Tofu Yu

I heart Tofu-​Yu products. I really do. I grew up eating all kinds of tofu, but that packaged mass-​produced stuff you buy at the grocery store fails in comparison — on so many levels.
First, the price is decent. More than decent for everything is under $ 10!
Second, the flavors, quality and freshness are UP THERE. If I could, I would stock my fridge with every single one of their products, at all times. It’s so convenient and so-freakin’-yummy-delicious. Like others have said, you can just sit down and eat a whole block if you wanted to. It’s so fresh fresh fresh, you feel like you’re eating melt-​in-​your mouth cheese. I feel guilty for being so indulgent, and then I realize I’m eating tofu — still indulgent, but a healthier alternative nonetheless.
For people who aren’t big fans of tofu, and have only tasted the spongy, drained out of the soupy liquid, must-​heat-​to-​make-​it-​taste-​better firm tofu… You are in for a treat with tofu-yu’s firm tofu products. My partner who picks the tofu out of anything asian I ever made her eat, will devour Tofu-Yu’s products. She is now spoiled and will not lower her standards for any other.
The firm tofu products are wonderful as meat substitutes whether by necessity or just because. I’m a big meat eater, but Tofu-Yu’s products are so flavorful, easy to add to anything I cook, and affordable, I don’t mind skipping out on animal proteins. Sometimes, it even tastes better. The only thing I wish they produced would be a silky tofu. Maybe they do make it, and I just haven’t noticed but I like silky tofu for my sweet recipes.
Tofu-​Yu, I never got a chance to visit your storefront before it closed, but I’m SO grateful I can stock up every week at the Farmer’s Markets!!!
Check out the pasta marinara I made with their soy pasta and pesto firm tofu. Worth having seconds.

I prefer to patronize smaller/​local businesses and Tofu Yu is one of those places I was excited about when it opened up in my neighborhood. I’m not vegetarian or vegan, but I gave it a try yesterday afternoon on my way home.
I ordered the Pesto «Chicken» Panini ($ 6.50), which came on a bread slab (their menu says you get a choice, but I wasn’t offered any choices). The bread was nice and fresh tho. The «chicken» was tasty and sliced like deli meat! That was cool. The pesto could have been a little more… garlicky or saltier? I don’t know, but it was not as tasty as I’ve had. It was a large sized sandwich and totally filled me up. Plus, it came with a side of quinoa salad! That could have been a little more tasty as well. Maybe a touch more vinegar or seasoning. Maybe I’m just one for stronger flavors tho. ;}
I can agree on the ambiance that everyone else has commented on. But its not a café, its a deli. So, I didn’t think it was that unappealing as a deli. It’s clean. I like that. I also agree with everyone on the service. Fairly lackluster and slow. But friendly enough.
I would have thought that since the Berkeley Bowl West opened up, which is just a stone’s throw away, they would have been busier, but granted, it was around 3pm when I went in. I never see people in there and I drive by it all the time. I’d hate to see them go away. I love Maggie Mudd ice cream. :} And it is good to know that there is a healthy and conscious alternative nearby. This ‘hood needs it.
I’d like to try their soups and salads too, so I imagine I’ll be back again. I hope they stick around!
Btw, their hours have been extended. They’re open until 7pm.

4 stars or 3? It is a tough call.
The food is definitely 4-​stars, close to 5. I’m just getting into vegetarian eating and like tofu because it can have a meat-​like «mouth-​feel» (important to an ex-​carnivore) and you can, in theory, cook it lots of ways.
I say in theory because I am not a cook. So straight-​up tofu represents 45 – 125 confused minutes between me and a hot meal. But Tofu Yu has some AMAZING flavored tofus. These are tofus I’ve had at the deli but also find at El Cerrito Natural Foods. Amongst all the look-​alike white prisms of tofu Tofu Yu’s little packages caught my eye. And unlike other flavored tofu, the portions are generous and the tastes are… well… the word I want to use here is «sincere.» I don’t know what the process is, but the flavor isn’t just sprayed on or folded in, they’re rich and satisfying and just… I guess all blended in?
I like the hickory smoke. I can eat that in the car going home, so I buy two. And a real stand-​out is the jalapeño. You know, you can get some jalapenos in the US, but most products with jalapeño in them are just acidic and all capsidy, without the flavor. The jalapeño loaf is mildly spicy, not overpowering, doesn’t burn your lips, but the flavor is very rich, you can really taste the green goodness of the peppers in there. So good on a cracker, or a spinach salad.
I’m pretty excited to find a tofu I love; there are many to like in the world, and a _​ton_​to tolerate, but these are some tofus I’m having passionate affairs with.
Now… the service. The deli needs to get it’s commercial service-​industry face on and just get with it. When I come in and ask for a particular product, it’s OK if you don’t have it; I accept that. And it’s good that you suggest I come back tomorrow, I like how you didn’t let the sale slip away. But when I come back 1^st thing tomorrow and you don’t have it? That’s fail. And, honestly, y’all could be a little faster behind the counter.
So, in the end, I’ll swallow my service-​complaints and give the 4 the food deserves (the mouse is good, too, although I wish there was a smaller size…). Go to the deli, get some from the store (I think Whole Foods has some too?) and go bug Andronico’s to carry it too.

