I've been trying to come here FOREVER! Their hours are a bit odd, and they've been closed a lot because of renovations. I guess I've had the worst luck coming to this place when I had classes as an undergrad at Berzerkly! Finally came here with friends for lunch, and were quickly seated. My friends ordered the rainbow roll and the nabeyaki udon. I ordered the chirashi bowl. OMG...that chirashi bowl was AMAZING! For $15, you get a decent bowl of rice topped with the largest array of fresh fish and seafood, in comparison with every other Japanese restaurant I've been to. There was tuna, albacore, salmon, hamachi, mackerel, tamago, scallops, and uni. I was so shocked when the dish included the raw scallops and uni. Everything was so tasty and fresh! The scallops didn't have that frozen or tough texture, meaning they were freshly cut and haven't been stored for days. The uni was a nice add, as it's usually really expensive to order. Definitely a bang for your buck dish! I was very satisfied with my order. If I find myself in Berkeley again (regardless of when), I will definitely return to grab another bite at Musashi! read more

Musashi - Their Chirashi bowl - hands down the best I've ever hand, the most bang for your buck!! - Japanese Near Me - Berkeley, California

Goodness gracious this is my favorite weekday dinner spot in Berkeley. Musashi, you rock! Whisked my friend over here for a goodbye dinner and chanced upon an amazing weekly special (4/30/12 - 5/4/12). They were offering their KAKI FRY at the standard $6, which consisted of 5 pieces of fried oyster with sliced cabbage and served with rice, miso, and tsukemono (http://s3-media2.ak.yelpcdn.com/bphoto/xsvFZRSG10gOtA3HH2P7Ag/l.jpg). We also ordered their SPICY TUNA ROLL (http://s3-media3.ak.yelpcdn.com/bphoto/ThR_O2LZvdDOpGJQtUn_Bg/l.jpg), $4 at happy hour, to round out our meal. Those. Fried. Oysters. Were. Ridiculously. Ridiculous. A perfectly crispy batter shell surrounding succulent oysters (http://s3-media2.ak.yelpcdn.com/bphoto/fCltGMwDq9N_H69CDN8MHQ/l.jpg) with a well-balanced dipping sauce (maybe it was oyster sauce!). 5 pieces for $6--darn it, I should have ordered 2 specials. Filling. Delicious. Affordable. Prompt service. Oh Musashi, domo arigatou. UPDATE (5/22/13): They have an expanded happy hour menu that includes a 5-piece sashimi set for $7 (http://s3-media1.ak.yelpcdn.com/bphoto/gyLvhmLxnfsObVCdhGi7zw/l.jpg)! Also, 5/21 - 5/24's weekly special of SPICY CHICKEN KARAAGE was delicious! 6 deep fried marinated spicy chicken drumsticks for $6.50 (http://s3-media2.ak.yelpcdn.com/bphoto/Jlac-SGGaHZhUB8-nfDrSA/l.jpg). read more

See all

BEST value chirashi bowl ever, so definitely worth 5 stars! The mini chirashi is only $13, and it's large enough to fill up a normal appetite...but I have larger than a normal appetite, especially when it comes to sushi. I tend to still be hungry after the mini if I don't order anything else, so now I always get the regular chirashi for $22 ^_^;; With that said, I ALWAYS leave full with the regular size, so it's absolutely worth it. Usually comes with salmon, tuna, yellowtail, mackerel, scallop, tamago, squid, ikura, and a few others I'm probably missing. It has about double the sashimi and rice that the chirashi bowl from Joshu-ya down the street has, for roughly the same price and quality/freshness. Such a steal for a serious sushi craving. Best place to get your money's worth for raw fish in Berkeley! read more

Musashi - Regular chirashi $22 - Japanese Near Me - Berkeley, California

Best place around for chirashi bowl! You get so much for what you pay for and the ingredients taste nice and fresh. I'm not usually a fan of raw fish but I do quite enjoy their chirashi as well as salmon+ikura bowls! Although happy hour is only around dinner time. They usually have 2 weekly entrees available at a very affordable price! Unlike dinner time where there is often a line out the door, lunch time is much quieter :) Service is slightly slow since there's usually one waitress taking care of the entire restaurant. I've come here many times hoping to finally be able to try their chawanmushi (steamed egg in a cup) but unfortunately they only have a limited amount per day, but if you get a chance to then definitely try it it's one of the most delicious side dishes when done well!! read more

