Every Monday through Friday, during brunch and lunch, the school cafeteria invites hundreds of students looking for food to purchase. Entering the cafeteria is hectic, with a line stretching to the rally court. However, once inside, the lines to pay are quick. Every purchase of an entree comes with milk or orange juice and fruit of your choice. Brunch meals are $3.00 and lunch meals are $4.50.

Breakfast Burrito

5/5 stars

While simple and small, the breakfast burrito was flavorful. The meat version, with eggs, meat, cheese and hot sauce on the side, was delicious. The eggs and meat were perfectly balanced and had an addicting flavor because of the delicious seasoning of the Mexican rice. The vegetarian option, filled with Mexican rice was just as good. The burrito is the best brunch option by far and is one of the better menu items.

Yogurt Parfait

⅗   stars

With a hint of honey, crunchy granola and sweet strawberries, the yogurt parfait is a tasty and sweet treat. However, the parfait borders on being too sugary. The strawberries are rather one-note in their sweetness, the granola is flavorless and the honey in the yogurt is overwhelming. One adjustment I recommend making is adding the fresh fruit that you get from your meal to the parfait — it adds more flavor and makes it better overall. If you’re looking for a sweet treat, then the yogurt parfait is for you. 

Chinese Stir Fry Rice

⅖  stars

The fried rice has carrots, eggs and peas in the rice. While all of the other dishes were flavorful, the fried rice lacked depth. The rice tasted like cardboard and the vegetables had no taste adding nothing significant to the dish. Overall, the dish was way undersalted, making it taste even more bland. Adding hot sauce to the fried rice makes it taste better, but the fried rice is still not up to par.

Tasty Pizza

⅗ stars

The Tasty Pizza lived up to its name. With grilled peppers, tofu and red sauce, the Tasty Pizza was deliciously different and was the best vegetarian lunch option. The pizza had a perfect balance of flavors, as the tofu and peppers blended well together. When eaten, the crust wasn’t soggy. However, I would not purchase the pizza again, as it was pretty basic and small for its $4.50 price. 

Nacho Bar

⅘ stars

The nacho bar was simple. Pick up a plate of nachos (with or without meat) and go to the fresh ingredients to pile on. I picked the meat nachos and added beans, salsa, onions, green onions and jalapeños. I thoroughly enjoyed the meal and it was very filling. However, nachos are a relatively standard dish, and the ingredients were nice but also lacked some variety. Additional ingredients, such as avocados or Mexican rice, would have improved the nachos.

Overall, the cafeteria food is delicious and earns  ⅘ stars. With a variety of foods from different cultures, vegetarian options and affordable prices, the cafeteria has food items for all. While there are some attractive options like the yogurt parfait, breakfast burrito, nacho bar and tasty pizza, there are also some items that are lacking, including the stir fried rice. Overall, during lunch breaks, consider trying the cafeteria food instead of trekking to 7-11.