Top Noodle Shop in Berkeley
Toss Noodle Bar
2272 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley, CA 94704, United States
Asian noodle, rice or soup mix and match create your own flavors shop. inexpensive, fast, fresh and comfortable. next door to ua theater. tasty.
IPPUDO BERKELEY
2015 Kala Bagai Wy, Berkeley, CA 94704, United States
Ill break down this review into two parts: Food and Service.1. Food: If you ever walk down Shattuck, you usually see a line (more during dinner) for this joint and let me tell you, its not worth it. The Ramen itself is good, but does not match up to the hype. And definitely doesnt justify the cost. Living in the Bay Area for a while, I can list many other Ramen spots that are much better. Off the top of my head, Marufuku and Shinmai are much better options in the East Bay. And if you are looking for something near Berkeley, Noodle Theory and the Ramen Shop are better options. (And all of these cost the same, if not more. Also have better overall experience). I used to frequent this place often, but the menu never changes, and there are hardly any new specials as compared to other places where it changes every couple of weeks. I would have given the place 3 - 3.5 stars if I were to judge it only on food, but that brings me to the next part, which is the service.2. Service: Like I said before, I would frequent this spot quite often. For months at a stretch, it was Saturday brunch spot for me and my fiance every week. But on my last visit (and it has been last and will be), I had the following experience. My fiance and I were joined by a friend, and after waiting for a bit, we managed to get a table for 4. It was already 3 pm and most of the tables were empty. The minute we sat down, another of my friend who was 5 minutes away, said he would like to join us. Naturally, since we hadnt even opened our menus and had a spot empty on our table, I asked him to come over. When the server came around to take our orders, I ordered 4 ramen, to which the server said that if it is for another person, she wont take the order till they arrive. I explained that the person will be joining us in 5 mins, even before the food arrives, but this time, the hostess who was passing by, stopped and quite rudely refused because it wasnt restaurant policy. Since I couldnt do much, I agreed. 5 minutes later, my friend arrived and the hostess started showing him a table, but when he said he was with us, all of a sudden she became very irritated and rudely started refusing him a place. After a couple of minutes she agreed to let him sit. Mind you, the food hasnt arrived yet. My friend goes ahead and orders food now, since they didnt take the order before. The waitress did take the order but made plenty of faces. When finally all the food arrives, the hostess came around while we were eating and started rudely lecturing us about how we were inconsiderate and holding up the table for longer and that she wouldnt allow this the next time. We just didnt reply back to be polite. But most of the tables were empty. And all of this could have been avoided if they had allowed us to order for 4 in the first place. We would not have held up anyone more than it needed to be. Me and my fiance have been regulars here and we always tip generously. And after that if the business fails to respect its regular customers, I would rather go some place else where they treat customers better.
Chens Garden
1818 Alcatraz Ave, Berkeley, CA 94703, United States
Whoa! They have fish maw soup! Im not used to seeing these kinds of ingredients outside of Chinatowns. I was so happy! The salt and pepper tofu was perfect--crispy on the outside and blisteringly hot on the inside. It wasnt too salty, either. The green beans were crunchy and delicious. My kid couldnt get enough of the seafood and tofu soup, which had some of the wispy bits of egg like egg drop soup except, you know, not dyed yellow. Food was copious for the price. Looking forward to going back!Earlier, we had the pan fried noodles as a pick-up order and the person on the phone asked if wed be eating it right away or if wed be eating it later, so shed pack it accordingly. We said wed be eating it later so she put the sauce into a container separate from the pan fried noodles. This was thoughtful, since it ended up being perfectly crispy with the right amount of chewiness when we put it together later.I really appreciated all the bok choy in the noodles. Im tired of places that put in a ton of waxy white cabbage and carrots as filler. The number of shrimp wasnt skimpy, and they were juicy and big, not those sad wee ones. Im looking forward to coming back to try more things!Google Chinese restaurants 3.5 rule if you get a chance.
Top other services in Berkeley:
Phosho Dough (SAN PABLO AVE)
1235 San Pablo Ave, Berkeley, CA 94706, United States
Great new Vietnamese place off Gilman and San Pablo. Very beautiful paintings in the shop. Huge portions. Family friendly. Fast service. Pho was delicious, not too hot, and had loads of noodles and savory broth. Major bonus points for using a stoneware bowl and not having the hot soup in a plastic bowls with plastic utensils. Spring rolls are fresh and filling. Bhan mi is exceptional value, huge with loads of toppings, soft bread, and tasty protein. We will absolutely be back!
Rose La Moon Thai Food & Desserts
2228 San Pablo Ave, Berkeley, CA 94702, United States
Rose La Moon is located just a couple of blocks from University Ave. While there is no parking lot, street parking was easy to find. The staff greeted us warmly as soon as we stepped inside, and the delicious aromas immediately opened up my appetite.Ordering was a breeze on the kiosk. Everything we ordered was fire, but my favorites were the hat yai fried chicken, which was seasoned and fried to perfection, and the Moo Tod, which is fried pork shoulder pieces with a delicious tamarind sauce.We also got the pandan cake and it was both fragrant and not too sweet (the ultimate goal of Asian dessert).The owners were super hospitable, and they are clearly passionate about the food and desserts that they put out to the community. They shared that “Rose La Moon” translates to “Harmonious Flavors”! Come check it out, Rose La Moon is a wonderful addition to the area!
