This is hands down my favorite Taiwanese restaurant in the Bay Area! Located in an…read moreindustrial-turned-residential street with a quaint outdoor patio, the restaurant has become a popular fixture so be sure to arrive early if coming on a weekend as the wait can be over 30 minutes. There is a daily rotating seasonal menu as well as permanent favorites like the soy glazed eggplant, BBQ chicken cutlet and whole squid. There is also an amazing selection of teas, sake and beer! Good to Eat gets 5 s for SAFAV: Service Ambiance Food Alcohol Value for Money

What started out as a successful pop-up is now a full-service eatery with a rotating menu of…read moreTaiwanese tapas. Good To Eat is dinner only from Wednesday -Saturday. The inside dining space is minimalistic but chic. You can also eat at the counter by the bar. Outdoor dining is plentiful, and with heat lamps and string lights it is a lively option. The restaurant's philosophy is to be inclusive and many of their staff are from the LGBTQ community. The staff were super friendly and service-focused when we were there, adding to our dining experience. As for the food, the Taiwanese dishes here do not adhere to a traditional recipe, but rather it is Taiwanese cuisine with a modern twist. The Lou Rou Fan, for example, does not feature a stewed egg or mustard greens that would be standard at other Taiwanese eateries. Those looking for stinky tofu would be disappointed in not finding it here. What we did tried, however, were more like upscaled Taiwanese flavor-inspired dishes. We started with the grilled whole squid with house side pickle, and the Dou Bao (layered tofu sheet). The squid was excellent with the smoky grilled taste and we loved the perfectly fermented Chinese kimchee. The Dou Bao was unique in that the tofu sheets were served grilled, rather than the chilled wet version I am used to. Following the server's recommendation, we had the bamboo shoots rice soup claypot, which was homey and large enough for sharing. We loved the Shrimp with Specialty Tofu Sauce Noodle. The tofu sauce was creamy and garlicky. The shrimps were fresh and crisp. Fried chicken is a Taiwanese specialty, and the Pepper Numbing Chicken Culet did not disappoint. The chicken was perfectly fried but the meat remained tender and moist. The Taiwanese sweet pepper numbing sauce was great over the fried chicken, and in fact, it is pretty much good over anything. The Taiwanese Minced-Pork Noodle is like a Dan Dan noodle, with fermented bean paste sourced from Taiwan. We were lucky that on our visit they have the Taiwanese Twins Donuts, which were like beignets, but made from sough naturally cultivated in house for 3 days. This was really yummy. You have to order the soft serves, which was named by SF Chronicle as one of the best soft serves in the Bay Area. We tried the black sesame oil with sea salt flakes, and also the plum sauce version. Both were delicious.

Came here on Saturday evening around 7pm ish, party of 6. It was walking distance from an escape…read moreroom near 19th street so we stumbled upon it from convenience. We all split all the specialty cocktails and I got the Khao Pad Kang Kiew (rice with eggplant and chicken topped with a fried egg). Dishes are $20-23 ish each. We were seated at the 6 person table in the back of the restaurant near the bathroom. My favorite drinks were their take on a hard thai iced tea, the lavender mojito, a take on an espresso martini. There was also this spicy drink that had thai chilis in it that is VERY spicy lol. Pros: - the rice dish was DELICIOUS and also huge haha. Came with cucumbers to cut the peppery flavor if needed. - All the cocktails were pretty different and it was fun to try all of them. They were all beautiful to look at and tasty (lots of coconut and Thai inspiration). - Service was pretty good - Has "typical" thai dishes like pad thai and pad see ew, and also more rare ones that are hard to find - Close to many bars and other establishments, so perfect if you want to eat here as a first, second, or third location of your outing haha Cons: - The air flow in the back wasn't amazing so I did feel like it got stuffy/hot - Parking can be tough in this area so I recommend BARTing Another reason to love Oakland!

I originally planned on rating Pintoh Thai 5 stars for their finger licking good pad kemao, but the…read morelast time I visited, the servers literally forgot about my table multiple times. We had to re-place our orders because they were never sent to the kitchen and lost, we had to flag down servers otherwise we were sitting there confused for 20+ minutes as they hustled and bustled around us, it was just bizarre. And it was a bit embarrassing as I'd lauded this place to my guest and we proceeded to get snubbed by every server during dinner time. Alas, the pad kemao was still delicious but I don't know if I'd suffer that kind of service again for a meal. And no, nothing was comped or discounted. Ambiance-wise, the restaurant is cute and near a busy area of downtown Oakland so it's easy to get to by BART or by car. I might give them another chance if I'm ever in the area already, but I won't be going out of my way to visit again.

