50 Best Japanese Restaurants near El Cerrito

“Excellent take-out. Love their unagi, spicy crab salad, every roll that I’ve tried. And they are so nice!!“

“I've been a regular customer for 20 years. I've been going to Katana-ya with my parents since I was little, and even now, after getting married, I bring my wife back. Tokyo Feng is still as delicious as ever. Their sushi has been infused with innovative elements, and the flavor and texture have improved. The portions are generous, and the prices are affordable! Tokyo Feng, we hope you continue to do better and continue to do well for another 20 years!“

“This place is so worth it. My family has been going for 10+ years, almost since the beginning of the restaurant when it was in a different location. Aki-San will tell you when you’re eating something wrong, but it’s not mean-spirited. You should definitely ask him about his life and his journey to becoming a sushi chef. The sushi is the best you will ever have, even better than sushi I had when I visited Japan. It may be very expensive, but if you have the means it is extremely worth the price. Don’t ask for specific things, get what he recommends (but don’t be scared if you have diet restrictions to ask for something that works). Is is an amazing experience so if you go really enjoy it.“

“This sushi spot is pretty great! I'm a big sushi lover and had never been here before. The restaurant itself is small inside but the sushi is well made and you can tell they put effort into it. All the sushi and sashimi was fresh and tasted great. I would definitely recommend this place and I will definitely be back. Thank you!“

“Hidden gem in El Cerrito, food was tasty and served promptly. We had beef appetizer, miso soup, nigiri tuna an yellow tail, suno mono and regular salad. The suno mono was good, but not as great as the other dishes. Our waitress was very attentive and smiled a lot, that’s probably just how people from Nepal are. We will be returning to checkout happy hour when they have their special deals.“

“Reminded me a lot of when I visited Japan From the wonderful servers fast food prep ambience of inside the restaurant and most importantly the meals were very good and so much to pick from 😁“

“What a treat! Highly recommend“

“Best Japanese Curry in town !“

“Reservations were a little hard to get, but the experience itself is great. Good food, although a bit heavy (as one would expect from fried food, with several meat dishes). The food is aiming to give an authentic japanese experience, and the staff were extremely nice and friendly.“

“It’s a small and cozy izakaya, perfect for dining alone or with a small group of 3–4 people. I ordered appetizers from the special menu. First up: Mentaiko Zucchini (so delicious! The very first bite was refreshing, followed by the rich umami saltiness of the mentaiko. A little dip in Karashi mustard made it even better—definitely a must-try! Highly recommended).

Next was Kuramaebi, tiger prawns deep-fried tempura style and topped with tartar sauce. After that, I ordered Ba-ra Kushiyaki and Kobe Kushiyaki (served 2 skewers each). I especially enjoyed the Kobe—it was grilled perfectly and went really well with Shichimi Togarashi. If it had the same green onion topping as the Ba-ra, I think it would have been absolutely perfect.😋“

“If you want the freshest fish downtown has to offer.... go to Sanraku“

“Excellent Japanese cuisine, service and staff are wonderful and helpful“

“Omg! The Ribs are amazing!“

“awesome a must try, this is a hidden gem“

“I've ordered delivery from here 5 times.
Solid food (except the one time I had a scale in my sushi roll). Not bad service (wish they'd be more accommodating with requests). Takes too damn long to make (~80 min ETA every time on DoorDash).

Prefer Sushi Shio. every. single. time.

P.S. will add more photos of the food if I ever order from here again.“

“Eating is a kind of happiness, taste is a kind of interest“

“Every single meat cut was cooked to perfection!! The menu is also designed very balanced, with vegetables and steamed eggs between meat courses to balance out the flavors. Chris helped us grill the meat and he’s such a delight to chat with!“

“Every dish truly amazed me!
The flavors, presentation, and attention to detail were outstanding.
I’m a huge fan of uni, and theirs was absolutely delicious — fresh, rich, and unforgettable.
The chef and staff were incredibly warm and attentive, which made the whole experience even better.
Highly recommend!“

“Probably the best meal I’ve ever had, super fun, exciting, every bite was perfect. Intimate and fast process“

“Until we get Japanese 7-elevens, I believe this is the closest we will come to authentic egg salad and fruit sandos. I’ve read about their lines, but we were lucky enough to stop in right at opening on a Holiday weekend and didn’t have to wait at all. Bonus, seating was available too. They have daily specials that were very tempting, but we stuck to the classics. 10/10 would come again.“

“Sushi bar runs by Chinese? Why not?
The origin of sushi has to trace the sushi’s roots back to China—and even further, to Southeast Asia. The earliest form of sushi, called narezushi, was a method of preserving fish by fermenting it with rice. This technique likely developed in the Mekong and Irrawaddy River basins and was adopted by the Baiyue people of southern China. The Han Chinese documented it as early as the 4th century BCE.
So yes, Chi ese gave sushi the practice beginning.

