Come here all the time for lunch or wine after a long day of classes...it gets the job done. The food is not the healthiest but is pretty good. I usually opt for the Buffalo chicken salad (with balsamic vinaigrette instead of blue cheese and without cheese altogether) or the chicken fingers. One of my girlfriends is a huge fan of their grilled cheese sandwiches.
They have outdoor seating which is usually pretty full, especially when the weather is nice. The Rath is located right next to the pool, literally, and close to the food court as well.
It's pretty small if you ask me and the wine list is not the greatest (I need to talk to someone when I'm there next, they can do much better!!!!) The service is hit or miss but nothing to really complain about. It's a great alternative to the food court but not the best in comparison with other restaurants in the area. The good thing is you don't have to leave campus and you can sit outdoors on a nice sunny day...with a beer/wine....or 2....
I literally do not even know where to start on this one. As a former employee, I was always asked "What would you recommend?" Talk about a hard question! Â I have tasted everything on the menu and am a HUGE fan of everything on it. This food is better than any sports bar I have ever been too and this place has pretty much everything you could crave. The hardest part of my shift (besides dealing with irrational drunks) was to decide what I wanted to eat after! I finally settled and answered that question with "Well what are you in the mood for?" and narrowed it down from there. My go-tos are the quesadillas, Chicken Super Sub and of course the posse pita (with hot sauce and their addictive ranch).
The best part about this place (besides having the cheapest pitchers in Miami) is the ambiance. The counters are sticky, the servers could care less and everyone is there to have a good time. This is a campus Cheer's bar, everyone knows your name. It harnesses the Canes spirit like no other bar ever could and is the heartbeat of the campus surrounding it. This is where my best memories of college were made and where I met the love of my life. This establishment will always have a special place in my heart, and I cannot wait to come back for Homecoming every year.
Having attended UM for college and as a current UM law student, I can safely say that the Rat is an extension of my home. I have shared countless lunches, dinners, and happy hours both at the old and new Rat over the years with some of my best friends.
I rate the Rat 5 stars not only because I have been here a million times, but also for its great college atmosphere and satisfying food. The Rat has "UM" written all over it. The new Rat, though smaller, has great ambiance both inside and outside. The floor to ceiling windows inside overlook the UM pool and diving boards, as well as Lake Osceola. The patio is full of the Rat's signature gliding tables which are perfect for lunch or happy hour with groups of people. Needless to say, the people watching-inside or out-is fantastic.
As for the food, I recommend the burgers (my personal favorite is the Black & Bleu), the buffalo chicken salad, or the wings. There are also great specials on beer pitchers during happy hour.
Like any other Cane, I miss the old Rat, where I watched the 2008 election, several away FSU games, comedians, and spoken word performances. However, the new Rat has, at least temporarily, filled the old Rat's shoes. The new Student Activity Center, scheduled to open in a few years, will house UM's third rendition of the Rat, and I am excited to see what that will be like.
I have to fully admit this is a sentimental one for me.
I love it because it's decorated in U gear, and I am always running into people I know here.
Fried mac and cheese will always be my weakness. Â It comes in little triangle bites, and it's as if someone took a little triangle piece of heaven. Â The french fries here are THE BEST I have ever had. Â Period. Â Hands down. Â Sometimes, I'll just wake up and think, "I really want some Rat friends today".
The service is slow sometimes, but when you have few servers and half the student body wanting either beer or friend food, you have to be a little understanding when it takes 30 minutes to get your food. Â
The Rat never claims to be anything fancy, just a place to meet up with friends, and it does exactly that!
Thinking about "The Rat" makes me want to sing.....
*me me me me me* Â *ahem*
"How do Iiiiiiii say goodbyeeeeee to whaaaat we haaaaaadddddd? Â The good tiiiiiimes that maaade us laaaauuuggghhh outweigh the baaaaadddd....."
