Arguably the best sushi in Oakland of not one of the best in the Bay Area. The sashimi 10 plate was outstanding. Fresh cuts of fish generously sized, with fresh wasabi...not the green toothpaste most places have. Hamachi was awesome... Tuna two ways... Glistening salmon and their fresh catch of Bonita Macarel was incredible... I'd come back over kirala and I am a kirala fan... Now a big fan of Kiku sushi read more

Check my check in, wow! Love this place. Be back in Berkeley next week (from LA) and will be back again! The server was far from great but I was at the bar so the chef had my back. read more

Kiku Sushi - Kobe beef - Japanese Near Me - Berkeley, California

I enjoy the sake flights. Food consistently good. Nice neighborhood place.

I had read reviews prior to coming here for the first time, so I called exactly one hour before I arrived and placed a pick up order. We were told that the food would take 45 minutes to arrive, which was perfect as we were still 55 minutes away. When we arrived, we noticed that they hadn't even started our order and were frantically packing another waiting customer's takeout order. We ended up waiting another 40 minutes in the restaurant. Although the sushi was decently good, we were disappointed with the poor service and inconsiderate wait time. Will not be returning. read more

The dining area is small and the service is not bad. What it might lack in those areas, however, it makes up for in consistently delicious sushi. Nothing crazy or showy, just stop-the-conversation, enjoy-with-all-your-senses, damn delicious sushi. Every time. read more

Kiku Sushi - Chirashi Special - Japanese Near Me - Berkeley, California

Well, this is definitely a bare-bones place. It's tiny, cramped, and the service is usually rushed, but the food and quality is worth it. We stopped by on a late Saturday evening and had about a 20 minute wait. Once seated, service went pretty quick. We didn't go too fancy on the ordering, and ordered a Chirashi bowl and sashimi set. Both were very fresh, and I love that the emphasis is on quality rather than quantity or fancy rolls. Hamachi carpaccio was also great, with just a bit of a kick from the jalapeño and the grapefruit. Parking is not too terrible with residential streets, and they offer a 10% discount if you pay with cash. read more

This place is quaint and quiet. The sushi is good quality and authentic. It's good for a date night but is also family friendly. It's small and gets busy so it's good to make a reservation. Service is slightly slow. read more

5 stars for the seafood udon, brimming with fish, clams, mussels, scallops, prawns, fishcake, and toothsome noodles. The sake sampler is great fun -- six samples, each generous enough for edifying contemplation. read more

Gak! I so very much wanted to love this sweet little place. The Goma-ae was a cold,squishy mess. The very lovely waitress was not able to understand we wanted to order but brought her own interpretation. The vegetable soup broth tasted very flat and had that "from the can" taste. Cold vegetables and tofu were tossed in at the end. Ew. Not sure if this was an off night. read more

Generous sashimi portions. We had the combo moriwase. Uni nigiri was ok, not melt in your mouth orgasmic. Blow fish although interesting wasn't great. The texture isn't my chip of tea. It's quite tough. They were out of kanpachi! Chawan had a great broth, but the custard was slightly over done. I enjoyed mushashi's version better. Agedashi sauce was slightly too sweet, but I liked the smaller tofu cubes. Appreciated the fact that they had fresh wasabi. read more

Great little sushi bar, emphasis on small. While the seating was cramped, it was ok. We tried a full assortment of offerings and none disappointed. The restaurant had a great vibe and was very busy...the wait was a little long but everyone was nice. The Black Cod " butter fish" was awesome, melted in my mouth , it's a must have. read more

Kiku Sushi - Invading Berkley for Sushi with Friends - Japanese Near Me - Berkeley, California

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This restaurant is small and was packed when we went on Friday night. The waitresses have a challenging job to find their way to the tables. Easy to find parking in the neighborhood. The fish was super fresh. We had miso cod, rainbow roll, fermented soy bean roll, yellowtail w/ grape fruit & jalapeño, green tea tempura. All of them were delicious. In particular, rainbow roll and yellowtail stood out. Will definitely go back! read more

Stopped in on a whim after leaving work early and meeting up with my wife to find a late lunch - this is a winner!! Kiku Sushi is a small place on the corner tucked in a quiet residential neighborhood in Berkeley. It's relatively small inside, but quiet and cozy. Service is quick, attentive, and non-intrusive. Sushi is excellent. My wife and I each ordered a couple of items, and we left talking about the freshness of the fish and how satisfying the portions were. Loved loved loved the food. read more

