I LOVE a good handroll place. Impressed with their menu that not only includes great handroll options but also has a nice variety of appetizers. I ordered the 4 handroll option ($30) and it was delicious. Remember to eat your handroll as soon as it comes out for maximum freshness! I also enjoyed the hotate (scallop) crudo for appetizer and pandan creme brûlée for dessert. I recommend getting their truffle citrus soy ($1) to dip your handrolls in - the truffle just changes the game! The service was great - attentive and quick. Perfect for a date night even during the week if you don't want to spend more than an hour at a restaurant. I'll definitely be back to try other apps. Highly recommend checking this place out at Jack London Square! read more

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I was in Jack London area and stumbled upon this place. It opens at noon and I was thinking Japanese hand roll lunch would be nice. My group of three was sat down immediately as we were first in line at noon. The place is all bar seating and as you order, the hand rolls are made to order by the chef. I ordered the three hand roll set and all of the hand rolls were exquisite. I also tried a premium one, the uni toro and caviar one; It was good but not worth the price tag of the hand roll. We also ordered the hamachi crudo and the flavor on that was sublime. The fish tastes extremely fresh here, making it a must try if in the area. I would definitely come back. read more

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Good handroll spot! Fresh. Their wagyu uni piece was a little underwhelming though. Otherwise nice service.

Ambiance was clean but quaint - wait times vary, I would check in via Google Maps for faster seating. I got the 3 hand roll item and my friend got the 3 hand roll with hamachi crudo. The handroll consisted of Sake (salmon), Hamachi, and Spicy Tuna but I had opted out of that one and asked to switch to something else. Service was great and attentive. I appreciate them switching out the spicy tuna for me because I can't have spicy so they were able to make an exception with a tuna avocado - which was really fresh and delicious! The hand rolls were overall okay though, I think the fish was fine but didn't have much flavor. The seaweed also got a bit soggy and wasn't as crispy as I've had at other handroll places. Overall I'm glad I tried but I think there are others in the area that may score a bit higher in terms of quality and taste. read more

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Staff is friendly. Place is small- all seating is bar seating. Service is slow as they are super busy. Bathroom is very inconvenient = you need to walk outside and go a half block, use a key to get thru door #1, then a passcode for door #2; not sure how fun that will be in the winter... Food is small portions and decent quality, a bit the pricey side imo, however I've included the menu with prices so judge for yourself. read more

Kuidaore Handroll Bar - Menu - Bars Near Me - Oakland, California

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Ambiance - simple and clean, with counter service, as sushi should be. Went around 5:30pm on a Thursday and there were people, but it wasn't busy. Service - the staff was so friendly, welcoming, and attentive. They encouraged us to take our time and made great recommendations. Food - Everything was fresh and delicious! The food came faster than we could keep up and everything we ate seemed to just get better and better. You can't skip out on the happy spoons, they are AMAZING! Also the mango dreamsicle cocktail could also be dessert and was delicious. I would go back simply to get those two items. The pandan creme brûlée is unique and if you like pandan than I highly recommend. read more

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The service is fairly quick. The hand rolls and apps come at a reasonable time, enough for you to be prepared for the next dish. I love that they are pet friendly. They participate in restaurant week which is nice and exciting to try their pre- made menus. They have two kinds of Salmon carpaccio dishes. Both are delicious. Their handrolls are the right amount of Fish paired with the rice. The ambiance is very casual, I highly recommend coming here if you are in the area read more

Good service and clean. Unfortunately the handrolls are not very good. The fish is sort of more like what u would expect in a poke bowl -- heavily seasoned and not the freshest. read more

Absolutely delicious find in Jack London. Well balanced cocktail selection along with a delightful variety of hand rolls. Vincent was the one who took our order and he was just a great dude. Knew the menu, offered helpful suggestions. Price is reasonable. Casual atmosphere without being too loud. Would definitely come back. read more

Kuidaore Handroll Bar - Happy Spoons and Ankimo - Bars Near Me - Oakland, California

Handrolls are usually not my go-to but wow! This places packs their handrolls with amazingly fresh fish. I got their hamachi handroll, salmon handroll, hotate crudo, and salmon king. So, so good - I would have all these dishes over and over again. The place is very tidy and has a little under 20 seats around the counter. Handrolls are made in front of you and the folks working there are very attentive. There are no in-suite restrooms so I had to run across to Plank. That was a relatively odd thing to come across but the food made up for it. read more

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Delicious, beautifully presented. Fresh ingredients in inventive pairings. Clean, modern surroundings. Friendly service.

