Tired of dining hall food or just looking for someplace new to grab a bite? Believe it or not, there are some great cafes to eat at in the Binghamton area. Where, you ask? Many of them are Downtown, which by car is roughly a 10-minute trip from campus. Not too bad for a quick escape.

The Lost Dog Cafe: Many of you, I’m sure, have heard of it, but have you taken the time to check it out yet? Lost Dog offers a wide variety of salads, sandwiches and entrees, including their signature dish, Rigatoni a la Vodka for $13.95, the Ravioli of the Day and their No. 1 sandwich, the Grilled Chicken Muffaletta. The Grilled Chicken Muffaletta is chicken with Jack cheese, roasted red peppers, olive relish, lettuce and garlic mayo, on French bread for the reasonable price of $9.95.

Many of the entrees come in both small and regular sizes, so if you are just looking for a small meal, they can accommodate you — and of course, it’s cheaper. If you’re just looking for dessert because the ice cream machine in Hinman, CIW or Newing is out of your favorite flavor again, try the Geisha, a fried cheesecake with chocolate raspberry and caramel sauce. Yummy!

The Lost Dog takes reservations, but if you are stuck waiting for a bit, you can always go to the coffee bar and order up some ready-made coffees and teas.

If you are looking for entertainment, Lost Dog offers that as well. Coming up on Nov. 2 is Blues soloist Jake Lear, from 8 to 10 p.m.

The Lost Dog is on the corner of Henry and Water Street (the exact address is 222 Water St.). Their hours are 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., Monday through Thursday, and 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. Dinner starts at 5 p.m.

Head, shoulders, knees and toes — or Nezuntoz? Yeah, that was lame, but Nezuntoz Cafe (pronounced like knees and toes, if you didn’t get that from the “joke”) is worth checking out, especially if you are looking for a less expensive meal.

Located at 50 Pennsylvania Ave. in Binghamton, and 800 Hooper Road, Endwell, Nezuntoz has an interesting selection of sandwiches, bagel and egg sandwiches and flatbreads (7-inch gourmet style pizzas) to choose from. The Highlander, a scrambled egg on a plain bagel, is only $1.95, so if you are running low on cash, no problem. Another bagel and egg sandwich is the “huevos con queso” — scrambled egg, cheddar and fresh salsa on a plain bagel.

If you are looking for something a bit more filling, Nezuntoz sandwiches run from around $4.95 to $5.95. Three Cheesy Amigos comes panini style with Swiss, provolone and cheddar cheeses topped with Dijon. Or you could also try a flatbread pizza which runs from $3.95 to $4.95. One such choice, the Santorini, comes with fresh spinach, feta cheese and roasted peppers.

Too lazy to go Downtown? Nezuntoz has it covered with several takeout packages and enough food to feed a large group of people, including the Light Morning, Soup and Sandwich, and Snack Pack options. The Snack Pack serves 10 to 15 people, and includes one coffee box with 12 eight oz. cups, six juice/waters, a dozen brownie halves, six doughnuts and three hand-packed pints of ice cream for $49.50 plus tax. Not bad for all that food. Another perk is that delivery is free for orders exceeding $25, as long as you give them 24 hours advance notice.

Nezuntoz serves Fair Trade and Organic coffee from Equal Exchange as well.

A few other places you should check out are:

Java Joe’s

81 State St., Binghamton

Hours:

Monday and Tuesday: 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Thursday and Friday: 7:30 a.m to 9 p.m.

Saturday: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

What they offer: Expresso and Coffee Bar, baked goods and paninis

Midnight Moonlight Cafe

35 Washington St., Binghamton

Danny’s Great American Cafe

44 Hawley St., Binghamton

Clinton Street Cafe

52 Clinton St., Binghamton

Happy eating!