Mitama

I've tried out a few sushi places around here and this one is the best by a margin.

Probably one of the best sushi places I have ever visited in the Bay. I'm taking out a star because the wait was way TOO long. We ordered 2 miso soups, 2 rolls, and some nigiris. It took more than 40 minutes to arrive, and everything came at different times, which is disappointing if you want to enjoy the dishes together. I will come back, but definitely not on weekends.

The hot noodle is really good. What makes it good is the broth. They make the broth with bonito flakes, mackerel, and kelp daily. So it is really tasty. Thanks he rolls are alright. They have a new chef making them so it was taking a very long time to make (45 min). I’ll come back for the hot noodle.

Upon my first visit to this establishment, I ordered the Miso ramen and Salmon toro. While the Sake toro was satisfactory, the ramen did not meet my expectations, and I would rate it a 2 out of 5. Overall, I found nothing particularly special about this place.

Omakase was decent and ramen soup was tasty. Could have better ramen noodles but overall good experience. That ramen pepper is epic. Kaki fry definitely a good crunch and suffiently sized oysters.

Great quality fish. Chefs are really Japanese so I have good hope in this place and wasn’t disappointed. They also have daily recommended for fresh fish from Tokyo Fish Market. Space a little cramp like they open only half-section of restaurant but overall I enjoyed this place and will definitely recommend. Picture is Assorted Tempura

Favorite neighborhood sushi. Lovely people who run it, excellent Sake and Sake Salmon! 😊

I live nearby and hit up Mitama any time I'm craving sushi or a comforting bowl of udon. The food is consistently great, the staff is friendly, and the vibe inside is that of a snug but cozy and inviting sushi bar. Highly recommend.

Solid spot in our neighborhood - we got a sushi set, chirashi, and two rolls. Everything tasted good and the food came out very quickly!

I know people get nervous around sushi/Japanese restaurants with less than 4 average but I'm glad we came here! Very solid, fresh sushi. And I love that natto (fermented soy beans) are generally included on the side.

Awesome service and incredibly fresh sushi! My go to order is usually the chirashi bowl, if you're having trouble deciding what to get I highly recommend this bowl. Robert, the owner is always so personable and always provides great service. Looking forward to my next visit!

4/5 is slightly on the generous side, but overall I had a good experience here! We came with a party of 6 that later grew to 9 on a Sunday around 1:30pm and there was no wait. I ordered the nigiri combination and they let me replace the tuna maki with salmon instead! The fish quality was not *the best* that I've ever had, but fresh enough for the price that I would order it again. I had some friends order the beef teriyaki & fried oyster bento and that was pretty good too (I tried a piece of each). The food might come out a little slow for large parties but I needed to leave earlier and they were able to give me my food first.

Another great meal at Mitama. I've been coming here for years with my family. Consistently tasty and delicious.

The buttercup sushi was good. I came in a group of 5 and the place is set up for max 4 but they were able to accommodate. I definitely wouldn't come with a large group. The portion size was small for sushi but ok for the bento box which some of my friends got.

The food was much better than the service. I get that sometimes wait staff are tired or their feet hurt or they're having a bad day, but we got a shit ton of attitude here. But the sushi was good. My partner ordered the teriyaki beef which was excellent.

We've been going here for years and love how consistently fresh the fish is. We especially love the Hokkaido scallops, fatty tuna and the shrimp tempura. The portions are generous, too. Highly recommend Mitama.

This neighborhood restaurant is a great fresh all the time sushi.. you have to come try if you haven't yet been here. Small family owned foodery!!!

