Loved the decor and the vibe of this place. It reminded me of Japan and how I miss visiting there. IMO, some skewers were better than the others. The beef tongue was quite good and juicy, while the chicken liver was quite dry. I also didn't taste the charcoal, which was typically used in authentic Japanese yakitori restaurants. The cooked food was decedent. Overall, it's a great place to hang out with friends with a plethora of sake options. read more

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I came here two weekends in a row! Once for my husbands birthday, and once because my parents requested it. I was able to snag a reservation for the first time; for the second time we went right before opening and were seated right away. The inside is so Japanese! Everything is really tasty, and the beer and sake are refreshing. I actually like all the starters the best, eg the karage or tempura vegetables. For the skewers, the pork belly is so delicious. Street parking can be crowded but you can easily find something a few blocks away read more

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When I was a teenager, I would always walk by Ippuku while on my way to a high school mentorship on the UC Berkeley campus, and would be fascinated by its traditional Japanese design and alleyway restaurant aesthetic. I told myself I'd go there for a cute little date when I was in a serious relationship, and I finally got to do it this year! My boyfriend and I celebrated his birthday here enjoyed the quick service, tasty izakaya, and lowkey presence. While it was super busy, the restaurant didn't carry the chaos that other restaurants typically have; it instead kept loud conversations within their own booths or tables. The lighting inside is dim and warm and the ceiling is pretty high - I think this place is definitely an excellent spot for date night. We ordered the following: - Umeboshi-hi: sweet and strong; I ordered multiple! - Mito No Kairakuen: Strong and smooth - Moro Kyu: Yummy, fresh, and crunchy - Maitake Tempura: Yummy and not too oily! - Omakase Gushi: A selection of skewers chosen for us by the chef -- all were savory, tender, and flavorful! - Bekon Mochi: This one was our favorite! Super chewy and we loved how the bacon complemented the mochi taste! - Gyu-tan: yummy and chewy beef tongue! - Karaage: not the best that we've had, but a good complement to the meal! - Rafute: not as impressive as we had thought it would be; it sort of tasted like pork adobo. I highly recommend this spot if you're looking to 1) spend on the experience, 2) not get full, and 3) are open to taking your shoes off to sit in traditional style for your meal (of course, they do have booths to sit at as well). I'm really glad I got to live out my long time dream and share the meal with who I wanted! read more

Wonderful place, very cozy with wood booths and feels like Japan. The food is excellent and cooked perfectly. The fiddleheads and squid were great seasonal starters. The pork belly, karage, and various chicken parts were delicious. Sashimi was top-notch. The sesame and strawberry gelato were a great end to the incredible meal. Service was great and attentive, ready to explain the menu and each dish. read more

They have the largest selection of Shochu outside of Japan. Service was warm and the music was kinda funky and slow but the lighting was warm and inviting. We got seats at the tables where you take your shoes off read more

Ippuku - Bars Near Me - Berkeley, California

Really good and unique food. Worth a try but reservations are tough and food is delicious just if you're looking to be completely stuffed the portion can be on the smaller side which is why it's izakaya style. I wonder where they get their chicken from since they service it partially raw. read more

A hidden gem in Berkeley! Delicious food, friendly staff, and a cozy ambiance. The food comes out in small plates, perfect for sharing. There are two types of seating, regular booths and a more traditional setup where you take off your shoes. Out of all the dishes, I would recommend getting a few plates of the Ippuku Teba. So flavorful and definitely a must-have. The food can take a while to come out, so I'd recommend ordering everything at once. read more

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We had a really nice and what felt like an authentic Izakaya experience. Great food generally, very protein oriented which we like - and a knowledgeable server read more

I really wanted to love my whole experience but ultimately, I think there are a few small things Ippuku can do to make it a stellar dining experience for everyone. The menu is confusing. Coming from a job where we talk about the user-experience and user-Interface all day, I think redoing the menu to make the categorization neater and more delineated would go a long way. And instead of 3000, just put $30. The menus were also too hard to read because it was a bit too dark, we had to use our camera lights, so toggle those dimmer switches up just a fraction., and then lower the volume on the music a bit so we can hear the people at our table. The pork belly and bacon wrapped asparagus were the best items! read more

