This is literally my favorite restaurant. Period. And no, I'm not a strict vegan. Everything here is fresh, and delicious, every time. Highest quality tea. Local delicious sake. Amazingly fresh Japanese mountain vegetables and other root vegetables. The cha ya nabe is the best sukiyaki on the planet. My one complaint: ambiance. Sometimes I wish they'd pay a little more attention to the venue. I think they have a very practical mindset, and sort of don't understand what is important to upscale dining on the non-food front. For example, last time we were here, they had a bunch of cardboard boxes out visibly in the dining area. They offered to seat us at a table literally touching a pile of what looked like cardboard moving boxes (?). This place is SOOOOO close to being a fancy restaurant. But then they do things like that. Every single person in our dining party commented on the weird pile of cardboard boxes near the back of the room. But maybe that's Berkeley, for ya. It's still the best restaurant in my book. I have been coming here for almost 20 years since it was just a little venue on one side of the now two-roomed restaurant. And it's still my #1 place and it always will be. read more

This is easily my favorite restaurant in all of SF. I've been a vegetarian for a long time, and I know I can bring my non-veggie friends here and they'll be blown away too. Strongly recommend the spicy eggplant roll and the vegetable curry soup with udon! read more

Ended up here after walking around Shattuck looking for a place to eat. I was actually looking for fresh fish or just a seafood spot. I saw that Cha-Ya was Japanese and came in without noticing that it was vegetarian. I had already gone in and I was embarrassed to just walk out once the waitress greeted me. I'm so glad I decided to stay. I'm not a big vegetable person (I do love my meats) so I didn't know what to get. I settled for the wonton soup. It was soooo flavorful! The broth was amazing and the wontons tasted like they had meat in them! I was so surprised by the amount of flavors that were in the soup. The service was ok. The place was almost empty and the waitress took a while to get my order. I didn't really mind since I wasn't in a rush. Oh, and it's cash only which was a bummer. I'm not sure if I would come back, but I would definitely recommend it for people who are interested in trying delicious vegetarian cuisine. read more

Cha-Ya - Wonton soup - Japanese Near Me - Berkeley, California

I will never get over how accessible it is to get vegetarian sushi in California. That being said, Cha-ya stands out as one of the best veggie sushi options I have tried to date. They have tons of options, and it's hard to pick just one favorite. The prices are extremely reasonable for the Bay Area as well. It's so hard to pick a favorite, but I highly recommend the Haku Roll, it was by far my favorite. I live just far enough that it makes their take-out only option a little inconvenient, so I hope they reopen for dine-in soon. That being said, we took our food to a nearby brewery and enjoyed our rolls with some fresh beer, so I really can't complain. read more

Saw this while walking around gourmet ghetto and my friend was craving vegetarian gyoza. Got the rice bowl and it was really fresh and fast! Not sure how much potential a vegetarian rice bowl can have but it was solid. Ladies there were nice and it was pretty fast too! read more

Always perfect order, hot, delicious vegan food! The best service! Even when coming in 25 minutes before closing time, gave friends and I time to talk and visit completely. read more

Japanese Vegetarian food sounds pure, wholesome, and simple in my mind, however the execution can widely vary in quality of final product. Cha-Ya has a menu full of vegetarian and vegan options. We ordered such items as the Sukiyaki, Soba roll, Cha-Ya roll, Agedashi tofu to share, and all were acceptable but did not bowl me over in the least. When you factor in pricing, this is bordering on a 3 dollar sign experience. Frankly, vegetarian options are abundant in Berkeley so this would not be a choice I would make again in the near future. Service was pleasant and efficient so no complaints on this front. Charging nearly $3.00 for tea isn't cool either. They need to absorb this cost in some other creative manner or partially subsidize this. read more

What to say? The food is fantastic. The curry broth noodles is out of this world for a GF/ V eater. The vegan roll is great. And the steamed custard... omg so good... read more

Decent food. I usually get the Cha Ya & tempura rolls. Service is very slow so be prepared to wait for your food. Always have to ask for wasabi, ginger & soy sauce. I always forget to ask for wasabi and end up eating plain tasting rolls. Not worth the trouble for mediocre rolls. read more

