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Masa Ramen Bistro

4.5 (320 reviews)
Closed • 11:30 am - 2:30 pm, 5:00 PM - 8:30 PM
Updated 1 month ago

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MASA RAMEN BISTRO ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Casual
Moderate noise
Good for groups
Dogs allowed

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Loann H.

Berkeley is a great city to try new food and we found another ramen spot! This restaurant is located 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

Mochiko chicken
Jovilei G.

The Broke Da Mouth ramen was so delicious! I've never had ramen with parmesan cheese before and I was surprised at how the flavors came together. The meat was cut pretty thick but it was so flavorful and the spice level was just the right amount for me. I've never actually had mochiko chicken even after going to Hawaii multiple times, but their mochiko chicken was so good! Very crispy and went well with the cabbage. My bf and I wish we had more! Staff were friendly. Street parking available.

DIAMOND HEAD - Original
Lauren C.

Was in Berkeley looking for lunch and found Masa Ramen Bistro. Great selection of Ramen and plate lunch options at super reasonable prices! Just came back from BI, so getting the Kilauea ramen was very fitting. I got a level one spicy I had a great umami flavor with a great kick to it. The noodles in soft boiled egg were also cooked perfectly too. My sister got the diamond head Ramen and enjoyed her savory meal as well. I'll definitely have to come back to try the oxtail saimin since it's more difficult to find outside HI!

Broke BROKE DA MOUTH - Masa Special
Irene C.

Amazing food but I was not fond of the tables and chairs. The chairs were metal and the tables were plastic? Very uncomfortable. The food is 10/10 though! Ordered the beef curry and their most popular ramen, broke the mouth. The beef curry was tender and super flavorful. The broke the mouth ramen was one of the best I've ever tried, except I had to take out most of the red oil. It was very oily but delicious . Will definitely be back for the food!

Tiffany C.

Came here with a party of six on a Sunday night and was surprised at how empty it was -- we were seated right away. To start, we ordered chicken karaage and takoyaki to share. The takoyaki was actually meant to be a substitution since one of our party members is lactose intolerant and couldn't eat part of her dish. The server asked if she wanted to swap it for something else, but instead of it being a true substitution, we were charged for it. That was a bit disappointing since it felt like they were accommodating, only to add an extra charge. For mains, my fiancé had the chicken curry katsu and I ordered Da Broke Da Mouth Ramen. Funny enough, he preferred his katsu while I preferred my ramen. The katsu was generous in portion but a little flat in flavor (I'm admittedly not a big curry fan, so take that with a grain of salt). The ramen, on the other hand, was deeply umami and very enjoyable. My only complaint was the cheese topping -- instead of melting smoothly into the broth, it clumped into a chewy glob. I think a lighter dusting of cheese would have worked better. Overall, though, the portions are generous and the value is solid. Definitely worth trying if you're in the area.

Odalys M.

Food- the food was great but missing something and I can't put my finger on it but overall got me full and can say it's a good portion. The spicy was enough but could add more to a kick. Service- our waitress was amazing and helpful. Love how the staff here is friendly and also lgbtq welcoming. Felt like I found my place here. Parking is a little bit of a hassle since it's on a busy street so it goes quickly and you might have to circle the area to find a spot. There's lots of other small businesses near by and a good bakery right next door.

Chicken Katsu Curry
Timothy T.

Service started off great--our server was friendly and attentive at first, but we had to keep asking for water refills throughout the meal, which was a bit frustrating. Portions here are definitely generous! I loved that the Chicken Curry Katsu came with multiple cuts of chicken--it was tasty and satisfying. However, the Da Broke Da Mouth Ramen was just okay to me; nothing really stood out. Someone in our group has a dairy allergy and requested her meal without any sides. The waiter kindly offered her tako as a substitute, which we thought was a nice gesture. Unfortunately, we were later charged for the tako, which felt a bit off since it was presented as part of the accommodation. Overall, good food with large portions, but some hiccups in service and billing made the experience mixed.

DIAMOND HEAD - Original
Jasmine Y.

So happy we decided to come here! We loved the atmosphere, very open, happy, and friendly. We had the diamond head ramen, broke da mouth, karaage chicken, and 808 chicken. First off the noodles were cooked so perfectly, thin and a perfect bite to them . All broths were not too thick, but rich with flavor. The broke da mouth ramen was so flavorful, rich, and spicy. We ordered the level 5 spice, and it's definitely got a kick to make you sweat but not inedible. I would say that some Buldak ramens are way more spicy. Definitely something that I could not eat myself continuously, but at the table my partner was can handle a good amt of heat and he thoroughly enjoyed it. The karaage chicken , da kine, was so crispy and light. The dipping sauces perfectly paired and I love to put only a little bit of lemon. Definitely a must!!! The 808 chicken was also cooked well, but I think because of the nature of it being caramelized it cannot be as juicy/light. I recommend the da kine chicken over the 808! Would love to come back to this place again!

Abel A.

Cozy, clean, cute bistro. Tasty, flavorful eats disappointed that they didn't have more options. Value is ok. Service was quick and effort.

Photo 1: Montage of images from Masa Ramen Bistro
Ed U.

