UNT Celebrates Grand Opening of $25.5 Million Food Hall, Eagle Landing

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The Mean Green have a swanky new spot to grab some grub between classes. 

The University of North Texas on Thursday celebrated the grand opening of Eagle Landing— a two-story, 25,990-square-foot food hall featuring seven eateries serving everything from Asian and Latin American cuisine to baked goods and vegan options. Inspired by Legacy Hall in Plano, the $25.5 million project is UNT’s first standalone dining hall, located at 1416 Maple St. near the UNT Welcome Center.

But the food hall isn't exclusive to students, according to UNT. Even the general public can partake if they wanted to — at a fixed price of $8.45 plus tax for all-you-can-eat service. Not bad.

Food options include Avenue A, which serves Southern classics like fried chicken, barbecue, and all-day breakfast; Bamboo Basil, an Asian eatery serving stir-fried rice and noodle dishes; Cibo Fresco, a pizza-pasta spot; Clark Bakery, the first storefront of UNT's on-campus bakery; La Mesa, which specializes in Latin fusion dishes; Leaf, a vegetarian/vegan concept; and Wood Grill, a burgers-and-sandwiches joint.

Eateries can also take advantage of UNT's on-campus hydroponic garden; Leaf and Cibo Fresco, for example, use greens and herbs picked directly from there.

"We've kind of got a foodie culture here on this campus," UNT Dining Services director Peter Balabuch says. "Having a facility like this ... it adds value to the students coming to live in housing and go to school at UNT."

Houston-based Kirksey Architecture served as the architect, with Rogers-O'Brien as general contractor. The building also has room to grow, with about 3,000 square feet available for a retail market (coffee, pastry, and sandwich shop), expected to open in 2022.