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!!“

“Chef recommended Soft Shell Crab. Definitely will add to the roto. Perfectly light, crisp and oh so, tasty. Age Dashi Fried Tofu is perfect for first-timers. Paper thin dried fish is ambrosia. Perfect hide-away to enjoy food made from the soul. Encountered trainee. Your patience will bring happiness.“

“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 was our first time here and I placed an to go order. Walked right in and was quickly greeted and placed my order with the friendly worker. I ordered a caterpillar roll, Fortune roll, Giants roll and a Sake avocado making roll. Everything was delicious and I want to return and try so other items. Beware parking is extremely difficult to find when I arrived around six pm.“

“What a treat! Highly recommend“

“Best authentic Japanese restaurant in town.“

“Best Japanese Curry in town !“

“Taniku Izakaya is a great spot for skewers and a solid casual night out. I really liked the spicy scallop hand rolls and the takoyaki, and the food overall was worth the wait. It does get busy, and there was a line since reservations are only for a couple tables, but we only waited about 20–30 minutes. The vibe was lively, and everything felt well worth it.“

“So it was my birthday, and I really wanted sushi. There is no dearth of quality sushi restaurants in San Francisco, however almost all of them are omakase – and to be honest, I am not a huge omakase fan (and I speak Japanese, have lived in Japan, and have consumed sushi all over the world – omakase does not necessarily mean better). Kuma’s execution and fish quality is some of the best I have had in the US in a long time. I dined with my mother, who is a Hamachi kama fan, and she said it was one of the best she has ever had. The atmosphere is no frills, and there were only two staff working the floor, one was I believe the manager – but service was attentive. Overall, this is probably my favorite new place to have non-omakase sushi in the city. Definitely recommend, and you definitely need a reservation.“

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

“Fresh ingredients, friendly staff, and delicious food and veggie options!“

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

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

“This is definitely an insiders’ spot in San Francisco. It’s usually pretty busy from the street view so I decided to try it on a Friday and it was still busy. I don’t want to talk the place up. There’s no need for that at a five star restaurant. The proprietors of the establishment have their photo up with the Mayor. Word on the street is that this place is like a religion. The food was good. Changed my mind about a few things. Made me ask, what is food in San Francisco today? Would I go there again? Yeah maybe if I had 30 minutes on a Friday, but no and not because the experience was terrible, but because they had already mastered the art of business in San Francisco if not the world.“

“friendly service and tasty food“

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

“The ramen tastes very good, the soup base is rich and the noodles taste great“

“Simply the best. The staff were incredibly friendly and made the whole experience feel so special. My friend and I had such a great night here. You can really tell they care about the quality of the meat, and they shared so much knowledge about how everything is grilled and prepared. Amazing food, amazing service, and such a memorable experience.“

“I have been meaning to write this review for years. Apologies for Jimmy and Ron for not writing it sooner.

First, I have to write about the people because they are the reason I love and will always love Kibatsu. Then, I'll write about my favorite dishes and the food.

The People:
I have been going to Kibatsu since 2014 so 12 years now. Before Kibastu, they were Sugoi Sushi in the Mission. I discovered them because they did catering for University of San Francisco. My college roommate and I befriended the young sushi chefs that came to the university, hung out with them once the sushi bar had officially closed and they encouraged us to come visit their Sugoi Sushi location.

Eventually we did and it became our Friday or Saturday night routine. Sometimes, we would splurge and go during the week (which for us as college students was a lot). But we loved them. Calvin, Ronald, (so sorry, I am totally blanking on the third guy's name but I see his face in my mind!) and Jimmy. The first three were the sushi chefs and Jimmy was the waiter - he always made room for us and always saved us our favorite booth in the front of the restaurant, closest to the windows. He remembered our classes and asked us how school was going. He always treated us to on the house mochi ice cream after each dinner. We would spend hours and hours there, camping out and chatting or doing our homework in the mood-lit, rustic, tastefully interior-decorated intimate setting, amid the hubbub of conversations and people enjoying the sushi. I remember Sugoi and those times really fondly - it was our safe space, our home away from home (dorm). Other times, we'd bring our friends. I can't even count how many people I and my roommate recommended this place to or brought there.

Then after we graduated, in 2018, they moved to the Haight and invited me to their opening night omakase which was a gift to everyone they invited. How sweet, thoughtful and amazing is that? Between Sugoi and Kibatsu, my partner and I met and Jimmy always remembers my partner and his two boys and asks about them when they're not with me. The boys love it here because of the large portions and how nice everyone is.

On my birthday this year, I decided I wanted to spend it at Kibatsu and Jimmy (who is now a sushi chef!!) and company went out and got me a birthday cake and brought it out before the rest of the dessert as a surprise. I almost cried. This is why I love Kibatsu and those who work there.

The Food:
The starter we always go for is the tataki dish which is albacore with delicious fried onion. The gyoza is always also a great way to go. We always get the omakase which is a true omakase with the different small plates, sashimi and nigiri. I love the salmon and umimasu nigiri as well as the negi salmon. Something special that Kibatsu does is they always surprise you with little gifts from the sushi chefs. For this past new year's they surprised us with a whole tray of steak and jumbo shrimp - a gift on the house. Their kindness never ceases to surprise us!