(Strumming my ukulele) I wanna go back to my little grass shack in Kealakekua, Hawaii / I wanna be with all the kanes and wahines that I knew long ago... Sometimes Jamie W and I get a hankering for some local grindz, brudda. But hey, it's not as if we're at a roadside luncheonette on Oahu's North Shore. We be on University Avenue close enough to the UC campus to have entered a true student hangout even though some of the menu items were on the pricy side for a struggling undergrad. Even though neither of us were feeling like ramen-heads that evening, I felt like splurging a bit and ordered the $29 Pulehu Beef Short Ribs. The dish consisted of a couple of 1/2-inch cut Kalbi ribs covered in a sweet BBQ sauce and laid on top of shredded cabbage with scoops of Fukikake rice and potato salad (Photo 10). It was good but... The portion was paltry for the price. Jamie had better luck with the $18 No Worry Chicken Curry where the chicken cutlet was pleasantly a big serving of breaded tonkatsu in a pool of slightly watery curry sauce. He got plain white rice, mac salad, and a pile of pickled radish (Photo 9). He definitely got the better deal, but truth be told, neither dish sent us through the pipeline. The best deal of the night was the $4.50 Spam/Egg Musubi, a shareable portion with shoyu-marinated Spam and a scrambled egg packed with Fukikake rice and wrapped in nori (Photo 7). This casual snack was honestly the most satisfying part of our meal. There are other dishes to consider the next time we get a longing for the islands because... (Picking up my ukulele) I wanna go back to my little grass shack in Kealakekua, Hawaii / Where the humuhumunukunukuapua'a go swimmin' by... FOOD - 3 stars...decent but not really the grindz we was looking for AMBIANCE - 3.5 stars...pretty spacious SERVICE - 3.5 stars...attentive enough TOTAL - 3 stars...do you know the words to "Sweet Leilani"? RELATED - Exploring Berkeley? Here's my collection of places I've tried and reviewed: https://bit.ly/2CbVh8u

Loco moco was so delicious!
Craig Y.

From the outside, you'd have no clue what the restaurant would be like, but once the food starts coming you're in for a treat. This restaurant doesn't put the money in fancy surroundings or high quality seating. Instead it invests in good food and good service and really which would you prefer? FOOD: Although it's called a ramen bistro (and they do have very good ramen), I love that they also have some very fun and traditional Hawaiian food and Japanese food, too. Personally, I can't resist a good loco moco so that's what I had and it was delicious. Great tasting burger, nicely cooked egg, great rice, and the gravy was good. Not quite as flavorful as I like, but definitely tasty. The mochiko chicken was phenomenal and I would come back just for that! Tender and moist on the inside with wonderful flavor. There's more I want to try and that's always a good sign. SERVICE: Beyond excellent. Seriously great service. Nice and attentive enough with a genuine service orientation. Portions were great and everything was plated so well. COST: Very reasonable for what you get. About $20 per person and worth every penny!

Exterior l
Edison H.

Seems like the egg shortage may have hit this restaurant HARD because all of the aji tamago have been crossed out. They're still up there valuewise though! I ordered their special Broke Da Mouth ramen, which is their signature parmesan garlic ramen. It was interesting.. the Parmesan cheese did add a new depth to the flavor. The garlic bits were also a little crunchy (not sure if this was intentional). I'll give the dish a 4/5. The creaminess isn't my thing but I think it's definitely something to try at least once. Not food related but I apprecite how the staff was okay with a kid bringing in his bike to eat. They were also giving out free Meyer lemons as well. The low prices and kind attitude stuck out to me. I hope this restaurant thrives here in Berkeley.

Viki N.

Simple, budget friendly, but still very decent ramen! No idea where else you can find $14 tonkotsu ramen anymore these days, so this is probably great for students living around the area. Unfortunate that they crossed out the included egg; that really would've sweetened the deal. There's no option to add additional toppings either. I ordered the Diamond Head and my husband ordered Broke the Mouth. Diamond head was very plain, especially with no egg, but really fit all my basic needs if I'm just trying to have a simple lunch. The noodles were thin and firm, the way I like it. The tonkotsu broth was not as rich in flavor as I would've liked, but it wasn't exactly bland either. I sampled the Broke the Mouth broth and it definitely had a lot more flavor from the black garlic and spice, but I usually prefer ramen with a lot less going on.

Chicken Katsu

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Masa Ramen Bistro Reviews in Other Languages

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From a gluten-free standpoint, this was disappointing…read more My daughter loves this place. I have never been there because I can't eat gluten and assumed that like most other Ramen places, I couldn't eat there. But my daughter went to lunch with her friends and came home super excited to tell me that they have gluten-free options. so we made a plan and went there. We were about to sit down when I ask the server what the gluten-free options were and she told me that there were no gluten-free options. it turns out that they have gluten-free noodles listed on the menu (which is why my daughter thought they had gluten-free options) but None of their broths are gluten free. The server was really apologetic about the discrepancy. So we ended up going to another restaurant nearby and I didn't get a chance to eat there. My review is only on the gluten-free aspect. I hear good things otherwise.

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Masa Ramen Bistro - hawaiian - Updated May 2026

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