College; it's the time of your life where you deal with either super amazing people, or people that drain the living soul out of you. When I was at Pace University's city campus, I didn't start taking advantage of the city until late my first semester of my first year there, when in all honesty, I should've started taking advantage of the city immediately. The nice thing about Pace is that it's by so many great food restaurants that I'm unable to count them on two hands; with that said, here are 10 restaurants by Pace University that every freshman should try stat.

Fresh Salt

Located at 146 Beekman Street in the seaport, Fresh Salt is a local bar and café with a cozy environment to it. On weekends, they brunch, and the nice thing is that it's relatively affordable for the city. Most of their dishes come with a side, making it an even better deal. Don't miss your flex dollars too much.

SUteiShi

SuteiShi is hands down the best sushi spot near campus that us broke college grads and students can afford... sorry, Nobu. Being one of the nicer restaurants by campus, SuteiShi offers freshly made sushi, tapas, and salads. When the weather is nice and not feeling like negative two degrees outside, try sitting outside for an outstanding view of the Brooklyn Bridge.

Pisillo

One thing that campus isn't known for is their paninis, and as an alum, I'm wondering as to if they're even existent. Right outside of campus at 97 Nassau Street, Pisillo has arm length paninis that could last for two meals, thus making it less expensive than the caf. Maybe you'll even stop next door to their bakery and pick up some sweets that aren't as sweet as you are. All of their ingredients are imported from Italy directly, which is a plus.

Chopt

Salads; while the caf has great salads, the line is loooonnnggg; especially during common hour. Sometimes, you just need to get off campus, and Chopt is right by campus, specifically located within the upper level of the food court at Brookfield Place. Treat yourself to an adult salad, and enjoy the views while you're there too. Try not to miss Donna too much.

Gunbae

A Korean BBQ spot near campus off of Murray Street, Gunbae offers amazingly warm food for us all to enjoy. A note to take note of is that they also have gluten free and vegetarian dishes, thus making it even more approachable for freshmen that eat either gluten free and or vegetarian dishes solely, which the caf doesn't seem to have a lot of.

Squire's Diner

Located right outside of 33 Beekman, Squires Diner is a super affordable diner with lots of comfort food when those times just get hard.. looking at you, finals season. Sometimes, you're just out of meal plan money and don't want to refill your meal plan since the caf as a whole doesn't have solid food, so go ahead and get yourself some real food without breaking the bank.

Le Pain Quotidien

With multiple locations with the closest being right outside of Brookfield Place, Le Pain Quotidien is the cozier version of campus' Starbucks. While I'm a sucker for their watermelon refresher, they have an array of options that can be found on their menu.

Tijuana Picnic

Tijuana Picnic is the place to go to near campus for Mexican food hands down. El Luchador and Dos Toros just don't add up. Located at 151 Essex Street, it is a little walk from campus, but everything on their menu makes up for it; even their corn, which I'm a fan of. Don't believe me? Ask my friend that I brought with me that low-key never wanted to leave. Service is prompt and once again, the environment is cozy.

Shoo Shoo

Solely providing Israeli food, Shoo Shoo is located at 371 Broome Street. Chances are, if you go to Pace, you're in SoHo more often than you'd like to admit since the surrounding area near campus often feels like a ghost-town real quick. Some of my favorite dishes on the menu include their burger, their eggplant, and their hummus.

Two Hands

Not necessarily needing Two Hands to consume their dishes since utensils are provided, Two Hands is infamously known for their avocado toast... ok, maybeeeee that does require Two Hands to consume, but the walk from campus makes it so worth it.

All of these restaurants by campus are so worth it, thus making your flex dollars seem as if they're no one... flex dollars who? Sometimes, you just need a walk and to try new foods, and first semester of college is the perfect time to do both of those things.