Nice clean aesthetic. Good quality fish. Good service. I'd come back. We ordered hand rolls and a few appetizers/small plates. Enjoyed it all. read more

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love this place! my go-to for hand rolls, always fresh and delicious with great service.

During my whole pregnancy, my husband and I would salivate over pictures of the food from this place. We couldn't wait for a good time after I gave birth to go and we finally did this weekend. It did NOT disappoint!!! We absolutely loved everything we got. Here's the breakdown from start to finish: 1. You check in at the front. It's like sitting at a sushi bar so it's bar seating (high up). Not sure if there is ADA accessible seating. We were seated right away. There were a good amount of people inside. 2. Service is AMAZING and everyone is so nice. 3. Hand rolls are about $9ish each. If you're going with someone for the first time, I recommend ordering different hand rolls and asking the sushi chef to cut the hand roll in half. That's what my husband and I did in order to try different rolls. 4. Get the Toro Crudo or some kind of Crudo. Soooooooo good! It's one of their small plates. 5. Every single roll was so delicious. Our fave was obviously the A5 Wagyu, Uni and Caviar one but we also loved the Negitoro and Spicy Scallop. 6. You eat the rolls very fast. We were in and out in 30 minutes Park in the parking garage. About $1.50 if you spend as much time as we did in there. We cannot wait to be back again read more

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TL;DR Make a reservation! The Yelp waitlist is completely WRONG! NO outdoor seating so NO dogs allowed. Fresh food, inventive flavors, attentive service, and clean environment. Oakland Restaurant Week is here! Of course I have to trek over the bridge to my old hood and try something new. After a quick search of participating Japanese restaurants, I narrow down to Kuidaore Handroll Bar because it has a prix fixe menu that looks well rounded and the reviews for the restaurant have been solid so far. We arrived a little before 6:30pm on a Saturday. The weather was super nice especially for outdoor dining. We had no reservations because Yelp Waitlist said it's wide open. We brought our very well behaved pooch because Yelp said dogs are allowed...WRONG & WRONG. They're fully booked with a long handwritten reservation list. All seatings are inside so NO dog is allowed. Since I was there, my friends said if the restaurant could squeeze me in somewhere, they would be more than happy to go next door where there is a large outdoor dining area. It turned out to be the BEST decision as they loved their food and our pooch got her own bacons! An absolute perfect night for everyone! Anyway here's my dining experience. I was seated at the end of the bar, an area it strike me as where they probably put takeout or catering orders normally. Unlike everyone else who's sitting behind a tall counter bar, I was at table height with no obstruction so I could see everything going on in the kitchen. It's like I'm dining at the chef's table next to the kitchen...I quite enjoyed it. After I made my selection for the prix fixe menu, the courses began to come out...they're all paced perfectly so I never felt rushed or had to wait too long. The prix fixe menu was thoughtfully designed with a taste of some of their best dishes: Crudo Trio: truffle salmon, toro, hamachi (Perfect little starter to get your appetite going) Spoon Duo: 1 Happy spoon, 1 scallop, ikura spoon (Oh the happy spoon makes me happy just thinking about it!) Spicy Tuna Handroll (A nice balance of spiciness and umami) Unagi or Spicy Scallop Handroll (I got the spicy scallop, which was very fresh but could use a bit more flavors) Chawanmushi w/ikuro and uni (Nothing more comforting than a bowl of silken steamed egg, but honestly I wasn't a big fan of uni and ikuro in this dish as the heat seemed to bring out their fishy taste. I think crab meat might be more appealing as the heat tends to bring out crab's sweetness) Shitake Kanpyo, Avocado Handroll (I can be a vegetarian if all vegetarian options taste this good) Premium Handroll (I chose A5 Wagyu, Uni & Caviar...seriously this item is going on my Last-meal list! I'll come back just for this item alone!) Yuzu Cheesecake or Pandan Creme Brûlée (I got pandan creme brûlée. The custard was silky smooth, but it has little bruleed sugar topping so I didn't get that crack I want before diving into the pandan-scented custard.) Now I understood why Oakland was again named the #1 Best Food City in the U.S. by Condé Nast Traveler readers. My whole experience at Kuidaore Handroll Bar exceeded all my expectations. The Jack London area was beautiful and lively. I can't wait to come back. read more

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Such a beautiful decorum all throughout the restaurant. The owner Marcella and staff were very friendly and attentive! I discovered them through a Yelp elite event and immediately had to try their hand rolls! My gf and I did the four piece hand roll and our favorite was the spicy scallop. Price wise it is very reasonable at around $15 per person for sushi I don't think many places can compete to offer that quality and price point for freshness. This place is also Dog friendly which is a plus! We will be returning again, thank you for the delicious sushi!! read more

