Brown's

best spot on campus for breakfast w/ a meal swipe! There wasn't any line either so it's great fora quick grab breakfast and there is plenty of seating inside. Avocado toast came with two eggs on top. The yolk wasn't runny but it wasn't fully cooked either. That's my personal favorite type of sunny side up, but it is probably going to vary how they long they cook yours. Though I wish the bread was a little more toasted, I would definitely recommend trying it for yourself! It also came with a side of either a hash brown or fruit cup that you could grab yourself from the fridge.

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.

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!

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 restaurantlunch 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

Very good Salmon fillet for lunch. Also the garlic fries were very good. Chicken breast is kind of mid though, because it was really super dry. It was so dry that if I didn't have any water then I probably would have died. Def better than any dining hall here at Berk but also a longer line so it's a trade off. I will render my final verdict when I try the Avacado toast tomorrow morning.

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

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!

Probably the best use of a meal swipe at Cal. The salmon with orange sauce is delicious and the tri tip with chimichurri is often very good. Garlic fries and greens are also tasty. There is usually a 15-25 minute wait but it is definitely worth it.

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.

Out of all the on campus spot, Brown's is the best. It's just a little far from most things, and the service takes longer, but the food is great! They have salmon, chicken, steak, etc. Many people get side fries and the salad. For breakfast, the avocado toast is a delicious and healthy option. There's indoor and outdoor seating.