T-Toust

LOL that awkward moment when you can go buy a Korean tofu soup packet at Koreana Plaza for $ 2 plus all toppings you want for maybe $ 4 max or come here and pay $ 7 for a small-​sized tofu soup. I guess convenience is what you pay for. In addition, Koreana Plaza has bibimbap kits for half the price; $ 9 for bibimbap is kind of steep considering how small it is at Toust. But I get it, you might not have the time, might not have a kitchen, might just be in the area. They have side dishes (banchan) that’s 4 pieces of kimchi, 3 pieces of oden (fishcakes), and 3 cubes of potatoes (to say they are being frugal with the side dishes isn’t doing it justice, more like stingy). It’s an okay Korean food place; I’ve had all their different types of tofu soups and I can taste the frozen dumplings and seafood, makes it unappetizing to say the least. I’m glad they have good variety of Korean food.
Pro: Location, water is clean (i hate drinking water from soda machines)
Con: I feel like I’m getting scammed :([I KNOW I’m getting scammed/​for anyone who has cooked their own Korean food y’all understand]

Ordered the kimchi mackerel soup. Pretty good, but it took a while and I would have appreciated more fish. A little expensive for what you get. But if you’re craving Korean food, go ahead and try this place.

I didn’t discover T-​Toust until my last year at Berkeley… what a shame, since it is one of the places I miss the most! The location is perfect for grabbing a casual lunch in the middle of a long day on campus. The lunch special is always a good buy and comes with banchan. The soft tofu soup is my absolute favorite.

Every time I come here I’m hoping the wait won’t be half an hour for a bowl of soup. Every time I’m disappointed. Today I ordered the special and right now I am still waiting, half an hour and counting. Why make something a special if you’re not equipped to serve it? They were so slow and backlogged on orders that the cashier came and asked me for my buzzer so she could reassign it to another customer. «Can I take this? You already got your food right?» Yup, totally eating all the food I already got right now, can’t you see it sitting in front of me on the empty table? Please get it together.

Came here during a lunch break, and I was craving some bibimbap, so my friend suggested going here since I’ve never been here. There aren’t many Korean establishments in Berkeley compared to Los Angeles, so there are only a select few restaurants to choose from if you’re craving Korean. I ordered the dol sat bibimbap, which comes in a stone pot. The portion was a little small for how much it was ($ 9). They provide hot sauce, and usually I don’t like using too much of it since the bibimbap is already pretty flavorful. However, the bibimbap here was on the bland side, and I found myself using more hot sauce. You could tell that the ingredients weren’t of highest quality, and it was just quickly thrown together. It’s definitely one of the lower tier Korean restaurants I’ve had, and I would not recommend coming unless your Korean food craving needs to be satisfied immediately.

I only come here because of their $ 6.99 specials. Basically there are no good Korean places in Berkeley (at least near campus), and you gotta go to Oakland for good Korean food. With that being said, this is a very mediocre but authentic place. The price is great if you get their special. It comes with banchan!
Their 6.99 specials are usually tofu soup and bi bim bap. The food here is bland (ask for super spicy) and I think I even found a dead fruit fly in my soup once. Nevertheless, it still fulfills my cravings so I always come back.

While I was at Berkeley, I absolutely loved T-​Toust. I have no idea how to pronounce the name, but they have a really yummy, comforting tofu soup. It’s spicy and savory and just hits that sweet spot. I have not really had any of their other foods, because everytime I go to Toust all I want to have is their soft tofu soup!
They have a great rotating daily special menu which is priced a few dollars cheaper than usual — my favorite is the mushroom tofu soup on Tuesdays, so good! Always get it extra spicy and with an egg which comes free of charge upon request.
So let’s get real, this may not be the best tofu soup you will ever have in your life, and if you live in Sunnyvale, I would definitely not recommend you make the long drive to T-​Toust, it’s not worth it. But if you’re a poor student at Berkeley seeking delicious nourishment, T-​toust definitely does the trick. It’s walkable from Sproul, decently priced and pretty damn addictive on those cold winter days. Plus, the lady owner of the shop is super sweet and lovely.

