Kinda Izakaya

Great dinner tonight! The workers were very kind, and we enjoyed our food! 😊 The atmosphere and decor made me feel like I was in Japan. The place is small so make sure you come right away when it opens, or on a weekday or else you'll be waiting in a long line. We also had a fun time using their free cotton candy machine after dinner.

Great new addition to downtown with a fun atmosphere and solid izakaya menu. Tempura, tofu, and okonomiyake were most memorable. Nice cocktails too! Waitlist seating, we waited about 25 minutes for a group of 4 on a Friday night. Really feels like being transported to Tokyo!

Fantastic food. Similar to a Tokyo izakaya, they got the drinks, decor, and food right on. Noodles were excellent as was the beef tongue. Mushrooms cooked in butter were nice too.

I just wanted to let you know that your mentaiko udon is incredibly delicious and creamy, it’s my absolute favorite dish! Also, your selection of cute cocktails is a great addition. Keep up the excellent work

Nutchapol Nick Phaungjit

I’ve popped into this izakaya a few times, and they never miss! Finally sitting down to write a review because the food here hits all the right notes. Every dish is so well thought out and bursting with flavor. The mentaiko? Hands down my favorite and absolute perfection. And the yakitori? Perfectly grilled with that irresistible smoky char. They’ve nailed the flavor game, and I can’t wait to come back for more!

Tiffany J

Best fried rice I’ve had in my life. Reallly up to the hype. The chicken knuckles was something I’ve never had before. What a great experience !!!

Melina Tupa

Loved the place! The food was really tasty and great for sharing. They have the best gyozas I had in the East Bay. The skewers were also really tasty and the sweet potato fries too. We didn’t quite like the Crispy Chicken knee (which the table next to us recommended, so it might have been a matter of taste) but we told the waitress and she exchanged it for us at no charge. Staff is super friendly btw! Probably a place to go with friends more so than a date since it’s a bit noisy. But it’s a super fun place and the decor is awesome. Make sure to make a phone reservation to avoid waiting outside.

Alexandria Cesar Piano

This place is a gem. I was craving for ramen after work, and this was the place that opened late. I was not disappointed 😁 Had ordered 2 orders of the Gomae, super delicious!!! Next the Tofu avocado was so bomb!! 💣 Next time I will get two of those with a side of rice. Ordered some kimchi and it was good as well, very tasty. Finally, for the Ramen I had the Tonkatsu and I was not disappointed at all. Most Ramens I had were salty but not here. The Ramen is very tasty. Loved the bathroom! The Manga wall was so cool. I will definitely come again. Thank you so much 'Kinda Izakaya'

JJR JUNE

My fav place in Berkeley I love their food and service super nice The vibe and music so good yummy!

Bond

The food is super delicious, many options, quality, price 10/10. The waiter is incredibly helpful and attentive- you can tell he enjoy his work. reservations on weekends recommended. there’s a variety of cocktails. Not a full bar but good cocktails served

George Louie

Great little spot with awesome grilled meats you can’t get at many restaurants. The grilled squid was tender, flavorful- cooked to perfection. Tried some yakitori as well, both beef tongue offerings were delicious. I will be back for more!

Brad Hubbard

This was an awesome experience full of delicious food and friendly staff. We arrived on a Friday night and were able to seat at the bar immediately. Seating was a little cozy but not having to wait made it worth it! We ordered a variety of items and everything was delicious!

Felix Jensen

An aesthetic tucked away restaurant in Berkeley which is Well worth the time to stop. The service was efficient. The ramen broth was beautiful, and the soup was complexly flavored, sweet and umami. The meats in each dish were tender and seasoned with care. I cannot recommend this any more highly!

AKIRRIA

me and my friend decided to spend one of our late night dinners at this place and it was awesome!! The overall experience was great and the workers were so sweet!! I got the salmon and it was truly perfect! Shout out to the workers again thank you for letting us stay so late you guys are amazing. 100% suggest for yummy late night grub!😋

Megan Wong

Great dinner tonight! The workers were very kind, and we enjoyed our food! 😊 The atmosphere and decor made me feel like I was in Japan. The place is small so make sure you come right away when it opens, or on a weekday or else you'll be waiting in a long line. We also had a fun time using their free cotton candy machine after dinner.

Hilary Maloney

Great new addition to downtown with a fun atmosphere and solid izakaya menu. Tempura, tofu, and okonomiyake were most memorable. Nice cocktails too! Waitlist seating, we waited about 25 minutes for a group of 4 on a Friday night. Really feels like being transported to Tokyo!

