$22 for rice, salad, and 8 pieces of nicely sized chicken thighs that are perfectly fried and great tasting (I may have wanted some extra powder in the dry miso dry one) and then had some sparkling sake on the side. If we had been less hungry (2 of us) could have done 4 thighs AND we had leftovers.You order (super helpful) and pickup up front.Great vibes.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Greg W.
If you're going, you need to get the Japanese fried chicken. You can make it a bowl with rice and salad. It's a good amount of food; you could order an extra side and have enough to share. Keep in mind, this japanese fried chicken is not KFC (Korean or Kentucky), it's not drenched in batter.This is a popular restaurant for to-go lunch. They have some informal seating inside, gets a little loud. You can order online for to-go orders.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: BBQ, Lunch Fried Chicken with Rice, Garlic Miso
Rodolfo Correa
Great little spot with good selection. Chicken was tasty. The sandwich is massive and very unwieldy though. I also wish the slaw had a little more flavor/seasoning. The tots were pretty good.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Lunch Fried Chicken with Rice
Jacqueline L.
Good vibe and big portions, but chicken is undermarinated for the sides of the cuts. Sides are pretty bland, too.
Michael Cabot
Chicken sando
Zoey Anderson
I wanted oyako donburi a couple months ago. Had some somewhere and it wasn't great. I remembered a hole in the wall in Berkeley, down hill from Telegraph on maybe Channing, and I wanted that. Had it somewhere else a while later. Still not great.Today I found Aburaya on an app for GF restaurants, Find Me GF. I saw the oyakodon, and thought it still wouldn't be right, since it's fried chicken, but I ordered it anyway. It was perfect. The broth and the egg and onions and the rice were all balanced. The chicken was delicious. I ordered an extra piece, which turned out to be unnecessary, three pieces plus the egg was plenty of protein.I will be back very soon.Dietary restrictions: All but one item on the menu are gluten free, and you don't miss the wheat. Also appears to be dairy free.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Oyakodon
AJ Slater
Consistently excellent punk rock fried chicken with an astonishing selection of Japanese
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Iris Griffin
This is literally one of the best chicken sandwiches I’ll ever have. I’m sad I’ll never be able to have it again as the amount of sesame they use triggered my allergy. I love sesame items and usually have no issue with them but it was one of the most severe food allergy reactions I’ve ever had so far. Their matcha flan and yuzu cheesecake are bomb too just wish the portions of both were bigger. I highly recommend this spot to anyone at my place of work. 10/10 highly recommend.
Great chicken! Will not disappoint. You don’t even need to like fried chicken to enjoy this fried chickenParking: Car got broken into, with nothing to steal. Pay to park in a lot
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
Michelle Marie Huang
I can't believe I've lived here for this long without hearing about Aburaya. It's reminiscent of those hidden gems you'd discover in Japan, where the owners put their unique twist on American rock culture, only it’s right here in America.Got the 4 piece in Garlic Miso with rice and Sunomono (pickled vegetables) for 2 people. Best call. Also picked up a set of branded guitar picks as a gift - their brand is a play off The Ramones. ☺️ Tons of seating, craft beer, and special soju for sale on the side.
Steve Rebello
Fantastic food! Friendly staff. A little loud and difficult for me to hold a conversation at lunch, but that was expected. Overall, great experience!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: BBQ
Frank X. Blackburn
It's not karaage, but the best fried chicken with absolutely unbeatable
Vegetarian options: beer
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: BBQ, Vegan Options, Fried Tofu, Rice Bowl
$22 for rice, salad, and 8 pieces of nicely sized chicken thighs that are perfectly fried and great tasting (I may have wanted some extra powder in the dry miso dry one) and then had some sparkling sake on the side. If we had been less hungry (2 of us) could have done 4 thighs AND we had leftovers.You order (super helpful) and pickup up front.Great vibes.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
If you're going, you need to get the Japanese fried chicken. You can make it a bowl with rice and salad. It's a good amount of food; you could order an extra side and have enough to share. Keep in mind, this japanese fried chicken is not KFC (Korean or Kentucky), it's not drenched in batter.This is a popular restaurant for to-go lunch. They have some informal seating inside, gets a little loud. You can order online for to-go orders.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: BBQ, Lunch Fried Chicken with Rice, Garlic Miso
Great little spot with good selection. Chicken was tasty. The sandwich is massive and very unwieldy though. I also wish the slaw had a little more flavor/seasoning. The tots were pretty good.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Lunch Fried Chicken with Rice
Good vibe and big portions, but chicken is undermarinated for the sides of the cuts. Sides are pretty bland, too.
Chicken sando
I wanted oyako donburi a couple months ago. Had some somewhere and it wasn't great. I remembered a hole in the wall in Berkeley, down hill from Telegraph on maybe Channing, and I wanted that. Had it somewhere else a while later. Still not great.Today I found Aburaya on an app for GF restaurants, Find Me GF. I saw the oyakodon, and thought it still wouldn't be right, since it's fried chicken, but I ordered it anyway. It was perfect. The broth and the egg and onions and the rice were all balanced. The chicken was delicious. I ordered an extra piece, which turned out to be unnecessary, three pieces plus the egg was plenty of protein.I will be back very soon.Dietary restrictions: All but one item on the menu are gluten free, and you don't miss the wheat. Also appears to be dairy free.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Oyakodon
Consistently excellent punk rock fried chicken with an astonishing selection of Japanese
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
This is literally one of the best chicken sandwiches I’ll ever have. I’m sad I’ll never be able to have it again as the amount of sesame they use triggered my allergy. I love sesame items and usually have no issue with them but it was one of the most severe food allergy reactions I’ve ever had so far. Their matcha flan and yuzu cheesecake are bomb too just wish the portions of both were bigger. I highly recommend this spot to anyone at my place of work. 10/10 highly recommend.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 3
A+ for attitude, with the food to match.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
Best steak I've ever had.
Food: 5
Great chicken! Will not disappoint. You don’t even need to like fried chicken to enjoy this fried chickenParking: Car got broken into, with nothing to steal. Pay to park in a lot
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
I can't believe I've lived here for this long without hearing about Aburaya. It's reminiscent of those hidden gems you'd discover in Japan, where the owners put their unique twist on American rock culture, only it’s right here in America.Got the 4 piece in Garlic Miso with rice and Sunomono (pickled vegetables) for 2 people. Best call. Also picked up a set of branded guitar picks as a gift - their brand is a play off The Ramones. ☺️ Tons of seating, craft beer, and special soju for sale on the side.
Fantastic food! Friendly staff. A little loud and difficult for me to hold a conversation at lunch, but that was expected. Overall, great experience!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: BBQ
It's not karaage, but the best fried chicken with absolutely unbeatable
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Miso