Went there with my friends today for a much needed dinner out. Nice service, yummy food and a quiet, friendly place to have dinner. We had the pork bao, spring rolls, hunan peanut noodles, and dry string beans. Everything was tasty and well prepared. The service was also fast and friendly. read more

Why only three stars? While I like the decor and the open kitchen concept, the fact they have a full bar, the portions are quite small for the price. I typically don't eat the supplied rice as I'm trying to adhere to a lower carb diet. And while I should also work on portion control, I'm always disappointed by the cost for a dinner entry compared to what you get. Consider the dry fried basil chicken for example. This is my favorite dish here. But by the time you pull out the red peppers wok fried with other ingredients, you aren't left with a lot of chicken to eat. I tried to remedy this by ordering it at the restaurant. Consistently small dish regardless of dining in or getting to go. I get that they are shooting for an upscale Asian dining experience, But when there are 10 gallon plastic buckets not one,but 3-4 to collect, I presume rain from a leaky roof, you kind of kill that cool vibe right upfront. The food is much better than PF Changs... I mean no contest. But at least at PF you get more grub per order. Not to mention that while their decor resembles that of PF Changs as far as big sculptures and hip palette of woods and accessories with mood setting ambient and eclectic lighting, you will never find detergent buckets out front to catch rain from leaky roof. Even if you are using the buckets to also stow wet umbrellas, come on man, 3-4 of em? Cost plus or IKEA, $7 bucks equals antique brass umbrella holder. I'm still going to come here, because I get that craving for dry wok fried basil chicken, nobody does it better. But I'm going to slow frequency of visits to justify the fact I may have to order 2 or 3 (if I share with a second person) that's 30 smackers! And since I primarily get it to go, I am doubly apprehensive because I don't want my overcharged chicken to help repair the leaky roof. Or better yet, I'm gonna google how to do this at home and with 15 bucks in ingredients, my Cost Plus wok, my high end gas cooktop, and a dimmer in the dining room, I may be set. read more

It was my first time here. Drove by this place on multiple occasions but never stopped. It was my wife's birthday and I knew I had to be very careful while choosing the restaurant. It's also because my wife is hell of picky. When it comes to food, she doesn't fool around. And, she is not particularly fond of Chinese food. But I thought it would be worth a shot. This place lived up to our excitement. Call me greedy, I always go by the size of the food on the plate, besides how it tastes. The portion was plentiful. Price was okay. Staff were nice. No wait time, since it was a weekday. Parking was not that hard to find. If you are considering going with friends. Let me assure you, they can adjust big parties too. All in all, quite a good experience. Birthday girl was happy. I was happy that she was happy. It was win-win for us. Will definitely go back. Definitely recommend this place. read more

Kirin Chinese Restaurant - Chinese Near Me - Berkeley, California

See all

Awful, awful. Panda Express tastes way better. The Mongolian beef was really tough, the Prawns a la Ching Hua tasted like Prawns a la Heinz Ketchup. I don't throw food away that often or almost ever, but I threw most of it away. read more

Dinner on a Sunday night and it was such a great visit. Brought a few friends, ordered some soup, prawns and champagne. The food did not disappoint. The interior is stylish. The service is top notch. Leo was our server and he is the best!! He's actually served my table more than once and he's always so accommodating. I love that this place is so convenient to the freeway. Easy to find parking. And food is delicious. This is easily becoming a frequent stop whenever visiting the Bay Area. Thank you!! read more

I love the place it's so comfortable and the food it's so delicious but the mojitos blows my mouth 100% recommended. read more

See all

I was in the Neighborhood at Oaks Jewelers . When I was leavining Kirin Chinese Restaurant caught my Eye. The Name peaked my Curiosity because the name Kirin is usually associated with Japanese Beer. So I stopped by and Perused their Lunch Menu . It looked interesting enough . So I grabbed a table and ordered the Crab and Lobster Sauce Prawns . The Lunch Special Entrees come with White Rice , Green Salad and House Soup. I was brought a Bowl Of House Soup first. The House Soup was Egg Drop and Seaweed Soup . It was Hot and Pretty Tasty . My Crab and Lobster Sauce Prawns arrived after I had finished my Soup. The Prawns Tasted Good. But the Portion Size was very Disappointing . Especially fro the Price being charged. The Service was fairly good. Cool Open Kitchen so you can watch your food being prepared. I really liked the Decor it was Upscale . But the Prices were Upscale too. While unfortunately the Portion size was Small . Thcy take Master Card , Visa and Cash . They also have a Full Bar. I Paid by Visa and rolled out. read more

