Butterfish is not your average sushi restaurant. In the two visits I've made, I have not been disappointed once by any of their dishes. The sashimi and fish really are as buttery as their name -- it is unlike anything I've ever tasted! My favorite has to be the Kurodai Experience, an optional addition to the omakase plate priced at $69 per person. Intricately cut and carved from the belly of the Black Sea bream, each piece is incredibly soft but still reserves a bite in texture. There's a reason why this item is called an "experience," as it's not *just* a sashimi dish. Should they have any left in their inventory, please make sure to give this a try! Last but not least, the staff are amazing. Even in the midst of their busiest hours, the waiters and waitresses are so friendly and accommodating to all of their customers. Paired with the delicious food and ambiance, Butterfish Sushi easily cements itself as one of the most memorable omakase experiences I've had in Berkeley. read more

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Very Creative and Friendly. Not Expensive And Great ambiance I will Definitely be back. read more

I went to a Butterfish sushi restaurant with my sister and it was such an amazing experience The food was absolutely delicious especially the fish. It was incredibly fresh, sweet, and just melted in your mouth The atmosphere was lovely and very relaxing, making it a perfect place to enjoy a meal. The chef was wonderful and paid great attention to every detail, and the service was outstanding from start to finish. Overall, everything was just perfect. I was truly impressed Definitely a place I would love to come back to again! read more

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A new favorite in Berkeley! The fish was very fresh and melts in your mouth. The menu was creative, and I loved the flavors and the seasoning. We also ordered two rolls, but we did not like them that much. The next time we're here, we will probably stick small plates and nigiri/sashimi. I would recommend making a reservation, as the wait can get pretty long (it's a small restaurant). The servers ended up adding an extra table outside so we can squeeze in. read more

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I have never had sushi that tasted like this before! It seriously blew us away. We celebrated my husband's birthday at Butterfish, I made a reservation online through Yelp and I'm glad I did because the restaurant is very small and quaint. They have 5 tables and bar seating inside and a few tables outside. They have wine, beer, sake, and non alcoholic options. What we ordered: 10 piece nigiri, artic roll, smoked hamachi roll, otoro nigiri, chef's poke inari, butterfish nigiri, and salmon roe nigiri add quail egg. All of the fish was incredible quality. The smoked hamachi roll is just as delicious as it is beautiful. It's seriously a showstopper with the smoked dome reveal. I had never had inari before, it's a tofu pouch with the poke and rice inside. The pouch was soft and a little sweet. I'm glad I gave it a try! The otoro was super buttery and luscious. The artic roll was light and kind of had a floral taste to it. The butterfish nigiri was my favorite bite of the night, I understand why it's their namesake! The fish was lightly torched and had a little sriracha and fresh truffles on top. It was out of this world! For my husband's birthday they gave him a fish ice cream on the house. They played birthday music and had a sparkler. It was really fun and sweet! We can't wait to come back! read more

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This place has become MY FAVORITE SUSHI RESTAURANT IN THE BAY! Omg so delicious, the fish is crazy fresh, and the ambiance is perfect for date night or a nice dinner with friends. Prices are not too bad and service is great. I've never had such good sushi in the bay before...the fish just melts in your mouth. It was so good we ordered another sushi roll afterwards hahaha. read more

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Decided to stop by on our way back to the city from Tahoe and man am I glad we did. This was some of the freshest, best sushi I've EVER had. I'm sad the don't have an SF spot! Super hospitable staff, creative menu, excellent flavor profiles. We started with the cucumber salad which had some purple wakame in it which was stunning a delicious! The butterfish appetizer and salmon / fresh crab rolls all melted in your mouth. Can't wait to go back, they have a few tables outside too if it's a sunny day. read more

