Kinda Izakaya

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.

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!

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.

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!

Very tasty Japanese. Good cocktails.

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!

What a fun place. Service was great. Food was on the sweeter side but still pretty delicious. Drinks were sweet and all had very interesting flavor profiles.

GEM IN BERKELEY!! Tried out this izakaya place in Berkeley and it was amazing. There are so many other great Japanese places in Berkeley but there's always a long wait. Came here on a Saturday night and the wait was around 15-20 minutes for 4 people. The servers were a bit slow, but the service was still great and food came quickly. The inside is so cute with an intimate Japanese look! The food blew me away. We started off the beef tongue, takowasa, and the chicken heart skewers. The skewers were nothing but the other two were so good!! Every dish afterwards is a must-get. Super flavorful and great Japanese staples. Takowasa - Raw octopus in fresh wasabi, so refreshing (10/10) Beef Tongue - Savory and bouncy with a side of fresh wasabi and egg yolk (10/10) Chicken Heart Skewers - (7/10) Sukiyaki - Such a hearty broth and loved how sweet it was (9/10) Ochazuke - Seared salmon with rice with dashi broth poured overtop (10/10) Mentaiko Carbonara - Full of so much flavor!! If you like cod roe and creamy pastas, this is perfect. (10/10) Pork belly over rice - Surprisingly so good and flavorful if you're looking for a meaty dish! (9/10)

This place took me for a spin! I know it's wrong to compare places(ipukku) but Kinda was a good experience. The food: 4 Service: 5 Atmosphere: 5 The restaurant itself was beautiful on the inside. Anime and cultural Japanese images all over. Which I thought was pretty cool. The food for me it was a four my mom and partner would say a 5. Again I was being bias. I actually enjoy the cocktails the list is expressive. Do hope they get a whiskey list soon. The service was A plus. My child was being a handful and they definitely made him feel welcomed because he calmed down when the waiters interacted with him. A must go to when in Berkeley! It can get packed so be sure to make a reservation.

Came in on a Saturday night around 8. Around 715 called in to know what the wait time was and was told "maybe 1 hour, 90 minutes or even 2 hours. Bar seating might be available sooner" From that point, reconsidered going because of how hungry we were. But we went because we've been wanting to try them and would be open to bar seating. Got there and was seated within 5 minutes. Servers were friendly and welcoming. Inside had a variety of seating options that could be rearranged in different configurations (wood and box crates) and bar seating, slightly/dimly lit. Not super loud. Cabbage salad - very light and refreshing, tasty, crispy 5/5 Miso soup - hard to mess this one up, generous tofu and seaweed only downfall was that it wasn't piping hot 4/5 Garlic butter mushrooms - super flavorful, buttery and garlicky. Wish there was more of a variety of mushrooms. Also had a ton of onions. I love onions but it was almost as if the onion:mushroom ration was 1.5:1 4/5 Angus beef skewers - I'd pass on these. Meat itself not flavorful but the glaze/sauce on top was sweet/savory. Texture/consistency was close to a dry patty 1/5 Shishito peppers - very good, not spicy. Crispy. 5/5 Assorted sashimi - good variety of sashimi. Not super fresh but not super fishy either 3/5 Handroll set - good variety and tasty but were prepared as tacos vs handrolls. This made it really difficult to eat 4/5 Mentai udon carbonara - highlight. Creamy, tasty, very umami. Not too salty/fishy. At the end you can see the butter/oils hanging out at the bottom. That's when we knew it was very tasty but not good for us 5/5 Overall, would recommend trying but i personally won't go out of my way to try them or wait more than 15-20 minutes to eat there.

Went w/a friend and had 6 dishes for dinner on a Saturday night. It's quite disappointing. Sukiyaki bun - white bun which should be steamed and not microwaved - when you microwave bread they become hard when it gets cold and that's the case here. Clam dish is not fresh at all. Doesn't matter how you cover it up. Quality is just not there.

A solid izakaya with plenty of variety without compromising quality -- highly recommend the pork belly appetizer, mentaiko cream udon, and sweet potato fries. chicken karaage and sukiyaki are solid too. Food comes out pretty slowly -- the place is consistently busy, and there are not many servers. Interior is so quaint and cute though and all the posters and props and decorations on the walls make you feel like you're in Japan.

