We ordered takeout on a Saturday before 6 PM. The predicted wait time was 70 minutes and the actual wait time was almost 80 minutes.The portobello ramen broth container leaked and we lost half the broth. The double bagged paper bag tore and spilled broth all over the floor. The salmon curry noodles were delicious although there were no vegetables.Vegetarian options: Vegan ramen and vegan stir fry
Dan Hooks
They have some really interesting, unique dishes. Everything is very tasty. I order from here frequently!
Aimee V.
I have mixed feelings - I did enjoy my food, so I won't give 3 stars however my experience left a lot to be desired! Firstly, we were quoted about 30-45 minutes wait but waited well over that. They took down our number to call once our table was ready but I'm pretty certain other groups were sat before us since we walked around for 30 min, came back, and waited another 30 minutes. Second, they sell out of many of their items before closing so the three dishes I was interested in were unavailable by the time we got to order. So, I ended up ordering two curry dishes (spicy duck red curry and beef green curry). The fusion noodles were good, but I don't know that I enjoyed the experience enough to come back. There were lots of takeout/doordash orders being prepared so if you try this place, I highly recommend takeout.
Jess N.
My friend who used to live around Berkeley vouched for this place. After our long hike, we decided to stop by Noodle Theory on the way back to reward ourselves with carbs (and for me to validate my friend's review lel). *FOOD* - Salmon egg rolls $10: yummy! The salmon was juicy and paired well with the layer of seaweed. I also loved how it was cut in half to show case the inside of the egg rolls. Salmon wasn't cooked all the way on purpose, but you can specify if you want it fully cooked when ordering. Be gentle with the wasabi dipping sauce because it'll go straight up your nose lol. They used the real stuff. - Grilled Niman Ranch Beef Udon $17: my favorite dish of the night. The broth was coconut-ty with a dash of sourness from citrus juice, creamy yet light. I expected it to be heavier but was pleasantly surprised. I appreciated the inclusion of greens as I'm always looking to increase my fiber intake.. beef was juicy and well cooked. Udon noodles is your typical udon. - Vietnamese style Caramel Pork Belly Ramen $17: after tasting the beef udon's broth, this was extremely salty for me. Wasn't a big fan but my friend enjoyed it, though they wished the ramen was more chewy. The dish included bamboo shoots and seaweed. Go greens! *SERVICE/PARKING* - Outdoor dining only! Thankfully they have heat lamps for each table since Berkeley tends to get quite cold at night. - Only open for dinner. Saturday dinner wait was around 25-30 minutes. We strolled the area to pass time. Not good for big groups. - Street parking. There's a meter parking spot right next to the restaurant but we parked in the residential area nearby and walked 2 blocks. - No complaints about service. Food wait was reasonable. Staff was nice. Overall, my experience was good and I'd love to come back to try their stir fry noodles!
Lucy N.
My job loved eating at the Emeryville location for lunch. We'd go there at least once a week. So when they closed that location a couple years ago we were bummed. Unfortunately Rockridge is not open for lunch, but last night my boyfriend and I decided to have dinner from here. We ordered for takeout. We tried to call it in but the phone was constantly busy - so we drove over and ordered in person. We ordered the baby back ribs as an appetizer. The ginger noodles & chicken + the ground pork and noodles. The ribs were amazing! The chicken & ginger noodles were as good as I remember & the ground pork noodles were good too! It's a very small location but they do have tables outside with heaters. I really love this place and we'll be back for dinner again soon!
Heather S.
by far one of my FAVORITE noodle places in the east bay i came here upon a recommendation of a friend and i couldn't be happier! while they don't take reservations and the store is relatively small with limited seating, i would still go back in a heartbeat. the server was super sweet and was able to accommodate my party of 6 on the spot. she always came by asking how everything was and if we needed more water which was really appreciated as well! with amazing quality ingredients and unique dishes, i definitely had a good time here:) -- -- -- pictured: " grilled beef udon in a coconut curry broth ($17) // first off, the beefwas SO tender and i could taste the smokiness and juiciness of each slice. this paired wonderfully with the lighter coconut curry broth and the gailan which added a nice texture " roasted portobello mushroom over spinach ramen in vegetarian miso broth with white truffle oil ($15) " vietnamese style caramel pork belly ramen in a savory pork miso broth ($17)
R H
Kind of expensive. The area is safe and nice, near a Safeway and multiple coffee shops. Hectic at times, but parking generally not too bad. We parked 20’ from the entrance on 2/9/22. The spicy pork needs extra veggies. The garlic tofu noodles are super. The Udon, too.
