Where to Get Great Indian Street Food in Berkeley, CA

a sign on a building

You know you’ve made a good restaurant choice when a film crew shows up a few minutes after you arrive.a group of people standing around a counter

Apparently I wasn’t the only one to hear that Vik’s Chaat had great food. Located in Berkeley’s industrial district, the restaurant is right next to the train tracks and quite near some of my new craft fave beer tasting rooms.  Not the parking is to the right of the 4th Street entrance.

a yellow store front with a sign
Looking for good lunch options while staying out by the marina I came across Vik’s Chaat which had insanely good reviews of its cafeteria-style India street food options. I was immediately enthralled and intimidated.

I timed my arrival right when they opened, hoping any awkwardness about where to order and where to pick up would be less disruptive. It was empty and in fact I had to let several people go in front of me while I figured out what to order.a menu board with food in it

a room with tables and chairs

Remembering my perfect food tour in Chennai, I wanted ALL the food. As it was, I ordered way too much. Good problem to have.
You place your order near the door at the drink and dessert station. You pick it up in shiny silver cafeteria trays at various stations when they call out your name. If the place is packed, you probably want a seat near a speaker.

two plastic cups of milk
Perfect mango lassi but the Rose + Salty was worth trying

a man standing behind a counter in a restaurant

a restaurant with tables and chairs

a group of people inside a building
Dosa was must! I went with plain, though getting it stuffed with various viands is only a buck more.

a plate of food on a table
And then I had to go with the food cart favorite, pani purri. Fortunately it’s DIY fillings so it doesn’t get soggy until you’re ready to pop them in your mouth.

a tray of food on a table
And then it was one of the lunch specials. Did I mention I wanted all the lunch specials? In last minute desperation I went with the Maneer Paneer with various sides. It was scrumptious, the lentils were fantastic, but the surprisingly shout out went to the rice. I normally ignore rice and this demanded attention.

a tray of food on a table
And no, my friends & I didn’t come close to finishing it all but I’ll be back.

The prices are cheap for quality food in the area — $9+, but more than you’d pay in Chennai 😉YOUR TEXT OR IMG HERE

Full Disclosure: I may receive affiliate credit from links in this post or on this site which will help fund my travels. Thank you for your support!

Related Posts:

One Comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *