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

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

Today is my dad's birthday. He is still not keen on dining out so I ordered takeaway from their website. After placing my order I received a confirmation text of what time I could pick it up. They offer bento at lunch with is a screaming deal as it comes with soup, salad and rice. I ordered a two item bento and three item bento, a two roll bento and a couple more rolls that was not offered in their bento box selection. Everything looked beautiful in the boxes and I was happy to not ruin the presentation from box to plate. A lot of effort goes into making the food look beautiful. I put out the sushi rolls and sashimi on a platter and placed the gari (pickled ginger) and wasabi accordingly, trying to keep it looking nice. Definitely a feast for the eyes. We ate leisurely for over a couple of hours, something we might not have felt comfortable doing at the restaurant. Dad had the tempura and beef teriyaki, I had the saba shiroyaki. I combined all the sashimi onto the platter but sliced them in half because I find them cut a little too thick. I like to sort of pinch sashimi in half with chopsticks and eat, but that's just me. For the bento rolls I ordered the rainbow roll and California roll. I also ordered the cherry blossom roll and salmon skin roll. Everything was delicious, fresh and well made. It was by chance that I scored street parking right out front. I was a bit early so I picked up a few things at the market. After shopping, I headed back to the car and restaurant. The food was ready and waiting for me when I walked through the front door. Note: They are in transition of renaming themselves Asaka Sushi & Bar. There is apparently some confusion between their restaurant Kyoto Sushi, a small takeout on Solano Ave. As of this writing, the outside of the restaurant still reads as Kyoto Sushi & Bar. read more

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A great sushi joint in North Berkeley I wish I discovered sooner! Wide selection of rolls, sashimi, and other seafood dishes. We got Hamachi Lovers Roll, Crazy Roll, and a Lion King Roll. Our fave was by far the hamachi lovers, because the fish was so high-quality and fresh. The service was excellent and we even became friends with our lovely waitress after striking up a convo, so you know we'll be back to eat more yummy sushi and support this local business! read more

Asaka Sushi & Bar - Hamachi lover roll & Crazy roll - Sushi Bars Near Me - Berkeley, California

Ambiance: 10/10, quiet, yet comforting lil restaurant Wait time: immediate seating for dinner on a Sunday night, 3 people Aesthetics: very cute and clean, the bathroom was EXTREMELY clean, I know this place is new and all but I could tell the bathroom was newly renovated and very sanitary, they also have a full body mirror and coat hanger in there, the decor included very cute hanging lights for each table and real orchids next to the window Service: the waitresses for my table were lovely and always checked in on us from time to time Food: fresh-tasting sushi, no fishiness, and presentation was clean We ordered the dinner combo (choose 2: rainbow roll + spider roll), lion king roll, baked scallop roll, and tempura vanilla ice cream. All rolls were great except I wish the spider roll had more unagi sauce. The dinner combo came with a small salad and a bowl of miso soup, both were great! The tempura ice cream was the most intriguing, the batter tasted more like cake which was surprisingly pleasant, but it was a bit hard to cut using a fork. Overall, the meal was great Price: ~$80 Parking: parking was available right in front of the restaurant on the street, i think it's limited to 2 hours during the day read more

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Delicious little sushi spot in Berkeley. Pretty small venue, but they manage to fit a lot of people inside. Service was pretty quick and friendly. I really enjoyed the cal bears roll and a cold Asahi. Everything we tried was fresh and tasty. My children really enjoyed the chicken katsu and hamachi Kama. Note: there's no bento box on Sundays! Kind of a bummer, but oh well I'm sure they have their reasons! Bathroom was really clean and smelled nice, so extra points for that! Would definitely come back if I'm in the neighborhood. read more

The sushi and hamachi Kama and everything was so delicious and flavorful I also loved there salad dressing thousand island with ginger it was so good read more

