We've been trying to find a good Chinese restaurant to replace our favorite one that closed after Covid on College Ave. This is the closest - uncannily, that I found after an internet search on our original fav turned up a Reddit post about this place. And it was right! Many of our old favorites reincarnated. Not EXACTLY but very similar. Better than nothing! We enjoyed the House Wontons, steamed shrimp dumplings, soup dumplings, and the pot stickers. Then we had the sesame chicken, beef chow fun, and the crispy noodles. Love that they have cocktails if you want a nice drink. Very nice service but they got pretty busy (even on a Sunday evening). Can't wait to come back to try more things! read more

Small wonton soup Steamed spinach Cherry pork Diet Coke $90 ‍ Service was good Wontons were few and lacked shrimp Spinach was bitter Pork was gristly Coke was sweet read more

I've been coming to Kirin with my family for years. It's such a beautiful space and just an elevated experience when craving Chinese food. There's now a beautiful bar with seating if coming with a few friends or wanting to grab a book and cozy up for some me time. We always order the crispy Potstickers and the Pork Mu Shu with extra pancakes to-go. For entrees we love the Andy's Chicken (clean white meat chicken pieces in a sweet & sour wine sauce), egg fried rice (with sliced carrot and edamame), and last night we ordered the combination Hong Kong pan-fried noodles with chicken, beef, prawns, and beautiful pieces of Bok choy. We've known a few of the wait staff for a few years so it's awesome to be able to share baby news and have that neighborhood feel. On a Sunday there were multiple large parties which was exciting to see. I would say Kirin is not your fast-casual spot on a budget, but really a spot that takes dishes to a creative next step with a bit more of a price bump. A beautiful spot to dine and support. Other yummy dishes are the Wonton Soup and Hot & Sour Soup for these cold evenings, any of the house made noodles, the Minced Chicken in Lettuce Wrap, and the Sesame Chicken if that's your vibe. read more

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My partner and I used to love this place and frequently dine in for diner back in the 20 teens (2013 and beyond). The quality has fallen so far. We have tried a few times recently both take out and dining in and everything has gone down hill. The food has close to zero flavor! My favorite garlic noodles are now so bland that you don't even smell garlic on the noodles anymore let alone taste anything. Same with the Mu Shu and even dry sautéed green beans which should have at least a hint of ginger garlic and soy sauce. That night we threw away $90 of food that was NOT edible. Why is ALL the food so BLAND. Sooo so bland. Unfortunately this is no longer our local go to Chinese food restaurant. Very disappointed in the lack of effort in the kitchen today. read more

During dinner we enjoyed fast and friendly service and the following delicious items Spicy Chao Ma Seafood Noodle Soup with garlic, ginger, prawns, scallop, calamari, mussel, Chinese vegetables Five Ocean Happy Family with chili, prawns, scallop, mussels, calamari, fish, broccoli,. shiitake Family Style Brained Tofu with chili bean paste, garlic, ginger, napa, shiitake Served with steamed rice read more

Kirin Chinese Restaurant - Chinese Near Me - Berkeley, California

My daughter, granddaughter and I had dinner here on April 8th, 2026. This was our first visit at Kirin's Chinese Restaurant. We were celebrating my daughter's birthday . The service was very welcoming and the atmosphere was awesome! The food was delicious . Oh yeah, we enjoyed our cocktails as well. No complaints here. Extremely satisfied customers. read more

Fantastic service. Some of the best sizzling rice soup I've ever had. Wonderful experience. Would go again.

Stopped by our favorite Northern Chinese restaurant since we're in the neighborhood. Had luck snagging a parking spot directly in front. Had our usual luncheon specials: Happy Family (seafood combination with broccoli) and Mongolian Beef. Hot corn soup and salad included. Love our dishes as they're personally cooked and served right away. Service was on point and ambiance is terrific as Chinese artifacts, prints and pottery decor are throughout the restaurant. It's truly our absolute favorite. read more

I had a wonderful time here! My husband and I went for a date night. The ambience is nice, the food was delicious, the service was great, the drinks were! read more

Kirin Chinese Restaurant - Steamed shrimp dumplings - Chinese Near Me - Berkeley, California

