Top Asian Fusion Restaurant in Berkeley
KoJa Kitchen
2395 Telegraph Ave, Berkeley, CA 94704, United States
! UNDERCOOKED CHICKEN !To begin with, the girl working at the front had an attitude AND it was her first day there. She was rude and short over the phone and didn't seem to know what she was doing. When I got my food, the chicken was undercooked on my Chicken koja and I brushed it off. But the chicken was also undercooked on my fries as well….when I take it back to restaurant the chef opens a small piece of chicken and tries to tell me the food isnt undercooked. When I told him to eat it and try it he refused to do it and had an attitude with me. Then when I wanted a refund the girl in the front couldn't give me one because the manager WASNT IN THE PREMISES. Why do you have two people in the restaurant and leave someone there alone on their FIRST DAY. So I couldn't get a refund until the next day over the phone. Instead of taking accountability for not being around, the manager tries to blame the girl for not leaving him a note for any information on my order. Ultimately, I got my refund on my food. But if you want undercooked food feel free to come by ??
U Dessert Story
1849 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley, CA 94709, United States
Great drinks and AMAZING desserts. Their service? Nonexistent.Pre-pandemic we ate at one of the locations in San Francisco and loved the desserts. We had the matcha lava cake, the Thai tea crepe cake, and something else I dont remember. It was so good that when we found this location in the east bay we were so excited because we could drive here and not have to cross the bridge or deal with the cold wind of San Francisco. This location is making me rethink my patronage completely.When I got home from work we decided that it would be a great celebratory treat to pre-order desserts. I put in the order a few hours ahead of time and it gave me an estimate of 7:05-7:15. We chose the Strawberry Cheese Cake Greek Togurt Bingsoo, the Chocolate Bingsoo, Young Coconut Pandan Crepe Cake, Thai Tea Crepe Cake, Hojicha Banoffe, Mango Tango Spritzer and a Blue Lychee for drinks. I thought this was great because Id be able to finish dinner and then we could head out. When we left I got a text saying the new time was now between 7:15-7:20. They had more than two hours to stew on when the timing would work for this order, but I guess they just threw that out the window.We got to the location at 7:10 and I was able to get a servers attention pretty quickly and they said it would be another 5 minutes for them to complete the order. They still had to make the drinks. Id already waited several hours anyway, so what was a few more, right? I got an Email at 7:16 saying the order was ready so I went back in. The guy preparing the drinks noticed me from earlier and said my name to hand me a big bag of desserts and then got me the drinks. It was nice that he remembered and was timely about the hand off, but that was where it ended.I put the desserts in the back seat and the drinks in the front so we could sip some while on the drive back home. We arrived back home around 8 and I started getting the desserts laid out when I noticed the reason why this review is only 1 star. After all that wait, from the pre-order, getting a new wait time, and the drive there and back, they had left off one of the items. So not only do they change the pick up time that they asked me was good for me, they left off an item that I paid for with no substitution and no mention of it when I went back into the store to pick up my order. Youd think that paying $110 with $15 tip would equate to some semblance of service, but I guess that was a mistake on my part. Either way these people were able to waste both my time and take my money without giving me what I ordered. No matter how good their desserts taste the service is bitter and rotten.TL;DL Pre-ordered $110 worth of desserts for them to change the pick-up time after left an item out that I didnt find out about until driving back home.
