Asaka is THE BEST sushi in Berkeley. It's basically our family's home away from home. The soft shell crab is a must. Our other favorites include the raw oysters, house salad, edamame, miso soup, spider roll, hamachi nigiri, salmon avocado roll... everything is amazing! Oh, and it's family owned and they are soooo caring and quick and accommodating and... basically family to us! They remember details about our lives and prep the food in advance. read more

I stopped by here for a quick bite as I'm heading to the city. The parking was a little bit of a hassle, but that was to be expected. The restaurant itself was very cute & cozy. Our waitress was quick & greeted us with a smile & brought waters. The menu had a lot of options to choose from, so it wasn't hard for us to find something we wanted to try. We decided on the tempura mix, Mango Crunchy Roll, & the Hopkins roll. The tempura was good, just wish we ordered it a little bit more crispy. When it came to the rolls, both were amazing! They were huge & definitely got us full pretty quick. Our waitress made sure to check in on us during our visit & kept our waters filled. For dessert, we got the mochi ice cream. You can never go wrong with mochi ice cream as dessert(; overall, we had a great meal! The service was nice, restaurant was clean, & food was great. I'll definitely stop by if I'm ever in the area again. read more

Asaka Sushi & Bar - Menu - Sushi Bars Near Me - Berkeley, California

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Incredibly mediocre Japanese food. My husband and I both got bentos and a sushi roll. In my husband's bento, he got beef teriyaki, which came basically raw in the middle. We asked our server if that was normal, and she just flippantly told us that was how it was supposed to be. Luckily, there was no food poisoning afterwards, but the taste was definitely not as expected - think raw, slightly seared on the outside beef slices. My tempera was very thick, the tempura batter they used wasn't right. Usually, it should be nice and light. The fried sushi roll was fine. They do have a massive list of rolls - see my photo below. Everything was fine, I would probably grade it at slightly worse than a supermarket Japanese bento/sushi roll. read more

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Came over for dinner one night, greeted by staff immediately which was nice. Upon on entering the restaurant, the simple yet warm and welcoming atmosphere really got me, although the lighting could have some improvement but overall good. The food we ordered was excellent especially the quality of the fish, the rolls were fun and flavorful but my favorite was still the sashimi, you can tell they use fresh fish and the cuts were generous! Sweet and caring service from beginning to end, need to come in more often before they get too popular and the wait time gets longer read more

Asaka Sushi & Bar - Salmon Hamachi - Sushi Bars Near Me - Berkeley, California

Asaka Sushi & Bar is one of those neighborhood gems that keeps you coming back. I always enjoy the food and the chill, inviting vibe here, and their service is on point and friendly. This time I tried raw shrimp with the fried head and sauce on top, plus a 12-piece sashimi platter with all the classics, and everything was super fresh and delicious. What's cool is that Asaka mixes traditional sushi staples with thoughtful touches -- you'll see familiar nigiri and sashimi alongside creative rolls and house specialties that give the meal a bit more personality. The spot also has a warm, casual atmosphere that makes it easy to linger and enjoy the food without feeling rushed. If you're in Berkeley and craving quality Japanese that feels both familiar and fun, this place is an easy choice. read more

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We went for lunch since we were in the area and we wanted Japanese food. My mom and I were warmly greeted by Mike who was provided amazing service to us and another customer since we were the only ones there. We ordered the lunch bento that came with 2 choices and agedashi tofu for our appetizer. We also got hot teas which came with complimentary refills. The food was delicious and perfectly portioned for lunch! Not too little and not too much. Each came with miso soup and salad. I got the tonkatsu + sashimi (the sashimi was so fresh!) and my mom got the tonkatsu + salmon (without teriyaki). We would come back again! I want to try their rolls next time since they have an extensive menu of specialty rolls. read more

