Rendezvous

Rendezvous was one of the preferred dining locations i usually get my food from, as it is convenient and is on the way to my dorm building. However, I would say both the quality and quantity are of low maintenance here. I didn’t mind it so much as it is better than most college campus food, but today I found a hair in my phở. It was really thin (luckily I have good vision) and I was really disappointed because phở is my favorite, or was, my favorite entrée at rende. Never experienced this kind of disappointment at a Ucla residential restaurant before, and hope I never have to again. I would say the Asian combo is average, but may make you feel a little sick a bit after eating it. If you’re looking for a healthier option at rende I would opt for a make your own salad on the Mexican side and not add sour cream. It’s low in carbs, high in protein, but may be high in sodium as well.

This is my go-​to take out dining location on The Hill. If you’re looking to lose some weight, this isn’t the place for you. But if you’re craving some Asian or Mexican cuisine, or you would like some boba-​pick-​me-​up for your late night study sessions, this is the place to go.
If you are the type of person who enjoys Panda Express, you will probably enjoy the Asian side. Their first option is the combo; you essentially chose your carbs and sides. They have various options for your «main» dish– white rice, fried rice, brown rice, chow mein. Then you pick your sides. The most common ones are orange chicken, and beef and broccoli. However, they do rotate some side dishes throughout the week, so you have a selection of eggplant and tofu, chicken and green beans, kung pao chicken, just to name a few. If you opt not to get the combo, you can get the daily special.
I frequented the Mexican side more, my go-​to order is the Chicken Burrito. It comes with a side of mexican rice and beans. I usually load up on the condiments– salsa, cilantro, lime, jalapenos. Craving it as I write this review. If you’re not in a burrito mood, you can nachos, which essentially has all of the same ingredients (minus the tortilla).
The addition of boba to the menu was a game-​changer for UCLA dining, not that UCLA dining food wasn’t great to begin with. You can get 2 regular sided boba with one swipe or a large one. It’s not amazing-​blow-​your-​mind boba, but it satisfies your craving. Shout out to Ming, the server, who makes my boba «trips» a little more enjoyable.
It’s not the best asian/​mexican food around, but it’s good. If you go at peak hour, you may have to wait a long time to get your order. I’ve had instances where the computer system wasn’t working and waited for an order that didn’t go through.

Convenient, but the speediness of the food has resulted in me questioning whether to come here at all.
Rendezvous, one of three quick service options on the hill at UCLA, is known for its fattening but filling food. There is an option of Rendezvous East and West, which used to be known as Asian and Mexican side respectively to older students. Rendez has returned to its original location under Rieber Terrace after a renovation. A renovation that was supposed to make Rendez better, but did not quite work out that way.
At this point of time, I primarily reserve going to Rendez for quick service breakfast but try to avoid at all costs for any other meal periods. The lines are longer than they have ever been before and not enough people are working to alleviate the crowds. For this reason, I would recommend trying to go at non peak periods (7am-​9am; 1−2pm; 10−11pm). But lines can be predictable and even these normally uncrowded times can turn into disaster pending on the neighboring residents’ eating habits.
The food itself is extremely filling and will give you a day’s worth of calories. Unfortunately, at the cost of your stomach being upset. The Mexican food is not authentic and the Asian food is equally meh. There are certain specials throughout the week that folks adore (Thursday Cali Burrito and Friday Sushi Bowl) whereas others are questionable.

This food is suck. Service=shit. I was stoned and was still disappointed. Too bad chick-​fil-​a closes at 10:30.

There are few times in life when all one craves is a burrito with French fries inside. Rende gives that once a week. It’s pretty standard «latin» food. I generally get the bean and cheese burrito but with black beans (way better than the pinto beans). Also, the avocado salsa at the salsa bar is one of the best things since kale guacamole.