Royal Rangoon
2826 Telegraph Ave, Berkeley, CA 94705, United States
Nice atmosphere and solid food with many vegetarian optiosn (4/5 green stars also)I've been to Royal Rangoon (formerly Rangoon Superstars) three or four times and it has always been a good experience. The interior is large, with a mix of tables and booths, and the staff members are always pleasant. The salads (tea leaf or rainbow) are a good choice if you've never had them and their garlic noodles (with tofu) are good too. Beer selection is not that exciting but there are a couple of decent local choices (Trumer, Sierra) and a range of other options from oolong tea to nigori sake. Good place for vegetarians and I just noticed that their veggie dishes cost a good bit less than meat or fish dishes. Most of the veggie main courses are $10-12 (for dinner) and there's a very wide selection. Look forward to trying more!I'm also giving them 4/5 “green stars” for social and environmental impact based on these reasons:Positives:• A lot of vegetarian options on the menu.• They support the community by offering special rates for community events and school functions. (They also offer student discounts.)• As far as I remember their to-go packaging is fairly sustainable (mostly cardboard).Room for Improvement:• Could replace some of their mainstream imported beer with local options.• I can't find any info on ingredient sourcing – more transparency there would be good.Interested in writing green star reviews? If so, contact me! (greenstarsproject)
MoMo Masalas
2505 Hearst Ave B, Berkeley, CA 94709, United States
I googled Indian food near me and ended up going to this place. I arrived a little early because they opened at 5:00pm, although the app said they were open. The person at the establishment told me the restaurant opened at 5:00pm. I went back to my car to wait for the restaurant to open. I had a twenty minute wait. I then went back to the restaurant and was seated. I sat for 30 minutes before the lady I initially spoke with when I first arrived informed me that I had to pay first. There were two other patrons in the restaurant. I paid and added a 15% tip. I always tip. I received my food and it was garbage. I tried to ignore the obvious signs and bad customer service but when I left I said thank you to the employee loud enough for her to hear me. The lady ignored me and didn't say a word. When the other customers finished dining she was all teeth and waving bye bye bye. I shouldn't have eaten at this place I don't know what they may have put in my food. I'm a black man so I'm used to discrimination and racism but I haven't experienced it in a long time. It was surprising. # Not a good experience.
Thai Table
913 University Ave, Berkeley, CA 94710, United States
TLDR:Food was average, not really worth the price. The restaurant is cramped with too many tables in very little space. It almost feels like you will surely bump into the people sitting next to your table when getting up.Long story:The service:The waiter was extremely rude and was the least concerned about the problems. We called around 45 minutes to half an hour before we arrived there to check if they had empty tables for two and we were given an appointment.We were made to sit on a table for two near the aisle that leads to the freezer room and the washrooms. The door on the other end was left open and cold air was coming it. It was very uncomfortable to sit. There was a fly that we had to keep waving off and we told the waiter about our concern. She responded with a take it or leave it attitude without informing us of the seat or its position over the phone. In addition, when we said that we had to swat out the fly, she said “There are no insects here!!!!!”. As though she could count the number of insects in the room or prove that there were no insects.When we asked for spoons to have our yellow curry, she brought us soup spoons and then when we asked her to bring us regular spoons, she gave a weird look.We had to repeatedly ask to be switched to other tables that were empty and were told to wait for atleast 15 mins because the people had booked in advance like a day before.This tops the list of the worst service I've ever gotten in a restaurant in the US and ruined the experience for me.I would never come here again. There are so many options in this area and it is not worth the wait or reservations of any kind, going by the pathetic service. I would give negative stars if I could.Food:The yellow curry was totally bland and the gra pow was average at best. The pad thai has fish sauce and looked appetizing, however we could not have it.
Kimchi Garden
2517 Durant Ave suite b, Berkeley, CA 94704, United States
This is a delicious Korean restaurant near the main entrance of the UCB campus. It may not be noticeable because there is no outdoor space, but if you look carefully and enter, you will find a large space that can accommodate many people.The stew here was delicious. Even if it is very spicy, it is not too spicy for Koreans, so if you like spicy food, be sure to choose it. Stir-fried pork and stew seemed to sell better than other pork cutlets.The owner was friendly and there was Korean music playing, so it had a nice Korean restaurant atmosphere. It was a good restaurant overall as it was clean to use the kiosk and dispose of the tray after finishing eating.
Sizzling Lunch Berkeley
2475 Telegraph Ave, Berkeley, CA 94704, United States
I guess it's a copy brand try to be Paper lunch from China. It's been opened for a week. All the main dishes are more than $15. Most of the dishes has no bean sprouts or other vegetables. I remember paper lunch is always has the egg and bean sprouts. Only me ordered the deluxe dish would come with the veggies and the miso soup. The service attitude is ok, but the workers still need more training. The ingredients are just ok, the rice is way too dry and tough, we talked to the workers and they either has no response or tell us if they put more water it will stick on the iron plate more. ?The air system should be improved since it's gonna to be very greasy if all the dishes are cooked on the table. There's no sensitize on the table. Not really recommend.
