Love the sushi here and all the grill always has great meat! We enjoy the mushroom soup in the clay pot! Staff always super friendly and when we come with friends the sake selection is always really good! We usually just order many selections of sushi off their daily menu and different items off the grill to share, but have had several of the dinner meals and enjoyed those as well!!! read more

My fav Japanese place in the Bay Area. Maybe there are places that have higher quality fish...but I have not found them.

Christmas Eve. I had to work the whole day/night = double (open to close) = irritable. I was hung over from the previous night of deadly partying. (4 martinis + 2 bottles of wine + 2 glasses of mulled wine = a pretty damn great time. ( a wedding and a holiday party) X 2 large bottles of Greygoose divided into 8 people @ joe's b-day party at the club = celebratory joy, chaos, pain, more pain.) + I could have spent the day in bed w/ Ru and Ana.The fact that I had to get outta Ana's bed PISSED ME OFF TO NO END!!! = PISSED OFF!! Got to work at 11 am. Hungry, tired, groggy = PISSED OFF!! My motto that day "If I have to get out of this chair, you all be in trouble." Make it through the shifts without any deaths. 2 of my dearest friends show up, and hang out while I help the staff close the bar. Then we go looking for food. I thought everything was closed already and was ready to settle for cheap greasy delicious Chinese food. Not Kirala, and what a way to end a grueling day. Thank you Kirala. I usually don't like this place. Too hyped. Crowded and too damn noisy. I'm always waiting for a fracking table. And by the time I order food and it gets to my table. I'm SO fracking hungry that I inhale my food. So I usually can't remember what the frak it taste like. Then when I get the bill, I'm pissed off b'cus I feel like it wasn't worth the trouble. Not on Christmas Eve though. We walk right in. Sit. Order. Get food. Savor each bite. Mmmm. Uni. Toro. Tobiko. Amaebi. Hamachi. Mmmm. Buttery-soft-sweet-ocean-yummyness. It was quiet. Service was great. I had my 2 dearest friends. That was the best Christmas Eve dinner I had in years. This could be a new tradition for me. read more

I totally disagree on this one. I thought Kirala was very much over-hyped. The decor and atmosphere make this place. I've had significantly better sushi elsewhere. The rice was too sweet and the wasabi didn't have enough kick. I didn't think it was worth the wait and the price... read more

This place was only "ehh", especially considering the prices. The nigiri that we got had way too much wasabi. The skewers were tiny and not impressive. I don't see what all the hype is about. read more

This place sucked. Long wait. Over-priced very small portioned dishes. dry rice. semi-fresh fish. Bad service. I have no idea what all the hype is about, I will never be returning to this place. read more

Best sushi I ever. Went on a recommendation of a sushi-fiend so the expectations going in were high, yet Kirala met every single one. I don't think I ever thought that I would stuff myself and still wish I could eat more - but I did at Kirala. Amazing Uni (Sea Urchin), Fresh Salmon, and Yellowtail. The seafood Yakitori (at least I think that was what it was... someone at another table ordered it, and we pointed and said "we want that too") was pretty good. The Spicy Tuna, Rainbow Roll, and Spider Rolls were all amazingly good. read more

Great location and cute little sushi joint. Nothing special however, and the long definitely does not justify.

The Best Japanese Restaurant in the Bay Area! Firstly folks go early to get in line. This restaurant doesn't take reservations. The line can be as long as a block long to get into the restaurant. It does have a very cute bar area waiting section to have a cocktail and lite snack before your called to your table. My personal preference is the sushi bar where everyone is very friendly and you can watch the sushi chefs perfectly prepare your sushi and grilled items. The restaurant is small so be patient the food is so well worth the wait. They have a very large dinner menu and sushi choices if your want small plates. The sushi and sashimi is FRESH!!! The Ahi Poke is just like being in Hawaii. The fish is directly flown in from Japan. Local sourced vegetables and the drinks are the best if your their for happy hour. The staff front end and back are very customer service friendly and family oriented that you feel like your at someone's large home for a 5 star dinner. You will feel very satisfied leaving Kirala. The prices are excellent as well and will not leave you broke or broken. AMAZING! read more

Best sushi in Berkeley hands down. Try to sit at the sushi bar and watch them cook! The sushi chefs there always recommend something different and tasty! read more

oh, kirala. . . .how do i love thee, let me count the ways. . . 1) ika sugata: the tastiest, perfectly grilled squid accompanied by an out of this world, flavor bursting cream sauce -- the kind of sauce where you want to make up stuff to dip in it just to taste the sauce. 2) grilled shitake mushrooms: butterly delicious, mushrooms like you've never had..mushrooms like you've never imagined (well, aside from being under the influence) 3) beef teriyaki: grilled rib eye steak on a bed of surprisingly satisfying veggies b/c they've been tossed in buttery goodness. 4) sweet potato pie: oh goodness - it's the only way to end this meal, let them know that you'd like to enjoy this warm. . . .and i promise, it will not disappoint. 5) boyfriend pays and i don't feel broke. read more

