Now, I don’t consider myself an expert on food by any means. However, today I learned that not everyone is aware of what is available at UBC, so I thought I’d name a whole bunch of places. This is completely biased, of course.
The Vanier Caf seems like a sad first choice, but let me validate it. The variety and quality of food available at the caf is quite impressive for university caf standards. While I will never enjoy the Asian food, I do adore the Stackables bar where you can get a sandwich or a wrap with fillings of your choice. This is a relatively cheap and satisfying option. And yes, cash and debit is accepted for those of you who don’t live at Vanier but would like to grab some food if you’re nearby.
If you’re getting sick of the caf, 99 Chairs is near by Koerner. It’s a bit pricey, but they definitely have different cooked food. Tim Hortons is also around for those who need doughnuts (I refuse to spell differently) and coffee. Both these places accept the meal card, as does the Arts Snack Bar in Buchanan A, 2nd floor. The last is an emergency option for small snacks and meals in between classes.
Bernoulli’s Bagels and Blue Chip Cookies are my favourite places in the SUB. The bagel spot is great for lunch and the cookies at Blue Chip are the best I’ve ever had. I’d steal all their recipes if I could. Genevieve has already blogged about Bernoulli’s, so you should check out what she has to say, as I echo all of that. Best of all, these two amazing stores face each other.
Pie R Squared is not, contrary to its name, a pie shop. It’s a pizza place at the SUB with really large, filling pizza slices for a cheaper price than Pizza Pizza (the latter which is available at both Tim Hortons and the SUB). I have no idea what my first pizza slice there was, but it had potatoes, and I was awestruck by how good it tasted. I’d never thought of putting potato lumps on top of crusty slices and drizzle it all with cheese before.
A little further down, The Boulevard has the most wonderful hot chocolate in my universe, and further down that in the Village is Pearl Fever for the only reasonably close source of unfortunately pricey bubble tea. The Village Basement also has quite an assortment of cheap, decent food, but I’m not a great fan of the place.
For sushi, I’d recommend going down to the Village to check out Suga Sushi, or, if you’re feeling ready to go a little further, take the 99 B-line down to Sasamat for Hime Sushi. Hime is the little orange place right in front of your face when you get off at Sasamat, so you can’t possibly miss it. Although I haven’t consciously compared prices, I don’t think there is a significant difference. The food in both is delicious. I personally prefer Hime just a little bit better because it has more choice and variety. (And it’s also the first place I tried Vancouver sushi. It converted me into a sushi-lover, much to fishes’ chagrin.) It is, however, smaller — while this is something I like, Suga is your best bet for a bigger party.
If you’re hanging around Sasamat, you might as well check out Some Kinda Pasta. I like going to this for dinner on special days (it’s been a while, but I think the price range is around $15, not including tips). You pick a sauce and you pick the type of pasta you want, and voila! Pretty nice pasta. I also have a sentimental attachment to this place as it’s the first restaurant I ate at when I arrived in Vancouver last August.
And if you have a really random craving for fondue, Burgoo (also a short distance to the Sasamat bus stop) is the place to go. Their other dishes are not quite worth the prices, though.
So there you have it — my favourite feeding-grounds within a reasonable distance of home. What I’m interested in knowing is what other people think of these places, or what other — better! — suggestions they might have. For example, I’ve heard some good things about The Beanery and Sage Bistro, but I’ve yet to go.
One response to “Favourite Food Outlets”