My husband & I came here for Mother's Day, since their vegan menu looked AMAZING! Just note, they only take cash or Venmo, so make sure you have one of those payment options. It was pretty busy with not a TON of tables, but the service was still fairly quick. Our rolls came out faster than our appetizers, but at least we got everything eventually. We each ordered a miso soup, which was honestly kind of bland. We added some of their red pepper-type seasoning to it & it made it a little better. We also ordered their vegan bao buns & they were SO delicious! Super doughy, & the stuffing was seasoned really well. Their vegetable tempura wasn't bad. Didn't have the same assortment of vegetables most places have, but it still tasted pretty good. Ours primarily had yam, broccoli, & green beans. For our rolls, we ordered: The Cha-ya Roll (The entire sushi roll, filled with asparagus, yam, avocado, and carrots, is lightly battered and deep-fried, Tempura style. Served with special house sauce.) This one was my personal favorite! We also got the Vegan Roll (A large roll with spinach, atsuage tofu, cucumber, broccolini, pickled burdock, seasoned shiitake and campy gourd, and pickled ginger.) Lastly, we ordered the Haku Roll (Sushi rice with fried yam, shiitake mushroom, rolled up with an outer layer of avocado.) All the rolls were so fresh & flavorful! Next time we are in the area, I'd love to go back & try other things. I wish their menu had pictures on it, because some of the items were hard for us to imagine what it would look/taste like. But their menu online has a lot of pictures, so maybe I'll write down what interests me for next time! read more

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Great spot for any vegetarians looking for Japanese food with plenty of options! The eggplant roll was extraordinary, and all of the vegetables were really well prepared. The sukiyaki was a bit one-dimensional for me, and the udon was on the blander side. The inside of the restaurant was intimate and cozy, and when I walked by the kitchen, I noticed it was spotless. Service was also relatively fast. This didn't affect my review, but I did find a twist tie in the sukiyaki, probably from some of the veggies. We let the staff know and they apologized. If anything, I guess it means the veggies are fresh! read more

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First the good - food is great. Vegan Japanese food is so rare and to have a restaurant that's fully vegan is a blessing. We've had Cha-Ya roll, Vegetable Tempura roll, Agedashi tofu, Mushroom soup, Gyoza, and probably a few more dishes and all ha amazing. The Bao bun was a pass. The setting is good - intimate and some window tables. The bad - the host is a snob and service is slow since she's also the server. She's also not comfortable with English, which is fine for me as an immigrant myself, but it does cause some communication issues. The place doesn't accept cards - only cash (and Venmo). Not to be presumptuous, but when I see a restaurant accepting just cash I always wonder how accurately they pay their taxes? The ugly - we had a terrible (mildly racist) experience on our second visit. First as we sat down, the host got 3 forks for us. When she came back, we asked for 3 chopsticks. She responded with a tone "are you going to use chopsticks?". Like, what was she implying - brown people can't use chopsticks? "Yes" I said to which she pointed to a sign on the wall and responded in broken English "we have a policy". I read the flyer she pointed to and figured that you can get either a fork or chopsticks. So, why didn't she ask us upfront if we want chopsticks or forks? Sigh. I didn't want to confront her about it or be rude since I wanted to give her the benefit of the doubt. So we let this chopsticks incident get past us, started enjoying the food. She never came to ask if we were doing okay, which is fine by me since we didn't really need anything from her. As we were feeding our kid, she came by and dropped the bill on the table. Didn't ask if we wanted anything more. Didn't ask if food was okay. As we looked at the bill, we noticed a 15% mandatory tip. I checked the menus and the flyers - there's a mandatory 18% tip for parties of 6 people, but nothing below that. I went and politely inquired about it to which she said "well it's a restaurant", I pointed to the flyer that said parties of 6 people have a mandatory tip, to which she didn't respond at all, mumbled something, turned and went back into the kitchen! Extremely rude! Crazy thing - last visit a few weeks ago I didn't get mandatory tip on the bill and I tipped 15%. This time we had our kid with us, and whenever we dine with kids, it's always 20% tip or up, so I would've tipped that anyway. The racist and rude behaviour isn't worth putting up with. Such a shame. read more