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We arrived at 10:20, and no one greeted us--not a big deal at first. After five minutes, a gentleman with glasses finally handed us the menu and said they were doing last call, and that the host would be with us shortly. Another five minutes passed, and then a different guy--who I assume was the manager--came over and told us last call was already over. I was honestly confused. If last call was still open when we arrived, why weren't we seated or helped sooner? The lack of communication and customer service made the experience frustrating. If they didn't intend to serve us, they could have just said so instead of wasting our time. Definitely not coming back. read more

Always an amazing experience and well priced. Great ambiance, great bar, great food! Order any and all off the menu. Lots of little bites served with offerings of Ice cold Suntory lager, Japanese whisky, highballs and more. Service is great too. read more

Always a fun time here! Great sake and beer on tap, plus an amazing izakaya menu. The staff are always friendly and attentive.

We've been coming here for 10+ years and even after all these years, Ippuku is still one of our favorite spots whenever we're in Berkeley. Authentic and totally reminds us of all the izakaya/drinking spots in Japan. The atmosphere and vibe, even down to the friendly service brings us right back to Tokyo. Try to come a little before they open to avoid the wait, the line forms fast! It's a popular spot for a first date, college student hangout/celebration or just a casual date night but whatever the occasion may be, it definitely lives up to all the hype. If you're not familiar with small plates/skewers, don't be afraid to ask your server. All of them are knowledgeable and always super helpful. For starters, you can never go wrong w/ chicken karaage and skewers. We always put in an order of karaage followed by ika yaki (grilled squid), grilled mochi, and usually a few skewers that includes wagyu, pork belly, and gizzards. Make sure to try their ramen too, the broth is so clear yet full of flavor. Although we're not big drinkers ourselves, they have an extensive drink menu filled w/ both traditional + unique shochu, beer, and whiskey. Everything here is always delicious and never disappoints. Hands down, solid food but be prepared to spend some $$ here. Your tummy will thank you later tho. Make sure to save some room for dessert too! read more

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Took my in laws here and ordered a bunch more items than we thought we needed to try more stuff. Turns out that was the right amount due to small portion sizes. Everything was really exquisite and well executed though. Only downside was terrible service and had to ask about 5 times to 3 different servers for our bill. The restaurant is quite small so that was surprising. read more

Ippuku - Bars Near Me - Berkeley, California

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This is a really terrific izakaya joint, delicious tofu agedashi and really solid skewers. Service was good, no complaints here. All the seating is quite intimate; you definitely get your fair share of privacy here read more

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First review of 2022! How fitting, a memorable review for such a memorable place. This is my go-to for yakitori outside of Japan and I have been here a handful of times. I could not recommend this place any more and I'm sure other yelpers can attest to its greatness. I also brought lots of friends over and they all enjoyed it. I think what I love the most about this place is the consistency. The food is always grilled to perfection and with the right amount of seasoning. Last night, we enjoyed the omakase (chef's choice) and had a mix of chicken breast, heart, shoulder, neck and wing. All excellent. We also had to get the ika yaki (grilled squid), which we had to wait a little while for but it was worth it. The piece de resistance. I would recommend coming here for a special occasion because it's quite pricey but worth every penny. I love and hate that this is walking distance from where I live. There's no doubt that I will be back. read more

Ippuku - Omakase - Bars Near Me - Berkeley, California

You should reserve in advance if not you'll be waiting around for a booth or table! My partner and I did reserve online before hand and our table was ready within like 5 minutes. They have a great premium malt beer on tap and a bunch of bottles of sake hanging (found it very cool) It is a bit expensive for what it is. It's more of a tapas type of place which I do love because more food to try and share but our bill felt a little high for what we got. Overall our server was very attentive and the restaurant itself is like loungy looking. My partner and I sat in what they call the treehouse which is like a cubicle seating side by side with a beaded curtain. We were sat near the bar entrance and unfortunately someone was smoking outside so we got the strong smell coming in. That's not the restaurants fault though... Good food, good drinks, good service. Try it out! read more

