Chances are, you’ve noticed students around Horace eating breakfast from restaurants all over town. It looks appealing to go to your favorite café in the area, and with more people going out for their morning meal, it’s getting harder to ignore. I decided to learn whether it was worth it to get breakfast at some of our students’ most popular breakfast spots and see for myself what the best option is.
The Grove: Cost: $8.23 – Rating: 5/10 – Order: Cinnamon streusel muffin and hot chocolate
My biggest takeaway from this meal is that my expectations did not match the reality. I was really looking forward to it, but the result ultimately disappointed me. My hot chocolate – pictured above – looked great, but the taste was subpar. The sprinkles on top were not a great textural or flavor addition, as the mushy sugary clumps did not compliment the whipped cream. There was no line, but the menu was still limited. I first asked for a caramel roll, then cinnamon streusel bread, but was finally offered a cinnamon streusel muffin because both of my other requests were out of stock. This wasn’t listed on the sign, but I understand that they can’t immediately update the sign when an item runs out, particularly if they are currently serving customers. The most disappointing thing was the muffin, though. I was hoping that they would warm it up because everyone likes a warm muffin and why wouldn’t they assume that’s what everyone wants. I was incredibly disappointed to find, however, that the muffin was not just room temperature but fresh-out-of-the-fridge cold. This left a bad taste in my mouth (both literally and figuratively) and was the biggest negative. Overall, I like how close it is to the school, but my meal did not leave me wanting more.
Caribou: Cost: $9.01 – Rating: 8/10 – Order: Coffee cake and hot chocolate
Caribou is always a hit for me, so I went into it excited. I went to the location in the Hornbacher’s on Sheyenne figuring that would be the least busy place and was pleasantly affirmed in that assumption. It took under 5 minutes to get in and out, which was nice since it wasn’t on the way to school for me, so I was in more of a rush. My hot chocolate was delicious – one thing I always appreciate is that they put mini chocolate chips on top of the whipped cream, which adds far more both flavor and texture wise than the sprinkles of The Grove. My coffee cake was not warmed up, but it wasn’t cold either, so it was still delicious. It was easy to grab and go, and I had a great meal.
Sandy’s: Cost: $5.69 – Rating: 10/10 – Order: Chocolate iced raised donut with sprinkles and chocolate milk
What is there to say about Sandy’s that people don’t already know. I don’t have much to add to the conversation other than that I prefer the shop on Sheyenne to 45th, but if it means getting these delicious donuts, I would go anywhere. It was relatively cheap and worth twice as much, and if you haven’t had a Sandy’s donut in a while, go treat yourself.
Casey’s: Cost: $3.32 – Rating: 3/10 – Order: Chocolate iced filled donut and hot chocolate
This was my least favorite meal. I wanted to get a regular chocolate iced donut with sprinkles, but I didn’t see one until I looked to the top shelf. When I reached up to grab it, I was horrified to find that not only was the paper that I grabbed to pick it up entirely stuck to the top, but that the donut was filled and didn’t even have sprinkles. I couldn’t put it back due to the stickiness of the wrapper I grabbed (which I later found out was not the paper used to grab things but a small bag to put it in – I still don’t think this was my fault as they weren’t labeled and could easily be mistaken) so I took my donut and went to fill up a cup of hot chocolate from a dispenser. It tasted like hot chocolate from a dispenser. It wasn’t bad but it wasn’t very good either, just slightly too sweet for my taste and thicker than I expected. Rather than being excited for my meal, when I got around to eating it, I felt sadder than satisfied.
Home: Cost: $0.00 – Rating: 7/10 – Meal: Cereal
Cereal is in my top 5 favorite foods. There’s something so simple about it that makes it convenient to make and quick to eat. It’s not a grab and go breakfast which can make it difficult if you wake up late, but when you’ve got more than a minute it’s a fulfilling breakfast. Right now, I’m partial to Rice Crispies or Cinnamon Life. It’s also a good meal whenever you feel hungry because you don’t need much energy to prepare it. The cost is also a major benefit. You aren’t spending money on it each morning and a box can last well over a week. On a daily basis, I recommend cereal. It isn’t gourmet, but it hits.