Girlfriend took me here on my birthday. I was extremely satisfied ordering the deluxe sashimi. The fish was fresh and the whole restaurant had a pleasant ambiance. Though the food was a little on the expensive side, I definitely recommend it as the setting for a date. read more

Pricey dinner compares to lunch. Cold green tea soba noodle was the star of the whole meal. Highly recommend! Sushi was okay. I've had better. Super long wait during dinner time. Won't be back for dinner but maybe for lunch one day. read more

A classic gone south. I used to eat there all the time, this is such a nice place with a wonderful staff and a great ambience, a real restaurant. Sadly the quality of the food has slowly gone down over the years, which kind of breaks my heart. I still go to Kirala once in a while to check on my old stomping ground, but every time I am sadly reminded that this is now a very ordinary sushi place, nothing more. If you want to know what good real japanese tastes like, head to B-Dama on Piedmont. It puts Kirala to shame. read more

Waaaay overrated, don't know why it's so popular. Sushi and grilled food is just okay but not at all worth the wait or price.

Terrible, The last time I was there I was wishing that Berkeley Bowl was still open so I could get a peice of fish and bring it over to show them how fish should be. read more

The sushi chef is arrogant and mean...:/ totally ruined my appetite. I won't get back there again, though Kirala used to be my fav Japanese restaurant at the East Bay. read more

The lunch specials are what float this place and they normally run out by 12:30. I've definitely had better sushi but I guess for Berkeley, it's decent. Definitely not worth the long lines and the inflated egos, so I would go in on a slow night. I would recommend the nigiri, sashimi, and udon but would stay away from the rolls---they are tiny and so very over-priced. read more

I've eaten there on many ocassions and was quite plaese 'Yesterday my sister , my girlfriend and self were waiting to be seated. After 20 minutes or so your names were call ,but weren't guided toward the front of the restaurant .To rude awakening they seated us at a back table by the restrooms . There were f ,olks standing within cms of where this management expected us to diner. I spoke and quite proudly .'I'M TAKING THIS PERSONAL 'my waiter said it would take another 25 mins .My response was 'we have a choice of where to spend our money an it doesn't have to be at Kirala's .After about 10 mins we were reseated and had dinner . I observed that no o ne else was placed in the back . I 'LL NERVER EAT THERE AGAIN read more

My girlfriend and I ate here the other night and joked with the host and our waiter as we were leaving that we would be giving them only a 1-star review on yelp. The reason ... so that others would avoid Kirala and we could have them more to ourselves! But dumb joking aside, our first experience at Kirala was awesome!!! Without giving every single detail of our dinner, it was just a very nice experience ... the staff being very attentive and nice ... and the food being EXCELLENT. I've eaten my fair share of nigiri and sashimi ... but few compare to what we had at Kirala ... which consisted partly of ... Deluxe Sashimi Dinner (all five kinds of fish, melt in your mouth loveliness) ... along with ... Chawan Mushi (steamed egg custard), Mushroom Soup (mushrooms and the most delicious broth) ... and ... a couple pieces of unagi, miso soup, and half an order of grilled squid. To finish, we went with the green tea tempura ice cream. All was very good!!! ... and we will be back! Just as a slight warning, the prices might be a little higher than you're used to ... but excellent sushi like this (flown in daily, taken well care of) does have an understandable cost. Just indulge once in a while ... and enjoy! read more

My Boyfriend took me here for lunch on Valentine's Day. Absolutely loved the food. I am ruined for most other just O.K. sushi places now that I have eaten this food. The place was packed & we waited 10 minutes for a table. Because we were a bit late into the lunch service the two specials were out. No more specials. So we ordered a spicy tuna roll,pork gyoza, shrimp tempora , & chicken curry udon noodle soup. The tuna roll was very small,however it was the best tuna roll I have ever had. Just melted in my mouth all flavors perfectly meshed all textures exactly working as one. I could have eaten many, many more. The gyoza potstickers were also small,but good. The shrimp tempora was very vibrant & fresh tasting. Now the big guns,that chicken curry. Wow that was so indulgently rich. Spiced with a curry that may as well been whisked by spice boat straight from another continent. It was so brilliantly fresh & full of dimension. The noodles were also better than any noodle I have ever had. The flavor worked,smelled divine, & I just can;t wait to go back . This IS the place to explore the menu. They make the Soba & Udon noodles in house. The rolls other people were eating ,honestly looked good enough to grab off their plates. I am still thinking about what I will get next time I am there. read more

