Sonia’s Café at Loyola Law School

Congratulations Sonais on becoming my third 1 star review. Every since it got taken over by Bön appetit management company it had gone even more downhill. First, the ordering system SUCKS because its hard to make notes or make alterations to your orders. Second, you have to WAIT and be late to class. 3. If you can mess up a quesadilla or a casear salad, then you got issues. I only come here when I’m desperate. And please explain to me how a cup of soup costs the same as a tea?! and why tea costs more than coffee?

So this review is based on the newly managed Sonia’s in comparison to Bön Appetit Sonia’s. The new remodel is nice and aesthetically pleasing so that’s a plus. Also, the ordering system changed, and is done through an automated touch-​screen system which in theory should expedite orders and make the process quicker. Unfortunately that’s not the case.
It seems as though they’ve added more staff to cook, and they don’t have to worry about orders but the quality in food has decreased and it takes longer to get. I ordered a grilled cheese with bacon that took 30 minutes to get and somehow the cheese wasn’t melted. I’m not entirely sure how that’s possible but the new Sonia’s has figured it out. I also tried a chicken burrito which lacked any type of flavor.
Maybe they’re just working out the kinks of all the new systems but it has been pretty disappointing thus far.

Three stars for the friendly staff, decent prices (on most things, but see below), and convenience. I’m being generous… but I can’t give 2.5 stars so I’ll round up.
Complaints:
–Their selection is terrible. They rotate menu items and very rarely am I excited to get one of their specials, etc.
–Some of the pricing is way out of whack. A grilled cheese and fries is $ 4-​$ 5 which is great. But a tiny slice of pizza is the same price! They used to give you a full mini pizza for that price, but no more!
–The food, in general, is mediocre at best.

I was a temp at the bookstore here so the couple of times my mama didn’t pack me a brown bag full of lunch (kidding) or I’d forget to eat something before, I’d grab a sandwich here. Modestly price grub, I used to pick up the Tuna sandwich and the Patty Melt at about $ 3.75 a pop. Pretty good place to grab lunch on campus and the staff is always happy and accommodating. Reminded me of the commons back in college. No complaints, but I do find it funny that every time I had lunch here there would be TMZ playing on the TVs. haha.

Sonia’s has great food for the price. My only problem is that it is deceptively easy to spend money here. Also, I’m pretty sure it was involved in edging out the coffee cart that used to exist on campus, which is really sad. Those people were incredibly nice and had great coffee.

A couple years ago, before this place became Bön Apetit, someone remarked of my peanut butter and jelly sandwich, «there’s not much better here, is there?»
Still holds true today.

it’s good-​ish. fresh tasting, but nothing to write home about. It works in a pinch while you are hungry and in between classes, but it’s a better option to walk to LA Live and eat. BUT you can score a decent omelet for $ 4 with toast. I guess that doesn’t suck!

do you like food that tastes good? do you like not waiting for your food? do you prefer to pay reasonable prices for your lunch? if you answered yes, then this place isn’t for you.
and top of the bad food, wifi costs $ 40,000 a year.

I love Erving and all the staff at Sonias. Too bad everything else in there is expensive. Sometimes they give me discounts when the bananas are small and bruised.

get a life peter. Sonias is not 4 stars.

Sonia’s is the on-​campus café for Loyola Law School. Starting in the fall of 2009, management of Sonia’s was taken over by the Bön Appétit Management Company. Since then Bön Appétit has boasted food that is alive with flavor and nutrition, prepared from scratch using fresh, authentic ingredients. For the most part, they have stayed true to their promise.
In comparison to Sonia’s under the previous management company, the food tastes noticeably better. Seeing how the menu isn’t drastically different from before, I credit this to both the effort put in to prepare the food as well as the improved quality of ingredients that they use. Everything tastes fresher and healtheir.
The improvements in quality come at the cost of a smaller menu selection. That’s because the new Sonia’s features an ever changing menu. With the exception of the salad bar and grill, their entire menu changes daily. A positive or a negative depending on the way you look at it. One can check their website to see what’s being served weekly. While specifics will vary, Sonia’s will always feature something different from each of their stations: seasonal salad, global, panini classic, panini vegetarian, pizza and soup. They can also cater school events for very reasonable prices.
Bön Appétit has also have made significant efforts to make Sonia’s more eco-​friendly. Instead of paper plates, paper cups and disposable cutlery, Sonia’s has made the switch to non-​disposable plastic plates, plastic cups and silverware. The end result is less waste, but it does require patrons to bus their own tables by putting their dirty dining ware into bins around campus. Not too much to ask for.
To sum it up, Sonia’s has exceeded any expectations I had for a law school café. I no longer cringe and the thought of having to eat on-​campus and I have even noticed that students are less inclined to want to go off-​campus for their meals. Only time will tell if Sonia’s continues to operate at a high level, but for now, I think the general consensus is that Sonia’s is good stuff.