While most restaurants have a “specialty” item of sorts, sometimes digging a little deeper into the menu can produce the reward of an unexpected tasty treat.

Hidden-gem dishes riddle the menus of nearby eateries, and introducing just one to your takeout rotation can help combat the blandness of on-campus offerings. We’re here to help you find the dishes you never knew you needed to try – or might not have even known were offered – from your favorite GW dining spots.

Here are The Hatchet staff’s top hidden gem dishes at GW’s staple restaurants:

Iced chai latte, Carvings
Jenna Baer | Staff Writer
As one of the only Foggy Bottom restaurants open past midnight Friday and Saturday, Carvings is typically where students end their day with a burger or tater tots to help sober up after an extended night of clubbing. But aside from their classic American dining options, Carvings brews drinks with the caffeinated kick you need to cut through a nasty hangover or jolt you awake for that pesky 8:30 a.m. discussion.

A blink-and-you-could-miss-it option hidden underneath the specialty drinks tab on their website, the iced chai latte ($4) is a sweet refresher amid the long menu of hearty sandwich options. Boasting notes of vanilla and cinnamon, this spice-packed beverage is more than just a quick shot of caffeine to get you through the day – it’s a dessert to reward your hard work.

Bring your coffee snob friends along for Carvings’ bold, dark roast espresso blended lattes and avoid the lengthy early-morning lines at the pricier mainstream campus cafes, like Peet’s and Starbucks. Before long, Carvings will become your go-to spot for its reasonably priced, sugary iced chai to beat the warming weather.

French toast bagel, GW Deli
Julia Koscelnik | Contributing Culture Editor – Entertainment
GW Deli’s everything bagel with bacon, egg and cheese is all but a rite of passage for students. From a weekday lunch to a hungover Saturday morning breakfast, the classic staple is always there for you. But beyond just the classic plain, sesame, poppy seed and everything bagels, the GW Deli menu boasts a scrumptious, virtually unknown option that is soon to become your routine order – the French toast bagel ($1.55).

The delicious flavor is listed at the very bottom of the long list of bagel options behind the counter, a catalog that most GW Deli regulars don’t give a second glance. But the sweeter take on a breakfast bagel is a must-try, despite its obscurity. While the item has the texture, consistency and appearance of a classic bagel, its sweet notes of cinnamon make it taste like a combination of a French toast slice and a standard bagel.

Customers can choose from any of GW Deli’s five cream cheese options to pair with this sweet breakfast treat, but the strawberry cream cheese combination – $5.25 for the bagel and cream cheese together – takes the cake. The cinnamon and sweet fruit flavors blend together scrumptiously to create what is soon to be your top choice for breakfast.

Banana pudding, GCDC Grilled Cheese Bar
Nicholas Anastacio | Graphics Editor
Neighboring the White House along Pennsylvania Avenue, GCDC Grilled Cheese Bar is the place to go if you’re looking for a spin on the classic grilled cheese sandwich. Though the restaurant’s specialty is obvious from the name, the real treasure of the establishment can be found on the back of the menu – and it doesn’t even have cheese.

GCDC’s banana pudding, one of the restaurant’s four $5 dessert cup options, is the standout of the menu for its delicious take on a Southern classic, even without the typical banana slices. From its smooth, creamy texture to its soft, pastel-yellow appearance, the banana pudding serves you its fluffiness at just the right cool temperature and puts the other dessert cups to shame.

For that extra touch of sweetness, the pudding comes paired with whipped cream and soft Nilla wafers interspersed throughout the cup to create that indisputable melt-in-your-mouth sensation as the spoon hits your lips. Make sure to try this lunchtime treat before 3 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays and 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturday if you’re looking for your next sweet obsession during the week.

Pancake platter, Carvings
Jack Parr | Reporter
In addition to Carvings’ drunk, after-hours greasy offerings, they offer an extensive breakfast menu consisting of omelets, bagels and even Advil for that morning hangover. But my personal favorite is the pancake platter.

For $10, you can order two pancakes, two eggs cooked to any style and a choice of sausage or bacon. This breakfast gem is available during some of Carvings’ quietest hours in the morning, so you’ll likely face no line and can expect to receive your platter in minutes. After ordering, you’ll find an array of fluffy pancakes awaiting a drizzle of syrup paired with eggs and either two pieces of crispy bacon or one juicy sausage patty. Together, the mix of sweet and savory makes for a satisfying breakfast.

Whether you’re in need of a hangover cure, a fulfilling breakfast to munch on before your final or you just don’t want to wait in that long deli line, Carvings’ pancake platter gives you exactly what you need. It’s filling, appetizing and easy to enjoy.

Mochatella, Point Chaud
Zach Blackburn | Senior News Editor
Point Chaud, the cafe and crêpes joint snuggled into a nook of Funger Hall, isn’t afraid to throw Nutella into a menu item – the restaurant slathers the chocolatey hazelnut spread into 12 of their signature crêpes. But the cafe’s most innovative use of Nutella is in the mochatella, a sweet take on the mocha.

The mochatella ($4.75) is the perfect drink for those who want a caffeine boost without suffering the bitter harshness of most other coffees. The Point Chaud team mixes Nutella and steamed milk with espresso and tops the drink with sweet whipped cream. Instead of a regular mocha, which can be overwhelmingly chocolatey, the hints of hazelnut in the mochatella help you pretend to yourself that you’re drinking something suitable for 9 a.m. rather than just chocolate coffee.

Pair the mochatella with a Nutella and banana crêpe, and you’ve got yourself a solid breakfast with enough Nutella to power yourself through a tough day of final exams.