Had the Scissor-bitten noodles and the Mote Latt Kauk (Burmese donuts). (Friend had Shan noodles)The scissor-bitten noodle dish was good but not nearly as spicy as I was expecting. The noodles were tasty and the seafood was all fine, however the clams were a bit tough and there was some kind of imitation crab meat(?) that wasn't listed on the menu. I really liked the flavor of the peas and oddly that may have been my favorite part of the dish.The burmese donuts were interesting! They are dense and very chewy so don't expect to wolf them down like glazed yeast donuts, but they are quite satisfying. The texture is fried crisp on the outside (we got take-out and the box kept in some humidity, so I imagine they are probably more crispy if eaten fresh) and soft, almost gummy inside. The palm syrup adds a rich sweetness that isn't overly sweet.Overall the food is probably 3 stars, good but not amazing, however for the price it's a great value, so I bumped it up one.
Vivian C.
---Pre-Covid Review---3.5/5Came by for a late night meal after class around 8:30pm. The place still had a few people but overall you can tell they were ready to close. The employee said it's fine if I wanted to order for here but I opted to get my food in takeout containers but eat there til closing and she was very helpful with that. In general the main employee was very kind and attentive. She brought out my food as it came since she knew I was hungry, brought me water, and was generally very kind.For my meal I got the following:1) Wet Tha Dote Htoe (Marinated Pork Organs/Offal): The dish is quite big for a "snack" but tasty if you like organs especially intestines. Personally I find organs a bit too chewy but these still had plenty of flavor and weren't cooked to a point where they were too tough. The sauce is almost slightly sweet and pairs well to cut through the pungent flavors of the various organs. Not my personal cup of tea but enjoyable overall (3.25/5)2) Kut Kyee Kaik (Scissor Bitten Noodles): Recommended by the employee when I couldn't decide which noodle dish to get. She said it's one of their spicier dishes. It has a noticeable heat but I found it fairly tolerable (though admittedly it gave me some post-meal stomach rumbles cause of the spice). The dish has a very even amount of cabbage, seafood and noodles. It's basically a hodge-podge dish but quite good. The seafood quality isn't amazing or anything but there's quite a bit for the price at least (3.5/5)Overall, Tharaphu was a decent dinner spot. The portions were huge and the prices weren't too bad. I also love it when a place has great service. It always makes the meal for me. Would love to come back to try their other items.------------------------Came back before I got a chance to post my last review. Definitely a slightly more disappointing experience this time around but not bad.My friend and I ordered the following:1) Fried Yellow Tofu: I quite enjoyed this snack. It's a bit of a starchier tofu, guessing it's made with chickpea powder. It goes well with the vinegary sauce. Nothing outstanding either but a nice side dish. (3.5/5)2) Golden Mountain Noodles: My friend's dish. Tasty but very heavy on the noodles compared to everything else (compared to my scissor bitten noodles dish that was full of meat and veggies). The portions are huge but the noodles are a bit overcooked. It's sort of a repetitive dish after a while but not bad flavor-wise (3.5/5)3) Tofu Nwe: Basically rice noodles with a chickpea porridge and soy sauce on top. It's very starchy all around and like the other dishes I've had here, it gets to be too much. It's been over a week and I'm still chipping away at the leftovers. The creamy texture is nice but it's sort of one note. The bigger issue is how overcooked the rice noodles were. They had no bite at all. Otherwise I did enjoy the flavors but it was just overwhelmingly monotone after a while. (3.5/5)At this point I feel like I've seen the general trend of their dishes. Portions are huge, price is good, flavors are sort of one note, and the noodles are almost always overcooked. Overall, I don't feel a huge urge to return again but worth a try at least once.
Phoebe W.
They're soooooooooooo good. I love their [latt sone], it's super budget friendly if you have a friend to split it with and you just can't beat the variety or the presentation. The [tofu nwey] is best thing to eat on a rainy or cold day, no other Burmese places in the bay serves that since it's too much hassle to make. Their service is always impeccable. I'm p sure I've gone there so many times in one week that the lady who always takes my orders thinks I have a problem.
Jordan C de Peralta
Burmese in the heart of Downtown Berkeley
Jay C.
