“The other locations we once frequented for Japanese food have fell off and I decided to try Tachikawa. The bento box with Salmon amd shrimp tempura was tasty and fresh. Their rendition of Lionking was good and I like the way the salmon was rare, but feel like they shouldve asked me first. I wish the portions couldve been bigger for the price, but I suppose inflation has alot to do with that. I'll be coming here to try again the next time I get the craving. 4 star rating“
“Love love love this place, our go to and our happy place Always leave so satisfied and feeling good! The chef has his own specials on the menu that you won't find in other places. Everything is always fresh and clean. Jackie puts so much heart into his food here. See you there“
“This is arguably the best Japanese Izakaya in the Bay Area. I frequently come visit from Canada and I actually make it a priority when I’m in town to visit a minimum of 1 time every 2 months. The food, atmosphere, and the staff make it the best experience- especially Angelina. 10/10 recommend to make time to eat here!“
“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.“
“Nori Roll is a great family owned sushi restaurant that I am very happy to have called my “local sushi spot” while I lived in El Cerrito area. The rolls taste fantastic and the fish is fresh. Their tuna and Hamachi dishes were our favorites!A couple of notes: It’s a family run business, and the restaurant is incredibly popular in the evenings during dinner time. They at times are overwhelmed with the number of orders. I’m mentioning this because you must know to have *Patience* when doing takeaway/takeout during peak hours. I’ve seen some very hangry people treat them poorly, and it’s sad because they do not deserve it.“
“Great little sushi place. It's a hidden gem. Ever since I stumbled upon this place, it has been my go to sushi joint. I've eaten sushi all over the bay area. Only a handful of those I would rate it 5 stars. This is one of them in that area. If you are into just rolls like 95% of the people then everywhere is about the same. But if you enjoy nigiri, sashimi and traditional Japanese food then don't pass up on this place.“
“AMAZING vegetarian & vegan restaurant!!(⁎⁍̴̛ᴗ⁍̴̛⁎)❤️?I’ve been wanting to visit this place since my second year in Berkeley, and I’m glad I finally did!You can tell they made their food with great care and the ingredients are yummy and fresh!The staff are very nice; the vibe inside is clean and chill. This is a great place for you to hang out with a small group of friends or come alone to recharge your mental health (I mean seriously, their food is tasty, healthy, and pretty!)I’d definitely come back very often to try out all other creative cuisines! “
“I can't believe this place is in Orinda. It is an experience for sure, and be prepared to spend money if you go. Wonderful small sushi place owned by a husband and wife. It's traditional style and no chopsticks or rolls. The wife explains the sushi to you and it was so interesting. As others have said, you must make reservations as they only seat a couple of tables a night. We had the sake sampler and I highly recommend, especially if you're not familiar with sakes. The menu is fixed, no choosing and they bring you what's on their menu for the night. It started with the 18 piece and then you have the option to continue, we each had the 26 piece. The sauces, etc were all homemade and they tell you which ones you can use soy sauce with or not. Everything was delicious. It's definitely a hidden gem for special occasions.“
“Asaka is a delightful addition to the North Berkeley restaurant scene! The food is delicious, the service impeccable, and the owner generously donated a few platters of sushi ? to the Japanese American Experience event we held last month at St. Mary Magdalen Church. Come check it out!Vegetarian options: Honestly, I don't know if there are main dishes for vegetarians, but their edamame was delicious!Kid-friendliness: I think children would enjoy the food here.“
“The food was the best Japanese food I have had, including in Japan. DelIcious, unique and completely satisfying. A delightful find with excellent service. The only down side was the closeness of the tables and noise. It is now my favorite Japanese restaurant in Berkeley.“
“I’ve been here a few times and the food and service never disappoints. They have a pretty good size menu with not only rolls but also other options such as bowls and salads. We ordered the Bay Area roll and double spicy ca this time around along with gyoza and tuna nachos all super delicious!Parking: It’s in a the plaza so there’s is always plenty of parking“
“Overall great sushi burrito with extremely fresh ingredients but what really differentiates this place from other US restaurants is the taste and quality of their sushi rice. It tastes exactly like much of the sushi rice I've had in Japan“
“It was better before they changed their menu :( something about their sushi burritos is off and they're not as good as it used to be2023 edit: they're back to what they were before! Plus they have poke bowls now. Definitely recommend the sushi burritos now, they're so good!“
“For convenient ready made sushi, this place blew my mind. Didn't know what to expect going in and was met with melt-in-your mouth soft af salmon in their salmon roll. The rolls are a good size too. Perfect spot for someone on the go but also craving sushi. They give you chopsticks, soy sauce, and a napkin too. Thank you for the meal!“
