Forbes Family Café

It's a cozy cafeteria tucked inside of the Jensen Huang building and it's pretty popular - there were always a couple tables available, but you do have to wait a bit for your food. The options include an Asian themed menu of either pho or chicken curry laksa, a boba shop, and a Coupa Cafe. You can order on iPads for the first two options and they have a small seasonal menu for hot food as well.The boba store is solid. Chun Yang has fantastic tea, though I can't speak to the boba as I got the grass jelly. Pricing is pretty standard for the bay, which is to say expensive - expect to pay over 10 bucks if you get a topping.The curry laksa didn't have a ton of chicken, but the soup was solid. Personally, I thought the rice noodles really didn't hold up to the heavy flavors, so I might recommend the pho instead. Serving size was okay for 14 bucks.Overall, good option for campus food, but just okay if you're paying cash.

Do you ever want hot food but also want it as quickly as possible because you're short on time? If you're ever worried that your order will not be ready in time for your next meeting or class, I got you.Here are some items that I have ordered and received my food in the blink of an eye. Okay, maybe a few blinks of an eye. I have ordered pho, laksa, and all the paninis available at the moment (Italian, citrus chicken, vegan) in the past month, and every time I have been, my order was ready within a few minutes. :)I also like that the fountain drink options include Gold Peak's unsweetened black tea. It's my go-to pair with the paninis.Here are my reviews on the paninis.Citrus chicken panini: At first, I wasn't sure what to expect from the combination of citrus and chicken. I took a bite of the panini, and had this aha! moment. If you like chicken limone, chicken piccata, or scampi, you'll enjoy this one. It's creamy and savory like a plate of chicken limone packed into a sandwich.Italian panini: If you're a ham-lover, this is your match. It's savory and packed with three different kinds of ham.Vegan panini: I don't know how they prepare the tofu in this panini, but I love it! The shop's Asian-style tofu wrap in the grab-n-go also has this tofu in it. This vegan panini is toasty and comforting, almost like a grilled cheese sandwich. Whether you're vegan or not, it's worth a try.

This eatery which serves soups and sandwiches is a popular lunch spot among Stanford engineering students. They're famous for their pho. Unfortunately, their food is not good and it's popularity stems from the convenient location. Their meals are overpriced for the amount of food you're getting. Moreover, when I last visited them yesterday, I was served a seriously oily and burnt panini. I don't feel the need of coming here anytime soon again.I liked their ordering system, via an iPad, which allows Stanford students to not pay tax. Because they're serving only to-go meals this business creates a huge amount of waste and can try harder to improve its sustainability practices.

Decent spot for lunch on campus with a salad bar and a rotating menu of hot food options. They'll often have mediterranean, indian, asian, or italian. Food is all tasty but pretty pricey for how much you get! Also beware the lunch rush. Gets very crowded from 12-1.

Probably one of the best cafes on the main campus, which is not really saying much, but hey it's something! I was very addicted to their pho at one point, well more like their spicy oil they have there. They need to refill that oil more often, because without it the food just isn't the same.Also, the amount of noodles they give you in the pho is not very consistent, sometimes I get barely any noodles and it's just soup, bad. Sometimes I get too much noodles, and barely have any room for soup, which is also bad. I think it depends on the day, and sometimes the soup is super thick when it should be light.Anyhow, I am still very thankful this place is here since everywhere else on campus, the cafes are lacking. At least this cafe is still reasonably priced with their food. The style is serve yourself. There's different daily items and you grab as much as you want. They charge per oz.

This is the place to go if you want noodle soups (RIP Thai Cafe). They offer pho and chicken laksa, both with vegetarian options. The pho is not "San Jose level," but it has the right flavors and herbs; and the laksa is quite good and very spicy. The portions are reasonable and they're only $7.50 with a Stanford card. They can take a while to make during the lunch rush, so go early (noodle soups are available 11-2).If soup isn't your thing, then they offer breakfast and lunch bars, which are self-serve, and some premade options such as sushi and sandwiches. The snacks can be a bit pricey, ie. $4 for a granola bar; and the meals can get expensive since they price it by weight (usually around $12). They also run out quick.As of this review, Forbes takes meal plan dollars which is great if you are a Stanford student.

Chicken Laksa. Mic drop, enough said. I cannot explain this soup. It is top of my list for my favorite things for lunch. Thick, flavorful, spicy yet sweet.. Without knowing what they'll serve on the hot bar, I know I could want it.. its a hot meal fusion.. the chefs preparing these dishes are authentically preparing whats good to them. It'll be cali cuisine all the way.. kinda Asian, kinda Latino, 100% fresh local stellar produce.My typical order here is Chicken Laksa or Citrus Chicken Panini.

I appreciate what they've attempted to do here after wrongfully ousting Ike's from campus. Healthy options, diverse menu that changes daily, etc. That being said, I feel it falls far short of what we needed. 1) The hot food options simply don't taste good. The quality is similar to dorm cafeteria food at best, and the quality pales in comparison to Arbuckle (the business school cafe) down the street. 2) The salad is certainly healthy and fresh, which is the only reason I came here is often as I did, but there was a recent shift in pricing from charging per size of the salad bowl (two options, small or large) to charging by weight. Now the same tiny salad that cost $3.95 runs me over $7.50, and that's unacceptable. 3) The prepackaged desserts are a significant step down from those offered just next door at Coupa. Just go to Coupa. 4) Ike's. Come back. Please.

I've worked in this building for seven years and Forbes used to be decent when it had hot and cold food bars but since Covid it's just depressing limited choices that never change, lackluster pre-packaged food that sells out early, and extremely limited hours. I've stopped going there, which sucks since it's the closest lunch option. The pho they have is basic, broth and some noodles with a couple of pieces of meat, and for $12, it's just a rip off. The pre-packaged options are limited and sad, and the two hot entree options are mediocre at best with little variety. I've never gotten the sandwiches so can't give feedback on those. The app descriptions of the two hot entrees are often wrong and even if you pre-order, the food usually isn't ready when they tell you it will be. Forbes feels like a forgotten cafe that takes little effort but makes enough money from students who are trapped on campus so they don't change anything even though they have the resources and are surrounded by amazing food in the Bay Area. I understand there may be Covid issues that prevent the buffet food bars they used to have, but they can use the space they have to provide better food options. At this point, if I don't have time to leave the building, I just get prepared food from Cuppa across the lobby since they're pre-made food is much better.

foods not badservice is rude. I was the first guy in at 11. sat and ate my food and finished my fountain drink. I went and got my refill and this lady kept insisting I never sat and ate and was stealing a Soda... wouldn't even listen to my reasoning on how I for sure sat and ate and paid for my meal. Like not to be rude mysefly but lady, I make more money an hour then everyone together in that kitchen, I'm not here to steal your fountain sodas lol Smdh.