Do you want fries with that degree - or perhaps a nutrient-dense berry blast?

The success of Flinders University’s new hub is built on the reputation of some of Adelaide’s great food innovators.

The architecturally-designed facility continues the narrative of innovation the University has been pushing since the announcement and opening of Tonsley.

Visiting Flinders in 2016 is a very different experience to when CityMag was last here, sometime in the early naughties.

Great swathes have been cut through the old rabbit warren to open up the plaza, which articulates around some common-sense additions like student-focused retail and a mega 2,000-seat amphitheatre.

However, the real story lies in the wide selection of food options, many of which have been developed by established Adelaide food heroes.

Brands like Burger Theory are here. Even the family Ayubi are here with a hub-version of Parwana. The Vietnamese boom we saw happen on James Place in the city has got a foothold here too, and the coffee is top notch.

In total there are nine new eatery options in Flinders’ Hub. Gone are the over-warmed Chiki Rolls and cardboard pizza on plastic canteen trays. Uni students these days are drinking wine out of actual wine glasses (and eating Coffin Bay oysters to match) in the top-floor Alere Restaurant – we’re not even sure if they would know what a goon sack looks like.

At the entrance to the Bedford Park campus Hub is Grind & Press, offering all of the contemporary fitspo food options in a wholesome and ready-to-go style.

A cold-press juice, freshly made smoothie or barista-prepared organic fair-trade coffee is bound to make learning about all the “isms” of International Relations that bit more relevant.

Café Bon Voyage in Flinders Laneway also provides excellent coffee, but this time with a side of New York style hot dogs.

Also in the Hub is Urban Paddock Co café, a vintage-style caravan serving exceptional coffee and food. They partner with Five Senses Coffee and Tweedvale Milk from the Adelaide Hills, so their coffee is ethically sourced, and there are plenty of food options on the menu.

Meanwhile, the University bar has been taken over by Burger Theory‘s Dan Mendelson and Robert Dean, who are both alumni of Flinders Uni. For the pair, this new venue – dubbed The Tavern – has been a dream compared to their original food truck start-up.

“Everything works,” says Rob with the bewilderment only someone who’s ever run a kitchen can understand. “The customers are great, the Uni is great. It just works really well.”

Maybe it’s all down to southern hospitality?