50 Best Japanese Restaurants near Pinole

“Ramen, gyoza, high quality sushi are always in order. This place would make you want to come back again whenever you can. Staff is super friendly, polite, respectful and provides the most outstanding customer service I’ve encountered accross many restaurants. Definitely you’d love this place.“

“From the moment I walked in, I was impressed with the welcoming service. The staff was friendly and made us feel at home, offering great recommendations. The sushi was fresh and beautifully presented, with each bite bursting with flavor. I especially loved the signature rolls and sashimi. The ambiance was serene and cozy, with a minimalist design and soft lighting that created the perfect atmosphere for a relaxed meal. It’s the ideal spot for a special night out or a casual sushi craving. Will definitely return!“

“This restaurant is very good. The galbi was excellent so was the quality of the fish especially the sashimi. My s was delicious as well I ordered the rainbow roll I recommend it. Do not put Ponzi sauce on anything just have the straight fish with wasabi Ginger if I could give them six stars I would. Hope it stays the same quality. The food servers were great, both Yang, and Mia gave me exemplary service.“

“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“

“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!“

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

“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!“

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

“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.“

“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.“

“The best omakase around!!“

“Came in this small but cozy restaurant for a quick lunch bite and was surprised by the ambiance. I got the pork chop over rice and was surprised on how authentic it tasted. Crispy and homey - good blend of veggies and meat. Definitely a spot for casual get-togethers or a quick lunch. I would come back to try the food they didn’t have in stock (certain foods weren’t available depending on the days of the week or month)“

“We are regulars here - absolutely delicious, always fresh, and decently priced to-go sushi options! Not to mention super friendly and kind service. Recently they threw in an extra toro nigiri (for free) with the cutest note written!! Can’t recommend Itani Sushi enough :)“

“This is a quick serve onigiri restaurant in downtown Berkeley. It's awesome to be able to get fresh onigiri in the East Bay and they include edamame as well. We split a plate of 3 and got the short rib(x2) and the unagi. Very small inside the restaurant, very much a get your food and go type place, but there is some room to eat standing up. They were quick, well priced and delicious. The perfect quick bite.“

“service and quality are top notch“

“I had Salmon over rice Togo. When I pick up my food, I opened it but I didn’t see any vegetables in that. I asked him and he said that I should order the meal if I would like to get small salad too. (I ordered wrong tho) but he so nice:) he gave me the vegetable salad for free of charge. I will definitely come back. I like to support local and good people, plus their food is so yummy and fresh too.“

“The food is great!!! Crew is awesome!!! Dine by the sea!!! Highly recommended!!!“

“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.“

“Cool sushi spot, atmosphere was very chill. I was pretty much the only one eating at the time. Sashimi was good, the 49er roll wasn't as good as I thought it was going to be but this pace was still great. Staff was very courteous and the food came really fast. They also give you large portions. You'll get full fast at this spot.“

“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.“

“It is at the same location as Alley’s. Order at kiosk, food come out from the bar counter, and send back bowl to bar counter afterwards.
The ramen was tasty and the soup base was rich. We had original, red, and black tonkatsu. The red tonkatsu was hot, but very flavorful .“

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

“Sushi is good! Got the snow crab roll, salmon skin hand roll, spicy tuna roll, Berkley roll and salmon roll and they were all good! No food poisoning either so major plus! We got there right at 11am, and it's a cute little place. Felt like we were in Japan based off the decor! The place is small, right when you walk in the main area where the sushi bar is at you may be able to have 18 people in this room at the most! There is another side that has some seating. So definitely not a place for large groups! The service was on point, gentlemen making the sushi was very kind but when we asked to split or check per item, he was confused. He replied if I wanted to split it evenly and I said no I'd like it to be split per item of what each person ordered and it was like I was speaking a different language to him. He was able to figure out what I meant but this is the only negative thing I would say, don't assume people are on the same check. Staff need to make sure they ask prior to combining checks to save the confusion for the future. Also another side note, it is Berkeley and this location is located and what looks to be the ghetto. I am not from that area at all but do not let the location deceive you. This is a very good place! Prices are reasonable for the size of the sushi rolls. Average price is roughly $16 per roll and you get eight pieces out of each roll. If back in the area we'll definitely go back.

Also a major plus, we were given complimentary edamame!“

“Customer friendly & quick service. Food is great.😋“

“Great food and quick service! A must try place if you’re in the area!“

“Amazing food and service. Ambiance on point as well“

“As great as it gets local sushi at affordable prices. Good clean taste with nice touches of flavor that excite the palette. I got a crazy monkey roll and some chefs nigiri that was perfect for my refined taste. I ended the night with halibut nigiri (shown here) and walked out happy“

“Had the Japanese curry — quick service and solid flavor. The price was fair, though the protein portion was smaller than I expected. Still, it hit the spot and made for a satisfying meal. Great option if you’re looking for something tasty and fast. Hopefully that's a one off. I'll definitely come and try this place again.“

“I gave this location a try on Friday. I was the first one. My takeout order came out pretty quickly. It took 10 minutes. I ordered a spicy one and it had some kick to it. I wish the portions were a little bigger. Fortunately, I ordered a side item to help fill me up. For the price, I would say, it is above average... but not as good a value as Curry House when it was still around.“