Came upon my coworkers recommendation. He said the vibes were good and the vibes were indeed good. I ordered the fried chicken knees, raw octopus with wasabi, and handrolls. The staff was very kind and checked up on the table often. Chicken knees: perfectly battered and fried. I think it's just something I would get frequently texture wise but it's fun and I recommend that people try. Raw octopus: it tasted like normal raw sushi to me with a slight chewy texture. Not as chewy as chicken knees. The wasabi gave it a burning spice. Handrolls: a bit over sauced for my taste. I couldn't taste much of the actual fish to pinpoint the quality. Cucumber smash: delicious and didn't taste like alcohol at all

What a complete disappointment! My group made a dinner reservation here because we saw the good reviews, but we ended up having a terrible experience. If you're looking for a solid izakaya spot in Berkeley, go to Kiraku instead of here. We arrived early for our reservation but still had to wait an extra 20 minutes waiting outside before getting seated. I ordered the sukiyaki and had to wait well over 75 minutes before I even got my food! For context, by then every single person at my table had already completely finished their meals and were just waiting on me (as seen in my video). I have never been at a restaurant where I had to wait this long for my order. Service was not only slow (they probably forgot my order), but no one even checked in or apologized for this error. At any other restaurant, we would've gotten comped for this sukiyaki instead of getting $4 off a total order of $293. Everyone at my table was completely shocked by how unprofessional the staff was in this ordeal, and we all agreed that this is not a place we would ever come back to. I highly urge this restaurant to please evaluate its current practices and to do better to not make this same mistake again. Additionally, I have a food intolerance to green onions and cannot physically consume any green onions without getting sick. I didn't see green onions listed as an ingredient on the menu for this sukiyaki dish, otherwise I most definitely would've asked for no green onions. I recommend this restaurant to please update their menu to include all ingredients because there are enough folks out there with allergies/food intolerances to warrant this. Someone can get very sick from accidentally consuming something they shouldn't here! Aside from my own personal experience here, I asked how the others in my group of 8 enjoyed their food here. They all said their food was disappointing and not that tasty. The only thing we enjoyed was the sake we ordered and the decor inside the restaurant.

The inside of the restaurant is so cool! It feels like you're being transported to a bar in Japan. The service is also super kind and it's an open kitchen so you can see the chefs making your dish. However the food isn't exceptional, but since the restaurant seems to be a late night drinks and mingle type of place it's not that big of a deal. Agedashi tofu which: 7/10 flavorful but not crispy Grilled mackerel: 8/10 Grilled rice ball: -/10 no option. I don't think I've ever liked it at any restaurant so I don't think it's for me Sukiyaki: 7.5/10 it was a bit salty and gave me a headache. Initial flavor was good so maybe the quality of ingredients wasn't

Kinda Izakaya has the vibe set just right! The energy is lively the moment you walk up with chatter outside and inside the restaurant of people excited to try their food. We waiting an hour for our table though the wait time said 20 minutes. It was a bit frustrating, but not as frustrating as waiting an hour for our food after we sat down inside. I really wanted to enjoy my time here, but the food was so spaced out upon arriving at our table that it made it difficult the enjoy the food as a whole. We recognize that it was a busy night and large parties so I understand. I do wish they acknowledged that the food was taking extra long for our table while others who arrived after us received theirs much faster. The fish overall was tasty and all of the dishes were excellent- very clean cut. The food was good, but nothing notable. Overall a kinda okay experience.

First time visiting this restaurant and it was a great experience. Came on a Tuesday at around 6 so there was no line when we got there, but when we left at like 8, there was a pretty big line so I would recommend coming earlier for no wait. The overall ambiance of the restaurant was nice, felt authentic and gave off great vibes for a dinner. My first time trying beef tongue and it's amazing, would highly recommend for that portion size. Sashimi and skewers were pretty standard but still very delicious. Would highly recommend if in the Berkeley area and would want some decently priced izakaya.

