Parking: yes, but hard, street parking only Steps, stairs:…read moreno, but narrow doorway opening, if you're wheelchair bound, it will be difficult Seating: collective sharing common area for seating and eating outside Service: Minimum, order online and you pick up, but no issues so far Ambiance: Minimum, fast food, small decor, this is more a pick up and go spot Food: the only reason I've kept coming are their popcorn chicken, so good

Standard boba. Not bad, not great…read more You order from a kiosk and your drinks are ready in under 5 minutes. I ordered the taro milk tea with soy milk + boba and my bf ordered the tiger milk tea. I'm sad to report the tiger milk tea had no stripes. It was just a regular brown sugar milk tea and did not deliver on the "tiger" aesthetics. The boba was fresh but it's the kind you can buy from the supermarket to make at home yourself. Nothing crave-worthy. For what it's worth, it was well-made. For the area, there are certainly other places you can go for boba. At least the non-dairy milk swap only had a $0.50 adder, a bit less expensive compared to other places.

whenever I am in Berkeley, I always eat here. The lunch box and the milk tea special is a steal.read more

$11 Singapore Chicken: cheap, filling, simple but delicious…read more $2 Mushroom Spinach Bun: loved it. Vegan? Absolutely worth it.

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.

The food was big and filling. I got myself a noodle soup bowl with seafood and clear broth. I liked…read morethat it was fresh and steaming when it came out. Honestly, tasted better than I thought it would. Not that I went in with any expectations, I just wanted a nice cozy dinner. I went with my sister. She got a beef noodle soup bowl. Even she said it was a lot. She also got her fried rice. I normally would order rice but I wanted something warm since it was cold. The interior was nicely decorated. It was a Chinese-inspired theme so it made me smile when I saw pictures of pandas. Parking was a bit of a mystery since you are traveling on main street. There is an opening that you can miss if you were not looking. There's a small parking lot in the back. I would go again for something warm and just need a noodle bowl.

Refreshing drinks and amazing customer service…read more Went with Dez after a doctor's appointment looking for something cold and refreshing. This Berkeley location has special summer drinks that some of the other locations don't carry. I got the lychee mango seasonal drink and Dez got the guava. Both were delicious with the perfect sweetness level and really fresh flavor. What stood out most though was the customer service. Steven, who I believe is the owner, was incredibly welcoming and took time to explain the menu options and make sure our drinks were made the way we liked them. I really wish the Pinole location carried some of these seasonal drinks because it's much closer for me, but honestly I'd come back to Berkeley for both the drinks and the service. Definitely a spot worth stopping at if you're in the area.

Didn't like the black sugar boba. It wasn't bad but the sugar tasted artificial and was too much at…read morethe bottom instead of around the sides of the cup which I would prefer. I usually don't like boba pearls but usually like them from some teaspoons - this stores boba pearls was not one of those I like.

We were shopping at ikea and the food court line was ridiculous. This was just 5 mins away and we…read moredecided to give it a try. I had lemonade and pork bahn mi and my daughter had the chicken pho. The service was very fast and the food was great, esp given it seemed like there was just the one lady. The only negatives is that it was not totally obvious it was a cafe, I drove by it twice. And also maybe the volume on the Vietnamese tv was a bit high. Overall great quick meal, just what we were looking for.

Off the beaten track and overshadowed by its neighbor Emeryville Marketplace, Comeback Cafe is a…read morefind and worth seeking out. The menu is solid offering banh mi sandwiches, rice and noodle dishes, and boba drinks at affordable prices. They also have a happy hour specials from 1-4 pm. The staff is friendly and kind. This will be my go-to for Vietnamese food cravings. Note that this current has only been open for 6 weeks. The past negative reviews do not apply to the current management.

While they're known for their matcha smoothies, they also have some great food options such as…read moretheir pork belly rice and their croffle sandwiches. Note that the food can take a while to make as most people order drinks, but it is prepared with much care. There are a few dining tables inside, but there are also picnic benches outside. Ordering is done on a kiosk and they provide trays for the compostable tableware.

Cute new cafe + food spot in Berkeley's Northside! I really enjoyed their rose matcha latte as well…read moreas their chicken fried rice. The owners were super sweet too and helped out when their kiosk wasn't working due to internet issues. Definitely a spot you whoukd check out if you're in the area!

Really good boba! The boba had the perfect chewy texture. Definitely a spot I'd come back toread more

It was really good and tasty, and the people were really nice as well. I highly recommendread more

Yummy dumplings! Made fresh in front of you. Great service…read more Had the Shanghai pork soup dumplings.

June 2026 -- Berkeley, CA Dumplings for the Deadline Damned…read more Dumpling Express, not far from UC Berkeley, has the kind of facade that says: we are not here to seduce you with ambiance; we are here to prevent your blood sugar from collapsing during midterms. The exterior is a pale green, low-drama storefront with a metal roofline, a modest hanging sign, a couple of sidewalk tables, and a general visual philosophy best described as "handmade dumplings, not handmade branding strategy." It looks less like a restaurant trying to be discovered and more like a temporary work-in-progress bungalow that decided to become permanent, with the rust swirling in like Berkeley's unofficial architectural signature. Naturally, this makes it more trustworthy. My review is based on an Uber Eats pickup order, which feels like the correct way to encounter this place. Dumpling Express appears mostly built for takeout: fast, practical, compact, and run by one kind master behind the counter surrounded by enough BTU's, condiments, steam, and ingredients to power a graduate seminar and three emotionally unstable group projects. Service was reliable. The food came packed in plastic containers that held heat well but were still easy to open and close, meaning you could theoretically eat this while driving. Should you? No. Could you? Tragically, yes. Berkeley has witnessed worse experiments in applied ethics. We ordered four items. The egg rolls were shockingly generous. One order could probably feed a four-person study group, or one economics major after discovering rent is not a theoretical construct. They were pretty good: crisp, not overly greasy, almost light. Flavor-wise, they were not exactly writing a dissertation, but they showed up to class. 3/5. The XLB tasted good, but they were not classic soup dumplings in the strict "I have traveled, I own opinions, and I have been hurt before" sense. The wrapper was not especially thin, and there was not enough of that dangerous, piping-hot broth that makes you question your dental insurance. Still, the flavor was pleasant. I did not feel betrayed. Merely academically unconvinced. 3/5. The chicken and cabbage dumplings were fine. A little bland, yes, but not bad, especially for cheap eats near campus. They are the dumpling equivalent of a decent discussion section: not life-changing, not offensive, and useful if you are hungry and trying to survive the week. 3/5. The clear star was the sesame ball with red bean filling. Crispy, warm, gooey, sweet, and deeply correct. This was the one item that stood up, adjusted its tiny sesame-covered blazer, and delivered an argument worthy of tenure. Excellent. 5/5. Overall, Dumpling Express is an excellent value spot for students, quick lunches, late study nights, and anyone needing hot food without emotional paperwork. For well-traveled adults chasing transcendent dumpling enlightenment, this is probably more of a "good in a pinch" situation than a destination pilgrimage. But for Berkeley? Near campus? For the broke, busy, brilliant, sleep-deprived, caffeine-haunted scholars of tomorrow? It makes sense. It feeds the machine. It keeps the little academic hamsters running. And the sesame balls deserve a fellowship.