the food here is just as good as the food i had in hong kong! from classic dim sum dishes to comforting congee, yin ji chang fen is the place to go if you're craving cantonese food! i particularly enjoyed the rice noodle rolls, hk-style milk tea, and congee. i noticed there were a lot of solo diners here, so this is also a good option if you want to eat by yourself! read more

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I love chang fun / rice noodle rolls and have been to other locations of Yin Ji, so I was excited to check out the Yin Ji in Berkeley. It didn't disappoint! My friend and I came for dinner on Wed evening around 6 pm and it was completely empty when I first arrived but started filling up over the ~30 minutes we were there. We opted to sit outdoors because it was a nice day out. They're mostly known for their chang fun and congee, but they also have some dimsum items like ha gow, siu mai, steamed chicken feet, etc. as well as appetizers such as egg rolls, chicken wings, fried tofu, etc. They also offer some noodle dishes. I got the steamed chicken feet ($6.50) and the shrimp and pork rice noodle roll ($9) for myself, while my vegetarian friend had their vegetarian rice noodle roll ($7.25). The chicken feet came out steaming hot and the skin was soft and fall off the bone. The rice noodle roll was chock full of veggies, shrimp, and pork, which did make it a little bit hard to eat, but I'm certainly not complaining! I tried a bit of my friend's vegetarian roll and I wasn't a huge fan of the fillings they used for it. read more

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This really hit the craving for cheung fun, congee, and you tiao (fried breadstick). Street parking was plentiful on Saturday morning but pricey at $4/hour in the beautiful downtown Berkeley. It's pretty casual inside and clean. Wait staff are nice and service was quick. They were working through a lot of to-go orders, so it took maybe 10 min to start getting food on the table. The beef with raw egg was extremely good - the beef pieces were huge chunks but so tender. The fried breadstick was fresh and perfectly crispy and soft. Their signature cheung fun was perfect in the thickness of the skin, and I feel that the crunchy lettuce just goes so well and kind of highlights that it is fresh (you can't really freeze lettuce well I think). The BBQ pork buns were also excellent - great flavor. I also drank a honey lemon drink was warming and mellow. Can't wait to make the trip again for another relaxing breakfast/brunch here. read more

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This is a chain and has multiple locations. I came by here to try since I was in the mood for steamed rice rolls which is what they're known for. I ordered the shrimp one and honestly it was ok. They aren't your typical dim sum quality I feel like the shrimp was smaller than the ones I normally have. I also tried their porridge which was okay - not a lot of flavor definitely more of a plain porridge. I usually like the ones with a more pork flavor (Daimo is a good option). Overall service was okay as well, nothing that stood out too much. There is quite a few tables inside so waiting is never a problem. I think if you were to go to UC Berkeley and didn't have a car or live in the area this is a good option for that craving. Otherwise it's a pretty okay spot. read more

It's a good traditional Chinese restaurant. I came right as they opened. I had the Chinese donut and warm soy milk. I also had the bbq pork rice noodle roll which was huge. It was a ton of food. read more

Loved this place! It's within walking distance to UC Berkeley and has a variety of authentic items to choose from. We were in and out within 30 minutes as the service was attentive. Remember that parking is free on Sunday! It's a hot spot for Door Dash! People were out the door waiting to get in. We ordered 2 Wonton Noodle Soups, a BBQ Pork Noodle Roll and fried egg rolls which were amazing! Prices and portions of the food were amazing. Will definitely return. read more

Yin Ji Chang Fen - Berkeley - BBQ Pork Rice Noodle Roll, Wonton Noodle Soup, Fried Egg Roll - Cantonese Near Me - Berkeley, California

国人坑国人，差评。Modern segregation. Dishonest shop with horrible service attitude towards Chinese customers. I visited this place twice in the last, and both were quite disappointing with the service. 1. We had a seven person group and the shop automatically added a 20% tip and tried to hide it at the time of signature. When I explicitly asked the lady, she involuntarily admitted and showed the full receipt. 2. We initially ordered take out, but when we arrived at the restaurant, we had some extra time so we wanted to sit down and eat out take out. The lady immediately said no and kicked us out. Obviously she was just fearing that we won't leave a tip, which is ridiculous. Clearly, this owner has some serious attitude problem with Chinese customers in general. read more