Dear "The Rat",
I'll miss you so much. Â I'm so sorry you had to go. Â Kinda sad that future 'Cane generations won't get to experience the all-in-one capacity I was able to know and love during my tenure at UM. Â The Saturday night parties, E-Board lunch meetings, poetry readings, Mr. UM competitions, date auctions. Â *sniff* Â Memories!!!
Also can't forget the HONEY MUSTARD (yummmm) with Chicken Tenders & Fries that were a special treat reserved only for those coveted Dining Dollars. Â *cries*
I never thought they'd tear you down but with time comes change. Â Hopefully your new incarnation will live up to its predecessor's legacy.
Rest well, my friend. Â Thank you for the good times!!
Sincerely,
Amber
GO CANES!
yes the food is fried in oil older than your mom, yest the service can be slow, yes finding a glider after 430 on a Thursday was almost near impossible, but oh how i still love you.
curly cheese fries was the only way to go as a appetizer to the beer fest my friends and i would have on a Thursday afternoon as students.
Oh the memories. Making Brandon order the wine  then asking for a straw, making fun of the Fro Witch, trying to order just a cookie from the ice cream cookie dessert, the library trips after... Dear rat you will be missed, and all that came with your old location, the dark interior, squeaky gliders and the good servers like Collin that you would get once in a blue moon.
Although you are being moved, and will have a severely limited menu, please remember to take the oil with you so that at least the flavor and heartburn will carry over until your new location opens again. There new memories will be made, and hopefully some of the dark smokey loud innards will slowly make its way back as if you never left.
The old rathskeller has closed and the new one will be a place that lacks the memories and personality of the old.
Coming to the Rat on the last day open evoked all my wonderful memories I had in my undergraduate days at UM. I chugged a beer in honor of the Rat.
And then....
Torrential downpour made the masses run for any swinging chair, umbrella, or overhang they could find. Many of us held strong and my friends and I paid for it; we were soaked.
They closed the patio due to lightning and thunder oooooohho ooooo oo. The lines inside were long to get beer, but that did not stop us loyal brethren.
As the rain withered, we stalked the rockers and mission accomplished the cops went away and we were rocking away while drinking our beer.
With all the friends and other Rat lovers showing the Rat with love, it was another memory for the ages.
Oh, the Rat. How sad is it that I'm just now remembering to review you now that you are getting knocked down??? I don't know how the newer version of you will have that same institution charm, but I hope it will... Cheap beer and food on campus. Who knew that was legal?? I really hope they bring the awesome swinging benches with to where ever they open up next. Until we meet again.... C. A. N. E. S. GO CANES!!
Review Source:Perfect for a chill lunch on the UM campus. Don't expect the fastest or the most stellar service, but unless you're really unlucky, you'll find a friendly face and a satisfying lunch.
I always ask for my curly fries extra crispy, and boy are they good! My go-to lunch is always Pat's Vegetarian Pita, although their veggie burger is pretty decent.
Sit outside on the gliders and enjoy the view of the lake and beautiful campus!
Thanks for the note on the garden burger. It was great! Very laid back atmosphere. 4.99 on featured pitchers....you can't go wrong with that.
We sat outside and enjoyed the breeze on a cool Friday afternoon (Oct 22). The servers are sweet and professional but they have a lot of tables to cover meaning the service is not as fast as it could be. This is not the servers' fault, this is a management issue as they seem to be understaffed.
I'm glad they haven't torn down the Rat yet, it's definitely one of my favorite places to eat in Coral Gables. Â Maybe it's just because of the college memories, or maybe it's because of the cheap happy hour and awesome burgers.
Sitting outside on the gliders is really one of the main reasons to eat at the Rat too. Â The UM campus is gorgeous, and as long as it's not raining too hard you can eat outside no problem. Â Eating inside or getting takeout doesn't quite have the same effect--it's worth waiting for a glider.