We had a pretty heavy dinner the other day, so today, I was looking to balance that with a greener meal while we were out. I ended up choosing Cha Ya since it was around the area where we needed to be and it turned out to be the perfect choice. We happened to come around noon on a Monday so it was pretty empty. Parking can be a little hectic around the area, but you can get lucky with residential parking as well. They accept cash or Venmo at this time only. Between my partner and I, we got the Senroppon Salad, Hasami Age and a Hana Gomoku. The Senroppon Salad came pretty quickly. It's composed of a lot of shredded root veggies, some tofu strips, edamame, sprouts and seeds mixed with a light soy vinaigrette. I found some inspiration while having this. It's a very refreshing, non-green, healthy salad. Quite unique! The vinaigrette gets a little stronger when you get to the bottom of the salad since those have been sitting in the dressing for a while. Next, the Hasami Age was something my partner was intrigued about. It's almost like a sushi roll, but made the filling is just corn and tofu. They're wrapped with a soybean sheet and nori and then lightly battered and fried. It turned out really delicious! The batter was indeed on the lighter side and it didn't feel heavy or oily at all. The corn and tofu mix was a little bland, so I wished they put a bit more veggie variety in there for different taste and texture. The almond sauce worked really well with it. If I have to describe this dish, it's like the offspring of a sushi roll and spring roll, haha. Lastly, the Hana Gomoku! This is like a very healthy Buddha bowl. All the ingredients were laid out neatly on top and there was a lot of veggie varieties! I love that they mixed hijiki into the rice, so it not only added flavor to the base, but also some texture. It was beautiful and delicious. We had a nice, quiet, and enjoyable meal here. I hope to try some of their other menu items when we're around Berkeley again! read more

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If your diet is restricted to vegan, this may be your spot Otherwise, seriously dull and bland read more

We love Cha-Ya! We've been coming for years. Everything on the menu is really good. They have a lovely soup with noodles made from potato that's especially delicious, as is the fried tofu appetizer. Can't miss. read more

The food is always a hit, as someone who doesn't eat any fish, this place is absolutely wonderful catering. The service is well, and foods brought to your table quickly. Small place with only about 10 tables, very cozy and makes eating the meal even more special. This is a go to spot whenever I'm in Berkley as the flavors are Individually noticeable, yet come together so pleasantly. read more

Cha-Ya - Cha-Ya Roll - Japanese Near Me - Berkeley, California

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Went to celebrate my cousins birthday and overall I liked this place! The menu is more extensive than I realized and it's always exciting to have so many vegan items to choose from. My favorite thing we had was the shiitake bao special (10/10). We also tried the tempura (7.5/10), kinoko miso soup (7/10), moon garden tofu pudding (3/10 - would not recommend. Bland and cooked in plastic for some reason?), cucumber plum paste maki (7/10), haku roll (7/10 - wasn't expecting it to be deep fried but it was tasty), curry udon (5.5/10 - the curry was soupier than I anticipated or would hope for), plum wine (9/10), agedashi tofu (8/10). Casual atmosphere, no reservations required, no wait for our 4 person group, and servers were attentive. Payment is cash or Venmo only. read more

This place is great. I like the city location, too, and have been coming here since undergrad. The soba salad is probably my favorite dish, super crisp and crunchy veggies and the noodles and soba sauce are tasty. I'm also into the Cha-Ya roll, which is a nice and filling roll great for cold weather. The service is perfect and the inside of the store is meditative and aesthetically pleasing, with a quiet and calm ambiance great for catching up with friends. read more

Delivery order was a bit sad looking after the travel. Quality and taste made up for it. Especially loved the potato croquette in the curry and the way they steamed the veg separately was super inspiring. Back in the college days I used to just boil it all together and it was mushy/absorbed all the individual flavors. Definitely get the sea veg salad and the summer greens roll - super refreshing. Everything was topped with Kaiware sprouts and a variety of carefully selected/handled veg. Bookmarked forever, definitely will be a go-to healthy delivery selection if they stay in our range! read more

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Not the best vegetarian sushi place I have been to. Service was ok, the place needs an update and smelled of bleach. Not well lit. The food was ok,nothing special. The napkin on the table they use for silverware is a hard bathroom paper towel! Wow... Asparagus was cold. The veggies rice bowl was bland no flavor and had a weird smell. I think it was the bowl and spoon, Maybe the dishwasher needs fixing... the bun was way too hot, I had to cut in half to cool off. I believe it was microwaved not steamed. And the plate color was scraped/scratched off. Time for new plates. To pay its cash or Venmo app only. read more

