Sushi California

Stopped off here when they opened before a concert. The staff was very nice. The food was delicious. Small place but not cramped. Everything was fresh and hot. They have can sodas, so there are no refills, but that's my only complaint. Will be back to try other rolls. Highly suggest the unagi with tobiko. So delicious.

I recently visited Sushi California and was blown away by their amazing Dragon Roll. It was a perfect blend of flavors and textures, beautifully presented. The service was equally impressive—friendly, attentive, and efficient. Dining at Sushi California was a delightful experience, and I highly recommend it for both the fantastic food and exceptional service.

Walked by this place today, noticing the sign on the street showing BOGO hand rolls and went for it. I’m very happy I did! These were excellent, and very fresh! That’s always a worry with an unfamiliar sushi joint mid-week, this place really impressed. Tuna was very fresh, rice was perfect. Ginger was crisp. The restaurant is small with a cozy bar, doesn’t stand out that much from the outside but I could certainly spend some time here eating and enjoying company. We will be coming back soon for Omakase!

Came in here on my lunch break a couple of times recently, one take out and one dine in. This spot looks to be a smaller family owned business, Both times that I came in. I received good customer service from the guy in front as well as good quality food from the chef. I will definitely be coming back soon.

Wow. What a surprise. We found this place by accident to be honest. We were looking for a good place to eat and walked past this place. Came back later as we couldn't find anything else that looked good. Kiyomi was an excellent waitress and was very friendly and helpful. We had the 49er, Mexican, and Lion king rolls which were excellent. But the chefs choice sashimi and hamashi was beyond delicious. Excellent atmosphere too. We went on a Friday which had live music, a nice jazz duo played by 2 Japanese musicians which was perfect atmosphere for this place. Really pleased with our experience. Will recommend to my friends for sure.

New Management, I won't be returning. This was the worst Nigiri Sushi I've 🍣 ever ordered in the bay area! I've been dining here for 33 years. Sushi was always fresh and authentic when prepared by the previous owner Ryoji Arakaki.

Amazon Sushi place! The food was fantastic. Reasonably priced and has good Japanese style options. The highlight was white tuna nigiri. Twice a month, on the second and fourth Tuesdays, there's live music which we really enjoyed. Would definitely come again.

This was some of the best sushi we've ever had! Generous cuts and fresh portions, really thoughtful service along with reasonable prices. Location is interesting and the ambient music was pop which didn't seem to fit the lovely Japanese setting. We popped in to get some to go food but decided to have some neguri while we waited. One of the items we ordered to go was this unagi. The server suggested we also eat that while waiting while it was fresh and warm and he was right! We loved it. We really appreciated the suggestion.

Nice quiet spot, service was terrific. Sushi was amazing, with generous portions, Yum. Thanks!

Unfortunately I have to update my 5 star review to 2. Before the new management this was our go to sushi place. But our last visit will be our last. They made the rolls smaller and kept the price the same. As well as substitute a lot of the fresh large pieces of fish for imitation crab filling. The rolls we ordered in the pics i posted a year ago look nothing like this. 49er roll had no salmon on it at all and no lemon. When called and complained said they ran out of lemon... we picked our order up 30 mins after opening.

The definition of a hole in the wall. Or maybe hole in the ground is more apt. Half-embedded in concrete, flush with the sidewalk, Sushi Cal might be mistaken as an abandoned lot-- nope, this humble restaurant is fully open and has been for the past 30+ years! After visiting both pre- and post-pandemic, I still think this is the best spot for budget sushi. Prices have somehow stayed low without undermining quality. Their cooked dishes tend to run a little bland; the sushi is what you should be coming here for. I've had a variety of rolls and nigiri here with no complaints-- Fish is good quality, veg is fresh, portions are good. And the service is excellent, their staff are always welcoming and highly attentive. Every so often, they have live musicians playing to add to the cozy atmosphere. Very pleased that this local favorite is still going strong.

Sushi California never disappoints !! The nigiri sushi we ordered were all fresh as always!! The fish were cut at the right thickness, right level of moist. The sushi rice for the nigiri is plumped and balanced with the right amount of sweet and vinegar, thus bringing out the natural umami in the fresh fish. Every bite is to die for. My most favorite (my husband's too) is the Hokkaido nigiri, and amaebi and then hamachi, saba, hotate, in that order, but we love everything here. The Hokkaido is salmon sake on Shiso leave topped with a mountain of Ikura--it's their special. The amaebi is big and sweet; comes with the head fried tempura style and you can eat the whole thing. When you bite into the shrimp's head covered in the fried tempura batter, you get hit with all the shrimps yummy insides (which maybe isn't for everyone, but for those looking for that, come here now!) My two kids love the fresh dungeoness crab California roll and purple potato croquette the most, but they love everything! The service is just awesome! You'll always be greeted by the chefs and everyone working there when you walk in. The ambiance is perfect with the lights dimmed and relaxing beautiful live music, even my three year old boy was relaxed and happy to sit through dinner! My seven year old daughter loved the food. She was eating and humming to the music. It was a great night!!