Kuidaore Handroll Bar - Sake cocktails - Bars Near Me - Oakland, California

Amazing experience, great service. And the food was absolutely delicious ! Definitely coming back! At least two amazing people ruing the place in the front of the restaurant. May take some time to get your sushi but be patient it will be a traditional treat. Also there wine, sake, beer and cocktail selection is excellent and it seem well put. I say give it a chance and I am sure you will like to come back. read more

Kuidaore Handroll Bar - Bars Near Me - Oakland, California

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I wanted to report back that the food has improved. I went back a second time with two other friends that wanted to check this spot out. The handrolls had warm rice, crispy nori! That just elevates the handroll experience exponentially!! read more

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Favorite Handroll spot in Oakland! To-go packaging very cute and sushi quality is excellent! read more

Kuidaore Handroll Bar - Sake, California & Negitoro handrolls....Yum!! - Bars Near Me - Oakland, California

My friend and I came here to continue my birthday celebration! We're both huge fans of sushi and I really wanted to try this place. We came at 5pm on a Friday (when they open) so we wouldn't have to wait, and were obviously seated without any issues. Overall, some seats turn over quickly, while others (like us) sit and enjoy all the things! We were there for about 2 hours, and it was around 7pm that the bar was actually full with two parties waiting. I had read somewhere on yelp that they will cut the handrolls in half, if asked, so we decided to ask for that so we could try as much as possible! (FYI - they can't cut the premium rolls in half). We ordered the 3 and 4 hand roll sets. All of them were absolutely delicious, and the scallop was my absolute favorite, so we ordered an extra at the end of our meal! We each also ordered the wage + uni + caviar premium handroll - and I would say that with this one, next time, I would rather just get the wagyu roll. We also got the happy spoons which were good, the ankimo, which was delicious, and the hotate crudo, which was both of our favorite! The food was good and I would highly recommend! I don't normally love hamachi, but it was delicious here! Probably a testament to the overall quality of the fish. The only thing both of us didn't love was the drinks. Overall, they were pretty, but just far too sweet for our taste buds. Next time, we'll stick to sake. read more

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One of the best non-omakase sushi places we have had. The quality of fish was present. They didn't overly engineer the flavors and it was well balanced. Must-go sushi place if you want sushi for less than $100 per person It is on par with some higher priced sushi establishments but for a fraction of the price. The quality to price ratio is very high read more

If I could it would be a 3.9/5 stars. I really like that this place is close by for normal quality sushi needs but overall, nothing stood out as amazing or new and I believe the price point is standard for most handroll spots. The menu is very basic but you can get full. The service is good, ambience modern and clean. The food is great quality, but as said nothing new. I got some hand rolls not worth picturing. I really liked the chirashi only offered at lunch and I'll likely get again one day. Nothing seemed authentic or cool except that it was very clean, artistic, and roomy for a small spot. read more

Kuidaore Handroll Bar - Lunch chirashi - Bars Near Me - Oakland, California

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I had the opportunity to dine here for my birthday. I thought it was a great experience overall! Very similar concept to Sugarfish in socal except it's more a la carte verse prefix menu like Sugarfish. Overall I would say the quality is really good and it's a great date night spot. Price wise it is a little pricey for the portion size. But if you have a sushi lover in your life I would recommend this spot for a date night. read more

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Compact intimate counter handroll bar offering fresh sashimi and excellent service. Everything has been super tasty, and they even offer to cut the handrolls in half when you're sharing. I don't know if it's a style but they don't wrap the rolls tightly, so you really have to grip hard with your hand to ensure the rice is not falling out while dipping into soy sauce. The sashimi choices are delicious. We ordered the hamachi and king salmon. The Hamachi was beautiful, dressed with pretty little flowers and micro greens; I have to warn you each slice was packed with a punch (note the thinly sliced Serrano atop). The king salmon slices were creamy, fatty, and smoky; they did not linger long on the plate. I just wish they came with more slices. We went on a week night and there was no line we got seated right away. Our waiter Vincent was so warm and welcoming, checking in on us frequently and would become very apologetic whenever we had to wait. There was another female server who brought over our sashimi plates from the kitchen, but she didn't seem as friendly as Vincent. She'd kind of bark out our orders before slamming the plate down between my husband and myself. Kind of strange. I guess it was a bad day for her. They have fantastic sake offerings. Get the Kikusui which is very clean and sweet tasting. We didn't try their cocktails but they all looked alluring. Why the 4 stars? It's waay too loud inside for my taste. I noticed there were no drapery or curtains to help absorb the sound. Customer sound level can amplify and echo in magnitude in that small space. It was really hard to hear the wait staff. Maybe I'm getting old. Regardless, this is a welcome addition in Jack London square. That whole strip has been pretty dead for sometime, and we waited eagerly for this whole area to blossom, but it's just been sluggish. Hopefully this will be one step towards the revitalization of our JLS neighborhood. read more

