Oriental Restaurant

Bottom line: Tasty food, typical (very) minimal service. CASH ONLY.
V.A.S.T.
VALUE:The food to cost ratio of this restaurant is about average to other one $ restaurants. The price for a bowl of phở is about the same as other places. Most things on the menu (at the time of writing) are under $ 10 and are satisfying. There are options to add meat or vegetable dish for extra.
ATMOSPHERE: Oriental is situated on Shattuck Ave, where everything is quiet and pleasant to visit. The restaurant inside has windows with mirrors and small tables to sit at. There is nothing extravagant or particularly upscale that suggest that the restaurant requires any attire other than casual.
SERVICE: Although service was relatively quick and we got mostly will be needed, the waiters did not check up on us once or do a beverage refill during our stay here. After we finished our dishes, no one really picked up our bowls or gave us our check; I ended up going to the front to pay because we needed to leave. This might be more typical of Asian restaurants due to the hands off culture of restaurants, but it would have been nice to get at least a refill on water.
TASTE: The selection of fold here is pretty standard for a Vietnamese restaurant. They have phở and rice dishes that are pretty tasty and relatively clear in broth. For Berkeley standards, the phở is above average. If there’s one thing that I would like to see improvement on is the quality of the meat.

It was quite empty when I came here on a Tuesday afternoon, around 1pm. I ordered a seafood clay pot, with rice on the side. Food here is reasonably cheap. However, the food is mediocre. Rice didn’t taste fresh as some of it was quite hard. The clay pot didn’t have much ingredients in it, and consist mainly of frozen squid. The owner seem really friendly thou. I might come here again for a quick meal since it is close to where I live, but there are definitely better choices in the area. Cash only!

Was craving phở and found this restaurant on Unilocal.The taste and proportion is fairly descent, but there was definitely more noodles and soup than meat in the Phở Combo. Like many other Berkeley restaurants, they only accept cash and you pay at the counter. Went back again with friends, but the place was closed despite listing 11:30 am as opening hour.

I honestly don’t understand Berkeley’s taste buds. I’m amazed that Oriental Restaurant and Saigon Express could possibly get good ratings for Vietnamese cuisine even though their dishes are cookie-​cutter as best. The dishes here are good Vietnamese cooking as much as Panda Express is good Chinese cooking. But then again, there are only two or three Vietnamese restaurants around. If you have a chance, go to San Francisco to eat at The Slanted Door (even though I hate the customer service there, I still think they’ve got the Beef Phở correctly) or to Turtle Tower to eat enjoy Chicken Phở (Turtle Tower does not have good Beef Phở though, amazingly). You will see night and day.
But here’s the thing that makes me stop coming: customer service. Another horrible Vietnamese customer service.
I asked for iced water. The old man went back to give me cold water, no ice. I told him again, I wanted iced water. He pointed at the glass, saying: «It’s cold!» Yes, but it’s not what I want.
It reminds me back in Vietnam when I ordered an extra baguette at a restaurant, the waiter pointed at my half finished baguette, saying: «I’ll bring you new one once you finish that one.»
Oh my god, Vietnamese customer service for you. It’s painfully ridiculous.

It was ok Chinese restaurant. Night that stood out and the portions that day was a bit small.

Cash only at this joint! I had to scramble over to an ATM to satisfy by phở craving.
We got phở for my boyfriend and bun bo hue for myself to go since we got there 15 minutes before closing. They were friendly and made it quick. I prefer the rice noodles in phở better than the thicker noodles in bun bo hue but I had to try something different than phở. I’m glad I did because the broth in the bun bo hue was much more flavorful than the one for the phở. The phở broth was much lighter than I’m used to.
Great, cheap phở place! Get the bun bo hue

Great phở
I never loved eating phở but this place made me great taste.
Nice n clean place
Staff is very freindly

2 stars for the price.
No service — not that we really need one. We eat out some 360 days a year.
Claypot combination — they stir fried in wok before pouring into the heated claypot. A trick for quick turnaround serving the college kids here?
Mary’s dish — used bad qlty rice, chicken charred, shrimp — nothing special.
Chloe said the only thing that is good and cheap is the can of yeo’s soy milk. Manufactured in Malaysia for Singapore
So am done with food in college town, always bad even though reviews may say otherwise

We got a bbq pork phở ($ 8.50) and a veggie phở ($ 7.00). They were both pretty good, though maybe a little small for To Go portions. The pork was a little tough, but the bbq flavor was there.
It’s a good option if you’re feeling sick and want Phở, but not an incredible option.

SO DAMN DELICIOUS! YES, ‘ORIENTAL RESTAURANT’ IS A HORRIBLE NAME, BUT GO AND GIVE THEM A CHANCE!
Wow. I’ve lived in Berkeley for three years and I’ve walked past this restaurant almost every week while on my way to Safeway. I never went in because the restaurant is called ‘Oriental Restaraunt’ (which they should really consider changing) and looked a little sketch (kinda empty). But, last week it was extremely cold and rainy and I was missing some home cooked food — Asian noodles, specifically Phở — so I finally decided to check out this place. OMG, I was surprised! The food is so freakin’ good and legit — and cheap! This is a no frills mom and pop shop that gives it to you straight. None of that fake bougie Berkeley hospitality that caters to wealthy white customers. There are three extremely hard working Vietnamese elders in the back (possibly the owners). They came out and greeted me (in that harsh, but friendly, Asian way) and waved to me when I left. Reminds me of Vietnamese restaurants from home or the ones you’d find in Sacramento, Fresno, or Orange County. This is now my go-​to Vietnamese restaurant in Berkeley. NO FRILLS ALL TASTE (AND CHEAP)!

