Wildcats, it’s that time of the year again. Fall festivities are kicking off.  Between football games, homecoming, and Halloween parties, students recommend the best foods to celebrate these autumn occasions. 

Starbucks 

Starbucks released their fall flavored drinks and pastries on Aug. 24, including a brand new drink. 

The seasonal drinks are the hot or iced Apple Crisp Macchiato (NEW), Pumpkin Spice Latte, and the Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew. The seasonal pastries are the Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffin, Pumpkin Scone, Fox Cake Pop, and the Pumpkin Bread. 

Senior Starbucks employee, Julia de Nijs, said, “I love the apple macchiato. It tastes like the green suckers covered in caramel. I think it’s amazing and all of the customers that have had it, love it. I prefer it cold, but I just like iced coffee better.” 

De Nijs said the pumpkin scone is “insanely good” and highly recommends trying the pumpkin cream cheese muffin. She also said the pumpkin cream cold brew is the most sold drink and the fox cake pop is the most sold pastry at her store, located on N State St. 

 De Nijs claims that it’s never too early for autumn menu favorites. “I’m ready for fall flavors by the end of July. Pumpkin is such a good combination with coffee and even better with baked goods,” she said. 

Baristas and customers around the nation created fall drinks for the secret menu website. One cold option is the “Apple Pie Drink,” but they advise that you don’t order it as such because it is not an established beverage. 

Instead, begin by ordering a grande apple juice, ask for two pumps of cinnamon dolce syrup, then ask for vanilla sweet cream cold foam with two pumps of cinnamon dolce in the foam as well.  Then, to top it off, ask for extra caramel drizzle as well as cinnamon dolce powder on the drink. 

A hot option to comfort you during sweater weather is called the “Pumpkin Spice Hot Chocolate.” Start by ordering a grande hot chocolate with only three pumps of mocha, add two pumps of pumpkin spice sauce and pumpkin spice topping. 

New Dining in Easton Expansion

If you are desperate for a place to take your date or friends out to eat this weekend- Slurping Turtle is the place to dine. 

This newly built restaurant located in Easton Town center introduces a culinary twist on traditional Japanese ramen and sushi dishes by blending the culture and palate of Japan with the spirited personalities of the chefs in the kitchen. 

It originally opened the concept in Chicago in 2011 and expanded to Ann Arbor in 2014. The turtle symbolizes longevity and good luck in Japanese culture. The Slurping Turtle is a sign of the harmonious relationship they strive to have with their food and guests. 

While enjoying ramen, you are encouraged to slurp your noodles as a polite gesture of enjoyment. 

An anonymous Westerville South student said, “I ordered the Hamachi tacos and gyoza, which is like dumplings, as appetizers. Both were very fresh and tasted good! I rate them 10/10.” Furthermore, “I ordered the Hakata Tonkotsu Ramen for lunch, which had savory pork belly and various vegetables. I rate it 10/10! The portion was huge, I took about half of it home with me.”

This individual stated that the restaurant had a very modern atmosphere, great vibes and music, and colorful decor. The prices seemed to be “reasonable” and “considerate” for the ramen. 

Crumbl Cookies 

A new Crumbl Cookies opened in New Albany, in the Hamilton Quarter development on East  Dublin Granville Road, on Sept. 10. 

The popular franchise began in 2017 in Logan, Utah. It soon became the fastest growing dessert shop in America, with approximately 77 locations in 11 states. The founders are Jason Mcgowen and Sawyer Hemsley. 

The Crumbl website states that the founders went through many trials and errors in order to come up with the perfect recipe. They did A/B testing, changing only one ingredient at a time and surveying people at random gas stations and local grocery stores. 

At first, Crumbl only served fresh milk chocolate chip cookies for takeout and delivery. Then, other services slowly began being offered such as curbside pickup, catering, nationwide shipping, and more.

There are now 120+ special cookies, and every Monday the chain store switches out its weekly menu that consists of four specials that change every week, plus chocolate chip and sugar. 

The other Ohio locations are in Dublin, Delaware, Mentor, and Oakley. 

Westerville South sophomore Tyler Heilbrunn said, “When we went it was pretty busy but the line went fast.  We weren’t there for long. And I think the cookies are good, but not as good as everyone makes them up to be.” 

Next time you are looking to try something new in the area, maybe you can check out one of these places recommended by fellow students.