Yessss goooo neuroscience! My favorite part about this cafe is that they serve delicious omelets for an excellent price of around $5. But only before 10am :/ read more

This is my new go-to coffee place when I'm around the UCLA med school campus. Usually, I went to Southern Lights out of convenience; however, Cafe Synapse has better coffee and is a lot nicer than Bombshelter. It's located in the Gonda building, and is a nice place to sit down for a coffee break and do some work. It's never swarming or packed (like bombshelter), and you can get pizzas and food here as well as coffee. I've tried both the REGULAR roast and the GOURMET roast. Personally, i'd get the Gourmet roast if you don't mind shelling out several more cents. Maybe psychologically, I think it tastes better since it's "gourmet," however I do believe it is a lot smoother than the regular roast. Overall, if you are an old grad student or researcher like me, this is the place for you and your next coffee break! read more

A dependable lunch spot at UCLA. For breakfast, they offer a variety of eggs cooked to order, average quality pastries, and sub-par coffee. (If you really want a decent cup of coffee, get off campus.) Lunch is salads, pasta, sandwiches, and pizzas. The ingredients are fresh, but not particularly unique. The menu is fairly static: same set of options week in and week out. Pizzas are subpar. (If you really want a decent slice, get off campus to Lamonicas.) Unless it's raining or scorching hot, the outdoor patio is very pleasant. Beware, this place closes at 5 and selections of food very limited after about 3. read more

I like Synapse sometimes, but generally I am not a fan of the long lunch lines, high prices, long wait for orders, and hit-or-miss food (though the omelets are good for breakfast and the pizzas are good for lunch). Pros: -The location is super convenient to South Campus and it is 100 times better than Cafe Med in CHS. -If you go for breakfast and have time to kill, their omelets are actually huge and a great deal for the price (but they take a long time). -They always have a small selection of fresh fruit, yogurt, and luna bars which are great in a pinch. -The pizza is also pretty good, large, and a good price (though sometimes there is a long wait). -They have free soda refills and they don't mind if you go back several times for refills while you sit at their tables and study (during off hours) -Their coffee is respectable. I love to get a "dirty chai" (a chai latte with a shot of espresso) on cold afternoons. -On nice days the outdoor seating is a big plus. -The staff are always very friendly. -Its tax free for students! Cons: -Most of the sandwiches are NOT good. -The pasta is really hit or miss. Usually miss. -The salads are overpriced and not great. -Stay away from the bagels at all costs. Barf. -It gets SO busy at lunch time. The wait can be ridiculously long, and it can become a nightmare to find a seat. -At lunch time they usually run way behind on baking the pizzas. They ask if you are okay with waiting 15 minutes but it can take more. Overall, ifs an okay place compared to the other alternatives. I recommend going there on off hours (not right at noon) and sticking to the pizza, though some people I know like the soup. The omelets are also a little-known great deal if you have time to get one. read more

Good place to eat if you're sick of the rest of the food at UCLA. Good sandwiches and pizzas. Wouldn't go out of my way to go here if I wasn't on campus already. read more

overpriced premade sandwiches, salads, pizzas, and pastas. stick with their omelettes before 10am or their lunchtime soups. staff is friendly but uncoordinated. it can get really slow around lunch time. oh, and i saw the really douchy manager chewing out some student for refilling his drink. no free refills from the soda fountain. who woulda thunk it? read more

I used to come here every week and eat lunch with some of my post-grad (read: young professional) friends. It's a nice place to hang out and have a meal, since there is an outdoor patio area, but the food, which includes salads and pizzas is just ordinary. The coffee is the same as any other place on campus, not bad but nothing special. This is a perfect spot to go if you are in lab and waiting for a reaction to happen or something like that. read more

As a neuro major at UCLA and later a grad student, I've had many a meal at cafe synapse. It's tucked up off the street in the courtyard of the Gonda neuroscience building, and while accessible to the public, you tend to see UCLA students and employees for the most part. There is a coffee bar counter and a sandwich/salad/pasta counter. You go up to the counter to order and then you can either sit in their small-ish indoor sitting area or enjoy their quiet, sunny, grassy patio. Excepting very cold or windy days, the patio is definitely the way to go. The food prep is usually efficient and fairly tasty, and the prices are quite reasonable. My favorite thing about this place is the really cool conversations you can overhear when the neuroscientists are meeting to talk at the next table. read more

