College food for most of us meant dry turkey burgers from the dining hall and frozen pizza rolls. So we’re very jealous that today’s USC students have Softies. This former Smorgasburg vendor opened its first permanent location in USC Village, and while LA is basically oversaturated with smashburger spots at this point, Trojans have one of the best just steps from campus. The Cali, Softies’ classic version, checks all the boxes of any respectable smashburger with a lacy cheese skirt, crisp-edged patties, and a garlicky house sauce that ties it all together. But the one that we can’t stop thinking about is their aji burger, loaded with a heap of jalapeños and slathered with the creamy, lime aji verde that will jolt you awake in the way that an 8am lecture never could. The counter-service retro diner space sees the kind of steady, all-day foot traffic that could only happen in a college plaza where no one eats at normal times. Frat brothers post up with double burgers and fries after class at 3pm, solo diners are cramming for their midterm with a laptop open in a booth at 11am, and people with oversized backpacks cycle in to eat here throughout the day. It’s fast and reliable, but not too crowded, so if we were still in school, we’d definitely be here more regularly than office hours.