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I am obsessed with Asaka. I just ordered from them a few days ago and was already ready for another round. I think this is some of the best "hole in the wall" sushi spots in the East Bay. My husband's face lit up when he took his first bite of the 38. Sushi Pizza Roll. The fish is very fresh and it has a beautiful presentation. Asaka is definitely our new go to spot. We can't wait to come visit in person. read more

Asaka Sushi & Bar - 35. Super Salmon 29. Show Time - Sushi Bars Near Me - Berkeley, California

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Had an early dinner with my cousin and this place wasn't busy! Our server was very friendly and let us take our time with the menu. We ordered a few rolls and an appetizer sushi to share. The sushi was delicious! You can taste the freshness of the fish. The one thing that threw me off was the raw onion on my roll. This place is a bit pricier than other places so I probably wouldn't return, but I definitely enjoyed my time and the food! read more

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This place is bees knees Bomb Diggity The service is always amazing and the food is always super yummy fresh and it doesn't break the bank account read more

Asaka Sushi & Bar - Fire Calamari Sashimi Platter Deluxe - Sushi Bars Near Me - Berkeley, California

The sushi is so good! I had their hamachi carpaccio and their oysters. The staff is so kind and helpful. It's a very chill vibe. They are also next to a cute fish market. read more

OMG! Where have you been all my Berkeley shopping life?!! Stopped in after shopping at Monterey Market (just across the street and next to Mananis) for the Salmon Lovers Sushi Roll and fell in love. Outstandingly fresh and tasty. This is my new go to sushi place for North Berkeley!! Service is so gracious and lovely Japanese environment. GO NOW!! read more

Amazing sushi spot in Berkeley! Parking was tough we had to circulate the neighborhood a few times to find a spot. But the service and ambiance were great! The sushi was super fresh and flavorful! The eel and salmon were absolutely delicious! read more

Asaka Sushi & Bar - Sushi Bars Near Me - Berkeley, California

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A friend and I did a cycling class and was looking for a place to have lunch close by. We both love sushi and decided to check out Asaka Sushi and Bar. In short--Hands down one of the best sushi meals I have had in a long time. Fresh sushi with so many options, great service and comfy and quaint seating. When I visit again, I'll happily return here for another meal. read more

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My husband and I decided to try Asaka Sushi when we were looking for a place to eat in Berkeley with our puppy. We came across Asaka Sushi through Yelp, and we were happy to see that they would accommodate us with our puppy. Asaka is on a quaint little street with some great neighbors. We sat outside with our puppy. They were so nice to us and our puppy. I ordered the Asaka Treasure Box which was presented amazingly in a cute wooden box. It comes with 6 pieces of nigiri and your choice of a cut roll. The nigiri was fresh, and they offered some great types. It was so delicious. I chose the spicy salmon roll which was small, but I enjoyed it. My husband ordered a bento box with beef teriyaki, sashimi, and spicy salmon. Honestly, he didn't really enjoy the beef teriyaki. It was okay. Nothing special. The sashimi and spicy were good though. read more

Asaka Sushi & Bar - Asaka Treasure Box - Sushi Bars Near Me - Berkeley, California

We tried this place, and it was decent and was not disappointed. It wasn't that busy, so we got seated pretty quickly. Selection was good and prices were decent. The ambiance was a bit sterile for me, but I don't really particularly focus on that. The food was good and can't really find too much of a fault, except the miso soup at that time was a bit bland for me. Will go back definitely! read more

Asaka Sushi is a great sushi spot! We had the Salmon Lover Roll, UCB Roll, and Hot Night Roll (not pictured). The Salmon Lover and UCB rolls were my favorite! Its location in a charming Berkeley neighborhood is also a plus! read more

Asaka Sushi & Bar - 26. Salmon Lover Roll 39. UCB Roll - Sushi Bars Near Me - Berkeley, California

EXCELLENT rolls, really sweet service. The fish is just so fatty and fresh. Great little bar vibe. Lots of rolls, with everything we tried being very good. The sake and toro nigiri especially! Highly recommended! read more