See all

Pam and I had lunch here today. It's a great favorite of hers. In fact, she hosted our book group here several years ago. I was surprised to realize I hadn't written an update then. I don't remember what we had then, other than Brussels sprouts, which I had never seen at a Chinese restaurant before. They were delicious, as was everything else we had, so when Pam wanted to return today I was interested. We found parking directly in front and I went inside to secure a table while Pam went to pay for parking. We were the first customers so finding a table was no problem. I was seated and given menus and Pam joined me shortly. She was very interested in a couple of appetizers, a salmon pancake and soup dumplings so we ordered those. She also ordered a Szechuan shrimp lunch and I ordered a lunch of scallop in garlic wine sauce w/ shiitake mushrooms and snow peas. The lunches came w/ a hot and sour soup that was nicely balanced and full of tasty goodies. That was served first, and then the appetizers. I took a couple of slices of the salmon pancake and three soup dumplings and left the rest for her. Both dishes were tasty. Our lunches were served, the salad in a small bowl on the platter. The salad had a sweetish dressing. The servings of the mains were generous. Pam really liked her shrimp. I thought my dish was very good, but not great. I would order something else next time. There were lots of leftovers, which Pam took home to her husband. There are two gender neutral restrooms all the way in the back on the left, behind a black curtain. The bathrooms have black fixtures and the lower parts of the walls are painted back. Above the black walls is beautiful, gold tile work. It's a very attractive look. read more

I was taken here by a Yelp friend and what a treat it was! The bar is up near the front of the building and so that is where the TVs are.. unfortunately if you want to sit down to watch a game you have to take a seat at the bar. The venue itself is gorgeously decorated and I am particularly fond of the glass separating patronage from the kitchen, so you can actually see your food being prepared from start to finish! Pretty awesome!!! Can be a bit distracting though so if you are on a date or something with a foodie.. or Yelper.. well you might want to sit further back where the kitchen isn't visible! *laughs* We ordered Chow Fun, Veggie Fried Rice, and Xian Jiang Lamb. Fabulous flavor on every dish, not greasy or oily... in fact it was surprisingly light! We were checked on by our server, the dining manager, and even a fellow server just frequently enough. Water glasses were kept full the entire time! I think the waterboy is a ninja in training! The only question I have is there were a couple baking sheets on the rafter beams above us.. I'm hoping that's maybe to stop rain or any sort of leakage, but throws off the decor a bit and I hope they never overflow and dribble down on the dining tables below!! I will definitely be returning with friends to explore the large menu further. read more

Kirin Chinese Restaurant - Chow fun & veggie fried rice - Chinese Near Me - Berkeley, California

See all

My mom likes this place but I can't stand it. I ordered Mongolion beef and it tasted nothing like it. All you could taste was Ginger and I've never had Ginger in my Mongolian beef. The rice wasn't much better. Then there was the prawns, which are usually served sauted, these were fried. Who evan knows if they were fresh. They should have been for $25.00 a ,plate. I miss Sing Taos. read more

Kirin is our go-to Chinese restaurant. Whenever we are in the San Francisco Bay Area, we venture into Berkeley for this time-tested Chinese restaurant. We have seen many familiar restaurants either retire or sell to a new owner, but Kirin has remained predictably wonderful for decades! read more