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This place is an absolute gem! Me and my friends have been coming here every week for a few months now. From the delicate, fragrant, vegan dishes they serve, to the cozy, peaceful atmosphere and outstanding service -- everything is nothing less than a five star experience. read more

Tried this restaurant earlier this week with my partner, and I'm absolutely obsessed! So many Japanese restaurants these days are just the same pre-made JFC slop. And the Japanese restaurants that are doing something original cost well over 80$ per person, before alcohol. The food here is incredible, all of the veggies were so fresh, and the soups are clearly made with so much love and care. Our favorite was probably the special bao. Don't forget to ask for the dessert menu, the pear compote was amazing! Me and my partner got 2 bao, a barley iced tea, an appetizer, a special dish, a sushi roll, and a soup and our bill came out to 60$ before tax and tip! Heads up it is cash or venmo only. read more

It was disappointing. Everything tasted the same from the lack of seasoning and same sauce poured on everything. read more

Cha-Ya - Gyoza Cha-Ya Roll Inari Kake Noodles - Japanese Near Me - Berkeley, California

I'm genuinely tired of getting messed up orders from this place on uber eats and not getting refunded. The reason I keep going back is because my in person experiences at the restaurant have always been good. But delivery is APPALLING. In this latest incident they gave me the smaller miso soup when I ordered the big one. Uber eats customer service said I couldn't be refunded because the restaurant determines the sizes. But there are three sizes listed on their menu and I chose the largest one. Utterly ridiculous. In addition to this , the loose plastic bags they package everything in for delivery - holding miso soup, sushi rolls, and tempura, literally always arrive with a puddle in the bottom, soaking the cardboard tempura container. Y'all need to package it in a structured paper bag inside the plastic bag to keep everything together. Common sense. I'm annoyed for the last time by this place with the miso soup rip off. Never coming back. read more

Truly, one of our most favorite spots in Berkeley! Clean home-cooked food. A slightly quirky ambience: it reminds us of an older school café or cafeteria. We really appreciate the Chaya nabe and vegan version of pork buns. This restaurant has a sister location in San Francisco that we also really adore. They accept cash or Venmo, so be ready to have one of those forms of payment available. read more

the only thing that i hate is that it closes at 8. please stay open later, so many times i have wanted to order or go there and it's been too late. food is amazing and consistent. i never feel heavy after eating because the dishes are simple but delicious. i dream of the haku roll and their agedashi tofu! read more

Fully Vegan Japanese restaurant, cash or Venmo only! (5/5 green stars) Cha-ya has been around for decades and it's still a good choice for tasty, vegan Japanese food. Yes, it's actually a fully vegan restaurant even though it's more widely known as "merely" vegetarian. If you search for vegan Japanese restaurants in Berkeley, the limelight may be stolen by Tane Vegan Izakaya, also on Shattuck Ave. But Cha-ya is well worth a visit for lovers of Japanese food and/or vegans and vegetarians. It's not as hip or stylish as Tane (honestly, Cha-ya could do with a bit of a makeover) but they do the best version of several Japanese dishes that I've had. From the website: "no product derived from animals of any kind are ever used" (no meat, dairy, fish, gelatin, etc.). Definitely considering having the agadashi tofu and goma ae to share (or have all on your own). Then, one of my favorites is the Taku-Sui which is described as Pot stickers, tofu, zucchini, nappa cabbage, snap peas, asparagus , broccoli, cauliflower, silver noodles, and mushrooms in a light broth and served with a ponzu citrus sauce. This dish has inspired me to make something similar at home, quite often. The Cha-ya nabe is similar but with delicious fresh ingredients like kabocha squash and spinach instead of the potstickers. Another favorite, if you're in the mood for lots of salty miso, is the Dengaku: Broiled eggplant tofu, and portobello mushroom with miso-paste glaze. There's a second branch in The Mission district in SF and remember that this Berkeley branch is Cash or Venmo ONLY! I'm also giving Cha-ya 5/5 Green Stars for social and environmental impact because Cha-ya is a completely vegan restaurant. Adopting a plant-based diet is the top thing you can do to mitigate climate change, deforestation, animal cruelty, and food scarcity. They could do a better job at providing information on ingredient sourcing, however (e.g., is any pesticide-free or organic?) Please join in and include a Green Stars rating with your own reviews! read more