So there are some of our top favorites food wise and why Kibatsu has a special place in my heart. I hope you go and I hope you love it as much as I do. They work really hard, are so extremely kind and deserve the best.“

“Food was amazing and happy hour were very decent prices. I'm definitely coming back to try more, especially the beer! Service was super fast.
I had oysters and takoyaki both were so good, perfectly cooked takoyaki ❤“

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

“It’s easy to find sushi restaurants with high-quality fish these days, but good shari (the rice) is still hard to come by in San Francisco. The moment the chef told everyone to eat the sushi right away, I knew he really knew what he was doing. Sure enough, when he placed it on the plate, the shari gently sank - perfect texture. Saw someone complaining that the rice fell apart… you belong at a place that serves edamame and California rolls 👋 lol“

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

“one of my favorite places in the country to eat. whenever I'm in the Bay area, in here“

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

“1000/10. This place is hard to get a table at because it only seats 20 people. They only do one serving, but this was one of the best meals I’ve ever had in all of San Francisco. The menu constantly changes so you get a new experience every time you would come. We’ll be going back.“

“service and quality are top notch“

“Emma ,Julio and staff great!“

“We had a wonderful meal at Cafe Okawari before the Giants game. It’s a great location that’s 1.5 blocks from the ballpark, and very close to the Caltrain station. The restaurant was full when we got there, but the food still came out soon after we ordered.

We had chicken katsu curry, korokke curry, and a menchi (fried ground chicken) sando. The chicken katsu was among the best I’ve ever had, super juicy inside and crunchy outside. One of the greatest quick bites I’ve had in recent memory.“

“The food smacks and the music they play always slaps.“

“Abby was super kind and gave great service!! Unagi skewer was insanely good, but a lil on the sweet side but that’s just my prefance. The Yuzu lager was refreshing, could definitely taste the yuzu, its on the rotating draft menu though.“

“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.“

“Rico pero lo malo es que nunca tienen basil para la sopa pho“

“What we had:
3 hand rolls lunch (salmon, spicy tuna and unagi) with miso soup and edamame
4 premium handrolls options (A5 Miyazaki Wagyu, Japan Hokkaido Uni, A5 Wagyu Uni & Caviar, Uni Toro & Caviar)
Small plates: Maguro Ponzu and Tuna Tartare

This is an open kitchen setting, you can see the chef make every hand roll and serve the roll right to the dishes in front of you! The quality of the fish was excellent, everything tasted fresh, and you could really appreciate the simplicity of each hand roll. The rice was well-seasoned, and every bite highlighted the freshness of the ingredients. The premium hand rolls were definitely the stars, fatty, flavorful, if you’re a fan of uni and wagyu you have to try it.

The Maguro Ponzu and Tuna Tartare was refreshing and light, it's a great appetizer to share between hand rolls.

That said, I have to be honest, it is kinda pricey. The premium hand rolls add up quickly, so it’s definitely more of a treat-yourself kind of meal rather than an everyday sushi spot. Still, if you’re willing to spend on fresh hand rolls, it’s worth checking them out.“

“Fantastic atmosphere & fantastic food. We had the bento for dinner (not an option on the dinner menu, you have to ask for it). The sashimi is especially stellar and is honestly better than a number of omakase sushi I have had at much more expensive places. Portion was great - We came in very hungry and left very satisfied!“

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

“ALWAYS a fantastic and tasty dinner. ☺️“

“Another night, another sushi craving so we stopped by this place just down the road from our place. We each ordered the nigiri dish with 10 different pieces to sample , a hand roll(not pictured), and an extra order of the scallops because they were so tasty.
This place is a little pricey but well worth a visit for a date night special treat“

“Omg! The Ribs are amazing!“

“We had a great experience here! The tuna was fresh and buttery and everything we ordered was delicious. Prices were very good for the quality.

We also tried the chef’s Japanese sushi set. Not every type of fish was our favorite but it was a great way to try a variety of unique fish we hadn’t had before!

The eel hand rolls were another highlight absolutely delicious!

We came during Happy Hour so it was an even better value. The food came out quickly!
We made a reservation in advance. When we arrived there was a tablet to check in but we were seated before we even had a chance to use it haha. Fantastic experience and we’d definitely come back!“

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

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

“Five stars. My son and I had the Omakase experience at Akiko's in San Francisco, and it was hands down the best sushi we've ever had. Every course was beautifully presented, incredibly fresh, and packed with flavors that exceeded our expectations. The chefs' attention to detail and craftsmanship were evident in every bite. The service was equally outstanding, warm, attentive, and perfectly paced from start to finish. The entire evening felt like a true culinary experience rather than just dinner. If you're looking for an unforgettable Omakase in San Francisco, Akiko's is absolutely worth it. Five stars. We can't wait to come back.“

“Upfront the only downside: This place is a store with premade sushi and has no real seatinh besides one small bench.
However, the sushi is always freshly prepared und since the place has high turnover, the sushi never gets old. The quality of the sushi is great and not overpriced.
The staff is friendly and helpful. The free chopsticks and napkins are of higher quality than in most places and the place itself is clean and tasteful designed.“

“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.“

“This place is always so good, creative sushi options with high quality fish. While it has minimal atmosphere, everyone is super friendly visit after visit there is something yummy and unique to try. Like the deep fried shisho leaf with salmon and hamachi toro appetizer pictured.“

“9 items 🍱 bento & udon are awesome 👏“

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

“Had take out here and it was excellent!!! Really really loved the unique lavender Hojicha it was exceptional! A unique drink that was super memorable. The sushi was also very good. The lady that was working was super nice we talked a while about the tea! I would for sure recommend fish in a box. It's a very small place with a few tables outside which is nice.“

“This was a surprise dinner my friend invited me on. The hand rolls are so fresh and delicious. I had 5 amazing rolls that come out one at a time for freshness m. The server was super sweat and helped me pick out what I wanted. The menu does also have set options, but I decided to do individual rolls. I definitely recommend stopping by if you’re in the Oakland area.“