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Chinese food for Christmas? Kirin was my late mother's favorite restaurant. My parents passed away 10 years ago in their 90s. December 25, 2022 ordered take out from Kirin in Berkeley while at my sister's house just off of Solano Ave. Unlike our late parents, our family likes the food hot and spicy. Large hot and sour soup came with lots of tofu, pork, green onions in a very spicy soup. Would order again. Sichuan chili shredded pork came with spicy pork, bamboo shoots, scallions in heavy sauce. One of my favorites Red curry tofu came with onions, peas, large chunks of tofu, in a red curry sauce just the way my wife like it. Another winner. Mushroom bok choy pretty ordinary must have been ordered by someone else, as not up to our spicy standards. Sichuan seafood noodle came with thick noodles, lots of huge mussels, squid, shrimp, and scallops in a delicious spicy sauce. We had turkey and all the fixings in addition to the food from Kirin. We were not the only ones with the idea of ordering Chinese food for Christmas. Two hour wait for food. read more

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Pretty good. The chow mein was not my favorite. It's not the best Chinese food. But it's good. Their mu shu chicken is pretty good. I like going for their lunch special. read more

I have gone to Kirin for years.Even when I moved out of state, Kirin has always been a staple that I must have whenever I am visiting. The food is still great, always flavorful and fresh. You can see it being cooked so you know it's not reheated. The portions are on the large size which is an amazing feat these days. I would say the only small issue is the cost of the food. I understand costs are high but it should not cost you almost 100 dollars for two entries and rice for two. read more

This is one of our favorite Chinese dining establishments on our ongoing places to indulge. We've been here numerous times, and with each visit, we're pleasantly surprised with the scrumptious of our entrees. Always prepared to perfection. Service is always very attentive and courteous. We started off with the veggie soup, it was steaming HOT, the way soup should be, not lukewarm. My lunch partner (aka Hubby) had the Mandarin Beef. I had my 'usual' Happy Family. Rice and a small salad was included. As usual, there's so much food, we packed it up for dinner. On a side note, we celebrated my Father's 104th today. As always, we'll be visiting soon again. Try it, you'll love Kirin as much as we do. read more

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I dined with a group of seven recently. We ordered a variety of dishes and thought all of them were great. No leftovers!

The silliest dumplings I have ever had!!! The noodles and seafood were perfect Everyone was helpful, treated me like family!! I'll be back!!! read more

In these times where prices have doubled especially in this restaurant, I wanted people to know about this my awful experience before they spent over 400 dollars like me. The food was Ok. The Shanghai hoodies tasted only of garlic and otherwise had no taste. Everything else was just Ok so if you are good with spending a lot of money for mediocre food then go for it. The service was the part that I have a bigger issue with. I had ordered Shanghai noodles and that is all I could eat. It took 45 minutes for it come. And when I finally asked where it was after 40 minutes, one of waiters who seems to have anger management issues went off at me in front of my other 6 guests! Totally aggressive and VERY LOUD Saying that there was other food I could have had. I took the card and asked another waiter who seemed nicer who the owner was and she said it was Dana and that I could email her from the website. I believed her and when I went to find the email in the website I did not. And there is no other place where you can place a comment. So I called the restaurant back. Unfortunately for me, the same angry waiter called Neel or Neil picked up the phone and when I asked if I could have the email of the owner, he said he could not give it to me. I asked when she would be in and he said he didn't know and that I was harassing him and he started shouting. So I had to hang up because I didn't want to abused twice. That was adding insult to my injury of paying 450 dollars for a mediocre dinner. Consumer beware! read more

We have not dined here in years so we thought we'd give it a try , ordering the dishes we have shared in the past! The calamari was the best ! Crispy and plentiful . Everything else was just eh. Chicken Lettuce wrap had a strange taste. The cherry pork was almost in edible because the pieces of pork in the were so large and the meat was so tough it was hard chew! And it was lacking the wonderful flavor we were craving. Sorry guys... read more

This is the best Chinese restaurant on Solano Ave and in the general area. It has delicious sizzling rice soup. The pork belly was just right. They make nice drinks with their full bar. Ambience, one of the best with large eating area but not too noisy and many tables to choose your spot. The waiters were attentive and kind. read more