See all

Musashi, a mediocre Japanese restaurant who likes to scam customers? I asked for two FRESH salmon nigiris. And what do I get in return? SMOKED salmon nigiris. Ok, so I couldn't tell with my eyes if they are smoked or fresh. So like a good ol' customer, I don't doubt for a sec and put the nigiri in my mouth. As I chew I realize this ain't what I asked for. My tongue knows what's up. My friend took a bite too and she agreed that this was smoked salmon. Because I'm kinda shy at things like this, my brave friend calls the lady and tells her that this is smoked, not fresh. She says, "No.. This is fresh salmon," in a fake innocent voice.. We were expecting an apology, not a bullshit. She goes back to the sushi maker and talks in Japanese blah blah. Then, she comes back and says, "Would you like to put them off the tab?" She doesn't even offer to replace them with fresh salmon. Like really... Where the hell is fresh salmon at? That wasn't the end. I ordered a beef tongue skewer. She comes back holding a white, weird-looking, greasy skewer. Because I became wary after that salmon bs, I asked her what is that before I go ahead and take a bite innocently. She said, "This is a chicken skin skewer." I was like wtf. She goes ahead and says, "Beef tongue skewer is out of order." .. Okay. That just makes total sense. I sent her away telling her to take it off my tab. I wanna give zero star. But my friend's nabeyaki udon was okayish, and my chawan mushi was decent. Be wary chawan mushi is extremely tiny. Both aren't worth going out of my way to come here again however. Bottom line: just.. don't go. go to kirala instead. read more

See all

At first, my friends and I were planning to go to Joshuya brasserie for a desperate need of sushi. Joshuya has its reputation around the area and so it's the safe place to go. But unfortunately when we went, we were gonna wait an hour to get seated. So we decided to go around and find a new place. Musashi is what I found near Joshuya. At first, we were hesitant because nobody in the group went to that place before. Plus, frankly the appearance is less attractive than other sushi place. But once inside I realized the waitresses were fluent in Japanese and that was one good point about it. Not that I don't speak English. It's just a matter of atmosphere I guess. Unfortunately, they were not many houses for a party of 6. We wanted to share sushis so that it would not be too expensive but the sushi combo was only 8 pieces for $25. So we went with the Chirashis for $22. You will tell me it's not less expensive but well, at least we have way more fish per person than with the combos. Plus, the fish was falling on the side because they were so may of them. I was positively surprised by the freshness and perfect taste of the fish. I me a you don't find that quality around here. $22 is not too bad after all. I recommend. read more

Musashi - Chirashi $22 - Japanese Near Me - Berkeley, California

I got the teriyaki chicken dinner and there was barely any teriyaki sauce and it was very dry. Only half the chicken was edible, the other half was just skin and fat. The miso soup was decent but it had too many dashi granules. read more

Got dinner here with the girlfriend. Really cool place. The decor inside is really nice and they have a lot of menu items. I got the Chirashi bowl, she got the Shrimp Tempura Don, and we split a couple grilled skewers (duck, chicken heart, and gizzard) and a miso rice ball. The skewers were really good, I could easily come and have a great dinner out of just those. They really give you a lot of food. The tempura don had lots of different types of vegetables, 3 fairly large shrimp, and they were fried really well. I thought the miso rice ball was also good, but I would only recommend it if you're the kind that really loves rice. The Chirashi bowl had a LOT of different types of seafood and a good amount of each. The variety was REALLY nice, BUT... to be honest the fish was not fresh and it came with normal rice instead of sushi rice. I still enjoyed it though. Pretty good price for what you get and really impressive variety, but don't expect top notch fish. Get the skewers and try out the different foods =). read more

