Most college kids sleep late. It’s a well-known fact. So, going out for breakfast on weekends, in particular, may not be an option. Brunch, however, is generally a good option on weekends and there are quite a few choices not far from FAU’s campus. However, if you can get your student out of bed early and breakfast is what you want; check out our blog Wakey, Wakey Eggs & Bakey.  Some things to consider beforehand are price and time. It is not unusual for there to be a considerable wait, even with a reservation, on a game weekend or graduation, at some of the more popular selections.

Brunch…

50 Ocean: S. Ocean Blvd (Delray Beach) Located directly across the street from the beach, this second-floor restaurant offers breathtaking views of the Atlantic. 50 Ocean offers up brunch, lunch, and dinner. They are known for their Bloody Mary bar that includes over 30 ingredients to make something unique.

Deck 84: Atlantic Ave (Delray Beach) Situated along the Intracoastal Water, this casual dining spot features fresh seafood and several American style options. Come by car or by boat, you’ll be greeted with food and drinks with a tropical twist. Reserve an outdoor dining table for a warm, Florida breeze and waterfront views. Make sure you sample the Crab Cake Benedict followed by the pastry of the day.

Dubliner: For a real Irish breakfast, try their Sunday Brunch served from 11 am – 3 pm. Chicken & Waffles, Corned Beef Hash, Irish Breakfast, Brisket Grilled Cheese and of course Irish Coffee, Bottomless Mimosas and Build your own Tito’s bloody mary.

Gary Rack’s Farm House Kitchen: Delray Beach. Gary Rack’s Serves Brunch, Lunch, and Dinner. They offer “clean eating” options. Their ingredients are seasonal, local and sustainably farmed and each menu item is designed to allow those ingredients to shine.

Max’s Grille: Mizner Park. Max’s Grille has been a staple in Mizner Park for the past 20 years. American style food with a twist and amazing hand-crafted cocktails. If you are looking to satisfy a sweet tooth, look no farther than the Crème Brulee French Toast.

Park Tavern: Great Sunday brunch spot. Also, open for dinner. But it gets pretty crowded, pretty quickly. Reservations are recommended. The Menu features some unique offers along with old favorites. Great food and cocktails.

Rebel House: Palmetto Park Road. Quirky restaurant with some familiar favorites (popcorn as the appetizer!) American Fare with some unexpected and unique twists on old favorites. Reservations are a must for their Sunday Brunch. They are well known among students for their Eggs Benedict and southern style French toast.

Tanzy: 301 Plaza Real, Boca Raton; 561/922-6699 at Mizner Park. Try their eggs, chicken & waffles,  french toast, gravlax plus salads, sandwiches and more. Imbibe in their San Marzano Mary, bottomless Mimosas or Italian Ice Mimosa

The Office: They are located 201 E Atlantic Ave, Delray Beach, FL 33444. A modern, retro gastropub located on the Avenue. Brunch available Saturday and Sunday, 10 am – 3 pm. Try their bottomless bellinis, margaritas, mimosas and Bloody Marys. Pair it with their brunch favorites including eggs, fried chicken & waffles, french toast, omelets and more.

Tom Sawyers – 1759 NW Boca Raton Blvd, Boca Raton. Located near campus, students like their country breakfasts & comfort food.

Tucker Dukes: Located at 1658 N Federal Hwy, Boca Raton, FL 33432. Enjoy a Southern breakfast with everything from eggs, waffles and french toast to shrimp and grits, pancakes and their famous burgers. Add their bottomless bloody mary, mimosa, poinsettia, and bellini for the perfect brunch.

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Best Breakfast Restaurants

Like any city, there are literally hundreds of dining options from fast food to fast-casual, from family-style to fine dining. Hungry for breakfast, you will find your bagels, omelets, pancakes; a restaurant for every palate and every price point. Depending on whether you are touring with a prospective student or visiting your student in Boca, who will undoubtedly be clamoring for a good meal, the options are plentiful. Some things to consider beforehand are price and time.

Another Broken Egg: Via De Palmas. Multiple locations across South Florida, this casual breakfast and lunch spot is a favorite among students.

Brooklyn Water Bagel: New York Style bagels. Hot and ready to be served. If you are a big fan of bagels this is the place to go. They also have iced coffee which you can make yourself and add coffee ice cubes so it never gets watery.

