As I head into my junior year (yikes, how’d that happen), the college touring days are on my bright, stressful, SAT-laden horizon. Since both my mom and dad attended the University of Central Florida back in their college years, it only made sense that I tour there, too. With the help of my older sister, a current UCF student, I embarked on a journey filled with lots of walking, food, and information.
Keke’s Breakfast Café
Photo courtesy by kekes.com
Eating breakfast at Keke’s started my day off perfectly. I ordered their Greek omelet with a cup of tea and it was fantastic. For only $10, I received a mound of potatoes, a huge omelet, and whole wheat toast. I tend to have the diet of five people due to my exercise regimen and metabolism, so I was uber pleased that I was given enough food to fill me up.
According to my sister, their pancakes are bigger than your face so if you’re in a carb-ilicious mood, you know what you should order. She recommends their Florida pancakes and banana-nut pancakes. From Keke’s, we walked to the College of Health and Public Affairs and toured the building. I was hella appreciative for the air conditioning considering it was a whopping 90-something degrees out. #Floridaproblems
Dunkin’ Donuts
Photo courtesy of yelp.com
Mid-day coffee breaks are a must when touring colleges so it should come as no surprise that Dunkin’ Donuts is on this list. I drank iced coffee because hot beverage + hot weather = torture. After the brief stint at Dunkin’, which is ooh-so-convenientlylocated in the heart of the UCF Knights Plaza, we explored the surrounding area.
The Barnes and Noble in Knights Plaza is nice, filled with loads of Knights apparel and, again, superior air conditioning. This is the store you go to for checking out textbooks, which I am already fearing considering they’re more expensive than a pair of Yeezys. Better start saving now, right?
Kyoto Sushi and Grill
Photo courtesy of kyotosushiandgrill.net
As my older sister Erika says, “Kyoto is for people who have Kobe craving stomachs but are ballin’ on a budget.” And indeed, it is. Their prices are dirt cheap comparatively, ringing up at only $10.95 for chicken at the hibachi grill. That’s what Erika ordered when we ate there, though I opted for their chicken tempura roll which was equally as delicious.
Post-Kyoto feast we strolled through the Student Union and headed to the UCF Recreation and Wellness Center. My jaw pretty much dropped when I found out they had a rock climbing wall in the gym.
Photo courtesy of rwc.sdes.ucf.edu
Oh, and they have racquetball courts. Too freaking awesome for me to handle.
Lazy Moon
Photo courtesy of centralfloridafuture.com
Every single UCF student I’ve talked to has said you’re not a true Knight unless you’ve eaten a slice of pizza the size of a toddler at Lazy Moon. As soon as we arrived, I realized how dead serious they were. The place was flooded with college kids and they were all chowing down. Due to my love-hate relationship with dairy, I ordered a slice with vegan cheese. It. Was. Spectacular.
It’s easy to see why the University of Central Florida holds the record for highest undergraduate enrollment. The campus is charming, open, and flush with great places to eat. If you ever decide to tour UCF, I implore that you check out the restaurants I mentioned. Because as we all know, food is definitely the deciding factor when pinning down where we want to spend the next four years of our lives.