Everything was beautiful and very fresh! Such a unique restaurant that offers a vegetarian's dream for Japanese food. Very healthy and guilt-free food that looks and tastes like it's made with love. I wish there were more locations! read more

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Come here monthly for a hearty meal but was left puzzled by our experience today. We were given a bill with a 15% tip manually added. Was it a suggestion or a requirement? The host deflected our polite inquiries. We've never had to deal with that in the same establishment before so that kinda left a bad taste in the mouth. The real kicker was we normally tip a standard 20%. If you're up for the drive, the SF Cha-Ya is better. The atmosphere in this restaurant can be better. read more

The food could have little more flavorful with spices. The customer service was amazing and super polite. Its clean place but not fancy. read more

Cha-Ya - Delicious food - Japanese Near Me - Berkeley, California

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At first glance, Cha-Ya seems like any other sushi spot. But it's SO MUCH more! I'm not vegan or vegetarian, but was still sold on the food. The place is locally owned by a family, and the creativity of their food is pretty mind-blowing. Ordering process: - there's currently no indoor seating or any sit down offering in general. Only to-go. - Theres parks and the UC campus right nearby, so we ate there instead. - took about 15min to pick up after ordering Here's the lowdown: Subaru Roll (4/5): loved the creativity of the roll with the spinach wrap! As someone who has to limit their seaweed intake, I thought this was a great offering and it mixed well with the brown rice used. Sumo Roll (5/5): The roll is rolled with soba noodles, and has a bunch of veggies packed inside with tofu and mushroom. They were thinner rolls, but similar to any other roll I've had at the same time. The mushroom is absolutely delicious, and would gladly order again. Would gladly recommend this place! Super creative and filling and would be happy to come back to soon :) read more

Cha-Ya - Soba Roll - Japanese Near Me - Berkeley, California

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The menu is ALL vegan. It includes hearty soups (Taku sui & Chanabe), sushi, salads -all well-prepared. The service is efficient & responsive - friendly people. read more

This is our fourth time coming here and we're always so impressed with the delicious, fresh, creative,unique dishes that are beautifully presented. It's an unpretentious atmosphere and a great value as well. A true Berkeley institution! read more

Simply the BEST. Very flavorful food that nourishes your body and soul. I eat here regularly and always feel fantastic after. Never too full, but well fed and know I'm giving my body what it needs. read more

Quick Summary: - Person reviewing this is not vegetarian and usually prefers to eat anything with some meat = really enjoyed eating here and thinking of coming back - Good amount of portions, entered hungry and left very full - Cash only (ATM machine is found inside the restaurant) - Vegetables cooked to tender softness For the longest time, we were looking forward to trying here but we waited until we saw the "dine-in" option. While I didn't see this option on this website, my relative saw the availability option on G-maps. Once we saw that, we headed there on the weekday evening. When we arrived, it looked like how it was like during the pandemic: there was a table at the entrance. I couldn't find a sign, that indicated there was a dine-in option.At first, we were deflated and was about to walk past, but we saw that their second room had tables and chairs. When we headed back to the entrance and asked one of the staff, they confirmed that dine-in is available. Once we took our seats, then I realized that the restaurant only accepts cash, as indicated on the signs near the doorway and the ATM machine placed in the dining room. Luckily, I have some...but we'll be more ready next time. We ordered three dishes each: the Moon Garden, the Hana Gomoku, and the Vege-tofu Curry with the udon noodle. The first dish to arrive was the Hana Gomoku, and then the Vege-tofu Curry noodle and the Moon Garden arrived at the same time. Upon first appearance. the vegetables almost look raw on how vibrant they are. I don't know the restaurant does it, but they were cooked so well. I was able to cut a broccoli in half with my spoon. Every vegetable was so soft and easy to chew, and each one had flavor was salted so well. I'm super impressed, how are these vegetables cooked thoroughly and seasoned so well, but the colors and their shape look like they were placed on the dishes right from the fields? I had the Moon Garden, and I loved this. I'm a fan of chawanmushi (it's like a savory egg custard), so this had a similarity - except it doesn't contain egg. It really tasted and had a texture similar to it, but it might be with mochi and tofu together? Anyways, it was really good and super piping hot, so be careful when eating the dish. I got to try a little from the Hana Gomoku and the Vege-tofu curry noodle. I also loved these two, and we were most happy with the vege-tofu curry noodle. I loved the curry soup flavor. Light but rich in bright curry flavor notes. My relative, who is more of a fan of dishes with vegetable dishes, really loved how they were able to enjoy the dish and not needing to scoop up the ground meat, that is found in general curry noodle dishes. The Hana Gomoku was like a bowl with sushi rice and vegetables, and it's so good! The sushi rice was well marinated, nothing was bland at all. We left full, very content, and looking to come back again to try the other dishes such as the ones with tempura. read more

