Motivated, pumped and ready more than ever before, I am extremely excited to announce my return to the blogging world for The Universities at Shady Grove’s Around the Grove blog. My last blog on this site was back in May and can be seen here. Since then, I have been up to so much, and I cannot wait to share it all with you! With school starting back this month, getting to grips with studies and finding out how to fit in on our campus which has students from nine different Maryland institutions has been an adventure here around the grove.

The Universities at Shady Grove campus is simply a jewel and kind of my idea of heaven on earth. With its convenient location to the Traville Village Center (located behind USG: has an eclectic mix of boutique stores and unique restaurants as well as the convenience of a grocery store!) and easy to navigate walking and biking routes, there’s very little not to love about life around the grove.

Aerial view of around the grove.

You are going to want to try all the spots around the grove, but at the same time, you will also have to balance your bougie taste with your even less bougie wallet! Regardless of your financial situation, as college students, you gotta eat! So for my first blog of the semester I’ve created this guide for any USG rookie who doesn’t know where to eat! This helpful guide to cheap eats around the USG campus is for all the new students or for frequent visitors looking for some new places to try. If I forgot one of your favorites, I’d love to hear from you in the comments! May you never go hungry again.

• Lunch for under $10 between classes:

Oriental Café

Menu option at Oriental Cafe

It’s no secret that Oriental Café has one of the best lunch specials! Served daily between 11:00 am to 3:00 pm, offering over 15 different choices! Conveniently located one block from the Priddy Library, this spot is the place to grab a quick lunch between classes.

Location: 9745 Traville Gateway Dr, Rockville, MD 20850

• Productive study time

Black Lion Café

Inside Black Lion Cafe

We all know it’s more productive to study in coffee shops than in libraries! I actually love this gem of a spot. It’s a nice quiet place to work and super convenient. Enjoy a cup of coffee straight from the origin. Quality beans, friendly faces, and good prices! They also have vegan pastries!

Location: 9705 Traville Gateway Dr, Rockville, MD 20850

• Craving a slice:

Potomac Pizza

Pizza choice

Serving the community since 1978, Potomac pizza is an old-school pizzeria with classic and modern selections. They serve good pizza at affordable prices, along with subs, salads, and soups!

Location: 9709 Traville Gateway Dr, Rockville, MD 20850

• Trying to watch the game:

Quench

Quench- great place for a hang.

As a professional foodie, I think Quench is amazing! It’s pretty much on campus and excels at being a great place to grab food and hang out. There are TVs at the bar so you can always catch the game. They have a pretty solid happy hour menu, and the staff, some of whom are also students at USG are simply the best!

Location: 9712 Traville Gateway Dr, Rockville, MD 20850

As a student on the USG campus, I couldn’t be happier that I can walk from the campus at any time and grab great food at affordable prices! I am so thankful to these local businesses for serving our college community with hot, fresh and affordable food options at various times throughout the day. We are a generation that is more flexible in our eating routines, we eat later, we eat breakfast at all hours except breakfast,  are somewhat impulsive on food choices and are very conscious of price and value. So be sure to check out these places, and it will come as no surprise to you that eating at any of them, will fit into your lifestyle.