We all know of the food places in Berrien Springs—McDonald’s, Taco Bell, Subway, Pizza Hut, Melendez, and Baguette (now there’s even that new frozen yogurt place Froyo & So)—that are all a reasonable walking distance from campus. But for those who have cars and might want to expand their palates, there are other options for you to eat out. I researched and interviewed a few students to find some good places to visit.
First is La Perla, a family-owned business that serves authentic Mexican food. This restaurant/grocery store is located in Benton Harbor and serves a variety of Mexican dishes, with many vegetarian choices as well. All of their food is fresh and inexpensive. This, along with their customer service and high ratings make it a great place to eat. Other non-franchise Mexican options include El Rodeo in Benton Harbor and Arriba! Taqueria in St. Joe. Other well-known Mexican cuisines nearby include Q-Doba and Chipotle, which have similar setups and menu items (although Chipotle tastes better to me).
If you are a meat-eater, there are multiple places for you too. Some of the best include New York Fried Chicken and Tasty Chens, both of which are just about twenty minutes away, have generous portions, and are very filling. New York Fried Chicken, in Benton Harbor, has everything from wings and nuggets to fries and Mac and cheese. At Tasty Chens (Buchanan, Michigan), fellow students say their chicken is the best thing on the menu. This fast-food Chinese restaurant is a great place to grab something quick and delicious for lunch or dinner amidst your busy schedule.
Other honorable mentions include Mr. Goody’s for sub sandwiches if you’re tired of Baguette, Hot Wok for some delicious Chinese cuisine, and Diallos to enjoy some BBQ and comfort food. Though many of these might not be well-known, they are hidden gems that students have found to be great off-campus options.
One of my favorite discoveries has been a place called Cre-Asian. It is a strip mall Vietnamese restaurant in South Bend. This is the furthest place on this list, being about 40 minutes away. However, the drive is definitely worth it. The food portions are big and the restaurant's interior is aesthetic and comfortable. I have not tried everything on the menu, but their curry chicken (or tofu if you don’t eat meat) is delicious. They also have several delicious boba flavors.
At Cre-Asian, multiple vegetarian (and non-vegetarian) options will be sure to fill you up. If you go and do not know how you will finish all the food on your plate, don’t worry about it, because they will give you however many to-go bowls you need to take it all back to campus with you. Cre-Asian’s staff is also very friendly. When I visited, they even joked about how people from our school are constantly coming in and getting the tofu dishes. They said that we eat too much of it!
All of these places contain a variety of delicious food options off campus. If you have a car, or a friend with a car, try something on this list and share it with others if you like it, because good food should not be gatekept.
The Student Movement is the official student newspaper of Andrews University. Opinions expressed in the Student Movement are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors, Andrews University or the Seventh-day Adventist church.