I don't typically take time to leave reviews, but this place was actually incredible. I am from Arkansas and staying at an airbnb almost 5 minutes away, and just stumbled upon the closest restaurant that was still open at 10pm. Walking in, you are greeted with the largest smiles, fun music, and chill atmosphere. Having been to Japan, and seeing the Okonomiyaki on the menu, I HADDDD to get it... and oh my gosh. It was SO GOOD. My husband and I couldn't get over how authentic it felt and how hard it is to find okonomyaki back home in Arkansas. I'm SO GLAD we stumbled upon this place and I will be sharing with everyone I know 100%!!
Colin Stuart
Nice ambiance, more Izakaya-y than most Izakaya restaurants in the US. More than your usual sushi fare. Walls covered in Japanese anime and kitch posters. There's a big communal table that was full of Japanese students when we dined.
Helton Suzuki
Fake japanese place with mediocre food and incompetent staff
Secret Society
Loved their pork curry!
Josefina Letelier
Amazing place with an even more amazing food. It’s worth the price for sure 🤩🙌🏼
AKIRRIA
me and my friend decided to spend one of our late night dinners at this place and it was awesome!! The overall experience was great and the workers were so sweet!! I got the salmon and it was truly perfect! Shout out to the workers again thank you for letting us stay so late you guys are amazing. 100% suggest for yummy late night grub!😋
George Louie
Great little spot with awesome grilled meats you can’t get at many restaurants. The grilled squid was tender, flavorful- cooked to perfection. Tried some yakitori as well, both beef tongue offerings were delicious. I will be back for more!
Becky Nicholson
Tasty food and cute drinks, but servings are a bit small. Also quite limited seating.
Enmeth Gutierrez
I was craving something warm to eat close to midnight and I found this place. I was with my Japanese roommate, and he himself said this place did give off an Izakaya vibe. Most of the food items offered here I've tried elsewhere, so I ended up getting the sukiyaki, which was to my liking.
We did feel a little out of place, as the servers seemed primarily focused on a larger group, who they appeared to be friends with. So we felt a little forgotten throughout most of our time there, also considering that it was not that busy as we did leave a little before they closed.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 3
Zach Russ
Fantastic food. Similar to a Tokyo izakaya, they got the drinks, decor, and food right on. Noodles were excellent as was the beef tongue. Mushrooms cooked in butter were nice too.
Really cool small place. The food was good all around and decently priced for "Kinda" Izakaya.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Bond
The food is super delicious, many options, quality, price 10/10. The waiter is incredibly helpful and attentive- you can tell he enjoy his work.
reservations on weekends recommended. there’s a variety of cocktails. Not a full bar but good cocktails served
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Jenny
The food is delicious, great music, fun atmosphere! A true Berkeley gem indeed!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Briana Latrise
I hate to write this, but after our dining experience on July 19th, I gotta let y’all know how bad it’s gotten. I’ve eaten here at least five times before, and it used to be good. But after reading recent reviews and seeing for myself, it’s clear things have changed. Because of my past good visits, I didn’t give a one-star rating, but you need to read this before deciding to eat here.
We got there just before 6 p.m. on a Friday night and had to sit at the bar ’cause those were the only seats left. We ordered quickly, but it took about 45 minutes for our food to come out: gyoza, karaage ramen, and pork belly ramen. We knew they were busy, so we tried to be patient. But they brought the appetizer with the main dishes instead of before.
My boyfriend took a bite of his ramen, and the noodles were literally ICE COLD. The broth wasn’t even steaming!! I had just eaten a gyoza and waved down the waiter to tell her. She had an attitude and straight-up snatched the bowl with his chopsticks and bounced. When I tried my ramen, it was the same—ICE COLD NOODLES and lukewarm broth. We didn’t order a cold noodle dish, but after waiting 45 minutes, we didn’t want to send everything back. I tried to eat my ramen, even though it was disappointing, while my boyfriend couldn’t eat anything ’cause they took his chopsticks.
We tried to get any waiter’s attention, but ours walked by us at least five times without even looking our way. No apology, nothing. So, we shared my lukewarm ramen, hoping his food would come out soon. But it took another 25 minutes. It was ridiculous. No apology, and we had to ask for chopsticks again. The service was so bad it was almost funny.
As a Black woman from East Oakland, I felt we were treated differently than the European customers. Our waiter ignored us but was all nice and quick with others. It made the whole thing even worse. While others got prompt service and warm food, we were left with cold dishes and no utensils, and our concerns were brushed off.
To make it worse, this place pretends to be a Japanese restaurant but is actually Thai. The fake-out is disappointing. We also saw several health code violations: staff not wearing gloves, a tiny kitchen, and poor cleanliness overall. Unacceptable.
To top it off, my boyfriend and I both got food poisoning after the meal. That was the last straw in an already terrible experience. Also, there’s a small child behind the counter sometimes, and I believe they’re being abused. It’s heartbreaking.
I didn’t expect anything to be comped, but it’s important to note we got no apology for the wait time or the cold ramen and still paid over $70 for our meal. I really hope they can get their act together because this experience completely ruined our night.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
thezone
Really great Japanese street food (bite size). Loved the appetizers.