“Aki San is a culinary artist. He has been a chef for more than 40 years (47years according to him). $150 omakase is such a good deal for the sushi he made (and his knowledge). I can not say this restaurant has the best omakase in the whole Bay Area, but at least it’s the best in east bay. Please come in and have a try before he retires.“
“OMG I'M STUFFED! All of these dishes were so yummy. My fav was the potato croquettes with the curry sauce. Prices were VERY REASONABLE for four pieces per dish; just right to share. DEFINITELY I will go back. They cook to order and give you a buzzer when your dish is ready to pick up and bring to your table. We sat outside in the covered patio which was clean and tables spaced nicely. There are tables outside with no cover as well as booths inside.“
“Solid quantity and quality of food for its pretty reasonable price. Ordered a shrimp udon and though the noodles were not true udon, it was a solid quantity of food and came with six shrimp. And a bowl of miso soup. A nice environment too. Tastes pretty good.“
“Lunch at yet another eatery that was a stranger to me, I found this lovely gem occupying the old Taco Bell restaurant in Vallejo. Again, my wife and I entered, and the nostalgia flooded my brain, but was swept away by their menu and the smells of the food. I ordered the Teriyaki chicken plate, and my wife ordered the Teriyaki chicken Katsu plate, then an additional Dragon Roll and a vegetable tempura plate of sweet potato and broccoli. Got home and fell in love with the flavors and portions. Crunchy chicken tempura, flavorful chicken, sweet sauces, and the Dragon roll was to die for. Plenty for the next day, and a fresh take on establishments inside paddy establishments. I will definitely return here for more meals, and continue to post about them.“
“Food: Top notch sushi. If you want the luxury sushi experience, look no further. The chef himself studied and worked in Japan. Super intelligent man with a lot of knowledge about Japanese sushi. I highly recommend getting the fish of the day. It will blow your mind by how the fish melts in your mouth. If not, get any black cod dish. I get it every time I come here.Service: Awesome staff who hustles to please all customers. Cant thank them enough!“
“The definition of a hole in the wall. Or maybe hole in the ground is more apt. Half-embedded in concrete, flush with the sidewalk, Sushi Cal might be mistaken as an abandoned lot-- nope, this humble restaurant is fully open and has been for the past 30+ years!After visiting both pre- and post-pandemic, I still think this is the best spot for budget sushi. Prices have somehow stayed low without undermining quality. Their cooked dishes tend to run a little bland; the sushi is what you should be coming here for. I've had a variety of rolls and nigiri here with no complaints-- Fish is good quality, veg is fresh, portions are good. And the service is excellent, their staff are always welcoming and highly attentive. Every so often, they have live musicians playing to add to the cozy atmosphere. Very pleased that this local favorite is still going strong.“
“A solid poke place that my friend fell in love with. I am not super crazy about this place but I have to admit that when I come to Berkeley and look for a healthy and delicious food, I check this place first. There is not a lot of options for poke but who wants many options when you know that the top two choices are the best. The mango in salmon poke is a clear fun twist and the squid in tuna is great too. The price is reasonable given the quality of the fish and other ingredients.“
“Came here for my 31st birthday dinner on Wednesday, January 17th! Ippuku is one of those places I always walked by when I was a student at Cal (c/o 2015, GO BEARS!), and have been meaning to try. It was super easy to make reservations ahead of time. I had booked the Treehouse seating, since it was just a party of 2 for me and my husband, which I'm glad I did because it made the experience more intimate, private, and reminded me of an izakaya in Japan. My husband and I went to Japan spring of 2023, and miss the food very much. Ippuku is probably as close as we can get to Japan, in the East Bay! Vibes: very mixed crowd. I saw many college students that were dressed super casually (think sweats, probably gonna go back to the library later to study), as well as well-dressed older couples. My husband and I definitely fit in with the latter since we wanted to dress up a little for my birthday. Ippuku has an expansive whiskey bar, so we had to snap a photo or two there.It took us awhile to get seated because the restaurant was packed, but once we were seated, our waiter was very attentive given how busy they were. I would rate service 4/5 because of the long wait time to get seated and because the waiter forgot to include one item of our order, and it was an item that takes longer than typical to come out (the grilled onigiri). When the onigiri finally came out, we had already finished eating everything else so it was a bit underwhelming. But overall, we enjoyed everything we ordered and would definitely want to visit Ippuku again in the future.Parking: You're in Downtown Berkeley and there's lot of foot traffic around here, so it was a bit difficult to find parking at first. We had to circle around a few times before we found street parking.“
“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.“