Thai Noodle II - Berkeley
2426 Telegraph Ave, Berkeley
(510) 644-9292
Recent Reviews
Over the three year I have been dining at this place, food is deteriorating and service has been rude. During my LAST visit I was even yelled "what's wrong with you?" by the waiter - because I did not sign the merchant copy right away I was treated like a barbarian who would not know how to give tips. Hello, I didn't even say a word when you took my unfinished noodle without asking. Now I cannot even finish my water if I don't sign first! I understand that you want your customers out as soon as possible so you get more rotations. But come on, nobody was waiting in the line anyways.
Thai Noodle has a lot of good reviews on TA. Had to search for Thai Noodle II, but apparently I'm not the first reviewer here.We were meeting our granddaughter for lunch (second generation of Golden Bears in the family). She originally suggested another restaurant down the street, but when we got there she thought this place would be better (sit down service instead of counter). Turned out just great.We were seated near the door and the open front window, which was fine on a warm day. Flying proudly outside was a Republic of Telegraph banner. If you've never been to Telegraph, you might not grasp that it is, indeed, a world apart. The restaurant was just filling up and it was obvious it was a popular location.I had the garlic shrimp, which was delicious. The other dishes were curry noodles and pad pleaw wan goong (Sauteed shrimp with sweet & sour, tomatoes, cucumber, pineapple, bell pepper and onions). My wife, who can't handle hot spicy foods, found the latter dish well within her tolerance level and was quite happy.Upon entering, we informed the server that it was our granddaughter's birthday. At the conclusion of the meal, a free desert was brought to the table with three spoons...something my wife would have never ordered....fried ice cream! She will probably order it next time.All in all it was a very friendly, if tightly packed, restaurant. Customers were mostly locals who knew where they were going on their lunch hours. None of us used the rest rooms, so I can't comment on the previous reviewer's experience. We wouldn't hesitate to go back next time we're in town.
First the positives:- The food was great. It exceeded my expectations. I ordered the pineapple fried rice without meat and rather than what was explicitly mentioned on the menu, I the dish contained quite a few other vegetables in the rice as well, which was a welcome surprise.- The service was pretty good. We got our food quickly and didn't need to ask for the bill.The not so great:- The restaurant is small and not nicely decorated. If you judge it by looking through the door, you might not consider eating here. However, apparently most restaurants on Telegraph look similar.- The restroom was particularly dirty and the inside door for example, looks like it has never been cleaned.All in all, I would return here and if it had been cleaner/nicer, I could have easily given 5 stars.
My pad thai was pretty bland and didn't have much of anything besides literally just noodles.