Came on a Friday night (8 pm), wasn't super crowded, ordered at the kiosk and waited for our number…read moreto be called to pick up the food at the counter. Water and utensils are self serve. We ordered: - spicy Tteokbokki with cheese: good flavor, rice cakes were a little hard, cheese not melted well (7/10) - kimchi pancake: not crispy enough, but overall tasted good (8/10) - japchae: thicker noodle type than normal japchae, a little dry (7/10) - sweet and spicy wings: juicy, crispy, good overall (9/10) - tofu soup: lacked flavor (5/10) - kimchi fried rice: a little too sour, needs more salt (7/10) - tonkatsu kimbap: no notes (10/10)

Casual place popular with college students with a variety of snacks and vegetarian options…read more Food itself is nice. Not the kind of Korean food I personally love, but the noodles and Korean cheese dogs have good textures. They use the same noodle in the japchae as in the soup so it isn't like I'm used to, but it was better than most japchae I've had with good sesame oil. They are popular for their kimchi fried rice, but takeout of that is a fair bit smaller than eating in the resturant. Order at a kiosk and pick up from a counter. Drop off your plates and you have to sort your food waste and plates yourself. That considered, it's not as cheap as I thought it would be, but was not expensive by any means. Kimchi stew with a japchae side of just under $15 is totally fair. Not sure if I would personally come back, but it's good for groups because no one really dislikes it and it is solid for takeout.

Nice everyday Szechwan food, priced affordably near UC Berkeley campus…read more Will come back ro try more options

I have NEVER written a Yelp review, and it is unfortunate that this experience is what finally made…read moreme take the time to do so. I have also never felt the need to publicly speak on racism in my life, but what happened here was too blatant to ignore. For context, I am a student at University of California, Berkeley and a PM at a Fortune 500 company. I say that only to make clear that I am a professional person who understands how to treat others with respect and how basic customer service should work. I came in for a pickup order and stood there attempting multiple times to get the employee's attention. She ignored me repeatedly, even looking directly in my direction without acknowledging me. Then I heard her say hello, and for a moment assumed she was finally speaking to me. Instead, she intentionally greeted and assisted a couple who had just walked in behind me. After helping them, she again looked my way and continued to avoid acknowledging me. In that moment, the treatment felt deliberate and discriminatory. When she finally addressed me, the interaction remained hostile. She appeared suspicious of whether the pickup order was actually mine, despite me giving the correct name that was already listed on the receipt and not visible to me beforehand. Beyond the service, the food itself was equally disappointing. I ordered the orange chicken, and it was some of the driest, lowest-quality chicken I have had anywhere. I have traveled extensively and eaten food all over the world, and it is rare to experience food this poor combined with service this disrespectful. This was an embarrassing experience for a business located near University of California, Berkeley. There are many better options nearby, and I would strongly recommend spending your money elsewhere. No one should have to deal with treatment like this or pay for a meal like this.

There are 8 pieces of beef in a $35 Galbi dish. The potatoes are a little bit saltier than the…read moreother locations that are now closed.

I've been coming to this Korean restaurant for years, and the quality of the food continues to…read moreimpress me every time. The menu is easy to navigate, with plenty of pictures that make ordering simple. Portions are generous, everything tastes great, and the prices are very reasonable for the area. The staff are always attentive, friendly, and polite, making the dining experience even better. While there aren't a ton of side dish options, the ones they serve are fresh and high quality. Street parking can be challenging at times, but that's hardly the restaurant's fault. Overall, this is a great spot for Korean food, and I'll definitely be back whenever I'm in the area and craving Korean cuisine.

Great service, good food. A great find and I'll be back to try other stuff. Love the restaurant has…read morea very family feel and vibe. Please try and help them get more business.

The previous time we came to Da Lian was 20 years ago! Chatted with the waitress about how long…read morethey've been in business and they've had the same owner for about 20 years. Cool to see a restaurant stick around for that long. We got to the restaurant right when it opened for lunch at 11:30 on Sunday. Free street parking on Sunday! I thought everything was solid top to bottom, but here is my ranking in descending order: Braised Eggplant Tofu Clay Pot - I generally like this dish everywhere and they have a good version on this here - seasoned well, tender eggplant, and nice texture on the tofu Salt & Pepper Chicken Wings - non-traditional "salt & pepper" - thick coating of tempura-like batter, very peppery (black pepper), and wings set on a bed of sauteed onions. Sesame Bread with Green Onion - tasty, but unlike other "da bing" I've had. This was on the thin side, meaning you have a lot more crispy outside compared fluffy inside. This was also lighter on the green onion. Classic Shrimp & Chive Dumpling - can't go wrong with dumplings - an order comes with 12 dumplings, each filled with big pieces of shrimp. I liked the texture but it is a little different - looser filling instead of a solid meat/veg ball on the inside. Original Braised Pork Noodle Soup - I liked the flavor of the soup and noodles. There was a ton of meat (diced) but they were on the tough side.

