We've been here a couple of times now, and my hubby and I really like this place. The atmosphere is very 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. read more

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This is our go-to take out sushi place. We can get the Bento box for the kids, we like how they give 2 options of protein, rice, salad and miso soup! For the two of us 5 rolls is sufficient for our dinner (sometime enough for someone to have lunch the next day) read more

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How have I been sleeping on Sushi Matsu in El Cerrito for so long! My husband surprised the fam with takeout recently (you can order through the Yelp app which is cool). And what he ordered was spot on. We had: Croquettes (potato patties) to start, the Lion King Roll, California Roll, Kid's Pokemon Roll (Tamago/sweet grilled egg), and a Dinner Salmon Teriyaki Bento Box (comes with miso soup, salad, rice for $17.75). Everything (although transported) was incredibly delicious and so very fresh. This was the first time we had ever ordered Japanese croquettes and the kiddo loved them. The rolls were equally as flavorful and full of all the fillings! Always a fan of bento boxes, and this helped to supply us for 2-3 meals. Checking out their menu, I noticed they're open for lunch - take a break - and reopen for dinner. Would love to come back and eat in-person and try the: Teriyaki Chicken Udon Soup, Seaweed Salad, Curry Chicken Katsu Don, and maybe one of their baked/deep fried special rolls for fun...in a few sittings, not all at once :) read more

Sushi Matsu - California Roll - Sushi Bars Near Me - El Cerrito, California

This was my first time here and I tried several different items that were good. I was greeted as soon as I arrived by the friendly staff. I placed my order and it was ready within minutes and I was out the door. The only thing is parking is terrible in the area so keep that in mind. read more

Sushi Matsu - Sake avocado mak( upper left)i, caterpillar roll, fortune roll(lower left), giants roll (lower right). - Sushi Bars Near Me - El Cerrito, California

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This might be our new local sushi spot now! Very reasonable prices and the food was very good and definitely hit the spot. The ratio of rice to filling for the maki rolls is fantastic and the rice is not too mushy. The negihama was my favorite roll for sure! Anytime a roll has lemon slices and salmon I always have to get it so I had to try the 49ers roll. While I would have preferred something other than a California roll inside it was tasty. The unagi in the rock n'roll was mostly skin so not the best unagi quality but it hit the spot. My husband liked his chirashi bowl but said the salmon was his favorite fish so he might try the sake don next time. Definitely would come back and try some other maki rolls! read more

Sushi Matsu - Chirashi Don, Rock'n Roll, Negihama Maki, 49ers roll - Sushi Bars Near Me - El Cerrito, California

I'm a fan. Really great sushi. Really great prices. We got 2 rolls, Hamachi sashimi, the sashimi salad and a large Saporo and it was $58 plus a tip. I feel like that's the most affordable sushi I've been able to find in a long time. Service was so fast. Ambiance was a cute Japanese vibe. I would definitely go back. read more

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Sushi on a budget! Can only speak for the take out experience. The whole process was easy from ordering to pick-up. The website did asked for 50 minutes for pickup but I'm not sure if they needed all of that. The inside looked pretty nice. I like the overall look. There aren't many restaurants offering 9 pc nigiri for $20 so this place came in clutch. I did noticed it didn't come with any salad, miso soup, soy sauce, or chopsticks. That's not a dealbreaker to me personally. The combo options they offer are all cheap and decent for the price you pay. read more

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(Pick up order review) We ordered several rolls, a couple of bento boxes, and 2 chirashi dons. Super disappointed because this place is rated pretty decently on Yelp and DoorDash. The quality of fish is not great. The beef teriyaki looked grey and did not taste good. The salmon teriyaki was extremely dry. Wouldn't go back and wouldn't recommend. read more

This is one of our regular Sunday lunches so I thought I better refresh my review. My dad always gets the Bento Box with Teriyaki Beef and Mixed Tempura. My mom used to get the Bento with Teriyaki Salmon and gyoza and always loved it. My brother and I always get the Nigiri Sushi with Maki Roll ($19.75) - lately we've been getting the Rock n roll. It's great that they let you pick any Maki roll in this combo. Always very fresh and delicious. The staff here is great and attentive. I guess we're kind of set in our ways but if it ain't broke! read more

