The End.

Hello everyone, or should I say goodbye? This is my last post for the semester and I’m going to close it out by summarizing my experience of writing this blog. Overall I really enjoyed having this assignment because it genuinely helped me step out of my comfort zone and explore new things. I used to be very hesitant to trying new restaurants because of the fear of not liking it, but that’s just reality. Through this blog I learned that there are going to be good and bad places, but you will never find a good one that you really enjoy unless you branch out and try new things. Through this blog I have also found some of my new favorite restaurants that I will continue to go to in the future.

One thing that I would like to include in my site overtime is to extend the area of not only restaurants in San Marcos, but also throughout Austin, New Braunfels, San Antonio and other surrounding areas. I feel like I could reach a much wider audience by doing that. Also, another way I could further grow my audience and following on this site is to use my other social media platforms such as my Instagram and YouTube channel to help promote my blog. Overall, this blog has taught me many things that I can use in my future endeavors. I might possible create another personal blog to grow my brand or a blog for my photography to help reach more clients. The possibilities are endless.

Now I’m just going to talk about my stats from this past semester. My most popular week was a tie between the week of February 11th and April 8th, both receiving nine views and no visitors. My most popular post from the semester was my “On Campus Dining” post which received seven views. I believe this one was the most popular because there are many people who live on campus and all students have access to on campus dining, rather than off campus restaurants. One surprising thing to me was that I actually got 21 views from my twitter refers, which is more than I expected. I also got one share, which is less than I expected and no visitors. However, hopefully by promoting this blog more within my other social media sites I can increase those numbers!

A Hand Sized Pizza

Hello everyone! If you didn’t get a chance to see my last blog post, I did things a little differently. I told you all of the reasons why I didn’t enjoy that place and why I wouldn’t recommend it to you. Today’s post is going to be a mix of good and bad things about the restaurant I’m going to be sharing with you all today. It wasn’t all bad, but there were things that I didn’t enjoy so much while there were also things that I liked. With that being said, the restaurant that I tried out for the first time is called Figaro’s Pizza and Pub.

Figaro’s is located at 243 Wonder World Dr., and is no more than 7 minutes from campus. The atmosphere had a very chill and relaxed vibe, because it wasn’t super crowded and you can sit wherever you want, which I liked a lot. As you can tell by the name, Figaro’s does sell pizza but they also offer a wide variety of items such as burgers, sandwiches, wings, salads and pasta. They definitely have something for everyone to enjoy. I decided to order a personal size, tradition pizza which had pepperonis, green peppers and onions on it. Personal size pizzas are eight dollars, which are basically the cheapest thing on the menu. With that in mind, I knew it wouldn’t be huge but I wasn’t expecting it to be as small as it was.

The pizza tasted good, but I just wish I could’ve had more to enjoy. However, one thing I really liked was that she gave me a free side of ranch, which was surprisingly super good! Ranch always tastes different from different restaurants but this ranch tasted perfect and I loved getting to dip my crust in it. Overall, I’m not quite sure how I feel about Figaro’s. My opinion is in the middle because it wasn’t an awful experience but it wasn’t anything great, it was very mediocre. I just feel like I should’ve gotten more for what I payed for. However, you may have a different experience than I did so I’m going to leave this one for you guys to decide about!

Rollin’ Straight Out of There

Hello everyone! Today’s website post is going to be a little different. Usually I like to post about cool restaurants in San Marcos and how great they are. However, today I’m going to tell you about a new restaurant that I went to and why I probably wouldn’t recommend it to you. The reason I’m switching it up and doing things differently is because I want to be real with you guys and try to save you some time and money. So here are some things I wish I would’ve known before I went to “Rollin’ Bowl.”

Rollin’ Bowl just opened this month and it is located off of highway 35, right next to Starbucks. They sell Vietnamese, Thai and Chinese food there, along with a full sushi bar and boba tea. I’m a big fan of boba tea and Chinese food, so I forced my friend Mckenna to come along with me. The atmosphere was very nice and zen feeling and the staff were all very friendly. We ordered our boba before our food, thinking it would come out as our drinks, but that wasn’t the case. It took about 15 minutes just for him to bring us two boba drinks.

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Then we took a look at the menu and instantly noticed it was a bit pricey for our standards. A basic meal of chicken and fried rice was $11, not to mention the boba tea was $5. This may not seem that expensive to you, but I try to find cheap places to eat and this just didn’t cut it for my version of cheap. So after we ordered our meal, we waited for a good 25-30 minutes before our food came out. However, they didn’t even come out at the same time. He brought one plate of food over and said the other one was about to come out. We ordered the exact same meal and after they brought one plate of food out we still had to wait at least 10 minutes before Mckenna’s food came out. The food tasted fine but I definitely could’ve gotten the same meal at a buffet for a way cheaper price.

