As someone who has lived in Claremont for the past 19 years, I think it is my duty to let you all in on the secret spots of the city!
Lost Levels Arcade
The arcade is underground- partly because not too many people know about it, but mainly because it is physically underground. It is in the Claremont Packing House, which is located at the Southwest corner of the Claremont Village. You can access the arcade through the Lost Levels video game store.
Norema
Norema is a place I hadn’t really heard about until recently, but it’s a super cute tea and boba place located near the North edge of the Claremont Village. I went for the first time last week, and was greeted by the extremely sweet owner, who cheerfully pointed out my Scripps hat and even recommended a drink for my first time there! They always have some really good tea, and it’s a super cute and relaxing study space as well. They also have soup dumplings and pork-filled pancakes, which I have yet to try, but have heard really good things about!!
Euro Cafe
Not many people know about Euro Cafe because it’s not in the village, but it’s a family owned Portuguese and Italian restaurant. They’re North from the Claremont Colleges campuses and they’ve been in Claremont since 2004, so it’s the same age as me! I grew up on their brunch menu, featuring their delicious breakfast paninis, veggie omelets, and mixed berry and lemon curd crepes. They have breakfast, lunch, and dinner but I personally go when it’s around brunch time. However, when I do go for dinner, my family always ends it off with the delicious Napoleon pastry dessert, or big brownie which really does live up to the “BIG” in its name.
DoubleTree Hotel
You may be wondering, why would I include a HOTEL when we have guaranteed school-sponsored housing? While the certainly noticeable hotel South of Trader Joes might not seem like a hidden gem to Claremont, the real secret is the famous DoubleTree chocolate chip cookies. If you go into the lobby and ask for a cookie, even if you’re not staying at the hotel, there is about a 99% chance they will happily give it to you. For me personally, it’s been 100% of the time because they have never denied me a cookie! The fresh-out-of-the-oven, still warm cookies are the perfect balance of crunchy and soft, not to mention MASSIVE. So next time you’re making your Trader Joe’s grocery run, consider popping in to the DoubleTree hotel! But keep this our little secret, I don’t want everyone to find out. 😉
You might have (or might not have) been thinking, “Wow! Michaela is so smart, she’s able to locate all these places by their direction!” Well, my final little secret is that, in Claremont, the mountains are always North. So, when you’re trying to locate that dorm in the North campus of Scripps or a class in South campus Pomona, you can always refer to those massive San Gabriel Mountains.