By Sienna McDonald
One of the many privileges that El Diamante offers its students is the ability to go off campus for lunch. Luckily for us, we are located near a shopping center that offers a variety of options to satisfy a teenager’s appetite. But that leaves the question: Which place is the best? Of course there’s always the gas station or Save Mart that offer a variety of different cheap snacks. However if you’re looking for an actual meal, you probably won’t have all that much luck there. So in order to find the best options, I put together a list based on distance, wait time, taste and affordability and asked some students for their own insight.
5 – Starbucks
Everyone loves Starbucks. Whether you’re a frappuccino or tea kind of person, we all love our sweet beverages, but they also offer different sandwiches and protein packs to go along with a tasty drink. And an afternoon coffee definitely helps you make it through that period after lunch. However, Starbucks’ food options are limited. And getting a Starbucks drink on its own isn’t exactly what we call cheap, so adding in a sandwich leads to it almost tripling the price. As for walking, you do have to walk slightly further as it is located in the back. But it’s not too much more of a walk. Sometimes if they’re extra busy, there could be a delay on your order which can be anxiety inducing when you have to make it back to school in a limited time. However, on your average day it doesn’t get too packed so you should be able to make it back to school just in time.
4 – Poki Point
Now if this was based on only taste, Poki Point would definitely be up there. If you’re in the mood for a fresh poki bowl and maybe some boba, I definitely recommend it. Unfortunately, good things come at a price. And Poki Point’s price is definitely the highest on this list. If you’re looking to spend less than 10 dollars on some food, this probably isn’t the place for you. As for the wait, even if it’s not packed it takes some time. You have to go and customize your bowl, and if you order boba it takes a while before you get it. It is a bit closer than Starbucks, and isn’t too bad of a walk at all. You probably won’t have time to sit down during the lunch period and eat it, however when you do finally get a taste of that bowl it will be worth it.
3 – KFC
Although this can be a messy meal, it’s certainly a delicious one. KFC definitely is a nice warm meal to have when you’re feeling extra hungry, and with decent prices. It’s not extraordinarily cheap, however it’s affordable. And when it comes to wait time, it’s usually one of the least packed places in the shopping center. They might slow down a little on a packed day, but usually you’re in and out of there in a matter of minutes. And you’re much more likely to be able to sit down and eat here.
2 – Amigos
Amigos is the perfect meal if you’re looking for a quick, easy and cheap meal. Of course you can go inside the restaurant and order, but they also have burritos available in a cart in the back for only two dollars! The burritos are very delicious and very filling, and you get them immediately with no wait. So time is never a worry. Also, a super cheap price! Only two dollars for a burrito? Even if you don’t have that big of a lunch budget, these are affordable. When interviewing students from El Diamante, six out of nine of them recommended Amigos as a quick and affordable meal.
1 – McDonalds
Now we come down to the officially best ranked lunch in walking distance, McDonalds. This lunch was the most highly recommended when it came down to students on account of the cheap price, the variety that McDonalds offers and the taste. McDonalds has something for nearly everyone, with 145 options on the menu. The price is fairly cheap, especially if you’re just paying for yourself, and they have meal packs so you can get fries and a drink with whatever you decide to order. As for walking distance, it is a bit of a walk, but not too bad and you can definitely walk there and back to school on time. We recommend downloading the app and placing a mobile order on the way over so you can ensure that you aren’t waiting too long, as it can get packed especially around lunch time.
Now that you have this list, feel free to use it as a guide whenever you’re feeling hungry and want to make sure you get the best lunch experience in your limited time. Whether you’re looking for cheap and quick, or yummy and pricy, there’s a lunch for every occasion.