A tremendous disappointment. The dining area is cozy but clean, simple, and nice. The staff gave us a prompt greeting when we entered. There was a 10min wait. However, things made a turn for the worse after we were seated. We started by ordering some appetizers and beer. The beer was served relatively quickly but the appetizers took 30-45min. When the partial order was brought out we were not given any plates or bowls to eat from even after asking for them twice. After a long wait our appetizers came. - Gilled Miso cod: good texture, fresh, very mild miso taste - Agedashi tofu: undercooked with too much mochi batter, felt like melted gummy - Miso soup: average - California roll: average - Crouquette: crunchy exterior, undercooked interior I've had dozens of Agedashi tofus before. This was the first one I was ever served that had a texture of melted mozzarella. When I sent it back, the sous chef and watiress came back to the table to explain that the texture had turned to mush when the cornstarch batter is soaked in the sauce. Another 10-15min went by. We ordered more drinks and continued to wait patiently and then I notice people that were seated just minutes go all being served their entrees. At this point, we requested to cancel the rest of our orders and go elsewhere. The attitude of our waitress went from amicable to defensive and indifferent over the course of the evening. At no point was there an apology or an attempt to make things right. Even the sushi chef and sous chef were indifferent. When there are people lined up for the next seat they can afford to have that attitude for now. Sake, beer, and shochu selection were subpar for a real Japanese restaurant. It's okay if you're getting hot sake in a carafe or a bottle of Asahi. It's a shame we didn't get to sample the nigiri. With the poor service experience and the number of other sushi restaurants in the area it would be difficult to give this place a second chance. Maybe were were just the unlucky ones whose orders were put in late. It's hard for believe all the glowing 5* reviews. In the end it's just another Korean sushi restaurant in disguise. read more

Kamado Sushi - CA roll - Japanese Near Me - Berkeley, California

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This is hands down a 5 star sushi place. there are some picky reviews about this place...and god knows I can be quite picky myself but this is truly a great find. Aside from the food being very very fresh, creative and unique, there's this amazing community feel as well. When i arrived, it was packed however they were able to seat me up at the bar on a corner spot. I sat between the nicest people and had such a nice time - no other way to put it. The important take away from this experience aside from the food being exceptionally delicious... Was that when you come in here, you'll see lots and lots of locals/regulars eating here...which to me, says it all!! I'm going back there for lunch today - can't wait!!! read more

Kamado Sushi - Th chef/owner. Such a frig'en nice guy...he puts out a great product - hands down!! - Japanese Near Me - Berkeley, California

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Came here on a Friday night at around 8 pm. Restaurant was pretty full but we managed to get a table right when we get there. Service was meh, we waited for 10 min to get our tea and to order food. Food took a long time to serve. We actually see our food waiting next to the sushi bar (for like 5 min) and but the waiters were too busy to serve them to us. We ordered a rainbow roll and the sake oyako don. Both were okay... I have had better. We also ordered fried calamari legs as appetizer. But the appetizer actually came out after the sushi and after the first bite, I realized that it was ice cold. We told the waiter about it, and she came back with a hot sizzling one (probably refried it) . It was much better. We also ordered the yosenabe. In the description they claimed to have oysters, but it turned out to be mussels -_- Food does not really worth the price. 2 stars cause of the service but the food was worth 3 stars. Overall, I think this place is with great potential, may come again sometime soon. read more

Kamado Sushi - Rainbow roll (top) and sake oyako don (bottom) - Japanese Near Me - Berkeley, California

Their umi-masu was really good, but this grilled hamachi kama takeout was overly cooked and the taste was bland...the cost of $18.50 for it is absurd...from inside intel (a worker at) this restaurant is customer-selective, meaning they reserve bigger portion and assumingly better cooking quality too for long term customers, friends and family, i recommend this restaurant to treat every customer with equal service and quality food cus the cooked fish was terrible... read more

Kamado Sushi - grilled hamachi kama ap - $18.50 - Japanese Near Me - Berkeley, California

