Closer look at the Fresh and National Cafe

Closer+look+at+the+Fresh+and+National+Cafe

Madison McNamara, Times Staff

The SJCC Fresh and Natural cafeteria is a spot to grab a bite to eat. There is a large seating area but during lunch time it can be hard to find your own table, so be prepared to make a lunch buddy!

The cafeteria is full of great staff that have worked in the building for years and know their stuff. They can be very friendly if you take the time to get to know them. The cafeteria is located by the Student Center next to the parking garage and is known for the variety of Mexican food. Prices are fair, but how’s the food?

Tacos: For $2.50, you get one double corn tortilla taco with your choice of chicken or beef topped with cheese and lettuce. There isn’t much of a salsa bar but luckily there was a bottle of Tapatio to help spice it up. The flavors weren’t booming compared to some of the taco trucks you might find around town, but it was stuffed pretty well with meat, cheese and lettuce. It is a good quick bite before you run to class.

Nachos: For $4.50 a batch, you get a basket of medium quality chips you can find at Costco in a giant bag. On them is oozy nacho cheese. It’s really just your typical stadium nachos. The Fresh and Natural cafeteria does offer jalapenos

as a topping, but that’s about it. I don’t personally think they are worth it for the price, but they are an easy go to if you’re craving some junk food, or are just in a hurry to get to class.

Burrito Supreme: At $5.75 each, you can get a burrito filled with your choice of meat, lettuce, cheese and beans. The meat choices are chicken and beef, I chose to do chicken for this review. I don’t think you can easily compare a burrito from the Fresh and Natural Café to one you might get at a taco stand. Reason being because they are really two different styles of a burrito. I feel the one at the Cafeteria on campus has more of a healthy take.

Quesadilla: The quesadilla is very simple, it’s not an easy food to mess up. You can make it simply by melting cheese on a tortilla, or you can add some meat and veggies to go along to go along with it. $5.75 is a bit pricey for the lightly stuffed quesadilla, but the flavor made up for it.