The Faculty Club Kerr Dining Room

When brainstorming places for a group of 6 to dine and drink one amongst us suggested the UC Berkeley Faculty Club. He described it as a place that's great for a drink and okay for dinner which was a little left of an actual endorsement so I set my expectations accordingly. Drinks were enjoyed in the bar area which featured ample pours on glasses of wine that ran about $14 apiece. But the real surprise happened in the Kerr Dining Room, where dinner is served. Inspecting the menu there it was difficult not to take note of the incredibly reasonable prices: My sizable T-Bone Steak was served alongside mashed potatoes and a fresh vegetable for $24. $24 was also the highest priced item on the varied menu which, amongst other offerings, included Fried Chicken, a vegetarian offering, and an ethnic dish (Indian, on this night). And the food proved not to be "okay" but actually quite good. When I later remarked on how much I'd enjoyed my T-Bone Steak the friend to whom I made the remark - who'd had the vegetarian entree - seconded my opinion. We'd both been very pleasantly surprised. I returned in the morning, for a full breakfast and was again impressed by what one gets here for the price. A plate full of eggs, toast, bacon, home fries, and fruit ran $11 and confirmed the previous night's thought: I like this place (and have already made plans to return for one of their twice-monthly $28 Prime Rib dinners).

A beautiful, cozy restaurant on the woodsy Berkeley campus. It is open to the public, and we, just a group of 8 attorneys, having sat through all-day presentations on data and race, felt so lucky to have found a beautiful dinner table to be served a nourishing meal and the much-needed glass(es) of wine. The ambiance was very academic, proper, and civilized, all in the best way possible. The food was (okay) but no complaints! It was a delightful and giddy end to a brain-stimulating couple of days.

The first thing to understand is that the Kerr Dining Room is open to the public for breakfast, lunch and dinner on weekdays (except for holidays and for a couple of weeks during the campus winter break). True, it's in the Faculty Club, but you don't have to be a faculty member, a Club member or a friend of anyone in particular to have a meal in the Kerr. All you need is a credit card or cash.The room is steeped in history and is pretty swanky even for breakfast: there are white table clothes, nice dishes and utensils, space between tables, servers in uniform. It's also totally unbuttoned, and there's no real dress code other than not looking like you just came out of the shower or the nearby Hearst pool.The second thing to understand is that I'm kind of a fan of the Faculty Club and can't pretend to believe that the Kerr Dining Room is for everyone. Still, I am confident that you'll be happy if you stop by.A day in the life of the Kerr Dining Room:Breakfasts (7:30--10AM) are great! I come every week or two with a large group and love sitting in this historic room that has beautiful light streaming in and overlooks the "Faculty Glade," a lovely expanse of lawn on the Berkeley campus. The Club has a leisurely pace at this time of day. At adjacent tables, you're likely to see groups of Berkeley faculty members, faculty visitors from other universities, campus police officers and other staff members, the Chancellor or other administrators, and sometimes even the Mayor of Berkeley. Students come as well! Order from the menu and you'll get a hearty and copious meal at the start of your day.Lunches are a bit more hectic; often every table is taken. (Fortunately, you can reserve in advance.) The diners are most typically faculty members and administrators. You can see the current lunch menu from http://www.berkeleyfacultyclub.com .Dinners are interesting because the dining room can be very busy or totally chill. Sometimes there's a big crowd because of an event in the Club itself or elsewhere on campus. Quite often there are noteworthy specials -- for example, on the second Tuesday of each month there's a prime rib special and a "no corkage fee" policy. There are fish nights, paella nights, taco nights. Check out the web site to see what's going on. On the rare Berkeley evening that's actually warm, you can eat your dinner outdoors on the deck -- this is an absolute treat.Kenneth R. says "check it out"!

A cute cottage in the middle of the Berkeley woods! It's pricy for college students, by popular for faculty/student gatherings or faculty/faculty gatherings and events. They offer a weekly lunch special menu and a small standard menu. Today I ordered the crab pappardelle pasta off the special menu, and it was a touch too oily. The pasta was too soft, not al dente, and there were multiple pieces of shell mixed within the crab. I think people mainly come for the intimate ambience, but the customers tend to be of an older demographics than all the students on campus. Coming here is like coming to a secret club of grownups discussing grownup things.

The food is exemplary, the service second to none!Prices extremely reasonable. Prime Rib Fridays are amazing!

Fine food lovely setting. Highly recommend it. Call for reservations. Specially fun to stop by before football games for a drink and a burger on the porch overlooking the faculty glade.

Nice traditional atmosphere and helpful staff great location and easy access to building would recommend!!!