Welcome back, Panthers! With classes in full swing, Oakland is buzzing with activity. Climbing the hills and stairs and walking across campus makes me, and I’m sure some of you, very hungry by lunchtime. Unfortunately, with so many options in Oakland, it can be hard to choose somewhere to eat, and it is even harder not to run into McDonalds or Pizza Hut to grab something quick and easy, but ultimately not great for your health. Luckily for you, there is now a list of great restaurants to grab a quick AND healthy lunch. 1. Hello Bistro
Located on Forbes Ave. near the heart of Pitt’s campus, Hello Bistro offers a custom salad bar, and boasts an astonishing 55 topping choices. That leaves a lot of room for building a super salad that is full of health benefits and has all the toppings you want.
2. Sushi Fuku
Sushi not only makes a great on-the-go lunch, but it’s also typically full of vitamins and nutrients that are proven to be beneficial for the body and mind. At Sushi Fuku, you get the unique opportunity to choose your own ingredients and make your own sushi rolls.
3. Red Oak Cafe
Red Oak Café features a wide variety of options, including spectacular salads, sandwiches and an all-day breakfast menu. They place particular emphasis on vegetarian items, and they focus on putting out good, healthy food. Red Oak Café also has unbelievably good smoothies.
4. Panera
Panera offers soups, sandwiches, salads, baked goods and pastas. Although not all of their options are great for you, they have wonderful flat breads and salads. Panera also has a “no-no list,” in which they detail their efforts to provide clean, natural foods and uphold high standards of animal welfare. Even if you choose one of the less-healthy options, you can be sure that you are getting quality food that isn’t highly processed like the food you might get from another chain.
These, of course, do not represent every restaurant with a healthy option in Oakland, but they are definitely some of our favorites here at Her Campus Pitt. Next time you are struggling to decide what to have for lunch, adventure to try some of these restaurants. Happy eating!
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