Serika Japanese Restaurant

April U

A wonderful place to meet a friend for lunch or dinner which I do often. Such a tranquil place to sit and talk, inside or out ( more limited outdoor seating), very clean and everyone is so friendly. I always love the mixed vegetable Tempura Lunch Entree which comes with hot rice, a lovely crisp salad and miso soup. The Saitama (vegan) roll is beautifully presented, fresh and delicious. Another favorite is Agedashi Tofu- crispy and savory- the best of any I have tried. My friend had the Futomaki roll and seaweed salad also which she enjoyed greatly. I highly recommend visiting whenever possible!

Erik Lillquist

Oddly enough, Orinda (a town with very few places to go) has 3 sushi restaurants. This one blows the others out of the water. The sushi chef is friendly and welcoming and his fish is top notch (i hear he cut his teeth at Osumo in the city). Its a simple standard vibe for a sleepy suburb but we've been 4 or 5 times now and never been disappointed. Support this new, delicious local business!

Yunjiao Liu

My father in-law (Dr. William Kwong) has been a loyal customer for Serika for over 10 years. The owner usually gives us something for free every time because we order so much 😆😆. They recently changed ownership and let me tell you the food is way better than before! Super high quality and fresh. I wish there will be more restaurants and businesses in Orinda bc right now there is only 4. ありがとうございます。 The indoor design was apparently designed by a Japanese artist born and raised in Japan. Super high quality and haven’t changed in 10 years. Love it.

Lauren Allen

New owners and new chef! Excited to have a great sushi spot in Orinda. Everything we had was delicious and fresh. Great service and recommendations from our waitress. Will definitely be back, highly recommend

Xylaia Lyons

I went here with my mother and it was amazing! The staff has amazing energy, they are so kind. The food was fresh, delicious, and beautiful. We had rolls and chicken katsu. The chicken katsu was the best I’ve had! It was so tender and cooked perfectly. The hot tea they had were perfect for warming my hands and soooo good! Remarkable restaurant 10/10!!! Coming back for my birthday!

Stephen B. Rags.

Delicious food in a comfy atmosphere. I stopped on a bike ride home to eat the lunch special (quite a great deal), sushi, and a beer for a very much appreciated meal. The chefs are skilled and the service is very kind, very professional in general.

I love how Max and crew have resurrected Serika. The food is very good as is the service. Max always makes us feel like old friends.

We have tried and liked all the dinner items on the menu. Additionally even though we are not sushi lovers, we like their California roll, and other vegetable rolls. After trying out the restaurant a couple of times, we had a chance to bring our daughter's family to dinner last night. They really liked it, from Agedashi tofu to Chicken Karaage to California roll; Teriyaki Salmon very fresh and tender; Tempura Mix light and crispy.... Together with the tasty miso soup and crispy salad, all was good. We had a perfectly tasty dinner. I took away one star from service because we felt a little rushed, checking out in under an hour. Took away a star in atmosphere due to live music outside. It just did not go with tranquil Japanese atmosphere I expected. But it was outside the control of the restaurant.

We went to Serika for an early dinner Thursday. We were met with a friendly greeting and seated quickly at the sushi bar. The chef was very friendly and talked with while being bust preparing food. We had Nigiri Sushi. There was a good selection of very fresh, high quality sushi. Max has a knack of adding the perfect garnishes and seasoning to each selection. Although we didn’t try it at this visit, there was a broad selection of rolls, salads, appetizers, and a variety of japanese main course dishes available. Wonderful experience. We plan on returning often.

When the original owner and his wife, both from Japan, decided to retire this cozy restaurant changed hands a few times. Needless to say everything went downhill until...this current owner took over about a year ago. From Mongolia, with a refined sensibility to service and attention to quality, this Japanese Sushi restaurant checks all the boxes. Appetizers, Noodle ramen dishes, Bento Boxes, Tempura (fantastic), Nigiri and Sashimi (also fantastic) are some of the best you will ever taste in the Bay Area. Priced in a way that the proprietor can pay help, rent and make a decent living, but not as high as so many other restaurants of any genre. You can dine for $30 per person, or $100 per person. You get to choose. Return for all the other offerings on the menu and enjoy Sushi and hot dishes without feeling cheated or deprived. Not all Sushi restaurants give you that kind of ability to manage your sushi budget so that you can splurge on occasion and have a very satisfying meal on your terms.

Love this place, excellent Japanese food! Saki sushimi is 5 star, our favorite. We love the hamachi carpaccio, and miso soup to start. We have never had a bad experience at Serika, all menu items we have tried are wonderful. A regular favorite, go-to restaurant, can’t beat this.

Our go-to family sushi place for so many reasons - the fish is always fresh, the servers are lovely and always remember us and our kids - as does Chef Max, who is so friendly and very talented!

The food was absolutely delicious. The sushi was incredibly fresh and beautifully laid out on the plate. The setting was a lot of fun and the servers were efficient, friendly, and informative.. Everywhere you looked throughout the restaurant families and couples and friends were thoroughly enjoying their meals.