The type of food that you could eat every day of the week if you wanted to! It reminds me of the comfort food that my grandma used to make me as a kid, and really has a lot of nostalgic dishes for me. :') We've been coming here for years and years and it's always the same GREAT quality. The miso soup is a family favorite for anyone feeling sick or in need of a pick-me-up. This is comfort food at its very best (and healthiest). We also love getting the hot sake with our food as it seems to really enhance all flavors. read more

I think there's a place for this kind of vegan/vegetarian Japanese cuisine, but it'll be a cold day in hell before there's a place in my stomach for a single $9-$15 all-vegetable "sushi" roll. I'm sorry, world, but I just can't. *Maybe* if that $15 veggie "sushi" roll were in some kind of higher-end atmosphere, but I'm definitely not paying that much for 8 pieces of vegetables in an atmosphere so granola that people around me feel comfortable enough to take their shoes off in the restaurant and put their disgusting feet up on the chairs, then, rub said disgusting and dried up feet together in scratching motions with their long toe nails making that nails on a chalkboard sound. Or when the person across the way feels it is okay to change her baby's poopy diaper in the dining room. Nope. That is not the atmosphere that I find conducive to eating any food, let alone $15 all-vegetable sushi rolls. And I don't want to go too George Costanza on everyone here, but... PEOPLE OF THE FIRST WORLD: Please do not take your shoes off inside of restaurants. Please do not change your baby in an enclosed, public area where others are dining directly 7-feet from where the your spawn's open, dirty diaper sits. WE LIVE IN A SOCIETY. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xhe3RlzgTiQ Pre-bare feet scratcher and baby-changer persons sitting next to/across from me, I'd decided on a $3 bowl of miso soup and an order of the $7.95 vegetarian gyoza. I'd had my heart set on getting dessert since it looked like they had quite a few delectable options, but by the time I'd gotten partially through my meal I was pretty much turned off to the idea of any kind of food with the person next to me's dead skin feet particles and the person across from me's baby's poop particles floating off into our shared air everywhere. I know that the restaurant has no control over the type of clientele they get (re: people who do not recognize that we live in a society), but it was pretty hard to ignore all the uncivilized offenses happening at once. I'm not docking points on Cha-Ya for this, but it's something to know before you go since 6 of the 8 tables in the restaurant were all guilty of some kind of violation of the generally agreed upon social norms. It's equally possible that I dined here on the night of a full moon, or that people who come here are just plain crazy. My miso soup was really good and had a heartier more veggie-tasting, mushroom-tinged broth than any other miso I've ever had. My vegetable gyoza were cooked really well, but the gyoza dipping sauce was pretty meh and way too thin to stick to the gyoza when dipped or poured. The filling itself wasn't super memorable but the little bits of asparagus with that peanut sauce were fantastic... and that's coming from a person who normally detests peanut sauce and sweet things on savory dishes. This tasted like a summer CSA version of a taffy apple and I can def get down with that. Service was fine and once I'd placed my order, rather speedy. They are cash only, so be ready with your Lincolns. There was no shortage of menu options, and while I wasn't terribly excited by a large portion of the items offered, I appreciated the thought and effort they'd put into orchestrating such a varied vegetarian/vegan-friendly menu. I know quite a few people who would love to come here and possibly even splurge on those $9-$15 veggie rolls, so even though this wasn't my favorite dining experience for a number of aforementioned reasons, I have a feeling I'll be back in the future, though I'll be ready to get sassy if someone opens a diaper near my meal again. read more

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After O Chame closed, I've been searching for a replacement to feed my big-bowl-of-healthy-noodle-soup cravings. I think I've found it in Cha-ya. Their massive menu of vegetarian dishes hits the spot: comforting, savory, and oh-so filling without being heavy. Heads up: the menu downplays a lot of the dishes, so it's better to check out the Yelp photos to help you order. For example, the "mushroom medley" sounds pretty boring, but seeing the photos, I was sold. Exotic shrooms in a mushroom broth, with your choice of noodles. Heavenly! Use those visuals. The atmosphere is pretty casual, and the prices reflect that. It's not a fancy date night spot at all, but a great for a solo or chill group outting for Japanese food lovers who happen to also love vegetables. read more

