Despite cold weather or sunny weather if you are craving for good straight to the point Japanese Curry Rice this is the place to go. Delicious homemade feel straight to the point no flashiness no fluff. I find portion size to be amongst the generous end and pricing is friendly to the college student budget. If anyone asks that's what you call - a win! It's located in the college town of berkeley on historic telegraph. Parking can be a problem around here but don't hesitate park further, pay the meter, go for a stroll and explore other neighboring stores businesses as well. Get all could use some steps in before or after your meal. Katsu Kare Raisu aka Katsu Curry (chicken,beef or pork)- Vegetarian Tofu Curry - Chicken Karage Curry - Ramen - accompanies either with white rice or brown rice of your choice. Rice bowls (donburi) with similar meat-seafood toppings are also available What I hope one day they will offer grilled chicken curry rice (similarly grilled as salmon one) for those who prefers non fried option. I'm hopeful the owner manager may do so because they offer the Tofu and Vegetarian Curry which I truly enjoy. I know there is grilled salmon curry option even on he menu I haven't tried it yet. Usually you will find two friendly smiles hosts to greet you. Don't hesitate you ask for a menu and seat first if you aren't ready. Not everyone likes curry or Curry with Rice but if you do or if you are open to try something different then come give it a try. Japanese curry is unlike Indian on many aspects but tasty as well. Not a fan of spice? Don't worry it comes not spicy but for folks like me we ask for spice and the staff can easily accommodate. Personally speaking I wish I could replace the rice and request for steamed veggies with my curry! Sometimes I wonder more peeps need to try and like curry. Even Steph curry likes curry lol read more

I have to say, the muracci's in SF is a bit better but not by much. The plus for this location is having an area to sit. I've always come when it's a little less than half full so I'm always seated quite promptly. Service is definitely efficient. I've only ordered their salmon and katsu curries. They make their salmon pretty flaky and they're generous with the katsu. The katsu meat is kinda dry and grisly though. Japanese curry is definitely comfort food. Both curries always end up feeling heavy so I usually have to take some home for later. In which case, about $14 for two meals! Which, okay still isn't great. The dining experience was okay: most times my glass of water has some floaters or the glass isn't so clean. I opt for the chopsticks that aren't 'washed' by muraccis since the forks sometime have remnant debris. read more

Muracci's Berkeley - Pork katsu curry - Japanese Curry Near Me - Berkeley, California

The food was decent. Even with the spiciest option, the curry lacked a rich flavor and spice. The portions were a little strange. The plate was filled with a lot of curry, a lot of rice, but not very much of the chicken katsu. The katsu was well-cooked but lacked the level of crunch I look for in a great chicken katsu. I will likely come here again, but mostly because it is the closest Japanese Curry place to me. read more

I'm not much of a Japanese curry fan, but I really like Muracci's!!! Their curries aren't from a package, they are made in house which makes them especially flavorful and just oh so delicious. After years of hating Japanese curry, I can finally eat it again! Not only are their curries delicious, but everything else is great as well. I always come for the happy hour special which gets you karaage and beer for super cheap (if I remember correctly it's around $5). Love their karaage, nice large pieces of chicken perfectly breaded and extremely moist on the inside. My favorite thing to get here is the curry ramen, topped with lots of veggies and stuff with chicken or pork katsu. Althought the katsu gets sorry fast, it's quite delicious. The curry is part of the broth and the dish is large and enough for two meals I would say. You can tell them to make the curries spicy, and it's not really spicy but it gives the dish more of a kick and brings out the flavors even more. Even though they have college specials, I don't think it's ever needed (but appreciated nevertheless), since their portions are already pretty large. Small-ish restaurant that gets quite busy. It's sad that they close so early because this is exactly what I'm craving later in the evening, a nice warm delicious curry. read more

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So this a new one for me! I have never had Japanese curry before and one of my friends wanted to get some, so we decided to go here. It was near closing, so we could have only done take out. The service was okay. Could not really say much about this area. As for the venue, it's fairly small, so when it's packed it can be a wait. I got brown rice and grilled chicken curry. It was pretty good. I had enough for seconds. Although, I enjoyed the food, I don't think Japanese curry was my thing, so I'd have to say that I'll go back if a friend wanted to. read more

