Made the trek out to Berkeley a few weeks ago to check out easterly. Had heard great things about it from my friends that went to school there. Overall, I was really impressed. The food is overall much better than the hunan / spicy Chinese food that we have in SF. And it was such a large space so super easy to get a seat and get service. High recommend the cabbage. It was one of the best veggies I've had in a while. read more

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We came to Easterly on a Friday afternoon for lunch and were able to get seated immediately. This is probably the second or third hunan restaurant in the area, which I think its a great thing that we have a selection for when it comes to hunan cuisine stir fried beef (5/5): excellent flavor, beef was cooked perfectly pork intestine (4/5): the flavor was on point, could have been a little spicier and have a little more portion of pork intestine, but still really great for two people it was around $60 for two dishes and rice, which is a little on the pricey side but not bad read more

Easterly Berkeley - stir fried beef - Chinese Near Me - Berkeley, California

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The beef noodle soup was good! The meat was tender, the broth tasted rich and slightly creamy, and the noodles had that fresh, handmade texture. I also tried the squid dish from the specials menu, which was a miss for me. It was suuuuper spicy despite selecting mild, and the squid pieces were hilariously smaller than the sliced peppercorn pieces. All in all, the squid was a pass, but the beef noodle soup was definitely a hit. read more

Easterly Berkeley - Chinese Near Me - Berkeley, California

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Stopped by here for dinner on our way back from Tahoe, and had a good meal. The restaurant is huge, with super high ceilings, a second floor and big doors that were open to keep the place fresh. Service was what you've expected from any Chinese restaurants, effective, but not attentive, which is fine by me. Here are the items we ordered: Spicy fried chicken with chillis: 5/5 one of the best ones in the Bay Area! Definitely a must order dish if you're into this dish. Boiled fish soup with Zi su leaves: 4/5 broth is very flavorful. The fish is a bit fishy. It's spicy and numbing and yummy! Steamed egg: 3/5 standard steamed egg, tasted fine but very expensive for what it is. We ordered it since we have people in our party who don't eat spicy food, and this was one of the few options available. Scallion pancakes: 4/5 very crispy, oily ( I'm not complaining), and also a bit spicy. Stinky tofu: 3/5 the tofu itself doesn't have flavor. You need to dip it in the sauce. The sauce was ok. Wouldn't order again. Fried sweet rice flour sticks with peanut powder and brown sugar: 3/5 this tasted like store bought frozen stuff. I can get this for much cheaper and make it at home. Bing fen: 1/5 this is not the real deal. It tasted like jello with brown sugar. The real Bing Fen is supposed to be chewy, and should come with lots of toppings. Definitely won't get this again. read more

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The fish was outrageously spicy! We picked mild too. It was spicy to the point of being a health hazard. The rest of the food was decent but I wasn't impressed by any one dish to be honest. The service was great however and they even box up your stuff for you! The interior is nice as well and has cool vases. read more

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The service was disappointing. The food was decent but not aligned with the quality I expect from Chinese cuisine. The Szechuan spicy chicken lacked crispiness, though it had a good flavor. The coconut water chicken was tough and boiled, but the broth was tasty. I visited with my two young children, and they provided us with just one kids' water cup. Among the four of us, we only received three sets of utensils. Overall, the restaurant offers overpriced, average Chinese food--nothing to be impressed by. Additionally, a female server shouted at someone, which significantly disrupted the atmosphere. read more

Easterly Berkeley - Spicy Beef - Chinese Near Me - Berkeley, California

This place has been one of my go-to restaurant to get authentic Hunan style Chinese dishes! Every time I go, I always order a delicious cold fresh young coconut to drink, Xiao Long Baos or Pork Dumplings as appetizers and their Beef Noodles soups (spicy). If you're a rice person, and love flavor + variety, their eggplant with minced pork, braised pork belly, stir fried beef with peppers, steamed egg with minced pork and cauliflower are my go-to dishes! The service here is very friendly and quick; as for ordering, you order through an iPad. I love the vibes of this restaurant, definitely a great place to have a meal with your friends and family or a big celebration! I do recommend if you have more than 10+ in your party, call ahead so they can seat you properly! read more

