My boyfriend and I came here for the first time and were blown away with the delicious broth and pork belly!! We loved everything about the ultimate ramen, so much that we brought my parents and sister here and they enjoyed theirs too. My parents had never tried ramen before so I think this restaurant was the perfect choice. We had a party of five, four of which ordered the ultimate ramen and my papa tried the miso ramen. Great service and delicious ramen! read more

Bansho Ramen - Ultimate Bansho ramen - Ramen Near Me - Berkeley, California

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Got the tonkatsu ramen. Staff was friendly and the interior was very clean and cute. But the ramen was pretty basic. Nothing stood out or tasted particularly amazing. I prefer ippudo's tonkatsu over this spot. read more

A lot of choices for ramen and sushi, and all taste pretty good! Throughout 4 years of colleges, I always came here to eat + hang out with friends. read more

The Bansho Ultimate Ramen is absolutely the best, the BEST ramen I've ever had. I can't imagine what could possibly be done to make it any more satisfying to me. It's so good that I've never even tried anything else there, but I think it would be just as good. Very limited menu, presumably to focus on doing those few things really well - ramen, donburi, appetizers, eel and salmon sushi. Quiet place on the busy corner of Dwight and Telegraph. read more

Lackluster bowl of ramen if you have been to Ramen Nagi, Mensho, and Nojo in the Bay Area. The noodles tasted instant and the broth was missing depth. The chicken karaage was the only worth it item on the menu. $6 for a good portion of hot, crunchy, juicy fried chicken. read more

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Ordered the Bansho Ultimate Ramen and was blown away by how good it was. A very hearty dish, with a generous slab of tender charred pork belly, as well as ground pork, kale, etc. I added nori and fish cake which was unnecessary. Two highlights were the "perfect" pork belly, and the rich deliciousness of the broth. Very filling (maybe skip the ground pork unless you're really hungry), I savored it to the last bite. Best ramen I've had in a long long time. read more

Bansho Ramen - Pleasant internal space with Japanese hangings - Ramen Near Me - Berkeley, California

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Two stars for the fast and attentive service during lunch. The ramen, on the other hand, was not good. I ordered the chicken shoyu ($12) and the broth taste of burnt sesame oil. The chicken was tough and obviously fried then placed on top of the ramen. The soft boiled egg was oddly cooked. Half cooked all the way around the edges but some what soft boiled in the center. The ramen noodles are not fresh. They're packaged and were not cooked or separated all the way. With tax and tip, you'll spend $14 on a bowl of mediocre ramen. In my opinion it's so not worth it. Spend two more dollars and head to ippudo. read more

I've been here twice since it opened (both in April-May 2019) and every time I come I'm pretty satisfied! The interior is a nice combination of contemporary and comfy, and overall a really inviting place. I've yet to try anything else besides the ramen -- every time I come, I'm tempted to try the rice bowls, but the ramen always seems too appetizing and pulls me back. So far, I've gotten the Miso and Mayu, and between the two, I'd say the Mayu was a little more impressive. I also add fish cakes to every bowl I've gotten for about $1.00, and while a dollar may be a bit much, I think it adds a nice extra dimension. The thing that sticks in my head the most was probably the Mayu broth -- it was really rich and smoky, and I know I'm gonna get that every time I come back. The chashu was also really tasty! I recommend this place, and I'll be back soon to try more from the menu! read more

I was super excited that a ramen place was opening close to campus as there are not many in the vicinity. The interior was modern and spacious! We came on a Friday night and waited about 20-30 minutes before getting seated. [ Shio Ramen ] The broth was a little too salty for me. Presentation of the ramen was great and the portion size was decent, but overall I was disappointed by the quality of the food. I tried my friend's Miso Ramen and enjoyed the broth a lot more! It was less salty but still flavorful. I would be down to try this place again in the future as it is pretty new! read more

Ramen was ok and overly salted. Also, I expected the broth to be hotter, but it was warm. I was starving so it helped me scarf down my food faster. Their mussels and sushi was good though read more

The restaurant is kind of small, but has nice interior. The black garlic ramen is good, as well as the popcorn chicken. The staff is nice and attentive. read more

If you're looking for a good ramen place in Berkeley, this place is it (there aren't really any other options near campus anyway). I usually get the Mayu ramen (garlic flavor) which is my favorite. It's a bit on the saltier side, but it's fine for me! The noodles themselves are good, nice and chewy, and the broth is really flavorful. The perfect touch for me is their soft boiled egg, which is perfectly cooked with a nice and runny yolk (get your egg cams ready). Their portions, in my opinion, are a bit on the smaller side. Though its a good lunch portion, I would want a bit more for dinner! Service is good and the ambiance is nice and warm. this is a really weird thing to add, but the sink faucets in the bathroom have really high water pressure so be careful when washing your hands unless you want to be splashed! read more