I discovered Kirin shortly after I moved to Oakland from San Francisco about 20 years ago. Two favorites for my family are (1) Cherry Pork, and (2) Any of the House Made Noodle dishes. My kids first tasted the Cherry Pork deliciousness when they were 3, 4, and 7 (they are now 21, 22, and 24). We recently celebrated my "baby's" 21st birthday (he chose Kirin to celebrate this milestone) and of course we ordered the Cherry Pork. I was at Kirin again this evening, with a friend, and we ordered the Black Bean Zha Noodles, asking to substitute pork for beef. House made noodles and a mouthwatering sauce you want to swim in. Nothing more to add here! Run, don't walk to try this soon! Our server, Neo, recognized me from my last visit at the end of May, and warmly welcomed me back. The overall service was attentive and genuine ensuring a positive dining experience every time for us. The place is large, yet intimate. They are able to accommodate large parties in their back room which has a patio space also. Definitely something to keep in mind. Three thumbs up! read more

im sorry but this food was objectively terrible. Given their pricepoint and location, I figured it would be the kind of food you get at a place where the customer service is better than the meal. But I was surprised to receive my braised tofu and see it looked as though it had been sitting under a heat lamp for hours. The greens were overcooked and kind of dried out but with that slighlty gummy texture on the surface I associate with being held in a steam tray. The flavor was not appealing, and neither was the watery sauce. read more

Came here for dinner for Berkeley restaurant week. (Growing up my family owned a Chinese restaurant, so I tend to be on the picky side of Chinese Cuisine.) I was reluctant at first to try a Chinese restaurant not in Chinatown Oakland or SF. However, to my pleasant surprise the food here is absolutely delicious and authentic. Kirin restaurant was a charming & wonderful discovery from BRW. We came as a party of 3 and each ordered from the prixe fixe menu. Everyone's plates and orders looked delicious. The food was high quality, fresh and seasoned perfectly, not oily or greasy. The service was impeccable and inviting. The owner was super nice and answered my numerous questions patiently & genuinely. The restaurant aesthetic & decor was beautiful. I really enjoyed my entire meal from the appetizer, to the side dish, entree & dessert. I am quite excited to find such a delicious restaurant where I can actually bring my picky auntie to try. I would definitely return again because there are so many other item I would love to try! read more

Kirin is a great place to enjoy Chinese food, the interior is beautifully decorated and you have a great view of the kitchens open flames as the prepare your meal. Although they have outdoor seating we enjoy the spacious tables inside. The food is all very good and the service is friendly and attentive. Highly recommended. read more

Kirin Chinese Restaurant - Chinese Near Me - Berkeley, California

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Ate there with two friends last night. Very good food and nice service. We had dumplings, hot and sour soup and three entrees. All were nice. read more

Came here pre-covid and was excited to come back, however I must say quality and service has gone down tremendously. Dish by dish: Appetizer was the steak salad which was more like beef jerky that was dehydrated with whatever dressing they used for the pre bagged salad they threw it with. Super overpriced for the low quality ingredients. The kung pao chicken was overloaded with peanuts. Like, it was roasted nuts with chicken more so than the chicken dish itself. Mongolian beef was not too bad. One of the more enjoyable dishes. The chicken fried rice was very disappointing as you can see there's no color. Not sure if this was the the northern Chinese style but it was definitely lacking flavor as well. Lastly, The chow fun was good in terms of the veggies included but that was about it. If you add some chili sauce it's a little better but that's after you unstick all the overcooked noodles from each other that formed rice cakes. Another disappointing dish. What made this even worse was our server was rude when I asked for tea and hardly checked on us at all. Sometimes you have to go some place to realize you'll never go there again! read more

Kirin Chinese Restaurant - Chicken fried rice. Steak salad. Mongolian beef. Kung Pao Chicken. - Chinese Near Me - Berkeley, California

I enjoy their food and service. Friends and I meet there regularly and are always well taken care of. So, I go again and again.

Classy and tasty. Ambiance is dark and warm. Great food. Excellent cocktails. Service friendly and efficient.

I stopped here because the sign said "Northern Chinese" cuisine. That meant there'd probably be lamb, and there was. I ordered a dish of a lamb recipe I wasn't familiar with, and found that it was just the slices of meat, a pretty fair but not really large quantity, on a small bed of scallions, undecorated except for the sauce, which was heavy and vivid but not at all spicy. There wasn't much lamb taste left, but it was satisfactory, and the service in a rather deserted place at the tail end of lunch hour was good, so I'll drop by here again, try something else. read more

Kirin has been the go-to Chinese restaurant for three generation in my family But no more. Totally unacceptable experience last evening. I placed a large delivery order for 6:40 pm, which was acknowledged. But by the time it should have been delivered, there had not been any update online -- nothing about preparing it, giving it to delivery person, etc. So I phoned them -- the person who answered seemed confused. Found our order but then mumbled something about a problem with their system. They had not even started the order. She said we would expedite it, and we would get it in 15 minutes. This was encouraging because we had kids who were getting increasingly hungry and restless. But guess what? We did not get our food until 45 minutes after it had been promised. But then the food ws just not up to their usual qualify. Much of it was bland, lacked any interest or complexity. I have noticed some decline in the qualify of their food for the past couple of years, but this was a more significant decline. It looks like others have reported this as well. Will definitely be looking for other options. read more

I literally dream about their hot & sour soup -- we've been coming here since college and it's still a family favorite!

