Had this tonight for the first time. It was a good, solid choice. Nothing special or creative with the rolls, but very fresh fish. My crunch roll could have used a little more eel, but overall very good. They also have a decent selection of sake for such a small place. I got an unfiltered nigori sake, it was good. It was very slow but overall good service, good food. read more

Came here for dinner and everything was fabulous! The tempura was perfectly crunchy and not overly battered. The fish was so incredibly fresh and absolutely delicious. Definitely coming back again! read more

Kiku Sushi - Chirashi - Japanese Near Me - Berkeley, California

Cute little place. We ordered agedashi tofu - perfect! Eggplant - yum! I could eat that everyday! Little octopus? Deeelish! Yummy little critters. Our female server was kinda cranky. No smiles and it's like we're irritating her for asking questions about the food. I had a shower so no need to make that stink eye look! Hopefully we get someone else on our next visit! read more

Kiku Sushi - Japanese Near Me - Berkeley, California

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Small place with great service. Miso soup was good and the 2 rolls we had were good. Cannot recall which ones but they were tasty. One different thing is you have to go out the front door then take a right to the side of the restaurant the. Take another right thru a screen door to the bathrooms...no biggie just different read more

Surprise is a residential neighborhood this place that was and is really great! I found it just cruzin back home from up North and googled spots in the area,read a review,looked at a few helpful photos and in an instant or two,I was there! Truly,this place is just awesome! If you live in Cupertino it would remind you of "I-Sushi" that sold and changed menus and i went to that place twice a week upon discovering it as i would this spot if I lived here in the area! It's those little gourmet specialty mixes on the soup serving spoons you will not be able to resist spending more than you planned on Doubles of! I'd move in this street if I worked within 15 miles!! :) The uni was the best i ever had as an afterthought to the assorted super fresh Nigiri I tried! I still taste that Unagi and that Uni like weeks later! LOL. The place is cozy,clean and just spectacular! One of my rare "5"ers! I saw pics and saw a probable college student inhale the Chiroshi! You know,with the accented tobiko and kiwate!(sp), I got to try it next time for sure. I escaped with a mere $53 bill but admit i almost had everything i was willing to explore at first visit! It is just a Great place! I'm going back before Christmas and bringing my wife on a date there! :) If you love sushi it is a must for the bay area resident! read more

Tiny spot delivers tasty+ sushi and great vibe. Set in the middle of Westbrae, perfect to walk/bike to from surrounding neighborhoods or beyond by BART. Right off Ohlone Greenway. read more

Kiku Sushi is my favorite sushi spot in the East Bay. Location is small and dainty, servers are very friendly, and the fish is to die for. If you're willing to spend a little extra, don't skip out on the otoro. Have not tasted a better otoro on this side of the Bay Bridge. Appetizers are great. Grilled yellowtail is awesome too. If you love uni, the Japanese uni is worth the extra couple bucks over the uni from Santa Barbara. Chirashi bowl has amazing variety. read more

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The sushi wasn't anything special. I get better quality at the local grocery store. The service was absolutely ridiculous. The wait time for basic appetizers ( miso soup, edamame) and drinks was over 20 minutes - no joke. Never coming back. read more

Loved the dragon roll and the spicy tuna roll, both full of flavor and items I would strongly recommend. Loved the rice. Did not like the beef teriyaki (very chewy and overpriced for what it was) or the scallop roll (no flavor). read more

Place does not disappoint. Came early to beat the crowds. Authentic, fresh ingredients. Will come back here sans kids next time. My son loves steak teriyaki and wasn't a fan of theirs. Oh well...we loved all of the food. read more

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I ordered TOGO, so I cannot comment of the dine in service. We ordered Shrimp, Salmon and Mackerel nigari along with a rainbow roll and spicy hamachi roll. The nigari's was better then the rolls, as I felt the two rolls were good but not as buttery as the nigari. I like that the nigari had a long generous portion of fish, which was so tasty, but the rainbow just didn't hit the spot. Also, as we were cashing out, it took a while and I had to give my card again, due to not being charged the first time, as the machine timeout. It was fairly busy, but I waited a good 10+ mins just to be charged. Will try it again next time to dine in, maybe it will be different. read more

