Kiku Sushi

I am no sushi expert but the place in Albany across from the fire dept is where I have been going. Luckily I came across Kiku by chance and the difference is dramatic from the basics point of view. Example 1 no fishy smell 2 real seafood not fake crab in their Cal Rolls The quality is apparent now that I have tasted the difference.

Everything was phenomenal! The seaweed salad was extremely fresh and most importantly not the typical chain salad. They also have fresh wasabi to order. The fish was fresh and portions were generous. Our server was polite and happy. The atmosphere was cozy but nice. We would highly recommend it!

Delicious food, kind and thoughtful service, and really great value for what is offered. Some of the freshest salmon in the bay area, and the best sushi rice! Mix of traditional ingredients with modern preparations that delight and surprise. Highly recommended for daily meals and celebrations. Busy during peak hours as they are social distancing the tables.

The best mom and pop low key sushi spot in Berkeley.

Great fish, awesome staff (the server was so cute and friendly, and the chefs are very friendly and nice as well). Definitely got my money's worth and left satisfied. Enjoyed this place on a date and for takeout. I like that it isn't too brightly lit like some other establishments in the area.

Very nice place for vegan sushi. It's a little bit pricey but I think normal for the area and it's nice to eat really well prepared sushi that is also vegan. Friends who are fish also loved it. They were a little bit overwhelmed when we went there Saturday noon and took them some time to bring the food out, but they were very nice

This is my new favorite Japanese restaurant. This is my first time in a long time I've been impressed by a vegetarian roll (vegan baked spicy scallop roll)! They also get bonus points for other touches: a friendly and fast hostess (owner?) who knows her customers, an extensive vegan friendly menu, reusable chopsticks, and no extra ginger or wasabi unless you ask for it.

Found this place right before I got pregnant, and the “real” sushi was great, but what I love about this place is I can still eat here while pregnant! Tempura avocado roll is amazing and definitely one of my pregnancy cravings. The vegan miso soup is wonderful too!

Excellent fresh sushi in a busy but pleasant atmosphere. The service was unobtrusive, prompt, and attentive. This is one of the best sushi restaurants I have ever patronized. They were very aware of gluten-free requirements, as well.

We had the most delightful time interacting with the wonderful owners brother and sister Dynamic Duo The Sushi is delicious! Sushi is super fresh and a great portion in every bite. They will definitely go back

I love this place! I got the Sake oyako don and it was a huge plate of salmon. We loved our dinner here!

Kiku sushu is a cute little place that usually always has a line during dinner time no matter what day of the week you go. Fortunately, we only waited around 15 mins. Theres usually more and enough street parking within a 3 minute walk I always come here when I am craving fresh fish and sashimi. Their omakase is amazing but when your friends dont love sashimi like you do, the chirasho bowl is a good option to order for yourself. The yakisoba here is also super good I always try to get it! Usually I order seafood but we ordered beef this time. The beef was like a brisket cut, but it was a little tough to chew. But the noodles and veggies were still delicious! The servers and chefs are super nice too

I Love this lil place! it can get a bit crowded inside but they offer outside sitting. Don't let the price discouraged you from having great, fresh and delicious sushi.

This is an awesome Sushi restaurant. The service is great and fish are fresh and tasty.

Tentative at first because it was a little on the pricey-er side, but we re-ordered our lunch set because it was too good! Every mouthful was supremely delicious. Must try!

OMG. this place is amazing. inexpensive with excellent food. only con is that the service is pretty slow, So do expect to Wait for a while, but the Wait is worthy

Wonderful neighborhood sushi shop, incredible options for vegans and fish eaters alike... Still as delicious as ever!!

Fresh and delicious sushi! Lots of creative rolls for vegans as well. Try the Gogo roll!

JAM

We had the most delightful time interacting with the wonderful owners brother and sister Dynamic Duo The Sushi is delicious! Sushi is super fresh and a great portion in every bite. They will definitely go back

Alethea D

I love this place! I got the Sake oyako don and it was a huge plate of salmon. We loved our dinner here!