Murasaki Fine Futon Shop
6050 College Ave, Berkeley, CA 94705, United States
This is the most wonderful store, and they have so much more than futons! They have beautiful bowls and incredible customer service! I found a glazed, ceramic noodle bowl here complete with chopsticks but there was only one left in-store, and I was in the process of moving. The woman at the counter told me she could ship both bowls to me once the bowl I wanted was back in stock. A few weeks later, I had a noodle bowl set in perfect condition at my new house. It was this above and beyond effort that made me a fan of this shop for life!
Caravaggio Gelato Lab
1797 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley, CA 94709, United States
What a lovely place. We were in Berkeley for a casual lunch on Shattuck Ave and walked by this place. It looked so cute and cozy that we had to go in. Plus it said Italian gelato, are you kidding me? You cant simple walk by, pass it and not stop.Very casual and warm atmosphere inside, love the way its done up. Few seats at a large community table and few tables outside as well.Organic milk and great vegan options too. Few great gelato options, sorbets and coffee with great quality here!I love me some pistachio gelato that is not easy to find but this place nailed it. I opted for the cone which was freshly made, crunchy and delicious. Hubby loved his afogato and we had a great time speaking in Italian to the owners.Well located on a busy street like Shattuck and so close to the BART, makes this place ideal spot for that gelato on a hot day! They also have few table games for entertainment :)Gender neutral bathrooms and super clean, happy me :)
The Phoenix Pastificio
1250 Addison St # 109, Berkeley, CA 94702, United States
I have provided lemons to this place for their lemon pasta for years and this year even gained Privileged Lemon Provider status for the consistent quality and beauty. Bring them anytime and no need to call ahead. I always call anyway and last Friday the nice girl said Monday would be better to bring them in. So I picked lemons Sunday and brought them in today (Monday) being surprised to meet the owner for the first time. Not only did she refuse taking my lemons (being overstocked), she called me a liar for suggesting her employee would have told me Friday to bring some in Monday. And then when I show her my Privileged Provider status, written on the back of my credit slip, she still refuses to take the small amount I had brought in. Not only did she call me a liar but then refuses to honor her businesss agreement without notice. Essentially lying to me! I have felt betrayed and ill since leaving. Hoping that writing my first review anywhere, it would help relieve the nausea. I will be going back one more time to redeem my credit then promptly flushing it down the toilet where this rude womans business belongs. I feel sorry for employees of such a business owner.
Monterey Market
1550 Hopkins St #2711, Berkeley, CA 94707, United States
One of my fave places to shop – on the planet!! (5/5 green stars)When I moved to the Bay Area I was lucky enough to stumble upon Monterey Market. It's really a wonderland of fruit and veggies for anyone who's not used to having such a wide selection. I usually encourage all new-comers to go there – and then pester them from time to time to ask if they've gone yet. Now I know that Berkeley Bowl is a larger store (and I love the Bowl too) but Monterey Market has such a great concentration of amazing produce that it seems to have a larger selection. And for some things, like mushrooms or pesticide-free oranges, does. Even for items that have fewer varieties available, they'll usually stock a local and organic option if possible. It has much less floor space devoted to freezers and packaged snacks compared to most other stores, and that encourages better shopping habits for me! Good bulk section too, that's often overlooked. Final thing – their prices are good (see pics for a few examples) and that's a good thing if you want to support sustainable farming but are on a budget. Doing away with the more expensive processed food, I can buy a huge bag of fruit and veggies to last almost 2 weeks for about $35.I'm giving them 5/5 “green stars” for social and environmental impact. I thought it would be as easy as pie to write a “green star” review of Monterey market – and in a way it still is – but I did come across some controversy in the past. Basically, Bill Fujimoto stepped down as the manager in 2009 amid some disagreements that were not revealed. There was some concern among locals over whether they would maintain their ethos. Having shopped there since 2001 my opinion as an outsider is that it's as good, if not better than ever. They still clearly favor local produce that's sustainably farmed (organic, pesticide-free, etc.) – much of which comes from local farms that are well-known for their sustainable practices. As mentioned above they don't stock a lot of frozen and processed food (that' a good thing!) and the staples that they do stock are from responsible companies. To take a few examples, coffee from Ritual, Bicycle and (my fave) Counter Culture, kitchen supplies from If You Care, bread from Acme, organic or grass-fed cheese, etc. I can't comment on wages paid to staff but many of them stick around for years and seem to be pretty happy these days; they run the store very efficiently and seem to have a good time in the process. If you're avoiding waste in your life, Monterey Market is a good place to come – aside from standard bulk items (flour, sugar, etc.) you can also stock up on things like good local dried beans and nuts in (or out of) their shells. If you really need a bag but want to avoid plastic, they have small paper bags beside the mushrooms – my favorite section :)Interested in writing green star reviews? If so, contact me or check out greenstarsproject.
Southside Station
2504 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley, CA 94704, United States
I was really excited to try out this place, but unfortunately there were a couple of things that made my experience poor.1. Flavor: While I enjoyed the Wing and Things platter overall, the seasoning on the wings was overpowering—it made the dish salty and spicy, without depth to the spice. I would've liked to see potentially some sweetness and acidity to balance out the harshness. There is a little bit of lime-esque tang to the seasoning, BUT it was completely overpowered by the saltiness of seasoning. Fortunately, I had both Manuka honey + maple syrup and lime juice at home which truly elevated the dish. However, they were cooked perfectly, a great balance of crispiness and juiciness. The other side dishes were good, but their flavors weren't too memorable nor innovative!2. Food Safety: I only had a couple of bites of the side dishes because I found hair in both the spicy basil pork and the garlic noodles, so they had to be tossed ASAP (a bummer because I did enjoy them). Secondly, given the one-note saltiness of the wings, this meal did cause subsequent sodium-induced headache. Both events combined dampened the experience of the entire meal.