from the food trucks. It’s a complete meal and the room has a nice atmosphere, so that’s good. But in terms of food you’re really better off eating from the good trucks.
The butter chicken is a small portion, the chicken shawarma is too salty, the chicken of the world is salty on the outside but bland on the inside. The balsamic dressing is the worst I’ve ever tasted.

Considering this place is on campus, it’s hella decent.
They’ve got a variety of hot and cold drinks, pizzas, salads, sammies, and hot plates. I also like how they cater to the ethnic student demographic at UofT. They’ve always got interesting Greek, Indian, Italian food. And considering the portions, price point, and amount of students they serve, the food’s pretty good.
Don’t be intimidated by the line-​ups! I know it looks long but they move people quickly. Also, you will undoubtedly be confused by where you order, where the food comes, who you pay, etc. They’re just preparing you for how confusing the admin and course selection at this school is.

I just had a delicious shawarma wrap at Sammy’s. There aren’t that many great options around U of T but this is definitely one of the better ones … And best yet it has wifi if you use your UTORID. It also serves liquor which is great after a day of studying. The problem is it tends to close early.

Well, it’s my home-​food afterall.
Sammy’s, without any doubt, is probably the best food option for all uoft students in the campus. The diversities and the great tastes are the best treats for me after a midterm.
Chicken of the world and grilled chicken salad are pretty cool — try them out.

There aren’t a lot of good options around UofT, but Sammy’s is one of the better ones. I would advise to stay away from dishes that consist of chicken + whatever sauce (ex. chicken jambalaya, chicken curry, etc). The chicken they use is leftover chicken that they can’t sell on its own because it’s too dry or too hard. They put it in with some sauce in hopes that you don’t notice how shitty it is, but YOU NOTICE.
I’d stick with their salad bar, since you can actually see how fresh (or not fresh) their greens are.

Ohhhhh Sammy’s!
As a current student attending UofT, Hart House is definitely a place that I come to often. (Gym facilities, library, study areas and Sammy’s!) What lies in this old Manor is a small student cafeteria that offers a variety of food. They offer sushi, falafel, salad, smoothies, candies, pastries and so much more!
However, like the many reviews that I’ve read thus far, I find that Sammy’s is inconsistent. When I order their infamous couscous salad it varies each time the amount that I’m given. Although, the portions may seem inconsistent, I do find the taste remaining the same. Then again, I usually just order their grilled chicken and their gourmet salads.
I definitely would recommend Sammy’s as an alternative to your food trucks you find on St. George, Tim Hortons, Starbucks and Second Cup scattered around campus. I agree the pricing might be a little bit much, but for the variety (and knowing your food isn’t thrusted into an oily deep fryer) it is worth it to me.
–CL
p. s. that couscous salad is my all time faveeeee.

Sammy’s is reliable. Inexpensive lunch time food and lots of fresh and healthy options. Veg friendly which gets a plus in my books. I especially like that they have a different curry and soup every day so things don’t get boring.
The atmosphere is cafeteria-​y. You order at the counter, get your food on a tray and pay up front. The room itself and tables are really nice but that’s because it is located in Hart House, one of the nicest buildings on campus.

Sammy’s is a big fav for students especially during big sporting events like the World Cup where the Arbour Room (the area it’s located in) offers free screenings of games. And the Arbour Room (and it’s abundant seating space, wifi for students/​staff, and relatively lack of messiness) is the only reason I’m giving Sammy’s 4 stars over the 3 that it deserves based on food alone.
Saying that however, the food here is superior to the usual food courts you find around campus in terms of taste and healthy options, which isn’t saving much really. They have an eclectic mix of international cuisine depending on the day with a lot of solid offerings found everyday.
The price is reasonable but not cheap, I always enjoy coming here for a drink since they do some mean fresh fruit smoothies and carry some interesting pop and juice options as well.
If you’re hungry and don’t want to leave the campus, Sammy’s should be atop your list of places to visit!

Sammy’s is a nice place to grab lunch while on campus. They have relatively healthy choices, which is really nice. I would recommend the grilled veggie pita. Healthy and hearty for $ 5.25 (plus tax). Today I ate the grilled spicy tofu pita, which I would not recommend. I found it a bit bland.
The have a selection of juices and smoothies, as well as fresh salads and baked goods. Overall, it’s just a nice place to stop and grab a bit to eat. It’s not totally cheap, but it could be more pricey.
I find the staff who serve the food are quite friendly, although the woman at the cash seemed a bit sour. Then again I was during the lunch rush, so maybe she was just tired?
A veggie sandwich and a side salad (no drink) came to $ 8.42.

Sammy’s is kinda pricey, but then again, so is every other campus food vendor. At least here, the food is actually healthy.
My favourite thing about Sammy’s are the gourmet salads, they have several different kinds, and they’re all delicious.
As Payam mentioned, the quantity does change a lot, but I think it has less to do with the day you go, and more to do with who serves you. I find that the men tend to be more generous with the serving sizes. Also, the containers for «to go» and «dine in» are different sizes, so beware of that.
The owner (I think?) makes me feel like a friend whenever I go. He’ll pick out the best parts of the gourmet salad and tell me that he knows it’s my favourite part.
The chicken of the world dinner plates are huge, filling, and comes in a variety of different flavours. Yum… getting hungry just thinking about it.