See all

As we were walking close by, we quickly noticed a big crowd in front of the store. It was about 7:30 on a Friday night and we were the ninth table to be sat. Lucky us about 3 table ahead of us have up on the long wait and we were seated by 745. The place is small, but they don't pack people in like sardines. The server were all friendly and the menu was super easy to read. The food was delicious!!! Please see pictures for more about the taste. The only thing to watch out for is how hot in temperature it is when it first comes out. Pros: very clean and fresh tasting food Cons: long wait read more

See all

Fresh sushi for a great deal. What's not to love? Tastes great, and presentation is pretty. The mini Chirashi bowl has at least 10 pieces of assorted fish and some yummy tamago over rice for $12. Pretty darn good for sushi. Quality too, and the mini size was just right. You also get a side of a vegetable, changes depending on what ingredients they have--mine was green beans which were cooked nice and salty. The meal also comes with warm miso soup and tsukemono/pickled vegetables. Yum. The reason why I give this place 3 instead of 4 stars is due to the inconsistent and slow service. We weren't acknowledged when we came in, and the server seated a couple that came in after us first. I know they don't take reservations, and she saw us there first. Granted, the couple didn't seem too ashamed about that either, but we weren't about to make a scene. We got a mini bowl to go for our friend, and the younger server asked us if we wanted the miso soup that came with it to go when we got up to leave, we said of course. We were standing with our coats on waiting for quite some time after. She obviously saw we were anxious to get going, don't know why she didn't grab the soup when she even brought it up. So we ended up leaving without it. But I'd definitely come back for that sushi. Just hope the service is better. read more

See all

Such a great little spot! Creative and yummy authentic Japanese dishes, fresh and high quality fish. A must try!

I'd say an average and small sushi restaurant hidden on Dwight! Surprising there were a lot of customers in relation to the location. I only tried their sushi combo, which had average nigiri, a small roll, and 3 pieces of tuna sashimi. I'd say the combo was average (a bit on the smaller side compared to the price). I However, I heard their Chirashi bowl is really good! I give it 3-stars because I really liked the ambience and all the variety of Japanese sake bottles that were displayed across the bar. read more

Food is fine. Just expect a long wait line or come little before the time the restraint opens. I have not come back for a few years and I am so surprised how bad their customer service was. I have not experienced this level of customer service in the Bay area. We simply requested two folks for my kids, and the waitress was not happy. There were other multiple situation that waitress gave us a look and attitude. Probably th It was sad to find out that my favorite Japanese restaurant is no longer our option for this reason. read more

Musashi is located off the main drag of Shattuck on a quiet block on Dwight. It's a nice, quaint restaurant with about 8 tables with counter seating for about another 8. Service was very efficient. The waitress was very friendly and answered questions we had regarding the menu. Their menu included sushi, robata and dinner entrees. Also they had a happy hour menu from Tues-Fri from 5:30 - 7:00pm that includes five drinks, five small bites and four sushi items. We ordered two dinner items. The dinners included miso soup, salad and pickled veggies. - Rib-eye steak teriyaki. The steak was very tender and the entrée came with sautéed vegetables. - Sushi combo. It included 4 pieces of tuna sashimi, six pieces of a tuna roll and eight assorted pieces of nigiris. Prices might be a little more expensive and you won't get the huge portions of some typical sushi places, but the trade-off is an authentic place that serves very fresh and quality food. read more

Probably a solid establishment and I just ordered the wrong thing. We got here on a Saturday night and they were packed. I ordered a nabeyaki with soba, and the noodle ended up being overcooked. Each bite was like mush. The other toppings were okay: I would have preferred a tea egg instead of a poached one (with the yolk fully cooked) and I would like liked more than 4-5 little cubes of chicken. Otherwise the flavor was good and the presentation was fantastic. It was served in a clay pot! read more