Burmese in the heart of Downtown Berkeley Can not beat how accessible Tharaphu is, which is just up the block from the Downtown Berkeley Bart station, which also means it can get busy during dining hours. While the menu doesn't clearly label the vegan/vegetarian options, the waitstaff is very friendly and helpful. With the exception of the fish cake salad, all the salads can be made vegan, which can be meals on their own. In addition to the standard stir fried tofu with vegetables, you can also choose from four rice noodle plates, including the popular garlic noodle staple. Pros: Just up the block from Downtown Berkeley Bart Cons: Vegan options not labeled
Neal Maillet
Meal was flavorless and cold—tea leaf salad did not seem fresh at all. Love Burmese food and this was sadly inedible. We sent food back but they did not offer refund. $40 wasted. Beware
Brandon Hausauer
It's alright. The paratha with chickpea curry was great but the fish/shrimp curry was disappointing. Mandalay noodles had way too much garlic and overpowered everything else in the meal. Tea leaf salad was alright. There are better Burmese restaurants on SF - e.g. Mandalay in the Richmond district.
C C.
Lots of vegetarian options! Service is quick and attentive. I'm so excited to see ingredients I've seen in no other Burmese restaurant in the Bay Area. I've gotten pretty used to all the flavors in various Asian cuisines, so it's rare for me to experience something different and tasty. My kids love this place, also--it's a go-to for the whole family.
Asor A.
We popped in for half a lunch and I thought it was great! We had the special of the day, flaky pita triangles dipped in a chickpea curry. I haven't had much Burmese food (been to Burma Superstar once) and I liked this better than what I had at Burma Superstar. Would def be up for coming back when we're in the neighborhood and try the other dishes! Yum
Paulina H.
A gem in downtown Berkeley. Delicious, affordable food, with good service and short wait times. I have shared the latt sone family style platter with friends many times. I've enjoyed the different curries, salads, and appetizers. At this point, I think I've tried them all. Two big thumbs up.
This restaurant is absolutely authentic and five star. Yes the dining was causal and relaxing. Not like u are in the crowd waiting for seating for 2 or two hours. You will have plenty of food what u paid for. Customer service was friendly and feels like home. My fav tea leaf salad and request to be spicy. You can't miss Burmese fritters combo with house made tamarind sauce. For noodle, my fav is Mandalay meeshay.
Jonas K.
I definitely think that this place is underrated, and am very glad that I finally tried it. I would give it five stars just to boost the overall reviews (3.5 seems low). The food was delicious and flavorful. Pretty unique flavors that even those familiar with other SE Asian cuisines might not be used to. The service was greater, and our waiter was a young guy (maybe late 20s or early 30s) who was really polite. We got fish curry and shan noodles. The fish curry was hearty and thick, with catfish (technically Swai, but they are similar) that had an ideal texture. Strange enough, it tasted very similar to a Hungarian stew I know called halászlé (Fisherman's Stew), which is a rich, piquant stew often also made with catfish. An odd connection I know, but it was delicious regardless, and I wouldn't usually say this, but the steamed broccoli was actually a nice touch. The Shan noodles had some flavors I can't say that I've ever had before, but were similar to Laotian cuisine. Had a mix between salty, savory, and pickled veggie tastes, slightly fragrant due to some of the spices and herbs (e.g. maybe it even had a few licorice pieces??). Try it with chili paste; it really fits. The little soup on the side was also a nice touch. It was savory with a somewhat earthy, whole taste. Overall, the food tasted balanced and natural. I will definitely be going here again.
Bianca L.
Solid but overlooked spot to grab food around the Berkeley area. Theraphu is my only exposure to Burmese food so I don't have anything else to compare it to yet, but it's not bad so far. [Latt Sone] I recommend the Latt Sone, which is a "family-sized" platter that is a pretty well-balanced meal, considering that it has curry, rice, vegetables, and protein. It can comfortably feed 2 people, and possibly even 3 if your group isn't completely famished or if you're thinking of grabbing dessert afterwards. For our options, we opted for the samosa, opo, tea leaf salad, brown rice, coconut rice, fish curry, and pork curry. I could probably interchange some of the options for others and feel the same way about the dish, but the coconut rice and the fish curry are definitely ones to order again. In terms of ambience, Theraphu is casual and has the atmosphere of a quaint family-owned business. When I went on a Saturday night, it was pretty lively, but that didn't make service slow at all. Price-wise, Theraphu makes for an affordable meal and is pretty worth it if you ask me. Overall, Theraphu is a nice option to have when choosing where to eat downtown, especially if you're looking to explore new options! I probably wouldn't head downtown specifically for Theraphu, but if the wait times for nearby places are too long, it'd be a decent second choice.
Loc Ho
Cozy, good speedy service, and most importantly, the food is great! I just wished they had more burmese dishes. The Garlic noodles may be too salty; the golden mountain noodles i highly recommend!
