33 Best Japanese Restaurants in Berkeley

“Fresh ingredients, friendly staff, and delicious food and veggie options!“

“Outstanding personal service. Sushi Burrito (several to choose from) are my favorite, Miso Soup, and a Beer or Sake. I recommend that you come and get some 🌯“

“Life without sushi is no fun. That's why Manpuku is so needed. Whether pieced or in bowls, Manpuku brings both traditional and fusion in a delightful and pleasant way.“

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

“I had a really cool time here !!! The chefs are amazing so kind and understanding. I was losing my voice and he was very patient and the second
Chef was really fast . I think this isn’t favorite sushi place now ! The staff really looked out for me and I don’t think they k pa
How much it meant to me . Sometimes I show up places and people treat me negatively for no particular reason but I felt the love in there food“

“Had the sashimi bento and a little bottle of sake (nihonshu), perfect amount of everything. The bento usually comes with chicken teriyaki, which was delicious, making the whole meal sizeable. Having just returned from Japan, I was pleased and the compact, quiet atmosphere was exactly what I needed! Friendly staff :) Tucked away in the little food court off Hearst, this is a gem.“

“The 10 piece nigiri set is an amazing deal. I added an uni nigiri and was happy I did. Itani was recommended to me by a friend and I had it bookmarked - so glad I did! I was in the area and this was the perfect quick and delicious meal I needed. If I lived closer, I’d be here all the time. I highly recommend giving it a try!“

“Food was fresh! Service was great. The tables were clean!“

“Authentic Japanese cuisine and warm environment near downtown Berkeley. Servers are always welcoming and friendly. I love how fast the food is well prepared and served at Musashi. My friends and I often come here during lunch hours, and although the restaurant is packed, we never felt less attention or being rushed. Also the noodles are very delicious!“

“Best Japanese Curry in town !“

“This is a quick serve onigiri restaurant in downtown Berkeley. It's awesome to be able to get fresh onigiri in the East Bay and they include edamame as well. We split a plate of 3 and got the short rib(x2) and the unagi. Very small inside the restaurant, very much a get your food and go type place, but there is some room to eat standing up. They were quick, well priced and delicious. The perfect quick bite.“

“If you come here for your birthday, you can get a free dessert (1 ice cream mochi with whipped cream). I love salmon and I think all the salmon dishes were good! The salmon sashimi was thick and excellent. The rolls we tried were both good. My brother said he enjoyed the teriyaki chicken plate. I only wouldn’t recommend the tempura udon- too sweet on the sauce and broth, too heavily coated & oily on the tempura. The wasabi was not the quality pure wasabi, likely made mostly of radish, but it won’t bother you unless you love wasabi.
The service was great and came to refill our glasses and check in with us several times.“

“The food is so good, the prices are affordable, and the owner is so kind. They deserve all of the business!

I got the 2-piece chicken combo with the garlic miso dry dust. It comes with two beautifully fried, good-sized pieces of juicy chicken thigh over rice, some chopped cabbage and a light salad. For the price, the portion was awesome! They also have many interesting side dishes I want to try!“

“Great izakaya experience for skewers that mainly highlight chicken! Don’t recommend walking in without a reservation—we waited an hour on a Sunday night & although you can get lucky with the bar seating, the booths are part of the ambiance! Everything is charcoal grilled so it will be smokey in there.

Great experience for date nights except skewers are on the pricey side (about $12 for a lacarte). The omakase set is usually pretty solid but if you want the more specialty like chicken skin, it’s better to order separately. I liked the chicken neck skewer best for the flavor and the fattiness! Didn’t like the shizo breast. The squidink fried rice is a great side as well as the agedashi tofu. Really solid place for the level of specialty and ambiance they’ve maintained throughout the years!“

“service and quality are top notch“

“Nice and accommodating 😘😘😘“

“Love this place, I feel safe and the food is incredible“

“My Husband and I have been looking for a solid sushi place for us and our two teenagers. As you can imagine finding a place to suit everyone can be a challenge. After 2 misfires we landed here and though the other two might be nice for an array of other reasons, this fits all expectations across the board.

The environment is very cute and like being immersed in a sushi place in Japan(Gorgeous woodwork). The staff was friendly and there was a lovely live musician that really said the environment to the next level for a Friday night out with the family.

The food was incredible and since we went for happy hour, everything was priced better than just about any Restaurant we’ve been to recently. The rations in the rolls were proper nice chunks of avocado!!! GET THE SPIDER TACO!!!

Kk byeeeeee“

“Very good quality of food 👍“

“Amazing food and service. Ambiance on point as well“

“Cha-Ya is very good traditional Japanese food that is all vegan. All of their food is excellent from the sushi to the udon to the various small plate offerings. The ingredients are so fresh and high quality and the food is so comforting and delicious. Prices are quite reasonable, but be aware that it is cash or venmo only. There is rarely a wait for a table, and the service is quick and friendly. It's got a homey/old school vibe and isn't a chic modern place, but that's a good match to the very homey traditional food. Highly recommend if you want a big meal that will leave you feeling great at the end.“

“The best sushi in the bay. The salmon nigiri is incredible. The rolls are also delicious. Fastest sushi in the world. Just walk in pick your roll, pay and depart. There is also a wonderful selection of candy, packaged snacks, and soy sauce etc… I always try and use cash to support small businesses.“

“经常更新季节性的鱼类…😋新鲜…主要的是老板很帅☺️…😜“

“Excellent foods, friendly staffs! We really love to have dinner here~ Absolutely, I will visit again when I come back to Berkeley!“

“This hole in the wall has sushi with fluffy warm rice, thick slices of fresh fatty fish, fresh avocado and lemons, and yummy ginger. I recommend the 49er role. I’ve had way more expensive sushi that was not this good. Classic restaurant sushi can be cold and stiff, this is way better. The couple who runs the store are kind and good cooks.“

“Loved the food, I got the prime rib steak teriyaki and the mango ice cream. Service was great and waitresses were very friendly. Atmosphere was great, I love the light fixtures. Music was a little loud, though. I’d prefer jazz or an instrumental track over lyrical music.“

“A good place to taste Korean and Japanese cuisine with a twist.“

“Excellent service, food was great and large portions,“

“Their onigiri is really good! I’m not always in the mood for spam, but they have plenty of options without spam too, and I haven’t had anything I haven’t liked yet. They partner with several delivery services and their food always is packed well and is ready quickly for the drivers. Definitely recommend!“

“Excellent service and very friendly staff. The bento box was absolutely delicious and the portion was very generous. My son greatly enjoyed the fresh salmon. The complimentary ice cream provided for him was a thoughtful and impressive gesture. Highly recommended!“

“A sushirito -like place with cheaper prices. $8 instead of $13. Try the B8, which has both salmon and tuna sashimi inside. Added bonus points for carrying takoyaki.“

“Cozy neighborhood corner restaurant that punches way above its weight in quality of fish and preparation. Particularly great cuts of tuna (especially fatty otoro and chutoro). Price was probably a little on the higher side and the place is definitely on the smaller side, but those downsides are dwarfed by how good the fish is. Do yourself a favor and splurge on some of the market price blackboard specials!“

“Great people, fresh ingridients, authentic taste. Love it!!“