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Sushi is a mainstay of the Bay Area dining scene, and although San Francisco plays host to its fair share of sushi restaurants, the East Bay’s selection shouldn’t be scoffed at. The East Bay excels at offering excellent sushi, from high-end omakase to more casual spots with affordable price points. There are also several shops offering sushi to-go in case you feel like bringing some sushi-laden bento boxes home or for an outing.
Here are 13 great restaurants where you can get your sushi fix, from El Cerrito out to Castro Valley and everywhere in between.
If you’re looking for an immaculate omakase experience, that was never what this tiny and perpetually busy strip mall sushi restaurant was about — even prior to the pandemic, it was mostly a takeout spot. Nori Roll’s calling card is very fresh sashimi and nigiri, served up quickly and at an uncommonly reasonable price. The chirashi bowl is one of the better deals around.
This intimate sushi bar in Orinda specializes in traditional Edomae-style sushi — simple, unadorned nigiri that shows off the chef’s knife skills and the quality and freshness of the fish. The restaurant also offers limited, premium sushi to-go with a few days’ notice, offering big trays of nigiri — although, be aware, it can cost upwards of $100 a person — as well as a chirashi bowl and a marinated tuna bowl. Otherwise, reservations can be made to dine in-house, and be prepared to arrive in dress code.
This elegant Japanese restaurant in Berkeley’s tony Fourth Street shopping district is known for its ramen and tempura offerings, but staples such as the chirashi don, a rainbow mix of various sashimi, ikura, uni, and variety of maki make it an excellent sushi stop in its own right.
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Fish & Bird is one of a number of ambitious Japanese restaurants in the Bay Area that never used to be a sushi restaurant per se — even if they had a couple of sashimi options on the menu — that later shifted gears. Fish & Bird is best known for its stylish, creative izakaya dishes that landed the restaurant a mention in the Michelin Guide. It’s a great place for groups who prefer different styles of Japanese food under one roof.
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B-Dama chef-owner Chikara Ono began serving takeout sushi at grocer Berkeley Bowl during the pandemic, making it a low-key spot for very excellent sushi. Ono’s continues its offerings to this day, making it an affordable and convenient source of sushi rolls, salmon ikura dons, and onigiri.
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This North Oakland spot opened in the middle of the pandemic, but made a name for itself for its very handsome wooden sushi bentos. In particular, the $25 seven-piece nigiri box caught on with customers, loved for being customizable and including high-end options like toro and uni for no additional charge. Customers also now dine in at the popular restaurant to sample the a la carte nigiri menu and partake in the restaurant’s sake menu, and the restaurant has since expanded into a second location set in Hayward.
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This longtime Rockridge mainstay isn’t the kind of sushi restaurant where diners will find the rarest or most unusual fish selections, but for all of the staples — salmon and hamachi nigiri, simple rolls, and the like — Uzen remains one of the best in the business.
Sushi Salon earned its stripes as a roving sushi pop-up, appearing at both Oakland’s Fish & Bird Izakaya and Ramen Shop in the leadup to the opening of their eight-seat sushi counter in Oakland. Chef Joji Nonaka hails from Michelin Guide-listed Utzutzu, as does partner Anna Osawa, and the duo now offers an omakase menu highlighting fish from renowned fish concierge Hiroki Hasegawa.
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Ebiko’s roots come from family-owned Berkeley restaurant Kyoto Sushi, where Ebiko owner David Liu’s mother, Mei, has run the shop for the past 25 years. Now, Liu has a sushi shop of his own, running Ebiko as a daytime spot perfect for lunchtime or afternoon picnics. The kaisen don features a chef’s choice of sashimi, along with ikura and crab, and a daily special of seven pieces of nigiri with the day’s best fish options available.
For those who would rather go trendier with their sushi, there’s been a boom in hand roll restaurants and Oakland’s Yonsei Handrolls is one of the biggest hand roll restaurant openings on the east side of the Bay Bridge. Chef Kyle Itani of Hopscotch and Itani Ramen leads the charge on this hand roll spot, offering zuke maguro, seared albacore, or wagyu-loaded hand rolls.
Never purely a traditional omakase spot, Delage has made a name for itself with a multi-course feast by chef Mikiko Ando that includes not just nigiri (though the nigiri was splendid), but also elegant salads and cooked dishes mixed in as well.
Dublin’s Amakara is a local favorite, but don’t discount this restaurant as just another neighborhood sushi spot. Instead, look at Amakara as a bustling restaurant with worthwhile sushi and strong cocktails. The sushi list is expansive, offering both the wilder rolls that dominate California restaurants, plus hosomaki, sashimi, and nigiri.
