I've been looking for a quality sushi place in the Berkeley/Albany area for a while. I'm half Japanese and I'm picky. I loved my meal. I can say, this place warms my heart. The food is traditional, done well, the fish is fresh and of the highest quality. I've found my spot! I can't wait to come back! read more

I had lunch here today, it was ok- not bad not great. The service is ok but the sushi bar takes forever to bring out the order. My husband got his udon which came out within 10 mins then the cali roll came out 10 mins after that and then another 20 mins went by until I got my two other rolls- unacceptable when one person hasn't started their meal while the everyone else is already eating. They like to put cucumbers in a lot of their rolls as fillers and the price is a big higher than average. I won't be coming back mostly because the sushi comes out too slow. FYI- They are owned by Mongolians if anyone was wondering if it's Japanese owned. read more

Quality of customer service seems to be going downhill fast. It was a Thursday night. It was fairly quiet night. There wasn't that many people in the restaurant but it took the wait staff forever to get to us. The whole time we're there it was very hard to get anyone to notice you. Asking for the check took 10 minutes. All the tables were not cleaned promptly. Considering that we're frequent customers, visiting at least 4 times a month, thus was a huge disappointment. Train your staff or risk losing your customers fast. read more

Probably one of the better Japanese Sushi restaurants in the Berkeley area. Their uni wasn't the most fresh looking ones, but the Eel, Tuna, and Salmon were amazing! Definitely coming back here. Pricing wise it's about average for sushi but quality wise, it's definitely better than your typical restaurants. read more

Best sushi I have ever had ever. Great selection, generous cuts of sashimi. I had 5 dishes I do not see ever.

The sushi was fresh and delicious. However, they are lacking a kids' menu. With 3 kids in tow, it was a very pricey meal for our family of 5. May return without the kids. If they get a kids' menu, will definitely become a regular place for us. Love to support businesses in our 'hood. read more

Definitely lives up to it's good Yelp ratings. We had the rainbow roll, tuna sashimi, and two other rolls I can't remember. They were all fresh and delicious. The service was a tad bit slow, but it's expected in such a popular place. Definitely worth coming back again. read more

This is a very cozy place. I was hooked when they served my saki traditional style, overflowing in the box. The sushi is always good, make sure and check the board for their features. The service is attentive. I eat out a lot and I have had to make a conscious effort not to go here, like every night. It's that good. Family friendly. read more

This place is terrible. I'm upset that I ate here. Very, very disappointing. The fish was not fresh. The only decent thing was the ginger that came with our sushi. I will definitely not come back here. read more

The service and sushi here are always great. Just saw someone order the most beautiful platter of assorted sashimi...wow ! read more

Kiku Sushi - Japanese Near Me - Berkeley, California

Great food and nice sake selection. Like a few others have said, it is a small space and a party bigger than four is going to be a headache to fit in. Hopefully the relatively remote location keeps the wait from becoming too much like to Kirala's as the word gets out. :-/ read more

Sushi is top quality. Their specials are also really good. Seating is tight. My favorite is the dragon roll and rainbow roll.

This is a very good sushi place using high quality ingredients. For real sushi and a true sushi experience, this is the place to go. Ideal for couples or small group gathering. The chefs and staffs are authentic and the sushi is really amazing. This is literally the best sushi in the neighborhood.The Sushi Chef was dazzling behind the sushi bar with his pleasant demeanor and great temperament. read more

Fish is high quality and overall it's solid - but frankly there are better places considering the price point. Odd to have to go outside to use the bathroom if we're paying $50/person for dinner. But I guess that's all part of the appeal of a homey place in Albany?? read more

i would willingly pull a jeremy piven mercury poisoning episode if it meant that i could eat at kiku sushi everyday. the sashimi platter is by far the most amazing. 10 huge pieces of delicious fish (hamachi, tuna, albacore, salmon, and one more i forgot). buttery buttery goodness. yummmmm. second favorite is the yosenabe. it's like a sukiyaki but not sweet and has seafood. it was absolutely delicious. the menu just says "chicken broth" but it should really say "chicken MAGIC broth." the description is not doing the dish justice. i'm so glad the bf ordered it because this is definitely something i would not order. seafood udon/soba were also solid choices. loaded with lots of seafood but not the best i've ever had. this is going to sound weird, but we're going to try the california roll the next time we're here. it's made with REAL crab. loooove. anyway, all in all, i love this place :) read more