Be aware of TOCK reservation! I made a pre-reservation and they charged $30 per person. But after we left, I realized they didn't deduct $60 we paid for reservaiton on final bill. Now we ended up paying extra $60 on the top the final bill. If I didn't remember this, they are taking extra $$ from customers. Service - slow, server forgot about my orders. I had to remind server. Food - super salty. Everything is extremely salty, I just ate because I didn't want to be an asshole. I don't think we will come back. read more

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Where have you been Ippuku??? The absolute best Izakaya in the Bay Area... nothing comes close! If I could allocate 6 stars; I would! The ambiance, the menu, the quality of the food, everything!!! They know how to cook every single item on the menu; perfection in every bite! We tried almost everything; and it was so good, booked our next visit on our way out... Two observations: 1) there's no sign for this place; and 2) you can't book online! I always struggled to call during business hours that's why it took me so long to book. I would have otherwise visited months ago! We will return multiple times. read more

Ippuku - Chicken Skin - Bars Near Me - Berkeley, California

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Wow, this was such a huge disappointment. I was so excited to try this place because of the reviews, friends' recommendations, ambiance, etc. I normally don't write bad reviews, but here I am. I came here on Saturday evening to celebrate a friend's birthday event. We made reservations for a 7pm dinner, and the wait wasn't too bad (about 5 minutes) since it was packed inside. As for parking, good luck finding free street parking. It's completely filled unless you're lucky to find someone leaving their parking spot. Reason is because you're competing with college students and staffs from Cal. I recommend ubering OR park at a nearby parking garage to avoid circling around. Anyways, my party of 9 were seated. You must take off your shoes before sitting down. It's just cultural etiquette, which I thought was nice to do. Our server was Abby and honestly, she was the main reason why my group and I had such an awful experience here. It really gave us a bad impression overall. And let me tell you why. Because our group was big, we were seated in a combined split table (4 people on the left side and 5 people on the right side). Abby only gave us the food menu so we were looking at that. But a few minutes later, she came by and said "what would you like for drinks?" I told her we didn't have the drinks menu, and would need a few more minutes to look before ordering. For some reason, her facial expression changed from neutral to grumpy/annoyed looking. So then she said, "let me take your food order first ok." I was seated on the left side of the table and she took everyone's order but mine EVEN THOUGH, she was literally behind me?? Then I told her that I didn't get a chance to order food yet and she responded back with, "I need to go to the right side to take their order ok." Like what the hell? Why is she having so much attitude, what's her problem? Finally when everyone ordered, then I waved my hand and said "Can I order food now?" and that's when she came over to me. She just took my food order and left, LOL. I told her I wanted to order drinks too, but she said, "I'll take it later." But she never did, LOL. We never got a chance to order the 500ml sake, lmao. Throughout the dinner, she made multiple mistakes on our orders. We had missing orders or wrong orders that were brought over to our table. Our bill was incorrect and she had to reprint us a new one. At the end of dinner, I went to look at what the chefs were cooking and wanted to record a clip of the cooked food. Abby literally ran over from the cashier to be in front of my camera and said, "NO PICTURES ALLOWED." Um....ok? I was actually doing a food vlog of the restaurant, so this was extremely unwelcoming. And also, I wasn't even close to where the chefs were cooking. I stood next to my table (which was next to the bars seating of where the chefs were cooking at) and zoomed into the cooked food. I didn't know I can't record videos of the food being cooked, lol. =_=" Overall, Abby was just hostile and gave us so much attitude. Probably my first and last time here. Beware of this Abby server. ------------------------------------------------ Now onto the food review, lol. Before we were served with food, we were given clean and hot towels to wipe our hands. Then they served us raw cabbage with Japanese mayo sauce as a complimentary appetizer. For myself, I'm a pescatarian so I didn't order the meat skewers, which is what they're known for here. However, my friends told me that the skewers were slightly oily. And their favorites were the chicken hearts, gizzards and wagyu skewers. They said the raw chicken ramen was OK. One of my friends has a sensitive stomach, so his stomach didn't do too well after eating the raw chicken. As for me, the crab croquette was good. They had real crab inside and the sauce was delicious. The grilled mochi wrapped with seaweed was OK. I liked how it was grilled but the sauce was so light, that it tasted bland to me. And the scallion pancake, which is Okonomiyaki, had broccoli, shredded cabbages and fish flakes on it. I wished it had more batter and eggs to it. But overall, the food was good. I think if it wasn't because of the server Abby, then I would probably gave this place a 4 stars. read more

