If you’re an out-of-stater you might know how hard it is to be in a new city where you don’t know good places to eat or get coffee. I’m here to help.

During my first two years of college, I went to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. I had never been to Lincoln, and the only places I could think of to eat were fast-food and chain restaurants. It was hard, but I made friends with students from Nebraska and they had plenty of recommendations.

There are a ton of great places just in the vicinity of St. Paul, including fun places for coffee, comfort food, and cuisine from around the world.

Ichiddo Ramen on Ford Parkway is a must-try. It serves lots of great appetizers, boba tea and different styles of ramen depending on what you like. I like to start with the salted cucumbers because it has a nice amount of spice with great flavor. If you have a high spice tolerance, these are a great choice.

The Kiwi Strawberry Green Tea is a great choice of boba; sweet, but in a sort of healthy way with the green tea.

I recommend the Vegetable Ramen. When I first went to Ichiddo I was a vegetarian, so this was a great choice because they can make a vegetarian-friendly broth! It’s a lovely mix of vegetables, bamboo shoots, sliced cabbage, pickled ginger and more. This is a superb restaurant and I completely recommend it. It’s a nice place to stop for takeout or sit down with friends for a meal. If you don’t have a car on campus you can take the bus here.

A terrific place for coffee near campus is Quixotic Coffee on Cleveland Avenue. It has a space for meetings, as well as an assortment of tables for relaxing with friends. It could even be a cute date spot.

My personal Quixotic favorite is a vanilla latte, either iced or hot. They do both really well, which is rare. I’d recommend pairing your drink with a pastry, specifically the chocolate croissant. If you’re not into pastries, they have a whole menu of delicious smoothie bowls.

If you want to go a little bit farther away from campus, there is Cafe Astoria on Grand Avenue. It has a ton of really artsy coffees, my favorite being the rainbow latte. It’s a peppermint and chocolate latte with latte art in rainbow colors. Cafe Astoria has a wide variety of breakfast options and has now opened the other half of the cafe to include another restaurant with many breakfast options. My personal favorite is the Nutella and banana crepes. The mushroom, swiss and egg crepes are fabulous if you’re looking for a more savory option.

If you’re looking for somewhere quick to grab food, I recommend Yum! Kitchen and Bakery on Snelling Avenue. It’s a cute bakery with delicious options and a kitchen with a huge menu. When I visit, I like to start with french fries. The fries come with three different sauces: red pepper aioli, cajun mayo and ketchup. I love the mac and cheese as well. This is a great spot for some comfort food and meeting with friends!

If you are looking for public transportation, check out Google Maps for bus stops and wait times. Each location is approximately 20 minutes from campus.

Living as an out-of-state student can be tough sometimes, but I hope this can provide you with some fun adventures through the beautiful city of St. Paul, and ease a bit of worry about finding places to eat.

Nyah Rich can be reached at rich7745@stthomas.edu.