3.5 stars. Not a bad place if you are looking to find some ramen on south side. Service was good and food was decent, but not completely worth the price in my opinion. I got the Mayu ramen. The noodles were good and the pork belly had a good amount of meat vs fat, but I did get tired of the broth after a while. In the end, it's worth a try if you are looking to try something new, but this won't be go-to ramen place. read more

Bansho Ramen - Mayu ramen - Ramen Near Me - Berkeley, California

Was slightly disappointed by our first visit here. :( My friend and I came in during their Opening Week special ($7 for Tonkotsu Ramen) and were really excited to try out a new ramen place that was closer to campus. We've also seen this spot be cycled out by various food spots, and Bansho looked really promising as a great new utilization of the corner space. Starting off with the good points, the interior itself and the servers here are very nice! The restaurant is spacious, allowing for a good spot for smaller and bigger groups alike to come in. The 3-star review is due to the food - we got the Tonkotsu Ramen and the Chicken Karaage. The Chicken Karaage was your standard karaage, but was a bit tough to chew. For the Tonkotsu, we wish the broth was richer and had more flavor. The egg wasn't as runny as we liked, and the overall dish was a bit cold. The biggest letdown for me were the noodles - they actually resembled Instant Ramen noodles and once I had this realization I couldn't stop thinking about how I could've cooked up the same noodles and thrown them in there myself. For $12-13 (and $17 for their other ramen), I expect better quality noodles. Totally understand that they're new and have some kinks to work out, and wouldn't mind giving them another shot. Maybe we also got the wrong type of ramen, but until then, I'm taking myself over to Marafuku or Shinmai for East Bay ramen fixes. read more

Bansho Ramen - chicken karaage - Ramen Near Me - Berkeley, California

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The ramen noodles were quite sturdy when my friends and I had gone. The broth was lackluster. I had gotten the spicy mayu, and all I could taste was garlic, and a bit of the pork. I had also requested it to be spicy, but it wasn't. I had to add the red flakes on the table. The wait for our ramen was quite long, but it seemed as though they were short staffed. It wasn't too crowded when we went on a Tuesday afternoon. The most notable service experience was when the employee had refilled our waters, over-poured, and water had gotten on our table. The employee said "oops", and walked away. We cleaned it up ourselves. read more

My experience at Bansho Ramen was good. We don't have a good ramen place in this part of Berkeley, so I'm really glad to see this restaurant pop up. The edamame was great. Really big beans, high quality edamame with not too much salt. There's no soy sauce or anything given on the side, just a heads up. The tea was nothing special in my opinion. What stood out is that it was only $.75 with unlimited refills, which made me think that they might as well offer it for free. On the main dishes, the miso ramen had really tasty noodles. The broth was good. I wasn't a huge fan of the meat itself. I thought that it was a little bit too fatty for my taste. I could tell that some people would find it really tasty, though. It's more like just a preference thing, since I'm not a huge fan of ramen like some people. By the time I got to the chashu don I was stuffed. I would say that each dish is pretty large for a single person. The chashu don (pork) was decent. The rice was soft and the meat itself had a sweet Teriyaki-like sauce on it. I think it was good but probably doesn't beat the rice bowls from other restaurants nearby. Overall, I would be fine with coming to Bansho Ramen again, and I would certainly come here if I got a ramen craving in Berkeley. read more

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For dinner I had the mayu ramen. $13 pre-tax provides tonkotsu broth, black garlic oil, 2 pieces of chashu, bean sprouts, half aji tamago, and green onion. The portion size seemed on the smaller end of medium and the chashu seemed sufficiently tender, but the aji tamago arrived cold. The noodles themselves seemed of the mass-produced but still decent type with a consistent springy firmness throughout. read more

Bansho Ramen - Mayu ramen (pork bone broth w/black garlic oil, chashu, scallions, beat sprouts, and half soft boiled egg) - Ramen Near Me - Berkeley, California

Delicious food and wonderful service! Epic and convenient location. So glad we stopped in. You must try this place! You'll love it!!! Even the water tastes amazing! Nice music and mellow vibe. read more

