Likely the best Vietnamese restaurant in this area…read more Broth is very well flavored and carries every dish. Given the seal of approval by my Viet parents. Pho comes out quickly, and different dishes have different cuts of meat (I chose 12 with the brisket and round steak). You also get vegetables with your order (bean sprout, basil (eating it definitely changes the flavor of the food), and jalapeño). Would recommend the pho here. Servers were nice and took our orders quickly as well, and interior of restaurant is clean and decorated with plants. There's even a little goldfish pond.

Went here based on Google reviews since I was in the area and craving Vietnamese food. I believe…read morethe owners may be Vietnamese-Chinese, as the menu includes both languages. The pho was a bit off in terms of the broth-to-noodle ratio. I usually like to taste the broth first before getting a bite of everything, but as soon as I dipped my spoon in, I could already tell how many noodles were packed into the bowl. Once the noodles loosened up, there wasn't much soup left. The broth itself was darker, but not in the rich, deeply flavorful way. It tasted more like it had been seasoned heavily at the end with too much bouillon, fish sauce, or something similar, making it too salty without much aroma. The brisket was good, and I did enjoy the traditional toppings like tripe and tendon, but I probably wouldn't come back for the pho. The rice plate with lemongrass pork and shrimp was decent. I just wish there had been more scallion oil, and the salad didn't add much to the plate. Fresh tomatoes, cucumbers, and carrots would have gone a long way.

PhoSho Dough in Berkeley has some seriously yummy pho, but surprisingly, the thing I can't stop…read morethinking about is their egg roll wrapped inside a spring roll. Whoever decided to combine the two knew exactly what they were doing. You get the hot, crispy crunch of the egg roll wrapped with all the cool, fresh veggies of a spring roll -- crunchy, fresh, savory, and refreshing all in one bite. The different textures make it absolutely delightful. The pho itself was flavorful and comforting, but that egg roll/spring roll situation completely stole the show for me. Definitely one of those dishes I'll specifically come back for. Sometimes the side character ends up being the star.

Pretty average pho, solid but we weren't super impressed. Street parking along san pablo. Casual…read moreinside, you order at the counter and they bring it to you. A couple tables inside. The beef balls were good and there was definitely a lot of them in the soup! The pork in the vermicelli bowl was a little dry. Overall not my top pick for pho, but still a solid choice.

A huge shout-out to Tigon for going the extra mile to provide vegan catering for the funeral…read morereception of my father. I had initially tried to cater from a vegan establishment. However, due to scheduling and resources, I approached Tigon, the nearest vegan friendly restaurant to Sunset Mortuary, to select a fully vegan menu. The food was delivered on time and packaged well. Everything was fresh, smelled and tasted delicious. As usual, the guests only realized there were no animal products because the host is vegan. Thank you Tigon for being extra accommodating and making the lunch service effortless for our family.

Since Tigon opened, I've ordered take out multiple times but only recently eaten here. Based on my…read moreexperience, my preference is for take out. The 4 stars are for the food. I come back over and over for their flavorful vegan pho that's all I can think about when I've been sick and I'm ready to eat again. The beef pho looked good. Service was not terrible but also not good. There were a couple awkward ordering interactions, and after our food arrived, there was no further visit to our table- to check-in, ask if we needed water (we did) or bring our check. I saw I sign that said "pay here" but I never got a check brought to me which was odd since our order was taken at the table. The space is huge, with an eclectic decor. I like the high back wooden benches at the perimeter tables which give each table a sense of privacy and space in an otherwise open room.

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.

We found this restaurant when we went to a dessert spot next door recently so we decided to go here…read morefor dinner before our dessert again! Cute little hole in the wall. Good sized menu, very helpful gentleman working the register and all the green tea & water you want to grab yourself with the cutest cups. Miso soup was delicious!! We all got rice bowls, they were all a very good size and very tasty! We all enjoyed our food very much! Your bowl also comes with a side salad that my husband really enjoyed! Definitely coming back!!

Good big portions, breading on katsu was not too thick/overpowering of the chicken which is nice. I…read morealso liked the egg on top

I hate leaving not good reviews but figured we should let people know what we experienced…read more Food was good but service was a bit rough. They are super friendly but we ordered 2 bowls of noodle soups with the extra egg each. The first bowl didn't have the egg. Then after a bit had to ask what happened to the other one bowl. They said they didn't realize we ordered two. Ordering is through a kiosk so it should have been obvious. When we got the second bowl they only brought out one egg. We had to ask to get the other one we paid for. Overall I don't think we'll be back. There are other places in Berkeley we'll try before coming back here.

