Among the more popular vegetarian restaurants in Berkeley. All vegan menu offers various options from sushi rolls, soups, salads, rice bowls, noodles, combination sets, and desserts. Small & cozy, busy on weekends. Note: sugar may not be vegan, ask. Cash or Venmo payments only. Open Mon-Sun 12:00pm-8:00pm. Hours may vary. Call ahead to confirm information.
-
1686 Shattuck Ave, Berkeley, California, USA, 94709
-
Loading...
-
- Cash only
-
-
Last update on 02 Sep 2024 by villain
Update business info -
Are you the owner?
Claim this business
-
-
85 Reviews
First Review by spidey
zacharyzollman
Points +440
food is great, some room for improvement - Edit
The food that I’ve gotten here is delectable and beautiful. It seems like there are a lot of options but the menu isn’t labeled with vegan items so there’s some ambiguity. The space itself isn’t extraordinary and the payment options could be more expansive.
Read moreGuest
misabella
Points +3405
Superb Sushi! - Edit
This place is amazing. I can honestly say that everything I’ve tried so far, including the potstickers and agedashi tofu, were the best I’ve ever had, vegan or not.
Read moreEverything is so wonderfully delicate yet absolutely richly bursting with flavor and perfectly balanced.
The cucumber and plum sushi was amazing; I was so curious to try this interesting combination and so pleasantly surprised, just the right amount of tangy sweetness from the plum. The ginger was also the best I’ve ever had, easily. So delicate it practically melts in your mouth!
The only drawback nowadays is that dishes like the tofu would be even more outstanding eating warm straight away, but even with COVID and the necessity of waiting a bit to eat, everything is still delicious (which says something in itself).
I can’t wait to come back here!
They only take cash or Venmo
Updated from previous review on 2021-04-23
Pros: Amazing food, Good, friendly service
Cons: Not the optimal cuisine for takeout in COVID time
Guest
theresa.ktw
Points +42
delicious vegan sushi and gyoza - Edit
Haven’t had the luxury of a deep fried roll since going vegan! So yummy. The gyoza was great. Very quick service as well. Thank you Happy Cow for introducing me to this place! I’ve been walking past this place for years and didn’t know how great it was.
Read moreGuest
RawChefYin
Points +5238
Yes to vegan japanese food! - Edit
Totally enjoyed my meal here. We didn't make a reservation for a Saturday night so we had to wait in line.
Read moreExtensive menu - took us some time to decide what to order. I loved the vegan sukiyaki. Taking the combination set meant we got miso soup and a sunomono salad. I really enjoyed the salad too. Portions were large for the curry rice and sukiyaki.
Would love to go back again,
Remember it's cash only but they do have an ATM in the restaurant.
Guest
shaane
Points +148
Overwhelmed by choices! - Edit
Whenever I go to Cha-Ya I always wish I could order the whole menu. What more is there to say?
Read moreGuest
Labylala
Points +741
Delicious! - Edit
They are serving to-go only. We got Cha-Ya roll and Yasai noodle with soup. Everything was delicious.
Read morePros: Lots of variety options
Cons: Cash only , New hours, close at 8pm
Guest
TarynD
Points +40
Awesome vegan sushi - Edit
We've been here lots with vegans and nonvegans and its delicious! This place has friendly staff and great service!
Read morePros: Lots of vegan sushi!
Cons: ?
Guest
TheVeganCaterer
Points +130
Food was EXCELLENT! - Edit
Last week while in the bay we went to Cha-Ya and it was the best food we had the whole trip. Already looking forward to going back next time we are in the area.
Read morePros: Huge Menu, Fast Service , Great Food
Guest
Moneyz
Points +497
My fav in Berkeley - Edit
With many vegan restaurants in Berkeley, what sets this one apart to me is the attention to detail, their delicious flavors, and healthy options. I have never been served a plate that was made carelessly at Cha-Ya, everything is made with attention to detail. If you order a soup the veggies are cooked just right, if you order a salad the presentation is beautiful, if you get tempura is isn't overly greasy/fried. All of the different flavors really come through in their dishes, they are light yet satisfying. To be quite honest, I have a tried a large selection of their menu, but hands down their Kinoko mushroom soup or Wakame veggie soup both with extra harusame noodles are my absolute favorite, those soups are what I come back for. If you order this and like soup you will not be disappointed. The only negative thing I'd say is their sushi is overpriced for what you get, and I wish they had more desert options.
Read morePros: Delicious Soups, Light but satisfying, Fast Service
Cons: Sushi expensive, Small desert section
Guest
HeatherV
Points +150
Great fresh food and very friendly service - Edit
The food here is it beautifully prepared and tastes delicious with generous portions. Employees are extremely friendly and helpful.
Read moreComfortable restaurant to sit down and eat in with a very nice, casual atmosphere
Guest
veganpatch
Points +5252
Potato Croquette was Amazing - Edit
We were excited to try this restaurant. It was great not having to worry about what we ordered as it was all vegan.
Read more$13 Curry Lunch Special: The special came with an order of miso soup. I love miso soup but was a little disappointed with this one. It tasted like it had too much wakame in it and it had regular tofu rather than silken.
