Andronico's carries these extraordinary salads. I was there February 2024. LOVE the Tea leaf-ginger salad! I mixed it with some other noodle product in the case and it was fabulous! It's the dressing that makes it, so next time I'm in Berkeley I plan to stock up direct from Cafe Karla!! read more

Cafe Karla - Cafe Karla's Burmese Tea leaf-Ginger Salad - Burmese Near Me - Berkeley, California

Thank goodness I found this on yelp! I regularly bought the salad packages at Berkeley Bowl, but now that I can buy the fermented tea leaves (la phet) and packets of peanuts, seeds, and fried beans and shallots, I can customize my own salad to meet my own needs! Bought too much kale? That's now a tea leaf salad! Have some avocado on its last legs? That now goes in tea leaf salad! You get the idea. And, as others have mentioned, buying the jars of tea leaves and making your own salad cuts waaaaay down on the plastic waste. read more

Cafe Carla makes the most delicious fermented tea leaf salad in your intire life. All the ingredients are optimized and high quality. And he's actually a wholesaler to grocery stores. This isn't a sit down place. This is where you call ahead and he whips up your salads inside his business and then you can knock on his door or he'll walk them out to your car. Parking is difficult but I usually find a place pretty close to the store. Just remember that this isn't a sit down place. This is where you get extremely high quality cheap salads in bulk and take them home or take them to work or find some other way to enjoy them. read more

As you can tell, Cafe Karla isn't a cafe at all - in fact, this is their prep/distribution location. However, you're more than welcomed to stop by and pick up their boxed salads or tea leaf dressings here at a cheaper price since you're dealing directly with the distributor rather than the grocery stores. Plus, the ingredients is fresher and you're able to see these salads made in real time. From the outside, your looking at what you'd believe is apartment complex. There are no signs for indication, no public parking, and the front small building will make you question if you're even at the rite place. When you knock on the door you're instantly greeted by a smile. The owner is real nice and has always invited me into the apartment. The inside is really small. The inside of the apartment is extremely small and has noticeably turned into a industrial kitchen - no seating but a wall full of industrial fridges to keep their products cold. CASH ONLY. Packaged salads here are amazingly $5 and the tea leaf dressing is around $6 compared to $7-9 prices at Berkeley Bowl West. If you're in need of cash, there is a bank in the corner of University and San Pablo but you can also find an ATM at the corner liqueur store one block away (with a hideous debit charge). So far, I've only seen Cafe Karla's products at Berkeley Bowl West in both the small cafe and prepackaged refrigerated sections. I'm pretty sure Andronico's is a no go since they recently got bought out or is going through some major rebuilding. Don't bother looking for it at Whole Food's either. But if you're in luck to find it elsewhere, message me and let me know. LOVE both the regular tea leaf and garlic tea leaf salad dressings. It's amazing how the flavors blend together - I've been hoarding two to three bottles of dressings at a time! Don't pass this up. If you haven't tried the Tea Leaf Salad's before, try them from Cafe Karla. A lot of other competitors charge pretty high ($9-18) so $5 isn't much if you find out that you're not a tea leaf fan. read more

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How did I ever navigate life without Yelp? There is likely no way I would have found this little gem. No signage, no idea it's there. Looks like a ground floor apartment, bars on door and windows facing San Pablo. Knocked on front door through bars. A face appears through drawn mini blinds pointing toward the north side of building. The door opens and a pleasant young lady greets me and inquires if I want to buy green tea salad? I ask for two and a jar of the green tea dressing. (Because my Yelp crew told me what's up!) I stood in door half open watching pleasant gent stir frying noodles over a sterno. I commenting "man that looks yummy, do you have other menu items"? He said no, they do cater events and also "subcontract" some of the prep and pre cooking for many area food trucks in area. The noodles were for a specific truck but I forgot what he said. We laughed as he said even food has contractors and sub contractors! I had no idea. So now onto the salad. I agree with fellow yelper how much thoughtful Plastic packaging went into this little salad kit considering it's Bezerkeley. However doing it this way, you do control the amounts of ingredients used. And I imagine too much of this and not enough of that, can totally throw off the balance. Speaking of balance... it was so refreshingly fresh, clean and awesome! Crunchy, savory, salty, spicy, sweet,zesty and OMG Umami, mi mommy. Packed full of veggie fresh protein, not oily or slimmy. I felt like going on a hike up mount Tam. Fortunately it's cold and raining sideways. So I'll settle for sipping a hot cup green tea and waxing poetic about this salad and how grateful I am that Yelp once again helps uncover small little businesses that are passionate artisans of their crafts. And because the reviews are honest and informative, we all win! read more

Cafe Karla - Use side door not front - Burmese Near Me - Berkeley, California

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Their tea leaf salads are incredible!! I'm addicted. I get them from Andronico's market- I highly recommend them.