Felt lucky to find this quaint cozy little gem in the heart of Gilman. Definitely felt like a locals spot as there was a steady stream of folks coming in and though they were extremely busy, also with many togo orders, staff did everything they could to make everyone feel well taken care of. Sushi was delicious--AND they had firefly squid. Amazingly tasty! read more

Not sure why my previous review is being filtered. Great sashimi (I don't like sushi in general, but their sashimi is very good here). If you get a chance, try the grilled hamachi collar. read more

This review is from a few months ago. Sat at the sushi bar. Tried this place after looking at reviews and so I wanted to share my experience. When it comes to sashimi bigger is not better. The portions were cut too big for my taste. And it was cramped and loud. Some items on the menu were fantastic and a good value but I may not come back. 2.5 really. read more

Me and my husband have been dining at Kiku for over two years now. It is by far the freshest, most affordable, high end sushi in the east bay. We love it and have never been disappointed. The staff are so welcoming and feel like family, the Yellowtail is to die for and the intimate venue is so special. 10/10 WE LOVE YOU KIKU read more

What a sweet little discovery this was! Fiancee and I stopped here in a Saturday on our way back home to Marin after running errands in the east bay. We didn't want to make a big deal out of lunch, so it seemed quick and easy enough to take a break for two beers and two rolls. He had an assortment of chef's choice nigiri, whereas I had an entire crunch roll; all of the fish was fresh, the sushi rice was perfect, and my own roll was a perfect balance of creamy, crunchy, and savory. In the end, we actually saved on our bill too since they charge a 10% discount on any orders paid with cash, which is a great incentive (in my opinion) to encourage people to not pay with plastic as much. The beers were HUGE and decently priced, so that was a plus too. Not sure if we'll go back soon, given that we don't venture out of the north bay very often, but I will definitely recommend it to others in the area! read more

Came for dinner and the decline has continued. We no longer recommend Kiku and have shifted our patronage elsewhere. Miso-glazed black cod. The price has only gone up a little bit, the prep and size is the same, but the quality has sunk. This tasted like third-rate quality fish, frozen by someone who used a home freezer and then let it defrost and refreeze a couple of times. It was mushy in texture, ruining the flavor. Hugely disappointing! Seaweed salad. Kiku makes their own, from wakame, plus a fringe-y brown seaweed and a plume-like light green seaweed. There's tasty toasted sesame, but not much else. Seaweed is neutral, almost flavorless; so without something salty or sugary or tart, this has the slightly slimy texture nori lovers enjoy, but not enough taste to make interesting eating. We like the shift away from neon-bright food coloring and too much sugar, but this goes too far in the opposite direction. "Boring" was an apt description. Meat gyoza (potstickers), pan-fried (you can also get deep-fried or steamed; there's a vegetarian version as well). Filled with a simple but tasty mixture of ground chicken and pork, the pan-frying was on point and the dumplings nicely golden brown on the bottom. Nice to see these return to form after our last disappointing lunch here. I ordered the combo tempura, which is adequate but not especially remarkable. It was a good thing I tasted the dip first, however. Traditionally it's just dashi, to which the diner adds soya. But this was diluted teriyaki sauce! Had I added soya without tasting as I usually do, it would have been inedible. DH chose three sushi rolls. Kiku's rolls are small, narrower than most places and anywhere from 5-7 pieces. The California roll was drizzled with teriyaki, a practice that we don't approve of or like. Kiku adds crab to the filling, instead of the usual tuna. The futomaki was okay. It had shrimp, eel, kanpyo (dried gourd), shiitake, tobiko (flying fish roe), Japanese cucumber, gobo (burdock), and tamago (egg omelet). The seafood and tobiko was a nice touch, but overall it was only a little above average. The third roll was supposed to be negi hama, hamachi (yellowtail) and green onion. Unexpectedly, the hamachi was chopped up like a salad, with some kewpie mayo. Neither of us thought much of this one. Overall, we're sad to see Kiku's decline. There's now at least three Berkeley/Albany places better than they are, so we won't be returning. read more

Note - This review was based on visits when Chef Jin worked there, he has since opened his own restaurant and I will have to revisit Kiku again to determine if this rating still holds. I'll keep it short and sweet. This place is a gem. I have been to Japan multiple times, and have been a fan of sushi and all Japanese cuisine for over 30 years. This place is top notch, and the Chef is friendly and very knowledgeable. Service is excellent. Tip - have him plate up his suggested items. You won't be disappointed. read more