James R.
Oh. My. Goodness. Amazing! Very high quality food and service, inventive dishes fusing various pieces of Asian cuisine together in novel dishes with every ingredient being a winner. I don't normally write reviews, but this place deserves your try. If you like ramen or noodles but want something novel but also very sensible, this is your spot. Shoutout to Anne, our server. She was the most patient and helpful one I may have ever had. I went with my mother who does not know asian cuisine and Anne was very patient explaining the fat content of a KBBQ rib or making a bespoke version of child's ramen with only the ingredients my mom liked. Thank you, Anne!
Rachel M.
I've frequented the Oakland location several times in the past with my friends/family and always had a solid experience. It's a narrow bustling spot with indoor and outdoor seating at the corner of Claremont and College Ave, where there is no shortage of delicious restaurants. Notables are the baos, chicken karaage (so good!), salmon, beef, and pork noodle dishes. Each of the bowls have different broths (miso, curry) and they all pack a nice flavor punch - noodles are tender, broth is tasty, and the proteins are cooked well. Service can be a bit spotty because it's usually super busy, but overall it's fine. In my pre-pandemic experiences, Fridays and weekends for dinner were the busiest times and there were usually long waits. I'd recommend going at the off peak hours. After dinner, I'd recommend getting some scoops at nearby Tara's organic ice cream!
Shreya S.
I had really high hopes for this place, but when I tried their only vegetarian Ramen it wasn't as great as I had expected. I thought the Portobello Mushroom Miso Ramen was a bit too heavy on the salt, and didn't have as many vegetables as I had hoped. Hopefully the other dishes are great, though! I did love the appetizer we got here, the Goat Cheese Wontons which came with the perfect sweet and spicy sauce. It's also pretty hard to get seating here since theres only 2-3 tables outside, at least when I went back in October. I might try this place again, but hopefully they'll have better vegetarian main options then!!
When you go to Noodle Theory, don’t expect the rich, salty, umami-filled ramen bowls you’d find at Ippudo and Marufuku. Noodle Theory is in a different category of high quality, tasty, and flavorful noodle dishes (soup or not), each featuring a perfectly prepared protein and tasty broth. Their noodle soups feature a light broth filled with greens and a curly noodle (or substitute for udon or other flat noodle). Don’t miss their appetizers - the salmon roll stands out. And of course, their service is top notch, efficient, and table top warmers are icing on the cake for cold days.
Lawrence H.
STARS: 3.5, but higher for certain dishes (see below). MENU AND FOOD: As their name implies, they offer a limited variety of Asian-inspired noodle dishes, including udon, ramen and stir-fries, along with dumpling appetizers. SERVICE AND ATMOSPHERE: Service is friendly and efficient. The dining room decor is appropriate and appealing. This particular location has a rather small strip of tables, so it is not recommended for parties larger than 4. They do have a few outdoor tables for 2 with outdoor heaters along the sidewalk. PARKING: Located on a busy street, parking can be difficult to find. It's best to look for parking in the adjacent residential neighborhood. IMPRESSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS: I've been here on multiple occasions and have tried various plates. I highly recommend the pork dumplings and the beef udon (these particular dishes get 4 stars)! The dumplings paired with their soy/vinegar sauce is tasty, and the beef in their udon is nice and tender. However, their other dishes are underwhelming and nothing special. I'm also sad they have not re-opened for lunch time dining yet.
Ally Y.
