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    Sobo Ramen

    4.1 (55 reviews)
    Open 11:30 am - 2:30 pm, 5:00 PM - 9:00 PM
    Updated 1 month ago

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    Momo chicken thighs
    Carlos S.

    Even though the weather is hot, there's nothing like a good noodle/ramen meal to end the night! Came in on a Saturday close to closing and the staff was welcoming and attentive. There was some confusion with food we did not order being brought to us, so not sure what was going on. Ordered some soju, chicken thighs, and Mazemen with katsu side (wanted noodles but not the broth). Everything was delicious and more than enough as a serving. Small katsu came out late as I was halfway done with my mazemen.

    Spicy mayu (opted for not spicy)
    Mito I.

    Brief Summary: - Really cool interior - Close to Trader Joe's - Food impression: ramen with volume - Medium thickness noodles We entered around early evening, the start time for dinner. There are two doorways, but the one that is open is the one away from the University Ave street. Turning the corner, the staff welcomed us, asked how many there are, and they loosely let us choose the seats because the seats were not filled at the time. We chose the corner seat, where it's half chair and the wall side is a booth. There are many ramen shops that popped up in Berkeley, and I think this one is on the heavier group, where the pork is thicker and it covers half of the ramen bowl surface. When we chose our seats, the staff gave us a good stack of different menus: the general menu, the special seasonal edition menu, and the drinks. For this time, since it was my first visit, I decided to go for the general menu. We chose the spicy mayu and the pork belly tonkotsu. Whether it was because the restaurant just opened or this is the characteristic of the restaurant, but it felt like it took some time for the orders to arrive; I guessing around ten to fifteen minutes of waiting. Luckily, we chatted and time flew enough that we still had topics to talk about before our dishes arrived at the same time. The noodles have medium thickness, which is my favored thickness. I also liked that in this ramen bowl, the pork was sliced thinly, so I can focus on the noodle and soup more. The soup is rich but after the sip it leaves a clean finish. This soup amplified in goodness when I broke the egg in half and the semi-cooked ajitama mixed into the broth. While I love bok choy, chewing the whole bok choy vegetable took some physical tearing of pulling at with the teeth and hand. It would be nice if these were cut into bite sized pieces or split by each leaf.

    Beautiful interior with lots of seating & natural light
    Rosa C.

    I've tried the Oakland location years ago and was so excited to visit the downtown Berkeley Sobo Ramen location. The space is huge with plenty of tables throughout. Our waitress was very attentive and kept our waters filled. We got two tempura dishes, the miso ramen, and the mazemen. The pork belly in the miso ramen was a very generous & thick cut that was literally melt-in-your-mouth. I loved all of the pickled vegetables in the mazemen, which gave the dish great color, acidity, and crunch. Hoping they'll make the dipping ramen when summer starts!

    The peach soju and tea
    Andie

    Sobo Ramen hits that rare perfection point: cozy, craveable, and completely dialed in. The black chicken katsu curry is rich without feeling heavy, the rice have the perfect bite, and the service makes the whole meal feel easy. The peach soju is dangerously smooth--bright, playful, and perfect with savory broth. And the Thai iced tea? Creamy, sweet, refreshing, and absolutely necessary. This is the kind of spot you leave already planning your next happy visit back very soon. Service/vibe? Big Auntie Energy. Hugs.

    Chicken katsu ramen
    Ally Y.

    Great service, very attentive and good menu recommendations. The place was chill and easy to get a table when we came in on a weeknight. We got the first recommended special and it did not disappoint. The portions were generous too!

    Chicken skewer
    Deirdre P.

    Delicious ramen! Really love how fresh everything is. We tried the curry broth ramen and also the maya ramen. The noodles are freshly made, the bok choy was crisp and the katsu was really well done. Liked how you just grab all the extra side items as add ons. We got a plate of skewers (took the picture after 2 were eaten), some vegetable tempura, sesame balls, and rice balls and everything was very fresh. The Thai tea is really good too. Great service from all the staff. Has a very cool vibe inside with the murals and comfy chairs. My son loved the cotton candy machine too- what a treat! Totally recommend eating here.

