It’s only the fourth week of school and Benson is already starting to get a bit boring. Don’t get me wrong, the food is a lot better than most campuses – but sometimes you just need a bit of a change, and maybe a bit of a splurge. I’m a Bay Area foodie, and I am on a mission to find some great go-to places to eat around campus!
Santana Row:
My go-to place for when you want a sweet treat is Smitten Ice Cream! Smitten is great because it is located in Santana Row, which has so many fun things to do, and is always crowded! Smitten makes your ice cream order from scratch; I mean you can practically watch them make it! You can even get your ice cream in a waffle bowl. The ice cream is super creamy; my favorites have to be: Cinnamon Shortbread with Brown Sugar ice cream, the classic Vanilla, and the Vietnamese Coffee. Right next to Smitten is a nice grass lawn where you can enjoy your ice cream.
A couple other great places to eat on the Row are Yard House and Tacolicious. I highly recommend Yard House- especially for sports fans! Yard House has tons of TVs for all your sports games, and lots of great American classics and beer. Tacolicious is conveniently right next to Yard House. If you are looking for some killer tacos in a really fun environment, Tacolicious is the place to go! My current faves are the carnitas and the fish tacos.
Lastly, if you are looking for some awesome Asian fusion, then Sino is a great option! It has such an amazing environment with indoor and outdoor seating. Highlights of the menu are: Mongolian beef, Emperor’s fried rice, and the Peking duck.
Santana Row really is a fabulous place to take a break from “college life” and enter some new scenery. It definitely is not cheap, so I like to go here every once in awhile for a splurge.
Downtown Campbell:
Downtown Campbell is the perfect place for college students to eat, especially on the weekend. There are always lots of people around and lots of great cheaper alternatives to eat at compared to Santana Row. My fave place? Opa! Greek Cuisine. Opa has everything Greek from spanakopita to gyros to meat skewers. Plus, the atmosphere is awesome! They have an outdoor patio area with fire pits and tables where you can sit. I highly recommend grabbing a few friends and heading over to Opa on a Friday or Saturday night.
I hope this inspires you to try a few new places off campus and satisfies your food cravings too!