Everything tasted great! If only they had a larger restaurant to seat more people
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Jesús Salas
We came here before our Japan trip and returned after it. This place is legit. Wait can be long, but worth it. High quality food and service is great.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Morgan Clerc
Went to Kiraku for dinner with friends and had a great time! You can pick your own Sake glass and we had a carafe of a sake recommended by our server. Everything we ordered (including the special of the night, tuna collar) was amazing! Would recommend to
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Grilled Squid
Astar Levy
The ambiance inside looks welcoming but the working staff are rude and disrespectful. They packed too many tables for the small space they own.
Atmosphere: 3
Service: 1
Hailey Kieu
My partner took me here for my 21st birthday, bought me my first beer (Sapporo), and we had one heck of a night! The food is absolutely amazing. Like, prepare to get your mind blown. The best part of the menu in my opinion are the desserts. We had a sweet potato crème brûlée, and a fruit ice cream that was absolutely phenomenal. I don’t even have the words to describe the ice cream; Fruity, fresh, balanced, perfection!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Grilled Squid
annemarie
Fun Japanese tapas restaurant. We ordered lots of yummy things including little tacos, something that looked like ice cream but made of fish, and sashimi that came in a long tube-y thing. They were all unique and really good. If you haven’t been here, you need to try it out. It’s a unique experience. I’ve never seen anything like it. The place is lively/loud and the servers are super nice. It’s a plus that they are open later than most restaurants. That’s how we discovered them.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Jenny Kennedy
Food was average at best. Most of the items were very salty. Service was disappointing - we were constantly rushed to order and pay and they did not care to refill our water and tea once. Bill was given to us alongside with desserts. C’
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 2
Service: 1
X
Hope the takeaway menu can have more items from the house, but it’s understandable.A long line on the dark street in the chilly windy winter night.I picked pesto udon instead of the raw seafood I crave— never seen this combination. It actually had much vegetable (cabbage and mushrooms) in comparison with the less than handful tiny bits of octopus, and somehow the bonito goes well with pesto. (I’ve done yaki spaghetti at home before so now I’m intrigued to recreate this one :3Beef tataki tastes good. The meat is tender and the ponzu sauce is refreshing and not too sweet. Some pieces are rather small. The red onion underneath is surprisingly not very pungent. Overall, a nice but not necessary choice.Price is relatively high, but this seems to be the only posh place nearby. Even with takeout the bill can easily get up to the minimum spending for seated customers.The interior is rather simple, though people seems happy.Maybe I’ll come back if I have a larger group to share the small plates and wait together.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Janet Cantu
I’ve been save this restaurant for 2 years and finally I made it here last week. The food is so delicious and the price is reasonable. We order 8 dishes and include tax and tip is less than $150. The restaurant is very small but the server and vide are good. Also, the food comes out pretty fast. Love it!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Corn Tempura with Green Tea Salt, American Wagyu Beef Tataki
T Chloe
The restaurant and their table is tiny. So do not order too much at first. They have great sake collection. The food is tasty. I like yogurt grapefruit ice cream.
Wow - thanks Kiraku, I’ve been living in the East Bay +10 years and didn’t have a “favorite” Japanese spot until last night!Be warned, this place is rightfully popular and if you don’t want to wait up to an hour for a table, get there at least 20 minutes before opening and put your name on the wait list. We did that Sat evening and was seated 5 minutes after opening even though the system said it could be up to a 45 minutes wait (it might have helped because there were just two of us). By 6pm, there were probably 10 people waiting in front, and by the time we left at about 630pm, there were still about as many waiting outside (see picture).Space inside is small and tables are inches from each other - besides a small counter area that might seat 4, there are about 15 2- seater tables that could be joined for large groups.5* great service & friendly staff, order was accurate and food came out without much delay.The pictures of the ten dishes we enjoyed are uploaded in order my fav - top is the grilled squid! It was so so good, smoky, great dark soy sauce, the meat was tender and sweet. This is a must have and I noticed both tables, to our left and right, also ordered the grilled squid!Miso cod was very good, made me think of miso butterfish in Hawaii.The corn tempura is unique and a must if you like fresh corn.The grilled rice ball had a crispy salty and mildly spicy exterior and moist on the inside.The steam egg was smooth and tasty but a little salty.The yuzu cheesecake was rich and flavorful.Definitely a spendy but worthwhile spot, great to take a date or to celebrate an occasion. Keep up the good work Kiraku!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Corn Tempura with Green Tea Salt, Grilled Squid
Ella Zhang
Japanese Izakaya, it’s not a large restaurant but the staff move fast and smoothly. Best Japanese tapas in Berkeley.
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Grilled Squid, American Wagyu Beef Tataki, American Wagyu Beef Nigiri
Tae Kim
It's a cute little spot that is very popular. I suggest getting a reservation if you want to go as I went on a Tuesday at opening time and waited 30 minutes to be seated. The staff here are very friendly and it's a lively atmosphere but the food itself was just okay. We ordered a variety of dishes including the salmon crudo tostadas, various sashimi, yaki onigiri, omelette salad, and some sake. Everything tastes fine but none really stood out. The prices are surprisingly reasonable and a lot of the menu items can be made gluten free which was a nice touch. All in all it was a pleasant experience but I'm not sure I'll be back as there are better food options in the area.Dietary restrictions: Gluten free is an option for many items
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
Gerald Soo
Great for, cool place to hang out and open
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Col J
We had very authentic and delightful experience here. We tried 5 small dishes (tartar, jumbo squid, 2 lamb skewers, negitoro maki, and Sapporo beer). Fantastic food and excellent service.