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This is a small but charming and authentic place with classy and impeccable service. The gentleman even wrote my name in Japanese for the waitlist! They specialize in whiskeys but have beer and wine also! The food is all like works of art, simple, elegant, and delicious! read more

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Highly recommend reserving a spot. It's going to be easily 1hr+ wait otherwise. It may be less crowded during the weekdays. We had a couple of appetizers, cucumbers and seaweed; they are very small portions, FYI. But the seaweed texture was interesting, like caviars. Skewers are must items to order. Both chicken thighs and breasts melt as soon as you put them in your mouth. ***Special: my husband and I eat a lot of raw fish and are not afraid of trying their RAW chicken finally! We got Tori Tataki, seared breast with ponzu sauce. The texture was pretty soft, and the sauce and searing taste enhanced the chicken flavor to a level you don't realize how raw it is. Believe me that we didn't have any stomach problems. The vibe and decor are great. Lots of variety selection of Japanese drinks are plus! read more

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Came here last night with a bunch of friends. And while the food was amazing...a lot of help is needed. First off, our party had about 20 or so people. Large party, so there are bound to be some bumps in the road. That said, the first thing that might need work...signage on the front of the restaurant? Many of my friends got lost and missed the restaurant a couple of times. Several of us had to thoroughly rely on our GPS and even I stood at the entrance, totally confused. It's in between Halal guys and Ben and Jerry's. Anyways, no one checked vaccination cards for indoor seating. Most of us walked in and there was no one checking. After getting seated with my group with no help, it turns out my group had ordered already. The food to that end was good. We had a lot. Chicken skins appetizer, agedashi tofu, sweet omelette, lotus root, fried mushroom tempura, and chicken karaage. For skewers, my side of the table ordered chicken heart, chicken liver, chicken thigh, chicken shiso, king oyster mushroom, sweet potato, mountain potato, shishito peppers, shiitake mushrooms and two grilled squids amongst drinks. To spare the details here, all the food was spot on. Can't really go wrong in my opinion. However, this is where the -1 comes in. Service needs help...and a lot of it. I understand not being able to split the bill for like 4 people. But we had 20. At least being able to split the bill into two would've been appreciated and helped calculations. On top of it, we were misinformed. Someone had told our party host that tip was included into our gigantic check which amounted to $1300 approximately. Turns out it wasn't so they chased after us for tip. Thankfully we caught it in time and added a 10% tip (due to service being hell). Back to the service issues...when we tried to order, there was a waitress who seemed really annoyed with us. We weren't disrespectful in any way but I guess she didn't want to deal with a large party. The menu was confusing too with how it's typed out so we had a fair bit of questions on how things were priced. It's a fair situation given we had such a large party. As it turns out, our group tried to order sake and without suggesting anything else or giving her advice on the sake, told us to order the most expensive $60 bottle which from what my friends stated, doesn't have the quality of a $60 bottle of sake. After the waitress got annoyed, she sent a helper who was a saint. The helper picked up plates quickly but we could've definitely done without the attitude. Then, when we tried to order a couple of skewers, apparently they were out, but wouldn't notify us after quite a bit of time had passed. I don't mind things being out, but at least don't have us waiting so long just to tell us that. Nearing the end of the night, we had ordered some remaining skewers and it was so slow that I thought they had forgotten our orders so I had to start keeping track of orders or if anything was missing. The restaurant is fairly small. And it's narrow. I get there might not be many workers compared to pre-covid. There's a lot I can forgive. But there are still pretty jarring problems. But the short version of things to work on: outdoor signage, menu, service and dealing with large groups. read more