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Made a reservations to have Sunday lunch with my cousins. We each got the omakase 7 piece nigiri special and shared some rolls. Two of my favorites were the smoked hamachi roll and escolar roll. Both were smoky and delicious. All the fish here is so fresh! The uni, caviar, and monk fish liver spoon and toro nigiri were my favorites in the omakase. The restaurant is quite small so I recommend making reservations to get seats without waiting. Service is good and prices are reasonable for the quality of food. This is one of my favorite sushi restaurants so highly recommend giving them a try! read more

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Quaint, cozy handrolls and sushi restaurant. Highly suggested to make reservation or join the wait list. Good service, good food. Nice addition to the Berkeley food scene read more

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Butterfish Sushi is definitely my favorite sushi spot in Berkeley. We came here to celebrate my birthday with a reservation for 6 PM (make sure to make a reservation in advance or else you might have to wait). When we got there, the first thing I noticed was how cute the outside and inside ambiance was. Highly recommend it as a date spot or nice dinner with friends/family. We ordered the: Fresh Oysters (absolutely delicious, loved how fresh they were and the sauce was amazing) Bluefin Tuna Combo (the tuna pieces were extremely high quality and fat) Crab and Salmon Roe Inari (First time trying Inari, it has kind of a sweet flavor, not my preference and probably would get handrolls instead next time) Atlantic Roll (definitely my least favorite and it basically tasted like a California roll with salmon on top, nothing special) Salmon Nigiri (super fatty and delicious!) Overall, besides the Atlantic Roll which I thought wasn't too special, everything else we ordered was delicious. For their service, fish quality, and ambiance, I definitely have to give Butterfish Sushi 5 stars and would love to come back again! read more

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birthday dinner w housemates!! very cute, def smaller than i thought w limited seating but ambiance was nice. rolls were all really good, waitress was helpful w our ordering cuz we did not order enough at first . on the pricier side but fish was fresh and berthing paired well together! would come back and try other things next time :) side thing we let them know it was for a birthday and they said they noted it/ would give something but it never happened (they prolly forgot which is chill) read more

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We arrived at opening and was able to get a spot immediately but the restaurant definitely fills up quick! It's very cozy but charming. Fish is very fresh and possibly my new favorite sushi spot. Loved the Inari set. Service was great. This place is a gem but is pricey and will likely have a wait unless you come at odd hours. read more

Butterfish Sushi - Inari set of 3 pieces - Sushi Bars Near Me - Berkeley, California

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Everything was 5 stars - the hosts, food runners, servers to the quality and detail of the dishes. We will definitely be back. read more

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Ordered though door dash and still received amazing quality food! Ordered the Shittake mushroom roll which I'm used to just having mushroom and rice in, but this one also has carrot and cucumber inside with avocado and tomato on top. The chef's poke inari, which was my first time having inari, and it was so good I will be seeking this out everywhere I can now! Atlantic roll. Absolutely delicious with the miso aioli. Light and fresh roll. And the escolar roll. Holy decadence. Fried shrimp and I think jalapeno inside, if it's not jalapeño it's Serrano, topped with the escolar, I think chili oil, and black truffles. Escolar is so good and I don't find it in many sushi restaurants. Highly recommend this roll! read more

Butterfish Sushi - Shittake mushroom roll and Chef's Poke Inari - Sushi Bars Near Me - Berkeley, California

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We went to Butterfish Sushi on Valentine's Day and arrived right when they opened, so we were able to get seated right away. The restaurant filled up quickly after that and was completely packed. The space is small and super cute, and it reminded me of the cozy restaurants in Japan. We shared the smoked hamachi roll, spicy tuna lover roll, and the bluefin tuna combo that came with sashimi and nigiri. It was very filling for the both of us. Everything tasted incredibly fresh and delicious. I would definitely come back and I highly recommend this place! read more

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After seeing Chawanmushi on the menu (not typically on sushi menus in the US) I knew I had to check it out, and I'm glad I did! The restaurant space is cozy and staff are friendly. The warm hand wipe they give before the meal is the cherry on top. After a great visit, I decided to take my mom here for her birthday. The service they provided was wonderful, and they even surprised her with a little treat at the end! She loves her sushi and she was pleased! The rolls here are scaled back so the ingredients can shine, I particularly love the Artic Roll! read more

