Had another wonderful meal at Mugunghwa today. Their parking lot was completely packed on a…read moreTuesday night. At this point, I'm just cataloguing what we're eating: Premium Galbitang - This was excellent and my favorite dish today. This was a Galbitang, but they added 2 shrimp, an abalone, and some other seafood. I haven't had beef + seafood combo outside of the soft tofu stew, but I might have to consider it more after trying this dish. Packed with flavor. Galbi Dolsot - A large portion. Nice and crispy rice. Great sear on the galbi. Highly recommend. I've talked about the banchan before - best banchan in East Bay, although the turnip kimchi is out of control (needs to be cut into smaller pieces). Seafood Pancake - Pretty good version here. Crispy and flavorful. Thick Soybean Paste Stew - A hearty tofu soup with some veggies. It came out first and I thought it was a pretty good starter. Fried Chicken - I think the chicken here is ok in terms of crispiness and flavor. Original was good. Garlic was really odd. It was basically original with some kind of puree on top (raw garlic + sugar). Not something I would get again. Beef Bulgogi - We had a better version of this the last time we came. Today's did not get enough heat. No sear on the onions or the beef.

We came here to celebrate and was able to get a large table pretty easily. You order using the…read moretablets that are at the end of each table. As soon as you order, the Banchan is served. Let me tell you, this was the best Banchan I have had in any Korean restaurant. The chive one was my favorite but they were all good. We ordered several dishes to try a little of everything. We ordered the seafood pancake, jap chae with beef, galbi jjim with cheese (you get to see them touch the cheese table side), bibimbop, tofu soup, and bossam. Everything was unbelievably tasty. This is definitely one of the best Korean meals I have ever had. The rice cakes were nice and chewy in the galbi jjim, the bossam was so delicious, the seafood pancake was nice and crispy. I could eat here all day. The service was quick, the staff was friendly, the restaurant was clean. I will definitely be back.

My old fav' is back in new clothes. What calls me to this place is that it offers a traditional…read moreversion of Sukiyaki. Most restaurants don't want to take on the burden of setting up the fire! But you will find that this restaurant not only serves Japanese food, but also adheres to the Japanese culture, excellent service and authenticity...right down to the salad dressing. Ask for Sukiyaki, cooked at your table, w/ an raw egg. It will come to you with an intoxicating umami from the thin sliced beef cooking in the broth surrounded by transparent noodles, veggies and alabaster cliffs of tofu. Crack the egg. Take your time with this dish. And finish it off with green tea ice cream! Give a nice tip for the wonderful servers who never complain about the set up.

Service is great. Food is awesome. Right portion-…read more Ambiance is right. Not too busy and too loud inside

Great place! Inconspicuous location on a very run of the mill El Cerrito location but excellent…read moreservice, great prices, good food, and good ambiance One of the best things is their affinity card that allow us to get a free roll every third or fourth visit. Easy to park locatioin. I always get the Sashimi and Nigiri 9 piece combo which is a screaming deal for $21. We've been there many times and always good.

We've been here a couple of times now, and my hubby and I really like this place. The atmosphere is…read morevery warm and fairly cozy. Tables are spread out so you are not on top of each other. It appears to be popular with families as well. It was a Friday evening after 9pm, kind of late for us to eat very much but I needed something so we popped in. It was quiet, maybe three or four other tables. Our food server was patient as I looked over the fairly large menu. Ended up with some of my current faves: hamachi nigiri, California roll, yam roll, and salmon skin roll. Everything was thoughtful, well prepared, and delicious. It was just enough food and I was good for the night. On our second visit, my hubby and I brought my dad for lunch to celebrate his 88th birthday. It was pouring rain outside but we were fortunate to get parking right outside the door. We ended up sitting by the window which was the same table we sat at during our first visit. We ordered gyoza (6) for the table. We all ordered bento. Dad had the beef short ribs and California roll, hubby had the Vegetable tempura and California roll, I had the Saba shiyoyaki and hamachi sashimi. All three came with miso soup and salad. Everything was delicious. My fish was well seasoned and moist, dad's beef short ribs were tender, hubby's tempura was light and crisp. Lunch was very reasonably priced for all we ordered. I am definitely a fan of this place and look forward to dining here again.

Yoshio Sushi is our go-to spot for a late-night dinner. We love coming in during the last hour,…read moreordering a few dishes, and enjoying how intimate and relaxed the space feels -- perfect for a quick date night. The food is always amazing. Our go-to order includes the salmon skin salad, edamame (they should totally do a garlic spicy version -- it's my favorite), miso soup, and the Superman Signature Roll, which never disappoints. We love supporting local businesses, and Yoshio truly feels like a hidden gem. Consistently great food, a cozy atmosphere, and just an all-around solid spot we keep coming back to.

I'm always on the lookout for late night spot & sushi. I stumbled upon this place via Yelp. It's…read moresuch a cute place! I have never been to Japan but I imagine this is what a local traditional sushi bar would be like. It was really clean as well. I read great reviews for the Bento Box - so I got one. Short rib was good. Miso Salmon & steamed egg dish was just okay. I thought it was such a good deal I went back a couple more times. The first it was late night Monday I expected it to be quiet which it definitely was. A table of four & 2 other tables of 2 - then me. Just me. The service was kind of slow. I went a couple more times while on assignment every time the service was just okay.

I loved sushi made using purple rice. It adds a beautiful and tasty punch to pristine delicious…read morefish. The server was very happy to explain to me how the shop came to use the purple rice, which is a combination of White and black rices. It is more influenced by Korean cuisine than Japanese, but you just gotta love the inventiveness and style. This place adds to the wonderful sushi options in this neck of the woods worth the drive, worth everything.

