Great service, amazing food and good vibes. Pleasant eating experience. The fries were particularly good and great bang for your buck for the whole table read more

*3.5 STARS. Spoon's menu offers an array of Korean and Japanese food items, and the ambience is casual with indoor and outdoor seating. We decided to have lunch here with a big party and ordered a variety of Korean dishes to share, with some hits and misses. PROS: Spicy pork belly, soft tofu stew, kimchi pancake, dolsot bimbambop and glazed potatoes. CONS: Tteokbokki - too watery and sweet, the rice cakes itself were overcooked and didn't have enough chew. The corn cheese was good, however the portion size was incredibly small for $9. Considering the overall experience, it's a little overpriced for the quality. A lot of the dishes were too sweet for my liking. Mediocre at best. The service was decent, but could've been more attentive, as we would have stacked empty plates lingering on our table. If you happen to be in the area, it's worth a try, but I've definitely had better Korean food elsewhere. It's an okay option - just didn't quite meet my expectations. read more

Spoon - Spicy Pork Belly, Kimchi Pancake - Korean Near Me - Berkeley, California

We went here again last night. It's located a couple blocks from the freeway in Berkeley, and 15 minutes from our house. Yay ! ! ! Happily it was as good as my 1st visit. I was happy to share this experience with my beautiful and adventurous wife and daughter. My question to myself was, would it be as much fun. The answer is "YES IT WAS." We all shared the delicious foods ordering different items to share. We ate out doors. Hanging lights, heaters, it was fun. The food came sizzling hot and scrumptious. The ambient music was peaceful. The place is located on a little sliver of land and all the food I was told is made fresh ... here. Bingo. No more adventures in the city. Amazing menu filled with choices of items not always found in Korean restaurants. Probably because cooking and prepping this kind of food is labor intensive. Service is fast and friendly. We never had to ask twice. Recommended. Have fun and enjoy this gem. Take out available. My new "GO TO" KOREAN place. Useful tips to keep in mind. 1. Limited seating outside and even less inside. Go after rush periods. 2. First come - first served. No reservations. 3. Limited street parking in front so allow time to park on side streets. 4. Some passing traffic can be noisy but it didn't change our having fun. 5. The ban-chan comes ONLY with a few select BBQ order meals. 6. If being next to a heater is important, plan to wait for a table to finish. 7. Beer, wine, Sake, and Sochu (Soju) all available. If you like our review, please don't forget to Vote below for us (up to 3 areas to vote). Please friend and follow us as well. read more

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This place is definitely my favorite for Korean food in Berkeley. I went on a Wednesday night, so it wasn't busy at all and the staff were very attentive and quick with service. They brought us complimentary banchan, which were delicious and consisted of broccoli, kimchi, seaweed salad, and cucumber kimchi. My friend ordered the beef dolsot (5/5), which came with a side of spicy miso soup and was served in a sizzling hot stone pot. It was loaded with protein, veggies, and topped with a fried egg and everything in it complimented each other perfectly. Super delicious and generous portion for $21! I ordered the spicy beef stew (4/5), which was also $21. The dish was not too spicy at all, in my opinion, and paired well with the rice that it came with. In the soup, there was glass noodle, shredded beef, and a bunch of veggies. Again, the portions were super generous, and I really enjoyed the soup on a cold night, but the shredded beef in the soup wasn't my favorite. read more

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I really wanted to like Spoon, so I'll start with the good parts first. The employees were super friendly - there's not much room for people to wait for takeout orders, but they were nice while we were waiting for our order (even though it was taking much longer than we were quoted), and almost forgot to take our money too! The main dishes were good too - my boyfriend liked the wrap and I liked the porridge! I wish the meat in the porridge wasn't pulled beef though - it definitely felt dry. Now the main reason I'm docking stars aside from the decent main entrees is because their banchan or side dishes were terrible. I have never had worse side dishes, like ever. The seaweed was drowning in water. Like it was majority water and a couple pieces of flavorless seaweed. It tasted literally like seaweed backwash. We ordered a second set of side dishes because I usually love banchan and it was such a big mistake. The seaweed in that one wasn't drowning in water but it was just as flavorless. No vinegar no nothing. The kimchi in both tasted way too fermented and honestly kind of rotten. The radish was the only thing that was semi-palatable, definitely not "good" though, by any means. And the beansprouts also tasted old and smelly/dank - kind of wet laundry-like. So while the main entrees were alright, I definitely do not recommend the side dishes here! read more

Spoon - side dishes, kimchi fried rice wrap, mushroom porridge - wrap and porridge were good - banchan was terrible - Korean Near Me - Berkeley, California

I love the spicy Korean ramen with dumplings. Banchan is good and I really enjoy the Kimchi. Staff are also consistently attentive.

