“Food: 5/5Service: 5/5Price: 4/5Atmosphere: 5/5 This is still one of my absolute favorite spots in Berkeley. The food is always consistently delicious and the service is great. The ambiance is relaxing and chill. The prices are a bit higher than most restaurants, but the quality of the food is worth it in my opinion.“
“Excellent selections and tastes. Not too expensive and high quality dishes. We tried a number of dishes and surprisingly everything was wonderful. Really! Atmosphere is jovial and a bit noisy, but in a good way. Definitely worth a visit, even if you are not a Japanese food fan.“
“Came here for my 31st birthday dinner on Wednesday, January 17th! Ippuku is one of those places I always walked by when I was a student at Cal (c/o 2015, GO BEARS!), and have been meaning to try. It was super easy to make reservations ahead of time. I had booked the Treehouse seating, since it was just a party of 2 for me and my husband, which I'm glad I did because it made the experience more intimate, private, and reminded me of an izakaya in Japan. My husband and I went to Japan spring of 2023, and miss the food very much. Ippuku is probably as close as we can get to Japan, in the East Bay! Vibes: very mixed crowd. I saw many college students that were dressed super casually (think sweats, probably gonna go back to the library later to study), as well as well-dressed older couples. My husband and I definitely fit in with the latter since we wanted to dress up a little for my birthday. Ippuku has an expansive whiskey bar, so we had to snap a photo or two there.It took us awhile to get seated because the restaurant was packed, but once we were seated, our waiter was very attentive given how busy they were. I would rate service 4/5 because of the long wait time to get seated and because the waiter forgot to include one item of our order, and it was an item that takes longer than typical to come out (the grilled onigiri). When the onigiri finally came out, we had already finished eating everything else so it was a bit underwhelming. But overall, we enjoyed everything we ordered and would definitely want to visit Ippuku again in the future.Parking: You're in Downtown Berkeley and there's lot of foot traffic around here, so it was a bit difficult to find parking at first. We had to circle around a few times before we found street parking.“
“Most of the food is good , some are misses. To start: take wasabi - yes, yes, yes! Really good and the portions are generous. Fried octopus was fresh and nice. We didn't like hotate scallop , because they just poured mayo all over it.Ugh, who does it to the Hokkaido ones!! But then they fixed it with Hamachi Kama, the cheek was perfectly cooked, fresh and the sauce was amazing. All in all - an amazing neighborhood izakaya. Maybe not worth a drive from SF, but if you're here - it's a good place to visit.“
“Tldr: solid, forgettable Japanese classicsRintaro was on my radar, but I had no plans to dine here during my week long trip. After seeing their cookbook EVERYWHERE in town, I felt like splurging for my last dinner in SF and made a same day (Thurs) 9:30 pm dinner reservation.I spoke to Kay, the hostess, 2x. Got to meet them in person, which was nice. Friendly, helpful. ?♂️The other waitstaff was... Average. It didn't help (1) the kitchen was closing soon after my order was placed, so I felt rushed, and (2) I was seated at the bar. My water glass was empty for a long time until a server dropped off a pitcher. My server didn't take my jacket/bag or point out there were hooks under the counter, but I figured they must be *somewhere*. I was much better taken care of at a mom-N-pop restaurant in Central Richmond than here.I was really excited for the housemade yosedofu and the udon "carbonara". ⬜ The tofu was forgettable. I've had this many times and wish they added myoga or shiso to make it special. Go all out since it's elevated Japanese food and the same ingredients are also used for the udon (grated ginger, scallion, katsuobushi). The little pitcher of soy sauce leaked on the table and didn't taste of shiitake. The server brought a serving spoon and plate for me to eat from, which didn't make sense as I was a party of 1 ? Both spoons provided were a bit awkward to eat off of. ? The kama tama udon "carbonara" description is misleading. There's no rich creaminess you'd expect from a carbonara-like dish. The housemade udon had a distinct, firm chew I appreciated. The bowl was also warmed, nice attention to detail. ? The star was the hojicha panna cotta, which was a late add on. At first bite, the hojicha was very pronounced. Very creamy. I didn't use the syrup it was served with.??The surrounding area is not very well lit, bit industrial, so it has less foot traffic and it's creepy at night, even for the 5 min walk from the bus stop. ?️The interior atmosphere is nice for a date, but the bar stools weren't very sturdy/weighted. The open kitchen is nice and heard lots of Japanese being spoken. The only perk to sitting barside is watching everyone work.Dietary restrictions: Pescetarian“
