Enjoyed the small intimate ambiance indoors- felt very reminiscent of little shop in japan. Most definitely book a reservation in advance. Items that really stood out: the ankimo mousse and sweet potato chips and black pork belly skewer. Could've done without the buta kim and felt the beef tongue was a bit overseasoned albiet great texture. read more

The food here is stellar - above and beyond. Kiraku always takes izakaya to the next level from their stunning sashimi to their fried and grilled items. Angeline and the team does such a good job taking care of everyone with such an amazing warm hospitable character and the biggest smiles amidst the chaotic evenings. read more

This is a small izakaya restaurant in Berkeley with ample street parking in surrounding neighborhoods. This place is extremely popular and hard to get reservations for. If you want to walk in since reservations are scarce, make sure you join the yelp waitlist right when the restaurant opens. Otherwise, expect to wait at least an hour. I joined the yelp waitlist for 3 people exactly at 5:30 when the restaurant opened on a Wednesday night and we were quoted to be seated by 6:20, however, we did not get seated until about 7:15. The lack of updates on the status of our table and the extremely long wait time that was nowhere near the estimated time was probably the worst part of the experience. However, the food was delicious and definitely lives up to the hype. For 3 people, we ordered about 10 dishes which was the perfect amount. We got pork belly skewers, beef tongue skewers, corn tempura, black cod miso, grilled squid, chicken karaage, seafood mochi pancake, the deluxe chakuze, and mini kaisen donburi. Get all of these!! There was nothing we ordered that was bad or even so-so or ordinary. They were all very unique, flavorful, and delicious in their own ways. You probably can't go wrong with anything you order here. Our favorites were the corn tempura, grilled squid, and deluxe chakuze. Because everything is high quality and very unique, it did come with a higher price tag. For 3 people, the total was about $150 and this was with us ordering enough for the 3 of us to be full. It was a great culinary experience, however beware of the long wait time. Try to get a reservation! read more

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In Berkeley for the first time for rare weekend getaway with my wife. Kind of overwhelming to find places to eat when everything seems to have 4 stars, and quite honestly, most places with 4 stars we tried were quite good. This was one that had more than 4 stars, and to make a long story short, it deserves it. This was the most memorable meal of our weekend. The long lines and the even longer wait list (if you do not put your name on their early enough) are daunting, but well worth it. The food was creative, beautiful, and most of all, delightfully tasty. Our waitress was wonderful, explaining the menu to us newbies with incredible patience, and always warmly attentive throughout the night. Her recommendations were all perfectly delicious. It was fun to see so many people delighting in their food and eager to inquire and share their experiences. read more

Pork belly and Shrimp rolls are the best! Must try. Wait time is expected, totally worth it.

I found this restaurant on the opposite side of my apartment. There are always a bunch of people in front of the restaurant; therefore, I decided to try before graduate and move back home. The taste of every plate was amazing!!!! Please come and try. read more

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MAKE A RESERVATION - it will make your experience so much better. Kiraku is my personal favorite Izakaya in the Bay Area. While making a reservation requires you to order a minimum of 40$ per person, it's not very hard to do so. We ordered the following (I apologize for not remembering the dishes completely) - Sashimi Carpaccio* -Yuba Spoon* - Karage* - (the not eel, fish) Tempura - Takana - Pesto Yaki Udon* - Beef Tongue - Boiled Red Snapper - Kyoto Yuzu Beer * means they were AMAZING. Everything came out very quickly and everything was delicious in its own way. The only thing I wouldn't suggest is the boiled fish, it may have been just this night but I believe it was cooked a tad bit long. Otherwise I would love to have an excuse to go again soon!! read more

Kiraku - Tapas/Small Plates Near Me - Berkeley, California

Food was so creative and tasty. We enjoyed the tasting experience and will come back to try other things.

