Mesa Commons

Meh. To say the least.
I’m glad that the food is edible and that you could at least put it in your mouth. The only plus is their breakfast/​brunch, which they made amazingly. My friends walked from Middle Earth to Mesa Commons near the end of the school year just to eat/​try their brunch. We went other times as well (since we were freshmen and had unlimited), but the food was worse than Pippin’s food. They did have amazing ice cream/​frozen yogurt though.
And their themed food was pretty nice. I remember they had food in the park outside Mesa once and that was pretty decent. :)
Come for brunch, slither to Middle Earth otherwise.

Reading back on my previous review, I laugh out loud. Literally… out loud. Why did I think I would like this place? Oh I was so optimistic, but let’s be real here. I hate eating at the commons. Sadly it is the easiest option I have even though if I never had to go back, I woudnt. One quarter into freshman year and I am so sick of commons! The food they have here are just plain weird… disgusting at times. They recycle food. if they still have the noodles from dinner, they will mix it with some vegetables and call it something different. Eww. There’s a reason no one wanted it last night. Eventually having it two/​three meals a day, you get very sick of the dining commons.
I would make the trip out to the other two dining commons, but that involves a long walk which I will not compromise.
I’m just very bitter about this place, it’s a little sad.

Somehow, I’ve been able to come here for the past 6 years despite not being a freshmen with swipes for the past 5 years (Yay for people with guest swipes!)
I’m pretty sure this place has improved since I came here. I remember as a freshmen I avoided coming to this place (So glad that I lived in Middle). But there are still things anyone who comes here should be looking out for!
— Weekend Brunch is probably the best meal they provide. There’s just something they do right with breakfast food :] Oatmeal, Hash browns, Bacon, etc
— There’s a salad bar + fruit area on the Upper Right eating area!
— Fall back food is anything at the Grill! Can’t go wrong with a hamburger or grilled cheese.
— Don’t forget about the area in the corner, they have random specials and sometimes its the thing that everybody will love. Last time I came, they had a really delicious Peanut Butter and Jelly Wrap. Nom Nom.
— BE CREATIVE. Take food from one station and combine it with the side bars/​salad bar. It works out wonderfully!
The food overall is still pretty just okay. You can tell the ingredients are cheap and the food isn’t super amazing, but it is trying to feed a whole Freshmen Class, can’t really expect Gourmet and High Quality when you have to feed around 2000 people a meal.

I loved dining here during my years at UCI. Okayyy maybe I did get sick of the food after eating here everyday, but looking back, I really miss their food!
This past weekend, I was really craving their brunch omelettes so my boyfriend and I decided to relive our freshman year at Mesa Commons! Sure enough, they had the custom-​omelette station like every weekend. It’s a little different now than it was before — the egg is more light and fluffy, but all the ingredients they put in the omelette are just as fresh and delicious as I remember! They also served pancakes, bacon bits, breakfast potatoes, pasta, steamed veggies, and grilled chicken that day. They also had their huge selection of fresh fruits and desserts, and salad bar as always. I tried to eat a bit of everything but got wayyy too full.
I’m not sure if they still serve their chicken cordon bleu at dinner, but it they do, try it! It’s soooo good! I really love the variety of foods they serve each day. And if you don’t like their menu for the day, they always have a burger station, a sandwich station, and salad/​soup bar. They also serve pizza everyday, but I never really liked their pizza. It gets pretty busy around dinnertime, but there’s always plenty of tables.
I miss Mesa, and I’ll definitely be coming back every once in a while for brunch!

Breakfast food here is good. Lunch is just whatever, but dinner definitely is when you can get the best meal at Mesa. The staff is pretty friendly too, so that’s a plus!

Having lived in the dorms for a year now and moving onto my second year of college, i can confidently say that I will miss commons food.
Although mesa commons usually gets the least suggestions to go eat, it’s the most convenient for those living in Mesa Court. The food usually repeated itself with its usually beef stroganoff and eggplant Parmesan that tend to not get favorable reviews.
However, perhaps many would rave about its wonderful selection for its breakfast because it offers not only typical American style breakfast such as scrambled eggs, bacon, and multitudes of pankcakes, but omelettes made to order! These omelettes were usually the highlight of breakfast, with egg whites for those who requested.
What makes Commons 4 stars is its themed nights. Yes folks, the food isn’t always food made from frozen, preserved materials, but sometimes features some really good grub! Mesa Commons really does try hard in providing nutrition and good tastes for students while we slave away «studying» or socializing.

