When wandering around Benilde, food shouldn’t always be about the fancy restaurants and “pampabusog lang” fast food we spot along Taft. Jumping from one campus to another is hard, and if there’s one thing you shouldn’t do, it’s to skip a meal. If you’re looking for a quick merienda but don’t have enough time to order take-out, the street food you can find in between the three (3) campuses might subdue the pangs. Here are the top 5 street food you must try around the CSB campuses.

Piaya

Served while it’s hot, the stuffed piaya no doubt captures the student’s taste buds, especially those who want an instant snack. With flavors like chocolate, ube, and their best seller caramel to choose from, Benildeans and other students continue to hunt for it ever since this stuffed unleavened flatbread first showed up near the back gate of the Taft campus.

Japanese cake

Oreos, kitkat, cheese, Cadbury, and mallows are only few of the variety of stuffings you can choose from for this fluffy confection. Cooked as you order it, Japanese cakes are similar to the pancakes we usually eat for breakfast, but stuffed with your favorite snack in a size of a cupcake. Usually located at the corner of Leon Guinto and Pablo Ocampo, japcake has became the most recent crowd favorite and is sure to delight anyone’s growling stomach.

Calamares

Just by thinking of this deep fried, sliced squid covered in batter, this street food never fails to entice anyone who’s hungry and craving. Though acclaimed to be the most notoriously unhealthy among all the street food we can spot around CSB, this doesn’t stop students from buying this delicacy. After all, trying it once won’t hurt—that is if you can stop yourself from trying it again.

Mini doughnuts

Having their own place set up along the alley near the Taft campus’ back gate, mini doughnuts can be seen anywhere being tried by students from different colleges. These bite sized pastries are cooked as you order and you can choose from a variety of flavors such as cookies and cream, strawberry, chocolate, cheese, and many more. How do mini doughnuts taste like? Well, like doughnuts. But cuter.

Kwek-kwek

Just a stone’s throw away from all three campuses, kwek-kwek is probably the easiest streetfood to spot together with others like betamax and fried isaw. Just look for any huge umbrella crowded with people and this street foodie’s favorite is sure to be there. The list can never be complete without this classic.

Some people may wince at the thought of eating street food because of it’s dubious reputation, but that shouldn’t stop you from trying these local delicacies. If you’re only in the mood for a quick snack, hold on to your large bills. And for as cheap as 10 pesos, you’ll have a snack that will keep your hunger at bay and your taste buds satisfied.