Shark Bite Recommendations: Food On Campus

By: MAGALI MOUTON / STAFF REPORTER

While the spring semester has kicked into high gear, students are back and hungrier than ever.

As college students, it is important to eat and stay hydrated, but it can be difficult figuring out convenient food options, so here is a breakdown of your food choices at LIU:

Sharkbite Cafe

Sharkbite Cafe, or as many students call it, "the cafe," is where most of the students who live on campus eat. Easy to access, Sharkbite Cafe is located on the ground floor of Conolly Hall.

Personally, I think the best mealtime at the cafe is definitely breakfast, as they serve eggs, fruits, yogurts, french toasts, cereals, and more!

Oatmeal with berries and cereal. (Photo: Magali Mouton)

For lunch and dinner, salad and pasta/rice stations are available if you want to eat healthier.

“I eat more often at the cafe because it is easier for me and they are open longer than any other place on campus,” freshman Adelyn O’Dell said.

While Sharkbite Cafe has a wide variety of options, I think that the cafe is not always the healthiest choice. Sometimes, certain foods tend to be very oily, but luckily, there are other choices for some convenient bites on campus.

Freshens

Power Protein Rice Bowl from Freshens. (Photo: Magali Mouton)

Freshens offers a large selection of food and drinks that are pretty good. From freshly-made smoothies, salads, rice bowls, and wraps, Freshens is a great choice for students to spend their dining dollars and enjoy a tasty and healthy meal.

One of the only drawbacks of Freshens is that it is always crowded, especially during lunch-time, so the line and wait-time can become quite long. If you don’t have time to wait, Freshens, as well as Sharkbite Cafe, also sells snacks such as chips, protein bars, and to-go meals.

Smoothie Shop

There is a nice but hidden smoothies bar in the WRAC building that has fresh smoothies with less added sugars, compared to the smoothies at Freshens.

This smoothie shop also offers different flavored smoothies than Freshens, along with an assortment of refrigerated snacks and beverages.

This may be your new go-to place for smoothies, since unlike Freshens, not many people know about this smoothie shop and there is never a line.

Peet’s Coffee

Iced Caramel Macchiato from Peet's Coffee (Photo: Adelyn O'dell)

Peet’s is the place to go if you need coffee or tea during your breaks between classes. Peet's offers a wide variety of drinks, as well as an assortment of pastries and bagels. Peet's, like Sharkbite Cafe and Freshens, also sells snacks and to-go meals.

However, since Peet's is the only place on campus that offers a wide variety of coffee, similarly to Freshens, it is always very crowded with long lines.

Overall, Peet's has good quality drinks that fit mostly everyone's liking, from those who like their drinks sweet to those who like their drinks strong.