So far we've only gotten the food to-go but it is always tasty, super delicious! I had the pork belly ramen and wowza! The pork was amazing!
britt a
Third edit!!!I went again and Richard gave me extra noodles and remembered my name! Not sure if it was because of my annoying review below or if he’s just a nice guy (probs both)! I love this place and the people and am sad that I’ll be moving away and wont be walking distance anymore. I’ll still eat here as much as I can and support. ♥️ The Kimichi Udon Noodle was great as always!6/20/2020 update:I still love this place. I visit them more than any other restaurant in the bay. I’ve been an uncountable number of times now. Today I was a bit disappointed with my portion of my Spicy Kimchi Udon Noodle meal, there was so little in there it didn’t cover the entire bottom of the box. My portions are always consistently healthy but this one was lacking. I am not going to update the star count bc I still love them but I may check my portion next time before leaving.Early 2020 update:I’ve eaten out from here four times since moving to the bay in January. They’re a 3 minute walk from me, but even if they were farther it wouldn’t matter. The food is consistently flavored and portioned and the people are always friendly. This past time I was there there was a mix up in the time I was quoted. I got there a few minutes after and the food still wasn’t ready. I did get upset (it was the first day of my period so I was hormonal and crampy), but they were still their usual nice selves and got me my food ASAP. Hoping trip number 5 will be me actually dining in there. :)
Alisa K.
WHEN: 10/30/21 Saturday @ 4:30pm PARKING: No parking lot. Restaurant is located literally in the corner of a building. Street parking with pay by meter is available. Noodle theory is located in between two busy streets and sandwiched in the corner of a triangular shaped building. It's a very small place and they only have 4 outdoor tables available (2 seats each). We got there at 4:30 right when they opened so there was no wait but quickly started filling up. The menu consisted of stir fry noodles and soup noodles, mainly Asian dishes with a twist. Ordered the fried salmon with spicy Chinese mustard sauce for the appetizer ($10). The sauce tasted just like wasabi and I didn't think it paired well with the salmon. The fried salmon itself was delicious but one of my pieces had a bone in it. Next, we had the Korean short rib kimchi noodles ($18) and the Curry duck noodles ($19). Both dishes had the same noodles, a thick yellow curly noodle that was perfectly chewy and held the sauce flavors well. That said, the kimchi noodle was very underwhelming. I feel like I could have ordered something very similar at a small Korean restaurant for $10. The flavor wasn't strong enough at all. The duck noodles however were amazing. It had a thicker creamy texture and it went surprisingly well with the duck. Overall, this place has a great ambiance and excellent service. But slightly overhyped and definitely overpriced. 3.75
We ordered takeout on a Saturday before 6 PM. The predicted wait time was 70 minutes and the actual wait time was almost 80 minutes.The portobello ramen broth container leaked and we lost half the broth. The double bagged paper bag tore and spilled broth all over the floor. The salmon curry noodles were delicious although there were no vegetables.Vegetarian options: Vegan ramen and vegan stir fry
They have some really interesting, unique dishes. Everything is very tasty. I order from here frequently!
I have mixed feelings - I did enjoy my food, so I won't give 3 stars however my experience left a lot to be desired! Firstly, we were quoted about 30-45 minutes wait but waited well over that. They took down our number to call once our table was ready but I'm pretty certain other groups were sat before us since we walked around for 30 min, came back, and waited another 30 minutes. Second, they sell out of many of their items before closing so the three dishes I was interested in were unavailable by the time we got to order. So, I ended up ordering two curry dishes (spicy duck red curry and beef green curry). The fusion noodles were good, but I don't know that I enjoyed the experience enough to come back. There were lots of takeout/doordash orders being prepared so if you try this place, I highly recommend takeout.
My friend who used to live around Berkeley vouched for this place. After our long hike, we decided to stop by Noodle Theory on the way back to reward ourselves with carbs (and for me to validate my friend's review lel). *FOOD* - Salmon egg rolls $10: yummy! The salmon was juicy and paired well with the layer of seaweed. I also loved how it was cut in half to show case the inside of the egg rolls. Salmon wasn't cooked all the way on purpose, but you can specify if you want it fully cooked when ordering. Be gentle with the wasabi dipping sauce because it'll go straight up your nose lol. They used the real stuff. - Grilled Niman Ranch Beef Udon $17: my favorite dish of the night. The broth was coconut-ty with a dash of sourness from citrus juice, creamy yet light. I expected it to be heavier but was pleasantly surprised. I appreciated the inclusion of greens as I'm always looking to increase my fiber intake.. beef was juicy and well cooked. Udon noodles is your typical udon. - Vietnamese style Caramel Pork Belly Ramen $17: after tasting the beef udon's broth, this was extremely salty for me. Wasn't a big fan but my friend enjoyed it, though they wished the ramen was more chewy. The dish included bamboo shoots and seaweed. Go greens! *SERVICE/PARKING* - Outdoor dining only! Thankfully they have heat lamps for each table since Berkeley tends to get quite cold at night. - Only open for dinner. Saturday dinner wait was around 25-30 minutes. We strolled the area to pass time. Not good for big groups. - Street parking. There's a meter parking spot right next to the restaurant but we parked in the residential area nearby and walked 2 blocks. - No complaints about service. Food wait was reasonable. Staff was nice. Overall, my experience was good and I'd love to come back to try their stir fry noodles!