My absolute favorite restaurant ever!! My favorite items are the king salmon sashimi, corn tempura, wagyu nigiri, and the blue toro truffle nigiri. read more

Yummy tapas that will hurt your wallet if you're not careful lol but the food was delicious. I tried to get a good variety of dishes without spending too much and everything we tried was amazing. The tempura corn was definitely interesting and I enjoyed it because I love corn lol my favorite dish would have to be the beef tongue though. I thought it was gonna be the wagyu beef but unfortunately, it wasn't the best plate for me. This place really did feel like I was in Japan (and I have been to Japan lol) so I liked the authentic vibe I got but maybe it was just the hot wash towel for my hands that brought back memories lol give it a try if you have the $$ to shell out. read more

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An expensive, OK, sushi restaurant that could be so much more. The food was good, maybe not worth the price, and especially lacking in dining experience. The website talks about the izakaya dining experience, sounds exciting, right? However, someone (me, I suppose) should inform the owners of Kiraku that dining experience means more than just cramming people in a room, serving them food, taking their money, and asking their customers to leave. Can we talk about service? Can we talk about atmosphere? Can we talk about a little common courtesy? I docked a star for being rushed out while trying to figure out where to go next after spending over $150 with a reservation. = no care for the customer. read more

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Taste was good but expensive. Would probably go there again but wish it wasn't so packed

If you are looking for family-style Izakaya type of places in Berkeley, then you could not miss out Kiraku. If you do not have at least 30 minutes to spare, do not even bother wait in front, as the wait time can easily exceed your expectation. Once we got seated after that lengthy wait, we found out that every minute of wait was worthwhile. Uni spoons with Ikura on top, freshly delicious! Beef tongue skewers, marinated just well! Jumbo squid, with the help of mayonnaise, impressive! Not even one dish let us down. Really tiny in space, so might feel a bit too crowded at first; yet just bare with it, food will compensate everything. read more

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Pricey but anything you order is very tasty and quick service. Highly recommend reservations.

Super authentic and delicious izakaya; all of the staff speak Japanese. Just wish they'd get rid of the shark cartilage from the menu.

"You get what you pay for" isn't really the term I would use here, as you get way more bang for the buck. It's more like "You get what you WAIT for". I suggest that if you don't make a prior reservation with this place, that you plan to wander around Berkeley for 1-2 hours before you even have a chance to try out their delicious food. Otherwise, you will be banging your head on the side of the street - or you can just go to the dispensary next door and grab something to help you wait ;) In any case, this place is a bit small and is somewhat packed inside so there isn't much wiggle room. The servers were genuinely nice and very helpful in recommending some good stuff: - SASHIMI SALAD: This is definitely something I would recommend to a stranger. The fish was so sweet and savory while it was laid on some fresh greens. However, with the influx of the Poke trend, the taste is more familiar to me now than it was back when I had this same salad nearly 3 years ago. A winner nonetheless! - CORN TEMPURA w/ GREEN TEA SALT: I really liked it, but I ask myself, is it just because I love tempura and corn? Even if that's so, it is still a genius idea to put them together and have it shaped so nicely and presentable. - AGEDASHI TARO POTATO: This is a personal favorite - The taste was pretty unique to me as I have never tasted a taro potato dish before, especially with all these different flavors. There were shavings of something else on top with some sauce drizzled over it. - ORGANIC CHICKEN KARAAGE: It's advertised as bite size - that must be for Shaquille O' Neal, because it took 4 bites for me. Personally, I thought this one was good and very filling but it didn't get the same response from my cousin. First off, she isn't a fan of mayonnaise and given that it is the primary dip for this dish, she wasn't too taken on it. "The chicken is kinda bland", she said. I liked the subtle taste of the seasoning personally but no two people are alike. - BLACK BELLY SKEWER w/ SPICY MISO SAUCE: This is a great 'tapas style' dish to have as you keep waiting for other dense foods. Just a small single skewer with 5 chunks of meat and delicious sauce on the side. - BEEF SIRLOIN SKEWER w/ APPLE SAUCE: What juicy meat! Another good side dish while you wait for some main events. - WAGYU BEEF TATAKI: High quality beef comes with some high quality taste. It seemed like every bite I had was heaven to me. It's like small shavings of some good beef (mildly rare) spread out on a plate in kind of a flower pattern. - BUTCHERS CROCQUETTES: These are like deep fried potato patties. Who wouldn't want these?! Hahaha :) - GRILLED RICE BALL: These actually came in large triangles, but WOW did this dish surprise me with how good it was! It was so crispy and tasty, for something that at the start just looked like well shaped steamed rice. So, in the end it was totally worth it. It took us a 20 minute walk to get that out of our systems. The best part? I paid less than $50 for my share, and with a place like this it seems like a total steal with the amount of items we got. read more

