Best Pizza in Boca Raton – COMMUNITY TABLE

1901 N.W. Second Ave., Boca Raton, 1.9 miles from Boca campus

Story by Gregory Cox

Looks like it’s hip to be square — and cheap when it comes to pizza.
Students voted Community Table the best pizza — recognized for their rectangle pies that are 18 inches by 12 inches.
When measured out, the rectangle pizzas give 15 more inches of pizza than the 16-inch circle that other local favorites like Spadini’s use — and for a cheaper price.
They also have the most affordable cheese slice at $1, compared to $2.75 at Boca’s Best Pizza Bar.
So whether it be a simple slice with cheese, or a fully loaded meat lover’s pie that makes you question your heart’s health after eating, Community Table has you covered.

Best Restaurant Over $10 – ZINBURGER WINE & BURGER BAR

6000 Glades Road, Ste. 1008C, Boca Raton, 2.7 miles from Boca Campus

Story by Emily Bloch

So, your parents are in town. You want to take advantage of their income compared to yours, but small portions and funky sauces aren’t your thing. That’s where Zinburger comes in. Like a Shake Shack on steroids, Zinburger Wine & Burger Bar takes your classic burgers, fries and milkshakes to the next level.
Trade in your basic burger for one made with Kobe beef, topped with cheddar cheese and wild mushrooms ($15.25), upgrade your salted and peppered fries for the restaurant’s decadent Double Truffle Fries ($6) and top it all off with a fancy milkshake like strawberry cheesecake or creme brulee ($6).
Students agree that it’s worth the splurge. Out of the 45 voters, 19 voted for Zinburger, while Rebel House and Josephine’s fell behind. Marked with two dollar signs on Yelp, the verdict seems to be that you’ll pay a bit more but for higher quality food. No fancy reduction sauce required.

Best Restaurant Under $10 – CHIPOTLE

2301 Glades Road Unit C, Boca Raton, 2.2 miles from Boca Campus

Story by Emily Bloch

You know guac is extra, you say with a nod of your head. You slide along the stainless steel counter, watching your swaddled burrito baby grow and mature from behind the glass.
Yelp reviewers attest that Chipotle is fast, simple, cheap and filling — and that’s likely why it gained readers’ vote for best restaurant under $10. The menu is simple: burritos, burrito bowls, tacos or salads with beef ($8.40), pork ($7.78), chicken ($7.28), veggies ($7.28) or sofritas, a vegan-friendly meat substitute ($7.28).
Right across from the Town Center Mall, this Chipotle location is great for between classes and easy to take on the run (you can also order online or through the chain’s app for pickup). And according to Twitter, students take advantage — “the entire fau population is at chipotle rn [right now],” said one tweet and “That chipotle down the street from fau is so clutch,” said another.
With 42 percent of votes going to Chipotle, it looks like readers agree. Other options listed in the poll included Mississippi Sweets, C.R. Chicks and Bombay Cafe. The fast food Mexican chain took 21 of the 50 votes, while Mississippi Sweets came in second with 19.

Best Club in Boca Raton – BLUE MARTINI

6000 Glades Road C-1380, Boca Raton, 2.8 miles from Boca campus

Story by Gregory Cox

Out of all the fliers that club promoters scatter throughout classrooms, the ones for Blue Martini have resonated the most with students.
Equipped with three full bars — one of which is outside — Blue Martini gets most of its college traffic on Thursdays, which include free drinks from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. with a college ID, and no cover for ladies.
Their seven-year anniversary celebration will be held Wednesday, Dec. 9, which will include $7 martinis and $77 bottles of house vodka.

Best Bar in Boca Raton – IRISHMAN

1745 N.W. Boca Raton Blvd., 1.8 miles from campus

Story by Gregory Cox

Whether you’re looking to feel welcome while enjoying a frosty one at 11 a.m., or to act as Irish as possible and stumble home, look no further than The Irishman, just off of 20th Street.
Ultimately, the votes came down to a battle between the Irish. Another local joint — O’Brien’s — lost by just 2 percent.
The bar’s appeal to Florida Atlantic students can be seen on Thursday nights when they offer $2 16-ounce Pabst Blue Ribbons, $3 Irish car bombs and 16 ounces of Stella Artois for $4.
They also have 30 beers on tap, including local breweries like The Funky Buddha Lounge and Brewery (see “Best Brewery”) for those with a little more spending money. Don’t worry, you can still impress a date every Wednesday when they’re priced at happy hour rates.
Want to get a taste of some Irish grub? On Tuesdays, they have $5 shepherd’s pie — ground beef smothered with mashed potatoes and cheese — and to wash it all down: $3 pints of Guinness, Smithwick’s and Harp.

