Shiromaru special was very average, my bowl was on the salty side and the soup seemed to be on the verge of being too watered down... maybe because they were too busy and it was only the first week of opening, and are still sorting things out? The soup does have a nice amount of fat, enough to stick to the noodles with each slurp, and was at a nice hot temperature like ramen should. I will definitely come back soon to try it again after the hype dies down. read more

Solid, tasty food, went here after a late night show at the UC theater a few weeks ago. Discovered it thanks to Yelp. I'll be back.

I walked in with a cup of latte. They (the hostess) insisted that I put it in the basket located at the floor. Ok, whatever. The ramen was very over priced for a medium size bowl of ramen. It was just ok ramen, had better, had worst but not by alot. But I never had this expensive for just meh ramen. read more

I don't know why I've been reluctant to come here for so long... actually never mind I knew exactly why (hah). I've previously gone to Ippudo in Japan and honestly, it was a let-down. I think people over-hyped how good it was. But the thing is, in Japan, Ippudo is considered a good ramen chain, but no where near the best ramen. A comparison I often use is that, it's like the in-n-out of Japan, the ramen is always going to be good, reliable, and consistent, but always going to be around 7/10. Which is why, after I heard Ippudo was finally making its way to the bay area, I was a bit skeptical. The wait wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. We came around 6:30pm on a Saturday night with a total party of 4, and sat down after around 40 minutes. The service was good, and the ramen here was better than the ramen I had in the Ippudo in Japan. However, it is a lot more expensive. I'm a small Asian woman and ate the whole bowl, which is a rarity for me. If you're an average eater, you'll for sure need an order of extra noodle. And if you order an appetizer and some drink (or beer!), your total is going to be close to $30 after tax and tip. And maybe that's just how much good ramen cost in the bay area now. But being spoiled by all the good ramen I had in Japan that's around $6~$7, it's just hard to swallow that this has become the norm here :/ Anyways, I'm on a tangent now. Is the ramen here above average for the bay area? Yes! Would I come back again? Definitely (especially they're opening another store in downtown SF). Do I think the price is worth it? That's up to the person who's paying for it. 4/5 star purely based off the quality of the food, but I'll say there's definitely many better ramen places in the bay area alone. read more

really terrible vegetarian options, which is pretty embarrassing in this day and age. the servers told me the fish ramen was pescatarian, but it clearly had pork broth. I've had lots of ramen, even before I was pescatarian, been to japan etc... this wasn't that good. read more

We tried this restaurant in Japan so we were excited that they opened one in the west coast of US. We ordered the pork and chicken buns, the chicken karaage, the shiromaru ramen and the shoyu ramen. The buns and karaage were pretty good, but we were disappointed that the US locations don't offer gyoza on the menu. We remembered that these were delicious at the Tokyo location we tried. The shiromaru (tonkatsu) broth was ok. It was not as flavorful as our favorite Bay Area ramen restaurant Ramen Dojo in San Mateo. The shoyu ramen was delicious! It was the best shoyu broth of any US ramen joint. It's nice that you are able to choose the firmness of the noodles too. The price is a little high at $13-$18 for a bowl of ramen. read more

Went on a Saturday not long after it's grand opening and had to wait maybe 1.5hrs or so, which I expected for the anticipated of its opening. I ordered the Karaka which is described as the spicier broth and it came in about 15min! Very flavorful! It was not quite as thick of a broth as some other quality ramen I've had, but you can tell it is a labor of love for the flavor it has. You can choose the firmness of the noodles, which is awesome. I asked the waitress and she said that she thought it was better when it's just a little less firm (2'nd thickness level out of 4 levels). Not actually spicy enough to really make you uncomfortable, it's probably comparable to the intensity of tapatio or something. If I order it again I may ask for them to increase the spice level, but it was certainly rich and tasty! The portion size is not so large that if you're very hungry, you would be full, but enough so that if you really eat the whole soup, you'll be satisfied (IMO from a guy's appetite). They have a nice deal where you can order extra noodles when you just have broth leftover for $2 which is nice for you hungrier folks! I'd say that my ONLY complaint is the price you pay for the bowls when they come with minimal toppings. Eggs, larger portions of meat, mushrooms, all of the toppings cost like $2 extra when at other ramen places, they're often part of the standard bowl. Not super important, but if Narutomaki was also included, that would have made my anime loving self super happy hahaha. All in all I'd say that the ramen was worth the wait and definitely was a treat! read more