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

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I enter this restaurant by mistake years later. It is a fake Japanese restaurant. Don't be treated by its appearance. It just looks like a Japanese restaurant. Nothing more. I am on diet and must eat before 4 Pm. No other choice, have to eat there. After all, feel sad.. so sad. What have I eaten? Oh my god...how could I enter this place twice...the sushi bar has a dirty girl with long hair, nothing covered on her hair...oh my god..regret...the sushi and sashimi combo, whaat fish they are using... feel so uneasy，regret... read more

Yummy sushi! Fish tasted fresh. The salmon nigiri was my favorite :) Sushi sashimi combo came with miso soup. I forgot what the dessert was called, but it was a vanilla ice cream cake vibe with some yummy mangoes! read more

Asaka Sushi & Bar - Ice cream cake - Sushi Bars Near Me - Berkeley, California

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Thank you Jackie. Great service and atmosphere! Love this place. Fish is always fresh and customer service always above and beyond. Cant wait to go back. read more

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Great sushi spot in Berkeley. Great quality and not too expensive. Highly recommended! read more

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Daughter done with first year at Berkeley so we celebrated at this local sushi joint. It did not disappoint. Soft shell crab was delicious as well as the fried baby octopus and green mussels. We tried 3 different rolls and all were amazing as well. read more

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The speciality rolls are HUGE. Definitely filling... almost too big in size. I needed to cut the piece in half to eat it, but I can't complain because it had big pieces of fresh fish. I love the variety of rolls to choose from. There are so many options. One tip I have: eat sushi at the restaurant, especially if you order a roll with tempura. By the time I got home, my shrimp tempura inside my roll was soggy. read more

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

I am so sad, so sad I wanted to cry. I am from out of town and I enjoy Sushi all over California. This place is such a cute place, lots of shade near the fish market. I really expected some authentic sushi Cusine!! I asked the sushi chef what was the freshest fish, and what fine saki he would recommend to enjoy w the fish. He and his team did not understand traditional Japanese because, the are "Korean"!!!! So most likely the fish is second grade, and you will not enjoy the magic of amazing sashimi and saki!! Presently the sushi restaurant that I compare all sushi restaurants to is located in San Rafel!!! Saki from heaven, and sashimi that melts in your mouth. The Saki was like drinking air infused with Jasmine, amazing!!! The restaurant? I only have Asaka one star mainly because they served my "scallops" with green horseradish paste and not real wasabi. To me it shows no respect! Also, no sauce either!! The wasabi looks like a cat played with it first then they threw it on my plate! So very sad!! I seriously want to cry!!! read more

The food is always incredible, and I am quite picky with my sushi. The real reason I am writing this review today is to thank whoever it was on the staff who was kind enough to return the extra $20 I paid when I picked up recently. I didn't realize I accidentally gave an additional $20 more than needed and as I was getting in my car the woman who rang me up came running out to return my extra $20. Some restaurants and some people would have just kept it, but this was really amazing customer service. Amazing food, great employees, I will go back again and again. I'd give them six stars if I could. read more

This restaurant embodies a peaceful Japanese restaurant; I came in to the restaurant today and I ordered the Philly roll and the egg fried rice both were delicious and the portions are very generous. The service was quick they are very efficient and everything tasted wonderful everything tasted fresh non-frozen very tasty everything I will be coming back here to try more things on the menu because I believe this restaurant has quality food at a reasonable price and great service this restaurant has earned my recommendation. read more

Asaka Sushi & Bar - Front of establishment - Sushi Bars Near Me - Berkeley, California

NOM NOM! This review is for the takeout, which may I say, I almost never give five stars for sushi takeout. They are doing this right. Everything we had -- apps, edamame, rolls-- were all delicious. It was packaged sensibly and we had plenty of sauce where needed. Would definitely do Uber Eats from here again. read more

