Nash Cafe is homey, authentic, and warm - something that Berkeley has been losing over the last few years. With the rise of modern restaurants and designs in the area, Nash Cafe remains that lovely, petite restaurant with very sweet elderly staff. As much as I adore their interior and atmosphere, their food did not hit the way I wished it did. Their potstickers tasted like those frozen grocery potstickers that you microwave. Their zhajiang noodles lacked taste and their table-side chili garlic oil condiment was very bland. There's pork belly skewers were tasty and crispy, but the price did not match the serving size. I did enjoy the Wuhan Dry Sesame Noodles, which was surprisingly their cheapest dish we ordered. Maybe I'm just unlucky and the dishes I ordered weren't their best? read more

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Came here on Thursday night around 7:30pm and it was empty. Never a good sign when there's nobody inside the restaurant. Parking is a little difficult since it's on Shattuck Ave. Decided to order a whole bunch of skewers to try: beef, lamb, chicken, pork belly, beef tongue, chicken wing, gizzard, and momo bun. We decided to go for hot and the server warned us that it is spicy. We like spicy and told her it's fine. Always a good sign when someone stops you from ordering spicy. We were intrigued. They did not disappoint. Sure enough, the skewers had a lot of seasoning, flavor, and spice. Some of my favorites were chicken and pork belly (they had a nice crispy outside) and juicy in the inside. The beef and lamb skewers were pretty standard. Momo bun was good as well. Gizzard, I was told was good but I'm not a fan out the texture myself. Overall, the skewers were good. They did not skimp on the seasoning, which was appreciated. Now to the noodles. Honestly the noodles were okay at best. Chongqing spicy noodles didn't pack the same heat as I'm accustomed to. The broth didn't have a lot of flavor. Wuhan dry sesame noodles was the favorite of the table but I wasn't a fan of the richness and creaminess of the sesame. The zhajang noodles lacked flavor. Overall great place for skewers, I would skip on the noodles though. read more

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Finally found a Chinese skewer place in East Bay! But darn, got too excited and forgot to take pix of the skewers. Bonus: open past midnight daily! No wait on a weeknight for dinner. Was about $8 for 4 beef skewers - great price esp for the Bay! The medium wasn't especially hot. Would recommend doing a lighter option and adding chili pepper yourself as needed. The chili pepper on the side wasn't too spicy either (for reference, I usually get medium spice at Thai restaurants) The tofu was super crispy and not what I expected. Not bad but would only get after prioritizing other dishes. The sesame noodles and spicy noodles had tons of flavor and were great to accommodate the meat. Recommend! Service was fast. Had about 2 or 3 rows of tables that could be moved to accommodate larger parties. Definitely coming back with more friends! Parking was relatively difficult given the Berkeley area. Expect to hunt for street parking! read more

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Now I'm imagining that this must be authentic Chinese food. When you see pork trout, pork intestines, chicken feet and bullfrog on the menu you know you're not at PF Chang's! This place is near campus and open late. It's a casual Chinese eatery with noodles, dumplings, soups and other traditional dishes. I tried the Zha Jiang noodles which were good. My friend said the Shrimp wonton soup was good as well. Wasn't a lot of options on the menu for me, but I think they did what they were trying to do! You order through the waitress and pay at the register. read more

Nash Cafe - Barbeque Near Me - Berkeley, California

EXCELLENT food. I'm still dreaming of it 8 months later. Cons: -Waitress wouldn't let me order my food hot, and medium ended up being disappointing. I respect her trying to look out for me-- I don't look like my spice tolerance would be as high as it was. -Table and everything on it was super sticky and kind of gross -My friends ordered milk tea which came in a juice box type of package with an expiration date that had long passed. Pros: -Kind and patient staff -Good prices -Delicious food -Tons of menu options to try read more