Crab rangoons are great. Everything else is aight or good. But if you and I are the same (admitted Panda Express stans), you'll appreciate these rangoons as much as I do. My friends and I grabbed takeout. Parking is a little tough, but that's to be expected in Berkeley. On a weekend night, service was actually pretty fast-- only 20 mins for the 6 dishes we ordered. Their fish/chicken dishes were a little over-salted. First few bites were fine, but everything afterwards definitely needed to be neutralized with rice. I wasn't the biggest fan. Their noodles, calamari, and soup dumplings were decent. The real highlight is the crab rangoons. Crispy wonton skin + flavorful crab + cream cheese??? Uhhh yes. I never thought I'd admit this, but I do love cream cheese in Chinese food. How this combo came to be, I have no idea. Overall, solid 4. I'd go back. read more

I loved Kirin as usual. I was so happy to have Chinese food on Lunar new year. The fish soup was surprisingly yummier than I thought. The shrimp chow-mein was good as usual. I love their fried crab and cream cheese wonton appetizers. They are sooo yummy. They come with sweet and sour sauce. I also think their egg rolls are so flavorful. Would recommend. read more

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I've been to the restaurant several times and enjoyed the food a lot. This time I ordered to go - spicy eggplant and jasmine rice. I was disappointed- the eggplant's sauce seemed very heavy - too syrupy or something- maybe it's different if ordered straight from the kitchen to table? The seasonings were heavy on pepper, which overpowered the flavor. I was surprised by the taste. I will return in house to check as I enjoy the setting and it's in my neighborhood. read more

Favorite Chinese food in East Bay for me. Always so good. I've been coming here for 20 years. Consistently my favorite. Nice staff and killer drinks. My favorite is the mango mojito. So tasty. Sweet but tasty. Manchurian beef and walnut prawns. So fresh and so good. Chicken and green beans. Their chow mein is so good. Mushoo pork. Husbands favorite. Thank you Neil and Su. Jenny read more

The people are nice and helpful. But it was under flavored and lacked a lot of seasonings the rice was quite mushy and not fried at all. It is just sad because we spent over $100 but hopefully we will find a good Chinese place. read more

Prices keep rising like a rocket , beef dishes are now $24-$27,, no rice included same small portions. $14 for spring rolls. Quality is the same or worse. This was my go to place for years, bummed . read more

I was scratching my head wondering why a Chinese restaurant would name itself after a Japanese beer when I finally realized that a kirin is actually a mythical unicorn-like creature in most East Asian cultures. My limited ethnocentric perspective caused yet another xenophobic presumption, but at least I owned up to it unlike some U.S. Presidents. Jamie W. and I were in search of a good Chinese restaurant as that is our annual Christmas Day tradition, and we weren't familiar with the choices to be made on Solano Avenue. We noticed how popular this place was relative to other restaurants in the 'hood when we strolled by. Walking in, we had a bit of a wait because it was bustling. Inside, this was definitely not your traditional Chinese restaurant. No decorative paper lanterns. No dragon-infested wallpaper. No greasy brown bags of takeout orders lined up at the bar. No, this was a stylishly contemporary spot that focuses on Northern Chinese dishes especially Sichuan cuisine. We were trying to be mindful of our nutritional intake, but we still ended up ordering four hearty items. First, we had the small $10 Hot & Sour Soup which was more than enough for the two of us since it amounted to two small bowlfuls each (photo: http://bit.ly/2rASkey). It was chock full of goodness with chicken, shrimp, mushrooms, tofu, soybeans. something exotic called willow tree fungus, and eggs (photo: http://bit.ly/2DB9wpT). Jamie and I had never seen so many ingredients in a hot & sour soup, and we frankly couldn't get enough. Then it was dim sum time, and it was all steamed. First came the $12 Steam Shrimp Dumplings, eight of them mixed with ginger and chives and accompanied by sesame oil soy sauce (photo: http://bit.ly/2F6ZFEQ). They were delicious with particularly substantial wrappers. Then came the $10 Steam Vegetable and Mushroom Bao, another eight dumplings this time a vegetarian variation filled with Napa cabbage, spinach, glass noodles, and tofu with a spicy mustard sauce (photo: http://bit.ly/2F6DrTh). Last was the pricey $19 Steamed Garlic Scallops, a half-dozen filled with rice vermicelli noodles, minced shiitakes, chives, cilantro, and fried garlic served in little glass cups (photo: http://bit.ly/2n7QQTH). Rather saucy, they were comparatively the least satisfying part of our elaborate Christmas meal. Nonetheless, it was a full feast nicely executed. FOOD - 4 stars...generous servings of truly tasty Sichuan specialties, authentic flavors AMBIANCE - 4 stars...handsome, modern interior accommodates quite a few diners on a holiday SERVICE - 4 stars...attentive and unnecessarily apologetic for how long the steaming took TOTAL - 4 stars...definitely a cut above most Chinese restaurants in the area read more