My friends and I were debating which sushi spot to try the other day and we decided on here! We got karaage, three specialty rolls, a deep fried roll, and the house sake. In order of most favorite to least favorite rolls -- Show Time, Dragon Roll, Dynamite (deep fried), and the Spider-Man Roll. The showtime was delicious, I've never tried a roll with jalapeño but was pleasantly surprised. The showtime and dragon rolls both had incredible flavor with each bite. The dynamite and spiderman roll were good but I probably would give some of the other rolls a try next time! They definitely don't skimp on ingredients. These rolls were BIG. And they came out pretty fast! We came on a random weekday night before closing. The service was super friendly and they made sure to check if everything was okay. Would definitely come again. read more

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

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What a great spot that has quality fish and isn't too busy on the weekends. The servers were attentive, our water and tea cups were never empty and the food came out quickly. The menu has a great variety for people looking for veggie, cooked, or raw rolls as well as the nigiri and sashimi lovers. There's pictures of all the rolls on the menu. They have menu items more basic sushi restaurants don't, including more desert options. Look at that toro! The nigiri had big slices and the fresh wasabi was the perfect touch. I'll be back to try more soon. read more

Asaka Sushi & Bar - Toro Nigiri topped with fresh wasabi - Sushi Bars Near Me - Berkeley, California

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Great food, great service, great atmosphere with reasonable prices. We had a couple of specialty rolls which were superb. Also the chirashi was not only delicious but artfully presented. The tempura was just right, not greasy at all and also delicious. Are you seeing a pattern here? The plain old salad had a wonderful take on the classic American Japanese restaurant salad dressing over crisp hand torn leaves and was accompanied by a perfectly prepared miso soup as starters. We will be back to this wonderful neighborhood restaurant! read more

Food is amazing. I get the dragon roll here all the time - usually pickup but sometimes I eat there. It's cozy inside! I like that.

Meets standards, but not expectations for a highly rated sushi spot. The food is good but not amazing. Miso soup and Ginger-tangerine aioli salad was good starter. Oysters (west coast) were fresh, but their flavor was muted. Beef gyoza was not crispy outside, and sauce wasn't that strong. Chicken Karaage was good, but in hindsight, a little over fried. Teriyaki Salmon and Beef in the bento was very low temperature, which was intriguing. Fish from the nigiri sampler, however, was decent. Still, this was plenty of decent food. read more

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Charming local sushi spot with tasty dishes and friendly staff. The tempura and mango jalapeño rolls are my favorite.

Had lunch here with my wife. We arrived a few minutes after the lunch hour but waitress refused to serve from lunch menu. We had a few rolls and they were good. Seems like staff with not Japanese and food was good but not traditional or outstanding. Miso soup was good. I think for the price there are better restaurants particularly in berkeley. As a result, you'd think they could be more open about service and lunch special. I'll go to Kirala when in berkeley they never disappoint! read more

If you haven't already noticed, there's been a new addition to the quaint Monterey Market neighborhood called Asaka Sushi & Bar. Owned and operated by Nancy Lan and her family, the restaurant is conveniently located next door to the Monterey Fish Market. When we recently visited Asaka, Nancy and her team were managing a busy weekday lunch crowd. Taking a more conservative, but optimistic strategy in this post-pandemic world, Asaka made its debut via a soft opening in January, and now more than halfway through this year, things for Asaka in Kensington have been going, according to Nancy, "So far so good!" With a modern and open layout designed by Nancy's daughter Jacquie, Asaka offers traditional Japanese staples like nigiri and tonkatsu and is attuned to its local community, proudly featuring both a Berkeley Roll (spicy crab with salmon, tuna & eel) AND a North Berkeley Roll (shrimp tempura w/ avocado)! If that's not enticing enough, Nancy recommended we try their Show Time Roll which features spicy salmon, avocado topped with albacore, a creamy garlic sauce and torched jalapeno and macadamia nuts for a bit of heat and texture - macadamia nuts. How was it? The seafood was expectantly fresh and the light crunch and bit of smoke we got from the macadamia nuts gave us a hint of Hawaiian nostalgia without taking us too far away from home. read more