Kiraku - Fried Rice Ball - cheap and delicious - Tapas/Small Plates Near Me - Berkeley, California

I miss Japan and this food is a good example to my friends what Japan is like. Everything is done well. Service, prep, and taste. Anything you get is great. Every time I've gone and waiting in line, the people that come out express how good it is which is rare at any place. Even hyped up it meets the expectations. It's a very small venue so having more than 6 people may be an issue. Pricing is ok but worth it for your date nights. Corn fritter things are awesome too. read more

Kiraku is probably the best izakaya in the Bay. Food comes out quickly and is cooked to perfection. Corn tempura and anchovy broccoli are not to be missed. If your feeling like a little splurge, try the seared Wagyu beef with foie gras or uni! The restaurant is on the smaller side, so if you have a large party, be sure to make a reservation (Note: reservations must make an order limit per person). Otherwise, be ready to wait 45+ min on a weekday and 1.5+ on a weekend night. Ambiance is casual cool. Street parking only, so try your luck. The food is definitely worth the risk. read more

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My girlfriend decided to take me out to Kiraku for dinner and I was not disappointed. Although the portion sizes weren't the biggest, I felt satisfied with everything we ordered as it really displayed the use of high quality ingredients (freshness + taste) while maintaining a good presentation (plating) of the restaurant's food. Anyone who has been to Japan would probably agree that Kiraku's food is very reminiscent of the food in Japan. Maybe not entirely the same in terms of keeping the food menu traditional, but still close in a sense that you're able to eat such fresh tasting raw fish at their establishment (something most Japanese restaurants have trouble with considering the fact that the availability of fresh fish in the US is harder to come by compared to Japan). Useful Tip (Must): For people interested in eating at Kiraku, I suggest you come in early and sign you + your party on their waitlist. The restaurant doesn't open until 5:30pm but while the restaurant employees set up they leave an iPad outside of their restaurant for people to sign up for their waitlist. My girlfriend and I got there as early as 4:40pm and we were able to get the first spot on the waitlist. By checking in on their waitlist, it allows you to receive text updates regarding your place in line. As soon as we came back (around 5:10pm) the expected wait time was 91 minutes. So try your best to come earlier than the early people ^^ The establish is really small and they cannot accommodate too many at once. It's recommended that bigger parties reserve a table by calling in a couple of days in advanced or expect to wait a long time. Another reason why the wait is so long is because everything you order does not come to your table all at once because they like to serve their food to customers plate by plate. No complaints on service, every employee was friendly and informative about their food menu. Personal Favorites: Black Pork Belly Skewer w/ Homemade Miso Tender Beef Tongue Skewer Wagyu Uni Nigiri Yuba Spoon These are all my personal favorites at Kiraku! I don't want to go in too much detail of each dish's flavor because that would only spoil and ruin the experience for everyone. Instead, come out and check it out for yourselves (: Would I eat here again? I feel like Kiraku is more of a place you go to only on very special occasion and to me it's more like a place you go to for that one time experience. I admit the food is good but the prices are really high for the portions you receive. It's not a practical place to go to if you're trying to get super full. However, it's a restaurant that everyone should experience. read more

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Innovative dishes. Always enjoyable and worth the wait. For day-of reservations it's helpful to sign up via their yelp page to be added to the wait list remotely. read more