Very solid ramen! Bansho Ramen checks all the boxes with their ramen. The noodles are cooked through in the center while still having soaked in the flavor of the broth. The chasu and other toppings are spot on. The broth was very rich and creamy, without being too heavy. The ramen does run a little pricy here, however. It was about $14 for a bowl, ranging up to $17. This steep pricing is a little discouraging to getting extra add-ons which does hurt the overall experience. read more

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Tonkatsu ramen was plain :/ Next time I'll probably get something heavier, but I've tasted a lot more rich and tastier ramens of the same type before . read more

Service is friendly and excellent. It's a wonderful spot to have a quiet lunch. The ramen was rich and flavorful. I'll definitely be returning soon. read more

Super friendly and yummy food! I was walking by and saw that they were serving sushi now along with ramen so I had to try. I got the 49ers roll and it was so good! The wasabi was soft and nice, the roll was presented beautifully and seasoned with sauce already very well which I've never had done for me before! I usually drive to Kansai in Oakland, but I'm definitely going to just go to Bansho from now on. It was cheaper and a lot bigger, and they also gave me free tea which made me so happy! Please support Bansho during this difficult time for business owners! read more

Bansho Ramen - 49ers roll - imitation crab, unagi, salmon, lemon - Ramen Near Me - Berkeley, California

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I came here with my friends during the evening May 19, 2019. Overall I'd give this place a 9.5 out of 10!!! Sliiightly little bit pricier than your average ramen place anywhere else, but I would say the price here is definitely reasonable because the food is so top tier. We ordered the fried soft shell crab for appetizer. It was so GOOD!! And imo this place has the best fried soft shell crab among all the ramen stores I've been too. I had to let our waitress know too, so hopefully she'd informed the chefs about how the dish is so worthy of praise. I would come back again for it. Here's my short breakdown and thoughts on my Miso Ramen: * the soft-boiled egg: Really beautiful and delicious. probably the best I've had among most ramen places in the area. * the ramen broth: So layered and flavorful; I got miso but you can still taste the shiitake mushroom and pork in it too-- amazing. * the meat (chashu): sadly I wish they gave more than only one piece.. BUT!! It was so tender and the fatty parts just melts in your mouth!!! * the toppings: My ramen came with seaweed (not nori), shiitake mushroom, and green onions. DAT MUSHROOM THO. It was so sweet and delightful!!! Dont think I've had shiitake mushroom this sweet before. Well done, Bansho. I really hope this place will keep up with the amazing quality food the next time I come back. Hope your business will blossom and grow far!! ^^ read more

It's alright, not the best ramen. Broth lacked of flavor. I will say that the soft fried crab was nice. read more

Bansho Ramen - Ramen Near Me - Berkeley, California

Very good. Service was great, nowhere near the crowds of the other ramen places in town. Wakane salad was a perfect start. Karaage brings a nice crunch with ginger and soy notes, the mayo seemed to have some citrus notes. Bansho ultimate ramen was very good. I wouldn't have minded if they held the kale will ask for that next time. Spice level was perfect, enough to let you know it was there, but not so much that I was uncomfortable. Pork belly was leaner than usual with more meat than fat, I appreciated that. Mayu ramen was great, garlic notes come through, mushrooms were a great addition bringing in a bit of soy and sweetness. 1 karaage piece did have a bit of tendon but no biggie, and chashu was a little on the fatty side for my taste but again still great. read more

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Me and my gf we're looking for ramen places to eat in Berkeley and we came across this place. Parking might be hard to find during busy hours, but it's pretty simple to get to. The service here is great. They were super nice to us and were super welcoming. Great takoyaki and chicken karaage. I got the spicy onion tonkotsu ramen and it was really rich in flavor. The texture of the noodles and the balance of the different ingredients in the bowl went along together nicely. My gf got the sake don and the fish was really fresh. It just melts in your mouth. Overall great service, great food, and I would definitely come back again :) read more

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A quiet ambiance that is surprisingly pleasant. The waiters are super friendly, the place was super welcoming, and all my questions about the food were answered very well! I would definitely recommend for those wanting to try a good ramen or have a good dinner date. read more

Walking around since it was such a beautiful day. Read that this was a new Ramen place and wanted to try it. Overall, pretty good. The ramen was curly and bouncy, just like how she likes it. Soup was good, not too salty. read more