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I've been to quite a few Japanese restaurants around the Bay Area, but as for izakayas I think that Ippuku is probably the most authentic one I've been to by far. The restaurant itself is a bit easy to miss, as there isn't really any distinct sign on the outside and you have to go a bit into the doorway to see someone to be seated. Ippuku is also on the smaller side, as the seating is not that large but it is pretty cozy inside. We had to wait around 30 minutes to be seated here, and it takes some time to read through the menu because there's so much (and a lot of the items are listed with Japanese names, so it takes time to figure out what's what). Although the portions here are small for the price, they do taste great and it's one of the few places in the US where you can get raw chicken sashimi! They also have some unique dishes that I hadn't seen before, such as bacon wrapped mochi and roasted cheese with honey. The chicken sashimi and tartar that we got was also good, with an interesting texture and flavor that I hadn't ever had before. We also got squid ink fried rice and different types of skewered chicken, both of which were solid and enjoyable to eat! Overall, although this place is on the pricey side for the amount of food that you get, the uniqueness of the dishes make Ippuku a place that you should definitely visit if you're around the Berkeley area! read more

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Came here for a celebration. So delicious! Everything was perfect. The baked Brie and honey is to die for, the skewers and karaage were as fresh as you can find (they raise the birds locally). Karaage was crunchy. Sashimi platter so fresh! Pork belly and asparagus also incredible. Service was fast and their sake list was great. The place looks like a bar in Tokyo and I love how you can choose the tables on the floor too. read more

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After hearing all the hype about this place, my boyfriend and I decided to give it a try yesterday, and it was SO GOOD. Since it was our first time we wanted to try a little bit of everything, although our main focus was the yakitori. We ordered Pork Belly, Chicken Thigh, Chicken Breast, Beef Tongue, Chicken Heart, Grilled Squid, and Minced Chicken with Rice. Everything was delicious and bursting with flavor, but the yakitori really stole the show. The meat is so unbelievably tender and you can really taste the quality. The service was really great as well. They serve you warm towels upon seating and our server was very kind and attentive throughout the night. Overall, the food and ambiance here is amazing! It's a definite must-try and I will be back for sure. read more

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Shout out to Justin our waiter who is extreme attentive to my husband and daughter's allergies, overall he was very nice and so helpful on what we should order since it was also our first time here. We also had another gentlemen come to our table to clarify the allergies which we knew they truly cared about their customers. The food was very good! Everything we got was flavorful and delicious. My husband and I will be coming again for date night. read more

Ippuku - Bars Near Me - Berkeley, California

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Food was yakatori style(grilled meat skewers). Food was on point 10/10. I just had sake. Room temp sake. The sake went well with the yakatori. Ambiance was very intimate. Had a table closed off by wooden blinds. Felt like we had our own personal bubble. Service was amazing. Staff always checked on us. Brought food out one by one. read more

Ippuku - Chicken yakatori skewers - Bars Near Me - Berkeley, California

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Finally, I was able to try Ippuku. This restaurant has been on my bookmarks forever. For dinner we ordered: Omakase skewers, sashimi combo (tuna, hamachi and halibut), intestines stew, heart, gizzard, liver skewers. Everything was yummy! You can tell the difference in the quality of meat they use for their yakitori. A little more pricer than other yakitori places, but you're paying for the quality and freshness of the chicken. I would have passed on the Omakase skewers reason is that it was some of the items that we could've just ordered ourselves. My bf asked the sever to see if we can be surprised with the chefs pick, but make it more eccentric for us. Since that didn't go well. We weren't surprised at all. I don't believe he even asked at all. We added the additional skewers which were the chicken hearts, liver and gizzard. The chicken intestine skewers were flavorful, tender and delicious. The beef intestine stew was the most memorable dish. The intestines were prepared well, stew was flavorful, and you can pick to have it with rice or udon noodles. We went with Indian noodles. After you have tried the stew you can have the bring the dish back and they add the noodles, raw egg, green onions and seaweed to it. It was a nice finishing touch for the stew. It was delicious. read more

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Mid at best. Great ambiance but the food is overpriced and not very good. Also I pulled a hair out of a yakitori. Definitely not going back.

