Providing hot meals, “grab-and-go” food and a large salad bar, the cafeteria on East Campus is a decent place to go for breakfast, lunch or a simple coffee and snacks.

A good time to have lunch is around 11:30 when it isn’t too crowded yet. The salad bar is great, with many vegetables and dressings to choose from. The little tomatoes aren’t small enough to not be cut into halves, almost impossible to pierce them with a fork, and ungraceful to chew. It would also be better to offer more protein options for vegetarians.

The cafeteria offers several hot meals every day and the menu changes constantly. Most likely you’ll find food like pizza, grilled salmon, fried rice, lasagna, pasta, garlic bread, burritos and stir-fry . The food is edible, but it’s not a culinary explosion on your plate.

The pastries made by culinary arts students are delicious and much affordable, but the sizes are ridiculous. A brownie could easily feed an army.

The range of sugary and starchy things is overrepresented with sodas, iced teas, candy and the pre-packed little muffins and cookies. Some healthier snack options contain odd ingredients, like the protein bars with “fish gelatin,” something that doesn’t sound particularly pleasing.

Eating out on the terrace is a horrible experience. The place is packed with seagulls trying to steal food and eat leftovers from students who just decided not to clean up after themselves. It’s a pity, because with the beautiful view of the Pacific, it should be the best place to sit and have lunch.

The cafeteria is open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Friday.