Alley Kitchens Héng Dīng キッチン

Alley Kitchens is a really great place to go for a quick bite! I would recommend ordering ahead using the snackpass app. My favorite meal from here is the beef bowl, it tastes like really authentic Japanese beef and is served with just the right amount of food! As for atmosphere, all seating space is on two counters so it's a little more of a tight space but is great for if u just want a sit down meal for yourself of 1-2 friends. Honestly the whole set up makes you feel like you're in a quiet hole in the wall, in the midst of busy Berkeley.

I had the tonkotsu ramen and the mango slush drink. The drink was fine. The ramen was overcooked and very mushy. I threw most of the ramen away after 3 bites.

Alley Kitchens is a small sushi bar/ramen spot and they also have boba drinks as well. The parking is paid street parking. Seating inside is very limited, even along the wall or at the sushi bar. I decided to try one of the Chirashi Sushi Bowl I was intrigued by the Salmon Don (salmon sashimi over sushi rice, and it comes with roasted seaweeds, sweet egg omelette, slices of cucumbers, and wasabi). The salmon sashimi cuts did not taste that fresh, while the seaweed tasted stale and the rice tasted a bit sourish. For drinks, I tried their Jasmine Green Tea Latte, Mango Matcha Latte, and Strawberry Matcha Latte. They did not have regular boba, but their version of it is a white mochi pearls, which I got for all three drinks. Their boba tasted like old gummy that is chunky and melts in your mouth like dough once it hits your tongue. The green tea latte was not good at all, it tasted like expired powdered milk or curdled milk it was very creamy with barely any tea taste. It was still very sweet at half sweet. Their matcha drinks are a bit better. The mango matcha has a very subtle matcha taste, the mango taste was strong and sour as well. The strawberry matcha was a good sweetness at half sweet, the strawberry taste was very sweet and strong over the matcha.

It's what you would expect from Alley Kitchens. I ordered the Honey Teriyaki Chicken Don Rice Bowl. It wasn't that special but it's pretty filling. Flavor of chicken was decent. Steamed vegetables are interesting. If you're into unflavored steamed veggies then you'd like them. The rice bowls are better than the noodles. Do not order the ramen... I don't think I'd come back that often. It's just convenient since it's so close to campus and Snackpass has good group party discounts.

Great food! Good service, people where nice and I got to enjoy my meal on campus! Thanks!