There are SO many reasons to eat here, for one: the service is top notch. When you walk in each staff person greets you in a friendly and direct manner. So much so that is in fact impossible to determine their 'roles' and whois the 'bus-person' and who is the server, or host. With my two decades of customer service experience- I found this charming and decided to give some items on the menu a try- promising myself I would be good and only try an item or two and be back later to try it more thoroughly with my partner- who happens to have a more particular and discriminating yet limited palette. However- once trying my top 2 favorite sushi items for judging all restaurants by: Sake Nigiri (2 pc. Raw Salmon Slices banded w seaweed over rice) - It was off the charts buttery and amazing cut, served and the rice was not too sweet or tightly pressed, and of the right temperature. The second roll I started my assessment by was the Negihama Maki- the Yellowtail with Seaweed wrapped around the outside. It was out of this world. At that point I was hooked for life- I was so impressed at the dexterity of rolling and the flavor and freshness of the fish! They even write on the board where they purchase it from (who else does that??) And so from there I just had to try the Hirame Nigiri (halibut), which was cut glass-thin so as to remain delicate in flavor and not too chewy, amd underlaid with Shiso, one of the most under-used and delicate and delicious green herbs I have ever tasted. Then we went back to a maki roll, choosing another long time favorite-Spicy Tuna!! This is one that is often easily done wrong in SO many different ways. Sushi Chef (Max) not only prepared mine with the Sisho herb in it on my request, but he also knowingly only added a smidge of it as a true pro would (highly recommend this!). And the level of hotness was not too hot or too bland- just Goldilocks perfect!! They also have a 'fresh from Japan Menu' which I honestly have never seen in any sushi restaurant around here. My Highest most flavorful review for people who DON'T like raw fishy tastes but want to explore sushi, try the Rock n' Roll Maki - a delicate combo of California avocado, with grilled eel, and chopstick slices of cucumber, wrapped together with seaweed. Enjoyment for the whole family, and easy to chew as well! All in all the other food looked amazing on the plates when I looked around to the nearly full restaurant- when I arrived around 4:30 on a sleepy Friday afternoon, it was empty, and now making myself leave around 7:00 pm- it is hopping and has been for hours! There are wait times of up to an hour for sit in or pick-up orders, around the dinner time hours for this spot so please- plan ahead and don't - pretty please - DON'T take it out on the waitstaff! Manage your own time well if you have the money to eat out don't blame others for the privilege of it.

It's good. Sushi, sashimi, bento combination plates, great sake choices. Nice pleasant service.

My friend took me out to Mitama for lunch because she's friends with the owners and we love getting Japanese food together. For lunch I ordered two rolls. I had the Negi Hama Roll and Tekka Maki Roll. Both rolls were good. It was my first time trying a Negi Hama Roll. I enjoyed it because it came with decent sized pieces of Yellowtail. The roll was relatively big compared to the Tekka Maki Roll. My friend ordered the Chirashi Sushi and enjoyed it. They provide hot tea to drink but you can request water. Service was amazing, the owners are an extremely sweet couple and so fun to talk to! She gave great recommendations in regards to Japan and constantly checked in on us. With COVID-19, the restaurant is short staffed so it's just her working the front as a waitress, server, and taking phone call orders. I also believe there's only one sushi chef. Although a little pricey, the food and service are good. I'm glad I had the chance to try and check out Mitama.

Quality of fish was excellent. We got all the specials on the board behind the chefs and I highly recommend the toro if they have it. Plenty of seating and a very kind and attentive staff--they sat us right before the kitchen closed and we're gracious with several corrections to our original order. The Uni was delicious as well! Definitely hope to come back again soon!

I decided to try this little sushi place near a dance studio I come to practice often. Unfortunately I'm a bit disappointed, almost everything was subpar. TL:DR: would I eat here again, probably not. Things that make me say that: * considering how few tables they have, and that there were like there servers, they never came to check in, I had to try get their attention to ask them to fix the pet her the chefs got wrong (I know it was the chefs because I saw the server write down my order as I asked for it) * the food was average, so quite expensive for the quality of the fish served * also the quality of the cuts wasn't great, some fish pieces were falling apart, or some likely not cut in the right direction which made it extra chewy (the bream), and these were supposedly the premium nigiri, $12, and was quite worse than the regular nigiri in the menu * as for stuff that usually should be the better picks from the chef, I really felt I paid for regular or less that best quality stuff. For a chirashi I was given mostly rice and Tamago, so, not sure where my $35 order really paid for? 1 piece of average sake which didn't look very fresh And regular tuna (which I would expect perhaps more of a bluefin tuna) * then funny, again, waiting and looking to find them to ask for the check, and when they bring it, no pen, so I can't sign * definitely I don't feel like my small and below average meal was worth $72, maybe $40ish, but not 72. Hope they can improve because it has a potential but needs work.

I was looking for a good spot to eat dinner by myself and I came across this place. For dinner, I ordered 1 sake (salmon belly) nigiri, 1 toro nigiri, 1 Honor roll, and 1 Dragon roll. Although this place is on the pricier side, the service was great, the ambiance of this place was cozy, and fish was fresh, tender and great quality.

Excellent fresh fish with a consistent variety, excellent and attentive wait staff, rich ramen broth, and a relaxed atmosphere. A very solid neighborhood sushi spot.

