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The service was terrible. Every single interaction that I had with each of the employees was very unpleasant. Not only were they very rude and unkind, they completely lacked customer service courtesy. Their miserable attitudes put a damper on what was once a good morning. I don't recommend. Not to mention that their avocado toast came with chunky scrambled eggs rather than a classic fried egg..
Favorite place to use my meal swipe! For breakfast, get their avocado toast. For lunch or dinner, get their salmon with chimichurri and double vegetable medley. I also stock up on tea bags here. Great seating inside and outside!
let me make this clear: browns cafe is by no means a ~good~ restaurant if we're comparing it to actual off-campus eats. the food is pretty average american fare, the service... leaves much to be desired (you *will* be scowled at while there), and the value when using real money isn't particularly great either. BUT! as a student at uc berkeley who has to deal with the atrocity that is cal dining, browns cafe is THE place to use your meal swipes on an actually decent meal. *disclaimer: i've heard of some people discovering bugs in their food at browns, but i personally have never found a bug in my food here, which cannot be said about the other cal dining halls.* ok, food review time! (it's kinda weird to rank this one, since you basically just choose a protein, two sides, and a sauce for your lunch combo plate, so i'll be ranking individual proteins, sides, and sauces lol) a-tier: salmon (protein choice): my go-to protein choice at browns, and arguably one of the only safe places to consume fish with cal dining. (no food poisoning-inducing rockfish here!) chimichurri sauce (sauce choice): my go-to sauce choice! it's a little bit greasy, but it's also really tasty and fragrant. in my opinion, it matches the best with the other things in my lunch plate. fresh greens salad (side choice): one of my go-to side choices here! the salad mix is always weirdly fresher than at other cal dining options. i also really like the dressing they use, and it goes well with the chimichurri sauce, so highly recommend ordering them together! b-tier: chicken breast (protein choice): usually not super dry like most chicken breasts, and it's also never pink or gray! can't say the same about the chicken in the dining halls! roasted vegetable medley (side choice): fairly solid vegetable option if you don't like salad. it's a little bland, but it's pretty good with the right sauce choice. garlic fries (side choice): i usually go for fries if im feeling like something a little less healthy lol. the fries are pretty good (never stale), but they can get bland towards the end, and for some reason browns doesn't have any ketchup/bbq sauce! :( c-tier: tri-tip (protein choice): really tough and not tasty imo. sometimes the dining hall does a better job with this (when they actually cook their beef right). tofu (protein choice): really bland and a bit rubbery. tbh cal dining just never does tofu right! ancho orange sauce (sauce choice): i tried this sauce once because i was getting bored of having the chimichurri sauce everyday, and it was just NOT it. the sauce is reminiscent of orange chicken sauce, which just doesn't work with any of the proteins or sides that browns offers. szechuan sauce (sauce choice): yet another L sauce choice from browns. it's not spicy at all and doesn't really taste like anything a legit szechuan restaurant would sell... but then again, what was i expecting from cal dining? tldr; browns cafe is a solid lunch choice if you're on campus and unable to get a meal off-campus, or if you're just looking to use up your meal swipes lol
The food here is healthier compared to the other dining halls, but the staff's attitude is an issue. I don't appreciate the excessive yelling and poor treatment.
A feast for the eyes and soul. Encountering not one but two cooked eggs plopped atop my toast filled me with immense joy--they knew I was a gym rat in dire need of protein. Complemented by a cup of fruit, this was a meal fit for a queen. Fork in my left hand and knife in my right, I made the first cut, dissecting into this monstrosity of a toast with intent. An unassuming fistful of arugula awaited. What a peppery storm! I offer a word of advice to Pat Brown's: go lighter on the greens. Still, I kept my game face on and continued to cut through tenaciously. To my surprise, I stumbled upon a hidden gem: a runny golden egg yolk. My day was made. All my worries flew out the window. You've redeemed yourself, Cal Dining. Thank you Pat Brown's. I will be back again.