Tasty izakaya with a heavy emphasize on chicken options. First time I've had chicken tail skewers, and honestly, even though chicken is not one of my favorite proteins, it was delightful. Had a sampling of their skewers, with the highlights being their A5 beef and the previously mentioned chicken tail. If I had to pick one weak point of the meal, it would have to be the sashimi trio which was decidedly average at best. read more

This was one of the most delicious meals I've had in a long time. I don't think I've ever had such delicious izakaya food in the Bay Area, or even outside of Japan! The restaurant is super small and cozy with some bar counter seats as well as some traditional Japanese tables where you take off your shoes and sit on cushions. Since we only had 2 people, we sat at the counter. If you've never been to an izakaya, it's a bunch of small dishes, so you'll probably need to order at least 3-4 plates per person. I can see how it would be pretty easy to rack up a large bill here, but everything was so delicious that it was worth it! Here's what we ordered: 1. The grilled sweet potato with miso butter - omg this was heaven. You may be thinking "$10 for a sweet potato??" But GET IT! Looks like it's seasonal too, so they won't always have it. I've never had a better tasting potato in my life. It's sweet, creamy, umami, just absolutely delicious in every way. I regret not ordering a second one. 2. The grilled pork belly - This is the one that appears on the first page of her menu, not served yakitori-style. I don't think I've ever had such delicious pork belly. It was fatty, juicy, decadent, and just melted in your mouth. The sauce and green onions on top were just perfect. 3. The bacon wrapped mochi - SO good. The crunchy bacon wrapped around the soft, chewy mochi is a perfect combination of textures. 4. The chicken karaage wings - The chicken is butchered daily in-house and tastes so fresh and juicy. Perfectly crunchy and delicious with a surprisingly complex flavor profile. 5. The scallion pancake - this is okonomiyaki! It's a bit different than the okonomiyaki I've had in Japan (less batter, more veggies) but super tasty and highly recommend getting. 6. The fish cake with raclette - a fun deep fried option with gooey cheese inside. It's served with a green salt on the side which uplevels the flavors. 7. The chicken thigh yakitori - SO juicy and delicious! Everything was outstanding, but I'd go back for the sweet potato, pork belly, and the bacon-wrapped mochi in a heartbeat. Can't wait to recommend this restaurant to everyone I know! read more

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This is one famous izakaya in the Bay Area , especially for yakitori( chicken skewers ) it has been around for a long time and actually it's my second time here. So the restaurant really small and no sign in the front but when you walk by you will know right the way this is the place . Very dark and vibe like in Japan small alley shop. Very busy , so really recommended to make reservation. They are famous for skewers so we ordered quite a few. But we also order drinks which is chu-hi with Ume which a mixture of shochu which Japanese distilled beverage ( typically from rice, barley , sweet potato, buckwheat etc. and mix with some fruit or citrus. For the food we got started with some sashimi with tuna ,salmon and flounder. It was fresh and delicious And for skewers we got nagaimo ( mountain yam ) Bonjiri ( tail ) heart and gizzard, negima which was a dark meat with scallions, wagyu ( 25$ not worth it , overcooked and mostly fat ) , liver was the best one for me , so soft juicy and irony flavor and company all those with a squid ink fried rice. We finished off with mango sorbet , refreshing of sweet and sour. The service here , they are really good and fast. Overall, I think they still doing good but to compare with my first time , I still it was better. I still come back again for the skewers though because not too many places like this in the sf. read more