While it can't compete with the curry I've had in Japan, this place has some very good dishes. You can immediately tell that their curry is made from scratch, with its distinct spices that I have never had with any other curry. I ordered the Pork Katsu plate with Hot Level Curry. Not as hot as I thought it was going to be, but still had a kick to it. I love that they have a wall of drawings that customers drew, and they even let my little niece put her scribbles up there. Very nice people, great service, and great food. Update: The portions were much better this time, but the Hot just isn't hot enough. And I had to ask for my pickles. I hate doing that. read more

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I ordered the Katsu curry ramen ($11.95), which came with spinach, scallions, bean sprouts, and fried breaded pork cutlet (the katsu). Both the katsu's breading and the pork were not too dry and did not rely solely on the broth to maintain a juicy consistency. Otherwise. this is a rich and savory bowl of ramen, which some palettes may find overwhelming. As someone who loves savory food, I found this quite enjoyable. While I may not be able to eat this dish often, I return when I have a craving for something decadently savory. read more

Muracci's Berkeley - Katsu curry ramen - Japanese Curry Near Me - Berkeley, California

TL;DR: same flavor throughout, not a lot of variety, hyped up This is a popular spot for meals for students. While others may feel the appeal of curry, it's never been a favorite of mine. Due to this, my review might be a bit biased, but still true to my opinion. Although I wouldn't be mad to come here, it wouldn't be my first choice. If you enjoy Japanese curry, I'm sure this would be a great option for you. I'm almost sure I got the Chicken Katsu Curry last time I went, if not another time. CHICKEN KATSU CURRY (3/5) - Such a homogenous curry flavor throughout - Katsu is good, but can get boring - Every bite tastes the same with little mixing I think the above qualities apply to almost any Japanese curry dish, so it's not just counting Muracci's. I wouldn't mind if a friend wanted to grab dinner here, but it would never be a first choice of mine. read more

Two stars for the nice wait staff. Food though is meh. I got the chicken katsu curry and it was ok, the gyoza for my son was ok, the fried chicken appetizer was meh....not super crispy. But the real reason why this place only gets 2 stars is because my niece ordered teriyaki chicken which came out super pasty white with barely visible grill marks then that wasn't even the worst of it. 3/4 way through her chicken she realizes that thicker parts of her chicken was still raw! We would have complained on the spot but we really needed to get going and it wasn't worth trying to fix it. Meh curry, likely won't come back. read more

Muracci's is my goto at berkeley. The food comes out decently fast and it tastes good too with large servings. I usually get the veggie curry and love it. The ramen is also good too! read more

I love Japanese curry and have had it at many many places and not once has it ever been as watery as this one. It has more of a soup consistency than curry. It was also luke warm when I got it. Disappointed in all. The place was clean and service was good/nice read more

Overall: Not impressive. Ordered curry chicken and don katsu, and both dishes lacked substance. Pros: I will give credit to the curry sauce itself, which was mildly yet adequately spicy; the sauce was not unpleasantly pungent either. Cons: There were no vegetables other than a small portion of pickles that were too sweet. A big portion of rice was served, as other reviewers point out but the entree dishes lacked protein. I finished in the blink of an eye the meager amount of meat served and obviously was unable to finish the rice. Will not be returning as I am definitely not a fan of restaurants that are stingy on the ingredients. read more

Muracci's Berkeley - A cute, boutique Japanese Curry place near campus. Too bad, they are stingy with the ingredients. - Japanese Curry Near Me - Berkeley, California

I haven't explored Berkeley too much since I've graduated and there were many pleasant updates to the food scene! My friend recommended Muracci's for dinner. He got the chicken katsu and I got the chicken karaage with curry ramen. Oh man the flavors were delicious! The broth was seasoned well and made me feel all warm and toasty inside. The chicken karaage was well seasoned as well and very crispy. I would probably ask them to put it on the side next time because I'm a slow eater and it got a little soggy. My friend's katsu was perfectly crispy, flavorful, and moist. Delicious food and great service! read more

Muracci's Berkeley - Japanese Curry Near Me - Berkeley, California

This seems like a little hole in the wall but it's pretty good! I had the basic Katsu curry plate and I thought they were very generous with their portions. I also tried some of the spicy beef and I definitely loved that too! I would for sure go here again. Maybe I can try the curry udon next time. read more

