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The small unassuming entry way will make you think you're breaking into someone's house but it's perfect for that intimate feeling as well. Once you find the right door it's a super chill vibe in a small space. The chef was preparing everything as we walked in and the server sat us down. The food was super fresh and the chef was very kind. There were 13 different sashimis served along with 6 additional courses of non sashimi items. Very nice service and amazing meal, left full and happy!
I've been wanting to try this omakase place for the longest time. Finally found someone to go with to enjoy this delicious meal with me. This omakase came with many dishes, almost 20. The price was great, especially for someone who isn't sure whether they'll enjoy omakase style meals. The fish tasted amazing. The staff and the chef were incredibly friendly. Our seating was late at 8pm and it was only me and another friend, which was kind of awkward for us, as we felt all the attention were towards us. The place was smaller than I expected inside but it was comfortable. The place is a bit difficult to find. It goes through a small door and leads upstairs to the restaurant. Parking was not too difficult to find either during that time. It's probably not my most favorite omakase spot but for the price, you can't beat it.
I came here with my boyfriend to celebrate our anniversary, and it was such a special experience. The space is small and cozy, with seating for only about 10 people. We booked online, and it ended up being just the two of us for the tasting so it felt very intimate. We enjoyed a 13-course menu featuring incredible fish like barracuda, golden eye snapper, fatty tuna, and uni. The standout for me was the A5 wagyu nigiri - slightly seared and melted in our mouths. To top it off, they surprised us with a little jelly dessert to celebrate our anniversary, which was such a thoughtful touch. The food was excellent, the service was attentive, and the overall experience was memorable. It was such a perfect way to celebrate for a couple of sushi lovers!
Been wanting to check Utzutzu out for a while. Finally went with friends and it was a great experience because we had the whole place to ourselves. The chef was very informative and super fun to watch as he rolled up our sushi bites. I was a bit worried about our seating arrangement as I was sitting super far from the person I was sharing a sake bottle with. HOWEVER, the waiters had us covered and refilled our cups as soon as it was looking low. Great experience.
My bf took me here for my bday. This place is a hidden gem for sure (literally). They have an unmarked stair case leading to their restaurant. Reserve online - they have two seating services of 8 people at 5:30 pm and 8:00 pm. Cost is $145 per person. Everything was so delightful and well put together. Loved every bite and there was a lot of them. The chef described every piece wonderfully so you know what you are eating. I was very full and happy leaving the restaurant. I would definitely come back for celebrations!
Intimate little sushi spot in alameda that only seats 8 people at a time. We came for friday night dinner and took us maybe 5 minutes to find a decently close parking spot. The entrance is kind of hidden in that you need to walk up an unmarked set of stairs to get to the entrance. Highlights: Kanpachi, All the tuna (akami, chutoro, otoro), Botan Ebi, Toro handroll Misses: I felt like some of the bites could have used a bit more salt/flavor or some more vinegar/sweetness in the rice to contrast the fish a bit more. Especially for the wagyu piece, the meat was quite fatty but needed a bit more salt to really make the fattiness shine.
This place was very intimate And very much worth the money and experience. The chef was very outgoing and knowledgeable Food was top grade! Must book on the resy app
Alameda is a little island that has so many hidden gems my friend who was born and raised here brought me. She frequented this place when it had the original owners and was a take out place as well. This is an omakase I would do again and dream of the day I can go again. It's small and only has sushi bar seating so make sure you make reservations. I loved the selection of fish as they were very unique or fish I haven't tried before and executed perfectly the uni chawamushi is something I wish I could have a whole pot of. Looking for this restaurant is easy to miss as it's almost unmarked and on the 2nd floor.
