Golden Bear Cafe

Alan Wang

Out of all the restaurants around Berkeley that take student meal swipes, Golden Bear Café takes the metaphorical cake for one of the best places to stop by for quality food. With delicious burgers and crisp fries, along with vegan options, the GBC is a nice place to pass by when heading down to Lower Sproul Plaza or going to Dwinelle Hall for a meal. Salads, loaded fries, and a lot of beverages work as great replacements that will get you the most value out of a meal swipe. Additionally, the GBC stocks a bevy of instant ramen, drinks, and a special Peet's Coffee for the early birds that need a sip of coffee to fully wake up. Avoid prime times from 11:00 AM to 1:30 AM on school weekdays, since the line for service tends to be pretty long as students go for their lunch breaks here. Lines can be a little confusing as some of the check-out stations actually double as meal ordering stations, but that really depends on how staffed they are and how much people there is in line. Overall, if you're a student here at Berkeley and hate eating at the dining halls, Golden Bear Café is a nice place to get some grub.

Kimberly Zhu

good place to get some food between classes if you don't want to go off campus

This place has pretty fast service, and a wide variety of goods, as far as campus dining is concerned. One of the major benefits of GBC is that they're centrally located on Sproul Plaza, and that they accept Flex Dollars. Definitely a great place to grab food in between classes, but not good for people outside the university community.

Pretty good place in a convenient campus location, and it takes flex dollars and swipes. It's very full normally, but the drinks are pretty good.

Sid Shah

Pretty good place in a convenient campus location, and it takes flex dollars and swipes. It's very full normally, but the drinks are pretty good.

Aaron Hill

This place has pretty fast service, and a wide variety of goods, as far as campus dining is concerned. One of the major benefits of GBC is that they're centrally located on Sproul Plaza, and that they accept Flex Dollars. Definitely a great place to grab food in between classes, but not good for people outside the university community.

Only worth it if you have meal swipes. Convenient location near Sather Gate. Bulgogi fries are decent. Serves mostly fast food. For a healthier option I recommend the Ancient Grains Bowl with chicken/tofu.

I got the egg burrito which was good (8.5/10) My friend got the ancient grains salmon bowl. The salmon from there was solid, not bad but could be better with some seasoning IMO. They rated the ancient grains bowl a 8/10. The line wasn’t too long in the morning (10am) and it’s a convenient spot to grab breakfast or lunch on campus

Kelp Salad

Only worth it if you have meal swipes. Convenient location near Sather Gate. Bulgogi fries are decent. Serves mostly fast food. For a healthier option I recommend the Ancient Grains Bowl with chicken/tofu.

lillian jiang

I got the egg burrito which was good (8.5/10) My friend got the ancient grains salmon bowl. The salmon from there was solid, not bad but could be better with some seasoning IMO. They rated the ancient grains bowl a 8/10. The line wasn’t too long in the morning (10am) and it’s a convenient spot to grab breakfast or lunch on campus

Food is mid, especially considering the wait time. I’ll take the dining halls most days over this.

The Golden Bear Cafe is your typical quick and easy junk food destination. The food isn't great, but it's quick and efficient. It is a great choice if you are looking to satisfy your greasy food craving, whether it be a burger, Philly cheesesteak sandwich, or some loaded buffalo fries. It can get a little rowdy, especially at peak hours, but you typically get your food within 5 minutes. The dining halls are usually better the majority of the time, in my opinion, but they can easily let you down, whereas at GBC, the food is reliably the same every time, and you know what you're getting.

Manthan Shah

Food is mid, especially considering the wait time. I’ll take the dining halls most days over this.

Michael Mulligan

The Golden Bear Cafe is your typical quick and easy junk food destination. The food isn't great, but it's quick and efficient. It is a great choice if you are looking to satisfy your greasy food craving, whether it be a burger, Philly cheesesteak sandwich, or some loaded buffalo fries. It can get a little rowdy, especially at peak hours, but you typically get your food within 5 minutes. The dining halls are usually better the majority of the time, in my opinion, but they can easily let you down, whereas at GBC, the food is reliably the same every time, and you know what you're getting.

Overall decent but Nary is awful and botched my order

GBC has really good cheeseburgers, but the customer service is terrible. Most of the employees here are unnecessarily rude to students, and I feel like it might be racially charged. I am berated unprovoked by the employees for one reason or another every time I go to gbc.

unpriced potatoes

GBC has really good cheeseburgers, but the customer service is terrible. Most of the employees here are unnecessarily rude to students, and I feel like it might be racially charged. I am berated unprovoked by the employees for one reason or another every time I go to gbc.

They gave me a microwaved Philly cheesesteak like 17 dollar isn’t worth a warm slab of bread with meat nd cheese 🤦‍♂️

Angel Torres

They gave me a microwaved Philly cheesesteak like 17 dollar isn’t worth a warm slab of bread with meat nd cheese 🤦‍♂️

Wish I could give zero stars. The Peets inside of GBC has made my order incorrect multiple times I don’t know why I keep letting them ruin my order. They do not fill the drink cup to the top, they make the order wrong. Do not go here.

The cashier Manshan was rude. I was standing in line behind the please wait sign, and someone cut me. I told the person to not cut. Then Manshan had the audacity to say the cutter was first in line. Threw off my energy.

Obviously convenient but not the best at customer service. I usually go in the morning and there is a group of employees chit chatting at the Coffee/Smoothie area and all were too lazy to walk to the front so I could pay for my items. Secondly, items are always out of stock and areas of the cooler are always empty.

Be prepared to wait for an hour for them to not even start your order.

The only time the food here is decent is when it is really busy because that is the only way it comes out fresh. Most of the time they cook huge batches and leave the food sitting under heat lamps so it is ready to serve. It feels lazy and the food ends up dry, stale, or barely warm. If it is not crowded, do not bother coming here. You are better off eating somewhere else. Do not waste your meal swipes.

3ghin5

Be prepared to wait for an hour for them to not even start your order.

Ron Yex

Their food is nasty I don’t understand how like serve that kind of food and the service there is slow and horrible. Never will I ever again eat there again..

Erick Gallegos

The only time the food here is decent is when it is really busy because that is the only way it comes out fresh. Most of the time they cook huge batches and leave the food sitting under heat lamps so it is ready to serve. It feels lazy and the food ends up dry, stale, or barely warm. If it is not crowded, do not bother coming here. You are better off eating somewhere else. Do not waste your meal swipes.

Olivia Mathai

Wish I could give zero stars. The Peets inside of GBC has made my order incorrect multiple times I don’t know why I keep letting them ruin my order. They do not fill the drink cup to the top, they make the order wrong. Do not go here.

Shytoshi Kusama

The cashier Manshan was rude. I was standing in line behind the please wait sign, and someone cut me. I told the person to not cut. Then Manshan had the audacity to say the cutter was first in line. Threw off my energy.

김은채

I ordered a coffee mocha, but the staff didn't put in chocolate syrup. The chocolate tasted so light that I asked for it again, but it didn't work. I don't want to go again. Other friends, like me, have suffered many times. There are too many errors in the process of manufacturing orders.