I have to admit service is usually fairly slow, but this isn't the sort of place you go to grab food and run. Â It's where you go to hang out and enjoy a few beers and the time you have with your friends. Â For a great Friday night, you can't beat happy hour at the Rat followed by walking over to Mark Light Field during baseball season. Â Just make sure to order your curly fries extra crispy.
To be honest I am shocked by the amount of good reviews for this place. I'm a student so I pass this place every day and have eaten there several times.
The ambiance is pretty good as they have a lot of outdoor seating looking at Lake Osceola and it's also nice if you just want to relax and have a beer while on campus.
Unfortunately, that's where the positives stop for "The Rat". The service has been terrible every time I've gone (more than 1 hr to finish lunch of just wraps and quesedilla's) and the food is average at best and poor quality college food at worst. The only reason to go here is if you're not pressed for time and just want to have a beer with friends near the lake OR if you are just so sick of eating the chartwell garbage in the food court on campus.
When I think back on my college experience, the Rat will undoubtedly stand out. Whether gliding with friends on a late Friday afternoon to seeing a comedian perform while munching on fries, the Rat always ensures great times.
My least favorite part of the Rat is figuring out what to order because it is so difficult to pick what I'm in the mood for. My faves include the buffalo chicken quesadilla, veggie burger, chicken chop chop, and kitchen posse pita but whatever you get will undoubtedly be great. Once the ordering is out of the way, I am free to glide and take in the atmosphere that truly makes the Rat one of UM's finest institutions!
Even an FSU Seminole (yours truly) can appreciate their cheese quesadillas and buffalo chicken & cheese quesadillas. Â The cheese is gooey and the buffalo chicken & cheese quesadillas have the chicken dipped in the buffalo sauce which gives the juicy white-meat chicken a slightly spicy kick. Â I so love the buttery flavor atop the quesadilla as well...they have to be slatthering butter on top of these things before grilling them, it just adds to their deliciousness.
Review Source:I don't know why it has taken me so long to review the Rat considering I spend a good amount of time here these days. Last night, between classes a group of 9 of us went to grab some dinner and I realize how awesomely convenient this place truly is.
First of all they have beer, hard to find on a campus, which makes the world of a difference when you just got out of class at 5pm and have a three hour night class at 6:25. Enough time to sneak a pitcher in, maybe two if you are well accompanied. They also give the law students free beer and fries every other Thursday (yes...needless to say I've made friends with lots of them)
Secondly, they have $2.99 lunch deals, that include a bottle of water (or a soda for an extra buck), and that are quite filling. Their menu is pretty extensive, with veggie options, all kinds of finger foods, burgers, grills, salads, pitas (my favorites are the pats veggie or the posse) chop-chops, etc. I love the fact that most of their sitting is outside and you can opt from a regular table, Â rocking booth, or now the recent addition of some comfy couches.
They often have live music playing inside, and even though some might find it inconvenient, I kinda like the way you order and pick up your food if you are sitting inside. The service outside is a toss up, sometimes you'll get really good servers, other times you'll get the newbies that have never been in the service industry but are trying to have a job in college- types.
I was going to give it a 3, but then I remembered I never had anything like the Rat in undergrad and it truly is so refreshing and convenient that I have to go for the 4.
I will miss you rat!! i spent many hours swinging away outside. i will miss your gallon sized portions of soda, your delicious pre-meal popcorn, your yummy tuna sandwich and the previously mentioned kitchen posse pita w/honey mustard.
i will also miss my occassional beer at the rat.
::sniff sniff::
The Rat, as it's known on campus, is a popular lunch and happy hour spot for UM students. Â Their daily lunch specials are great deals, as you can get a meal, including a drink, for about $7 or $8. Â The Kitchen Posse Pita is a great choice, as are their chicken fingers.
The Rat also does pretty good beer specials. Â They're mainly a beer place, but they can scrounge up some mini-bottles of vino for you if that's what you're feeling. Â My friends and I would often go hang out on their big swings and split pitchers while waiting around for our evening classes to start. Â Ah...those were the days...
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