My job loved eating at the Emeryville location for lunch. We'd go there at least once a week. So when they closed that location a couple years ago we were bummed. Unfortunately Rockridge is not open for lunch, but last night my boyfriend and I decided to have dinner from here. We ordered for takeout. We tried to call it in but the phone was constantly busy - so we drove over and ordered in person. We ordered the baby back ribs as an appetizer. The ginger noodles & chicken + the ground pork and noodles. The ribs were amazing! The chicken & ginger noodles were as good as I remember & the ground pork noodles were good too! It's a very small location but they do have tables outside with heaters. I really love this place and we'll be back for dinner again soon!
by far one of my FAVORITE noodle places in the east bay i came here upon a recommendation of a friend and i couldn't be happier! while they don't take reservations and the store is relatively small with limited seating, i would still go back in a heartbeat. the server was super sweet and was able to accommodate my party of 6 on the spot. she always came by asking how everything was and if we needed more water which was really appreciated as well! with amazing quality ingredients and unique dishes, i definitely had a good time here:) -- -- -- pictured: " grilled beef udon in a coconut curry broth ($17) // first off, the beefwas SO tender and i could taste the smokiness and juiciness of each slice. this paired wonderfully with the lighter coconut curry broth and the gailan which added a nice texture " roasted portobello mushroom over spinach ramen in vegetarian miso broth with white truffle oil ($15) " vietnamese style caramel pork belly ramen in a savory pork miso broth ($17)
Kind of expensive. The area is safe and nice, near a Safeway and multiple coffee shops. Hectic at times, but parking generally not too bad. We parked 20’ from the entrance on 2/9/22. The spicy pork needs extra veggies. The garlic tofu noodles are super. The Udon, too.
Oh. My. Goodness. Amazing! Very high quality food and service, inventive dishes fusing various pieces of Asian cuisine together in novel dishes with every ingredient being a winner. I don't normally write reviews, but this place deserves your try. If you like ramen or noodles but want something novel but also very sensible, this is your spot. Shoutout to Anne, our server. She was the most patient and helpful one I may have ever had. I went with my mother who does not know asian cuisine and Anne was very patient explaining the fat content of a KBBQ rib or making a bespoke version of child's ramen with only the ingredients my mom liked. Thank you, Anne!
I've frequented the Oakland location several times in the past with my friends/family and always had a solid experience. It's a narrow bustling spot with indoor and outdoor seating at the corner of Claremont and College Ave, where there is no shortage of delicious restaurants. Notables are the baos, chicken karaage (so good!), salmon, beef, and pork noodle dishes. Each of the bowls have different broths (miso, curry) and they all pack a nice flavor punch - noodles are tender, broth is tasty, and the proteins are cooked well. Service can be a bit spotty because it's usually super busy, but overall it's fine. In my pre-pandemic experiences, Fridays and weekends for dinner were the busiest times and there were usually long waits. I'd recommend going at the off peak hours. After dinner, I'd recommend getting some scoops at nearby Tara's organic ice cream!
I had really high hopes for this place, but when I tried their only vegetarian Ramen it wasn't as great as I had expected. I thought the Portobello Mushroom Miso Ramen was a bit too heavy on the salt, and didn't have as many vegetables as I had hoped. Hopefully the other dishes are great, though! I did love the appetizer we got here, the Goat Cheese Wontons which came with the perfect sweet and spicy sauce. It's also pretty hard to get seating here since theres only 2-3 tables outside, at least when I went back in October. I might try this place again, but hopefully they'll have better vegetarian main options then!!