Delicious lunch bento box of high quality fish for $20. Amazing deal, cute place, good service.

Love their spicy tuna rolls and nigiri combo. The restaurant is conveniently located and and ambience is pleasant.

If you go anywhere else in Berkeley for sushi you're foolish. I found this place on accident and have stopped going anywhere else. There's something to be said about a sushi place that keeps it humble and serves incredible food; this place embodies that phenomenally. I'm at 25 year Bay Area resident and I can whole heartedly; and with complete confidence say this is my favorite sushi in the bay. To keep this simple: Mitama pulls off excellence every time you sit down. Kindness, culinary greatness, and wonderful pricing. You won't catching me eating sushi anywhere else if I have a say in the matter. 7 out of 5 stars.

Doordashed the Mitama roll, dragon roll, and college roll, with a side of gyoza and really loved the experience! i'm a bit biased toward eel, so my favorite was the dragon roll, but i also really liked the other two rolls. I'm relatively sensitive to the kind of fishy smell/aftertaste that sushi sometimes comes with, but there was barely any of that here which i really appreciated. also really liked the gyoza and the golden brown, crispy bottom!!

The dashi in the ramen is way too salty. My previous visit I mentioned the broth had too much shio. Kindly noted. My friend also stopped in and said the same thing. Today it's still overly salted. I didn't say anything. I just won't go back. So disappointing.

I'm seriously charmed by Mitama! I'll admit that their prices are quite steep for sushi in this area. However, the high quality of their product warrants the high price tag in my honest opinion. I first tried Mitama a couple of years ago, and I'm not sure why I wasn't hooked on them back then. Fast forward to now, and I'm ashamed to admit that this place is even better than my to-go spot located just a few blocks away. Tried them again recently after not having stepped foot inside for over 2 years. The verdict: I'm in love. I've been back 3 times since then and I can pretty much say that this is some of the freshest fish and sushi that I've had in the area. First of all, the bento boxes are so amazing! Yes, very pricey... like $5 more than the average sushi spot. BUT... the mixed tempura is perfect! The tempura to vegetable ratio is spot on, and they actually give you more than just one measly piece of shrimp (hallelujah!). The salad isn't overly doused in dressing, and the amount of protein that they give you is immense. These are the kinds of things that I look for in a perfect bento box. Let's revisit the protein for a minute: I've had their salmon, chicken teriyaki, and beef teriyaki so far. All have been exceptionally tasty. What I love is that they actually pre-season the meat before they even add the sauce. The allows for much more of a distinct flavor. Their salmon is some of the BEST that I've had in any sushi restaurant hands down! The size and quality of their fish filets is simply ridiculous. You would think that they had just caught their salmon that morning and cooked it for you. Just FRESH!!! Their sushi rolls are incredibly fresh as well! I've loved every roll that I've tried thus far; dragon roll, spicy crunchy shrimp roll, & their Cali roll. Just incredible and insanely filling. Nice thick rolls that will keep you full for hours on end. Oh yeah, and those beans are friggin' addicting! I've never ever had "beans" at a Japanese restaurant before, but damnit... they're addicting and also challenging to eat with chopsticks (you would be entertained). The service is fast, friendly, and efficient. From the hostess to the sushi chefs; everyone is so welcoming here. The interior is airy and bright with a great street view. They have happy hour during the week which I have yet to partake in, but oooohhh it's a'comin'! All in all, I'm just so charmed by this place. If you're looking for high quality sushi and fish and don't mind spending a little bit more for excellent quality, Mitama is the place to be.

Whenever I have eaten at Mitama, the food has been excellent, the staff has been attentive, and overall the experience was great. Most important, I walked out after lunch several weeks ago and left my leather jacket (a gift from my late wife) hanging on the chair. It took me weeks to go back to all the places I might have left it in my spare time. When I walked into Mitama I was greeted by "we have your leather jacket." Great memory by owner/operator, and I am forever grateful for the extra kindness.

So good and friendly. They had a unique sashimi menu that allowed us to taste different styles and cuts of fish. Def will go here again!! A true Japanese restaurant.

IGNORED FOR 1 HOUR. NO CUSTOMER SERVICE! Where do I begin. We made reservations for 7:30pm. Sat down, ordered within minutes. Got our beer, hot sake, and soda. Then the silence. 1 hour passes by. Then I noticed a single patron sits at the sushi bar, orders and 5 minutes later he gets his dinner. Where is our order? It's been an hour! I noticed to-go orders being made while we sit starving. They seem to be prioritizing 'to-go' orders instead of making sure the customers that actually drove to their restaurant get served in a timely fashion. We were ignored for 1hr until we decided no more. We left. Pay attention to your customers. We even supported you during the pandemic when no one was eating out.