I'd say it's more of 3.5 stars, but definitely 4 if you're using meal swipes. Unfortunately I no longer have those, so had to pay with actual money. They opened back up recently and are currently only serving one thing, which is essentially a combination plate with your choice of protein, sides, and a drink. I decided to try the trip tip with szechuan sauce, and got veggies and garlic fries as the sides. Honestly everything tasted pretty decent for campus food standards--I especially liked the vegetables. It was a bit hectic ordering since they try to move everyone along so fast, but the food came out quick. If you have meal swipes and want a good lunch, come here!
good for meal swipes but I wouldn't come here otherwise - service and food quality are noticeably better than the dining halls and Golden Bear Cafe but still not quite up the standard of a normal restaurant lunch plate ($15.00): choice of protein (chicken, steak, salmon, tofu), sauce (chimichurri, ancho orange, Szechuan), 2 sides (vegetable medley, salad, brown rice, heirloom grains, garlic fries), and a drink (bubly, coffee, tea, milk, juice) - chimichurri sauce was solid but very oily, forward flavors are cilantro and lemon - ancho orange was essentially an orange chicken sauce, very sweet - salmon was my go-to and usually done pretty well - chicken was sometimes overcooked and sometimes undercooked - steak was rather tough - tofu was fairly bland since it's in one big block - heirloom grains was a mix of purple rice, kale, cranberries, and other grains - garlic fries were usually soggy but tasty - vegetable medley depended on what they had in stock: zucchini, Brussels sprouts, bell peppers, broccoli
Compared to other campus eateries, Pat Brown's is the standout winner with its varied offerings and overall better quality of food. I tried the portabello panini and loved it! Although the sourdough tasted a bit stale and I wished there was more filling, all the flavors worked really well together and honestly, you can't go wrong with pesto! My friend ordered the flipped plate with chicken, broccoli and roasted potatoes. The chicken was SUPER dry and everything else tasted like your typical, basic broccoli and roasted potatoes. I recommend trying more adventurous flipped plates option but whatever you decide to order, skip the chicken!! Definitely come visit if you have the flex dollars and even if you don't, I still think it'll be worth the visit. I'll be back!
Pay Browns has not been eliminated from on campus meal point locations! Glad it's here after Ramona and Qualcomm has gone, sad. Really enjoyed the meatballs and mashed cauliflower in my flipped plate, though would have preferred the roasted broccoli to be softer.
Unfortunately, if you happen to find yourself as a UC Berkeley student, you will experience a rude awakening: for the most part, on-campus Berkeley food fails to satisfy the palate. Luckily, Browns Cafe offers a solution, the only solution. Browns Cafe is the best food not only on UC Berkeley campus, not only on a California campus, not only on a college campus, but also the world. Whether it is the seared salmon fillet, the juicy tri-tip, or the chimichurri sauce coupled with the protein, Browns Cafe DOES NOT MISS. Browns cafe is Steph Curry in his February 15, 2011 game against the New Orleans Hornets (100% field goal percentage). Paired with such excellent food is the incredible service. Lines are short, with amiable workers always smiling, obviously understanding they are working in the best restaurant the West has to offer. I will never go to lunch elsewhere; Browns Cafe has my heart. Below is my reaction after eating the salmon, garlic fries, and vegetable medley.
Ambiance: Always crowded at the hour mark after 10 AM. People want their food fix! Lots of students eating and studying at the same time~~ oh college life :P Service: Nice friendly servers! :) Food: I like the burritos and sunflower cutlet sandwiches! :) Price: ~$7-8 per meal kinda pricey for what you get :/ Tip: - try the burritos! Conclusion: I would only come here if I had meal points or if I was really really desperate for some food.