I have no idea why; other than the fact that my sister has absolutely no taste, but her and her best friend always rave about the food here, but from my three experiences dining here, I have never been impressed with the food and the service here is lousy as well. They live nearby in El Cerrito and apparently walked into this place one day, saw that the restaurant had an upscale. elegance, modern bar area and good ambience, and decided this would be their go-to Chinese restaurant in Berkley. The food is only served in a fancier presentation and some dishes are 'not bad' but I don't care for most of the dishes they serve here; which are all overpriced by the way! I don't care for any of the soups they rave about, their moo shu pork which is served on flavorless uncooked bland crepes that fall apart, is served lukewarm and lacking in flavor itself. You ask for spring rolls and the waiter tells you "yes spring roll egg roll" which I believe are two different Chinese appetizers, which you end up with egg rolls and they are not particularly good. the rice sticks together; especially if you order take out, which I will get to next. They also make you wait a very long time for your food to arrive and then bring it all out at once. I never liked this restaurant but never bothered writing a review until now, but this latest experience just really did it for me and flat out had me upset. It was last Christmas Eve and because of an ongoing feud between my brother and sister, my sister, her roommate and her son and I decided to meet up at my dad's house to get together and exchange gifts. At 87 my dad no longer cooks or generally host company. My sister did not have time to cook and bring 'home cooked food' to his house, so they spent somewhere between $150 - 175 and brought food from this restaurant packed in insulated food carrying bags and containers, about 35-40 minutes away to my dads house. I was already there with my dad when they showed up and the first thing we did was eat. aside from the ride over and bringing the food in and immediately serving, say 50-55 minutes after being picked up, everything was ice cold and tasted awful. I tried to pretend the situation wasn't so bad and did not bother me, but you could see the look of disappointment on everybody's face as they were doing the same. Nothing tasted good and felt like an obligation as to not waste the food rather than enjoy it. the food was beyond bland and flavorless when served cold. nothing worked and really set the depressing mood for the rest of that evening. Probably my sister and her friends own fault; more than anything for coming up with such a bad idea, but aside from the fact that the food was just bad in the first place is that my sister's friend found a tiny piece of glass or rock in her food and they also left out two full dishes that she ordered and was charged for to which had her more upset on Christmas Eve due to pure incompetence. I will never dine here again even if invited. read more

Tremendously hard working team who made our experience at Kirin quite wonderful. The food was also very tasty - shout out to the Basil Chicken - and to the gracious restaurant staff. read more

We came here the other night for dinner and I remember saying that I judge a lot of Chinese places by how they make sesame chicken and their rice. (If you cannot make rice..there is a problem.) To start we ordered fried dumplings and spring rolls along with some oolong tea. The dumplings were just pan fried enough to give it a little crunch without being overly crispy. The filling was nothing short of delicious! The spring rolls were very nicely golden brown and crispy. I personally thought they were good but I would have rather ate lumpia that I make at home than those spring rolls. Just my opinion but yeah...not as amazing to me as the dumplings. We ordered the Kirin beef and sesame chicken for entrees and each had steamed rice. The rice was perfectly steamed, not soggy and not overcooked. The Kirin beef was almost like a Mongolian beef but it was very tasty, with a semi-sweet sauce that marinated it nicely. I was happy that it was not covered in onions to the point where that was all you had to eat, like most restaurants. Now, the sesame chicken was so golden and crispy looking on the outside but I sat there for a moment debating if it would be the same if not better than on the east coast. I put a piece in my mouth and the flavor was just how I wanted it to be...or hoped for. The chicken was not dry or too chewy but just juicy pieces smothered in a sweet sesame sauce inside a crispy exterior. I will definitely come back to this place for the Kirin beef and sesame chicken! If I would have known Berkeley had so many amazing places to eat when I moved to Cali I would have moved here. ...is this a bad reason to want to go to Cal? Just so I can walk to this place for dinner? LOL! read more

The food at Kirin is very good and of high quality. The service is also very good at the bar / register area but can be lackluster when sitting at a table. It's not bad, it's just not as attentive as I'd like. The one problem I really have with Kirin is that the restaurant is very, very cold in the winter months. Even when fully dressed in my outerwear it's too cold for me to comfortably eat a meal in leisure in the restaurant. Therefore we often resort to take out, but many of the dishes we love don't hold up well when you take them home. Bonus points for the full bar. read more

YES! I needed a good Chinese food restaurant in my life! So glad to have been discovered this place and was quite impressed with everything! I thought the service was good, everyone was friendly enough- person who delivered the food (not the waiter) was the nicest. Before we got our food I took in the ambiance and loved the open kitchen with a glass wall (is this still considered open?) as I got to see what was going on yet the place was not loud at all. I like the dark decor and that there is a bar (small one). Staff helped us choose and I was so into the noodles and dumplings! I liked the mustard sauce that accompanied the dumplings and the spiciness of the noodles wasn't too intense. My partner loved the chicken dishes he ordered and all I kept thinking about was what I was going to order next time. I am hoping to become a regular at this place. Soooo good! read more

Food was fairly good but not the same as I remember from previous visits. The ambiance has gone downhill. Restaurant needs to be remodeled! Back of the restaurant is filled with storage things that need to be put away. Hoping this restaurant will make it! read more

