Amazing food and friendly service, although this place was definitely quite pricey. I came here with a reservation for friday night, and they had our table all ready when we got there. After taking our order, the food came out pretty quickly. We got the super nigiri combo, dynamite roll, and lion roll, and all of them were super delicious! I really liked how the special rolls had many unique components, and everything came together really well. The nigiri was super fresh as well, and the spicy tuna roll was what youd expect. They do have a $25 minimum per person for reservations for parties over 4 people, so that's something to keep in mind although it's definitely not hard to hit this minimum at all. Overall a solid spot for some japanese food :) read more

Ijo Izakaya - Dynamite roll and lion king roll - Sushi Bars Near Me - Berkeley, California

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While I had a bit of a hiccup when first arriving at Ijo (I placed an order online and GrubHub canceled it without reason, which I only found out about once I arrived to pickup), my takeout experience here was still super smooth and pleasant. I was still able to order in person and the kind hostess said my order would be ready in 12 minutes, which was completely accurate. I ordered a Spicy Tuna Roll and the Lion King Roll and it totally addressed my major sushi craving for the week! The Lion King was definitely the standout roll of the meal (thanks again to Yelper recommendations!). It was melt-in-your-mouth delicious and I'm so glad to count this as another great sushi destination in Berkeley. I look forward to trying more options at Ijo! Parking available just out front. read more

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Exciting menu items with some rarer dishes like mentaiko cream udon and Oden. However, the food taste was average and the quality of some ingredients, such as the ikura and udon, tasted questionable. Simple but cozy and stylish interior. Good for hanging out with friends. read more

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The most disappointing yosenabe I've ever had. It just has few slices of salmon and a tiny bit of tofu, and then it is filled with cabbages. Really does not have much and it is $20 something. Do not order this dish. I remember yosenabe was much better at this place before the pandemic. I know the pandemic hit restaurants hard but please do not lose old customers like this. read more

Ijo Izakaya - Yosenabe - Sushi Bars Near Me - Berkeley, California

My husband and I got lunch here yesterday and although it's not my top Japenese spot in the area, it was definitely solid and has lots of great and different menu items! I got a bento box with shrimp tempura and a salmon roll, and my husband got one of the restaurant weeks deals which was tako yaki and chicken katsu. There was a lot of food and good quality for the price. read more

Ijo Izakaya - Sushi Bars Near Me - Berkeley, California

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For a last minute Valentine's reservation, they did not disappoint. We were able to get outdoor seating and though it was chilly and sort of wet from the wind bringing in the drizzle under the tent, the Asahi beer helped with that. As our orders came one by one, we finished each plate as they arrived. The first up was the hamachi tataki and that was BOMB. It was the perfect intro to our dinner. As the next order arrived, we were on our last hamachi. The soft shell crab roll was a deep fried roll that was ok; it wasn't holy crap good, but good enough to satisfy the hunger we had for sushi rolls. The last roll that came was the sexy roll, which has salmon and cream cheese in it and damn, THAT was good! We probably tore it up in less than 10 minutes and asked for bill right after. Quick and friendly service, the dinner served its purpose and on Valentine's Day too! read more

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food was amazing. service was also quick and friendly! sushi was fresh and was an overall good experience.

Picked up takeout during the week. It was easy and quick! I ordered the lion king roll & yellowtail and scallion roll. Both were good. The fish was fresh and the rolls were decent sized. Ijo Izakaya met my expectations - leaving 4 stars as it was good, but nothing spectacular. I'd return for the decent prices read more

Ijo Izakaya - Lion King Roll - Sushi Bars Near Me - Berkeley, California

Upon first glance, this may seem to be an ordinary restaurant. But the food is extraordinary. Sushi rolls and food came out very fast, excellent food and service, and enjoyable experience overall. read more

