Riverside Community College Culinary Academy

This place was great, the students did a great job! The service was excellent and the food was by far amazing they did wonderful!

Great prices, great service, and very reasonable prices. They display their dishes at the front of the dining area, making it even easier to choose!

Considering that is a college class that is running the restaurant, it’s pretty good. The students there try to bring out a good experience for all the guests but sometimes you can tell that it’s missing something. That something is that since it’s a learning environment, mistakes should be expected and are made.
But going into the place knowing that, you’ll have a good experience.
I had the vegetarian manicotti which was pretty good. My coworkers burger though was a little overcooked though.
Overall give it a try because of the price which is very fair.

I love this place. I grew up right down the street by the park and never knew this was here until last year. My grandpa asked me out for lunch to come here and I was so confused as what he meant by a «culinary school.» I was expecting a big building as if it was an actual school that held an academy.
I’ve been here numerous times now and the price is very cheap for AMAZING food! Love love love it! And whatever waiter/​waitress you get, they are very quick to ask what you need or if you need anything else and if everything came out A Okay! :)
I’m actually going again later today on my lunch break. *two thumbs up* for sure!

Great food at a great price! Ask for Jeni (if she still attends there!). The ⁵⁰⁄₅₀ burger is waaaaay better than high-​end restaurants like Slaters ⁵⁰⁄₅₀.

Love this place! The food is (usually) very good and the students are so polite. On the occasion that something comes out incorrectly I have had the real chef (one of the instructors) come to the table immediately to apologize and to ask if there is ANYTHING that can be done to make up for the mistake.
The prices are very reasonable for what you get, and I love the fact that anytime I go there, I have no idea what I’ll order since the menu changes daily.
A great place to eat good food and support students.

Breakfast is always hot and the right price @ RCC Culinary Academy Restaurant

I was first told about this place when I was a student intern at my current job. I went to lunch a few times with my fellow interns and found that the food is a hit an miss depending on the culinary class that is hosting the meal. They do try their best to get creative with the meals and the prices were always decent for the portions until lately, probably due to the economy. The last time I went was a few months ago and my coworker and I opted for the meatloaf plate. Not filling at all and the service staff seemed nervous. Since these are practice runs, in order for the customers to return at their own risk for the food and service, the prices should be lowered. Service could be slow, so not ideal for those with limited lunch times during work hours. They also randomly close the eatery depending on class schedules too.

good bang for ya buck. why not help out students. food is good service is good.

Quality of food (⁶⁄₁₀).
Relative value of food to cost (⁸⁄₁₀)
Relative quality factoring in locale (available other choices) (⁸⁄₁₀)
I am assuming this is a cooking school where the food is cooked by the students. On that basis, I find that this is going to be an interesting place to return to.
From what I understand, the menu changes every few days, and the students take turn waiting. First off, let me say that I think the student chefs having to wait tables is a great way for these people to understand all aspects of the cooking experiance. I don’t know if this is standard practice in all cooking academies, but it should be.
As for the quality of the food, What I had today was probably not the best or the worst food… OK, I’ll be honest. I had the chicken, which was recommended by the waitress. It was too salty. The risotto was runny and bland. The veggies lacked flavor. If you’re the student chef that cooked this meal today, you are on par with cafeteria quality food, if not one step behind. However, I will return because like the early 20’s me that use to listen to every other coffee house singer and telling myself I was listening to the next Eddy Vendor or Jewel, I believe in that if I keep coming here I might taste the next Wolfgang Puck.
Oh, I also had the crème brule. The whipped cream was runny. Please! The store bought stuff out of a can probably holds up better. And the top was actually blackened as oppose to a nice carmel brown.
I do like you Riverside Culinary Academy. I have faith the next meal will be better, followed by maybe a next meal that’s even worst. However, now that I have discovered you, I will return.
Overall I rate this 3.5 stars. Normally I round down. Here I’m rounding up because I assume these are students making this stuff, and I’d like to encourage people to come and support aspiring chefs and people just starting out.