Spoon Bistro , I went with my two best friend and coworkers and the food was excellent I love the service recomendé 100%

The food was really solid and the ambience and lighting were pleasant to sit with friends in! The service is amazinggg :)

Lovely little spot. Can't beat it for authenticity! Tasty stuff across the board, though we mostly got Korean fare instead of sushi. Short review, I know, but it was a straight forward tasty meal. Not a fancy place, but the food is good. read more

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very nice service and the food was delicious. there is indoor and outdoor seating and plenty of space. it was my first time here and i will be back! read more

Pretty solid spot. Service is really good! Very attentive and friendly. They have lots of seating outdoors. They got a mix of Korean and Japanese food. Everything we ate was pretty good. I would recommend this place if you're close and want some good food. They're pretty quick to serve you too. Of course depending on how busy it is. There are some family style specials, so definitely look into this. read more

Met up with some friends in the east bay and found this nicely set outdoor place. It was a little chilly Sunday morning in the fall and there were lots of chairs and heaters with enough space, parking wasn't bad either, there is a lot of street parking close by. We were greeted by a friendly host, her name was Ji and she had the best recommendations. Service was excellent and fast! I have lived in Korea before and I could say that the food is definitely authentic. We ordered seafood pancake, tofu soup, bulgogi, potstickers, chicken wings, mackerel (so good, cheers to the sushi chef), pork hot stone bibimbap, I probably missed some things but the meal comes with all the Korean sides (banchan) and barely tea! Would definitely come back and order take out to take home for my family! read more

Spoon - Bulgogi, potstickers, dolsot pork bibimbap, tofu soup, mackerel, soju, and so much more! - Korean Near Me - Berkeley, California

Me and my boyfriend had this for dinner / lunch. He really enjoy the meal he said he never had the bibimbap with short ribs so he very very much enjoy it. The customer service was great. I would recommend this place if anyone from out of the Bay Area like South Bay or in the valley should go give them a try there's two other business the other one is in alameda which I been too also. But the one I went to last night is the first original place. 4/5 Customer Service 4/5 Bibimbap read more

Spoon - Menu - Korean Near Me - Berkeley, California

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HAD A CRAVING FOR SPOON'S JHAP CHAE with CHICKEN.....they did not disappoint! I picked up after a little shopping at BBowl. My food was ready , greeted with warm friendly smiles....Yummm. I really enjoyed the little sides tooThank You SPOON in Berkeley read more

Spoon - Jhap Chae will Chicken - Korean Near Me - Berkeley, California

The food and service was amazing here. Came on a Saturday afternoon, it wasn't packed, and parking was easy. We ordered the mild chicken wings, beef kimbap, and spicy pork bibimbap with the melon soju... EVERYTHING WAS AMAZING and enough to split with my friend. Food did take a little bit to come out, but I will never complain about how long it takes because it was fresh and made with love. I will be back soon, definitely try this place out. read more

Spoon - The mild chicken wings, spicy pork bibimbap, beef kimbap, and melon soju. - Korean Near Me - Berkeley, California

Super tasty and flavorful! I got the spicy ramen with beef, it's placed in a clay pot to keep it hot while eating. I really appreciated the service, very attentive and friendly :) I will definitely be back! read more

Spoon - Spicy ramen with beef - Korean Near Me - Berkeley, California

I love Spoon! I've been here multiple times and it's always consistent and great! My favorite dish is the Chicken Wings, we order it every time we come. Just get them! My favorite is also the Korean Noodle Soup!! It's so good and cozy. The Honey Ginger citron tea is delicious and feels like it would be perfect when you have a cold. The kimchi fried rice is also a heavy hitter! This place is is overall great. The service is great and everyone is always so nice. The outdoor seating is great on a nice day/night and there's also a few seats inside. read more