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This place is bomb. It's zagat rated, so keep that in mind when reading the hipster 1-star reviews . Also look on these people's review history, 5-stars for every hipster-approved joint, and 1-star for anything they don't like for any reason. Nothing in between. So if you're that type, I'll save you sometime, don't come here. This place was holding it down for vegans before you wore all black and started hating your parents. The food here is simple and elegant. The decor is minimal. If you're into that kind of thing, this is a next level spot. If you're the kid that hid your broccoli under your plate growing up, that's cool too, go to butcher's son. Just be cool and understand people have different tastes, don't trash an institution that has done a lot for vegan cuisine-- before it was an Instagram hashtag. read more

Best vegan sushi in the East Bay. Carry-out only. The people that run it (own it?) are very nice and aim ro please.

With places like Herbivore tastlessly flavoring the vegan culinary landscape, cha-ya stands out like the shining gem that it is. Vegetarians and meat-eaters alike will appreciate this inventive fresh cuisine. As has been said before, the wait for a table will likely be lengthy (the restaurant has a mere 21 seats), so bring along a good conversationalist to pass the time. If you're looking for vegetable-based faux animal proteins, you will not find them here. Do not miss the: Cha-Ya roll Sunomono read more

Well.... I wasn't impressed. The idea is cool, but the food just wasn't so great. Cha-Ya Roll- $9-seriously. The tempura was good, but it is potentially carb-overload. The veggies inside were good. But, it's passable. Unless you want a vegan tempura roll... Lol. Vegan Sukiyaki-$11- it was mostly cabbage!!!! There were 2 of each veggie (lotus root, carrot slice, peas, broccoli, cauliflower), a few glass noodles, AND TONS OF CABBAGE. Sure the broth was ok, typical udon broth flavor. But the waitress asked if I wanted it to go, but I didn't have any reason to bring home cabbage in broth. Totally disappointing. Like Top Ramen with cabbage instead of noodles. Bleh. So overpriced. Plus they charge $2.75 for a cup of Barley tea and Bowl'd just gives it out for free. Crazy. read more

Cha-Ya - $9 cha-ya roll- it was very carb-dense. Cool concept, but overwhelming for one person. - Japanese Near Me - Berkeley, California

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I recently visited Cha-Ya with my friend & loved the food as well as my experience here. I spent a week in Japan a few years ago & was difficult to be vegan in Japan as fish & meat stock is in lots of things however my survival skill I learned was to seek out shojin ryori which is seasonal cuisine that happens to be vegan. The shojin ryori cuisine & items found at Macrobiotic restaurants in Japan was amazing! I was delighted to find out that all of the menu at Cha-Ya is shojin ryori. Me & my friend split a few dishes including a sea vegetable salad, two sushi rolls, & one of the popular entrees. All of it was well presented, simply seasoned, & flavorful. I really love the vibe of Cha-Ya is pretty relaxed with amazing food as it isn't too upscale. There is also a Cha-Ya in San Francisco. All vegan Japanese food is done right here! read more

5/5 for food (loooove the fried roll, think it's called cha-ya roll?), but call-in and pay cash price is the same as doordash pickup price, which is a dollar higher than their website menu price. I'd rather doordash so I don't have to fiddle with cash... (Like the SF location, this place is cash only if you pay at the shopfront) read more

Cash only for lunch It's pricey, I just want to warn the general public. But it's also tasty vegetarian food. Such a small space, try to strategize and come at a non-peak time, if at all possible. Located in Gourmet Ghetto... think this place has been around forever. sandwiched in between Virginia Bakery and that bead place on the west side of Shattuck. I love the flavor of my tofu dish; my friend claims (Taiwanese lad) that it's one of his fave go-tos in Berkeley (we're both alums)... I dunno. Certainly l am not as convinced as he. But do think that they are quite deft at eschewing the notion that vegetarian is uninventive, tasteless, and boring! read more

If the world we live in and the people in our lives were as pure and honest as Cha-Ya, then peace and love wouldn't be so difficult to attain. Ah, we can dream can't we? I'm not even close to being vegan but these people definitely do vegan right! I live blocks away from the Mission location but never seemed to make it there until just a month ago. And since then I've been 3 times and even took my aunt to this one in Berkeley. All great experiences! I'm mostly impressed by their broth. I've had a couple of different soba noodle soups and am so surprised that there is so much flavor without meat! The vegan sukiyake is also great and enough for two! The portions are filling and you leave feeling clean and healthy and happy! read more