|| B A C K G R O U N D || Pat Brown's reopened and is no longer a grill, from what I can tell. They now serve healthier foods, and have a Peet's Coffee & Tea imbedded in their store. I decided to come here between lab and lecture, and I didn't want to go off campus. They took forever renovating this place, so I figured it would be a good place to grab lunch. I also wanted to get some work done, and they have ample indoor seating. But no work was done, because I decided to create this rant post instead of being productive for class. || F O O D || You have three options eating here: 1) Create your own PLATE: choose any single entree and 2 sides for $7.50 Today, entrees, included 1/4 herbed rotisserie chicken, rotisserie turkey breast, grilled portobello mushroom, braised tofy, and sunflower cutlet (vegan). Sides include spicy simmered greens, french fries, homemade potato chips, garlic fries (+$1.00), whole grain rice pilaf, steamed white rice, "baked" mashed potatoes, creamy polenta, and steamed vegetables. Single entree from $4.50. Half chicken is $6.50, plus two sides is $9.50. Whole chicken is $12.50. Single side is $1.50. 2) Gourmet SALADS: choose lettuce, dressing, and up to 5 toppings for $5.25. Add an entree option for $7.25 Greens include romaine lettuce, spinach, and spring mix. Dressing includes Caesar, ranch, balsamic vinaigrette, and oil + vinegar. Toppings include cucumbers, tomatoes, red onions, pepperocini, shredded carrots, corn, sliced olives, edamame, hard boiled egg, pumpkin seeds, dried cranberries, black beans, croutons. They have something called a PB-T Caeser that has chopped romaine, rotisserie turkey, corn, red onions, black beans, pumpkin seeds, shredded cheddar topped with Caesar dressing. 3) Custom SANDWICHES for $6.25, add a savory side for $7.50 total. Choose an entree roast from herbed chicken, turkey breast, daily entree, grilled portobello mushroom, braised tofu, sunflower cutlet (vegan). Choose bread from multi-grain wheat, torpedo roll, artisan roll. Add mayo, whole-grain brown mustard, dijon mustard, oil + vinegar, lettuce, tomatoes, sliced olives, cucumbers, red onions, pickles. Cheese is an extra $0.75, bacon $1.60, avocado $1.25, extra meat $1.75, hummus $1. I opted for a gourmet salad because I wanted to practice healthy eating habits. The only thing gourmet about this salad was how incredibly small it was for the price I paid. I got all three types of greens and asked for cucumbers, carrots, corn, edamame, and eggs. They ran out of corn (really?), and the girl said I could get chicken. I thought it was a hidden topping, so I happily said yes. She drizzled on some sauce, threw in a small slice of bread, and that was that. Wow. This portion would satiate no one. She added maybe 20 leaves of vegetables, 3 cucumber slices, 10 carrot strands, 20 edamame beans, 1/2 of a hard-boiled egg, and 10 strands of chicken. Even worse, the chicken counted as an ENTREE, and I had to pay $7.25 for this miserable MISERABLE meal. I will say that the chicken was well-flavored, and the bread was tasty and soft. BUT WHAT THE HECK, REALLY? I totally didn't realize how LITTLE I was given until the server tried to close the container...and it was only 1/3 filled. ONE THIRD. THIS IS WORSE THAN GBC. And then I was charge $7.25 for THIS!? REALLY??? It took me 3 minutes to eat the whole thing, and I AM AS HUNGRY AS WHEN I WALKED THROUGH THE DOOR. || C L O S U R E || Not-so-generous servers, small salads. Opt for the plates. The salads and sandwiches are miserably small. MISERABLE. EDIT: Okay, so the student next to me got the plate entree, which was comprised of 4 small slices of turkey, a few florets of steamed broccoli, and a small heap of mashed potatoes with gravy. IT WAS SMALLER THAN MY SALAD. WHAT IS UP WITH THIS. EVERYTHING IS MISERABLY SMALL. DO NOT VENTURE HERE UNLESS YOU ONLY HAVE 5 MINUTES FOR LUNCH AND CANNOT GO A FEW MORE FEET TO OFF-CAMPUS EATERIES. Unless it's for Peet's, which was giving away free samples c:
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Genetics and Plant Biology Building
Berkeley, CA 94709
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(510) 643-8323
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https://dining.berkeley.edu/campus-restaurants/browns/
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