Had try this restaurant and compare it against their restaurant in a Tokyo. I happy to say I enjoyed it as much as the one in a Tokyo. A little expensive but worth it. read more

Went at 3pm. It only took me 15 mins to get in. Since the wait was short it made the food more enjoyable than I expected. I order the the chashu ramen, pork bun, and chicken karagge. I ordered medium firmness noodle for my ramen. The noodle was very delicious and perfectly cooked. The pork bun was a must I would say. The pork was very tender. The chicken karate is a big too stiff to chew and was not very juicy. But overall it was a good experience. I would recommend ippudo, and I will go back again. read more

After being utterly disrespected by the hostess (didn't catch name) a server (Palden) handled the situation and got us a table within the next 5 minutes. The food was excellent (tried 2 pork buns and a Classic ramen which were fairly expensive) but definitely worth it. I definitely think the "restaurant policies" are unfair but everything else was excellent. read more

Best Ramen I have had in the Bay Area!!! The customer service is spectacular and the scenery compliments the food perfectly. There are vegetarian ramen options for those non-meat eaters and they are delicious! I highly recommend this spot. read more

Worth the wait! Real bone broth and noodles done perfectly. So happy this opened near where I grew up.

The staff was attentive and kind, but unfortunately the food here was overpriced and underwhelming. Cheaper and tastier to eat at Out the Door. read more

Finally a ramen place I can go to get my ramen fix! Got the spicy special one, it wasn't spicy at all but it was delicious!! Super tender meat & noodle with texture (not soggy) soaking in delicious broth will keep me coming back for more. Also tried the pork bun, the pork belly was very tender and flavorful but it could definitely do without the lettuce. The lettuce takes away from the flavor of the meat and bun combo. Also the staff is very friendly and always checking up on you. Will be back! read more

We ordered one ramen $16, rice $8 and pork belly $3. The ramen can be refiiled with $2. The taste of them is good, but the amount is small. I think they are more expensive than the quality. read more

had the shiromaru tamago, which is the plain tonkatsu broth with a softboiled egg. it was killer! loved that you can select the firmness of the noodles. they recommend kata (second to firmest), but i had mine futsu (one level softer than kata) and was very happy with my choice. i might even try yawa (softest) next time. i love egg, so ordered a poached egg in addition to the soft boiled. i was very surprised that did not come in my ramen. rather, it was served cold. now, i don't mean it was lukewarm or not hot--it was poached then refrigerated until cold and served to me in a small dish. i should also note that it was *barely* poached. i could see some translucency so should have sent it back, but figured it would cook further in the hot broth and dropped it in. ..let's just say i ended up regretting eating undercooked egg later on. i won't blame them for it, though. i should have sent it back. i came around 3:30 on a saturday, and there was a wait for tables. but I was alone and there was immediate space for me at the bar. score! i'm sure ippudo's 3.5 star rating is largely due to the long-ish wait times most folks endure. the ramen itself was definitely 4.5 star worthy. come expecting to wait, and you won't be disappointed. the ramen is delicious. looking forward to trying the bao next time. also, apparently they do not offer any food to-go and do not have containers for you to bring home leftovers. bring your own vessel if you'd like to bring home your yummy leftovers. let's be honest, though. there probably won't be any :) read more

Ippudo is a famous ramen chain that opened up a store in Berkeley several months ago. When it first arrived there was a line outside every day. Now that has died down we decided to give it a try. We both had the Akamaru Ramen. The broth was pretty good, but the rest was just Ok. Maybe it's just me but ramen does not stand up to other Asian noodle dishes. Especially given the prices at this place with a bowl costing $15-$18 a piece there are better places to get your noodles on. read more

Didn't even have to go boxes, food wasn't great, especially for the price you pay. Interior looks great but overall I was not impressed by what I ordered. Waitress told me they don't allow people to take food home because it ruins the quality of the food. read more