As someone who used to be a Neuroscience major and now works at UCLA, Cafe Synapse is the place I most frequent during my lunch hour. It's pretty much right outside my office, and so much more pleasant to eat at than the sad cafeteria in CHS. Sure, the lines are long from 12-2, and the chicken isn't always THAT fresh, but otherwise it's got some great meals to offer - who knew we had herb crusted salmon on campus? I'm a big fan of the 1/2 soup/sandwich/pizza/pasta whatever combo because you get a drink also, and if you're cheap like me, you can just keep coming back to Synapse all day and refill it! Also, for some reason, the lattes here are delicious. I forgot what kind of beans they use, but anything from the cafe is delicious. The pastries aren't too bad, flavor or cost-wise, and you can get away with breakfast for under $4 sometimes (if you just order coffee). I also love the staff - yay Natalya, if she ever reads this - because they're students and half the time they don't care if you ask for extra bread, foam, or even tomatoes for your bagel (random I know). So for Neuro majors and Neuro nerds everywhere, come to Cafe Synapse (it's a great place to study, too!) read more

I loved swinging by Cafe Synapse when I was an undergrad passing from South Campus to the Jules Stein Eye Institute. They have the italian eatery plus coffee shop all in one spot, and I just felt like a classy student for even being seen here! If I had money on by BruinCard, and if I was going to be alone in the office for the rest of the day, I was here to pick up my lunch. Plus, I got to look at all the handsome neuroscientists of tomorrow. They change their lunch specials daily and I never disliked anything I ordered, for simple pizza to pasta or ravioli, to salads, or even sandwiches! Everything is fresh and 5-star restaurant quality tasting. If UCLA ever did anything right for me, it was feeding me exquisitely well at all the dining halls and restaurants. Cafe Synapse was by far one of my top favorites. If you're ever passing by on a nice day, stop in for a relaxing lunch outside before they close around 4 or 5pm and I dare say that I will refund my SINCERITY if you do not enjoy the menu items. read more

This is probably the best place to eat on campus (besides dining hall of course). They serve up real food as opposed to the from-the-freezer cuisine available elsewhere. It's actually clean here too. read more

*I write this in the context of UCLA eateries* By far the best place to eat on campus. Not many undergrads eat here, most research staff, faculty, MDs, med and grad students. While not world class food, Cafe Synapse offers some great alternatives to the daily grind of panda express, rubios, etc. in the Ackerman food court. I work at UCLA and eat here 1-2 times per week. Today I had the crab salad sandwich on brioche. It was great to have something not fried. Not the best I've ever had, but definitely the only place on campus you'll find anything remotely like that. Also had the chicken and sun-dried tomato linguine a couple weeks ago....fantastic. When you don't want a burger or fake chinese or italian food, head to Cafe Synapse. (plus, free refills on fountain drinks!) read more

I really think this place is going downhill. In my past few visits, their ingrediants have not been fresh...they often substitute random ingredients into their salads and pizzas becaus they run out of the correct ones on the menu. I left today because the display cases had moldy bread and spoiled (black) chicken. Sorry, but I won't be coming back. read more

I ordered a cappuccino and all I got was steamed milk. Not how I wanted to start out my morning.

Small and simple cafe located in the neuroscience buildings next to the medical school. You can get your basic sandwiches, salads, and pizzas here. Food is decent, but a tad expensive (about $7 or $8 for a sandwich). Limited indoor seating, but you can always sit in the courtyard outside. I've only been here a handful of times because I think it's overpriced. I actually prefer the cafeteria across the street at Reagan. read more

My few experiences there are definitely not what I would expect from the generally good reviews by others. Food CAN be quite good but it is a bit pricey and leaves you hungry. I am not asking for buffet portions (yuck!), but just enough to get you by for the afternoon. The choice of food is also limited. There is also very limited seating... read more

Best place in campus! I love the chicken caesar sandwich and fresh made pasta.

Food is alright, but prices are unreasonable for ordinary cafe food. I'm surprised to see how much the prices have increased through the years. I use to frequent this place when it was $7-8 for a sandwich/ soup combo, now it's $11-12. Yes, it is on campus and convenient, but you can get more for your money at Bombshelter or Ronald Reagan. I don't really see a reason to go here for food anymore. read more

Nice place to study! It's usually not too crowded, and there are drinks and food to sustain you. The food is pretty standard fare, and a bit on the pricey side, and I think the drinks are just from Coffee Bean. The overall ambiance is really relaxing though, and it's a nice change of pace from crowded Starbucks. Too bad it's only open until 5pm, or I'd be more of a regular. read more

Ok for lunch -- the sandwich combo with chips or fruit is my favorite. Decent joint that is decently priced.

cafe synapse has been my morning coffee spot for some time now. i must admit, i'm only coming here on wednesday mornings now, but still....coffee is fresh in the am. i've only had a few things on the menu though. i've had a couple bagels (the cheese bagel is super yum..probably totally bad for you though b/c when i throw it in my bag the grease turns the bag transparent). the chocolate croissants here are SO yummy. i feel like they get them from elysee, but i don't know for sure. there are no mini chips like at elysee so maybe not. the staff is always friendly....especially in the early am. one of the main bummers here is that it's a bit pricey for pastries. read more