Best Subs in Boca – PUBLIX SUBS

1339 West Palmetto Park Rd., 1.8 miles from campus

Story by Gregory Cox

It was barely even a contest. Good ol’ “Pub subs” came out on top, over local sub shops like Laspada’s and 620 Subs.
Made with either Boar’s Head or Publix meat and specialty cheeses, “Pub subs can be custom ordered. Their most popular sub among college kids is their chicken tenders sandwich.
Some even went as far on Twitter to say that “the only thing I care about in this world is publix chicken tender subs” and “I NEED A LIFETIME SUPPLY OF PUBLIX SUBS.”
Their most recent menu addition — special to the area — is the Miami Dolphins sub, topped with chipotle chicken, fried plantains and peach mango salsa.
If you’re feeling a bit more festive, look out for the Turkey Cranberry Holiday sub just in time for Thanksgiving.
Publix dominated the top spot with 37 percent of the 51 votes, followed by Laspada’s with 26 percent, and V&H Deli with 15 percent. D’Best Sandwich shop raked in 13 percent of the vote and 620 Subs received 8 percent.

Best Brewery – FUNKY BUDDHA BREWERY

1201 N.E. 38th St., Oakland Park, 17 miles away, about 25 minutes from Boca campus

Story by Patrick Martin

With beers like Blueberry Cobbler Ale, Sweet Potato Casserole and Raspberry Floridian, Funky Buddha Brewery is a favorite among students.
The brewery started as a lounge in Boca Raton three miles from campus, (about a 10 minute drive) but now they have a second location in Oakland Park with a full brewery serving about 22,000 barrels a year — or more than 7 million 12-ounce beers.
Their beer can be found in more than 2,000 restaurants and bars nationwide — putting South Florida on the map for craft beer.
The latest addition to the brewery is the craft food counter and kitchen, offering lunch and dinner.

Worst On-Campus Food Service – ATLANTIC DINING HALL

All-you-can-eat, but nothing you want.

Story by Francesca Nachtsheim

Finding a friend to sit with at lunch may no longer be a concern for cafeteria-faring college students, but mystery meat and flavorless food is. That’s why 41.67 percent of the 48 students polled ranked the Atlantic Dining Hall — best known as “The Caf” — the “Worst On-Campus Food Service.”
These results did not surprise sophomore Sarah Parker, who says she has gotten sick on more than one occasion from the food in the cafeteria, and that she has recently found ants crawling all over the coffee cups.
The all-you-can-eat dining hall offers students a variety of choices including a salad bar, specials of the day, a waffle bar, a dessert bar and main entrees like burgers, sandwiches and pasta. However, Parker and other students feel the quality of food served is mediocre, being left out for too long.
Another service to rank low was Papa John’s Pizza, with 16.67 percent of the vote. Subway, Blendz Cafe, Starbucks and Jow Jing followed — tying with 6.25 percent.

Best On-Campus Food Service – CHICK-FIL-A

Students know how to “Eat Mor Chikin”

Story by Francesca Nachtsheim

Students have taken the call to “Eat Mor Chikin” seriously, naming Chick-
fil-A the “Best On-Campus Food Service.”
With 46 percent of 50 votes, the restaurant blew its competition away; The Burrow and Chick’n Grill tied for second with 12 percent each.
The Chick-fil-A on the Boca Raton campus features an express menu, which excludes a few of their staple items, like milkshakes and soft serve cones, but students don’t seem to mind. In fact, it is a common sight to see patrons waiting outside for the doors to open every morning.
Senior Phillip Lin is a regular customer and loves the crispy sandwich just as much, if not more, as the speed in which he receives it. Sean Armstrong — the director of marketing for FAU campus dining — said, “We want to make sure that our students keep to their busy schedules. Chick-fil-A Express is built to present outstanding quality at a very fast pace.”
As for what Chick-fil-A has in store for students in the coming year, Armstrong said that they are currently working on implementing the Spicy Chicken Sandwich. They hope to bring in milkshakes by summer 2016.

