50 Best Japanese Restaurants near Pinole

“Tachikawa has a warm and friendly atmosphere. The service was prompt and cordial. The food is very good and served more in a "Home-Style" vs a more extravagant style you will find a some sushi/Japanese restaurants. The fish was fresh and we enjoyed the sushi presentation very much! The Tonkatsu was crispy and plentiful. These are my two gauges for any Japanese restaurant. If the fish is fresh and the Tonkatsu is not tough and the breading stays on the meat, I will come back!“

“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.“

“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!“

“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!“

“Great food and great service“

“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.“

“The best omakase around!!“

“Had a great lunch. Bento 🍱 boxes and sushi 🍣“

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

“Incredibly delicious, affordable, and filling rice triangles. I love stopping by to order here whenever I’m in the area. The food is delicious and a perfect meal. Personally, 2 rice triangles fills me up just right, I get the teriyaki chicken ones personally.“

“service and quality are top notch“

“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.“

“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)“

“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.“

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

“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.“

“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!!“

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

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

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

“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.“

“This is a great neighborhood Japanese restaurant. The tables are small, probably best suited for no more than 4 or 5 people. They were very friendly and accommodating to our group on a Friday evening. We arrived a few minutes before happy hour ended and were still allowed to order from the happy hour menu (what a great value!) They have many delicious dishes other than sushi. Everything we ordered was tasty and the portions were generous.“

“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.“

“This is one of the places that I've been supporting through COVID. The quality of food is always great, despite the supply chain issues. The bento box is the best deal, but I find the nuances, are more important - like the toasted rice in the green tea or the ogo seaweed.I recommend the spicy cucumbers, the tsukemono and the tataki nigiri.

Wheelchair accessibility: There's a ramp as opposed to stairs.“

“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!“

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

“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.“

“Very good quality of food 👍“

“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.“

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

“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.“

“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“

“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!“

“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.“

“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.“

“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!“

“I really like the sushi rolls and the calm atmosphere at Sumo. Hot tea and miso soup to start on a rainy evening. It was my first time having the GoGo roll, with shrimp, avocado, cucumber and DF asparagus... give it a try! The baked scallop roll is a warm savory treat as well.“

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

“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!“

“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☺️…😜“

“Very happy with a birthday dinner with family. EVERYTHING was fresh and delicious. Beef short ribs, Dynamite roll, Albacore sashimi, flaming roll (it arrived in flames as promised) miso. Prices reasonable. This made me glad to live in Berkeley and proud of our downtown - we will be back !“

“Their onigiri is really good! I’m not always in the mood for spam, but they have plenty of options without spam too, and I haven’t had anything I haven’t liked yet. They partner with several delivery services and their food always is packed well and is ready quickly for the drivers. Definitely recommend!“

“This is such an awesome little gem of a sushi restaurant. They have an amazing 10-piece sashimi deal for $19 And their ginger is quite possibly the best I've ever had. Next on my list to try at their restaurant is their salmon kama and hamachi kama.“