Not terrible, but as someone born and raised on Korean food, I find the quality of the food to be the epitome of mediocre. Dishes are either overly salted or overly bland. Some elements of dishes are very clearly cheap frozen crap (like the dumplings in the rice cake dumpling soup)
This place is good for when you have a serious craving for Korean food, while being stuck in Berkeley and unable to go to Oakland nor the city.

Go to spot for Korean food when on Berkeley campus. They have weird hours though. And not your usual sit-​down restaurant (you order food, pay, then pick it up)

I come here if kimchi garden is closed. I prefer tofu soup and they do offer it. They also let you put the egg in yourself. I usually order tofu soup or get bbq chicken! They have a special everyday which is good for those looking to save. Parking is crazy so it targets the college students! Service isn’t too bad and the food comes out pretty quick.

This is my go-​to place for korean food around south berkeley. kimchi garden only has kimbap that’s good, bear ramen only has certain korean dishes but here, there’s a large variety and the quality is a lot better than the other places (cough, kimchi garden, cough).
FOOD
My go-​to orders are the bibimbap (hot or cold) (mon/​wed special) and the rice cake dumpling soup (thurs special). I tend to stick to the specials just because they’re slightly cheaper.
Bibimbap: Good amount of veggies in the dish which I really like. It’s pretty legit bibimbap in my opinion but the only thing I’m not a huge fan of is the meat. It seems like the cheapest meat they can give possible, some grounded meat. not even bulgogi. But doesn’t bother me THAT much just because I prefer the veggies in the dish anyways. If I can dine in, I’ll order the hot stone pot just because I love how the rice burns and gets crispy in the hot stone pot. But if I’m to-​going I’ll just do the cold bibimbap which is equally as tasty though you don’t get the crispy rice. Their hot sauce is pretty decent too, not too spicy and slightly sweet.
Rice Cake Dumpling Soup: OMG SO GOOD. It isn’t too salty but it’s packed with flavor. There’s a good amount of dumplings, rice cakes and egg inside and the rice cakes are always cooked so well. They’ve never been soggy and too soft and they’re never too hard either. The dumplings are always mediocre and sometimes do get cooked too soggy but I’d rather get the combination of the two int he soup rather than pure rice cake just because I like me some variety haha.
My friend also has had their japchae (stir fry glass noodles) and she really liked it! I’ve also had their tofu soups and their stews and it’s been on point every time. It’s never too spicy to me and it’s pretty authentic… at least the best you can get around campus!
SERVICE
Just order with the cashier and then they bring the food to your table. Then you bus your own table. Comes with a side dish plate with potatos, fish cake and kimchi but you can ask for more plates if you’d like. I believe they charge more if you use your card for anything below $ 10 (i think?) so just bring cash so you won’t have to pay extra!
OVERALL
If you’re looking for some authentic korean food around the area, try here! It’s the best you can get in berkeley. Granted don’t come with SUPER HIGH expectations b/​c it’s not the BEST korean food I’ve EVER had but it’s a lot btter than other places you can find nearby.

The Japcae is very good. Glass noodles, sautéed beef and vegetables in their House sauce.

This place is a mixed bag for me.
The bibimbap is good and I would recommend it to anyone.
The tofu soup is just okay and it could be better but it suffices for satisfying cravings
DO NOT get the bulgogi rice dish, I’m not sure if it’s because they serve it on a normal plastic plate and not on a stone plate like most korean places, but it definitely just doesn’t taste as moist and rich as most other Korean places.
Overall a good place to eat near the UC Berkeley campus, but not a place I would take someone you wanna impress ;)