Came in knowing the previous reviews and kept an open mind. The service was adequate and I have no complaints. I ordered the Phở combo and it was good. It wasn’t a 5, but it was good. The shrimp spring rolls were good as well.
I was set on giving this place a 4 as good Phở places are hard to come by, but I have to give it a 3 because the noodles were not as soft as they should be. Still edible though.
Overall a good place.

My shpill:
1. Yes, as other reviewers have pointed out, customer service is severely lacking. I ordered to go. I came up to the front to retrieve my order, two men were standing there and did not greet me at all or ask what I needed. I figured they were busy so I waited, and looked at a few of the menu options. Finally, I stated why I was there. Mind you, the waiter who was arranging the side ingredients for the phở, was wearing no gloves and had an extremely long pinky nail or two.
Once I realized this place was cash only, I digressed, and walked out. I’m glad that I did.
A cordial note to businesses:
1) please get up to speed with the times and get debit methods of payment.
2) please wear gloves or hats as needed, if you were in the hospital or in a university cafeteria you would be required to do so. Why? Because you’re human and your fluids and germs will transfer onto my food.

Best Phở broth i have ever tried. I only ever order the BBQ chicken phở and have never been unhappy. BBQ pork phở is also good.

WHHHAAAAAATTTTTTTTTTTTT???
I was extremely surprised at the quality of the food here! I got Clear noodle soup combo with chicken shrimp and pork. Soooo good. I am happy to report that the broth was sooooo tasty like ridiculously good for an Asian spot called oriental restaurant…
That’s just so general lol I’m not a PC (politically correct) type of dude… But saying oriental food is like saying I’m eating at a food court… Bish where?
Lol but the food is excellent! My girl got chicken phở which wasn’t bad at all! But my broth was sooooo much better lol
She was jumping for joy over their eggrolls though and yes they are pretty damn good.
The pricing for their soups aren’t bad either $ 6 – 8 max for moderately huge portions… Not a bad place to get ORIENTAL food aha

They may be a bit slow here on service but if you can give them your time you will not be disappointed! Their shrimp phở is perfectly salted… but what keeps me coming back is their ice coffee… to die for! I wish they’d open a morning café so I can grab one for my morning cup of Joe on the way to work.
This place is a definite go to for wholesome phở. I give 4 stars because they lack customer service skills, but it isn’t horrible enough that I don’t go back. And trust me, I am a stickler for customer service, which gives their food even more credit!
If I can resist and order something else on the menu I will update my review.

Overrated. Decent phở but very bland in comparison with South Bay Area Phở places. Prices were good but portions were small. We all were hungry after ordering each a dish and we even shared a Vietnamese crêpe. The phở broth did not have much flavor. The vermicelli bowl was ok but the fish sauce didn’t have the right mix of flavors to hit the spot. Vietnamese crêpe was just ok.
The place is small and mom and pop shop, which is fine as I don’t expect much of phở places. You do have to go through the kitchen to go to the restroom which is a bit strange. I will have to try other places next time I’m up around Berkeley to see if there is better out there.

Really enjoyed having dinner at this local joint. The inside was fine, mom and pop cute, totally endearing. The restaurant was packed with locals, including several families speaking Vietnamese, so I found it quite enjoyable in terms of people watching as a tourist to the area.
I had the phở ga and the shrimp fresh rolls. The phở ga was decent, not the best I have had but it was good quality and everything tasted very fresh; the garnishes were beautiful. The fresh rolls were tiny, not the size I usually expect, but they were pretty good and frankly the phở ga was very filling.

This phở Vietnamese place had amazing food. It was recommended to me by my coworkers who claimed that this place had some of the best Asian food in downtown Berkeley.
I must have walked by this place 100 times before finally trying it because it really didn’t look very appealing from the outside. The staff also didn’t speak English very well. They also may have seemed a bit rude but I think it’s more of a cultural difference then actual rudeness. With this all aside their soup and chow mein was simply awesome.
Don’t expect the staff to cater to you or be friendly but you can expect excellent food!

This place is humble looking both on the inside and outside, but it serves good and affordable Chinese and Vietnamese food. There’s a good number of tables inside but it’s not that roomy. The good thing is there’s never a wait.
I always order the special combo phở. Their warm bowl of phở with beef flank, tripe & tendon definitely hits the spot, especially in cold, windy Berkeley! They also provide a variety of sauces at each table for you to add to the soup, including sriracha and hoisin sauce. Their portions are reasonable, although most other places I’ve been to have larger portions. I would also like to try the clay pot next time.

I came here for a quick bite to eat in between studying. I love Vietnamese but due to fitness pans I cannot east certain types of carbs. This place accommodates all takers even foodies with restrictions like me! The Orr Brown rice instead of white and you can have them reduce the salt or sauce to your needs.
Most important the food is excellent.
Note, they only take cash and the service can seem a bit rude, unless you are from New England like me =)