This place is super clean (including bathrooms!), quick service, easy to get a table…read more The food is always delicious, filling, and you leave feeling good. The soup is extra soothing if you're sick or under the weather! Price is affordable and service is good. Would recommend if you're in Berkeley and looking for a clean, non-greasy Chinese food spot.

Noodles Fresh Berkeley 物超所值，分量十足，味道极佳。…read moreWù chāo suǒ zhí, fènliàng shízú, wèidào jí jiā. 好正嘅食物超值 You know, I don't normally go to Chinese restaurants because they seem to have the exact same menu and not a lot of choice for vegetarians. Growing up in Wisconsin in a small city at the tip of Lake Superior Chinese restaurants were just about the only ethnic food available throughout the country. Exotic as they may seem to have been and widespread Nationally which is partly due to the Chinese building the railroads cross country. Chicago Cafe (Woodland, CA): Founded in 1903, academic research suggests this spot near Sacramento is the oldest continuously operating Chinese restaurant in the U.S. and California. These days I prefer Vietnamese or Thai all day long because the flavors are better and more variety and cleaner with respect to how the dishes are prepared. Well, I stumbled into this spot today and I was rather blown away. Large portions, low prices, excellent variety and top notch service. And a huge portion for only $13.95. I had the vegetable rice, complementary hot sauce and a nice iced cold five dollar Heineken. OK, this is a spot to put on your list. See you there!!! And now here are some interesting factoids: While thousands of Chinese immigrants first came to the U.S. to build the transcontinental railroad in the 1800s, it was the subsequent decades of legal discrimination that forced a marginalized community to turn the restaurant industry into their primary means of survival and citizenship. The "Lo Mein Loophole": In the early 20th century, U.S. courts recognized restaurant ownership as a pathway to obtain merchant visas. This loophole sparked a massive boom in the creation of Chinese restaurants, particularly luxury "chop suey palaces".

First time trying this place. I love eating noodles so it's amazing to see so many different…read moreselection of noodles and sauces on the menu. My family ordered garlic noodles, laksa soup rice noodles, pad see ew, and a recommendation with noodles and Thai plus Malay sauces. The portions were plenty and 5 of us got plenty full and still had some leftovers. The place was clean and had counter service. Food came to our table very quickly as it wasn't crowded at the time. We enjoyed it very much!

After I was introduced to this restaurant, there was no going back. This place has such amazing and…read moredelicious dishes. I was here all the time in college, and I try to go back whenever I can. I genuinely dream about this place. My go to meal is the hokkien noodles with the Thai flavor and chicken. It's also a very good bang for your buck. If I get this meal, I'm eating for the rest of the day. The service is always super quick! Sometimes, there might be a line, but they do a very good job at getting the food out quickly. It is a smaller restaurant ao seating can be limited ơn busier days, but that's bc it's so good, everyone's trying to go. I don't blame them.

The service is good, if I do say so myself. They're attentive and bring out our dishes to our table…read morefairly quickly (times that we do dine in). Normally, we order to-go. Their pan fried buns are delicious and the noodle soups are equally delicious!

Special Noodle is located in Pacific East Mall towards the back. Ordered a pretty big spread that…read moreconsisted of beef rolls, dumplings, fried rice, and salt and pepper chicken bites. The dumplings were delicious and even better with some chili oil. The chicken fried rice had huge chunks of egg and chicken which I loved with a deep soy flavor. The salt and pepper chicken was decent, I think I prefer salt and pepper wings/fish/shrimp. The beef rolls weren't for me, though. It's typically one of my favorite dishes but it seemed to be lacking beef & I wasn't a fan of the lettuce filling or the roll itself being a bit too soft and doughy. Overall, a good experience. Our server was nice and everything came out quick!

Great food Great service…read more Great ambiance 10/10 recommended This a a great place to enjoy with friends and family!

Texture of home made noodle was perfect Soup is slow…read moresimmered home made bone broth- one of the best I have tasted The meat - beef shank pork rib was perfect in taste and tenderness Service was impeccable As a foodie, this was a 5/5 experience

Started off with the fresh rolls and corn cakes. The fresh rolls lived up to their name of being…read morefresh and they were a good size with a perfect crunch. The corn cakes were fried just right so they were golden on the outside but soft on the inside and the slaw and sweet sauce elevated it. I would get both appetizers again. For entrees we had: Mama Pad Kee Moa (3.5/5) - instant noodles with fresh veggies and very thin beef. Flavor was good, but the beef missed the mark because it was lacking. Massaman Gai Curry (5/5) - the curry was so flavorful in this dish and the soft potato complimented it very well. Definitely the winner of the night. Chicken Khao Pad (Fried Rice) (3/5) - rice was a little too dry and the thinly cut chicken again did not pop out in the dish. Overall, very fresh and authentic Thai dishes. Service was fast and attentive. There are plenty of seating options to dine in, but I also saw a lot of take out orders. Street parking can be difficult on Shattuck but easier to find on the side streets.

No complaints about the service; they were quick and very friendly…read more Unfortunately, I was not the biggest fan of the food. The green curry noodles came with vermicelli, and I wanted to try it since it's what they recommend, but it just was not the right texture for the curry I felt. The flavor of the curry itself was not super flavorful. I felt like more coconut milk could have been added to coat the noodles more. The spring rolls were good. I enjoyed the peanut sauce. We also sat at the front by the door, and it was rather cold in that seat.