Musashi - Nabeyaki - Japanese Near Me - Berkeley, California

Food: 5/5 Price: 5/5 Service: 4/5 Ambience: 4.5/5 So incredibly happy with our meal tonight! Musashi is an authentic Japanese restaurant serving a large variety of dishes - traditional appetizers, donburi, dinner entree sets, wappa, robata grilled skewers, sushi, and much more! The restaurant is very small and has around 20 seats, so come early! Happy hour is 5:30-7 Tuesday to Friday. We came at 6pm and there was no wait, but by 7 the line was out the door. They have a weekly special menu - $7 for an entree!! They update it on their website, definitely want to check that out next time. Kara-age - fried marinated chicken. WOWWW. The plate was huge, with around 10 large pieces of juicy, burning hot, and tender chicken chunks. The batter was perfect, not too crispy, not too thick. Beyond amazing. It's also part of the HH menu! Tuna Poke - Cubed tuna w. chili oil, soy sauce, green onion, & kaiware daikon. Skip....small portion, tuna wasn't super fresh, overly seasoned with soy sauce. Kaki Fry - 5pc deep fried oysters. Very good price, large and juicy oysters, but it wasn't too fresh. Came with side salad. Negima - chicken leg &leek skewer. Juicy chicken, nicely paired with leek slices. Nankotsu - chicken cartilage. Yum. Goes really well with the five spice powder. Agedashi Tofu - yum! Great portion, soft tofu, with great coating and sauce. Mini Chirashi - ok quality... around 10 pieces of sashimi including scallop! Rice was delicious, sashimi wasn't too fresh. Tonkatsu chashu ramen - YUMMM. Quality soup, delicious noodles, pork, and bamboo. One of the best I've had! robata sampler- 4 meat skewers. Chicken wing was great, duck and leeks was cool, chicken breast was ok, chicken thighs were great Things I want to try next time :spicy tuna roll (HH), weekly special. And of course the karaage. Favorites: * Kara-age ($7.50, HH $6) * Negima ($2.75) * Nankotsu ($2.75) * Agedashi Tofu ($6, HH$4.50) * Tonkatsu chashu ramen ($14) * robata sampler ($12) Others: * Tuna Poke ($5.50) * Kaki Fry ($7) * Mini Chirashi ($14.50) read more

See all

Located at the edge of the South Side college residential area, this little Japanese restaurant is quite homely. With only 4 tables and bar seats, this place could get pretty packed and uncomfortable for those who prefer more privacy. Its setup is very similar to an izakaya. Their menu has your typical entrees like Nabeyaki Udon, Curry, Donburi, sushi rolls, and tapas like yakitori and onigiri. They have weekly specials all day for a very cheap price. I had their curry with a choice of rice, udon, or soba for less than $7. The portions are huge, still quite filling though it was meatless. The curry was mediocre though. I didn't have much expectation on daily specials, since those were expected to be made in large quantities. What's good about making curry in large quantities is that the potatoes do have the curry flavors seeped into the centers and they are more mushy and soft from long cooking time. I don't like hard and flavorless potatoes, so that was just right. I do wish there were more sides than just potatoes and carrots. It is served mild for those non-spicy lovers. I had a side order of onigiri. Had a plain one with miso paste on top. It was pretty crispy and not burnt, great texture. However, I didn't quite enjoy the heavy miso paste as much as I wanted to. Perhaps I should try their other onigiri with fillings. One thing I didn't expect from them was sesame ice cream! I don't recall places in US serving that flavor. Although dinner was average, it's nice to enjoy a dessert I haven't had in a long while. read more

Definitely the best Chirashi Bowl that I've had in Berkeley! (compared to Joshuya, Manpuku and CU Sushi). The place is pretty small but they were able to seat 6 of us on a Thursday night around 7pm right away. They waitress was super nice. She gave us the happy hour deal even though we came right when it ended! (++) Chirashi Bowl. The fish was super fresh and I was able to get a great deal for it. Definitely save your money and get the Mini Bowl ($12). I was very hesitant at first in terms of how full I'll get, but if you eat this with some appetizers and you'll definitely be full by the end! (+) Hotate (Grilled Scallop). I think there was 4 scallops on a skewer for $5.50. Pretty pricey but it was grilled to perfection. Definitely would have been better if there was more flavor to it though. (+) Ika Yaki (Grilled Squid) . I love the smokey flavor to it. It was also grilled perfectly because it wasn't too chewy or too soft. I definitely recommend this appetizer to share if you're with a group! Overall, very pleased with my meal. Will definitely come back if I'm ever craving some fresh raw fish. This place is a bit further away from campus so not many people know about it but it's definitely worth a try. read more

