Pat Brown’s Grill

I used to love Pat Brown’s but ever since they changed the place up this school year the place has gone downhill. Though the paninis are appetizing, they’re tiny and expensive. And on top of that, it consistently take a long time for them to bad (like 10+ minutes). Most students eat on campus for purposes of convenience, and a long wait time is the exact opposite of convenience. Unfortunately even the quality of their Peet’s drinks seems lower than other campus spots (like Qualcomm). They’re are definitely better off campus options for you on West side.

Pat Brown’s, now just Brown’s, or Browns’, or whatever. It doesn’t matter, because if you can’t get service right, the food becomes secondary. And, since the remodel, they can’t get service right. Instead of walking up to the counter and asking for what you want, you pay the cashier (when you can find one) get a number and wait. And wait. Not acceptable for a busy campus restaurant.
Once the waiting has finished, what you might find, as I have on *every* occasion, is that what you ordered is not what’s in the box or bag. Want tomatoes and cheese on your polenta? How about some chard and soy sauce instead? You asked for salad? Well, in some universes, sweet potato fries are *like* salad.
Today was my last visit. There were two other customers there, both waiting. The cashier was doing who knows what who knows where. I waited at the counter as long as I could put up with and gave up, permanently.
The food is fine – better than the previous incarnation – locally sourced, generally tasty. But, unless you can get what you order in a reasonable amount of time, there are many other options that cause less annoyance.

The staff really aren’t into customer service. Well, most of them anyway. The rude asian woman at the Peet’s counter is just so off-​putting, I have literally gone out of my way and walked all the way to Yali’s instead of dealing with her. Not sure who’s managing the staff here, but really needs improvement. Some folks aren’t meant to deal with the public and that’s fine — I wish them well in finding other employment more suitable to their skills!

Mediocre food that is overpriced. Have vegetarian options like tofu and a sunflower cutlet that are pretty tasty, but just as expensive as meat options. Salad toppings are limited to 5 and they are skimpy on the portions. Garlic fries are pretty good!

In terms of where to spend your meal points, I don’t think there’s a place that out competes pay Browns. What I like about this place is that there’s such a variety of options. In regards to the lunch items, you have tri tip, rotisserie chicken, and even a burrito bar that is a pseudo chipotle.

Convenient on campus coffee spot. Sometimes long lines between classes, but move pretty fast.

now charging $ 1.50 and $ 1.25 for guac and sour cream on vegetarian burritos (and charge the same for meat burritos). bringing a veggie burrito bowl to $ 8.50. #neveragain

Pat Brown’s Grill. One of the perks is that there are places to eat built-​in at UC Berkeley. This is one of them.
I discovered this place when I was meeting up with my Cal mentor at the time in Spring 2011 before sitting in on her social psychology class. It was a cold Monday morning and I was so happy to find a place on the campus to sit and drink coffee! And with Peets Coffee to boot! I needed a cuppa java to warm up. And the menu seemed promising. I would have eaten breakfast here if it was not for the fact I had already had breakfast at home. The breakfast and lunch menu seemed quite promising. .. made a note to self to give it a try. The staff were pretty cheerful that morning – they must have had their Peets!
Flash forward to two years later at my student orientation. Pat Brown’s Grill is still here. Thank goodness to see an old familiar place. I will definitely be stopping by to get a cuppa Peets coffee in the morning or afternoon as well as have that breakfast I promised myself in the spring of 2014.
PS: I will be back with an update.
Fresh Unilocal Review #85 for 2013

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.

For campus food, this is the best you can get. My friend and I would share one of these plates pretty often last semester, and I can honestly say I looked forward to them!
Get the tri-​tip! The mashed potatoes with gravy are also good.
It’s super far away though. Luckily, my friend had class in Li Ka Shing so it wasn’t too much of an issue, but I guess walking all the way over there from Kroeber wouldn’t exactly be worth it. :P

Recently re-​opened after being remodeled. SO HAPPY it’s finally open, I was getting tired of trekking to GBC for lunch. It’s a solid on-​campus dining option. They take meal points. They serve rotisserie chicken and turkey and things like that, plus salads and sandwiches. And they have a Peet’s! Probably my new favorite place to eat on campus (Sorry, Qualcomm.) My only gripe is that it closes early, around 4.

|| 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 entrée and 2 sides for $ 7.50
Today, entrees, included ¼ 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 entrée 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 entrée 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 entrée roast from herbed chicken, turkey breast, daily entrée, 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, ½ 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 entrée, 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:

I love Pat Brown’s, simply because its location is so convenient for me (I have classes 5 days a week at GPB). I usually get the hazelnut coffee (which is surprisingly good!), the chicken strips, and the chicken stirfry with brown rice when I want something healthy and filling. If you’re looking for a frills-​free place to grab a quick snack, I recommend this café!

