Global Village Cafe

REVISED EDIT 12/​20/​2015: Café Iveta is coming to campus, but at the old Joe’s Pizza location in Quarry Plaza. Café Brazil will run the Global Village Café. I’m extremely pleaed with these choices.
EDIT: Café Iveta, from down on Delaware Street, is coming to campus as a new food operator after the first of the year, and I believe they’re moving into the Global Village. Good choice.
Earlier Post:
As of October 16, Global Village as we knew it is closed. Hoffman’s Bakery Café, the current operator, is out.
A new operator will take over the GV space within the month. It may still be called the Global Village, but it’ll be a different restaurant with different staff, and all reviews pre-​October 2015 are be obsolete,.
As for why Hoffman’s is out, no clue.

I’ve been coming here for a year now. It’s been alright if you’re stranded in the library doing work and you get hungry. A year ago I ordered the Studious chef salad and it actually exceeded expectations. There was half and avocado sliced in there, and egg, several slices of ham, turkey, and cheese, and a good amount of sliced avocado over assorted greens with a creamy dressing. A few days ago I ordered the same salad and, to my dismay, they have dropped in standards. On the leafy greens, there was ¹⁄₃ of a half of sliced avocado, 4 mushy thin slices of cucumber, 1 slice each of ham, turkey, and cheese rolled up and cut, and a sliced egg with dressing. I noticed they started slipping mid winter 2015. It’s not bad or anything. If you order it for the first time now, you might find it to be fine, but comparing from where they were last year, the salad was disappointing.

Poor service and below average salads and sandwiches. Seems pretty clear that they get safeway types of boring ingredients — pre sliced sandwich meats, pre washed lettuce. When the make a salad, the lettuce is dry and packed tightly, like what one finds in those mixed greens boxes at markets. Slap some cheese or pre slice meat on top, and that’s a chef salad. Yuck. Same on the sandwiches. If you ask for additional salad dressing, they charge extra.
When a meal is ready, they sort of announce over the counter, but you can barely hear them. Drinks come out separately from the meals. If you don’t hear your drink called, it just sits there on the counter top. They really need a PA system.
The quiche is okay, as are the soups. Otherwise, menu is very limited. In general, compared to most of the college coffee shops on campus, this place is way sub par.

Love their chocolate-​peanut butter-​raspberry smoothie. I always get it with extra peanut butter. I like that the soups change. Kind of expensive for small portion café food. I wish they had more options for people with food allergies.

best food on campus compared to the other cafes
everyone who works there is super nice and accomodating
EXCEPT one of the girl cashiers that is always extremely unpleasant and has unescissary attitude

The sandwiches and salads are not great, nor is the service. I eat there regularly because it’s convenient, but that’s the only reason. Once I had a sandwich with bread so stale I couldn’t eat it; another time a chef salad that had obviously been frozen and defrosted; another time they forgot to put the turkey on my turkey sandwich; another time they didn’t put the salad dressing on my salad… you get the idea. All of the advertised sandwiches and salads are bland and tasteless but at least they let you build your own (for like $ 10).

Their pastries are almost always good, but that’s all they have to offer. I’ve never had a good drink from here– the lattes have no sweetness or flavor, and the hot chocolates are bland. Their sandwiches are a let down, the lines are often long, and they have a $ 5 minimum for credit card purchases. If you’re looking for food on campus, try a food truck or go to a perk coffee bar for drinks.

I never realized this place had such a silly name, my friends and I simple refer to it as the «McHenry Café». Either way, I like this place. It’s centrally located and fairly priced. I can’t comment too much on the coffee bar since I don’t drink the stuff, but I’m a fan of their sandwiches. The Castrovilla & McHenry are my personal favorites. That Castrovilla though… loads of turkey, spinach, and artichoke hearts: perfection. Really, really good.
The sides and deli salads are pretty good as well, but that’s where things can get pricey, so I tend to avoid it. I’ve been there a couple of times during breakfast time and have enjoyed their oatmeal and acai bowl (more like acai ice cream scoop). Both were probably a little bit overpriced, but it is what it is.
Oh, and they certainly know what they’re doing with the baked goods. Muffins, cookies, or pastries, all recommendable.

They’re basically always out of tofu.