Spoon - All of my favorite Spoon dishes in one photo! Chicken Wings, Kimchi Fried Rice, Korean Noodle Soup and Honey Citron Ginger Tea. - Korean Near Me - Berkeley, California

I was craving some tofu soup and came here. It's only okay. It filled my stomach, but overall was unimpressive. I ordered a beef tofu soup, but there was no beef at all. Just a lot of cucumbers and tofu. The soup was honestly pretty bland. Per usual to Korean food, there were a few side dishes. The side dishes are okay and good appetizers. I wasn't expecting much from the spicy scallop hand roll since I expected this to be a Korean place, and not a sushi shop. It was actually very good. Pretty fresh. Overall, it's a pass for me. If I wanted good tofu soup, I'd definitely go somewhere else. If I wanted sushi, I'd probably go to a sushi restaurant. read more

Spoon - Spicy scallop hand roll and side dishes - Korean Near Me - Berkeley, California

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Food is good but server didn't acknowledge the fact that they brought us 4 pieces of our appetizer despite the menu saying it came with 5. Usually no big deal, but when I mentioned it I was met with somewhat defensive response. Other than that, really good service and delicious read more

The family meal is super worth the price! We didn't even need to add $7 for extra meat, although the pork belly was delicious! I didn't expect the meat to be cut so thin. It went great with the miso paste! The meal also came with a lion roll, which I really enjoyed. There was also a salad that had a delicious white sauce on top, and fried crispy gyoza. The tofu soup was what I had been craving, so it was especially yummy! They gave us four bowls of rice, and we ended up ordering two more since we had so much food to eat. They also made too many steamed eggs, so they gave it to us for free! They were super fluffy and warm. There were not many workers and I could tell they were working hard. I would definitely come back! read more

Spoon - Lion roll, banchan, steamed eggs - Korean Near Me - Berkeley, California

Cozy Korean fare with tasty food and some issues. Everything is customizable, so you get exactly what you want. + Menu is pretty badly laid out, and disorganized. Even with photos it can be quite daunting. - But if you like having a ton of options, this is a good place for you. Their kimchi soup is lovely and has glass noodles which is quite different than other places. + The dolsot bimbimap (dolbi) is perfection, except for the price. +- They now officer sushi which was nothing special for an almost $20 price tag. Staff was attentive and service was quick and thoughtful. We went with a couple of kids and they were super nice and accommodating to us. They have a BIG issue with their accounting software that they should fix asap. But when they charge you gratuity, for groups of 6 or more, they charge the tax ON TOP of both the tax and the gratuity, in addition to the total. This is not ok, of course, you should not pay tax on top of tax and on top of gratuity. The staff are not the ones doing this, it's from their account software. But it sucks for customers. Lots of street parking, inside and outside seating, and a good vibe. read more

Nice Korean bistro/cafe in Berkeley. Casual vibes, friendly staff and good food. We tried the Shrimp Potstickers, Spicy Chicken Bibimbop and the Firecracker roll. The roll was tasty and pretty good portion-size wise. The potstickers were crunchy and juicy - my toddler loved them. But my favorite was the Dolsot Bibimbop. Right amount of sweet and spice and perfectly cooked chicken. Will be back for sure. read more

Spoon - Spicy Chicken Dolsot Bibimbop - Korean Near Me - Berkeley, California

Yum. Place is close to work so we can walk. There is seating outside if it's warm enough, enough plants outside to ignore that you're sitting off off Ashby. My favorite appetizer here is the seafood pancake. I actually like their pancake over all Korean places in the bay. It's really good. Small bon chon, they don't go big with lots of variety. The bowls are good and I always get the hot tofu soup with an egg. Get spicy, it's plenty hot. Hot tea served with lunch is good, and the sucker with your bill help to round out a great meal. I also recommend the (kc) fried rice, aNd the kids bowl is lovely. Cute veggies the color of the rainbow, with seaweed on the side. read more