Favs were the sweet shrimp, uni, waygu and toro nigiri! Wish there were more desserts. IG: @sierra_notnevada
A fair-valued okimari (like omakase, but with more than just sushi) counter in a very-hidden (unmarked and up a flight of steep stairs) location that is substantially cheaper than similar-quality spots in San Francisco. Nothing stood out as extraordinary, and the fish selection was exactly what you'd expect (shima aji, hotate, uni, different types of tuna, and wagyu). The chef is friendly and attentive to the guests; he's working solo, with two servers working mostly on water/alcohol, and bringing out the non-nigiri dishes. It's a wonderful restaurant that doesn't necessarily surprise, but if solid sushi at an affordable price is what you're craving, and you don't want to deal with the nightmare that is parking in San Francisco, this is a great option.
Another wonderful experience at Utzutzu. Dinner here is always such a treat, one that I eagerly anticipate from the moment we make our reservation, a month in advance. I love that this place is still a relatively hidden gem in Alameda. The eight-person seating per service makes for a perfectly intimate omakase experience. Service is refined, with a quietly attentive staff that observes in the background, and are quick to anticipate and respond to guest needs, but never hover over you. I am picky about where we go for sushi, and when you're eating raw fish, you should be; quality is everything. The quality of the fish at Utzutzu is excellent, and really comes through in the flavors, texture, and appearance of the bounty of seafood you will be tasting here. The price per person is currently $145, which for as many courses as you get, is a deal. Extras are, of course, extra. My favorites this time around included: -Amberjack -Golden Eye Snapper -Toro hand roll There are too many individual courses for me to list here, but check out my pics for many of the standouts. We ordered an extra serving of the amberjack each, which we agreed was one of our very favorites. I do wish the dinner service was longer, though I completely understand they only have two seatings a night, and need to stay on a schedule. But I could easily stay for another hour, ordering extras. Thank you to the Chef and staff of Utzutzu for another special, memorable meal. Already looking forward to our next visit.
WOW. The food here is super high quality! Absolutely worth the price. The space is even smaller than its sister restaurant Delage, though it wasn't hard to make a reservation. Food isn't as photogenic as it is at Delage but felt more worth it--seemed like portions were bigger and the focus is on quality of fish rather than its display. Service is great. The staff and chef indulged us by answering all our questions about their food/process.
8 years ago
Ever since we left the city, we've been craving a good omakase. There are only a few here in the east bay and Utzutzu is one of them. It's in a nice little spot in downtown Alameda. Only 6 seats at the sushi bar served by the sushi chef. My first thought was that's it's pretty good value for the price. Obviously $150pp isn't cheat but for 20 dishes, it's damn good. You start off with some cold veggie dishes. The picked burdock was a little dry but I still love the texture of burdock. The sesame asparagus was good. Crisp, with some snap, just how I like it. The next dish was a cold, fish which was just ok. Then came the first 7-8 pieces of nigiri. The rice was good. Fluffy yet vinegary. The first round included two of my favorite types of fish. Horse mackerel and akami. I prefer the akami to toro because of its depth of flavor. To me, it has far more complex flavors than the toro which is mostly flat. Don't get me wrong, toro is always great but it's a bit of a one trick pony. After that came the octopus fish which was decent followed by my favorite dish of the night, uni chawanmushi. The chawanmushi was hot, silky smooth, and well cooked. I'd never had it with uni and that combo of the egg soup with the briny goodness of the uni was amazing. The second round of nigiri came after that and it was even better than the first. Toro, seared scallop, trout, eggplant, and a couple I haven't had at this level of omakase. The sweet spot prawn was to die for. Raw shrimp is a little gooeyer, little mushier than fish. Still had some chew but the flavor was insane. The baby squid was also amazing. Not even sure if it was raw but it was softer than most calamari and went perfectly with that nori and sushi rice. We also ordered uni nigiri a la carte. Like toro, aji, akami, no sushi meal is truly complete without uni. Wish he put a little more on it but it was still so tasty. The meal ended with seared eel nirigi, tamago (egg) which was really good, and a mushroom miso soup which was so good. It was brimming eight umami flavor. Perfect way to finish off a solid omakase meal. Overall, I'd say it was an average high-end omakase meal which means it was good. But I think the value was the best part along with that uni chawanmushi. I recommend anyone in the area should give it a try Taste: **** Service: **** Ambiance: **** ------------------------------ Utzutzu 1428 Park St, Alameda, CA 94501 ------------------------------ read more