In a nutshell; great chinese food in the day, even greater at midnight. Stopped by here to get some good food and something to warm the eve. As the nights were cool and breezy after a days activities. Parking can be a pain as you can only get lucky with street parking and can be tough when there's an event nearby or the aftermath of one. Nonetheless, place served great food even when you're the only customers during the late nights. Overall would stop by again if ever in Berkeley. read more

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Food and service were ok. We ordered bbq beef, potato salad (I felt like I was eating raw potato strings), grilled squid, and jajiang noodles. I like the grilled squid the most. read more

I love Nash Cafe. Amazing food, service, pricing, and environment. When I arrived, I heard Chinese television playing in the background felt like I was back in China. We ordered the Chong Qing Spicy Noodle-Sichuan Pepper Mince Pork Veggies, Marinated Pork Belly Over Rice, and Lamb Skewers. My favorite was the barbecue. They flavored the lamb skewers perfectly and had a good balance of lean and fatty meat. I also spoke Chinese to the owner so she gave us bigger portions. I love bilinguality. 我爱中国. The service is also really fast. I can't wait to bring my friends here and try more items on the menu! read more

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Went during Thanksgiving. The lady was very friendly and welcoming. She even offered us better seats. Food came out hot and it was actually spicy! The beef & chicken wing skewers were so fresh and seasoned. Beef soup was really good as well. Will be back, highly recommend read more

I was craving some Chinese bbq and found this place in Yelp. We ordered a lot, and the bill came about $120. The people here are absolutely nice. The chef even came out to double check the spicy level herself. The food...is on the salty side. The salty taste overpowered the ingredients themselves and other spices. My favorites were beef tongue, spam, and pork. My least favorites were pig brain, chicken skins, and chicken hearts. Their noodles on the other hand were good. We ordered Wuhan Sesame Paste noddles. It was absolutely tasty. I guess I might not come back to this place. There are better choices here in the bay. The place itself is cute though and you can play the piano behind their restaurant. read more

Nash Cafe - Barbeque Near Me - Berkeley, California

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Really good late night spot for homey comfort food. Everything was pretty decent but what made this place was the service. The grandma who took our order was very kind and attentive. Food came quick and was super hot. Would come again if in the area and would try new dishes out! read more

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The best fried fish I have ever had in California. It was a Pink Fish and it tasted fantastically delicious! Skewers are excellent and overall service is on point. It was recommended to request fried fish in advance, due to the prep of their secret recipe and the time it takes to cook it to perfection! read more

Nash Cafe - Pink Fried Fish. - Barbeque Near Me - Berkeley, California

This is the kind of restaurant that does not look too friendly for non Chinese customers, since most of the signage are in Chinese without translation, also most of the time there is only Asian people inside, but typically in theses places the food is the best, and this was the case. I put 4 starts instead of 5 because of the price, a little pricey for my taste since this is not a fancy restaurant to charge so much. The good things about the food at this place is that they have items that are not so easy to find in the US. If you like Panda Express type of Chinese food, this is not the place for you. It is not loaded with sugar and has types of meat you won't find in your mall food court (fried chicken skin, tripe and more). Recommended for an authentic experience if you can afford it. read more

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I'm more than excited to find my hometown food near Berkeley campus. I believe this is the second Hubei food restaurant in north California. Sesame noodle is pretty good, I would say it's Quite Authentic, ingredients, sauce, noodle, everything is good. We ordered some skewers, lamb, beef, chicken wings, they're quite salty even for me, a little bit disappointed, judging by the texture of the meat, you know they cooked it in a pretty Chinese way. Shredded potatoes would be a nice choice if your friends don't always eat Chinese food but want to give it a shot. It's an appetizer with Chinese flavor. We ordered fried rice at last, it was good, freshly cooked, but at the same time also a little bit salty. Overall, just my opinion, food can be less salty, but otherwise quite nice. read more

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The pizza was delicious and great for left overs the next day. The gentleman at the register was polite and even brought us complementary water and delicious knots while we waited for our pizza. The restaurant has ample seating for groups. read more