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Food, service and ambiance were great. The food is very tasty, and so happy to know that the entire menu is vegan. Been looking for a restaurant that is only vegan, and Cha-ya checks all the boxes! Went with the husband there for our anniversary, and we enjoyed our experience there read more

I often order from this place online and decided to stop in for a sit down meal. The atmosphere is pretty laid back and the decor isn't anything special, but the service was fantastic. As always, the food was delicious. Whether you come for the sushi or one of their many other offerings, you will not be disappointed. Their curry reminds me of the ones I ate while stationed in Okinawa twenty-plus years ago, and their sushi is skillfully prepared, beautifully presented and flavorful beyond comparison to most other vegan sushi that I've had. On this visit, I had the delicious sea vegetable salad, wonderfully prepared sushi combo dinner, and an order of shiitake nigiri. All were delicious. read more

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Favorite sushi spot in the Bay! They only do takeouts after covid, so kind of sad I can't eat here with my friends. But I still love getting sushi here once in a while! Inari is my favorite sushi, and they make it really well! The Chaya rolls are pretty good. My favorite ones are probably the haku rolls - fried yam and shiitake mushrooms just really hit the spot. So good! I always bring my own container to save plastic. They are always very accommodating about it! Love Chaya :) read more

Cha-Ya - Inari and haku rolls - Japanese Near Me - Berkeley, California

I've been wanting to come here for a while. I ordered the Subaru Roll and Starlight Roll. To my surprise, both tasted pretty good. I was expecting them to taste bland and was ready to dunk the rolls in soy sauce, but there was no need! I was afraid the rolls were just going to taste like plain vegetables rolled up in rice, but they actually tasted like _sushi_. I think the thing that made the sushi taste good and like "regular" sushi was the seasoned sushi rice. The main flavors in the Starlight Roll came from the avocado and sushi rice, and the main flavors in the Subaru Roll roll came from the mushroom, sushi rice, and the seaweed salad ingrained in the rice. If the sushi rice had no seasoning, the rolls probably would have tasted a bit too plain. For the Subaru Roll, the pieces were huge and pretty filling. Overall, I enjoyed the sushi rolls. Chaya has decent vegetarian rolls, and I would come back if I was craving sushi and wanted something light. read more

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A good ole standby. Still dishing up classics and really good for the money. It's been here for over twenty years. Recommended! read more

Cha-Ya - Chaya roll - Japanese Near Me - Berkeley, California

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Wonderful vegan sushi place that makes you feel healthy and clean after eating it! If you want something more heavy and filling, get the cha- ya roll which is deep fried tempura rolls with veggies inside. It comes with a ginger soy sauce which is very delicious! It's quite heavy though so I suggest getting the Soba rolls to share with others. These are extremely light and comes with 12 pieces which is great for sharing! They have soba noodles, cucumber, spinach. The curry rice plate is quite large and very filling as well! It comes with a cucumber side dish with raisins and peanuts in it. Sushi is usually not very vegetarian friendly which makes this place great for people not eating meat. The veggie potstickers were also delicious as well! I absolutely recommend this place! read more