Michelle

Kiku sushu is a cute little place that usually always has a line during dinner time no matter what day of the week you go. Fortunately, we only waited around 15 mins. Theres usually more and enough street parking within a 3 minute walk I always come here when I am craving fresh fish and sashimi. Their omakase is amazing but when your friends dont love sashimi like you do, the chirasho bowl is a good option to order for yourself. The yakisoba here is also super good I always try to get it! Usually I order seafood but we ordered beef this time. The beef was like a brisket cut, but it was a little tough to chew. But the noodles and veggies were still delicious! The servers and chefs are super nice too

Florecitas Hobbies y creaciónes

I Love this lil place! it can get a bit crowded inside but they offer outside sitting. Don't let the price discouraged you from having great, fresh and delicious sushi.

Sam Behnam

This is an awesome Sushi restaurant. The service is great and fish are fresh and tasty.

Ally

Tentative at first because it was a little on the pricey-er side, but we re-ordered our lunch set because it was too good! Every mouthful was supremely delicious. Must try!

Junyan Lee

OMG. this place is amazing. inexpensive with excellent food. only con is that the service is pretty slow, So do expect to Wait for a while, but the Wait is worthy

Shai Plonski

Wonderful neighborhood sushi shop, incredible options for vegans and fish eaters alike... Still as delicious as ever!!

It was thirty minutes before closing and we really wanted to eat here. It was no problem and they were very polite and accommodating. Had saki and some rolls. Fish was delicious and staff was very friendly.

Went to Kiku today after getting a bike tune up with my vegetarian wife- she had such a hard time picking because there were so many choices! She's used to the same 3-5 options. The Fireman roll was amazing, and my fish sushi was also delicious. The servers were so nice, they brought out miso soup for our baby and she loved loved it. We're going to make this a regular date night!

I've been going to this sushi restaurant for many years and each time, I've loved my experience. The fish is extremely fresh, the vegetarians and vegan rolls are inventive (not just your typical avocado roll with some rice). And the price is extremely fair, especially in the Bay Area.

Stopped by before a visit to the nursery. Had heard of this place from Check Please Bay Area too. The CalBear roll was soooo good. Not your typical roll. Sweet and savory in one bite. We also had the poke roll which was really nice and not too spicy. Our server was really friendly. Great tea and the restrooms super clean.

Beautiful, warm service and great food. Many vegan options and something for everyone.

This place takes the “& vegetarian” in their name seriously! So many sushi places have “vegetarian” options that turn out disappointing or limited, but not here. There were more vegetarian and vegan rolls than anywhere I’ve ever seen, and those options were just as interesting and delicious as any roll you could get at another sushi place. Plus, the nigiri was delicious - clearly high quality fish, and well made rice.

Brianne Sherman

Beautiful, warm service and great food. Many vegan options and something for everyone.

Jesse Feldman

Great service. Amazing Natto Hand roll! Sashimi is amazing. Miso soup and salad were great too. Highly recommend!!!!

Jonathan McGuvey

Excellent sushi, most of the fish is from Japan. Very welcoming owner and quick service. Highly recommended.

Amy Alvis

Stopped by before a visit to the nursery. Had heard of this place from Check Please Bay Area too. The CalBear roll was soooo good. Not your typical roll. Sweet and savory in one bite. We also had the poke roll which was really nice and not too spicy. Our server was really friendly. Great tea and the restrooms super clean.

Smallshaun

It was thirty minutes before closing and we really wanted to eat here. It was no problem and they were very polite and accommodating. Had saki and some rolls. Fish was delicious and staff was very friendly.