A lot of people have already mentioned this but I'll say it again. The ramen is good, but basic bowls start at $15 without add ons and for the price you're paying you'd expect maybe a little more. I've been twice so far and on both occasions the service was good. The ambiance is nice and it's a great spot for catching up with friends or a date, but again, a little pricey for what you get. I personally had the Modern, with a poached egg added on for $1; it doesn't come with seaweed or some of the things you might usually expect--those are add ons. read more

I am very disappointed with the food and the service. The food is mediocre...they do not know how to poach eggs! I ordered poached egg with my ramen, instead I got raw egg dumped in it! My soup was not even that hot! I've been to ramen places better than this one and are not over-priced. The hostess (didn't get her name), and our server, Jennifer were very nice and attentive. Although another waitress, RIE, who I think was supposed to be our server, just bypassed us. She passed by our table a couple of times, she could see that we were obviously waiting to be served but she just ignored us and went to a table who were seated after us. As if we were invisible! Seems like this Rie favors to serve people of her same nationality. I hope I am wrong, but even then, never going back to this place! read more

My 19 year old cousin and I visited Ippudo for a late lunch/ early dinner at 5 yesterday. He loves all things Japanese and I had a great lunch there last fall with a friend. We ordered an array of appetizers to share: the pork and chicken buns, large order of karaage chicken and the cod roe sprinkled on white rice. The buns were outstanding but on the small side; and the cod roe were just average salty roe on tasteless rice, not the exceptional, subtle dish i remembered. The karaage chicken, however, was impressive, as perfect a balance of crispy outside and tender inside as I have ever eaten. The blend of soy, ginger, garlic and spices was magical and the pieces were generous. All was perfect. And then we came up against the unbending will of a waitress that ruined the meal for us: 1) my cousin asked for a sauce to dip the (purposefully dry) chicken pieces in, and even though there were obviously many available sauces being served on other dishes, he was refused. "No, we have no sauce." With no explanation or apology. It reminded me of how French waiters grimace when asked for ketchup! 2) The karaage order was so generous we had pieces left over so I asked for a takeout bag or box. Same waitress, same wall: "We have no takeout." So, I asked for multiple napkins and crafted my own take-away. Perhaps the waitress was just representing house policy, but her manner was harsh and the policies discourage repeat visits. Poised at the juncture of University and Shattuck, this large, informal restaurant will attract mostly college kids and foodies in search of now widely available ramen. Since Ippudo is already at the top of the price range for this type of casual food, management might want to be more flexible in its policies and presentation. I found the prices fair for good food and the service unworthy of a tip. read more

I pass by Ippudo every night on my way home from work and have been dying to try it. There is always a long line down the block. As luck would have it, my visiting mom and I were able to get in with no wait while the university is on winter break and the students are mostly out of town. We ordered off the lunch menu. My mom got her first item about five minutes before me, so that always an awkward way to start a meal. Then my mom got her ramen before I got my first item, so then it was even more awkward. ("No go ahead" "no I'll wait for your food to arrive" etc etc). My mom had surgery a few months ago, and sometimes meals just don't sit well with her. That's not the restaurant's fault at all but relevant to my next point. My mom started to not feel good about 2 bites into ramen and decided she would stop and bring the full $17 bowl home to her son-in-law. After waiting about 10-15 minutes for anyone to notice we were waiting to leave, we flagged down a random server (ours left?) and asked for the check and to go boxes. The server told us it is company policy not to allow patrons to leave with leftovers because 1) the noodle firmness wouldn't be the same later and 2) this is an authentic Japanese experience. First off, no one has ever expected leftovers to taste the same as when they were served at a restaurant. Second, we paid (kind of a lot) for this food, we should be allowed to eat it later. And lastly, Ippudo is financed by PANDA EXPRESS so I'm calling BS on the authenticity claim. If you want a real authentic Japanese experience in Berkeley, go to Ippuku, it's walking distance from Ippudo, and small, locally owned and has far superior food and service. read more

Excellent service, excellent food. One of the best eats in Berkeley with an incredibly nice and knowledgeable wait staff. Great choices for vegetarians on a full menu that will leave you satisfied. read more

Our party was seated right away (a huge plus compared to other Ippudo locations) and it was, as usual, delicious.