I've never really tried Japanese curry before coming here, but it's not bad! Personally, I think it goes best with rice dishes and as a sauce (I liked their spicy beef donburi in particular). Also, I like how their curry actually has some heat to it. However, I thought the curry flavor didn't go well with some of their other dishes, like the udon (the curry broth isn't really drinkable). read more

Muracci's Berkeley - Curry udon - Japanese Curry Near Me - Berkeley, California

My friend and I grabbed take out from here and we each ordered the chicken katsu curry and it was pretty decent but average. The katsu was perfectly crisp but the curry could have been more flavourful. You get a lot of food for a good price point though! Honestly, we probably could've shared! read more

I'm making this review in comparison with CoCo Ichibanya, the most popular Japanese chain which I'm sure everyone has tried if they like this style curry rice. The katsu (Japanese fried pork) was not crispy. That's literally the only thing you have to get down to make this part good. You don't even need a high-quality cut of pork or chicken. The rice was fine, just the typical short-grain white rice. The sauce was completely meh! The added spiciness tasted like cayenne pepper. The sauce was extremely watery and not sweet at all (one of the primary differences between this and South Asian curries is that they add fruit like apples in to sweeten it). I will not be back. read more

I came to Muracci's 3 twice to check out their curry. I love good Japanese curry. The reason I came her twice is because I didn't like it the first time, and I thought I'd give it one more try before judging, just in case they were having an off day. But that wasn't it, as both the time I noticed the same issue. I ordered katsu curry the first time, and ebi fry curry the second time. I like my curry mild (sorry, I don't like too much heat) so I can taste everything. I order it with white rice because it goes better with it. I've noticed that their curry sauce has a tiny bit of crunch to it -- meaning there is a tiny bit of crunchy pieces of vegetables or something, with slight sharpness that wasn't onion or garlic. I couldn't put my finger on it. The owner and manger walked in luckily, so I was able to ask some questions. The sauce is cooked for over 20 hours, and in fact there are onions and garlic in there, but the slight crunchiness, they explained, is due to ginger. The sauce, unlike the traditional Japanese curry, does not use any flour as thickner, and they rely on vegetables as thickner. I love the concept, and I thought about this... but the crunchy bits in my sauce still bothers me. Tonkatsu was done fine, but I found the meat to be a bit dry, not from over cooking, but just a really lean cut of meat. Ebi fry were not my favorite. I'm from Nagoya, where they are perfect ebi fry everywhere. This one had really hard crust with too much egg, flour and too fine of the breading. They were sampling their new curry bread. It was good, but again I felt some of the crunchy gingers in them. Lots of great concept, ideas, but in my humble opinion, the execution isn't quite there. But then again, they have tons of good reviews out there for their 3 locations. Maybe I'm just too picky... but that's how I am. read more

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Muracci's was a slight disappointment in that the fryer was broken so couldn't order chicken katsu or tonkatsu. seating looks same as previous japanese eatery, slight change in wall sceney.,. eats: chicken curry (9.75) med, spicy -pretty spicy with chicken chucks -not disappointed, had brown rice take outs: -seem pricier than s.f. menu haven't had it for a while. "sets" a better value. includes miso soup, value. read more

Solid place for Japanese style curry. Prices are slightly higher than I would like, but nothing unreasonable. My go-to order is katsu curry (medium spicy) with brown rice. Sometimes I add a fried egg. It's nice that they don't charge extra for brown rice, and students get extra curry and extra rice at no charge if you show your ID. The curry is pretty flavorful, and the katsu breading is usually very crispy. I actually ALWAYS run out of katsu and curry even with the extra (oink), but my friends usually have leftovers of everything so...take that as you will ^_^;; If you're feeling noodles more than rice, opt for the curry noodle soup! That way, you still get the curry. Basically, get anything with curry, and you're good to go. read more

Muracci's Berkeley - Japanese Curry Near Me - Berkeley, California

Food was pretty mediocre. The katsu was good, rice was slightly soggy but moist, sauce was yummy, maybe a little too salty, but it was fine. It's a good college meal on a Friday night. But then, halfway through my meal, the smell hit me. A homeless man had walked in and was sitting on the waiting area bench. He had taken his mask off and was eating food that wasn't from this restaurant. He smelled very strongly of urine and BO, and needless to say it ruined both mine and my friends' appetites. The staff did nothing. On top of that the service wasn't very good- they charged our cards wrong and forgot to give us to-go boxes. My friend had to go up to the register to get our missing to-go boxes. If it wasn't for the urine man, I would've given this place 4 stars- it's Berkeley, it's gonna be a little expensive and a little mediocre. But because of the smell, and none of the staff being proactive about it, we all left with a bad taste (smell?) in our mouths. Ew. read more