Asaka Sushi & Bar - Rolls - Sushi Bars Near Me - Berkeley, California

We had a great time at Asaka this Saturday! The highlight of our meal was the baby octopus kara-age, an absolute MUST order! UPDATE: The baby octopus kara-age is no longer on the menu. Apparently we have unique taste and it was unpopular! Those who skipped it missed out! Of course the best judge of a sushi restaurant is their sashimi, and the two we had (tuna and yellowtail) were both excellent. It's a struggle to find affordable tuna sashimi that isn't stringy or bland, and their fish was flavorful, light, and had wonderful texture. Their wine selection was very simple (the restaurant is more sake focused) but the Chardonnay they offered was crisp and well-paired. Prices are reasonable and portions are not skimped on, even in more modest maki or appe We will absolutely be back! read more

First time eating here. Pleasantly surprised. Excellent rolls especially the Sexy Lady and the Crazy rolls. Service was exceptional. Also a great place to have a conversation. No rushing you out. A comfortable and relaxing atmosphere. Definitely going again. read more

This was honestly some of the best nigiri I have had this year. They are located right next door to Monterey Fish Market. We decided to come here as Kiraku-rejects (3hr+ wait time there) and were pleasantly surprised by the outstanding quality of the fish and service. It was a Friday night at around 7pm and luckily we were able to be seated right away. We ordered quite a few things to share: - Asaka Treasure Box: Absolutely stunning presentation and fish quality. This comes with six pieces of nigiri and a cut roll of choice ina beautiful wooden box. The fish literally melts in your mouth and the spicy salmon roll was surprisingly good. - Assorted nigiri: Everything we ordered from the nigiri section was a hit. Highly recommend requesting a few pieces of salmon/salmon belly to be seared -- this was a game changer. Cuts of fish are generous here and I felt like I was full only after a few bites. - Mango Crunch Roll: My favorite roll here. Has a little but of everything and great textural contrast. The restaurant is clean and modern, yet still had the cozy feel of a neighborhood sushi spot. The service here was fantastic. The wait staff were so friendly and attentive. We ended the night with some hot tea and green tea ice cream which was lovely. Pretty reasonably priced sushi for the quality and love that they don't skimp on the fish! I will definitely be back next time I'm in the East Bay. read more

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For a Monday evening, the restaurant had a steady crowd with both dine-in and to-go orders. The space was clean and modern. We shared three sushi rolls--all solid, though nothing exceptional. Service was prompt and friendly, and I'd go back, especially since my usual sushi place is closed on Mondays. read more

the best menu for sushi I have seen in the bay area! sushi a great variety of hot and cold dishes! The sushi, poké, rolls and sashimi were fresh and well prepared! and they use real crab in all the crab oriented rolls! yummy! read more

Very good sushi. Service was very good too. I would definitely recommend them and go back.

A modest sushi bar spot in the neighborhood with lackluster interior. However, the food made up for the ambiance. The rolls were good portioned and tasty. The toro nigiri special was very fresh! Unfortunately, we didn't realize that they do not serve bento boxes on the weekends. So that was a bit of a disappointment. Although they forgot my Spiderman roll and brought it out when everyone else was done eating, service overall was good. read more

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I'm getting into the Chicken Kara-age there lately! It's like eating Japanese Fried Chicken morsels.... Not greasy at all! I also took the time to post the latest Menu with pricing for 2024! Hopefully it will help someone! read more

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We came here fora late lunch.Everything on the menu was well priced.Chicken Karage was good. My partner got two special rolls and they were yummy. I ordered the beef udon and the broth was delicious. Our server was very sweet. Definitely would come again! Overall rating 9/10 read more