Love this place. Fresh fish that just melt in your fish. Service is awesome. Staff are very friendly. They have a good vegan menu as well if you have a friend who is not into raw fish. You can still enjoy food together. read more

Went here 2 times in a week. Great presentation, service, and quality fresh fish. Prices are around $20-30 a person depending on type of sushi/sashimi. Have tried most of the sashimi, sides, soup. Haven't tried dinner plates, eel, or uni. read more

Sorry, Kiku. I used to really like you. I hadn't been in a while. The black code is still amazing...but I have to agree with the other reviewers re: the sushi rolls. The fish was very fishy and the overall flavor of the rolls was not good/borderline disgusting. We actually couldn't eat them. read more

Extremely slow service. I ordered a sushi combo. My three companions all got their orders and finished them before mine showed up. My waitress came by and asked, with a big smile, "Is everything good?" I responded that I had nothing so, no, it wasn't good. It took an hour to bring the sushi. I guess they had to cook it? It felt stupid, eating when everyone else was finished and waiting for me. No, I won't come back. read more

The original sushi chef left here. His new place is called Kamado and is on Shattuck near Rose. He's worth following. That being said, you can't find a more wonderful family and the food is still outstanding at a very reasonable price. The line is still out the door. read more

Has gone downhill. They got a new chef, who is slow and does not use the best fish. Service is slow and unfriendly. Had to ask 3 times for tea, when there were 3 other tables. read more

Took my Mom to dinner here & loved it. Not too noisy, easy to get a table (on a weeknight), and good quality sushi. I usually stick to the basics when I go out for raw fish, and all their basics delivered - gyoza, seaweed salad, miso soup and sake maki & unagi were all some of the best versions of simple sushi I've had. The salmon was especially well done, good fish and not too much rice, for $5 a roll. read more

The best sushi I ever had in my life! I still can't get over how tasty and fresh the sushi was. Definitely one of my best sushi experiences. The first we got was the Mixed Seaweed salad. It was perfect combination of fresh and delicious. Then the amazing sushi journey began. From simple salmon to exotic chutoro, the whole meal was amazing. We also ordered some Sake and it was really fun to choose my own Sake glass. The service was amazing. They were attentive and quick. The sushi chefs were fantastic. The restaurant was packed yet, our order came out quick and accurate. Hope to see this place again once come back to Bay area and thank you for a great experience. read more

Really 4.5 out of 5. Quaint little spot, quiet, quality sushi for a very reasonable price. Prompt service and the rolls were wonderful.

Been here twice and tried a variety of nigiri options including the chef's special (moriwase) as well as from the daily board. Pros: quality seems fresh and size of each piece is large. Cons: nothing is worth repeating. The sushi doesn't have the "melt" character of a restaurant of this quality/price and each bite is difficult due to the "fishy" flavor. I went back based on a friends recommendation and will not return. read more

Quality has gone downhill since Jin left. It's fine in a pinch (like Kirala), but if you want quality, check out Kamado, Sushi Sho or Yume in Alameda. Keep in mind you get what you pay for when it comes to sushi. read more

Some of the freshest tasting fish in the easy bay. Kiku is a hidden gem I'm happy my fiancé and I stumbled upon. It's a very intimate setting so be prepared to possibly sit at a shared table if they are super busy. The service was ok, and had to ask for gluten free soy sauce three times before I had to eventually get up and ask a server. We ended up sampling a large assortment of fish: salmon and tuna, yellowfin, and fatty tuna sashimi. Shrimp tempura roll, spicy tuna roll, edamame, and chicken karaage. The fatty tuna was by far the star of the night! read more

I ordered almost everything off the menu on the wall. No dish tasted fresh. Some of the fish was discolored. My favorite is uni and I couldn't even eat a whole bite of it. The only salvageable part of the meal was a roll that I got in the beginning. read more

This is one of the best sushi places in the East Bay. It's a bit pricier but the quality of the fish is amazing. Highly recommend but make sure you go early to get a table. read more