Delicious spicy Chinese food, not for the faint of heart. As someone who normally orders level 1 spice and avoids mala, this was truly not the restaurant for me. I ordered Poached Fish Fillets in Sour Soup in level 1 spice, it tasted more like a medium/hot especially given that it came bubbling on a burner. The fish texture and flavor was impeccable; it melted in my mouth and tasted savory and sour. However, the broth was way too spicy for me to handle. Luckily, one of my spice tolerant friends was considerate enough to order steamed pork ribs with sticky rice, which wasn't spicy at all. It tasted a little bland, so the pork at the bottom with its juices probably needed to be mixed with the sticky rice (but nothing a little soy sauce couldn't fix). The service was quick and reliable. The restaurant was busy, but we didn't have to wait long to get a seat. They gave us an iPad to order at our pace, brought the food out quickly, refilled water frequently, and even packed the leftovers nicely for us in to-go containers. I would recommend this place to people who like spicy food, but I would not personally come here again. read more

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Many Hunan regional specialties and the electronic menu has descriptions and photos. There are also hard copy menus which helped a lot. We got smoked tofu with chives ( ordered not spicy)-- spicy for me but not for most people. Very good with lots of green onion Cumin beef -- great flavors of ginger and cumin. Not fatty Had a lot of oil but still good. If you can't do spice, this dish ordered "no spice" is perfect. Service was super fast. ( maybe 3 minutes tops!) Bathroom grade: B. Clean where it needs to be but a little rough at the edges read more

Easterly Berkeley - Chinese Near Me - Berkeley, California

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Walked in randomly to Easterly was pleasantly surprised. They have a very effective system. They sit you down immediately and they hand you an iPad as a menu and you can order from there. We were a little hesitant because we know that Hunan is usually spicy food however they did give you options on some of mild medium or spicy and some had no spice at all. For two people, we ordered the braised pork belly with tofu that was absolutely amazing and it came with the most buttery garlic cloves, as well as the noodles that came with the pork and the poached fish fillet so sour soup, which was so flavorful. I can't wait to go back with more people to enjoy more dishes. They also had really great efficient servers read more

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Stopped in for lunch and wasnt disappointed. Got the Mongolian chicken with some jasmine rice. Great tasting food. Service was ok...but i go out to eat to be pampered and they want you to place your order on a tablet. Hummm I dunno ... this isn't service to me. read more

Easterly Berkeley - Humane Cuisine - Chinese Near Me - Berkeley, California

I come here for one item and one item only: the smoked pork fried rice. It's absolutely delicious. I'm not sure what seasoning they put in it, but it's perfectly flavored and not too salty. The service here is friendly. They always answer questions about the menu thoroughly and patiently. The ambience is decent and it's a pleasant place to come with a friend or family. read more

Came in here with some colleagues and wanted to order something different than the standard plates you find anywhere. I got the stir fried pork kidney with chillies - I got it with medium spice. The pork kidney was cooked perfectly and the flavor was great, though I did think it was heavy on the chopped chillies. I LOVE chillies and spicy food, but certainly thought it was a bit much. Still a great plate, which I accompanied with some white rice. The space is very open and has plenty of tables. We went shortly after it opened so we were immediately seated and served. Overall, a great spot to explore some different dishes. read more

Easterly Berkeley - Stir Stir-Fried Pork Kidneys with Chili - Chinese Near Me - Berkeley, California

The restaurant mainly serve / known for fish dish. The service was quick and simple. We ordered off a tablet and food arrived at a timely manner. Definitely on a spicy side so it's not your place if you don't like spicy food. We love the spiciness. The table next to us was here for birthday dinner. The staff played "happy birthday" song as the birthday girl cut her cake. Love the vibe. read more

Easterly Berkeley - Chinese Near Me - Berkeley, California

Great flavors and giant menu of many interesting dishes. Some dishes can be ordered without spice or msg, and sections of menu had many mushroom and fish dishes. Scallion pancakes were oily but tasted great and were piping hot. Service was fast and efficient. Nice decorations and ample lighting. Good amount of space for larger groups, but gets pretty busy. They have a coconut chicken, which is a hotpot style specialty we'll have to come back and try. Mild is reasonably spicy, so beware if you are not into spicy food. read more