My husband and I both had the chirashi sushi. The fish was very fresh, flavorful and tender--melt in your mouth tender. We also had the dragon roll which was very flavorful. There was just enough of the Unagi sauce but not so much that it overpowered the flavor of the fish. The dragon roll was $12.50 and the chirashi sushi was $22. Miso soup is included too. We arrived shortly after they opened for dinner. There was only one other couple there. By the time we left, around 50 minutes later, there were only a few tables open. There were chairs outside, presumably for people who needed to wait. Guessing....maybe about 12 tables that were a mix that seated 4 people and 2 people. There's seating at the sushi bar. Street parking. read more

Kamado Sushi - Chirashi sushi - Japanese Near Me - Berkeley, California

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The service was super super great! The waiters were so kind! The restaurant was super cute on the inside, all the decor made for a really nice intimate dinner! The food itself was so good and it's pretty filling for the price! I would come here again! read more

Food is usually good as I have been here several times before, but they should update their hours if they actually close at 8:20. Right when we went up to the door they flipped the sign in our faces. read more

Started off hopeful upon receiving warm washcloths. Nice interior. But the food was just awful. We ordered plenty. 5 different sushi rolls. Agedashi tofu. Chawan mushi. The sushi rice was mashed & gluey. The fish didn't taste fresh. The structure of the rolls fell apart. The Salmon Skin roll was not pleasantly crunchy; it was hard & laborious to eat, like eating glass. It was like they left the salmon skin in the fryer too long & forgot about it for days. And there was an inexplicable amount of bonito flakes that made it excessively fishy. There was too much umeboshi in the ume/cucumber roll, and it was too salty & sour. And the cucumber was cut thin and wispy & lacked any crispness. At this point, I didn't even bother touching the sashimi, but my husband tells me that it was nausea inducing. The chawan mushi was not properly blended. The custard was too sweet & soft on top, and there was hardened egg white at the bottom of the cup. And the only thing in it was minced up kamaboko! The agedashi tofu was the worst. There was a laughable, almost non-existent amount of ginger/green onion/dashi. The deep fried tofu immediately soaked up all the dashi & all that was left was big gluey chunks of tofu sitting in a puddle of thick oil. We ended up spending over $60 on food wasted. Never again. read more

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A few years later, it's even better. Kamado is small and popular, so make a reservation. The staff were very accommodating and patient, letting us add an extra dinner and letting us wait to order while sitting at the table before everyone arrived. We tried a lot of the appetizers. The miso glazed black cod was spectacular. Flaky, fatty, a must order. I am sometimes apprehensive about truffle, about the flavor balancing was great. The miso eggplant was also quite popular. The gyoza disappeared instantly. The tempura veggies were perfectly crisp. The whole grilled squid wasn't bad, but it didn't stand out. I wish it was served with the Japanese mayo dipping sauce instead of the ponzu one. The chirashi had a nice assortment of fresh fish. The rice was nicely cooked and seasoned. They serve the sweet shrimp amaebi nigiri with the fried head. Both parts were enjoyable. To my surprise, the meal was surprisingly affordable. With its solid food and good value, Kamado is definitely one of the best sushi places near downtown Berkeley. read more

Occassion - Second birthday dinner for fiancee. Seriously. Verdict - He finally has found his go-to Japanese restaurant outside of home (San Jose). Natsu miso - Gooey, soft, warm, savory eggplant. Tempura siso uni - Lightly friend and delicious. Miso glazed black cod - Humongous portion, cooked fresh, and perfect to share between two people. Uni - Fresh and light. Price - On top of 2 orders of fresh seasonal nigiri and a bottle of sake, the total was around $130. Loved it. read more

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The sashimi and rice were excellent. Better than any Japanese restaurant in LA; even the "trendy" ones .. won't mention any names. Also ate some soup, sunomono and tempura; all were delicious as well. The rice was just as Grandma used to make. The overall quality was comparable to Goshi in SLO, another favorite of mine. For the quality it's an excellent value. Just wish this was closer to home in Orange County. read more

Have been visiting Kamado for the last 4 years and Jin never disappointed me! The only thing is that the store is a bit small and crowded so not sure how it will play out after COVID19. Super fresh special fish compared to just another mediocre mom and pop sushi house. Always surprise us with his omakase skills and the attention he gives us! Also the menu could be a bit pricey for some people but it's well worth the quality that they serve there! Staff team members are extremely friendly and helpful. read more

Excellent sushi, perhaps the best in the area. Lovely small restaurant good service. I highly recommend.

