Escape the LP crowd with good, cheap Orange Line eats

For students who study downtown, Mangia Fresca, off the Halsted Orange Line stop, is a good and reasonably priced place to get lunch or dinner. Open from 8 a.m. until 9 p.m., Mangia Fresca offers a variety of food commonly found in its Bridgeport neighborhood, from breaded steak to brick oven pizza.

For students on a budget, one can get a large plate of pasta for $5.50—the plate is literally a pound of pasta. That price is for pasta without meat, but for the addition of meat, the restaurant charges $2-3 depending on the type.

I go here on my way home from the Loop and always leave stuffed. It's one of the best places I've found in Chicago, and its location right at the Orange Line station is ideal for commuters. It's cool on the weekends because they always have the game on. So if you're looking for good pasta just south of the Loop, or a cheap place to try outside Lincoln Park, give Mangia Fresca a shot.