This tiny place has a serious cleanliness issue, and you can smell it when you walk in the front door. There's no ventilation and when I went, there was an employee coughing without covering her mouth right next to me and my food. One star for the tea. Tea's great. Another star for the staff's lovely smiling faces. So friendly. Sushi took a long time esp. for how slow it was, and was meh. I watched the sushi chef take all the little scraps of extra random fish and put them in my roll. I admit I picked a bad one; I thought it was going to be a nigiri assortment. Menu is super vague and confusing. To use the bathroom, you have to go out and around the building, and you'll discover the heart of the stench problem. They have 10 trash cans overflowing onto the street right outside the open door to the bathroom (and kitchen.) There's rats everywhere back there. Like it's become a problem for all the surrounding businesses and houses. Back to the Sushi place...when you walk into the hallway where the kitchen is and the fanless bathroom, it wreaks like trash, bathroom stench, and rotting fish/vegetables. I didn't order anything from the kitchen for this reason. Maybe they keep the food clean but I don't have confidence in their prep stations. It wouldn't surprise me if they have a heap of mold in the back of each refrigerator; I've never smelled anything like this place so it's hard to put a finger on exactly what it is. It does have a heavy note of rotting food. These people are always friendly and smiling, so I hate to give a bad review, but I've been waiting to clean up their act for months. The mess outside is just getting worse and they're causing a major rat problem for the area. read more

I typically avoid eating sushi in east bay (Yume aside) because it's all Americanized rolls and stringy cuts of tuna and salmon. The boyfriend ditched me for dinner and after passing by kiku and seeing an open seat at the bar, I couldn't resist and decided to give it a try. The nigiri board looked pretty good so I went against my better judgment and ordered live scallop, Hokkaido uni (sea urchin), amebi (sweet shrimp), chu-toro, Aji (horse mackerel), and ankimo (steamed monkfish liver). Quantity and value: 5 stars I disagree with previous reviews and think that the prices are fair (but maybe I'm just been conditioned by SF omakase prices). The prices for two pieces each ranged from $15 (uni) to $8 (amebi). This is especially true given the generous cuts of fish. The chu-toro was a monster sized nigiri. Yes, it's not perfectly proportioned nor beautifully sliced but speaking from a purely quantity point of view, it's great. My entire meal cost $66 before tip, an average of $5.5 per piece of nigiri. Given that I generally ordered the most seasonal and live items, it's a steal! Nigiri Quality: 2-5 stars --Scallops: 5 stars --Sweet shrimp, sea urchin: 4.5 stars Live seafood was incredibly fresh. Scallops and amebi were sweet, tender, and so delicious. The respective innards and heads were fried perfectly. The uni also had its natural sweetness mixed with the "taste of the ocean". That being said, sushi rice needed to be a bit more sour in order to counterbalance the sweetness of the seafood. --chutoro: 2.5 stars Again, huge cut and very buttery but I found it to be lacking in flavor. However, I think most people would enjoy this. --aji: 2.5 stars This was okay overall. Needed a little more ginger since it was also a huge cut. --Ankimo: 2 stars Too much sauce overwhelmed the liver flavor. Also, texturally, it was almost a bit spongy. --Tamago: 4 stars Very surprised at how moist this was! Service: 5 stars Very attentive. The waitresses and sushi chefs checked on me every couple of minutes and my tea cup was always filled. They even comped my tamago! I can see myself going back and just ordering my favorites! read more

Kiku Sushi - Generous slices and good value - Japanese Near Me - Berkeley, California

This place is run by wonderful people and used to be amazing ... while it wasn't yet so popular. The food is still quite good (sometimes very good!), but the service is so disorganized and the space so cramped, *loud* and chaotic that we no longer want to go. It's always hard to get the attention of the server. They tend to forget the absolute basics (your drink, the chopsticks, the soy bowls). It always takes too long to get the bill, and we really are the patient kind and don't normally whine about service. I understand that it's tough for them, because the space is too small for a lot of wait staff, and yet the few people they can manage in there cannot keep up. We went back at the beginning of July 2021 to support them after the past year. Don't dine-in ... yet. It feels like you're dining in a food delivery operation. There are no decorations on the walls, several tables are set aside for food delivery, the food bar is stacked with plastic dishes, and the waiter is mostly busy servicing people at the door picking up orders. We felt tolerated, not welcome. We asked whether they still do their cash discount, to which we got a mumbled "yes sure", but there was no discount. We tipped generously anyway, because, well, we did go there to support them. But we won't be back for a while. To support this place, do it with a to-go order, which saves you most of the hassle this place comes with. But bring patience, because they frankly don't know how long it'll take to ready the food. A look at the faces of the crowd waiting outside tells all. I really hope this place will find a way back to their former greatness. read more