Get reservations! This place just started doing Yelp Waitlist, which is nice, but they do get a long line since it's a small restaurant. My boyfriend and I opted in for a reservation at 5:30pm on a Saturday since the only had 9pm as a second choice. We were first to get seated right when they opened the restaurant, so we picked our own seats. Sadly, our table was unstable since it was slightly on a slant and tilt-y - however, it didn't ruin our meal. The waitress was friendly and provided recommendations on their sake, so we opted in for their Daiginjo sampler ($17) just to try. It came with 3 and my boyfriend was a fan of two of the three. Warning, it's sold by the piece or one skewer, so you may want to order more than one depending on how many people you're with. - (2) Baby scallop skewers ($6 each): my boyfriend liked these grilled, but I think I like my scallops just raw or cooked. The grilled texture made it a bit chewier than normal. - (2) American wagyu beef nigiri with uni ($7 each): Delicious, but surprised the wagyu was served raw versus slightly charred or cooked. Overall, good, but would prefer it cooked since it doesn't make the meat harder to chew. - (2) Tender beef tongue skewer ($5.5 each): my boyfriend and I were a fan of these skewers - must order with the tenderness and flavors! - Corn tempura with green tea salt ($6): My favorite thing here! It was delicious and not too-oily in every bite.. I wanted more! - Agedashi tofu ($7): ok, a bit bland. - Roasted duck Kiraku style ($13): A bit heavy when we got this at the end of the meal, but cooked well & tasted great. Worth ordering to share between 2-3 people! - Roasted premium angus beef tongue w/ truffle oil ($18): Also a huge fan of this, just like their other beef tongue skewers. Tender beef tongue with so much flavor, but we removed some of the salt on top to make it less salty, too :p - Wrapped salmon ($14): OK, but solid dish to order if you love salmon. - Black cod ($16): Yum! Black cod was so soft and flavorful! Must-order! - Suzuki carpaccio ($13): Not very impressionable, but not bad either. - Yuba (2 spoons - $12): Yummy - definitely worth ordering :) - Piri - Spicy cucumber ($5): small bowl, but refreshing and helped balance out the meat and fish with these veggies. As for desserts, we couldn't decide on one.. or two.. so we ordered three! - Roasted Tea Blanc-Manger ($6): This was my least favorite dessert, but not saying it's bad. It's much lighter in flavor like panna cotta. I would choose the other two I ordered over this one again. - Green Tea Ice Cream with green tea Warabi mochi ($7): Loveeeee me some green tea and green tea mochi. Same mochi as the Kinako Warabi Mochi BUT green tea flavored :p Delicious and recommend! - Kinako Warabi Mochi with Black sugar Syrup and whipped cream ($6):this was so good as we didn't know what to expect. Such chewy mochi and light in every bite. Must try if you're into roasted tea AND mochi. Overall, solid spot and food. I recommend bringing cash since it is cheaper to pay in cash than card. They include an additional 4% fee for credit card users and it helps out the small businesses, so why not :) It was almost $200 for two people including tips . read more

Kiraku - Daiginjo sampler ($17) - Tapas/Small Plates Near Me - Berkeley, California

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This place was a big surprise find for us. We haven't had good Japanese tavern food forever, so we're excited! We knew that there would be a long wait so made a reservation. Highly recommend making a reservation before you go. Parking at night time is easier than the day time. We parked on the street. After 6pm, the meters are free. I am Japanese and have to say that I loved the food here. "Authentic" is the word I can proudly say. The details of each dish were impeccable and perfectly seasoned and prepared. Obviously, this place is owned by Japanese owners. Sashimi 5 kind were one of the best fish we had and we have eaten in Tsukizi. Freshness was the best and they were so sweet. Absolutely mind-blowing! Another one of my favorites was beef tongue. It comes in sizzling cast iron plate and the flavor and seasoning was over the top. Small kaisen donburi $15 was smaller than I expected, but ikura was so fresh that it was popping in my mouth. Yuba which is served in tiny spoons was also amazing. Little spoonful of delightfulness. I don't know why it's called Yuba which actually means thin tofu skin. Skewers were also very tasty. Giant squid is better than expected and was so good. Very very fresh squid. Good for your jaw exercises. Small restaurant in Berkeley with authentic Japanese food prepared and served with attention to details. The cost is on a pricy side, so this wouldn't be an everyday dinner, but is worth coming here for that special experience. read more

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Coming from someone of Japanese heritage, Kiraku offers the best Japanese dining I've ever had. Each bite transported me to a warm feeling of home with flavors I've yet to experience elsewhere. I have nothing but admiration and respect for Daiki and his team at Kiraku. Don't miss out, the wait is worth it. read more

