Immaculate service!…read more Chef Kenji and Coco provided us with an exquisite omakase experience of seventeen courses. Not your basic slice and serve sushi but each piece was took days to prepare. The curing process of the fish and incredible house made soya sauces, yes he made more than one. As well as a very tasty ponzu sauce. While Chef Kenji plated each dish they were served by his wife, Coco. She provided a description of each dish and well as the best way to enjoy the full flavors of each. She was very detailed as to which sauce to use, if any, and how you should place is in your mouth. I can't say enough good things about this humble and almost hidden away gem. We will be back!

Wow this place is SO good and so authentic! This sushi omakase located in Orinda is one of the best…read moreexperiences I've had, and such a hidden gem. It's owned by a wife and husband team, and they take a limited number of tables per night. They offer a unique range of fishes all flown in from Japan. We have had the dine-in and takeout options and both were delicious. They provide instruction and recommendations on how to best enjoy the sushi (such as dipping in soy sauce versus ponzu). It can be difficult to contact them, but I have always left a message in the past, and they have gotten back to me within a week. I would recommend ordering at least a week in advance for sushi platters.

I stopped here for lunch in this quaint town of Orinda, and was greeted m by a nice wait staff, who…read moredirected me to a table by the window. The menu had color photographs of man my of the rolls and dishes. It had a simple decor inside but nice music. There is a small sushi counter is you want to order directly with the sushi chef. The food came out pretty quickly, within 10 minutes, and this was a good place to stop for a meal. I would definitely come here again when I am out this way!

We found Sushi Island a nice little gem conveniently located across from the Orinda Theater. Decent…read moreparking . Reasonable prices with lunch specials Quite a large variety of sushi for a small place. Service was friendly and well paced for us.

Lovely experience here. It was very busy for dinner on a Thursday evening. As a vegan with an…read moreallium allergy, I ordered the cucumber salad along with an avocado roll and a sweet potato roll. The rolls were generously stuffed with great portion sizes, and the sweet potato inside was lightly fried, which was delicious. We had a wonderful experience overall and would definitely come back.

Pros: Pretty good sushi…read more Great location Nice customer service Great variety on the menu Takes reservations Cons: Pretty price for the amount of food that you get

Only got pictures of the rolls but we also had mushroom soup, goma ae, stuffed mushrooms, crispy…read morerice w avocado, and ice cream. The last two were on the house which was so sweet! Really incredible service and hospitality. I also enjoyed the decor! The vegetarian/vegan options are extensive and on point. My favorites were the vegan baked spicy scallop roll (it could have just a touch less mayo but still fave) and the plum shiso maki. Will definitely be back, maybe at the Berkeley location, and looking forward to trying more of the rolls and some hot items too

I went in Thursday last week during lunch time and was greeted by a super sweet lady called Duma,…read moreshowed me the menu and directed me to the lunch specials. I ordered the chicken teriyaki bento box. It was empty. It should be full at every lunch hour! Duma also offered me a miso soup while I waited for my food. Definitely will be coming back especially since I'm working down the street !