One of my top Ramen spots! If you can, go in the off-peak hours as you will be seated right away. The staff is very friendly and the food comes out very quickly. Great spot in Berkeley! read more

Amazing Ramen! The key is to get here right before rush hour! The ambience and prices are great! Cannot say anything bad!

This place was recommended warmly and I found it to be satisfying but not exceptional. It wouldn't be worth a long wait (we waited 10 mins.) I had the standard tonkotsu ramen: the broth was good but less tasty and thinner than I've had elsewhere. After adding some sesame oil and chili, I found it a little more interesting. Although add-ins were available, I wished the basic dish came with a little more in the bowl, especially by way of vegetables (e.g. even just a few leaves of some kind of green vegetable (at least) and egg). The service was fine, but the restaurant is also very noisy because there are only hard surfaces to bounce around the sound. read more

yummy ramen and good environment- worth the wait

We came 4:30-5:00 so we didn't have to wait in line. I had the classic and the broth was so good that I drank the entire bowl. It wasn't the typical ramen. I order it firm and it was perfect. One downside, it was overpriced for the amount that you get. read more

I tried the food here and it is pretty good. I recommend the unagi/eel bowl. the only thing is that we had to wait outside next to the street.:( but other then that everything was good. read more

Its ok. I don't care for the Ramen. I do love the Tofu Salad tho. The employees are very nice. Great service.

After reading reviews of how others have tried Ippudo in NYC and Japan I thought maybe they were being overly critical so I decided to try it with an open mind. I have to say what I thought was overly critical reviews were actually spot on. This Ippudo needs a lot, and I mean a lot of work with their broth and service. Their broth is supposed to be silky smooth (like in NYC and Japan) but was nothing like it. I can't believe the owners or executive chef allowed the quality that Ippudo is known to be sub-par. I rather eat at an average ramen shop than at this location cause I can get tastier ramen for half the price. Lastly, service was so off. I ordered a chicken bun but got pork bun. I also ordered a pint of beer which is supposed to be served well before the ramen arrives but never got it. Don't waste your time standing in line and money. Overpriced and average at best. read more

Best ramen in the East Bay! We waited for ever for it to finally open. We visit Berkeley regularly and every time we returned over the course of over a year, we checked to see if it was ready. After all that anticipation, we were not disappointed. Their ramen is worth waiting for a while in line (although perhaps not for 45 minutes, which didn't happen to us). read more

Ippudo's ramen is indeed the best among the local ramen restaurants. However, I still think that it is just ramen and it is not that amazing that one should pay about $20 for a small bowl of ramen. Besides, at normal dining times, this place is extremely busy and I don't think it worth really worth the waiting time. read more

I heard great reviews of this place so I knew I had to try it out. The noodles were a little thin for me but the broth was very creamy and rich and there were a variety of toppings. It is a bit pricy for ramen but if you want good quality broth, you should check it out. read more

really bad place to go。 the server is really bad（bad attitude） and food is not good at all。I have never posted before and this is my first time feel so angry and disgusting and that is why I post this review read more

Food was mediocre, the service was subpar, and the prices were high. Felt rushed to eat, more of a get in and get out service model which doesn't make too much sense for the cost. The only thing holding the rating up to a 3 stars was the okay food. read more

I've been to a dozen Ippudos in Japan. The ramen here doesn't taste the same. I ordered the Karaka. The broth didn't have as much flavor and depth. The same goes for Akamaru Modern which my wife had. There are also no condiments on the table (to customize your ramen) or gyoza on the menu like Japan. The sauce in the Ippudo buns with pork was too sweet. I'll stick to my places in the South Bay. read more

Perhaps it's because I'm originally from Hawaii where food is much more expensive, but I thought the prices were reasonable. I had the Akamaru Tamago. Portions could've been a bit bigger but taste wise maybe the best ramen I've ever had, would definitely return! read more

WARNING Became violently ill with severe food poisoning after eating here and was almost taken to the hospital. Hadn't eaten at any other restaurants in the 72 hours preceding my illness. read more