We grabbed a bite here on a Friday evening before catching a movie across the street at the…read moretheatre. The serve was good and the restaurant seemed busy with all hands on deck. I enjoyed watching the staff hustle to deliver a satisfactory experience meanwhile enjoying the space with my fellow patrons. We had a poke bowl and a roll

R&R Sushi and Bowls is hands down my favorite sushi spot in the Bay Area! The fish is always…read moreincredibly fresh, the portions are super generous, and every meal we've had here has been consistently amazing. Our favorite rolls are the Dragon Roll, Alameda Roll, and Warriors Roll, but honestly, you can't go wrong with anything on the menu. If you're not in the mood for sushi, do yourself a favor and order the teriyaki chicken bowl, it's my favorite teriyaki chicken anywhere. I order it regularly, and it's always cooked perfectly. And I have to give a special shoutout to the house salad. It might sound silly to rave about a salad at a sushi restaurant, but the salad and the dressing are absolutely addictive. I don't know what they put in that dressing, but it's seriously that good. The outdoor patio in the back is another reason we love coming here, especially when we want to bring our dogs along. Great food, friendly service, and a relaxed atmosphere keep us coming back time and time again. If you're looking for incredible sushi in the Bay Area, R&R Sushi and Bowls should absolutely be on your list.

Man I just love this place, the food quality is incredible and I'm not sure I know any other…read morerestaurant round here that makes fresh soba and is quite as cute as soba Ichi. The service is also amazing, everything is smooth sailing, everyone's calm, collected and super stylish. This place is a gem and never fails to make me smile:)

First timer at soba ichi and soba noodles!…read more I ordered Chirimen Sansho Tofu, Yuba & Ichigo Salad, Seasonal Sashimi, Teba Karaage, Ten Seiro, and Kamo Nanban Soba. Chirimen Sansho Tofu 4/5 Very soft and tasty. I enjoyed the slightly salty tiny fish that brings a bit of umami to the dish. My friend who doesn't like tofu but he actually enjoyed this dish and it may have changed his mind. Yuba & Ichigo Salad 4/5 Very refreshing and nice starter to pair with the sashimi. Seasonal Sashimi 5/5 Super fresh and delicious. Teba Karaage - Omg. The chicken looked so simple but it was cooked to absolute perfection. It was so tender and juicy that it explodes in your mouth (pause). Perfectly seasoned. Definitely worth it. Ten Seiro 4.5/5 This was absolute peak. Loved the duck and the tiny meatball you dip in to the egg yolk. It was a fun and tasty dish experience Kamo Nanban Soba 4/5 It.'s my first time with soba and it's not too bad. I thought the cold soba was okay but I enjoyed the hot soba more. Tempura was absolutely tender and crispy. So delicious Ambience 4/5 Very fun and lively outside seating. There's also indoor seating. I sat outside and noticed it was very windy, so a lot of dust and tiny leaves were blowing in our faces and food. Kind of sucked but still okay since we ended up eating everything super fast as soon as it came out. Just something to be aware when sitting outside. I'll definitely choose inside next time. Service 4/5 Staff are super friendly but I did wish they were a little more attentive since we wanted more water and needed more napkins I'd definitely come back, it's a highly recommended soba spot for me. Do yourself a favor and try everything!

Beautiful restaurant and amazing food. Each dish was very delicious…read more Our favorites were the beef salad and the pumpkin slices. Surprisingly the pumpkin was the star. Very crispy and the sauce that comes with it is a nice tough. Great appetizer you should get. Beef salad hits all the notes a Thai dish should hit. Would recommend this as well. Vibes were great here. Great music and they have a fully stacked bar. Perfect for a weekend night

Food 4.5/5 Service 4.5/5…read moreAmbiance 3.5/5 I went to meet a friend for lunch, as it was warm day we sat outside. Beautiful day and the first time we had tried this restaurant. I wish I had taken pictures: We each started with a cocktail both were delicious, we shared a fresh rice paper roll for an appetizer: perfect and loved the peanut sauce. For entree I had green curry with chicken and tofu and my friend had pad se ew with beef. Both were delicious. I would definitely recommend this place for the good service, flavorful food nice portions and reasonably priced.