I have been getting the tea leaf salad from Cafe Karla for several years. It is by far the best in the East Bay. They are usually at the Berkeley Bowl or Natural Grocery in Berkeley. All the ingredients are very fresh and the combination and seasoning is perfect. Highly recommend. read more

you might not notice the INSTANT TEA LEAF SALAD KITS bc they just look like boxes of lettuce. even when you pick it up it looks like you're mainly buying lettuce. coughandyoukindaarecough but once you mix the components together it's deece. not freshly made right in front of you like at restos but not bad as a home dish option. i added meat #twss to make it closer to a standalone meal. i'll be getting this again. read more

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I wish you'd deliver either a lot more of the ginger tea salads or deliver a lot more often since my Safeway/Andronicos is always running out before I can get there! I live on this salad, even like how they've streamlined the lime-fish sauce so the jalapenos are little chips distributing their goodness in the sauce. Please please please, if you read this Cafe Karla, I need your salads in more places and in sufficient quantity so when i do my weekly shopping, I can almost be guaranteed to score a couple boxes (it's rude of me to eat my salad when my significant other doesn't get one) every time I go to the store. read more

This looks like it closed and sketchy but it's not. Just give them call and they will open the doors for you. It's not a sit down place, but packaged salads to go. They have tea leaf salads and ginger tea leaf salads. I think there are other salads too. The prices are a lot cheaper here compared to what I got at Berkeley Bowl. They also sell the tea leafs in jars for $6. Nice and kind people. I will be coming back soon. read more

This place is not a cafe/restaurant, it is a kitchen! The tea leaf salads are superb. They are packed for you in these plastic boxes (alot of plastic, which I thought was strange because it is located in West Berkeley, but anyway!) There is a small parking lot available for ANOTHER cafe but parking on street is fine- bring your quarters! Oh yea, CASH ONLY-NO CARD. I want to come back for the tea leaf dressing which is $6 no tax. It is yummy! I can't wait to come back. People here are friendly and provide good service by answering your questions and kind demeanor. One last thing: if you want to eat your tea leaf salad ASAP, bring your own fork! Now I want some... read more

I really wanted Burma superstar tea leaf salad but they were closed so I hopped on yelp and found this place. Ran down to Berkeley bowl to pick up the salad and it totally hit the spot. Kinda wish I had got another for later :) It looks small but really once you open everything up it's not read more

I LOVE their salads. I buy them at Alameda Natural Foods. I hate to say it but I think they are better than Burma Superstar's! (pre-packaged obviously) The difference is you get little ziplocks with all the different stuff like the fermented tea leaves, the crunchy stuff, some kind of oil, lime juice, and then the best - the little jalapenos. I will have to one day go to the cafe itself. read more

So so so delicious. Cannot recommend enough. I honestly drive to Berkeley from the Peninsula just to get some. Obviously, fermented tea leaves aren't everyone's cup of tea (ha) but if you enjoy fermented foods and garlicky foods Cafe Karla will hit the spot every time. Update: I went again with my mother and even though she asked too many questions everyone was really nice and helpful :) read more

Wanted a quick prepared meal. Stopped at Berkeley bowl west and found Cafe Karla salads. Very fresh and tasty. Love Burmese food. read more

Their tea leaf salad is one of the best I have ever had! So fresh and bursting with flavor. It seems like such a simple salad but once you taste it there is no going back. read more

These honestly have to be the best Tea Leaf Salads in the Bay Area. I found them lighter and less oily than Burma Superstar and just the right amount of food as well. AMAZING! Thank you to the beautiful people who run this business and make such affordable and delicious available to us all. You are a blessing. read more

not a restaurant, but the only place so far that I could fine tea leaf salads and tea leaf dressing sold right out of their kitchen. Really nice fine folks and the dressing is perfect! read more

I haven't been to the cafe, but you can buy their packaged green tea leaf salad at Berkeley Bowl, El Cerrito Nat Groc. At first I was put off by the price, but... this is the next best thing to going to Burma Superstar and getting their fresh salad. Two thumbs up for this product. It does make me want to stop in and see what else they have.. read more

What a great find via Yelp. As others have said, there is no sign, just knock on the side door. The tea leaf salad hit the spot!

I have tried several of their items and my favorite is still the first one I tried: tea leaf salad. Many different textures, extremely flavorful and filling. They gave a lot of dressing and I usually use the leftover tea leaf dressing with rice..yummy read more

Great food! I would strongly recommend this place. :) It has a really friendly atmosphere. Everything so far has been really good.

It's technically not a cafe. You can buy the salads here. The salads are very fresh and delicious. I am so happy to have found this gem!

I purchased the outstanding Burmese tea leaf salad at El Cerrito Natural Grocery and it was delish! It was worth the 5.99. Fresh and crunchy. The overall quality was superior to many pre-packaged salads. I now must try the restaurant. Angela in Pinole read more

The place doesn't even exist. I think it's essentially a trick to get you to the other cafe in this location that is much more expensive. This other cafe has no Burmese food. But it's a pretty nice place. We decided not to stay bc we didn't want to spend the money. read more

Cafe Karla is one of my favorite Burmese restaurants in the East Bay!! The salads are unique and satisfying. My favorites are the tea leaf salad and the garbanzo bean tofu salad. Both of which are available at Berkeley Bowl! read more

I LOVE the Tea Leaf Salad that is stocked at the Berkeley Bowl. Always fresh, ingredients packaged separately, and reasonably priced. Looking forward to trying the Café! read more