Uji Time Dessert, Berkeley and SF

I first got excited about Uji Time when I saw my friend post a picture of this amazing swirly ice cream treat tucked inside a fish cone! Since I didn’t have extensive knowledge of Japanese ice cream, this was my first time witnessing a Taiyaki Cone. I knew I had to try this amazing place! I read a lot about it online and it seemed like it wasn’t only picturesque, it tasted amazing too! I went to the Uji Time on Telegraph Ave in Berkeley, but there’s a Japantown location in SF as well. Uji Time has a lot of options: soft serve ice cream in Taiyaki cone (what I went for), ice cream in a Hong Kong egg waffle, or Boba tea. I guess if you’re really ambitious you can go for all three, but on my first visit I decided to go with the Taiyaki cone.

Look at that cone!

Uji Time lets you mix 2 flavors into a Taiyaki and also fill the Taiyaki with either Nutella or red bean paste. Uji Time has four flavors available: Black Sesame, Matcha, Tofu, and a seasonal flavor. The first time I went, the seasonal flavor was Roasted Green Tea, another time I went it was Mango. It changes about every few weeks. After sampling every flavor, I decided on the Matcha and Green Tea for my first go. The Matcha was very flavorful, but not overpowering; while the Green Tea had a softer flavor. I decided to fill my Taiyaki with red bean paste. One of the best parts was toward the end of the cone, when the ice cream melted into the red bean paste and seeped into the crevices to provide an amazing bite at the end of a great ice cream cone. In general, you have to dig around a lot to get the most out of the cone filling, but it’s worth it. On my second visit to Uji Time, I went with the classic combo of Black Sesame and Matcha. It was the perfect combination. The Black Sesame on its own was such a strong and bold flavor that it needed to be paired with something lighter to balance it out. The Matcha-Sesame combo was exactly what I needed. While I’m aware that people rave about the Tofu ice cream, it wasn’t really to my liking. I found that similar to real Tofu, it didn’t really taste like anything, and only had a slight Tofu-esque aftertaste.

The Taiyaki Cone itself was probably the best part of the whole experience. It was crisp, but not flaky; and it tasted more like a well-cooked Belgian waffle than a waffle cone. It was certainly one of the best ice cream cones I’ve ever had. Since I loved the Taiyaki so much, I bought 6 mini-Taiyakis stuffed with Nutella or red bean paste to take home. Just like the larger ice cream cone, these mini-Taiyakis were incredible! Uji Time is a great choice for anyone looking for some incredible Japanese ice cream in the Bay Area. I’m heading to Tokyo in a few months and am excited to see how Uji Time compares to the Taiyaki of Japan. Stay tuned to find out!