Students have no doubt noticed the two new dining spots on campus — La Sabrosa and Smith’s Café, which replaced Yamas and Camino Bakery, respectively. This recent change has me wondering: What are students thinking of these replacements?
La Sabrosa
Let’s be honest, the Yamas drama last year left many students skeptical of its general safety for consumption after rumors circulated that there were mealworms in the meat and bugs in the lettuce. The impact was obvious, given the rapid decline in attendance after the issue went public.
However, Yamas had charm and a wide variety in food options — from salads to sandwiches. La Sabrosa, the new Latin-inspired restaurant, has an artistically loud aesthetic with bright orange and turquoise walls, but their options just mirror Chipotle. Some students also aren’t a fan of the decor, which is important because, as much as we deny it, first impressions matter.
Apart from the color choices, students have mixed reviews on the food. Some of my friends have said that the options at La Sabrosa are great, and they like it much better than Yamas — though, considering the praise is that the food is “consistently edible,” that may not be saying much. Others think there are too few options. Some think that La Sabrosa’s food is lacking in flavor, “missing spices like most of Wake food” and see themselves becoming bored of the choices quickly.
Logistically, there isn’t much change in the arrangement. You still pick a base, a protein and topping — the only change is that those bases, proteins and toppings are Mexican-inspired, not Mediterranean. As a current vegetarian, the rice, beans and guacamole are totally up to my standards, so while I understand the dissent around Yamas being replaced with La Sabrosa, it’s serving me just fine.
Smith’s Café
Moving to the topic I get really mad about — the replacement of Camino Bakery with Smith’s Café — this was a change nobody asked for. Camino should have been left in its place, and students agree. I’ve heard things about Smith’s like, “it just isn’t the same” and that their prices are “highway robbery.” Trust me, I get that it was frustrating to have an establishment run out of pastries at 12 p.m., but that was part of Camino’s charm. There was a “thrill of the chase” energy created by this daily competition to claim that last pain au chocolat. That there are still pastries available at 10 p.m. doesn’t bode well as a measure of how much students enjoy them. I wonder what they do with the leftover food? How many days in a row are these pastries served, and what is done with them afterward?
Those questions aside, my main issue with Smith’s is that its Old Gold options only include products from Neomonde bakery. The Old Golds exclude the pastries from Bobby Boy Bakeshop and other items like brownies, cookies and croissants. Pastries from Bobby Boy are not only reminiscent of a French bakery, but they are clearly the best quality due to their grade-A ingredients and impressive flakage. The bagels, which are included in the Old Golds, are subpar quality, like those one might find at a hotel breakfast. If we can’t have Camino, can we at least have decent bagels?