Muracci's Berkeley - Chicken Katsu Curry - Japanese Curry Near Me - Berkeley, California

Came here with my girlfriend expecting some really good japanese curry. We left full, but disappointed. She got the chicken katsu curry and I got the japanese curry. The chicken katsu was average, nothing special. Same with my chicken. The curry sauce itself was decent. It had an okay flavor but not nearly as good as the first time I had japanese curry which was just a few weeks earlier at a friend's house. But maybe that curry was just insanely good. One good thing is that there's extra curry sauce and rice for free, for cal students. read more

Muracci's Berkeley - Chicken katsu curry - Japanese Curry Near Me - Berkeley, California

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I have mixed feelings about Muracci's. The curry is so tasty and they give you a heaping portion of rice; which is great... if you don't care about getting full on rice. If you order the katsu curry, you'll get a reasonably sized cut of meat for what you pay for, $10.45. However, I was so disappointed with my order of shrimp tempura curry. I understand that typically it's standard to give 3-5pcs, but this place charges $11.25 for 3 of the most measly pieces of shrimp I've ever seen. Each shrimp was maybe 3.5 inches long, and lacked meat/breading. A curry plate with white rice probably costs less than $1 for them to make in bulk, and 3-5 shrimps of that size MAYBE cost $2. They didn't even try to make it look like you get your money's worth. Don't order the shrimp tempura. It's completely insulting how small the tempura are for what they're asking for. The flavor of the curry is good, but I can't leave a positive review after such a laughable portion disappointment. read more

Muracci's Berkeley - $11.25 shrimp tempura for three measly shrimps. I can make myself rice at home! - Japanese Curry Near Me - Berkeley, California

Ordered one of the weekly specials: Katsu curry ramen The portions here are quite big! I could only finish about half of mine. The ramen noodles had a nice chew to them and weren't too small or big. The katsu was cooked crispy and tender. I ordered the curry medium and it wasn't spicy at all. Restaurant itself is a bit small, but worth coming if you're in the mood for some Japanese comfort food! read more

Muracci's Berkeley - Weekly special: katsu curry ramen - Japanese Curry Near Me - Berkeley, California

Large portions, but the food is pretty mid. They definitely give you enough for two meals, which I like, and the kaarage was delicious, but they don't serve food you couldn't make at home with curry cubes. The food came out fast and they do give you a lot, and the pricing is fair. It's good, edible, and will fill you up but you definitely could make something better at home! read more

Went to the grand opening today after hearing about the expansion to the new location in Berkeley. It's great that there is a Japanese curry place so close to campus now, giving more options for hungry college students. Service: The service was great! It was the first day of opening so everyone was especially nice and asking how everything was. The food took some time to come out, but we got fried items so I understand that that takes time if I'm expecting fresh food. Taste: Pretty good! I ordered a chicken appetizer and that was delicious, but I thought it would have had more pieces. The curry was pretty good and close to authentic Japanese curry like I had when I went to Japan! I got medium spice level and thought it was a little too spicy, so I would recommend getting mild. The pork cutlet was cooked pretty well, it wasn't dry, which is hard the achieve since I've tried myself before. Value: It was a bit pricey. For two curry plates and an appetizer, the total came to about $35, including tax and tip. Definitely not college student price friendly, but average priced for curry, especially after it's reputation in SF and Los Altos. I thought the amount of food was just right, but my friend was still hungry, so the portion size could be debatable. Overall, I give it a 3 for pretty good curry. The value of the food could be better, but it's what you would expect for Japanese curry. The location is great though! read more

Muracci's Berkeley - Katsu Curry - Japanese Curry Near Me - Berkeley, California

I get takeout quite a bit from here. The pork cutlet curry is very good! Can't comment on restaurant experience but food is good

