Kotobuki just relocated to Montclair, a gyoza's throw from Toshi Sushi. Hopefully this means competition between the two restaurants in the form of lower prices, bigger portions, etc., to attract us, the customers! Kotobuki's food and service were similar to when it was on Piedmont Avenue, which is to say, pretty darn good. I made reservations for a party of eight, and when we arrived, two joined tables near the door were ready for us. Our rolls and combinations tasted fresh and delicious. The children were given extra tofu in their miso soups. The owner recognized us from the other location, and chatted with us for a couple minutes, even though the restaurant was packed. She's very friendly. Two things the new Kotobuki might improve on are its greeting and seating. We saw several parties come in and wait a while before a worker acknowledged their arrival. Overall, the new Kotobuki's a solid Japanese restaurant. I will return again and again! read more

Kotobuki is one of my all-time favorite restaurants. I have gone there over twenty times and I am always delighted! I am a very picky eater, and it's sometimes hard to find Japanese food that isn't too fancy. I'm not saying that Kotobuki is simple, just that the waiters and chefs take special requests very seriously. There is always something for everyone to eat! My favorite dishes are agedashi tofu, tempura udon (soup), and for dessert, tempura ice cream with mochi! The restaurant is rarely crowded. The walls are covered with traditional Japanese textiles, and the plates and bowls are elegantly adorned. The one things I would change about the decor is the television, which serves as a distraction from an otherwise intimate setting. I highly recommend Kotobuki! read more

I was thrilled to have another Japanese place in the village, since I am sick of having to leave the area to get my Japanese fix. It seemed promising since every time I went by they had a good number of customers inside. This is something I always look for in any restaurant, but especially a Japanese restaurant - less reason to keep yesterdays fish. I finally made it to Kotobuki Jr. and unfortunately I will not go back. I know that a couple of people have commented on how kid friendly this place is, and it certainly was the night I was there (disclaimer, I'm proudly child-free). So the kid filled environment, combined with the visual onslaught decor made for a not very relaxing dining experience. We ordered some really basic stuff - soba noodles (soup), yakitori, an order of brown rice (that's right they had brown rice!), and California rolls. Oddly, none of the food had any real flavor - not bad flavor, just no flavor. Also, as someone in a previous review mentioned the chicken was fatty. l literally had to spit wads of fat into my napkin on at least 3 occasions while eating my 2 skewers of chicken. I am giving it 2 stars only because the staff were all very nice and for the fact that they had brown rice. read more

Kotobuki is our go-to place for sushi in the area. Price is on point, they give you generous portions and the staff is the friendliest in the neighborhood. read more

I ordered a late lunch and at that time, a grand total of two tables were occupied. Kotobuki Jr had every opportunity to lineup the target and hit a bulls eye. The sushi was sad, lacking in freshness and constructed in sloppy, haphazard manner. I really wanted Kotobuki to be my local sushi joint so I returned after my first disappointment with the same results. The owners put aside, I'm very suspicious of any 5 or 4 star Kotobuki Jr review. read more

Unfortunately this place will not be in my book of hall of fame. The service is ok...I had ordered udon seafood soup with spicy tuna roll. The spicy tuna roll was absolutely delicious but the Udon seafood soup was so overwhelmed with fishy mussell and sea weed taste that it makes your stomach turn. The mussell left a grindy sandy after taste. Although, I had went to the one in Piedmont, I can't believe it is own by the same owner. The one in Piedmont is so much better in every way. Sorry, I won't be back read more

This used to be my favorite restaurant in Montclair Village. Tanaka was an AMAZING sushi chef. He apparently retired during Covid. Picked up takeout recently with new chef. Disaster. Not great quality. Almost room temperature sushi (we were there promptly). Sloppy presentation (Tanaka used to pay attention to detail and set up the food in anticipation of travel for takeout so it would be in good shape when traveling). Just an overall underwhelming experience. I'm very sad Tanaka is gone. I'm not sure I will visit again. May give them one more chance. I'm writing this review with the hope the restaurant will see it and step up their game. Or, bring back Tanaka!! read more

All time favorite sushi place, hands down! Super good quality for price, which is very reasonable. Dinner combinations are huge and could feed two people easily. Boat C is very good and fair priced for amount of sushi served. Could feed one very hungry body builder or up to 10 small children, from my experience. I recommend the Combination Dinner of Unagi Donburi and Sashimi. Its about $18 for 2 items and $22 for 3. Totally worth it and the staff are super friendly and nice. We go there about two times a week and are considered "regulars". They like us and we get extras sometimes, and our family frequently reserves about 12 seats for a family meal. read more