Dennis Sun
Chinese food is better. The dark skinned island asians are just dirty and savage. I’d never eat here
Had the Scissor-bitten noodles and the Mote Latt Kauk (Burmese donuts). (Friend had Shan noodles)The scissor-bitten noodle dish was good but not nearly as spicy as I was expecting. The noodles were tasty and the seafood was all fine, however the clams were a bit tough and there was some kind of imitation crab meat(?) that wasn't listed on the menu. I really liked the flavor of the peas and oddly that may have been my favorite part of the dish.The burmese donuts were interesting! They are dense and very chewy so don't expect to wolf them down like glazed yeast donuts, but they are quite satisfying. The texture is fried crisp on the outside (we got take-out and the box kept in some humidity, so I imagine they are probably more crispy if eaten fresh) and soft, almost gummy inside. The palm syrup adds a rich sweetness that isn't overly sweet.Overall the food is probably 3 stars, good but not amazing, however for the price it's a great value, so I bumped it up one.
---Pre-Covid Review---3.5/5Came by for a late night meal after class around 8:30pm. The place still had a few people but overall you can tell they were ready to close. The employee said it's fine if I wanted to order for here but I opted to get my food in takeout containers but eat there til closing and she was very helpful with that. In general the main employee was very kind and attentive. She brought out my food as it came since she knew I was hungry, brought me water, and was generally very kind.For my meal I got the following:1) Wet Tha Dote Htoe (Marinated Pork Organs/Offal): The dish is quite big for a "snack" but tasty if you like organs especially intestines. Personally I find organs a bit too chewy but these still had plenty of flavor and weren't cooked to a point where they were too tough. The sauce is almost slightly sweet and pairs well to cut through the pungent flavors of the various organs. Not my personal cup of tea but enjoyable overall (3.25/5)2) Kut Kyee Kaik (Scissor Bitten Noodles): Recommended by the employee when I couldn't decide which noodle dish to get. She said it's one of their spicier dishes. It has a noticeable heat but I found it fairly tolerable (though admittedly it gave me some post-meal stomach rumbles cause of the spice). The dish has a very even amount of cabbage, seafood and noodles. It's basically a hodge-podge dish but quite good. The seafood quality isn't amazing or anything but there's quite a bit for the price at least (3.5/5)Overall, Tharaphu was a decent dinner spot. The portions were huge and the prices weren't too bad. I also love it when a place has great service. It always makes the meal for me. Would love to come back to try their other items.------------------------Came back before I got a chance to post my last review. Definitely a slightly more disappointing experience this time around but not bad.My friend and I ordered the following:1) Fried Yellow Tofu: I quite enjoyed this snack. It's a bit of a starchier tofu, guessing it's made with chickpea powder. It goes well with the vinegary sauce. Nothing outstanding either but a nice side dish. (3.5/5)2) Golden Mountain Noodles: My friend's dish. Tasty but very heavy on the noodles compared to everything else (compared to my scissor bitten noodles dish that was full of meat and veggies). The portions are huge but the noodles are a bit overcooked. It's sort of a repetitive dish after a while but not bad flavor-wise (3.5/5)3) Tofu Nwe: Basically rice noodles with a chickpea porridge and soy sauce on top. It's very starchy all around and like the other dishes I've had here, it gets to be too much. It's been over a week and I'm still chipping away at the leftovers. The creamy texture is nice but it's sort of one note. The bigger issue is how overcooked the rice noodles were. They had no bite at all. Otherwise I did enjoy the flavors but it was just overwhelmingly monotone after a while. (3.5/5)At this point I feel like I've seen the general trend of their dishes. Portions are huge, price is good, flavors are sort of one note, and the noodles are almost always overcooked. Overall, I don't feel a huge urge to return again but worth a try at least once.
They're soooooooooooo good. I love their [latt sone], it's super budget friendly if you have a friend to split it with and you just can't beat the variety or the presentation. The [tofu nwey] is best thing to eat on a rainy or cold day, no other Burmese places in the bay serves that since it's too much hassle to make. Their service is always impeccable. I'm p sure I've gone there so many times in one week that the lady who always takes my orders thinks I have a problem.
