“AMAZING vegetarian & vegan restaurant!!(⁎⁍̴̛ᴗ⁍̴̛⁎)❤️?I’ve been wanting to visit this place since my second year in Berkeley, and I’m glad I finally did!You can tell they made their food with great care and the ingredients are yummy and fresh!The staff are very nice; the vibe inside is clean and chill. This is a great place for you to hang out with a small group of friends or come alone to recharge your mental health (I mean seriously, their food is tasty, healthy, and pretty!)I’d definitely come back very often to try out all other creative cuisines! “
“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.“
“It was better before they changed their menu :( something about their sushi burritos is off and they're not as good as it used to be2023 edit: they're back to what they were before! Plus they have poke bowls now. Definitely recommend the sushi burritos now, they're so good!“
“For convenient ready made sushi, this place blew my mind. Didn't know what to expect going in and was met with melt-in-your mouth soft af salmon in their salmon roll. The rolls are a good size too. Perfect spot for someone on the go but also craving sushi. They give you chopsticks, soy sauce, and a napkin too. Thank you for the meal!“
“Some of the best sushi I’ve had, especially the salmon nigiri and lion king roll. Such big portions of fish. Not to mention the bowl was also a screaming deal for the amount of food you get and it’s so custom! Also came with some gluten free people and they were very “
“This is a wonderful Japanese restaurant. There is often a wait for a table, but the waits are usually short. The rolls are wonderful. My favorite is the Dragon roll. There is a large menu with Japanese salads, sushi, bento boxes, sashimi, noodles and tempura.“
“Food: Top notch sushi. If you want the luxury sushi experience, look no further. The chef himself studied and worked in Japan. Super intelligent man with a lot of knowledge about Japanese sushi. I highly recommend getting the fish of the day. It will blow your mind by how the fish melts in your mouth. If not, get any black cod dish. I get it every time I come here.Service: Awesome staff who hustles to please all customers. Cant thank them enough!“
“The definition of a hole in the wall. Or maybe hole in the ground is more apt. Half-embedded in concrete, flush with the sidewalk, Sushi Cal might be mistaken as an abandoned lot-- nope, this humble restaurant is fully open and has been for the past 30+ years!After visiting both pre- and post-pandemic, I still think this is the best spot for budget sushi. Prices have somehow stayed low without undermining quality. Their cooked dishes tend to run a little bland; the sushi is what you should be coming here for. I've had a variety of rolls and nigiri here with no complaints-- Fish is good quality, veg is fresh, portions are good. And the service is excellent, their staff are always welcoming and highly attentive. Every so often, they have live musicians playing to add to the cozy atmosphere. Very pleased that this local favorite is still going strong.“
“What a great find! Excellent menu with lots of delicious options, especially for vegetarians. Tofu rocked! Endless side dishes!Service was friendly, quick and excellent! Only complaint was the volume of the TV monitor. There was nice singing, it was just too loud. Otherwise, a wonderful place! We will return!“
“Not kidding when I say it’s the best sushi I’ve had in recent memory. The Bansho House Roll with shrimp and tempura salmon literally melted in my house. I normally like sushi, but I don’t love it. I LOVED their sushi. My family also absolutely loved their ramen. Don’t walk here, RUN. Cherry on the cake was that it’s a cute little place.“
“Used to be a small mom and pop grocery and was so good they became a restaurant. The sushi is super fresh and made to order and they also have delicious Ramen, katsu, danburry (not sure how that's spelled lol). The tempura soft shell crab is amazing! Also had the steak, shitake and fresh tofu and wow! The tofu was like a cloud or a pillow. So good.Vegetarian options: Lots of clearly labeled vegetarian and vegan sushi. Tons of varieties. Lots of things like natto and pickled plum that you cannot find at other sushi places. This is an old Berkeley buisness and with vegetarian sushi they know what they're doing!Dietary restrictions: Gluten free soy sauce can be requested and then about 75% of the menu is gluten free. Sushi chef is in another section from where the hot food is cooked so no cross contamination.“