I don’t go out to eat for lunch very much anymore. However, when Tofu Yu opened in West Berkeley last year, I decided I would at least try the new deli brave enough to give a vegetarian– and vegan-​friendly option to a very industrial area. But it seemed that no sooner had they opened, did they close …
When I returned from vacation, a coworker informed me with mocked excitement that I had missed the reopening. Although they sell very good Tofu products in a case (that are manufactured nearby and sold elsewhere as well), the small deli menu hasn’t met the expectations of those in the area.
I enjoyed the Panini I bought the other day (to be able to Unilocal this place before they close again) but I too was disappointed that it was a bit overpriced and fairly small. However, I do have to give the location credit for its versatility. Hopefully, Tofu Yu will stay afloat for the variety of coffee and teas, ice cream, its core products, and other items they sell. And I know that there is a population that appreciates the vegetarian and vegan deli options. I just don’t think I will be back for lunch.

I LOVE the spicy veggie wraps. They look so little, but they’re so filling! Not a vegan or vegetarian, but I’ll be coming back (many times a week) for sure. I also bought a block of their garlic and black pepper firm tofu and almost ate the entire block, raw, in one sitting when I got home. SO GOOD!
I have to take a star off for lack of ambiance inside the café. It’s neat and clean… but cold, and not super welcoming. The staff really seem like they just started yesterday (which could be the case!). On the other hand, props for the nice outdoor seating in a sunny afternoon location. Though some of the tables and chairs were stacked when I last went. I unstacked them myself. Also not very welcoming.
Looking forward to this place coming into its own and becoming a regular lunch-​time haunt.

This is a product review, not a review of the deli…
At the Alameda Farmers Market this morning, I bought Tofu Yu Quinoa Salad (quinoa, corn, bell peppers, red onins, hickory smoked tofu, jalapeño pepper, sunflowerr oil, cilantro, lime juice, cumin, salt).
This stuff is really tasty. It has a great blend of flavors with a little kick from the jalapenos, and is made from organic ingredients. I thought it was a little expensive – I think $ 3 for 6 oz – but I like it, and it goes great on top of fresh greens.

Unfortunately, this great little place is closed!
They are still selling at the Bay Area Farmers’ Markets.

LOVE this place! The food is great: it doesn’t taste like it’s missing anything from a non-​vegan food. The attention is superb and the coffee rocks! I will definitely be coming back for more, since our office is a few blocks away.

This place is okay. i have a hard time believing that it will stay open for long because the menu is so limited. i’m really happy to have another veg place to go to, but this wouldn’t be somewhere that i would choose to go unless i was in the area and didn’t have better options. the people who work there are really friendly, but don’t expect quick service. it took more than ten minutes to get the sandwich that i ordered to go. the menu is really limited and if you want anything other than a sandwich or soup its cold in the deli case. i’m not looking to spend a bunch of money on something i’m going to have to throw into the microwave. The «chicken» pesto panini was okay, somewhat flavorless. i liked the texture of the tofu, but found it to be bland. its great that the pesto is vegan though. i wish they had a vegan option for the cheese that is on most of their sandwiches.
hopefully they will expand the menu and offer more of the selections hot. maybe they can find a way to make the sandwiches in a speedier way. five minutes would be great. yay for vegan ice cream!

