Exploring the Bay Area

Bua Thai Kitchen  On San Pablo, near the border between Berkeley and Albany, Bua Thai Kitchen appears a little run-down from the outside, but the inside is gorgeous.  Decorated with artificial plants and sophisticated, stylish light fixtures, the restaurant has a very formal, relaxed, and comfortable feel, and it serves incredible food, despite being relatively inexpensive.  It’s a sit-down restaurant where a friendly server will take your order. The speakers play soothing music to cancel out the sound of the other diners, giving it a luxurious but understated appeal. The service is fast, and the chairs and tables are comfortable, making it a nice place to sit and wait for your food. Even before your food arrives, the entire restaurant smells great! The menu is relatively extensive, featuring almost everyone's Thai food favorites. They have a variety of rice, noodle, and curry dishes, as well as many different soup and stir fry options.  I order...

Manpuku Manpuku is a delightful, small restaurant located on the corner of Ashby and College Avenue in the Elmwood region of Berkeley, dedicated to serving affordable and delicious Japanese cuisine. The extensive menu is filled with classic Japanese favorites, each served at a very reasonable price. When you arrive, you have a chance to examine this menu, which has a large variety of different types of sushi, sashimi, curry rice, ramen, and udon, among other popular Japanese appetizers and entrees (they have bento boxes, or the meals can be ordered a la carte). Then, you can place your order and pay at the register. Once you have done this, you may take a seat in their small restaurant, and they will bring your food to you. Either that, or you can select a ready-made meal out of their cooler or their food warmer and take it to a table inside the restaurant to eat. There is also the option of takeout. Despite the low prices, this restaurant consistently provides a top-quality eating exp...

Cafe Tibet Cafe Tibet specializes in Tibetan cuisine. Everything is both vegetarian and vegan, and it has many gluten free options.  It is a small hole-in-the-wall lovingly decorated with Tibetan artwork and souvenirs. I particularly admired the paintings on the wall that depict life in Tibet. I also liked the photo of the Dalai Lama and the flags on the wall. It is a family-owned restaurant, and the proprietor is a friendly man who waits the tables himself.  From the decorations and the attitude of the owners, I could tell that this small restaurant is a labor of love, born out of a pure desire to share their own delicious take on authentic Tibetan cuisine.  They have a selection of starters, salads, soups, gluten-free noodles, gluten-free entrees, noodles, momo (Tibetan dumplings), curries, and other entrees, as well as some interesting drink options. Nothing on the menu costs more than $20, making it one of the more affordable restaurants in the area.  We tried t...

Seasons Noodles & Dumplings Garden Seasons Noodles & Dumplings is a medium-sized restaurant in downtown Mountain View. It has big windows that overlook the street, so (weather permitting) it is usually pretty bright and sunny on the inside. There are multiple tables arranged inside the restaurant, all spaced a fair distance away from one another.  Seasons Noodles & Dumplings Garden boasts an impressive menu of authentically Chinese options. You can choose between a variety of dumplings, buns, pies, noodle, and rice dishes, and honestly, it's pretty hard to go wrong.  I have tried this restaurant several times, and although I liked everything, I highly recommend the pork and cabbage dumplings (pictured above) if you are only going to try one dish. They make the dumplings' dough fresh at this restaurant, and you can taste it! Not only is the dumplings' thin skin the perfect amount of chewiness and doughiness, but the filling is warm and savory goodness. It melts ...

The Noodle The Noodle is one of Berkeley's hidden gems nestled into the downtown area serving lunch and dinner every day of the week except for Monday. A small, casual and down-to-earth Thai eatery that make flavor-packed food at a snappy pace, this is the place to go when you are hungry and craving an exotic yet still homey and comforting plate of Thai food. The lunch and dinner menu is extensive; you will find a variety of salads, soups, stir-fries, appetizers, and noodle dishes, all created in their signature authentic Thai style. You can customize the spiciness of the dishes to your own spice tolerance. The freshly prepared food will be served hot in an aesthetically pleasing style.  Because of the welcoming environment and quality of the food, it's a great place to branch out and try new dishes. I am always finding new favorites. For example, my long-time favorites at this restaurant were the larb and the Pad Thai, but then I tried the Pad See Ew and fell in love. My favor...

Anchalee Thai Cuisine    Anchalee Thai Cuisine is one of my favorite restaurants in Berkeley. My family and I frequent this place not only for the food, but also for the welcoming, peaceful ambiance.  We first stumbled upon Anchalee Thai Cuisine by chance; we were hungry and drawn in by its aesthetic appeal and the smell of good food. It was well-decorated and looked quite appetizing, and the smell of Thai spices wafted toward us. It is a sit-down restaurant where you wait a considerable amount of time for your meal to come. We came in for the first time and were met with courteous service. The waiters took their jobs seriously and were knowledgable enough to answer all of our questions about the menu. This good service has been replicated each and every time we have returned, and we have returned many times! The menu is full of many options; there are plenty of things to try, including noodle dishes, stir fries, and curries. The Pad Thai is exquisite, one of the best I'v...

  Italian Homemade Few things are as enticing as warm, homemade pasta served fresh for a reasonable price. Italian Homemade has a customizable pasta experience unlike any other I've experienced in the area. You can pick your noodles, pick your sauce, and pick your add-ons.  The results are so delicious they are shocking. Every bite of pasta has recently been freshly made dough, rolled out and cooked to perfection in their own special kitchen. You can see where they roll the dough.  Meanwhile, the sauces are savory, warm, and satisfying.  They also have set menu items like lasagna, meatball platters and tortellini, which are also prepared fresh in their kitchen. If that's not your thing, they also have salads and flatbread sandwiches that are crowd pleasers.  This chain has multiple locations in the Bay Area. They do catering as well. I recommend this place because it is yummy and affordable. 

 Marugame Udon With several locations in the Bay Area, inclding one in Berkeley, Palo Alto, and San Francisco, Marugame Udon is a wonderful chain that serves hearty Japanese food, including several different flavors of udon, rice bowls, and tempura.  Marugame Udon is a restaurant where you order and pay at the counter. Once you order, you can watch them prepare your meal right there (the ingredients are ready), and then you can pick out your side dishes: tempura, gyoza, or other fried options. I recommend the gyoza, which are perfectly crispy and packed with flavor. The udon is a savory and satisfying meal. The warm broth and chewy noodles are a fan-favorite. You can taste the freshness and even see where the fresh noodles are prepared.  The chicken katsu bowls are also a safe bet.  But for me, my favorite remains the gyudon beef bowl (pictured above). The meat is tender and flavorful. The sauce is sweet but salty and savory. It goes well with the simple but well-pre...