Burmese in the heart of Downtown Berkeley
Burmese in the heart of Downtown Berkeley Can not beat how accessible Tharaphu is, which is just up the block from the Downtown Berkeley Bart station, which also means it can get busy during dining hours. While the menu doesn't clearly label the vegan/vegetarian options, the waitstaff is very friendly and helpful. With the exception of the fish cake salad, all the salads can be made vegan, which can be meals on their own. In addition to the standard stir fried tofu with vegetables, you can also choose from four rice noodle plates, including the popular garlic noodle staple. Pros: Just up the block from Downtown Berkeley Bart Cons: Vegan options not labeled
Meal was flavorless and cold—tea leaf salad did not seem fresh at all. Love Burmese food and this was sadly inedible. We sent food back but they did not offer refund. $40 wasted. Beware
It's alright. The paratha with chickpea curry was great but the fish/shrimp curry was disappointing. Mandalay noodles had way too much garlic and overpowered everything else in the meal. Tea leaf salad was alright. There are better Burmese restaurants on SF - e.g. Mandalay in the Richmond district.
Lots of vegetarian options! Service is quick and attentive. I'm so excited to see ingredients I've seen in no other Burmese restaurant in the Bay Area. I've gotten pretty used to all the flavors in various Asian cuisines, so it's rare for me to experience something different and tasty. My kids love this place, also--it's a go-to for the whole family.
We popped in for half a lunch and I thought it was great! We had the special of the day, flaky pita triangles dipped in a chickpea curry. I haven't had much Burmese food (been to Burma Superstar once) and I liked this better than what I had at Burma Superstar. Would def be up for coming back when we're in the neighborhood and try the other dishes! Yum
A gem in downtown Berkeley. Delicious, affordable food, with good service and short wait times. I have shared the latt sone family style platter with friends many times. I've enjoyed the different curries, salads, and appetizers. At this point, I think I've tried them all. Two big thumbs up.
Restaurantji Recommends
This restaurant is absolutely authentic and five star. Yes the dining was causal and relaxing. Not like u are in the crowd waiting for seating for 2 or two hours. You will have plenty of food what u paid for. Customer service was friendly and feels like home. My fav tea leaf salad and request to be spicy. You can't miss Burmese fritters combo with house made tamarind sauce. For noodle, my fav is Mandalay meeshay.
I definitely think that this place is underrated, and am very glad that I finally tried it. I would give it five stars just to boost the overall reviews (3.5 seems low). The food was delicious and flavorful. Pretty unique flavors that even those familiar with other SE Asian cuisines might not be used to. The service was greater, and our waiter was a young guy (maybe late 20s or early 30s) who was really polite. We got fish curry and shan noodles. The fish curry was hearty and thick, with catfish (technically Swai, but they are similar) that had an ideal texture. Strange enough, it tasted very similar to a Hungarian stew I know called halászlé (Fisherman's Stew), which is a rich, piquant stew often also made with catfish. An odd connection I know, but it was delicious regardless, and I wouldn't usually say this, but the steamed broccoli was actually a nice touch. The Shan noodles had some flavors I can't say that I've ever had before, but were similar to Laotian cuisine. Had a mix between salty, savory, and pickled veggie tastes, slightly fragrant due to some of the spices and herbs (e.g. maybe it even had a few licorice pieces??). Try it with chili paste; it really fits. The little soup on the side was also a nice touch. It was savory with a somewhat earthy, whole taste. Overall, the food tasted balanced and natural. I will definitely be going here again.
Solid but overlooked spot to grab food around the Berkeley area. Theraphu is my only exposure to Burmese food so I don't have anything else to compare it to yet, but it's not bad so far. [Latt Sone] I recommend the Latt Sone, which is a "family-sized" platter that is a pretty well-balanced meal, considering that it has curry, rice, vegetables, and protein. It can comfortably feed 2 people, and possibly even 3 if your group isn't completely famished or if you're thinking of grabbing dessert afterwards. For our options, we opted for the samosa, opo, tea leaf salad, brown rice, coconut rice, fish curry, and pork curry. I could probably interchange some of the options for others and feel the same way about the dish, but the coconut rice and the fish curry are definitely ones to order again. In terms of ambience, Theraphu is casual and has the atmosphere of a quaint family-owned business. When I went on a Saturday night, it was pretty lively, but that didn't make service slow at all. Price-wise, Theraphu makes for an affordable meal and is pretty worth it if you ask me. Overall, Theraphu is a nice option to have when choosing where to eat downtown, especially if you're looking to explore new options! I probably wouldn't head downtown specifically for Theraphu, but if the wait times for nearby places are too long, it'd be a decent second choice.
Cozy, good speedy service, and most importantly, the food is great! I just wished they had more burmese dishes. The Garlic noodles may be too salty; the golden mountain noodles i highly recommend!
Chinese food is better. The dark skinned island asians are just dirty and savage. I’d never eat here