Everything tasted great! If only they had a larger restaurant to seat more people
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
We came here before our Japan trip and returned after it. This place is legit. Wait can be long, but worth it. High quality food and service is great.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Went to Kiraku for dinner with friends and had a great time! You can pick your own Sake glass and we had a carafe of a sake recommended by our server. Everything we ordered (including the special of the night, tuna collar) was amazing! Would recommend to
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Grilled Squid
The ambiance inside looks welcoming but the working staff are rude and disrespectful. They packed too many tables for the small space they own.
Atmosphere: 3
Service: 1
My partner took me here for my 21st birthday, bought me my first beer (Sapporo), and we had one heck of a night! The food is absolutely amazing. Like, prepare to get your mind blown. The best part of the menu in my opinion are the desserts. We had a sweet potato crème brûlée, and a fruit ice cream that was absolutely phenomenal. I don’t even have the words to describe the ice cream; Fruity, fresh, balanced, perfection!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Grilled Squid
Fun Japanese tapas restaurant. We ordered lots of yummy things including little tacos, something that looked like ice cream but made of fish, and sashimi that came in a long tube-y thing. They were all unique and really good. If you haven’t been here, you need to try it out. It’s a unique experience. I’ve never seen anything like it. The place is lively/loud and the servers are super nice. It’s a plus that they are open later than most restaurants. That’s how we discovered them.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Food was average at best. Most of the items were very salty. Service was disappointing - we were constantly rushed to order and pay and they did not care to refill our water and tea once. Bill was given to us alongside with desserts. C’
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 2
Service: 1
Hope the takeaway menu can have more items from the house, but it’s understandable.A long line on the dark street in the chilly windy winter night.I picked pesto udon instead of the raw seafood I crave— never seen this combination. It actually had much vegetable (cabbage and mushrooms) in comparison with the less than handful tiny bits of octopus, and somehow the bonito goes well with pesto. (I’ve done yaki spaghetti at home before so now I’m intrigued to recreate this one :3Beef tataki tastes good. The meat is tender and the ponzu sauce is refreshing and not too sweet. Some pieces are rather small. The red onion underneath is surprisingly not very pungent. Overall, a nice but not necessary choice.Price is relatively high, but this seems to be the only posh place nearby. Even with takeout the bill can easily get up to the minimum spending for seated customers.The interior is rather simple, though people seems happy.Maybe I’ll come back if I have a larger group to share the small plates and wait together.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
I’ve been save this restaurant for 2 years and finally I made it here last week. The food is so delicious and the price is reasonable. We order 8 dishes and include tax and tip is less than $150. The restaurant is very small but the server and vide are good. Also, the food comes out pretty fast. Love it!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Corn Tempura with Green Tea Salt, American Wagyu Beef Tataki
The restaurant and their table is tiny. So do not order too much at first. They have great sake collection. The food is tasty. I like yogurt grapefruit ice cream.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 3
Restaurantji Recommends
Wow - thanks Kiraku, I’ve been living in the East Bay +10 years and didn’t have a “favorite” Japanese spot until last night!Be warned, this place is rightfully popular and if you don’t want to wait up to an hour for a table, get there at least 20 minutes before opening and put your name on the wait list. We did that Sat evening and was seated 5 minutes after opening even though the system said it could be up to a 45 minutes wait (it might have helped because there were just two of us). By 6pm, there were probably 10 people waiting in front, and by the time we left at about 630pm, there were still about as many waiting outside (see picture).Space inside is small and tables are inches from each other - besides a small counter area that might seat 4, there are about 15 2- seater tables that could be joined for large groups.5* great service & friendly staff, order was accurate and food came out without much delay.The pictures of the ten dishes we enjoyed are uploaded in order my fav - top is the grilled squid! It was so so good, smoky, great dark soy sauce, the meat was tender and sweet. This is a must have and I noticed both tables, to our left and right, also ordered the grilled squid!Miso cod was very good, made me think of miso butterfish in Hawaii.The corn tempura is unique and a must if you like fresh corn.The grilled rice ball had a crispy salty and mildly spicy exterior and moist on the inside.The steam egg was smooth and tasty but a little salty.The yuzu cheesecake was rich and flavorful.Definitely a spendy but worthwhile spot, great to take a date or to celebrate an occasion. Keep up the good work Kiraku!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Corn Tempura with Green Tea Salt, Grilled Squid
Japanese Izakaya, it’s not a large restaurant but the staff move fast and smoothly. Best Japanese tapas in Berkeley.
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Grilled Squid, American Wagyu Beef Tataki, American Wagyu Beef Nigiri
It's a cute little spot that is very popular. I suggest getting a reservation if you want to go as I went on a Tuesday at opening time and waited 30 minutes to be seated. The staff here are very friendly and it's a lively atmosphere but the food itself was just okay. We ordered a variety of dishes including the salmon crudo tostadas, various sashimi, yaki onigiri, omelette salad, and some sake. Everything tastes fine but none really stood out. The prices are surprisingly reasonable and a lot of the menu items can be made gluten free which was a nice touch. All in all it was a pleasant experience but I'm not sure I'll be back as there are better food options in the area.Dietary restrictions: Gluten free is an option for many items
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
Great for, cool place to hang out and open
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
We had very authentic and delightful experience here. We tried 5 small dishes (tartar, jumbo squid, 2 lamb skewers, negitoro maki, and Sapporo beer). Fantastic food and excellent service.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5