Owl’s Nest

Alright. Just liked the fries and smoothies.

My go to place to eat on campus. It feels more like an actual restaurant than other cafes on campus, there are lots of tables and couches to sit on. I usually come here between classes, so I usually am doing homework there so I appreciate the ample seating. They are usually busy for lunch so be prepared for long lines.
The French fries are great, crispy and well seasoned. They smoothies are great and flavorful.

I’m a UCSC alum and haven’t been back on the campus for a few years now. I write this review simply to say that the fries here are pretty got-​damn good.
I don’t know what they do to their fries, but it’s consistently crispy. I’d come back next time I visit the campus.

Owls Nest is an okay place to eat at on campus. The food is okay and usually under $ 10 for a meal and depending on how packed it is, your food is usually ready pretty quick. I remember the menu and food being better my first year here at UCSC, and now in my fourth year the food is not as great, but still satisfying if you’re stranded on campus.
Chicken teriyaki bowls and fries are probably the best things on the menu. And the banana Nutella crêpe.

This place is a mixed bag. Some thing are good, others are horrendous. I recently got a cheesy pesto melt with chicken, sub a burger bun for sourdough which was good, but my boyfriends orange chicken was inedible– it was stale chicken nuggets with some watery sauce over rice. I then ordered a hot chocolate that was simultaneously too dark and too light on flavor. I threw it out (after waiting an eternity for it). Their smoothies are solid and burgers are reliable, but I’ve had too many bad experiences to risk going back for their few decent items

I always feel like people are a little too hard on Owl’s Nest. It’s no incredible dining experience, but for campus restaurants it’s definitely at least one of the best.
Their options are mostly pretty cheap and really good. I’ve gotten their salads a few times, especially the caesar salad, which I love! It only costs $ 3 and they give you SO much for that price. And same with their fries – they cost about $ 2, but they give you like two meals worth of fries.
I’ve also gotten their Porter southwest salad and the green curry tofu bowl, both of which were pretty average. I’m definitely interested in trying more, especially their crepes. The only thing that is really disappointing about this place is that they used to have an amazing breakfast menu with the BEST french toast! I’m sad to see that gone.
Otherwise, eating there is a totally chill, convenient, and enjoyable experience.

Pretty good. I have a friend who works here and their food is good and the environment is good, too. I don’t always like their food and they’re not always in stock, but they’re in a very good location.

Their old menu is back… so they have burgers, fries, smoothies, Asian food, salads, specials, etc.
This is one of my favorite places on campus because they have really good food at really good prices (and it’s even better if you have Flexis or the 55 meal plan).

Owl’s nest has recently changed its menu. I’ve been there a couple times since then and every time it’s been worse than the previous time. The portions have shrunk to almost half of the size they used to be about two months ago. Last time, I ordered chow-​mein and it was so salty that I had to have multiple cups of water to rinse the unpleasing taste off in my mouth. Of course, that time I was very happy with the size of my portion.

Alrighty folks: I don’t even LIKE french fries, but I say that Owl’s Nest fries are to die for. Fish tacos, veggie burgers, sandwiches and rice bowls are all great bets. I’d stick to the coffee rather than go for the lattes.
Avoid the breakfast menu; though that’s not hard to do since they only serve it for an hour a day (kitchen closures– major minus). The breakfast burrito is the exception. If you can make the trek, it’s wroth it to get one here rather than settling for the burrito-​cicles offered by Perk.
Probably the best place to get an actual meal on campus– and one of the few that takes plastic. Not really a great study environment. More of a lunch-​break, grab-​a-​snack type place.

The Owl’s Nest serves _​the best french fries_​on campus. Always crispy, not all soggy like Oakes fries.
The burgers are always great. My favorite happens to be the Cheeseburger Royale. Feta cheese! Yummmmmm!
Deliciousness comes at a price though. The food here is a little more expensive than you find at most other cafes.
Try not to come in-​between classes or at primo lunch hours or else expect to stand in line forever and wait for your food forever. The workers are usually pretty friendly, but they need to work on projecting when they’re calling out order numbers/​names.
On a nice Santa Cruz day, it’s great to read a book and have some lunch in their outdoor seating. :)

I came here one day after class and decided to give this place a try. What I like about this place is that they accept flexi’s so even if you are paying for it, it’s like you’re eating for free.
I ordered the Chicken Pesto Sandwich with fries ($ 6.60). The sandwich was delicious because of the tender and juicy chicken. The piece of chicken they gave me was huge and took up the whole sandwich – which is how it should be. The only thing that was faulty in this sandwich was the fact that there was not enough pesto sauce and in some bites, the sandwich tasted rather dry. The fries were good, but oily. I’m really picky with fries, but it was still enjoyable.
The lady at the cashier was extremely friendly and very nice. I see that they reciprocate the respect thrown at them. I simply said a «please, and thank you. «and the lady said i’m «a daughter [she] would’ve raised.» She was really friendly and sweet to talk to. I would definitely recommend coming here – especially if you have some flexis!

Probably one of the better places to eat on campus. I’d give it a full five stars, but I don’t think there is really much variety. There are two menus, breakfast and lunch/​dinner, and while they’re both good, it always confused me how they couldn’t just serve everything all day. There’s this gap in the time it takes for them to switch from the breakfast menu (9:30−11:00, I think), and the lunch menu (11:30 and the rest of the day), which is inconvenient, but it is a school café, so it’s not really supposed to be top notch.
That being said, the food is really good, and there’s a good number of vegetarian options, for people of that persuasion. I’ve been here multiple times, for both breakfast and lunch/​dinner and I haven’t had a bad meal ever. Also, the service is good (it’s students, so there’s obviously no real professionalism that you find in non-​school restaurants), but it’s much better than some places around campus. I’d recommend this to everyone looking for a good meal.
Also, BEST FRIES ON CAMPUS HANDS DOWN.

