Bears Ramen House

Cheap Korean-​American options that are filling, satisfying and soulful. It’s great that its open late and food comes out fresh. I also like supporting the small Asian businesses.
I’ve tried both the kimchi fried noodle and kimchi fried rice. Though both a little oily– they have a nice kick, a good amount of flavor and meat (I got spam and beef), and the carbs are well-​cooked and hearty. Beware of the really hot plate– they transfer the food to a plate and don’t let it cool down so I burned my tongue a little. Despite this I still enjoyed the flavor and a cheap dinner.

One of my absolute favorite hole in the walls! I discovered this gem during undergrad at Berkeley and it has never failed me!
Hidden in the widely known Durant Food Court or Asian ghetto as we used to call it, it’s wedged in the corner with very limited seating space (literally a few seats up on the counter). My go to dish is the kimchi fried rice with spam. Perfect amount of salty spam, tangy spicy kimchi and a fried egg to pull it all together! It’s so funny that I haven’t tried the ramen at bear ramen house, but i just can’t stay away from the kimchi fried rice!
Very cheap, the fried rice is around $ 7 and they’re fast too! I used to call in all the time for pick up and it was always fresh. You can also walk in and order, I kid you not I haven’t waited more than 5min for my food. Keep in mind that they are cash only. Let’s talk parking — it’s a biatch, unless you get lucky and happen to swoop someone’s spot as they’re leaving. I would park on the other side on Bancroft on the street or in one of the garages ($ 2 – 3 per hour) OR the tiny hidden lot near Top Dog, Artichoke Pizza and the boba place. It’s directly across the street from DFC so you’ll be in and out fast!

Pretty sure the soup is made from some sort of instant powder? Someone please correct me if I’m wrong – and I really hope I am, since the soup was actually pretty good and the noodles were super curly. I ordered the egg ramen and enjoyed it, I just wish it was homemade broth!

This place is not worth it. I came for kimchi fried rice since that seems to be everyone’s jam.
The restaurant is cash only and for $ 8+, the kimchi fried rice was tiny and the egg was way too overcooked– it’s a fried egg, but the yolk began to solidify since it was cooked too long. It didn’t taste bad, a little spicy with onions and green onions, and flavourful kimchi, but for the portions and the overly tough beef make me shake my head. For 8 bucks, I can go to Tacos Sinaloas and feel more full and satisfied with delicious tacos.
Kimchi fried rice is mostly carbs, so it seems filling yet it isn’t. I just wouldn’t bother to go back for small portions that don’t fill you up or at least give you two meals. Also, the cashier seems to treat some customers better than others. She never asked if I wanted to go or sit down, but she just assumed I wanted to go. However, she asked the guys after me if their seating preference, so the customer service is unpredictable.

My bf and I came up from LA and stayed in Berkeley for the weekend to watch the Raider game. After taking the BART from Oakland to Berkeley, we decided we wanted some ramen to compliment the cold weather. I found this place on Unilocal and decided to share an order of kimchi fried rice and we each ordered the bulgogi Ramen. Both dishes were amazing ! I’m currently trying to convince him to go back to the restaurant for lunch before we head back to LA. The place is small and cozy with a ton of food options. There’s extra seating outside as well.

Kicking off our Berkeley food tour we started with this restaurant in the Asian ghetto. Warning this is a cash only establishment.
We didn’t even look at the menu as we went off the recommendation of my cousin and his family. We ordered the kimchee fried rice with spam and egg.
We actually took this back home to eat since we were making our rounds of getting everything we needed to try and eat in that one night. Poo was that a mistake.
The kimchee fried rice was bomb! Ugh I was so full but I couldn’t stop eating. I love kimchee spice and rice so this combination was just perfect! I don’t know what else I need to describe other than get the kimchee fried rice, or you’ll be sorry haha.

Hole in the wall treasure in the cul-​de-​sac of true foodie’s dream of Berkeley. Because its off telegraph and near Cal Berkeley, the pieces are fair and the food is filling.
Because I only go to this place to satisfy my kimchi friend rice cravings, I am more than willing to search for parking, walk a block or two and wait in line for 10 mins.
Spam fried rice with extra eggs on top is amazing! they have several other things to mix in, but thats my favorite and go to Korean comfort food.

When I lived nearby, I would come here like once a week. It was a staple in my diet, since I never used my kitchen. I came here for take out by myself and also to grab dinner with friends.
Food is pretty good. I was never disappointed with the food and it always hit the spot. It is definitely good ramen, although nothing fancy. Also, I really liked their broth!
I’ve tried a few of their different ramen soups: egg (what I usually got), vegetarian, and chicken ramen. Prices are always cheap (~$ 6 – 8) for a good portion of ramen that always filled me up!
Service can be pretty slow. There is mainly one lady and another person who usually helps her. Both «dine in» and take out can take about 15 minutes or more.
Also if you’ve never been here, there’s minimal seating inside. And there is a common space you can sit right outside, but it tends to be crowded (and homeless people might bother you and ask you for money).

