33 Best Japanese Restaurants in Berkeley

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

“service and quality are top notch“

“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.“

“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!“

“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.“

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

“Absolutely loved this restaurant! The sushi was incredibly fresh, beautifully presented, and full of flavor. Every dish we ordered exceeded our expectations. The staff were friendly, attentive, and made us feel very welcome. The restaurant was clean, comfortable, and had a great atmosphere. We will definitely be coming back and highly recommend this place to anyone looking for quality Japanese food.“

“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!“

“Delicious gluten free fried chicken. I have celiac and had a surprisingly hard time finding good gf places to eat in the Bay Area so this was a relief. Very reasonably priced for the area. I found the chicken at this location to be more tender than at their other location, but have only been to each once.“

“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.“

“Insanely good. Overall. Best fried chicken I’ve ever had, 2nd favorite were the skewers. Onigiri, Scallion Pancake, Chicken Skin, Bacon Wrapped Mochi were all insanely good. Only things I would have skipped were the mushrooms and eggplant. Mushrooms were very interesting, didn’t like the eggplant tho. All 3 of us ended full and it was very reasonable price, not expensive at all. Top 3 best if not the best restaurants in the bay.“

“Best Japanese Curry in town !“

“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 👍“

“This is a hidden gem.. also incredibly fresh and so cheap. 3$ for veg rolls. The owner is not that friendly or warm at all and pretty annoying to interact with but I think that the quality of the food is so good that she is completely entitled to act that way. If I was the owner of an old sushi shop on Solano Ave I would most likely act that way too.“

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

“The food was good and the seating atmosphere was really nice! I feel like every menu choice had a variety of vegetables so I think this would be great for a health-conscious person. We got sushi and really liked the cha ya deep fried sushi. The food overall is very simple and vegetable-centered. Updated from previous review on 2026-08-01“

“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!“

“Cute location in Northbrae, friendly and family oriented location. Sometimes you're lucky and find parking in front, don't park at the grocery store across the street and walk over. The wait for a table is never long, I usually come in dinner on a weekday so there's no wait. Weekend dinners can be a 10-20 min wait, better than many Japanese restaurants. The wait for your order is short too, the ost I've waited was a little less than 15 min. The food is great, the portion is great, the prices are fair, you can be happy with several appetizers to save money. A mixed vegetable tempura plate and house salad is filling. Everything is a win here, haven't had a bad meal yet.“

“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.“

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

“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!“

“I have been coming to Nikko Sushi for years. It is a no brainer for an easy and delicious lunch. I make use of the parking lot, the restaurant is clean, the staff is friendly, the atmosphere is relaxed, and the food is great! I always order the basic rolls as they are priced well, and their tea is wonderful.“

“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!!“

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