Overall, Rollin’ Bowl has some kinks to work out. They were very, very slow with bringing our food and drinks out and even then, it all wasn’t worth the $20 I had to spend. I was pretty disappointed leaving this place, so I hope you consider this and decide not waste your time and money like I did.

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Centerpoint Station!

Hey everyone! Yes, I’m back here with yet again another restaurant review. It shouldn’t be anything new to you guys at this point! This week’s restaurant is a very unique one. It actually used to be an old gas station until they quickly realized that they wanted it to be more than that. They started selling hamburgers and shakes and before they knew it Centerpoint Station was known for the best burger and malt on IH35.

Centerpoint Station is located right across the highway from the San Marcos Outlets. It has so many unique qualities that make it more than just a restaurant. Inside they have a boutique where they sell shoes, clothing, jewelry and little trinkets. The styles are very age friendly, with cute options for all ages! Having it’s own boutique and store connected to its restaurant definitely makes it stand out from all other burger joints.

As I said earlier, Centerpoint is know for their delicious hamburgers and malts. I ordered a hamburger and a vanilla shake and both of them definitely lived up to their reputation. The burgers are cooked specially with a buttery bun and their shakes are made with Blue Bell ice cream; they compliment each other perfectly. Along with those, I also tried their fried pickles. They are cooked in spears and not slices like most restaurants, but they are just as delicious! Centerpoint also offers a wide range of options from burgers, to chicken, to chili cheese fries, to cinnamon rolls, which is perfect for the whole family. I really enjoyed the vintage feel of the restaurant and I can’t wait to go get another shake! Go try it out for yourself and let me know what you think!

A pub, on the River?

Hey guys welcome back to my blog! I hope you’re prepared to hear about another great restaurant recommendation! I had heard about this week’s restaurant from many friends and they all gave it such great reviews, so I knew I had to go try it out for myself. Wednesday night I dragged my friend Lauren along and we headed out to Ivar’s River Pub! One word to truly describe it is a hidden gem.

Right as we got there, I instantly noticed it’s great location and beautiful view. Ivar’s is located right on the San Marcos river, which is perfect for eating outside on a nice sunny day. They have outdoor seating on their patio and also a super cute outdoor lounge area with picnic tables and a little stage. They use the stage on the weekends for local bands and artist to come out and perform there. Overall, Ivar’s has a great location with a great asthetic.

Not only is the location great, but so is their food. They have a wide variety of options ranging from tacos, to burgers, to sandwiches, to pasta. I personally ordered the chips and queso and the blackened fettuccine alfredo, which were both great! The queso had pico in it which gave it extra flavor and it came with salsa that was sweet, which I liked a lot, because I can’t handle spicy foods. The fettuccine alfredo was the best fettuccine I’ve ever had. It wasn’t too saucy or oily, and it had such a unique flavor. Also, the blackened chicken had a great flavor and was a perfect combo when added into the fettuccine.

Another thing I liked a lot about Ivar’s was that it was reasonably priced, ranging from $9-14 a dish, and is enough food to share with a friend which makes it even cheaper! The fettuccine came with enough food for a friend and I to split, and still have a full box of leftovers to take home. Overall, I really enjoyed the food and atmosphere of Ivar’s and I highly recommend you try it out for yourself!

Something Similar!

Hey guys! Today’s post is going to be a little different. Instead of reviewing a restaurant, I’m going to be reviewing a fellow food blogger! After searching and searching, I found the perfect blogger to share with you guys. This person creates very similar content, while still having his own unique style. This blogger is named, kevinEats!

Like me, Kevin goes to new restaurants and tries some of their famous dishes. He then writes about his experience, and what he thinks of the items he’s tested. Kevin does an amazing job at being super descriptive in his writing and really giving his readers the ability to almost taste the dish through their screens. He posts numerous, detailed pictures of the restaurant itself and the many dishes he tries. In my personal opinion, his blog is exactly what all food review bloggers strive to be.

As kevinEats is very similar to me, there are also a few differences. Kevin travels all over the United States, reviewing restaurants all over. He has done at least three reviews in 15 different states! I stay local in San Marcos to give the people in my area closer options. As I said earlier, Kevin tries many dishes, sometimes even the whole menu. I keep it simple to my favorite meal or a few of that restaurants best items. Overall, I loved reading kevinEats, and if you want to learn about some of the best places to eat in the U.S. than you should go check him out too!

