WHEN: Sat @6pm…read more PARKING: There is metered parking around, and is free after 6pm. It may be a bit tricky especially around meal time, but keep circling and you'll find a spot near by enough. This cute little ramen shop has such perfect lighting coming through thanks to thier skylight. We weren't actually hungry so we shared the following: TONKOTSU - $16.50 (Regular) Pork Belly Chashu, Bamboo Shoots, Red Onion, Wood Ear Mushrooms, Green Onion, Ajitama Egg. You get a choice of noodles to pick: 1.) Hakata - Thin Straight 2.) Sapporo - Medium Thick Wavy Figured since it's my first time here, I choose the most basic version of their bowl of ramen. I chose Sapparo and for some reason expected it to be thicker/wider, but regardless it was still good! The presentation of this bowl is just gorgeous, served on a small wooden platter. The red onion is chopped, and the pork Belly is quite tender. Regarding the egg, you get just half. Overall this bowl of ramen is creamy, rich, and the right amount of flavor and salt. But still make sure to drink at least a glass of water! CREAMY CHASHU PORK CROQUETTES - $8.50 I have never seen anything like this so I must give it a try! It actually didn't come out piping hot, so I was able to drive in right away! It was definitely creamy (like ramen) and had pieces of the Chau's pork, encased in a crispy and warm batter that was deep fried. It also comes with a katsu sauce and I really enjoyed it. The staff was friendly and didn't make us feel bad for ordering enough of just one, but man I was so full. Had to walk around downtown Berkeley for awhile.

I really love Tsuruya so writing this review stung a bit. Tsuruya snuck in additional tip amount…read morethe last time we dined here. It was only a couple of dollars more but tip fraud is never acceptable. We rarely deviate from our usual order so the posted transaction felt off to us. We were able to confirm and report to the credit card company. I recommend you guys take pictures of your receipts and verify the transactions. Hope this doesn't happen to y'all!

Brief summary: - Good portions - fills up more than its…read moreappearance - Liked the equal balance of the broth and noodles with protein - Close to Trader Joe's - Indoor seating Ramen is a dish that has started sprouting in Berkeley, and this is one of them .I decided to go there for dinner with the family before heading to the Trader Joe's across the street to stock up on groceries. We entered a few minutes before peak dinner times, so there were seats to choose and sit from. By the time we left, mostly all the seats were filled up, so I would suggest coming in early. I liked the naming for each of the ramen dishes, some I recognized the names from Hawai'i. For this round, we ordered 3 different types of ramen: the Kuni, Broke da Mouth, and the Miso Hungry. These orders also came around the same time. A notable elements I liked about the ramen was that the noodles were chewy and springy, and the broth was smooth and easy to drink. I also didn't have the urge to drink lots of water either, so the seasoning was perfect. The other element was that I got to enjoy the ramen's broth and noodles as the stars of the dish, and the proteins, like the pork were supporting roles. For me, what I enjoy ramen are the broth and noodles, so I'm happy that these are prominent in the dish, rather than me having other chow down a thick slab of pork. This restaurant hit the right marks for what a delicious ramen is for me, so I'll come back, and maybe try their other broths.

Berkeley is a great city to try new food and we found another ramen spot! This restaurant is…read morelocated near the campus and parking was fairly easy to find after hours. When walking in, the dinner crowd was slowly trickling in. I found a spot closer to the entrance. They have the place a bit divided by two sides for more intimacy. The food is a mix of Hawaiian and Japanese. We both wanted to try the broke da mouth ramen as it was a customer favorite! I enjoyed my ramen and it was good to catch up and talk. The atmosphere was chill and it felt like we had the whole place to ourselves. We ended up talking for hours about everything until I realized how late it was and the bowls were cleared. They were patient and didn't kick us out right away. Lol Ty Ty Very good ramen, good place to catch up and friendly staff. I'm still biased and have a few favorite ramen spots though

Delicious ramen, but takes time for the food to come out…read more We came for lunch on a Sunday, a big group of about 10 people. The interior is spacious so they seated us with no issue. The menu is extensive and has a lot of great options. However, our food took over 30 minutes to come out, with the ramen coming out first, then buns, then sushi rolls. Since we were on a time crunch, a few of us either had to rush eat our dish or take it to-go. This was a bummer, but I would definitely come again to enjoy the food at a more preferable pace. The prices were also reasonable. Parking is as expected around campus - street metered parking. There is a restroom inside for customers.

