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A corner café whose allegiance to downtown university students is proclaimed in its name, the Campus Eatery is a penny-wise haven for undergrads with healthy appetites and shallow pockets. Easy-to-grab bananas, candy bars, trail mixes, and even cappuccinos (made from an old-fashioned copper espresso machine) are clearly geared to the late-riser out to refuel or re-caffeinate before hurrying off to the next upper-level class. (The uncomfortable metal-backed chairs, blue neon lighting, and loud eighties music certainly aren’t inviting anyone to stay.) Laminated cards labeling meat lasagna, pepper steak, and chicken fried rice reemphasize that this is cafeteria-style fare. Who cares that it’s not in a college dining hall? No one’s going to accuse this place of false advertising when its clientele is so dominated by twentysomethings from NYU, the New School, and Pratt. — Suzanne Mozes

Cappuccino, $2.50; blondie, $2.25