Since this restaurant is named «Ramen House», I went in with the expectation of having some authentic ramen. I was disappointed to find out that the ramen was pretty much broth with instant noodles — pretty much something I could’ve made inside my room with my instant ramen pack, some water, and a microwave. BUT that wasn’t the bad part: there was a bug in my food, ALIVE, when I received my bowl of ramen. ALIVE. BUG. CRAWLING. IN. MY. RAMEN. I’m probably not coming back after that experience.

Kimchi Sangyup-​Sal (pork belly) bokum
Whenever I come to the ghetto I want to get some
It’s tasty and delicious, makes my mouth water
Powerful and magical, just like Harry Potter
When I take mine home, I do something to add a little pop
I fry up an egg, slap that bad boy on top
OK, so this place takes a little bit of time (it’s not fast food), but boy, for this one dish, this Kimchi Sangyupsal bokum, boy, is it worth it. It’s a divine dish of spicy kimchi (not spicy for those who like spice), pork bellow, and rice. The only thing that it lacks (though I’m sure you can ask for it for an extra fee) is a fried egg on top, but take that thing home, fry up an egg, and you got yourself a winner! What a delicious, Korean, dinner!

I have dined at many Korean restaurants and this place has the best spam kimchi friend rice I have ever had. I have also tried Bear Ramen’s kimchi pancake and spicy squid over rice at the recommendation of my friends and they were also really tasty.
The only time I am disappointed at Bear Ramen is when the egg (that comes with the kimchi friend rice) is overlooked, but luckily that rarely happens.
The cooks working here are all very kind and I would highly recommend getting to know them if you are dining by yourself.

This place is pretty cool
Located in a small little «town square» next to Berkeley university, this place is the de-​facto student food place. The place is small, with only bar seats, and cut menus with cute colors. The food prices are of course student prices, and the portions are student portions as well :)
Ahhh, reminds me of the days when I had to save every penny on food while being a poor student.
The food is FANTASTIC. Definitely get the kimichi fried rice or the kimchi fried noodle. With spam. Always get the spam. It’s the korean way. You won’t regret it.
mmmmm kimchi fried rice

My favorite dish would have to be the kimchi fried noodle with spam. The place itself is pretty small and I usually see most people ordering their food to-​go.
Cash only but if you download Novapay, you can pay through that app. First purchase from Novapay = $ 1 off

I would never have found this on my own, but this was where my friend wanted to stop to pickup food on our way to the Greek Theater. So we each got a Kimchee Fried rice, and ate it on our walk up.
You get what you expect. Decent price. Cash only. Quick service.

LOVE. THIS. PLACE. KIMCHI FRIED RICE/​NOODLE WITH SPAM IS THE WAY TO GO.
FOOD
This place is awesome as long as you DONT get the ramen (–½ star that only certain things are good here)! The ramen honestly tastes like ramen you can make yourself but the KIMCHI FRIED RICE/​NOODLE WITH SPAM though… literally korean heaven. This is one of my go-​to places for korean food especially when it’s late at night (other go-​to is t-​toust). This place is just freaking amazing. The portions are large, the kimchi flavor is strong and it’s not TOO spicy, the spam is pretty generous, and the egg goes perfectly with the meal. The flavors just mesh so well together. The noodle is like an udon noodle so it’s chewy but it’s not soggy or gummy which is awesome! Usually my boyfriend will order it with one extra egg just because he likes extra protein in his meal and I believe it’s only 50cents more (could be wrong on that though) but he thinks it’s worth it hahah.
I’ve also tried their kimchi and spicy pork dish which is sooo good! it’s definitely spicier than the kimchi fried rice/​noodle but it’s not overly spicy to me. It’s a decent portion and pairs well with the rice! I’m definitely down to try their other rice dishes like spicy squid etc.
I’ve also had their ddeokbokki and rabokki (definitely not spelling these two right) but they’re great! I think the rice cake is the perfect chewiness and it’s definitely not that spicy. It’s a sweet kind of spicy too! I prefer the rabokki more just becuase it’s the exact same thing as ddeokbokki just with ramen and I think the ramen soaks up the spicy sauce super well and just adds to the entire meal! highly suggest it!
SERVICE
The lady who works at the front is so nice! Love her! Food is pretty fast too! Only annoying thing is that this place is cash only.
ATMOSPHERE
Not much of a dine-​in place. It’s super small and the place honestly looks a little bit dirty (–½ star).
Overall, HIGHLY RECOMMEND THE KIMCHI FRIED RICE/​NOODLE WITH SPAM. And if you’re up for something extra, the RABOKKI (ramen+rice cake)! Get them to go if you can! Will be back for sure! One of the best places in Asian Ghetto (aside from Thai basil!)

Yes, I understand that this place is cash-​only, but still you’re getting great food for cheap! Aside from the fact that this is a tiny place (you can’t get 10 people to sit in there) and that it’s cash only, this place deserves 5 stars.
First of all, to clear up confusion for anyone who hasn’t been here before, this is a KOREAN place. Yes, they have ramen there but it’s Korean food. This place is fast, spot-​on for flavor and gives good servings too (you won’t complain about portion sizes! They know college students have enormous appetites).
What to get there:
— Champong Gooksoo! (Seafood gooksoo… it’s really good)
— Kimchi Fried Noodles (with anything)
— Kimchi Fried Rice (with anything)
Service is great. The staff is small and very friendly (they’ll sometimes give you free side dishes… but then again I go there a lot). If you happen not to have cash, they’ll still start preparing your order for you while you go get cash (there’s a Bank of American ATM nearby).

