Salento at Brochstein Pavillion

As a Rice student, I get $ 50 worth of «tetra» (credit to be used at businesses on campus) per semester. And that’s the main reason I visit Brochstein. When you have money that can’t be spent in many other places, Brochstein’s a decent place to visit. However, I don’t like to spend any actual cash here unless absolutely necessary (that is, food isn’t available on campus, I have no frozen food, I can’t leave campus, and this is the only place open). Why? Because this place is grossly overpriced, some of the staff is really rude, and I’ve seen most of the employees be somewhat unhygienic while preparing food (starting with not wearing gloves while preparing food even after handling dirty dishes and dishwater to slightly worse issues).
That being said, when I try to ignore those issues, I do enjoy their food. It’s pretty decent. Their smoothies used to be amazing; now they’re only ok because I think they switched recipes/​have less dedicated people making the smoothies. The coffee is not that great; unless, you get it as a complimentary addition to your meal, don’t waste your money here. You’re better off going to Coffeehouse (which is in the building right next to Brochstein). I’m personally partial to their chicken pesto sandwich, which comes with chips on the side, though it’s definitely small for what you pay for it. Their empanadas are also decent, albeit overpriced. My two favorite items there are their breakfast tacos and their mocha frappé. Get the mocha frappé if you’re looking to treat yourself because it is DECADENT (there is so much chocolate in that drink, which I love… this drink is 5 stars) and is priced that way. While overpriced, their breakfast tacos are delicious and are especially good when Rice doesn’t offer breakfast to students.
My point is, the food is decent but probably not worth it given the price and other issues with the employees. Come if you absolutely have to, and if you do try their mocha frappé.

Such a complete joke. You pay $ 9 for a premade sandwich, 10 chips, and a burnt cup of coffee. Let a real café operate in this prime campus location Rice! There is a real need for a quality food option that is open all day on campus instead of the 12−2pm Sammy’s Café. Move Whoo Deli and the student coffee house here, they wipe the floor with Salento in quality.

Good environment. Plugs are bit sparse but plenty of chairs and good wifi.

Ambience is awesome the pavilion has a Great Wall to wall glass and scenic view of rice campus
The service providers are not friendly, mean at times and rude. Especially the new employees who work there
I’ll be bringing my own Starbucks coffee From now on

I’ve been to Salento several times before, and it has always been fairly mediocre. However, when we went this past weekend, it finally warranted writing a review.
To start, the staff always act as though you’re inconveniencing them by ordering. They don’t have to bend over backwards, but some general politeness would be appreciated rather than the usual silent exchange of payment. I have never had a particularly pleasant experience with the staff here.
Additionally, they refused to honor a Salento gift card that was purchased about 4 – 5 months ago. This was after the main location in Rice Village also said they couldn’t accept it for some unspecified reason. When we handed them the card, they acted confused and spoke to each other quietly off to the side. Then, they came and said we couldn’t use it, no reasons provided. Not accepting gift cards is absolutely a bad business practice and disrespectful of the customer. A refund for the gift card could have been offered at least.
Finally, as though we weren’t insulted enough at this point, our drinks were terrible. I had an iced coffee, and my girlfriend got an iced vanilla latte. The iced coffee was weak to start with, and by the time the ice had melted, it was essentially water. Her drink was disgustingly sweet. It tasted like sugar water with no coffee to be found. We both threw out our drinks because we couldn’t bring ourselves to finish them. I knew their coffee was mediocre, (I’ve gotten their hot drip coffee before — it’s very bitter and overextracted) but this was undrinkable. The only reason we went in was to try to use the gift card up, but we can’t even do that.
The only positive thing about Salento is the building, and that isn’t even their doing. You’d be better off going to basically anything else on campus unless you want expensive, poorly made drinks/​food and rude service. We won’t be going to either Salento location ever again.

Dry, stale scone. When I gave kind feedback they seemed baffled and only offered another dry, stale scone. No thanks.

Decent sandwiches served with chips, but pricey for what you get. I enjoyed my smoothie on my last visit as well. It’s not the cheapest place to get lunch on campus, but at least it’s pretty good food even it it is a little overpriced.

As A Rice student, I always wander in on Sunday mornings or in between classes to grab a quick snack.
The breakfast options are reasonably priced ($ 5) for the amount of food you receive. Coffee and tea tend to be more expensive than those of their main competitor, Rice Coffeehouse. However, they do offer more food and bottled options, such as Orangina or Naked Juice.
Despite the shortcomings, the service is always nice — if not curt at times. I’ll be back, even though the prices are slightly high.

What a great place to just sit and have a nice lunch or coffee with friends. We went on a bike ride and ended up here for a lunch break. Their menu was perfect for what we were looking for!

As a Rice student, I come here a LOT. Plenty I love and plenty I wish could change. The breakfast combos are a great deal with many options (tacos, proscuitto egg croissant, peanut butter brie jelly sandwich) to choose from. Salento also revealed to me the beauty of the almond croissant, and I’m forever grateful for that.
However, the drink prices are quite high, in my opinion. $ 2.75 for a cup of hot tea and even $ 0.75 for just a cup of hot water! The iced green tea and coffee that comes in the breakfast and lunch combos is a bargain, but my wallet feels the hit every time I order a coffee or tea drink.
This place is crowded on afternoons and weekends with families, professors, and a handful of students and love the outdoor tables, usually with a few happy dogs playing nearby. Overall, I’d recommend for the breakfast/​lunch combos but definitely go over to Coffeehouse next door in the RMC it you’re looking for coffee or tea.

