Strategically placed snack and soda dispensers on campus quickly quell small hungers, and the food truck outside the Visual Arts building bustles every noon.

On Cloud Circle, the Lunch Box is the premier pit stop for coffee, snacks and quick hot meals, and the City Café in the Student Union and the nearby City Room cafeteria amiably provide tables for those with more time.

Such a wealth of choices makes it difficult to imagine needing anything more — yet the question lingers: Why not eat off campus?

In fact, a short walk is all that separates students, faculty and staff from great food.

Ingleside's main artery, Ocean Avenue, has a strong assortment of restaurants, cafes and fast food joints, and most offer student discounts and specials.

Across from the MUNI stop sits the Ocean Café Restaurant. The Chinese entrees here are inexpensive, with few costing more than $8, and it also serves Vietnamese soups and Americanized pastas. Their menu reveals a tactic common to this neighborhood's eateries: expand the menu to expand the customer base.

Next door, Quickly bears wounds from a battle with graffiti, but its trademark bright orange banner still welcomes customers. Along with several sister stores in San Francisco, it serves Asian beverages, food and desserts. Quickly is also a source of the highly popular tapioca milk tea. On the corner, its back turned to its much younger neighbor, sits the old timer, an intense red and yellow remnant of the past — Beep's Burgers. Customers order at the window, and a single picnic bench tucked away and a few stools by the stainless-steel counter encourage eating there. "The Philly cheese steak is great, but usually I get burgers," said Chris, an employee from Wheel Works across the street. "It's better than McDonalds — it's fresh."

Beep's, one of the last drive-ins, survived by expanding its menu to include rice and noodle bowls, complementing their standard cheeseburgers, fried chicken and fries.

California Dogs, in eye-catching green, crouches across Lee Avenue beneath a flapping Giants flag. A newspaper clipping announces it was recently rated "best dog stand" in San Francisco. Inside, Marvin Gay plays in the background and the odor of sizzling hotlinks permeates from the grill in back. A customer walks in and Mike, the owner, predicts his order: "Bratwurst, right?"

Besides garlic fries and 12 different kinds of gourmet dogs, California Dogs entices customers with Tully's coffee and Wi-Fi access.

Past the expansive Kragen Auto Parts' parking lot, on the corner of Plymouth Avenue, stands Vikings Giant Submarines.

"I've been here many, many times," customer Ryan Scott said, looking at his companion, Norma. They laughed. "The food is delicious."

A few steps down the street, Yumi-J, a hole-in-the-wall that opened in late July, screams its discounts at students in red and blue on a white board. Specialties include crepes, ice cream, sandwiches and smoothies.

Taqueria El Jalapeno, just a few more steps away, opened over a year ago. Inside, green jalapenos dressed as caballeros dance on one wall, and the Virgin Mary watches over diners on another. A 10 percent discount is offered to students who show a school ID.

On the other side of Interstate 280, a pink, graffiti-tinged corner store stands on the corner of San Juan and San Jose Avenues, overlooking Balboa Park.

Inside, the walls are adorned with faded pictures of children, sports teams, and portraits of famous athletes. Roxie is the football team's biggest sponsor and is frequented by City College athletes. The scent of hot sandwiches — melted provolone cheese and toasted French rolls – fills the air. Five clerks tirelessly build sandwiches to customer's specifications.

A rumor circulating through City College's athletic department suggests that Roxie's Dutch crunch rolls are heavenly because they are baked and blessed by a priest.

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