This place opens for 3 hours at lunchtime, and offers at most 4 dishes. I cannot understand how they can mess up an order so often. You cannot rely that they will have the items on the menu, even if you order in advance. Be prepared to ask for a refund and look for lunch somewhere else if you get unlucky. The food is fine, but it's not extraordinary, and so it matches the prices, which are ok but not fantastic.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 1
James Hong
As of 2022, go to Bytes Cafe instead.
Charbel Bou-Mosleh
It's ok
Adrienne Propp
Raised their prices and consistently running out of Pho before noon!
Dennis Bithoulkas
Convenience for the location, but the food quality has dropped greatly in just the last month. Also, drink prices can be really expensive as well. The pastries, bagels, muffins, etc. are prepackaged unlike their direct competitor across the way from them.
Victor Z
-1 for price HIKES by >30%; -1 for small portion size; -1 for giving me stomach pain; -1 for being over crowded; +1 for the good old days of lunch buffet; Goodbye!
Kevin Pidcock
Food not bad. But staff is rude and insulting.Got there at 11 when they open. I need to eat and be done before 1130 to get back to work. I grabbed a refill on my soda on the way out and no matter what I said this rude lady, she insisted I was not a paying customer and stole a soda lol. Like lady If being rude and insulting is your thing. I probably make in a days work close to your best week. I don’t need to steal your 1.50 fountain soda.
Lisa M.
I've worked in this building for seven years and Forbes used to be decent when it had hot and cold food bars but since Covid it's just depressing limited choices that never change, lackluster pre-packaged food that sells out early, and extremely limited hours. I've stopped going there, which sucks since it's the closest lunch option. The pho they have is basic, broth and some noodles with a couple of pieces of meat, and for $12, it's just a rip off. The pre-packaged options are limited and sad, and the two hot entree options are mediocre at best with little variety. I've never gotten the sandwiches so can't give feedback on those. The app descriptions of the two hot entrees are often wrong and even if you pre-order, the food usually isn't ready when they tell you it will be. Forbes feels like a forgotten cafe that takes little effort but makes enough money from students who are trapped on campus so they don't change anything even though they have the resources and are surrounded by amazing food in the Bay Area. I understand there may be Covid issues that prevent the buffet food bars they used to have, but they can use the space they have to provide better food options. At this point, if I don't have time to leave the building, I just get prepared food from Cuppa across the lobby since they're pre-made food is much better.
Kevin P.
foods not bad service is rude. I was the first guy in at 11. sat and ate my food and finished my fountain drink. I went and got my refill and this lady kept insisting I never sat and ate and was stealing a Soda... wouldn't even listen to my reasoning on how I for sure sat and ate and paid for my meal. Like not to be rude mysefly but lady, I make more money an hour then everyone together in that kitchen, I'm not here to steal your fountain sodas lol Smdh.
Sally Eun Ji S.
Do you ever want hot food but also want it as quickly as possible because you're short on time? If you're ever worried that your order will not be ready in time for your next meeting or class, I got you. Here are some items that I have ordered and received my food in the blink of an eye. Okay, maybe a few blinks of an eye. I have ordered pho, laksa, and all the paninis available at the moment (Italian, citrus chicken, vegan) in the past month, and every time I have been, my order was ready within a few minutes. :) I also like that the fountain drink options include Gold Peak's unsweetened black tea. It's my go-to pair with the paninis. Here are my reviews on the paninis. Citrus chicken panini: At first, I wasn't sure what to expect from the combination of citrus and chicken. I took a bite of the panini, and had this aha! moment. If you like chicken limone, chicken piccata, or scampi, you'll enjoy this one. It's creamy and savory like a plate of chicken limone packed into a sandwich. Italian panini: If you're a ham-lover, this is your match. It's savory and packed with three different kinds of ham. Vegan panini: I don't know how they prepare the tofu in this panini, but I love it! The shop's Asian-style tofu wrap in the grab-n-go also has this tofu in it. This vegan panini is toasty and comforting, almost like a grilled cheese sandwich. Whether you're vegan or not, it's worth a try.
This eatery which serves soups and sandwiches is a popular lunch spot among Stanford engineering students. They're famous for their pho. Unfortunately, their food is not good and it's popularity stems from the convenient location. Their meals are overpriced for the amount of food you're getting. Moreover, when I last visited them yesterday, I was served a seriously oily and burnt panini. I don't feel the need of coming here anytime soon again. I liked their ordering system, via an iPad, which allows Stanford students to not pay tax. Because they're serving only to-go meals this business creates a huge amount of waste and can try harder to improve its sustainability practices.
Yining Chen
Nice to have rotating hot entrees
Yanbo Shu
Tasty pho skimpy serving size
yb s
Tasty pho skimpy serving size
Duncan O. Clements
Very good had a bowl of ? pho. Was tasty. I wasn't planning to buy any food today, packed a lunch. There are two all gender bathrooms. There is an added to your pho bar $0.62 an ounce. Soup came fast, Wasn't crowded yet. I got there a little after 11. Getting crowded now. All in all a good experience a little over eight bucks out the door.
