Ordered a dinner combo to go. The portion size was generous, but unfortunately, the grilled mackerel was quite unpleasant; the back side was overly charred. The salmon teriyaki lacked flavor, and the sashimi was of average quality, considering the price range.
Food: 3
Penny Frates
This place is a gem! Amazing service and fresh, fresh sashimi, nigiri and rolls. Can’t wait to come back!Vegetarian options: Plenty of vegetarian options. Great flavor and fresh ingredients.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
N Patil
Overpriced mediocre sushi and poor service. There are better places to get sushi nearby.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 1
Laura Morland
Asaka is a delightful addition to the North Berkeley restaurant scene! The food is delicious, the service impeccable, and the owner generously donated a few platters of sushi ? to the Japanese American Experience event we held last month at St. Mary Magdalen Church. Come check it out!Vegetarian options: Honestly, I don't know if there are main dishes for vegetarians, but their edamame was delicious!Kid-friendliness: I think children would enjoy the food here.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Jiayi Y.
Very friendly service and the freshest ingredients ever.The place is cozy and clean we will be back.
Trevor Quinn
Went on a whim and really enjoyed the food! Nigiri and Sashimi were fresh and flavorful. Wifey had hand rolls, she was happy with her meal as well. I definitely recommend giving this place a visit.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Nigiri Combo Special
Samantha G.
Really delicious. We came here on a last minute pivot and we were not disappointed. The restaurant was empty and we were seated right away. The service was great. We got the lunch bento box and the mango tango and caterpillar roll. All were delicious and we would come back again.
Marisa M.
NOM NOM! This review is for the takeout, which may I say, I almost never give five stars for sushi takeout. They are doing this right. Everything we had -- apps, edamame, rolls-- were all delicious. It was packaged sensibly and we had plenty of sauce where needed. Would definitely do Uber Eats from here again.
Howard K “Wesski” Wess
My Son an I found this place looking for recommendations for lunch. All our food was fresh and delicious.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Agustín C
This is a legit sushi bar. It has the highest quality seafood I’ve found in Berkeley. It’s excellent. The service is great and it’s just a little off the beaten path which is a nice change from other parts of Berkeley. The restaurant is clean. There’s a nice mix of diners. Prices are good (it’s not overpriced like every other restaurant in Berkeley). The only thing I wish was different is the plastic tableware. Eating from ceramic and glass is so much better than plastic, but never the less, it’s my new favorite sushi spot.I had the mango jalapeño roll (excellent), sewers salad (excellent), miso soup (standard), sparking yuzu water (excellent), kagatobi super dry sake (very good). We left full and very satisfied.
Good sushi and general very nice service. I’ve been her 4-5 times, but be careful when getting takeout.Unfortunately, last time I ordered they forgot to add any soy sauce, napkins, chopsticks, and ponzu to the to-go order. Be sure to check your bag before you leave.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 3
Lon McPherson
First time in. Great food. Service was slow that day but worth the wait.
This was honestly some of the best nigiri I have had this year. They are located right next door to Monterey Fish Market. We decided to come here as Kiraku-rejects (3hr+ wait time there) and were pleasantly surprised by the outstanding quality of the fish and service. It was a Friday night at around 7pm and luckily we were able to be seated right away. We ordered quite a few things to share:- Asaka Treasure Box: Absolutely stunning presentation and fish quality. This comes with six pieces of nigiri and a cut roll of choice ina beautiful wooden box. The fish literally melts in your mouth and the spicy salmon roll was surprisingly good.- Assorted nigiri: Everything we ordered from the nigiri section was a hit. Highly recommend requesting a few pieces of salmon/salmon belly to be seared -- this was a game changer. Cuts of fish are generous here and I felt like I was full only after a few bites.- Mango Crunch Roll: My favorite roll here. Has a little but of everything and great textural contrast. The restaurant is clean and modern, yet still had the cozy feel of a neighborhood sushi spot. The service here was fantastic. The wait staff were so friendly and attentive. We ended the night with some hot tea and green tea ice cream which was lovely. Pretty reasonably priced sushi for the quality and love that they don't skimp on the fish! I will definitely be back next time I'm in the East Bay.
Angelica R.
4 Rolls and a Bottle of SakeIt was not busy around 6pm when we arrived on a Tuesday. Inside is is warm and cozy. We ordered 3 rolls. 1 of them was so good, we had to order it again. Crunchy MangoFestivalShow TimeThe show time roll was all of our favorites. It was smokey, had all the textures. Next time, we'll order 1 of these rolls for each of us. I will be returning for the Show Time roll and the service. I think it was quite affordable. $123 for the whole meal, including tax and tip. I also went with people that didn't like raw fish, and they loved all the options we choose, which featured raw fish.
Ally L.
Tried this place because I wanted solid nigiri and sashimi options without paying super high prices. Can definitely say it was worth it! I got the Asaka Treasure Box for $32 and it came with six pieces of nigiri and a Spicy Sake roll, as well as complimentary hot tea, salad, and miso soup. Really great portion for the price, especially considering how much I'd pay elsewhere in Berkeley for such solid quality. Service was great as well! They were super nice and attentive, I had no problems in that regard. Loved the atmosphere as well, I never really go to North Berkeley but this was worth the short bus ride from Downtown.