Asaka Sushi & Bar - Beef Udon - Sushi Bars Near Me - Berkeley, California

We dined in here and enjoyed our meal. The sashimi was delicious and the star of the show! The chicken karaage was also yummy, just seasoned more like Taiwanese popcorn chicken rather than Japanese karaage. The skewered smelt were good too, a bit on the pricier side. Really enjoyed the cucumber salad and onion salad as refreshing sides. Their rice was a bit on the mushy side, but that's the only thing I had a complaint about food-wise. As for service, our wait staff was nice and attentive! I will say that I understand why other reviewers complained about their service. When you enter, there's a sign that says please wait to be seated, but their wait staff are sometimes busy and aren't able to seat you right away. But the awkward part is their chefs are all standing by at the sushi bar and I think they're not assigned to seat or greet people, so we end up awkwardly standing and looking at each other until the waiter/waitress has time to seat us. So it might take a minute to get seated, but after your seated, service will be great! Pricing and ambiance were pretty nice, so we'll definitely be back in the future! read more

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A solid little neighborhood sushi spot. If I lived in the 'hood, I'd be stoked for this more recent addition, for sure. Alas, I don't live in the 'hood, but it was a great meeting spot for a friend and I to feast on fish and catch up. And ps: this 'hood is cute, especially if you're around during the day/early evening when the other storefronts are open. In the end, the fish was fresh. As the trend, most rolls were smothered in mayo, but alas, that's how it goes. They do have a large specialty rolls menu, if that's your thing. I wouldn't say fish portion sizes were big in the rolls. They weren't small, but I wouldn't say they were heavy on the fish for price and price was up there, but comparable to other sushi spots. I'm usually a nigiri gal and I do say their salmon nigiri was perfection. The had toro which is always a sure thing and they were unfortunately out of uni. The beef gyoza as an app were solid. Service was fine and atmosphere was cozy and crowded on a cold winter night. While I wouldn't say a ton of personality with this place, it does the job if you're in the 'hood jonesing for sushi. I necessarily wouldn't go out of my way for it, but I also live next to an incredible sushi joint, so there's that. A-ok! read more

Asaka Sushi & Bar - Beef gyoza - Sushi Bars Near Me - Berkeley, California

Jackie, our server was very attentive. We love great service. From the outside it looked very inviting and it seems that it's new and we were looking forward to trying the cuisine here. I always look around to see what other people are eating to give me an idea of what conceived coming to me. Everything looks like it had all the proper detail. The Japanese are very fastidious about presentation and flavor so it's always interesting to see if they will live up to that standard. We were quickly seated. A menu and water got to the table and I ordered a beer to go with my meal, an Asahi dry beer. I ordered the massive Unagi Roll, and assorted sushi like Uni with a sliver of lemon, Ikura with Quail egg topper, and Hamachi. My lovely wife ordered Chirasi which arrived neatly stylized. I must comment on the presentation and the freshness of the items. I was very impressed by that period also the high quality of production and flavors. The sushi seemed to have a little bit more rice than usual but it's definitely a mouthful of food when you eat it. Combining the flavors the freshness and the I appeal they get the ball out of the park with this one. Everyone around us seemed to be totally enjoying their meals too. Locally I would choose this place to take my friends to for sushi in the future. It was that good. read more

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All the rolls were really good. We were a group of 4 and got 6 rolls, we were all full. The rolls are not small nor skimpy ! Would come here again. read more

Asaka Sushi & Bar - 18. Mango Crunch Roll 26. Salmon Lover Roll 7. Caterpillar Roll Shrimp Tempura Roll 10. Dragon Roll - Sushi Bars Near Me - Berkeley, California

As a big sushi fan, this place is now my fave of my other go-to sushi spots. Came here recently for the first time and definitely won't be the last. Kind of hidden in North Berkeley, but well worth going to. Noticed it was next to a fish market = good sign. Got some of my regular sushi nigiri and specialty rolls. The quality of each dish was excellent and smelled/tasted very fresh. Service was also fast and great service by the staff. read more

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Slow rainy Tuesday. Place was pretty empty. Real crab cali rolls were warm and didn't taste very fresh. ordered the teriyaki chicken and it was undercooked and rice was hard. Staff was apologetic yet didn't really listen as I wanted something else rather than have it reheated. indifferent staff and charged me for the small salad and soup at full side prices since not combined with the main which they undercooked. Felt like they were doing me a favor, bad first impression. will not return. Side note all the fish drawers were left open the entire time i was there so i question the refrigeration of the fish. expensive lesson to learn. read more