I don't typically take time to leave reviews, but this place was actually incredible. I am from Arkansas and staying at an airbnb almost 5 minutes away, and just stumbled upon the closest restaurant that was still open at 10pm. Walking in, you are greeted with the largest smiles, fun music, and chill atmosphere. Having been to Japan, and seeing the Okonomiyaki on the menu, I HADDDD to get it... and oh my gosh. It was SO GOOD. My husband and I couldn't get over how authentic it felt and how hard it is to find okonomyaki back home in Arkansas. I'm SO GLAD we stumbled upon this place and I will be sharing with everyone I know 100%!!
Nice ambiance, more Izakaya-y than most Izakaya restaurants in the US. More than your usual sushi fare.
Walls covered in Japanese anime and kitch posters. There's a big communal table that was full of Japanese students when we dined.
Fake japanese place with mediocre food and incompetent staff
Loved their pork curry!
Amazing place with an even more amazing food. It’s worth the price for sure 🤩🙌🏼
me and my friend decided to spend one of our late night dinners at this place and it was awesome!! The overall experience was great and the workers were so sweet!! I got the salmon and it was truly perfect! Shout out to the workers again thank you for letting us stay so late you guys are amazing. 100% suggest for yummy late night grub!😋
Great little spot with awesome grilled meats you can’t get at many restaurants. The grilled squid was tender, flavorful- cooked to perfection. Tried some yakitori as well, both beef tongue offerings were delicious. I will be back for more!
Tasty food and cute drinks, but servings are a bit small. Also quite limited seating.
I was craving something warm to eat close to midnight and I found this place. I was with my Japanese roommate, and he himself said this place did give off an Izakaya vibe. Most of the food items offered here I've tried elsewhere, so I ended up getting the sukiyaki, which was to my liking.
We did feel a little out of place, as the servers seemed primarily focused on a larger group, who they appeared to be friends with. So we felt a little forgotten throughout most of our time there, also considering that it was not that busy as we did leave a little before they closed.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 3
Fantastic food. Similar to a Tokyo izakaya, they got the drinks, decor, and food right on. Noodles were excellent as was the beef tongue. Mushrooms cooked in butter were nice too.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Beef Tongue 1 Skewer, Yakitori, Okonomiyaki
Restaurantji Recommends
Really cool small place. The food was good all around and decently priced for "Kinda" Izakaya.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
The food is super delicious, many options, quality, price 10/10. The waiter is incredibly helpful and attentive- you can tell he enjoy his work.
reservations on weekends recommended.
there’s a variety of cocktails. Not a full bar but good cocktails served
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
The food is delicious, great music, fun atmosphere! A true Berkeley gem indeed!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I hate to write this, but after our dining experience on July 19th, I gotta let y’all know how bad it’s gotten. I’ve eaten here at least five times before, and it used to be good. But after reading recent reviews and seeing for myself, it’s clear things have changed. Because of my past good visits, I didn’t give a one-star rating, but you need to read this before deciding to eat here.
We got there just before 6 p.m. on a Friday night and had to sit at the bar ’cause those were the only seats left. We ordered quickly, but it took about 45 minutes for our food to come out: gyoza, karaage ramen, and pork belly ramen. We knew they were busy, so we tried to be patient. But they brought the appetizer with the main dishes instead of before.
My boyfriend took a bite of his ramen, and the noodles were literally ICE COLD. The broth wasn’t even steaming!! I had just eaten a gyoza and waved down the waiter to tell her. She had an attitude and straight-up snatched the bowl with his chopsticks and bounced. When I tried my ramen, it was the same—ICE COLD NOODLES and lukewarm broth. We didn’t order a cold noodle dish, but after waiting 45 minutes, we didn’t want to send everything back. I tried to eat my ramen, even though it was disappointing, while my boyfriend couldn’t eat anything ’cause they took his chopsticks.
We tried to get any waiter’s attention, but ours walked by us at least five times without even looking our way. No apology, nothing. So, we shared my lukewarm ramen, hoping his food would come out soon. But it took another 25 minutes. It was ridiculous. No apology, and we had to ask for chopsticks again. The service was so bad it was almost funny.
As a Black woman from East Oakland, I felt we were treated differently than the European customers. Our waiter ignored us but was all nice and quick with others. It made the whole thing even worse. While others got prompt service and warm food, we were left with cold dishes and no utensils, and our concerns were brushed off.
To make it worse, this place pretends to be a Japanese restaurant but is actually Thai. The fake-out is disappointing. We also saw several health code violations: staff not wearing gloves, a tiny kitchen, and poor cleanliness overall. Unacceptable.
To top it off, my boyfriend and I both got food poisoning after the meal. That was the last straw in an already terrible experience. Also, there’s a small child behind the counter sometimes, and I believe they’re being abused. It’s heartbreaking.
I didn’t expect anything to be comped, but it’s important to note we got no apology for the wait time or the cold ramen and still paid over $70 for our meal. I really hope they can get their act together because this experience completely ruined our night.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Really great Japanese street food (bite size). Loved the appetizers.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Gyoza 餃子
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