This is the best japanese restaurant in Berkeley! Everything is fresh, delicious and sooo beautifully presented. In short, its OMAMI!!! I gave it 1 star short because of slow service and long wait if your not here early because there are only less than a dozen tables here. But food is really good here! read more

Kiku Sushi - Japanese Near Me - Berkeley, California

I don't understand what is going on with his restaurant. I'm not usually focused on giving negative feedback, but this place has so many varied reviews I felt the need to add my voice. I've known about this place for a while and have always wanted to try it. So I decided to finally do it as I was walking by. It was the middle of the day on Saturday so I was hoping some of the reviews about poor service would be moot since they only had three customers to look after. Yet my experience really echoed some of the more negative reviews. The service was curt and really had no concern for my comfort. They practically ripped the menu out of my hand after I ordered. More importantly, the fish did not taste fresh. I got two maki rolls - they seemed to be covering up the lack of freshness with thick sauces. Nevertheless, I could taste the fishiness through it all (something that is bad for raw fish) Also there was a piece of plastic in my roll. Yep. Plastic. I wish I didn't have to write this - but sushi places should be consistent in their quality. To the people that rate this place 4 or 5 stars - I really wish I visited whatever place you did but I'm at least grateful I didn't bring my girlfriend. read more

tuna hand roll made you feel healthy !! Homey local hangout is just right. Nothing over the top. They keep it simple and friendly. And did I mention damn good quality and fresh on the other sushi rolls we got. Might wanna turn a heater on though. Winter is here and noticed we weren't the only ones wearing hoodies over our heads read more

Kiku Sushi - Japanese Near Me - Berkeley, California

Wish this place had early morning hours ! Me and my fiancé always crave sushi when it's closed . The best thing about this place is that if you pay with cash you get a discount ! How amazing . It's a small little gem tucked away in Berkeley/el Cerrito border on Gilman. Hamachi is my favorite fish I always get everything served with hamachi my fiancé loves all of their sashimi options. And she loves their green tea tempura! We always leave happy and full ! read more

I go to Kiku at least once per week. They are like family. Their selection is amazing and the staff is very friendly. Give them a shot of sake and they will hook you up with some special selections like these hand rolls. They know what we like so they just created it on the spot. And the sushi chefs enjoy making things special. read more

Kiku Sushi - Hand rolls made to order. - Japanese Near Me - Berkeley, California

This is our favorite sushi spot in the bay. The fish is always fresh, super high quality and extremely tasty. They don't skimp on the fish to rice ratio -- it's the real deal. The miso soup is delightful. The plates are flavorful and offer a large variety of options for those that prefer meals other than sushi/in case you feel like switching it up. There is only a small area so plan to wait outside during weekend dinner times. Off-hours allow for quicker seating. The staff is always kind and quick to serve. Delicious and delightful. We can't get enough of this place! read more

We are new to the Bay area and because we love Japanese food we looked it up online and decided to try this place and we have no regrets at all! It's a small restaurant, seems like a family business. We had sushi and they were really fresh, everything tasted amazing! Just one tip: try to get there early because it gets full quickly in the evening. I'm definitely going back read more

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Decent sushi, but utterly impossible to order on the phone. The woman who answered the phone could not understand me or vice versa. Finally, a customer (I think) took over the phone and helped me. For example: when I tried to order a spicy scallop roll, the original woman kept saying "bik roll." When I asked about a crunch roll, she offered: no scallop, crunch roll. I think she meant to cancel the scallop roll because I was ALSO trying to add the crunch roll to the order? When I tried to order the pork gyoza, she said, "pork, no go home." I kept asking, the pork gyoza is not a to-go item?? Huh? Finally, the customer who took over clarified that they were out of the pork gyoza. I don't get it-how does anyone order here? read more

Sushi is fresh and tasty. I agree smell of interior was a bit musty so I sat outside. Service was pleasant and not remarkable.