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

I am always extremely impressed by restaurants who make vegetarian creations that are flavorful and unique. So Cha-Ya was definitely a great treat. Today, I had lunch there with a friend. I suggest each person order a different entree (they have combinations (2 entrees/rolls), single entrees, salads, noodles and desserts) and then share because there are enough portions to each dish for 4 people. It also gives you a great way to sample their menu. Here's a review of what we ordered (a don't remember some of the names since they were all in Japanese). All of their entrees come serves with miso soup and rice. I have to comment that they definitely got the miso soup right. and yes some places are too salty, bland or sweet. perfect* here - Brocolini and Spinach logs (so cool) drizzled in a miso, sesame sauce. The flavors were just divine. They did an excellent job at parboiling the vegetables, maintaining their vivid green color and crispiness. The sauce was so unique, characterizing the umami taste (savoriness hinted by a slight sweet). We just couldn't stop eating it! :) -Yasai Sukiyaki: I think the highlight of this entree was the lightly sweetened broth, with great textural contrast between the seasonal vegetables. however, I do wish they had used more silver noodles in the broth. Overall, it was very filling. -Tempura-fried eggplant stuffed with brown rice? (i think), edamame beans, carrots, corn, cucumber?. Served with a generous offering of miso/teriyaki sauce. This is a definite try. extremely unique dish and had great texture and taste. Literally glides through your mouth. wonderful. Next time I come, I will definitely get the dengaku (miso glazed eggplant, tofu, mushroom), some rolls (looks very interesting!) and their vegan green tea ice cream. Everything was extremely refreshing, light yet left your stomach and and taste buds satisfied. The pricing was very reasonable. It can seem pricey, since its all vegetables, but I can tell the chefs but a lot of effort in the presentations and food. It came out to $23 for two people with 3-ish entrees. WOULD DEFINITELY recommend! read more

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This place is popular and small - if you don't get their early, just order carryout and pick it up on your way to the guerrilla drive in or wherever you are going. Yeah - it's tiny, the staff don't all speak perfect English, they are busy with many customers but the food is outstanding. Who says vegans & vegetarians ONLY want healthy food? Give me fried sushi rolls, man! I love the agedashi tofu (no fish sauce! no bonito flakes!) The prices are great - two people can stuff themselves like pigs for less than $20 each! Some of the dishes leave a bit to be desired -- I'm not a fan of the tofu custard (ick!?!) but there are many yummy rolls, the kinoko udon and the kinoko miso are rockstar. Try the avocado tempura roll - it's astonishingly tasty (you'll order a second one, I promise!). If you can't manage to get there early, and don't want take out - it's worth the wait! read more

Getting a seat for myself and my friend on at 1 p.m. on a Sunday was easy. I think we grabbed the second to the last 2 seats at the bar. I had ordered a couple of vegetarian sushi - avocado, burdock, shitake mushroom which also came with miso soup - very flavorful than at other Japanese restaurants. The sushi was good, not out of this world. The soy sauce was soooo salty, so much so that I just ate my sushi without it. The desserts looked really delicious but we decided to hit up Love at First Bite for our sugar high. The Yelp listing says that it accepts credit/debit cards but in the restaurant, it said "Cash Only." Lucky for us, we had both brough enough to cover the debt. Next time, when the weather cools down, I'll try the udon. read more

Cha-Ya is one of my favorite restaurants in the Bay Area! I'm actually shocked that I haven't already written a review. When I lived in the city I frequently went to the location on Valencia street, but I actually prefer this one. The space feels more intimate and welcoming. It's definitely worth driving in from Marin to have dinner! Everything is so incredibly delicious. My go to comfort meal is taku sui, which is clay pot filled with veggies, potstickers, and glass noodles. If you get the lunch special it comes with miso soup and rice (you can also request brown rice). They didn't used to charge extra for brown rice, but I think they do now. I also love the goma ae and shira ae for appetizers. Yesterday I ordered my usual and my friend got curry soup with soba noodles, which was very good! I think I may branch out and order it next time. We also shared the soba sushi, which was also tasty and the mochi with adzuki beans for dessert. YUM! If you want to make me happy take me to Cha-Ya :) read more

