Tofu Yu

I’m so sad!
For the past few weeks I’ve been eating Tofu Yu at least twice a week. That Chicken Pesto Panini is so damn good! Unfortunately, on Thursday evening, I went to their website to find the phone number and noticed it was taken down.
So I Unilocaled it, dialed the number and well…“this number has been disconnected and is no longer in service.“
That usually doesn’t spell good news :’(
I stopped by this afternoon to see what was going on to find the owner (I’m assuming) inside cleaning up. Looks like Tofu Yu has fallen victim to the bad economy and is now closed.
For what it’s worth, I really appreciated the kind service that I always received when I ate here. The sandwiches were always made meticulously and the food was really good! It was such a nice addition to the neighborhood and I’m so sad to see it go.
If only I could have that damn sandwich one more time… ONE MORE TIME!
A warning would have been nice since I was just there on Wednesday! *sigh* :’(

Kristi just pm’d me that Tofu Yu is CLOSED.
Sad news.

Finally a vegan/​vegetarian restaurant without pretension. It’s clean, well lit, great counter service and oh yeah, they serve wonderful food. I don’t know how they do it, but they slice their tofu so thin that it takes on a whole new dry texture I have never experienced before which makes for tasty bbq sandwiches and «chicken» panini. I also really like their version of mac and cheese just for the bread crumb covering alone.
Now realize that I am a sin-​salivating, corn fed-​cow eating carnivore, so if I am expounding on the savory fares of Tofu-​Yu then it is not that it’s just a great vegan/​vegetarian restaurant but a great restaurant period. And any foodie would find something on their menu to rave about.
Their coffees are also fantastic without a hint of bitter bean syndrome, but possibly a tad overpriced. Either way, I invite all East Bay munchers to take a drive up San Pablo Ave and give them a try.

I’ve tried two different sandwiches here (both $ 6.50, yay!) the pesto panini and the bbq sandwich. The pesto sandwich was one of the best sandwiches I’ve had in a really long time. The bbq was pretty bland though. It was really clean inside, looked nice and was comfortable. The woman behind the counter was extremely nice. Lots of vegan selections. I’ll definitely be back for more.

i live in Northern El Cerrito so when some new restaurant option comes to the neighborhood, i get pumped. i like tofu in general and was excited about a place that specializes in tofu and soy products.
The staff was really nice and eager to help. I like the neighborhood feel of the space and how much work they obviously put into it.
the tofu dish i ordered though, claiming to be spicy, was nothing short of totally bland. it’s like there was zero flavor — it was bizarre. it’s like garlic and/​or anything in the onion family was not allowed on the plate. it made my mouth feel sad. i really wanted to like it and i was very hungry but i actually couldn’t even eat half of it. to be fair, this is the only thing i have ordered here maybe other items are better.
the chocolate soy gelato was fantastic.
i want this place to be good and i hope they will make a few changes to improve this dish and others that may need some pizazz.

I just had a chai latte (medium) for 4.08 with taxes. It was very tasty and definitely a strong competitor for Peet’s (my favorite chai place). My chai latte didn’t have a tea bag and the lady said they don’t add sugar which makes me wonder if the chai was from a concentrate. I definitely could taste the sugar in it. The steam milk made it quite nice. I’ll come back for their sandwiches. I’m glad they take Mastercard for even small items.

Wow, do I have some crazy onion breath!
And it can be blamed on Tofu Yu.
The BBQ tofu sandwich was excellent, but the red onions weren’t pickled like the menu promised; instead they were thick and strong, which resulted in my crazy onion breath.
The sandwich bread is all homemade and is crusty, tasty and hearty.
The vegan chocolate mousse was disappointing. I should have known that any dessert with the word mousse in it should involve copious amounts of cream, not some sort of soy-​based substitute.
I’ll definitely check it out again because the savory offerings have a lot of potential.

I’ll given an extra star for the concept, but really I want to give it a one because I have been there twice and they didn’t have the Chocolate Mousse. The employees are nice enough but come on. The menu is not extensive enough to be missing an item on TWO different occasions.
Disappointed.

I feel like I had been waiting for this deli/​café to open for ages. I am not a vegan or vegetarian; in fact, I used to pride myself on the amount of non-​meat I could pass up in a given day, but lately, I have been liking the plant matter a lot. It’s easier on my waistline when I fill up on a little bit o’ broccoli instead of pigging out on a lot of fatty pork. Anyhoo, my point is that I am a die hard omnivore, but I really enjoyed my meal at Tofu Yu.
I went in a few days ago just to scope it out. After a few minutes and a nudge from someone I can only imagine is the manager, the cashier offered me a takeout menu. They had most of their choices plated behind glass in a display case. Everything looked good. A couple days later, I went in to get some vegan chocolate mousse. It looked good. I ended up going overboard. I got the spicy mapo tofu. It looked more appetizing in the display case, and it was not a stellar as I had hoped when I first ate it, but the leftovers the next day were really, really good. I love those dishes that are better the next day. It teaches me patience and stems my gluttony. The veggie spring rolls were so yummy. One order contains four and, try as I might, I could not stop until they were all in my belly. The sauce they came with, however, was a little too watery for my taste, but the rolls were so good, i did not need sauce. Next to the chocolate mousse, behind the glass, was an unlabeled cup of something. The cashier told me it was a soy/​coconut custard. I had to have it. Like the mapo, it was much better the day after.
I had to wait some time for my dishes. While I was waiting, the cashier gave me a sample of their veggie balls. Mmm, they were good, but I could not figure out how to buy them. Can a buy them as a side dish like the spring rolls? Are they an item in a combo meal? Anyway, the service was sweet ad friendly. I am definitely going back for the chocolate mousse. If I feel like cheating on Ici, I’ll even try their organic dairy-​free «ice cream».
If they served boba, I’d live there.

Our visit was with an out of town friend, a 30-​year vegan, and major tofu-​phile. He was quite unimpressed with the Spicy Mapo Tofu, both the taste and the texture. The other two of us, on the other hand, really enjoyed the sandwiches: barbecued tofu on toast, and the Caprese Panini (pesto, mozzarella, and tomato on ciabatta).
The curry carrot soup was pleasant enough.
Service was erratic. Our main courses arrived a few minutes apart, and the soup was served when we were 2/​3rds of the way through the main courses.
The dozen sample plates on display in a glass case (as some Japanese restaurants do) were appealing to the eye, and so there will surely be a return visit. And our Vegan friend said the «Maggie Mudd» double dark chocolate was the best vegan ice cream he’d ever had.

Yummy. The deli type restaurant is new, clean and the staff friendly and enthusiastic. The ice cream Soy I guess) is delicious as was the grilled tofu and noodle with peanut sauce. I am so glad they moved to our neighborhood. They make the tofu in Berkeley.

Had lunch here yesterday. My tofu/​vege burger was prefect and the service excellent. Also, attended the grand opening today — everything… everything I sampled today was absolutely delicious.
*** So sad Tofu Yu is closed forever. ***