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Easterly makes it's palate searing return to Berkeley. The initial location on Center Street got shuttered - along with - Bongo Burger, Cheng Fun, and a Persian place I don't remember the name of. The strip will now be devoted to student housing. How fun. In the spirit of pushing people out of business, Easterly ejected the former Malatang from the palacial digs on Shattuck. They're so helter-skelter about it, they never bothered to remove the purple, yellow and green imitation neon signs from the Malatang days. Here's what's up: the old Easterly beats the new one. The current features a litany Cantonese and Cantonese American dishes that will make you nervous. And yes, to some degree, they lost focus. I enjoyed the pork chitterlings of the Hunan classic gan bian fei chang. Those intestines were well treated. Thrice cooked. First boiled to relax the collagen. Then deep fried to make crispy. Then wok fried for the wok hei. But the accompanying were absolutely raw. Crudo. Not ok. I had a dish of lamb tripe on Easter Sunday at the old location. Wok fried with with chilies and an allium ice not seen before or since. It was the stem of a plant, but not layered like most onion and onion like vegetable. I don't even remember the name. Most recently I got this dish of celtuce - celery lettuce - with pork belly. Damn. You eat the celtuce, it crunches, but it yields. You taste the mild sweetness of asparagus without the chlorophyll greenness. You taste the mild sweetness of artichoke with the addition of pronounced acidity. The pork belly? Slab bacon shaved thin. Smokey and salty. Of course also ubiquitous chili and garlic. Maybe Wojia in Albany is a better restaurant that sells Hunan food. But Easterly creates a better simulacrum of the Hunan kitchen as it may very well exist in Hunan, CCCP. Discounting the pestilent Cantonese items. read more

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TERRIBLE SERVICE AND FOOD They left a few hair in my spicy grilled fish and the fish was not even grilled! it was fried! they love to tip watch and complain to you! read more

Easterly Berkeley - Chinese Near Me - Berkeley, California

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Mediocre service and very expensive pricing. Food was average, got some atypical choices but was not impressed overall.

Super delicious and very authentic Chinese cuisine. The spicy beef dish is very tasty and has a great spicy kick to it! The staff was very friendly and helpful in explaining the menu. And the place has been renovated quite nicely. Definitely will visit again! read more

Easterly Berkeley - Chinese Near Me - Berkeley, California

After 5 hours of moving, we were all exhausted and starving. DS and his girlfriend picked the spot since Berkeley is their turf. We lucked out with a parking spot right in front (rare for Berkeley on a Saturday at 1pm), and although the place was busy, we got seated pretty quickly. They handed us an iPad menu, which was actually super helpful. We ordered the mala spicy fish--5/5. It was fish fillet instead of whole fish, but the flavor was spot on. Everyone loved it. The string beans were also really tasty, with preserved veggies on top, which added a nice touch. Another 5/5. They recommended their usual go-to: fried rice. Simple, not greasy, and just really well made. 5/5 again. Hubby also got the coconut chicken soup. The kids weren't into it, but he and I enjoyed it and finished most of it ourselves. Another solid dish--5/5. All in all, a great meal. We were full, happy, and ready to come back again next time we're in the area to try more dishes. read more

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Best Chinese restaurant that you need to try at berkeley! Very affordable price. Fast service and very accommodating staff. read more

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I always hears good things about this restaurant so decided to come and give it a try. We came on a weekday, so we don't have to wait in line. We ordered the fish soup and the grill bullfrog with pickled pepper. We accidentally order the fish soup with mild spicy which is a bad idea. The soup tastes too spicy to drink and most of the fish meat tastes tough. I would not recommend this dish honestly. The frog is ok but a bit oily. At least it tasted better than the fish lol. Overall i think the restaurant is ok. read more

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We saw this restaurant on a list of the best Chinese food places in the East Bay and had to give it a try. The food was really tasty and the service was fast! It is a pretty large restaurant with tons of seating. Some of the dishes they even bring the portable stove to your table which is super cool. The ordering is a little confusing as they give you an iPad, we accidentally ordered two of a few dishes but they came and double checked with us before sending the order to the kitchen. I was hoping for a little more veggies though, the veggie noodles only had onion and cabbage. Still worth trying out and I would come back again! read more

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Came on a Saturday after hiking and like a lot of college towns, it's pretty dead during the summer but on the bright side, plenty of parking. Food was okay, a huge menu so lots of options for big groups. They give you an ipad to order so easy peasy but restaurant was okay clean. Food was not mind blowing. Wasn't so wowed that I need to come again. read more

I have been the Berkeley easterly restaurant by my friend recommended They are pretty good and big dishes all spice if you don't want too much spice you can tell them put less or no msg they are doing very good and friendly too , read more

