I'm sorry, but Bytes Cafe just plain bites it. The only good thing about their Rosemary Chicken sandwich was the mayonnaise... or was it butter? I couldn't even be sure - I was *that* disappointed by having to remove the rubbery, flavorless chicken to subsist on the OK butternnaise-coated focaccia bread. And is potato salad ever supposed to include raw potato? No matter, I didn't even like the cooked ones... Quite possibly the worst potato salad I have ever had. With a name like Bytes Cafe, one might expect to find a selection of computer products, any of which would probably have tasted better than my sandwich. read more

Bytes Cafe, you are pretty worthless as a college eatery. Yes, your salads and sandwiches are tasty. Yes, you're great for lunch in between 11 am and 1 pm classes. But you have the Worst. Hours. Ever. Do you not realize that you live in the Packard EE Building? As in, "where fun goes to die." As in, the place you walk in at sunset and walk out of at sunrise. Your friend MIT knows that the way to the EE student's heart is through her open-24-hours stomach. And caffeine-carrying veins. You, on the other hand, are not so bright. You close at 5 pm on the dot. The only thing left to console the poor kid is overly salty Sun Chips from the vending machine. Everything else that's open late (Stern, Roble, and Treehouse) is way too far for someone preoccupied with debugging some sad circuit. The whole situation is just so tragic, it belongs in a Sophocles play. read more

I take it back, the food here is delicious. I've been opting for a chicken Cesar salad lately and everything is super fresh. Their specials are on point too - I had this barbecue panini with coleslaw recently - best sandwich I've had on campus. Would definitely recommend for lunch. read more

Honestly, this is the WORST place on campus for food. I tried it many times because some friends like it, and I've never found something decent. The pizza is a joke, it shouldn't even deserve to be called pizza. The sandwiches are really small and with very little meat, overcompensated by some unwelcome large side, usually a salad, or barley, or some other cereal. The soups are pretty bad as well. I must say pastries are ok, not as good as the COHO ones but for roughly half the price it's still a good deal. The service is good, besides for one cashier which is often quite cold, borderline rude. Unfortunately most of the times you'll have to sit outside, often in the shade, where it's cold even on a summer day. To sum up, you'll only like this place if you're a hardcore vegetarian. read more

Once you digest the rather silly pun of a name, Bytes is actually worth waiting in line for a quick lunch, an afternoon snack, or a fresh cup of coffee. The seasonal menu items are nice, esp. the soups and salads. I would recommend these over the ubiquitous sandwiches and panini. Italian though the name may be, it's still just a sandwich. The outdoor tables are nice. The staff give you numbers and bring your meals from the kitchen as soon as they are prepared, assuming that you can locate an open table, which is sometimes a challenge. Stanford never tasted so good. read more

The spinach salad w/ candied walnuts here is soo good! A little too far from main campus, but a great lunch spot! The cafe owner is also really nice and has a huge personality. Not enough seats outside though =P read more

I forget to check in here a lot, but I eat at Bytes or get coffee/tea at least once a week. Selection is limited, but it has enough variety for my taste. I like to get the cafe au lait ($1.75), or chai tea latte ($2.75) with a bagel+cream cheese ($2.25) for breakfast. Bytes does serve breakfast, but I have yet to try it. Prices are $7.65 for pizza, $7.95 for sandwiches, and the price of salads depend on whether or not you add protein. There are also soups and specials everyday, ranging from pasta to curry. I tend to get sandwiches here. Particularly, I like the Warm Cuban Roast Pork sandwich which has pickled cabbage. The sandwiches comes with couscous salad. Lately I've been a bit more adventurous and tried the apple bacon brie onion pizza- it's delicious! It is personal sized, thin crust, almost like a flatbread. I've heard good things about the salads, but I've only tried the Caesar with chicken. It had too much dressing for my liking, so next time I will ask for dressing on the side. However, Forbes Family Cafe is nearby, and I like the option of being able to make my own salad there. Anyways, Bytes is a great option for lunch if you are near the Engineering Quad, and is slightly cheaper than Nexus or Coupa. read more

Bytes Cafe, located in the Packard electrical engineering building, used to be operated by a group of really cool and friendly lesbians (no need to say what we used to call the place...). Then it closed for a while, and reopened with a new management and menu. It's still not a bad place to go (probably one of the better ones on campus as far as the quality of the food goes), but it's not the cheapest either. I like their lemon chicken sandwich: grilled chick en with herb and a lemon sauce that comes on pretty good bread with a side of potato salad... yummy! They also have really good pizza. The outdoor seating area is also definitely enjoyable. read more

Got the speciality golden beet arugula spinach salad. The dressing and salad was absolutely delicious. I DEFINITELY recommend ordering it!