The price does not reflect the quality of the food. In this I mean that the price of the food is INCREDIBLY REASONABLE. Cheap No less. The food flavor is typically A+
the dining room, not the ambiance you would want to take a «date» to but its only open for lunch anyways. The tables and room are very clean, well maintained, white linens on the tables and excellent service. But still reflects the humble atmosphere of a «school» setting. Which is not exactly «fancy» but so very clean.
People rave about the cookies, I find that the deserts on the menu are far more tasty. Nothing here is bad. You can typically take someone here for lunch and spend well under 10 dollars for a sit down meal and QUALITY. I Stress the quality of this establishment.
The menu changes daily so I can recommend you nothing. Everyone at my table ordered an Appetizer, a main and a desert and we ate for 36 dollars. (there were 4 of us) All of the food was very good.

I never knew this place exists until one of our co-​worker mentioned it. We all went for lunch. I enjoy the place. Service, service service. Excellent food that day. The moment we walk close to the entrance one of the student opens the door and greeted us. Their menu changes daily. The day I went, I ordered a Beef Fajitas. The best way to describe it is a burrito filled with juicy beef. The serving size is huge. They gave me 2 beef fajitas. I was nearly full after eating one.
They also serve complementary bread. Fresh baked! At the end, few people got a to-​go box and took all the left over bread with them.
I believe this place only operates during the school year and closes during summer. So Fall to Spring. I’ll have to drop by and try the breakfast.
If you do go here, please be patient. The people who work here are students. It is a living laboratory. The students are learning to be wonderful chefs of the future!

The fact that the culinary students themselves are the ones cooking the food, guarantees that the food have to be made pretty well! And they are! For the price that each dish/​entrée is, it’s totally worth eating here & the portions are just right. They also use better ingredients than a regular diner would offer.
I’ve had their breakfast and lunch here (they only have these 2 meals though at certain hours of the day). I love their eggs benedict & their brioche french toast. So bomb diggity haha! Hits the spot in the morning when you’ve been craving a good breakfast! For lunch, I’ve had different meals from time to time, since they like to rotate their menu/​change it up once in awhile — and their pizzas & sandwiches are definitely delectable. I’ve had a salmon dish which was only about $ 7! ORDER A SIDE OF FRIES if they don’t already come with your meal. They are so good! Also, ask for FREE BREAD REFILLS which also come out warm from the oven.
Take some buddies from school/​work on a weekday (if you’re in the area). Totally beats Denny’s/IHOP in my opinion. It gets pretty busy during lunchtime, but I’d go here any day of the work week! I like breakfast over lunch though, but both have good eats ;)

OMG the food is SO CHEAP! depending on what day you go, youll get an awesome soup, and a good meal. i think theres a designated student who choses the what theyre going to serve from day to day, but more often than not, youll come away satisfied. I frequent this place often, so things i wouldnt reccomend are… anything that comes with white rice (THE DRYEST RICE EVER), buttermilk chicken (usually has a burnt taste), or the majority of the soups haha. that may sound bad, but its good despite these things. the service is always quick because there ar so many students to go around, their cookies are awesome, and the complimentary bread and butter is amazing, i go there just for the bread sometimes haha. i never tip here, however, because the students dont get to keep it, and i always try to be nice to them, unless i know one of them haha. anyway, if you come away dis-​satisfied, just remember, for one, theyre students, not professionals, and two, you get what you pay for (i dont think theres anything ever over $ 8). I recommend going for lunch, because theres more variety and you can get a dessert, but breakfast is good even though its the same everyday (eggs benedict are awesome). also, you have to get there before by 12:30, because they close at 1, unfortunately…

This place is great I’ve been going there for three years now. My coworkers call it lunch and a show. Only because it’s so much fun to watch the newer students. Once I ordered a veggie burger and was asked how I wanted it cooked, I said no pink in the middle, the waitstaff said okay and went to the kitchen, we all had a good laugh. That was one of many such experiences there. I would recommend this to anyone in the area. They are closed on Mondays, school holidays and at various other times you might want to call first. We just go and hope if it’s closed we go to Shakey’s.