3 years ago
7 years ago
Chef Joji was amazing. The thought care and attention put into the food here is incredible and not to be missed. You'll go up a small set of stairs and be met with an experience you wouldn't find anywhere unless you flew back to japan. I added on the extra sushi otoro, and I did not regret it one bit, it was soo good. He will ask you if you are okay or can eat more at the end and that's how you decide. Two extra pieces was $12 each, they do not tell you the price lol. We also loved the beer. It paired incredibly well with the dishes, I was so surprised. The only thing that ruined anything was the super loud couple clearly on their 4th date. Also, who the heck takes their date here? This feels like a special occasion place? Idk yo. This place is better suited to those who are looking for an experience and less chatter. You know when you can just tell two people are afraid to sit in silence and the relationship is very new? Yeah. Now turn the volume up to 100. The entire 8 person seating can hear you. It's an intimate experience so I would advise anyone coming to be more respectful and maybe read the room. read more
Utzutzu had a wonderful ambiance. I was very impressed with the service and the course itself. We were coming from San Francisco and arrived later than our original reservation, but they were still able to service us accordingly. For Bay Area omakase, this was very much an amazing deal. I will be back, and I would recommend this to anyone interested in trying. read more
Chef Hiroto made us all feel welcome. He was quick to serve the nigiri, and was delicate in his slicing of fish. I loved the balance between soy sauce and garnishes applied on top of each piece of nigiri. None of the garnish was over-imposing, and the fish was still the star of the show. My favorite was the sweet ebi, it was so creamy, rich, slightly sweet, kind of like the ocean's butter. The chutoro had a beautiful gradient and was also awesome. Wonderful place. read more
This place is amazing! The only have 8 bar seats and you get to see the entire process of the Chef preparing the awesome food! My friend and I got the omakase ($105) and deluxe sake pairing ($65). The sake selections were great and we especially loved the second one, "Suirakuten" Daiginjo. The whole omakase course was so good! I got to try some new types of fish, such as Ayu, Kisu and Japanese Bluefish. They were all flavorful and were seasoned. The uni, toro and tiger shrimp were of great quality too! They also have interesting nigiris such as okra and eggplant. You wouldn't expect to see them in sushi but they were both so good! The texture and flavor just went so well with the sushi rice! A little fun side note. This place used to be another omakase place called Yume, meaning dream in Japanese. Our chef told us the current name Utzutzu means reality in Japanese lol. I never got to go to Yume so I don't know what the dream tasted like but I can tell you the reality is pretty awesome! Definitely recommend this place if you want some high quality and creative omakase experience! read more
8 years ago
The dream is better than reality. Overall, 3.5 stars. Based on the price, decor, and clientele that this type of place aims to attract, don't think I'll be coy in holding back, especially if it is replacing Yume which garners quite a high reputation and esteem (for which I'm a huge fan of). The positives: - Fantastic idea to have veggie nigiri - Excellent break in the meal with salad and soup. I appreciate the pacing and order in which the items arrived as it made for great digestifs. The omakase selection starts off light, with more delicate tasting fish at the start to the more heavier tasting items at the end. This is important to me, and I liken this to wine + cheese vs something like wine and ice cream? (or better yet -- milk and cookies as opposed to water and cookies, eh you get the idea). - Creative flair in every item. There's a great level of attention to the food. - Wonderful and friendly staff and chef. Great attention to guests...although it does feel like you gotta be on your best behavior given how small and quiet the restaurant was (although the latter is through no fault of the