Pros: Absolutely DELICIOUS sandwiches. I don’t know how they get their tofu to have the texture that it does, but it is amazing. I tasted both the BBQ and pesto paninis, and both were great, but I’d give the slight edge to the BBQ one. The fact that they carry multiple flavors of Maggie Mudd ice cream (all of it vegan, by the way) is a big plus as well. Such a treat is normally only available in SF or sold in pints at Berkeley stores, but buying a pint means I end up eating too much of it! The staff was friendly and helpful.
Cons: The service was very slow, considering that my girlfriend and I were pretty much the only customers and there were two people preparing our food. I’ll admit though, the food was worth the wait. The menu could be a little bit clearer about what is and isn’t vegan. Perhaps some sort of symbols? Also, the sun was shining in through the windows really, really bright when we were there. The owner ought to invest in some blinds.
As it stands, I would give this place 4 stars if it weren’t for the long wait that I experienced as the staff prepared our food. I’ll be visiting again and will see if there’s any improvement in that area.

I’m not sure but I think theres another person working there on weekdays and it goes pretty quickly when she is there. If she’s not… it’s a long wait.
I can vouch for the salad that is not the ceasar salad and the tofu sandwich, although it’s not good at all unless it’s with the ciabatta bread.
When it’s slow and they run out of ingredients it’s a bummer, but otherwise it’s awesome. They even have kambucha in the fridge.

Yerba Mate Latte’ was heaven and the BBQ Tofu Panini was floating right alongside it!
This is a great new gem in Berkeley and I will definately be going back. I’ve never seen a full vegan Maggie Mud’s ice cream set-​up and they have one!

Luckily, I decided to go up Ashby instead of down 7^th this morn and I saw Tofu Yu’s sign smiling at me as I did. I’m a displaced San Fran vegan now working in Berkeley, so I’ve been searching for new lunch place eateries. Now that I’ve found Tofu Yu, I won’t have to look for many more lunch spots!
I went in and was greeted by the nice young lady behind the counter. I asked if she was vegan and she said she wasn’t. So, I asked her what was most popular amongst vegans. She said the pesto and bbq paninis, but she also thought the grilled veggie was really good. The menu refers to it as «flat tofu» so I asked if it was like deli slices. She said sorta and got a plate with a couple samples for me. While I was deciding, she told me their breads are also vegan. I ordered the «chicken» pesto on ciabatta. After I’d paid and grabbed a free paper from the pile, I noticed the soup board that said today’s soup was white bean and Italian herbs. I asked if it was also vegan and she said it was and I was welcome to try it. After a sample, I decided to go ahead and order it even though I knew it probably be too much food. What can I say? It was a cold gray day and I wanted some delicious hot vegan soup!
My sandwich was served up by a nice guy who had joined my lady in the kitchen area. As he set it down on the table he thanked me! The first bite of that sandwich was like a short trip to heaven for me. I couldn’t wait to get the rest of those bites in my mouth! I knew right then I would be frequenting Tofu Yu a lot in the near future. I imagined walking in and being greeted by name. I imagined us all having a laugh over the fact that I always get the same sandwich. I imagined us sharing stories about the glories of Tofu. I imagined puppies dancing around and everyone hugging everyone from all the tofu-​induced joy we just couldn’t manage to contain.
I checked out the refrigerated case and got a good look at the vegan cheesecake ($ 3.50) and the vegan chocolate mousse ($ 4). There were also vegan veggie rolls, vegan mac and cheese (which they will serve up hot for you), and some other yummy-​looking tofu things. I didn’t have room for dessert, but I will get some next time I go.
Tofu Yu, I LOVE you! You made this hungry vegan so very happy and I’ll never forget you for that. Here’s hoping you never tire of making me kick-​ass vegan chicken pesto sandwiches!

I’ll keep this short. GET THE COCONUT ICE CREAM.
it’s badass. huge chunks of toasted coconut, refreshing intense coconut ice cream taste, creamy, made with organic tofu or soy or something healthy like that.
they fill the damn ice cream cup up super full, small will do fine for most.
some girl is posting on here yelling about them making here a slow sandwich, well my advice to you out there is this:
don’t expect a pretentious organic vegan shop to be fast like in and out burger.
This place rocks.
nuff said.

1 customer.
2 sandwichs.
3 employees.
20 minute wait.
Does it REALLY take that long to make 2 paninis???
Chicken pesto sandwich on sourdough: Good but you put cheese with veggies and pesto sauce on grilled sourdough and it would be good regardless. «Chicken» lacking in flavor.
Veggie panini on sourdough: Wasn’t this just grilled? So why’s it cold? Veggies tasted good but were too soft and oozing juices. Usually a good thing to have juicy veggies but not when it turns the panini you waited 20 minutes for into a mush sandwich.
Sidenote: If you have an hour lunch break, and are going to eat here, plan on spending half of it waiting.