    Dining area
    Sophia N.

    Pleasantly surprised by the carefully balanced bowl of broth less noodles. The delightfully chewy noodles were paired with a spicy mala pork, but mellowed by the pickled vegetables. The egg yolk made it so luxurious! This bowl was the standout for me even though the classic tonkatsu was delicious too. We were spoiled by conversation with Ken and some carefully curated cocktails. Don't sleep on this underrated gem. We will definitely make the long drive to visit again as soon as possible.

    Tonkotsu ramen
    Nick W.

    Great service and ambiance. Modern decor with a warm feel and soft lighting. Excellent service! But the real star of the show is the ramen, of course. Generous portions of wonderfully rich flavor and texture. You really can't go wrong with anything on the menu, but beware. Spicy means SPICY.

    Inside
    Cheri L.

    Let's get lunch! We first put in our noodle orders from the menu, then walked through the little stations to check out the extra bites before sitting down in their pretty and spacious seating. They actually have a matcha ramen available, but I already had my matcha fill that day so we stuck with a classic tonkotsu ramen and a saucy flat noodle dish. Both had a nice spice with super filling portions, making this a great stop for a cozy meal in the Berkeley area. Service was pretty fast and very friendly.

    Photo 1: Montage of images from Sobo Ramen
    Ed U.

    Ah yes, I remember Sobo Ramen from its Oakland Chinatown location, but it's been over a decade since I had a rather disappointing bowl of lobster ramen there (review: https://yelp.to/DDQfIxcv2U). I don't hold grudges (much), so I noticed they opened a second location fairly recently on University at Milvia in Berkeley. Jamie W and I were on our way to catch Laura Benanti at Berkeley Rep. It was a 2PM matinee, so we had about an hour to order and eat. Gratefully it wasn't busy here. I was surprised they set themselves up like Marugame Udon where you order your main dish almost right away at the counter and then pick and choose various readymade sides like tempura and yakitori under heat lamps in a buffet-like setting. I don't really mind the concept, though I tend to worry that tempura wilts pretty quickly once out of the fryer. Luckily this wasn't as much the case here. Jamie kept it simple and stuck with the buffet items: the $2.20 Shrimp Tempura, the $2.20 skewer of Chicken Thigh Yakitori, the $2.20 Sesame Soy Sauce Rice Ball, and the $3.00 Seaweed Salad (Photo 9). He proclaimed his order as pretty good. Even though I was tempted by the unique Matcha Coconut Ramen, I ordered the $16.78 Mazemen, my first time trying brothless ramen...yes, I know I'm late to the game, but I thought I should finally give it a try. I liked the mix of housemade wide chili noodles, ground pork, Szechuan spice, peanuts, pickled vegetables (red onion, cabbage, cucumbers), and a raw egg yolk that brought it all together (Photo 10). I hardly missed the broth. I also went for the $4.60 boat of Veggie Tempura (broccoli floret, onion rings, yam slice) to get different textures (Photo 8). Overall it was a reasonably tasty experience, and we may come back for one of their ramen bowls yet. FOOD - 4 stars...better-than-expected tempura and the mazemen was a nice change AMBIANCE - 4 stars...pretty spacious SERVICE - 3.5 stars...fairly attentive TOTAL - 4 stars...always good to have another noodle option RELATED - Exploring Berkeley? Here's a collection of places l've visited and reviewed: https://yelp.to/ARb9hLYSFi

    Tria X.

    Came on a Saturday. The service was quick. You pop in, look at menu by the door, pick up a try, grab appetizers as you go through the line to pay, pay for the food at cashier, get a seat, and they deliver your ramen to you at the table. The appetizers were cold. The best one we had was the bacon wrapped quail egg. Would've been better if it was fresh or still hot/warm. Got the black garlic ramen and it was ok... Black ramen had Sichuan pepper corns and the broth was not thick, flavorful with garlic if you like that. Noodles were too soft, prefer al dente. There was a bar as well and for 2 beers. Bathrooms and restaurant was clean.