I'm surprised this place only has 3.5 stars...I actually enjoyed the food here! We ordered: 1. Maguro sashimi appetizer ($17.50) 2. Shrimp tempura appetizer ($14) 3. Spicy tuna tempura roll ($11) 4. Mitama roll ($19) 5. Rockridge roll ($11.50) 6. Genmai tea ($2) yes, they charge for tea!! 7. Organic miso soup ($4) I'm really picky with my rolls since I don't eat too much sashimi (I'm just starting to), so the rolls we ordered were great. It had a mix of raw sushi, tempura, crab meat, and a California roll. I wouldn't mind coming back to try other rolls. The customer service was also great. Although they charge for tea, the server constantly refilled our cups so it was worth it.

Went there for a birthday party and everyone was happy with their meals. I had sashimi over sushi rice and the fish was all very fresh and tasty. It filled me up. My mom had fried oysters and they were delicious! Very kind people work there.

Decided to try out their ramen on a whim, and was surely surprised with the deliciousness of the Pork Ramen. The broth tastes rich and flavorful and I was lucky enough to get a generous amount of chashu with my order. Their marinated boiled egg was also cooked to perfection. They do go a bit heavy on the mung bean sprouts so I would recommend to ask for it to be light if you prefer a smaller amount. I wish they offered an option to make the ramen spicy or offer a spicy condiment to put to the side because that would be the cherry on top. Overall a good experience and will definitely come back again to get my quick ramen fix.

Super good Small local owned super fresh sushi and Japanese food spot Food usually takes 40-45 minutes if you order anything cooked and it's worth it Best quality in area! I strongly recommend Mitama. The gyoza and their sauce is the most

I guess I expected more from a sushi restaurant that gets their fish from Tsujiki Fish Market. My husband was craving ramen, and as usual, I wanted sushi. So, we Yelped a place we haven't tried, and ended up here. I should've known service would've been slow the moment we walked in and had to wait to be even be greeted. What we ordered: Tonkotsu ramen, Rolls Royce, Alcatraz, and spicy scallop. The ramen was pretty good, and my husband enjoyed the rich flavors of the broth. Sadly, the rolls we ordered were disappointing, Paper thin cuts of fish, bland, just overall uninspiring. For me, I usually judge whether I like a sushi restaurant based on their spicy scallop roll. Reason being, it's my favorite roll, and also the simplicity of the roll itself (how could you mess up something so basic). The spicy scallop roll here is the lazy man's version, with just a squeeze of sriracha on top. They couldn't even mix it together inside the roll? Utterly disappointed. The deal breaker was the service, or lack of. It was impossible to find anyone to give you plates, refill your water, or get the bill. Many attempts to make eye contact with the servers were dodged or ignored. To the point where I was tired of turning my head for some sort attention =/ Our first time here, and surely last. Keep looking, there are better options up and down College Ave!

Both delicious, unpretentious and creative. Good humored people run this place. Recommend!

Terrible Valentines Day experience. We had a reservation and we Sat there for 30+ mins before being offered water etc. They looked busy but also made no effort to help any customers. They seemed too concerned with door dash orders instead of the restaurant full of customers. The server also seemed like he was on another planet. Yikes

I'm a regular over all these years. Mitama, a modest small restaurant, uses only the best quality of food. They have amazing omakase with fresh seafood regularly flown from Japan. Couple with a flight of sake. That will be perfect for a special occasion. 10 rounds of sushi plus sake ~$50 pax. Otherwise, if you just crave for Japanese food on a normal day, I highly recommend the bento box (Combination Lunch/Dinner) mix and matching the following: Shrimp Tempura, Katsu Pork, Kaki Fry (fried oysters) or Teriyaki Salmon/Beef. Do share these delicious appetizers like Agedashi Tofu, Nori Chips and Spinach Salad. $20+ Portion is huge! When the weather is bit chill/rainy I must have a bowl of rich flavorful Ramen with (milky) Pork soup base, but never order Soy Sauce broth which some find salty. $17 Why I knock off one star? Understaffing happens quite a lot during weekend dinner time. Much ashamed indeed. I witness some really upset clients. I can tell Mitama profit margin can be slim for their business and I hope they hang on so that our family can keep our favorite foodie place! Not many Japanese Restaurants are genuinely run by Japanese offering authentic Japanese food without breaking your bank!