The Rice Noodles and congee were great. Good flavor and good serving size. I give it 5 stars ***** The wonton noodle soup pack flavor. Both the soup and wonton were too bland for my tastebuds. I give it 2 stars ** The siu mai and other dim sum items were so so. But give the price and serving, you get good value for your money. I give it 3 stars *** My son and daughter enjoyed the Pork BBQ bun. They normally take time to finish it. But they quickly gobbled the 3 buns. I give it 5 stars ***** Service was fast. And they keep the place clean and in order. If I were to come back, it would be to try the other rice noodle items and congee. read more

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This place specializes in noodle rolls aka cheung fun! I have been craving cheung fun for a few days so when my husband and I decided to go Berkeley yesterday, it was perfect timing to try Yin Ji Chang Fen since I had this place bookmarked. The restaurant reminded me of those small breakfast shops in Hong Kong where you stop by quickly for a meal and a drink. They did not have public restrooms here so you would be out of luck if you needed to use the bathroom. My husband and I ordered a few items: beef congee with raw egg (not a common dish at Chinese restaurants), Chinese donut noodle roll with sweet soy sauce, shrimp noodle roll, lemon with honey drink, and the black gold egg custard bun. Everything was fresh and good! Perfect amount for the two of us with no leftovers. Prices per item were similar to eating out at a dim sum restaurant so all of those items added up to be around $40. Not bad considering where the location was. The cheung fun did remind me of Hong Kong. It was not the best cheung fun I tried since I had the famous michelin star cheung fun in Hong Kong, but it was better than most places. I could tell the noodle rolls were made fresh and it was thin compared to dimsum restaurants. The beef congee with raw egg was bland. I would not order that again. Even adding white pepper and the sweet soy sauce did not do much. The Chinese fried donut with sweet soy sauce was one of my childhood favorites and this place made it good. The black gold egg custard bun was so moist! It was one of the juiciest lava buns I tried so I would definitely recommend this one here. The lemon with honey was a popular drink in Hong Kong. Most places around here only make the honey lemon iced tea but this one was pure lemon and honey with no caffeine. It tasted like the ones in Asia. Overall, I recommend coming here for a good breakfast! Service was quick although this place did not feel like the cleanest. It straight up reminded me of Hong Kong breakfast. Our server spoke both Cantonese and Mandarin too. Luckily, they take credit cards! read more

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You know this place is legit when the servers speak Cantonese and all the tables are filled with Asian grandparents on a weekend morning. I stopped by five minutes after they opened and two tables were already seated. My wife and I ordered a marinated shrimp and beef noodle roll, as well as the pork and gold preserved egg congee to share. Food arrives quick! We waited only five minutes before our rice roll was brought over to our table. The shrimps in the noodle roll were super plump and had a great bite to them. The dish is well-sauced so there's no need for additional soy sauce or anything like that. The congee comes with a ton of pork and preserved egg. The pork is super tender as well. Portion size is as large as it gets: the congee is filled to the brim of the bowl. The dough stick we ordered on the side for the congee was also freshly fried. Not oily tasting at all. 10/10 would stop by again if I'm craving congee. read more

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Most authentic Cantonese i ever try in town. Highly recommended .DT Berkeley must try！ read more

Yin Ji Chang Fen - Berkeley - Cantonese Near Me - Berkeley, California

I went with a group of people and we ordered random dishes that looked popular. Congee was light and good the fish was soft and on plainer side of you don't add any soy sauce. We forgot to buy the fried donut that goes with it. Oops. But still tastes good. The other pork Congee had more flavor with the green onions which was great. I wanted to order all the rice rolls, but I order just 2. I hope to come back to try other ones. There's a corn one and they put lettuce inside the rice rolls which was different. read more

Yin Ji Chang Fen - Berkeley - Yummy! Let's come back! - Cantonese Near Me - Berkeley, California

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This is a very handy and welcomed cafe in downtown Berkeley and perfect for a quick meal of dumplings or noodles. The prices are very reasonable and service is quick and friendly. We would always come here after football games, trips to the theater district or just anytime wandering around Berkeley and wanting something a little different from the food at home. read more

