Iyasare

"Japanese techniques and Californian ingredients blend harmoniously at this charming getaway, which flaunts a buzzing dining room and delightful (heated) patio. Start the evening off with a selection from the excellent (and well-priced) local wines, creative cocktails, or well-curated sake list. Then, order a variety of small plates for sharing.This is a menu that changes regularly, although every dish is carefully crafted to delight the senses. The heady yasai taki salad, with grilled vegetables, enoki mushrooms, and black garlic tamari, leaves a lasting impression; not unlike a crudo of pristine hamachi, which arrives with a dusting of wasabi snow. Manila clams enhanced with a broth of sake, bacon, potatoes, and shiitakes is an aromatic wonder." - Michelin Inspector

Best Sushi Restaurants in the East Bay | Eater SF

"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." - Luke Tsai

The Best Dishes Eater SF Editors Ate This Week: Summer 2023 | Eater SF

"At Iyasare I savored a sake ikura don bowl: melting raw salmon, tamago, marinated salmon roe, two types of treated seaweed, perfectly cooked sushi rice, and crisp vegetables—each bite offered choices and small delights as I worked through the bowl at the bar." - Eater Staff

Best Meals at San Francisco-Bay Area Restaurant in 2021 | Eater SF

"One of the best meals I had on our Sunday family outings was from Iyasare in Berkeley: we split the chirashi don, an assortment of fresh, colorful fish over rice that was the perfect end-of-week meal, and they also have some of the best nigiri I’ve tried around the Bay." - Eater Staff

10,000 Salesforce Employees Never Have to Buy Lunch Downtown Again | Eater SF

"Chef Sho Kamio of Iyasare in Berkeley was slated to take over a location in the center of the rooftop park and told Eater SF in early February that he was still planning to open, but he did not comment on Salesforce's later announcement." - Becky Duffett