I recently discovered Kirala. An avid sushi fan for a quarter of a century, I thought I had exhausted the possibilities - only to find this treasure. The fish is fresh fresh fresh. As far as I'm concerned, if the uni is fresh, the rest usually follows. This uni was over the top, and everything we had was equally good. The handrolls and special rolls were excellent. I have been there 3 times so far and can't wait to return. The only problem is you have to get there when it opens, unless you want to wait. read more

Sure you can find fresh sushi and sashimi at other places in the Bay Area area without having to wait very long. But can you find as many different delicious robata items AND wonderfully fresh fish all in one place? Probably not. For a completely satisfying Kirala experience, make sure you order a variety of items from the sushi bar and the robata grill. read more

Long lines b/c this place isn't very big and everyone knows this food is bangin. My experiences @ Kirala have all been really wonderful. It's true their fish does melt in the mouth and the prices aren't bad. Looks like I need to go back quite soon and fulfill my cravings! read more

Sushi cures hangovers! My roommate and I have a new tradition, or at least we've decided to start the tradition today: sushi when we feel like a trainwreck, aka hungover from a long day/night of drinking. Kirala came to the rescue. Not only is it open on Sundays (since we all know that is the national hangover day), it serves the freshest, best tasting sushi in the East Bay. I had the pleasure of experiencing the Sushi Dinner: 7 pieces of nigiri sushi and a spicy tuna roll, and it comes with miso soup and a salad. The nigiri pieces are generously cut, they're not the size of your thumb sized pieces you get everywhere else, and they melt in your mouth. And for all you spice lovers out there, the spicy tuna is actually spicy! I had to take a bite of my friends maki roll b/c my mouth was on fire. Regardless, it was a delicious meal that I wanted to last forever. I am now feeling 100% better, or at least my stomach is. It's not full of alcohol anymore. It's full of 100% fresh, yummy goodness. Sidenotes: 1. Make sure to go before the dinner rush hour. We only had to wait about 20 minutes or so. But I've heard it could be up to an hour wait and they don't take reservations. 2. Ladies, if you go to the restroom, pull kind of hard (at least twice) on the door to make sure no one is in there. My friend and I didn't pull on the door hard enough and ended up waiting outside for a good 10 minutes, before I decided to try the door again, and guess what, it opened. read more

ama ebi, come to mama! sunagimo, ika-sugata, get in mah behleh! and bring your beautiful friends shishito, saba shioyaki, and nabeyaki udon! i don't playa hate! i don't discriminate! the more the merrier! there's a party in my mouth and everybody's.... never mind, scratch that one. good food, good sake. this place has small tables and labyrinth-like seating. eating at the bar could prove advantageous in minimizing your wait. the service wasn't horrible, but it wasn't outstanding- pretty standard for the shitty service the bay area has in general, in comparison to many other metropolitan areas. also, this place can get very crowded, so use your time in line to make nice with the other children. i would not recommend this place for dates, unless you don't give a rat's ass what the other person is jawing on and on about. the same goes for large parties. oishi! read more

this place was pretty meh. i was severely disappointed after the hype i've heard for five years about this place. did have to wait a little bit, but the bartender in the back gave us a nice little bucket filled with ice for our bottle of wine, although he did so with a very...practiced manner. it seems as though they try to provide good service, but seem very cavalier about it. as though...the restaurant cares, but not the people. weird sensation. between me and a dinner partner, ordered agedashi tofu, fried soft shell crab, wasabi chicken (from robata grill), scallop (from robata grill), amaebi nigiri and kanpachi nigiri. apps-- agedashi tofu: cute presentation, but there were four pieces of tofu. not big pieces, just regular sized. for around $6?! i'm used to a big wide bowl with at least 6-8 pieces. and usually around $4. not worth it. fried soft shell crab: again, nice looking, but it was around $7 or $8, and it was a tiny little crab. between two people, i ate my portion with two bites. wasabi chicken: it was...nice? it was tasty, but it was a skewer of chicken about the size of your index and middle finger together. with a squiggly squirt of wasabi paste on top of a grilled piece of chicken. i thought it would be marinated or something...but nope. just grilled chicken with a squirt of wasabi paste. scallop: already ran out, so we didn't get any. disappointed. sushi: kanpachi: it was nice, two pieces for $6. it was nice, but sushi just seemed kinda expensive so we didn't get more. amaebi: sat waiting for it for about ten minutes after we finished our food. we were drinking wine and talking, so didn't really notice. i finally asked the waitress where it was and...she had this look of "oh hmm..that IS a good question". she was very nice and courteous, but she never put the order in? by then the kitchen was closed so it was more of a ...oh well. they did give us a free little saucer of lychee ice cream which was tasty, but we were so very hungry from the bare pieces of food. i ended up eating two 1-inch pieces of tofu, half a crab (about the size of my palm), about two grams of chicken, and one sushi. and how much was this grand meal? i put in $20. granted, i also had a bottle of wine, so probably more around...$17. wow. super not worth it. its a nice venue, and i'm sure if you order a meal set or something it could be good, but it was too little food and too much money for all the hype. read more

