Oberlin Eateries: Fun and Favorites

Ujjaini:

For such a small town in Ohio, the Oberlin downtown area has a surprisingly wide selection of restaurants, ranging from Thai, to pizza, to Mexican, and much more. It's always hard to pick a place for a night out with so many options, so we were wondering which restaurants Oberlin students and staff most prefer.

Between 13 of the most popular eating spots, we polled the Oberlin campus on their restaurant preferences based on food, ambiance, and location, service, prices, convenience, and then their overall picks. I'm Ujjaini. I'm Ebun. I'm Matthew. And after gathering some of the top picks for student and staff favorites, we went out on campus to get some more insight into these selections.

Ebun:

So before we get into the results, here are the restaurants in downtown Oberlin that we included on our survey. Lupita's Mexican Restaurant, The Feve, Aladdin's, Thi Ni Thai, Maine Street Grille, Lorenzo's, Kim's, Taco Flavored Kisses, Bingo’s, Mandarin Chinese Restaurant, Bistro Bella Luna, Ying's Asian Cuisine, and Woodfired Wonders.

We weren't able to get opinions about every restaurant because some are new and small, and haven't yet gained large traction with Oberlin students. Keep in mind that these are opinions held by individual students and staff and not us. We encourage our listeners who live in Oberlin to go out and try as many of these restaurants that you can.

The restaurants that do seem to be most popular amongst Oberlin students and staff are Lupita's, The Feve, Aladdin's, Thi Ni Thai, Lorenzo's, and Kim's. So those are the restaurants we will be focusing on.

Ujjaini:

Lupita’s is a Mexican style restaurant serving authentic food and classic margaritas with a casual atmosphere.

The Feve is a classic American style restaurant serving burgers and brunch and features a bar on the second floor.

Aladdin's is a Lebanese American restaurant serving traditional and vegetarian dishes along with a selection of beer and wine.

Thi Ni Thai features authentic dishes from Northern Thailand, all cooked by a classically trained Thai chef.

Lorenzo's is an Italian American restaurant serving pizzas and sandwiches, including gluten free options.

Kim's features both a Korean grocery store and a small restaurant serving takeout only.

Ebun:

Here are the top three restaurants for best food. Number one, Thi Ni Thai. Number two, Kim's. Number three, The Feve, Let's see what people have to say about that.

Which restaurant do you think has the best food?

Maybe Lupita's?

So for best food on top three at Thi Ni Thai, Kim's and The Feve. What do you think about that?

I'm surprised. I think the ones that I usually go to the most are Lupita's and The Feve, and Kim's as well. I would expect The Feve to be there, but I would not expect the other ones to be there

So, based on a survey we did before this with like 132 people who responded, the category for best food, like, the top three restaurants were Thi Ni Thai, Kim's, and The Feve. Would you say you agree with that? Do you have different opinions?

I mean, the only one of those I've been to is The Feve, which was like months ago. Like, it's pretty good. I'd say that's a good top three.

Okay, so based on a survey we did with about like 135 people who responded, we had a category for best food and the restaurants in the top three were Thi Ni Thai, Kim's, and the Feve. How do you feel about that? Would you say you agree?

Yeah

Awesome, thank you

Ebun:

Here are the top three restaurants for best ambiance. Number one, Teeny Thai. Number two, The Feb. And number three, Lupita's Mexican Restaurant. Let's see what people have to say about that.

In terms of the best ambiance, we had: also Thi Ni Thai, The Feve, and Lupita's. What do you think about that?

I think I'd say The Feve for best ambiance, probably.

Perfect. Thank you so much.

Well, I guess I like Kim's because of the ambiance. So, yeah, I would say that.

Would you say Aladdin's has good ambiance and service?

I think so, yes.

Okay, so based on a survey we did, the top three restaurants for best ambiance were Thi Ni Thai, The Feve, and Lupita's. How do you feel about that? Do you think you agree?

I think I agree for different people's opinions. I think The Feve is like a little bit too noisy for me, but I think it does still have good ambiance.

Thank you so much.

Ebun:

Here are the top three restaurants for best service. Number one, Aladdin's. Number two, The Feve. Number three, Thi Ni Thai. Let's see what people had to say about it.

Which restaurant would you say has like the best service that you've been to?

The Feve has a pretty good service. I mean, the Feve and Lupita's both have good service.

Do you have any restaurants you prefer for their service?

