Oakland restaurants on Forbes score with Pitt athletes

Good meals off the field make for great performances on it. In addition to hitting the books, student athletes will take to the field, track and court as fall sports pick up — bringing action from soccer, volleyball, cross country and football. 

Balancing being a well-rounded student while also working towards a national championship is not an easy task. Pitt athletes need to stay well fed in order to manage their school work and rigorous sports schedules. Luckily, Oakland provides many different options to grab a bite to eat. 

Roots Natural Kitchen is located right on Forbes Avenue, which makes it an optimal location for short meal times between classes or before practice. Roots offers a variety of salad and grain bowls combining an array of flavors, all of which are customizable to your choosing. Both senior defensive soccer player Mackenzie Evers and senior cross country and track and field runner Sydney Nowicki agree that Roots is their go-to food location in Oakland. 

“My favorite place to eat in Oakland is for sure Roots,” Nowicki said. “My go-to order is the Mayweather bowl. It’s delicious. The sweet potatoes and goat cheese make it all come together. 

Evers’ Roots order is a little different, sticking to the Balboa bowl, which is a combination of brown rice, sweet potatoes, corn, avocado, chicken and hot sauce. When asked about a pregame meal, Evers mentioned she usually goes for something a little different than what’s provided by the team staff. 

“Normally they provide us with a pregame meal, but I love getting acai bowls or smoothies before a game day. They’re perfect for breakfast,” Evers said. 

Senior midfield soccer player Guilherme Feitosa shared his favorite spot in Oakland and explained why it’s special to him. 

“My favorite location in Oakland to get food at is Viva Los Tacos,” Feitosa said. “Not necessarily because it’s the best food around, but because we have a special thing with the team where we go there every Thursday for their half-off tacos day.” 

He also shared his go to order when the team gets together. “I usually stick to getting three of the southern fried chicken tacos — they’re my favorite thing on the menu,” Feitosa said. 

Still, the athletes could think of different restaurants they hope to someday see in Oakland. 

“I would love to see a Cava,” Nowicki said. “Their food is amazing.”

Feitosa talked about bringing in a location that could provide a little slice of home in Oakland, and Evers mentioned she would “like to see Mad Mex back in Oakland.” 

“It would be great to have a Brazilian spot around,” Feitosa said. “A Brazilian restaurant or even somewhere that had a Brazilian snack — either way, it would be really nice and a great way to remind me of my home country.” 

With all the delicious options that Oakland has to offer, athletes take advantage and fuel up with their favorite foods for success on game days.