A Ranking of All 6 USC Starbucks

by Alexis M Peters ‘20

Yes, USC does have six different Starbucks locations either on campus or just nearby. And yes, I did get coffee at all six places just so I could conduct a proper review. I ordered the same drink at every location (decaf iced chocolate macchiato with almond milk) in order to judge fairly.

And coming in at number six…

6. Cafe 84

• Gets pretty busy in terms of seating, but the lines aren’t usually too bad
  
• Pretty speedy on making drinks, only waited 4 minutes
  
• Um, they apparently don’t know what a macchiato is, because what they gave me was a mocha
  
• Cafe 84 tasted the worst out of all six. It kind of tasted… burnt?
  

5. Target

• Doesn’t usually get super busy, great for a quick fix
  
• It took a WHILE to make my drink (they totally googled how to make it)
  
• Very little chocolate and also it was clumpy???
  
• The almond milk tastes nuttier here… not my fave

4. Village

• Usually pretty crowded, hard to find a place to sit
  
• Had to wait a while for my drink (7 min)
  
• Pretty much whispered when they were calling drinks so I had to check the names myself
  
• They gave me a hot drink instead of iced!
  
• Tasted good

3. Fig and Exposition

• Usually pretty busy throughout the day
  
• But the baristas are friendly and will get your drink out quick
  
• A lot of chocolate (kinda tasted like an iced chocolate milk tbh)
  
• Good taste, but the atmosphere and the kind baristas were the best part

2. Fig and 31st

• Doesn’t get super busy all the time, and its open late! (4am-1am!)
  
• But I had to wait kinda long for my drink
  
• Great atmosphere: Bright and clean
  
• The drink tasted really good!

1. Tro Gro

• It can get REALLY busy
  
• Expect a decent wait for your drink if it’s busy, otherwise service is fast
  
• My drink was absolutely delicious!
  
• (Seriously, it was the best macchiato I have maybe ever had.)
  

So there you have it! Now that you are informed, you can choose your beans wisely! If you want something fast, Fig and Expo might be your best bet, but if you want something that’s a downright delicacy, Tro Gro is the way to go go! 

I am by no means a coffee conniseur, but as a former barista, I understand the ins and outs of the espresso biz. And honestly, after all that coffee I realized two things. One: caffeine gives me a headache, and two: it doesn’t even make me feel more alert. But I persevered for the sake of journalism.

And in case you were wondering: the difference between a mocha and a macchiato is all in the layering. A macchiato is layered (milk, coffee, flavor syrup on top), a mocha is mixed.

Macchiato from Tro Gro:

Mocha from Cafe 84:

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