    Sauce/water/utensils station
    Kristy L.

    Upon walking inside, you're greeted by a familiar line up area with the menu above, where you place your order and choose any of the options of tempura along with your ramen. If you're dining in, the ramen will be brought to your table as it's made to order. Unlike Marugame, you'll have to wait to get your noodles -- but don't let that deter you! The wait time was approximately 10-15min which isn't horrible if you're not on a time crunch / with friends or family! There is plenty of seating as this is a family friendly restaurant, a little more upscale than your average ramen shop though. I liked that they provided a sauce bar -- however, the labels for each sauce were smudging and one of them didn't have a label. Not a huge issue though. Onto the ramen: I can't quite remember what my cousins got, but they all agreed they loved their ramens and would come back! The Katsu was not dry at all, perfectly crispy and juicy. The pork was also juicy and tender, not lacking in flavor. The mazemen is what drew me to want to try Sobo Ramen. It markets to be numbing, spicy, bright acidity from the pickled onions and to have a slick kick of chili. I felt that the flavors were pretty mild compared to those of the soup ramen. I did make sure to mix the sauce until it coated each noodle, but the flavors didn't come through as strong as I had hoped. I wish it was more numbing and that the spice came through, hopefully next time I come by it will be better! Service is fine, you don't really interact with anyone beyond ordering your meal and getting the food at your table, so not much to speak on there. The environment is beautiful and well decorated, restrooms are very interesting -- many toilets and a shared handwashing sink to the far left outside the restrooms.

    Mayu
    Aerielle S.

    I had high hopes for this place! We saw tsukemen on display and went in to try it but they didn't have it on the menu. Despite the disappointment, we still ate here. There was a marugame concept for ordering. I got the mayu, it was rich and smokey. Satisfying amount of food! The soft boiled egg was way too salty though, I couldn't eat the second half. I really liked that they used thin noodles! For the tempura, I took a bite of the broccoli and got a mouthful of raw batter. They did not cook it long enough which created a super unpleasant experience. The server was nice and gave us another plate of tempura at no extra charge. Though it is under a heater, the tempura was room temperature at best. The shrimp and enoki tempura were good but would've been better if it was actually hot/warmer. The glazed pork belly ramen was alright. The pork belly was a little too sweet for our liking.

    Black garlic ramen with spice

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    Sobo Ramen Reviews in Other Languages

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    Masa Ramen Bistro - BROKE DA MOUTH!

    Masa Ramen Bistro

    (320 reviews)

    $$

    Downtown Berkeley

    Brief summary: - Good portions - fills up more than its…read moreappearance - Liked the equal balance of the broth and noodles with protein - Close to Trader Joe's - Indoor seating Ramen is a dish that has started sprouting in Berkeley, and this is one of them .I decided to go there for dinner with the family before heading to the Trader Joe's across the street to stock up on groceries. We entered a few minutes before peak dinner times, so there were seats to choose and sit from. By the time we left, mostly all the seats were filled up, so I would suggest coming in early. I liked the naming for each of the ramen dishes, some I recognized the names from Hawai'i. For this round, we ordered 3 different types of ramen: the Kuni, Broke da Mouth, and the Miso Hungry. These orders also came around the same time. A notable elements I liked about the ramen was that the noodles were chewy and springy, and the broth was smooth and easy to drink. I also didn't have the urge to drink lots of water either, so the seasoning was perfect. The other element was that I got to enjoy the ramen's broth and noodles as the stars of the dish, and the proteins, like the pork were supporting roles. For me, what I enjoy ramen are the broth and noodles, so I'm happy that these are prominent in the dish, rather than me having other chow down a thick slab of pork. This restaurant hit the right marks for what a delicious ramen is for me, so I'll come back, and maybe try their other broths.

