Izakaya Restaurants near Oakland, CA

“i recommend coming some minutes before they open to avoid a very long line! i arrived 5min beforehand and there was already several groups in front of me.

i ordered the corn korokke and the hot ebi ten soba. there was a tiny fly fried on my tempura lol but they quickly replaced it with a fresh set. the soba was okay, but i honestly think i’m just not a fan of soba in general.“

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

“The food is fabulous, the staff is fabulous. It was a wonderful experience. If I lived here I would go back.“

“Pretty good food. I think we will go back“

“I don't typically take time to leave reviews, but this place was actually incredible. I am from Arkansas and staying at an airbnb almost 5 minutes away, and just stumbled upon the closest restaurant that was still open at 10pm. Walking in, you are greeted with the largest smiles, fun music, and chill atmosphere. Having been to Japan, and seeing the Okonomiyaki on the menu, I HADDDD to get it... and oh my gosh. It was SO GOOD. My husband and I couldn't get over how authentic it felt and how hard it is to find okonomyaki back home in Arkansas. I'm SO GLAD we stumbled upon this place and I will be sharing with everyone I know 100%!!“

“The food is awesome!! It's my first time being impressed with Vegan food. I'm a big sushi lover, and this was the best sushi I've eaten all summer =).

4 people:

We had three shared plates
- the negiyaki (best!!)
- tempura shitake (great!)
- potatoes (wouldn't order again).

And four sushi rolls
- Kailua
- Waimanalo (best!!)
- pacifica
- half-moon (wouldn't order again)“

“The food was delicious, especially the veggie dumplings and the vegetable dragon roll. And our server was incredibly nice! Also, the cute fish cup they served us in was for sale, so of course I had to buy it. Overall a great gem in the city.“

“Good for lunch. Really value for your money. I had the sashimi lunch set and my wife had the chicken wing and salmon sushi set and both were really fresh and good. Will definitely come again ! Weekdays - reservations not really needed, but I've come by on weekends and you should make reservations.“

“Coming from San Diego, I had high expectation. The Public Izakaya did NOT disappoint, and if fact, raised the bar. I see myself coming back tomorrow and every time I find myself in the Bay Area. Was feeling sashimi, so went with the best of the best. Staff was as great as the food, and I was lucky enough to be immediately seated. I would recommend this to the most discerning Izakaya fans. Cheers, Public Izakaya.“

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

“在美國的日本味道，這是算不錯的“

“EDIT: I felt its necessary to make the amendment that, although walking in without a reservation was a thing previously, we've now had multiple visits where we've stood at the counter for 2 hours never to be seated.

You can still eat the whole menu there, but its generally very crowded.

Getting reservations seems to be catered towards friends, or some type of mysterious system, as we no longer have been able to get a reservation even weeks in advance. The food is still the same.

Original Review: I can’t believe that I haven’t left a review for Ippuku; this is as close as you can get to a Tokyo alley izakaya, from the sasami raw chicken special menu (to do for), to the epic yakitori, to the massive shochu selection.

By far one of my top 5 favorite restaurants in the Bay Area, we’ve been here a good 30 times over the years and it has never once changed at all, thankfully!!! Never want it to change, it does everything so well.

Hokkaido squid, chicken oyster, chicken tartare, agadashi tofu, crab croquettes, these are some favorites.

Make a reservation if you can, but otherwise we often walk in and are seated within an hour. Fun to hang out at the bar and wait.“

“very good salmon and gyoza. the sashimi were very fresh“

“Very expensive but good food. For context, I brought my son for his 25th birthday. We had 9 people, all 17+ years old and _no_ alcohol was ordered. The bill for 9 people with automatic tip came out to be $390 or $44/person.

With that out of the way, we had a good experience. The waitress was very gentle and patient. The place has nice decoration and Japanese architecture.. at least it reminds me of one which is a nice plus on the ambience. We sat at the upper platform so that part is not wheelchair accessible.

They have both menu book and also QR code so you can see what the food looks like. The raw stuff were fresh. Photos shows the things we ordered and everyone loved it. Since it's very expensive, we only come here on very special occasion and this is my 3rd visit in 2 years.

Yes I would go back again.“

“Overall it was normal food.
I had high expectations because of the good ratings, but it was a bit more disappointing than I expected. However, when I revisited it, it was different.
I think it’s worth looking forward to the different types of food~^^“

“We had the most wonderful dinner tonight at Noren Izakaya! Everything was fantastic from start to finish! From the service to the cocktails to the variety of food, to the dessert! Japanese yakitori and grilled street food and even sashimi! My new favorite! A must if you live or are visiting San Francisco! Oh! And tonight is not the night to skip dessert! 😘“

“Good food. I wish there was a little more broth, and I'm not a fan of thin noodles (personally), though the noodles were still good. You can add extra broth/noodles/toppings for +$5/ea. I like the location it's at, because it's right by the Embarcedero BART, making it a good option for lunch before the Pier.“

“Bento boxes were great, so many options to chose from. Would definitely go back.“