The Ginger Pig
Restaurant · Berkeley ·
Asian street food with vegan options and creative cocktails
Asian street food with vegan options and creative cocktails
"A butcher-shop-turned-bakery destination known for premium cuts and quintessentially British sausage rolls that deliver a flaky, traditional savory pastry experience." - Stacey Leasca
"It’s literally a hole in the wall, but this pan-Asian take-out operation on the Hill goes big as the sibling to Natascha Hess’ Bib Gourmand-winning namesake in Denver. Bánh mì-inspired rice bowls and bento boxes alike come with a choice of such stuff as barbecued pork, Japanese-style fried chicken, or Sichuan spicy eggplant; Filipino egg rolls and Korean cornflake dogs star among the snacks and sides; and sweet teeth best not sleep on the Hong Kong-style cornflake-crusted French toast." - Ruth Tobias
"The Ginger Pig, originally a food truck specializing in Asian street food, opened the doors to its full dine-in restaurant in 2020. The restaurant serves up pan-Asian cuisine inspired by chef and co-owner Natascha Hess’s time living in Beijing and backpacking across Asia in college. Diners can expect to see dishes like tangy Thai stir-fry cabbage, Korean corndogs, and crispy chicken kara-age." - Annie Harrigan
"The story here begins with Chef Natascha Hess's time as an exchange student in Beijing, where her host family taught her the fundamentals of Chinese home cooking, lessons that sparked a full-bore culinary passion. After several trips back to China, her travels broadened to include Shanghai, Singapore, Bangkok and more—a catalogue of flavors that she then translated into a hugely popular food truck, eventually becoming this lively, rustic brick-and-mortar location (though the truck can still be seen parked in front). It's clear that Chef Hess’s time abroad was well-spent: from hearty boiled pork and cabbage dumplings dressed with chili oil to stir-fried cabbage with Thai chili jam, the cooking bursts with flavor, including a healthy dose of heat." - Michelin Inspector
"An Asian-fusion hotspot combining diverse regional influences for bold, contemporary plates in a neighborhood setting." - Ruth Tobias