Kamado is by far my favorite sushi place in all of Berkeley. It's not going to be cheap, but you definitely get what you pay for. Amazing selection of fresh fish daily, and some options you won't be able to find at other places. If you love sushi, you MUST come here! The service is also great and friendly. And the drinks are top notch if you want sake, hot or cold. I usually only order sushi from sushi places, but I've tried some of their other dishes and I have not yet been disappointed. read more

Kamado Sushi - Japanese Near Me - Berkeley, California

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They consistently offer delicious fresh food here. We get it to go and somehow they still plate it beautifully and it stays hot until you get it home. This is our go-to spot for a specific meal. read more

Oh. My. God. Where has this place been?! I wish I could eat here once a week. My piggy bank wouldn't be happy with me though. Finding this place was serendipitous! A friend and I were actually supposed to go to Yume in Alameda. While they were waiting to sign up for dinner they chatted with someone in line and that person suggested Kamado. We sat at the bar with reservations and had the pleasure of being served by Chef Jin. We ate 15 amazing pieces of fresh fisssshhhh. Fish from Tsukiji fish market. We got to try a lot of seasonal fish from Japan which was pretty awesome. The first thing we started with was super memorable. It was a conch liver thing (I've never had it before see photos for the actual name). We also tried the poet sake, it was nice. I'm not sure how long we actually ate here, but when we finished up the restaurant was pretty quiet and we got to chat with the chef a bit. He's so passionate and I already can't wait to come back. read more

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TL;DR: negative customer service experience, small rolls, good scallops Unfortunately, I had a less than positive experience at Kamado Sushi. The food was fine and the options were good. However, a customer service experience (for once) will probably prevent me from coming back in the future. For most, I would say this is a good sushi joint to check out in GG. We ordered the Kaisen Futomaki, Baked Spicy Scallop Roll, and the Avo Tuna Roll. KAISEN FUTOMAKI (3.5/5) - Large variety of fish - Not as big in size as I had wished BAKED SCALLOP ROLL(4/5) - My favorite of the night - Soft scallop with a little bit of kick AVO TUNA ROLL(3/5) - Nothing to write home about, really - Large piece of fatty tuna with avocado - Wasn't expecting much else, but we wanted tuna My complaint comes from this: my friend is allergic to fish, but was still down to go to this restaurant because she saw they had non-fish options. She ordered the Shrimp Tempura Roll, thinking that it contained no fish. This is an oversight on our part, but we didn't see that the roll had fish eggs (tobiko) because it wasn't labelled that clearly. We had asked the waitress if we could clear the misunderstanding and get another roll, but she relayed back to us that it wasn't their fault and would be double charging us if we bought another roll. The manager claimed that they would not accommodate the mistake, leaving my friend to pick off all of the rice just to eat the inside of the roll. I get that it was a mistake on our part fully, but I would have never expected a restaurant to be that stingy and not allow patrons to return a roll that they could not even eat. I left pretty disappointed and frankly, still hungry. I won't be returning here in the future for a variety of reasons, but if you're looking to try more sushi restaurants in the area, be my guest. read more

The omakaze is spectacular here. Everything was super fresh, with many unusual fish. This is the only place I've been where mackerel sushi tasted like butter instead of fishy. Wonderful miso soup, too. Excellent service. read more

The sushi was five star, but the atmosphere was two stars. It felt like we were eating in a McDonald's restaurant. Why do people bring 4 year old kids to a restaurant like this? Nothing like paying $90 for a nice meal while watch kids 2 feet from you spit up food and run around between the closely spaced tables. The service was a bit lacking. They tossed down the sushi without explaining what piece was what. Usually the server explains what each piece is fish is. I hate that this distracted from some vey good food. read more

Always great. Get the omakase menu. So good. Wonderfully fresh fish. Kind service. Great value for the outstanding quality.