So happy we found this place!!! I came here with my bf on Thursday night around 6:30pm, so surprised that we get seated right away, the food was so good. And servers were so friendly. We tried the 7pieces sashimi set, fish head, the mini uni salmon donburi and the grapefruit ice cream. We spent $150 for 2ppl, it was worth! Everything was so delicious!! And the sashimi were so fresh. I'll come back for sure! read more

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Their food is BOOOOOOOMMMMBBB Dot Com! Honestly haven't had a better Japanese restaurant in the east bay. Everything is very fresh (you can tell) and not over seasoned. You truly do savor every bite and it is well worth it. A bit pricey but so is everything else in the bay area now a days. I will be coming back again for sure. I just hope that next time I go it won't take so long but hey, can't blame them. When you're busy, it means you're doing something right and they are doing everyyyyything right! Also...their rice. Just have the rice. Nufsed. read more

A lovely traditional Japanese tapa Cafe is what you'll find here. Dishes are full of flavor. Tapas vary from pork belly, scallops to delicious varieties of fish. I ordered the grilled black cod, grilled scallops, white Saba, salad and was very happy with the flavor. Be prepared to splash some cash if you are trying to fill your stomach however the taste of the food is worth the cost. Skip the Rock shrimp- it is overly breaded with little actual shrimp inside. Customer service is excellent. waitresses are very pleasant and friendly read more

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Great food and great alcohol! Reminds me of Japan and just sitting with friends and ordering as we go, and sharing different things!

Always a wonderful meal! We had the tongue skewers (so tender), corn fritters (tasty and crispy), beef carpaccio (top tier), cucumber (my least favorite- though not what we ordered but didn't want to waste it), and other recommended dishes. The yelp waitlist is wonderful to hell avoid the otherwise long wait. It is worth the wait! Before yelp I'd swing by an hour early to put our name on the list and go shopping across the street. The servers are always polite and the dining space is packed but not too loud! read more

Kiraku - Delicious! - Tapas/Small Plates Near Me - Berkeley, California

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Overrated. Food is A-, Service is a joke. Reservations mean nothing. Don't be fooled by the long line

One of the few places for Izakaya in Berkeley! The wait varies for dinner; I've waited 15 minutes on an occasion and 45 minutes on another. It's a cute, cozy place for a date. Kiraku has an authentic Japanese vibe and the food is presented nicely. Every time I've been here, we've spent at least $30-40 per person, so it's worth it to make the reservation (minimum order of $40 for person). Even without a reservation, there is a minimum order of $15 per person and $20 per person for groups of 6 or more. These were the dishes I've tried, ranked: Wagyu Tataki - tasty + nice plating Salmon carpaccio - their fish is always fresh! Grilled Black Cod - flavorful and cooked perfectly, but it's pretty small for $16 Grilled Squid - good portion size and great for sharing! Agedashi Tofu - classic and comforting Pork belly skewers - exactly what you would expect; ippuku's skewers just tend to be better imo Ramen/Udon - nothing special, but will get you full Corn Tempura - even though everyone raves about this, I thought it was just ok? Duck breast - I usually enjoy duck but this was nothing memorable read more

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I wanted to introduce my boyfriend to Japanese food and I'm glad I picked Kiraku to do so. Make sure you arrive as soon as they open because their wait is ridiculous. It is VERY small inside. We waited for over an hour and we didn't get a precise time frame on seating. You basically write your own name on the clipboard outside and hope that you can catch an employee to give you an estimate. But, everything was so fresh and delicious! We ordered.... Garlic Edamame Corn Tempura, MUST TRY! Delish! Fried Chicken Karaage Rock Shrimp Tempura w/ Mayo, great flavor! Roasted Duck Kiraku Style Salmon Carpaccio Wagyu Beef Tataki, favorite dish of the night! My boyfriend enjoyed everything and so did I. Our server was sweet and knowledgeable about the menu. She answered all of our questions about dishes we weren't sure about. I love tapas because I can taste a little bit of everything. I will be back to try the rest of their menu very soon! read more