Big fan. Food was great. Sashimi was a good quality. Super nice and friendly staff. Definitely a go-to for comfortable setting and good food. read more

This is our neighborhood spot! Very fresh fish, the appetizers (soba salad, short ribs, agedashi tofu) are great as well! We always come early (between 5-6pm) bc we have a toddler and there is rarely a wait when we arrive, though it's very crowded when we leave. A great spot for kids!! read more

Bad service. Took over an hour to get our food. Had to ask for things multiple times before getting it. Very cramped and uncomfortable, I'm sure this place is over the max capacity. Portions are WAY smaller than other restaurants. I will not come to this restaurant again, long wait, bad service, overpriced. read more

huge pieces of fish. friedly staff, prompt service. I also ordered the salmon collar and that was very good too. Fish pieces are 1.5 times the size of what you get in a decent SF place. read more

Not authentic Japanese. (Their Japanese pronunciation of various fish was like nails on a chalkboard to a native Japanese speaker.) Hamachi nigiri was thickly cut, but mediocre quality. We also ordered Rainbow roll and Alaskan roll, both of which were again mediocre. read more

We had a very unpleasant experience last night attempting to eat there for the first time. We arrived and signed our name up on the clipboard hanging on the door. There were about 4 people ahead of us and several other names already crossed out. I waited a bit at the door to try to ask the hostess about the estimated wait but she was busy taking orders and didn't look my way. We sat down at some available tables in front - other people were sitting there as well and seemed to also be waiting for a table. After about 15 min A man and his son walked by us and we noticed that they were immediately seated - then a man and woman walked by us to the door - he asked us if the wait was long as he walked by and we answered "4-5 people". Then they also got seated! The people who were there before us then talked to the hostess and she brought menus to their table although they hadn't been serving outside prior to this. I walked up to the door and saw that all the names had been crossed off as if we had all been seated! I asked the people outside what happened because the hostess was again busy and they said " she decided to ignore the list"! I finally got the attention of another waitress and she apologized and said she would find out what happened but seemed to just go back to serving the tables inside. I waited a few minutes and then went to the door again. She said some people were leaving soon and she would get us in but I was so irritated with the ridiculous service so far that I insisted we leave. So disappointed to be treated so rudely - I can't even imagine what they were thinking completely ignoring people sitting right outside their restaurant clearly waiting for a table (the cafe next door was closed and not much else is near by). And then to apologize so insincerely ( the waitress who seemed to be responsible didn't even come out and say anything). Lastly, that other customers would walk by and just take a table without even looking twice at people waiting seemed really selfish. read more

I had never heard of Kiku until tonight when I spotted it on Amazon, looked it up on Yelp, and decided to place my first ever.food order thru Amazon. Everything I ordered was stellar. Although we love to hate Amazon, in this case I think they did a local business a real favor. I will happily order from Kiku in the future! read more

Pros : Sushis were good. Cons : Very narrow restaurant.Restrooms are outside and the waiting line will necessarily be outside too. We ordered take-away, at first we were well welcome but overtime we had to wait 45 min and were ask to wait outside after 30 minutes. We got our food very late because it was prepared after all sitting-in customers. We did not get any chopsitcks or sauces. We clearly do not recommand this place for take-away and we will not come back to eat in because of the lack of respect towards certain customers. read more

I have been coming here since they opened. Fresh quality authentic sashimi & nigiri. Service and quality of sushi all 5 stars. This place is the best. The people who work here have been extremely friendly each time I've been here. Me and our family will be back....Often. read more

absolutely delicious nigiri (amaebi) and sushi. Large slices of fish for nigiri for a good price. Cute place too. Will be back soon

I live around the corner from this place and come here very often. I tend not to get entrées at sushi-geared restaurants, but entrées are what I primarily get at Kiku Sushi. I believe this place is super serious about quality. Everything is truly delicious and addictive. The agedashi tofu is crispy and soft, delightful to pop into your mouth. I'm in love with the katsudon, which is lovingly shoved into a small box to exaggerate the plentiful amounts of egg and katsu'd chicken. Like a muffin top, but of Japanese food. I only wish the sushi had more salmon options--salmon is my favorite and I get tired of the usual Alaska roll. Skip the mozzarella cheese and beef appetizer thing. It's weird. read more