I like Bytes. There is never enough seating at lunch, but this is just about the best place on campus to get a salad, and they have good sandwiches too. They usually have about 10 offerings per day, so its focused, fresh and tasty. read more

Their salads are pretty good and it's a relatively efficient line, especially during lunch time.

The best (espresso) coffee at Stanford. Also, excellent, friendly service.

It's not bad for Stanford campus dining, and the prices are reasonable compared to other eateries nearby (Clark Center, Museum). I would give it about 3 and a half stars. Recommend the sandwiches over salads (the Cuban is solid). The pizzas are also pretty good but the wait is long. They also have pretty good coffee. The line gets really really long around lunch time is my biggest complaint. They also only accept credit cards on purchases over 5 dollars. read more

I'm a Psych major at Stanford, so I rarely make it over to the tech side where Bytes is located, but after I had lunch there, I found excuses to eat there every day. Their salads are wonderful. They are fast, and their staff is respectful and friendly. read more

Best staff, good variety, dollar coffee, yummy pastries, huge salads, snazzy tunes. My favorite place on campus!!! Thank you Bytes! $5 min for credit card, but they're crazy nice about it if you're close or forgot. Here are the best coffee friends in their pastry cabinet: Pumpkin bread, magic bar, carmelita bar, double chocolate cookie, maple scone. read more

Well I went to the new Cafe this morning to order a Grilled Cheese Sandwich. The clerk told me that that was a special order (what) special order I told her it was two slices of bread and cheese is that too far out of the box for them their name says CAFE if you dont order off their menu you are out this company needs to rethink their business model. i am sure the food is OK but. A co-worker had the same problem this morning with attempting to order a Ham & cheese omelet much to his surprise that was also a special order. they need to stay open later for the working class their name says it all BYTE Cafe read more

I'm so glad they have a house pasta salad as a side instead of some boring collection of leaves like some other cafes in the area. I was surprised about how good the food is here at lunch time. When lunch isn't offered it seems very tiny and quiet, but when it's noon, the selections and portions are great. read more

Almost $10 for a small OK sandwich and a very bad pasta salad. This place used to be good, but quality has steadily been going down and prices going up. No longer recommended. read more

Bytes is our favorite go-to on campus: they're quick (even during lunch), congenial in service, and make the absolute best iced cappuccino, perfect when you're in a rush. Their salads (try the salad with jicama!) are super balanced in taste and texture, their pizzas have the sauce and cheese tastes you're craving, and their soups are ideal for snacking outside. It may be on campus, but it would be a wonderful cafe for anywhere and any time: ideal for long work days and bright conversations. read more

Surprisingly good lunch considering scraggly dreary-eyed clientele.

ok food I think the price is ok for stanford and the few is ok the soup was probably the best thing... huge portion and almost all the soup offered are delicious salad was ok but too dressing-heavy/oily read more

This place is okay, but they play such awful music in the early mornings and they play it SO LOUD. I'm here right now, and I wonder why none of the staff have wondered why everyone in the cafe is sitting on the far side of the cafe, where the music is buffered by a wide pillar. read more

I love Bytes Cafe it is my favorite place to eat on campus. It lost a start purely because they play loud music, if they would turn down the music I would give them 5 stars. So eat outside. My favorites are the Brie/Apple pizza and the Harvest salad with lots of yummy walnuts. The salad is big enough that I usually save half for the next day. I also like the fact that they have free self-serve ice water so that I don't have to waste money on a drink. Oh, and the owner really does look like Mr. Big. read more

Ok, I like this place even more because one day I didn't have enough cash on hand and I just needed a cup of coffee. They told me I could just come back the next day to pay. Who does that these days? Awesome! But, I can still only give them 4 stars instead of 5 because their food isn't always consistent. Still my favorite place on campus though. read more

Selection is limited but the food is good. The pastries are horribly overpriced. Just get stuff from the lunch menu.

