Probably one of the best sushi places I have ever visited in the Bay. I'm taking out a star because the wait was way TOO long. We ordered 2 miso soups, 2 rolls, and some nigiris. It took more than 40 minutes to arrive, and everything came at different times, which is disappointing if you want to enjoy the dishes together. I will come back, but definitely not on weekends.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 3
Recommended dishes: Nigiri, Roll
Lila Rosenberg
Great food, tastes so fresh, lovely owner
Erin Mahoney
Fantastic food, solid price, will be going back
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Sarah Moradi Fard
We really liked sushi and sashimi here. Super fresh. Miso soup and beer served here were great too!
I had the ramen a few weeks ago, and it was pretty good, but I had it again tonight and it was just spot-on. Egg cooked perfectly, nice broth. Definitely my go-to spot now.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 5
Jesse Cassar
This place overall great. The sushi was super fresh and everything tasted great. You can tell it’s the real deal. The place was such a good vibe too. Not too bright, homey and cute. And of course the service was perfect. They were friendly and attentive, not pushy. They kept our waters filled and gave great suggestions about the fresh catch of the day. Oh and the chilled and unfiltered sake was amazing! Totally hit the spot on a hot Berkeley day!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Matt McMahon
fun atmosphere, great food, great fast friendly service!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Jennifer L.
4/5 is slightly on the generous side, but overall I had a good experience here! We came with a party of 6 that later grew to 9 on a Sunday around 1:30pm and there was no wait. I ordered the nigiri combination and they let me replace the tuna maki with salmon instead! The fish quality was not *the best* that I've ever had, but fresh enough for the price that I would order it again. I had some friends order the beef teriyaki & fried oyster bento and that was pretty good too (I tried a piece of each). The food might come out a little slow for large parties but I needed to leave earlier and they were able to give me my food first.
Alejandro S.
I decided to try this little sushi place near a dance studio I come to practice often.Unfortunately I'm a bit disappointed, almost everything was subpar.TL:DR: would I eat here again, probably not.Things that make me say that:* considering how few tables they have, and that there were like there servers, they never came to check in, I had to try get their attention to ask them to fix the pet her the chefs got wrong (I know it was the chefs because I saw the server write down my order as I asked for it)* the food was average, so quite expensive for the quality of the fish served* also the quality of the cuts wasn't great, some fish pieces were falling apart, or some likely not cut in the right direction which made it extra chewy (the bream), and these were supposedly the premium nigiri, $12, and was quite worse than the regular nigiri in the menu* as for stuff that usually should be the better picks from the chef, I really felt I paid for regular or less that best quality stuff. For a chirashi I was given mostly rice and Tamago, so, not sure where my $35 order really paid for? 1 piece of average sake which didn't look very freshAnd regular tuna (which I would expect perhaps more of a bluefin tuna)* then funny, again, waiting and looking to find them to ask for the check, and when they bring it, no pen, so I can't sign * definitely I don't feel like my small and below average meal was worth $72, maybe $40ish, but not 72.Hope they can improve because it has a potential but needs work.
Juan Pantoja
They took a long time to bring us the food but they brought it all at different times which is not cool specially since the other people have to wait to get the remainder food and on top of that they forgot one person's order on top of waiting so long . Also that didn't deserve a 20% tip which was mandatory on
There are SO many reasons to eat here, for one: the service is top notch. When you walk in each staff person greets you in a friendly and direct manner. So much so that is in fact impossible to determine their 'roles' and whois the 'bus-person' and who is the server, or host. With my two decades of customer service experience- I found this charming and decided to give some items on the menu a try- promising myself I would be good and only try an item or two and be back later to try it more thoroughly with my partner- who happens to have a more particular and discriminating yet limited palette.However- once trying my top 2 favorite sushi items for judging all restaurants by:Sake Nigiri (2 pc. Raw Salmon Slices banded w seaweed over rice) - It was off the charts buttery and amazing cut, served and the rice was not too sweet or tightly pressed, and of the right temperature.The second roll I started my assessment by was the Negihama Maki- the Yellowtail with Seaweed wrapped around the outside. It was out of this world. At that point I was hooked for life- I was so impressed at the dexterity of rolling and the flavor and freshness of the fish! They even write on the board where they purchase it from (who else does that??)And so from there I just had to try the Hirame Nigiri (halibut), which was cut glass-thin so as to remain delicate in flavor and not too chewy, amd underlaid with Shiso, one of the most under-used and delicate and delicious green herbs I have ever tasted. Then we went back to a maki roll, choosing another long time favorite-Spicy Tuna!! This is one that is often easily done wrong in SO many different ways. Sushi Chef (Max) not only prepared mine with the Sisho herb in it on my request, but he also knowingly only added a smidge of it as a true pro would (highly recommend this!). And the level of hotness was not too hot or too bland- just Goldilocks perfect!! They also have a 'fresh from Japan Menu' which I honestly have never seen in any sushi restaurant around here.My Highest most flavorful review for people who DON'T like raw fishy tastes but want to explore sushi, try the Rock n' Roll Maki - a delicate combo of California avocado, with grilled eel, and chopstick slices of cucumber, wrapped together with seaweed. Enjoyment for the whole family, and easy to chew as well!All in all the other food looked amazing on the plates when I looked around to the nearly full restaurant- when I arrived around 4:30 on a sleepy Friday afternoon, it was empty, and now making myself leave around 7:00 pm- it is hopping and has been for hours! There are wait times of up to an hour for sit in or pick-up orders, around the dinner time hours for this spot so please- plan ahead and don't - pretty please - DON'T take it out on the waitstaff! Manage your own time well if you have the money to eat out don't blame others for the privilege of it.