Butterfish Sushi - Artic rolls and Handroll set of 3 pieces - Sushi Bars Near Me - Berkeley, California

Amazing and flavorful sushi and sashimi! It's pricey but it's quality. My family and I enjoyed every bite. This place is sooo popular that we could not get a table or reservation so we did takeout instead. Food took around an hour to be ready for pickup. The restaurant is small but looks cute if you manage to get a table. Parked in a small free lot in the back, enter on Seventh. read more

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This may be my new contender for best sushi in the Bay Area! I can't wait to come back soon. We came on a Saturday evening and was lucky enough to walk in and snag a table in less than 20 mins. I'd recommend making a reservation if you can since it's a small restaurant. We ordered the blue fin tuna roll on special, the nigiri set (with double of each since we were sharing), a monk liver uni appetizer, and the grilled mackerel. Everything was so amazing and fresh -- especially the butterfish nigiri which was a new fish to us and our waiter even took the time to explain its uniqueness. Though the food is a bit pricey, their portion are very generous so well with the cost - the fish servings were large and the mackerel came with salad, rice, soup, and sides. Also, their service can be a bit slow, but it's a busy spot with limited staff so it's understandable. read more

Butterfish Sushi - Nigiri Set - Sushi Bars Near Me - Berkeley, California

Great date night spot or space to celebrate a special occasion. A small restaurant but the vibes are great and they give you some little snacks when you sit down - great date night spot for sure. We ordered the signature butterfish tapas, the chirashi bowl, the Indian roll, and the Atlantic roll. The tapas have a truffle sauce that Jake loved. The Chirashi bowl was a good variety, and the fatty tuna was super yummy. My favorite was the pacific roll (left) with a nice torch on it and super yummy. Indian roll was good too. The waitress was great to answer all of our questions about the menu and made great recommendations. read more

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A coworker of mine recommended this sushi spot because of their fresh sushi, so I decided to stop by for lunch with my husband on a Saturday afternoon. It's located in an odd area where there isn't much foot traffic. We were lucky to find parking right in front of the restaurant. It's intimate inside with a good amount of seats available. We were one of the first customers so sat in one of the high tables. I was excited to try their rolls so decided to get three - Smoked Hamachi Roll, Artic Roll, Indian Roll. The fish didn't taste fresh and wasn't what I expected. They were also on the pricier side ($80 for just 3 rolls??!) given the quality of the rolls. Sadly, the high Yelp reviews did not live up to its hype. Very disappointed and probably won't be coming again unless they lower their price, provide better quality, or quantity. read more

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I wanted to like this place but it just didn't have the right finesse. The pieces of fish were chewy and just too big for the rice. It's also astronomically priced and you can go down the street to Mujiri and get much better sushi for half the price. I will say, the service was great and the staff was on it. I just wouldn't go back for the food. read more

Small but mighty! Reservations highly recommended! I was surprised how small this place is, almost reminded me of an omakase joint. It's fancy and prices match the quality of food you're getting. It's always entertaining when you can see the magic happen before your eyes at the bar too! I took a star off because they added wasabi to all nigiri pieces, without asking if we have any allergies or if we requested no wasabi. Other than that, the food quality and presentation makes you think this is a michelin star spot. The service is prompt. They give you some crackers to snack on while you wait and a hand towel. The nigiri set is a great experience to try all the different kinds of fish they offer and you can easily find your favorite out of the bunch! I had to order a separate order of hamachi belly nigiri afterwards, it was so delicious! read more