I love how Mesa has so many rooms to eat in. It’s always clean and the food is plentiful! It’s so close to the student center and you really get your bang for the buck or a meal plan swipe!
The chef makes some very tasty Mexican dishes if you like a little kick to your food!

The food isn’t bad, it’s just highly unsatisfying and the lack of variety gets old very quick.

— - — - — Rating is only for breakfast! — - — - -
The only reason why Mesa Commons has 4 stars is solely due to the fact that their breakfast is amazing! I didn’t realize this until winter quarter of my freshman year, and ever since then, I’ve been walking up 30 minutes earlier than usual to get to Commons at 7:15 right when it opens to eat breakfast there. No crowds, no lines — YAY!
Baked oatmeal — YUM. Omelets are create-​your-​own, but they use so much oil! I always have to ask them to use ¼ of the amount they usually drown the eggs in. Grapefruits (mostly) year-​round. A hearty breakfast to start out my day!
Lunch and dinner? I would suggest walking the 5 minutes to eat at Brandywine. Hot food will forever be super oily here.
Good: breakfast, location if you’re living in Mesa
Bad: super oily, you get tired of the food if you’re eating it every day for a year, super crowded during rush hours

Not horrible but not great. Its food to get you through your freshman year. Menus change often, but the food always tastes about the same. Greasy fatty food for the freshman 15.

Even if people say that Bwine or Pippin is better, I am still a loyal Mesa Go-​er. While I miss their ice cream tubs that they used to have, they still have bomb soft serve and cookies, hands down. Also, their burger grill is always great, mmm cheeseburger and fries always. Their soup is still good too. Even though I was a freshman like 3 years ago, the times I have gone lately have be really great. Also all the eating areas for freshmen are getting healthier and such, so props.
Mesa forever!

This place is terrible. Do not go. It is terrrible.

I have nothing nothing notHING NOTHING (yes, think Whitney Houston) bad to say about Mesa Commons.
It might get basic, boring, bland on some days but anywhere you eat everyday will usually give you that result. How would you feel if you had In N Out for 9 months straight? Exactly. Other than that, Mesa Commons does a great job of continuously serving the same great food on a consistent tasting level. The ice cream equally tastes refreshing everyday, the pizza crust is always doughy enough, the salad bar is always well stocked with lots of choices, and there are always desserts/​cakes/​bars. Always.
My personal favorite time to come here is for breakfast. They stop serving breakfast at 10 AM (more like 9:30 –_​_​_​-​), so watch out on time. You really DO NOT want to miss out on experiencing Mesa Commons breakfast during your first year at UCI. They serve basic American breakfast meals but for some reason you enjoy it 10x more when you are a college student. The french toast and UCI pancake making machine makes me giddy all the time ;)
It does get a bit crowded during dinner times since thats the only meal time that almost all students are available to congregate at. If possible, try to avoid 6:30−7 PM. I know it’s the most common and convenient time for some students but you’ll most likely have to wait in a line outside.
One of my favorite memories at Mesa Commons is of course seeing friends from other halls eating there too. On another note, I’ve also eaten here during the summer and the service isn’t any different – Awesome. Breakfast is still super tasty and pizza is always on point.

What’s NOT to love about the commons. Great memories and awesome food.
I’m a staff now and I recently went there — paid $ 9.00 and no regrets!

As a dining hall it has so much promise. All the food is basically in one central area unlike brandy and pippin, It is huge with many different places to sit, and the ice cream is better than pippin’s selection. So why is the review lower than the other places? The food just lacks compared to the other places. Although the pizza is slightly better, most of the food is just meh. Hence the meh rating.

How is there not a review for Mesa Commons?! I have such good memories from Mesa .like my Freshman 25! But only because the food was really good. I’ve been back recently and they have upped the ante! It’s even better now. The theme nights are AWESOME. I used to walk all the way over to Pippin my freshman year.
Freshies — Enjoy it while it lasts!
Old timers like me — Eat at Mesa for old times’ sake :)
Oh, they have POD express in there now too — which they didn’t have my freshman year either. Cool stuff!