The Hakata style ramen here at Ippudo is pretty solid. In case you are not familiar, hakata style…read moreramen is a thinner noodle than typical ramen. The ramen has a nice chew and the tonkatsu broth is really good without being overly salty which can be the case with many tonkotsu broth. Today I ordered the Akamaru Modern which for $2 includes a few drops of garlic oil and some umami paste. Was it worth the $2? Probably not but decided the splurge a little. The pork loin chashu was a bit bland though and had maybe 3 slices. To me, the biggest disappointment is that the ramen dish did not even come with an egg which is an additional $3 add on. After all the extra costs, ended up paying $22 for a bowl of ramen and that does not include the added tip on top of that. At least you can self serve sides like bean sprouts or pickles to add to your ramen. Definitely recommend the mildly spicy bean sprouts! The interior is modern and large and service is average. Just gave me my glass of water, took my order, and gave me my bill. No water refill.

I visited Tane Vegan Izakaya with a mission to try a couple of sushi rolls, but ended up with much…read moremore! In addition to vegan sushi rolls, the menu includes shared plates, starter soup and salad, ramen, grilled plates (yakimono), nigiri, cocktails, mocktails, and dessert. And yes, it's all vegan, and many items are or can be made gluten-free! I tried the: Gyoza Eggplant Nigiri Pacifica Roll Sunset Roll Basil Mojito The Pacifica Roll is deep-fried heaven. Tempura veggies rolled in rice and topped with a garlic aioli and sweet, sticky soy sauce that I am craving as I type. It's crunchy, it's tasty, and you have got to try it to get the hype. I was told it was a fan favorite, and I'm its new #1 fan. Visit my blog post for the full review: Yourneighborhoodvegan.com and follow me on social media @yourneighborhoodvegan for more reviews!

Who would have thought vegan sushi could be so good! It is delicious. We ordered pickup because…read morethis place is way too popular for dining in. If one were to eat gourmet vegan food, Berkeley is the best city. Not only it's healthy, (some even) gluten free, it is very very delicious. Tastes just like real rolls. We were so impressed. We got the Pacifica - tastes like a unagi tempura roll. The tangy sauce is excellent. The California roll is rich and creamy. All the avocado are fresh. The Point Reyes is spicy, looks like a spicy salmon roll. Tastes good. The rolls are nicely packed, do not fall apart easily. It is actually pretty spicy. The grilled mushroom comes with three types of mushrooms, the tangy bbq sauce is delicious. Nice interior, great friendly chef and staff. Always popular. We will be back!

This is my favorite place to get Ramen in Oakland! It's…read morepretty small and snug once you're sat down in there so it's a pretty friendly setting. The service is always rather friendly and on most days very attentive! It can be really busy so it's always good to check the wait times before pulling up, especially if you're really hungry!

I've been wanting to try this place for a while and it was a really good experience. We went on…read moreFriday afternoon around 5pm and waited for maybe 10 minutes. Service was great, very friendly and fast! I love that they have adult ramen bibs, it came in very handy immediately! The tonkatsu ramen was very tasty and I love how many toppings are on the ramen! Everything paired so nicely the creamy savory broth, the salty pork, and sweet corn. It looks beautiful too! Solid ramen place! I also loved that they had vegan options.

Food was delicious…read more Service was great Would recommend this Japanese restaurant to anyone who wants authentic Japanese cuisine

Really Good Japanese ramen. A must try. Great service…read more Relaxing ambiance. Great for any size party and occasion.

Very friendly service, and *extremely* generous portion of pork in the "Bansho Ultimate Ramen"…read more I will definitely be back.

