The opinions expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not reflect the views of Spoon University.
I was most excited about the great dining halls. Indeed, they are just enough to satisfy my expectations changing themes every single day, the variety menu, and having wonderful tastes. Yet, going through the quarter, I realized that it is hard to enjoy dining halls for all my meal times. In between classes, when I need to walk to another lecture hall across campus, a piece of sandwich always helps me regain energy. Here are some of the cafes on campus and the Hill you can quickly visit to grab a sandwich in the middle of your busy days.
Northern Lights Cafe – Caprese Panini
If you have classes near the Charles Young Research Library, trying Northern Lights Cafe is highly recommended. They have a lot of menus that are truly delicious, but if you want to shorten your time to think, Caprese Panini will be the one to go with. When I ordered the Caprese Panini, it came out in just a few minutes, all warmed up. It uses the normal milk bread for the panini, but it is crispy, which provides the crunchy bite of the sandwich. Inside, there is a thick layer of basil pesto on the bread, which adds a savory and soft flavor to the panini. Next is to taste the mozzarella cheese, which is perfectly melted. It could be too heavy if there were only savory and salty flavors, but a drizzle of balsamic creates harmony in the sandwich. Adding onto this sandwich, the cafe has a fireplace during winter, making it. A place to enjoy a small but satisfying meal while having a warm rest.
Bruin Cafe – Cuban Sandwich
Bruin Cafe is known for its sandwich menu, but if I had to choose the best one, I would say the Cuban-style sandwich. The highlight of this sandwich is the great amount of pork inside. When I enjoy the chewy but soft taste of the meat, the flavor of cheese again comes along with the bread and meat. Mustard is a perfect fit for this sandwich. There is already mustard inside the sandwich but I always add some more so that it is enough to spice both bread and meat. If I need a simple treat but still desire a meal, I always go to Bruin Cafe for a Cuban sandwich.
The Study at Hedrick – Croque Madame
For the days that I have no chance to eat during lunch or dinner, I always go to the Study at Hedrick. I first liked it for being a great place to cram on all my assignments, but soon realized that they offer some of the greatest sandwiches at UCLA as well. I opened the box of the Croque Madame at Hedrick with a surprise. The sandwich is topped with a fried egg that is beautifully cooked sunny side up. The Croque Madame consists of gruyere cheese and multiple layers of ham. Eating them with the egg yolk adds up all the flavor it takes to motivate me to look at the assignments that I was putting aside.