Service has improved and they have great sushi and sashimi. I love the cozy atmosphere. read more

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Really delicious. We came here on a last minute pivot and we were not disappointed. The restaurant was empty and we were seated right away. The service was great. We got the lunch bento box and the mango tango and caterpillar roll. All were delicious and we would come back again. read more

Asaka Sushi & Bar - Mango tango (#20) + Caterpillar (#7) - Sushi Bars Near Me - Berkeley, California

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I was craving sushi this past weekend and we just so happened to be in the Berkeley area so a quick Yelp search showed me that this place was relatively newish and I wanted to try it out. My boyfriend and I came around 2pm and were seated right away. We decided to order 2 pieces of nigiri (the bluefin Toro) & the Sushi Pizza roll & a baked Lion King roll. The nigiri was amazing and fresh and a great starter. The Sushi Pizza roll was really crispy and had a little kick to it which we both really liked. The lion king wasn't the greatest baked roll I've tasted as it was definitely the most bland of the whole order but we could overlook this since the other items were pretty great. If you're in the Berkeley area wanting to get away from the university area, it's a great little spot to get your fix in at! read more

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Tried this place because I wanted solid nigiri and sashimi options without paying super high prices. Can definitely say it was worth it! I got the Asaka Treasure Box for $32 and it came with six pieces of nigiri and a Spicy Sake roll, as well as complimentary hot tea, salad, and miso soup. Really great portion for the price, especially considering how much I'd pay elsewhere in Berkeley for such solid quality. Service was great as well! They were super nice and attentive, I had no problems in that regard. Loved the atmosphere as well, I never really go to North Berkeley but this was worth the short bus ride from Downtown. read more

Asaka Sushi & Bar - Asaka Treasure Box - Sushi Bars Near Me - Berkeley, California

Visited this place just once and were really happy with the quality of their rolls. The fish was fresh and the ingredients were well balanced well. Their menu is pretty big so it took some time to pick different rolls (meaning with different fish) We ordered three sets for two people and all of them were pretty good. The service was fast and overall experience was nice as the neighborhood where this place located is very cute. 4/5 from me just because the place is good but not special read more

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4 Rolls and a Bottle of Sake It was not busy around 6pm when we arrived on a Tuesday. Inside is is warm and cozy. We ordered 3 rolls. 1 of them was so good, we had to order it again. Crunchy Mango Festival Show Time The show time roll was all of our favorites. It was smokey, had all the textures. Next time, we'll order 1 of these rolls for each of us. I will be returning for the Show Time roll and the service. I think it was quite affordable. $123 for the whole meal, including tax and tip. I also went with people that didn't like raw fish, and they loved all the options we choose, which featured raw fish. read more

this place was AMAZING!!! The food was great, the drinks were good. the service was great (it was just us there). the vibe is pretty chill the music was good. the bathroom was really nice, but it was a little dark inside, but overall it was very nice with great food! read more

Asaka Sushi & Bar - soy sauce - Sushi Bars Near Me - Berkeley, California

New yummy sushi alert in Berkeley! I'm always looking for sushi spots and decided to try Asaka for lunch on a weekday. Space- simple, cozy, and bright. Service- lovely! Our servers were very accommodating and friendly with tasty recommendations. Eats- the shrimp tempura, bento box and rolls were SO good! Bento box lunch 3-item combo is a great deal for $19.95 - we got chicken teriyaki, saba shioyaki, and 5 large buttery salmon sashimi. It also comes with miso soup and salad. Mango Tango, Hamachi Lover, and the Dragon rolls were fresh, delicious and neatly presented. It's located on the same block as Gioia Pizza (amazing NY style pizza), which I had to get takeout afterwards! So happy that 2 tasty restaurants are on the same block! read more

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