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Service is absolutely good here. My server was very friendly and introduced the menu to me in detail. The tonkatsu ramen I had was good. Will come back for another try read more

Bansho Ramen - Ramen Near Me - Berkeley, California

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I ordered the spicy miso and it was so delicious. I also order takoyaki it is my favorite appetizer on the menu they never miss, I also order a Thai tea which was so delicious and just right it was the best Thai tea Ive ever had. The customer service is great as well they always treat me with respect 10/10 read more

The ramen was incredibly good and everything about the place was great. The owners were incredibly welcoming and grateful. Definitely coming back soon read more

Bansho Ramen - Ramen Near Me - Berkeley, California

Tonkatsu Ramen (4/5): Broth was rich, flavorful and creamy. The noodles were alright, but not the best. The meat was soft but was kind of a bit bland for me. Overall a decent bowl of ramen but not worth the price. Takeout packaging was convenient and well thought out. read more

Bansho Ramen - Tonkotsu Ramen - Ramen Near Me - Berkeley, California

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Nice service, attentive. Okay ramen. The spicy was a little much, but still good. I wish there was more noodles. The place is nice too, lots of room. read more

What a hole-in-the-wall, hidden gem! Stumbled upon this restaurant by mistake and was not disappointed. Super casual restaurant that had no wait at 6pm on a Saturday. We got the (mild) spicy tonkatsu and Bansho Ultimate Ramen, both were flavorful and excellent choices. Not sure if it was because I was hungry, but I would say it's one of the top ramen places I've visited. The tonkatsu was a smaller portion so get an appetizer or two if you're hungry. read more

1. The Ramen did not taste good. I have eaten alot of ramen and this one was definitely subpar. 2. They forgot to include the chashu meat on the side. 3. The Karage chicken though not burnt tasting appeared to have been refried (not freshly cooked). The food arrived on time. Grubhub gave a $10 first order discount and that may have been a deciding factor by the restaurant. read more

Bansho Ramen - Tonkotsu Ramen and Karaage chicken - Ramen Near Me - Berkeley, California

Bansho ramen is one of those hidden gems that only locals know about but those that know it truly love it. It seems to be a family owned restaurant and although their menu and store is small you can tell there is so much care that goes into each dish from the restaurant. They have many different types of ramen here and every single one has the perfect chewy noodles, delicious broth, and a generous amount of toppings without being too much. Even the appetizers and sushi are a must try! read more

Excellent service + tasty food. Would love to come back again and try other dishes :) read more

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This place is as good as ramen can be had! The service was attentive and intimate and very accommodating to my animal. Not only was the ramen choices very good, but afterwards, something was forgotten at the restaurant, the owner ran after me down the street to return the item! I was amazed and shocked and will definitely be coming back for more. read more

Bansho Ramen - Shoyu Ramen - Ramen Near Me - Berkeley, California

This place was excellent. I fucked up my entire bowl of ramen. They have a build your own ramen. I got a spicy chicken one, the broth was excellent and the chicken was crispy and tender. Definitely come here, servers are also very sweet. I didn't expect them to be playing such white music but you know it is what it is. read more

good ramen, easy pickup, kind of pricey, bussssyyy, on telegraph by wingstop, i get the chicken shoyu repeatedly

Ramen, Sushi, and appetizers all good!! I love the hot sake too. Super chill place to eat alone or with a friend especially when it's cold out. read more

The signature bansho spicy ramen was great - the fried root added a lot. Pork belly appetizer was very good: Onion tonkatsu was fine.

Came here on a Saturday night. There was no wait and service was quick. I ordered a build your own ramen with pork broth, bamboo, and an egg. It came with noodles, green onions, and sesame seeds as the default. I got it spicy and it was decently spicy and delicious. My only complaint was that the eggs were slightly over cooked and starting to look hard boiled around the edges. I also thought the build your own ramen was very cost effective in addition to being customizable. Overall, I enjoyed it and would return. read more

Bansho Ramen - Bansho Ultimate Ramen - Ramen Near Me - Berkeley, California

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Where to start... As someone who has been eating ramen for a long time, I can say with confidence that this isn't ramen. It's more like noodle soup. If you can have that mindset, this place is ok. read more

