Izakaya Restaurants near Berkeley, CA

“I’ve been to the other locations, too—it’s my favorite spot. The food is delicious, the service is excellent, and it’s always a pleasure to come back. I highly recommend it; I always leave feeling happy, satisfied, and light.“

“Kinda izakaya is a cozy, lively spot with great vibes and friendly service. The menu has plenty of tasty Japanese comfort food—perfect for sharing. Everything we ordered tasted fresh and well-seasoned. Prices are reasonable, and the overall experience feels genuinely enjoyable.“

“Super delicious 👍 I never eat Japan food super good like this before.“

“Came here for drinks and some small plates after dinner and had a great time. They played good music and the bar sitting area is very nice. The drinks are also amazing as they have a very unique selection of Japanese cocktails and other stuff. Highly recommend!“

“Amazing food and service! Sake is the best!“

“Soba Ichi is my local place. Quirky, genial staff. The appetizer selection is off the chain. Try the tempura and buckwheat tea. Go early if you want to try the house-made noodles. Service is remarkably fast. Lovely choice of sake wines. You won't find better miso plates anywhere.“

“one of my favorite places in the country to eat. whenever I'm in the Bay area, in here“

“We booked Dragon Horse's private room for a company dinner with 18 people, and everything was wonderful from start to finish. Booking the large private room was very easy—the private event coordinator was responsive and great to communicate with. We ordered a lot of sushi rolls and nigiri, and everything was high quality and noticeably fresh. The veggie tempura and chicken karaage were also perfectly crispy, and you could tell the oil was fresh. The private room also includes free karaoke, which was such a fun bonus. My coworkers and I had a great time singing a few songs together after dinner. Dragon Horse is an excellent choice for larger groups. We will definitely be back!“

“Right at the edge of China town. Tried a lotus vegetable with mayo it was not good a bit too raw for me, also the squid legs which was good but a bit greasy. However we tried two different Ramen and they were delicious. Broth was very flavorful and heavy. Half egg 🥚 a nice touch usually you pay extra for the egg so it was nice to have it come in the dish. Service was nice and fast. Overall we had a great meal. There is allot of seating areas. I say check it out.“

“This place is our favorite! The food is consistently great, the staff are warm and attentive. We come here almost every weekend and love the half priced Sake on Fridays! I tell everyone about this place and hope it sticks around for a long time :)

We also get the heart skewers, gyoza with house sauce, tantan men ramen and the tonkotsu. The curry is also divine!

Shoutout to G who is the best waitress! She takes great care of me and my family.

Come here asap! Love this place“

“The food here was definitely the highlight. Everything tasted pretty fresh and flavorful, and overall I would rate the food about 4/5. The ingredients seemed good quality and the dishes were enjoyable.

However, the service was a bit disappointing. The staff did their job, but they didn’t feel very welcoming or friendly. There wasn’t much interaction beyond the basics, and with the price point here, I expected a more warm and attentive experience.

The atmosphere was also just okay. It wasn’t fancy or fine dining, but it also didn’t really give a strong Japanese vibe either. The environment felt a bit mixed and not very memorable.

Overall, I’m giving 4 stars mainly because the food was good. If I rated the experience as a whole (food + service + atmosphere), it would probably be closer to 3/5. Still worth trying if you care mostly about the food.“

“The sushi was very mid. The lemon flavour on the 49er was too strong and overpowering.

The Fiery Wagyu’s flavour was far from a traditional ramen flavour, but I really enjoyed it! And that’s the only reason I’m giving this place four stars instead of three.“

“在美國的日本味道，這是算不錯的“

“Only stopped by this place for a quick drink, but it definitely left a great impression. Looking forward to coming back and trying more from the menu next time. The drink menu features plenty of options including those from Japan.

The edamame ended up being the highlight of our visit, which was done really well!

Service was great throughout, and we really enjoyed the overall vibe of the place. It had a relaxed atmosphere that made it easy to settle in, even for a short stop.

Would definitely return and recommend checking it out!“

“The food is fabulous, the staff is fabulous. It was a wonderful experience. If I lived here I would go back.“

“We had the most wonderful dinner tonight at Noren Izakaya! Everything was fantastic from start to finish! From the service to the cocktails to the variety of food, to the dessert! Japanese yakitori and grilled street food and even sashimi! My new favorite! A must if you live or are visiting San Francisco! Oh! And tonight is not the night to skip dessert! 😘“

“Bento boxes were great, so many options to chose from. Would definitely go back.“