This place is very convenient for me because it is really close to the lab I work at. They sell several food items and beverages like juice and coffee. I’ve never at here thought, just boughten food items, but it looks like they have a lot of sitting for people not only on the inside but on the outside too.

Mr. Brown is definitely not serving me my lunch, but when I’m hungry for breakfast, this greasy, fatty grill is calling my name. Some days I just wake with a craving for Pat’s good olé tater tots. Other days on the way back from getting my coffee, the smell of those tater tots being cooked up consumes me, makes my knees weak, and self– restraint becomes completely impossible as my nose leads me in here. I cave in occasionally, and so do my wonderful co-​workers MJ & YG. We love each other so much we share and save our waistlines tot-​by-​tot.
Then there are the days where you feel like you haven’t eaten in 3 days and you want it all… eggs, bacon, tots, and toast. Pat’s will load it up for ya. And when I’m being a good girl, I pick up some oatmeal.
I give Pat’s a solid 4 stars simply for being there, with a smile, within 50 feet of my office with all of its overpriced candy, gum, soda, salads, donuts, ice cream, sushi, weak coffee and accepting my debit card or IOU. What else would I do when I forget something for the potluck and can bring 8 sushi rolls for $ 8 and win my co-worker’s hearts? Or when I need a 5-​hour energy drink? Or donut, or egg n cheese a la McMuffin, or tuna melt, or fries or… you get my point. Paying for convenience… Love ya Pat!

Mustard was super runny. New cashier needs more. practice (i.e. or like standing in line for 10 minutes). Again, expensive soda’s and like 4 – 5 bucks for an odwalla. Seriously? No to-​go boxes. Refrigerator needs to be colder — my sodas area always lukewarm.
If I didn’t work so close to this place — I’d probably never come back.

Even though I’m not a big fan of Pat Brown’s, I’m nonetheless a slave to it since its only a few steps from my office… arghhh, I hate that my laziness compels me to go to this place
Definitely, the best thing on the menu here is the cheesesteak… but there really are no fresh healthy options… so if I’m looking to negate my day’s workout, this is a place I’d end up going to…
appetizer: greasy fries dipped in ranch dressing or chili cheese, entrée: cheese steak ladeled with molten cheddar cheese and onions, dessert: something else you fry the shit out of… beverage: diet coke… since, you know, a girl needs to keep her figure
I know… undergrads at Berkeley are pretty easy to please since the university usually makes them eat pig feed out of troughs at the other cafeterias…(which is why I suspect other people gave it more stars than I have)… but, as a grad student here whose days of eating pig slop are long gone, I expect a lil’ more…
the only options that can really be considered healthy here are overpriced, prepackaged goods that don’t look particularly tastey sitting
on the shelves…
and their coffee… my god… its like they only use one coffee bean per metric ton of hot water to make it… I like my coffee strong, so perhaps that why it displeases me so much… but still, give a bitch a break… I’d like some coffee in this cup of hot water, please!

Out of the places that accept meal points on campus, Pat Brown’s is the best.
If you got meal points to burn, and you are on northside, look no further than the PBG.
They have bomb cheezesteak sandwiches, and are always fully stocked on bentos and other good shit.
The décor and table space is much better than any other eateries on campus, which is a huge plus.
If u dont have meal points, i wouldn’t recommend eating here, but its still a convenient and comfortable place to chill/​study.

The only good thing about this place is that its merely 10 steps from my office. Other than that avoid this place if possible.
When getting there directly at noon the fries aren’t fresh and never are. you have to practically watch them cook fries to know they are fresh. The prices are very high and quality of food isn’t up to par. There are many other places i would recommend other than pat browns. If you can please head over to bears lair for lunch. A much better selection and everything is F R E S H!
Also not every cashier knows what to charge so i guarantee you wont pay the same exact price for some items all the time. i have gotten charge different prices for the hot menu many times. Only reason why i might still order it is because i get charged a lower price than the first time. Its always a gamble.
So basically this place is over priced and food is never always guaranteed fresh. If it takes walking longer to get quality food. i suggest you get the stepping. ^_^

They have annoying summer and break hours closing at 2PM.
Also they close early as compared to most campus restaurants: They close at 4PM. I don’t know. Do they think science majors don’t need to eat after a certain time?
The food they make is pretty bad, but they have some prepackaged Cesar salads (thank god) and plenty of odwallas, juices and sodas.
Their cookie selection bites. I love oatmeal and if I’m desperate chocolate chip. They always always have peanut butter. Ick.
The best thing about Pat Brown’s is the outdoor patio which is really lovely on those rare warm Berkeley days
If you have 15 minutes this is a great place to stop, but you might be able to make center street and back in 30.