Cote French Café: Plaza Real. French Cafe and Bakery featuring a variety of breakfast sandwiches and French pastries. Great for Brunch, their quiche is a local favorite.

Denny’s: This inexpensive, iconic diner has been around well, I grew up eating here. Open 24/7 every day of the year. Inexpensive spot for every type of eggs, pancakes, bacon, and comfort foods. College students love it for their under $10 breakfasts.

First Watch:  21170 St. Andrews Blvd. Another great breakfast place. Many different options, offers Wi-Fi internet access as well. Pancakes, coffee, and anything else you could possibly want.

Flashback Diner: 1450 N Federal Highway. Open 24 hours. Breakfast is served anytime but they have plenty of other options as well. Cozy diner atmosphere with nostalgia at every turn.

Green Owl Restaurant: SE 4th street (Delray Beach).  Quaint Breakfast and Lunch restaurant with indoor and outdoor seating located off of Atlantic Ave in Delray Beach. Home-style cooking. Cash only.

Keke’s Breakfast Cafe: 1385 West Palmetto Park Rd Boca Raton, FL. Breakfast menu items are handmade, using the best ingredients available, with fresh fruits and vegetables delivered daily,  fresh bread and dairy products. Waffles, Eggs, Pancakes, French toast, omelets and more.

Raw Juice: Glades Road. For the Health Conscious, Raw Juice Features a variety of Acai bowls, smoothies. Raw Juice’s main feature is its organic cold-pressed juice bar.

Sanborn Café: NE 1st Ave. Quaint breakfast and Lunch Spot located near Mizner Park; a great place to sit outside with a cup of coffee and a pastry (or 2)

The Griddle: Spanish River Blvd. Take a step back in time inside this diner, opened in 1945, The Griddle serves up breakfast and lunch. As you sit in a booth or at their counter, take a look around to see photos from Boca’s past.

Tom Sawyer Restaurant & Pastry: Boca Raton Blvd. Quaint country-style restaurant serving up homemade comfort food for breakfast and lunch. Don’t miss out on their breakfast skillets.

Yolk: Their menu is filled with new and creative breakfasts, specialty juices and their own private label premium coffee.  They offer generous portions that run the range from signature specialty dishes such as pot roast benedict, breakfast mac & cheese, red velvet French toast, to our signature pancakes, crepes, French toast, waffles, omelets, and frittatas. Located at 5570 N Military Trail

If brunch is more your style, check out our recommendations here.

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Eating healthy can be a difficult task on a college campus. Meal plans, rushing to and from classes and activities, budgets, the amount of burger, pizza and fast-food restaurants surrounding FAU, and, of course, late-night food runs definitely compromise our student’s plan to not gain the Freshman 15 and stay in shape.

Recently, college students everywhere have demanded healthier and higher quality food options. While it may be easy to grab that slice of pizza in the Café, FAU offers a wider variety of healthy options for eating in the dining halls. FAU is located in Boca Raton, a city that is ideal for the health-conscious. There are many healthy dining options surrounding FAU that have quickly become student favorites.

• Beehive Kitchen: Located at Fifth Avenue Shops 1914 NE 5th Ave, Boca Raton about 10 minutes from FAU, they are known for their build your own bowls.
• Fit Foodz Café:  Located on Clint Moore Road, Fitz Foods takes a healthier spin on many classic dishes. Fit Foodz also has a smoothie and juice bar as well as a bakery.
• Fresh Kitchen: Located on Military Trail, Fresh Kitchen is a casual, counter-service restaurant offering healthy, fast food. Fresh Kitchen strives to use local produce and proteins, therefore, their menu changes based on availability…
• J&J Fresh Kitchen: Located on St. Andrews Blvd. Offers a variety of Juices, protein shakes, soups, salads, and wraps. J & J Fresh kitchen only uses locally sourced produce, therefore the menu can change based on what local produce is available that day.
• Muscle Maker Grill: Located on S Federal Highway, Pride themselves on making healthier versions of everyday meals. They have large and small meals, smoothies, bowls, soups, pasta, and meal plans too.
• Nature’s Way Café: located on FAU Boulevard (near the back entrance to FAU) Fresh, healthy breakfast and lunch fare. Nature’s way offers a variety of healthy sandwiches, wraps, and soups.
• Playa Bowls – Located near FAU on E. Palmetto Park Road. Great place for smoothies, Acai bowls, juices, poke bowls, and more.
• Raw Juce: Located on Glades Road. Raw Juice uses local and organic fruits to create their cold-pressed juices and Acai Bowls.
• Souvlaki Fresh: located on NE 2nd St, a Casual Greek restaurant, Souvlaki Fresh prides itself on using Mediterranean style cooking while using the freshest and highest quality ingredients.