owner/staff and depends mostly in part to me and how loquacious my neighboring diners feel at the time). What would have made this better: - More diversity in options. I would have preferred more fish varieties than creative things you can do with vegetables. This didn't get me as satisfied as I'd like. Apart from the variety, I did ended up ordering a few more items after the omakase selection (ayu, aji, anago, otoro, tamago). - Limit the use of nikiri (custom sweet soy sauce), such that it's not in every nigiri. If you look at my photos, you'll see every rice has globular amounts of this. If this is intentional, perhaps it needs to be better applied so that its balanced. In it's current form, it overwhelmed my palate such that the sauce became the focus instead of highlighting the fish. - Rice. Something about that rice tastes a bit off. It could be the nikiri. It could be the grain size. It tastes a bit hard and akin to brown rice than your standard, run of the mill sushi grade short-grain rice. It's not bad, but not quite what I prefer. I can't help but noticing it more than I should. read more
2 years ago
4 years ago
It's always our date night choice. Food is great and service is warm and welcoming. Omakase, お任せ, Chef's selection. They have a seasonal Menu per month. Making reservation is tricky, and it's almost always on email notification. Prepare to be on a sushi date simultaneously. Or call them around 4:30pm before they open and make the reservation by phone. Good luck and have fun! read more
8 years ago
I'm not even going to go into detail about my experience here because, I'm at a loss for words. THATS how incredible this place is. You need to experience it yourself. Execution Service Experience Quality of fish E V E R Y T H I N G. I posted a couple photos but I was too busy enjoying myself to take all of them Our overall experience was beyond what we expected. Chef Joji is a boss and your sushi standards will be held much higher than before. Thank you and we will be back. Cheers! read more
8 years ago
2 years ago
WOW! WOW! Reservations were a month out but well worth it. Awesome omakase in Alameda. Utzutzu opened up where the renowned Yume used to be. Utzutzu is revamped, low key, simplistic, detailed, intricate and flat out amazing. Fresh fish and delicious rice with vinegar making it a bit darker in color. My favorites were the okra, eggplant and tuna hand roll but everything was absolutely delicious. Sake and beverage list were great as well. Stellar addition to the East Bay! I'm already looking forward to the next visit :D read more
8 years ago
Seven. Seven seats, everyone, at this new omakase sushi venture by beloved Chikara Ono of the B-Dama and Delage fame. Alameda folks will recognize this location as the former location of similarly-beloved Yume Sushi. Omakase, or Okimari (set course) as they like to call it, at $100/person. Reservations via Resy app (http://resy.com/link?venue_id=2436) (An aside: More precisely, Omakase is when the chef "takes care" of you, varying the experience and pricing based on your hunger level and other preferences. Okimari is a set course, everyone gets the same food at same prices.) I've no idea how he makes any money doing this, which probably goes to the core tenet of this and similar places around: Money goes mostly to rent and wages and ingredients, and the owner has decided that's how he/she's going to express their affection for the craft and the diners. Treat them well. Return the love. The delicious food is very similar in content and presentation to Delage, but in a much more convivial and cozy environment. Upon seating, Chef Joji's guidance was "please don't get all quiet," so be sure to say hi to your fellow diners and staff, enjoy the conversation. Recommended. read more
8 years ago
Wow! Chef Joji is absolutely phenomenal. Reservations are hard to get here so get ready at 12am to make something a month in advance. I was finally able to come on a Sunday at 5:30pm. This is the preferred time because dinner will easily run about two hours. Utzutzu is a true gem. You just have to come an and experience it! read more
This is an amazing restaurant set in an improbable location. Who knew you can find an amazing omakase meal in a nondescript second floor room in the middle of Alameda. The first sign to me that this was a legit restaurant was when I saw the chef turn the sushi in the right direction for a left handed customer. Each coarse was well prepared. And I left there feeling the 100 dollar price tag was well deserved. There was also a small but good selection of sakes and beers. Just know that when you come here it's an intimate space so you'll be in it with the other 6 people around the small counter. read more
2 years ago