Don’t let this restaurant’s location in a Castro Valley strip mall deter you: Tancho Japanese Restaurant serves excellent Edomae-style sushi in an omakase setting, and bento boxes are available to go on Wednesdays, with limited availability. Expect seasonal fish to be part of the menu throughout the year.
If you’re looking for an immaculate omakase experience, that was never what this tiny and perpetually busy strip mall sushi restaurant was about — even prior to the pandemic, it was mostly a takeout spot. Nori Roll’s calling card is very fresh sashimi and nigiri, served up quickly and at an uncommonly reasonable price. The chirashi bowl is one of the better deals around.
This intimate sushi bar in Orinda specializes in traditional Edomae-style sushi — simple, unadorned nigiri that shows off the chef’s knife skills and the quality and freshness of the fish. The restaurant also offers limited, premium sushi to-go with a few days’ notice, offering big trays of nigiri — although, be aware, it can cost upwards of $100 a person — as well as a chirashi bowl and a marinated tuna bowl. Otherwise, reservations can be made to dine in-house, and be prepared to arrive in dress code.
This elegant Japanese restaurant in Berkeley’s tony Fourth Street shopping district is known for its ramen and tempura offerings, but staples such as the chirashi don, a rainbow mix of various sashimi, ikura, uni, and variety of maki make it an excellent sushi stop in its own right.
Fish & Bird is one of a number of ambitious Japanese restaurants in the Bay Area that never used to be a sushi restaurant per se — even if they had a couple of sashimi options on the menu — that later shifted gears. Fish & Bird is best known for its stylish, creative izakaya dishes that landed the restaurant a mention in the Michelin Guide. It’s a great place for groups who prefer different styles of Japanese food under one roof.
B-Dama chef-owner Chikara Ono began serving takeout sushi at grocer Berkeley Bowl during the pandemic, making it a low-key spot for very excellent sushi. Ono’s continues its offerings to this day, making it an affordable and convenient source of sushi rolls, salmon ikura dons, and onigiri.
This North Oakland spot opened in the middle of the pandemic, but made a name for itself for its very handsome wooden sushi bentos. In particular, the $25 seven-piece nigiri box caught on with customers, loved for being customizable and including high-end options like toro and uni for no additional charge. Customers also now dine in at the popular restaurant to sample the a la carte nigiri menu and partake in the restaurant’s sake menu, and the restaurant has since expanded into a second location set in Hayward.
This longtime Rockridge mainstay isn’t the kind of sushi restaurant where diners will find the rarest or most unusual fish selections, but for all of the staples — salmon and hamachi nigiri, simple rolls, and the like — Uzen remains one of the best in the business.
Sushi Salon earned its stripes as a roving sushi pop-up, appearing at both Oakland’s Fish & Bird Izakaya and Ramen Shop in the leadup to the opening of their eight-seat sushi counter in Oakland. Chef Joji Nonaka hails from Michelin Guide-listed Utzutzu, as does partner Anna Osawa, and the duo now offers an omakase menu highlighting fish from renowned fish concierge Hiroki Hasegawa.
Ebiko’s roots come from family-owned Berkeley restaurant Kyoto Sushi, where Ebiko owner David Liu’s mother, Mei, has run the shop for the past 25 years. Now, Liu has a sushi shop of his own, running Ebiko as a daytime spot perfect for lunchtime or afternoon picnics. The kaisen don features a chef’s choice of sashimi, along with ikura and crab, and a daily special of seven pieces of nigiri with the day’s best fish options available.
For those who would rather go trendier with their sushi, there’s been a boom in hand roll restaurants and Oakland’s Yonsei Handrolls is one of the biggest hand roll restaurant openings on the east side of the Bay Bridge. Chef Kyle Itani of Hopscotch and Itani Ramen leads the charge on this hand roll spot, offering zuke maguro, seared albacore, or wagyu-loaded hand rolls.
Never purely a traditional omakase spot, Delage has made a name for itself with a multi-course feast by chef Mikiko Ando that includes not just nigiri (though the nigiri was splendid), but also elegant salads and cooked dishes mixed in as well.
Dublin’s Amakara is a local favorite, but don’t discount this restaurant as just another neighborhood sushi spot. Instead, look at Amakara as a bustling restaurant with worthwhile sushi and strong cocktails. The sushi list is expansive, offering both the wilder rolls that dominate California restaurants, plus hosomaki, sashimi, and nigiri.
Sweet Boxes Don’t let this restaurant’s location in a Castro Valley strip mall deter you: Tancho Japanese Restaurant serves excellent Edomae-style sushi in an omakase setting, and bento boxes are available to go on Wednesdays, with limited availability. Expect seasonal fish to be part of the menu throughout the year.