Before I came to Tech, I remember my high school algebra teacher asking me why I would be interested in going to school out in the desert. I was kind of offended by that question and told him its not all dirt out there anymore. Lubbock is really coming up and has turned into a much more “happening” place than it was when he left. As new student, you probably don’t know very many “local” places yet, which is understandable. I’m not embarrassed to admit that my first restaurant I went to in Lubbock was Denny’s (before I knew the glory of Pancake House). So I’m here to take the burden of searching the Internet off your shoulders and will give you my personal “definitive” list of the best places to go in Lubbock. Depending on the situation.

For Last Minute Exam Cramming:

If it’s your first year in college (or even if it’s not), chances are you are going to have that week (or multiple weeks) that you have absolutely no motivation to study for test. Until it’s the night before and you realize you haven’t studied at all and it’s time to cram. I love going to Yellow House Coffee because 1. It’s never that crowded 2. Their coffee is the bomb, especially - as basic as it sounds - their seasonal latte and 3. It’s so cozy and all of the baristas really try to get to know their regulars by name (which includes me).

For A Fancy Night Out:

If you’ve got some extra money on you or your parents are coming to town and you want to splurge on a good meal, definitely try La Diosa Cellars. The Spanish atmosphere is so relaxing and their sangria is the perfect addition to the small plates or “tapas” as their known in Spain. They also have live music on Saturday nights, just FYI.

For A “Fancy” Night out w/o the Fancy Price:

Italian Garden is my go to when I want some dang good food for a dang good price. They have the best garlic rolls ever, enough said. Just go. You can thank me later.

If you’re a current student and you’re reading this, you know what’s coming. Yes, Chimys. There’s a reason it’s featured in one of Josh Abbotts songs, it’s the place to be if you want to relax after a hard days work. Well, any day really. Sorry for those who aren’t 21, but you can’t have a good ole’ Chimy’s marg just yet. However, you can still get in before 9 p.m. and pig out on some really good nachos. (stress eating is a thing, amiright?)

For That Morning After:

If you’re a freshman you may or may not have already experienced the great feeling the morning after a long night at Conf. When you do, make your way to The Pancake House and re-fuel for the day. They have some of the best pancakes (obviously), but take a look at the college menu. Yes, they have a menu dedicated to college students and there’s a very good reason for that. The walls of the entire restaurant are covered in hundreds of pictures of past customers and many include past athletes and coaches. Everyone loves this place because it really feels like home.

So there you have it, my definitive list of the best places in the not so “Dirty LBK”. Although there are SO MANY other good places to go for these reasons, these are my favorites. Take it upon yourself to look up some hole in the wall restaurants. Here’s a list of some other really greats ones that just didn’t quite make it for me.

• Harrigans
• Thai Pepper
• Sugar Browns
• Double Nickel Steakhouse
• One Guys Pizza
• Triple J’s Chophouse
• The Shake BBQ
• Taqueria Jalisco
• Spanky’s (GET THE FRIED CHEESE)
• Stella’s Restaurant
• Blue Sky Texas
• Café J
• Red Zone Café
• Crafthouse Gastropub

If you think something’s missing, or needs to be replaced, feel free to leave a comment! I’ll admit, there are still a lot of places I still probably don’t know about.

Happy grubbing!