College often brings a plethora of confusing friendships, budding relationships, and strange encounters. I needed to debrief my first two weeks back at school with one of my close friends, Nadia, who I met during my undergrad years. We landed at a small, though vibrant, sandwich shop on a street corner. The two of us sat down and were greeted by staff, who all seemed to have genuine rapport with one another. It didn’t take long for us to decide our brunch entrees. Cafe Habana, located just around the corner from New York University, offers a menu made up of unique Central and South American cuisine and classics for the old-school customers.

Throughout our morning, Nadia quickly drank her iced hibiscus tea, as I slowly sipped my lime-lemonade.

“The hibiscus drink was decadent and cooling. Perfect for a hot day,” she noted.

I told her about the new friends I made at my university, while explaining the challenges of trying to fit into a group, when my peers had vastly different areas of interests and expertise. The guacamole and chips arrived as I reflected on my first networking event. The seasoned elote came shortly after. The grilled corn on the cob, mayonnaise, cojita cheese, chili powder, and fresh lime, was unforgettable.

“Chips and guacamole are crunchy and creamy,” Nadia reviewed. “The tomatoes mixed in with the onions adds so much more flavor and texture that I really enjoyed. For the elote, I enjoyed the chili powered that added a bit of spice.”

Our main courses were served on hot ceramic dishes, showcasing a plantain taco, a shrimp taco, and the Cubano sandwich. The shrimp was throughly marinated with thyme, oregano, garlic, adobo, & citrus zest, guacamole, chipotle mayo, and salsa verde, while the plantain had feta, black beans, pickled red onion, and salsa verde. The Cubano, their signature item, was made up of slow roasted pork, ham, Swiss cheese, chipotle mayo, and pickles.

“The shrimp taco was savory and filling. I enjoyed how fresh it tasted from the guacamole and citrus zest,” Nadia reflected. “The plantain taco was my favorite. It was sweet and the red onion and salsa verde adds a very unique flavor.”

The meal overall was delicious and flavorful, a necessary combination after eating ramen noodles and cereal in a small dorm. For students craving to try the Cubano or other dishes served at Cafe Habana, the Campus Clipper is offering students a discount when they present the digital coupon below with their valid student ID.

The second day at my new university ran from 10:00am to 5:00pm, leaving me both exhausted and hungry. I had been eyeing one cafe that also seemed to be a dessert shop and restaurant in the East Village area. While roaming the neighborhood, I stumbled upon it multiple times, but hoped to try its Asian-inspired treats with a friend. I asked Yeyya Wane, a new peer from school, to join me in taste-testing the delicacies offered at Cafe 2BY2, located just around the corner from New York University.

As with all meals, we first selected our drinks of choice. The menu showcased many sweet and floral drinks, while others were coffee and chocolate based. I placed an order for the gardenia milk tea, a light and sugary iced beverage, necessary to wash down our savory entrees and thick slices of cake. I sensed mild notes of an evergreen fragrance as I sipped. Yeyya enjoyed a signature fruit tea.

“The fruit tea was refreshing, with a distinct citrus flavor,” she said, contently. “A subtly sweet drink, perfect for the summer time.”

The entrees arrived at our marble table, perfectly lit with a heavenly ring light to my left. The classy and delicate furnishing complimented the tasteful drinks and dainty desserts, though our main courses were wildly different.

My eyes lit up at the sight of my pepper-salt chicken wings, both drums and flats, served in a pastel yellow ceramic bowl. The entree comes with six pieces of battered and fried chicken, dusted in herbs and seasoning with crispy coating for texture. It’s hard to find a not-overly greasy chicken wing. These bites, although not greasy, were full of juice and flavor. Yeyya sampled some after she indulged in the coconut shrimp bowl with fries.

“The wings were crunchy on the outside and tender on the inside. They were well seasoned without being too salty,” Yeyya reviewed. “The shrimp had a strong coconut flavor…it was more breadcrumb than actual shrimp.”

To cleanse our palettes, we each chose a slice of cake, served in mighty portions on elegant dishes. As a Filipino-American, I obviously desired the pandan coconut tiramisu flavor. The beautifully split layers give the dessert a mouth-watering look, even for those unfamiliar with the tropical plant. Each bite had a heading mouthful of classic pandan tartness and rich frosting.