This place was really disappointing, we ordered beef stew and it tasted like they just added lukewarm water from the sink. The beef was extremely chewy it was super difficult to chew. We weren't even able to finish our food. We left hungry, the waitress wasn't helpful ether. I wouldn't recommend this place to anyone. read more

Yin Ji Chang Fen - Berkeley - Beef Stew Lo Mein - Cantonese Near Me - Berkeley, California

This place has the best dim sum in the area especially the lava custard buns which are so good. Shumai, Ha-gow, congee and wonton soup are good like average dim sum place. The fried buns have a crispy texture outside and soft from the inside served with sweet condensed milk. I don't know how busy this place usually be but I went here on Christmas day and there were only a few tables so I didn't have to wait for the food long. The only reason I give this place a 4-stars is because the service. The server looked a little annoyed to serve. I guess it is because she might have been experiencing a lot of non-tipping customers so she doesn't really care much which understandable. However I feel like if she smile more, this place will earn a lot of 5-stars reviews. Anyway I will come back for the food for sure. I highly recommend the food here if you love the lava buns. read more

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For a Sunday, the service was rushed not very friendly! The food was ok. Didn't like the shrimp wonton soup the noodles in it was dry not cooked.but the shrimp porridge was good little salty for my taste. The pork buns was good nice flavor to it and the fried donut was good. Didn't like the shrimp dumpling plain. read more

Yin Ji Chang Fen - Berkeley - The shrimp porridge was good, but a little salty. Wong Shrimp and Wonton Noodle Soup was ok, not the best. The pork buns was excellent. - Cantonese Near Me - Berkeley, California

I should be braver. When I walked in and only saw two people at a table dining at peak hour, I should have turned around. Ordered their signature noodle, a congee and their leaf wrapped dim sum. The signature noodle were clearly not fresh. And the leaf wrapped rice worse - they are steamed, but the rice was on the harder, drier side, which meant it's old and resteamed. Not until I sat down, did I realize the Concord location I've been to is the same restaurant. And I did not like their food. So needless to say, I was very disappointed. Paid way too much for very mediocre food. read more

Things I liked: Pork and preserved egg congee. Very nicely prepared. Perfect rice soup. Pork and egg were delicious. Shu mai and har gow were both good. Not overly fatty. But dang small size compared to average. Mixed opinion: Won ton noodle soup comes with 5 won ton. Noodles were a little doughy. Two pieces of veggie. Black gold egg custard bun had a nice bun texture. But the custard was gooey and drippy. Not supposed to be like that. I think I'll come again. It is a little pricey for the portion size. read more

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Don't get me wrong, the Chang fen noodles here were fresh and awesome, but I don't get the hype about this place. I can get just-as-good Chang fen elsewhere at traditional dim sum restaurants at same price for more food. We tried wonton noodles, porridge, sticky rice with chicken, dough stick (aka Chinese churros as my kids called it), 3 kinds of Chang fen (shrimp, beef, and bbq pork), sweetened soy milk, and milk tea. Everything was just okay. The only thing that really stood out to me was the black gold lava buns, some dim sum places screw this up and the inside is too hard, but this place has it running out like lava, exactly how a lava bun is supposed to do. It's not a "custard bun", those aren't runny. read more

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Stewed beef noddle soup was disappointing, everything felt over cooked and lacked flavor. Parts of the stewed beef with a bit of tendon was very hard and I just stopped eating it The rice noodle with bbq pork and dried shrimp was inconsistent - some had the stuffing and a lot didn't. The rice noodle itself was way overcooked and again no flavor I don't see this as a good representation of Cantonese food - maybe the congee has a better chance of being decent read more

We been to the Milpitas location before and decided to try the Berkeley location. This one was located near the campus. Not as busy as the other location. They have plenty of seating, including seating outdoors. Loved the rice noodles and rice porridge! Staff was friendly in taking orders and bringing water and bowls. read more

Yin Ji Chang Fen - Berkeley - Shrimp Rice Noodle Roll - Cantonese Near Me - Berkeley, California

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I ordered takeout from here on a rainy day and eating the shrimp and wonton noodle soup was just what I needed. The portion is reasonable for the price and the wontons are so fresh. The packaging was very neat since the broth was put in a separate container. Would order again! read more

Yin Ji Chang Fen - Berkeley - shrimp Shrimp and Wonton Noodle Soup - Cantonese Near Me - Berkeley, California