Butterfish Sushi - Sushi Bars Near Me - Berkeley, California

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For an early birthday celebration, my companion surprised me by taking us out to dinner at Butterfish Sushi. It was a nice way to celebrate with the pup and enjoy one of our favorite cuisines. He made reservations online but you can also join their Yelp waitlist. We had the pup with us so sat outside where they had two tables on the sidewalk. Inside seemed cozy and crowded with music and happy customers. I wouldn't mind coming back to dine inside and see the vibe. The service was good, they loved the pup and were super chill. Companion ordered for us. We shared: Sake Atlantic Salmon Nigiri, Buritoro Yellow Tail Belly Nigiri, Chawanmushi, Black Cod with Miso, and Otoro Don. Highlights were the donburi and chawanmushi. All of our items were beautifully plated and were fresh and flavorful. I wish portion sizes for the fish were bigger but who doesn't? With a range of items to order from, I'd love to revisit Butterfish Sushi. It was a lovely spot to kick off my birthday week! The restaurant can be easy to pass by off University Ave. but there's plenty of street and neighborhood parking around! read more

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This place is amazing! Very cute inside and bar has a great view of the sushi chefs doing their thing :). We started with the oysters, which were refreshing, oceanic, bright, and slightly spicy. Next we got the pacific rolls. The unagi was top tier and the addition of shiso leaf brought another layer of flavor and complexity that really elevated the roll. Finally, we got the special of Escolar Roll w/ mushroom truffle. The butterfish lived up to all expectations and was surprisingly creamy, and rich as promised. The mushroom truffle added a nice kick of umami. The chefs definitely know what they are doing here and deliver a top notch sushi experience. read more

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Loved this place so much. It's a small restaurant in the Berkeley area with a real cool vibe. The staff is very friendly my only complaint was I asked to separate the checks so alcohol was on one bill and food was on another although the waitress said yes when we got the bill, the waiter said they could do it since I had to tell them ahead of time which I did multiple times. Fortunately the food outweighed this mistake. We ordered black cod with miso which was so good since it was an entree it came with salad, miso soup, rice and seaweed salad. The escolar roll was my second favorite. We also got the smoked hamachi roll which was beautifully presented with the true smokey effect. Each bite was washed down with a very refreshing yuzu sake. There's street parking right in front which I luckily found easily. You can add yourself to the yelp waitlist but I made a reservation so we were seated very promptly. read more

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Best way to end 2025! I've been to Thai Table many times and always loved the food, so when I found out Butterfish has the same owner, I had to try it--and wow, best sushi in town. We came with a group of 8 to celebrate the last day of the year. The restaurant is beautifully decorated, and the staff was so welcoming and accommodating. Our waitress, Pui, was super sweet and gave us amazing menu recommendations. Everything was fresh, flavorful, and absolutely delicious. I can't believe I waited this long to come here. Can't wait to come back again. Thank you, Butterfish, for making our celebration special and helping us welcome 2026! read more

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Haven't been to Berkeley in a minute and I was craving sushi so here I am. I ordered the otoro don and a Sapporo. My party also ordered an attic roll, Indian roll, and chicken bites. The otoro don was decent, although the portions for this dish were kinda small... I got to try the artic roll and Indian roll and it was alright. The chicken bites were pretty tasty. The service here was okay, the guy who was running the place when we were there was really cool. The restaurant is kinda small. There's bar seating upfront and there are a few small tables. The parking in this area surprisingly isn't too bad. Try it out if you like. :) read more

Butterfish Sushi - Sushi Bars Near Me - Berkeley, California

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Staff was great! The food OMG delicious! The fish was so fresh every bite tasted like butter. The really wasabi and their home made pickled something on top of fish. This is by far my new favorite sushi spot. Truly a hidden gem! read more