Kuidaore Handroll Bar - Hamachi - careful it is spicy! - Bars Near Me - Oakland, California

New Handroll spot in Jack London Square! As soon as I saw this place open up, I knew I had to stop by and try it. I wasn't too hungry so didn't end up ordering the sets, but I think the three Handroll set is such a good deal for $23! You get sake, hamachi and spicy tuna. Each one is already priced at $8/9, so you do save a bit. Except you cannot mix and match, unfortunately. Honestly, 3-4 of these Handrolls can feel pretty filling. Overall, the flavors were pretty good. The seaweed was nice and crispy, and the rice was warm and seasoned. Although I wasn't blown away by the flavor of the rice, the fish was very fresh, so overall, not bad but not amazing. I ended up getting the hamachi Handroll because it's one of my favorites, also ordered the negitoro, and the happy spoons. The spoons were a little small, but had a little bit of everything that I love: toro, truffle ponzu, tobiko, and uni! If it had quail egg too it would've been perfection. - S E A T I N G - Bar seating around 15-20 seats available so plenty of room. - P A R K I N G - Parking below Jack London square by the hour. Prefer to park downstairs to avoid getting bipped. - P R I C E - Honestly, pretty good value given the location and for good quality fish. - S E R V I C E - Service is great! The servers are all super attentive and friendly. read more

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I've been coming to Kuidaore since they've opened over a year ago and lemme tell you... BEST HANDROLLS EVER. The crudos are fire (hotate & hamachi is my favorites) and the handrolls are delicious!! My go-to handroll is all the spicy ones (spicy sake, spicy tuna, spicy scallop) and I see they've recently added chawanmushi to their menu, so I'll definitely be stopping by in the near future to try! read more

What a cute spot!! The hand rolls were fantastic and the pacing of delivering food was timed great. It's especially fun to watch the chefs prepare the wagyu rolls - spoiler alert: they use a chef's torch for those and it's pretty spectacular! The four stars is because when we came in and were hoping to get seated it was confusing and we felt ignored. No one was manning their host stand (totally fine, the place is small) but it being there and us waiting by it, we made eye contact with staff but non made any move to greet us or let us know if/how to get seated which was awkward and kind of frustrating. We waited there for a while. They are a new restaurant so I'm sure this will get sorted out soon. read more

Kuidaore Handroll Bar - Pandan crème brûlée - Bars Near Me - Oakland, California

Went here for dinner and was craving hand rolls. Found this out from a friend and we went here for dinner. It's in the Jack London plaza area. Cute interior with all bar seating. Maguro Ponzu: Pretty solid appetizer. Very refreshing and the fish quality was good. It's more of a sweet ponzu and shoyo than straight ponzu. Sweet, salty and tangy goodness. Besides from the sauce and fish, the dish lacked anything that would make it standout. 4/5 We opted for the 3 handroll set with Sake, Hamachi and Spicy Tuna. Everything was very average. Good portion with a good ratio of rice to fish. Sake was good, Hamachi wasn't super fresh, and Spicy tuna was also average. I normally don't consider price point into my reviews but 3 handrolls for $23 is kinda absurd considering they're so average. For comparison, Yonsei has a 5 set for $29. 2/5 I was interested in trying some of their premium rolls but none of the basic rolls surprised me enough to want to try them. I don't see myself coming back to this place. read more

Kuidaore Handroll Bar - Bars Near Me - Oakland, California

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The best handrolls I've ever had! It was so delicious that I ordered catering for a potluck. Marcella and team are so kind and accommodating. They were able to have my order ready right when they opened, which I appreciate! Definitely a crown favorite read more

Kuidaore Handroll Bar - Bars Near Me - Oakland, California

The service was great and the workers were super nice and attentive. There is only seating at the "bar"/chef seating. The handrolls were soo good and I loved their uni! Some handrolls were hard to bite down bc of the seaweed but that didn't really take away from how good the rolls were. I wish there was more fish in the rolls though. Overall, I do recommend and will be coming back to get my sushi handroll fix here. read more

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The restaurant was aesthetic and had a modern feel. However, there was unfortunately not a lot of seating. The fish was pretty fresh and the service was quick. However, I feel that I have had the same quality or better for cheaper at other places. I did really enjoy their special Kyoto beer! read more