Rendezvous is one of my favorite places to eat at in terms of to-​go on-​campus dining options here at UCLA. In fact, I am writing this review as I wait in line for it to open (opens at 12pm for lunch). It is one of the further dining restaurants in that it is located up a steep hill and two sets of small stairs – I like to tell myself that I am really working for my food! ;)
Anyway, here is my breakdown:
–Great options for to-​go breakfast because other to-​go places serve bagels and pastries but one can pick up breakfast burritos and more (check menu daily)!
–One of the four to-​go options on campus for there is a wider selection of cuisines like «Latin,» and «Asian» cuisines (as their stations are called).
-«Rende,» as it is called by Bruins, has vegetarian options and daily specials such as:
–Monday: Chipotle Chicken Burrito, BBQ Chicken (or Vegan) Quesadilla, Pork Tankatsu, Vegetarian Bento box
–Tuesday: 3 taco combination (beef, chicken, al pastor), Potato Enchiladas, Bulgolgi bowl, Korean Vegetable Box
–Wednesday: BBQ (or vegetarian) Chicken Quesadilla, Chicken (or vegan) Teriyaki box,
–Thursday: Beef phở, California (or vegetarian) Burrito, teriyaki chicken bento box
–Friday: Chicken (or potato) Enchildas, Shrimp Sushi bowl, Vegetarian Sushi Bowl
–**Also have daily noodle bowls (check menu)
–All entrees come with one drink
–Dessert is sold after 9 P.M. – churros with hot chocolate or hot vanilla, Green Tea waffle with ice cream, or dessert nachos.
–They also have a wide array of beverages with boba such as Horchata, Milk Tea, Thai Tea, Green Tea, and Taro.
–There is a «Happy Hour» special from 2pm-​4pm in which one can get a FREE 16oz Boba with meal on Mondays, Tuesdays, or Wednesdays.
–There is a large seating area for students and staff to dine, unlike other to-​go places.
Everything at Rendezvous is average in taste, but it is still tasty! I mean, I definitely do not feel healthy when I eat here, but it is quick (because ain’t nobody got time to eat in the dining halls sometimes) and it definitely has that street-​food taste (and grease) that I crave from time-​to-​time. Tis’ all!

Good enough specialties are the main foodstuff you should get

This is what UCLA dining is about.
We even have a take-​out place that caters to Asian & Mexican cuisine. You have your classics like burritos/​nachos/​quesadilla on the Mexican side and the combo on the asian side, which is kind of like Panda Express style. On top of those, every day of the week has its own Asian & Mexican special. They switch these up every quarter too to really bring a lot of variety and experiences to Rende.
At what other school can you go downstairs at 11pm and grab some late night tacos?
And now they even incorporated boba!?? That insane 32oz drink of the late night studying gods.
Definitely one of the places that define UCLA housing.

Man I love this place, one of my favorite take-​out dining halls at UCLA (let’s be honest though, almost all the dining halls at UCLA are pretty impressive compared to other campuses). This one specifically though has a good variety of options for diners upon each visit, with the two categories being Mexican or Asian food, plus you have the option to eat here or take your food to-​go (convenient for typical college students looking for a quick bite to eat because they always have somewhere to be). Rendezvous also opens until 12 am so it is perfect for those late night munchies (if you know what I mean). The Asian food choices typically comes in a combo, consisting of an entrée and two sides (similar to Panda Express or Hong Kong Express). The Mexican food options are the usual choices: burritos, tacos, and nachos (TRY THE CHICKEN NACHOS!!).
In addition to the usual choices, each day both divisions of this dining hall caters special courses students can try: my favorite being the Barbeque Chicken Quesadilla (this stuff is to die for). Whenever I’m offered a swipe, I make sure to check if this special option is available and make it a priority. Definitely dine here.
Note: menus and specials can be found online.

Rande is what happens if you take a panda express and a chipotle and put them together under one roof. However the food at rande is not even half as good as panda, and not even a quarter as good as chipotle.
They have a rotating asian and mexican item every day that repeats weekly. Aside from that the menu stays constant with either mixed plate asian or buritos.
I think that Rande is probably the worst quality non dining hall meal option for people who live on the hill. The make up for the quality by giving you quite a bit of food. It’s still okay, but there are better options. Having it in summit this year tho is nice because of the ample seating for doing whatever.

Got the nacho’s with my friend. So delicious and big portion!

Hah I love how people have created profiles for restaurants at UCLA. This place used to be my go to place for my late night meals. If it was too late for dinner or you weren’t able to eat with anyone at the dining hall, you could grab this to go and bring it back to your dorm and play dota/​watch netflix/​do ya thang and eat really bad food for you haha. That being said, the quality of the food wasn’t great, but it was all we had as students on the hill when it came for mexican food (watered down mexican food that wasn’t authentic) and a wannabe panda express. I do miss this place though. I won’t be back haha.
–Tej

Nothing special, but it will fill you up. It’s always a toss up between «the Mexican side» and «the Asian side.» Truthfully, neither is better than the other. That being said, for a meal swipe, it’s not too bad.