4 years ago
This is our second Omakase experience in the Bay Area. It's been years since we have wanted to try Utzutzu. It went from being Yume to then Utzutzu. Getting a reservation with either was incredibly hard. Finally, I was able to secure spots for us. I was really excited because I've heard really good reviews about Utzutzu and Chef Joji. When we got there, I found out that Chef Joji is no longer the Chef. It was replaced by another Chef. He was incredibly nice and fun to chat with. Onto the food, I, along with my husband was very disappointed. Maybe because I had such high expectations coming into Utzutzu it was disappointing that it was nothing I had heard or even seen pictures of on Yelp. The fish selection was disappointing, it was just typical fish that I could have had at other Sushi Restaurant. I was looking for top-notch fish and sushi, detailed oriented, at least close to what we would consider good Omakase. For the price, we paid for I was hoping that we will get something unique, beautiful presentation, elegant, melt in your mouth fish, or a Japanese imported selection of fish. The food did not meet our expectations, and I don't think we will return. It will be nice if they can let people know that Chef Joji is no longer there, and is replaced by another Chef. Although, it was a disappointing night we did had fun with the other parties that shared the same RSVP time. Thank you to the group that shared their bottles of sakes with us, and made it more fun, since I was so disappointed with my second Omakase experience. read more
3 years ago
4 years ago
Chef Joji is a master and a wonderful host. He joked that he put Cheetos on top of the bay sea bream (its actually egg yolk with vinegar and sugar) and didn't flinch when the unspeakable Sushirrito was mentioned as he was making my husband's negi toro hand roll. It took him just 57 seconds to make his version, which was a unique cylindrical shape with a strip of nori on the bottom to hold everything in. I thoroughly enjoyed my glass of Daiginjo sake and the waitress immediately said, "That's a really good one," when my husband ordered his junmai sake. The intimate setting was perfect and we were even a little sad to part ways with our fellow diners - one couple drove from Sacramento! We'll definitely be back. read more
8 years ago
I'll preface this review with this: I unfortunately never had the chance to try Yume. With that being said, my experience at Utzutzu was incredible. I never actually had a true omakase experience until I came here. It's not very often that I think to myself mid-meal "when's the next time I'm coming back here?" Chef Joji (hope I spelled that right) was very entertaining. Watching him prepare everything was like an art show and dinner combined. He gladly answered any questions we had to the best of his ability. The menu rotates so I'm not going to get into what was and what wasn't since there's a chance you might not even have the same food. Just go with an open mind and prepare to try everything he hands you. I'm already looking forward to my next experience there! I didn't want to use my phone during the dinner because I watched Joji carefully craft everything. My fiancée did manage to snap a picture of the dessert we had at the end with the menu though. read more
7 years ago
Went here to celebrate a birthday (party of 4). Very awesome for a small group since it only seats 8 people. Chef Joji was funny and we had a good time chatting with him. Sushi was amazing, and would definitely recommend! Otoro and Uni hand-roll are a must! read more
7 years ago
7 years ago
Only for sushi lovers and fish nerds. The chef is fantastic and all the dishes are ridiculously amazing. Simple things as a Miso soup os incredible good and seaweed wraps (extra crunchy) is out of this world. Go with confidence that you are going to love this cozy and welcoming place read more
5 years ago
4 years ago
Had a amazing night here! Utzutzu offers an omakase with great variety (to rebut one of the previous reviewer who said that the fish lacked variety) at a very affordable price range. Service was great too over the 2 hours that we spent here read more
8 years ago
5 years ago
The place is so cozy and it's always amazing to watch a chef doing his magic in front of you. Every sushi has a balance taste between the fish and the selected sauce or ingredients the chef added. Love every appetiser too. Price of sake is also friendly! The one we ordered went very well with the meal. Will definitely recommend friends to come. read more
7 years ago
The most amazing Sushi Omakase I have ever experienced! Joji is a phenomenal chef and from the food he prepared for us, you can tell that he takes great pride in what he serves! read more