A few great tips that helped my student make healthier choices while on campus:

Wake up thirty minutes earlier and have breakfast. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and a healthy start will make the rest of the day smoother. A healthy, filling breakfast will help to curb the cravings for that bag of cookies in a vending machine. Make a quick shake in the morning, or keep oatmeal packets, or get to the dining hall early enough to eat. A veggie omelet makes a great start to your day. Eating right gives you an advantage in studying!

Plan ahead. Think about your schedule of classes and everything else. Even study time, when snacking can be practically essential, takes planning. It will just make it easier and studying will go better if you have smart snacks rather than things that will make you full and tired. My student, when she was getting ready to start studying for finals, would make up little snack bags. She would put sliced apples, grapes, nuts, or carrots in these snack packs and just take them along wherever she was going to study. For those of you that have kitchens in their dorms or live in an apartment, meal prepping is your friend. Invest in some plastic storage containers. You can cook rice, quinoa, or even whole-wheat pasta in bulk. Then you already have a healthy base to top with some chicken or add to almost any meal. You can even add the quinoa to a salad.

And, of course, you will want to combine exercise with that healthy eating regimen. Check out our suggestions in our blog Staying Fit. Pass on these great tips, tell your friends and like us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest. Find out more about how to use HaveUHeard as a great resource. Sign up for other great tips at haveuheard.com.

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I have to admit, one of the most challenging experiences I had when my youngest daughter went off to school was telling her to be more budget careful as I watched her come close to spending all of her weekly allowances. I wanted her to be able to go off and have sushi or late-night pizza with all her new friends, but I also knew she would thank me later for teaching her how to budget. After a few weeks, she got the hang of it and I can confidently say she survived off ramen and peanut butter only a handful of times.

The good news is that there are plenty of places around FAU’s campus that make sticking to a budget possible. There are also a few good tricks. For instance, if your students have a meal plan, encourage them to bring back a few snacks from the dining hall for later.

Encourage your student to check out promotions and student discounts at some of their favorite restaurants. Many of the local restaurants around Boca Raton offer buy one get one promotion or a few dollars off if your student simply checks in on Facebook. Several restaurants also offer student discounts; they simply just have to present their student ID. These discounts can range from 10% off to even a free drink or appetizer. Also, have your student download some of the restaurant and dining apps to take advantage of additional savings. Read about those apps here.

Some of the student’s favorite restaurants to visit on a budget:

Beehive Kitchen: Located at Fifth Avenue Shops 1914 NE 5th Ave, Boca Raton about 10 minutes from FAU, they are known for their build your own bowls.

Blaze Pizza: Located on Federal Highway. Create your own artisanal pizza or choose from one of their own signature pizzas. Gluten-free dough is available.

C.R. Chicks: Located on NW 19th Street. C.R. Chicks serves up home-style favorites.

Charm City Burger Company: Located on Hillsborough Blvd. Charm City serves up a variety of burgers, fries, and sweet treats. There are also vegetarian options, salads, sandwiches, and other specialties.

Chick-Fil-A: The Chick-Fil-A on campus is known to be less expensive than the regular Chick-Fil-A (located at Town Center at Boca Raton mall).

Chipotle: There are 2 locations near FAU, Glades Road, and Federal Highway. Choose from burritos, bowls, tacos and salads with your choice of meat or sofritas for vegans or if you just want a meat alternative, rice, beans, salsa, guac and more

Corner Bakery Café: NW 19th Street. Casual spot serving up breakfast and lunch with a wide range of sandwiches, salads, soups and bakery choices.

Firehouse Subs – Located at Fifth Avenue Shops 1920 NE 5th Ave, Boca Raton. Specializes in hot subs made with premium meats and cheeses, steamed to perfection, then piled high on a toasted private recipe roll. Founded by Firemen. Proceeds from every meal help your local firefighters. Catering available.