“I ordered food from here on New Years and it was absolutely delicious. I came back tonight and was super satisfied with the service. The new owners are really nice and make great sushi. I definitely recommend coming here and trying the dragon role. It was amazing!“
“Update: if you love Udon cooked in its own broth, then you have to try it here! The rich flavor of the broth made this simple dish quite tasty along with it topped with various vegetable tempura. It only took them less than 10 minutes to make and made for a very quick treat for dinner!!!“
“Hubby and I had an appointment nearby so we decided to have lunch here afterwards. The atmosphere here is relaxing and spacious and we both ordered the two item bento box and beef gyoza. The gyoza came out tasty and crispy and I never had beef gyoza before. Hubby ordered the chicken teriyaki and tempura and I ordered the salmon teriyaki and tempura. Salmon was nice and tender, chicken was alittle dry and tempura was a-ok. Service was attentive. If we come here again when we're in the area, I will try the sashimi and/or sushi rolls.“
“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.“
“I am no sushi expert but the place in Albany across from the fire dept is where I have been going. Luckily I came across Kiku by chance and the difference is dramatic from the basics point of view. Example 1 no fishy smell2 real seafood not fake crab in their Cal RollsThe quality is apparent now that I have tasted the difference.“
“I'm so happy this place opened up in my neighborhood! I'm pretty sure I've been to the previous restaurant back in the day too and they've done such a good job redecorating the place! It looks so bright and fresh and cute. I love the ambiance! Service is super nice. Came on a Monday night and ordered almost everything from their happy hour menu. It's 5-8pm which is pretty late for a happy hour! We also ordered the hamachi kama and my all time fave - wasabi tako. It's so hard to find wasabi tako! It did come way last which I feel like it usually comes first? Definitely going to become regulars here. It's so convenient and yummy and affordable. Everything was so tasty. Loved the takoyaki and the hand rolls. Def going to order more of the rolls next time!!“
“It had been a while since while since I came to Akemi and some friends were feeling like a sushi night so I suggested this place. I’m so glad their food is still good as I remembered it and my favorite roll will always be their Evil Roll! So delicious we tried a variety of different and were happy with our choices.Parking: Be ready to drive around to look for parking specially on a Friday or Saturday night.“
“I value consistency and get the same thing everytime: miso soup and double order of shrimp tempura rolls. Always freshly prepared and easily best of the bay worthy. Sometimes I forget to request chopsticks but the staff is always nice about it when I call. The amount of food for the price/quality is also great.“
“This place is the comfort food place of all comfort food places. Whenever I'm feeling sad or need a pick-me-up, I know that Katsumi will never disappoint. I always order either the California Roll or the Crunch California (fried CR with unagi sauce) and it's always delicious. It comes with ginger and wasabi, and the uncle working there is so nice. He's always friendly, smiles, and had the food out in a heartbeat. While you can't eat inside (it's in Asian Ghetto), there's ample space outside. If you go to Berkeley and haven't been here you have to becuase it's by far the BEST sushi spot at Berkeley :)“
“Most of the food is good , some are misses. To start: take wasabi - yes, yes, yes! Really good and the portions are generous. Fried octopus was fresh and nice. We didn't like hotate scallop , because they just poured mayo all over it.Ugh, who does it to the Hokkaido ones!! But then they fixed it with Hamachi Kama, the cheek was perfectly cooked, fresh and the sauce was amazing. All in all - an amazing neighborhood izakaya. Maybe not worth a drive from SF, but if you're here - it's a good place to visit.“
“the shared plates and appetizers here are amazing. it's actually very reasonable to have a family style meal here and I would definitely recommend doing so over getting the sushi individually. the eggplant, brussels sprouts, tofu mushroom pockets, and katsu are my go-to.“