Edie Sussman

This place takes the “& vegetarian” in their name seriously! So many sushi places have “vegetarian” options that turn out disappointing or limited, but not here. There were more vegetarian and vegan rolls than anywhere I’ve ever seen, and those options were just as interesting and delicious as any roll you could get at another sushi place. Plus, the nigiri was delicious - clearly high quality fish, and well made rice.

Amy Spierling

Went to Kiku today after getting a bike tune up with my vegetarian wife- she had such a hard time picking because there were so many choices! She's used to the same 3-5 options. The Fireman roll was amazing, and my fish sushi was also delicious. The servers were so nice, they brought out miso soup for our baby and she loved loved it. We're going to make this a regular date night!

Good neighborhood sushi place, got too noisy after a remodel and also became quite pricey. Great service and decent foods!

Cute little sushi spot in Berkeley. The food was excellent but the atmosphere was outdated and needs a bit of decorating.

ChirashiStars exists to elevate the art of Chirashi in the US and beyond. The Revolution begins now. There are 5 Pillars of Chirashi: ⭐️Quality (freshness, flavor) ⭐️Variety (mix of fish, other ingredients) ⭐️Presentation (is it a joy to behold) ⭐️Service (the dining experience) ⭐️Value (was price appropriate) Location: Kiku Sushi, 1316 Gilman St, Berkeley, CA 94706 Item reviewed: Chirashi, weekday lunch hour Quality: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Variety: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Presentation: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Service: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Value: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Overall ChirashiStars Rating:⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4 Stars is an exceptional rating from ChirashiStars) Recommendation: Improve variety by adding at least one special ingredient and improve presentation by including at least one aesthetic flourish.

The vegetarian sushi and soup lunch was delicious and fresh. Still, I would've liked more vegetarian options.

Very delicious food. One of a kind amazing cold soba noodle salad is always good here. Chocked full of crisp tender veggies and pickled mysteries. Sushi is fantastic. Staff is often late for lunch opening and not always attentive.

Great place for sushi with good prices. The food was very flavorful. The resturaunt had a quaint and authentic decor. We had the chef's special along with unfiltered sake--definitely worth a try. The portions were fair, though I would have preferred them to be a little heavier.

Good sushi and tempura. 4 stars because the order process is a bit hectic. Call in your order and you may still end up waiting 15 minutes after you arrive as they put it together. Again, great food, just need some better order fulfillment process in place.

Cute little shop, went on a Tuesday night. We liked the Sunshine roll and Gilman roll the most. We also liked the pumpkin roll which had a sweet sauce. The emerald roll had a large chunk of squash/potato on top that was very filling and overpowered the rest of the flavors. We had the veggie gyoza as an app but didn’t enjoy it as it was very crunchy. We would definitely come back again.

Great little restaurant in an unassuming part of town away from the hustle and bustle. Plenty of parking nearby as well which is quite rare for restaurants in this area. Everything looks very traditional Japanese style and the decor and staff are top notch. The food in general tasted good but a couple things missed the mark. The miso soup was great. Piping hot almost couldn't even touch it. Flavor was rich and complex. The soba salad was a slight miss for me. While it looked extremely impressive with tons of ingredients, it wasn't very cohesive for me and there wasn't enough soba noodles. The 10pc sashimi platter was quite expensive but they give you a lot of fish. However each piece of sashimi was massive and really could have been cut in to three or more pieces to make it bite sized. The freshly grated wasabi was fantastic and traditional.

Anand Patel

Cute little shop, went on a Tuesday night. We liked the Sunshine roll and Gilman roll the most. We also liked the pumpkin roll which had a sweet sauce. The emerald roll had a large chunk of squash/potato on top that was very filling and overpowered the rest of the flavors. We had the veggie gyoza as an app but didn’t enjoy it as it was very crunchy. We would definitely come back again.