I had high hopes for this place as their menu pictures looked good. Got to give their marketing team a 5 star rating. :) Based on their limited menu selections, I thought they got their specialties (rice noodle, porridge, and wonton noodle soup) down to the T. 1. Beef rice noodle- 1 star. The beef was not grounded (sign #1 of not being authentic), salty, and worst of all, they used lettuce (another indication of not being authentic) in their rice noodle???? It made the entire dish tasted bitter and overpowered by the lettuce taste....omg 2. Wonton noodle soup - 1 star. what restaurants in their right mind skimmed on not using shrimps in their wonton? They also used cheap quality pork, making them tasted horrible and tough. The egg noodle was not the Hong Kong style, they were thick and soggy. Also they don't carry red vinegar which is a very common condiment for the wonton noodle soup. 3. Porridge- 3 starts . This is the only dish that was decent. 4. Service- 1 word : sucks (only applicable to the lady server). The older gentleman was nice. 5. There was one thing that I appreciated was they used all disposable cups, utensils, and sharing bowls due to the pandemic. Definitely would not return. read more

You cannot go wrong with this place. The chang fen being part of their namesake, it is good but nothing stand out. The congee is also pretty decent but nothing to write home about. The atmosphere is relatively quiet and this place is rarely crowded. We came back a second time and decided to get some sweets. We got an egg custard bun and some fried man tou. I'm not usually a sucker for sweets but these dishes are excellent. It's arguably better than any savory stuff that we ordered. In short, come here but try the egg custard and fried man tou. If you like the flavors that condensed milk carries, you will enjoy the foods specified here. Giving this 4 stars because the quantity of food isn't that high. However, it's worth a shot if you like dim sum. read more

Yin Ji Chang Fen - Berkeley - Congee + Rice Rolls - Cantonese Near Me - Berkeley, California

Everything here hit the spot for me! All the food was so comforting for such a cheap price. I'd definitely recommend any of the beef stew noodle soups, congees, and steamed rice noodles! It's a lowkey spot and all the food came out super quick! read more

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Passing thru the neighborhood for some Boba but decided to grab some quick easy eats over here and what best than some dim sum. We came on a Saturday around 2pm and was surprised how empty it was. Food was very yummy, not one bad dish. Each family member had their own favorite but mine was the black gold egg custard buns. I was stuffed but couldn't stop eating. Plus it's always best while it's hot and fresh. Our server was great and even helped clean up a spill when my son accidentally knocked his cup of water all over. I would've given this restaurant 4 stars but I got turned off as I walked to use the restroom in the back and was startled by a mice running across. I noticed the back door was left wide open by the restroom. When it comes to restaurants and food handling, leaving any door open is a big No-No as rodents will definitely be lured in by all the food. Hopefully this does not become an issue for this business. read more

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Following the CAL basketball game at Haas Pavilion, we searched for dumpling spots and found a restaurant with high reviews. Despite our craving for dim sum or xiao long bao, we were disappointed. Observing others enjoying noodle soup dishes hinted that we might have chosen better. The prices were high, with an $8 shrimp roll offering just one piece, unlike traditional dim sum places where you'd get more for the same price. Fortunately, having eaten earlier at the Cheese Board, we weren't starving, but the experience was underwhelming. This place might suit those unfamiliar with the cuisine seeking hearty noodle dishes, but for us, it didn't match up to better-quality Chinese dumpling houses in the Southbay, so we won't be returning. The service was fast but lacked any sense of warmth, and the ambiance was basic and casual. Parking wasn't easy in the evening so prepaid structure parking was the most affordable system. read more

Th rice roll (chang fen) was just average - not good, not bad in the Bay Area. But for a place that has the item name on their restaurant, their chang fen was quite disappointing to be honest. The rice roll was thick and soft, basically like the ones you would have in a dimsum place - then what is the point of coming to a specialty cafe? read more

I had no idea there was a cheurng fun (phonetic Canto) restaurant in Berkeley! Service is efficient and no nonsense, but super fresh! We had shrimp, Cha siu, beef and Chinese donut rice noodle rolls. We also had the wonton soup, ha gow, SIU Mai, garlic wings and fries tofu. The rice noodle rolls were good, but the wings, tofu and wontons were not as good. Ha gao and SIU Mai seemed not made in house, but ok tasting. read more