I had a very disappointing meal here for $50. "Toro" nigiri was $18 and not the fatty tuna you expect. It was tough & chewy, along with the salmon nigiri which was equally chewy and not flavorful. Both of these fish should be buttery and rich. The miso cod was equally overpriced and underwhelming. Even the gyoza was subpar. A waste of money and depressing experience overall. read more

I've visited this establishment a few times and I've never had a bad experience. I went to Kamado Sushi last week for lunch with a coworker and we were both impressed by the omakase (where you leave the fish selection up to the chef). It was my first time having it there and the Chef was extremely insightful and explained each slice of fish and how it was prepared. I loved how our chef took the time to get to know us while he was preparing our meal and there was never a dull moment! I hope to visit this establishment more as it has become one of my favorite places to frequent. The fish is all imported from Japan and the waitresses were extremely attentive to our needs. Thank you so much for making our experience amazing! read more

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I have come to Kamado a few times since they have opened, usually with other people and it has been ehh experience. This time, I came after work (solo) and sat at the sushi bar and was happy with my experience. I ordered nigari sushi, instead of ordering mains (had the udon last time and was not impressed) and though it was a little pricey it was worth it. I am a big fan of ocean trout (better than salmon FYI) and mackerel (SABA), so I made sure to order that, but they also has some special fishes yesterday. On the menu for my tummy was ocean trout, saba, ayu (smelt), yellowtail, ikura, squid, sea eel (special) and albino branzino (which was amazing, another special). Total cost with a 6oz pour of sake and tax was $78. Pricey but worth a relaxing Thursday night by myself after work. read more

Not good, and over rated. Friendly staff, and kudos to the owner for being an equal opportunity employer because every ethnic group is represented among the staff. The food, however, feels like a confused Korean, Japanese menu. The fish didn't taste fresh, was slightly overpriced, and my fiancée and I met the "God of Thrones" 12 hours later. Moreover, the pork belly skewer looked and tasted like it just came from the pig's belly. No char, and fatty beyond belief. How can they serve that? No chance of returning! read more

The food here is a solid 5 stars, service get 4 at most, we round up on Yelp, right? I've come here numerous times for lunch and dinner - lunch is definitely a lot cheaper, but dinner has a lot of different menu items and is a better atmosphere in my opinion. I really love how they have battera sushi (boxed/pressed sushi), you must try it! My favorite is the mackerel boxed sushi, with the shiso leaf in it makes it delicious. Hard to find this dish in the Bay and super glad they have it. Their nigiris are unique, they always have fresh fish on the TVs, super glad I've tried a few cool ones. You can't go wrong with the raw fish here - try the chirashi! It's a bit expensive, but the fish is super fresh and the execution is beautiful and just so delicious. I really like their appetizer selection as well, lots of vegetarian options and dishes that are cooked for those who don't like raw fish. The food here is amazing, I think it's one of the best sushi places in Berkeley and definitely in the top two for their sashimi and quality. The waitresses are very attentive, possibly overly attentive at the wrong times. When they deliver your food they are nowhere to be found. The chefs are extremely nice though which makes up for the server's weaknesses. They always ask how the food is after and are super friendly in greeting and saying goodbye. read more

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I visited this place for my second time and was still just as impressed. Food and drinks: The quality of the nigiri I ordered was so fresh - uni, amaebi, and ikura. The food and sayuri sake were all presented nicely. These nigiri are along the more expensive side on the menu and it cost $38 including the Sayuri sake (which was $8). On a side note, they have two different uni - the Santa Barbara and Japanese uni. #unifan Service: I waited by the door for maybe 5-7 minutes until I was greeted by a server. That day was really busy, but they still made it to me. I was seated at the bar and my server checked in on me frequently. They give hot hand towels before the meal. The sushi chefs will also check in on you if you are sitting at the bar. And understand when I say they were busy, these chefs had long lines of tickets to make. The service was overall great. Instagram: Their IG name is @kamado_sushi_berkeley. I wish they posted more of their plates because the presentation is so pleasing to the eye. I looked to my left and right and the other customers' food looked amazing, especially the chirashi bowl. I'll have to try that next time I go in. read more

Kamado Sushi - Santa Barbara uni, amaebi, and ikura nigiri. Alongside Sayuri sake. -$38 BUT, the quality is worth it. - Japanese Near Me - Berkeley, California

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We go to Kamado at least once a month and it's always amazing. Not only the food, but the service- right when you walk in the door until the minute you leave. Sit at the sushi bar, have some sake, order off the specials menu and leave happy read more

