I’m a café junkie. If I am a town I’ve never been to, the first places I usually check out are the cafés. In an effort to explore Lancaster more, these last two weeks I’ve gone to some of the cafes close to campus.
1. Mean Cup
Closeness to Campus: 5-10 minutes walking
Food Variety: The pecan rolls are amazing heated up, but the sandwiches and pastas are a miss.
Drink Specialties: The best London Fog! I never knew what that was until I saw the illustrated drinks on the blackboard.
Atmosphere: The seating is super comfortable and the chalkboard doodles and artwork add some humor to the space. It’s easy to sit here and lose track of the hours studying, but it is also a great place to grab a cup of coffee and chat informally.
Price: Cheap!
Bonus: Getting Mean Cup while at Central Market!
2. Café Di Vetro
Closeness to Campus: 15 minutes walking
Food Variety: A good variety of salads and sandwiches. If you want to make you order cheaper, order the Grilled Cheese! It’s cheap and delicious.
Drink Specialties: Nutella Latte. Enough said. Their drink specialties are delicious and are worth the splurge.
Atmosphere: It’s super bright and the music is great. The main level is a bit noisy, but there is an upstairs that is much quieter. You can’t beat the all glass windows and the red accessories. It doesn’t feel like you are Lancaster, but a chic modern city when you are working in here.
Price: Expensive
3. The Seed
Closeness to Campus: 20-25 minutes
Food Variety: Amazing sandwiches and soups! The sweet potato wrap is delicious.
Drink Specialties: Great summery drinks!
Atmosphere: It’s a shame this place is so tucked away because it’s a super chill place. Don’t be discouraged by the entrance though, the inside of The Seed is bright and open despite the dark hallway that leads up to it. A nice hipster-y kind of place, it’s fun to come here to relax since they have a number of board games you can play with friends and a calendar full of events.
Price: Reasonable.
Bonus: It’s all vegan!
3. Chestnut Hill Café
Closeness to Campus: 15 minutes
Food Variety: Pastries and small items. They do sell ice cream from Carmen and David’s!
Drink Specialties: Just really good regular coffee.
Atmosphere: This place is probably the coziest of the bunch. It has tons of quirky decorations so it feels more like home. I love sitting in the back booth and just laying out all my supplies. It’s quieter than some of the other cafes so it feels more like a special secret when you do go.
Price: Cheap!
Bonus: The walk to the café is gorgeous!
http://www.chestnuthillcafe.com/index.html
5. Café One Eight
Closeness to Campus: 20-25 minutes
Food Variety: A really good variety for breakfast and lunch. I had the Maui Sandwich while there and it was an interesting twist on a chicken sandwich.
Drink Specialties: I only had an iced coffee (which have refills!), but it was one of the best I’ve had in the area.
Atmosphere: It’s a bit small, but it has an easygoing vibe. It was easy to relax here, but I probably would only go for lunch and a bit of studying. It’d be hard to do long haul studying here.
Price: Reasonable.
Bonus: It’s right next to the Lancaster Cupcake Bakery…so why not get a cupcake while you are there?
6. Prince Street Café
Closeness to Campus: 25 minutes
Food Variety: Some of the best breakfast sandwiches and meals. The breakfast burrito is a go to favorite for me, but it’s nice that they offer an incredible amount of options. You could eat dinner here and be sastified.
Drink Specialties: Hit and miss. I’ve had really great coffee and tea here, but there have been times when I’m disappointed in the flavoring of the specialty drinks.
Atmosphere: It’s always crowded here, which sometimes makes it hard to study or even find a seat. When it’s not crowded, it does make a decent place to sit down and study. It’s warm and toasting, but the amount of people often distracts me. Local residents and tourists love this spot!
Price: Expensive
Bonus: It’s right across from the Fulton Theatre, which has cheap student rush tickets!
http://www.princestreetcafe.com
7. Square One
Closeness to Campus: 15-20 minutes
Food Variety: Limited sandwiches and pastries.
Drink Specialties: Really good regular coffee.
Atmosphere: It is a bit dark inside and there isn’t much seating inside. The outside patio is great for when it’s warm, but it isn’t suitable for wintertime. It definitely lives up to its hipster reputation.
Price: Reasonable.