One of my favorite places to run to after work. Happy hour menu makes getting a variety of things cost effective. Drinks are always decently strong. I love the sauteed garlic green beans - always flavorful and fresh. read more

Kirin Chinese Restaurant - Garlic beans - Chinese Near Me - Berkeley, California

See all

I called in an order for pickup. Appreciated that the man reviewed my order before we hung up. My daughter stopped by to pick it up just to realize that I had called the wrong Kirins! I called this Berkeley establishment but meant to call a restaurant in San Francisco. I called them back to let them know my error and to pay for my order. They wouldn't let me pay for it since I wasn't picking it up! I know for sure that I will stop by for a meal next time I am in Berkeley. read more

Good Chinese food and adequate service. My recent visit to Kirin was a good one. The menu is quite comprehensive and dishes presented well. We were seated promptly and ordered lemon chicken, sesame chicken, mongolian beef and pork fried rice. The food was served quickly and was hot. The chicken dishes had nicely crisped coating, though a little overcooked. The flavor was good, but the sauces were quite heavy. The mongolian beef was tender and perfectly spiced. The pork fried rice was a little plain for my taste and needed more soy sauce. While the service was prompt, it wasn't the most friendly, though not rude either. If you're looking for good Chinese, Kirin is a good bet. read more

I have to say this is the first time I have real 'Tea Smoked Duck', I can taste the smokey flavour. I went to few places and tried their Tea Smoked Duck, but there is nothing like this one. Other places that I have been gone does not have this flavour. The soup is tasty and has perfect spicy level, not too spicy. The waiters are friendly and fast service. I will come again. read more

See all

We have many choices for good Chinese food on Solano and Kirin has been our number one choice for dine in and take out for over 15 years. Our favorites are Pot Stickers ( best ever in town), Lettuce wraps, Hot and Sour Soup, Kung Pao Chicken, Kirin Beef, Bejing Hoison Pork, Dry Fried Prawns, Spicy eggplant and almost every noodle dish. The owners and staff greet everyone and after years of going know there customers by name. It is a great neighbor hood restaurant. We have used the banquet room once in the back, nice space for privacy, but a little dark. Oh, for take out the pot stickers rarely make it up the hill to our home. So, it's best to hide the box to hide the evidence. read more

Excellent potstickers! I really like three pepper sweet shrimp. The garlic asparagus was awesome. Always good service and a very nice interior, so this is a relatively elegant dining experience. Designer dark woods, clean, modern style. Very appealing. One of the nicer atmospheres for Chinese dining in a region swimming in Chinese restaurants. When I want great food, but don't mind a more authentic, but less-than-special atmosphere, China Village is a good option just a few blocks down Solano. read more

This place is just a cream-of-the-crop Chinese restaurant. It is clean, upscale (about the only thing comparable on Solano Avenue is the très élégant Reneé's Place), has ambiance, beautiful decor, a beautiful interior, scrumptious food, and fast service. What more could you ask for? Kind staff? Well, they've got that, too. I just came in by myself, feeling rather dismal about my life in general. I told the maître d' how happy I was to see they put out the vinegar, as fewer and fewer Chinese restaurants are doing nowadays. I like to mix it with soy sauce for pot stickers and dumplings, as well as some of the sauces, like the kung pao sauce. Well, I guess I must know flavors better than I think because he told me they have a dish where the sauce is a combination of vinegar and the kung pao sauce. Such a nice man! And my waiter was very kind, too, as was the young man who poured my water. About now you're beginning to wonder, "When is she going to tell us what dishes are good?" Well, I haven't been here too often (though I believe they have a sister restaurant on College Avenue called Shen Hua, which also is fabulous), but if you like shrimp, you must try the shrimp dumplings. They are scrumptious. Tonight I also had the Manchurian Beef, which was crunchy and delicious. The only complaint I can think of is that they didn't give me a fortune cookie, though I saw some in a jar at the bar and probably should have asked for one. read more

See all

We ordered take out from Kirin. We had potstickers, crab and corn soup, Mongolian beef and Mu Shu pork. Everything was delicious-- great flavors and nice portions. We will definitely go back!! read more

If I could eat their hot and sour soup every day I would! They are the only place I have found gluten free that's truly delicious!!!