Poke Bar
2433 Durant Ave E, Berkeley, CA 94704, United States
Im not a broke college student but when I go to Durant St. I automatically switch on my broke-college-student-thinking cap and look for the next best-affordable-cheap meal. Since poke bowls are on the rise in food fads a few have popped up after sushrittos done their number.Poke Bar is one of a few poke bowl places that set up shop near the Berkeley campus and I was excited how they would do compared to other poke bowl places nearby.Its like other poke bowl places where you stand in line and fill-out your choice or you can tell them yourself once youre up at the counter. There are three different sizes: small, medium and large. I chose large for my appetite and my motto when trying a place Go big, or go home. My friend also went with me and she bought a medium.Well as I was going through all of this I watched as my poke bowl creator delicately assembly my bowl. The protein portion part was one I looked closely and with that they did a great job not skimping on the rice to protein ration. It was at the end where my excitement for this place plateaued and quickly descended. The girl was light on the sauce, which I didnt mind and when it came to the crunchy toppings she pointed it out we can put it on ourselves. . . which was by the cash register.The toppings by the cash register is almost equivalent like the cashier giving you cash and you putting it in your wallet. There is a small anxiety where you have to hustle for the next person to be served. Oh! Then when I asked for more of the spicy mayo sauce, the girl gave me a small squirt. GDHTHJRHTJGHJTR!!! Thought that was frustrating and then I looked at what my $14 bought. . . . it was a large bowl with what looked like the same amount as a medium size bowl. It wasnt filled to the top. . . .T___TI could have saved myself a few bucks to get the same amount as a medium bowl. My friend had a different person and she assembled my friends bowl like she was a college student, some extra loving. I was not given the same amount of love. The bowl didnt even taste special, nothing really stood out in flavor or texture.This place is found convinently with other eateries around so you do have other options. If youre craving poke bowls I would venture to downtown or even off of Telegraph but this place amongst others isnt for a college-student-friendly budget. . . . unless you get the small. Still, I wouldnt come back here, you can get a lot further with your buck somewhere else. Happy eating!! ^___^
Simply Bowl
2156 University Ave, Berkeley, CA 94704, United States
THIS RESTAURANT DOES NOT LIST IMITATION CRAB AS A STANDARD COMPONENT OF THEIR BOWLS!I got the lava bowl, which the menu listed as “squid, spicy salmon (or tuna, don't remember which), egg, and wakame”. I assumed the other toppings would be veggies typical of a poke bowl. Imitation crab was NOT listed as one of their proteins. It was also NOT visible from the top of their bowl. I have a moderate allergy to shellfish, enough so that even imitation crab which does contain small amounts of real crab will cause an allergic reaction. I ended up eating a bite of it before realizing it was in the bowl and am currently trying to control an allergic reaction. Not how I was hoping my night would go. It is simply irresponsible in this day and age for a restaurant not to list a big 8 allergen in their food.
Malazui Tasty Bowl
2017 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley, CA 94704, United States
Mar 10 2019 updateI think its time to adjust the stars. I reduce them from 4 to 3. I tried the lamb brisket? menu which was a recommended but more expensive menu (todays special). It was not worth ordering for its price (16-17 ish including tax). Too many bones and too strong taste of chemical ingredients. I was very dissatisfied. There were a lot of veges but not enough to save the 4 stars.Feb 12 2019 updateOk... I ordered a curry beef-ish thing yesterday since there was an offer for a 2$ discount to go and I was very disappointed. You can check one of the pictures I uploaded and you can see that they have fried potatoes in the menu, which you might expect to be in the CHINESE dish the least. If the taste is in harmony with the fried then it would have been fine, which is ABSOLUTELY not true. I dont know about what the authentic Chinese cuisine is, but feels like the menu is not authentic, neither a legit fusion, just a kind of failure of mixing some Chinese things and some ingredients they can get here... I still like this place but will never order the dish.Original:Not a bad place especially you are a fan of chinese food and your place is far from Great China and Heat Cafe, I recommend this place. Its a bit more expensive than Heat Cafe and cheaper than the other, and the food quality is also like in the middle of the two. But its recommendable considering its price. Beef noodle had as much beef as it should have and chow mien had a considerable amount. Both were tasty, except that they were a bit salty.