Went here to get some ramen for my fiancé and mother. They got some meat options but myself being pescatarian I went with a miso vegetarian option. To be honest if I were rating this off of just my ramen I would be giving this place one star. My ramen was very bland and I had to add soy sauce salt and garlic powder to give it some flavor. I'm giving it 4 stars though because my mother and fiancé really did enjoy theirs. And on top of that the service was great. Very friendly the lady even gave us complimentary lemonade while we waited. I think this place really needs to step up its vegetarian game being in the Bay Area. But if you're not vegetarian I would definitely recommend. read more

Bansho is a very special place. You will feel it from the moment you arrive, by the way you are greeted. Delicate mindfulness drives every detail, delivering a subtle yet extraordinary experience. The balance and quality of the ingredients, starting with the broth, creates magic. You will leave feeling better than when you arrived. Highly recommended gem. read more

Bansho Ramen - Ultimate Ramen - Ramen Near Me - Berkeley, California

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Not impressing. I ordered the Mayu Ramen. You can tell the noodles and the char siu are from a third party. Char siu is salty and does not go well with the overall ramen. Soup.... not sure what I'm eating. Nothing is made in house. Oh, maybe the soft boiled eggs? I paid $15 for an instant noodle quality. I've had better noodles bought at Mitsuwa. read more

Nice environment with great decoration. Very close to UCB. It is spacious and good for a large group dinner. read more

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The Ultimate Ramen was very delicious. I think this is so much better than Ippudo. Broth was the right amount of rich and light, very savory and has a toasted taste. Pork belly was especially good, soft and so buttery. Atmosphere is really nice, they play soft piano music that lets me actually hear my conversations at the table. I hope this place stays, unlike most of the establishments that close down less than year at this location. read more

Bansho Ramen - Ramen Near Me - Berkeley, California

Happy to have this place open up so close to campus! It's nice and modern and the service was really fast, we barely had to wait even though it was a Friday night. I got the veggie miso ramen and it was decently flavorful but i preferred to add the spice that was on the table. Definitely a good meal for a chilly day and I'm sure I'll come again! read more

Bansho Ramen - Veggie miso and regular miso - Ramen Near Me - Berkeley, California

Had dinner here on Sunday and today is Tuesday, and I cannot stop thinking about their food! Had the chicken ramen and there was so much to share that I had enough to share with my little one. Husband had their Bansho ramen special, spicy, and it was so hardy and perfectly spicy. For appetizer, we tried the takoyaki and it was so delicious. Last but not least, the staff was very friendly, and they were very understanding when my son tipped his water cup on the table. read more

I and a couple of friends came to Bansho for a nice Birthday dinner and we had a great time. This place is incredibly underrated. The people who worked there not only accommodated our large group last minute, but also gave us complimentary lemonade and dessert for our friends' birthdays. The person who assisted our table was super sweet. The food looked and tasted delicious. I will definitely come here again. read more

This food was amazing! I wasn't sure what I was expecting, but I had a great time. I really enjoyed the setup of the restaurant as the second floor was very enticing. read more

Best ramen I've had in a long time, great prices and generous portions too, 10/10 recommend

super yummy i absolutely love it best ramen in the bay definitely come here if u ever visit!!

I got Chashu Don (Pork Rice Bowl) from here, and it was SO GOOD. There's good amount of chashu and rice, which made me feel stuffed after finishing my bowl. The price was also really reasonable. It was less than 10 bucks! Please stop by here and get your Chashu Don people!! ‍‍ read more

Bansho Ramen - Chashu Don - Ramen Near Me - Berkeley, California

Been here 6 years and I can't believe I have never been here. Had some sushi and ramen. Definitely some of the best I have had in the Bay Area. The customer service was on point. Left very satisfied. Will definitely be coming back! read more

Just moved to Berkeley and wanted to find a takeout ramen spot for the fam. These guys are super nice, and fixed up plain versions for the kiddos. The gyoza were delicious - 1 order is not enough! And everyone slurped up their ramen. We will be back, and try some sushi next time! read more

The ramen here is pure fire. In every sense of the word. Straight up mom and pop shop. Support them. Super hot fire

We tried the mayu ramen and the Bansho special. We added spiciness for 50cents each and it was actually pretty spicy. The overall taste was a little tiring after a while and the chashu was a bit more on the fatty side. The servers were very nice and checked up on us frequently. Overall, I think I would come back again! read more

Bansho Ramen - Ramen Near Me - Berkeley, California

This is a great place for sushi and for vegans. Everytime I have come here I have gotten a free lemonade! I love how kind the service is, and how quickly we can get amazing food. While I have not been able to sit down because of Covid, the woman on the phone and when we pick up the food is great. The sushi has been amazing! read more