I came here during my college years for the daily specials! I’ve had the mushroom tofu soup and bi bim bap (stone pot rice). The bi bim bap quantity isn’t very much, and the rice is always a bit wetter than I think it should be. The stone pot isn’t hot enough to make crunchy rice if you leave the rice on the pot long enough, which is disappointing. The mushroom tofu soup is pretty good. There’s a variety of mushrooms in it, and the soup flavor is pretty good. The restaurant gives three side dishes as well, but if you come with a friend they make you share. I wouldn’t order the dishes here unless it were a daily special. The food here is a bit more expensive than the other ones around, and the quality isn’t up-​to-​par with non-​college-​campus Korean food.
The interior is nice though. It’s small and sort of in a shady place, but it’s bright and is a good place to have a conversation. You order/​pay first, and they bring you your food. it gets crowded at meal times though, so either be willing to wait for a table or get to-​go.

Really not digging this place. Came here on a Tuesday night and ordered their special of the day — the spicy dumpling tofu soup. The broth was soo weak. Probably the blandest soft tofu soup I’ve ever had in my life. Spicy was also more like medium spicy. The soup came with a bowl of rice, an egg, and 3 side dishes (kimchi, fish cake strips, and potato). Sadly, the side dishes were probably the highlight of the meal. Even though it’s cheap ($ 6.99 pre-​tax), I can think of tastier options around the area.
I had heard mixed things about Toust, so I was willing to give it a try. But if it can’t even get the basics like tofu soup right, I’m honestly not too interested in trying their other items.
There’s also a 50 cent fee for using card if your total is under $ 10, so best bring cash.

I’m never satisfied with Korean food in Berkeley.
That’s all I have to say about this place.

Would not go out of my way for this, but it’s an excellent option for someone near campus looking to grab a quick bite (especially on a cold day).
I’ve been there on the regular for the past few weeks for their daily specials — either the hot stone bi bim bap or the combination tofu (soon du bu) soup.
Such a good bang for your buck as $ 6.99 comes with not only the main entrée but also three side dishes (banchan) — fish cake, potato, and kimchee. They also have free green tea bags and hot water. That’s what I call a satisfying meal.

Love coming here with my roommate.
We both agree that Toust has the best Korean good within a mile of the UC berkeley campus (although the competition isn’t that intense.)
I usually get the spicy pork but today I got the spicy rice cake ramen (about eight dollars) and it was DELICIOUS. I love a big spicy bowl of ramen, to me it’s the ultimate comfort food. I was absolutely satisfied with my visit, especially since it’s practically right outside my apartment. Will definitely be back soon!

This is definitely my favorite spot for some authentic Korean food in Berkeley!
(+) Seafood Fried Rice (#17) — you can also get this with beef or Kim Chi. I was actually hesitant when I first ordered this dish because I wanted a seafood version of the regular bibimbap (not the hot plate kind) and then cashier recommended this to me. This is totally not what I was looking for, but it’s probably the best fried rice that I have ever tried in Berkeley! The portion is definitely worth your money (in my opinion) and it’s very flavorful.
I have also tried the hot plate bibimbap and it’s just as delicious. They are a bit skimpy on the seafood but the dish is still satisfying. The service is great and there’s plenty of seating for a nice lunch/​date. I love how they have daily specials so you can always get that if you don’t know what to order.

It’s been almost two years since I’ve first visited Toust, and I’ve never figured out why you have to stutter in order to say this restaurant’s name properly. But more seriously, Toust has proven to be a very solid Korean restaurant here in Berkeley. It’s close to campus, it’s affordable (especially the weekday specials), and it’s delicious!
I ordered the Friday special, spicy seafood tofu soup. Don’t be fooled by the word «spicy». It’s definitely not on the same level as typical Korean spiciness, so even non-​spicy aficionados can enjoy it. They also serve the smallest shrimp in their soup — it was almost not worth the effort to peel the shell off a shrimp that turned out to be a half inch (or shorter) in length. The seafood pancake also comes highly recommended from yours truly. It takes a while for them to make it though, so prepare to be the last one to be served in your party. Verdict: while there’s no WOW! factor, Toust will always remain one of my local go-​to places for those nights when my stomach has settled on Korean cuisine.