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Small lunch spot with Korean+Japanese dishes and good drinks, and a cute outdoor patio space. This place (and their sister location, Bowl'd in Temescal) is slightly on the pricier side, but I've never been disappointed with the food. They have a surprising variety of dishes (starters+mains) considering their size. We got their BBQ short ribs, poki bowl, japchae, and tteokbokki. So good! All the Korean dishes come with free soup + banchan, and you can request it with Japanese dishes for an extra 2 dollars. The service is very friendly and comfortable. It reminded me a lot of Flushing, NY. Worth checking out if you're in the area! read more

On another episode of Justin needs a lunch break during work, a co-worker and I ended up at Spoon. This time, I did not feel too hungry, so I shelved bimbimbap and ramen. Previously, I have had the soondubu and yukehjang, but I realized I had yet to try the Korean miso stew. The Korean miso stew ($14) comes with a bowl of rice (choice of white or brown), banchan (par for course), and, of course, the stew itself. For the choice of protein in the stew, I opted for seafood. My stew came with small pieces of sliced squid, mussels (no shell), shrimp, zucchini and onion in a miso broth. The broth itself is a combination of miso and stock. All in all, the stew seemed fresh, savory, piping hot, and satisfactory. Not much else to ask for here. read more

Spoon - Korean miso stew - Korean Near Me - Berkeley, California

i love korean food!!! spoon has great korean food!!! i got the bimbimbap and cheesy corn!!!

Spoon is bomb! Our favorite lately has been to come here on a chilly day to get one of their soups. We have had their soft tofu and spicy beef soups, and they're both comforting and flavorful. We ordered the spicy beef medium and it had the perfect kick. Their soups are pretty big and can potentially be shared between two people. This is quite affordable with soups ranging from $14-19. Their outdoor area is very enjoyable on both chilly and sunny days. They have patio heaters on cold nights to add to the cozy atmosphere. Their service has been attentive every time we have been and servers provide great recommendations. Of course, I could not finish this review without mentioning the amazing K-pop hits they play in the background! read more

Spoon - Soft tofu stew with beef - Korean Near Me - Berkeley, California

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kind staff, buss food, good music and decor. we went when it wasn't that busy-- a hidden gem

There's inside and outside seating Fast service - large portions The food is good and sushi is very fresh Easy to get to and lots of parking read more

Spoon - BiBimBop with tiger roll - I was hungry hippo today - Korean Near Me - Berkeley, California

I would give this place 3.5ish stars. So I've lived in Los Angeles for many years which is home to hundreds of delicious Korean restaurants so take what I say with a grain of salt. Also, I am Korean so I'm used to delicious Korean food at home. The banchan - 3.5 pretty good but the pickled cucumbers was missing salt and flavor, didn't think the side dishes were amazing but they're free so not trying to complain Kimchi pancake - 4.5 pretty decent and huge portions, really liked these Beef spicy noodle soup - 4, liked this the best as a main course but tasted msg which I liked but also my body is like don't do this to yourself Spicy pork bbq - 3.5 would skip, didn't like how it was cut pieces but I guess that's normal and I didn't like the flavoring bc again, something was slightly missing Service - I really liked our waiter who was the only waiter there, but he was so busy. We asked to move to the bigger table and they said yes but we had to move everything ourselves, like 30 plates and bowls and cups and drinks and side dishes we moved ourselves lolz. Did not appreciate the other server guy with the beanie, not sure if he was the owner or related but I asked him for a separate bowl and he said yes before I even finished my sentence and surprise, he didn't bring the bowl bc he probably wasn't even listening in the first place. "Do you think I could..." "yes." "Get another bowl for the soup." But I get that they were busy and didn't have enough staff Other than that, it was pretty decently busy, there wasn't a line but when people would leave more people would come. I don't think I would come again tho. There is street parking near there and in front. read more

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Güt 11/10 Service güt. Food güt. Ambiance güt. We just happened to run into this place on a bike ride, and it ended up being the best decision!!!!!!!!!!! Friendly servers, fast service, and the food was delicious!!!!!!! read more

Spoon - Kimchi fried rice with tofu!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! - Korean Near Me - Berkeley, California

It was my fourth time visiting this year. This is a rare place where their menu changes to become more authentic Korean over time. There are many other Korean restaurants in the Bay Area, mostly fusion style. But the foods here look and taste the closest to what you would eat in a typical rustic restaurant in Korea. The servers are good and the manager is kind. read more