Breakfast in a beer glass

The Maple Bacon Coffee Porter is one of South Florida’s most famous beers.

Story by Patrick Martin

Every January, people swarm by the thousands to the Funky Buddha Brewery to acquire bottles of its award-winning beer.
It made No. 2 on Ratebeer’s list of the top five best porters in the world, according to consumer reviews, and it’s rated No. 1 on its best list for 2014, with an overall score of 100 out of 100.
The Maple Bacon Coffee Porter — usually available at the beginning of the year — has become famous in South Florida for its hints of sweet maple, its smoky taste and decadent coffee aftertaste.
After guzzling down a glass of the breakfast inspired concoction, it’s surprising how balanced the porter is, without any ingredient overwhelming another.
This year the brewery will release 16,000 bottles — compared to the 10,000 they released last year — according to spokesperson John Linn.
The brewery holds a festival for the beer every year in January, with limited releases, live music and food trucks. Last year’s festival had over 7,000 attendees.
“This is a special beer for us, so it’s something we like to celebrate with a big street festival and party. If we did it all the time, it would probably lose some of its luster,” Linn said.
He said this year the event will be ticketed to control the flow.
The Maple Bacon Coffee Porter is unique compared to their other releases; The recipe was developed by the owner of the brewery, Ryan Sentz, in 2011 at the original lounge in Boca Raton.
Linn said the first batch was 30 gallons and sold out instantly.
“Ryan was just trying to create a beer that tasted like breakfast in a glass. People enjoyed it right away!” Linn said.
Many breweries have tried to emulate Funky’s Maple Bacon Coffee Porter (like Rogue’s Voodoo Doughnut Maple Bacon ale), but have fallen short.
What makes this porter different is that it’s not just a sugar bomb mixed with some beer: The coffee; aftertaste balances out the pallet.
The only problem the porter has is its shelf life.
With each passing day, drinkers will find the coffee taste dulls out. My recommendation is to only keep this bottle for a maximum of three months.
The Maple Bacon Coffee Porter Festival will be on Jan. 9, 2016. Tickets are $30 and go on sale Nov. 23. The ticket allows admission into Jaco Pastorious Park with live music and a bottle of the porter.

Stay Buzzed at The Seed

Thriving on relationships with local businesses and Instagram-worthy latte art, The Seed has earned its spot as the “Best Coffee House.”

Story by Emily Creighton

If you didn’t Instagram a picture of your latte art, did you even go out for coffee?
As a new writer and photographer my freshman year, I was on the hunt for the perfect spot near campus to work on articles and take social media-worthy shots. That’s when I stumbled across The Seed. Since then, it’s become one of my favorite places to hang out, caffeinate and let my creative juices flow.
Part coffee house, part juice bar, The Seed is the brainchild of friends Carly Altier and Rachel Eade. Since its opening last November, it has become a staple in the Boca Raton community by building relationships with other local businesses, like Well’s Coffee Company — a local roaster that supplies their coffee beans. “I think [using local brands] creates a good community sense,” said Altier in a recent interview with Two Seventy magazine. “Everyone knows that they’re coming here to support the community that they live in, so you want to come.” Continuing those community ties, The Seed has a partnership with the Boca Raton Community Garden — they donate coffee grounds and scraps for the nonprofit to use as fertilizer for fresh herbs in return.
The Seed also hosts community events including pop-up collections — “a caravan of local and small shops,” as advertised on their Facebook page — and open mic nights, welcoming local musicians.
Grayson Gibson, a sophomore art major and musician who has performed at The Seed, said, “I love The Seed because they make great coffee, it’s an awesome atmosphere and everything there is so welcoming.”
To get that “great coffee,” They use alternative brewing techniques.
This includes pour-overs — pouring water over freshly ground beans to extract their flavor — and their cold brew, which is concentrated for 12 hours at room temperature and infused through a nitrogen tank, cooling the coffee and developing it to be less acidic and naturally sweeter. But if you’re searching for something classic like an espresso or cappuccino, they offer those too — all available with dairy-free creamer options. So, while you may go for the coffee, you’ll be sure to stay — and go again — for the community.