Twice we dined here, savoring sushi not from a Japanese bar, but from a Chinese family’s hands—gentle, precise, and quietly proud. The flavors whispered of history: from riverbanks in southern China to the bustling streets of Edo. Sushi, reborn and reimagined.“

“Great food and great service“

“This place is a gem. Stumbled in here when HK lounge was too full for lunch. It was deserted when we came in and the prices were a little high, so I was a little apprehensive but let me tell you what, this place is phenomenal. Staff is very kind and the food was fantastic. Each cut of fish was so good and melted in your mouth. Lots of effort was put into the plating. We came for lunch and had the salmon chirashi bowl and the bento box. We will be back. And soon. Also they have live blue fin tuna cutting.“

“Delicious food and friendly staff“

“Tasty spot with great flavors! We got handrolls, trout, hwe dup bap, oxtail jjigae, gai lan, and chocolate cake which was kind of the best chocolate cake I've had in a while. The handrolls and hwe dup bap were my favorite! I was glad to try everything but I would prob get the wagyu sam instead of the oxtail next time. Can't wait to be back.“

“I just moved back to the city not too long ago and the vivid memory of having bone marrow ramen popped up in my head. Before I went to the location over in the Sunset district. When I went to Google the spot, found out there was on SOMA. Went over there on my lunch break and it was just as amazing as before. I didn't grab the bone marrow add-on this time. Huge regret. However, still delicious. This is one of the ramen spots I'd recommend to friends to go to. Now that I know the SOMA location is a choice, I will stop by every so often to get my fix.“

“Super delicious 👍 I never eat Japan food super good like this before.“

“Good food, great, friendly service. Going to a new restaurant with young kids can be a bit harrowing, you never k ow how kid friendly the atmosphere will be. The server could not have been nicer. Chicken Katsu was some of the crispiest I’ve had!“

“The atmosphere and presentation of the food was extremely chic! The meal was delicious!!“

“I've been a fan of Kibatsu since their early days when they first opened Sugoi! on Valencia. Over the years, they've expanded to three locations and consistently deliver exceptional sushi and Japanese cuisine. Their food never disappoints—trust me, it's worth the visit every time.

In fact, I once dined here 8 days in a row because I just couldn't get enough! If you're unsure what to order, I highly recommend trying the Omakase—you'll be glad you did. Some of my favorites include Ponzu Walu, Walu, Amaebi, Wagyu, Uni, Umimatsu, Kimedai, and countless other delicious options.

If you're craving top-quality fish and authentic Japanese flavors, Kibatsu is the place to go. Don't miss out!“

“awesome service and amazingly fresh sushi! open from 4:30 to 9:30. on Geary near masonic“

“Truly excellent place that has been here in the neighborhood forever. We've been coming here or getting orders togo for a decade and it's been the same folks running it the whole time and they are superb.
2025 update - still going strong. great food and great service!“

“Incredibly fresh fish and superb attention to detail. Great experience overall.

Dietary restrictions: Waitress asked if we had any allergies or food restrictions when we placed the order.

Kid-friendliness: Our 5 and 6 year old kids were welcomed. They dropped a ton of stuff on floor but waitress was kind and gave us new utensils.“

“Intimate sushi and Japanese restaurant. The handrolls are delicious, crispy and subtle flavor. The fish is fresh (key to good sushi and sashimi). It's definitely higher level Japanese restaurant. And the servers are attentive and very friendly. They gave my toddler special attention and kept him happy ( no small feat). Definitely a premium sushi and sashimi restaurant at a reasonable price.“

“This is a great spot! The service was great and very fast. The person serving us was very nice and attentive. We had the karage and sushi combo which came with more fish than we were expecting! Everything was very fresh and nicely presented. They had a lot of different seating areas -- it was two of us this time but would be suitable for bigger groups too. I always love getting an Andes mint after dinner too:) Definitely recommend and will be coming back!“

“Jo's awesome. We had a great experience. Highly recommended for birthdays or just being together 👯‍♀️💯👍“

“Nigiri combo is excellent! I can’t wait to try the sashimi combo next. I came just before they were closing for lunch and people were steadily coming either to pick up or eat-in up until their closing time. It seemed they were regular customers who are keeping this place a secret and happy to say, I am on it already. Can’t wait to go back.“

“We were on our way to SF MOMA for Ruth Asawa, but we were really hungry. Thankfully Japanese House was close by. We were offered tea by the very welcoming host right as we sat down. We ordered the Dragon and Tsunami Rolls, both were good, with the Dragon being my favorite. We also had the Chicken Katsu Curry which was flavorful. All in all a very satisfying experience.“

“Went for a dinner and concert (Brian Simpson, oh yeah!). Purchased premium seating tickets and also made reservations to the restaurant. If you have tickets and you eat at the restaurant they will assign you preferred seating (not premier, but all seats are good in there). The restaurant is gorgeous inside. Menu and food was excellent. Highly recommend.“

“I cannot say I had a bad experience. Everything was my favorite“

“Quality is key with any meal. Roger-San is all about quality. Sit at the bar if you can!“

“Sushi was great and Ti the owner was very generous.“

“Great fried chicken, and my friends food truck is there!“

“Very beautiful!!!! Vale a pena conhecer“

“I’ve been here since they opened, and I’ll admit I eat here once or twice a week. I even take friends and family here when they’re in town. I’ve eaten during lunch and dinner. Love getting the yakitori bento during lunch. My husband and I always try to eat here during dinner as well! The staff is always so friendly and the hostess with the beautiful silver lavender hair always greets me.

Food is always prompt and yummy. I always have to fight myself not to eat here so often lol.“

“Nice little spot! Emphasis on little. Went in, was the only diner for a while until a few other folks came in. Sat at the counter that had a convenient foot bar. Staff was attentive. The music was really calming too.
Ordered the duck breast ramen for 1$18 and it was so good! Great flavors! Was so excited to eat, I burned my tongue a little🥲 Didn’t try any sushi, but if you’re looking for a ramen fix, you won’t be disappointed!“

“Great food, service was great. Would recommend to anyone“

“Love this place, I feel safe and the food is incredible“

“ALWAYS a fantastic and tasty dinner. ☺️“

“I have been wanting to try their bento and macha for a long time. they always have a line outside. this time i made it. the macha is thick. next time i will order without the strawberry paste. I ordered duck bento for food and it looks so cute. it is slightly spicy. next time i will come bk and try their bento salmon one - it is sold out already :(“