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My bf and I came here on a Sunday night and it wasn't too busy here. We ordered the dough rice roll and the HK milk tea. The presentation was on point but we both agree that it can be better. Other Asian restaurants make the dough rice roll more crunchy, but this place was rather soggy. As for the milk tea, the tea could be stronger. Overall we rate this place a 3.5/5. Good for a quick snack! read more

Yin Ji Chang Fen - Berkeley - Dough Stick Rice Noodle Roll + Hong Kong Style Milk Tea - Cantonese Near Me - Berkeley, California

I've only been here twice but everything I ordered was fresh and delicious. The people are very nice, too. Recommend the rice noodle shrimp wraps. read more

First restaurant I've been to that requires proof of vaccination + ID to confirm. It was chilly the day I visited Berkeley and bestie Christine B. found this rice noodle roll place that serves it all day long instead of just at lunch. They may not have hot tea, but they provided hot water to drink. The staff working here were quite efficient and attentive. I was impressed. So many take out orders kept appearing on the counter along with the folks picking them up. Popular place, especially with the weather transitioning to Fall. We ordered the assorted style congee, shrimp rice noodle rolls, and fried tofu since we were a tad bit full from Riceful. That's how you know food is good-- you're full but can't stop chowing down. Flavorful, freshly prepared, and perfect for low temps. I ordered shrimp rice noodle rolls to take home and my fam finished them in 10 min. I wouldn't mind stopping by again, I'll probably bring my own tea bags though. read more

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I am torn by this review. Cheung fun (rice noodle rolls) and jook (rice porridge) are such basic, delicious Cantonese staples, this place basically can't go wrong. They manage a piping hot bowl of jook, and the cheung fun skins are sufficiently translucent and the meats and shrimp are tasty enough, and the sauce is right. But when the jook cools from a billion degrees to something more compatible with actually swallowing, it gets a bit too watey. And the har cheung fun (shrimp rice noodle roll) are actually a bit distracting with the veggies inside. The final thing is that the shrimp, well, are okay. Not memorable, either in the cheung fun or in the jook. It's bright and modern inside with a big TV looping through videos of Chinese food to make you more hungry - very appealing - and service, while good, definitely slows as they get busy. 4* seems right the more I think about it. 3* is probably too low, and you can't give 3.5* or 3.75*. read more

Yin Ji Chang Fen - Berkeley - Shrimp rice noodle roll (har cheung) at top, BBQ pork and dried shrimp (char siu cheung) at bottom. - Cantonese Near Me - Berkeley, California

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WHEN: Tuesday, 6/14/22 PARKING: plenty of paid street parking! Had this spot on my try list for a while now! They have some locations in SoCal and was very happy to see this spot so close to campus, literally less than a minute walk to the West entrance. When we got there around 11am the place was pretty empty. They have a lot of seats inside and the place is nice and clean. I also noticed they do a lot of Togo orders. What we got: 1. Oysters taro congee ($8.25) - very strong fish taste because of the oysters and I liked that the taro chunks are cut small and add that layered texture to the porridge 2. Sliced pork, liver, and kidney congee ($8.25) - my favorite kind of porridge! this came with lots of the pork/liver/kidney 3. Marinated beef and shrimp rice noodle roll ($8.25) - their rolls are soo good. super chewy and soft without being overly doughy. I'll definitely come back to try their dough roll Overall, this place is such a great spot for students looking for a quick home style fix. This place reminds me of a spot called congee back in SoCal. It's a no frills environment but the workers are really kind. Each dish is super cheap (but the portions are quite small so you probably won't get leftovers!) read more

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My go to spot when I crave for some Chang Fen. It's different than the Chang Fen that you order at a Dim Sum place. I usually just order at the store when I'm around Berkeley but was crave for it during workday. Deliver service was great. I'm not far from Berkeley but it takes ~30 mins due to traffic. The fried buns were still crunchy exactly how I want it. read more

Yin Ji Chang Fen - Berkeley - Dry Shrimp and Scallions Rice Noodle Roll Plain Rice Noodle Roll Fried Buns Black Gold Egg Custard Buns Oysters Taro Congee - Cantonese Near Me - Berkeley, California