Fran’s Chicken Haven: Located on Federal Highway. A local and student favorite, Fran’s Chicken Haven has been open for over 50 years. The hole-in-the-wall restaurant may not be easy to spot but it is worth the trip.  Fran’s serves up a variety of fried chicken, chicken and waffles, homestyle sides, and their well-loved fried Oreos. Gives a student discount when students show their Owl Card.

Fresh Kitchen: Located on North Military Trail. Fresh Kitchen is a counter service restaurant serving up salads, protein bowls, and juices. The Bowls are completely customizable with several different proteins, grain, and seasonal vegetable options.

Jimmy John’s – What student doesn’t love a good sub sandwich. They should check for coupons to save even more.

Kiki’s Asian Bistro: Located on Federal Highway. Counter Service restaurant serving up Chinese food and sushi.

Las Fajitas: Located on Dixie Highway. Mexican Restaurant serving up tacos, burritos and more.

Munchiez: 158 NW 20th St, another sub place but has a fun and cool vibe, awesome curly fries that they actually include in some of their subs, it’s almost like a fast food sub place, unhealthy but very good and popular among FAU students.

Oishii Japanese & Hibachi: 141 NW 20th St Boca Raton, the great thing about this place is its right near campus and it is super cheap and good, $9.50 for a steak hibachi meal that comes with a soup and a salad. (also comes with the standard hibachi rice and vegetables)

Panera: 1600 N Federal Highway, five minutes from campus, not expensive, and Panera has many healthy options for a place that is quick and inexpensive.

Publix Pubsubs – Several locations near FAU. Publix pub subs are amazing and they often run specials on specific ones. Make sure to order ahead so all you have to do is run in and grab your sub and go.

Shake Shack: Located on Glades Road in the University Commons. Shakes, Burgers, and Fries, need I say more?

Subway: Located on campus, students can grab a made-to-order sub on the go.

Swifty’s Market: 2001 NW Boca Raton Blvd, it looks like a gas station without the gas from the outside but inside is a submarket where they make awesome hot and cold subs, their Philly cheesesteak is known as the best in Boca, it’s also fairly cheap.

Wendy’s: Located on campus and also considered to be very inexpensive. They have added some healthier menu items.

Yokohama Sushi: Located on Federal Highway. A favorite at any time of the day, however, their best prices are during their late-night happy hour.

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I had been accustomed to booking for Parent’s Weekend the second it was announced, based on my older children who went to other colleges. I was pleasantly surprised to learn that availability is not as big an issue at the hotels near FAU.

Parent’s Weekend is scheduled for Fall 2020. The earlier you book your hotel, the better your choices will be. Some hotels close to campus offer discounts if you mention you are coming for FAU parent weekend. Most of the local hotels are pretty flexible on cancellations (48 hours being the norm), but be sure to check all this out when booking. Our blog on hotels may help.

Parent’s weekend is a wonderful weekend to see your students in their new home. They will want to show you all their new favorite places around campus and town and introduce you to their new friends. FAU has many planned events for the weekend that you can sign up for. The highlight of the weekend is the football game. This year the Owls are going against Old Dominion, tickets; we suggest buying them early. If you want to sit with your student, then purchase them a ticket as it is very uncommon for any parent to be in the student section of the football stadium and their student ticket (which is free), will not allow them to sit outside the student section.

If your student is in a sorority or fraternity, there will undoubtedly be activities planned with their respective houses. Both Sororities and Fraternities usually have a tailgate planned before the game. Sororities typically also plan an activity or two to enjoy with your daughter and other families. In the past, my daughter’s sorority held a breakfast, ice cream social, or trips to local activities around town.

Where to eat on Weekends

Don’t shoot the messenger, but restaurants are crazily crowded all weekend long. I have heard that the further from campus one goes, the better luck they have had in this regard. Of course, that also means daring to get into your car and navigate through the traffic and find parking again later. Try to eat at off times. We have even picked up subs and brought them back to our hotel. Check out our blog on restaurants.

Don’t forget to get your Owl gear for the football game. From sweatpants to sweatshirts, from hats to shorts to tees, we have some great recommendations for students and parents. If you are looking for some other fun things to do, check out our recommendations.

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