For many students, Crossroads and the Golden Bear Cafe are the go-to restaurants on campus. They’re close, convenient, and they have a good array of options. However, this means eating at those places can get old pretty fast. Cafe Zeb is the perfect restaurant for students who want to try new things.
While Cafe Zeb is not operated by Cal Dining—so you can’t use meal points—it is still considered on-campus dining and allows undergraduate students to enjoy the food that fuels our law school students daily. It’s within walking distance from Sproul Plaza, and it gives undergrads an opportunity to connect with Berkeley’s beautiful law school.
Origins of Cafe Zeb
Unbeknownst to most UC Berkeley students, Cafe Zeb has an interesting origin. If one looks carefully at the paper stuck onto the counter, one can read about how the restaurant got its name. Many years ago, the law school had a librarian “Uncle Zeb” who provided students with advice, much like the well-known Dear Abby advice column, in libraries on campus.
This “Uncle Zeb” was better than Abby though, as he answered all questions, whether professional or personal, within 24 hours. Law students grew to love him, and when they had the opportunity to nominate names for a new restaurant on campus, the name Cafe Zeb won.
Atmosphere
Cafe Zeb provides breakfast, lunch, and dinner on weekdays. Students studying at the Boalt Law School walk in and out of the restaurant all the time.
Unlike other restaurants near campus, Cafe Zeb provides both privacy and good lighting. There are great spots to eat in darker corners and seats by the large side windows. The venue is suitable for many kinds of gatherings, from group lunches to solo study sessions.
Cafe Zeb’s friendly cashiers also contribute to the restaurant’s relaxed ambience. Every time I go to Cafe Zeb, they always end the transaction with a pleasant “Have a nice day!” or “Thank you!” Cafe Zeb uses pagers, thereby keeping order around the popular and often busy restaurant
High Food Quality at Low Prices
Cafe Zeb is an all-around amazing restaurant. It provides big and delicious portions of food at reasonable prices. The restaurant also demonstrates its commitment to health with organic garden greens in every dish, from salads to quesadillas. None of its dishes exceed ten dollars, which is comparable to an eight dollar lunch at Crossroads.
Cafe Zeb’s menu also has special plans for groups of over 30 guests, such as the Continental Breakfast. This arrangement adds up to less than ten dollars per guest. Cafe Zeb also provides to-go box lunches, packaged sweets and snacks, and cold beverages for the busy law student or professional.
Being able to enjoy such a healthy meal that includes lean proteins, greens, complex carbohydrates, drinks, and desserts for such a low price is hard to find in Berkeley, but is readily available at Cafe Zeb.
Next time you pass by our law school, don’t let the law students intimidate you. Instead, sit down with a healthy salad and immerse yourself in a place buzzing with liveliness and brimming with history.