Bertner Avenue Cafe

The grill area is extremely slow. They really should take other orders while the burgers are cooking. Many times I’ve walked away after waiting 5 – 10 mins and all I wanted were fries. Slow slow slow and not all there.

As far as hospital cafeteria food goes, it’s typical. Kind of gross, severely overpriced, shockingly unhealthy, and banking heavily on your entrapment and supply and demand. I do like the chicken sandwich from the grill paired with sweet potato fries. Tricky to find.

I’ve eaten here 10 times or more. Great salad bar. Great soup choices, all homemade. Nice sandwiches and wraps. Grill, pizza & much more. What else could you want. Always fresh food!

OK Bertner Ave. Café — I’ve been putting this review off for a long time. Unfortunately, my wife and I have been customers of St. Lukes for years. Here’s the deal: two stars is all any hospital institutional cafeteria can hope for, right? So just expect that your food arrived at the hospital frozen in a box, and was heated hours ago and has been sitting on the steam table for some time. That’s just the way it is. It is a hospital cafeteria.
What amazes me most is the complete lack of healthy options (except of course for the over-​priced salad bar). Occationally they’ll have something that won’t cause you to check yourself in to the heart institute immediately upon completion of the meal, but unfortunately, you can’t count on it.
However, the staff working at the grill can cook up a really good egg white omlet in the morning — something that is definately worthy of more than two stars, and at a very reasonable price.
Since (especially at dinner) it’s likely that everything within walking distance is closed, or you’ve already eaten it too many days in a row, just keep your expectations in check and make the best of it.

OK so here’s a little history about this Café.
During, the storm (Ike), They had security guards out front only letting in employees, patients, and family member of St. Luke’s. I understand there is a storm going on but there are other people wanting hot food. Seriously? Guards out front? Employees of Texas Children’s were not allowed to get food. What’s sad is that café is supposed to be a joint one so it’s not like we had another option.
Anyways, ever since the storm basically the majority of the people at TCH have boycotted this café. However, I was in a hurry today and this was convenient. One thing I have learned in life convenience usually gets you in trouble, women, food, gas, etc…
Like life, take your time and get what you want. Settling will get you nothing but trouble and a tummy-​ache in this case.

I saw the reviews of other Texas Medical Center hospitals’ cafeterias, so I thought I’d give St. Luke’s Bertner Avenue Café a shout out. Call me crazy, but I actually think it may be my favorite (even topping Methodist???). It still only gets three stars because 1) it is, after all, a crowded, overpriced hospital cafeteria, and 2) the ambiance is terrible (it’s in the basement, meaning no windows, no cell reception, and no escape from that ubiquitous scorched food/​cleaning liquid scent). Also, the prices have continued to climb over my time at medical school, and lunch now runs at $ 6 – 8, which is not exactly cheap.
However, the food is decent, in my experience. I would say the cafeteria has a soul food/​southern food bent (although it certainly has the standard salad bar, pizza stand, and sushi cabinet that most places do). Even the Chinese food makes me think of the rodeo. I have to specifically mention the sweet potato pon (don’t think about the butter in it) and the fish (which has always been good when I’ve had it, whether fried, blackened, or baked). I also am a fan of the soft serve machine. But, then again, I’ve never met ice cream I didn’t like…