I love sushi and rolls, and this place has such wonderfully creative both. Unfortunately it's not…read morealways consistent in terms of presentation.. But when it's on, it's so on it's worth the gamble. There are options for people who don't like raw fish. I just wish I could convince my companion who doesn't like uncooked seafood that the lion roll is cooked. I had some it was delicious.

Love love love this place! This is my go-to whenever I have family in the area. The fish is fresh,…read moredelicious, and well-presented. I would definitely recommend making a reservation as the space is quite small, but it's never overly crowded or loud. The drinks are good and the food is good. The service is a bit slow but it's very understandable as everything is plated fresh. I can't wait to come back here again! A staple option I would recommend to anyone looking for an East Bay sushi spot.

This is a tiny place! I highly recommend making a reservation. Theres a small bar and some tables…read more Great service. Realllly good sushi. Very fresh since presentation. Definitely one of the best sushi I've had in the Bay! ORDER: Smoked hamachi roll (they're known for it) Chirashi bowl. We loved it all!

Came here to celebrate a friend's birthday and it was a great choice. Overall the food was good and…read moreportions were good. We each got a handroll set and it was enough with the 4 rolls along with an appetizer for 3 of us to feel full. The SHUNGIKU KAKIAGE appetizer was delicious. Very nice with light batter and flavor. We enjoyed this a lot. Each roll was fresh and had a good amount of meat in it. The home made soy sauce was also delicious and had very interesting umami flavor. Our waitress was friendly and it wasn't very busy but for some reason she didn't notice to fill our water jug for a while. She was very good at clearing dishes. Parking wasn't too bad on a weekday night on the street but street parking is only 2 hours.

HOLY COW the service at this place is so slow. It took about 2.5 hours for my group of 4 to get an…read moreaverage about 5 handrolls per person. If you are training to have patience, eat slow, and have no other plans for the day, this is the perfect restaurant for you. I must say, the handrolls are delicious and the sauce flavors are paired well with each protein, but the insanely long waiting time just made me forget whatever flavortown I just experienced. I would say the food is a 5 star and the service is a 0 star, which places this restaurant at a 2.5 star. I've heard the Oakland location has better service. Maybe come here to grab takeout??? Or dine in you have a whole day to spend..

Aki-San is decreasing to 2 nights per week starting in June! No more Thursdays. Friday and Saturday…read moreonly. But I am glad he isn't retiring yet!!

Review for dinner service on 6 March 25…read more I had been trying off and on to get a booking but nothing was ever available, so I was pleasantly surprised to snag a seating for two within a week of the reservation because a fellow Yelper cancelled her reservation (thank you Sarah T!) The following week, we were in for a wonderful, delicious and entertaining evening. The two other couples had made their reservations back in December, so I felt very lucky we did not have as long a wait. Chef Aki-san and Michiko-san are a husband and wife team. At 6pm, the door opened and Michiko-san invited the six of us to choose a seat at the sushi bar. We all sat down before a simple place setting: a square ceramic plate, hashioki (chopstick rests), hashi (chopsticks, paper napkin and oshibori (towel for wiping your fingers). She handed us a menu and checked in with everyone to see if there were any dietary restrictions or allergies, took our drink orders and a brought a small bowl of edamame for each couple. We declined ordering any side dishes because I suspected that the 16-item omakase selection would be more than enough for the evening. As it turned out, two salads were added to our already extensive menu. Nommmm ... more tastes for me :D As we drank and munched on edamame, we watched Aki-san stocking the bar with ingredients he would be serving to us. He introduced himself and in turn we introduced ourselves - where we were from, how we learned of the restaurant, etc. It turned out to be the first time for all of us. During the course of the evening, we learned quite a bit about his history and experience working as a sushi chef before opening his own restaurant. Our menu (in order) for the evening: -Tako and Sunomono salad with shiso leaf, drizzled with a light miso sauce -Blue fin toro -Ika/squid -Hokkaido scallop -Ebi/fresh water shrimp -Sake/salmon -Saba/mackerel -Ankimono (Monkfish liver) and Sunomono salad with scallions and tobiko, shiso leaf with a ponzo sauce -Ikura, avocado and tobiko -A5 wagyu -Seared albacore -Hokkaido uni -Buri/ hamachi yellowtail -Blue fin toro -Sake/salmon cold smoked with hickory -Anago (fresh water eel) -Unagi (salt water eel) -Tamagoyaki Everything was incredibly fresh and tasted of the sea. Each piece was carefully prepared, perfectly seasoned, beautiful on the plate. He talked about each item as we tasted and ate. I loved watching as he rubbed the wasabi root against a metal shark skin grater, a tool he has had forever. Chef Aki-san chided me when I confessed I was eating the nigiri in two bites - apparently that is the wrong way to eat! Nigiri is meant to be eaten in one bite, the logic being that you don't get the full experience of the taste and flavour in two bites. My issue is that most nigiri sushi these days have too much rice that my mouth is too full to appreciate the flavour. However, he prepares "low carb" portions so the fish and beef are highlighted, yet all in balance. To sum things up - the food and presentation was perfect. I am not a fan of eel, so those were my least favourite bites. It was my first time eating monkfish liver. I found it quite delicious and would definitely eat it again. Mitchiko-san was very sweet and attentive, noting if we needed refills of water or sake jars. The atmosphere overall was light, friendly and jovial, and we enjoyed the company of who we were dining with. Not to mention that Aki-san is quite entertaining in his own right. Note: There is only one service per evening so you will not feel rushed to eat and dash. We did not get out of there until 9:30pm. He also mentioned that starting in June they will be cutting back to two days a week - Friday and Saturday only - something to keep in mind. Will try our luck getting reservations again in about 7 months to celebrate our birthdays and anniversary.