4 years ago
8 years ago
8 years ago
Happy Friday! If you follow my reviews you will know that I rarely give 5's. Utzutzu or "Reality" is a tribute to our beloved Yume or "Dream". Love the name. Chef owner Ono did it again. One of my favorite casual dining experience is Bdama in Swan Market was Ono's first restaurant in Oaklamd. Delage, the 2nd Restaurant is run by Chef Ono himself. Utzutzu is prix fix menu or Okimari, a set price of $100 and chef's choice, a slight difference from Omakase which is not a set price with chefs choice. Most of the other reviews for this awesome new addition are great. The food simply beautiful edible art by Chef Joji. Joji has an extensive background in Japan, LA, New York and San Francisco. He is the creator of the menu and picks his own fish mostly from Japan. Occasionally he will have selections from other countries like Greece. Let's hope he stays at our little Gem town Alameda. Chef Joji was very accommodating in substituting the octopus to for a sea bream for my partner. My love for Hideki's Yume had a long history. A little nostalgic memory for all who remembers Yume and Hideki. I have fond memories of Mrs Sushi Nazi from holding your sushi properly to never over soy-saucing the nigiri to never asking for hot tea instead of "green tea". The best one was not taking groups of more than 3! Believe it or not, she kicked me out one time for arranging my friends to meet me making our party 4...and I was a regular! But my love for Hideki's art brought me back again and again. With that said, I was able to arrange with Chef Joji and his wonderful server Anna parties of 8 for 3 different nights! I love it! Another great tip is they do not serve wine for those who prefer a nice crisp white with your sushi. The corkage for a normal 750ml is $30 and magnums are $50. We brought our own bottle of white still ended up with a bottle of sake from them. The sake menu was not extensive but good sake for what they have. What I love also is the 20's decor with jazz music in background and addition of the lounge waiting area. It is very calming before a great culinary experience. The lounge is envisioned to be a sake tasting area in the future. I can not wait till Ono decides to start that. Over all food 4.5. Service 5. Thank you Chef Joji for your art and thank you Chef Ono for choosing Alameda! I'll be back:). Until next time bon appetit and ciao. read more
8 years ago
4 years ago
8 years ago
i went here for my birthday. no soy sauce in sight. every piece prepared individually for the 8 diners. polite service that never bugs you, but if you want something, the hostess is there in one second. it's neat to buy sake for the entire restaurant of 8. the food was perfect, and this place is one of the priciest places, if not the priciest, i've been to my entire life. it's not stuffy, it's fun, and i can't tell to what i ate last week, but i will be thinking and talking about this place for the rest of my life. go for the food, stay for the experience. it's phenomenal. your paying for an education. as to what a dining experience can be. read more
4 years ago
More info about Utzutzu
1428 Park St
Alameda, CA 94501
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(510) 263-8122
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Ask the Community - Utzutzu
Are cocktails available?
Does anyone want my Resy for tomorrow night 12/9 at 5:30?I have a work conflict and can't reach anyone at the restaurant?
Is it still available?
Is proof of the 'vax' still required in October '22?
No, it wasn't requested when my wife and I were there.
How can I make reservation? I am trying to reserve through Resy for two people and it's always no available seats for an entire month
I called and they said they only take reservations on Resy which open at midnight everyday for each day they add
How can we contact them if we have questions?
Either call using the listed number or send an inquiry through the Delage (sister restaurant) website.
Are babies and strollers allowed in the restaurant?
I don't think they restrict kids, but you need to walk up a flight of stairs to the dining room, and seating for dinner is around a bar so the baby would need to be parked behind in the lounge area. For the price, I really wouldn't recommend…
Have an upcoming reservation, can we bring a bottle of wine? If so, how much is the corkage fee?
On their menu, they list corkage fee as $30, magnum bottles are $50.
How many courses (items) are included?
About 8 courses (2 of those courses is the chef's sushi selection)
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Why does Yelp recommend reviews?
6 reviews that are not currently recommended
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