Library Café
Nestled within the heart of the University’s David Wilson Library, our Café offers a serene escape where knowledge meets comfort.
Enjoy a menu featuring freshly brewed Craft coffee, speciality teas, milkshakes and a selection of hot bites to eat, all designed to fuel your academic pursuits. Library Café invites you to unwind and savour your favourite treats while staying connected to the vibrant intellectual life of the University.
Outside of the Cafe’s opening hours, the contemporary seating area is still available to use and there is also vending from Yumchop. Yumchop provides flavoursome and authentic food from around the world with an African twist. The vending machine has an in-built microwave to warm your food right away or you have the option to take away the frozen meal with you. The meals are cooked and specially frozen to retain their goodness, freshness and minimise food waste due to their long shelf life and carefully measured portion sizes, with no added preservatives, colourings, or additives.
Opening times
- Term time: Monday to Friday, 9.00am to 5.00pm; Saturday, 9.30am to 2.30pm; Sunday, 11.00am to 3.00pm
- Out of term: Monday to Friday, 8.00am to 5.00pm; weekends, 10.00am to 3.00pm
Dietary information
This outlet provides halal, vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free hot and cold options. Items are labelled or highlighted on menus. If you are unsure, please ask a member of staff in the outlet.
Menu
Sandwiches, paninis and ciabattas
£3.85 meal deal
- Main: Any tiffin A-C sandwich or soup of the day
- Fruit: A piece of fruit
- Snack or drink: A packet of Walkers crisps or any 330ml can or bottle of water
In the fridge
A selection of takeaway sandwiches are available, including Halal, vegan and vegetarian fillings.
Paninis and toasties
Hot, toasted baguettes or toasted sandwich with melted cheese and a variety of fillings to choose from. Meat and vegetarian options available.
- Tuna and cheese
- Cheddar cheese and tomato (vegetarian)
- Chicken tikka (Halal)
- Cheese and ham
- Chicken, Tex Mex cheese and jalapeno
Ciabattas
Enjoy toasted ciabattas sandwiches with a variety of fillings.
- Cajun chicken and roast tomato melt
- Chicken, bacon, cheese, and tomato
- Mozzarella, tomato and pesto (vegetarian)
Soup of the day and salads
Soup
- Carrot and coriander
- Seasonal vegetable
- Cauliflower
- Tomato and basil
- Minted pea and potato
- Butternut squash and sweet potato
- Leek and potato
- Broccoli
Add a white or brown bread roll for dipping. Visit to see today's flavour in outlet.
Salads
Enjoy pre-packed premium salads from Tiffin for a healthier option to your day. These include gluten free options.
Snacks
Sweets, crisps and more
A selection of retail confectionary is available along with various flavours of crisps and chocolates.
Drinks
Exclusive to the Library Café
- Caramel latte
- Hazelnut latte
- Pumpkin spice latte
- Signature hot chocolate
Craft Coffee House
Our barista-made coffees are designed with you in mind. We ensure quality and consistency through a direct trade with Fairtrade Colombian coffee farmers who grow the coffee beans and our Sheffield supplier who sources and roasts them.
- Cappuccino
- Latte
- Flat white
- Chai latte
- Mocha
- Americano
- Espresso
- Hot chocolate
- Hot water
Twinings Teas
- English breakfast
- Decaf English breakfast
- Green
- Peppermint
- Earl Grey
- Camomile
- Lemongrass and ginger
- Cranberry and raspberry
Cans and bottled drinks
A wide selection of cold drinks are offered, including 330ml cans and 500ml bottles of water.
A greener alternative
In our bid to reduce single-use plastics, we have switched almost all our cold drinks to aluminium cans. We work with the University of Leicester Waste Management team and the Students' Union to provide key recycling points across campus and align with reputable and sustainably conscious suppliers.
Allergen information
The health, safety, and wellbeing of our customers is our top priority — and that begins with transparency around the food we serve. We understand how important it is for individuals with food allergies or dietary requirements to make informed choices with confidence. That’s why we’re committed to providing clear, accessible, and accurate allergen information across our food and drink outlets.
To support this, each outlet has allergen information on all in-house made products and our staff are trained to provide up-to-date allergen information when asked. We also use a dedicated online platform called Ten Kites for our outlets (Astrovan, Queens, Soul and The Square Cafe) which allows customers to view detailed allergen information for every item on our menus.
Each outlet features a QR code displayed clearly near the service area or tills. By scanning this code with a smartphone, customers are instantly taken to a digital menu showing allergens such as nuts, gluten, dairy, and more, specific to the outlet they’re visiting. If you have any questions or require further assistance, our trained team members are always on hand to help.
Our Food Production Kitchen handle multiple allergens and there is always a risk of cross-contamination. This is a live system so dishes allergens and preferences will automatically update without notice, where ingredients change. Note that we cannot guarantee dishes will be free from unlisted allergens due to the risk of cross-contamination by other customers in service areas.