Amazingly FRESH fish. We just moved to the area and were so happy to find our new go to sushi spot. We had the Sashimi sampler. The only reason I took off a star is because they started cleaning the kitchen while we were eating and the smell really bothered me. read more

The fish is always extremely fresh and the sashimi very generously sliced. Some favorites: spicy scallop, sake, and the shirt maguro. Also the appetizers are fresh and delicious. Service is above par, and they will do their best to accommodate you when the place is busy. If you haven't tried it yet, get up and go already, you won't be disappointed. Great neighborhood spot read more

Kiku Sushi - Beef Teriyaki dinner. Char! - Japanese Near Me - Berkeley, California

Good quality fish and fresh too. Small restaurant and tiny sushi bar but sushi fish slices are huge. I liked it, good place. read more

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I went in for lunch with a friend because I've been hearing good things about Kiku. Kiku did not disappoint. I ordered a sashimi lunch special and my friend ordered the morikawa lunch special. Each order was only $15, which I thought was steal especially since each cut was fresh and huge. The fish was delicious! Each piece melted in my mouth. I'm definitely coming here again to try out some of their items! read more

Kiku Sushi - Sashimi and Morikawa lunch special - Japanese Near Me - Berkeley, California

This place is cute, small, and located on the corner of the street. We got a sushi lunch special and dragon roll. The dragon roll was the same price as the sushi lunch special however this was probably the smallest dragon roll I've ever seen.....was not impressed and felt a little disappointed. The sushi lunch special however was pretty good. California roll has real crab in it. Nigiri was pretty good and tamago was above average. I would come back for the lunch specials but I wouldn't order any of the rolls again. read more

Good service and quality sushi. Regular spot to fulfill our sushi cravings! Creative items on the menu along with the traditional staples. Always has their fresh fish/specials menu posted. Definitely try them. read more

I had Japanese food craving one rainy Sunday. A lot of the Japanese restaurants I wanted to try weren't open till 5pm. Kiku Sushi was the closest that was open at 4pm. We were lucky to find street parking right away. I decided to sit by the counter because I wanted to see our food prepared. My husband and I shared the Chirashi Special ($20.95) and ordered three more sushi: Tamago ($3.95), Animo ($6), and Uni Japan ($15). I kept reminding my husband to savor the food and appreciate the freshness, taste, and texture with each bite. I guess he still wasn't full afterwards so he ordered a BBQ short rib ($16) as well. Our bill was under $70 without tip. I thought the quality of the sushi was good. My husband agrees but he does not think it's an authentic Japanese restaurant because for some reason, he is under the impression that it is Korean-owned. Does it really matter if it's run by Japanese or Koreans? To me, it all comes down to the food. read more

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So disappointing. The quality was terrible. I just spent $60 for lunch for 2 and it was barely edible.

I love sushi, and I'm totally fine with cheap sushi joints. This place is not cheap and the fish was not good. It made my stomach churn and a few of the fish types tasted gritty and/or slimy. The one star is for the miso soup and tempura, which tasted delicious and were cooked. I would say this place is fine for cooked items, but if you really love nigiri or sashimi, take your money elsewhere and save your digestive system. read more

Torn between a 3 and a 4, I'll give Kiku the benefit of the doubt. Kiku qualifies as a friendly, potentially romantic sushi restaurant for parties of four or less. Food: We ordered their nigiri special and sake sampler. Sake sampler provided a great spectrum of choices--everything from sweet and airy varieties to heartier, deeper flavors. It was also showcased in a sleek arrangement of colored glasses. The nigiri was above average, but not among the best I've ever had. The blue shrimp stood out as a real treat, but the yellowtail was a bit on the fishy side. The nigiri pieces were also cut too big for the standard bite, and the fish was too tough to split in half by yourself. Turned out to be a bit annoying. Finished the meal with green tea ice cream. Not so much green tea, but still a pleasant ending to the meal. Atmosphere: Tiny, quaint, yet comfortable place. Arriving at the restaurant feels like you're pulling up to your local corner drug store, only to walk in and find a successful sushi restaurant when you walk in. The restaurant receives good business, but we didn't have to wait to get a table. Everybody in the restaurant seemed like they were enjoying themselves, and we felt comfortable mixing into what was otherwise a standard sushi set-up. Service: The staff was very friendly and attentive to how we were progressing through our meal. Kept up with refills, but didn't intrude or interrupt at all. They did have a few slip-ups, though. When we arrived, they seemed low on menus. They had to wait for another table to order before we could get a second menu for our table. Somehow, we ended up receiving three menus at the end of it all. No big deal, but funky. They also split our bill incorrectly, so we had to let them know they hadn't charged us enough. They showed their gratitude, but you think we would have gotten some discount for being honest customers. Once again, not a big grievance. Finally, when we ordered dessert, we asked for hot tea, which we were never given. Damn. Take it from Me: Ask the waitress if you can get nigiri pieces cut in half. Double check your bill. You may want to go for their sushi rolls over their nigiri or sashimi, since everybody around us who ordered rolls seemed much more satisfied. read more