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For some subconscious reason, it's taken Jamie W. and me quite a while to try this popular spot in the Gourmet Ghetto even though we walk by it all the time. I had been to the Valencia Street location a couple of times and liked their creative veggie takes on Japanese standards, but truth be told, they didn't send me to culinary nirvana. What took us there was Jamie's hankering for Japanese curry, and I knew Cha-Ya served it so it was finally time for us to pay a visit. It was bustling for a Sunday evening, but we lucked into a table for two just as an amorous couple left in a pre-coital embrace. We were in a bit of a panic initially as we didn't see a curry plate on the main menu, just a vege tofu curry noodle soup. Luckily our server pointed out on the wall the $12 Curry Rice bowl with their house salad and vegetable croquettes. Sold. We both ordered it, and it turned into a delicious meal that reminded me of my okasan. First, the house salad turned out to be cucumber and radish slices tossed in mirin and topped with peanuts and golden raisins (photo: http://bit.ly/2R4TCGg). Really liked it and could have had more. The curry bowl was abundant with a variety of veggies over brown rice with the tasty and thickened curry sauce just a tad paltry for the portion. The tofu and croquettes lent a nice contrast that complemented the veggies (photo: http://bit.ly/2ATIjeD). We would definitely come back for that curry bowl. FOOD - 4 stars...an excellent home-style curry bowl that my mama could have made AMBIANCE - 3.5 stars...a bit busy, not the zen place they aspire to be SERVICE - 4 stars...very polite and efficient TOTAL - 4 stars...satisfied our deep-seeded curry fix RELATED - Hanging around in Berkeley? Here's a collection of places I've tried and reviewed: bit.ly/2N4anQA read more

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Great vegetarian sushi spot! The cha-ya and haku roll were very tasty! The vegetarian roll was good but big, almost like a small burrito. Definitely enjoyed all the rolls we ordered! This place offers no indoor or outdoor dining at the moment though. Had to enjoy the food at a cafe down the street. Also they don't accept card as payments, must pay using cash or Venmo. Overall I recommend this place but just be ready to dine somewhere else after you get your food. read more

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Great vegan food! Novel textures and flavors. Venmo or cash only. All of the dishes we tried were incredible.

Ambiance is very cute and cozy. They only accept cash or venmo as a heads up. We ordered the tofu-vegetable curry soup, the kinoko miso soup, and the vegan roll. Soups were very warm and comforting, filled with vegetables in cute shapes. Roll was delicious and filled with different textures. Nice to have a vegan Japanese place, very worth visiting when you're in Berkeley. read more

Cha-Ya - Vege Tofu Curry Noodles and Kinoko Miso Soup - Japanese Near Me - Berkeley, California

I ordered a veggie soup and it was filling, although somewhat flavorless. I got my friends opinion and we agreed it was meh. it wasn't the best, but it wasn't the worst. My recommendation? Don't get the soup. I don't want to throw shade at this cool place, but honestly, sometimes slightly negative comments help a company grow. Sorry Cha-ya! read more

I've tried so much of their menu (cha ya delight, soba salad, stuffed eggplant, avocado mushroom roll, shiitake bao, gyoza, and tempura) and pretty much everything is delicious, healthy, delicately seasoned, and creative. read more

Cha-Ya - Japanese Near Me - Berkeley, California

The sushi here is both economical and delicious - a combination which is hard to find. I tried this place on a hunt for vegan sushi places, and was very delightfully surprised. A group of friends and I got takeout from here earlier in April, and we may have gotten a bit too many dishes, not that this was a problem since the leftovers were just as good! I would definitely recommend trying this place! read more

Cha-Ya - Picture of takeout - Japanese Near Me - Berkeley, California

Amazing customer service from the start- what a wonderful, family-run feeling this place has! Total comfort food for the vegan who happens to be asian. Not to say I'm a vegan myself, but it was worth seeing how many savory and umami flavors can come out of a great variety of vegetables! Soup made this the perfect place to go to after a muddy day out at tilden park (which I highly recommend visiting, including their petting zoo! I've included my reviews for those places below). Make sure you order their soup with lotus root and (pro-tip) make sure you blow into your soup spoon and add a slice of ginger to make sure it's just the right temperature and has the right kick too! https://www.yelp.com/biz/tilden-regional-park-little-farm-berkeley?hrid=J_iwbrRbxKgPuftzBHZsVg&utm_campaign=www_review_share_popup&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_source=(direct) https://www.yelp.com/biz/tilden-regional-park-berkeley-3?hrid=tDwQL5QSYsiEU71mLZB7KQ&utm_campaign=www_review_share_popup&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_source=(direct) read more

Cha-Ya - Japanese Near Me - Berkeley, California