I'm assuming this location has a poor star rating due to service/procedures, because the location…read moreand food itself is good. We popped in on a Sunday, right before 11, but unfortunately they were late to open the doors by about 5 minutes. Once they did open the doors, we found the tempura options weren't ready so we had to stand to the side and wait a little longer for them to get those out. They had several posters and signs up advertising the new Tomatama curry, which I really wanted but when I ordered, the employee informed me they don't offer that sauce anymore. I let her know all the signs outside say they do.. she said they didn't realize that and they have to be replaced. She was really nice, but that was a bummer. She said I could sample the sauces they do have though, so that was the consolation prize. It did help me choose between their normal curry or the new Bolognese. After you choose the udon option you want, they make your bowl and give it to you on a lunch tray, along with a paper container to put your tempura options. I went with the Big Chicken ($5) and sweet potato ($2 something). You can top your bowl with as much tempura flakes and green onions you like, which is nice because I love me some green onions. At the end, the cashier will ring you up and then you find your seat. The dining area is nice. It's well lit, aesthetic but we haaaaate the chairs with a passion. There is no back support unless you sit in a booth. I really like that all the utensils, napkins, to go items, tempura sauce, etc are all available to grab as needed. I also like that they have chili powder! A must for us spicy eaters. The tempura sauce is rich, and flavorful. A little sweet, but it balances the tempura well. They also have katsu and gyoza sauce in packets. Pro tip - use the larger cups instead of the plastic sauce cups to dispense the tempura sauce, so that it's easier to dip! Wow this was long winded, but onto the food. The regular size bowl will have you full but you can opt for a Large for a couple bucks more. My bolognese was sooooo creamy and savory, and made even better by adding the chili powder and a couple spoons of the tempura sauce. Don't ask me why, it just works. I don't know if it's just a seasonal item, but hopefully not, as the sauce works. I like that i clung to the noodles well too but def get yourself a spoon to help ladle the meat alongside each bite of noodles. The big chicken isn't that big lol But it's basically 1 chicken thigh. I appreciate the dark meat, as it keeps the meat juicy. The sweet potato had the perfect batter on it, but tbh I probably could have gone without another starch. I had a sip of the Creamy broth and the Nikutama my sisters had. Creamy broth was savory and creamy, but it didn't have a bold enough flavor for me. The nikutama is sweet af.. way too sweet for me. But i liked how tender the beef was. There's street parking, free on Sundays. I wouldn't wait in line to eat here, but for a quick, comforting meal, this will hit the spot without breaking the bank.

Marugame is usually my fast-casual go-to for a savory, filling bowl of udon, so after moving to…read moreBerkeley, it was inevitable that I'd stop by this location. It's in a modern building in the heart of downtown Berkeley and feels spacious and clean inside. They have a digital ordering system for takeout and clear signage for where to line up if you're dining in. I pretty much always get the Nikutama, and the recipe has been consistently solid. The tempura at most Marugame locations is just average in my opinion, but it does taste better when you ask them to fry a fresh piece for you, even if it means waiting a couple of minutes. My biggest issue was the service during my last lunch visit. There didn't seem to be any problem with the kitchen or food prep--everything was already made and ready to be assembled. The delay was entirely at the ordering/plating station, where the employee putting bowls together was moving painfully slowly and seemed completely unable to keep up with a very standard lunch flow. What made it more frustrating was that other employees clearly saw the line building and did not step in to help. A massive line formed behind me, and several of us waited around 10-25 minutes just to order, even though the restaurant itself didn't seem that busy. It honestly felt like everyone was stuck on their own individual task while customers were left waiting unnecessarily. I'd still come back because the food is reliable but would immediately walk away if I saw the same employee working as this visit was genuinely frustrating. Management should make sure staff are properly trained and that the team actually supports each other during lunch service, because one inefficient person at the front can completely slow down the entire experience. Update: Popped back in on 7/8/26 around 1pm. Same employee working. Huge line. Only 2 parties seated. Line did not move after waiting 5 minutes so I had to walk away. Doubling down on my recommendation to re-hire or re-train this staff member.

This is a cute little noodle and tea house that really hit the spot. I was craving noodles, and…read morethey definitely delivered. I ordered the Canton Seafood Stir Fry, which came with plenty of seafood and fresh-tasting noodles. The portion was generous, and everything came together really well. My husband ordered the Sweet & Sour Chicken, and he really enjoyed it too. It even came with rice, which feels like a nice bonus these days! Another pleasant surprise--they serve wine, too! We'll definitely keep this place in mind the next time we're craving noodles.

just made it !!$11.95 lunch specials Monday-Friday 11am- 2:30pm !!!…read more I love all the vegetarian/vegan options, so tasty & most are on the lunch specials !! W/take out you get a sampling of fried salted peanuts !! The tasty soup is in its own container separate from the chewy noodles & tasty gluten puffs & mushrooms so it travels well !! Service so quick & pleasant, it's always very zen in this space

Had an incredible time at this hidden gem of a Lao restaurant in SF! The flavors were so…read moreauthentic, Service was warm and welcoming. A must-try for any Southeast Asian food lover!

So blown away. My fiance and I tried this place on a whim after signing up for the InKind app at my…read moresister in law's suggestion. We decided to try this place craving something new, and we weren't disappointed. It wasn't busy around 6pm, but the vibes were really cute inside. I love the patio area they have. Would be perfect for a group meet up on a nice day. We ordered the pork sausage to start, the saikoo which according to my fiance is a must for laotian food, the yellow curry, and the crab fried rice. Everything was genuinely amazing. Here are my rankings below: Sausage: 8.5/10 Crab Fried Rice: (with the fish sauce) 9.5/10 Saikoo: (with the fish sauce) 9.5/10 Yellow Curry: 9/10 Would definitely order everything again. It's not quite thai, but thai with a twist I'd say. Bit on the pricey side, but everything was so fresh and you can see where the chefs are making everything, so you know you're getting quality. And the portions honestly made it really worth it. Such a great place! Will 100% be back.