Came here for dinner with my sister and brother-in-law at their recommendation, and I can…read moredefinitely see why they keep coming back. The restaurant was packed and seating is pretty limited, so I'd highly recommend making a reservation ahead of time. The atmosphere is lively and energetic with casual Japanese eatery vibes, and service was friendly throughout the meal. Everything felt creative, rich in flavor, and very texture-focused. Here are the highlights: * Ankimo Mousse (monkfish liver) with sweet potato chips - Made with truffle paste, capers, and chives. Absolutely delicious. The mousse was rich and savory but surprisingly fluffy in texture -- honestly a savory girl's dream. The sweet potato chips added just enough sweetness and a snap to balance the richness of the liver. 9/10 * Bluefin Tuna & Tsubugai Sashimi Nuta - Bluefin tuna, sea snail, broccolini, and fresh wakame tossed in a sweet Kyoto yuzu miso vinaigrette. Kind of like a sashimi-seaweed salad. I really liked the vinaigrette and especially the texture of the sea snail. I'm not sure all the ingredients fully came together cohesively, but it was still enjoyable overall. 7.5/10 * Yuba (house-made tofu skin with ikura and uni) - Served as single bites on spoons. SO good. You can really taste the difference between house-made tofu skin and store-bought. It's much more delicate, creamy, and tender, with a mild soybean flavor that balanced the richness of the uni and salmon roe beautifully. The textures in this bite were incredible. 9.5/10 * Iberico Pork Jowl Skewer with miso marinade - I honestly prefer pork jowl over pork belly. The fat and meat are more integrated instead of layered, so every bite is tender, juicy, and flavorful with just the right amount of chew. So good. 9/10 * Clam & Cilantro Ramen - I've never had a ramen broth quite like this. It was slightly creamy and deeply flavored from the clams, and the cilantro added a lot of depth and freshness. The noodles had a great texture too -- chewy and bouncy. Everything worked together perfectly. 9/10 * Uni Carbonara Pasta - Pasta with parmesan, uni, and ikura. They do not skimp on the uni or roe here. Super creamy and rich with bursts of saltiness from the ikura. The texture was great, but I honestly wished it had just a tiny bit more salt to really make all the flavors pop. It was almost there for me. 7.5/10 * Desserts - We tried two desserts, including the sweet potato brûlée. Both were delicious. One had a silky panna cotta-like texture, while the sweet potato brûlée was creamy, lightly sweet, and had the perfect crackly sugar top. 9/10 Overall, such a fun meal with a lot of unique dishes and flavor combinations. There are still so many things on the menu I want to try next time. I'll definitely be back.

I've been to Kiraku twice before this visit, and I felt like the food quality was stronger prior…read more The food comes in a timely manner, staff is mindful to not fill your table as it's a small space. The standouts were the corn tempura, the sushi and the beef okonomiyaki. The skewers were good but not great; I felt the pork belly was a tad salty, and some of the pieces of the beef were slightly overcooked + chewy. The black cod was flaky but I wish it was marinated a bit more with the miso for stronger flavor. I wish I did not order the spring roll or the foil wrapped salmon. The spring roll was soggy bc the filling inside was so damp and lacked seasoning & flavor. The salmon was very dry, but the mushrooms were flavorful and juicy. Definitely recommend reservations or be ready to wait at least 45 minutes. The inside is quite small, tables as well, so be ready to sit pretty close to your neighboring patrons. Very lively atmosphere that can get loud, but could also be fun!

Butterfish is the absolute best sushi around!!! I adore the recipes, combination of foods and…read moreflavors and the presentation is beautiful.

Absolutely loved both visits to this terrific restaurant, and it's definitely top five now -- of…read morethe hundreds I've been to The service was good, but the creativity and quality of the dishes is wonderful. The fish was very good and the combination of flavors they put together are what really makes this place special. The style and decorations are also really nice, and help you feel how special this place is.

Delicious little Sushi bar! I was craving some good fish in an intimate setting and I found it at…read moreMujiri. Arrived on time for my 8:30am reservation and of course had to sit at the welcoming bar. Thank goodness I made a reservation because there were walk ups that were waiting outside for a seat. Started off strong eith a good ole bottle of Sake and its rare i find a place that carries one of my favorites (Kurosawa) so i was a hapy camper there. I had the sashimi combo and the Nigiri combo. Both were great and lovingly made by the pros at the bar. It was great seeing them take great care with the fish and forming the nigiri. Everything was so so so good! I totally understand the hype of this spot and I know ill be back again very soon.

Tried Mujiri in Oakland and it was so good. The vibe is chill and you can tell they really care…read moreabout the quality of their food. 2 co workers and I got seated right away at the bar with no wait whatsoever. I ordered the chef's special nigiri and every piece was delicious. Super fresh, great flavor, and really well put together. The chefs were very attentive and made the experience even better.My buddy asked the chef on what his favorite fish to eat was and while they didn't currently have it in the menu . The manager who was right next to him said they if we called in advance they would source it and be able to prepare it for us if we liked .Definitely a spot I'd come back to if you're into good sushi.

