Nearby eateries offer quality food and decent prices

March 2, 2015

Kyle Guthrie
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Students who are looking for a bite to eat at a great price should know about some hole-in-the-wall restaurants just a few minutes away from campus.

Mollica’s Italian Market and Deli

Located at 985 Garden of the Gods Road [2.46 miles from campus], with average lunch prices of $5-9.

For those who want great Italian food (both in restaurant and to take home), Mollica’s Italian Market is a great choice for students who want quality Italian food at a great price.

Mollica’s offers a wide variety of food, including several large, delicious Italian sandwiches like the pastrami and Italian heroes, as well as a wide variety of pastas. Their pizza is also regularly voted among the best in Colorado Springs.

Additionally, Mollica’s offers deli quality meats, cheeses and groceries to use at home.

El Ranchito #2

Located at 3819 Maizeland Road [4.8 miles from campus], with an average cost of $6-12 per lunch meal.
Mexican food doesn’t get any more authentic than here.

The restaurant has a grocery-like style. The taqueria in the rear of the store boasts an impressive array of authentic Mexican dishes such as tacos, burritos, carne asada and bowls of house made menudo.

All the dishes are made fresh on the spot, including the tortillas which are rolled out in front of you as you wait. They also offer a great selection of meats and groceries at the front of the store, including bags of homemade and steaming hot tamales at checkout.

You can also buy a half pound or so of carne seca (carne asada jerky) from the butcher area in the store.

Pho-nomenal

Located at 5825 Stetson Hills Blvd. [5.5 miles from campus], an average lunch meal costs $7-14.

Online reviews rate this restaurant as one of the best and most affordable in Colorado Springs.

The clean and friendly restaurant offers a wide variety of Vietnamese and Asian inspired dishes and appetizers such as spring rolls and noodle dishes. But their biggest draw is their famous pho soup and a bowl of rare steak pho (along with several other meat options) which costs about $8.

For the truly brave, the restaurant also offers an eating challenge called “Man vs Pho,” where contestants are forced to eat over a pound of noodles, meat, broth and vegetables in under an hour. Losers are forced to pose for a picture wearing a pink loser’s shirt, which is then hung in the restaurant.

Greek Café

Found at 4343 Integrity Center Point [4.7 miles from campus], with an average lunch cost of $5-15.

There’s no better place near campus to get an authentic falafel than Greek Café.

Greek Café offers a wide variety of delicious Greek foods, including tasty meat dishes such as lamb kabobs and gyros made fresh from meat skewers.

The quality of the food and friendly service make this restaurant one of the most welcoming and satisfying Greek eateries in the area.