Tina L.
I was looking for a good spot to eat dinner by myself and I came across this place. For dinner, I ordered 1 sake (salmon belly) nigiri, 1 toro nigiri, 1 Honor roll, and 1 Dragon roll. Although this place is on the pricier side, the service was great, the ambiance of this place was cozy, and fish was fresh, tender and great quality.
Jia min C.
This place was fine-- the service wasn't as bad as some other reviewers experienced, but the food was a little disappointing. The miso soup was way too salty. The hot sake was more on the warm side than the hot side. My friend and I split the Alcatraz roll and the Ready to Roll, and she also got the salmon belly nigiri which she loves. The Alcatraz roll was good-- I really liked it. The Ready to Roll wasn't too well rolled in that multiple pieces started to fall apart when you pick it up with chopsticks. One of the servers were really nice, but the other one was a little weird mainly in that he came to pick up the signed checks before we got up to leave. I don't think there were people waiting for a table, and we certainly hadn't lingered for a long time so it was a little off-putting to get the universal server sign for "Please leave". We were kinda tucked away in one of the corners by the window so the layout of the restaurant at one of the front corners is a little cramped and you have to maneuver a little around the tables and chairs to get to it, but it was fine and it made for a cozy quiet corner.
Pat F
Mitama's great, although my son and I agreed we prefer the bentou's to the entrees.
Michael Yang
It may look like an average neighborhood sushi restaurant, but they actually serve well made and generous portions of very high quality fish. One of the better sushi options in the area!
Probably one of the best sushi places I have ever visited in the Bay. I'm taking out a star because the wait was way TOO long. We ordered 2 miso soups, 2 rolls, and some nigiris. It took more than 40 minutes to arrive, and everything came at different times, which is disappointing if you want to enjoy the dishes together. I will come back, but definitely not on weekends.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 3
Recommended dishes: Nigiri, Roll
Great food, tastes so fresh, lovely owner
Fantastic food, solid price, will be going back
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
We really liked sushi and sashimi here. Super fresh. Miso soup and beer served here were great too!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Sushi, Organic Miso Soup, Roll, Salmon Sashimi
I had the ramen a few weeks ago, and it was pretty good, but I had it again tonight and it was just spot-on. Egg cooked perfectly, nice broth. Definitely my go-to spot now.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 5
This place overall great. The sushi was super fresh and everything tasted great. You can tell it’s the real deal. The place was such a good vibe too. Not too bright, homey and cute. And of course the service was perfect. They were friendly and attentive, not pushy. They kept our waters filled and gave great suggestions about the fresh catch of the day. Oh and the chilled and unfiltered sake was amazing! Totally hit the spot on a hot Berkeley day!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
fun atmosphere, great food, great fast friendly service!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
4/5 is slightly on the generous side, but overall I had a good experience here! We came with a party of 6 that later grew to 9 on a Sunday around 1:30pm and there was no wait. I ordered the nigiri combination and they let me replace the tuna maki with salmon instead! The fish quality was not *the best* that I've ever had, but fresh enough for the price that I would order it again. I had some friends order the beef teriyaki & fried oyster bento and that was pretty good too (I tried a piece of each). The food might come out a little slow for large parties but I needed to leave earlier and they were able to give me my food first.
