I must admit that Last Drop was probably my least favorite place to eat on campus. I never found the menu that appealing for the kinds of lunches I wanted and the little bitty chairs for seating always were a major turn off for me, especially since I’m 5’8” and wear heels almost every day.
Because I wasn’t a huge fan of Last Drop I wasn’t too interested in what was going to replace it since it more than likely was going to have the same vibe and menu that I already didn’t like. Well, I was so, so wrong. Local Java has blown my expectations out of the water. First of all, the location looks so modern and sleek that the little chairs that are still right beside it doesn’t really even bother me anymore. There’s dark wood paneling and dim lights which makes me feel like I’m at an actually coffee shop.
Speaking of coffee shops, the coffee is AMAZING. I’ve never, ever gone anywhere on campus just to buy coffee but Local Java has changed me. Rather than Peet’s, which officially took the place of Caribou this summer, Local Java serves Frothy Monkey coffee. The rosemary honey latte is a fan favorite. I’ve actually never met anyone who’s tried it and didn’t love it, myself included and I don’t really even like hot coffee (yup, I’m a shameless year-round iced coffee drinker!).
Thirdly, the food is actually good. I never had any food from Last Drop before it closed so I can’t make any real comparisons, but I was definitely expecting Local Java breakfast to be the same unsatisfying prewrapped breakfast options they have at Rand and Commons. Nope. The bagel sandwich I got was not only good, it was HUGE. Paired with the roasted potatoes (which I would highly recommend), I felt perfectly full but not overwhelmed with a food baby. I went to my three classes and didn’t feel hungry until well into the afternoon which is super convenient for me since I’m trying to live off of 8 meals a week. Overall, I’d give Local Java an 8/10.