I was in town for a couple of days and was craving ramen. I found Bansho on Yelp and they were open so I decided to give them a shot. When I got there around 2 on a Tuesday, I was a little worried when the place was practically empty. However, my worries were instantly dissolved when the food came out. I got the Ultimate ramen and an order of kaarage. The chicken was fried really well. It was light and juicy and is some of the best that I've had in a long time. With a bowl of rice, that could have been a meal on its own. The Ultimate ramen came out and everything was great. The burdock root was delicious, the pork was cooked perfectly and had a great flavor, and the egg and broth were also great. So many times I've seen eggs that are dropped in cold and are still cold in the soup. The egg was nice and hot and still cooked perfectly without being overdone. The broth had a great flavor and with the ground pork, I finished all of it. If I had to nitpick something, the price was probably a little on the high side, but service was great and the place was very clean. Ambiance was really nice as well. Honestly, this review is more for me so that when I'm back in the area, I remember to come back here. read more

This place has become our go-to ramen shop. The broth is rich and flavorful, the pork chashu is generous in size and very tasty, and the portion is good and the price is very reasonable. Other dishes we tried were usually good too. read more

I got severe food poisoning. Me and my bf say where I could see the kitchen and I believe I saw the chef put chicken in the microwave

Loved this place. Came in with no expectations and this placed wowed me. I got the ultimate ramen with added chashu. The pork belly that comes with it was divine!!! This is definitely my second favorite ramen place in the bay - first being mensho - and guess what.... no crazy long hour wait! I'm definitely coming back when I'm in Berkeley. read more

Wonderful build your own ramen bowl and the black garlic oil Tonkatsu broth is to die for.

Warm, inviting, clean, and yummy Japanese bites and drinks! Don't forget to check-in on Yelp for a free iced tea or lemonade! I've been to numerous businesses that have been in this exact address and this is probably my favorite so far. There's been a lot of talk of their $7 tonkotsu ramen special (it was only available till March 31) so I'll speak to that right away. We got two of them and they were not the typical thick and heavy tonkotsu broths I've become accustomed to, but it did the job of comforting me and satiating my noodle soup craving. The broth was a good amount of salty and the noodles were cooked really well in my opinion. My favorite part was the large piece of meat they give you. Their egg tasted really good too, but was slightly overcooked in my opinion. I like my ramen eggs a bit runnier. Overall, a great ramen option for $7 and I would probably pay up to $12 for it normally. We also got their yakitori pork belly appetizer, which was really delicious. Meat wasn't dry and came apart nicely. Comes with little pickled vegetables on the side too. I also thought my lemonade was quite refreshing. Service was very quick and friendly. We barely had to wait for our food to come out either. I think they've done a great job at transforming the space with warm lighting and cute light fixtures. I would go back to try more for sure. read more

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TL;DR: lackluster ramen, thin noodles, broth needs more fat and flavor Restaurants open left and right in Berkeley all the time, so it was no surprise that this corner on Dwight and Telegraph was getting taken up pretty quickly. It always excites me to see new ramen restaurants open up in the area, as it's becoming on of my favorite meals. However, Bansho left a lot to be desired in terms of food. Although the service was great, I don't think my meal justified me coming back anytime soon. I ordered the Shoyu Ramen with chashu. SHOYU RAMEN (2/5) - Lacking a lot of flavor in the broth - Ramen was fairly thin - Meat was good quality, but also thin - Pretty lackluster for me in general My friend ordered the Miso Ramen and it wasn't much to write home about either, but she liked it. Although I have my opinions on the food, the service was stellar. Our server was very attentive and polite. Our food didn't take too long to get out. Personally, I don't think this location is very good for restaurants, so they've come and gone. I hope that Bansho can make some changes that would make them more appealing to go to. As of now, I can't see myself returning. read more

My boyfriend and I came here for the first time and were blown away with the delicious broth and pork belly!! We loved everything about the ultimate ramen, so much that we brought my parents and sister here and they enjoyed theirs too. My parents had never tried ramen before so I think this restaurant was the perfect choice. We had a party of five, four of which ordered the ultimate ramen and my papa tried the miso ramen. Great service and delicious ramen! read more

Bansho Ramen - Ultimate Bansho ramen - Ramen Near Me - Berkeley, California

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