My husband and I just went there and we are livid. We paid $63 for mediocre food. First of all, it reeks of bleach in the restaurant. And then I was served a salad that was just super wet.And then my salmon wasn’t cooked… see the photos. I’m not lying. Im very upset. We told the waitress. She didn’t offer to have the salmon cooked a little more or anything.We used to go there twice a week and we loved it but i guess, we won’t go back.I hope the waitress and cook reads this.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Tito B.
Food is consistently good. Service has always been great but varies when the crowd is packed. Ambiance has not changed in many years. But, we come here for the food be it lunch or dinner. Get the 'boat' if you have a small hungry group. Always pleased.two thumbs up.
Maurine S.
This was the halfway point to meet my BFF and it did not disappoint! We both ordered the lunch bento and split an order of tempura. Just enough food for the two of us! The portions were just right for the price. Whenever I try a new Japanese restaurant I get beef teriyaki and tempura so I can have a baseline. The amount of beef was more than I expected for the price and it was surprisingly juicy! The tempura had just the right amount of batter so it didn't taste like it was all crunchy batter. My friend ordered the saba shioyaki and she said it was tender and cooked just right. Having the california roll in the bento box was a nice touch and the roll tasted fresh! Loved the way the bento boxes came in two trays to make a whole "box". Very cute. The waitress was nice and filled our waters even after we paid which is nice cuz usually they just near you to leave. We might have to make this our regular spot! Parking was a little confusing in the back and street parking is an hour so keep track of time!
Luis G.
Koyomi has been our family favorite in Castro Valley for many years! We always order on our way home from the mountains.
Cynthia Kralj
Always wonderful service and the food is consistently delicious
Charles Christian
The food was great!
Food: 5
Service: 5
Rosemary M.
Early weekday lunch with family. Seated immediately and water brought, menus were already on the table. We asked for the separate beverage menu while we made our selections. The combination bento box lunches are a great deal (weekday lunch only); we had one lemon chicken (lemon sauce on the side), one teriyaki chicken. They were served as two courses; first you get the salad, miso soup and the 4-pc California roll; once finished, they bring the main item with hot rice (in a cute little bowl with a cover to keep it warm). We ordered the excellent Wakame salad, not over-dressed (very tasty), and the negihama roll. The yellowtail was fresh, not fishy; but the nori was tough and difficult to chew (the only flaw in the entire lunch experience). We had a Kloud beer and a Hakutsuru draft sake (slightly sweet and light, served with a sake glass (no masu box). We had excellent service from two servers. They were very attentive to our needs and looked out for us throughout the meal. We had a very nice lunch and will definitely be back!
Nancy Young
Nice little sushi place in Castro Valley. The quality is not bad but the greatest either. It’s good for neighborhood restaurant. They’re a bit stingy on the sashimi, slice very thin.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
Melissa A.
Picked up lunch for my office today and it was wonderful. The sushi was a big hit as were the bento boxes. Thank you so much, Koyomi!
Meredith S.
This place has become our favorite since we moved back to Castro Valley from Oakland. The staff here are delightful and polite and make thoughtful selections. They know my kids order already without me having to say! I've had a variety of rolls and appetizers, but the spicy tuna roll that is the house special is amazing. Has a delicious BBQ sauce on it and the whole thing is wonderful. Great ambiance and super clean. Love it!
Visited koyomi again after maybe after 5 months ... lot has changed positively but the quality is still pretty excellent !!! Love the service and exceptional customer satisfaction from my end ... almost give this place a 4.5 star now and tbh no place in Castro valley is remotely close to koyomi for me!
Susan H.
A cute local Japanese restaurant. The nigiri was fresh but very small, so I would definitely still be hungry after just that. The double salmon roll, I was disappointed by the vinaigrette that they drenched the roll in, so i couldn't taste the freshness of the salmon, I will definitely request no sauce on this roll if I order it again. I think the simplicity of just lemon with the salmon would be good. The chirashi donburi was very good, a good variety of fresh sashimi. We also ordered a tempura and salmon teriyaki bento. Everything came with a piping hot miso soup and salad. The salmon and tempura were both cooked well. Service was quick. Someone came by to refill my water without me asking. Overall, a great local Japanese restaurant, fresh fish, portions are a bit small, I only tried one roll but it was a miss for me. But I will definitely return to try other rolls and items on the menu.
Nini M.
Hmmm. I think I wanna give this place another try. My bf likes it but I think I need to try other items. We got the bento box with steak and tempura which he really liked. I got the lion king and ameabi nigiri the lion king was hot at the top and cold at the bottom, I don't think they fully backed the roll and just seared the top. It was still good but I would like it baked entirely. Ameabi (sweet shrimp) came with 3 for a good price. It wasn't as sweet as normal but still good. The fried head was really good. Service was good! We were checked on all the time. Ambiance is nice, open spot. Overall, I'll come back and give it another try!
Joy S.
Been going here since they opened! My kids, grandkids and numerous friends are regulars as well. That in itself has to tell you this place is great!!
Elle Dee R.
A family favorite. We love this local restaurant. I heard the owners changed which may be why I don't see the normal wait staff. Before COVID, we would celebrate birthdays here or just go for a nice dinner. It's hard to tell from outside but it's an absolutely lovely restaurant inside. And we've always been pleased with the service. It took my family a while to want to go out post-COVID (we just got used to DoorDashing everything). But we finally made it back to Koyomi and it's as charming as ever. We ordered: Salmon Teriyaki Chirashi Donburi Rainbow Roll Philadelphia Roll Combination Dinner Box Everything was so good! I'm particular about sashimi and Koyomi's was fresh and delicious. So glad they're in our town.