Brief Summary: - Dishes arrive in takeout bowls (whether you…read morechoose dine in or take out) - Order can be done at a kiosk - Seats available inside - Flavor is lightly seasoned - Price is high for being in a location for students - Felt like additional options requested during the kiosk machine was ignored - Overall, prefer the previous branches One of my favorite restaurants opened up in an area closer for student commute traffic, so I decided to make a trip to try them out. The menu is different than the other two restaurants, whereas it didn't have the fried rice or the chicken noodle soup. Inside, there are kiosks to order, so we ordered a Shanghai Scallion (requested broth), the Shanghai Double Happiness bowl, and the hot and sour noodle soup (requested mild spice). The dishes arrived with Shanghai Double Happiness bowl and the hot and sour noodle soup arriving first, and then the Shanghai Scallion. First, upon peering down at the hot and sour soup, there were a ton of red chilis. Is this really mild spicy, I thought to myself as I took a sip. I don't think this was; this was probably set as standard spiciness of this dish. As a person with low spice-tolerance this was too spicy for me to eat, so I had to trade it with my relative's non-spicy dish (I have a relative with higher spice tolerance). When they ate it, they said it was not too spicy (they didn't drink water), but still not sure if the dish was considered mild because I could eat mild spice. This soup has a generous flavor of sour, and it is also less viscous compared to other hot and sour soups. The dish I traded with my relative was the Shanghai Double Happiness bowl. This is a vegetarian dish, which I usually don't eat much of due to these dishes lacking "koku," and this was the case as well. It was a very very lightly seasoned soup, almost too clear as water with a hint of vegetable flavor. I didn't try this on the first bite, but my sibling mentioned that the vegetables were cold, as if they were just out of the fridge and popped in. It could make sense why this dish was just right, on the edge of being called lukewarm, whilst the hot and sour soup was magma hot. (Since we were the first customers in the store, I'm going to take it as the reason why the vegetables were still cold). By the time the dish was swapped over, the vegetables were at room temperature, so I didn't eat the cold vegetables. It was also soft. For the Shanghai Scallions, it was originally a stir fry noodle dish, but because it was a cold day we requested the option to add in broth. When it arrived, it didn't come with the broth either. At this point, we are speculating that the optional requests we marked in the kiosk order are ignored and we were given the dishes at default. Generally, all the dishes were lightly seasoned to the point I will say it had no flavor. The portion is light as well, so compared to the restaurant experience in the other two branches, this one feels pricier. Since this branch is located in the middle of the student community, where they opt for cost-effective dishes, I would suggest adjusting the price or changing up the menu to fit the students' needs. (The fried rice would be a hit)

$12.75+tt Pho Ga (chicken): 1st, incredibly cheap. Very solid pho made all the better by the price.read more

Super fresh banh mi with organic tofu! (4/5 Green Stars) I…read morewish I had tried this place earlier! I had the banh mi with organic tofu for lunch and the total cost, including tax and a 20% tip was $10.50! I was ravenous and had some concerns that it may not be enough - or come fast enough! However, the lady who took my order prepped the sandwich in as much time as it took me to take a few photos. Also, there was really a lot of tofu in the sandwich - two thick layers of it - so in the end it was pretty darn filling. There were several memorable things about the sandwich, which I ate without any distraction even though I would normally read while eating. The bread was at a perfect state of crispiness - like a proper French roll - very light and also lightly toasted. The crunchy veggies - the daikon in particular, added a freshness to it that counterbalanced the umami of soy and tofu. I've only had a couple of banh mi sandwiches in my time but this one was not only the best so far but has also set a pretty high bar to measure others against. I'm giving the Sidewalk Street Food 4/5 Green Stars for social and environmental impact. It's a woman-owned and run business that offers affordable food in a fairly unaffordable neighborhood. Every dish option - banh mi, salad bowl, pho, and spring rolls all had a tofu option. Some of the other options - chicken and pork - are among the more sustainable choices for meat eaters. However, beef and shrimp are among the worst options Sidewalk loses a star for that. My sandwich was pretty much zero-waste in that it was wrapped in a sheet of paper and delivered in a reusable basket.

Started off with the fresh rolls and corn cakes. The fresh rolls lived up to their name of being…read morefresh and they were a good size with a perfect crunch. The corn cakes were fried just right so they were golden on the outside but soft on the inside and the slaw and sweet sauce elevated it. I would get both appetizers again. For entrees we had: Mama Pad Kee Moa (3.5/5) - instant noodles with fresh veggies and very thin beef. Flavor was good, but the beef missed the mark because it was lacking. Massaman Gai Curry (5/5) - the curry was so flavorful in this dish and the soft potato complimented it very well. Definitely the winner of the night. Chicken Khao Pad (Fried Rice) (3/5) - rice was a little too dry and the thinly cut chicken again did not pop out in the dish. Overall, very fresh and authentic Thai dishes. Service was fast and attentive. There are plenty of seating options to dine in, but I also saw a lot of take out orders. Street parking can be difficult on Shattuck but easier to find on the side streets.

No complaints about the service; they were quick and very friendly…read more Unfortunately, I was not the biggest fan of the food. The green curry noodles came with vermicelli, and I wanted to try it since it's what they recommend, but it just was not the right texture for the curry I felt. The flavor of the curry itself was not super flavorful. I felt like more coconut milk could have been added to coat the noodles more. The spring rolls were good. I enjoyed the peanut sauce. We also sat at the front by the door, and it was rather cold in that seat.