Loved the decor and vibes inside, service was great, I think some items just fell short of what I was expecting but happy to come back when they've been open a bit longer to see if things are refined! The menu is pretty diverse so lots of options Takowasa - 4/5, def a hit of wasabi if you like wasabi get it Sliced beef tongue with egg yolk - 4/5, tender and juicy Uni & scallop spoons - 3/5 Sukiyaki - 3/5, umami was good, but it was with potato noodles which really soaks up the soup so the ratio was off. Would be better with udon! Combo 3 set special of sushi roll - 2/5, fish selection wasn't that great, the sauces didn't work it made it really heavy and not fresh Chicken thigh skewers - 3/5, needed more sat Chicken gizzard - 4/5 Oyster mushroom - 3/5, was a bit too charred so mushroom flavor didn't come through as much

I enjoyed Kinda Izakaya so much that I came twice within a few days! It's a lot of fun with just one friend or multiple. The service, food, and vibes are great. My favorite dishes have been the Sake Roasted Pork Belly, Yellow Tail Carpaccio, and Ikura & Salmon Bowl. I also tried the Mentai Udon which is on the special menu. It was interesting and lived up to its description, but not necessarily my cup of tea. The drinks are delicious and aesthetic (though not super strong). I ordered the Soju Cocktail Pitcher with just one friend, but we weren't feeling the alcohol, so we ended up getting a few more cocktails, including the Tokyo Highball and the blue drink with a cute duck (I forget the name, but it's on the special menu!). I also really appreciate that Kinda is open pretty late by Berkeley standards. It's easy to get to with street parking and various public transportation options.

Food: the creamy mentaiko udon: 5/5 Sake roasted pork belly: 5/5 Beef tongue 4/5 Gyo don set: 4/5 Love the creamy mentaiko udon and sake seared pork belly. There's so much rich flavor. The beef tongue was pretty good but not my favorite and same goes for the gyo don set. A little on the pricier side considering the portion size u receive. Service: very nice, a little hard to get the wait staffs attention sometimes Ambiance: very casual and cozy.

Cute little izakaya with fun decorations. Servers were very sweet and attentive! I don't think any of the workers were actually Japanese though. The food was ok, not too great, not bad either. The sukiyaki was way too sweet for my liking. I liked the variety of options they had though! Their sashimi wasn't too fresh but their rice dish and skewers were really good.

Kinda Izakaya is kinda my vibe! My companion and I had a reasonable experience here but I wasn't blown away. I'm a seasoned izakaya goer so I had high expectations coming in based on the reviews--let's just say Kinda is Americanized and not authentic. For any Berkeley or Cal students looking for a bustling yet leisurely vibe then this is your spot. This is a place to unwind with several tables to seat pairs, groups of 4, and a bar table. There's fun Japanese retro decor and artwork plastered. The lights are dim and customers are loud which mimics a true izakaya. My companion and I found the service to be okay. Not quite attentive or friendly, geared more toward ordering and delivering the food. What I love about izakayas is the practically limitless amount of food choices. Kinda Izakaya's vast menu offers appetizers, grilled and fried items, skewers, noodles and rice, and much more. We chose to share the Dashi Maki Tamago and Mentaiko Fried Rice. The egg was sweet and umami but other bits lacking. As a mentaiko lover, I was underwhelmed with the amount of mentaiko on the rice. The rice was filling, and chewier since cooked with short grain rice, plenty of crunchy toppings mixed in, and savory. The portion was bigger than expected and we took half home if we were to give the place another chance we'd try the skewers and okonomiyaki. If you're into reasonably priced bites, late-night hours, and different options for food this is a good choice. It's an easy walk for Cal students or those taking public transportation. Street parking is around as well since the restaurant is off University Ave.

Cute place that does a good "Japanese pub food". First off, the house sake in a box was delish. It's u filtered and have a wonderful sweet rice flavor to it The skewers is what you come here for. Alas, they were inconsistent with the quality of the skewers. The chef forgot to season some of the skewers. For the ones that he remembered to season was delish!! Will come back for another date night.

Get warped into the streets of Shinjuku when you find at Kinda. A street-like, Izakaya atmosphere. Best fried tofu we've ever had and always talk about it. Open later so we stop by after the local breweries close. The nicest people work here! Love Kinda!

Simply delicious and good service! The food was flavorful. Bathroom was clean and had nice wallpaper too!