My husband and I just went there and we are livid. We paid $63 for mediocre food. First of all, it reeks of bleach in the restaurant. And then I was served a salad that was just super wet.And then my salmon wasn’t cooked… see the photos. I’m not lying. Im very upset. We told the waitress. She didn’t offer to have the salmon cooked a little more or anything.We used to go there twice a week and we loved it but i guess, we won’t go back.I hope the waitress and cook reads this.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Food is consistently good. Service has always been great but varies when the crowd is packed. Ambiance has not changed in many years. But, we come here for the food be it lunch or dinner. Get the 'boat' if you have a small hungry group. Always pleased.two thumbs up.
This was the halfway point to meet my BFF and it did not disappoint! We both ordered the lunch bento and split an order of tempura. Just enough food for the two of us! The portions were just right for the price. Whenever I try a new Japanese restaurant I get beef teriyaki and tempura so I can have a baseline. The amount of beef was more than I expected for the price and it was surprisingly juicy! The tempura had just the right amount of batter so it didn't taste like it was all crunchy batter. My friend ordered the saba shioyaki and she said it was tender and cooked just right. Having the california roll in the bento box was a nice touch and the roll tasted fresh! Loved the way the bento boxes came in two trays to make a whole "box". Very cute. The waitress was nice and filled our waters even after we paid which is nice cuz usually they just near you to leave. We might have to make this our regular spot! Parking was a little confusing in the back and street parking is an hour so keep track of time!
Koyomi has been our family favorite in Castro Valley for many years! We always order on our way home from the mountains.
Always wonderful service and the food is consistently delicious
The food was great!
Food: 5
Service: 5
Early weekday lunch with family. Seated immediately and water brought, menus were already on the table. We asked for the separate beverage menu while we made our selections. The combination bento box lunches are a great deal (weekday lunch only); we had one lemon chicken (lemon sauce on the side), one teriyaki chicken. They were served as two courses; first you get the salad, miso soup and the 4-pc California roll; once finished, they bring the main item with hot rice (in a cute little bowl with a cover to keep it warm). We ordered the excellent Wakame salad, not over-dressed (very tasty), and the negihama roll. The yellowtail was fresh, not fishy; but the nori was tough and difficult to chew (the only flaw in the entire lunch experience). We had a Kloud beer and a Hakutsuru draft sake (slightly sweet and light, served with a sake glass (no masu box). We had excellent service from two servers. They were very attentive to our needs and looked out for us throughout the meal. We had a very nice lunch and will definitely be back!
Nice little sushi place in Castro Valley. The quality is not bad but the greatest either. It’s good for neighborhood restaurant. They’re a bit stingy on the sashimi, slice very thin.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
Picked up lunch for my office today and it was wonderful. The sushi was a big hit as were the bento boxes. Thank you so much, Koyomi!
This place has become our favorite since we moved back to Castro Valley from Oakland. The staff here are delightful and polite and make thoughtful selections. They know my kids order already without me having to say! I've had a variety of rolls and appetizers, but the spicy tuna roll that is the house special is amazing. Has a delicious BBQ sauce on it and the whole thing is wonderful. Great ambiance and super clean. Love it!
Restaurantji Recommends
Visited koyomi again after maybe after 5 months ... lot has changed positively but the quality is still pretty excellent !!! Love the service and exceptional customer satisfaction from my end ... almost give this place a 4.5 star now and tbh no place in Castro valley is remotely close to koyomi for me!
A cute local Japanese restaurant. The nigiri was fresh but very small, so I would definitely still be hungry after just that. The double salmon roll, I was disappointed by the vinaigrette that they drenched the roll in, so i couldn't taste the freshness of the salmon, I will definitely request no sauce on this roll if I order it again. I think the simplicity of just lemon with the salmon would be good. The chirashi donburi was very good, a good variety of fresh sashimi. We also ordered a tempura and salmon teriyaki bento. Everything came with a piping hot miso soup and salad. The salmon and tempura were both cooked well. Service was quick. Someone came by to refill my water without me asking. Overall, a great local Japanese restaurant, fresh fish, portions are a bit small, I only tried one roll but it was a miss for me. But I will definitely return to try other rolls and items on the menu.
Hmmm. I think I wanna give this place another try. My bf likes it but I think I need to try other items. We got the bento box with steak and tempura which he really liked. I got the lion king and ameabi nigiri the lion king was hot at the top and cold at the bottom, I don't think they fully backed the roll and just seared the top. It was still good but I would like it baked entirely. Ameabi (sweet shrimp) came with 3 for a good price. It wasn't as sweet as normal but still good. The fried head was really good. Service was good! We were checked on all the time. Ambiance is nice, open spot. Overall, I'll come back and give it another try!
Been going here since they opened! My kids, grandkids and numerous friends are regulars as well. That in itself has to tell you this place is great!!
A family favorite. We love this local restaurant. I heard the owners changed which may be why I don't see the normal wait staff. Before COVID, we would celebrate birthdays here or just go for a nice dinner. It's hard to tell from outside but it's an absolutely lovely restaurant inside. And we've always been pleased with the service. It took my family a while to want to go out post-COVID (we just got used to DoorDashing everything). But we finally made it back to Koyomi and it's as charming as ever. We ordered: Salmon Teriyaki Chirashi Donburi Rainbow Roll Philadelphia Roll Combination Dinner Box Everything was so good! I'm particular about sashimi and Koyomi's was fresh and delicious. So glad they're in our town.