The majority of Institut Néel staff typically opts for lunch at the official restaurant conveniently situated near the North entrance of CEA (H2). This self-service facility operates on a points system, where you pay based on your consumption—a departure from the fixed-price model employed by CROUS restaurants (university canteens), which charge around €3.30 per meal.
Converting points to currency can be intricate, contingent on your salary and employer. Notably, CNRS offers a lesser subsidy for meals compared to CEA, resulting in CNRS personnel paying a higher price for their meals than their CEA counterparts. The disparity extends to UGA (Université Grenoble Alpes), which allocates less support for meals than CNRS, justifying this stance by asserting that students and associate professors can avail themselves of CROUS facilities.
Consequently, associate professors and Ph.D. students funded by ministerial grants find themselves bearing a greater cost for meals compared to CNRS researchers or other Ph.D. students due to the differing levels of financial backing.
The closest CROUS restaurant to Institut Néel is called Green and located in the Greener building, next to the tram stop Marie-Louise Paris – CEA.
In addition to these, a food truck is present on the opposite side of the main road the leads to the Institute, Avenue de Martyrs. Similarly, along the same road some shops can provide with the necessary for a quick lunch.
The map at the bottom illustrates the accesses to the aforementioned places.
Feel free to activate Discord notifications to stay informed about fellow students heading for lunch, ensuring you don’t miss out on the opportunity to join them for a delightful meal and share some enjoyable moments together! 😊