Nosh Cafe and Grill and its predecessor Cafe Verve may look nearly identical on the inside, but the menus are far from the same. Cafe Verve focused on vegan dishes, but Nosh added bacon, chicken, and burgers as big as your face to the lineup.

We sent some staff members up the Beaver Ave. location to check out the changes and write down their thoughts on the newest addition to the State College cuisine scene:

Gabriela Stevenson

I’m not about vegan food (I know, I know), so my trip to Nosh was my first to the space. It’s definitely small, but in a way that would be good to sit down in with a coffee and scone one morning — more of a quick-sit-and-go place to me. Still, I appreciate unfinished wood and plants and cute pots, so I was drawn in.

I ordered a BLT. It was good. I know I’m supposed to say more than that in these reviews, but really, it was just good. Again, good for a quick bite during your lunch hour. It had too much mayo on it for my taste, but some people are all about the mayo, so to each his own when it comes to the BLT ratio.

I’ve never met a french fry I didn’t like, so I gobbled them up faster than the sandwich. There was an odd sweetness to the batter of the fries and onion rings that the other reviewers and I noticed, though. It wasn’t necessarily unwelcome, but we couldn’t put our finger on what it was. I picked up a hint of “cheddar rice cake” for a second, but then I lost it. You’ll have to go in and check it out for yourself. Let us know in the comments if you figure out what it is.

I’ve done these reviews before, so I know that restaurants will get better the longer they’re open and the more staff they train. I’ve reviewed food that was fine the first time and went back later to find it was delicious. But with such a quick turnover on restaurants in State College, can you afford to be just “good” from the jump? Only time will tell with Nosh.

Ryan Haines

I had never been to Cafe Verve, but once it reopened as Nosh, I figured I had to check it out this time around. I stopped in to have a Sherif burger with fries and a bottle of root beer. The Sherif burger comes with provolone cheese, onion rings, barbecue sauce and jalapeños on it (a toppings list sure to make you yee-haw).

The burger itself was pretty good. I was pleased with the flavor and the slowly building heat of the jalapeños. I noticed an interesting almost sweet flavor to the fries, which was unexpected, but it didn’t ruin the experience. I noticed a similar flavor with one of the onion rings that fell out of my burger so it may just be how they bread them. The Jones root beer tied everything together nicely since I can remember enjoying the same glass bottles as a little kid. Overall, I’d come back to Nosh. With such a large menu, I’d be interested in branching out from the burgers.

Emma Dieter

I have to say, I was surprisingly impressed with the quality of Nosh’s food. I won’t lie — I had my doubts at first. As an avid lover of Café Verve, I was sad to see the old place go and was initially hesitant to step into an establishment that was trying to take its place. Unfortunately, or perhaps for me, fortunately, the quality of their food was too good to be begrudged.

I ordered the grilled chicken sandwich and it came with just the perfect amount of chicken, lettuce, mayo, and tomato. I like to consider myself something of a sandwich aficionado and I put a lot of thought into the proper proportions of a sandwich — Nosh got it right.

Not to mention, the decor of the place has not changed at all. The pleasant, homey feel of Café Verve is the same one you get at Nosh. While the recipes may no longer be vegan and still on the pricier side, Nosh was truly a treat. I have no complaints, besides those from my wallet.

Derek Bannister

Let me preface this all by saying that I never made a trip to Café Verve, so I don’t really have anything to compare it to. As I walked in, the decor of the establishment caught my attention. It felt like they really thought hard about setting up a welcoming space, although the smell kind of threw me off.

I went for the Loaded Up bowl, which featured chicken, jalapeño poppers, salsa, lettuce, and fries. I have to admit, the combination was pretty strange, but all of the individual parts were tasty. The sandwiches that my colleagues bought looked fantastic.

I got tots on the side which were also good considering they were, well, tots. I’d certainly return, although I may opt for something more straightforward.

Steve Connelly

Much like many of my folks above, I had never been to Cafe Verve. While the place was definitely meatier than its predecessor, it still had that vibe of an organic establishment.

The main dish I got was a BLT, which, obviously, is difficult to mess up. Even so, if you get it in enough places, you see a number of different variations on what you can do with it. The Nosh version was a double decker — with another slice of bread slipped between the bacon, lettuce, tomato trio, with a drizzle of mayo on all three slices. The sandwich was par for the course, with that middle layer of the sandwich just making it a bit too heavy on the bread.

Alongside the BLT, I switched it up and got the onion rings. From the first bite you could tell that there was this strange sweetness to them that just made the simple fried food item too odd. At one point it tasted like an orange kick, but I couldn’t quite put my finger on what it was. Apparently the french fries also had that strange hint of sweetness. Whatever it was, it kind of made the onion rings off-putting.

Nosh also had a long list of teas. To be honest, whenever I get an iced tea, it’s just that — a simple iced tea. So having to choose a type of tea was a new experience. I got the chamomile lemon tea because it sounded refreshing, and it was. The tea was not too strong; it was just the perfect light touch to go alongside a meal.

Jim Davidson

Any dish labelled the Beast Mode Burger catches my eye every time. This behemoth, with pickles, fries (in the sandwich and on the side), cheddar cheese, mushrooms, pulled pork, and barbecue sauce, was everything you’d expect it to be. Sauce drips out over the sides of the bun as pulled pork and mushrooms fall out onto the tray in front of you with every bite. Embrace the messiness and dig in — the two meats combine with smart toppings to create a flavorful and filling bite. Nosh’s fries were of the crispy variety, and paired well with the massive burger.

Nosh’s interior maintains the café vibe, with tasteful plants, wooded bars, familiar stools, and an extremely friendly staff. Space is a little tight inside the main area, but there is additional seating to the side. Wait time was reasonable, and definitely worth the delicious food. This friendly spot could definitely become a favorite among Penn Staters looking for a quick, but delicious, meal in a fun and relaxed setting.