Wow, prices are really high here. I got one plate of pork with peppers and a beer and spent around 30 dollars. Casual atmosphere in large room. Liked that the space was big. Attentive wait staff and iPad ordering. Lovely atmosphere. Glad I chose this place over other Asian places nearby. This was good though I have had much better pork with peppers on the East Coast. read more

Easterly Berkeley - Pork with peppers add side of rice - Chinese Near Me - Berkeley, California

Authentic Hunan cuisine and spicy food. Affordable prices and great atmosphere. Hunan beef was really spicy tender and flavor was the best. Instant service and accommodating staff. read more

Omg!!! I'm glad I found this place that sells black color stinky tofu! The taste wasn't stinky enough but maybe because I had it Togo but overall it was good! The fried lamp chop and smoked pork fried rice was so good too! I definitely recommended ordering from this restaurant if you want spicy Chinese food! read more

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We ordered the garlic shrimp and green beans. I don't think this is a great place to go with only two people, since the dishes are big and mean to be shared. We left with a lot of leftovers. Both dishes were drenched in oil. We were also disappointed that the shrimp still had the skin on, so it was very difficult to eat. read more

Easterly Berkeley - Chinese Near Me - Berkeley, California

My friends and I thought this place was closed, but decided to come here and checked it out. It was open!!!! We ordered a lot of dishes, and they were all delicious. So many Hunan places in the city are so Americanized, but not this place. My least favorite is the pork intestines. I seriously think they should deep fry it before making them into a stew. The smoked beacon and radish was my favorite. The stinky tofu was also very authentic. I will definitely come back again, but I will try the Hunan spicy level next time. The people here are very quick and nice. The place is also huge, good for different reasons. read more

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It was ok, honestly had high expectations for this place but it was so disappointing...gave an extra star for the service because they were genuinely really sweet We ordered intestines, stirfry beef, and vegetables initially. My friend and I were so confused when they brought out the intestines because it's supposed to be a dry pot intestine, but you can see it is incredibly watery...and the intestines look like it was cooked over and over again...like left over vibes? We did end up asking the server about it and she was happy to switch it for another dish, which was very nice of her. But I think it really just destroyed my perception of this place LOL The stirfry beef was good, nothing like stand out about it, but nothing wrong with it either. Ok, why was the vegetable so oily?? I usually like to get a vegetable to balance the palette but it was so heavy and oily and it felt so heavy eating it lol Our replacement dish was a chicken gizzard dish which I thought was honestly pretty good! But to be honest I don't know if I'll come back I am so traumatized by the intestines lol They are giving a discount for now if you visit during their grand opening, so the bill came down to a pretty good price. read more

Easterly Berkeley - Chinese Near Me - Berkeley, California

I'm so glad a place like this opened up near UC Berkeley! Too many times I've found myself having to head down to Cupertino for great, spicy hunan cuisine, but no more. Service is great, and I love how bright the restaurant is at night. Truly something you have to try at least once. I recommend the Stir-fried Beef with Peppers and Spicy Grilled Fish. It's pretty awesome how they keep it warm! I'll definitely be back!! read more

Easterly Berkeley - Keep it hot jelly - Chinese Near Me - Berkeley, California

It's a bit intimidating to look at a menu in a Chinese restaurant and find easier to order grilled bullfrog or something with apple snail for lunch versus General Tsao's chicken or beef and broccoli, but Easterly has what seems to me to be robust offerings. It was around 11am and the above items or one of the many varieties intestine dishes didn't suit my western /Midwestern sensibilities at the time. I did find Kung Pao chicken and my son located pepper beef. The food was timely - the restaurant was ready to go at open. The atmosphere was good with tasteful not kitschy calls out to Chinese culture. We were the only non-Asians in the restaurant so they might be doing something good/ authentic. They used tablets for ordering and once I figured out how that worked, everything went smoothly. The menu options available looked pretty well thought out. The restrooms while clean didn't seem as up to date as the tablet menu so don't be surprised if they appear underwhelming. Since it was my first real meal of the day, I asked that the spiciness of the kung pao be dialed back a bit and that may have been a mistake. The ingredients were very good, but I think I should have gone to the mid-range of their spicy scale. My son ordered the pepper beef and the beef was wonderful use of a skirt type of cut of beef. Fragrant and beefy! The peppers were good, but it was peppery. All in all, I enjoyed the beef better than the chicken, perhaps due to the peppers. The place is not outrageous in pricing, but not cheap either - rice was $2 a serving but ample in portions and well prepared. The service was neither overly attentive, nor leaving feeling forgotten. Parking is on the street and at mid-day on a weekend it wasn't hard to find in walking distance. I look forward to going again and trying something a little more adventurous. read more

