From Mediterranean-inspired food at CAVA to a “balanced” coffee from La Prima Espresso Company, there are new options for everyone on campus this semester.
Restaurants ranging in size from national chains to Pitt Eats offerings are newly established in Oakland this semester, including CAVA, La Prima and Happy Boba.
Happy Boba will be a new spot for students to try signature and customized flavors through their meal plan.
La Prima is a full-service espresso bar and roaster with a new Oakland location on the corner of Fifth Avenue and Halket Street. It has other Pittsburgh locations in Downtown, Manchester and on Carnegie Mellon University’s campus.
Lillie Noble, the assistant manager of the La Prima franchise, has been working at the espresso company for over three years and is excited for the “young crowd” that Oakland brings.
“We’re just happy to be in a location that taps into the student market more,” said Noble. “A lot of our other locations are near offices and working professionals.”
Noble describes the espresso as “balanced” and “well-rounded,” since they have an assortment of flavors and seasonal blends. La Prima also sells pastries that are locally sourced from Mediterra Cafe.
Pitt Eats is replacing Litchfield Towers’ Campus Coffee and Tea with Happy Boba, the newest of Oakland’s many boba shops.
Maggie Weaver, senior marketing director at Pitt Eats, said it will be a “mix of signature and customizable boba.”
“We know students like to make their own drinks, [so] that will be a big win,” said Weaver. “[It is] an added value for our students who are on a meal plan [to give them] more variety.”
Since Unwind, Pitt’s on-campus coffee roaster, opened last year, Weaver said Happy Boba is a valuable opportunity to add something new to campus.
“We’re very excited to introduce these new concepts to the Pitt community,” said Weaver. “We’re so excited for students to try them.”
On Aug. 8, CAVA opened its first Pittsburgh location on Forbes Avenue between The Exchange and Layne’s Chicken Fingers. The chain is now venturing outside Oakland with a new location at The Meridian between East Liberty and Shadyside.
CAVA said they want to bring “heart, health and humanity to food” with a plethora of options on their menu, such as bowls, pitas and specialty drinks.
Chaitrali More, a junior chemistry major, said she enjoys the “quality” of the food and its “vegetarian options,” but wishes CAVA’s portion sizes were larger.
“When we go out to the other [restaurants] on Forbes, there are not a lot of good tasting vegetarian options,” said More. “They have falafels [at CAVA], which is actually a good vegetarian option as opposed to tofu.”
Shawn Fertitta, the executive director of Oakland Business Improvement District, is “thrilled” about the new restaurants becoming a part of Pitt’s campus.
“[We] welcome new restaurants like CAVA [and] La Prima Espresso Co,” said Fertitta. “Their arrival adds to diverse offerings that make our community such a vibrant and exciting destination for residents, students and visitors alike.”