Kinda Izakaya is kinda on fiya! Located on University Avenue in the heart of downtown Berkeley, Kinda Izakaya opened last summer replacing the previous home of The Butcher's Son, which moved across the street. Going to Kinda Izakaya is like entering a portal and finding yourself transported to a casual street market restaurant in the heart of Tokyo, as you must enter their front door through curtains at their entryway, and then their walls are covered in ads for various Japanese products and modern art posters representing Japanese culture, with banners and Japanese flags hanging throughout. Although their name is a play on the traditional Japanese Izakaya, they actually serve every type of traditional Japanese cuisine possible here at Kinda Izakaya, with ramen, udon, tempura being served alongside grilled Japanese fish and grilled chicken hearts and gizzards on skewers. What brought me here on a warm weekend evening was the fact that a friend asked to go out for dinner that night and asked if they had any preferences. Then I instantly thought about Kinda Izakaya and how it was brought up in a number of articles and blogs online about their opening last year, and after suggesting we go here, we were both game. Finding parking on a weekend evening in Berkeley is a major challenge but on this evening I managed to get lucky with a space on nearby MLK Way. They take reservations at Kinda Izakaya via a tablet near their entranceway, and it is through Yelp as you request if you want to share a table or not, and they text you when your table is ready. It took about ten minutes for us to be seated and not unlike many restaurants throughout Asia, they have wooden tables with backless wooden stools as chairs here at Kinda Izakaya, which can be a bit uncomfortable if you plan on staying awhile. Although they have a QR code at each table to access their menu, they also have a paper menu that has multiple pages and would be to look at in depth as they have a lot of options to choose from. In addition to their beverage menu, they have sections including Salad, Fried, Grilled, Chaco Bar, Cold Kitchen, Nigiri, Chirachi, From the Kitchen, Side and Dessert. So many options to choose from but we ordered their Kinoko Butter, which was assorted mushrooms with butter garlic on a sizzling hot plate; their Sukiyaki, which is sliced angus beef alongside vegetables, tofu, potatoes, and noodles simmered in a sweet soy sauce broth served in a hot shallow iron pot; and their Hamachi Carpaccio which was yellowtail sashimi dressed with citrusy yuzu wasabi sauce and topped with freshly sliced jalapeño and garlic. All three dishes were brought to our table in succession, and the highlight had to have been their Sukiyaki, which was rich in flavor and warmth thanks to the abundance of fresh ingredients in a large enough bowl for four people to enjoy. I liked both the Carpaccio and the Kinoko Butter entrées, as they were both fresh and hearty and really gave the feel and flavor of authentic Japanese cuisine. We still weren't completely full from our meal yet, so we also ordered their Kara Age, which is their Japanese style fried crispy chicken. Served on a bed of cabbage and with spicy aioli dipping sauce, this final dish was the perfect way to end our meal. Our total bill was a little under eight dollars before gratuity was added in, and we found that quite reasonable considering the amount of dishes and the overall quality of food and service we enjoyed this evening. Open late every night, even midnight on Fridays and Saturdays, I can't imagine a better place to go for that late night bite after a movie or concert when you have a craving for something deeper and more nuanced. Perfect for the college crowd and locals alike, Kinda Izakaya is kinda perfect for downtown Berkeley, and I for one am so grateful that they have brought a little bit of Tokyo to Berkeley!

Berkeley's newest late-night gem! We decided to give it a try on a weekday around 9pm. Kinda struck the perfect balance between being uncrowded yet pleasantly bustling. The Izakaya ambiance was spot-on, a touch of dim lighting that still kept the place lively and inviting. The service was great. We tried sweet potato tempura, grilled octopus, agedashi tofu, and okonomiyaki. All the dishes portion sizes are pretty reasonable. The tempura, though not as light as I preferred, was still yummy. My favorite was okonomiyaki - a delightful blend of savory and sweet flavors with some crunch texture. They also offer sashimi, noodles and skewers.

This place is pretty decent in terms of quality, however I wouldn't say it's worth the price. You'd get more bang for your buck buying a gold-plated taco truck. Regardless, I still enjoyed the raw octopus and salmon sashimi. The manga on the wall is a nice touch for decor.