Cha-Ya - Soba sushi! - Japanese Near Me - Berkeley, California

I've been to many vegan/vegetarian restaurants that have soy protein replace what would normally be meat. Cha-Ya is not one of those places and I think it's really one of the biggest selling points for me. Cha-Ya's menu is heavily vegetables and it actually tastes good! Their food is authentically vegan food and there isn't much fake meat going around. I don't think you need to be vegan or vegetarian to enjoy the restaurant. read more

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I had a craving to try something different, so this was it. I like vegetables, and I like Japanese food. So we entered the tiny little restaurant and stood around at the doorway, a bit confused on how we should proceed. The wait staff seemed rather preoccupied, and about half of the space was occupied by the chefs, who were trapped behind the sushi bar. We ended up sitting at the sushi bar, which would have been cooler if I could actually watch the chefs...but alas, my torso is too short. Booster seat, please? On a Saturday night at around 8:30, there wasn't really a wait. I noticed other people later on, lingering in the doorways confused, as well. In short, service could be better. Our empty bowls were later all left in front of us, water took forever to come, as did the check. The menu, however, was delightfully extensive. Vegetables and tofu in sushi, tempura, breaded and deep-fried (kara-age style), in noodles, steamed, with miso, blablabla. There were all sorts of combinations too, which took a while to examine because each item is named rather uniquely, so I had to flip back and forth to see what exactly was in each combination. The two of us settled on a Dengaku and Vegetable Tempura Combination, which came with soup and salad, and a Vegetable Curry Udon. Afterwards, we finished off with a delicious Vegan dessert. Lowdown on the Food: (Check out my photos) -Miso Soup: Very yummy, with the typical tofu and seaweed, but an added unique taste. My "date" commented that it tasted like a mix between ramen soup and miso soup. -Salad: Pretty awesome. Cucumbers and other yummies, topped with golden raisins, radish, and crunchy nut thingies in a lightly delicious sauce. -Dengaku: Eggplant, mushroom (portebello?), and tofu in a miso sauce. The Eggplant was weird--skinned and un-eggplant like. The tofu was good, and the shiitake had this rich, earthy taste which we absolutely loved. The miso sauce, however, was terribly overpowering--way too flavorful and sweet, and totally smothered all over the eggplant, mushroom, and tofu. They could definitely improve on this dish...remove some sugar, and drizzle the sauce instead. -Vegetable Tempura: Portions could have been larger. Once again, the poor eggplant was skinned. The breading on tempura was also not as delicate as I like...but the vegetables were all very fresh and flavorful. The giant asparagus was pure yumminess, as were the potatoes and mushrooms. -Vegetable Curry Udon: The most beautifully presented curry dish I have yet seen. It was delicious too--somewhat of a noodle soup, only thicker. Though I prefer my udon fatter, this dish was yummy in my tummy, and had a healthy amount of fresh veggies inside. -Soy Vanilla Ice Cream with Pineapple Chunks in Red Bean Sauce and Green Tea Sauce: Mmmmm...I've never had soy ice cream before this, but this was very creamy and yummy. Melted a little fast though. The ice cream was topped by little crunchy things, which further enhanced the yumminess....and the sauces were fantastic with the ice cream. This dessert is definitely a hit. Once again, well-presented. The Verdict: For something not-cheap ($20/person) like this, I would expect more consistent food, a better ambiance, or better service. Try Anzu further south on Shattuck if you're looking for a nice environment. It is way less crowded and more elegant or romantic, with pleasant and attentive service. Cha-Ya, however, appeals to adventurous tastes. read more

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Really negative experience here unfortunately. I came here with a friend for lunch this past weekend without checking the Yelp reviews. That was my first mistake. My second mistake was ordering the "Cha-ya roll" which, as you can see, lists avocado as an ingredient along with asparagus, yam, and carrot. When the roll came out it was completely missing avocado and had cucumber instead of yam as you can clearly see in the photos. No big deal, it happens, I just assumed that they had delivered the wrong roll to my table, but when I took it back to our server, she INSISTED that there was avocado in the roll and refused to make me what I had actually ordered. I even asked her to point out to me where the avocado was and she just kept gesturing to the roll and saying, "It's in there somewhere". It wasn't! How rude! Even without the order mix-up, you can see the roll is all rice with almost no vegetables and it's drenched in their "house sauce" which is a really thick and slimy sweet ginger sauce. I prefer my sushi with soy sauce and wasabi (don't we all?) and there wasn't even any wasabi to be found for my roll. VERY overpriced considering there is no actual fish in any of their sushi. Rude service and bad food = one star. With all the vegetarian food options in Berkeley, go elsewhere! read more

Cha-Ya - Avoid the Cha-ya roll! gross! - Japanese Near Me - Berkeley, California

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I love cha-ya!!! Vegan menu. Delicious and super friendly. Cozy dining when we can be in person.