Miso soup was tasty but salad was really wilted, cooked food was all cold, and customer service was terrible... food took foreverrrrr to come. And they all decided to take a lunch together and never returned. I wanted a drink, some ginger and the bill but they never returned. I finally went to front counter to pay bill...she just showed me price of bill while she was on the phone. Terrible ...we wont return. read more

Wow, I just ordered the 2 Item Dinner... Beef Teriyaki and Pork Tonkatsu In the past, this came out in a traditional bento box...small portion. This time, it came out in a large round plate...huge portion! and it taste GREAT! Thanks Kotobuki - I'll be back soon. read more

Kotobuki has become my go to Japanese Restaurant in Oakland. I've only eaten lunch here but the prices seem very reasonable, the quality of food is great, the amount of food given for the price is more than generous and the service is always quick and efficient...and also very friendly. Kotobuki is clean and there always seems to be parking available on the street close to the front of the Restaurant. I'm actually stunned by a couple of the not so great reviews written here...but anyone who says the prices here are unreasonable should really stay home because they're apparently living in a bubble! read more

The meal started off with good miso soup. We also had the Angel roll (9.90) it was a good size and the fish tasted fresh. Godzilla roll (8.95) had two different spicy sauces, it was very different but pretty good. Probably wouldn't get it again though. Terriyaki chicken, tempura, spicy tuna roll dinner (17.95) was plenty of food and good. Friendly service in a casual, nice restaurant. read more

Ordered for pickup for a birthday. Large order and everything was ready on time. Nice presentation and everyone really enjoyed their meal. And they gave us a number of complimentary beverages on the house. Thanks! read more

The sushi here is descent, and relatively inexpensive. The atmosphere is very casual, loud, and bright. It is kid friendly. If it is busy, I recommend not going in because they will not let you know how long the wait will be, and typically do not have enough staff to seat clients, clear tables, take orders, and settle tabs. I have waited for up to an hour for a piece of fish. read more

I've been going to Kotobuki since I was in grade school and just learning what sushi is. I was a huge fan when they were on Piedmont Ave, and I've had similar experiences at their Montclair location. I can summarize Kotobuki vs. its local competition in a sentence; Kotobuki is the least expensive option, with variable quality. I can't speak to the current service, I only go in for take-out lunches at work. They've always been polite, and prompt with my orders. I do have to note that the last time I went in, the restaurant smelled fishy (not a good thing) and the lettuce in my spicy tuna roll was brown at the edges. It made me sad that browned lettuce would pass quality control at a sushi restaurant, but due to their competitive pricing I'll be back anyway. read more

I'm not very sure how I feel for this restaurant right now. The first time I ate here, the sashimi sake was a little warm and mushy. not the way I enjoy it. I'll give it three stars for now, until I dine here again. I ate here again last night with friends and the sashimi was much much better! The restaurant is SUPER kid friendly compared to kakui up the street. My friends and I waited a decent 15 minutes before the waiter came to take our orders. Though one good thing was the bus boy was very efficient in refilling our waters and teas. Friends had the salmon skin roll, volcano roll and the blue hawaii roll. I had the combination dinner with sashimi and tempura roll. We asked for separate bills and they kindly added the tax to each of our dinners and went green using one bill. The tomato in my salad was not ripe, neither was the peach. But again, we are starting to roll into fall. Breakdown: 4 stars for the food+beverage refilling -1 stars for slow service. read more

YUMMY!! Reservations not needed, but if you want to go with more than 2 or 3 people, it doesn't hurt to call ahead because they will reserve a table for you. Friendly staff and fair prices make this one of my favorite places to dine. read more

By recommendation of someone we walked past in the neighborhood - this was the best sushi spot in the area! I'm leaving two stars because our rolls were actually good. Serve on the other hand well I felt like we were ignored Sat a mostly clean table within moments of walking in after being noticed We were given menus, water and miso soup. The waitstaff walked passed us numerous times and not once stopped to "check" on us As we were finishing up someone came with more water and our check. No Soy, no tea, no offer of other drinks, no salad, no real attention paid to us I'm sure that this is probably not a regular occurrence based on some of the reviews I read before we came As I walked out I noticed other tables had full service. I wonder if they just simply spoke up and asked for it read more

Walked in on a Monday night and had a choice of any seat in the house. We meant to go to another sushi spot but weren't paying attention when we walked in... That actually ended up working in our favor! Super attentive and friendly staff none the less. Quality and prices matched up and we were pretty happy with our bill when it was all said and done. Was particularly excited when one of the Itamae (sushi chef, I googled it) surprised us each with an orange fruit carving. It was totally unexpected, but SO appreciated. I didn't mind the complimentary cup of miso soup to kick start the experience either. Will definitely be back! read more

Great local Japanese - tons of food for the money. Good for my two teenage boys who love sushi. We go at least monthly.