Aug 9 2025 3:30pm 3.4 stars…read more After a short struggle to find parking, we walked the half a block to find Bansho tucked away in a corner- almost hidden from the street. The front doors are littered with adds and dirt. It looked a bit sketchy on the outside but we went inside anyway. Inside, the restaurant looks very pleasant. It has a comfortable and cozy look for a small 49 seat place. Mood music plays at a quiet level. There are several conversation starters for sure inside the restaurant like.. "What is that shrine with the green bananas on it for?" "Can you decipher the price of beer written on that chalkboard?" My favorite was "What is that treadmill doing in this restaurant?" We were seated and given menus. The waitress left and then came back after four or five minutes. I felt a little rushed to order as if the order taker assumed we had pre-prepped ourselves on their menu. We had to ask for more of a chance to look at the options. The two of us shared a bowl of Ramen, an order of California Rolls, a coke and later on we ordered Takoyaki-deep fried dough with I believe a piece of squid inside. Before the waitress left to give our first order to the chef, she said "Anything else?" I inferred she was suggesting our order was to small. Later I understood she might be warning me that that might be our last chance to order anything. It was hard for us to place that second order of Takoyaki. Once we were given our food, the waitress disappeared and never checked on us. To place another order, I had to keep the kitchen under surveillance, watching for someone to exit so we could jump up, run to the frond desk area and order. The food we did have was tasteful enough and the $41 seems fare. Negatives for Bansho. 1) The phones used by the front desk and in the kitchen are too loud, they ring for too long and destroy the ambience. Someone will one day invent a device that buzzes in your pocket instead of ringing loudly throughout the entire restaurant. Name it something catchy like "Cell Phone". 2) The Men's restroom was too dusty and the toilet seat was "spotty"- if you know what I mean. 3) Having someone check on you while you are eating and saying "Welcome In" when you get there and "Thank You For Your Business" when you leave would go a long way. I did see a sign that they are hiring so they might have been short staffed.

Ippuku was pretty crowded around 6:15pm on a Tuesday. We stood at the bar to eat dinner; there were…read morealso some low seats along the side of the front area that would have been shared. Total $136.96 for a filling dinner for two. * Okinawa Paloma ($16) - 3.5 stars. Good, solid, nothing spectacular or terrible. * Moro-Kyu (cucumbers, $10) - 2.5 stars, not bad, just seemed like regular cucumbers to me. * Nama-Yuba (tofu skin, $10) - 3.5 stars * Unibonara (creamy uni udon, $20) - 4.5 stars. Super tasty but super heavy! * Negima (thigh with leek, $12) - 3.5 stars * Enoki Bacon ($10) - 4 stars. Yummy but very oily. * Buta Bara (pork belly, $14) - 4 stars. Tasty but also really heavy.

Joe-son made a plan drive up from LA to surprise mom..He was hidden in the back of my car as we…read morepicked up Gio. When we arrived at Ippuku he popped up like a Waks-in-a-box......she "aaaieeeeeeed!" big success! Seated as night was approaching and ordered a 45mil sake carafe @$45. yummy Kokuryu. Will first list foods that won't get again....1. interesting but tiny teeny bowl tofu skins 2. tasteless watery egglant dish(worst thing). 3. and an ok but boring egg omelet. now for the winners: gyoza with a delicious filling encased in a delicate traslucent skin; 1/2 crispy skinned grilled mackeral (my fav!) grilled chik butt (a bit lite on salt..soy fixed it;) then to Joes objection I ordered smelt tempura... objection waived..we all loved it; wagu beef on a stick great (Joes fav); Scallion pancake quite good but which weirdly came toward the end of the meal & had to ask for it numerous times??? why Did it come so late.? anyway we finished with onigiri sesame crusty grilled rice ball and another in a delicious rich chicken broth.....asked our server for the check! wait a minute...something was amiss...missing items? when the bill arrived we were right! 3 grilled different chicken skewers that were missing in action were on the bill ....what? informed the staff ...the manager arrived & asked if we now wanted them...too late baby its too late.....the bill was corrected and almost $40 was deleted.... sooooo again the service here can leave much to be desired similar to missing items on our former visit. still many great dishes as well as its visually stunning interior & plus...ATTENTION! Women...your toilet seat is heated which Gio gushed about & adored! next time I'll have her photo the seat

I love their hokkein noodles! I've been here twice this month, and I'd probably go more often if I…read morelived closer. I love the build your own bowl- and the serving is big enough for me to have a box of leftovers. The first time I got a mix of the Thai and Malay sauces with chicken- and that was great. The second time I got just the Malay sauce. I think next time I'd mix it with the Thai again for the extra layer of spice on top of peanut. For balance.

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!