Are you in the east bay and want great sushi? This IS the place -- but make reservations or bring a coat for the wait outside.. this place is small. I eat out at more sushi restaurants than any other cuisine because I cannot make this stuff at home. OK fine. I eat at a lot of ramen shops, too but I love me some good sashimi and this place serves up some fresh and flavorful fish. That alone doesn't make it 5 star worthy but they actually converted a life long sushi roll hater like me into a believer. I'm used to eating rolls that are so doused in sauce, panko crumbs and other stuff that it doesn't even matter what roll I pick off the menu. They would all taste the same. I can't remember what two rolls we tried but both were absolutely delicious. They were light and the fish were definitely the highlights of the roll -- not the sauce (although it provided good flavor and complemented the fish well). One was the most beautiful roll I've ever seen (5 different types of sashmi fish... different shades of pink). I was amazed! Still am and it's been a few weeks since we ate there. I'm definitely going back soon. read more

I wrote a bad sushi review, which has mysteriously disappeared a few months ago. This review is for the non-sushi items though. Really good mushroom soup - so rich! Good miso soup and salad. The chicken katsu with sesame sauce that you get to customize. Skip the curry and definitely don't do the sushi. Came back later after they got their feet wet. Fish was much better. Cautiously optimistic and if they have fish this good consistently, I'm bumping threw to a 5 and making this one of our regular spots. A good sushi place is so necessary in this area. read more

More praise for Kiku! Known for their fresh sushi. PIck anything and you won't be disappointed. Cod fish is like butta~ Great service with that mom and pop's feel. Highly recommended. read more

My craving for sushi is everlasting. That said, I'm always on the lookout for affordable yet quality sushi. Kiku sushi has become our go to sushi spot over the last year. Prices are reasonable here but it can get pricey depending on what you order. I usually stick to nigiri only which are $5-7 per order of 2 pieces. If you pay in cash, you also get a 10% discount off your bill. They usually have a good selection of fresh fish for the day. I recommend the scallop and salmon nigiri. I also recommend the live scallop but it's not always on the menu. Everything I've ordered from this place has always been outstanding and I have yet to be disappointed. I'll probably see you again soon, Kiku Sushi! read more

Exceptional service. The best quality fish for very reasonable prices! They serve freshly grated Wasabi on request, exceptional! I hiighly recommended this restaurant. read more

Kiku Sushi - L to R: hamachi, abalone ( special dipping sauce), saba & sardine - Japanese Near Me - Berkeley, California

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(First, we did not order the sushi, however ordered the non-sushi dishes.) To me this place seemed like a lot of other ok Japanese restaurants out there. Waitress did not know what Tonkatsu was. Yes, it was on the menu. Huh? Food was ok, not bad, but not great either. No thanks. read more

The place is kind of tight, but the food is good. Portions are a little small. Bring cash as they give a 10% discount. They calmed down our restless son by bringing him a colored pencil and a piece of paper. I was really appreciative for that. read more

Excellent sushi, very traditional, highest quality. A bit more expensive. Narrow wine list when we were there. Definitely going back! read more

Poor customer service. I ordered by phone and was told it was a 45-60 minute wait. When I arrived to pick up my food (with a hungry family at home), they couldn't find my order. No apologies, just blank stares. Fortunately Lafayette has other good sushi options - this place is not worth the irritation! read more

This place only opens for lunch during the weekdays and I made a point of coming here during a Friday off-day. Their lunch chirashi was a pretty good deal, for around $12 I think. The sushi rice was good also, had good amount of vinegar taste (something I look for when ordering chirashi). The sushi is average-plus but pretty good portion for the price. I also ordered the spicy tuna roll for $7 because I was tempted by the description of the number of spices in the ingredient. However, instead of a sauce giving it the spiciness, it was more like just powder sprinkled on top. Overall a good lunch place, one that I will keep in mind when coming this direction on a weekday. read more