Do you ever wish you could have a front row seat amidst the drama of one of those cooking reality shows or visit the restaurant of a future top chef without breaking the bank for your meal? If so, look no further in the Inland Empire then the City of Riverside at the RCC Culinary Academy where your restaurant experience is their classroom.
Even if you grew up or currently live in Riverside, you have likely never heard of this eatery unless via word of mouth, as it is well hidden in and behind a block of industrialized grey and featureless buildings. You know you have arrived at the correct place when you lay sight of a burgundy awning that reads, «Riverside City College Culinary Academy» in white lettering.
Walk through these doors and you enter a world of budding chefs dressed in their whites eager to greet and serve you as well as a window view kitchen where you can see that they are hard at work. Your host (ess) guides you to your seat through a small cafeteria-​esque room that is dressed up with professionally done landscape photographs and flowers on your table.
Based on the time you decide to eat here, you will receive a breakfast (8−10am) or lunch (11−1pm) menu. The menu remains constant for breakfast with the soup & dessert option usually being the only change from day to day during lunch. The prices are incredibly reasonable, leaving any Riversidean without excuse to not try.
My order:
–My favorite breakfast item so far is the house-​made brioche french toast with hot tea (professionally presented in a wooden tea box).
–For lunch I enjoy the soup de jour and the chicken cordon bleu entrée accompanied with soft herbed polenta and green beans.
Additional information:
–There are typically 4 seats to every booth and table, the restaurant being able to accommodate large groups as long as they call ahead of time.
–There is plenty of parking in the private lot particularly all the way in the back (which is closer to the restaurant anyway).
–No bills accepted over $ 20, but with these prices you won’t need anymore then $ 20.
When deciding on this place, take into account that this is not a typical restaurant as it is more of a student’s learning laboratory where they test on real humans, namely you. Any CONSTRUCTIVE criticism would be helpful and all positive remarks encouraging, but you will have to directly tell the chef instructors and/​or students themselves as they do not use comment cards. It is a year long program with 30 new students pouring in every semester. Without much practice the students are told to sink or swim while being thrown directly to the sharks-​whether it be at the beginning of their program in the dining room or as they move through the different kitchens every subsequent semester throughout the duration of their education.
Depending when in the semester you dine at RCC Culinary Academy will likely prove whether you will be met with nervous students who are still learning the ropes and food that is good but may be slightly over/​under seasoned and cooked (or) confident servers and flawless dishes. Thus my review wavers back and forth between 3 and 4 stars and everything in between.
RCC Culinary Academy is undoubtedly a place to check out, especially since the prices are appreciably low particularly taking into consideration the experience you are receiving in return. Bring a camera to take pictures with these chefs (you never know how valuable they may be one day) and do not forget to take home a freshly baked cookie on your way out.

If you love fancy cuisine but don’t want to pay the price; this is the place! This is not your ordinary resturant; they are not open 9 – 5 or evenings. They are opened only when class is in session.
It’s culinary school. So call to find out when they are opened.
But in the hours of 8−9am and 12−1pm (most days), they serve some AMAZING dishes created by the students!
You MUST come within that time span and come early or doors closed or the food runs out! The service is bit slow due to inexperienced freshmans. The freshman wait tables, juniors makes desserts and the seniors the main course.
I can’t remember the name of all the dishes I had, but they were fancy and tasty!
During lunch, ALWAYS order the main-​dish-​of-​the-​day, don’t settle for the sandwich or burger. And get the dessert afterward. They had triple-​fudge creame-​bulle last ime. The price is very reasonable about $ 6.
Over last year, I have brought several coworkers and everyone were impressed!