This spot provides amazing service and delightful meals. The best restaurant around town. The food served quick and the rates were reasonable. I recommend this place.
Angel Z.
PRE-COVID review Place is in the heart of Downtown Berkeley. On the outside, it has pretty aesthetics to draw you in. However, I low-key felt baited. Walked into this place and the first thing I smelled was ammonia. If a Japanese place does not smell like ramen or food at all, it's already a red flag. Food from this place is hit or miss. Takoyaki is solid here, ain't wonderful but it hits the spot. Doesn't come out soggy, and there's a perfect amount of octopus to dough ratio. Fulfills my cravings. The bowls are also usually decently-sized and they give you a lot of food. My go to usually is the Shrimp Bowl. Generous amount of shrimp with broccoli, very filling. However, I would pass on their ramen. Taiko Mt. Fuji ramen came out lukewarm and was mediocre. Broth was flavorful but the noodles were a bit soggy. Just didn't feel like I was getting my money's worth. Meals are affordable and value is great. Would recommend to college students and others who want a cheap meal. However, don't expect authentic mind-blowing Japanese food from this place. It's just alright.
Jocelyn L.
Pre-COVID: The whole vibe of the restaurant is so soothing: dim lighting, dark furniture, and good quality music. You typically don't have to wait long to order or get your food, which is nice. The food, however, is really good. There's a huge variety so it took me a pretty long time to figure out what I wanted, but I ended up getting the katsudon bowl. The katsudon was so good. The serving size was much larger than I expected, and there was lots of pork and egg that came with the rice. The egg blended perfectly with the rice and added extra flavor, while the pork wasn't overfried but still crispy enough. Totally worth coming here for a try.
ashley
The ramen was delicious and the setting was calm, the workers were super nice and I even got to see how they make the ramen would love to come back
刘天任
The tempura and takoyaki I ordered don't taste as delicious as those I had in other restaurants. I strongly recommend to avoid tempura, especially if you are not visiting in the busy hour.
Richie Zeng
Pretty convenient place to get a wide variety of Japanese food. It's located right in the center of downtown and right next to my office so I usually come here when I'm too lazy to walk any further.
Tim T.
Horrific waiting times. I generally like the food (value is so-so at best) but every time I come i endure an astonishing amount of wait time. They seem well staffed but they just don't move fast. I waited 20m for a rice bowl with only one person in front of me. Lunch time needs speed and they simply don't deliver on that. I'm done trying this place out.
Tiffani A.
The cashier, Jessica was so rude. I've been here twice but every time I visit, the dirty dishes are piling on the trash can where trays and dishes are to be returned. It's so disgusting. I wonder how sanitary this is. They definitely need more staff in here because the cashier is in charge of everything except cooking the food. The wait is always long even to have your order taken. I do enjoy the taste of the food.
Christine Nguyen
Great portions for the price! Relatively healthy and cheap Japanese bento.
L Guerra
The food is consistently fresh and tasty, cashiers provides excellent service. I like how clean it is and mood. I highly recommend this place.
Such a lovely Japanese lovely dessert place! You would always find one kinda of your favorites. Taiyaki ice cream is a must to try if you never had one before. I ordered the caramel black teamcrepe cake an and matcha bamboo tube this time. It’s so good so delicious and so much fun to eat.
Stan Mosca
This is doubtless one of the tastiest place in the region. Every time I go there I am absolutely pleased. They maintain their very high level service and the highest level of cooking they offer. You are always happy with this restaurant. Very recommended.
Rafael Ramos
Awesome place. Anybody who is trying it for the first time should definitely get the teriyaki bowl.
Sherry B.
I like bento. I like bento even more if it's affordable. I had the chicken bento for about $11 and it was pretty good! It came with rice, California rolls, edamame, pickled ginger, wasabi, and miso soup on the side. If you have a little-bit-of-everything kind of appetite, a bento is the way to go!
William G.
The atmosphere and setting of this place is great and on the surface, a lot of their menu options seem tasty. However, I ordered the Super Bowl and was pretty disappointed. Aside from the high price, the bowl didn't really feel like a bowl. The best bowls are the ones where you're slurping everything with the rice, but here the ingredients felt separately cooked. I ended up just eating the meats and then having some rice with what teriyaki sauce was left.
