Montclair State is very, very good at a lot of things: for example, access to New York City and small class sizes (despite the very large population of the student body). It is also great at offering a variety of places to get a daily dose of coffee from, as there are several cafés dotted across campus and just off campus in downtown Montclair.
The newest online order-only café on campus, Zaro’s, is located in the heart of Blanton Hall, leaving it in a perfect location for all the action that comes with being a student here at Montclair State.
Zaro’s Family Bakery, otherwise known as simply Zaro’s, is a fourth-generation family-owned bakery, mostly based in neighboring New York City. Last summer, its Montclair State location replaced the recently closed staple Dunkin’, a move that upset many students. But are the offerings at Montclair State’s newest café worth it? Or will those sour students be proven pessimistically prudent?
I was able to try two of their menu items: the Blue Lightning energy booster and a fresh blueberry muffin. The wait for my Grubhub order was approximately 10 minutes — one of the fastest wait times that I have personally experienced across campus. It also gave me plenty of time to walk from my class in Dickson Hall to Zaro’s.
Once I got there, I was greeted by plenty of open seating both inside and just outside the café, something I appreciated quite a bit — especially since the café can get a bit crowded during peak lunch hours.
The Blue Lightning energy booster and the blueberry muffin at Zaro's.
Madison Clemente | The Montclarion
The blueberry muffin I got had quite a bit of crumbs, but it was light and fluffy. It was also, as advertised, freshly made — an undeniable boost to the quality. The only thing that wasn’t quite up to par with what I had expected was that there weren’t as many blueberries as I was hoping for. Outside of that, I found it to be a yummy sweet treat that also doubles as a good breakfast option right before those super early classes, and a nice late snack before a night class.
The freshly made blueberry muffin at Zaro's.
Madison Clemente | The Montclarion
The Blue Lightning drink was quite good, even if it wasn’t necessarily what I had expected it to be. On Grubhub, the app used by many Montclair State students to mobile order food across campus, its flavor is described as an “Electric blue raspberry with a power-up boost.” However, I found that the flavor leaned more towards a combination of Swedish Fish and Twizzlers.
Blue Lightning, one of the energy booster drinks on Zaro's menu.
Madison Clemente | The Montclarion
The drink was also much more tart than I expected. I still thoroughly enjoyed the drink, even though the flavor profile was slightly different than what I had expected.
Meghan Lipscomb, a senior majoring in sports communications at Montclair State University.
Madison Clemente | The Montclarion
Meghan Lipscomb, a senior majoring in sports communication, shared her thoughts about the new bakery, highlighting the friendly service she experienced.
“It’s nice that we have a bagel shop on campus that has fresh bagels,” Lipscomb said. “The customer service there is great, and the manager would ask you how the food is. It’s very consistent, and I hope it stays that way.”
Joselyn Elvira Olmos, a freshman film and television major at Montclair State.
Madison Clemente | The Montclarion
Joselyn Elvira Olmos, a freshman majoring in film and television, echoed some of Lipscomb’s sentiments about Zaro’s.
“I love Zaro’s,” Olmos said. “I get it before I have class, I order it while I get ready, and then I pick it up before class.”
So far, the sentiment towards Zaro’s seems to be quite positive among students. Tucked away in the plaza at Blanton Hall, Zaro’s fits in as a nice addition to the several cafés located across campus, and it’s a great start to busy days on campus, grab a quick lunch before class, or just to socialize with friends.