Dear Tofu Yu. I’ve wanted to try your place a few times, but there was no parking, so I had to pass. Today, however, there was a spot right outside – yay!
I walked in; you looked busy – I could tell because your backs were all turned. The menu looked small and uninteresting, but I’m vegan and I work nearby, so I thought I’d give it a shot.
I looked around for a sign that said «order here» and waited for someone to say «I’ll be right with you». I looked in the refrigerated case at the pre-​made items. «Hmm» I thought, «Maybe someone will suggest a course of action soon.» I continued to mill about for a couple of minutes, and then I decided you didn’t want my business, so I left.
They don’t have a star system that adequately expresses my experience, so I’m going two stars – I think that’s pretty fair. Best of luck, Tofu Yu. The people who were fortunate enough to have their order taken thought the food was good.

Great dishes, the BBQ tofu sandwich is excellent. Very glad to have this new vegetarian outlet in our increasingly foodie-​friendly neighborhood!
Their breads are excellent, as well. Try any of the sandwiches with wheat bread… it isn’t boring at all :-)
Also, the tofu-«chicken» ceasar salad with vegan dressing is yummy.
Great lunch pick up option, and very quick if you call ahead to pick up for the office…
Not any real ambiance… but some limited outside seating.

So I can officially write my review, since I have been to this place more than a few times now. The tofu BBQ is to die-​for. Must say all their food is super fresh and light, yet filling. Wicked crazy cold-​soup creations too (cantaloupe) so good. I’m glad there is a good veggie place that won’t burn a hole in your pocket for a good lunch. Oh, and they have Maggie Mudd…
BEANS: Fair trade certified
BIKE RACK: within a few feet and highly visible thru their big big windows, nice!

I saw the word TOFU on the side of the building and I had to stop. This place makes their own tofu a few blocks from the deli and they sell their products at various East Bay Farmer’s Markets. The retail outlet is a vegetarian café with coffee, Panini sandwiches, deli items, 8 flavors of Maggie Moo vegan ice cream, bagels (with vegan cream cheese), muffins, cookies, tea, and soup. They also sell eco-​friendly dog toys, organic cotton baby items, candles and body lotion.
They are still are in soft opening mode. I noticed that some of the items had prices and others didn’t. I also wish they provided nutritional information on the deli items.
My first stop was the deli case to see what types of soy products they have. I bought some tovegie balls, spicy veggie wrap, and a block of firm tofu ($ 3). They also had tofu skewers, sandwiches, soy cheesecake and vegan mac & cheese.
* Tovegie balls: Yum, these are like soft veggie tater tots with potatoes, carrots, daikon and soy.
* Spicy veggie wrap: Thin pinwheels filled with fresh veggies (lettuce, carrots, mushrooms, bell peppers, red onion) and wrapped in soy sheets. The spicy mustard based sauce is delish. Plus it’s chewy and crunchy at the same time. The sauce does overwhelm the flavor of the veggies but it’s still really good.
They have coconut milk and soy milk Maggie Moo vegan ice cream flavors. I tried the green tea soy which wasn’t creamy and was too sweet. She recommended their lemon poppyseed ice cream made with coconut milk. It was much better — strong, tangy, fresh lemon flavor, sticky gelato like consistency. The coconut flavor hits you after the lemon flavor.
They have three types of Panini (caprese, pizza, chicken pesto). I had the «chicken» pesto (price unknown). The faux chicken didn’t taste like much and looked like bean curd sheets. But the soy made the sandwich more filling. The basil pesto was very tasty and it also was nice and juicy with tomatoes, vegan mayo, spinach and mozzarella cheese. I chose the wheat bread which I wasn’t too happy with — I think the bread for a Panini should be thicker and chewier. Next time I’ll ask for ciabatta (I think they use La Brea Bakery ciabatta).
I sampled the chocolate chip cookie. It didn’t taste like a normal chocolate chip cookie so I assume it was vegan. It was too sweet and not chewy or crunchy. The texture wasn’t right.
All the packaging is biogradeable. They have some indoor and outdoor seating. I’m looking forward to trying more of their soy products.

Update: they have panini sandwiches and soup now. I had a «chicken» pesto panini on ciabatta bread. Delicious. That and a drink cost me about 10 bucks, so it’s a little spendy, but worth it.