One of my favorite spots of all-time in Berkeley. When I think great food scene to introduce to an out-of-town friend, Kiraku is one of few restaurants immediately on the tip of my tongue. Reason being? Everything I've ordered at Kiraku has been a success. I have yet to be disappointed by Kiraku's menu. Granted, I've only been there for a total of 4-5 times, but I have oftentimes tried to veer away from repeating favorites too often and try new things. The fact that Kiraku is a tapas restaurant, which invites people to share and talk over that complementary hot sake and bit of sashimi, makes eating there a wonderful dining experience from beginning to end. The wait is worth it if you're a fan of Japanese food. I also like Ippuku on Center St. but Kiraku is hard to beat, thanks to its fantastic menu and cheery, loud ambiance. read more

I love this spot! Was over in Berkeley for a concert and stumbled upon this location. They have the BEST beef tongue with truffle oil. It's a must try. We also ordered the glazed grilled squid which was amazing too. We got a few other items which was delicious but the beef tongue definitely kept me wanting more! A must try. This place is small and gets packed really quickly. Advice is to come early and avoid lunch or dinner time! read more

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Base on the location and how tiny the place look, you might just walk past this restaurant. Stop and sign your name on the list or make reservations because the place gets pack! We arrived 15 minute before they opened and added our name on the list. We were already number 6. Once inside it, you have to be comfortable sitting close to your neighbors. The service was great and quick. The food was fresh and tasty. So much flavor packed into each dish. read more

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The authentic Japanese cuisine in the Bay Area is the best I have ever eaten, but it is a pity that every time I have to make an appointment one and a half months in advance read more

Somehow I never got a chance to sit at Kiraku, which is weird because I have eaten so much food from there in the last 5 years. Visually this might be the best food I have ever experienced, but I don't know, it might be just me ... I just like the attention to details Japanese chefs invest into the final outcome (and Daiki is certainly one of the best). Taste-wise this certainly is the best food I've had! I was actually in Japan many times and couldn't find a place there that can compete with what Kiraku offers. I really should reserve a table and for once enjoy the the Kiraku food right there! read more

This place is small and intimate so if you don't like a lot of noise you may just want to do takeout. If your alright being close to your dinner mates than this is definitely a place to go for an amazing meal that is presented to perfection. We had an amazing meal. Don't be scared to try some new items. Everything was delicious! Staff is attentive and welcoming. A great place for some Japanese Tapas. read more

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This place is going to be my new favorite spot! My three friends and I could not decide on what to order, so we each got 2-3 plates each. My favorite was the mini donburi that had crab salad, salmon, seaweed salad and uni. IT WAS TO DIE FOR!! The sake menu was pretty extensive as well. It was soooo cute! Our server had us pick our own little sake cup. The carafe for the sake kind of looked like a wine decanter with a side pocket for ice. It's to keep your sake cold without it melting and watering down your sake. GENIUS! But be careful, once the ice does start to melt and you're trying to pour your drink, the melted ice will get all over... I kind of made a mess... The places is pretty small. It's definitely a date night type of spot. Even an outing for you and three friends. But I would not suggest for a party of more than 4. Happy Eating! read more

Kiraku - Mini donburi - Tapas/Small Plates Near Me - Berkeley, California

WHEN: I came here with a group of 5 on a Saturday night around 8pm. The wait was about an hour but well worth it! WHAT: Fave Dish: Buta-Kim (Sautéed Pork and Kimchi with Poached Egg) - Served on a hot cast-iron with a delicious mixture of fatty pork and kimchi and a perfectly textured poached egg. Other faves: Corn tempura - brought me back to falafels at the night fair. Definitely worth a try! Tender beef tongue skewer - Amazing flavor to coat a generously sized tender beef tongue cut. Sashimi - fresh and accompanied with unique condiments TIPS & OTHER CONCERNS: - No refills on certain drinks - Service was nice and attentive - They take reservations with the contingency of spending $40 minimum/person - If you come and an empty stomach be ready to drop a pretty penny read more

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Great place. The beef carpaccio, sirloin skewers, and potato croquettes were delicious. Gets very busy so be prepared to wait.