Crossroads Cafe

Shortly after my last update, Crossroads switched to Sightglass Coffee so the quality is much better! It seems like they've also hired a couple more people so service is quick and the drinks are made well.Still not my go-to coffee spot but if I'm in a hurry, I know I can stop by and get better quality coffee and service.

What's the best thing about Crossroads Cafe?Convenience...and some really awesome USF students manning the joint.Other than that, it's really hard to plunk down hard-earned cash (or flexi for that matter) on food that just isn't up to par. Perhaps if the food was really inexpensive, I could let it slide, but for the money they're asking for...you EXPECT the food to be good...not just bearable.Let's step it up Bon Apetite! I know you're capable of better =)

I eat here because it's convenient. The food itself is okay, but the prices are ridiculous and not worth it for what you are paying for and there are plenty of good food places near and around campus.Inside Crossroad Cafe:Pasta Section: They usually rotate about 3-4 different types of pastas. The sauce is fairly good, but the pasta is nearly 6 bucks for the size of a small (Asian size) bowl. That's pasta without meat too. Sometimes they can be quite stingy about it as well and only scoop half the metal container full despite the enormous prices for a small bowl of pasta. I have to say it is fresh though and the tomato sauce is good.Asian/Global Section: I give it to them for trying to be international, but sometimes the food isn't that great there. I've had the Indian once and the naan was a bit hard. The chicken was a bit hard and the flavoring was off.Ice Cream: Overpriced, but contains Ben and Jerry and some Popsicle along with chocolate bars. A decent selection and I love Ben and Jerry's cherry garcia ice cream.Salad/Dessert Bar (fridge and adjacent counter): I've had the tuna and egg sandwiches from here. Not great, but it's all right. The sushi in the "salad" bar section was okay, but then again you can't mess up a California Roll at least not really. Since it's in the fridge, it feels a bit frozen though. The dessert such as the cheesecake isn't too sweet. I like it.Coffee Bar: It is known for organic fair trade coffee so I'd give the cafe a + plus here for trying to be globally conscious. The coffee isn't bad and it always makes me wired enough to stay awake for rest of the evening. Fair warning that the lids and cup holders sometimes run out and are located adjacent (not next or on the coffee counter), but on a metal cart near it. The milk and cream are also on a separate counter.Utensils: I think the utensils at this school deserve a 4 star because everything is recyclable and made with corn. It's "green" and good for the environment. Props for that one.Operating Hours: Closes way too early. Cmon' 8pm?!#! Seating Area: Ample space. Tons of space and tables. Good for group meeting if necessary, but maybe a bit too loud.Pricing: Overpriced and food is just mediocre. Also, they charge $ tax if you pay with credit card, but they don't charge the extra $ if you put money in your Dons card and charge it to that. Little things like that can add up. Also, if you plan on eating in cafeteria, might as well not use a takeout box because they will charge you for that versus if you just got a bowl from them.

Food and drinks are pretty expensive. Expect to pay about $6 or $7 for a sandwich, and + $3 for a coffee drink. If you do decide to get something, try the Kaluha. It's basically ice coffee poured over a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Yummy!

EDIT: Friends finally complained about the blandness of the pasta. Downgrade from 4 stars to 3 stars; still mostly about the ambiance and convenience!The ambiance accounts for my high rating. The only thing I've had here, food-wise are a churro and a Fuze drink. The churro was average. My friends have had the pizza and pasta and none have complained so at the very least, the food must be average.It's a nice chill lounge for the students to chill, eat and be merry. Apart from pizza, pasta and salad, they also have coffee, ice cream, pastries and deli sandwiches as well. It's all really not that bad! Though I wish they had at least a little organic/vegetarian/vegan food.

Forget about picking up a quick coffee during the few spare minutes between back-to-back classes. It takes them about 10 minutes to make an espresso drink when you're the only person waiting. Once I waited for 15 minutes just for an Americano, which merely consists of espresso shots and water.

I swear the pizza is made with spaghetti sauce, GROSS, the coffee bar sucks, the pasta is usually ok. Really the salad is the only thing worth eating but only if you like to live dangerously and take your chances with e coli. I worked at Jamba juice (the one in USF) and from the things I saw there I can only imagine what disgusting atrocities are occurring at Crossroads.

The everything tastes bad, and the workers can't take a coffee order to save their respective lives. The only upside is that you or your friends who go to USF can spend Flexi on chasers.

Gah. I can't wait to get off campus so I won't have to eat this cardboard anymore.

Crossroads Cafe at USF is supposed to be an alternative eating area to the Bon Appetit cafeteria, as well as a study area. In my last year at USF, I probably studied here once and grabbed bottled water a few times in passing. They remodeled it and perhaps I'm a purist when it comes to USF and I'm a little bitter that in my last year everything seemed to change a bit.Basically it's the same food as the cafeteria, just a smaller selection, and there's a big screen tv.