Good food especially the tempura, which is lightly fried and delicious. I like the the light coating that leaves me satisfied without feelling over stuffed. I usually go there with friends for lunch. the bento box choices are great. The waitress is very friendly and the prices are reasonable.

jane & frank tripi

Good food especially the tempura, which is lightly fried and delicious. I like the the light coating that leaves me satisfied without feelling over stuffed. I usually go there with friends for lunch. the bento box choices are great. The waitress is very friendly and the prices are reasonable.

Thomas Miller

I love how Max and crew have resurrected Serika. The food is very good as is the service. Max always makes us feel like old friends.

Stuart Kahn

New owners took over the place a couple of years ago and it’s 180 degree change for the positive. The food is delicious and super fresh. The presentation is artful and appealing. The service is wonderfully attentive. My friends and I have been meeting for lunch for years and seemed to have chosen Serika as our go to spot. I highly recommend it. The old Serika is a distant memory.

peter coy

Serika is our “go to” for sushi in Orinda…Max always greets us by name…service is quick even when it’s busy…the food is really good…we’ve taken our dog several times and sat outside…we happily recommend to our friends

Carrie McCloskey

Our go-to family sushi place for so many reasons - the fish is always fresh, the servers are lovely and always remember us and our kids - as does Chef Max, who is so friendly and very talented!

B

We have tried and liked all the dinner items on the menu. Additionally even though we are not sushi lovers, we like their California roll, and other vegetable rolls. After trying out the restaurant a couple of times, we had a chance to bring our daughter's family to dinner last night. They really liked it, from Agedashi tofu to Chicken Karaage to California roll; Teriyaki Salmon very fresh and tender; Tempura Mix light and crispy.... Together with the tasty miso soup and crispy salad, all was good. We had a perfectly tasty dinner. I took away one star from service because we felt a little rushed, checking out in under an hour. Took away a star in atmosphere due to live music outside. It just did not go with tranquil Japanese atmosphere I expected. But it was outside the control of the restaurant.

John Corlett

Love this place, excellent Japanese food! Saki sushimi is 5 star, our favorite. We love the hamachi carpaccio, and miso soup to start. We have never had a bad experience at Serika, all menu items we have tried are wonderful. A regular favorite, go-to restaurant, can’t beat this.

Robert Linville

We went to Serika for an early dinner Thursday. We were met with a friendly greeting and seated quickly at the sushi bar. The chef was very friendly and talked with while being bust preparing food. We had Nigiri Sushi. There was a good selection of very fresh, high quality sushi. Max has a knack of adding the perfect garnishes and seasoning to each selection. Although we didn’t try it at this visit, there was a broad selection of rolls, salads, appetizers, and a variety of japanese main course dishes available. Wonderful experience. We plan on returning often.

William Massarweh

When the original owner and his wife, both from Japan, decided to retire this cozy restaurant changed hands a few times. Needless to say everything went downhill until...this current owner took over about a year ago. From Mongolia, with a refined sensibility to service and attention to quality, this Japanese Sushi restaurant checks all the boxes. Appetizers, Noodle ramen dishes, Bento Boxes, Tempura (fantastic), Nigiri and Sashimi (also fantastic) are some of the best you will ever taste in the Bay Area. Priced in a way that the proprietor can pay help, rent and make a decent living, but not as high as so many other restaurants of any genre. You can dine for $30 per person, or $100 per person. You get to choose. Return for all the other offerings on the menu and enjoy Sushi and hot dishes without feeling cheated or deprived. Not all Sushi restaurants give you that kind of ability to manage your sushi budget so that you can splurge on occasion and have a very satisfying meal on your terms.

The tampera was nice, love the sauce. While it's a pity there isn't anything in the miso soup😅

Grace Lin

The tampera was nice, love the sauce. While it's a pity there isn't anything in the miso soup😅

The new owners of Serika are doing a good business since it packed! Lion King Roll and Rock and Roll were pretty good! I think their presentation needs a little help to highlight the food being served. For instance, the Rock & Roll that I had was served on it's side hiding the Tobiko... still tasty. The tiny Gyoza are deep fried, oh no! The taste of the filling is masked by the oil in which it was fried (and everything else cooked in that oil). The Orinda Roll tasted good.

If you are looking for a spicy roll, look for the jalapeño lovers but don’t expect it to come quick because great things take time. That’s probably why the service was very slow. One of the rolls, Sue’s crunch ?, was not good.

Erik H

The new owners of Serika are doing a good business since it packed! Lion King Roll and Rock and Roll were pretty good! I think their presentation needs a little help to highlight the food being served. For instance, the Rock & Roll that I had was served on it's side hiding the Tobiko... still tasty. The tiny Gyoza are deep fried, oh no! The taste of the filling is masked by the oil in which it was fried (and everything else cooked in that oil). The Orinda Roll tasted good.

Wendy Martinez-Marroquin

If you are looking for a spicy roll, look for the jalapeño lovers but don’t expect it to come quick because great things take time. That’s probably why the service was very slow. One of the rolls, Sue’s crunch ?, was not good.

The chefs were rude, and my order was not ready on time. Overall, it was a disappointing experience