You wouldn't bat an eyelash if you saw a bustling place like this in Tokyo's Shinjuku or Osaka's Dotonbori districts, but seeing it on University Avenue near the UC Berkeley campus made me happy. Jamie W. is such a big Japanophile that he couldn't wait for us to try it. I was hesitant just because new spots like this attract droves of hungry students looking to Instagram their food. Indeed that was true on Friday evening, but we got lucky and got seated at the counter in front of the most active prep area. The menu was a multi-page pictorial filled with all the tempting Japanese comfort plates we could've hoped for. We ordered generously, and the deep-fried dishes arrived first. The $12 Ika Gesso (Deep-Fried Squid) was an excellent start (photo: https://yelp.to/TAtRDqi5Bx). A generous amount of tentacles with the requisite spicy mayo. We were surprised the similar $17 Tempura Combo came next, but who can complain when a trio of large prawns are served with a bounty of deep-fried vegetables? The Japanese eggplant was a standout (photo: https://yelp.to/MCwOnFbwYC). Our skewers came next, all winners starting with the singular $6 Beef Tongue (photo: https://yelp.to/n2JQR3qD3U). Perfectly grilled. Fortunately the $8 Chicken Thigh skewer came as a pair alternating with charred scallions (photo: https://yelp.to/ChfONGgOTC), as did the $7 Oyster Mushrooms abundantly sliced (photo: https://yelp.to/2vWd3Mx7LQ). All of them were succulent. Next was a late order I made when I saw the party next to us receive it, the $7 Sake Roasted Pork Belly which came thickly sliced and jalapeño braised (photo: https://yelp.to/VAmH3OQmlb). That turned out to be our favorite plate of the night but still barely overshadowing our last order, the $12 Okanomiyaki, which I can happily report was executed Kansai-style in a way that could've been served in a true Osaka Izakaya (photo: https://yelp.to/A2iPUIqm1S). The kewpie mayo, brown sauce, and bonito flakes were present and accounted for. Definitely returning as it's a lot cheaper than the airfare to Narita. FOOD - 5 stars...really well executed Japanese bar bites and then some AMBIANCE - 5 stars...close my eyes and I'm back in Tokyo SERVICE - 4.5 stars...speedy and efficient TOTAL - 5 stars...an izakaya that speaks to me with most everything a standout RELATED - Exploring Berkeley? Here's a collection of places I've visited and reviewed: https://bit.ly/2CbVh8u

Came with a party of 3 on a Saturday night around 6:30 and we managed to snag the last empty table! We noticed there was quite a few parties waiting on our way out. However they do have a Yelp waitlist to put your name down. We ordered: - salmon sashimi (6pc): fresh fish and hits the spot - beef tongue: most skewers come with 2pieces but this one came with only 1. We didn't notice until after we got our order. The meat was still tender and good - fried chicken knee: nice and crispy - okonomiyaki: recommend you let the bottom heat up a bit before you eat it bc the crispy bottom made it taste better. The sauce on top was not too much - Mentaiko carbonara: star of the night for me! Prob one of the best versions of this dish that I've tried Great ambience. The staff is quite busy so it might take a while to get w staff's attention. Street parking only. Can't wait to come back and try the other dishes!

Walk into Kinda, you get a feel of a typical Japanese izakaya place or a beer house in Taiwan. The walls are decorated with Japanese posters. Well-spaced wood tables with plenty of 4-5 person tables are placed downstairs. There are many seats by the bar and open kitchen for 1-2 persons. The menu is quite extensive. It covers appetizers, salads, fried items, sashimi, noodles, rice, sukiyaki, and even zuke. Drinks include sake, wines, beer, cocktails, and sodas. Few desserts round it up. We ordered several dishes to share. Blue sweet potato tempura was chewy and not overly sweet. Saki roasted pork belly is also a solid dish. We also had Agedashi tofu, Katsuo tataki, assorted sashimi, and Karaage ramen. Kinda evokes atmosphere of eateries in Shinjuku's Memory Lane. It has a well-selected menu covering all bases, reasonable priced menu, and a cozy and intimate setting. It is a perfect place for drink a beer with friends, or for students after a day of hard study. If your group has 6 or more people. You can call ahead to reserve. Otherwise, just walk in.

IZAKAYA wha?? It's been a while since I've stepped to Berkeley, and I haven't heard of anything new. Well Hello Kinda Izakaya, not new but a hidden gem along University Ave. Reservations are a must if you go M-Th. Unfortunately, Friday and the weekends do not have RSVP. We waited 45 minutes, and as famished we were, our eyes were hungry. No complaints here! Everything was delicious. I'll be back.