Massive disappointment. TLDR: Kiraku, while having silly wait times, should be the only izakaya in Berkeley... period. I haven't been this upset over a meal in a long time and would've sent everything back to the kitchen before leaving IF I ate in person. I ordered a fairly large order with hamachi carpaccio, gyu tataki, miso cod, shishito peppers, full-size sashimi combo, and a lion king roll. Hamachi Carpaccio: This wasn't overly fresh but it wasn't bad either, average to below average at best. Gyu tataki: I don't really want to talk about this man. Gyu tataki should be served lightly seared with a thin cooked border. This thing is nearly medium! The citrus sauce was poorly balanced and detracted from the beef. (I am going to say balanced a lot in this review, so feel free to do a drinking game if you are so inclined.) Miso Cod: I cannot express in words how disappointed I am. You do not come to an izakaya to have large dishes, but what I received was simply insulting. Kiraku has the same dish for the same price and easily has a portion that is 4X larger at the same quality. (Note, I am not affiliated with Kiraku but believe that one should spend his, her, or their money on places that earn it.) Further insult was added to injury in that the marinade wasn't balanced and ruined the cod. Shishito peppers: The poor peppers were marauded by whatever the chef did to them. A simple salting would've been perfect, but the end result was oddly off balance in a very unpleasant way. Sashimi combo: No comment, the fish isn't the best quality but I'm glad I got something salvageable from this wreck. Lion king roll: For the love of god please end me now. I thought this would be OK on first impression but akin to everything else, balance is key. There is mayonnaise in most American style rolls, but this almost felt like eating out of a mayonnaise jar. I wish I could say I was joking, but even Safeway sushi has a better balanced imitation crab mix in their rolls. Rice: My favorite part of the meal. I would comment some more, but that would be a complete waste of time after what I was served. The only saving grace of this restaurant IMO is that the ingredients aren't at the bottom of the barrel because the execution was extremely lacking. How this restaurant even has four stars is beyond me... read more

Ijo Izakaya - No comment... - Sushi Bars Near Me - Berkeley, California

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First time eating here ever and I really enjoyed it! Udon soup didn't give me that crazy MSG thrist that I get sometimes having udon. The broth was nice and clear and delicious with little pieces of cabbage and a small amount of chicken. We had the spicy tuna roll, negihama with green onion, salmon carpacio, and pepper tuna salad. All was really fresh and uniformly cut. I hate when the rolls look messy and aren't uniform. I think the inside could use some TLC in terms of updating the tables and steam cleaning the chairs but I wouldn't remove a star from them for that. It's just not a restaurant that would wow a date. Feels a little like a hidden hole in the wall. I still loved it because the food quality was good and so was the service! Very nice waitress and the food came quickly. Felt safe with the door open for Covid as well. @Ijo buy a small upholstery cleaner on Amazon. It'll be a quick and cheap refresh! read more

We picked this place on a whim for my birthday dinner and it turned out to be soooo delicious! The restaurant is small medium sized, seating maybe 40 max. The decor is super cute and homey, with lots of handwritten/drawn tasty dishes on the walls, and they play calming Ghibli music in the background We ordered: - salmon carpaccio - kimchi cream udon w shrimp - hamachi tataki - mixed skewer plate - edamame (free w check in) Everything was good! The seafood is really fresh - I think the tataki was my favorite. I wish the edamame was a little more salted but that's very minor. Will definitely be back! read more

Came here on a whim looking for a quick bite for dinner. It is a cute little izakaya spot. The staff is super friendly and accommodating and you get a free edamame for checking in! Always game for a free snack ;) We just had some sake and skewers. They were fresh and pretty tasty, but nothing to write home about. I would come back to try some other things, but this wouldn't be my first choice. However, if I was looking for a small meal at a good value, this place would definitely check the box. read more

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We were craving something light during our visit to the Bay Area. A quick Yelp search turned up some local Japanese restaurants but sadly, most of them were closed on Monday. Luckily we found this place that was not too far from where we were staying. The interior was rather dreary. There were the obvious Japanese touches around the room but it leaned toward the divey end of the scale. The menus have seen better days and the servers are all business and virtually no personality. But it hit the spot for the type of food we were craving so we overlooked those things. We each ordered a bento box for lunch. First up was miso soup served in the typical plastic bowls, though those bowls have seen better days with parts of the paint worn off in places. Our boxes arrived fairly quickly and were nicely arranged though the boxes themselves have also seen better days. But the food was delightful, well prepared, and quite tasty. Overall, we give the space 2 stars, the service 2 stars, and the food 4 stars. Will we come back....probably not. We'd rather check out the other places nearby, just not on a Monday. read more

First time visitor but hands down one of the best kept sushi secrets in the Berkeley area. Restaurant itself is very cute and conveniently located (across the street from Safeway and right beside a cvs) and the menu is very affordable. They offer a happy hour every day from 5pm - 7pm and if you check in on yelp you get a free edamame or small hot Saki. The rolls themselves taste fresh and well prepared. My girlfriend got the lion king roll and loved it. I went for a couple spicy tuna rolls and added a few things. Our server (who was the only server and the restaurant was about half full) never missed a beat. Our glasses stayed full and she was very prompt on everything. She made our experience there very pleasant. Not only will I be back, I will probably make this my "go to" sushi place. read more

Ijo Izakaya - Sushi menu - Sushi Bars Near Me - Berkeley, California

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I lived in Japan for 7 years and this place is my go-to for Japanese casual comfort food. Friendly, welcoming staff and good eats.