Spoon - Rose Tteokbokki (rice cake ) with Gimmari. Good to share with friends. - Korean Near Me - Berkeley, California

This place is it. The food quality is excellent and it is very delicious. This is our 3rd time and food I'd very good. I have korean noodle soup with seafood, and it was excellent. I will highly recommend this restaurant to everyone read more

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As far as casual Korean dining goes, this place is tops. And they offer a quaint outdoor seating area with hanging lights! Over the past few years, I've done dine-in, outdoor dining, and takeout from Spoon and it's all been super positive. Only downside is that takeout can be a bit long (45mins sometimes), but that's because they're just that popular on the weekends! I've had many different items here, but recently their bibimbap and tofu stew stands out to me. Their bibimbap is beautifully displayed in a layered tray for takeout! So colorful and vibrant. They have a great array of banchan (side dishes), which they can replenish for free if you ask them. Service is friendly and efficient. There's street parking around, but it can be a little tough depending on how busy it is. read more

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so yummy, clean, and accommodating and nice workers. definitely would recommend to a friend!

First time at this place. I ordered the Spicy Chicken BBQ sandwich along with a Kloud Korean Pilsner. My gf ordered the Spicy Rice Cakes to which when they brought it out I was skeptical at first sight but after I finished my sandwich and beer, I tried it and basically ended up finishing it because it was amazing. It was so good that I'm willing to drive from Sacramento to Berkeley just for the spicy rice cakes. read more

Spoon - Spicy Rice Cakes and Kloud Korean Pilsner - Korean Near Me - Berkeley, California

Food: quality Korean food. My friend and I had the spicy pork belly, veggie jhap chae, and the glazed potato. While the pork belly looked amazing, it was not anything to special. However, the glazed potato was amazing. I truly believe this appetizer was the star of our meal. Would recommend everyone trying this restaurant to get! I would definitely try their Korean food chicken, I am assuming it's amazing just like the glazed potato Vibe: the outdoor seating very pleasant. It would be great for friends getting together for dinner or even a family brunch spot. Parking though is very hard Service: our waiters were very nice and friendly. I felt very welcomed with their presence. read more

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We really enjoyed our lunch experience here. The only issue was parking and when you get a spot, you might get a ding because the parking is for midget cars. I jumped on an end spot because my car is full size. We sat outside and all tables were full, we waited for about ten minutes but it was worth it. My beef salad was delicious, filling, plenty of beef, sauce and refreshing. My wife loves Korean soup and she was not disappointed. My family loved their dishes and ample side plates. We will return when in the area which is rare but very good and the service was good too. read more

Spoon - Family style for three - Korean Near Me - Berkeley, California

Great little casual Korean restaurant. Looked like they were doing a good takeout trade. They have a cute patio with plenty of seating and some indoor seating, too. My friend and I came in around 8pm and they seated us right away. The service was quick and friendly. They got waters to us right away, followed by a little miso soup. It was tasty, very garlicky and had a bit of a kick. We ordered some kimbap and two orders of jhap chae - one tofu, one spam. They let us know quickly that kimbap orders were pretty full and it'd take 15 minutes or so, and brought out the entrees first, along with all the usual sides. I guess I overestimated the spice level and wish I'd asked for medium instead of mild, but the jhap chae was good. Super filling and a huge portion. The kimchi kimbap came out after a spell, which was also fresh and tasty. They also dropped by our table with some barley tea while we ate. The server let us know their shift was up and asked us to pay but encouraged us to hang out for as long as we wanted. They hadn't charged us for the kimbap - I wasn't sure if that was complementary for the wait or a mistake and when I told him he said, "I guess it's your lucky day..." and drifted off backwards. I appreciated his humour about it. Great food, solid portion sizes and friendly service. read more

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Was craving some Korean food and decided to try Spoon. They have some parking spaces in front of their place. When you come in and are seated, they immediately come bring you some warm tea. I got their chicken, Kim chee pancake, and bugolgi. Everything was tasty and there were lots of leftovers! Pros: -lots of banchan -tasty food -casual environment Cons: -n/a read more

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