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!!“

“Really nice place with good-quality Japanese cuisine. The rolls are really tasty and really big, you can get enough with just one set! The Seafood Udon that’s in broth is brought in a pot in which it was cooked, very authentic. The bento box is delicious! We tried sushi in so many places this place is the best of the best. We always come back only here when we really want a good and quality sushi. I recommend 100% Lion king is our fav. Greatly recommend as a lunch or dinner place, the service is really good and the meals were brought pretty quickly.“

“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!“

“My family’s favorite restaurant. The presentation is amazing and let’s not talk about the sushi chefs they do a tremendous job , one of the best sushi restaurants I’ve ever been to in the Bay Area it’s a hidden gem . I totally recommend it .“

“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 !“

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

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

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

“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!“

“The food was very delicious. The sushi, the beef ramen and the eel rice dish were all excellently made, and the staff was also very friendly. Highly recommended if you are looking for a reasonably priced yet high-quality Japanese restaurant.“

“We tried both Happy Hour and dinner in one visit—two very different experiences. Overall, the food was solid. The beer was nothing special, but the cocktails were great. Happy Hour is a better deal, while dinner prices are on the higher side.“

“lovely place to sushi. The food is very delicious. The fish is very fresh and they have a great variety. Have many species sushi rolls, nigiri and appetizers you must to try. We sat at the bar. Chef Jackie made all our food and explained each fish to us. The potato toro tartar special recommended by the waiter, very delicious. The service and atmosphere were amazing. serves were fast and waiter was nice too.I had a wonderful experience and will definitely coming back. I recommend this place to everyone!“

“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!“

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

“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.“

“My partner and I went here for dinner tonight for a belated celebration of our anniversary - I’ve been eyeing this place for a while, and it was easily worth the wait!

The service and ambiance was among the warmest & friendliest I’ve experience in SF (and I eat out a LOT). Lots of small details in the decor and presentation that really elevated the experience and transported us back to Japan - even to the presentation of the check.

Our favorite courses were the caprese-like tofu, uni toro ikura handroll, and tonkatau pork loin. The ume sour and dessert were also delicious!!

Highly recommend and I’m excited to be back soon :)“

“Best authentic Japanese restaurant in town.“

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

“Great food and great service“

“Best chicken katsu sando in SF, maybe even in the US! Soft bread, and the patty is made of chicken thigh chunks neatly organized into a perfectly shaped patty that is crispy and juicy. I must’ve eaten it 20+ times by now.

How this little gem ended up in this random location is beyond me, but no use asking questions. Just have to embrace it!“

“Be it the service, ambience or the quality and taste of the food, this restaurant is truly amazing. We went there for our last evening in San Francisco and were extremely impressed.
Besides that, our server was extremely nice and accommodating and made our stay there even better.“

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

“This place is amazing. The ramen quality is very consistent here. But the curry rice plate is okay. This is a true gem amongst the many mediocre ramen shops in the bay area. This is a place I'm willing to drive to just for ramen even if it is in the city.“

“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 sever handled a busy store opening by themselves serving very well. At least 10 tables. He would constantly check in on us. Give us descriptions of each item he served. The skewers were amazing like always and loved the ginger hot sake! Definitely will be back“

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

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

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

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

“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!“

“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.“

“Delicious food and friendly staff“

“I have experienced many different types of sushi hand roll bars and this is one of my new favorites. The location is perfect , right in the heart of Jack London Square and the food was amazing. They have some really cool drinks if you’re into content creation and overall it’s just a cool place to catch up or go for date night !!!“

“Wanted to grab some grub after work and this bento spot has been on my bucket list for a minute. It was also on the way home and I was hungry so here I am.

I ordered the chicken katsu bento and the salmon in truffle soy bento. I also ordered an iced matcha latte. The bentos were soo good! I also really liked how well they were plated. I took my bentos and ate it at home. There is very little seating inside however there is a park nearby where you can sit and enjoy your bentos. As for the matcha drink, it was solid

The service here was good too. The staff is really nice and very open to answering any questions about the menu. You can call in and order or you can order inside on their iPad.

This is definitely a spot I recommend checking out if you're looking for high quality bentos. Try it out if you like. :)“

“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.“

“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!“

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

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

“Excellent food, excellent service. We loved it. We had Shrimp Tempura Roll, Sexy Roll, Edamame, Miso Soup, Kirin Beer. Can’t wait to go back again.“

“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!“

“Best non-traditional sushi that I've ever eaten“

“Best Katsu in San Francisco!! I had Ganji Katsu. Very generous portion. Very tender meat inside with Crispy coating outside. Will be back to try other stuff on the menu soon!!

Parking: Japan Center parking garage available on Post street“

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

“The chirashi don comes with a generous portion of sashimi, and the bento box is also quite substantial. Though the flavors are definitely mediocre. It's great value for the price, with attentive service. Perfect for a quick lunch or dinner.“

“9 items 🍱 bento & udon are awesome 👏“

“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!“