Very glad I discovered this place today — it is a delightful addition to Berkeley!
Claudia Bloom
Tamon tea has fantastic prices and great food. They are super nice to high schoolers which is much appreciated :)
K
Very yummy and affordable, especially for Berkeley! My beef bento came with a lot of little veggie side dishes/pickles, and it tasted like a home-cooked meal
Sue M.
Surprisingly excellent food that satisfy everyone from 12 to 65+! Fresh and delicious! Give yourself extra time. The poor man worked hard but he's the one and only who took the order, cooked and prepped. Great service thou!
Sierra S.
Delicious Japanese food and authentic Japanese experience! Tamon Tea is one of the few Japanese spots in the Bay Area actually owned and run by Japanese people who speak Japanese! The inside is very traditional and reminds me of Japan. The food is so tasty and affordable! The fish is fresh, the rice is cooked perfectly, and the drinks are so fun. The food reminds me of how my grandma (from Japan) would prepare meals. The owners are the nicest people. There is some outdoor seating as well.
Laurra H.
Large omusibi/onigiri! Worth walking here to buy one great price for students. Bento and ramen are low priced for small portions. Cheap eats but fair. Walk in, grab and go. Drop by farmers market. Tough parking!
Johnny W.
Summary: Satisfies any Japanese convenience store onigiri cravings you may have Details: * For anyone that's actually had the onigiri from convenience stores in places like Japan and Taiwan, you know that this isn't a diss, as they're quite tasty! * Most onigiri options in the Bay have been pretty subpar, so finding a spot that serves up something even close to that of convenience stores back in Asia is a godsend * Onigiri are made fresh, with hot rice, served up in plastic convenience store-style wrappers, with the easy to unwrap and assemble pull tabs that keep the seaweed separate and crisp until you're ready to eat * Fair amount of actual filling inside, though a bit heavy on the rice so these may taste a little light/bland to some Accessibility: Smallish shop, but large enough to remain accessible, though you may find some of the display cases a bit too high to be easily visible. Limited indoor and outdoor seating, with outdoor seating being a bit more accessible simply due to the extra space.
ellie g.
I love this place so much. My favorite place to get rice triangles and they have great prices. The rice triangle are usually made when u buy them the rice is always fresh.
Leslie L.
If you're looking for a quick bite to eat at a reasonable price, this is the place! We just came for a light snack but ended up coming back for lunch instead after finding out the other restaurants had really long waits. The omusubis were made fresh and incredibly tasty. Since it's made to order you'll have to wait a few minutes but it's worth it! I am a huge fan of their mitarashi dango and it was so good that I came back to get a second one! They have 2 small tables outside where you can eat if you'd like but there's no shade so I hope it won't be a blazing hot d
Jerry Javier
A wonderful small business with nice staff. They adored my pit bull!I ended up here because as an island child I was craving a SPAM musubi and I saw they had Omusubi for sale. I love the triangle shape, which is new for me. The SPAM Omusubi was great. The meat was cooked well and the rice was great. The beef Omusubi was also great taste and quality.Notably, I tried the Uji Kintoki shaved ice (Matcha syrup, condensed milk, anko [red bean], and mochi). The owner (?) said they’re possibly the only place in the USA to sell this kind of shave ice. It was a wonderful treat. The mochi and anko provided great contrast in textures. I loved the contrast of bitter and sweet.I’ll be back to try more of their menu!
I didn't even know they were here until I happened to be walking up Center St heading to Shattuck for lunch. My initial food plans were immediately waylaid as I gravitated towards this eatery. Walked in, 2 minutes later walked out with 3 omusubi. The omusubi that I received were pre-prepared and were absolutely delicious (Chicken Karaage and Curry Chicken), Tasted homemade, fresh, and exceptionally flavorful - I will absolutely be back to try everything else. New favorite place to get what feels like homemade Japanese fast food.
Amy Y.
My son and I went here today. I had the taiyaki, which I enjoyed! My son is allergic to nuts and beans (yes, legumes!), so wasn't able to try the taiyaki with me, but was super excited about the takoyaki, which he hadn't had since we were last in Japan. He reported that it was amazing, both flavor and texture. The man and woman who helped us were very kind and friendly, and the place looked and felt clean and welcoming. We'll definitely go back!
Nubs
The chasu don buri bowl was great. Wish I could've tried the ramen.
W. Wang
Best Japanese food in town! Would recommend the curry and some of their desserts! And the lady who served us is really nice!
