There’s a new food spot on campus, folks.

Freshens Fresh Food Kitchen opened its doors on February 10 in the Engineering Collaborative Research and Education Building over on West Campus.

They serve an extensive menu from rice bowls and melts to açaí bowls and smoothies. A few of our staffers made the journey over to test out Penn State’s newest on-campus food spot.

Noah Flenard: Chicken Quesadilla & Mango Me Crazy Smoothie

When looking at the menu, I decided on a chicken quesadilla with a side of ranch. It’s an item that’s only going to be there for a limited time, according to the menu. It was pretty flavorful, especially with the side of ranch, and it came out pretty quickly. The restaurant wasn’t too crowded, as I don’t think a lot of people know about it yet. I also got a Mango Me Crazy smoothie, which had both mango and pineapple in it, and it was hands down a top-three smoothie I’ve had in my life — sweet but not overpowering. Overall, I think Freshens will pan out to be a hidden gem and definitely a great spot to grab a snack or quick meal with some friends between classes.

Olivia Hess: Chicken Quesadilla & Caribbean Craze Smoothie

Everyone needs to RUN to the ECoRE building right now to try Freshens Food Kitchen.

Freshens unfortunately doesn’t have its online ordering system available yet, so it’s similar to a typical food court arrangement. The menu was actually really big, so I struggled to pick what I wanted for lunch, but I landed on the Caribbean Craze smoothie and the chicken quesadilla.

First of all, I’m very picky with my smoothies. The Caribbean Craze was $6.99 and worth every dollar. I wasn’t expecting much, yet the strawberry banana smoothie was on Orange Julius level (but healthier). The cup was pretty big for the price, which I was glad to see, and the texture was perfect. None of the flavors were overpowering, and the sweetness wasn’t overwhelming either. It was refreshing, flavorful, and just the right consistency. The drink was in my hands about four or five minutes after placing the order, so I was impressed with the efficiency in the kitchen. I’ll gladly walk 25 minutes from my dorm to try every other flavor on the menu. The Caribbean Craze is a new favorite, and it gets an 8.7 in my book!

I got the chicken quesadilla for my main meal, and it was slightly disappointing pretty good. I paid $8.49, and I would get it again. The quesadilla was “filled” with chicken and cheese, and served with a side of ranch. The flavors were all there, and the ranch was so good that it tasted homemade. I would literally buy a bottle of the ranch. However, I had an issue with the amount of cheese and chicken that was in the tortilla. It seemed…skimpy. Of the four slices it was cut into, two of them were mostly air bubbles and tortillas rather than chicken and cheese. My other point deduction is because the ingredients were lacking. I really wish there was some kind of pico de gallo, salsa, or other topping besides the ranch. That would’ve elevated the dish for me, but Freshens doesn’t have a Michelin star, so I can’t complain too much. Overall, because the quesadilla itself tasted really good and I still would try it again. I give it a 7.7!

Ella Wehmeyer: Buffalo Chicken Artisan Melt & Maui Mango Smoothie

Freshens didn’t have a menu to look at prior to going in person that I could find, but its little description of what it had to offer sold me. When I got there, it had such an extensive menu that I had a hard time deciding what I wanted. I ended up settling on the buffalo chicken artisan melt and a Maui Mango smoothie. It was a solid price of $15.28 altogether, but it took my meal plan, so I wasn’t too upset about it.

While it wasn’t super busy when I got there, I got my smoothie pretty fast, but my melt took a little longer than I expected, and while waiting, the afternoon rush seemed to have come in for a late lunch. The smoothie was definitely my favorite of the two, with it having mango, strawberries, and bananas. I’m a huge smoothie girl, and this one wasn’t too sweet and was a decent serving size. I give it a solid 8.3 out of 10 for this delicious smoothie.

The buffalo chicken melt was also delicious, but a little spicier than I was expecting, though that just may be on me. It filled me up and was really flavorful, so I give it a 7.9 out of 10 for the delicious sandwich. Together, I would give this meal an 8.2 out of 10. This can definitely be a great place for those looking to get a healthy bite to eat and a possible little hidden gem. Though this was pretty far away, I will make the trip back over to the west side of campus to try out more on the menu.

Maggie Alderisio: Baja Queso Rice Bowl & Acai Energy Smoothie

The Freshens menu offered a surprisingly wide variety of items, but I settled on a Baja Queso rice bowl as well as an acai energy smoothie after a few minutes of deliberation.

The Baja Queso rice bowl came with white rice, queso, chicken, corn, salsa, lettuce, and chipotle ranch and the smoothie was açaí, strawberries, bananas, blueberries, and granola. The smoothie I ordered was a pretty basic one but was a generous size for the 6.99 price tag, however, the portion size of the rice bowl was a little disappointing. The full meal came to $15, which was fairly reasonable, especially since you can pay with your meal plan.

The rice bowl was filling and flavorful, and all of the ingredients tasted fresh, even the chicken. It had a similar taste to a Chipotle burrito bowl and was much cheaper. Compared to some other on-campus restaurants, I would rank it pretty high, and I would definitely go back to try the rest of their extensive menu. The service was also extremely fast for a location that has only been open for a few days.

Melanie Thalhimer: On The Border Quesadilla

Overall, I was pleasantly surprised with my meal at Freshens! Located in the Engineering Education Research building, Penn State finally has its version of a healthier Taco Bell—Smoothie King. I ordered the “On the Border” quesadilla, which consisted of chicken refried beans, salsa, cheddar jack, tostada chips, and chipotle ranch sauce wrapped in a flour tortilla. This quesadilla was very filling, flavorful, and worth it for the price! I’m ranking this 8.5 out of 10 due to the time it took to be made and because of its interesting appearance on the inside. However, I highly recommend this menu item to everyone and will definitely make the walk for it again.