My first time trying vegan Japanese food! I was a bit skeptical I'm not gonna lie. But since the friend I was with is one of the few who actually likes to be adventurous I decided to give this place a go. We must have come at a good time (6:30pm on a Thursday night) since it wasn't packed at all. The place is small though, and definitely has limited seating. We had to sit in a two seater table in the middle of the room. Not preferable but at least we weren't squished up next to other people. Seeing that it was such a small restaurant it's understandable they only had one person taking orders. We definitely had to wait quite a bit for them to come over though. (And people who sat down later than us got to order before us too. Eh). But our food came out fast and they were pretty good about bringing out our check. Onto the food...we ordered three dishes and shared! - Dengaku: Both veggies (the eggplant and the mushroom) and the tofu were cooked perfectly. I even ate the mushroom which I am not a fan of in general! The only thing we both agreed on was that the sauce was a bit too much. Way too overpowering and sweet. - Cha-ya Roll: Recommended by our waitress, we decided to try this fried roll instead of the Summer Green Roll. Not a bad pick! You couldn't really tell that was it was a ~vegan~ roll with it being fried and all with sauce drizzled on top. Even though the ingredients in the roll were unique, it just tasted like any other tempura roll. - Cha-ya Delight: If I had to pick my favorite dish out of the three, this would be it! Lots of fresh vegetables and the brown rice was perfectly seasoned. Definitely a filling meal without being too salty or bland. read more

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

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"Cha-Ya sucks!" - friend of mine, after asking her if she wanted to get dinner with me in Berkeley. I didn't end up meeting with her, but still ended up going to Cha-Ya anyway. I also didn't think it sucked. Shawn C. and I decided to share a combination dinner set, you get to choose 2 a la carte items, we got the nabe (sukiyaki) and a soba roll. It was 25? 26?-ish dollars (from what I can remember) and also comes with a house miso soup and sunomono (cucumber salad). The menu seemed a bit pricy, so the dinner set is definitely a good value. Overall, we thought it was good. Not amazing, but definitely didn't suck. I felt 100% guilt free after eating this meal, which is always good! If only I could feel like that after every meal.. read more