    I thought I had reviewed this place already, but Yelp doesn't seem to think so?…read more I had ramen with a black garlic broth. It was perfectly cooked, service was great, would definitely go back. Ambiance was Christmas music (meh).

    Tane Vegan Izakaya - Point Reyes

    Tane Vegan Izakaya

    (441 reviews)

    $$

    Downtown Berkeley

    Wow wow wow! I didn't think it could be done but this place has perfect vegan Japanese food! It's…read morehard to get in so make sure to make a reservation. Pacifica Roll (10/5 stars) - the best thing we ate, perfect creation of flavors that don't overwhelm each other, it's perfectly savory Poke Salad (5/5) - does it tastes like fish? No. But it's a great combination of textures, you have the chewy king oyster mushrooms and soft fried tofu, the crunch of the veggies and the cashew dressing is addicting Da Bao (5/5) - I didn't like the vegan spam alone (I personally like this other brand more) but here they paired it well with veggies and plum wine sauce that makes it work. The vegan spam here is too smokey for my tastes but together it's good. Roasted Garlic Miso Ramen (2/5) - Honestly, it was the only not good thing we had. The broth was neither garlicky or miso-y. It was very mushroomy. It was all one could taste. The spam did not fit with the ramen and was very jarring to taste in the ramen. Yuzu Matcha (5/5) - It's sour but not too sour. Like it wakes you up witout making your face pucker. Absolutely cannot wait to come back!

    First of all, I eat meat. And I love sushi. So I was like..,uh vegan sushi? But tbh it was good…read moreasf! I ordered the Ewa roll and Point Reyes and they were both really Flavorful and filling! I was like..there's no fish in this?! Word?! Idk how they did it but it tasted like seafood. It's a quiet little place without a lot of seating, so consider making a reservation!

    Marufuku Ramen - Oakland

    Marufuku Ramen - Oakland

    (2.3k reviews)

    $$

    Temescal, North Oakland

    If you enjoy Ramen.... this is the place for you. It's a wait for seating, but worth every minute…read more Service was warm and attentive. Special shoutout... to the guy handling the wait list at the door. What an engaging sweetheart. He handled the list, waiting people well..a smiling personality and very helpful... thank you . Food was exceptional... I had pork belly ramen which had great flavor. They also had chicken and beef based ramens. Also noteworthy the meat was fresh (taste the difference). Appetizers had gyoza... (nothing special)...and octopus (Amazing delicacy... I'm talking exceptional food). Flashing lychee drink Very good food...a nice treat. Thank you everyone S

    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.

    Ippuku - Sashimi combo: tuna, fatty tuna, sea urchins and ?

    Ippuku

    (1.5k reviews)

    $$$

    Downtown Berkeley

    Walk-in at Ippuku in Berkeley came with a pretty long wait, and there is no online waitlist which…read moremakes planning difficult. We were seated around 7:30 (which is still prime dinner time imo) only to be told that many of the menu items had already sold out, which was disappointing. The items that were still available were good and we still had a nice time overall. FYI, the non-alcoholic beverage selection is quite limited. At this price point, the wait plus the number of sold out dishes makes us question whether we would come back.

    This place has been on my want to go list for a while, and I finally got to try it! We didn't make…read morea reservation and walked in instead. We waited for about 30 min and the restaurant texted us once the table was ready. We ordered quite a few dishes and started with Omakase gushi, which came with chicken breast, thigh with leek, heart, cartilage, and minced chicken. We also ordered the oden set, sasami, tori tataki, gyu-tan, enoki bacon, and buta bara. Evertyhing tasted pretty good, but the most impressive dish was sasami with umeboshi, which was inner bresat with umehad was the inner breast with umeboshi. It was my first time trying raw chicken, and it tasted really good. The chicken breast was really tender, with a tuna-like texture, and without any slimy or odd flavors. Ever since then, I've been telling my friends to try it. The Tori Tataki was seared chicken breast sashimi with ponzu, which tasted a bit plain compared to the sasami. So I would highly recommended to get theeir sasami!

    Sobo Ramen - ramen - Updated May 2026

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