“Their selection is great. It’s one of the few sushi places where they have makimono that emphasizes fish over rice + other fillings (not that I don’t also love the standard American sushi options, but it’s nice to have a leaner, simpler option).The veggie side dishes are also amazing - the eggplant is charred and juicy but not drowning terribly in oil, and okra is also really good.They also do delivery, which makes it a great casual option.“
“It’s a little on the pricey side but the soba is made with care and you can taste it and feel the excellent texture.The broth is also very good with a rich and satisfying flavor. I had the tempura soba combo and it was about $22. Also got the sashimi for $26 which was very good even though it was also expensive!All in all a great place to return to when I feel like splurging on a nice bowl of noodles.“
“We came here for late night dinner - fresh sashimi is 10 out of 10 ?Vegetarian options: I saw some vegetarian options on the menuParking: It’s always plenty of parking around or cross streetKid-friendliness: Yes, big dining room and I saw high chairs for little kids tooWheelchair accessibility: Yes, they have big dining room so wheelchair can move freely and bathroom is also big and it’s ok for wheelchair“
“Best chicken I've ever tasted must get the fried chicken and gyoza appetizer that comes yum yum sauce?? I had a beef short rib and teriyaki salmon bento box. The other two got the millionaire tonkotsu and the miso soup. The only reason I took one star out for the atmosphere was because the music was too loud where we were sitting.“
“The team behind Hopscotch didn't disappoint in their new iteration, Good Luck Gato. With a really clever fusion menu blending Mexican and Japanese, everything we ordered was delicious and unique. Major standouts were the tri-tip tartare, the loaded baked potato, and the egg taco. Definitely don't sleep on the cocktails either- the Lady Snowblood was fantastic. The staff was incredible and made sitting at the bar into the best seat in the house! Sophia and V made our night so fun and kept us laughing so much we lost track of time in the best way. We'll definitely be back. My only note is to please bring back brunch!!“
“This is a place of culture.. Jojo's Bizarre Adventure was playing as we walked in. Everything was good from noodle texture to individual ingredients. Also dig the layout and interior design of the restaurant. Their exterior design is pretty unassuming, which makes the interior design that much better.Side note: The website hasn't been updated so the prices were a bit higher than expected. Still reasonable considering how bad prices are in Bay Area.“
“$22 for rice, salad, and 8 pieces of nicely sized chicken thighs that are perfectly fried and great tasting (I may have wanted some extra powder in the dry miso dry one) and then had some sparkling sake on the side. If we had been less hungry (2 of us) could have done 4 thighs AND we had leftovers.You order (super helpful) and pickup up front.Great vibes.“
“?full stars for an amazing happy hour experience?I cant believe this spot has open tables when we came in at 530 to catch their happy hour.Everything was absolutely delicious, my favorite was the crab sunomono and the wagyu skewer. The pork kimchi and gyozas were also very tasty.The dishes that I thought were good but nothing to write home about were the fried chicken skin and agedashi tofu.Service was spectacular and the music and overall vibe was great. 10/10 will come again!For 3 people we paid $188 with tip, which included 2 cocktails.Vegetarian options: There are some veggie dishes on the menu, nuts it's predominantly meat based.“
“Nomu Skewers near Union Square is a hidden gem that transports you straight to Tokyo. From the fresh sushi to the mouthwatering Kushiyaki, every bite is a culinary delight. Don't miss their Tsukune with raw egg yolk dip or the lobster tail skewers. With impeccable service and a cozy ambiance, this modern Izakaya-style restaurant is a must-visit in San Francisco.“
“I actually don't care for their tonkotsu ramen...way too greasy. The chicken broth is much better. That said, despite "ramen" in their name, the yakitori is what steals the show. Love them all! The waitress takes her job seriously and goes above and beyond. Tip her extra!“
“Your quest for ramen is over. Itani is the best ramen spot hands down. I have tried countless other places across the bay and everytime I find myself saying it's not as good as Itani. I have yet to be disappointed with any item on there menu. Slurp up my friends, it doesn't get better than this.“
“the shared plates and appetizers here are amazing. it's actually very reasonable to have a family style meal here and I would definitely recommend doing so over getting the sushi individually. the eggplant, brussels sprouts, tofu mushroom pockets, and katsu are my go-to.“