NBC Universal Commissary

Since Wolfgang Puck took over the commissary the food is not very good and definitely over priced. If you get a sandwich at the deli counter you’re lucky if your bread is only a day old. Today I bought a sandwich and the bread was so stale it literally broke in half when I bit into it. Sometimes I have to go there for time restraints and convenience, but I have not been happy with the food I get. And did I mention it’s over priced?

since their makeover/​renovation and slapping on Wolfgang’s name to it, everything has gotten way overpriced and quality of food hasn’t improved to where the price increase is justified.

So they just renovated this commissary and it’s now affiliated with Wolfgang Puck. Nothing against Wolfgang Puck (I’ve enjoyed eating at Spago’s and his café/​restaurants before), but this was a bad change as far as I’m concerned. It definitely looks a LOT nicer than it did before (way better seats, more outdoor seating, ambiance is a lot brighter and nicer), but that’s about it. The prices naturally went up and these new people just do NOT know how to make a decent sandwich. After several visits now and hoping things would improve since these new folks took over, I’m forced to write this review in the hopes that someone will actually see this and their service and quality will get better
The veggie sandwiches before renovation used to be MUCH simpler, tastier, and made by people who knew how to make a sandwich. Now, the people behind the counter just haphazardly throw stuff in between 2 slices of bread so not only do they look unappetizing to eat, but they’re a hot mess and are completely BLAND. One thing I just don’t understand — I get that you’re going to re-​design the menu under a new chef, but why replace the previous workers who actually knew what they were doing??? You wouldn’t think you can mess up a simple sandwich, but believe me, you can.
I also just got my first veggie burger from this place today and you can see how this culinary disaster turned out in the picture I’ve posted below. Yes, the bottom side of the veggie patty is completely BLACK. This is not surprising considering there was only one guy behind the grill area and I literally waited for what felt like FOREVER before he even bothered to look up at me to just place my order. It had to be at least a good 6 – 8 minutes that I simply stood there, waiting to tell the guy what I wanted and the line behind me got longer and longer. Finally, he looked up and asked me if I’d been helped yet… um, you’re the only guy working the grill section — shouldn’t you KNOW that you haven’t helped me yet??? When I finally placed my order, even that took forever. And now I know why — because my patty also got abandoned and burned while cooking on the grill — eating charcoal for lunch isn’t really what I had in mind. And they also forgot to put cheddar cheese on it — which another guy slapped on there when I told him I’d asked for it.
All in all, this place isn’t worth the money you’re going to spend there but since it’s the main cafeteria for NBC Universal employees, it’s inevitable that people will eat there because there’s not many other options on the lot. And unfortunately, I know I’ll end up eating there for lunch meetings in the future too. :(I ended up paying $ 7 for a charcoal veggie burger and onion rings — hey, at least the onion rings are tasty — which is what one of the stars in my review is for. The other is simply for the attractive look our commissary now has because that IS a big bump from the truly hideous décor we had before.

We celebrated our daughter’s Bat Mitzvah at the Universal Commissary and could not be more pleased.
Scott Ackerman and his staff provide amazing service and delicious food in a warm and welcoming venue. While the kids enjoyed a private back-​lot tram tour, the adults had cocktails and hors d’oeuvres on the outdoor patio. From there we and our nearly 200 guests feasted on delicious food and danced the night away.
The room is well proportioned and easily transformed to match whatever theme your celebration calls for. We have hosted other similar large events but none as fabulous as the Commissary. We would recommend it to anyone.
Thank you Scott and Staff for a wonderful event!

The backlot studio commissary on the Universal lot. Great place to grab a sandwich at the made to order deli section or one of the daily hot entrees. Plus a full short order grill. The best thing about this studio commissary is the salad bar! Man it rocks! Lots of good stuff on it and always a good selection of homemade soups that rotate daily.
Chef Andrew has rocked the studio commissary forever and deserves a big thumbs up for keeping the peeps working on the studio lot happy. If you have the time — try the sit down restaurant attached to the commissary — very cool — very traditional americana classic and rotating hip seasonal menu. Grab a table there and imagine the great Lew Wasserman sitting in his corner booth… he ate here almost everyday for lunch in the same booth!
Plus there is a starbucks with ice cream/​yogurt at the entrance of the commissary for a quick latte or pastry. A must place to stop if you catch a show shoot on the Universal backlot. You will probably even run into a celeb — I just saw Mindy Kailing (The Office) the other day when she was getting out of her mini cooper! Wow! — fantastic looking in real life! Or maybe you might run into Chelsea Handler from Chelsea Lately who shoots right nearby on the lot.
Stop by here for lunch if you see a show here!

I’ve seen better commissaries, but this is the best one at Universal, albiet the only one at universal.

I have never eaten at a restaurant (in this case a cafeteria) so many times while enjoying it so very little. Nothing served at the Universal Comm is of particularly good quality, whether it be the unfresh salad or the oversauced meats. I complain about it nearly every time I eat here, but due to its incredible convenience and monopoly on location, I often do not have a choice.
Ugh, I suppose I will get salad and an old sushi roll again today. Yay.

Food is good and the people are friendly. If you have to get stuck on the lot for lunch this is a great place to hangout.

You almost never go wrong with the daily special (HUGE PORTIONS). They make such good food here & its really reasonably priced with so many options. Its the best joint on the back lot.
Parkings limited (golf cart parking that is) — otherwise you’ll be in a parking garage have to walk a bit, but I guess if you’re in an office building nearby it doesn’t really matter (if I don’t have a golf cart, I usually just hit up The Backlot Café).
Ooh, try their hash browns for breakfast. Yum.
They also have a wide variety of beverages: from Redbull (essential) to Izze, Pelegrino, fountain drinks, Vitamin Water, Chocolate milk, etc.

The food here overflows off your plate like 0’s on Steve Burke’s bank statements. The good news continues – quality comes with the quantity. The Caesar salad tastes like the chef ran all up into God’s kitchen at a dinner party and stole His favorite Caesar salad bowl. God sent a wine-​influenced ranty type of email after the party, but he didn’t name anyone specifically, so your man the chef never fessed up. Lucky for us!
It’s plenty, it’s tasty, and it’ll make you fat. Echem, sorry, I meant phat. It’s going to make you awesome in every hip hoppy way possible, but only in mid-90’s terms. So be prepared to wear Cross Colors and listen to EPMD.