Bansho Ramen - Sushi! Great! - Ramen Near Me - Berkeley, California

Decided to try out this new ramen place located close to UCB and was not disappointed! I wasn't expecting much because the last two restaurants in this location were pretty questionable but this ramen place is worth trying in my opinion. The noodles and meat were cooked very well. We got the miso and mayu ramens and they actually tasted very different and both brothwere very good. You also get a choice of lemonade, iced tea, or an Arnold Palmer for free upon checking in. The ambience is nice and zen, and the restaurant decor is cute. The service is very good and the staff is very friendly and quick to respond. Giving 5 stars because I am optimistic about the future of this place :) Update: idk if they changed management or something but the service quality has gone down. The staff seems a little disorganized now and the wait for our food was a lot longer than usual. I am not sure how recent the staff change was, but it was a noticeable difference from the previous staff. read more

I was incredibly excited to check out the newest ramen joint in town! Berkeley surprisingly doesn't have a large ramen selection near campus so I'm glad this opened! The interior is similar to Peak Point and Tea Time before it with some nice Japanese decor. Service was quick and the vibe was casual. I got the Bansho Ultimate Ramen which was $17. The broth was flavorful and creamy and the pork belly was incredibly tender. The kale wasn't bad but seemed a little out of place. It's a solid bowl of ramen, hands down. However, for the price, the noodle quality could be a little better. It's not terrible but it feels a little cheap. Also the ground pork seemed a little overcooked and dry. Perhaps the other ramen will have better value. Regardless, a solid option for ramen in Berkeley! read more

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Read the review and decided to come for lunch since Marufuku was closed. It was just ok. I had the fish stock soup base with chicken and it seemingly had a lot of MSG as I had an attack a couple of hours later. The chicken thigh meat was meh. My daughter liked her ramen but it wasn't hot enough. read more

Satisfying ramen for whenever you have a craving. The ramen itself is quite pricey but that's Berkeley for you. I would recommend the takoyaki as a side item. read more

Dear fellow Yelpers, This place was a great and short walk away during a rainy day in Berkeley. With the weather absolutely destroying my happiness and motivation, my friends and I were positively motivated to come out to eat ramen! Bansho Ramen, although not the greatest ramen we've tasted was good, nonetheless. The interior decor was relaxing and calming during the storm outside. The elevator music, however, was not the most pleasant and could be improved. The staff was very welcoming and very on top of waiting on the tables. The ramen was good and we recommend coming by to eat some ramen with pals! We recommend the Mayu! The smokiness of the Mayu was very good but overwhelming at some times throughout the course. Overall, Very yummy in my tummy. read more

Delicious! Ordered to-go and wasn't sure how takeout would go with ramen, but it was perfection and simply delicious to the last drop. I ordered the miso ramen and made it spicy and will definitely be coming back. read more

Great ramen. Loves it. Also the cashier offer me an complementary drink that was awesome.

I really hate leaving bad reviews but I have to because I'm SO surprised this place has 4 stars... I ordered the Miso Ramen and my brother got the chicken ramen. Mine tasted so nasty. The noodles smelled so off. I don't even know how to explain it. Like fermented noodles. It's been sitting there or something. My brothers smelled SO BAD. Like a dead cow. I kid you not. He order it with chicken and chicken broth why would it even smell like cow..... I don't understand. We only took one bite and asked for the bill. We felt bad because they were nice. But OMG it's horrible. Please do yourself a favor and go else where. I kid you not. read more

I never write reviews on Yelp but I had to for this ramen spot! The woman helping us, the owner I believe, was the absolute sweetest kindest person. The restaurant was nicely decorated and the food was phenomenal. I got the Tonkotsu ramen and I loved it, the broth was rich and flavorful, and there was a ton of meat as well, which was tender and delicious! My friend was impressed with the veggie options as well and loved her Miso ramen veggie style. 100% would and will come back! read more

This is the spot! If you're ever in the southside Berkeley area, give this place a visit! The indoor dining experience is pleasant as it is kept clean and the tables are very unique. Food comes out fresh and there are so many great options. A must try and my favorite has to be hands down the shoyu ramen. Also get the chicken karaage as the perfect side dish. The owners are super sweet and give great service! Make sure to give them a nice greeting as they are truly the sweetest and will accommodate. read more

Decided to come here after a long day of traveling because of the great reviews. Although I admit they were short staffed, we sat for more than 20 minutes without anyone coming to take our order. We weren't the only table stuck waiting, other customers were getting visibly impatient too. I was trying to be understanding until several tables (including us) tried to flag down the server asking to order and they ignored all of us. People started approaching the counter to get the attention of the back-end employees because the server would not even reply. After 30 minutes with none of the tables successfully flagging them down I left because I was getting too hungry. I bet the ramen is great it's just a shame we couldn't try it because of the service. read more