Pretty good chinese food place. Surprised to see that this is located right in the main street next the university campus! As a store of the franchise, the food quality at this place is decent, and is up to standards with the rest of the chain. Congee served hot with nice ingredients, and rice rolls as well. Price is same as other stores in the chain. Store is decently clean. Staff are friendly There is actually a dedicated parking lot in the back of the store, so no need to fight for parking in the main street. Overall, a nice place to go for some decent chinese food! read more

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Came here on a Sunday morning and was seated right away. Our server was nice and attentive, even giving me hot water as they didn't sell tea. In addition, the place was relatively clean and obeyed COVID safety precautions which is always a plus. Now onto the food! We ordered some chicken feet which was pretty standard, but delicious nonetheless. The har gow was okay at best. I think they were left a tad too long in the steamer, because the skin started to become mushy at the top and led to an unpleasant gluey texture. Maybe next time we'll stick to the shrimp rolls since those were better. The barbecue pork buns and siu mai also were decent, but the real MVP was the egg custard bun. This is a MUST GET!! The custard's sweet but not too sweet and has a decadent lava-like ganache-esque consistency. Next time, I'll definitely be sure to try the congee or perhaps the noodle soups. The table next to us ordered them and they looked firee read more

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Tried out Yin Ji Chang Fen for lunch in Berkeley Thurs 9/30/21 to take advantage of the last day a Bart Clipper 50% off. They have indoor dining and a few tables outside. I got: Shrimp rice noodle roll - pretty good. Many shrimp, lettuce, and the smooth rice noodle. $6.75 Bbq pork rice noodle roll - good amount of meat, lettuce, and the noodle. $6.95 Chicken feet - steamed, it's pretty good. Iced HK milk tea $3.75 - huge and pretty good. Charged it. read more

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I was not a fan of change fen ( rice noodle rolls) served in most Cantonese dim sum restaurants around here. I felt they were too greasy, the rice wrappers were too thick. They are not my childhood memories of chang fen. One day I walked by Yinji Berkeley. I saw several plaques on the wall, which indicate this is a famous old specialty restaurant chain from Guangzhou, China. This likely is the authentic one. They have other stores in the Bay Area and beyond. I decided to give it a try, and I am so glad I did. What I liked about them is their specialty rice noodle rolls AKA chang fen. They are famous for their thin super smooth transparent rice noodle wrappers, the tender, and delicious fillings. The menu is limited, simple, and straightforward. It has Cantonese-style porridges, change fen with choices of fillings such as chicken, pork, beef, shrimp, vegetarian or combinations. In addition to porridge AKA congee, there are also few noodle dishes and limited dim sum. I had marinated pork and shrimp chang fen, pork and preserved egg congee (porridge), and a Chinese donut stick. Chang fen was a pure delight! Light rice noodle rolls were filled with tender, tasty meat and shrimp, made to order. A lettuce leaf added an even more refreshing taste. The Chinese donut that usually accompanies the porridge, however, is an extra cost of $2.5, which I think is a bit more for what it is. They are hard to chew. It is used to soak in the porridge to add more flavor and texture to the intentionally bland porridge. Overall, I like the food. It is authentic, perfect for a light, quick comforting meal or snack that you can have any time of the day. Service was prompt and quick. Inside was clean and cafeteria-like. What I didn't like: the plastic utensils they served the food with. They are disposable to-go plastic ( not biodegradable) utensils. The spoon is so small and so flimsy. It is difficult to eat and enjoy hot porridge with it. The fork could hardly pick up the food. For the time being, I would order food to-go and enjoy it at home with proper eat-ware until they serve their food with a decent utensil. read more

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Really enjoyed eating the shrimp chang fen fresh at the spot! I've been a couple times now and have been more recently ordering my rolls without the lettuce in the rolls. The rolls are just so thin, not super greasy, and I could control the amount of soy sauce to pour in. I've had it taken to go, but fresh in person (they have outdoor seating) was even better of course. Some hightlights: - Shrimp chang fen (no lettuce) - Pork and Preserved egg congee- could use a little more salt but great addition of scallions and cilantro - crispy donut chang fen- great contrast of textures - soy milk - not too sweet, and fresh tasting! The dimsum is alright, but nothing to write home about. Definitely focus on the chang fen read more