Let's be honest, the UCLA campus is huge and all the alternating between walking to classes, studying in the library and listening to lectures gets tiring. After a while, we just need a change of scenery, something to wake us up and brighten our time on campus. You can always go to the populated coffee shops around campus like Jimmy’s or Kerckhoff, but why not try a new spot to shake things up a bit?      

Many people do not know about this café. It is a place, I myself, only recently discovered but once you find it, you will never forget about it. It is called SEAS Café, a small, quiet and quaint café located on the fifth floor of Boelter hall. Finding the café is not easy, considering Boelter is a maze in itself, but if you roam the halls enough times you are bound to find it and the journey will be well worth it. And even though it is technically located in South campus, this should not deter a North campus student from paying a visit and giving it a try.

Still not convinced it is worth your travels? Well, let me change that…SEAS Café offers the least expensive coffee on campus, guaranteed. They have “happy hours” when a cup of coffee is only $.50. There are free self-serve syrups for your coffee (which you would normally pay for on other parts of campus), and the cherry on top is the fact that they have a Keurig machine with an assortment of K-cups (including Starbucks) that are only $.95. Aside from the amazing taste and low cost of this coffee, they also have freshly delivered Krispy Kreme donuts, and the cheapest snacks and drinks you could ever find at UCLA.

As John, a fellow UCLA student, stated, “This is the 7-Eleven you were hoping for, or the student run coffee shop you expected Kerckhoff to be.”

The only drawback to this hidden gem on UCLA, they only take cash, but they also do not charge tax, so I think that is an acceptable compromise.

Another spot that may be known but underrated by students at UCLA is the dining commons at the Ronald Reagan Medical Center. It might sound odd to have a meal in a hospital, but since Ronald Reagan is ranked among the nation’s best hospitals, they really up their game in the dining commons. It has a ton of selections to choose from, like freshly grilled Mexican, Italian and American foods as well as a salad and sandwich bar, and there is always a seafood option.

Its primary aim is to be a healthy dining facility, so you know the food you are having is good quality and well-balanced, which is also a plus. I know it may sound like it is a bit out of the way since it is a far walk from campus, but I noticed that if students live in apartments around Gayley and walk through Strathmore to get to campus every day, then the medical center is not far off and can be the perfect stop to grab some dinner on your way back home.

So, whether you are on campus looking for a quick fix coffee and snack, or on your way home looking for a healthy and hearty meal to top off your day, try one of these hidden gems in UCLA.