Photo by SamuelFernandezRivera via Pixabay
Have you ever wanted to expand your lunch-eating horizons beyond the dining hall, but found yourself struggling to choose somewhere to go? With so many restaurants in West Chester and only a little bit of time between classes, it’s hard to decide on a lunch spot that will be quick, affordable and delicious. With the help of some West Chester students (and a few taste-tests myself), I’ve been able to create a short list of three perfect lunch spots to help solve this dilemma. The following restaurants are close by, decently priced and offer a variety of different menu items to satisfy all your cravings. Fortunately for students, they also all accept RamBucks! After reading this article, you’ll never waste precious time deciding on where to eat again.
1. The Couch Tomato
Located at 31 W. Gay St., the Couch Tomato Café has been a classic go-to lunch spot for everyone, students or not! The Couch Tomato is popular for all their soup, salad and sandwich options, but they also serve delicious pizzas and grain bowls too! West Chester student Morgan Schlenker says that the Couch Tomato is her favorite spot in town to grab a quick and healthy lunch after class.
“I love going here for lunch during the week. They have a wide variety of menu items to choose from and everything is worth the price for a fresh and tasty meal,” said Schlenker. The Couch Tomato is a staple lunch spot for the West Chester community. The best part about it? Besides the roof-seating, of course, all of their menu items can easily be customized to be made exactly the way you want it.
2. Taco Mar
If you’re finally tired of the mediocre Mexican food from Chipotle, Taco Mar, located on Gay Street, is definitely your best bet for finding a high-quality meal. They serve a variety of different Mexican dishes for low prices, and they have adorable indoor and outdoor seating. This colorful restaurant is great for a quick bite in between classes because it’s only about a 10-minute walk from North Campus. They relocated recently, and the restaurant is a bit farther than it used to be, but it’s worth the extra few minutes to walk there. From bowls to burritos to banana chimichangas, you’ll never be disappointed at Taco Mar.
“They serve a variety of different Mexican dishes for low prices, and they have adorable indoor and outdoor seating.”
3. Love Again Local
Love Again Local is a recently opened, plant-based café located at 18 S. Church St. They offer a unique menu of sandwiches and salads, adding their vegan twist on meat-lover’s classics! With a variety of delicious options including meatless cold-cuts and dairy-free cheeses, even die-hard carnivores admit to not knowing the difference. Students who follow a plant-based diet are thrilled about the opening of Love Again Local, as well as students who don’t!
“I’m so glad there’s finally a plant-based restaurant in town,” says junior Dayna Vacca. “Sometimes it’s difficult to find restaurants that are friendly to certain dietary needs, so it’s nice to see more places like that opening up. I’m actually not a vegan, but I love going here after class because it’s so delicious.”
This small café is a short walk from campus and serves as a quick, healthy bite to eat. Even if you’re skeptical, it’s worth giving something new a try! You’ll be pleasantly surprised by this plant-based place.
Juliana McKee is a third-year media and culture major with a minor in journalism. JM886634@wcupa.edu.