Butterfish Sushi - Real wasabi - Sushi Bars Near Me - Berkeley, California

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I made a 12:30 reservation for a family of four. We were the second party there as it was early-ish, but the small but cozy space filled up quickly around 1:00. Water was served as expected; however, I did not expect hot towels so it was a pleasant surprise. I ordered the 10 pc omakase cuz you gotta, my big kid ordered the chirashi bowl, my lil one had the salmon teriyaki (cuz not trying to be broke by introducing my 3yo to sushi), and my husband ordered the unagi don. We split a negihama roll, pacific roll, and negitoro nigiri. Ordered 4 drinks and it was around $300 with tip. The variety and the flavor combinations of the omakase was well rounded and eclectic and the quality of the fish was excellent. I do wish the server told me what each fish was and what topped each fish. It made for a nice guessing game. Beautiful presentation, nonetheless. My husband was a little less amused with his unagi don that awkwardly arrived in a long plate rather than a bowl. He liked the unagi but left much of the rice since it was sopped in sauce. Big kid inhaled his chirashi bowl in minutes without saying a word so that's a great indication of how much he enjoyed it. Lil one did not finish her meal but we all picked at the salmon teriyaki and it was cooked well, not overly sauced. The rolls we ordered were good, though I did find the rolls too loose so I would probably stick to ordering nigiris. The rice was seasoned well-- not too vinegary or sweet. Fish was cut perfectly. The ratio of fish to rice was uneven but I don't mind having less rice if it means I get to eat more fish. All in all, I am always on the lookout for reasonably priced sushi spots, and while I don't consider this place reasonably priced, for the quality of fish -- it's worth the money spent. read more

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Tiny restaurant, fresh and inventive (+ as expected, expensive!) sushi, presented with care. Menu was a bit confusing at first, but we figured it out. We started the meal with a simple palate cleansing hamachi sashimi and nigiri combo. Up next, we had the Arctic rolls (poke, scallop and cucumber), which was succulent and light. The Indian rolls (shrimp tempura, hamachi, white tuna, jalapeño) was a flavor bomb, with a pop of spice. Ended the delightful meal on a sweet note with green matcha ice cream. read more

Butterfish Sushi - Arctic Artic rolls - Sushi Bars Near Me - Berkeley, California

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- Ochazuke The broth in the Ochazuke had a delicate yet flavorful umami depth. The salmon was tender and lightly crispy on the outside, pairs perfectly with the rice, made each bite incredibly comforting. - Inari Sushi Trio This unique take on inari sushi was a standout! Including spicy tuna with tobiko, snow crab with shredded chilli threads, and yellowtail with tobiko. Every bite was sweet, savory and flavorful. It was a creative and flavorful dish that I'd definitely order again. - Tuna Rolls Classic tuna rolls with the tobiko adding a nice pop, making it both light and satisfying. - Matcha Cheesecake The matcha cheesecake was incredibly smooth, with a well-balanced earthy matcha flavor that wasn't overly sweet. Overall, Butterfish delivered high-quality ingredients, thoughtful presentation, and excellent flavors. The staff were friendly and warm. The restaurant has a cozy yet stylish setting. However, it's on the pricier end, the total ended up about $95 with tax and tips for this meal. read more

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Recommend making a reservation through Yelp. I joined the wait-list in person, but that ended up putting us on a lower priority. I saw another reviewer complained about the opposite experience last month so I guess the establishment may have overcompensated to try to keep it even. Anyway, I would've left this part alone, but several wait listed diners openly commented about this to the owner. Things were okay after we did get seated. They gave us complimentary snacks while we waited. We ordered their nigiri and hand roll sets. Deep down I was hoping it comes with uni AND it did! The downside was that the uni had a bitter aftertaste. The rest of the set was okay... A couple of good pieces... I wish they used sweet shrimp instead of the regular one though. This was a different experience. It's not your typical quiet sushi restaurant. They have loud music playing, but the chefs all seem to be unfazed. I'm not 100% against this - just that it wasn't my thing. I'm giving a 3 star for the overall experience. It's really a YMMV situation here. Hope y'all have a better experience! read more