“There was an important item left out of my order last night. But when I went back today, the Asst Manager Brandon went over the top. He really hooked me up. Their food is good, but their service and attitude is the best!“

“Food is always fresh and is Always made to order. Never disappointed me.“

“So glad to find out they reopened after being closed a while during the pandemic. Currently you have to pre-order a day in advance for pickup so it takes a little planning but so worth it.Their fried chicken is so crispy. I ordered it with waffle fries and they say they only fire up the fries just before your pickup time so that they're fresh. When I went to pick up my order, they let me know it would just be a few minutes because the fries were finishing and when he came out with my order, he said he accidentally made the salad but included both the fries and salad and threw in a vanilla pudding. Everything was so delicious. Even the bonus pudding had flecks of vanilla bean and tasted so much better than the instant stuff. The chicken and fries were enough for 2 meals.“

“Pretty solid. Only got the basic tonkatsu and jasmine drink. Thought it’d be expensive due to being so close to campus, but the portion was large enough to fill me up. Prices are slightly cheaper than if I got it in SF for the same food. Service was quick. Nice staff.“

“Very good quality of food 👍“

“Benicia has so many restaurant choices. This one is a must try! A small family owned Japanese restaurant for dine in and take out. You can sit at the small Sushi counter or at a table in the small dining room. The people are nice and friendly and they have a good selection of Sushi Rolls and other dishes. We made a reservation just in case. Free parking is on the street. Casual dining for family, business and date nights.

Vegetarian options: vegetarian dishes are available.

Kid-friendliness: They have kid friendly meals

Wheelchair accessibility: no stairs“

“Island Special Rolls are amazing!!! Phoenix, Pearl, Orinda and Super Star are a few of our favorites!!! #sushigood“

“This is our fourth time coming here and we're always so impressed with the delicious, fresh, creative,unique dishes that are beautifully presented. It's an unpretentious atmosphere and a great value as well. A true Berkeley institution!“

“Absolutely best sushi. The chef is extremely passionate and talented, and it shows in the food and the service that is a lost art in current times. The prices are extremely fair for this quality of sushi. I think it's honestly worth more, but the lower prices make it more accessible. They have excellent vegetarian and vegan options. Highly recommend spicy crunchy tuna roll, futomaki roll, shitaki maki vegetable tempura, and my partner recommends the white dragon roll.
I have a crab allergy and have never had any issues here.
Service is good and the atmosphere is nice. The restaurant is decorated and has a nice feel.
In the picture: white dragon roll, spicy crunchy tuna rolls, vegetarian Bento box with veggie tempura and shitaki maki. Highly recommend this place.“

“Asaka is a friendly neighborhood sushi bar and Japanese restaurant and I enjoyed dinner very much. They were extremely polite and courteous, very good service and food is served quickly.

The restaurant is decorated nicely and has a charming feel to it. Not overly modernized yet a modern feel. Yet also a cozy sushi bar feel. Well done!

Three of us had a couple bento boxes and a nigiri and sashimi combo. Dinner requires three item bento, and the tempura was the star. Nicely battered and fried just right. Chicken teriyaki was chicken teriyaki, if you know what I mean. The California rolls were good… they go the extra mile and mince the imitation crab as opposed to some places that just slice a little chunk. And the spicy tuna roll was not really spicy but tasty enough.

The sashimi and nigiri were very fresh and decently portioned. I prefer smaller and higher quality, which is what they served. They could go a little hotter on the wasabi. Theirs was mild.

And of course miso soup and salad with that sesame dressing I love. Fun meal, great place.“

“Excellent service, food was great and large portions,“

“Small shop with warm food and an open fridge section of sushi. There was also a wall of snacks. Prices are very reasonable. No verbal communication which I think is fine but the woman dropped my packed sushi upside down and then tossed it into a bag. Sushi rice was a bit too hard for my liking.“

“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!“

“Stopped by before a visit to the nursery. Had heard of this place from Check Please Bay Area too. The CalBear roll was soooo good. Not your typical roll. Sweet and savory in one bite. We also had the poke roll which was really nice and not too spicy. Our server was really friendly. Great tea and the restrooms super clean.“

“I've come here a couple times and I must say I really like this restaurant. It is a bit overpriced, but it is worth it! I got the dragon roll and bento box and it was really good. The gyoza in the bento box wasn't to my taste but I understand why other people might like it. I ordered online and waited twelve minutes, then picked up and ate at the patio tables outside. Definitely recommend this spot!“

“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 .“

“A sushirito -like place with cheaper prices. $8 instead of $13. Try the B8, which has both salmon and tuna sashimi inside. Added bonus points for carrying takoyaki.“

“I always get the vegetable tempura it comes with rice and we also get the California sushi rolls it’s always fresh and delicious best sushi and Japanese food I think it’s family run everyone there is very nice high quality ingredients and food you won’t be disappointed

Kid-friendliness: My son n had fun he’s 6 years old they have television and music very nice atmosphere“

“经常更新季节性的鱼类…😋新鲜…主要的是老板很帅☺️…😜“