Sushi Matsu - Sushi Bars Near Me - El Cerrito, California

I went to this place two days ago for dinner, I had Rainbow rolls, Hamachi, Ebi and Maguro. Everything was absolutely delicious and Angie, the waitress was so nice and friendly with me that she made the total experience outstanding. I was happy to leave 25% tips and leaving the restaurant I thought "I found my favorite sushi restaurant", "I'll be back soon (even if it's definitely not close to my place). ... Today, two days later, I decided to drive here for lunch (I live in Sausalito, 20 miles away, 1 bridge), I checked the business hours, lunch 11:00am to 2:00pm. I was entering the restaurant at 1:31pm, when I was suddenly stopped by a tall white guy (to days ago I saw only nice Asian people) and I was told that it was to late to eat lunch because they were closing at 2:00pm (...?). The aforementioned guy told me, almost aggressively: "When the food was ready you wouldn't have time to eat because we close at 2:00pm", making it clear that I couldn't reply. Then he added: "if you want you can order to go"... I don't know if the guy is the owner or a waiter, but he's definitely not good at this kind of work. And it's really sad to see how rudeness and not wanting to work can ruin the reputation of an excellent restaurant. The value of a positive experience resulting from the efforts and the wise work of an excellent sushi chef and the brilliant and spontaneously kind commitment of an adorable waitress, was relentlessly swept away by the ineptitude of a hasty guy, who didn't even seem belonging that place. When I'm disappointed by a negative experience, I usually never write negative reviews, but this time my experience was really totally negative. I would like to suggest to the property to change the time for lunch: 11:00am to 1:30pm or to make the "tall white gentleman" reflect on what are the fundamental bases of good customer service in the restaurant business sector... Everywhere in the world, when a restaurant closes at 2:00pm it usually welcomes guests until 2:00pm and maybe, while making a customer sit down who, as in my case, shows up 30 minutes before closing time, informs him that the kitchen takes orders until 2:00, because after that the restaurant closes. A real shame then... especially in a period like this: in the last year the catering sector has recorded a considerable drop in sales, due to various reasons that we all know. So sad.. read more

Sushi Matsu - My first wonderful experience at Sushi Matsu, annihilated by the incompetence of a "tall white gentleman" two days later. - Sushi Bars Near Me - El Cerrito, California

Great food and a good place to take the grandkids too! We had fun celebrating and would love to go again !!

Came for dinner with my wife and some visiting relatives. Very friendly service, nice atmosphere, very reasonably priced, with generous portions. I enjoyed the pickled vegetable appetizer, unagi sushi, and hamachi donburi. My wife really enjoyed a lion roll, and vegetable tempura udon. Also enjoyed sharing the sweet potato croquettes. read more

I normally go to yoshio sushi up the street from here but passed by and they were closed no sign no nothing everything dark ! So drove down looking for another sushi place and found this one glad I did! The sushi is fresh and very delicious I had to order quite a bit of food got tempura roll,dragon roll, caterpillar roll ,bento dinner box with teriyaki Chicken and ribs salad and tempura mix veggies and wow everything was so delicious also got a scoop of ice cream for the little one which was on the house ! Thank u very much everything was delicious and I will definitely say this is my new favorite sushi place . Ambiance was nice and cozy not to dark or to light open space customers service was very spot on very attentive restrooms very clean and kept . I will definitely become a regular here . read more

The sushi here was great. Good taste and the portions are immaculate. The service was top tier everyone was super friendly and it made the experience feel genuine and warm. Great mellow music was playing by a guy and his guitar which contributed to the overall experience. read more

Sushi Matsu - Sushi Bars Near Me - El Cerrito, California

I had my order delivered and the food was good! Hamachi, sake, escolar Sashimi was fresh and textured was good! We had a few rolls too and the rice was made a lot better than other places! Their prices are also a bit cheaper too! I will reordered from them next time! Rolls: Miami Lady Roll Lion King Roll Greenie Roll Orange Blossom Roll read more

Sushi Matsu - Sushi Bars Near Me - El Cerrito, California

We always enjoy our meals here. The sushi rolls are incredible. The service is fast, and now that they've expanded, the space feels more comfortable. read more

