The food was cooked to perfection and delicious, paired with great service. A very satisfied customer!
Andrew Uyesugi
Aesthetically looks great but was the Mazemen Ramen I ordered Mazemen no. The noodles were akin to rice noodles than having the alkaline bounce and chewiness of a normal ramen noodle. It felt like chinese bowl of noodles little ramen flavor. I really hoped I’d find a new ramen option but probs won’t be giving this a chance again. Never have I’ve seen american bread pickles and pickled red onions in a “japanese” bowl.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 1
Service: 5
Dustin Keeton
Food is amazing and the staff is super friendly. Atmospheric and clean environment.
Jeff Margolis
Really good pork belly ramen. Decent beer and sake selection.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
Robert C. Romano
Should be as good as it looks, but way too salty. 30% more salty than necessary. Great venue and concept.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 2
Service: 5
Yelena Tourkina
Delicious food and a clean, pleasant place.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Jaewon Lee
We came for their event dinner, and we definitely got the bang for our buck. For less than $25 after tip and tax, I was able to get (1) a welcome shot, (2) chicken meatballs + fried baby octopus as appetizer, (3) a cocktail, (4) ramen as the entree, and (5) strawberry panna cotta as dessert. The quality for the price range was superb, especially the ramen. The noodles had a nice springy/chewy texture, the broth wasn't too salty, and the chashu was tender. I also appreciated the friendly staff and the easygoing atmosphere/interior. The only downside was how slow service was and how long it took for our food to come out. Other than that, I'm definitely looking forward to coming back the next time they have event dinners like these.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 3
Dharma M
New Ramen shop in downtown Berkeley. We came when it just opened on Saturday morning. The restaurant is nice with high ceiling , clean and high table and chair, regular table. it is kind like open kitchen concept when you can see the chef preparing the order. The menu is on the TV screen. your order your ramen and they will give you a tray. they have side dishes like seaweed, edamame, egg, skewer, and tempura. I can say the ramen price is cheaper compare to most of ramen shop. They have few ramen flavor, tsukemen and Matcha Coconut Ramen which I am not sure if I would like to try. We ordered Mayu Black Garlic Ramen (Spicy), Shokupan Katsu, tempura and skewers. You pay at the cashier after you order. The Mayu Black Garlic ramen is good but I think it need more Garlic flavor. The noodle is interesting ad this is the first time I have the ramen noodle with this texture. it is a bit lit soft spaghetti. The Shokupan ramen is ok. I think it need more curry flavor. The Katsu is yummy. The tempura and skewer are ok. The service is ok. To be honest they are not really friendly especially the chef. She walked around without greeting. When we left there is no greeting like usually you find at Ramen restaurant. For now it is kind of 3.5 star for me.
The restroom is clean and the hand washing area is unique. Parking is on the street.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 3
Maya Udkow
This was so good!! The ramen was really delicious. The service was pretty good. The set up was also cool, you order at a bar and then go down a line, where you can pick up sides and toppings to go with the ramen, which made the process quite quick and efficient. But there were not a ton of options, only about 5, which is something to consider, because even though I was happy with my order, it was the only option that I thought sounded good.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
M carr
Excellent choice of food and just damn good I’m going frequently when I’m Berkley
Finally I now know what cast iron tastes like. Hipsters have described the taste that it adds to food. But now I have had a chance to isolate and have it personally. Perhaps I've misinterpreted, and what they're putting in the Muya Ramen is actually activated charcoal. Yes of course! Activated charcoal is certainly the next far-reaching trendy ingredient if you're a bottom floor restaurant in a new apartment building. I'm sure Black Rock was required to add a trendy restaurant to it's new apartment to solidify it's commitment to culture. They chose a great look-a-like with beaming staff, but it appears they never tried their food. Both my girlfriend and I ate less than half our bowls before we admitted it wasn't getting better. She had the Japanese Curry Ramen for the record. If you're looking for good ramen go to Tada, Tsuraya, or Noka in Oakland. Last thing for the Tada staff: please remove the assembly stickers from your trees.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 1
Service: 3
Jane P
The black garlic ramen had way too much black pepper in it. The Tonkatsu curry ramen was pretty bad too, though the Tonkatsu was really tender and crunchy. I'm not sure what their more classic ramens taste like, but I hope they are better. Service was great and the decorations were nice.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 1
Service: 5
Klaudia Bogacz
big fan! the katsu ramen looked and tasted great. the veggie ramen was also good (wish it had more veggies, but loved the 3 different types of tofu and corn).
staff was super kind and the thai tea was THE BEST!! i didn't even think i liked thai tea until i took the first sip and was gagged
I brought my two kids here with my husband and we had a blast. It’s so family friendly. They have a unique concept where you order the ramen and then pick up appetizers cafeteria style, which is great if you (and your kids) are hungry. You can immediately start chowing down on delicious appetizers while they are preparing the ramen, which they bring out to you. The ramen is exquisite. There is clearly so much passion behind the food. I am not surprised in the slightest that they have won all these awards. And, then there is the cotton candy machine— frankly, I would bring my kids here just to go check out the cotton candy machine. Their level of happiness was ridiculous. And then the location and layout are great. I used to live a few blocks away before this renewal effort and it’s just crazy to see how the old ugly Firestone parking lot now has a super hip and beautifully decorated restaurant on the corner. I am willing to bet Sobu is going to become a Berkeley institution much like it has been in Oakland.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Stephanie Lau
I had some excellent mazemen in LA and I was really excited to see that Sobo served it. The flavor was great, and the pickled cucumbers really added to the taste. We went right as they opened at 5pm. The interior is stunning and clean, it really enhanced my experience. However, I found the portion to be rather small, especially for over $16. I also wish there were other seasonings available, like additional spice, vinegar, salt, etc.