I've been to Muracci about 4 times since they first opened, and while they are improving in terms of management, their food has been a bit inconsistent. I have tried their katsu curry, but because I am more of a noodle person, I've been frequenting Muracci's for their chicken & vegetable curry noodle soup with ramen. The first few times I visited Muracci's, the chicken & vegetable noodle soup was nice, dense, and perfectly seasoned. The richness of the curry complemented the soft ramen and the tender chunks of chicken really well. However, when I came here last week, their soup was watery beyond belief (pictures of curry before and curry last week attached) and lacking salt, or just flavor in general. On top of that, they decided to seat another group perpendicular to the table my friend and I were sitting at, and they were so close to our table that the backs of their chairs kept on hitting the side of our table every time they stood up or leaned back. I really did like Muracci's ramen soup, but after my last visit, I'm not sure I want to try my luck with them anymore. read more

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Coming here on a Sunday night there was about a 25 minute wait for our party of 5 really hungry borderline hangry people. The store itself isn't very big and they were very busy as the servers hustled around delivering hot plates of food. I had ordered a chicken katsu curry which came with pickled vegetables on the side. The portions were very generous which gives the meal better value. The rice was cooked well, the chicken katsu was perfectly cooked, though the curry feel short to me. I thought the curry though flavorful, was a bit to chunky for me and the texture just wasn't as smooth as other Japanese curry places. My friends got the ramen and looking at their portions and hearing their feedback, their ramen portions are also VERY generous. The noodles were cooked well and the soup broth was also flavorful. I may come back to try the ramen, maybe this time on a less busy day. Overall, great place for the hungry college student. TIP if you show your student ID you get extra curry and rice free! Score! read more

Muracci's Berkeley - Chicken katsu curry - Japanese Curry Near Me - Berkeley, California

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Favorite curry place. Hands down. I'm soooooo glad they came to Berkeley! This is their third location as their first originates in Los Altos and the second is located in San Francisco. This restaurant is located where the former So Oishii (So glad it's gone) restaurant is and next to the empty lot (RIP Intermezzo). As it is a new place, I will be kind in my review because they were definitely still getting used to the new location. The staff was friendly but they were understaffed so the service wasn't the best. They seemed to only have two waitresses which seemed to have trouble with a full capacity restaurant. Also, one thing to note is that although there seems to be max capacity of tables for the restaurant, all of them were really close together. I hope you don't mind making friends with new people! Ha ha. But seriously though, I saw two random couples awkwardly put in two tables that were an inch apart. Both parties had trouble getting into the seats because of spacing as well. The menu was standard for a Japanese curry restaurant and nothing special stood out. Having only been here once, I cannot comment too much on the menu. I tried the Spicy Noodles, which were surprisingly spicy! I mean, like not Japanese spicy, but it actually carried a kick to it. They were pretty good but I tried the Katsu Curry, which was a good portion for its size. The curry itself was delicious and the Katsu was nicely breaded. All in all, I enjoyed my meal immensely and will definitely come back. Hopefully, they work their problems out as time passes. Here's to hoping Muracci's has found a home in Berkeley! read more

Muracci's Berkeley - Spicy Noodles. - Japanese Curry Near Me - Berkeley, California

I'm not familiar with the ingredients in Japanese curry and have Celiac disease which means I can't have wheat/gluten. When I asked if there were any gluten free menu options the waiter guessed, which is unhelpful because unless I know for sure there is no gluten, I am unable to eat. When I reviewed the menu it was unclear weather anything included soy sauce or other gluten ingredients so I just left. I encourage the wait staff, owner, and chefs to review recipes and indicate gluten free dishes, substitutions or other accommodations. There's no way I am the first person with celiac to come here, and the food looks great, I wish I could have tried it without risking my health. read more

Muracci's has one of the weirdest websites I have ever seen in my life. But. The food is good. My friend likes too read more

Muracci's Berkeley - Aloha friends. It is I, master of chop sticks and delicious food. How may I serve u? - Japanese Curry Near Me - Berkeley, California

We experienced fast and friendly service. They were able to accommodate our fairly large group and handle the separate checks without complaint. The food was good but one warning is that the curry sauces are very likely to be sauce alone. Both the omelette and chicken katsus, for example, were served with curry sauce but the sauce didn't have any vegetables or anything else in it. So it was just the egg (or chicken katsu), rice, and sauce. Still enjoyed our meal though! read more