Cha-Ya - Nabe (sukiyaki) - Japanese Near Me - Berkeley, California

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Ah my Vegan friend beat me to the punch and reviewed this place already. You can find her name under "Dorothy T." But this is a NON-VEGAN review from a non-vegan person. Also my first vegan restaurant. _______ The Service: It was slow actually. It took them awhile to get to us, took them awhile to get our food, and it also took them awhile to get our check. I understand it's a very relaxed atmosphere; however, one of the waitresses was always there in the dining area but couldn't catch on to cues on whether their guests were done or needed something. They were still very nice and answered our questions when we had any. No trouble at all, they were polite. Don't expect fast service though, because this is more of a calm & relaxing place. Also, keep in mind...this is a CASH ONLY place. _______ The Atmosphere: So there's two doors to enter this restaurant and I had to do a double take to find the right door. It's a nice open atmosphere with open windows and an open air. Not very cluttered. Feels like a very home-y kind of place and it's also very quiet...even when I was talking with my friends there, it was quite quiet. Also because it was quite empty. No music either. As mentioned before, a calming and slow atmosphere. (Slow can be good though for just enjoying food and laying back!) _______ The Food: I ordered one of my favourite Japanese dishes: Udon. For my first vegan restaurant, I didn't feel like being adventurous, so I played it safe and ordered the Yansai Udon while my vegan friend handled the rest. She ordered the soba roll, the dengaku, and the chocolate cake. Another friend who was with us ordered the tempura plate, and the shiitake roll. Yansai Udon: I NEED MY MEATY OILS!! Let's just say I wasn't so used to the broth that lacked the protein flavors that I'm so used to. It was a very thin broth, still kind of left me hungry a bit. The noodles were a bit softer than usual, and while the vegetables were so flavorful, it didn't digest too well in my stomach to put it nicely. It was still my favourite part of the bowl overall. Soba Roll: Felt a bit too dry for my liking. It was neatly packed but didn't have much flavor to it. Somewhat stale. Dengaku: I didn't get to eat all of it, but my vegan friend let me try some. A bit hard to cut into, nice texture, and the miso seasoning was yummy HOWEVER very salty. Mushrooms absorb a lot and too much salt went into it. Tempura plate: Bland. Even when I dipped it into their sauce, it was quite bland. Nice texture though. Fried just right. Some were a bit softer than usual. Hit and miss. Shiitake Roll: I didn't even order this, but HOLY SHIITtake was it HEAVENLY. The seasonings were more than just right! Texture: Yummy chewy mushroomness jam packed with flavours in nicely cooked rice. It was AMAZING all around. #1 suggestion for anyone who comes here!! Chocolate Cake: You know that Japanese apparel store that sells those fancy $100+ jackets? Yeah, it was SUPER DRY *bading tshh*. Even the cream between the bread was dry. I only took a small bite, and it was very chocolate fudgy buuuut...dry. It left my vegan friend a little sad. I don't recommend it. _______ Other Comments: Once again this is a review from a non-vegan person, so it could be that my taste buds haven't gotten used to vegan dishes especially since this is my first vegan restaurant, but I'm willing to try other vegan restaurants in the future. Also definitely willing to come back to this place. When a fellow non-vegan wants to try out vegan places, this is on the list of suggestions. It has good memorable value, in fact writing this review made me hungry for it! See you again Cha-Ya! Don't forget to bring CASH everyone. read more

Cha-Ya - Example of some of their dishes (sorry forgot the names) @ Cha-Ya in Berkeley, CA - Japanese Near Me - Berkeley, California

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I've passed this place many times, never inspired enough to go in. I passed it again last night with my friend and told him, I always go back to the same good places but sometimes I want to be adventurous and try something new. "Lets be adventurous," he says. And the result is a pretty ambivalent review. I ordered one of their $20 dinner specials that comes with soup and salad. Entrees were Moon Cake and a Portobello mushroom tempura with kiwi sauce (sounded interesting). The Moon Cake was awesome. I applaud them for that. Everything else was okay, but was so rushed! The waitress was clearly impatient: we came in at 8:30 and I guess the place closes at 9:30? But still, I had barely eaten my salad when all the food was there. Everything got cold because I couldn't eat it fast enough. Two people ran the food out and both had sour demeanor. The checks were slapped down on all of the tables at one point, and the place was still quite full. I don't like seeing people with mouthfulls of food being shoved the check... And the mushroom and kiwi sauce was weird. So I'd only go back for the Moon Cake. It wasn't the dining experience that makes me like a place but the food is decent. read more

Honestly, sometimes I think that the food in Berkeley is enough of a reason for me to move back. After living in Los Angeles for year, deterred by my mom's method of cooking greens and the plain fact that for many Angelenos, vegan food means imitation meat or salad, I find that most of my diet consists of soy, meat or carbs. This is why Cha Ya is so good. They make eating veggies tasty and hearty. Even though I live in a neighborhood where Japanese expatriots are abound - and with them Japanese restaurants and supermarkets, I have yet to find anything like Cha Ya. I doubt you can go wrong with anything at Cha Ya, but if you're going to come here, I'd steer you towards their broiled veggies or their veggie soup. Sushi is not a stand out. read more

CURRY. I want it now and always. Though I wasn't a huge fan of the SF location when I first visited, the Berkeley Cha-Ya has not only restored my faith but turned me into a huge fan. From the miso soup to the potato croquets to the curry, everything I ate during my last visit was fantastic. Down-side is that it is cash only, so make sure you get it out beforehand to avoid atm fees. read more

Cha ya is one of those spots where you just can't go wrong because the menu and people who run it and work there are genius. The freshest food that holds mostly water- this spot is perfect for a warm summer day in Berkeley or chilly fall day. They serve vegetarian Japanese but could also just pass for vegan. Amazing spot in Berkeley- usually quiet and calming atmosphere. read more