Cute fun ambience atmosphere. Service was good. Food wise, lots of improvements needed. 1. Ramen- the broth was definitely diluted from the concentrated pork broth that you can buy in bulk bottles. That was not the issue but it was wayyy diluted that it simply tasted watery. 2. The sushi rice was mushy and the portion was small. 3. You can skip their desserts 4. The tempura shrimps tasted good to my surprise

If the line outside restaurant before they opened was any indicator, dining at Kinda Izakaya did not disappoint. I made a reservation by DM'ing the restaurant on their website, but most other eager diners were gathered at the entrance to snag one of the highly-coveted tables. Upon being seated, my group and I placed our order for an array of skewers and small plates to share. Our food was brought out quickly, and our tiny table could barely contain the steady stream of dishes we ordered. We ordered what looked good from others' Yelp reviews, which included: sake-roasted pork belly, mentaiko udon, chicken thigh skewer, eggplant skewer, and grilled corn skewer. Each dish was delicious, although the sake-roasted pork belly and mentaiko udon stood out to me. I'm usually not a huge fan of pork belly (it's often too fatty or too dry), but the pork was prepared in a way that was flavorful and melt-in-your-mouth tender. The mentaiko udon was probably the most unique dish on the table. At first, it reminded me of carbonara noodles since the udon is smothered in a creamy sauce and topped with crispy bacon. After this initial impression, I began to sense several dimensions of seafood with the fish eggs and bonito flakes. If this dish is on the menu, it's definitely worth a try. The chicken thigh and eggplant skewers had a nice, smoky flavor, and yet they still retained their juiciness. The grilled corn was slightly dry, but it was nice to finish the meal with something lighter. The tiny restaurant is charmingly decorated with colorful posters and lights, and the atmosphere is lively with the chatter of diners in the cozy seating area and around the bar. I noticed there was only one server attending to the tables and seating new parties, and it took while to track them down to pay the bill. Once we got their attention, however, we were set and ready to go in a couple of minutes. I really enjoyed dining at Kinda Izakaya and am looking forward to bringing my friends back for round two.

Great izakaya in downtown Berkeley area. Great bar bites, and rivals neighboring Ippuku, given the latter's notorious wait time. Perfect place to find Japanese pub food to pair with a crisp Japanese rice lager.

It was just okay?? The fried tofu was good, but the beef we ordered was chewy and overcooked. The pickles were also... Not pickled? Such a bummer! The restaurant seemed very accommodating, though, as some people who required assisted seating were accommodated. Will try again and hopefully will be able to update this review to five stars!

Definitely a great new spot to open up in Berkeley. Kinda is a fresh twist for an area that mostly has more traditional Japanese sushi fare. Visited with a few friends on a Saturday night, maybe a few weeks after they first opened, and would definitely come back. Service: unfortunately it took a while to get seated, and then another while to actually get to order. I think they were understaffed at the time (1 server?) and still figuring things out after opening, so I'll cut Kinda some slack here. Food: super good! Lots of classic izakaya style dishes, skewers, ramen, etc. Drinks: some very tasty and creative drinks on the menu here. I almost get a bit of the "Tap Haus cocktails before they could serve hard alcohol" vibe from these. Creative combinations that focus on shochu, sake, etc.

A seemingly busy college town izakaya artificially inflated by a horrific wait. While the inside decor is nice and they have good music playing, the wait for our seat and food on a sunday before the majority of students were back from break is a bad showing for when students actually arrive in the area. Our party of 4 arrived at 7pm and put our names down on the list. We were near the top of people waiting but weren't seated until about 8. We ordered 2 appetizers and 4 mains and waited till about 9:20 to get our food, with there seemingly only being one person doing all the cooking and one person handling raw fish. By the time we finished the place was closing. The food was mediocre. The best dish we ordered were the tempura battered sweet potato fries. Our tables kaarage ramen came out lukewarm, with cold chasiu and noodles so soft it felt like they were just sitting in the broth for a while. My yosenabe at least was hot, with a decent broth and sukiyaki meat, but the inclusion of seafood meant 2 shrimp and some slices of fishcake. There was a good amount of mushrooms and veggies though. I wouldn't recommend this restaurant both for the high prices and the service. A showing this terrible on a night where few students are in town does not bode well for later when the semester is in full swing.