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Food here is ALWAYS on point! Our new Japanese Style grub place. Seating capacity is not that big, so most of the time we do take-outs. The bento selection is great, the size of the tonkatsu could be bigger, but I'm not really complaining too much about it. If you want a consistent, good tasting, value for money japanese food? Go to Sushi Matsu. read more

It's cold tonight so I ordered Nabeyaki Udon! Now I've ordered this here before and it was loaded With all the toppings and very generous with their broth! Today it was very watery and skimpy on the toppings. To the owners: Consistency is very important to me as with most people. I don't like giving out poor reviews so please... let the new employees know how important this is! read more

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First time there and had sushi and the salmon skin salad (at the recommendation of the waiter). The fish was super fresh we enjoyed everything very much. read more

This was probably my most visited restaurant in 2024. We loveeee this place, both for dining in and togo. My favorites are their baked rolls. I especially like the Honeybee ! The quality of their fish is great, so the chirashi / sashimi are also worth trying. It's a smaller restaurant, but we've never had issues getting a table, even with a larger party. The service is also good. The staff are attentive and we've never had any issues. Highly recommend! read more

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Every since moving to the area this has become my go to sushi spot! It's fresh, tasty and affordable plus the staff is extremely friendly. Definitely worth checking out if you're in the area. read more

Sushi Matsu - Mix Tempura Chirashi Don Gyoza Spicy scallop Hand Roll - Sushi Bars Near Me - El Cerrito, California

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The service seems to be getting worse and worse. Dont get me wrong the food is good for the most part. I recently came in with my mother for dinner on monday night, she ordered a bento which came with a miso soup. I oftenly order togo/delivery here and this time the miso soup came out white kinda like a mirky mikly color, whereas its usually has a more tan color. The taste was very much off and it came out cold. We politely asked the waiter to reheat the soup. She insisted on giving us a new one which was nice of her but I told her she could just microwave it since we already made a slight dent in the soup. She came back with the miso soup filled to the brim, the color was even more transparent than before. She had filled the bowl up with hot water.. On another note the quality of the raw fish were good thats why I'm still giving them 2 stars but the bento portion does seem to be smaller now. We most likely wont be coming back for a while. read more

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Tried sushi matsu again for bento boxes. We really enjoyed the short ribs, teriyaki salmon and chicken. Nice atmosphere, friendly service and close to home. read more

Sushi Matsu - Sushi Matsu dining area - Sushi Bars Near Me - El Cerrito, California

Nice ambience with soft music and great lighting. The food was overall amazing. Staff were friendly and checked in a good amount. read more

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My daughter told us about Sushi Matsu. I'd heard about them from my neighbor, as well. I heard that their food was very fresh and elegantly displayed on the plate. They were right. I loved my dinner. I ordered a combo plate of shrimp tempura and vegetable tempura. This came with rice and soup. The tempura was excellent; light batter (not greasy) and the soup miso soup was fresh(not from a packet). I was really impressed with the quality and portion size. My husband ordered various rolls and I ordered an ebi hand roll. Again, we were impressed by the freshness of the fish and veggies. We ordered takeout and our dinner was displayed beautifully in our takeout containers. All I can say is "wow". If you are looking for fresh, delicious and expertly placed Japanese cuisine at a great price, then you should try Sushi Matsu. Cheers. read more

Pretty basic sushi for a decent price I would say it's equivalent to sushi sold in a chain grocery store I like the inside of this place very small.. I called my order in and I had questions and I wanted the orders boxed up separately because I was ordering for multiple people and the person who took the order was given off rude vibes read more

My family and I enjoyed our time at Sushi Matsu. I really liked the special sushi combo they had which consisted of 7 piece nigiri, 8 pieces sashimi, and 6 pieces California roll. The tuna tataki was very fresh and tender and dressed just right. The kids enjoyed the California roll while the grownups enjoyed the rest. Uni rolls were very fresh. I liked the salmon skin salad but my family said they would have preferred the skin to be more crispy. My only complaint is the sukiyaki, it was tasteless. When I go again I will try some of the fried items. The table next to us got tonkatsu and calamari and they look good! Ambiance was casual. I don't think it's a nice romantic place. It's kind of cute and family friendly. Service was good. Bathroom was clean. read more