The HYPE is not all it is cracked up to be. Clearly the people that have reviewed this place may not have ever had a true ramen experience… This is a Korean Ramen house. and the menu is not helpful at all. There are no descriptions of what each dish is and contains so you have to sit there and ask the cook what each one contains.
We ordered the New Year and Post Sticker Ramens. The Potstickers are not fresh/​hand-​made in any way they literally come from a frozen bag. The ramen noodles look and taste as if they come from the 10 cent Ramen packs you get from the grocery store. There’s no flavor to the broth for the New Year Ramen. and they do not carry sriracha sauce, chili paste, limes, mint leaves. etc. Luckily 3 doors down you can nab a homemade chili paste that is pretty epic. not the phở place — they do have sriracha, not the korean bbq place — they apparently keep sriracha behind the counter for employees only, but the Thai place is where it’s at for the freshly made chili paste to add to your ramen! Unbelieveable that they have nothing to liven it up a bit. The broth for the Pot Sticker Ramen had a surprisingly rich and savory flavor. that should be their go-​to broth. but everything else was the same. frozen potstickers. etc.
Very few of their dishes come with the boiled egg that I’ve experienced with all my other typical ramen dishes. I think I saw maybe 3 on the pictures of the menu that came with a regular half of a boiled egg… so even when you get the boiled egg its not that mouthwatering marinated. rich and flavorful half of a boiled egg that would be epic. it’s just a straight half a boiled egg. big whoop.
It’s literally a hole-​in-​the-​wall location. but far over glorified in these other reviews. I would recommend going elsewhere for the Korean experience with higher quality and care put into the dishes. over priced for the product you receive.

Can’t be beat for the price!
Is it the best ramen I’ve ever had? No. But it was mighty tasty. Be aware that this place is Korean, not Japanese. Yes, it’s ramen but don’t expect the typical Japanese styles. They also carry other typical Korean dishes.
I ordered the spicy seafood and vegetable ramen (Champong). My husband ordered curry tofu ramen. I asked for lots of vegetables in mine and they didn’t skimp. There wasn’t a whole lot of seafood however. For the price I wasn’t complaining. The flavor was very good. Flavor of my husband’s dish was very good too although he would have liked more veggies in his dish (I should have asked for extra for him as well).
The kids had their usual fried rice (without kimchi). It was pretty tasty and came with a fried egg on top. Yolk still runny. I found that impressive for a little place like this. My kids polished it all off in record time, while I was left holding things up slurping my noodles.
It didn’t quite satisfy the craving I was having for Japanese ramen, but I love Korean soups so I left satisfied.
It is cash only so that’s a downside.

The famous Kimchi Fried Rice is now $ 7.11!!! I know I am in the minority when I say the kimchi fried rice is just «a-​okay». Most Korean restaurants do a solid job in cooking this dish as well, so I can’t justify following the mass in glorifying Bear’s.
I would dub Bear’s Ramen House as a fast-​food Korean restaurant– cheap, fast, and literally a hole-​in-​the-​wall. By a college student’s standard, it must be awesome but if you’re expecting mind-​blowing kimchi fried rice, I would say pass on this.
They used white rice and subpar kimchi. The kimchi flavor was clearly evident but it wasn’t as spicy or seasoned as most traditional Korean restaurants make. The egg was overly cooked (over medium) and I appreciate my eggs over easy moreso to mix the yolk into the hearty kimchi rice. The beef was also very overcooked and tough. It was literally dark brown, borderline blackened. Don’t get the beef lol.
Davis’ Open Rice Kitchen (non-​Korean/​Asian restaurant) makes a mad kimchi fried rice for a cheaper price and bigger portions, comparatively to Berkley’s Bear’s. If I have a hankering for kimchi fried rice, I’ll take my business to a real sit-​down Korean restaurant as I value quality over quantity and relatively cheaper prices.

Undergrad at Cal necessarily involves bouts of take-​out binges, typically cycling between some sort of fried noodles at Thai Basil and the famous kimchi fried rice at Bear Ramen.
I get the the tofu kimchi fried rice (if I’m feeling as health freakish as a nutrisci major), the spam kimchi fried rice (if I’m stressed and haven’t eaten unhealthy food in too long), or the chicken kimchi fried rice (if I want something in between).
Sure, kimchi fried rice is fairly easy to whip up given you have kimchi and rice, but maybe it’s something about the spicy kick or the runny fried egg that gives you gives you inexplicable Bear Ramen kimchi fried rice cravings.
While the kimchi fried rice seems to be Bear Ramen’s signature dish, there’s almost always a row of people sipping on hot bowls of ramen at the counter so I’d say it’s safe to try if you in a super ramen mood.