Nash Cafe - Complementary knots - Barbeque Near Me - Berkeley, California

This cafe is located on University St. which is a super popular street connected to Berkeley's campus. Parking will be really tough during the day so side residential streets is the move. I came around 10pm Monday so parking was not a problem. The restaurant front door was not open and shop was closed. They are usually open late and we had to buzz into the hotel and enter the shop through the side door. The only worker said they were closed because they were short on staff but she took our orders anyway! We ordered salt and pepper tofu($7.99) with rice($1.99) came out to $11 exact after tax and Zha Jiang Noodle which kinda like chow mein noodle with minced pork, cucumbers, and bean sprouts. It was $12.12. Good came out fresh in 15minutes and you get fortune cookie or white rabbit candy. Also got spicy chili oil to go. Tofu was amazing! 10/10 must get. The salt and pepper seasoning was perfect. I wished I got the salt and pepper pork now. Portion size was average for the price! Crispy outside and soft inside. Had chilis green onions, and peppers. Would highly rec! Zha jiang noodles were subpar 7/10. Noodles were ok nothing really special. Meat was good size portion, nicely flavored if eaten alone but mixed in with everything the dish was lacking flavor. Could use extra soy sauce. Would order something else besides this next time. read more

Nash Cafe - Salt and Pepper Tofu - Barbeque Near Me - Berkeley, California

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Came here w/ my sister for a late dinner on a weekday around 11pm. It was our first time coming here and we were craving Chinese! The service was great and loved how sweet the ladies working there were. It's a definitely a smaller restaurant so super cute and cozy. Enoki mushrooms - we love enoki mushrooms so definitely loved this dish! It had garlic butter on top and was chewy / crispy. Wonton soup - so warm and comforting. C2 - pretty decent dish but was kind of missing something. Felt like it needed more flavor or spice! Loved the veggies in the dish and thought it rlly added to the texture. read more

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I can appreciate the slogan on their website: "Best Food. Good Food". I didn't read it as a semantic disconnect but more as a self-realization that it comes down to serving good food. It's a Chinese restaurant, but there are so many nuances to Chinese cuisine that I had to take a closer look at their menu and recognized their staple dishes like dry sesame noodles and spicy frog came from the Wuhan province. Of course we know Wuhan for other unrelated reasons now, which made me want to support this business more. I wasn't looking for a feast, so I ended up ordering light, at least for my appetite. First up were a couple of $5.99 skewer sets, four with each order. Both sets were tasty enough but somewhat overcooked as I unwrapped them from the aluminum foil. The Chicken Hearts were dried up and not as supple as I was hoping (photo: https://bit.ly/3GgPAo1). The Crispy Chicken Skins were overly crisped and epoxied on their wooden sticks (photo: https://bit.ly/3rZJm6S). My favorite dish was the $7.99 Salt and Pepper Tofu, which was wok-fried in chunks with a nice crust and mixed with peppers and onion (photo: https://bit.ly/3ICl8WM). The peppers provided a nice kick. I'd like to try their Wuhan-specific dishes next time. They sound flavorfully intriguing. FOOD - 3 stars...slightly overcooked skewers but the peppery tofu was tasty AMBIANCE - n/a...this was a delivery SERVICE - 3.5 stars...came on time TOTAL - 3 stars...Wuhan worth trying again RELATED - Exploring Berkeley? Here's a collection of places I've visited and reviewed: https://bit.ly/2CbVh8u read more

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The staff was really nice and we got seated right away. They were quick to attend to us even though it was a little late into the evening and they were pretty busy. It took a while for our food to come out since they were busy, But the broccoli beef was pretty tasty, and the chow mein was nice too. The soup dumplings didn't have any soup in them ... that was a disappointment. Overall a decent experience, just wish the soup dumplings has soup in them - hence the name. read more