They have delicious cocktails! I got the Japanese hogwarts and it was perfectly balanced and refreshing. Some of the tapas were good and some I wouldn't order again. Tuna tataki- I'd pass on this next time. It was over cooked and tough Salmon sashimi- pretty good Grilled squid- good, fairly tender Unagi don- this one was good I'd say for the price, there are other izakaya spots that are more worth it but it was conveniently near the campus

Little bit pricey but great quality. The staff was super nice and the food is super super yummy. They make food that is super to be great with alcohol but it is good by itself. The Ambiance is a little loud, and the seats are definitely not super comfy. I would say it's a great late night munch place though!

Very solid izakaya in Berkeley and would recommend. Service is prompt and helpful. We got several dishes to share. There are a lot of options and they have stuff that I would see at real izakayas in Japan but aren't as common here, overall quite impressed with their menu selections. Hokke (4.5/5) - flavorful grilled fish, very yummy! Bacon wrapped enoki (5/5) - my favorite dish of the night, very flavorful and great paired with some togarashi. Chicken thigh with negi (5/5) - cant go wrong with this. Okonomoyaki (5/5) - super tasty and filling! Gizzard (4/5) - solid. Mentaiko fried rice (4.5/5) - i really liked this, good filler dish. Could use a little bit more mentaiko flavor (i love a good strong fishy taste lol) Chicken heart (3/5) - this one was a bit disappointing, kind of dry and tough. Chicken karaage (3/5) - average, wouldn't get this again. Tamagoyaki - i didn't have any of this but it was well received by others in the party. Drink options were really unique, I got the Kimochi and I will say it was a little less tasty than I expected but I would still recommend trying any of their cocktails! Being able to DIY your own cotton candy at the end with the machine they have outside was a really nice touch. Overall ambiance inside was great, really nice place to come with a small group of friends. Will definitely be returning!

The golden spoons dish was good. Service was with a smile but there was a huge gap i between the golden spoons coming out and the first shiitake mushroom skewers. We then got the church thigh skewers and the shishito peppers skewers. The hand roll combination looked good though. Cute spot with nice ambiance and lighting and music. Would come back back to try tie their hand roll and noodle dishes.

This place has quickly become my go-to japanese spot in the east bay. Great atmosphere with open kitchen for those that like to eat and watch. Large menu with everything from sashimi, to ramen/udon, to classic izakaya dishes. Personal favorite is the chicken KNEE - wow this dish is worth the visit alone. Paired with a nice tall beer...delicious!!

Highly recommend checking out Kinda Izakaya for a fun, casual dinner with friends! The store is small but decorated to the max, showing lots of personality. I would recommend trying the sake roasted pork belly and the mentai cream carbonara udon! Dishes are reasonably priced and I am already craving to go back and try some more items on the menu!

Yummy food, fresh, and awesome ambience. I enjoyed all dishes, especially raw fish dishes. I look forward to coming back to taste more dishes.

Good atmosphere, like in Tokyo. Sashimi selection is limited. But not bad. I like the house Sake. Better than many other JP restaurants. There is no Uni in the menu.

I've walked past Kinda Izakaya a few times while going to Trader Joe's and I decided to give it a try -- and I am so glad I did! The interior of the restaurant was nice and cozy; sort of Studio Ghibli, Howl's Moving Castle ambiance! The staff was super quick in seating us and getting our orders. We ordered the octopus -- something that I've seen online but has never tried. I must say, I was a bit skeptical as to how fresh it would be. I was pleasantly surprised! It had a nice firm and chewy texture, and the lemon on top of the wasabi mashed any fishiness. The tofu was delicious! The exterior was super flavorful and the broth/sauce added a nice touch. The fish itself was a bit overcooked, so the texture itself was crumbly in a odd way, but there was a nice crisp to the skin! Overall, I would give this place a try. I will definitely come back for the beef tongue as I've heard my friends recommend it.

I appreciate their late hours; this is usually why I stop in. Their sake pork belly is wonderful, hands down. Try it. Ramen is solid and ambience is nice, staff are helpful. Tables are a little close, so if the people next to you decide to talk loudly, you have to hear it all. Haven't tried the cotton candy yet.