Zach Russ

Fantastic food. Similar to a Tokyo izakaya, they got the drinks, decor, and food right on. Noodles were excellent as was the beef tongue. Mushrooms cooked in butter were nice too.

You could almost describe this place as a “tapas” style Japanese restaurant. Most dishes are small and $6-14. Great for picking a large selection of items off the menu and sharing family style. Great for getting to taste a variety of food. The price to portion size ratio could be better, but the experience makes up for it.

Ken Franklin

You could almost describe this place as a “tapas” style Japanese restaurant. Most dishes are small and $6-14. Great for picking a large selection of items off the menu and sharing family style. Great for getting to taste a variety of food. The price to portion size ratio could be better, but the experience makes up for it.

The food here is quite nice, and the cocktails are genuinely fantastic. While the portions are on the smaller side, the overall flavor of every dish is delightful. Personally, I especially love the drinks—they're a standout feature of this place.

I was craving something warm to eat close to midnight and I found this place. I was with my Japanese roommate, and he himself said this place did give off an Izakaya vibe. Most of the food items offered here I've tried elsewhere, so I ended up getting the sukiyaki, which was to my liking. We did feel a little out of place, as the servers seemed primarily focused on a larger group, who they appeared to be friends with. So we felt a little forgotten throughout most of our time there, also considering that it was not that busy as we did leave a little before they closed.

Nice ambiance, more Izakaya-y than most Izakaya restaurants in the US. More than your usual sushi fare. Walls covered in Japanese anime and kitch posters. There's a big communal table that was full of Japanese students when we dined.

Enmeth Gutierrez

I was craving something warm to eat close to midnight and I found this place. I was with my Japanese roommate, and he himself said this place did give off an Izakaya vibe. Most of the food items offered here I've tried elsewhere, so I ended up getting the sukiyaki, which was to my liking. We did feel a little out of place, as the servers seemed primarily focused on a larger group, who they appeared to be friends with. So we felt a little forgotten throughout most of our time there, also considering that it was not that busy as we did leave a little before they closed.

Colin Stuart

Nice ambiance, more Izakaya-y than most Izakaya restaurants in the US. More than your usual sushi fare. Walls covered in Japanese anime and kitch posters. There's a big communal table that was full of Japanese students when we dined.

Lingling

The food here is quite nice, and the cocktails are genuinely fantastic. While the portions are on the smaller side, the overall flavor of every dish is delightful. Personally, I especially love the drinks—they're a standout feature of this place.

Simon Kao

This is one of our favorite places, though the quality/taste of the food is variable. In other words, you need to know what to order because they do some things better than others, which isn't too surprising given the many choices in their menu. My recommendation is to get the mentaiko carbonara, IMHO the best thing they serve.

The grilled fish, rolls and deep fried food were great but the yakitori was very disappointing. Undercooked shishito peppers and eggplant. Also overcooked/blend pork belly. The bar seating felt really cramped and uncomfortable - not enough space for the dishes we ordered and for the wait staff to stand in a reasonable distance to take the order.

Zoe F

The grilled fish, rolls and deep fried food were great but the yakitori was very disappointing. Undercooked shishito peppers and eggplant. Also overcooked/blend pork belly. The bar seating felt really cramped and uncomfortable - not enough space for the dishes we ordered and for the wait staff to stand in a reasonable distance to take the order.

Incredibly disappointed. The chirashi-don was watery and limp. It tasted like it wasn't thawed properly. For $35, I would rather go to Safeway. Every bite of the takowasa was inconsistent: some tasted like straight wasabi, while others didn't taste like anything. The octopus itself did not have a fresh texture; it was not thawed properly either. The mentaiko udon was ok. When I added the bacon, I thought the fattiness would complement the creaminess. It was the equivalent of low-fat bacon. Dry and paper-like. As a Japanese person, I could not recommend this place. As a matter of fact, it’s offensive. The only redeeming quality was the kind waitress.

Sarah Fulan

Incredibly disappointed. The chirashi-don was watery and limp. It tasted like it wasn't thawed properly. For $35, I would rather go to Safeway. Every bite of the takowasa was inconsistent: some tasted like straight wasabi, while others didn't taste like anything. The octopus itself did not have a fresh texture; it was not thawed properly either. The mentaiko udon was ok. When I added the bacon, I thought the fattiness would complement the creaminess. It was the equivalent of low-fat bacon. Dry and paper-like. As a Japanese person, I could not recommend this place. As a matter of fact, it’s offensive. The only redeeming quality was the kind waitress.