Great sushi spot. Ended up here when another top rated spot was too crowded. The sushi pizza was our favorite among all the other rolls we ordered. True story read more

Went here with my brother and my mom. The staff wear masks and the server gave us excellent service. The food came out relatively fast and was delicious; I had the chicken karaage, my brother the katsudon and we ordered gyoza. The portions are very nice in proportion to their price, there was plenty to eat. Very relaxed atmosphere, perfect for dining with a friend! They also have happy hour for those people :) i will come back next year, thank you! read more

Very nice people, food was very very very good and came quickly. The sushi was great quality and I enjoyed an amazing lunch with tea and different times of roles. Never seems to be very crowded, but very very good. read more

Tasty food and friendly staff, highly recommend it! I really love its Tuna Roll and Kimchi Udon, very authentic! What also made me surprised is that how much effort they try to provide great service during COVID-19. read more

I went here back when they first opened and remembered they had good sushi, but really bad service but I wanted to give it another try. My wife and I each got 2 rolls and a miso with an appetizer to split, and she got a soda. The order of delivery was really weird. They brought my wife's rolls first, then the appetizer. Then 5 minutes later, the miso, then 10 minutes later I got my rolls. So that was weird. Also the food was salty... Like nearly too salty to eat. The miso in particular, but also my wife's caterpillar roll. My wife also commented to me that the rice wasn't sticky enough, but I'm not enough of a rice expert to tell. read more

The service here is always gracious and food is excellent. The bento box to-go is also a nice option.

Ijo Izakaya is great!! Food is GREAT for the price point. The menu is a bit scattered in my opinion, but apparently it's still their soft opening so i'm sure they will lock all that stuff in. I'm a huge Kamado Sushi fan, so I only ordered the "pre-treated" fish nigiri and i was surprised by how good their fish and rice were. Big cuts of fish on good sushi rice. Like i said, easily the best bang for the buck in the area for sushi/nigiri. Also ordered up their fried chicken cartilage...very light and crispy batter with nice thick chunks of cartilage inside. Their grilled eggplant with miso was served on a cast iron pan and served up searing hot so be careful not to burn yourself! Also ordered the takoyaki, but apparently they ran out, so they brought out one ball cut in half and comped us the dish! The last thing that came out were bacon wrapped skewers, and I liked them more than the ones at Ippuku. The only thing i wasn't really feeling was the salad dressing on their salad (was a bit heavy for me), but not that bad. All in all the food there was good with some unique dishes scattered thru their menu. Service and staff were friendly and attentive and the food came out perfectly paced for small plates...as soon as one dish was almost finished, another one would be brought out. Will definitely be back to try their lunch, but their dinner menu was well worth every penny. GREAT ADDITION TO THE GHETTO GOURMET district. read more

good and affordable! the bacon and enoki wrap and the salmon were to die for. The rest of the food? nothing particularly special, and outdoor seating was no-frills but nice because it was quite empty. Definitely give this place a try read more

Ijo Izakaya - Sushi Bars Near Me - Berkeley, California

came here to celebrate my lil sister's bday. The food was Great, friendly staff , and calming ambiance. 10/10 would recommend

Disappointing meal from both a food and service standpoint. Wait staff seemed very new - wasn't familiar with the menu, never brought waters, had to be asked twice for ordered beverage, and we had time to eat my entire meal before my husband's arrived. With regard to the food, they served browned avocados that I would never serve to guests in my own home. Sushi appeared very hastily prepared with no uniformity. Fish seemed okay, but the avocado made me question their standards around quality. Will not be returning. read more

Ijo Izakaya - Browning avocado served in multiple rolls - Sushi Bars Near Me - Berkeley, California

After what I went through with my experienced. I got reached out by the business owner and she offered me a complimentary re-order. I do greatly appreciate that and would like to revise my first review. I appreciate businesses who care about what customers think and I'm giving them a 5 star for that. read more