Absolutely loved this place. Their house sake from Takara was good and cheap. The vibe is fun. Service is good. They will let you make your own cotton candy for free for dessert in a machine they have out front. I especially like the roasted pork belly, takoyaki, tempura, sukiyaki, and chicken karage. One of few really good options open Tuesday night

I had a fantastic dinner here with my friend Alice a few weeks ago and I was in love with the service and the food. I thought that most of the plates were really representative of the ones that I've had in Japan and really thought that the flavors were spot on. Additionally, the drinks are delicious!

Drinks, ambiance, and grilled items were A+. Highlights were the chicken, shishito, shitake and eggplant. Each skewer plate was about $8 and had two skewers. $7 for a beer or $24 for a giant pitcher. Tuna tataki and tamago, however, were really disappointing The tamago was like a scratchy folded scrambled egg, and the tuna didn't have any evidence of a sear - it was just all soft and brown. Definitely wouldn't get that one again at $18.

Delicious! Best Izakaya we've had. Very flavorful, not a single dish was bad. I did love the yuzu soda, H liked the lychee cocktail. The bacon wrapped mushroom was very tasty, enjoyed the miso pork belly, the seaweed salad and chicken heart skewers, and the potato noodle soup very much! Vibe was great, music playing but not too loud!

The most legit izakaya place in the east bay!!! My partner and I stumbled upon this place by luck and we were both blown away!! It was packed even though it's only been open for a month. We were seated promptly at the bar and while it took a bit long to get our order taken, once the order was in the food came out at the perfect pace. The service was top notch and everyone was super friendly and professional. The food was INCREDIBLE. We got the sake grilled pork belly, takoyaki, salmon ikura bowl, and sukiyaki. Each dish was done to perfection and the quality of the sashimi surprised me. Everything felt fresh and seasoned perfectly. I also enjoyed the yuzu sparkling soda--not too sweet! I loved finding out this place is owned by women of color- even more reasons to love them. This is definitely one of our favorite places now and we'll be back very soon.

My visit to Kinda Izakaya was absolutely amazing! The food was out of this world and filled with so much delicious flavors! I started off with the Salmon Sashimi, Chicken Thigh Yakatori, Agadashi Tofu and complementary pumpkin. They all were a great start to the meal to come. I also paired my meal with the Kimochi cocktail which was tart and tasty. The stars of the show were the Sake Roasted Pork Belly & the Beef Tongue with Egg Yolk! They were buttery, crispy and mouthwatering good. I ended my meal with the Pork Belly Ramen which was the perfect way to finish the night. The staff was very friendly and nice! The ambiance of the restaurant was cozy & chic. I love all of the elements of Japanese art in the decor. I cannot wait to come back again! I'm already thinking about the next time I'll be here. I will definitely recommend this spot to everyone I know! Thank you so much Kinda Izakaya for having me!

I went here for my birthday last night and IT DID NOT DISAPPOINT!! I found my new fav place in Berkeley. We pretty much ate the whole menu and I loved every single thing I put in my mouth lol. The ikura was fresh and burst with umami. The beef tongue was so tender and flavorful!! They also served it with a raw egg yolk and a house soy sauce that made it a 12/10. Ugh we ended up ordering 4 of them lol. I loved the atmosphere and the drinks!! You can come here for a fancy date or just a casual late night bite with amazing drinks and nice ambiance. I loved the posters on the wall and the Japanese music in the background. Apparently, it was our server's 1st and he was so nice and attentive. I will be definitely be a regular here lol.

I happened to find this spot during their soft opening, and I'm so glad I did! I really enjoyed the ambiance and the food/drinks! I highly recommend, and I will definitely be back. My favorite was the hamachi kama (fish was very soft and delicious) and chicken karage. For drinks, we got the lychee cocktail (very good) and the yuzu soda (also very good, and not too sweet). There is a lot of anime reference throughout the restaurant, and they played good music. It gives it a young and hip yet calm vibe, which I enjoyed. Service was great - it wasn't too busy when I went but the server often checked in on my table. Parking is street parking. I will definitely be back!

The decor and ambiance of this place is very cool. I ordered the Sukiyaki which was recommended by the wait staff and it was SO delicious!