Searching high and low for a decent place to eat may be a challenge for Palo Alto College faculty and students.

“I mostly don’t go anywhere for lunch,” said Communications major Ramiro Arevalo, a sophomore. “I usually eat after school or cook at home.”

This may be related to the lack of quality restaurants around the school or the fact that it may be cheaper to eat at home. Besides the fast food places around campus, there are only a few dine-in locations that can be appreciated by faculty and students.

Carry-out places such as Del Rio Tortillasy Tamales and Barbacoa King, both located on opposite corners of Gillette Road and Lytle Street, are fine eateries for the student on the run. There is also La Unica located on the corner of Palo Alto Road and McNarney Street.

These places are commonly known as molinos or tortillerias, where the main focus is the sale of tamales, barbacoa by the pound, and tortillas. The preparation of the food is quick and at times resembles the fast food.

San Juan Jalisco Style Mexican Restaurant is about a mile from campus, south on the Highway 16 access road, past Loop 410. It is one of these dine-in places. Although it does not look too attractive on the outside, the food is decent and so are the prices.

“If you’re thinking of eating, you’re not going to go out and just start driving on some country road,” said Communications Professor Greg Pasztor about San Juan.

Other than appearance, location is also a problem for the notable restaurant that many Palo Alto College faculty and students may not even know exists. Another nearby dine-in restaurant is Georgia’s Café Home-style Mexican Food, located on the corner of Palo Alto Road and West Malley Boulevard.

The fast food around campus includes a Church’s Chicken on the corner of Villaret Avenue and Highway 16 and a Dairy Queen on the corner of Gillette Road and Zarzamora Street. Pizza restaurants such as the Pizza Hut on Military Drive near the Pleasanton Road intersection and Domino’s Pizza on Pleasanton Road near the Southcross Street intersection, both conveniently deliver to campus.

Military Drive offers plenty of excellent restaurants along its way, but faculty and students may not have the time to make the trip there. According to Mapquest.com, Military Drive is about 3.5 miles away and takes about five minutes to reach by vehicle from PAC. For those faculty and students who ride the bus or are given rides to campus, it may take more time to get there. Military Drive does have a number of well-known restaurants, such as Bud Jones on the corner of Commercial Street or Chili’s Bar and Grill located at South Park Mall, but they could hardly be considered within the immediate Palo Alto area.

“Once [PAC faculty and students] know about and taste our food, we will be getting a lot of business from the college...and we are community-minded. We want to help students, so we are going to give them a discount on top of that,” said Hilario’s Mexican Restaurant owner Henry Garcia.

Hilario’s is a restaurant under new management that is located south on Highway 16, right across the street from San Juan. Their student discount includes two tacos for 99 cents and a cup of coffee for an almost unheard of five cents. The food there is delicious, and its surroundings are well kept, but its location still very hidden. There are no noticeable signs from Loop 410, and unless you know the area, you may never come across it.

El Molcajete de Doña Thelma is located on the corner of Palo Alto Road and Wainwright Street. Doña Thelma’s offers a breakfast special from 6 a.m. to 11 a.m. from Monday through Saturday. The special includes three breakfast tacos for $1.99. Their daily lunch specials last from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and include rice, beans, two tortillas, and an iced tea. Each plate costs $3.99 or more and includes items such as enchiladas, carne guisada and chicken fajitas. This restaurant is one of the only dine-in places in the area whose outer appearance can really grab your attention. The small building is painted with different bright colors that are easily noticeable.

Whichever direction you take, let an adventurous spirit and an empty stomach be your guide.