I can only speak to the customer service because I couldn't get this restaurant to take my money no matter how hard I tried. I wanted to purchase an e-gift card for a good friend who loves sushi, lives right around the corner from this establishment and just had a death in the family. I sent all the necessary information to the restaurant in an email; all the manager had to do was call me to get my payment details but I never heard a word from her, even after calling the restaurant and leaving word. After more than a week of trying to make this work I finally had to scrap these plans and go with another restaurant. Horrible, horrible customer service. My friend who lives in Berkeley absolutely loves sushi so they not only lost this sale, they potentially lost a repeat customer by treating me so shabbily. read more

Really good service and food came out fast. Came here for a friend's birthday! happy birthday!

This place is usually closed or pack when I go. So I finally went on a weeknight around 8:30 (close at 9:30pm) and it was quiet. The waiters were very friendly and the dishes I had were the Lotus Chips (was free bc I checking into Yelp), Takoyaki, Steak Tofu w/mushrooms, and Ramen. 1. Lotus Chips, crispy & crunchy like chips and love the taste. 2. Takoyaki were bite size and also delicious. 3. Steak Tofu, pricey, small quantity, but would very much recommend bc of how flavorful it was. 4. The broth was very good, not too salty, not bland either, as you "can't" see, I didn't even get a chance to take a photo, bc it was all gone by the time I remembered.... read more

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Wow! This place is so good but don't order the sushi. This is a Japanese drunchies place, get some discount drinks during happy hour and fill up on the hot food! You will not be disappointed, unless you order the sushi which was lots of bland fish. I will highlight the shishito peppers, the sauce they are sautéed in is amazing. Also the yakitori sampler with chicken meatballs, thigh and pork belly, omg the pork belly . They also have these bacon wrapped mochi skewers which were just amazing. Def on my happy hour list. Did I mention you should stay away from the sushi? read more

Tasty, no-frills bento box (I got tofu teriyaki and avocado roll, which came with miso, salad and rice). Employees were attentive and music was great (jazz mix of spirited away theme song was particularly tight). Recommended! read more

Pretty nice spot with a solid amount of variety on the menu. I got the nabeyaki udon which was pretty simple but nice on a cold day. The prices also seemed reasonable for a Japanese place. read more

Pleasant place, I got an Ijo roll. It was delicious. Only thing is that it was slightly overpriced--13 bucks for 6 pieces :(. I would recommend getting two of those. I also got salmon tataki which is torched salmon on top of cucumber and tomato--that was also pretty good. There's lots of veggie options: Nasu dengatu which is grilled eggplant. There is also veggie tempura and tofu steak with mushrooms. Overall I enjoyed this place :) read more

Delicious and very fresh fish! We've been coming here every couple weeks since it opened. A fast favorite. Best place in North Berkeley for fresh fish fast. Get the scallop -- it's always spectacular. Also zuke sake and zuke maguro. Good agedashi tofu. read more

First visit: like it. Japanese modern fusion. Tried one dish from most categories of the menu: truffle hashimi, California king roll (b/c real crab), arabiki sausage yakitori, Shishito peppers, rice and hot sake. Will be back for the udon. Liked the laid back atmosphere and the efficient but not helicopter service. read more

We had sushi and udon soups here. While the udon soup was a generous portion, the broth was kind of bland. We all shared the maitatake roll (sp?), and all of us thought it was our favorite part of the meal. The fish was beautifully fresh, and the seasonings were great, subtle but there. My order, the soft-shelled crab roll was only okay, not alot of meat to that particular crab, even though it's not usually monumental, this still felt underwhelming... the outside tables were a nice surprise! read more

great service, very nice staff. great food, too! We had a great time and service was fast and easy.

It was pretty disappointing, we ordered for togo and the taste was below average. We got 2 rolls and the the size was very small, topping was messy and not evenly distributed. They dont give enough soy sauce, and gave only 1 chopsticks for 2 rolls. The chopsticks were of bad quality and the ginger!! They only gave ginger in one roll, plus it wasnt even enough for one person. The thing is, we were hungry yet it didnt taste good. I dont know what to feel about this place but we wont be back read more

Everything was yummy and the waitress was kind :) Out of all the items I ordered, my favorites were the house chicken wings and takoyaki. Other items I ordered: tsukemono, tonkotsu ramen, toyo salad with sesame dressing. I would recommend any of those items. read more

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