For Yeyya, she found the Thai tea and Ovaltine tiramisu as a delightful way to wind down from the night.

“The flavors in this were very subtle, I felt like the Thai tea overpowered the Ovaltine,” However, it was the perfect amount of sweetness and didn’t feel too heavy.

Overall, my experience at Cafe 2BY2 was lovely. It serves as both a quiet brunch cafe, a quaint dessert place, and a cutesy snack time establishment.

“The floral decor made Cafe 2by2 the perfect place to snap an ‘IG-worthy’ picture. The food came out fairly quickly and overall service was good,” Yeyya happily concluded.

Campus Clipper is offering students a discount at Cafe 2BY2 when they present their student ID and digital coupon below. This is a perfect location to hit up after a long day of classes and meetings at New York University.

After another tumultuous and exhausting day at back-to-school orientation, I navigated several trains after the orange and yellow line were announced to be malfunctioning. The rainy day crept up on me, and I was drenched by the time I arrived to 14th Street, both in sweat and muddy puddle water. In that moment, all I wanted was good conversation and a sweet treat. Thankfully, Brady and I had agreed to spend an evening hour at Schmackary’s, a specialty shop with a knack for baking batches of cookies, situated just around the corner from New York University.

The colorful storefront and vast glass display of cookies may be overwhelming to some, but exciting to others. Brady and I were thrilled at the prospect of indulging in such a wide selection of flavors, as we both have big sweet tooths and big stomachs. We picked six different cookies, all of which were about as big as Brady’s hand. I also selected a Cinnamon Toast Crunch Rice Krispie treat, which was also rather large in size.

“So so good. Very sweet! It had Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal within the Rice Krispie and a sweet cereal milk glaze holding it together. Nice sweet frosting on top,” Brady gushed. “I wouldn’t normally gravitate toward Rice Krispies, but this was so good. Definitely recommend!”

This extremely chunky and thick treat had whole pieces of cereal and a smooth layer of cinnamon frosting atop. Some of our cookies paired nicely, like the Cookies and Cream, Worms n’ Dirt, Peanut Butter Cup, and Classic chocolate chip.

“The Worms n’ Dirt is super chocalate-y in the best way. The gummy worm on the top was not stale at all, which you might expect from a cookie. Almost better than a normal gummy worm,” Brady observed. “Chocolate lovers will love these.”

I found the Peanut Butter Cup to be the most intriguing, as it was a vegan selection and noted as a fan favorite. This baked good is characterized by its use of dark cocoa, peanut butter, peanut butter chips, and semi sweet chocolate, which create a heavily sweet and salty cookie.

“The Classic chocolate chip cookie [has a] very interesting flavor, a bit different from a normal chocolate chip cookie but it might be for you!” Brady commented. “Cookie and cream [was] probably my favorite of the ones I tasted. The frosting was really delicious and sweet.”

As for the two non-chocolate cookies, we deeply enjoyed the Funfetti and Stay Gold cookies. Schmackary’s swap out the cookies flavors on a monthly basis, with the Classic and the Funfetti as the two core pieces of the establishment. Cookies and Cream typically will be on the menu, except during the winter season, where Red Velvet takes it place.

“The Funfetti cookie [has] super good frosting—it makes me feel very nostalgic. [The] sugar cookie taste is really delicious,” Brady said. “Stay Gold frosting is like eating lemon fruit loops. Cookie itself was good!”

The Stay Gold cookie was my personal favorite, as I love all desserts with a lemon tartiness. Though I did appreciate the custom NYU purple frosting on the Funfetti Cookie for students residing nearby. Both treats were soft, chewy, and sugary. The experience overall was a perfect pick-me-up after such a hectic day back in the city.

Just within walking distance of the NYU campus, Schmackary’s is an excellent choice for students to visit, especially considering the discount they can receive through the Campus Clipper. Eligible students can display the digital coupon below and their valid student ID to claim the deal. Instead of venturing to Insomnia Cookies or Crumbl for overpriced baked goods, New Yorkers are much better off visiting the locale when in need of a delectable sweet treat.