I ordered the soft tofu soup from here and it was absolutely phenomenal! I love Korean food and I…read moredare say, this is one of the best in the Bay. The soup itself was so flavorful and full of umami that I was gagged by how delicious it was and called the restaurant to tell them how amazing they did with the food! The banchan here was also exceptional. They provided eggplant kimchi which I never had before. It was still firm and not mushy at all, giving such a pleasant eggplant flavor and texture that would have surely turned eggplant haters to worshipers. They also included a sweet seaweed and bean sprout dish that was completely new and very moreish. All that to say, I highly recommend everyone trying this place and I cannot wait to order from here again. This will definitely be my go-to in Oakland for goated Korean food.

The husband went all out and got 40 wings! One was the spicy and the other was soy garlic…read more The soy garlic was quite popular and was quickly eaten. Both fried chickens were well made and not packed with lots of batter. Both flavors come through the wings so strongly and we cannot have enough!

Pro Tip: Order Tang Su Yook with your Jajangmyeon, the two pair well together and will leave you…read morecraving more. With that said although Yu Yu is located in a pretty sketch area of Oakland/Berkeley, I would still recommend eating here just for its authenticity. They seem to have a parking lot in the back but we manage to find street parking in the front. You're better off looking for parking in the back than the front due to limited spaces. As for the food it was delicious. For the jajangmyeon you are given the noodles separately from the sauce; this allows you to pour in as much or as little as you want. I personally felt their flavors were mild enough that I poured in the whole thing. As for the tang su yook, it comes with a sweet and sour sauce that's bomb dot com. Even as stuffed as I was with the jajangmyeon, I managed to still find it in myself to finish the last bits of the tang su yook. Highly recommend. The restaurant itself seems to be newly renovated; don't let the rough exterior fool you. The inside was nice and clean but they only have room for four large tables that can fit a parties of 6, and the rest range from parties of 2-4. Last but not least service, they seem to run lean and understaffed but the gentlemen working did his best. Just be mindful if you come at a busy time you may have to wait. Overall looking forward to coming back here!

Tangsuyuk (Sweet & Sour Pork) - The highlight of the meal. The pork was fried perfectly with a…read morelight, crispy batter that stayed crunchy without feeling greasy. Jjamppong - Rich, spicy seafood broth with a nice kick. It was loaded with seafood and vegetables, and the noodles had a great chewy texture. Jajangmyeon - Thick, savory black bean sauce that wasn't overly salty or sweet. Overall vibe feels homey and traditional, the server is polite and friendly.

Spoon on Ashby, right next to Berkeley Bowl which means its always on my route anyway. Kimchi fried…read morerice came out in a hot stone bowl, nice crispy rice layer on the bottom, egg on top cooked just right. Seafood pancake was generous, thick and well browned, good texture. Banchan rotation is solid, kimchi was fresh. Service was friendly and the outdoor seating works well on a nice day. Unpretentious neighborhood spot, no gimmicks, food just tastes like someone actually made it. 5 stars, honest Korean food and convenient parking which in Berkeley is basically two stars on its own

Return customer for probably over 10 years…read more Food 3.5/5 Service 4/5 Ambiance 4/5 There is no parking lot, we parked on the street. Don't get me wrong, spoon is still solid but it didn't hit the same craving this time around. Complimentary fishcake is no longer available, it was there when I last went 5 months ago However they gave us 2 sets of side dishes, so that's a plus The Seafood Pancake did not taste the same, there is new plating, the portions were smaller and thinner , which is understandable, but it wasn't as good. There was less flavor. The Galbi was solid and that has not changed. Good taste and portion for the price. The Spicy Pork in the Bibimbap was not spicy and did not have much flavor. Maybe I came on an off day, but I like spoon for their solid food, not really for the vibes or ambiance. I drive 25-35 minutes each way for their food, but after this experience and with recent inflation for all Korean à la carte restaurants, I'd rather eat at ayce kbbq.