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Super delicious! I ordered three hand rolls (salmon, spicy tuna, and forgetting the other one) and the best catch box. Everything had great flavor. Their wasabi is out of this world and the freshest I've ever had. Staff are super friendly! Our waiter made us like we were hanging at a friend's house-very welcoming read more

Kuidaore Handroll Bar - Best Catch Box - Bars Near Me - Oakland, California

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My friend and I were looking for a new place to try and decided to stop in here. We were very happy we did!! First, the employees are so pleasant & friendly and that is always a great start!! The food was delicious!! The small plates we had, king salmon & scallops crudo were truly AMAZING!! They were a beautiful combination of freshness, flavors while being just a simple, clean dish. We had the handroll trio & the seaweed was so fresh it crunched... exactly what you want in a handroll. Needless to say, I highly recommend this spot and will be back myself!! read more

Kuidaore Handroll Bar - King salmon with a truffle soy & roe! Scallop crudo with chili crunch.... unbelievable!! - Bars Near Me - Oakland, California

I LOVE THIS PLACE. Handrolls are fresh and quality of fish is great. Staff are always friendly and service quick. Their cocktails are pretty good too but more on the sweeter side. Only parking is mainly parking garages, and area can be busy but overall location is nice, by the water. Will always come back! read more

Kuidaore Handroll Bar is located at Jack London Square. The restaurant is a first come first serve basis. I had ordered the Spicy Tuna HR, Scallop HR, Negitoro HR and Happy Spoons. The Scallop and Negitoro Hand Roll was so delicious. I wasn't a big fan of Spicy Tuna since it tasted like gochujang but my favorite dish was the Happy Spoons, I think I could've ate 6 of them by myself. I really loved the warm rice in the handroll but I wish the handroll itself was rolled a little tighter since the filling kept falling out. The chili garlic edamame was also not like the description, it was just sprinkled with a little bit of chili flakes but no garlic or flavor at all - just tasted like boiled edamame. Overall, I think the place is really cute and the concept is great especially for a quick bite! read more

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Love this new handroll bar! Dope service and aesthetics! A little pricy for what I'd pay but it's a fun date night spot!! Sushi was also delicious and super fresh! They had super cute soy sauce dishes and the drinks are so pretty (I got the mocktail)! read more

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Food was QUALITY! Fav hand roll was the negitoro! The service was a1 and the restaurant itself was v cute inside. Clean too! Will def be coming back. read more

Saw that a handroll place opened up recently and finally got the chance to try it. I'm always on the lookout since handrolls are one of my favorite foods. I ordered the hamachi, spicy scallop, and negitoro handrolls, and the tuna tartare to share. I was pleasantly surprised that the handrolls were so good. The fish was so fresh and firm and the handrolls had a nice balance of fish and rice. Some places I've been to have a higher rice-to-fish ratio but this was not the case here. The handrolls also already had sauces so it didn't need any soy sauce. The tuna tartare seemed like it was a bit smaller than what other photos on Yelp showed. It might have been the angle but either way no issues with the tuna for this dish either. There was a layer of avocado that added a creamy texture to each bite, paired with the shrimp chips. I thought the shrimp chips were the perfect size for scooping as well. Staff was attentive and handrolls came out at a good pace. Hand towels are provided before the meal. Overall, handrolls can be pricey but I thoroughly enjoyed my meal here. It's also in Jack London, so you get a good view around the area! read more

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Happy that Kuidaore opened in Jack London. I love handrolls and am excited another has opened in the Bay. Kuidaore means "eat until you drop" and that's what I did when I came! This place has a clean, casual, and modern ambiance. It's all bar seating here so you can watch the chef prepare the handrolls. The staff was welcoming and friendly. Every time I've come here, usually around 12-2, there hasn't been a wait and am usually seated immediately. If you need to use the restroom, there aren't any inside the restaurant. It is located outside around the corner behind Mia. So remember to grab the key if you need to use it. The food was delicious. I opted to do a la carte and everything I ordered was fresh. Definitely recommend the Happy Spoons and Hotate Crudo from the small plates. For desserts, we had the Pandan Creme Brulee and Yuzu Cheesecake which was also super good. The only downside was at least twice coming here, some of the beers/sake we wanted to order were not available. Not sure if that's common or we just always came at a bad time. Overall, I highly recommend this place! read more

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absolutely delicious, fresh, and flavorful hand rolls and side plates, comparable to what i've tasted in japan and hawaii. only critique is of the weirdly bright/ fluorescent lighting. highlights were the hamachi, salmon, and negitoro. i'll definitely be back. read more