Other than the Feve, maybe Lorenzo's. Lorenzo's has great service, and it's not nearly as crowded, or Thi Ni Thai as well. But, they're close. They're close.

So we did a survey with like 132 people for best service, they put Aladdin's first.

Oh, Aladdin's, yeah. Aladdin's also has great service. I've been to Aladdin's maybe three times, so I haven't been as much as the Feve. The Feve is more of the spot with my friends. But the time I went to Aladdin's, it was very quick, and the food is great

And service?

Mmm, that's a good question. I've had sad service at a few restaurants here. I guess Lorenzo's, they're very fast.

What do you think about the service and prices for Lupita's?

I think it's very good. I think the service is good and I think the prices are very good. I can usually get, like, a pretty good meal for just, like, under ten.

Ujjaini:

Our top three restaurants for best prices were, number one: Kim's. Number two, Aladdin's. And number three, Lupita's Mexican Restaurant. Let's see what Oberlin students have to say about that.

Which restaurant would you say has the best prices?

I would say Kim's. It's pretty cheap and it's good food.

Kim's was number one for best prices as well.

You listed the Feve, which is second, and then the Thi Ni Thai, which is third.

Yeah.

What do you think about the Feve’s price?

I think sometimes maybe for the large fries and everything they can get they can get a bit expensive. I think it's six dollars or like something like that. Sometimes it gets a bit steep but it's not the worst I've seen, so it's some somewhat reasonable but on the higher end.

We got Kim’s for first for prices, have you ever been there?

No, I haven't.

It’s like an Asian restaurant, takeout. And then Aladdin’s and Lupita’s.

Oh yeah, Lupita’s. Yeah Lupita's has better prices.

Ujjaini:

The top three most convenient restaurants were Kim's, Aladdin's, and The Feve. Let's see what Oberlin students have to say about that.

What do you think about the convenience of the Feve?

The convenience? I think it's very convenient. I mean, I am in the con, so walking, I just walk back from Cole and then just go to the Feve, it's right there.

I mean everything is right there. Lorenzo's, and Lupita and Thi Ni Thai, and then also the Feve, but like, they're all very conveniently placed. But the Feve is just a little bit more accessible and sometimes I just want, like, burgers or something.

Alright, and which would you say is the most convenient for you?

Um, I would say Kim's as well. I just go there and grab the food and go back. So, pretty convenient.

Would you say that Kim's is convenient?

Yeah.

Ujjaini:

Our last category is favorite overall restaurant. So at number one we have Thi Ni Thai. At number two we have The Feve. And at number three we have Kim's. Let's see what Oberlin students have to say about this.

What is your favorite overall restaurant at Oberlin?

I’d have to say it's probably the Feve. I like going there with my friends, uh, for Long Island Wednesdays. And then just going there after jam sessions and things, it's probably my favorite.

What specifically about the Feve do you like?

I don't know, just the ambience. Sometimes ordering wings with friends and the fries are good too. But just like hanging around on the top part of the Feve at nights, it's just the best.

Okay, so what would you say is your favorite restaurant in Oberlin?

I like the Feve. The Feve is pretty cool. I like their burgers. I think it's a reasonable price.

What would you say your favorite restaurant is in downtown Oberlin?

Definitely Lupita's. I feel like the dining halls don't have a lot of Mexican food. Like, Stevie, like, rarely has it and often doesn't have, like, exactly the kind of stuff I like. Um, so I go to Lupita's every, like, month or so whenever I'm a little bit sick of dining hall food.

Okay, so what would you say your favorite restaurant is downtown?

Um, hmm. Oh, I'd say Kim's. I like that it's like, quieter.

What would you say your favorite restaurant is downtown?

I think for me it's Aladdin's.

What do you like best about Aladdin's?

I really like the food because I can't get my cultural food here, but it's like the closest alternative.

Ebun:

After looking at all of our data and hearing what other Oberlin students have to say about our local restaurants, I think that we can confidently say that the number one restaurant in Oberlin that you can always count on is…

(Drumroll)

The Feve.

The Feve features a rustic style with brick walls and a cozy atmosphere.

The restaurant offers midweek discounts on drinks every Tuesday and Wednesday, which has become a popular attraction for Oberlin students throughout the week.

Oberlin is a town full of diverse and wonderful food, but if you are ever feeling conflicted about where to eat, now you know where to go.

And remember to support all local businesses!