Restaurantji Recommends
When you go to Noodle Theory, don’t expect the rich, salty, umami-filled ramen bowls you’d find at Ippudo and Marufuku. Noodle Theory is in a different category of high quality, tasty, and flavorful noodle dishes (soup or not), each featuring a perfectly prepared protein and tasty broth. Their noodle soups feature a light broth filled with greens and a curly noodle (or substitute for udon or other flat noodle). Don’t miss their appetizers - the salmon roll stands out. And of course, their service is top notch, efficient, and table top warmers are icing on the cake for cold days.
STARS: 3.5, but higher for certain dishes (see below). MENU AND FOOD: As their name implies, they offer a limited variety of Asian-inspired noodle dishes, including udon, ramen and stir-fries, along with dumpling appetizers. SERVICE AND ATMOSPHERE: Service is friendly and efficient. The dining room decor is appropriate and appealing. This particular location has a rather small strip of tables, so it is not recommended for parties larger than 4. They do have a few outdoor tables for 2 with outdoor heaters along the sidewalk. PARKING: Located on a busy street, parking can be difficult to find. It's best to look for parking in the adjacent residential neighborhood. IMPRESSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS: I've been here on multiple occasions and have tried various plates. I highly recommend the pork dumplings and the beef udon (these particular dishes get 4 stars)! The dumplings paired with their soy/vinegar sauce is tasty, and the beef in their udon is nice and tender. However, their other dishes are underwhelming and nothing special. I'm also sad they have not re-opened for lunch time dining yet.
So far we've only gotten the food to-go but it is always tasty, super delicious! I had the pork belly ramen and wowza! The pork was amazing!
Third edit!!!I went again and Richard gave me extra noodles and remembered my name! Not sure if it was because of my annoying review below or if he’s just a nice guy (probs both)! I love this place and the people and am sad that I’ll be moving away and wont be walking distance anymore. I’ll still eat here as much as I can and support. ♥️ The Kimichi Udon Noodle was great as always!6/20/2020 update:I still love this place. I visit them more than any other restaurant in the bay. I’ve been an uncountable number of times now. Today I was a bit disappointed with my portion of my Spicy Kimchi Udon Noodle meal, there was so little in there it didn’t cover the entire bottom of the box. My portions are always consistently healthy but this one was lacking. I am not going to update the star count bc I still love them but I may check my portion next time before leaving.Early 2020 update:I’ve eaten out from here four times since moving to the bay in January. They’re a 3 minute walk from me, but even if they were farther it wouldn’t matter. The food is consistently flavored and portioned and the people are always friendly. This past time I was there there was a mix up in the time I was quoted. I got there a few minutes after and the food still wasn’t ready. I did get upset (it was the first day of my period so I was hormonal and crampy), but they were still their usual nice selves and got me my food ASAP. Hoping trip number 5 will be me actually dining in there. :)
WHEN: 10/30/21 Saturday @ 4:30pm PARKING: No parking lot. Restaurant is located literally in the corner of a building. Street parking with pay by meter is available. Noodle theory is located in between two busy streets and sandwiched in the corner of a triangular shaped building. It's a very small place and they only have 4 outdoor tables available (2 seats each). We got there at 4:30 right when they opened so there was no wait but quickly started filling up. The menu consisted of stir fry noodles and soup noodles, mainly Asian dishes with a twist. Ordered the fried salmon with spicy Chinese mustard sauce for the appetizer ($10). The sauce tasted just like wasabi and I didn't think it paired well with the salmon. The fried salmon itself was delicious but one of my pieces had a bone in it. Next, we had the Korean short rib kimchi noodles ($18) and the Curry duck noodles ($19). Both dishes had the same noodles, a thick yellow curly noodle that was perfectly chewy and held the sauce flavors well. That said, the kimchi noodle was very underwhelming. I feel like I could have ordered something very similar at a small Korean restaurant for $10. The flavor wasn't strong enough at all. The duck noodles however were amazing. It had a thicker creamy texture and it went surprisingly well with the duck. Overall, this place has a great ambiance and excellent service. But slightly overhyped and definitely overpriced. 3.75