Three words: Cheese Burger Royale.
Used my meals here all the time when I used to live on campus my first two years as a slug. Went back even after moving off because it’s that good. Got the cheese burger royale (blue cheese burger served with a slice of pickle) every single time and tomato bisque soup when they had it. Sometimes I got the onion rings too when I was feeling adventurous. Bomb dot com.

When I went here, the food wasn’t all that great. My sandwich was dry as fuck and it hurt trying to eat it. The fries also tasted like they had been left out too long and got soggy. It’s also pretty dirty if you decide to eat there instead of taking it to go. They have a sub shop attached to it in case your want to get something of that sort and you don’t have time to make it to subway. It’s an alright place to eat on campus that I’ll go to every now and then but not one I’m super excited about.

I loved going here to eat when I lived on campus. There was always a line and always people in here, sometimes it was hard to get seats but they have a lot of seating outside too.
If you come you have to try the house fries, they’re always crispy and sooo soo soo good.
Don’t get the salads here, they’re way overpriced and not that great. I would say try their curry bowl and burgers. The burgers are a nice option becuase you can sub the beef burger for a turkey burger, a veggie burger, or a chicken burger! And don’t forget to get a side of house fries!

It’s an on-​campus food joint at UCSC. ALRIGHT. Honestly this is probably one of the better places to go to if you’re visiting UCSC. The prices are cheap but the food quality isn’t all that great. Although, the good thing about this place is that the food is light, so anything you eat isn’t entirely filling. The bad thing is that the food is sorta bland.
I always get either the Chicken Pesto Sandwich OR the Baja Tacos.
Chicken Pesto Sandwich is the perfect size! The chicken is kind of dry and so is the bread, but it will do. The tacos are filling! It comes with a side of beans too!
Good place to go to for lunch.

I must say, the food here is pretty damn good. Since my freshman year, I would go here 1 – 2 times a month. The breakfast is the best! They have the BEST home fries. It’s so deathly but delicious. They always had so much flavor and it kept me coming back for more.
Over the years, their menus change here and there so the breakfast I used to get that included mini pancakes, toast, and home fries no longer exists :(
For lunch, I usually would get a teriyaki bowl or a burger with fries. The teriyaki bowl is pretty standard, nothing special. The burgers, on the other hand, were delicious! The burgers are cooked fresh so it’s juicy and tender! The fries were always TO DIE FOR. I’m not even a huge fan of fries but the fries they make there are totally addicting. I don’t know how they make it, but it always tasted above average to me.
The prices are decent. However, if you want a fancy burger with a lot of toppings it will definitely cost you about $ 10, instead of the standard $ 6.
Food always comes out pretty fast and even when there is a long line, I can always count on hot fresh food in a reasonable amount of time.

I’ve never encountered such awful customer service.
I’m from Stevenson so I rarely make it over to Kresge but I had an early class over there last quarter so I wandered into the Owl’s Nest.
First time I came in, there was a sign on the door saying that they were having technical difficulties with some of their machines (very vague) and said that they would only be serving pastries and other items on a menu that they had printed out.
When I got to the counter I told the older lady that I would like a chocolate croissant and pointed to the display case because the music was really loud and I wasn’t sure if she could hear me. She then interrupted me and said, «actually, they are right here» and pointed to another display case. UH ok? What difference does it make?
Me: Ok, I’ll still have the chocolate croissant
Old Lady: Ok, that will be…
–I looked at the register to see how much cash I needed to give her, when suddenly she says…-
«Don’t look there» –Covers number with hand– «Thats not the correct amount»
Me: «…so what do I owe you?»
Old Lady: «$ 2.11»
Me: «Here ya go» –hand her the money– «is there any way you would be able to heat it up for me?» (they do that in the Stevenson café if you ask them real nice like)
Old Lady: «How the hell am I supposed to heat it up? Can’t you read?»
–Holds up paper with menu and sentence about technical difficulties-«We obviously don’t have an oven today and we NEVER have a microwave»
Me: «first, that paper does not say that your oven isn’t working. I can’t read your mind. Second, I’ve never been here before so lay off»
Anyway I was extremely turned off by this woman’s attitude. Every time I have come back when she is there, I have received the same treatment. Other than her, the other workers are very pleasant.

Like Oakes Café, this place has seen menu slashes and price hikes. oh and quality going under like teenagers on their first day of college.
Safe choice for me is a regular veggie burger with fries. Their fries are one of the best on campus (2^nd to Terra Fresca).
Their rice bowls have become OK. The rice is terrible quality for an asian person, mediocre or mildly good for all others. The mushrooms sometimes are button mushrooms, sometimes shiitake. The tofu is frozen, rethawed, and draped in this teriyaki sauce. Just like panda express would make!
I really enjoy the salad with above mentioned tofu in it. Without flexies of meals, it is one pricey salad.
When they have their little express sandwich bar right next to the cashier, that’s the route I try to go. It’s cheaper and it’s basically just like subway. Tons of toppings to choose from so you can always change it up.
Meals, flexis, card and cash accepted here. I’ll be back for fries and a sandwich that is superior to joes.