Bear ramen used to be my go to in Berkeley, but the kimchi fried noodle was not the same as I…read moreremembered. Maybe the noodles are not fresh made or the sauce was a bit too sweet, but it just tasted different. One of the better deals in Asian ghetto though.

I'm sure food here will be great. The service was okay. Ambience was kitchen fan and customer…read morechatter. Soup here and fried rice is what you should try.

After finished class today, we find a new cozy spot for noodle nearby the campus. The environment…read moreis good and clean. The Beef Combination Pho is huge. There is a big beef bone in short rib on top of the noodle. The broth is rich and tasty. Recommend! 5/5 The Shrimp and pork Siu Mai is good as well. It is juicy and flavorful. The chili oil on the table is amazing! So good. 5/5 We will back for other dishes next time!

They should have stick with dumplings…read more... Seafood tom yum noodle with meatball 0 star - Was excited to try until I put my chopsticks in and got some instant ramen inside!! Didn't expect to pay $18 for a bowl of instant ramen with fried egg on top. I can make it better at home. Braised beef brisket noodle soup 3 stars - beef is good n tender but the soup is on the bland side and noodles are overcooked Pork Wonton in chilli oil 2.5 stars- tiny meatball wrapped in wonton skin Spicy beef tendon 4 stars - best out of the 4 dishes we got... hard to mess this one up Stay away if you want authentic viet.... Better yet just stay away

Yes this is a small and basic looking place to eat but I frequent this place twice a month for…read moretheir chicken and beef Pho. Staff are really nice and Pho is really really good

So it's the 4th of July and my fave pho place is closed. These guys were open...hadn't been in a…read morelong time, and since the last time I was here they've covered the patio which is nice. It used to get super hot outside. The food is pretty good and about the same price as similar establishments on San Pablo. I had the beef pho (I like it without tendon, beef ball, etc) and the broth was great, the noodles bouncy and it came with all the basil, sprouts, jalapeño and citrus I could want. We also got what they call egg rolls which were like imperial rolls in regular egg roll wrappers. They were decent. Daughter got combination bun which she liked a lot. 3 stars cuz I had to use the bathroom which was absolutely horrifying. They have 2 bathrooms. I opened the door to one and had to shut it really fast. I just edited out details because you don't want to read that.

Summer is sometimes a stranger and it can be sunny one day and rain drops on another day. This…read morehappened while I was on a drinking binge this week on my matcha bender in Berkeley. Although I go get some Pho after a night of drinking this time I decided to go before noon . Any day when there is rain falling would be an excuse to grab some Pho. There is one place in Berkeley which has been serving Pho for years. I haven't reviewed it until now. It's called the Saigon Express. On a Summer stroll in Downtown Berkeley while rain fall on a supposedly sunny day I landed at Saigon Express. This is a good casual spot to get some Pho. I decided to get chicken pho and it was tasty. I could had a whole bucket of the chicken broth. The noodles were like Angel hair and soft and fresh. The chicken was tender. This place also sells banh mi like the fish cake banh mi on a flakey baguette like some on my social media feed. Overall a good spot to grab a good bowl of Pho rain fall or shine. Walking in Downtown Berkeley I felt the rain fall "on me" a place which has " drawn me" to the Pho place for the one and only "Don Juan V." which also serves some flakey tasty Vietnamese sandwiches called " Banh Mi" Go on a stroll party people from dusk till "dawn"with the hella cool "Don Juan" and they even have a "Seafood Udon "so make an express line to a place with the last name express and the first name "Saigon"

A great spot for a quick banh mi fix. Very good prices and quick service…read more We recently went to dine in with a larger group and also had a good time. Banh mi as good as I remembered, but even the plates (e.g., eggplant basil, stir fried noodles) were fast, tasty, and generously portioned.