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The food is authentic and delicious. Spice might be an issue for delicate palates but the servers are helpful if you express preferences. It has an ethnic, intimate atmosphere. read more

We went for the bbq and overall it was quite disappointing. We got beef tongue (burnt), lamb skewer (ok), mushroom (good) and potato (no taste) and xiao long bao (good). For some reason, we both got super bloated after dinner. Not sure why. read more

Nash Cafe - Potato - Barbeque Near Me - Berkeley, California

Luo Shi Rice Noodle with hidden boiled Wontons was delicious. It's a bit on the spicy side... make sure you have extra water (your true bffl best friend for life) handy. Thanks for your quick and great service Jackie. read more

Nash Cafe - Luo Shi Rice Noodle - Barbeque Near Me - Berkeley, California

I just come back from the restaurant with my friends. the food was ok, but the service was not so good. There is also hard to get the parking spot. I think I might not go back. read more

While looking through UberEats for a local place to order dinner from, we noticed that Nash Café had some good looking food. Flipping through Yelp, we were impressed by the 4 star rating so decided to give it a try. The food itself was prepared surprisingly fast, and the driver was able to pick it up about 15mins after we placed the order. For our order, we opted for the following items: -Zha Jiang Noodle (4 out of 5 stars): As this was one of the featured menu items, and came highly recommend by multiple Yelpers, we figured that we just had to order this. The zha jiang (aka fried sauce) on top of the noodles was pretty good, and mixed together, made for an affordable and delicious meal choice. -House Special Fried Frice (3 out of 5 stars): This is the equivalent of a combination fried rice plate elsewhere. Consisting of small pieces of pork, vegetable bits, chunks of chicken, and a few small prawns, the fried rice was overall ok, however not the best fried rice I've ever had. The quantity given though was quite generous and to Nash Cafe's credit, the fried rice was not oily like the fried rice from other Chinese restaurants so we did not feel as guilty afterwards. -Beef Skewer (4 out of 5 stars): While the beef kebobs were a bit on the drier side, it was still flavorful and well seasoned. Each order consisted of 4 skewers, which was more than enough to share between 2 people. -Yellow Croaker (1 out of 5 stars): I originally envisioned this to be cubed sized cuts of croaker filet, but what we got instead was a whole croaker. While this would not normally be a bad thing, the croaker was very small (of the size which one would normally toss back or simply use as bait to catch bigger fish). And while I thoroughly enjoy a well cooked croaker, the fish itself was smothered with an overpoweringly bad tasting spicy marinade that completely overwhelmed any original flavor the fish may have had. Overall, the food was hit and miss. Considering the amount of excellent dining options around the area however, it is unlikely I will be ordering from Nash Café again anytime soon. read more

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First time and last time here. Service was minimal. None of the dishes has flavors. We ordered some skillets. For example chicken wings.. beef, lamb... To my surprised chicken wings were deep fried first then grilled lightly with some cumins. We had terrible food and our bill was $78 before tax... I don't usually mind eating junk food as long as they taste good. Please consider about this place carefully before you go. You'd better skip this place if possible. Or at least, just order little to try... read more

Really tasty food. I agree with the reviewer who spent time in Wuhan that the chicken skin skewers are a little too chewy. However, the beef skewers are amazing, and the grilled mushrooms and grilled lotus roots were both delicious. Salt & pepper fried tofu was very, very tasty. Food tends toward the spicy end. I like very spicy food; the waitress steered us toward "medium" and she was correct that that's already quite spicy. Think Hunan or Thai level spicy. Zhajiang noodles were great comfort food. read more

Nash Cafe - Grilled button mushrooms - Barbeque Near Me - Berkeley, California

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I was craving for marinated pork belly over rice (well I guess it should call braised pork) recently and saw this cafe on doordash and decided to give it a try. If you don't know what is "lu rou" as Asian then why you name it this way in Chinese on doordash. The porks were extremely dry in a barbecue way and how come the meat cut in slices? What a disappointment! read more