Walked in with empty bellies for our son's 28th and rolled out stuffed! 3 people, 7 rolls, 2 orders…read moreof gyoza (pot stickers!) and some nigiri. Such a good time and the waitress staff was fantastic! Great personalities, very attentive, knew the menu inside and out. Great time - and a fair price for sushi! Some opinions of what we had.... Miso soup...very mild, light fish flavors, served nicely warm but not piping hot.  Pan fried gyoza.... tender, light, airy, smooth, great appetizer.  Unagi....a little dry, mild flavor, add a pinch of wasabi and it really pops. Solid product. Rainbow roll.... clean, light, nice and creamy, mild flavors. Delicious. Lucky roll.... our son wouldn't let me try it but he said it was good and delicious. Double hamachi....Great fresh fish, nicely made, easy to eat, adding an extra pop of wasabi erupted the flavors.

Located on the same street as back forty. But in the shopping complex with 7-11, Subway, Heavenly…read moreBistro. Very limited parking. Called in and ordered three sushi rolls for pick up. Told they'd be ready in five minutes which I thought was interesting. I arrived 15 minutes after placing the order, The place was empty- it was around 4PM on a weekday. No welcome in or hello from staff, I was asked "pick up?" And said yes and provided my name. I was informed they were still preparing my order-GOOD. I would've been concerned if it was ready in less time. I handed my payment card to the host, she struggled with inserting the card into the square device, as well as holding the chip over the device as well. After about 3 minutes she figured it out. I was handed my receipt to fill out. She watched as I filled in the respected lines. I did not leave a tip - as it was a up order, and service thus far was not to par. I waited for my order... 8 minutes later it was ready. Before leaving I checked the bag, order correct, but lacking my preference of soy sauce. I asked the host for more she came back with ONE packet, and tossed it in the bag I was holding. I said out loud "oh just one?" Then asked the sushi chef if they had little to go containers for soy sauce and if I could get one of those. He said yes and instructed the host to fill one for me. She did, came out and handed it to me with what I interpreted was an annoyed look. I said thank you and left. Fascinating to say the least. I guess I was asking for too much. Sushi was decent. Hit the spot. But have had better.

The mixed reviews tell the story. The restaurant is small but attractively decorated. Our food…read more(bento boxes and Lion King roll) were good, and the lunch prices were very reasonable for the area and portion sizes. The lunch menu is small but with enough variety, and the much larger regular menu includes lunch prices. However, they need to clean up their act a little, both figuratively and literally. I'm pretty sure the chalkboard sign in front showed closing times earlier than on their own website. The website online ordering page says the menus aren't available, though scrolling down did reveal them. On the literal side, the bathroom needs attention, as other reviewers have said. I wouldn't have quite called it dirty and didn't hesitate to use it, but it was definitely shabby. The tile floor was discolored around the edges, the sink could have used a deep clean, and the soap dispenser was empty--a bottle of hand soap was propped up on a rail. Overall, it's a good effort and I probably would eat there again, though I'd examine my food based on some of the negative reviews--food safety isn't something I want to mess around with, and especially not for sushi. But inattention to some details makes me cautious about possible inattention to others. Make your own decision.

Great sushi! Great service! This is our go to sushi spot near home. The fish is fresh and we…read morehave our usual order: Crunch Rolls $14 Lambada $16 Rainbow $16 Butterface $16 Sunny Garden $14 Chicken Oyako Don $16 Tempura Mixed Udon $16 Every is good and we usually have some leftovers to bring home!

Incredible food! So yummy and generous portions. My husband and I fought over the leftover…read morecioppino. And the service is unsurpassed. Gisselle remembered how one of us liked the margarita and another of us had dairy issues. Thank you thank you!

Our first visit under the new ownership and our main impression is that with some small…read moreimprovements in the ambience, this place could be SO much better! With overly bright lighting, the sterile atmosphere looks more like a house flip from HGTV than a classy, Italian joint. The fake flowers harmed more than they helped. The food was definitely solid and the staff very attentive. While we appreciated the bread and olives, the quality was on par with airplane cuisine. Calamari was hot, crispy, and non-rubbery but the marinara oddly watery. The spicy marinara on the seafood pasta was delicious and the carbonara was rich and generous in portion. On the whole, we enjoyed our meal and will definitely give it another try. We do want this restaurant to succeed!