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I've gone to this place probably 3 times the past 2 months and every single time, it does not disappoint! Having a meal here is definitely more than eating, but a whole experience. I always prefer sitting at the sushi bar because watching the sushi chef prepare the food makes me even more amazed. Now to the food, I am a sushi lover. When I say, this is by far the best high quality sushi I've had in the bay area, i definitely stand by it. My favorite part about sitting by the bar is that the sushi chef gets to tell me what's the freshest fish they have for the day which is very helpful on what to order. My top favorites; oysters, salmon skin roll, blue fin tuna sashimi, handroll set, smoked hamachi truffle roll, and salmon belly nigiri! Love the aesthetic of the place as well, a little bit small in size but cozy! The music can get a little loud, but I kinda like the energy it gives the place. Everytime I come to dine, they always remember me and are very thoughtful & nice :) & I've always gone during weekdays & wait time has not been an issue. read more

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Absolutely fantastic -- worth the wait but highly recommend making a reservation. The albacore on snow crab was life changing and the uni on scallops were divine. Will be back next time we're in town! It's definitely a date or girls' night out place even though it's quite small. read more

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I OD'ed on O-toro here. Lunch was a cool $50, but the quality of the sashimi was very excellent. My gf eats high end sushi Much more often than I do, and her lunch set her back a cool $75, because nigiri , hand rolls, and sashimi slices run smaller than average at this small sushi joint--- Still, for a bistro-type atmosphere, I know now to expect to pay $10-15 more, but the ineffable satisfaction of having really good fish stands out for me! read more

Man what is with my terrible luck with sushi restaurants lately?? We arrived and checked into the yelp waitlist tablet at the front that said there's a 9-20 min wait, which didn't seem bad. Well, we waited for around an hour outside in the cold before we were seated, and heard several other customers complain about the misleading wait estimates too. But what bothered me the most was seeing how we were next in line for a while, but the staff ended up skipping over our name multiple times before they finally chose to seat us. There was one name who was called several times over a span of 30 min, and they actually waited for them to finally show up instead of letting someone else eat first. Then, when we finally made it inside, we couldn't exactly warm up either when they left the door wide open and let all the cold air in. I ordered the 7 piece handroll set ($69.95). Although seated right at the sushi bar, they didn't come out one at a time, and came in plates of 3, 2, 2. The portion sizes were quite generous, and had a good variety of different toppings. However, every time I took a bite, all the toppings would pop right off the top of the handroll and make a mess. Of all the handroll restaurants I've been to, this is the only one where I've had this issue. Not sure if it's because they used too much rice or the nori was too soggy to make clean and crisp bites, but the mess certainly ruined the experience a bit. My husband ordered the 10 piece nigiri set ($49) and the only comment he had was that the uni tasted bitter. read more

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Such a cute little place with great service and delicious food. Came here with my kiddo, so had some simple rolls and just a couple nigiri, and even those few things were awesome. I can't wait to come back to try more nigiri. I had the escolar and yellowtail belly and they were amazing! My son made sure to tell the chef his California roll was a 10 out of 10 read more

Butterfish Sushi - Escolar and yellowtail toro nigiri - Sushi Bars Near Me - Berkeley, California

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This spot has some fireeeee I loveeeeed the scallop and uni I will definitely be back for more ;) read more

Butterfish Sushi - Scallop and uni - Sushi Bars Near Me - Berkeley, California

First time dining at butterfish we came on a Saturday 1:30 pm! Service was amazing our servers were super attentive and the vibes were 10/10. The place isn't that big but loved the interior especially the fall ceilings. Food: We got the smoked hamachi roll 8/10, umi masu lover roll 10/10, and the truffle butterfish roll 8/10. We added the chefs 10 pc nigiri set which was good but didn't blow me away 6.5/10. Overall I would def come back for their rolls next time will try their handrolls and inari pockets. Fish was fresh and portions were huge! read more

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This is a special place. The sushi was exceptional. I encourage people to order items they usually don't order. The chef specials are truly masterpieces. They serve fresh wasabi most pieces of fish; it makes every bite something special. The restaurant is tiny but worth the wait and nice interior. Sit at the bar if you can, front row to chef preparing beautiful plates. read more

Butterfish Sushi - Wagyu and chutoro - Sushi Bars Near Me - Berkeley, California

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