I usually go to Muracci's when I'm sick because I can't taste anything except for the spice from the curry and for a quick second my sense of taste is revived for a sweet moment before I start coughing and dying. Anyways, I come and get the Beef and Vegetable Curry Ramen and the curry and noodles are great. I only wish that there were more vegetables besides onions, carrots, and broccoli. Also, every time I've come here, the meat has been slightly dry and overcooked. But the curry fragrance is enough to save the dish. read more

Muracci's Berkeley - Japanese Curry Near Me - Berkeley, California

My favorite curry place, without a doubt, comes to Berkeley. Originally from Los Altos, Muracci's is the place to go for curry. When I found out that a location was opening in Berkeley, I was ecstatic and kept my eyes out for an opening date. Needless to say, since I created the entry on Yelp, I was incredibly hyped and excited. Muracci's doesn't disappoint. It never does and never will. For what it's worth, curry isn't a type of food that I personally can eat as a staple. However, Muracci's changes that. They nail the formula down so well, and it's so easy to mess up Japanese curry. Rather, Muracci's curry is really thick and flavorful. They also can make it fairly spicy. Most of their dishes are some form of curry rice, with a few noodle dishes. I particularly wasn't a huge fan of the noodle dishes, but the rice plates were on point. I will always have to recommend either the Katsu or Hamburger, though honestly anything with curry is great here. My only gripe is that it's somewhat expensive on a college budget, but it's very well worth a try, and it's still a great place to go every once in a while. This place will be a mainstay in Berkeley. TIP: Katsu Curry or Hamburger Curry are my go-to dishes! read more

SO MUCH CURRY. For around $10, you can get an enormous platter of white rice, katsu pork, and a small ocean of Japanese curry, with plenty of beni shoga (red pickled ginger) and a quick cabbage pickle. Two people can probably split that and be perfectly full. We also got a spicy curry noodle, which was less successful since the meat sauce had a hard time sticking to the ramen noodles. The curry itself brought the heat, but this dish was a little too salty for my taste. There's a sign that indicates college students with ID can get more rice and curry sauce, but it looks like everyone gets the huge default plate. I'm impressed how much seating they pack into this joint, and it didn't look it took long for people to get a table since the food comes out quick. read more

The best curry in town. Pork cutlet is crispy outside and juicy inside. A must order item on my list. One star off for the cleanliness of seating area. read more

Much Hope. Such Disappointment. I came to Muracci's with pretty high expectations because everyone was telling me how good it was. In Berkeley, I expect that a regular meal is priced at around $6-8. However, Muracci's is a bit on the pricier side, costing around $10-11 per plate. I ordered the Spicy Noodles with beef, and honestly, it was so salty that I had to drink at least 2-3 cups of water. I also felt that for a $10-11 meal, there was not enough meat. I also took a couple of my friends to eat with me, and no one said anything about how good the food tasted. Overall, Muracci's was a bit too overpriced for me, and a bit of a disappointment. Maybe it's because they just opened, so I'll probably try this place again after a couple weeks or months. A lot of people are saying that Muracci is the BEST katsu and curry place in Berkeley, but isn't it the only one near the university? read more

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Was walking down Telegraph trying to find this one cafe to have lunch but came across this little place and suddenly had a craving for Japanese curry instead. I ordered the beef curry, medium spicy with white rice. No complaints whatsoever. It was definitely good but no different from what I could have at Mitsuwa in San Jose. Only difference was there was some spice in this one. Their positions are satisfying though. I couldn't even finish. Will probably come back to try other items on their menu. read more

Muracci's Berkeley - Japanese Curry Near Me - Berkeley, California

Delicious! I ordered the Oyako Don, which is chicken with egg over rice. The egg is cooked perfectly, very soft and silky (I'm not sure how to describe it). The portion was a good size too. I have enough leftovers for another complete meal. My friends ordered the chicken katsu with curry. They finished their plates, maybe because they get less rice than I do and half their plate is just curry sauce. The service was great too. Our server always came to check up on us, asking about our food and refilling our water. Overall, the place is very clean and the food is cooked well. Not oily or greasy. It's a pretty popular place for students to go to actually. read more

Muracci's Berkeley - Oyako Don (chicken with egg Donburi) - Japanese Curry Near Me - Berkeley, California