Outside of Waterleaf Restaurant exterior

Waterleaf Restaurant

Waterleaf Restaurant, located in College of DuPage's Culinary and Hospitality Center, is a dining experience that offers real-life training to Culinary Arts, Baking and Pastry Arts and Restaurant Management students.

Patrons can experience culinary and pastry students' creativity while enjoying a multi-course meal, utilizing fresh regional and seasonal ingredients. Attentive service is provided by service and sales students. Waterleaf hours vary.

Beginning in Spring 2024, menus will be released one at a time approximately two weeks before the meal dates. Diners on our mailing list will receive an email for the next available menu with the date and time that reservations will open through OpenTable. Reservations will be accepted through OpenTable only. If you have any dietary restrictions, please note it on your reservation at time of booking.

Join the Waterleaf mailing list to receive menu releases, news and updates.

Waterleaf Reservations

Class Information

Regional American Cuisine

Enjoy fresh, seasonal, regional American food prepared and served by students in the Culinary Arts & Hospitality programs. Menus in this class are designed to reinforce basic skills and techniques that our newer students learned in the previous semester. These menus are sent out to our mailing list approximately two weeks before reservations become available on Open Table. If you've not dined with us before, take a look at our sample menus.

  • Lunches available Wednesday and Thursday with seatings at 11:15, 11:30, or 11:45 a.m.
    $20 per person (Includes tax)
  • Dinners available Tuesday evenings with seatings at 7 p.m. and 7:15 p.m.
    $20 per person (Includes tax)

International Cuisine Dinners

Join us select Wednesdays for a culinary trip around the world. Enjoy food from across the globe accompanied by wines carefully chosen and presented by students in our Wines program. This term, we'll be exploring the cuisines of France, the Basque region of Spain, and Japan in our upcoming International Cuisine menus. You'll receive attentive service from our students as you enjoy the view in Waterleaf dining room. Check back for menu.

  • Open select Wednesdays at 7 p.m.
  • $50 per person (Includes tax)

Contemporary Cuisine

From the lively flavors of Latin America, to old school steak house menus and modern takes on classic favorites, experience our capstone students' spin on our favorite dishes and ingredients. Our Advanced Service students provide attentive service as you enjoy thoughtfully paired wines in beautiful Waterleaf dining room. Contemporary Cuisine menu.

  • Open select Thursdays with seatings at 6 p.m., 6:15 p.m. or 6:30 p.m.
  • $65 per person with wine pairing or $55 per person without (Includes tax)