Nash Cafe - Barbeque Near Me - Berkeley, California

Cool little spot for Chinese cuisine near the campus. There isn't a ton of seating so make reservations beforehand. We tried a couple of different soups, a bunch of skewers and some miscellaneous veggie dishes. My favorites were the chicken skewers and the lamb skewers. The two servers that were taking care of everybody were very accommodating and efficient. Would definitely consider going back if I'm in the area. read more

my favorite late night spot in Berkeley, period. The food is cheap but the food is so homemade and quality. Have come here with a group of friends and my partner to casually dine and have always had a good time. The owners and servers are really sweet and service is always good. I'd recommend their beef noodle soup (4.5/5) and chinese skewers (5/5). They are heavy handed with spice so unless you're really good with spicy, I'd recommend for mild or no spice. Parking is though in the afternoon but every time I've ventured past 9pm, I've been able to secure a spot nearby. read more

If you're craving a late night snack at a good and affordable price, Nash Cafe is your place. Stumbled upon here randomly after craving some late night food. Arrived around 11:00 and ordered a few dishes with a friend. We ordered their Beef Noodle Soup, Zha Jiang Noodles, Salt & Pepper Tofu and Xiao Long Bao. While I will say these dishes were not amazing they definitely hit the spot. The remarkable surprise was their Salt & Pepper Tofu, it was tiny lego brick sized tofu pieces that were crispy on the outside with a light fluffy interior. It was complemented well by the slightly grilled peppers sprinkled throughout adding just the right amount of heat without being overbearing. As for the other dish, each were good in their respective aspects but they weren't quite the quality you may expect from dishes of their kind. In particular their beef noodle soup had a few things I wasn't expecting like cabbage and the soup wasn't really strong. I'd like them to make it more spicy with some tomato as a base to add more umami but it was still decent nonetheless. For the Zha Jiang Noodles, it was surprisingly good. I can't really fault this place if anything because I've mostly had Korean "jjajjamyeong" which is a take on this dish. Both have their merits and I've grown accustomed to one that I can't really say if this was good or not. Regardless of if it was authentic, it was definitely tasty. Last but not least, their XLB was just okay. It wasn't nearly anything compared to any other place I've had. The skin was too sticky and the leaf they usually use underneath wasn't a napa cabbage leaf which in my experience has added a slight sweetness to the dish. I guess I'm picky because I've had some amazing ones throughout my life but it wasn't exactly their best dish. It doesn't discount that it was remedied with a little ginger and black vinegar which they provided. All in all, I would say the food is closer to a 3.5 star rating but the service was great. The cashier/waiter was attentive and made sure to refill our waters. He knew when to take his time and when to come and help. As someone that just appreciates good service, this truly made my experience all that much better. TL;DR Salt & Pepper Tofu was the real winner and their service was great. College level quality of food but affordable prices and comfortable atmosphere. read more

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Nash is my go-to spot for a homey chinese dinner. The staff are all super friendly and kind as well as amazing cooks. My favorite menus are: chicken, beef, and lamb skewers (extra extra spicy), fried noodle/rice, salt and pepper PORK and sweet and sour pork!! I've also tried their other menus such as wonton soup and their porridge which are all very comforting and flavorful despite being simple dishes. Additional reasons to my love for Nash is because they do their spice really well on their skewers and usually have a variety of chillis incorporated in their dishes. They also sometimes give complimentary small bites that are all really good!! Lastly, they open relatively late compared to other restaurants. I love nash! read more

Nash Cafe - fried noodle - Barbeque Near Me - Berkeley, California

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Skewers were soooo good. I dream about them not going to lie.. Nice casual atmosphere, friendly service, great for a late night snack/meal! read more

Nash Cafe - Beef Skewers Pork Belly Skewers - Barbeque Near Me - Berkeley, California