Bytes is a Stanford institution. It's a really special place. The food is good -- not mind-blowing, but good. The coffee is good -- again, not mind blowing, but good. But, I would give it six stars if I could because of the staff. They are just so friendly, personable, and just nice that it makes me just look forward to lunch/coffee breaks so much. If you are a "regular" at Bytes (i.e., if you work in the stats building, the math building, the engineering buildings, or the psych department), chances are that some or all of the Bytes staff knows your name and something about your life. It seems like a small thing, but having people be nice to you is such a bright spot in the day. Maybe your research isn't going well, maybe you didn't get any grants that you applied for and now don't know where your funding is going to come from next year, maybe you went on the job market for the second time and got nowhere, but at least the person you see behind the counter every day knows your name and cares about you having a hot cup of coffee. I've been coming to Bytes for years and saw that in a previous review I had only given them four stars, so I had to change it to five. read more

This is five stars for what it is: a place to buy a quality lunch at reasonable prices in a pleasant informal setting. Also, the people who work there that I have dealt with seem nice. I have probably averaged 100 lunches a year in this place for the past few years. I would not go out here to impress people, but if you are on the Stanford campus and want a pleasant place to converse over a decent lunch at good value, check this place out. read more

Thai cabbage salad with shrimps is great. The price is relatively high for lunch.

For campus this place is as good as it gets. The espresso drinks are well-made (and, unlike a nearby cafe, these people actually pay attention to requests for "decaf" or "non-fat"). The snickerdoodles and pastries are worth a ten-minute walk, at least. The harvest salad, shrimp pizza, and most of their soups (black bean, tomato fennel!) are my favorites. It's busy but has friendly, quick, and attentive service. read more

Come here every other day. Orders are fast and timely and there is some variation in the menu. Considering the price, the lunch is good. Salads and specials are my favorites. read more

The food is good, but I get bored because it's where I go on most days and the menu doesn't change much. It is one of the best places on campus though, especially in terms of quality. read more

Great deal! Medium coffee and a pastry was only $3.50. Quick and friendly service. A good place to stop by before class!

Bytes is my favorite place for lunch. Their harvest and Greek salads are great, and so is the Cuban sandwich. The coffee is ~$1 cheaper than at Coupa. Since I usually just get a cafe au lait, that's almost half the price compared to Coupa. Some people say the Coupa coffee is better, but I don't really feel much of a difference, certainly not enough to pay double the price for it. Plus, the staff is friendlier, even when there's a long queue there for lunch. Service is usually very fast, despite the large crowds around lunchtime. read more

they are ok, but definitely have a very narrow selection. Over last 3 years I have been there like 200 times now and they have never messed up or forgot about my order, which I find quite impressive. read more

GREAT apple brie bacon pizza good salads too. a bit pricey and be sure to get there early or late - if you go at 1230, be prepared to wait in line for 15 min and then wait for your food for another 20. read more

I'd have to concur that Bytes is my favorite campus lunch on campus, no question about it. Pretty damned tasty food for campus food. How can you go wrong with those Pizzas! YUM! read more

I like bytes because it's conveniently located near my bio and chem classes and the lab i work in. On several occasions, I have solicited the place for some coffee before bio class (which actually didn't do me much good, now that i think about it). The food here isn't shitty by any standard, but there isn't anything worth drooling over, either. Sandwiches are decent, with zesty pasta salad on the side. I once tried the apple brie pizza, too, which actually has a nice crispy crust. i didn't appreciate the overload of cheese, though, and there was too much sweetness from both the apple and the onion. I thought brie would be the only cheese, but they went ahead and topped it with regular cheddar (or something) as well... it was weird. I also think the prices are pretty high for a campus eatery, and the place gets way too crowded around 12:30, and I mean line-out-the-door, no-place-to-sit crowded. meh. i think i'd rather bike to tressider and pick up a panini. read more

Used to be a Stanford gem, but now it is not worth the time. Small portions, overpriced, long wait, and rude wait staff. So overpriced for the quantity and quality, that you are essentially paying for a tax for eating. read more

Eat here only for its proximity because the food here is not that good. The sandwiches by default come with a spread. It doesn't seem that hard to wait until the sandwich is ordered to add the spread for those who would choose to not eat it. The specials are hit or miss. Service is poor from the cantankerous old woman. read more

Cuban pork sandwich is great, comes with huge couscous on the side. The specials are usually pretty good. Salads are huge. Really nice people. A little expensive. read more