The food was cooked to perfection and delicious, paired with great service. A very satisfied customer!
Aesthetically looks great but was the Mazemen Ramen I ordered Mazemen no. The noodles were akin to rice noodles than having the alkaline bounce and chewiness of a normal ramen noodle. It felt like chinese bowl of noodles little ramen flavor. I really hoped I’d find a new ramen option but probs won’t be giving this a chance again. Never have I’ve seen american bread pickles and pickled red onions in a “japanese” bowl.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 1
Service: 5
Food is amazing and the staff is super friendly. Atmospheric and clean environment.
Really good pork belly ramen. Decent beer and sake selection.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
Should be as good as it looks, but way too salty. 30% more salty than necessary. Great venue and concept.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 2
Service: 5
Delicious food and a clean, pleasant place.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
We came for their event dinner, and we definitely got the bang for our buck. For less than $25 after tip and tax, I was able to get (1) a welcome shot, (2) chicken meatballs + fried baby octopus as appetizer, (3) a cocktail, (4) ramen as the entree, and (5) strawberry panna cotta as dessert. The quality for the price range was superb, especially the ramen. The noodles had a nice springy/chewy texture, the broth wasn't too salty, and the chashu was tender. I also appreciated the friendly staff and the easygoing atmosphere/interior. The only downside was how slow service was and how long it took for our food to come out. Other than that, I'm definitely looking forward to coming back the next time they have event dinners like these.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 3
New Ramen shop in downtown Berkeley. We came when it just opened on Saturday morning. The restaurant is nice with high ceiling , clean and high table and chair, regular table. it is kind like open kitchen concept when you can see the chef preparing the order. The menu is on the TV screen. your order your ramen and they will give you a tray. they have side dishes like seaweed, edamame, egg, skewer, and tempura. I can say the ramen price is cheaper compare to most of ramen shop. They have few ramen flavor, tsukemen and Matcha Coconut Ramen which I am not sure if I would like to try.
We ordered Mayu Black Garlic Ramen (Spicy), Shokupan Katsu, tempura and skewers. You pay at the cashier after you order.
The Mayu Black Garlic ramen is good but I think it need more Garlic flavor. The noodle is interesting ad this is the first time I have the ramen noodle with this texture. it is a bit lit soft spaghetti. The Shokupan ramen is ok. I think it need more curry flavor. The Katsu is yummy. The tempura and skewer are ok.
The service is ok. To be honest they are not really friendly especially the chef. She walked around without greeting. When we left there is no greeting like usually you find at Ramen restaurant.
For now it is kind of 3.5 star for me.
The restroom is clean and the hand washing area is unique. Parking is on the street.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 3
This was so good!! The ramen was really delicious. The service was pretty good. The set up was also cool, you order at a bar and then go down a line, where you can pick up sides and toppings to go with the ramen, which made the process quite quick and efficient. But there were not a ton of options, only about 5, which is something to consider, because even though I was happy with my order, it was the only option that I thought sounded good.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
Excellent choice of food and just damn good I’m going frequently when I’m Berkley
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
Finally I now know what cast iron tastes like. Hipsters have described the taste that it adds to food. But now I have had a chance to isolate and have it personally. Perhaps I've misinterpreted, and what they're putting in the Muya Ramen is actually activated charcoal. Yes of course! Activated charcoal is certainly the next far-reaching trendy ingredient if you're a bottom floor restaurant in a new apartment building. I'm sure Black Rock was required to add a trendy restaurant to it's new apartment to solidify it's commitment to culture. They chose a great look-a-like with beaming staff, but it appears they never tried their food. Both my girlfriend and I ate less than half our bowls before we admitted it wasn't getting better. She had the Japanese Curry Ramen for the record. If you're looking for good ramen go to Tada, Tsuraya, or Noka in Oakland. Last thing for the Tada staff: please remove the assembly stickers from your trees.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 1
Service: 3
The black garlic ramen had way too much black pepper in it. The Tonkatsu curry ramen was pretty bad too, though the Tonkatsu was really tender and crunchy. I'm not sure what their more classic ramens taste like, but I hope they are better. Service was great and the decorations were nice.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 1
Service: 5
big fan! the katsu ramen looked and tasted great. the veggie ramen was also good (wish it had more veggies, but loved the 3 different types of tofu and corn).
staff was super kind and the thai tea was THE BEST!! i didn't even think i liked thai tea until i took the first sip and was gagged
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Katsu Curry Ramen, Spicy Miso Vegetarian Ramen
I brought my two kids here with my husband and we had a blast. It’s so family friendly. They have a unique concept where you order the ramen and then pick up appetizers cafeteria style, which is great if you (and your kids) are hungry. You can immediately start chowing down on delicious appetizers while they are preparing the ramen, which they bring out to you. The ramen is exquisite. There is clearly so much passion behind the food. I am not surprised in the slightest that they have won all these awards. And, then there is the cotton candy machine— frankly, I would bring my kids here just to go check out the cotton candy machine. Their level of happiness was ridiculous. And then the location and layout are great. I used to live a few blocks away before this renewal effort and it’s just crazy to see how the old ugly Firestone parking lot now has a super hip and beautifully decorated restaurant on the corner. I am willing to bet Sobu is going to become a Berkeley institution much like it has been in Oakland.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I had some excellent mazemen in LA and I was really excited to see that Sobo served it. The flavor was great, and the pickled cucumbers really added to the taste. We went right as they opened at 5pm. The interior is stunning and clean, it really enhanced my experience. However, I found the portion to be rather small, especially for over $16. I also wish there were other seasonings available, like additional spice, vinegar, salt, etc.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 4
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