Been here twice. Older crowd (compared to sushi bars in SF, at least), long wait, but food is worth the wait. Best sushi I've had in the East Bay. Kirala 2 (their takeout location) is better than most takeout sushi, but if I'm going to pay the same amount for the rolls, I'd rather go to the real Kirala than their satellite location. Delicious! Will be back! read more

Eh the tuna sashimi was okay. Did not live completely up to my standards. The soy sauce tasted a bit weird to me...And what place doesn't have spicy mayo? :( apparently this one doesn't.... read more

Been here many times with friends; I recommend sitting at the sushi bar area, near the grill or the tables in front of the grill area (it seems more roomy to me rather than the tabels on the main floor...if you have 5-7 people). The food is great, and I don't have a specific recommendation from the menu as the items I've had thus far have all tasted great. This place is always packed, and there is a long line at the door as soon as they open (so get there early if you don't want to wait)...other than that....I haven't found anything wrong with this place. read more

A nice cozy little sushi spot filled with locals of all ages. The food was great. I enjoyed some very tasty unagi and avocado rolls along with Seafood Undon. read more

This place was incredible! We were in line and first when they opened for dinner. We were seated quickly and everyone was so nice! Our waiter was the best I've experienced in a long time. He was very accomodating, played peek-a-boo with my 11 month old and provded excellent friendly service. The food was delicious! I had their chicken teriyaki and some spicy tuna rolls! They were absolutely fresh and tasted delicious! I can't wait for another trip here! read more

Excellent sushi and great service. It's hard to get in since it's always packed and it's a small place, but the food is worth it. If you want quantity, it's not your place, but in terms of quality, it's one of the best places in Berkeley for sushi. read more

Kirala is our favorite Japanese restaurant outside of Japan. The vibration of the restaurant is like being in Tokyo; busy and usually a waiting line. There is a reason to wait, and the robata grill chef is attentive to each piece of fish and meat. Their sake selection is the finest the Bay Area has to offer. Their prices are on the high end if you order sushi and for other items, their prices are well within the norms for excellent robata. read more

We always enjoyed their lunch specials during our visits there, very good value and tasty.

This is absolutely my favorite Sushi restaurant in the East Bay. Because it is so popular, if it's your first time eating here, try a week night. Otherwise, it's packed, and for good reason. Don't miss the fresh baby lobster tail. read more

I have been a faithful client of this place for at least 17 years, but the owners never recognize me or give us special treatment. Yes, the rolls and the grilled items are delicious, but not enough anymore to make me endure the poor seating they always assign to me and my husband. We always get stuck in the cramped up little table on the left corner on the way to the hallway. The owners are making money hand over fist without regard to giving that special touch. Some tables should not even be added since it is so cramped. I hate it when owners get so greedy and pack people in like a sardine. I go there for the whole dinner experience and ambience, but who can enjoy a dinner when you are stuck in a corner. The noise is also really loud to the point you can't even have a conversation. We do not go there anymore. There are better sushi places around with better service. read more

Ew. If this is the best sushi in Berkeley, then the East Bay is in sad shape. The nigiri was passable, the maki was borderline mushy, the miso soup bland. In a pinch, I could deal with that. (We were starving, so I did.) But the real problem here is sloppiness. Seated at the sushi bar, we were in full view of a dirty wall, a grimy toaster oven, and a chef who sneezed over his shoulder while slicing fish. Do I really need to go on? read more

Absolutely one of the worst, most overpriced dining experiences in the bay area!! If you want to wait a long time for poorly prepared food and a surly waitstaff, go to Kirala! I've gone here twice. The first time the food was passable, if memorable only for the long wait. It was the second occasion that was memorably terrible. My Girlfriend and I were served the toughest piece of squid I've ever eaten. We both grew up in a community of Sicilians, eating calimari all the time, Hell I was practically weaned on a tentacle, so I know how good squid should be: this squid was a tougher than an old Goodyear steel-belted. The worst part was that neither the server nor the manager would acknowledge the problem. "No. It's not tough. It's fine." They refused to take it back! Or do anything to help remedy the situation. By the end of the night, I was enraged, my girl was in tears. It was terrible. read more

Being in the Bay Area, we are spoilt by having a plethora of choices for sushi, and we tend to be picky about the quality and the presentation of the food. Kirala by far has exceeded our expectations every time we visit, and safe to say that it is one of our top 5 sushi spots. This was our 4th visit to the restaurant. The wait is usually an hour at the minimum, unless you go early on weekdays. Every sushi and nigiri option is amazing, fresh and neatly rolled. Highly recommend the unagi and una-kyu. The robata is pretty good as well. We love their stuffed mushrooms and Kashiwa. We will definitely visit again. read more