Musashi - Mini chirashi bowl ($12) - Japanese Near Me - Berkeley, California

See all

Hot damn. My sister and I decided on Japanese for one of our sisterly dinner outings and decided on Musashi. The ratings on Yelp seemed pretty good and I had heard that they had ramen so we decided to check it out. First bad sign: the place was completely empty ::cue crickets chirping:: Second bad sign: they completely revamped their menu aka NO RAMEN But we were already there with our tea so we decided to go ahead and order some things. We shared a chicken udon, tempura appetizer (veggies and shrimp), and a spider roll. The spider roll was decent. The udon was pretty tasty with a yummy broth. The tempura appetizer was a hit and a miss at the same time. The veggies were really yummy and I like that they have tempura onion. The shrimp were SO fishy/oceany tasting it was ridiculous. My sister and I were fighting each other to NOT eat it. Overall the prices are a little high for what you get. Would not come back.... read more

See all

This is my go-to place for sushi around the Berkeley area. I definitely go AT LEAST twice a month, if not more. I always get the salmon ikura bowl (normally half is enough to fill me ~$12). Yes, it is a little pricier than other places but it is well worth it in my opinion! The salmon is just so buttery - I still have yet to find a place that cuts its salmon as large and yummy as this place! My friend ordered the tofu udon one time and the portions were large and filled with lots of tofu and vegetables. Since this place is very small and popular, I normally go when it just opens so I've never had any problems with the wait nor slow service. There's a sweet lady who always works there and she just seems so happy all the time! read more

Musashi - Salmon and ikura bowl (half size) - Japanese Near Me - Berkeley, California

I've been trying to find a good Chirashi place in Berkeley. I popped over to Yelp and saw that people were raving about this place, and decided to give it a go! Fair bit of warning: The restaurant itself is really small and crowded, so it might take you some time to get in. I went with a friend at 6:00 PM on a Friday night, and it took us around 30 minutes to get a table for two. It was completely worth it though, let me tell you that. I got the regular size Musashi, which ended up being HUMONGOUS. Next time, I'll probably just get the mini Musashi, as people on Yelp said that's enough to make you feel! The Musashi comes with multiple kinds of fish, roe, scallops, and a huge portion of rice. It's filling, fresh, and definitely the best raw fish I've had in the East Bay so far. If you're looking for somewhere to get your raw fish on, I'd definitely recommend Musashi! read more

Musashi - Chirashi - Japanese Near Me - Berkeley, California

Normally, Musashi would be a bit out of my price range. I went in for Happy Hour - great service, decent portions, and yummy food. I started off ordering a roll and Kara-age chicken, which were $3.50 and $5.00, respectively. Nearing the end of my meal, I had the Robata sampler ($9) consisting of duck with leek, spare ribs, chicken meatballs, and chicken wings. All of the meat was delicious and well-cooked. My favorite was definitely the meatball. Overall, pretty good meal for the price. read more

Musashi - The Robata sampler - blurry because I got too excited - Japanese Near Me - Berkeley, California

Tips to note: 1. Happy hour goes from 5:30-7pm. This includes $4 draft beer, $6 hot sake bottles, karaage, agedashi tofu. 2. Weekly specials go until 7pm on weekdays. The restaurant updates their websites every two weeks to introduce the next rounds of weekly specials. This week's fried baby octopus was delicious!! Besides that, this place is one of the hidden gems of Berkeley. Coming here since 4 years ago, the place recently expanded its dining area to twice the original size! The izakaya section remains but the entrance now opens to the new side of the restaurant, with a beautiful sushi bar in front of you when you enter the door. If you want delicious fish flown from Japan, particularly Tsukiji, this is the place to come to! There's a chalkboard with the listings of ~8 different types of fish that are in season. You can try these fish as a nigiri or sashimi, or even omakase! The restaurant's dessert selection ranges from Hokkaido strawberry crepe cake, yuzu (think lemon) and mikan (think orange/tangerine) sorbet, and red bean/green tea/black sesame/ginger ice cream. Update: Musashi is also open on Saturdays from 5:30-9:30pm! read more

See all

This is my go-to place if I am craving one of my favorites, steak with shishito peppers and rice. They actually give you a steak and not pieces of beef. Overall, the food is good.* read more