Pizza Pizza!

Yes, this may be the Little Ceaser’s catch phrase, but no that’s not what were talking about today. As college students, we all love a good pizza, because it’s cheap, easy, and so delicious. You can get a whole pizza, pizza by the slice and many other kinds of forms. There are numerous amounts of places to get pizza around San Marcos, so it may be hard to know which one is the best. However, today I’m going to tell you about my absolute favorite pizza place, Gumby’s!

Gumby’s is located on 312 W Hopkins St. which is super close to campus and is really convenient for those who live on-campus without transportation. Before I get into the food aspect of it, I want to describe the atmosphere first. Gumby’s has created their restaurant to have a very relaxed, chill and fun vibe, perfect for hangout out with friends. Also, their staff is all super friendly which is a huge plus when going to a restaurant. Overall, the atmosphere and friendly staff alone will have you eager to come back.

Now on to the good stuff, the pizza! Gumby’s offers their pizza in whole, or by the slice. Along with just pizza, you can also order a salad, wings, or my personal favorite, their pizza rolls! Pizza rolls from Gumby’s are like heaven on earth. Basically, it’s cheese and pepperonis wrapped in dough, cooked to a golden brown, with parmesan and a little bit of melted butter drizzled on top. Ever since the first time I tried them, they’ve been the only thing I’ve ever ordered since.

You can buy them by a half dozen which comes with seven, or a dozen which comes with 13. Besides the delicious taste, one of the main reasons I love them is because it’s enough to split with a friend or two, which makes it really cheap for everyone involved! For me it only takes three or four to fill me up. In conclusion, Gumby’s is a great, cheap place to eat with a chill atmosphere and friendly staff. After all, whats better than good, cheap pizza?

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On Campus Dining!

Hello everyone! Hopefully you got to try out the famous green sauce from my last post but if not, I’m here with another recommendation – on campus dining! Whether you’re a freshman like myself and are tired of eating ramen noodles, or if you’re in between class and need a quick bite to eat, on campus dining can be a great resource for everyone! Texas State has two dining halls, Commons and Harris, which are buffet style dining and eight retail dining locations which are food court style. In total, there is a huge variety of options that everyone can benefit from. It would take me forever to review each and every dining option, so today I’m going to tell you about my absolute favorite place to eat, The Den!

The Den is located inside of ASBS and is one of the food court style locations with six individual restaurants inside. The Den has such a huge variety of options that can accommodate any special craving you may have. From pizza, to tacos, to burgers, to bagels, to smoothies and wraps, they have it all! Also, one of the main reasons that I like The Den so much is because they have many healthy options that don’t leave you feeling gross after. One of my top favorites located in The Den is the Texas Gourmet Wrap Company!

This station allows you to get the best wraps ever! You get to choose a meat, dressing, cheese and up to three vegetables. The whole meal comes with the wrap, potato chips, and a drink. It fills me up and leaves me feeling energized throughout the day. Of course there are many good options at The Den but I just wanted to share my personal favorite! So next time you’re on campus and need a bite to eat, go check out The Den!

Green Sauce Galore!

Living in Texas, we all enjoy ourselves some good ole Tex-Mex. When I first moved to San Marcos I heard tons of great things about a Mexican restaurant called “Mamacitas“. Everyone talked about how delicious their famous green sauce was, so I decided to check it out for myself. Firstly, I noticed how close it was to campus, located right next to the Stadium on 1400 Aquarena Springs Dr. This is perfect for those who live on campus and don’t have transportation.

Yes, the rumors about the green sauce were true. It was the best chip dip I’ve ever had. It tasted like a creamy jalapeno dip, but without the spice. If you’re like me and can’t handle spicy foods, then you’ll love this sauce too! I think I ended up eating more of it than my actual meal, but that makes it even better though because you can fill up on the free food, and have more of your meal leftover to eat the next day! A win win for everyone!

Mamacitas menu has a huge variety of options that everyone can enjoy. From fajitas, to tacos, to even hamburgers, they really have it all. My personal favorite item to order are the quesadillas. You can pick from beef fajita meat, chicken fajita or even shrimp. I always go with the chicken fajita. One order comes with so many pieces that it’s enough for me to share with a friend or have leftovers for the next day. All of us college students who are ballin’ on a budget sure can appreciate that too. What’s better than getting a good meal for $6?

Overall, I think Mamacitas is a great place to eat with good quality Mexican food at an affordable price! You should definitely go check it out for yourself!