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What a great addition to the neighborhood! Kyoto Sushi and Bar opened a week ago and we picked up some take out for dinner tonight. The Rainbow roll and Sexy Lady roll were both delicious and fresh. The tempura udon was also a favorite. We had to wait a bit for our order to be ready so make sure to call in advance. Will definitely be back! read more

Asaka Sushi & Bar - Salmon, Rainbow, and Sexy Lady Rolls. - Sushi Bars Near Me - Berkeley, California

While looking for a lunch spot near Solano Avenue that we hadn't been to before, I saw that Kyoto Sushi & Bar had only been open for a couple of weeks. We checked with our friends and they were down for trying someplace new. We entered around 11:30am and were seated right away. They started with drink orders. One hot tea and three ice waters later, we were ready to place our food order. I'm afraid that we weren't very original today and all of us took the easy way out. Two of us order two-item bentos and the other two got three-item bentos. All bentos came with rice, salad and a slice of orange. The three-items also included a bowl of miso soup. All four of us had tempura. One didn't like hers because she got an inordinate amount of breading. One said hers was bland. I thought it was okay but couldn't tell you what veg I got besides an onion ring. Two had saba shioyaki (mackerel), one commented that hers had a lot of bones. The sashimi was fresh. The cuts were large and a bit unusual in shape. Not bad, just different. Traditionally cut sashimi is usually thinner and longer than what i got. When I was younger and taking friends out to introduce them to Chinese Food, invariably they'd ask me what they were eating. Depending on how they appeared to like or dislike what they were eating and how it looked, I would often say Monkey Brains. Ewwwwww! LOL. On the menu at Kyoto Sushi & Bar, under the Appetizer Heading was Monkey Brains. LOL! I had to try it just for kicks. It's described as an avocado stuffed with krabmeat and spicy tuna, battered and deep fried. I give it a socre of 5. I see that others restaurants offer it as well so now I'll be on the look-out for it. Definitely worth a try. read more

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So.... It was so delicious I didn't get. A chance to take a photo before we finished. Service was quick and sushi was out quick too. We ordered the #9 and the Lion King Roll. So good. We will be back! read more

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

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My new favorite sushi place in Berkeley!! I've been to Kyoto's other kitchen on Solano were you can just pick up a ready made roll and I really liked the sushi. It tasted super fresh so I was excited to see that they opened up a sit down restaurant (I think they're the same place). I came for dinner on a cold night and was really tempted to get some udon soup but I saw the rolls that they had and knew I had to try them. I had a cup of green tea, Spider-Man roll, summer roll, sushi pizza roll, spicy hamachi roll, and spicy tuna roll. I didn't try the spider-man roll but my friends said that it was really good! The summer roll was very tasty because you really can taste the freshness of the fish without it being drenched in sauces. The sushi pizza roll is Kyoto's version of a crispy rice tuna roll but waaaaay better. It's drenched in sauces (which I normally don't love) but I appreciated how fun and tasty it was! Ok the two spicy rolls were probably my favorite. I normally don't get spicy rolls because the fish tends to just get really mashed up and mushy to be mixed with the spicy mayo, but Kyoto didn't do that. They kept the fish in pretty whole pieces and did not mush it up. It was definitely a nice change of pace and was delicious. For dessert, I tried the strawberry and black sesame mochi. They were both really good and the mochi tasted fresh. I will 100% be coming back here because it's some of the best tasting sushi in Berkeley that I've tried thus far. read more

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I came in with my family around 2pm and was seated immediately! Parking is kind of tight and hard to find, but it was worth it! The lunch bento boxes came with generous servings. The sashimi in the bento were fresh and thickly sliced (3 salmon, 2 tuna). But the beef teriyaki was sliced thinner and didn't taste as flavorful as some other places I have tried, so I would go with something else for next time. The other bento box had chicken katsu and fried vegetables. The chicken tonkatsu was decent, and the fried vegetables were decent as well. I think the fry on the vegetables had a weird texture, so personally this is a dish not for me. The fry on the outside was kind of soggy. But both bento boxes came with a side of rice and house salad and miso soup!! The lunch bento price is definitely worth it, especially if you are coming down with family or friends. The house salad was super good and added that nice crunch factor. We also got the golden california roll and it had the perfect crunch and crab-rice ratio! Can't go wrong with a california roll. I didn't get a picture, but we ordered the L&A sashimi roll and let me tell you. It is a sashimi sushi lover's true dream. The poke/ sashimi ratio was generous and again, the fish-rice ratio was spot on. I could order 3 plates of this and still want more. The fish was just so fresh and it was overall a nice experience! Definitely somewhere I would go again and i would recommend trying the sushi and sashimi!! read more