I decided to try this little sushi place near a dance studio I come to practice often.Unfortunately I'm a bit disappointed, almost everything was subpar.TL:DR: would I eat here again, probably not.Things that make me say that:* considering how few tables they have, and that there were like there servers, they never came to check in, I had to try get their attention to ask them to fix the pet her the chefs got wrong (I know it was the chefs because I saw the server write down my order as I asked for it)* the food was average, so quite expensive for the quality of the fish served* also the quality of the cuts wasn't great, some fish pieces were falling apart, or some likely not cut in the right direction which made it extra chewy (the bream), and these were supposedly the premium nigiri, $12, and was quite worse than the regular nigiri in the menu* as for stuff that usually should be the better picks from the chef, I really felt I paid for regular or less that best quality stuff. For a chirashi I was given mostly rice and Tamago, so, not sure where my $35 order really paid for? 1 piece of average sake which didn't look very freshAnd regular tuna (which I would expect perhaps more of a bluefin tuna)* then funny, again, waiting and looking to find them to ask for the check, and when they bring it, no pen, so I can't sign * definitely I don't feel like my small and below average meal was worth $72, maybe $40ish, but not 72.Hope they can improve because it has a potential but needs work.
They took a long time to bring us the food but they brought it all at different times which is not cool specially since the other people have to wait to get the remainder food and on top of that they forgot one person's order on top of waiting so long . Also that didn't deserve a 20% tip which was mandatory on
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 3
Service: 3
Restaurantji Recommends
There are SO many reasons to eat here, for one: the service is top notch. When you walk in each staff person greets you in a friendly and direct manner. So much so that is in fact impossible to determine their 'roles' and whois the 'bus-person' and who is the server, or host. With my two decades of customer service experience- I found this charming and decided to give some items on the menu a try- promising myself I would be good and only try an item or two and be back later to try it more thoroughly with my partner- who happens to have a more particular and discriminating yet limited palette.However- once trying my top 2 favorite sushi items for judging all restaurants by:Sake Nigiri (2 pc. Raw Salmon Slices banded w seaweed over rice) - It was off the charts buttery and amazing cut, served and the rice was not too sweet or tightly pressed, and of the right temperature.The second roll I started my assessment by was the Negihama Maki- the Yellowtail with Seaweed wrapped around the outside. It was out of this world. At that point I was hooked for life- I was so impressed at the dexterity of rolling and the flavor and freshness of the fish! They even write on the board where they purchase it from (who else does that??)And so from there I just had to try the Hirame Nigiri (halibut), which was cut glass-thin so as to remain delicate in flavor and not too chewy, amd underlaid with Shiso, one of the most under-used and delicate and delicious green herbs I have ever tasted. Then we went back to a maki roll, choosing another long time favorite-Spicy Tuna!! This is one that is often easily done wrong in SO many different ways. Sushi Chef (Max) not only prepared mine with the Sisho herb in it on my request, but he also knowingly only added a smidge of it as a true pro would (highly recommend this!). And the level of hotness was not too hot or too bland- just Goldilocks perfect!! They also have a 'fresh from Japan Menu' which I honestly have never seen in any sushi restaurant around here.My Highest most flavorful review for people who DON'T like raw fishy tastes but want to explore sushi, try the Rock n' Roll Maki - a delicate combo of California avocado, with grilled eel, and chopstick slices of cucumber, wrapped together with seaweed. Enjoyment for the whole family, and easy to chew as well!All in all the other food looked amazing on the plates when I looked around to the nearly full restaurant- when I arrived around 4:30 on a sleepy Friday afternoon, it was empty, and now making myself leave around 7:00 pm- it is hopping and has been for hours! There are wait times of up to an hour for sit in or pick-up orders, around the dinner time hours for this spot so please- plan ahead and don't - pretty please - DON'T take it out on the waitstaff! Manage your own time well if you have the money to eat out don't blame others for the privilege of it.
I was looking for a good spot to eat dinner by myself and I came across this place. For dinner, I ordered 1 sake (salmon belly) nigiri, 1 toro nigiri, 1 Honor roll, and 1 Dragon roll. Although this place is on the pricier side, the service was great, the ambiance of this place was cozy, and fish was fresh, tender and great quality.
This place was fine-- the service wasn't as bad as some other reviewers experienced, but the food was a little disappointing. The miso soup was way too salty. The hot sake was more on the warm side than the hot side. My friend and I split the Alcatraz roll and the Ready to Roll, and she also got the salmon belly nigiri which she loves. The Alcatraz roll was good-- I really liked it. The Ready to Roll wasn't too well rolled in that multiple pieces started to fall apart when you pick it up with chopsticks. One of the servers were really nice, but the other one was a little weird mainly in that he came to pick up the signed checks before we got up to leave. I don't think there were people waiting for a table, and we certainly hadn't lingered for a long time so it was a little off-putting to get the universal server sign for "Please leave". We were kinda tucked away in one of the corners by the window so the layout of the restaurant at one of the front corners is a little cramped and you have to maneuver a little around the tables and chairs to get to it, but it was fine and it made for a cozy quiet corner.
Mitama's great, although my son and I agreed we prefer the bentou's to the entrees.
It may look like an average neighborhood sushi restaurant, but they actually serve well made and generous portions of very high quality fish. One of the better sushi options in the area!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4