Ippuku - Bars Near Me - Berkeley, California

i love this izakaya place - such a rare find in berkeley! it really feels like you are in japan inside the restaurant. the appetizers and creative skewers were the star of the night, better than the meat skewers. would recommend skipping on the omakase skewers. usually have to reserve in advance, but we were lucky to get a 7pm 2people spot on a weekday. service was great and were really patient at recommending dishes. their mayonnaise was FIRE (not like the typical kewpie mayo). prices were pretty reasonable for a cute date night. read more

Ippuku - tofu - Bars Near Me - Berkeley, California

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Great food and drinks. Can get really busy. We put our names down and got a spot at the bar after about a half hour. You can order food at the bar so it wasn't a problem for us, it is a standing bar though. The atmosphere is great. Every dish was fantastic. The selection for drinks is great too. No complaints. read more

Reserved a spot at 5:30pm on a Sunday night, thinking there wouldn't be too many people there yet, but it was pretty crowded! We got the Agedashi Tofu, Omakase Skewers, Tsukune, Gizzard (not pictured), and black sesame gelato My bf and I shared every dish - but we still got so full so fast!! The Omakase had chicken neck, thighs with leek, breast, and gizzard. The neck and gizzard were our favorite skewers, we had to order an extra plate. I also liked their cabbage salad they brought out in the beginning right when we sat down - the sauce was so goooooood! The black sesame gelato is also a must if you have the extra space in your stomach - it was so creamy and the black sesame flavor is super rich. The service was 10/10 - kudos to my server Hannah for being so attentive with us and also helping us choose menu items! The izakaya ambiance is the closest you could get to the izakaya experience in Japan! read more

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Came here on a Friday night with my family and ordered a bunch of the skewers, the sashimi combo, scallion pancake, etc. Decent food but nothing spectacular. read more

Ippuku - Scallion pancake, Sashimi Combo - Bars Near Me - Berkeley, California

** The following review reflects my takeout experience DURING the shelter-in-place order currently in effect. ** Five stars for a sandwich? Well, when it's chicken katsu on soft-as-a-pillow Acme pain de mie, how could I not? Jamie W. and I had never tried this spot on Center Street because we just figured it was for young Berkeley students with excess cash. Back during my Cal days (heavy groan), I got my sandwiches from a roach coach where it was wrapped in saran wrap cut in a diagonal and the halves stacked on top of each other. The mayo was squeezing out from the pressure, but frankly I still like my egg salad that way. Flash forward a few decades and here we were in this somewhat pricey izakaya in the middle of a pandemic. We briefly stepped inside and noticed they were selling $20 Deluxe Bento Boxes and $15 Tori-Katsu Sandos on their takeout table. Jamie was immediately drawn to the sando. It was really a sandwich for two people. That's because four sando halves were offered immaculately in a travel box (photo: https://bit.ly/3kfZgVJ). It reminded me of the sandoitchis that I got at the Family Mart in the JR station before boarding the Shinkansen in Japan. And that's a good memory because those were made with precision and a lot of mayo. This sando was gratefully not mayo-saturated, and the chicken katsu was thick and succulent with the shredded cabbage providing a nice contrasting crunch (photo: https://bit.ly/2PCm6Jn). Great choice, Jamie! FOOD - 5 stars...don't underestimate an awesome sandoitchi during a pandemic AMBIANCE - n/a...looked like there were nice private spaces for socializing but it's rather moot at this point SERVICE - 4 stars...already made and packaged so not much interaction TOTAL - 5 stars...I want to get another box RELATED - Looking for a good sandwich? Here's a collection of places I've tried and reviewed: https://bit.ly/2DjJTuU read more

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Delicious place for yakitori and secretly has probably the best Tori paitan in the Bay Area. Great selection of alcohol and the staff are super friendly. We enjoy getting their cartilage skewers (breast, neck, knee) as well as the gizzard. The ramen and zozui are not to miss. The knee cartilage is very rare: get there right at opening to snag an order. read more

Closest to Japanese traditional yakitori as you can find in US! Having lived in Yokosuka I grew up on Japanese food, yakitori was always a family outing. read more

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