If you’re looking for mediocre food this is thee place to go. Long lines, food quality is bland and terrible. THEY ALWAYS RUN OUT OF EVERYTHING. Seriously they need better management. When I would ask them for chicken it took them three minutes to check which they said oh we ran out. If they ran out of something they should write it down so they don’t have to waste time going back and forth telling customers they don’t have it. Another thing I find incredibly rude is when they are making a coffee or tea that contains main ingredients such as almond milk, honey, or green tea. HOW CAN YOU RUN OUT OF THAT ?! Then you tell me oh, well you can either get chocolate or vanilla in it. It leaves me no option but to get something I didn’t want in the first place. I literally gave this place so many chances hoping I would eventually like something. I go to the library five times a week. I tried their Mexican hot chocolate, mocha, Matcha green and chai tea latte… they all taste horrible especially for the price. I tried their sandwiches and one didn’t have pesto sauce on it which I clearly asked for. Then they put HUGE CHUNKS of cheese on my sandwich. I rather have Subway then this crap anyday. The only good thing about this place is the location. Because its at the library students are desperate to try their food. HONESTLY SAVE YOUR MONEY AND GO SOMEWHERE ELSE.
Sincerely,
A Very unhappy customer

Compared to the other campus cafes and dining halls, I think this is the best bet for quality food without feeling overstuffed or left hungry. I honestly haven’t splurged too much here because it is a little expensive and you can easily spend $ 10-​$ 15 on a small to decent sized meal, but it really is convenience at its best especially if you’re passing through the library or studying at McHenry. Knowing me and eating smalI bites, I used to always get their lattes and iced coffee here (try the grasshopper mocha!) during my down periods on campus, and sometimes a pastry like their lemon bar, raspberry turnover or blueberry muffin. I really like the brie and asparagus croissant whenever I want a quick on-​the-​go snack that isn’t sweet (try it toasted!), or their pasta salads. I still have yet to get a sandwich or their infamous smoothies, but I’m a little hesitant because they just look average for the amount you’re paying (around $ 5-​$ 6), but I promised myself I will make a point sometime in the future before I graduate!
Some quick tips:
–They don’t put prices by the window on the pastries, so you either got to ask or go with your gut
–They do the fivestars rewards here! That’s what kept me coming back, even though the coffee is a little more expensive.
–This place is popular during lunch, so expect a line!
–They take card and cash! (** cash gives you double stars on your Fivestars)

I’ve only visited the UCSC campus once and thus have only been to GVC once, but it was definitely a nice treat on a warm day :) conveniently located near McHenry Library. There are so many things to choose from, but I ordered a banana slug in paradise smoothie! There’s also seating area around this indoor café for students to hangout before going back to library.

Everything here is so bland! Service is slow. Lines are long. Prices are high for no reason. The only thing it has going for it is it’s at McHenry. I wish some place new and worthwhile would open at this spot.

I’ve had lunch three times at GVC. The first two were on Saturdays; the sandwiches and soups that came my way on those Saturdays were in the «meh» category. For those visits, I chose the Café for lack of other Saturday options and decided not to focus too hard on what I was eating.
I returned for a mid-​week sandwich because I was running late and because the Global Village Café was the only lunch place on my path. A friend recommended the Castrovilla, and I followed this recommendation, asking for sourdough bread. The result was perfectly fine. Perhaps because I was very hungry by the time I arrived at the Café, the sandwich seemed even borderline good to me.
I won’t tell you that I’ve become a fan, but I’m actively looking forward to my next visit.

Okay, so you’re studying at the McHenry Library and you’ve been there basically all day. You probably don’t want to leave and go far for food so it’s just PERFECT that this café is built right into the library. However, they know they’ve got you there because a lot of the food is overpriced. You’ll probably spend about $ 5-​$ 6 on a sandwich.
I like to get the McHenry and the ham and cheese croissants. Yum. They heat up the croissant for you too so the cheese is all melty and perfect.
The smoothies are so expensive for what it is, but I can’t deny that I like to treat myself to an acai smoothie every so often.
I would like to add one little story here though. I was on campus all day, in classes, meetings, and work. I ended my day by going to study at the McHenry library, hoping to catch the Global Village Café open so I could grab a bite since I was starving. It closed at 9pm that day and I got there at 9:05pm. The gate was just put down so I asked her through the gate if she could just let me buy a pastry because I was so hungry. The worker said no… Really? You could have just served me in like 1 minute and you didn’t.
So the food is good, somewhat pricy. Very convenient though.