I was in the search of a good sushi place around Berkeley and so far I hadn't been impressed. I picked up the buttercup and dynamite roll - the fish was so tasty it melted in my mouth I will definitely be coming back

This place is all about that location. Being on the corner of a busy cute shopping area the people watching and energy while you is so exciting! I always sit by the window so I can see the cute dogs walk past. Back to the sushi! The rolls are large and in charge. They are a little pricy but you are getting a belly's full with these rolls. I always get the Chirashi sushi for dinner. It is accompanied with pickled onions, orange slices, and nuts! I don't eat them but it's really cool that they come along with the entrée. Inside the bowl they have a nice assortment of fish! And it always comes with miso soup and a salad. This last time I got the meat dumplings, I like that they were pan fried at the bottom without that they would have been a bit plain for my taste.

This place has great reviews but I'm sad to say I didn't have the same experience. I bought to go and ordered the tonkatsu ramen. More than half the container was bean sprouts. A pinch of seaweed, less than a pinch of corn, very small portion of ramen. I was essentially eating bean sprouts! Hella skimping. & I was so disappointed to bite into the egg only to discover it was overcooked. The egg is my favorite part. ): Broth also gets really salty. Also got the sushi special and chriashi. In my opinion, the slices are small and some fishes are a hit or miss. For instance, Uni was really fresh but the mackarel (another one my favorites that was ruined) and unagi tasted really off. Also asked to substitute tuna roll for salmon to which they agreed but I still ended up with tuna roll. Its okay if they were unwilling to substitute, but I would not have gotten this dish if they couldn't substitute it and I would end up with so much tuna. I wouldn't say this place is expensive, it's average, but for the thinness of the slices and the skimping of my ramen, it is expensive. Definitely did not get my money's worth especially with the ramen. I paid $13 to eat bean sprouts in salty soup.

This place was fine-- the service wasn't as bad as some other reviewers experienced, but the food was a little disappointing. The miso soup was way too salty. The hot sake was more on the warm side than the hot side. My friend and I split the Alcatraz roll and the Ready to Roll, and she also got the salmon belly nigiri which she loves. The Alcatraz roll was good-- I really liked it. The Ready to Roll wasn't too well rolled in that multiple pieces started to fall apart when you pick it up with chopsticks. One of the servers were really nice, but the other one was a little weird mainly in that he came to pick up the signed checks before we got up to leave. I don't think there were people waiting for a table, and we certainly hadn't lingered for a long time so it was a little off-putting to get the universal server sign for "Please leave". We were kinda tucked away in one of the corners by the window so the layout of the restaurant at one of the front corners is a little cramped and you have to maneuver a little around the tables and chairs to get to it, but it was fine and it made for a cozy quiet corner.

This review is long overdue. Thanks to all of you who are supporting our local, small, family owned businesses! Our family has been doing a lot of cooking during shelter this shelter in place period, but I have to say it was such a DELIGHT to have take out from Mitama tonight! Mitama is a family owned Japanese restaurant. Our family has been coming here for over a decade. Robert and Taeko offer consistently delicious, high quality homestyle Japanese staples (chicken, salmon teriyaki, katsu - pork and chicken, tempura, soba, udon - are you drooling yet?) and only the freshest fish for sushi. They are offering take out and are taking the utmost caution to keep us all safe while you pick up your food. Take out also includes beverages - get a ramune (your kids will love you forever), while you get something nice for yourself - beer, sake or nonalcoholic. If you have a hankering give Robert or Taeko a call, your belly will thank you!! (510) 652-6157 http://www.mitamasushi.com/ Be safe everyone! We will all get through this together!

Mediocre sushi at best!! The sushi didn't seem fresh & the rolls were small for the price. We tried the spicy tuna roll, rainbow roll & assorted sushi dinner. We definitely tried a range of fish. We were disappointed & didn't even finish our sushi. Our daughter did like her gyoza.

Not sure why this place doesn't have better reviews, it's a reliable neighborhood staple. Excellent quality fish and rice. Service can be slow or a little disorganized at times, but never intentionally bad.

