Since fall of 2020, the old Pizza Hut building on 19th Ave. has sat empty. Rumors flew, but nobody knew what was going to be done with it, whether it was going to be replaced with another establishment, demolished for parking space, or left to rot. However, a certain coffee company had other plans for the empty Pizza Hut building.
While it was first announced that the empty building would be turned into a Caribou in the summer of 2022, it wasn’t finished until June 8, 2023. This set it up perfectly to be our first “restaurant review” (which is more of a drink review).
Drink 1: A blended Turtle Mocha.
Atari: Definitely something for sweet tooths, it’s very very chocolatey and sugary. I wouldn’t typically order this, but people are def obsessed with it.
Leyla: I like it better with an extra shot of espresso.
Verdict: It’s best blended, the cold and sweet pair well together, like a frozen hot chocolate; 3/5 for the blended Turtle Mocha.
Drink 2: The Strawberry Mango “Bousted.” A fruity option for those who dislike coffee/tea. “Bousted” is essentially a smoothie, which can be caffeinated or not.
Atari: I absolutely love it, and will order again.
Leyla: I thought it tasted a little funky; I normally love smoothies, but this one had a little not-so-good taste to it.
Verdict: While we both had varying opinions, we agreed that it is a great option for those looking for that caffeine boost without it being too overwhelming and strong like espresso can be, averaged rating is a 3.5/5.
Drink 3: A hot White Mocha. Like the Turtle Mocha, it was also sweet, but the fact that it was hot made the mocha part seem almost creamy and smooth. This was definitely a shared favorite between the two of us and is one of Leyla’s typical orders.
Leyla: I love anything white mocha, and I get one at every coffee place it’s offered.
Verdict: A great drink, and a 4.5/5 rating!
Drink 5: Iced Pumpkin Chai We wanted to pick something that was tea, but also fit the fall season.
Atari: We had high expectations with their chai, but this one fell short. The first drink you take, there was hardly any chai, and all we could taste was straight pumpkin syrup. The pumpkin taste quite literally punches you in the face and you will physically recoil. While their pumpkin syrup isn’t bad tasting, it wasn’t what we expected out of the pumpkin chai.
Verdict: Overall, we would rate it a 2/5 for this experience.
While we have tried plenty of the different drinks that they offer, there’s also plenty of food options available for a ‘grab-&-go’ breakfast if you’re either in a hurry or want to stay and enjoy the new location.
Breakfast Option 1: Chicken Apple Sausage Egg & Cheddar. (Livingston approved)
Leyla: I don’t normally enjoy breakfast sandwiches, but this one I couldn’t resist.
Atari: The chicken apple sausage had a very “chickeny” taste. While I’ve known some people to not believe in the “chickeny” taste being too strong, I’m a strong believer that chicken can in fact taste too “chickeny,” but that’s for another day. I can see, however, that there are many fans of it and get how people enjoy it.
Verdict: A 3.5/5
Breakfast Option 2: Lemon Loaf, almost the exact opposite of the warm sandwich. We wanted to pick something completely different to diversify our options.
Overall, it was a very basic and good lemon loaf. It was sweet with that hit of lemon, and had a light and moist texture. However, there wasn’t anything that amazed us, as it was just a standard lemon loaf, which is why we rate it a 4.25/5.
Overall, it was an enjoyable trip down the street of Fargo North, but it wasn’t the best. Hornbacher’s Caribou for some reason tastes different when compared to the one on 19th Ave. It could be the vibes. Although it isn’t the most scrumptious of places, it definitely is convenient to be so close to the school for quick coffee trips. In the end, we decided to give it an overall rating of 3.5/5 Spartan Heads, and we (as well as a lot of people from our school) will continue to appreciate the new 19th Ave. location.