USC University Club

We had our work holiday luncheon here for ~20 people, and the staff did a fantastic job of beautifully setting up our private room upstairs and laying out a festive buffet spread for our customized menu.
I typically don’t expect food served in massive chafing dishes to be great, but the food was on par with being served as individually prepared dishes. Our food didn’t get dry or unpleasant sitting there in the warmers, either. The food deliciously exceeded my expectations, especially the roasted prime rib, which came with an assortment of rare, medium, and well done pieces in the buffet tray. It was served in a garlic and rosemary jus and woodland mushrooms.
We also had:
–Cider baked butternut squash soup — phenomenal
–Mixed field greens salad with apple chips — the apple chips were unique and added an amazing crunch
–Stuffed chicken breast with heirloom pears and pecans, gorgonzola sage cream — loved the flavor of this dish as well and having the bone-​in kept the meat juicy
–Fig and walnut stuffing — probably my 2^nd favorite dish after the prime rib
–Sweet potato and granny smith apple casserole — wasn’t a fan
–Green bean gratin with blue cheese crust — the beans were yellow and perfectly cooked, not soggy. A great side dish with a subtle cheese flavor
–Assortment of rolls — loved the rosemary peppered ciabatta style chewy ones
–Pumpkin cheesecake — light and fluffy, amazing, one of the top 3 items we ate
–Chocolate cake — nice layers of delicate cream interlaced
All the sides our organizer ordered for our custom menu were vegetarian, so the banquet menu selections are as diverse enough to have a complete meal without the main meats if you have veggie-​only diners in your group.
We enjoyed great service by the wait staff throughout our 2-​hour reservation.

Easily some of the worst food I’ve ever had. The eateries and restaurants that fall under USC Hospitality are overpriced and sublimely mediocre, actually. (Seeds and Moreton Fig also come to mind.)
The University Club is no different. It strives to justify its «members only» exclusivity by touting a fancy façade, but ultimately the food is bland, mediocre, boring and offensively overpriced.
What are you people doing with all the membership fees and high menu prices? You might think about putting it towards hiring a real executive chef who doesn’t have a palate or vision comparable to Applebee’s.

The sandwich I ordered was okay, but the menu seems all over the place. It appears they want to be fine dining. Yet they have a buffet that sits in the middle of the restaurant surrounding the bar. It was a little odd. They should stick to being a bar/​lounge and serving that type of food. Nothing exclusive about the food/​menu.

~members only~ Being exclusive makes dining at the University Club feel that much more special. I’ve been several times for meetings and my Dean has taken us for staff appreciation lunches. Membership is about $ 300 annually, and staff can have their first year’s fee waived! Members can also send guests solo with arrangements made in advance. It’s like what I imagine a country club to feel like, «good afternoon Ms. X, we’d like to welcome you back».
The food here is good and the menu is seasonal. This time I tried the ahi tacos on the tapas menu – they are tiny, but tasty. Be sure to use the spicy mayo dotted on the plate! Fortunately my coworker and I already planned it out and he ordered a burger and gave me half. The bun was soft and buttery and the burger was juicy! I highly recommend the burger here.
The décor is classic with simple elegance. The staff are very welcoming and pleasant.
Since I typically bring my lunch from home, I probably won’t be signing up anytime soon for a membership, but if you do, invite me!

Great staff and surprisingly good food for a club. The best apps are the quesadillas and potstickers. I opted for the mandarin chicken salad which was surprisingly good. I’ll be back for football season.

Happy hour is where its at!
Monday — Nickel appetizers
Tuesday — $ 1 tacos
Wednesday — $ 4 wine
Thursday — $ 2 IPAs
Friday — $ 1 sliders
Sit at the bar if you have small enough party. Spence, the bartender is GREAT and so friendly! I love his creative take on drinks and how he takes the time to craft quality drinks. If you have a certain preference for alcohol type or flavor, he’ll make you special drinks too.

Definitely one of the best perks about being USC staff… I get to come here and it’s like a secret society. Like a cool kid’s club. :)
The U Club was remodeled and revamped last year and their menu underwent a major overhaul. For a university restaurant, this is as good as it gets. The service is terrific, the food is awesome, but my favorite part about this place is the drinks! Spence is the s***! He is such a talented artist (yes, an artist) that if you just tell him what you like, he’ll make you a drink that will blow your mind.
The best days to go are Tuesdays ($ 1 tacos), Wednesdays ($ 1 ribs), and Thursdays ($ 2 IPA). Their tortilla soup is some of the best I’ve had (which says a lot being Latina) but their best dish is the ahi tuna tacos. The tuna is so fresh that it melts in your mouth and the taco shells are so light and crispy. Amazing!

This is probably one of the most amazing school eateries you can ever eat at, and of course it would be at the University of Southern California. You have to have University Club membership, or be invited by a member to eat here. I was very fortunate to be able to be invited by a professor, along with colleagues!
The building used to be a library, but it is super fancy. Everything about it is fancy: the servers, the tables, the ambiance, everything. The servers comprise some students, and they do a fantastic job with service. The menu can be limited, but the items are also pricey! So do not expect to come here and spend less than $ 20 — probably not going to happen!
I ordered the Potato Crusted Crab Cakes, Mango Salsa, Red Pepper Coulis with sweet potato fries ($ 17.95). The crab cakes were pretty good, but the mango salsa was the best part of the plate. Seriously, it took the crab cakes to another level. I shared Haagan Dazs vanilla ice cream after, and that was pretty good too.
Some of my colleagues ordered burgers, which I am glad I did not because they were HUGE, and I doubt I would have finished one. There is also a bar in the middle, which is cool. It was a great experience to be able to eat with USC professors and alumni. Would like to have another chance to eat here if I am fortunate enough to get invited again, haha.