The curry was good but not exceptional. The broccoli and cauliflower were really well cooked and tasted very buttery
The order also came with what I initially thought was a vegan cutlet but turned out to be a mashed potato croquette. It was amazing. I would come back just for the potato 🥔 croquette. It was very soft and creamy on the inside and perfectly crunchy on the outside. Full of flavor.
$15 Noodle Broth and Vegetable Tempura with Tempura Sauce: The Noodles and broth were okay. The tempura wasn't as crunchy as we're used too, but it was still good. We would have liked some onion and sweet potato tempura in place of the carrot. The tempura sauce was a bit different, it tasted like it had sake in it but it was still good.
The portion sizes were very large and you could easily share a meal.
We were sat quickly, and our food came our promptly and hot.
Pros: Potato Croquette was Amazing
Guest
leahk
Points +333
Love the tempura rolls - Edit
Lucky for me, this place is just around the corner. My favorites are the tempura roll and cha ya roll. Just remember to bring cash!
Read moreGuest
misskay016
Points +54
yum - Edit
Well I was curious of how it is going to be for me, so I tried this place,and turned out very tasty even with their dessert 🍮 definitely will be my regular business lunch 🍴 dinner place to go 😁
Read moreGuest
agreid
Points +46
Love it - Edit
My partner and I shared 5 different dishes (including the mochi dessert) and all were absolutely delicious, and also cute😄It was hard to choose, I wanted to try everything! The vibe is also really nice. Super chill, calm, and cosy. It almost feels like eating at a friend’s house. Thank you Cha-Ya for a great experience. I am excited to come back!
Read moreGuest
missfury
Points +285
Glad to finally try it! - Edit
Lots of options. It was difficult to choose. They were busy, but the only server handled the whole room calmly and was very nice. We had two udon noodle soups and gyoza. Will be back. Cash only.
Read morePros: Delicious
Cons: Cash only
Guest
super_marisa
Points +1088
Cha-ya - Edit
Delicious food, friendly service! I can’t wait to eat there again.
Read moreGuest
vegangirl22
Points +132
Loved it - Edit
Amazing vegan Japanese food. The dish I ordered had carrots that were cut into the shape of flowers, which is really creative.
Read morePros: Great food
Cons: Expensive
Guest
ChristopherSJ
Points +60
Delicious - Edit
Nice to have every item on the menu avail at a sushi place! All yum. Very casual dining experience.
Read moreGuest
Tofushi
Points +92
Gourmet Vegan Japanese - Edit
Truly delicious and artful. One of the best vegan restaurants in Berkeley.
Read moreGuest
MelodyVeganJoy
Points +7394
Pricey for Portion Size - Edit
My partner and I got the and the Cha-Ya Nabe and the Cha-Ya Delight, along with a tempura appetizer to share. The food was perfectly tasty, but at the end of the meal our bill was close to $40 and both of us were still very hungry (we went and got tacos at another place afterwards). It's great that they offer quality vegan Japanese food, but at this price point for the small portions (plus cash only), we won't be coming back any time soon.
Read morePros: Tasty, Vegan Japanese
Cons: Expensive, Small Plates
Guest
Thesindelk
Points +117
Vegan Sushi! - Edit
We got some of the combos. It was so cool to have so many vegan sushi options. The cucumber and plum was really special.
Read moreGuest
daveoz
Points +1207
Great Vegan Food! - Edit
We happened upon Cha-Ya when the Butcher's Son happened to be closed which is around the corner. This restaurant serves very high quality vegan dishes and the presentation is wonderful! I highly recommend their food. The desserts are yummy!
Read moreGuest
flaxmealfriend
Points +40
Really yummy! - Edit
Every item I've tried on their extensive, all-vegan menu has been delicious and well-made. The presentation is superb and I especially love their noodle soup, vegan sushi roll and their spinach rolls.
Read morePros: all vegan fair prices
Guest
SetaYanikian
Points +76
Nice people - Edit
The only thing I have tried so far as the Miso soup, but the reason why I wanted to comment was because we showed up 5 minutes after it had closed, and since they heard we had driven an hour to get here, they decided to allow us to order. I think that's awesome! I will review again once we've had our meal.
Read moreGuest
kennyBee
Points +45
delicious vegan noodles and sushi - Edit
Excellent Japanese vegan dishes. Ordered noodles and sushi. So delicious. OK to park in the bakery's parking area after 6. During the day, street parking is in general not difficult
Read moreGuest
VeganNicolette
Points +32
SO GOOD - Edit
I loved everything I got and my omni friend did too. :)
Read moreGuest
Frizzlehead
Points +32
Yes - Edit
Everything is vegan! Even the desserts! My favorite thing is the vege-curry tofu soup. It's filling and so flavorful. Many of my friends are huge fans of the sushi as well.
Read moreGuest
For Members
Why was my review removed? Guidelines for writing a review View our privacy policyFor Business Owners
Claim this business See inaccurate information? Submit an update here Link to this page from your site See an unfair review? View full terms & conditionsThis page has been viewed 0 times.