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Friendly service and an abundance of choices. I honestly didn't think vegetarian food could be this exciting and different. I really loved how it was Japanese food but all vegetarian! I tried the soba sushi and the vegetable tempura udon noodle while my friend had the vegetable curry udon noodle. The sushi had the best crunch I ever encountered. I loved how perfect the rolls were. The sauce went great for dipping. The veggie tempura was alright, I wish it was a little crunchier but it wasn't soggy at any means. The broth for my soup went great with the noodles that were prepared just to my liking. My friend's curry noodle soup base was super tasty. I was very thirsty after I left though :/ Definitely will be back but will study the menu to make sure I bring more than enough cash :) read more

Cha-Ya is a very interesting little vegetarian Japanese food haven in Berkeley. It's interesting that some of the reviewers here have been complaining about the lack of flavor... I'm not sure if they've ever been to Japan and perhaps their palates have been spoiled by Americanized Japanese food. The subtle flavor is something to be appreciated as someone who is of Japanese heritage, has grown up with Japanese home cooking, and who has lived in Japan for some time. Cha-Ya offers great variety from sushi to udon to curry to tempura. I've tried almost everything on their menu and haven't been disappointed yet. Make sure you get a pot of tea as well. And, if you've been reading other reviews, as they say, be sure to bring cash. read more

I'd been looking forward to trying this restaurant, but was very disappointed. The food was flavorless and the dishes lacked care and thought. One dish we ordered was literally an unseasoned but cooked (maybe steamed) half-eggplant with some obnoxiously sweet plum sauce on top. It looked like a ridiculous edible tree stump. We also ordered the gyoza which lacked any discernible flavor and came paired with a sauce which was 90% oil. Finally, the restaurant is cash-only, which, by itself is tolerable, but in this case was just an annoying nail in cha-ya's coffin. This restaurant is exactly why people think vegans don't eat good food. I live only a few blocks away but won't be visiting again. read more

Called on Mother's Day around 12:30 pm asking if they were open for indoor dining and asked if I needed a reservation. The woman who answered the phone told me yes they are open for indoor dining and no reservations are needed, everyone is seated on a first come, first serve basis. I made plans to come eat here with my mom and little brother at 6:00pm. When I arrived at the restaurant and met them at our table, my mom told me that the waitress wasn't going to seat them when they arrived because the waitress said it was two crowded. My mom said she told the waitress that I called earlier and was told we could eat here. The waitress said she would clear off a table. I arrived just moments after them and the restaurant was clearly not too crowded because the whole place was empty besides for my family and two other tables. My mom said there were only two tables taken when the issue occurred. While we were eating, the restaurant slowly filled up and no one else was nearly turned away or appeared to have any issues being seated like my family did. The entire time we couldn't help but wonder why the waitress said it was too crowded when only a few tables were filled and the real reason they were almost turned away. Sad to think this restaurant would almost turn away a mom and a child on Mother's Day. We didn't make a big deal out of it and I still left a generous tip because I wanted my mom to have a nice Mother's Day. I wanted to leave after she told me they almost weren't seated but everyone was looking forward to eating here. I won't come back here due to my family being almost turned away from an empty restaurant and treated different for no reason. I have been a regular here and I always try to support vegan restaurants but the way customers are treated in a restaurant is more important to me, so no thank you. I won't be back. read more

Came around 630pm on a Friday and ended up waiting an hour for 2ppl and a baby. When I asked the lady how long she couldn't give me a straight answer. Once we got seated the service sucked and food was blah! We had to ask for plates and bowls everytime an item came out when it was obvious we were sharing...also had to ask for a fork and straw. Just common sense if your serving a child these are things that you would normally offer just saying. 'Vegan' gyoza: 2 out of 5 - nothing special...not really vegan it was just vegetable potstickers Avocado + cucumber roll: just a basic roll nothing wrong with it Vegetable tempura udon: 1 out of 5 - soup was bland, didn't taste like other udons, the noodles were much thiner than usual and over cooked. The tempura sauce didn't have much taste either. Over all waiting too long for food that wasn't really worth it. Only good part was the beer and hot sake we ordered. read more

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