See all

Excellent food and service, presentation. Is beautiful! I am from Los Angles and I have a lot of options for Japanese food but this place was a neat find. I was feeling under the weather and ordered the vegetable tofu udon soup and it comes with hot green tea and pickled radish yum yum! read more

Musashi - Beautiful presentation - Japanese Near Me - Berkeley, California

Such a cute neighborhood restaurant with kind staff and delicious food. Definitely come early (before 6:30) if you want to get seated right away otherwise you'll need to wait. I loved their sashimi. It's incredibly buttery and fresh! Their tempura was light and crisp and loved all the veggies they served. The veggie sampler is a waste to order - tastes like basic grilled vegetables - but I think they're just known for meat options on the Robata. People around us had ramen and udon, and tons of chirashi bowls. Definitely want to order that next time. I'll be back!! read more

My all time favorite go-to place in Berk. Go from 5-7p to get happy hour deals. They're awesome for the wallet. Would recommend sushi and some udon. Also, the agedashi tofu is to die for! read more

Musashi - Japanese Near Me - Berkeley, California

My only complaint about Musashi is their hours :( they are never open when I am in Berkeley! But goodness I could eat here everyday. The food here is very home style japanese with their selection of wappas and dinner specialties. The boyfriend and I came here on the weekend and split a gobo roll, a specialty roll ( which i cannot remember for the life of me for some reason :[ ), a unagi wappa, and a tempura. Both of us love pickles so when our waitress brought out some complimentary tsukemono O_O yummm! Our rolls came out quickly and the gobo roll was gone in a few mins. and then when the other roll came it ended up being wrong and I really wanted to like this place so we waved our waitress over and asked her if there was suppose to be spicy tuna in the roll and she looked over and stared for a second and a half and then brought the sushi chef over and they looked at the specialty board and then they started laughing O_O and apparently the sushi chef forgot what was in the roll so they let us keep the messed up roll and gave us another whole roll! So no harm done and our tempura came out the same time as the new roll. Tempura was delicious...hot and crunchy and not oily at all, I was kinda picky about this b/c I wanted all veggie but apparently my bf likes shrimp so I said fine we can just ask them to put more veggies and ONE shrimp. And they gave us eleven pieces total!...pretty insane for $9. And then the Wappa! yayyy mmm. Two huge pieces of unagi on top of rice...YUMM. It comes with a chawan-mushi which is an egg custard type of deal with mushrooms and other goodies laced throughout it. Nearly half of the Wappa was left even though both of us were starving...so much food....ugh. so yah ended up taking half the wappa and the roll home! I am definately coming back though! Hoorahhh! ;] read more

Had a Living Social coupon, so gave it a try... and sure glad that I did. We decided to get a bunch of little dishes to share, kind of like a tapas thing. And since we went early, we were able to do the happy hour apps.... Things that were great included the kara-age (with a salad on the side), sashimi (which was extemely fresh), agenomo tofu (again, excellent), and the spider roll. We also had the seafood robata.. the salmon and red snapper were really good, the shrimp was ok. A little disappointed in the veggie robata and the CA roll But overall, a very solid meal and I would definitely return! It's a small place so make sure you come early to get a seat read more

Food: We came here spontaneously when our original dinner plans fell through, but we definitely were not disappointed! The food here is extremely fresh, delicately arranged, and beautifully prepared. I ordered a mini-chirashi bowl and tonkatsu as a side order/appetizer. The mini-chirashi bowl was arranged beautifully with many different types of sashimi over sushi rice and to be honest, the mini-bowl was a really good amount already. I can't imagine how big the regular size is, but I would definitely recommend getting the mini and then ordering an appetizer just so you can try more things. The tonkatsu was one of the best I've ever had- crispy on the outside and tender on the inside with a great sauce to go with it. Together, I had more than enough food and was stuffed. Service: The service is really friendly and very efficient. You can tell the staff is trained well, experienced, and professional too. Our server was very knowledgeable about the menu, very courteous, and never awkward. If the craving for Japanese food ever comes up again, I would definitely go back! Environment: The restaurant is decorated like many other small Japanese restaurants. They do put in a little more effort in making the furniture and decor match but overall it has the similar, semi-cluttered, traditional bamboo/wood style of a lot of Japanese restaurants. The outside of the restaurant is a lot shabbier-looking than the inside though so don't be scared away by the looks of the exterior! I've noticed that a lot of places in Berkeley are like that so it really goes to show-- never judge a book by its cover! read more