Ambiance: Relatively fancy and more serious than other eateries on campus
Service: Great! The servers were amazing and very helpful
Food: I got the Tuscan grilled chicken sandwich. It was pretty good. but the chicken was dry and the overall sandwich didn’t have that much flavor. The sweet potato fries were delicious though! But its pretty hard to mess up sweet potato fries.
For dessert, I got the Orange ginger crème brûlée tart. It looked pretty, but the texture was pretty bad for crème brûlée. It was overcooked and didn’t have the creaminess that makes crème brûlée, crème brûlée.
Price: Very expensive. You may or may not need to be a member to dine here.
Its a fancy restaurant on campus that is good to bring people who you want to impress. But you can honestly eat at so many other delicious places that are probably half the price.

I’ve always wondered about this place and finally got the chance to try it out when I had lunch with my Professor! =D
One word to describe this place: SWANKY! Totally USC-​esque. You have to be a member of the University Club or go with someone who is because they check if you have your member card. I believe you also need to make a reservation because when we went it was packed! You totally wouldn’t expect this because it always is so quiet outside of the building, but it’s popping inside!
They have a bunch of options here: salads, sandwiches, tacos and other various dishes, the menu was so big I couldn’t even read all of it before we ordered. They also have a buffet available. I got the burger with the caramelized onions which was very flavorful, especially the onions! The fries were really great too, you can get normal fries, sweet potato, or fruit but I was boring and got normal. They also come around and give you free bread if you like before your entrees come out. Service was very nice and the ambiance was quite formal. Everything is quite expensive though so be careful!
The desserts are worth checking out too, although they are quite pricey. My friend ordered the cookies with hot cocoa which sounded whatever until they brought it out. They give you a cube of FUDGE on a stick to put into the milk in the cup which then melts into some awesome hot chocolate. I just wanted to eat the fudge hahaha the cookies were small, like the ones you have with coffee/​tea. I had a cup of coffee which was of very good quality (it better be for the price) and was served on nice china. Overall great experience, we spent over 2 hours there for lunch! A very nice treat.

4.5
I changed my mind for my previous review. After coming here last night, I kept awaiting my next course because it was that good! I came for a banquet type thing and started off with a blue cheese salad. Apparently the dressing was already on the salad which was a regular spring mix but I didn’t really care because the blue cheese crumbles and candied walnuts were the best thing on earth that night and totally brought together the whole salad! During our main course, I had the chicken which was grilled and surprisingly not dry. It didn’t have too much flavor (unless you call salt a flavor) but it was grilled just right with a crispy skin. For dessert, a heavenly slice of angel food cake topped with strawberry/​raspberry sauce was put in front of me and I made sure I took my sweet time enjoying every bite. University Club, you have won me over!

I’ve never been to King Stoops Hall before. Prior to my visiting this place, I always knew it at the old looking library, but now it’s an awesome restaurant on campus. I’ve been here several times now for various events and am impressed with the interior of this place. I definitely love old buildings that are transformed into restaurants. This place is a lot better than the old location.

Wow, love the new renovations of the University Club. It doesn’t feel like you are eating on campus. It feels like you just stepped into a fine dining restaurant at some place in Beverly HIills. yes. that fancy. I love the high ceilings and the stairs leading to more tables upstairs. Love the dark wood and white linen table cloths and walls which opens up the space and gives it a clean ambiance. I also think the dark curtains that hang from the ceiling not only allows the restaurant to give some privacy to private parties but it also creates a cute cabana feel to the restaurant which is really popular in a lot of restaurants now.
Anson Mills Toasted Stone Cut Oatmeal with Dried Cherries and Walnuts– Sweet, delicious, and taste just like christmas. I don’t like my oatmeal plain so this is a nice alternative where it is slightly sweet and the walnuts add a great texture to the oatmeal.
Grilled Flatbread Breakfast Pizza– Delicious, delicious, delicious! It basically is baked tortilla with 2 Cage Free Eggs, Bloomsdale Spinach and Zoe Farms Apple Wood Smoked Bacon– Delicious. It is definitely a must get if you ever come here for breakfast. I love the crispyness of the crust and the egg is scrambled and savory with the addition of the smoked bacon.
Breakfast Panini — Savory, warm goeey sandwich from the smoked mozzarella with Cage Free Eggs and Chicken Sausage on 5 Grain with Heirloom Tomato. THe eggs are basically scrambled and cooked on the skillet and the sandwich is a bit on the heavy side, definitely borderline greasy but if you are looking for a really hearty breakfast that is easy to eat, the panini is your best bet. The Breakfast Potatoes are roasted, sauteed, and definitely tasty.
Service is decent and the restaurant is definitely a must go if you have or know anyone that has the University Club membership. They have great food there and reservations are definitely a must especially for breakfast because it does get busy.
Fight On! =)

Nice ambience and yummy food are definite pluses. The only minus is that you need to be a member to dine at this place!
I’ve only been here for lunch. Prices for the food are reasonable and the food I’ve tried so far (the short rib sandwich and angus burger) were both delicious.
Do try the cheese bread that goes around with the butter. It’s a great combination. If there’s room for dessert, do try the deconstructed cheesecake. It’s definitely different and strikes a good balance at being not too sweet for a dessert and just the right portion size.
Usually, they ask people do reservations, but they do accomodate walk-​ins.

clean and nice ambience… wasnt too busy for a friday… happy hour was great 5¢ appetizers… love the pizza