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This place is divine. Last night was my first time here and I was not disappointed. We waited about 30 minutes for a table of two, the place itself is relatively small, but it was well worth the wait. There are endless sashimi options and everything we got tasted perfect and fresh. The service is super attentive and nice. The place was really busy with several parties waiting by the door and you could tell the staff was stressed out, but their attitude didn't suffer because of it. I also highly recommend the eggplant appetizer. So delicious. Overall, can't wait to go back! read more

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, This sushi is by far our very favorite. We have traveled far and wide and always want to return to Kamari. My partner has a serious sushi addiction so we always try everywhere. The chef is creative, the sushi is very fresh, the atmosphere is calming and the prices are reasonable. We go at least once a week. Do yourself a favor... go! read more

Kamado Sushi - A Sea Squirt - Japanese Near Me - Berkeley, California

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Highlight of the meal: their hamachi sushi! What a wonderful Japanese dining experience. A friend and I arrived at 6pm to a less than half full restaurant and were seated right away. We were really pleased that there was available free parking right across the street (becomes free at 6pm). The service was really friendly and informative and the sushi was fresh and tasty. FOOD: 1. BAKED SCALLOP ROLL - yum! My favorite of the 3 we ordered - felt like comfort food 2. SPICY TUNA ROLL - really great tuna - good amount of spice without being overwhelming 3. SHRIMP TEMPURA ROLL - do not recommend - very different from the tempura rolls I'm used to - don't like that there's asparagus in it 4. HAMACHI SUSHI - just melted in my mouth - highly recommend I will definitely be back! read more

Kamado Sushi - From upper left, clockwise: spicy tuna roll, hamachi sushi, baked scallop roll, and shrimp tempura roll - Japanese Near Me - Berkeley, California

Great sushi. So many options on the menu we asked for recommendations and we're pleasantly surprised with what we got. Sashimi is amazing but it had a little too much wasabi for my taste. Definitely order the Mackerel and the Firefly Squid. Also got the octopus but it was a little tough. Order the eggplant or 10. It was the best eggplant I have ever had hands down. Only about $60 for a huge dinner for two. Not bad at all for quality sushi. Decent amount of parking outside for the area. Will definitely return. read more

Kamado Sushi - Roe, Firefly squid, octopus, salmon, mackerel - Japanese Near Me - Berkeley, California

Best quality freshest fish sourced from all over the world. The regular menu items are all excellent, but you absolutely must try sitting at the bar and eating off the display board of new arrivals. Be adventurous and you will be rewarded! Watching their most knowledge and synchronous itamae are like poetry in motion. Everyone who works here is consistently giving 100% effort to give every customer a perfect experience, and it shows, every time. read more

Kamado is now open doing take out everyday 4 to 8:30 still awesome food made by awesome staff! read more

Kamado Sushi - sushi dinner - Japanese Near Me - Berkeley, California

While traveling the East Bay for work, I stopped in for dinner. The vibe is pretty chill like most Berkley restaurants. I got the sashimi special which was enough to fill me up. For dessert, I tried the - green tea tempura ice cream... it was just okay read more

Kamado Sushi - Sashimi - Japanese Near Me - Berkeley, California

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First time at this place. Was amazing and fresh. Highly recommend the rainbow and crunch rolls, but particularly loved the rainbow roll. Cute intimate setting with a clear view of the Itamaes preparing the food and the ingredients. read more

Kamado Sushi - Rainbow roll - Japanese Near Me - Berkeley, California

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By far one of the best sushi restaurants I've been to! There's ample parking so you don't have to worry about fighting for one because this is near a college and luckily, it was during summer when we went and it wasn't as busy. Came here around dinner time and there was no wait time, thank God. We were seated quickly and it was cute how they had paper stands for the chopsticks. If you don't understand what I'm saying, you need to go to this place to experience it yourself! First time I've been to a restaurant that did that. They also give you hot, wet towels so you could clean your hands before eating. The roll I got was amazing. It was perfectly made and you could taste all the ingredients. I love tempura so my sushi roll had crumbs of it so I could still taste the sushi wrapped in tempura. Ate through my roll quickly and wanted to get more but I decided that getting another roll would just be too much and I'd end up not eating all of it and just wasting it. The staff was nice and the atmosphere of the restaurant was aesthetic. We were seated near the windows and the location was perfect since it's between two roads. Would I come back here again? YES! Would I recommend this to a friend? Absolutely! read more