Allyson Chen
Delicious authentic Japanese food for an affordable price. Dango was superb and the onigiri was spot on.
Very glad I discovered this place today — it is a delightful addition to Berkeley!
Tamon tea has fantastic prices and great food. They are super nice to high schoolers which is much appreciated :)
Very yummy and affordable, especially for Berkeley! My beef bento came with a lot of little veggie side dishes/pickles, and it tasted like a home-cooked meal
Surprisingly excellent food that satisfy everyone from 12 to 65+! Fresh and delicious! Give yourself extra time. The poor man worked hard but he's the one and only who took the order, cooked and prepped. Great service thou!
Delicious Japanese food and authentic Japanese experience! Tamon Tea is one of the few Japanese spots in the Bay Area actually owned and run by Japanese people who speak Japanese! The inside is very traditional and reminds me of Japan. The food is so tasty and affordable! The fish is fresh, the rice is cooked perfectly, and the drinks are so fun. The food reminds me of how my grandma (from Japan) would prepare meals. The owners are the nicest people. There is some outdoor seating as well.
Large omusibi/onigiri! Worth walking here to buy one great price for students. Bento and ramen are low priced for small portions. Cheap eats but fair. Walk in, grab and go. Drop by farmers market. Tough parking!
Summary: Satisfies any Japanese convenience store onigiri cravings you may have Details: * For anyone that's actually had the onigiri from convenience stores in places like Japan and Taiwan, you know that this isn't a diss, as they're quite tasty! * Most onigiri options in the Bay have been pretty subpar, so finding a spot that serves up something even close to that of convenience stores back in Asia is a godsend * Onigiri are made fresh, with hot rice, served up in plastic convenience store-style wrappers, with the easy to unwrap and assemble pull tabs that keep the seaweed separate and crisp until you're ready to eat * Fair amount of actual filling inside, though a bit heavy on the rice so these may taste a little light/bland to some Accessibility: Smallish shop, but large enough to remain accessible, though you may find some of the display cases a bit too high to be easily visible. Limited indoor and outdoor seating, with outdoor seating being a bit more accessible simply due to the extra space.
I love this place so much. My favorite place to get rice triangles and they have great prices. The rice triangle are usually made when u buy them the rice is always fresh.
If you're looking for a quick bite to eat at a reasonable price, this is the place! We just came for a light snack but ended up coming back for lunch instead after finding out the other restaurants had really long waits. The omusubis were made fresh and incredibly tasty. Since it's made to order you'll have to wait a few minutes but it's worth it! I am a huge fan of their mitarashi dango and it was so good that I came back to get a second one! They have 2 small tables outside where you can eat if you'd like but there's no shade so I hope it won't be a blazing hot d
A wonderful small business with nice staff. They adored my pit bull!I ended up here because as an island child I was craving a SPAM musubi and I saw they had Omusubi for sale. I love the triangle shape, which is new for me. The SPAM Omusubi was great. The meat was cooked well and the rice was great. The beef Omusubi was also great taste and quality.Notably, I tried the Uji Kintoki shaved ice (Matcha syrup, condensed milk, anko [red bean], and mochi). The owner (?) said they’re possibly the only place in the USA to sell this kind of shave ice. It was a wonderful treat. The mochi and anko provided great contrast in textures. I loved the contrast of bitter and sweet.I’ll be back to try more of their menu!
Restaurantji Recommends
I didn't even know they were here until I happened to be walking up Center St heading to Shattuck for lunch. My initial food plans were immediately waylaid as I gravitated towards this eatery. Walked in, 2 minutes later walked out with 3 omusubi. The omusubi that I received were pre-prepared and were absolutely delicious (Chicken Karaage and Curry Chicken), Tasted homemade, fresh, and exceptionally flavorful - I will absolutely be back to try everything else. New favorite place to get what feels like homemade Japanese fast food.
My son and I went here today. I had the taiyaki, which I enjoyed! My son is allergic to nuts and beans (yes, legumes!), so wasn't able to try the taiyaki with me, but was super excited about the takoyaki, which he hadn't had since we were last in Japan. He reported that it was amazing, both flavor and texture. The man and woman who helped us were very kind and friendly, and the place looked and felt clean and welcoming. We'll definitely go back!
The chasu don buri bowl was great. Wish I could've tried the ramen.
Best Japanese food in town! Would recommend the curry and some of their desserts! And the lady who served us is really nice!
Delicious authentic Japanese food for an affordable price. Dango was superb and the onigiri was spot on.