This place opens for 3 hours at lunchtime, and offers at most 4 dishes. I cannot understand how they can mess up an order so often. You cannot rely that they will have the items on the menu, even if you order in advance. Be prepared to ask for a refund and look for lunch somewhere else if you get unlucky. The food is fine, but it's not extraordinary, and so it matches the prices, which are ok but not fantastic.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 1
As of 2022, go to Bytes Cafe instead.
It's ok
Raised their prices and consistently running out of Pho before noon!
Convenience for the location, but the food quality has dropped greatly in just the last month. Also, drink prices can be really expensive as well. The pastries, bagels, muffins, etc. are prepackaged unlike their direct competitor across the way from them.
-1 for price HIKES by >30%; -1 for small portion size; -1 for giving me stomach pain; -1 for being over crowded; +1 for the good old days of lunch buffet; Goodbye!
Food not bad. But staff is rude and insulting.Got there at 11 when they open. I need to eat and be done before 1130 to get back to work. I grabbed a refill on my soda on the way out and no matter what I said this rude lady, she insisted I was not a paying customer and stole a soda lol. Like lady If being rude and insulting is your thing. I probably make in a days work close to your best week. I don’t need to steal your 1.50 fountain soda.
I've worked in this building for seven years and Forbes used to be decent when it had hot and cold food bars but since Covid it's just depressing limited choices that never change, lackluster pre-packaged food that sells out early, and extremely limited hours. I've stopped going there, which sucks since it's the closest lunch option. The pho they have is basic, broth and some noodles with a couple of pieces of meat, and for $12, it's just a rip off. The pre-packaged options are limited and sad, and the two hot entree options are mediocre at best with little variety. I've never gotten the sandwiches so can't give feedback on those. The app descriptions of the two hot entrees are often wrong and even if you pre-order, the food usually isn't ready when they tell you it will be. Forbes feels like a forgotten cafe that takes little effort but makes enough money from students who are trapped on campus so they don't change anything even though they have the resources and are surrounded by amazing food in the Bay Area. I understand there may be Covid issues that prevent the buffet food bars they used to have, but they can use the space they have to provide better food options. At this point, if I don't have time to leave the building, I just get prepared food from Cuppa across the lobby since they're pre-made food is much better.
foods not bad service is rude. I was the first guy in at 11. sat and ate my food and finished my fountain drink. I went and got my refill and this lady kept insisting I never sat and ate and was stealing a Soda... wouldn't even listen to my reasoning on how I for sure sat and ate and paid for my meal. Like not to be rude mysefly but lady, I make more money an hour then everyone together in that kitchen, I'm not here to steal your fountain sodas lol Smdh.
Do you ever want hot food but also want it as quickly as possible because you're short on time? If you're ever worried that your order will not be ready in time for your next meeting or class, I got you. Here are some items that I have ordered and received my food in the blink of an eye. Okay, maybe a few blinks of an eye. I have ordered pho, laksa, and all the paninis available at the moment (Italian, citrus chicken, vegan) in the past month, and every time I have been, my order was ready within a few minutes. :) I also like that the fountain drink options include Gold Peak's unsweetened black tea. It's my go-to pair with the paninis. Here are my reviews on the paninis. Citrus chicken panini: At first, I wasn't sure what to expect from the combination of citrus and chicken. I took a bite of the panini, and had this aha! moment. If you like chicken limone, chicken piccata, or scampi, you'll enjoy this one. It's creamy and savory like a plate of chicken limone packed into a sandwich. Italian panini: If you're a ham-lover, this is your match. It's savory and packed with three different kinds of ham. Vegan panini: I don't know how they prepare the tofu in this panini, but I love it! The shop's Asian-style tofu wrap in the grab-n-go also has this tofu in it. This vegan panini is toasty and comforting, almost like a grilled cheese sandwich. Whether you're vegan or not, it's worth a try.
Restaurantji Recommends
This eatery which serves soups and sandwiches is a popular lunch spot among Stanford engineering students. They're famous for their pho. Unfortunately, their food is not good and it's popularity stems from the convenient location. Their meals are overpriced for the amount of food you're getting. Moreover, when I last visited them yesterday, I was served a seriously oily and burnt panini. I don't feel the need of coming here anytime soon again. I liked their ordering system, via an iPad, which allows Stanford students to not pay tax. Because they're serving only to-go meals this business creates a huge amount of waste and can try harder to improve its sustainability practices.
Nice to have rotating hot entrees
Tasty pho skimpy serving size
Tasty pho skimpy serving size
Very good had a bowl of ? pho. Was tasty. I wasn't planning to buy any food today, packed a lunch. There are two all gender bathrooms. There is an added to your pho bar $0.62 an ounce. Soup came fast, Wasn't crowded yet. I got there a little after 11. Getting crowded now. All in all a good experience a little over eight bucks out the door.