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
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Lucian Novosel
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.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 4
BPM
not great but not expensive either
Food: 2
Service: 4
Gary Su
Good: Not usually a ramen fan but spicy mayu was really good. Perfect spice level and noodles were solid.
Bad: Poor service. Had to wait over 40 minutes and people were clearing dirty tables themself for a place to sit. Egg was overcooked and not marinated well
Good restaurant service is a little slow but then they just open so not going to count it against them
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
Angel Kim
While I haven’t been to the Oakland location, sobo ramen Berkeley is a great place to grab lunch between classes or with colleagues at the office. All their ramen is hot, fresh, and flavorful. Their staff are professional and kind, and I see the owner a lot. He is kind to his regulars (me!) They constantly add new seasonal things to the menu, so it’s always interesting. I recommend getting on their rewards to save money on ramen and check out their seasonal offerings. They also have multiple gender neutral single stall restrooms, so it’s incredibly queer inclusive. Props!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Eric P
Mazemen is very special from other Ramen in town and the sauce is very good. Matcha ramen is also a hard find
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
Moni Pacheco
We came to eat dinner with our family here, it was our first time trying ramen in Berkeley. The food was delicious. The ramen has such a unique taste, extremely delicious. They have sides you can also get which is amazing while you wait for your ramen. The service was fast and easy. The staff is super friendly and helpful. The vibe inside the restaurant is so welcoming.Would definitely recommend to give them a try.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Bob Birdsong
The skewers are good, but deceptively priced. note that the price is for each skewer, not the whole plate, which is a bit ridiculous because the other sides are priced by the boat. The noodles, however, taste like packaged spaghetti. i don't know how they managed that, because instant ramen noodles taste more like ramen. the broth is ok but a far cry from a nice, full bodied soy-based garlic broth. you can't even choose oil level and whatnot. so if you're expecting a ramen experience like japan, go somewhere else. this place is gentrified anyway
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
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
not great but not expensive either
Food: 2
Service: 4
Good:
Not usually a ramen fan but spicy mayu was really good. Perfect spice level and noodles were solid.
Bad: Poor service. Had to wait over 40 minutes and people were clearing dirty tables themself for a place to sit. Egg was overcooked and not marinated well
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 1
Restaurantji Recommends
Good restaurant service is a little slow but then they just open so not going to count it against them
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
While I haven’t been to the Oakland location, sobo ramen Berkeley is a great place to grab lunch between classes or with colleagues at the office. All their ramen is hot, fresh, and flavorful. Their staff are professional and kind, and I see the owner a lot. He is kind to his regulars (me!) They constantly add new seasonal things to the menu, so it’s always interesting. I recommend getting on their rewards to save money on ramen and check out their seasonal offerings. They also have multiple gender neutral single stall restrooms, so it’s incredibly queer inclusive. Props!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Mazemen is very special from other Ramen in town and the sauce is very good. Matcha ramen is also a hard find
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
We came to eat dinner with our family here, it was our first time trying ramen in Berkeley. The food was delicious. The ramen has such a unique taste, extremely delicious. They have sides you can also get which is amazing while you wait for your ramen. The service was fast and easy. The staff is super friendly and helpful. The vibe inside the restaurant is so welcoming.Would definitely recommend to give them a try.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
The skewers are good, but deceptively priced. note that the price is for each skewer, not the whole plate, which is a bit ridiculous because the other sides are priced by the boat. The noodles, however, taste like packaged spaghetti. i don't know how they managed that, because instant ramen noodles taste more like ramen. the broth is ok but a far cry from a nice, full bodied soy-based garlic broth. you can't even choose oil level and whatnot. so if you're expecting a ramen experience like japan, go somewhere else. this place is gentrified anyway
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 4
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