Bomb Shelter

As one of UCLA’s few on-​campus eateries, Bomb Shelter has quickly become one of my regular stops during my gaps or on the way to class. With a diverse selection of cuisines and a modern interior design, Bomb Shelter is an excellent blend of convenient and classy. Seating at Bomb Shelter may be hard to find at peak lunch hours, but otherwise the ambiance and outdoor seating makes a great place to catch up with friends or kill time before a class.
Bomb Shelter is also a classic example of how class differences affect food distribution and quality in America. while UCLA undergraduate students frequent fast food chains such as Subway and Yoshinoya, professional students and faculty enjoy higher-​end restaurants such as Bombshelter Bistro. The only exception to this stark contrast is Fusion, which provides delectable and decently priced meals to both the proletariat and bourgeoisie alike. In the future, I hope to see a more progressive establishment which provides students with healthy and affordable options while also supporting local businesses.
Their free plastic utensil and napkin bar almost justifies the atrociously inflated prices these chain restaurants charge UCLA students.

When you think UCLA, what do you think? BEAUTIFUL WESTWOOD THRUST AGAINST THE ENDLESS OPPORTUNITIES OF LOS ANGELES? #3 HOSPITAL IN THE COUNTRY AND BEST IN THE WEST (according to U.S. News Best Hospitals)!!! 112 NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS???
No. You think of Bomb Shelter.
That’s right, baby. Bomb Shelter is definitely the most important thing about UCLA ever. It’s not really what is pushed in the media publications that is sent out by the university, only because that’s simply unfair to other schools across the world; the allure is simply too much.
In December 2009, construction on the new South Campus Student Center began in an attempt to replace the 40+ year old «Bombshelter», which was essentially just an outdoor eating area. This was HUGE NEWS, PEOPLE. The old one only served like 1,200 to 1,400 meals a day, and the new one serves like 2,600!!! I mean, have you been here!!! It’s like Disneyland… at UCLA!!! Anyways, the roughly two-​year renovation culminated in the opening of the new BOMB SHELTER (as affectionately called by EVERYONE ever – seriously, if someone says «South Campus Student Center», they are most likely a USC sleeper agent) on February 21, 2012, just in time for the most amazing class ever to grace UCLA ever.
But seriously, look at this place. There’s a GARDEN ROOF. There’s COPIOUS AMOUNTS OF SUNLIGHT BEAMING IN THROUGH THE GLASS WINDOW WALLS THAT ARE ACTUALLY SERIOUSLY CONTRADICTORY TO THE TERM «BOMB SHELTER». There’s YOSHINOYA!!!
Want coffee? Bam. Southern Lights. Want Odwalla or just some random junk food? Bang. Odwalla and random junk food station. Want some slightly jacked-​up-​in-​price sandwiches? Boom. Subway. Surprisingly good value bowls? Boop. Fusion. Feelin’ classy? Breeng a bang boon. Bombshelter Bistro.
If you are a student in the sciences or, I pray for your soul, engineering, then you’re bound to end up at Bomb Shelter for what I call the 4 S’s: sustenance, sleep, studying, or socialization. This place gets insanely crowded at times where finding a metallic table (crusted over with old beef and onions from Yoshinoya) inside can be difficult. Thankfully, you can go outside in the nice little surrounding courtyard area and find a metallic table littered with huge rain-​draining holes, discarded Subway wrappers, and the dried tears of a million students.
When I finally get to walk that stage and officially become an alumnus of this wondrous place, I’ll definitely think about a lot. I’ll think about all the rad friends I’ve made, all the brutal classes I’ve taken, all the lessons I’ve learned about being an adult. Once I grab my diploma and shake my last hand, though, I’ll stare out into the crowd and blink once, then again, then once more. I’ll shake my head slowly and break out into a small smile. I will then raise my hand, clench it into a fist, and slowly bump my heart with it as I salute the one and only Bomb Shelter… It’s as True Bruin as you can get.

I really like ambience of this place. There is a mini-​food court with fast food. There is plenty of indoor seating that is lit by natural light from large windows. There is also seating outside which is nice. The concrete forms a nice contrast to all the plants they have planted here.
Very busy here at lunchtime.

It’s Food.

The newish structure integrates well with the campus and has plenty of seating.
The selection of food places (Subway, Yoshinoya, Fusion, Bistro) are a OK to horrible. I can understand Subway for student budgets but the others barely pass for food. The Bistro does try though. Yoshinoya is the worst of the bunch. Full of sodium, cheap carbs, and fat. Very sad to see people lining up for it.
The student dining hall on campus are actually better and it is surprising to see this level of crap in a top flight university. I say they bring back the food trucks or even the old bombshelter grill.

I don’t know anything about the old one, but the food choices here now suck and the staff is extremely stingy with the servings. They really need to bring back the food trucks. 2 stars for the décor

Alrite, here’s the complete list of food vendors at Bomb Shelter.
Subway
Yoshinoya
Fusion — a rotating menu of foods from around the world or so they say
Bombshelter Bistro — more of an upscale dining experience with gourmet sandwiches, soups, salads, and entrees
and Southern Lights — frozen yogurt and coffee
They also have a small convenient store at the entrance for snacks and drinks.
BTW, I was wrong about the food trucks and Bomb Shelter co-​existing. It looks like they’ve Xed out the trucks from the Court of Science for good. I guess they don’t wanna share the lunch crowd and $$ with outsiders in a typical UCLA fashion.

avoid it like the plague… the only incentive is convenience. other than that, food is crappy and portions are tiny, and the staff is either not very nice or not very competent. they charge you extra for a few pieces of bell peppers or spicy mayo, and they rip you off so watch out

All I have to say is that the employees that work at Pacific Noodle Trader are ridiculously stingy. Whenever I order a teriyaki bowl, the food workers seem to try and pack as much rice into the bowl and as little of the teriyaki as possible. I mean sure I love steamed rice, but at the price I’m paying at UCLA I could buy a 5LB bag from Ralphs and make my own.
I’ve always wondered why some food workers are so damn stingy. Do they think they are actually saving their company money or that their «efforts» will somehow earn them recognition and a pay raise?
To add insult to injury, I don’t think they even serve noodles…