By Claire D. '26
Welcome to the College Avenue edition of Radar Reviews! Let’s discuss some of our classmates’ most frequented spots.
Zachary’s Pizza:
If you’re a pizza lover, and you’ve never been to Zachary’s downtown on College Avenue, what are you waiting for? Zachary’s specializes in high-quality Chicago style deep-dish pizza but also excels with their thin crusts. You can go through a “choose your own adventure” style ordering system to get exactly what you want; or, if you’re not entirely sure, you can browse Zachary's customer favorites! They mainly serve lunch and dinner, from 11:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. from Sunday to Thursday, and from 11:00 a.m to 9:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.
It’s easy to love some of Zachary's recommendations, including their classic spinach and mushroom deep dish. The intense amount of tomato sauce, amazingly stringy and warm cheese, and perfect balance of spinach and mushrooms makes this dish a must-try. As for other recommendations, the Zachary’s special as well as the Italian Tomato Thin are both well-liked!
I would absolutely recommend giving Zachary’s a visit sometime soon if you’ve never been because they have not only fantastic food but also an excellent atmosphere. Customer-made art covers their walls, creating a very colorful and fun interior! Give them a visit at 5801 College Avenue, or a call at 510-655-6385.
Crepevine:
Craving something sweet? Something savory? Something cold or something warm? If you’re as indecisive as I am, or know exactly what you want from sandwiches to benedicts to crepes, then Crepevine on College is a great place to gather with friends. The eclectic menu serves any cravings you might have. They offer ranging options from breakfast classics like french toast and pancakes to benedicts and omelets, as well as all-round and all-day favorites with their many choices for sweet or savory crepes. Reflecting their hours, from 7:30 a.m. to 11:00 p.m., Crepevine also offers many wonderful lunch and dinner options in sandwiches, salads, and pastas.
Many community favorites definitely revolve around the main dish of this restaurant, Crepevine’s crepes. My personal favorites include the sweet crepe Alba, with strawberries, bananas, nutella and chocolate sauce. The fullness of the crepe paired with the rich chocolate and delicious fruit truly makes it a decadent dish! Along those lines, my other favorite crepe is the Florentine, which does the impossible in making mushrooms, spinach, and cottage cheese incredibly appetizing. Other glowing reviews portray the Cote D’ Azur eggs benedict, the Tri Erry, and San Francisco savory crepe as excellent options.
This restaurant also offers lovely indoor and outdoor spaces for cold nights or warm afternoons! If you ever have an urge to try this exceptional restaurant, find Crepevine at 5600 College Avenue, or call in at 510-658-2026.
The Boba Section
The go-to snack, and a definite favorite on campus. Thankfully for all our boba lovers, we have a couple excellent options nearby, right down on College Avenue.
Rare Tea:
First, closest to the Rockridge BART station and campus, is Rare Tea! This establishment offers countless fantastic drink options to choose from, as well as delicious snacks such as popcorn chicken, fries, or cheesy fried foods, perfect study snacks. From 11:00 a.m. to 8:30 p.m., you can visit during lunch, during afternoon free periods, or after school to fulfill your boba cravings.
Student favorites include the classic pearl milk tea, the Thai pearl milk tea, and choice fruit teas (including mango passion fruit). One thing to keep in mind at Rare Tea is that their drinks are especially sweet at 100% sweetness. I would recommend getting your drinks at 50%-80% sweet. 50% if you prefer your drinks less sweet, and 80% if you want them a bit on the sweeter side. Another thing to note, especially if you haven’t had boba before, is that you can typically adjust the ice in an order as well. If you want a less watered-down drink, as I usually opt for, get your ice from 30%-50%. If you’re really craving an ice-cold drink, opt for 50% or above! A go-to order enjoyed by many (who enjoy less sweetness in their drinks and a more intense tea flavor) is the classic pearl milk tea, at 50% sweet and 30% ice.
So if you’re looking for a quick and delicious snack, take a trip down to College and give Rare Tea a try at 5817 College Avenue, or call at 510-817-4435. If you experiment with different drink flavors, sweetness levels and ice amounts, you might just find your perfect boba order!
Boba Guys:
Last but not least, the other popular boba option down on College Avenue is Boba Guys. With an inviting aardvark on their door sipping boba, Boba Guys has pretty much any drink you could want in your boba cravings. They have a lovely, open and modern interior space, and similarly lovely boba. I’ve also appreciated their attempts with biodegradable straws in the past.
A notable order from Boba Guys is the strawberry tea with boba, which is one of my personal favorites and very popular on campus as well. It’s simply a delicious drink, with perfectly cooked boba, and has an exquisite sweetness with almost no adjusting necessary (maybe slightly less ice!). People have also ordered and loved the matcha strawberry tea with or without boba and their Hong-Kong/jasmine boba milk teas.
If you’re willinging to walk a little farther, I’d highly recommend giving this incredible boba place a try. Visit at 5925 College Avenue, or call at 415-967-2622!
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