Victor

Great little restaurant in an unassuming part of town away from the hustle and bustle. Plenty of parking nearby as well which is quite rare for restaurants in this area. Everything looks very traditional Japanese style and the decor and staff are top notch. The food in general tasted good but a couple things missed the mark. The miso soup was great. Piping hot almost couldn't even touch it. Flavor was rich and complex. The soba salad was a slight miss for me. While it looked extremely impressive with tons of ingredients, it wasn't very cohesive for me and there wasn't enough soba noodles. The 10pc sashimi platter was quite expensive but they give you a lot of fish. However each piece of sashimi was massive and really could have been cut in to three or more pieces to make it bite sized. The freshly grated wasabi was fantastic and traditional.

Many vegetarian and vegan options. Really good appetizers. The miso eggplant and the green beans were popular. Also the soba salad was really good. Service was nice. 9/10 people enjoyed their food. The only item not liked was the veggie curry udon soup.

Amanda Solnit

Many vegetarian and vegan options. Really good appetizers. The miso eggplant and the green beans were popular. Also the soba salad was really good. Service was nice. 9/10 people enjoyed their food. The only item not liked was the veggie curry udon soup.

The food 🍲 was good except I paid extremely more than expected and I ordered two extra shrimp and only got one. Due to price and this oversight I will not be going back. I am a regular customer and am very upset with the fact that I paid for two extra shrimp 🦐 and only got one and the price.

Previously used sticks and all cheap plastic items are just unacceptable. Rolls are good, but misshaped and go in a set of 6, when for that price you could get 8 at other spots. Had to wait for my rolls at least for 20 minutes, though there were two sushi chefs.

Californify

Previously used sticks and all cheap plastic items are just unacceptable. Rolls are good, but misshaped and go in a set of 6, when for that price you could get 8 at other spots. Had to wait for my rolls at least for 20 minutes, though there were two sushi chefs.

I came here in March before SIP order and the food was good. Customer Service is excellent. However I would skip this place for take out unless you live incredibly close. I was pretty disappointed with the combo tempura dinner. I read on the menu it came with miso, no miso and because it was takeout tempura was soggy and not a good variety of vegetables (cooked well tho). I wouldn't recommend paying the 18.95 for the dinner combo to take home. Rolls I got were decent but not for the price.

The attention is terrible, they take a long time to bring your food. In my experience in this place we asked for three royos which were taken separately. The cost was excessive for how insignificant our dishes looked and the miso soup, tasteless, we had to be fishing for the tofu cheese moronas that they put on it. I would like to give a more detailed review but I had a hard time and a taste in my mouth that I do not want to give more importance to this place. It's just bad.

Food is fine but the other reviews about slow service are not kidding. This place had the most terrible and slowest service I have experienced in at least the past 10 years of eating out. First, they took over 30 minutes to bring our first roll out of 4 (we ordered them all at the same time and we were not sharing). This was brought out by the host who sat us who noticed we were sitting there looking confused. They did not bring soy sauce or ever come back to check on us, just dropped the plate and left. So my friend was expected to eat his food while I watched, after I finally went to get soy sauce myself. Two more rolls came 20+ minutes later after I asked if she even put our whole order in. The manager came to apologize and I asked how much longer until our fourth roll came and he brought out our receipt and he thought we received it already. So apparently it wasn’t even on their radar. He had also brought us a free dessert, and we hadn’t even gotten to eat our dinner yet. The worst part was that the whole time we were waiting for any food our waitress walked past us at least 5 times to deliver food to the table behind us and wouldn’t even make eye contact with us. There were 3 chefs behind the sushi bar, and they seem to just make things in the order that’s most convenient for them instead of by table.

I never had a worst combinations like this, first of all, was my birthday, they didn’t give a shit, my orders came all together in one box very tight, I brought my mom and they’re service was far the worst ever in Bay Area. It wasn’t made well. I hated.

Junior Sartini

I never had a worst combinations like this, first of all, was my birthday, they didn’t give a shit, my orders came all together in one box very tight, I brought my mom and they’re service was far the worst ever in Bay Area. It wasn’t made well. I hated.