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I do not know why people would go to this restaurant came here for lunch with with a few friends, one order a beef dish, which was drench in sauce And other things add with it same with the chicken dish. I ordered the chicken salad couldn't eat. It feels like the leftovers ends of greens very rough chicken was already pre-cooked. What a waste for $19. read more

2022 MAY update. Outdoor dining option is gone. No longer available. Packed up and gone. Meanwhile, Bay Area COVID rates are climbing. To go and delivery is still an option if you want to wait on swapping breaths with strangers. read more

Kirin Chinese Restaurant - Outside with masks on under the umbrella on a sunny day - Chinese Near Me - Berkeley, California

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First time here, Berkeley restaurant week brought me in! Street parking outside, I got lucky and found a spot right out front. When we walked in, the first thing I noticed was the open kitchen and you can see the cooks making your meal! The inside is nice, I like the ambiance and decorations. The one thing I didn't like was having to pay $6 for tea. We ordered the Gen mai Cha tea and had 3 refills. They don't change the tea leaves, they just add more hot water to it. We started with the potsticker and spring roll appetizer which Waac really tasty. I really liked the potstickers. For the side, we got the dry sautéed green beans and for entrees, we got the braised tofu and Kirin beef. In addition to the set menu, we ordered the hunan noodles (which come cold). I really liked all the food, the portions were just REALLY small for the set menu. I was still hungry after everything so was looking forward to the dessert. Dessert was bomb, I loved the green tea ice cream and fried Banana. Nice combo. I'd come back if I was in the area read more

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I LOVE dinner with HIM! YES! Once a week, I pick a restaurant that looks interesting to me, I mean US (SMILES). Recently, we were at Kirin and I couldn't be anymore happier! I knew I would be in love with this place the moment we walked in! We were greeted at the door and was seated right away. We were handed a food and drink menu. Next thing we knew, our waiter was ready to take our drink order. I opted for the Caddy Margarita and HE went for the Mai Tai. We cheered to a drink and began looking at the food menu. After seeing HIM eye the restaurant from the décor to the menu, he leaned in close and said, "Great choice, hun! The menu offers Chinese dishes, but the name is after a Japanese beer; interesting!" I responded with a smile, "I knew you would like it!" We ordered: Pot Stickers (6) 窩貼 8 ginger-infused pork, minced cabbage https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/kirin-berkeley?select=iQavI7_KcDxspBrQpadKCA Dinner consisted of: Fried Rice garlic, ginger, soybeans, eggs, onions, julienne, carrots https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/kirin-berkeley?select=WHLwMNfDFCoy6X7DkeVgXw && **Red Curry Prawns & Crab Noodles 17 red curry crab meat sauce, bell peppers, onions, shiitake, garlic, ginger, coconut milk https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/kirin-berkeley?select=2lIPyCIxe9_kMr8yCTIWmg Everything was extremely delicious. Everything we had was tasty and flavorful! The food was made fresh and the portions were perfect for both of us and we still had food to take home. The restaurant offers an open kitchen window experience so you can see your food being cooked by the cooks! The atmosphere was great. Everyone was so pleasant! The restaurant was spacious and even had a huge back area that would be amazing for large parties. Upon leaving, we both agreed that this was one of our favorite restaurants in the area. A great spot for a lovely dinner date. We'll certainly be back, until next time! read more

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