Ordered a dinner combo to go. The portion size was generous, but unfortunately, the grilled mackerel was quite unpleasant; the back side was overly charred. The salmon teriyaki lacked flavor, and the sashimi was of average quality, considering the price range.
Food: 3
This place is a gem! Amazing service and fresh, fresh sashimi, nigiri and rolls. Can’t wait to come back!Vegetarian options: Plenty of vegetarian options. Great flavor and fresh ingredients.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Overpriced mediocre sushi and poor service. There are better places to get sushi nearby.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 1
Asaka is a delightful addition to the North Berkeley restaurant scene! The food is delicious, the service impeccable, and the owner generously donated a few platters of sushi ? to the Japanese American Experience event we held last month at St. Mary Magdalen Church. Come check it out!Vegetarian options: Honestly, I don't know if there are main dishes for vegetarians, but their edamame was delicious!Kid-friendliness: I think children would enjoy the food here.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Very friendly service and the freshest ingredients ever.The place is cozy and clean we will be back.
Went on a whim and really enjoyed the food! Nigiri and Sashimi were fresh and flavorful. Wifey had hand rolls, she was happy with her meal as well. I definitely recommend giving this place a visit.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Nigiri Combo Special
Really delicious. We came here on a last minute pivot and we were not disappointed. The restaurant was empty and we were seated right away. The service was great. We got the lunch bento box and the mango tango and caterpillar roll. All were delicious and we would come back again.
NOM NOM! This review is for the takeout, which may I say, I almost never give five stars for sushi takeout. They are doing this right. Everything we had -- apps, edamame, rolls-- were all delicious. It was packaged sensibly and we had plenty of sauce where needed. Would definitely do Uber Eats from here again.
My Son an I found this place looking for recommendations for lunch. All our food was fresh and delicious.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
This is a legit sushi bar. It has the highest quality seafood I’ve found in Berkeley. It’s excellent. The service is great and it’s just a little off the beaten path which is a nice change from other parts of Berkeley. The restaurant is clean. There’s a nice mix of diners. Prices are good (it’s not overpriced like every other restaurant in Berkeley). The only thing I wish was different is the plastic tableware. Eating from ceramic and glass is so much better than plastic, but never the less, it’s my new favorite sushi spot.I had the mango jalapeño roll (excellent), sewers salad (excellent), miso soup (standard), sparking yuzu water (excellent), kagatobi super dry sake (very good). We left full and very satisfied.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
Good sushi and general very nice service. I’ve been her 4-5 times, but be careful when getting takeout.Unfortunately, last time I ordered they forgot to add any soy sauce, napkins, chopsticks, and ponzu to the to-go order. Be sure to check your bag before you leave.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 3
First time in. Great food. Service was slow that day but worth the wait.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Edamame, Nigiri Combo Special, Rock & Roll, Gyoza, Shrimp Tempura
This was honestly some of the best nigiri I have had this year. They are located right next door to Monterey Fish Market. We decided to come here as Kiraku-rejects (3hr+ wait time there) and were pleasantly surprised by the outstanding quality of the fish and service. It was a Friday night at around 7pm and luckily we were able to be seated right away. We ordered quite a few things to share:- Asaka Treasure Box: Absolutely stunning presentation and fish quality. This comes with six pieces of nigiri and a cut roll of choice ina beautiful wooden box. The fish literally melts in your mouth and the spicy salmon roll was surprisingly good.- Assorted nigiri: Everything we ordered from the nigiri section was a hit. Highly recommend requesting a few pieces of salmon/salmon belly to be seared -- this was a game changer. Cuts of fish are generous here and I felt like I was full only after a few bites.- Mango Crunch Roll: My favorite roll here. Has a little but of everything and great textural contrast. The restaurant is clean and modern, yet still had the cozy feel of a neighborhood sushi spot. The service here was fantastic. The wait staff were so friendly and attentive. We ended the night with some hot tea and green tea ice cream which was lovely. Pretty reasonably priced sushi for the quality and love that they don't skimp on the fish! I will definitely be back next time I'm in the East Bay.
4 Rolls and a Bottle of SakeIt was not busy around 6pm when we arrived on a Tuesday. Inside is is warm and cozy. We ordered 3 rolls. 1 of them was so good, we had to order it again. Crunchy MangoFestivalShow TimeThe show time roll was all of our favorites. It was smokey, had all the textures. Next time, we'll order 1 of these rolls for each of us. I will be returning for the Show Time roll and the service. I think it was quite affordable. $123 for the whole meal, including tax and tip. I also went with people that didn't like raw fish, and they loved all the options we choose, which featured raw fish.
Tried this place because I wanted solid nigiri and sashimi options without paying super high prices. Can definitely say it was worth it! I got the Asaka Treasure Box for $32 and it came with six pieces of nigiri and a Spicy Sake roll, as well as complimentary hot tea, salad, and miso soup. Really great portion for the price, especially considering how much I'd pay elsewhere in Berkeley for such solid quality. Service was great as well! They were super nice and attentive, I had no problems in that regard. Loved the atmosphere as well, I never really go to North Berkeley but this was worth the short bus ride from Downtown.