Surprisingly good. I’ve been to Joe’s and to Tacos Moreno tons of times, and like them, but decided it was time to branch out and check out options other than my standard go-​tos, even if they’re a bit of a walk.
Tasty, fresh, healthier options. I dug that. A bit on the pricey side, it couldn’t be my everyday, but I enjoyed it and will definitely go back again.

I always passed this Café on the way to McHenry and I decided to give this place a try. What I noticed from the menu items were that the choices were mostly organic – which i figured why everything was so expensive.
I noticed most of the greens are used from the UCSC farm, which is always nice. You have the good thought of knowing what you’re eating is «home grown!»
The first time there, I ordered a Berry Garcia ($ 5) and my boyfriend got the Banana Slug in Paradise ($ 4.50).
The Berry Garcia consisted of acai, blueberries, bananas, yogurt, and apple juice. Personally, this is one of my favorites because it has just the right amount of sweetness and the texture is not great as well. If you dont know what to get, I highly recommend this smoothie on a hot day! It really cooled me down.
The Banana Slugs in Paradise was alright. It consisted of bananas, pineapples, orange juice, strawberries, and non-​fat milk. I wouldn’t get it again because I personally didnt like the overpowering taste of the bananas.
When looking at the menu, the first thing you notice is that everything is quite pricey, but I guess with quality comes a price. I would like it if they would lower it a little, but I understand since its the only café in that area.
I would definitely come here again. The service is great, too. It’s definitely a wonderful place to enjoy lunch. seeing as the redwood forest is right outside the window! You are encompassed with nature’s beauty and I love it.

I had lunch here today for the first time with my best friend from the Lit. Dept. and we both each had a bowl of beef barely soup which included these awesome sesame crackers ($ 4) and a small coffee ($ 1). Service was great! No long lines this week and we both ran into several people we knew from other departments. The GVC is the place to be and to be seen! (OK that was a bit over dramatic)
Did I mention that they have Penny Ice Creamery ice cream here?
Breakfast is served all day– I’ll be back!

A new addition to the UCSC campus. Global Village Café can be found in the McHenry Library. I like it a lot! It is pretty different than the rest of the other spots on campus and there is a variety of things to choose from. It is placed in a great location that invites hungry students to get a quick bite before becoming a bookworm studying in the library.
When I came here I got the Acai Sorbet. Not gonna lie, the stuff here is a bit pricey… but they accept flexi! I like how what was to be an Acai bowl involved Acai Sorbet instead. Pretty clever. Even though it wasn’t full on real acai, the sorbet served well as a substitution. It still tasted just as good!
There are a lot of baked goods and pastries and lots of coffee and smoothie selections. They even offer lunch meals like sandwiches and what not. It was fairly busy when I came, but quick enough in which I did not have to wait more than 15 minutes for my food to be ready.

*growl*
That’s the sound of my stomach growling in the afternoon during a 3-​hour study session at McHenry Library… and I still have an hour to go.
You gotta give it to the university planners to build a fat library in the middle of campus, with absolutely nothing to eat within the immediate surroundings.
Luckily, with the opening of the renovated section of McHenry, which looks beautiful btw, they also opened up a café to provide things to eat on campus.
At first I was like: AWWYEAHHH
Then I was like: awwmannnnn!
I’m really tired of sandwiches and salad. This café is owned by the same people of Hoffman’s Patisserie on downtown Pacific, so it’s great that we have a local business on campus owned by people who have roots tied to UCSC. However, I guess I was expecting more great options on the menu, as comparable to the restaurant. But alas, my hopes were kept up too high, and I am disappointed as a result.
Nonetheless, GVC is here to stay, and it is a practical choice to have in a library. There is a full menu of coffee and tea, as well as baked goods such as cookies and muffins to grab on the go.
For those looking for a full meal, sandwiches can be bought in half sizes or full, ranging around $ 4.50 for half sandwiches, and $ 6 for full. There are also salads of all sorts, and croissant sandwiches.
There are one or two vegetarian sandwiches, with one of them being vegan friendly I believe. Otherwise, I’m sure you can just order it sans fromage.
There are plenty of seats and it’s separate from the library, so you can’t bring unchecked books out.
Let’s just hope they can keep up with the crowd during the school year, especially finals. This place will have to grow on me as time goes on.