Looks great on paper. So much so that when looking for an authentic meal available after 9:00 pm, I forgot how mediocre the first meal was and returned. I made the mistake of giving the proverbial second chance. The people are kind and it is a small local place -- I wish I could say good things. I don't mind food cooked in oil and I am not squeamish about fats. I love chilis and eat hot food. Here, the food is excessively greasy and not interesting. The menu descriptions are interesting -- the food is not. Usually chili can be used to add flavor and complexity. Here, it just made the food hot. I gave them a 2 stars for being relatively kind. I recommend them for an outing, like visiting a museum or taking in a movie. I cannot endorse their food which, for a restaurant, is not a good quality. read more

reasonable price, good tastes, nice service with super kind onwer little bit dim. so many people don't know this place is hidden 'matzip' read more

Nash Cafe - Zha Jiang Noodle - Beijing Style, Dark Gravy Mince Pork Sauce Brunch - Barbeque Near Me - Berkeley, California

Nash Cafe is probably the best spot in the area for Chinese skewers. The skewers always hit the spot and the souls are the best! The only thing I wouldn't get again there are the soup dumplings. The service is what you expect at any good Chinese restaurant - minimal, but still welcoming. It's usually pretty quiet inside, but during evenings on weekends it can get a little busy. It's a great place for group dinners to just casually hang out with friends and chat. read more

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This is a good restaurant which opens until midnight. Recommend for those who love Chinese barbecue and noodles. The boss here is very friendly. read more

I really did want to like this place, since it seems very, very authentic, but it was resoundingly "meh". I'm sorry, my Chinese ancestors. I tried. First, the food. I ordered beef noodle soup, and my friend ordered zhajianmian. They were, as mentioned above, "meh". Similar in quality to VCafe. Definitely worse than Da Lian. We also tried their lamb kebabs, which tasted good but were extremely small. Maybe we ordered the wrong thing, but since the noodles and kebabs are advertised on the wall as their specials, I doubt it. Usually, I don't care at all about service, but I should point out that the service was pretty bad. Upon entering the restaurant, we were told that because we had not made a reservation, they would serve people with reservations before they served us. I know that they did give us a warning, but it still felt a bit unfair that they served four or five other tables before us even though we were the second customers to arrive after the opening time, and only a few reservations had apparently been made. Service was super slow, and it was really hard to get their attention. I guess that I know now to make a reservation, even if the place doesn't look full. The place is swarming with international students, so I guess I just expected a bit better. I'm not sure how they all knew about it so quickly - I think there might be some WeChat group I'm not in on. Also, fun fact, I tried to go one Tuesday, not realizing it was closed on Tuesdays, and the door was open so I just wandered in. I stood there for a while wondering why there were no servers, and even called out "hello?" but heard no voices from the clattering in the kitchen. I caught on that they were closed after a minute or two and awkwardly left. Guys, lock your doors. read more

Nash Cafe - beef noodle soup - Barbeque Near Me - Berkeley, California

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The BBQ skewers are amazing, the seasoning is always on point. Love this place! The staff/owners are super friendly too.

Food was fine, although nothing special. The main problem is that service was basically nonexistent, where you have to seat yourself, grab the menu yourself, flag down the one waitress, and then walk up to the counter to check yourself out. The waitress will just look at you while you do all that. That's all fine if this were an order at the counter spot, but it's clearly not, and they ask for tip in the same way that a sit down restaurant would. The audacity. read more

Eh their food is ok, honestly their beef noodle soup was an abomination and the worse I've ever tasted but they have really good fried rice for the price. Food: I've gotten their fried rice on multiple occasions and their beef noodle soup once and their fried rice is amazing and worth the price. However, the beef noodle soup, oh god the beef was hard and the noodles were like old and it was just an overall disaster and def not worth the price. I personally feel like their food is a hit or a miss but def try their fried rice Ambience: I only got to go since I went after quarantine was in place read more