Kiraku in Berkeley

The food is first off amazing and would highly recommend coming. The staff are super nice and make the experience that much better. This is a fancier restaurant. If you’re on a budget you can prob get away with spending 30-50 a person and still get to enjoy a good ammount of foods. But if you want to experience their sushi or A5 you will be probably spending closer to 100 a person. Staff are super friendly and would highly recommend going.Hint try their corn!

Wow - thanks Kiraku, I’ve been living in the East Bay +10 years and didn’t have a “favorite” Japanese spot until last night!Be warned, this place is rightfully popular and if you don’t want to wait up to an hour for a table, get there at least 20 minutes before opening and put your name on the wait list. We did that Sat evening and was seated 5 minutes after opening even though the system said it could be up to a 45 minutes wait (it might have helped because there were just two of us). By 6pm, there were probably 10 people waiting in front, and by the time we left at about 630pm, there were still about as many waiting outside (see picture).Space inside is small and tables are inches from each other - besides a small counter area that might seat 4, there are about 15 2- seater tables that could be joined for large groups.5* great service & friendly staff, order was accurate and food came out without much delay.The pictures of the ten dishes we enjoyed are uploaded in order my fav - top is the grilled squid! It was so so good, smoky, great dark soy sauce, the meat was tender and sweet. This is a must have and I noticed both tables, to our left and right, also ordered the grilled squid!Miso cod was very good, made me think of miso butterfish in Hawaii.The corn tempura is unique and a must if you like fresh corn.The grilled rice ball had a crispy salty and mildly spicy exterior and moist on the inside.The steam egg was smooth and tasty but a little salty.The yuzu cheesecake was rich and flavorful.Definitely a spendy but worthwhile spot, great to take a date or to celebrate an occasion. Keep up the good work Kiraku!

Thank to one of the stuff, service is really good. Food is generally ok considering it is Berkeley. The monkfish mousse and the appetizer is flavorful, but might be too salty. The a5 skewer is something that you could find in every similar restaurant, nothing interesting. The ceviche is also so mediocre. The risotto is a disaster I would say. It is like a porridge. I would rather only have the scallops.

Very authentic Japanese restaurant in Berkeley. I have been meaning to try this place for awhile. Definitely get reservations through Yelp, I was able to get one next day. Space is very small but very cozy.We got the Kaisen box, nigiri dx sampler, uni carbonara, omelette salad, tofu salmon roe bites, beef tongue, and chicken and egg don. The fish was extremely good and delicious. Price was a little high but the quality really shines. Service was great! Would come back!!

Such a treat to eat here, I was feeling a little homesick (disclaimer, not from Japan) but taking myself out for dinner here really cheered me up.As the previous reviews seem to state some different information from my experience, I will say there didnt seem to be an extra charge to use my credit card, but there is a minimum order of $20 per person, which becomes $25 for groups of 6 or more. It gets very busy and there will inevitably be a long queue, so make sure you reserve a spot!I ordered a lot for my party of one: the yuzu salmon tostada, fried chicken cartilage, the shrimp tempura with mayo, and the uni carbonara pasta. For an izakaya place I was hoping to sample more of the alcohol on offer, but I could only manage 1 pint of Asahi. The flavours are well balanced, and the batter was the delicate kind of crispy which youd expect for izakaya snacks. Paired well with the beer too! I had a great time alternating between the fried stuff and taking in the busy atmosphere. It is quite loud so do prepare to order in a loud voice, but ultimately I view it as part and parcel of the vibe.Unfortunately my eyes were bigger than my stomach and I didnt manage to eat the uni carbonara in-house, so I did ask for it to go. The staff were very lovely and accommodating to pack it up for me, and it did come with the welcome warning that the fresh uni would not last for very long. If theyre reading this, Id like them to know that as soon as I got home I mustered up the space to finish the ikura and uni with some of the pasta and it was bloody delicious. Chefs, Im sorry for the trouble that I caused, but know that your effort and ingredients did not go to waste.I happened to be able to make some room for dessert, so I ordered a matcha Mont Blanc. It had just the right texture and sweetness and wasnt comically huge so it was a great end to the meal. The waitresses seemed amused by my defeat in the face of my rather ambitious order, but the service really made me feel something special. Thanks so much for making my experience awesome!

The restaurant was busy when we went there. We had to wait for 50 minutes before we were seated, so I recommend putting your name down on the waitlist sometime before you plan to arrive. The restaurant has a small dining space, so that also adds to the long waitlist. Anyways, my friend and I ordered a few things -1. Yuzi salmon crudo tostada2. Sashimi sampler (7 kinds of sashimi)The crudo tostada was delicious. It had the right amount of crispness and strong flavor. The fish was fresh. It had a citrusy and cheesy flavor.The sashimi sampler was decent. Some fish didnt appeal as much as the others. When ordering sashimi sampler, please keep in mind that you have to place 2 orders.Service was fast, and the servers were nice. One of them even walked us through the menu to help us out with their extensive menu.

Nuanced and lively. the Salmon tostadas are incredible. It was my girlfriend’s favorite. I will be trying to recreate at home. Have already recommended to friends and family.

One of the best japanese restaurants I have been. The menu is unique, and the dishes are unique and I never had before, like tuna three way. Love all the one we order. Udon is a must. It is so yummy. Corn fritter also good. Sashima and nigiri are fresh. Will visit again.

Make sure to reserve a table a week in advance, wait times can be as high as 5 hours without a reservation....and its well worth it.Everything on the menu is incredibly fresh and continuously rotating. As someone whos been traveling and living in Japan over 10 times kiraku definitely does not disappoint.One slight gripe is with the yakitori. The tare lacked complexity and doesnt taste like it was aged very long.

Japanese Izakaya, it’s not a large restaurant but the staff move fast and smoothly. Best Japanese tapas in Berkeley.