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The quality of their sushi has significantly dropped in the last few visits that we have had. Tonight we ordered taken out and they didn't have the lid for miso on fully and it spilled everywhere read more

So glad this sushi spot opened up in the neighborhood. So delicious and fresh. And the staff is super kind and friendly. My new go to spot... I usually get the sashimi combo, nigiri combo and they never disappoint. The uni (sea urchin) here is super good & fresh too when they have it!! If they don't, they might have Hokkaido uni, also delish read more

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My first time at my new neighborhood sushi joint. I was nervous. Do I prioritize quality or location. What if it's no good at all? It's a prime location next to the fish market and the other great stores on Hopkins and Monterey. I'm there every weekend to shop on my bike, what will I do if I can't patronize this place? Maybe settle for occasional tempura? No such problems! Delicious fresh sushi. Excellent service, and a nice interior. Hopefully they'll add a bit more to the decor, but I'm totally sold. No sacrifices needed, delicious sushi is now easy walk from my house. Thank you Kyoto! A's roll was particularly excellent, as was the Maguro. read more

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

Excellent service & food in a quaint neighborhood in Berkeley. Plenty of free street parking around the area. Love their speciality rolls, dedicated to the local Cal Berkeley Bears! They offer bentos on the weekends, take away sushi platters for parties, & a nice selection of alcoholic drinks including plum wine and sake. We celebrated my daughter's graduation which happens to be on Mother's Day. They were very accommodating for a party of 12 & even presented the graduate with a complimentary dessert and a rose that made our celebration even more special. Must try the zombie brains, it was our favorite appetizer. Next door also has a great bakery and pizza shop. Thanks for the memorable treat and we can't wait to be back again soon! read more

Totally delicious! Very fresh fish. Very friendly and attuned restaurant staff. Really nice neighborhood vibe. read more

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

Super delicious and fresh food. Wonderful environment and great service. Cozy and warm environment. Great for friends/family gatherings. Definitely would recommend!! read more

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Solid local spot w fresh fresh fish! Stopped by for lunch w my dear friend. We had the 12 piece sushi combo and 3 rolls. Everything came out fast. read more

Amazing sushi! Both my friend and I are quite the foodies when it comes to sushi and we were not disappointed!! The service was excellent! And the decor of the restaurant was clean, hip & fun to be in. Definitely a 10/10 try this place out!! read more

Asaka Sushi & Bar - This is the nigiri special with tekka maki - Sushi Bars Near Me - Berkeley, California

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Best SUSHI in Berkeley!!!!!! Sushi was absolutely fresh and AMAZING! I highly recommend this Sushi Restaurant! I love it when you're greeted by a happy and smiling hostess! This is a HUGE INDICATION of great customer service. Our hostess was on point. Our drinks were on time, and our food was presented in a timely manner!' In addition, Very Affordable. My wife and daughter ordered a few of there favorite appetizers (Garlic Edamame & mixed tempura) and LOVED IT! The Sushi was fresh, flavorful and tasted AMAZING! I highly recommend this Sushi restaurant if you're in north Berkeley visiting. read more

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

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Unassuming and tucked away off the beaten path, this place is a hidden gem and never disappoints. The service is great but the food here is absolutely delicious. Sushi is fresh and portions are generous, the katsu breading is perfect, and there's a wide variety of food to choose from. Would highly recommend, even if it means going out of your way for this little hole in the wall restaurant! read more

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