Oakland: Yu Yu Za Zang

I'm not really a noodle person, but I would never turn down a chance to get jajangmyeon.  After CK and AG moved to Oakland, one of the first places we ate out at was Yu Yu Za Zang (also called Chef Yu):

The second we walked through the door, we felt right at home:

No frills.  No mood lighting.  Just a laminated menu and some tables.  Exactly my style.

When it comes to jajangmyeon, it's about the sauce and the noodles:

Yu Yu Za Zang's jajangmyeon ($8.95) checked all the boxes:

The sauce was savory and the noodles perfectly chewy.  It brought me back to the delivery jajangmyeon I had when I visited Seoul for the first time.

You can't get jajangmyeon without tang su yuk ($15.95).  You can choose between pork and beef at Yu Yu.  We went with beef:

It came piping hot and oh-so-crunchy.  The vinegar sauce could have been a bit more sour, but that's just my personal preference.  I like when the vinegar punches me in the face.  

...When I put it that way it doesn't sound really normal, does it?

Anyway, Yu Yu Za Zang is the place to go in Oakland if you're looking for some comfort in the form of jajangmyeon.  The prices are low by Oakland standards and the service is quick.  

We actually did a jajangmyeon bracket for my birthday this year and Yu Yu Za Zang came in a respectable third place.  Definitely don't sleep on this.

Yu Yu Za Zang

4871 Telegraph Ave

Oakland, CA 94609

(510) 653-2288