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    Li‘s Knife Cut

    4.4 (86 reviews)
    ModerateChinese, Noodles
    Closed 11:30 am - 3:00 pm, 5:00 PM - 9:00 PM

    Order Li‘s Knife Cut Takeout or Delivery

    Li‘s Knife Cut Photos

    LI‘S KNIFE CUT ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Trendy
    Outdoor seating

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    Recommended Reviews - Li‘s Knife Cut

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    Beef Pancake
    Austin W.

    My friends and I ordered take-out from Li's Knife Cut Noodles and between the three of us, we shared the following: a combo chow mein with knife cut flat noodles ($16.99), braised beef noodle soup with knife cut flat noodles ($16.99), marinated beef pancake roll ($13.99), chicken dumpling with corn ($14.99), and popcorn chicken ($12.99). This ended up being way too much food and we were left with a bunch of leftovers afterwards. My favorite dish we ordered was the marinated beef pancake roll, while my least favorite was the popcorn chicken. The flakey pancake was rolled out very thinly and I enjoyed the flavor profile of the filling. The generous amount of marinated beef inside was well-seasoned, and I loved the sweetness from the hoisin sauce. Definitely would get this appetizer again. On the other hand, I thought the popcorn chicken was a bit under-seasoned and I wish the chicken pieces were slightly larger. Far too many pieces were just pieces of batter without chicken. With the knife cut noodle dishes we ordered, I felt like the noodles were a tad overcooked: they were a bit too soft, and not the al dente texture that I prefer. Other than the texture of the noodles, I enjoyed the richness of the beef noodle soup and thought the included beef chunks were melt-in-your-mouth tender. Overall, I am pretty satisfied with my meal from Li's Knife Cut Noodles. If you're dining in, it might be worth a try to request the noodles to be undercooked a little so they land closer to al dente.

    Photo 1: Montage of images from Li's Knife Cut Noodle
    Ed U.

    I'm not the prototypical hand-pulled noodle slurper you would see near the UC Berkeley campus. I'm well past my Cal undergrad days, and let's just say I wasn't that Asian ethnocentric about what I ate back then. Now and then, I find myself willing to try spots of burgeoning popularity that attract youthful foodies to see whether they justify the crowds. This new eatery piqued my curiosity because I heard good things about the San Mateo location. I walked in when the place was bustling. I wasn't sure if I was supposed to order at the counter, but then a server immediately seated me at the only available table for two. The rest of the tables appeared to be populated with students, mostly Asian but not exclusively. It took me a couple of minutes to figure out there was a bar code on the table. Once the menu popped up on my smartphone, I was immediately overwhelmed by the number of choices. Since I wasn't in a soup mood, I went for the &15.99 Stir-Fried Pork with Black Fungus Noodles (Photo 9). I was surprised how large the portion was. The pork and wood-ear mushrooms provided strong umami, while the cabbage, red peppers, onion, and leeks added variety to the texture and fullness to the flavor. The star of the show laid underneath, the flat knife-cut noodles. Thick and chewy. Tasty and abundant enough to take most of it home. FOOD - 4 stars..,those noodles were substantial, and the rest worked well around them AMBIANCE - 3.5 stars...fairly tight space SERVICE - 4 stars...very efficient crew here TOTAL - 4 stars...get the signature knife-cut noodles if you can handle the carbs RELATED - Exploring Berkeley? Here's a collection of places I've visited and reviewed: https://yelp.to/YXxNKfQL8z

    Unlimited noodle policy
    Richard J.

    This is the spot y'all -immediately seated our party of 5 at 7:15pm on a friday -food comes out minutes after ordering -they brought us a huge bowl of extra noodles to share for the unlimited -green beans go crazy, so hot and insane umami -marinated beef roll was amazing -lamb skewers are a sleeper winning dish contender We loved everything we ordered! Will be back!

    Braised beef noodle soup, cucumber with black fungus
    Daniel S.

    $15.99 Braised beef noodle soup: wonderful. Deep flavor, filling. $9.99 Cucumber with Black Fungus: garlicky, light, refreshing, and filling. Can eat again.

    F09. Hot Chili Oil Splashed Noodles
    Jocelyn S.

    They say they have unlimited noodle refills but we could barely make it past the first bowl! Solid Chinese noodle place by campus. I got the braised beef noodles. The bowl is a decent portion and is straightforward - beef, noodles, bok choy, and soup. The braised beef was delicious - great texture and great flavor. The knife cut noodles had delightful chewy soft texture. We shared the cucumber wood ear appetizer/side which had the most delicious garlic soy dressing. The restaurant is your typical Berkeley campus-adjacent eatery - quick, casual, straightforward, and just opened in the last year.

    Jonathan K.

    I am jealous of all the college kids that come to UC Berkeley. If I would have known about Li's Knife Cut Noodle years back, I would have ditched UCLA in a heartbeat and came to UC Berkeley instead. I am a huge noodle person and my standard is quite high. This hidden gem surprisingly met my standard. The knife cut noodle is freshly made. I ordered the beef rib noodle soup and the entire dish was very savory. The meat falls right off of the bone. For the price you are paying, the portion size was more than enough. I honestly couldn't even finish it (makes me wonder who could possibly order the free noodle refill). I also recommend the side dishes like the lamb skewers and the cucumber salad cold dish. Overall the ambiance is very cozy. It is a smallish restaurant, but you do get seated pretty quickly. Service here is fast, people don't stay for long, they tend to finish their noodle and leave. If you are in the area and have some noodle craving, this place would hit the spot!

    pork dumpling w/ cabbage
    Avril L.

    I came here on a weeknight for a casual dinner. It's a no frills casual Chinese noodle shop. You can see them slicing the noodles fresh and stir frying up your food as you wait for your order. The restaurant is filled with UC Berkeley students grabbing a bite post studying or studying at the tables. Food is pretty inexpensive and large portions (they give you lots of noodles,) you'll leave stuffed or with leftovers. The atmosphere isn't quiet or super noisy, just a bustling kitchen. Great food, can't wait to return.

    Sonja P.

    Free refills on noodles. Really great deal. Machine cut, even flat noodles. I got the lamb noodle soup. The dumplings were good, and it was cool having soy sauce. Xlb sauce, and chili at the table. I wouldn't say I was totally impressed by the taste of the soup but a good quick cheap meal is all it is. Service is friendly and fast. I think they try to make you as comfortable as possible, even giving WiFi access.

    F07. Dan Dan Noodles(Pork)
    Joe B.

    This place is delicious. I am not sure I really like the ordering system but we were lucky enough to have a person come to our table and help, pretty much took the order so not sure if that is normal or not since it says you have to place order on phone. Food was as good as it looked. What is crazy to me is they seem to have an free noodle refill on a lot of the noodle bowls. That is a great deal but the first bowl is huge and I can barely finish it. The thought of another bowl seemed crazy but maybe others have bigger stomachs. Maybe next time I will be up for the challenge.

    Chinese burger
    Ethan W.

    Pretty cozy spot with a good amount of seating and also offering takeout Super good portion sizes, pretty decent noodle textures (leans slightly over done but noodles are wider so doesn't become an issue). The flavor is on the lighter side too but hits the spot! They do unlimited noodle refills (if you finish), but I couldn't even finish more than half. Does not apply to potato noodles though They have chili oil in the side if you like your noodles to have stronger flavors. The Chinese burger was a bit oily on the meat and the bun was on the softer side, would've loved a little more seasoning on the meat. This reheated really well though if you're planning take out! Beef roll pancake was solid, pancake leans in the puffier side!

    beef chow mein, bone-in beef
    Kaleina M.

    The chow mein is AMAZING!! so much flavor can't believe they offer free unlimited refills on the noodles! honestly, the portion is already big enough that a refill isn't needed, but I appreciate it. Limited seating and can get pretty busy. The broth of the soup wasn't that flavorful, but the beef was tender for a reasonable price. Big portions for a good price, especially for college students!

    Noodle Policy
    Hong N.

    Quick service, was seated quickly. Small interior but well lit and you order via QR code on the table. Food also came out very quickly Noodle soup itself was ok but a decent price ($16). Would recommend getting knife cut VS regular noodle as knife cut had better texture. Broth itself was not as flavorful as expecting. Meat was fairly tender but not a lot of flavor either. For the price and if you're in the area, this is a decent place to go to

    Braised Beef Noodle Soup
    Denise Z.

    amazingggg knife cut noodles in a casual setting - free noodle refills! i love chinese noodles and the texture of these are so on point. they're nice and chewy, super flavorful, and they don't skimp on the toppings. the service was attentive and quick. my friends ordered the braised beef noodle soup& pork intestine noodle soup, and i got the tomato egg & pork dry noodles. my tomato and egg was so delicious and saucy. it really reminded me of my mom's cooking, so i loved it of course. there was plenty of egg & pork and the dish was overall very flavorful. all of the dishes come with so much food, including the meat, but they also give free noodle refills if you finish it! such a good value and well done dishes, i can't recommend it more.

    Stir fried pork with wood ear knife cut noodles

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    Ask the Community - Li‘s Knife Cut

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