THE FOOD: Delicious! Especially if you get the beef teriyaki and tempura combo. Plus it comes with miso soup and salad. THE SERVICE: Five stars. they're always there when you need them. THE ATMOSPHERE: Usually pretty busy, but you can always find a seat. Everybody comes out happy and satisfied. ALL IN ALL: Costs a little more than average, but that's just because their food is a lot more than average. read more

I used to eat here often but stopped because it was never great. Just ok. I recently went back a few months ago to discover a new sushi chef. My first time back was incredible. I was blown away. Ive been back about five times since. But, last night was some of the best sushi I've had. Ever. The chef suggested a few different fish that were extremely fresh. The flavor combinations were out of this world. Taste, texture, temperature... every dish had it all. The rolls are great, but the chef makes incredible sashimi plates that blew my mind. Great selection of fish. I recommend sitting at the sushi bar. Make friends with the master and follow his lead. Hands down delicious. Hope you enjoy as much as I have. Im looking forward to going back again soon. read more

Solid sushi in a casual setting. Great place to bring kids as well as I see many families dine there.

Love this restaurant! Food continues to be excellent, and the service is wonderful...even in the time of Covid-19. We are doing our best to support them as much as we can, and they do not disappoint! read more

The sheer amount of food for the price is truly unbeatable. The restaurant starts you off with miso soup and a house Japanese salad, which is nice, light and crisp. I usually order the dinner platter, which is the size of a 16 inch pizza. The dinner platter options are excellent, as they are both filling and delicious. By sheer value of the food to money ratio, this place is definitely in my top 4 for dining in Montclair. read more

Fresh fish and friendly staff. Consistently good, they usually have Bonito (versus many places) and have real crab (always a plus). Owner has taken time to educate me about the fish (like Yellowtail should not be fishy, fishy = not desired cuts). I usually stick to the Nigiri, but the few rolls I have tried were also good. Have been regular enough that the chef remembers my usual order and will also make recommendations. If not in the mood for sushi, I have had the Pork Katsu lunch/dinner-which is also good as well as kitchen orders (Gyoza, squid and specials). Prices are fine given the area. read more

My uncle has been raving about this place and is a weekly regular here. Finally got a chance to eat here and hands down really fresh sushi. The rice is made perfectly and service is great. read more

Three visits due to pure stubbornness. No flavor, not going back. Miserable tummy action post for myself and daughter. Don't.

This is our favorite family restaurant. The kids love it and we go here frequently for sushi, rolls, udon and teriyaki. Always see other families that we know. Was surprised by some of the negative comments. Really nice staff and fast service if taking out. read more

Okay, but not great. The food is just decent and the service (lunch time) was particularly slow when I went. The lunchbox special is odd. You can mix and match different items. But the sides are salad and rice. That might work with the tempura items, but for the sushi/rolls, they could have chosen alternative sides. I think Montclair could do better. read more

I tried this place on a whim since my bf and I were in the neighborhood. We saw a significant number of people eating inside, so we thought it was cool. Well, we'll not be going back to this restaurant again. Service was not terrible, but not great either. It took some waiting for the waitress to come take our order. We were brought some edamame beans and miso soup as appetizers, but the soup was too salty, like it'd been left on the back burner too long. There was also a noticeable lack of seaweed and green onion (and only one cube of tofu) in my soup. On to the entrees: First of all, I ordered three rolls. I said, "and that's all," but the waitress somehow interpreted that as "California Roll." Sadly, my bf said this was the "best" of the rolls we had. My bf did not think that the shrimp or the fish used in the rolls were very fresh. One roll I ordered mentioned on the menu that it was deep fried. For some reason I thought it was just the fish that was deep fried (like tempura), but it was the whole roll that was deep fried. And the rice was just wrong. It was mushy and just did not taste very good. They were too much like those refrigerated sushi they have at Safeway. Upon finishing our food, I thought that the the food in general seemed mediocre, but not awful...until I got food poisoning from this restaurant (and it was pretty obvious that this place was the cause). That just pushed my opinion of this place from mediocre to terrible. Maybe they just have terrible rolls but their dinner plates are okay, but after causing a terrible stomach ache, I don't think I'm going to risk it. [Update: Reading through the other reviews, it looks like I'm not the only one who got diarrhea from this place. I didn't want to mention it before (though it was *horrible*), but since other people are experiencing this too, I'd say that raises a very red flag. Don't eat here, they obviously don't have fresh food or are preparing food wrong.] read more

Would like to write good reviews, but alas, this is not one of them. Like a few people expressed, one in our party got the runs and food poisoning after eating the cooked (!) food. The sushi and sashimi folks escaped the "praying to the porceain gods." For food that did not stay down, it seemed pricey. read more

Large portions, fast service, and food quality is a bit above average.