Kamado Sushi - Crunch roll - Japanese Near Me - Berkeley, California

Master sushi chef Jin has opened his own place at the North end of the gourmet ghetto (after establishing the reputations of other restaurants here and across the bridge), and it is a welcome addition to the local scene - if you love fresh, creative, and delicious Japanese cuisine served with the heartfelt warmth of a team dedicated to ensuring a wonderful dining experience, this is where you need to be. I am sure this will become an East Bay destination as his team gets into the groove and word gets around. Thoughtful details include hot steamed towels as you are seated (in Japan you eat nigiri sans chopsticks, the towels facilitate), origami chopstick holders, excellent presentations, abundant smiles, and gracious greetings. A great indicator is the miso soup - this is house made fresh daily with the dashi stock started in the morning as the base. They use two kinds of miso as well so the result is a very rich and layered flavor - not that out of the box broth that other restaurants sometimes use. The lunch specials are also really great - $12.50 for amazing quality sushi or sashimi assortment with miso soup. The spicy tuna roll is very good - big strips of tuna with spicy sauce. If you are a seasoned sushi enthusiast I recommend sitting at the bar and asking Chef Jin to treat you to an Omakase evening. He selects his ingredients from multiple vendors and always has something intriguing that you won't find elsewhere. Yes you can drive across the bridge and pay an inordinately high premium to feel smugly exclusive (I am guilty) or you can come here and feel like you are a part of a family that cares about you and leave with a smile and warm feeling in your heart. read more

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Kamado Sushi is open for lunch! relatively small spot. single diner, given choice of bar or table. either one ok, went for table by window. (almost all of them by window, this space is that small) menu: typical, ramen, udon, appetizers, rolls, 3 kinds of izakaya. browze menu looking for chirashi, sashimi deals. eats: -chicken breast skewer @3.50 not a lot of flavor, fresh breast meat...3ish stars -chirashi (lunch) special (13.50) couple set pieces plus chef's choice...... tuna(2), hamachi, seared tuna, grilled mackeral, tamayo(2), ebi, salmon eggs, seaweed, sliced mushrooms, suzuki *every item fresh, flavorful, even the tuna. 5 stars, quality, value. temaki: -have no idea where Master sushi chef Jin hails from (Ochame?), he's GREAT! -nice paper origami chopstick holders on each table. -service is what u get with one waitress.on duty. (no pretensions however). -go for the sashimi here at the minimum. read more

My boyfriend and I went here for our anniversary and we loved it!! We started off with sake and calamari rings. The sake came in a giant bottle and as a cute touch we got to choose our sake cups from a nice selection. The calamari rings were by far one of our favorite things! They were crispy and delicious! The sushi was also really good. My favorite was the shrimp tempura roll. To top it off, the waitress was very nice and helpful. Definitely looking forward to come back soon! read more

Kamado Sushi - Delicious calamari rings! - Japanese Near Me - Berkeley, California

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Kamado Sushi has got some serious potential. It's a cozy restaurant with a more sophisticated feel to it. Each of the 10-12 tables inside is set with an origami chopstick holder, and it's beautifully furnished. (And I rarely talk about a restaurant's decor.) The sake oyakodon is fantastic: thick slices of raw salmon, with a scoop of salmon roe, two pieces of tamago, with mushrooms and pickled radish over rice. The meat-to-rice ratio isn't deceiving like it can be at other Japanese places, so it was worth the $16. Although the entrée was delicious, I wasn't impressed with the appetizers. The calamari rings come with about eight rings and ponzu sauce, and they were too breaded for my liking. The chawanmushi (Japanese custard with shrimp, chicken, and mushrooms) comes in a super small container and tasted like mushroom soup. The service here, unfortunately, left a lot to be desired. They completely forgot that we ordered agedashi tofu and forgot to bring our miso soup twice. Still, I give them the benefit of the doubt. Kamado is a new restaurant, and once they work out some of the kinks, I think this could be a great place in Gourmet Ghetto. read more

Kamado Sushi - Sake oyakodon - salmon, roe, and tamago served over rice! - Japanese Near Me - Berkeley, California