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Fresh seafood and a clean restaurant. Service was on point. I will recommend this restaurant read more

Sushi Matsu - Sushi Bars Near Me - El Cerrito, California

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Cute El Cerrito sushi spot with nice decor, fresh fish, an extensive menu, friendly and attentive staff, and edamame on the house. Ordered the Raider Roll and Ikura with ponzu sauce on the side and it came out quickly and was fresh. read more

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I would recommend this place, the food was good, the service was great and the prices were resonable, there was a guy playing a guitar the music was very approprite.. read more

This is a nice small and cozy sushi restaurant. The server was nice and took care of us with our drinks very quickly. The food came out fairly quickly. The miso soup was extremely salty that it was bitter, not sure if our bowl didn't get mixed well but it was not good at all. Most of the rolls were kind of mediocre and were very sauced up in my opinion. My favorite roll that was pretty good was the baked lion king roll. The salmon skin salad was delicious as well, it came with a lot of crispy salmon skin so every bite had plenty of flavor and crunch, but again it felt very sauced up. I didn't really enjoy the seaweed salad, it didn't taste fresh so I only had a few bites. read more

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Brought out of town guests here and we were also impressed with the food and the service. The green dragon sushi was out of this world.

Ohhh yum! We ventured to a new sushi spot and settled on Sushi Matso. We arrived around 1pm and they must have just finished the lunch rush because there were two tables still with patrons, but the other tables still had plates on the tables. Only one waiter, so after just a minute or so, he cleared off a table for us and we were seated. The menu is quite large. I settled on a 49er roll and an Evil roll. My husband chose a lunch bento box with mixed tempura and chicken teriyaki, and also a Lion King roll. We both ate every single bite! My 49er roll was probably the best 49er roll I've ever had. I didn't care for the flavors of the Evil roll (I think the cream cheese was throwing me off), but that's my fault. I still ate the whole thing, but I wouldn't choose the same one again next time. Excellent lunch. We will come back for sure. read more

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Overall, the food and service is pretty good. The inside is pretty small, so I would not recommend big parties. One down side to this place is the street parking, and its on a very busy street. But overall, I would definitely be coming back here. read more

I love the new exterior paint. Could we call it a mural? It's eye-catching! You'll notice Sushi Matsu whichever direction you're headed on San Pablo Ave in El Cerrito. Always attentive service. I've had very good food and service here many times without doing a Check-in. Very good food and very good service for dining in, picking up to-go and through delivery options. This is a small-ish spot with an excellent Happy Hour and a very satisfying menu. Check them out if you haven't been yet and if it's been a while for you, it's worth a return. Unagi Nigiri Inari Salmon Avocado Maki roll Mixed Tempura - Shrimp and vegetable Yam Roll Seaweed salad Steamed rice garnished with sesame seeds Made for a fine Friday night dinner. Pick up was perfect. read more

A good choice if you want something quick and satisfying. I recommend the chicken katsu donburi. It's comforting, filling, and delicious. Sushi rolls were good, too... but don't expect humongous rolls. I can easily eat 3 rolls myself lol. read more

Sushi Matsu - Chicken Katsu Don - Sushi Bars Near Me - El Cerrito, California

The food is delicious and good portion the ambience is beautiful and we had great service it was our 1st time here and we will be back

Good and fast service. Too bad I wasn't able to taste their sashimi or nigiri dishes yet, but once I get the green light from my doctors I will be writing another review soon. read more

First time trying out this place. When we walked in there was a guitarist playing music. I believe the waiter said the guitarist is there on Saturdays. The food came out relatively quick. The food was fresh and flavorful. The rolls were on the smaller side but still very good. We would definitely come back again. read more

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Their fish quality was so poor :( We made the mistake of ordering Sashimi Deluxe and it was a pain to eat it. I obviously didn't expect the highest quality fish from a cheap restaurant but it was just a bit too old-tasting to me. Their chicken udon was good though! And their rolls were ok too. Just make sure not to order sashimi haha Also, there's only street parking. There were plenty when we went though. Also, the service was amazing!! Honestly would've given a lower rating if the service wasn't so good. There was only one lady doing everything and she was still super efficient and attentive. read more

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