There are many, many Chinese restaurants on Solano Ave. I once tried to count and came up with 13... Kirin never seemed that attractive to me from the outside. I know they tried to make it look swank, and were doing some remodeling, but when I'd walk by there was this little alley/door on the right side of the main entrance that always smelled like barf. So you can understand my initial disinterest. However, on a hungry walk back from a yoga class in Albany, I crossed paths with a man carrying two overloaded bags of pungent food that stopped me in my tracks. In disbelief and utter spontaneity, I took the opportunity to go in. I've been back many times for their various tofu dishes (thats how I roll) and I am quite fond of the chow fun. It is true that their packaging does a great job of keeping the food hot and delicious by the time we dig into it at home. read more

Had a great lunch. Outside. Some of the best hot and sour soup I've ever tasted. Good portions. Had pot stickers too. Freshly made. Great service. Will return. read more

This was pretty terrible Chinese food. Don't be fooled by the nice Asian staff.... Came with my parents and we had: 1. Sizzling rice soup - super salty! So bad my mom asked for hot water to dilute it. 2. Xiao long bao - hello, sodium bomb! There was no soup inside, it had a processed meatball inside, and the sauce was all wrong. Definitely not xiao long bao. Shame on you Kirin!! 3. Curry chicken, garlic eggplant, and chengdu fish - I put these all together bc they all had the same sauce! No joke. If you want real Chinese food, don't go here. If you like PF Changs (which also isn't real Chinese food) then maybe you'd like this place. 4. White rice - good. Tough to wreck that one! read more

During Covid, I felt the quality went down. I was pleasantly surprised recently, back to making flavorful dishes. Will be a regular customer again! read more

Very good food, but a bit pricey. I've been to Kirin multiple times with family and friends and each time, everyone is satisfied. It will continue to be a staple when I am in the Albany/Berkeley area. read more

I've lived in the area for a very long time. Kirin is one of my favorite go to places. I've never had a disappointing experience in both food and attentive service. I've hosted several holiday and birthday parties. Kirin is always a pleasure. read more

This is my favorite Chinese restaurant in the Bay Area and have been going here and their sister restaurant on College Ave since arriving here in the late '90s. The recipes are unique and flavorful, the portions are generous, and they have my favorite Mongolian Beef and Hot and Sour soup anywhere. What more could you want? The low reviews here are crazy-town. Support great restaurants! read more

Came here on a Monday with some friends. The place was practially empty. The food came out quickly, the service attentive (almost overly so - they kept trying to take our plates to wrap up!). We got here at 7:40 and felt a little rushed because the staff wanted to eat dinner at about 8:50pm (I think they close at 9pm on Monday). It wasn't horrible, just obvious they were hoping we would leave. I would return because the food was really good. Try the Shanghai noodles (mmmmm garlic) and the sizzling rice soup (so savory!). I also like the feel of the restaurant. It has a trendier vibe with the kitchen being enclosed in glass, dark wood furniture, etc. read more

To be honest, for the price the food was not anything compared to cheaper and better tasting chinese food I've had in the area. The meat on the sesame chicken was definitely overcooked as well and the hot and sour soup wasn't as flavorful as expected. read more

Very nice venue, and good service. On the lunch menu: we had sesame beef and garlic wine scallops. Beef was great; scallops OK. Lunch includes soup which was tasty. Maureen read more

Quiet good, got delivery and they did nice things like send lemon chicken sauce in a separate container from the chicken so it didn't come all soggy. I think they make their own Mu-Shu wrappers, they were soft and plyable, unlike they crumbly type most places use, really tasty. read more

OK I came across this place thru one from my pals from Cal...we were hungry and decided to be brave and try this shi-shi place in Solano Ave. That was in 2003. NOW: I've been going since then. I know it's almost similar to "Asian fusion" stuff but not really...its weird to explain why I keep going to this place. Yes, the servers are very robotic like. The water is never empty...and food is very fast that its not worth it to order any appetizers because they all come at the same time. The boy did fell in love with their sizzling rice soup. It was really sizzling and good stuff...and they offer brown rice (thus I think its shi-shi like) and oh I remember...they used to have lychee martini ... not anymore. THAT was why I liked it...they were good. They should bring that again. Anyway, it's a good place...good ambiance...and fast service. read more

The food is not bad. They have some pretty good Wonton Soup. I also tried their Chicken Wings, Kung Pao Beef, and Garlic Noodles. Those dishes were so-so. read more

See all

Oh my, ordering on December 25th is always a challenge. They were very accommodating and even called to discuss an issue with my special request. A very fine meal! read more