Musashi - karaage ramen $9 - Japanese Near Me - Berkeley, California

Somewhat of a hidden gem in terms of Japanese food in Berkeley. It has the feel of a traditional Japanese izakaya in terms of the counter seating and small-ish space, and the service is wonderful/efficient. Their menu has quite a range of options, featuring everything from high-quality sashimi to wappa (which I've never seen before at any other Japanese restaurant). The food has a nice homey feel to it, and it's perfect for a cold night. If you go during peak hours, be prepared to wait since the restaurant is quite small! read more

Went for dinner with a friend and we got there a few minutes before they opened for dinner at 5:30pm so we waited outside for a bit. They opened on time and we were seated and given menus. Their hot tea is complimentary which was nice since it was a cold night. I like how they have a "mini" option for their dishes because some of their items can be pricey. I got the mini salmon and ikura rice bowl and it was still enough to fill me up for dinner. They also brought out miso soup with my dish as well as seasoned bean sprouts which were complimentary for the table. I would love to come back with more people and order a few dishes each to try more of their menu! They constantly had people coming in so it seems like a pretty popular dinner spot! read more

I came here for a Friday dinner with a friend after hearing about the recent grand re-opening of Musashi. Having always walked by, I never really got the chance to try until now. To be honest, though, I wasn't as impressed as I thought I would be. We were seated quickly and given menus, which didn't feature a very wide selection. Most of it is just sushi rolls, small appetizers, and udon. No actual meat plates or bento boxes or anything of the sort. I ordered a spider roll, which to my memory was $7 or $9. About half an after ordering, my 3 piece spider roll finally came out. That's right, 3 normally sized pieces on a small plate. It tasted pretty good, but nothing spectacular. Just your simple, half portioned spider roll. I'm glad I spent most of the time talking and not really focusing on the tiny roll. It's just strange that they would expect you to be full from 3 pieces of sushi, unless you order way more from them. The atmosphere is great, but I don't think I would come back. Also, it took about 45 after I was done eating to finally get our check. I understand it's a busy Friday night, but there weren't that many people to begin with. read more

Musashi - Spider roll - Japanese Near Me - Berkeley, California

Cute little restaurant that seems like it might be family owned and run. Our server was very polite and attentive and our food came out very promptly. The Soba we had was absolutely amazing and the Rainbow roll we ordered was also very good. The Gyōza were exceptional and some of the best gyōza I've had in a while. The one odd thing is that the Nigiri comes with Wasabi between the rice and the fish, which isn't mentioned on the menu and (while we were informed that putting wasabi IS in fact traditional) no sushi place I've ever been to has done this, so it was a surprise to me when I told the older lady that I was allergic to horseradish she just shrugged and said "It's traditional to put wasabi there". Thankfully our actual waitress checked to see if they would remake the Nigiri and thankfully they did. Really great place, great food and pretty good service. Just be aware that they put Wasabi between the Nigiri. read more

Musashi is where little fishies dream of going when they die, because being turned into freshly sliced, beautifully presented pieces of sashimi is clearly heaven. Well ok, maybe not for the fishies. But to me, this place is heaven. The Ita Yaki (grilled squid) is a must. So are their chirashi bowls. I made the mistake of ordering it regular sized, underestimating my ability to eat what was almost literally a pound of raw fish. I REPEAT: DO NOT UNDERESTIMATE THE POWER OF THE REGULAR-SIZED. Go with the mini. Your would-be bloated tummy will thank you. Everything I ate tasted like a combination of angel dust, exploding supernovas, with a hint of Jesus's tears. Musashi is a freakin religious experience. And yes, I'm 99.998% sure that Musashi occupies a place in some sort of heaven. Because it's a place where I wouldn't mind spending the rest of eternity in. read more