Sammy’s is a great place for the UofT crowd — nestled in the basement of Hart House, it has cheap, fresh, and healthy food, which really is more than a student can ask for!
The best thing about Sammy’s for me, is all the tasty vegetarian options! While I’m not a vegetarian, I appreciate a good tofu or grilled vegetable or felafel wrap, all of which I can get at Sammy’s.
Since I can usually get lunch there at under $ 5 (sans drink — alas) I’m pretty satisfied to continue to go there. My only complaints are about the organization — I don’t ever understand where I’m supposed to stand until someone yells at me — and also, the staff yell a me! Not all, but there is one woman in particular that is just never friendly.
A final suggestion — if they got more seating, that alone would move them up another star. If I buy lunch, I prefer to sit there and eat it, not bring it back to the office!
Overall, Sammy’s is a pretty decent student spot!

Initially this was a tough review to write as there are enough stories involved with this space and its inhabitants to fill at least a few Unilocal pages… I won’t get into any of them! If you are ever interested to know, for whatever weird reason, feel free to ask me at a Unilocal event and I’ll tell you all about the saga of Arbor Room!
To begin, this is still one of the better places to eat within U of T. If it was anywhere else, I probably would not give it more than 3 stars as there seems to be a serious issue with consistency. A lot of items on the menu, from the Shawarma to the Pizza could be absolutely amazing and fresh on some days and make you question your taste on others! In addition, to reaffirm another reviewer’s experience, I also remember finding a bone or two in Shawarma a while back! The issue of consistency also exists in terms of the portions you receive, and they can vary ridiculously day by day!
On the bright side some of the staff are quite nice! This is particularly true about the people who greet if you visit earlier in the day! Hart House serves up a pretty decent breakfast, and I would recommend the cinnamon French toast with eggs and sausage! Most of the ingredients are very fresh and in fact the syrup is produced at the Hart House farm (this was at least the case back when I was in the ‘know’)!
For lunch and dinner, I would recommend the ‘chickens of the world’ items. If you are getting something from the baked section, I would go for either the Pizza or the patties! The calzones, Greek cheese pockets, etc are not too impressive at Hart House!
Another great point about the Sammy’s is the seating space; For one, Sammy’s/Arbor Room has become a pretty good space for watching sport events within campus and you can usually find a good crowd gathered for the major games. Even better, you can still walk in to find the stage occupied by a comedy/​hip-​hop or some other cool campus group, and enjoy a free show while you eat! Finally, if you are in the mood to read in a noisy place, the Arbor Room is a great option and you know you can grab something at the same time. That being said, it’s probably not a good idea to show up at lunch for casual reading as I have seen the manager get a bit aggressive with students in the past (even though technically Sammy’s does not have control over the seating space).

Sammy’s is a little bit overrated but a good place to eat for U of T students…
The best thing about this establishment is the staff, who are pretty much always in a good mood and very funny/​kind. They are also quite generous with portions and we were happy to receive quite a bit of extra food right before the winter break closure of Sammy’s!
If you are like me however, you are probably going to this place for the food rather than the friendly staff, and this is not worth more than 3 stars in my humble opinion! The shawarma is not the most consistent and I have found some bones in the sandwiches in the past. The same could be said about the pizzas and some sandwiches; while fortunately I have yet to find bones in those foods, I have found that they taste pretty bland some days. Basically no consistency.
Sammy’s has a great environment and superior food compared to other university eateries, but that doesn’t mean it can’t do better!

In Hogwarts… err Hart House cozy castle like surroundings have what appears to be a campus cafeteria option. What is surprising is it is actually good unlike most of U of T’s food which borders on inedible. The Shwarma is one of the best in the city and there are often 6 or so different flavored chicken breasts from spicy thai to tandoori and others; deliciously succulent.

I went here for a meeting a while back and had the shawarma plate. Now it’s all I ever get. Some of the best shawarma I’ve ever had! Since I work on campus, it’s a convenient location and I’ve never been disappointed.

Sammy’s is truly the way students should be eating. Healthy and fresh food from breakfast all the way to dinner (+ they have a bar and have open mic nights and such). It’s a little hidden with a small doorway through the wall of Hart House that leads down to this golden place.
By far their best is their chicken lunch plate. One piece of chicken breast (rather large although some pieces are small — honey garlic, tandoori, jerk, plain, and another marinade) and salad, with rice or potatoes and some mushroom sauce for $ ⁶⁄₇. A little expensive but by far the best food you can get close to UofT and it’s a completely meal.
Breakfasts include either the standard eggs and sausage fair but also french toast and pancakes and such for around $ 3. They also have these bottled blue/​white leaf tea’s that are really good and I haven’t found them anywhere else!
Their menu is online but they have everything from salads, to falafels, chicken, fresh pizza, freshly made desserts but it’s not really fast food, they bake it nicely and make it good without the grease.
If you’re visiting UofT, this isn’t a bad place to have a meal at.