Vibrant Verde: quick and easy snack spot

With a new school year comes work and fatigue. After school, tired and hungry students are seeking places of respite to eat and relax. After all, what better way is there to de-stress than to gorge themselves and hang out with friends?

Verde Tea Cafe in Cupertino on Stevens Creek Boulevard in the Merlion Plaza is perfect for relaxing and forgetting the day’s issues. With their well-known milk tea and other various drinks and food items, Verde successfully caters to almost all teenagers.

It has Taiwanese snacks such as crispy chicken cutlets, salty fried squid, fried yam and sweet potatoes. The cafe also sells full meal entrees, such as fish with black bean sauce and the popular pork cutlet rice plate.

The cafe is open until 11 p.m. most days, which makes it a great option for late night snacks as well.

Once you walk in, you immediately feel the airy and comfortable atmosphere. The portions are decent sized, almost everything is under $10 and the food is served within 10 minutes of ordering. For a student in a time crunch and low budget, this is a fantastic place to go.

For an entree, you can choose between black or green tea, or upgrade to more of a specialty drink for an additional $1. To sit inside the store, however, each person in your party has to order at least $5 worth of food or drink.

The only downside to this quick, easy and comfortable restaurant is that it has crowds. Because Verde is situated in a small plaza, the parking lot can get packed, and only one bathroom is available. The small size of Verde and the crowds prove to be a hassle, but the great food and quality customer service make the trip worth it.