Musashi - "Regular" sized chirashi bowl but it was bigger than my head. - Japanese Near Me - Berkeley, California

See all

If you live in the area and you haven't been here, you're missing out :) It doesn't get the love it deserves because it's out by itself in a lonely area, but their quality and service is always top notch, and there's really nothing I can say to describe the food -- you really need to just go and try it. Get the chirashi bowl if you've got some money to spend; it's a little high-end, but the amount of sashimi and its quality makes it more than worth the money. read more

Musashi - Chirashi, Katsu-don, Agedashi Tofu - Japanese Near Me - Berkeley, California

I'm always looking for new places to try in Berkeley and this one popped up on Yelp. A bit out of the way on a less traveled street so I probably wouldn't have found it otherwise. Very small, quaint, and authentic sushi place. We were greeted in Japanese upon entering. I got the Nabeyak udon, which was nicely presented in a steaming clay pot. Taste wise- it was pretty good. Flavorful and nice udon texture. One of the better udons I've had in downtown Berkeley. I also ordered sake nigiri and it was quite delectable. I am sad I wasn't able to try their happy hour deals but I will definitely go back for them! Great service, great atmosphere! read more

Musashi - Cute To-go box for nigiri - Japanese Near Me - Berkeley, California

Probably my favorite Japanese place in the area. It's a very small, family owned establishment on Dwight off of shattuck. When you walk in, it feels like a small izakaya you'd find in Japan. Husband working the sushi, wife doing a little of everything, with a daughter waitressing and one in the back cooking. The sushi is fresh and but nothing crazy. Just clean, fresh and simple. The rest of the menu isn't foo-foo or fancy. I'd describe it more as the type of food made by your friend's mom - the friend who's house you love going to eat dinner at, because their mom makes great food. It's totally homey, clean, and comfort food - especially if you're japanese like me. It's food that makes me sigh. Will it win Michelin stars? No...but not all great food has to. They also have a decent sake and shochu menu as well, and solid happy hour deals. And if you ever have the chance to order Osechi (traditional japanese new years food), definitely do it!! This place is awesome! =) read more

Musashi - Sushi bar - Japanese Near Me - Berkeley, California

This place has the amazing quality fish! I ordered the chirashi bowl and was blown away by how tender and flavorful all the fish was. Expensive, but the portion was generous. I loved the homemade narutomaki and egg cake that were in the bowl too. read more

Musashi - Chirashi - Japanese Near Me - Berkeley, California

I believe that Musashi is the most authentic Japanese restaurant I've been to. My friend and I popped into this rather isolated little restaurant promptly when they opened at 11:30am on Tuesday, along with a flood of other people! Many of the patrons seemed to be regulars, and chatted amicably with the Japanese waitress in their native tongue. As more and more people filed in, I felt like the entire Japanese community of Berkeley had suddenly descended on this unimposing little food joint. Call me superficial, but I think the fact that Musashi is run by actual Japanese people makes a difference--at least in atmosphere, if not food. The food is yummy: my friend and I split their special of the week, which was thin strips of steak over rice, and a combo of a spicy tuna roll with assorted tempura. The special also came with miso soup and tsukemono, which I deduced was a salty purple pickled pickled vegetable (that's as much detail as I can give.) With respect to the authentic aspect again, my friend pointed out that our sushi roll was not drenched in sauce, as is commonly found in other Japanese places around campus. I usually don't focus of beverages, but they presented us with the most delightful tea upon sitting down. It was a roasted brown rice and green tea concoction that smelled wonderfully toasty and tasted as good as it smelled. I felt pretty cool sipping on tea while sitting on a short, cushioned bench for my meal. As most Japanese restaurants go, Musashi is on the pricey side with an entree on average ~$12. However, their specials for $6 are extremely reasonable, and balance out a more expensive dish if you think about it that way. Minus one star for the service, as there was only one waitress for a jam-packed room of diners, and she didn't really come to people unless beckoned. I will come back for dinner some day just to try the wappa! I also want to try their onigiri that they sell at Berkeley Bowl. read more

Musashi - Special of the week: steak and vermicelli over rice, with tsukemono and miso soup - Japanese Near Me - Berkeley, California

See all