Great ambiance and a good place to study or get work done. However, there’s absolutely no healthy food or drink choice (apart from unsweetened iced tea). Everything is loaded with fat, sugar and salt. It’s also always 40 °F so bring a winter coat if you’d like to sit inside for a longer period of time.

What a nice little surprise! We Unilocaled for coffeehouses in Rice Village area. .. this one definitely is not in the Village. .. it is smack dab in the middle of Rice University Campus.
It is a modern building surrounded by all of the old and new trees sprawling within Rice. The coffeehouse offers up a shorter than strabucks list of coffees, beer and wine. They even make a house Sangria for $ 3.50! The sammiches on the menu sounded pretty good too.
Josh and I were here for a Sunday scrabble match, soaking up as much sunshine and 70 degree weather as we could!
We loved seeing all of the college kiddos roaming about. It was a pretty happening campus hangout. My iced latte was spot on; the staff was nice and the patrons were just as likable!
Only thing. .. there was a weird smell inside that i couldn’t put my finger on. .. almost like a sewage issue. :/​But everything else was great!

We had our wedding reception at the Brochstein and I cannot say enough about the staff and food of Salento. General manager Jackie is a godsend. I honestly am not sure we could have pulled the reception off without her. And Chef Israel was simply incredible. I don’t know how I didn’t know about his food until now, but not only did we love it, our guests absolutely RAVED about it.
The setting is beautiful enough, but the food and the service make this an absolutely stellar experience. I’ll be hitting the Village location now on the regular.

There are two coffee houses on campus. This is the one in a glass building with funky chairs and a fair amount of tvs. This one was easier to find since I’m not a student, so that is where I went while my beau’s little sister and I were waiting for him to finish up something on campus. I got the mango iced tea and blueberry danish. Both were tasty. It wasn’t overly expensive as compared to any other coffee type place. I do hope to try the other place on campus next time, but until then…

Beautiful building (see-​through glass walls), cheap breakfast/​lunch combos ($ 5 for breakfast croissant sandwich + hot coffee or $ 8 for half sandwich + soup + iced or hot coffee or iced tea. Free wifi (Rice visitor), great place to study, but a bit chilly in certain parts so bring a jacket! Coffee is WAY better than Rice Coffeehouse. Been coming here all of undergrad… will definitely miss it when I move :/​
Even if you’re not a Rice student, I think it’s a wonderful place to come study or just have a cup of coffee and enjoy the beautiful scenery while staying safe from allergies :)
One time I found a piece of plastic wrap in my soup and brought it to the manager’s attention… he handled it super professionally, offered me a free food or drink item, and introduced himself/​apologized profusely. That’s a lot for a college café compared to the rude responses I’ve gotten at «real» restaurants/​coffeeshops. Good job Brochstein!

Horrible service. Neat building. Below average espresso.
Support the student-​run coffeeshop/​café in the older building next door instead.

Thank you for playing real music that is not insufferable.
Thank you for offering real breakfast, lunch, and happy hour.
Thank you for providing me with an on-​campus space to feel like a real person.
Unfortunately, reality at Salento also means real prices. You’re looking at at least $ 4 for an espresso drink (after tax and tips), which honestly isn’t THAT great. The lunch ½ and ½ specials are healthy, delicious, and well-​priced, but still pricey for a college student’s budget. The same goes for their baked goods.
Salento’s the place where you meet with professors or take your parents. It’s also an oasis if you can’t deal with blasting Christmas music at Coffeehouse in October.

fan.tas.tic!
I cannot believe this is a café on a university campus. back in my time (circa 2005), we had chick-​fil-​a & pizza hut to choose from!
this atmosphere reminds me of something that would be in downtown. however, the service is a little lacking, but isn’t unbearable.
you MUST try the tomato basil soup & the nutty owl. the raspberry mayo they use on the nutty owl is sooo delish! and the soup is very fresh & tasty :) they have some appetizers & a few bakery items, plus a great coffee menu. definitely drop by & enjoy the walk around rice u!

As someone who took a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for lunch everyday throughout grade school, I will always hold a special place in my heart for the staple food of my childhood. But as I’ve gotten older, shouldn’t my favorite sandwich mature as well?
Well, Salento’s risen to the challenge and created one of the most delicious (and strangest) sandwiches I’ve ever had: The PBB&J Sandwich – or the Peanut Butter, Brie, & Jelly Sandwich. While a little skeptical at first, this toasted sandwich is the perfect combination of flavors. The peanut butter has a strong enough flavor to complement the brie, and the jelly adds the right amount of sweetness. Even if you’re not a fan of PB&J, give this sandwich a chance.
Sadly, the rest of Salento can’t match the awesomeness of the PBB&J. The service is usually very slow, it’s overpriced, and many of the menu options are sold out later in the afternoon. Now don’t get me wrong, many of the items are good and the coffee’s not bad, it’s just not worth the wait and the price (especially on a college student’s budget).

I have generally found the service to be slow, and they have butchered my beloved soy lattes two times too many! In general their coffee is not good; I can speak to specific bad ice coffee experiences. I don’t have this complaint with the Salento in Rice Village so I’m confused why this is happening. While their food selection looks nice I have no experience with it. My parents enjoyed being on Rice campus and having a nice place to sit and enjoy the outdoor weather. While the location is awesome, the coffee is bad enough to be really vexing.
Just get your coffee from the Rice Coffeehouse! Cheaper, better, faster. The end.