Easterly Berkeley - Street view - nice and inviting for lunch on a weekend. - Chinese Near Me - Berkeley, California

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Authentic Hunan flavors in downtown Berkeley. Spice across all the dishes was exactly what we requested, "somewhat spicy". Though the food was very greasy and salty, we just ate many different carbs to offset that. Props to their nicely decorated interior! Will return to try more items on their extensive menu read more

We had the Mongolian Chicken "Less Spicy". It's nice they let you choose some options on the iPad ordering system. However that system has small pictures with titles and descriptions in small fonts. Hard to read. The chicken was good. Had a little heat like I would expect with less spicy option. A bit oily, with No Oil option. We also had the Beef with Peppers. We ordered not spicy and No Oil. It was oily. The flavor was fine. We ordered one rice which they added to when making up the leftovers boxes to go. That was really nice. They boxes the food too. The last restaurant I went to made us do it. The price was OK. The room is bright and cheerful. But can be loud with patrons and kitchen noises. read more

I'm actually quite surprised by the mid ratings for this place. This is probably the most talked about spot for authentic Chinese food in the Berkeley area. Pretty much everyone I know that is from China recommends this spot for great dishes, and I would agree with them. I came here once a few years ago but didn't really remember how everything was, but this time I returned to actually dine again. Upon arriving we got seated immediately and were able to order on an iPad. We got the sticky rice pork ribs with corn, griddled egg tofu, and stir fry fish fillets with chili. All three items were spectacular! The sticky rice looked plain at first, but once you dig down and mix it with the flavorful pork it's so good. Perfectly cooked and chewy, and there was a generous amount of pork as well. The griddled egg tofu comes with broccoli, and the sauce for this is so good and goes with everything! My favorite dish of the night was actually surprisingly the fish. It was cooked with a bunch of aromatics and a sauce that was so savory and delicious. Paired with rice, it was absolutely perfect. While there really isn't traditional service with someone coming to take your order, I almost prefer it this way since you can directly order what you want when you're ready. For the quality, taste, and quantity of food here I would definitely come back and would recommend trying this spot if you're in the area! read more

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Temp closed summer 2024 and reopening at another location. I was so excited for my smoked tofu, cauliflower, and chicken - gotta wait til the fall. Been here a handful of times, many dishes are great and spicy. read more

food is poor quality. Not worths it. Lotus slice is too thick. Fried fish is not even fresh fish. Don't recommend it. Won't go again. Also they will watch you when you tip. read more

Great place for yummy Chinese food in Berkeley! Came here a couple times and for Chinese New Year and it was really good for some traditional Chinese dishes. It is a bit expensive so I would recommend coming with a large group so that you can try different dishes. Pork Intestines (10/10): I always crave intestine and this place always does the job. I love the fried whole pieces of garlic. Cauliflower Pork Belly (9/10): Super yummy with lots of garlic Steamed Egg w/ Mince Pork (9/10) Egg Plant w/ Minced Pork, Garlic, Cilantro (9/10) Steamed Pork Rib with Sticky Rice (8/10) read more

Easterly Berkeley - Sweet Dumplings - Chinese Near Me - Berkeley, California

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I came here with my friend on a Sunday around 5pm. We were the first ones there, but the place quickly filled up as we ate. The waitress was really friendly and accommodating, and she helped us decide what to order when we had such a hard time choosing. We ended up ordering the sweet potato vermicelli and eel (normal spicy), eggplant with garlic, cilantro, and pork, stir fried pork with pepper (mild spicy), and lamb soup. Everything was super delicious and flavorful. The eggplant was probably my favorite. The textures and flavors blended nicely, and it tasted fresh and comforting. The eel was quite spicy and the chewy vermicelli went well with the tender eel. It tasted amazing with rice. The soup had really good flavor as well and the meat was tender. We might have left the burner on for too long though, because it got kinda salty. The stir-fried pork with pepper was yummy too, although I think the meat could have been a bit more tender. read more

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