I hate that people give this place bad reviews because of SERVICE AHAHAHAH this place is SO GOOD PLEASE IGNORE THE BAD REVIEWS!! I got negi toro and spicy salmon rolls. They were absolute 10/10. Please come here if you want amazing sushi. Don't listen to these stupid yelpers

TERRIBLE SERVICE. Super small place, Waited for a table for 10 mins, got sited... 30 mins wait, waitress completely ignored us... not even water. Walked out, waiter didn't even noticed it.

I live in the area and have eaten here dozens of times. Mitama is a neighborhood sushi place in the Japanese style with a focus on solid nigiri and sashimi. A great place to go after work or on a date. The fish is fresh and well-prepared, but not showy. The service and drink selection is good. The prices are slightly above average but reasonable for the quality.

Wow. I've been looking for good sushi in Berkeley for a while now, been sorely disappointed by many, but NOT BY MITAMA. Oh my god they have fresh ass fish from japan n shit bruh that shits so good ong

Was in the mood for some comfort food after a long day if lectures at Cal. Found Mitama on open table and checked out their menu and liked what I saw. Found Street parking down the block and strolled to the restaurant just as they opened. I was thirty minutes early for my reservations, but they accommodated me to a seat at a table. I started with a small Sapporo and tako sunomono salad. My entree came with an organic salad, miso soup and steamed rice. The tako sunomono salad was excellent and so was the miso soup. I don't care much for exotic lettuce, so didn't care much for the organic salad. I ordered the shrimp tempura entree. The veggies and shrimp were cooked nicely and had good flavor. I just happened to ask my server if they had natto, and I was happy to hear that they did. I ordered a natto hand roll, which completed my meal perfectly.

Cute little shop in Elmwood, across the street from a row of adorable shops. The ramen here is good, as is the sashimi! The robata grill sauces are very heavy.

UPDATE: Be sure to check out their newly updated happy hour menu! Weekdays from 5:30-7. Features appetizer items, full size poke serving, a variety of rolls and $1.50 oysters (1/2 dz. for $7). ----------------- This is our go-to place for Sushi in Berkeley. Recommend sitting at the bar so you can interact with the chefs in case you have any questions. Plus it's quick service and once they get to know you, they'll start recommending items for you! Check out their rotating nigiri board if you are looking to try new items. They've had a variety of options from sea urchin, toro, sea bream, shrimp head, to oysters. Fish and shellfish always taste super fresh and served at perfect temps (eel is always heated and any tempura roll is fresh fried). As an extra, this is my favorite place for pork broth based ramen. I've tried noodle theory down the road and would rather come here instead. Delicious stuff!

Sweet - a solid sushi bar steps from our door! It's not the fanciest sushi place in this area of town, but the fish is fresh, the sushi/sashimi specials are always great, and they have interesting and authentic seasonal options like Ankimo and Kampachi. Plus the garnishes are always adorable - see the radish flower pictured! We've gotten takeout here many times and it's always been solid, but we recently visited in-person for the first time. Sitting down to eat meant an opportunity to try out Mitama's drink menu. They have a nice variety of sake at very reasonable prices, and we loved that they had us pick our sake cups. On that note, I'm not sure what's going on with the "Sake Bar" which they seem to own next door. I was excited when I saw the construction going on, but now I walk by every night on my way to Safeway and it's always empty and closed - perhaps for private parties only? Minus a star for the service, as everyone else says. We didn't wait too too long (25 minutes, maybe?), but we also had an early weekday dinner and were one of only 3 parties in the restaurant. Much more annoyingly, the waitress just plopped down my deluxe sashimi without telling me what anything was (and it wasn't listed on the menu). Pet peeve for sure. We'll sit at the bar next time; the sushi chefs seemed friendly and talkative.

I went here three times before writing this review...on every visit, we've waited to be seated for a crazy long time. And to be clear, there were plenty of tables open and no lines. In two instances, multiple waitresses walked to the front area, where there is a sign that says please wait to be seated, and they all completely ignored us. This last time, we waited by the sign for 15 minutes (about 1/3 of their tables were empty and 3 different waitresses walked up to get pens or run cards without acknowledging our presence) before leaving out of frustration. The previous two times we waiting 10 minutes, sat and ate, and the food was mediocre at best. I wanted to like this place because I live around the corner from it which is why I decided to try the actual food a few times, but with the food being very average (and in some cases not good) AND the service being outstandingly bad, I had to let people know there are really solid alternatives close by. I highly recommend Shimizu in Piedmont (very short drive), or Kirala (slightly more pricy but 100% worth it! Much much better food and for sure service, though that can't be hard to top after this place because it has the single worst service I've ever experienced.).