Walk into Gioia’s, a little deli on the Hill, and you’ll find a place that is indisputably Italian. Just look around to see not one, not two, but upwards of three full-sized Italian flags posted inside and outside the one-room restaurant. The place is quaint but not trite, with wooden floors, a fancy chalkboard menu and a company consisting of many regulars.

Located in South City, Mojo Tapas Restaurant & Bar offers creative cuisine and a cool neighborhood vibe, making it worth the hassle of getting there. I started my dinner with the soup special—roasted butternut squash with a spicy red-wine reduction. The soup was hearty, and I appreciated the skillfully done, smoothly pureed texture.

Imagine biting into a lightly fried enchilada with layers of golden brown dough and a juicy pulled chicken filling. If you’re already hungry, then you can feed your imagination at Fritanga, a cozy one-room restaurant that provides authentic Nicaraguan food for decent prices.

Recently, I had the option of spending 15 bucks either on gaining entrance to a club to meet Jersey Shore’s “the Situation” or on going to Pat’s Bar & Grill to try out their supposedly excellent food.

As any St. Louis food connoisseur knows, South Grand Boulevard is the place to go for authentic, international food offerings. Whether you want Afghani food, Persian cuisine or a home-cooked Japanese meal, South Grand has it all.

Go to Mai Lee. Right now. Seriously, go. I honestly would not be offended if you stopped reading my review to go eat there. I’ve recently been trying to figure out which eateries in the local area are best for college students. In my mind, there are several criteria to consider: quality, variety and affordability are the most important. Mai Lee fits all of these and more.

O’Connell’s Pub was not what my fellow foodie friend and I were hoping for. Usually when I insist on going to a restaurant together, it’s ethnic; it’s extravagant; it’s chic. This time we drove around for 40 minutes and got lost, all for a small Irish pub with dark walls and a gruff sensibility.

Bobo Noodle House is the perfect solution for the hungry Washington University student who is in the mood for a special meal but not willing to brave the cold for too long.

As the cold bit at our ears after we parked the car, our huddled group entered a wave of warmth named Rasoi. The air in this sanctuary-esque restaurant was filled with the alluring smells of Indian spices. We took a minute to observe the colorful room and the crowds of guests devouring mounds of curries before the hostess led our thawing party to a table in the back of the restaurant.

If you live in the Village or on the South 40, the thought of regularly paying 75 cents for an apple and almost $9 for a box of cereal is no longer absurd. While the apple is probably bruised and not of your favorite variety, you’ve learned to take what you can get. And as you bite into it, it smooshes a little under your teeth, and you have to tell yourself, “Keep eating the apple. Just don’t think about it,” trying to ignore the cognitive dissonance emanating from the price-to-quality ratio.