This spot provides amazing service and delightful meals. The best restaurant around town. The food served quick and the rates were reasonable. I recommend this place.
PRE-COVID review Place is in the heart of Downtown Berkeley. On the outside, it has pretty aesthetics to draw you in. However, I low-key felt baited. Walked into this place and the first thing I smelled was ammonia. If a Japanese place does not smell like ramen or food at all, it's already a red flag. Food from this place is hit or miss. Takoyaki is solid here, ain't wonderful but it hits the spot. Doesn't come out soggy, and there's a perfect amount of octopus to dough ratio. Fulfills my cravings. The bowls are also usually decently-sized and they give you a lot of food. My go to usually is the Shrimp Bowl. Generous amount of shrimp with broccoli, very filling. However, I would pass on their ramen. Taiko Mt. Fuji ramen came out lukewarm and was mediocre. Broth was flavorful but the noodles were a bit soggy. Just didn't feel like I was getting my money's worth. Meals are affordable and value is great. Would recommend to college students and others who want a cheap meal. However, don't expect authentic mind-blowing Japanese food from this place. It's just alright.
Pre-COVID: The whole vibe of the restaurant is so soothing: dim lighting, dark furniture, and good quality music. You typically don't have to wait long to order or get your food, which is nice. The food, however, is really good. There's a huge variety so it took me a pretty long time to figure out what I wanted, but I ended up getting the katsudon bowl. The katsudon was so good. The serving size was much larger than I expected, and there was lots of pork and egg that came with the rice. The egg blended perfectly with the rice and added extra flavor, while the pork wasn't overfried but still crispy enough. Totally worth coming here for a try.
The ramen was delicious and the setting was calm, the workers were super nice and I even got to see how they make the ramen would love to come back
The tempura and takoyaki I ordered don't taste as delicious as those I had in other restaurants. I strongly recommend to avoid tempura, especially if you are not visiting in the busy hour.
Pretty convenient place to get a wide variety of Japanese food. It's located right in the center of downtown and right next to my office so I usually come here when I'm too lazy to walk any further.
Horrific waiting times. I generally like the food (value is so-so at best) but every time I come i endure an astonishing amount of wait time. They seem well staffed but they just don't move fast. I waited 20m for a rice bowl with only one person in front of me. Lunch time needs speed and they simply don't deliver on that. I'm done trying this place out.
The cashier, Jessica was so rude. I've been here twice but every time I visit, the dirty dishes are piling on the trash can where trays and dishes are to be returned. It's so disgusting. I wonder how sanitary this is. They definitely need more staff in here because the cashier is in charge of everything except cooking the food. The wait is always long even to have your order taken. I do enjoy the taste of the food.
Great portions for the price! Relatively healthy and cheap Japanese bento.
The food is consistently fresh and tasty, cashiers provides excellent service. I like how clean it is and mood. I highly recommend this place.
Restaurantji Recommends
Such a lovely Japanese lovely dessert place! You would always find one kinda of your favorites. Taiyaki ice cream is a must to try if you never had one before. I ordered the caramel black teamcrepe cake an and matcha bamboo tube this time. It’s so good so delicious and so much fun to eat.
This is doubtless one of the tastiest place in the region. Every time I go there I am absolutely pleased. They maintain their very high level service and the highest level of cooking they offer. You are always happy with this restaurant. Very recommended.
Awesome place. Anybody who is trying it for the first time should definitely get the teriyaki bowl.
I like bento. I like bento even more if it's affordable. I had the chicken bento for about $11 and it was pretty good! It came with rice, California rolls, edamame, pickled ginger, wasabi, and miso soup on the side. If you have a little-bit-of-everything kind of appetite, a bento is the way to go!
The atmosphere and setting of this place is great and on the surface, a lot of their menu options seem tasty. However, I ordered the Super Bowl and was pretty disappointed. Aside from the high price, the bowl didn't really feel like a bowl. The best bowls are the ones where you're slurping everything with the rice, but here the ingredients felt separately cooked. I ended up just eating the meats and then having some rice with what teriyaki sauce was left.