Dishes at odd hours. Really good. Mexican food is pretty satisfying, and so are the Asian-​American dishes. Obvious caveat is that this is fast-​food style, take-​out stuff. But good take-​out food at that. Nice portions. Not really just for Rendezvous, but am I the only one who fancies the hill’s local ginger ale?

I absolutely love their chicken nachos and their salsa bar! I miss UCLA dining :(For being on campus dining i will give it 5 stars!

Apologies to the people working here, whom are very nice, but even your herculean efforts to put out smiles, fortune cookies, and unlabeled bottles of brown stuff cannot save the shittiness of the other materials you have to work with.
If it is between 10:45 and 10:55 A.M., come here for breakfast. Those who have completed Sisyphean tasks in Rieber Court and will starve to death walking a tenth-​mile farther may have an exception as well and eat here (on the Mexican side only). Otherwise, there’s a lovely set of stairs right outside Rendezvous’ entrance, like even it knows that what you should do during all 12+ other hours UCLA quick-​service places are open is GO DOWN THE STAIRS.
Mexican side: no comment. «Asian» side…
If you actually like Asian food, this place will quickly convince you otherwise. For the first time in my life I will recommend Panda Express: the one in Ackerman is preferable to Rendezvous combos, even if you have to slave at minimum wage to pay for it. 1919 is better Asian food than this because 1919 food is actually food. Rendezvous serves an unholy concoction of starch, oil, and so-​called «beef» with texture like a pig chewed it for a while, decided it wasn’t worth eating, and spat it out covered in fat and starch. The vegetables taste old enough to be pickled, but swim around in their stew of tan sauce without any preservative for flavor or crunchiness. Here even the chicken salad, which at Bcafe is an unassuming Americanized fusion-​wibbly thing that can be eaten with one hand, has far more than its share of starchy something and more mushy wontons than lettuce.
If you don’t like Asian food, please don’t come here. The stain Rendezvous makes on the cuisine’s reputation could color my heart black. Rendezvous doesn’t even sell pastries, bottled sodas, or any other portable 3 AM snacks to salvage itself.
Edible items: phở (although flavorless), bibimbap (make sure you lug over a microwave from the nonexistent CityTarget, because it will go cold before you manage to squeeze out the door), ramens (if you don’t die of hunger before reaching the front of both lines).
Did I mention that Rendezvous will often randomly run out of these specials or inexplicably replace them with the poisoning-​worthy yakisoba? The bathroom in the back is a must-​visit. The first time I naively finished a box here, it made a nice place to vomit.

No shame in my game… I probably use most of my swipes here (and mostly on taco salads and nachos).
It’s pretty darn good for dorm food, they have specials every single day on both the Mexican side and the Asian side. It’s weird but c’mon where else would you have the option of choosing between a beef quesadilla or some bulgogi ramen? Honestly I never stray far from the Mexican side but there’s always a line out the door for the Asian side so I’m guessing it can’t be bad.
They also have chorizo and machaca breakfast burritos and bacon bagel sandwiches in the morning.
The only downside to this place is that it’s not open over the weekend. Hooray for living about 20 steps from here!

Honestly I only come here, because as UCLA staff I only pay 3.50 for meals. The food is pretty basic for Mexican and Asian food. Why only 2 styles of food? I dont know… Kind of wish there was more options. Also the Asian side is really Chinese with only special days when they had Pad Thai (good actually) and bim bim bap (ok). Other than that its like a Panda Express.
The Mexican Side i enjoy more, since I love getting the chicken burrito bowl and there is a salsa bar where I can just pile on the salsa, cilantro and onions. — yum. Also the Chicken Sopes are great too.
Anyways its not going to wow you, but just generally good food, and a good alternative to the dorms if you don’t want to eat too much or something different.

Still the same, still love it! Well, the Mexican side at least. I think I tried the Asian side less than 5 times in my 2 years in the dorms.
Anyway, I tried the beef taco salad. It’s a lot of food. I was so stuffed. However, they don’t give you too much beef :[ Oh well, but they do give you a lot of lettuce, gauc, sour cream, etc. No beans though!
I also tried a bit of the beef quesadilla. Very cheesy and very beefy (good complement to the taco salad); it also came with rice and pinto beans.
Nom nom nom!

This place is so conveniently located that I can’t bring myself to hate it as much as I want to.
Everything on the menu is decent and the breakfast isn’t bad at all. It’s just a bit too greasy and the guacamole looks and tastes radioactive.