Stopped by here on way way home to Los Angeles. I came here because of the low yelp, I know crazy right! So, my experience was what I expected...just perfect. I sat at the bar and had a great conversation Sophia, the sushi chef/manager. She's was kind, funny and took the time to engage in conversation. The food.. perfect. I'm spoilt by good sushi in LA but this was on point. Kept it light and I left feeling extremely satisfied. I want to make a point about stars...they are based on a personal experience so therefore have one. Give your local businesses the support they deserve. It's not easy looking after people in a world that's always in a hurry and we are sometimes quick to judge but it takes all of us to make this work. Congrats to the team here, everyone was doing their part. read more

Kiku Sushi - Japanese Near Me - Berkeley, California

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The best sushi here! Even in Covid they have kept up their excellent service and quality food. read more

The sushi wasn't prepared as well today. The rolls were not as neat and had a tad bit more rice than I'd like. I noticed a different person helping the old sushi chef today. Maybe that's why. So removing one star for lack of consistency and quality. read more

First time here tonight, overall experience was VERY GOOD. We called before I got there asking for a reservation within the half hour but the guy on the phone told me maybe in about an hour so I went ahead and made the last minute reservations anyways. When we got there, it was a MUCH smaller place than I expected. It was small and intimate. Actually, a great place for a date with your lover. We were a party of 4, with 2 older kids. We waited outside since the restaurant was so small inside they can't accommodate a waiting space in there. But after a bit, the waitress came out to let us know our table will be ready shortly. She even offered to bring us some hot tea or water while we waited, now that is good customer service. Then later she came out to offer us the bar instead of the table and we took it since a table would take longer, plus my kids found it really fun to sit at the bar. Sushi Chefs were really nice. Checked in with us from time to time. Appetizer came out pretty fast and overall our sushi was SO delicious. The sushi was very fresh and delicious. Price is moderate pricing. Overall, we had a very good experience. We will be back again. read more

Very friendly staff. Food is on point. I'm from up North and wasn't expecting it to be that good. You guys rock. Left full and happy and the bathroom is outside around the corner and that was perfectly clean as well as the restaurant. 5 starts hands down. read more

Worst service ever! Forgot half of our order, and utensils! I couldn't eat my salad, or-the miso soup from the looks of it. I just wanted to leave.. Sushi was eh. read more

I love the folks at Kiku sushi and I love their food. Each time - consistent, delicious sushi. And look at how hard everyone is working to turn this little restaurant into a success. It's always busy here, but worth any wait you may endure. read more

Wow, I just moved into town and my neighbor said they liked Kiku Sushi, so now that it's reopened, I got the Chirashi Lunch Special bento and what a great value! For Father's Day, I got 3 orders of the chirashi and everyone thoroughly enjoyed the fresh fish, well prepared and presented, quality cuts and variety. The sushi rice was just right too (not too sweet or sour, mushy or hard). I can't wait to go back and bring my friends. My dad is looking forward to having it again too... read more

Extremely slow/ non existent service. Sushi was ok. Seemed like the waitresses didn't know what they were serving. I'll skip on this place next time. read more

Best sushi in the bay area fresh fish for sure worth the price great staff clean environment

Great little establishment, gets busy for dinner. We've been here twice now for date night and have enjoyed our meals. The sushi chef hooked us up on our first visit there with a free nigiri tasting of baby squid that was amazing! He also gave us some good recommendations on other nigiri to try. read more

Didn't get my miso to go, but it was bomb! The real crab California roll was a definite plus. read more

This place is good, but don't go here with three young kids that need to eat a lot, the bill adds up quickly! Enjoyed the food and thought it all tasted great, just way more expensive than we were looking for as a casual family dinner. read more

I drive all the way from Alameda to eat here, it is just so fresh and tasty , and those nice little extra ingredients in the rolls you just don't find everywhere . read more

Kiku Sushi - Japanese Near Me - Berkeley, California

This was a cute little hole in the wall sushi place with so much delicious food. A great find! Try the crunch roll!

I have been coming to Kiku, off and on, since they opened. Even with the changes in chefs and menu items (sad that they changed their salmon skin roll for example), they still deliver very fresh sushi. I recently got their sushi and chirashi lunch specials, something I normally never do (I normally order a la carte), after a horrible sushi experience with a highly rated Yelp sushi restaurant on College. Keep in mind, this is during the Covid SIP, so all restaurants are take out only. I was not expecting much, but was happily surprised by the freshness and quantity of both dishes. Yes, I have experienced slow service in the past. I like the attitude of a previous reviewer, you go when you are not in a hurry. But they are nice, the food is fresh and lunch specials are reasonable. They did forget the miso soup, but apologized and quickly got it for me. Now I can't wait to get my next sushi fix from Kiku. read more

Lovely sushi restaurant, one of the better ones around the area. There's usually a line and only one waiter/waitress working, out of all the times we've been. If you're not short on time, try this place out! read more