Berkeley Social Club - Berkeley, California

J S

Berkeley Social Club is my all-time favorite spot whenever I visit Berkeley. It's super close to the downtown BART station, making it an easy stop, and I love strolling through the nearby tea shops and bookstores after a meal--it's the perfect way to spend the day.

The space is spacious and beautifully decorated, with a warm, inviting vibe that makes it perfect for any social gathering, just like the name suggests. Whether I'm meeting up with friends or having a relaxed solo meal, it always feels like the right choice.

But what keeps me coming back is the food--especially their Jjamppong. The Jjamppong is packed with rich, spicy broth and fresh seafood that hits all the right notes!

Every visit is a satisfying, feel-good experience, and it's always the first place I recommend when someone's heading to Berkeley!

Justin Pinchback

Traditional diner food collides with K-Town pop at this spot. Come hungry because the portions are generous. The Benedicts have a nice kick and the French toast is all kinds of filling. Fun spit.

dravya jain

Context: this place looked amazing on social media and the reviews were great, so we were looking forward to a nice dinner here. Right off the bat, our waiter was super weird 😭 He came to our table with three ice waters and I asked him if he could take one back and replace it with hot water and he said no? 😭 Then we asked again and he brought a cup of boiling hot water, and we asked him to take back the extra glass of ice water since the table space was small and he said no again? 😭 When our waitress arrived to take our order, we made it clear multiple times that we are vegetarian, and asked her to recommend us a vegetarian appetizer. She first suggested a salad with kimchi, and then I reminded her that the kimchi most likely had fish sauce. She then recommended us the fried peppers, which we then ordered and ate. It tasted a bit weird so we asked them what it was and they said fish 😭😭 When it was already made clear multiple times that we are vegetarian and cannot eat fish? We sent it back obviously and asked to speak to the manager and she said she would take the peppers off the bill…. I thought that was obvious given the fact that we barely ate it and sent it back? There didn’t seem to be much care for the fact that we are completely vegetarian and ate fish because of their mistake. We ordered tofu dolsot and tofu curry udon as well… the dolsot was flavorful and had a good amount of tofu but the udon was just.. bad. Super bland and slightly overcooked. We ate the dolsot but left the udon mostly untouched because it was not good, at the end the manager said our bill would be waived which was a nice gesture as we only ate the dolsot and were poisoned with meat. Overall, I don’t anticipate returning because of their mistake and the bad service, although one of their dishes was good.

Sayali M

Amazing brunch place with a great vibe and perfect for friends meetups. Their food is really great and most options on the menu seemed great. There is usually a wait on weekends so reserve or add yourself to the waitlist when you start for the place

Nash P

It seems that their menu is gravitate towards Korean fusion. We went for a weekend brunch and got seated right away. The host was very welcoming and tried to accommodate our needs. We ordered a Pimped up Ramyun (Dry tossed "Shin" cup noodle tricked out with Millionaire's Bacon, fried egg, vegetables)& a club moco (Rice stacked with sautéed kimchi, savory beef patty, egg, and gravy) They both were OK. I like the concept of Korean fusion diner but feel that the flavor was lost as it was too americanized. Price is on the higher side so I have a higher expectation. However, I've been to a few Korean fusion breakfast/ diner restaurants in the bay area and I think they are all similar. Ambience/ plate decor are photo ops, korean flavor was lost but still more interesting than a usual American diner.

B Michael Ferweda

Immersive and unassuming from the outside. Drop in and be swept away with delicacies from blueberry stuffed French toast to amazing breakfasts to rival any 5 star restaurant. Highly recommend the crab and eggs Benedict with wasabi hollandaise! Simply Dope!

Parwez Irshad

We came here for a nice family breakfast when we were visiting the area. The food was amazing, service was great, large screens showing sports- was happy I was able to catch the end of a Euro24 game I was following. The atmosphere was vibrant, the place was busy but service was fast and efficient. Parking was a little tricky but as we came on a Saturday we were able to grab a spot on the street nearby, and paid for 90min which was more than adequate for our breakfast visit. Recommend checking this place out if you happen to be in the area.

Melissa Ng

Unique food in a comfy casual place right by Cal campus. We came by on Sunday before noon to join the wait-list. We were seated in about 25 minutes. Along the sides of the restaurant are tables with benches and cushions, and luckily we got one of these tables.

We ordered the pimped up Ramyun and dutch pancake. The waitress mentioned the dutch pancake takes about 20 minutes to prepare which was fine. What's interesting is, the Ramyun took 20 minutes to arrive, which I attribute to a backed up kitchen. Looking around at the parties who were seated moments before us, they didn't have their food yet either. The pancake came after 30 minutes and it was beyond delicious! I loved the crispy edges with the soft moist bottom. All the toppings went well with the pancake and it all went down our throats lickety split. The Ramyun was more addicting than I anticipated. The noodles were great and the candied bacon strip was a nice touch.

It's really busy here and the wait staff are always moving around doing something. They have a positive attitude and are responsive when you get their attention. They are very focused on what catches their eyes like clearing tables but it can take time to get someone's attention since no one was looking up from their tasks. My husband's water was refilled three times while we were there and my water sat empty. Perhaps my cup was a stretch as I sat inside.

I highly recommend coming here as part of your day in Berkeley! I will come back to try other items on their menu!