Excellent very fresh sushi. Their hamachi is great. The California roll was made with real crab. Service was attentive. Ambiance is casual. Prices are reasonable. They have a good selection of sake. I would definitely recommend it.

This is a wonderful local sushi spot. I especially love the shiro maguro with the garlic under the tuna. So delicious! It's fun to visit on the nights with live music.

Great hidden gem in Berkeley with authentic Japanese food. Great sushi bar and friendly owner

The omakase in this restaurant is very delicious. The chef's workmanship is superb, and each dish is not only fresh, but also beautifully presented. Both the choice of fish and the combination of textures are amazing. If you're a sushi lover, it's definitely worth a try. The environment is elegant, the service is attentive, and it is a very pleasant dining experience. I highly recommend this omakase.

Overall a solid sushi place! For the most part, the sushi rolls were delicious. However, there were moments where the chefs literally just stared at us as we ate, which was uncomfortable. And one of the two chefs sat down and hung out with some guests. I wouldn't mind this if there wasn't a 30-minute wait between when we got our third and fourth rolls (I checked the time stamps of the photos). So, here's my take on each roll: - Una Avo (6 pieces, eel + avo, $10.25) - pretty good. Just a little messy rolling. - Uni (1 piece, $8) - hard to go wrong. It was incredible as uni is. - 49ers roll (8 pieces, shrimp tempura, avocado, salmon, fish roe, lemon, $16) - I really liked the addition of lemon. It was unique, refreshing, and not too sour. Also had an ample amount of salmon on the exterior. Highly recommend this roll. - Dragon (8 pieces, ebi tempura roll wrap, eel-avo-fish roe, $17) - I was disappointed by how the eel was laid on the roll in small pieces. I'm used to the outer seafood pieces completely covering the roll. - Crab (8 pieces, crab, avocado, mayo, fish roe, $16) - They use real crab. Maybe a little heavy on the mayo, but the crab was very fresh and good. Generally, all of the rolls had great flavoring but not the best presentation. The rolls didn't seem tightly wrapped. TIP: Sushi California doesn't appear in the right place on Google Maps. If you're walking down University Avenue away from the university, make sure to keep walking and go around the corner. You will see the restaurant across from the Valero gas station. What's interesting is that the restaurant is a little sunken into the ground.. EDIT: I fixed the location on Google Maps!

This place has gone downhill badly under new management. To put it mildly, food is not prepared with love, more like haste and cheapness, If you want a quiet Japanese vibe don't bother coming here.

I use to love this place until new management. The sushi use to be really fresh. The quality of taste and presentation went down. The Karage was dry and the rolls barely had any fresh fish. The new base for the speciality rolls is imitation crab but the price is still the same as real crab. One of the rolls I ordered was missing half the ingredients and they didn't tell me they were out but still charged me the same price.

I'm very disappointed, as they're very highly rated in the previous reviews but serve very nasty food. Sashimi is not fresh at all and is not properly made. It tastes as if they just freeze the rotten fish and bring it to the table.

The food was not fresh at all. My friend and I came there because of the previous reviews, but we were disappointed at the sashimi. They were neither fresh nor served at the right temperature, making it the worst experience among those Japanese restaurants I've ever been to. Do not waste your money on this restaurant.

Overpriced and overrated. Quantity of food was very lacking. Ten pieces of sashimi for $27. I see so many reviews that claim this as the best...I suppose they must me used to microwave sushi from the dollar store. The service was about as good as the other reviews suggest.

The experience and ambience of this restaurant was AMAZING! We split one of the sashimi and chicken katsu combos and two rolls which was perfect for two hungry people. The chicken katsu was juicy but not too greasy and the sashimi was fresh. Our favorite part though was having Hideo Date play the guitar while we ate our meal!

When you want an authentic nod to a Japanese neighborhood Inn with cooked foods and sushi come here. Simple not glitzy, aged decor not sleek, homey not minimalist, serene with the background chatter of families. Always a satisfying experience.

Came here the other night since I had always passed by this restaurant on the way to Trader Joe's but never actually stepped foot into it. I ended up trying: - Plum Roll - 49'er's roll - Saba Shio - Grilled Squid (with teriyaki sauce) - Chicken Katsu Don (with egg) The plum roll was a vegetarian roll, with asparagus, cucumber (and miso sauce) on the inside, rice wrapped in a shiso leaf with a dab of ume plum. I thought that this roll was refreshing to start out our meal, as the shiso leaf provided a subtle hint of mint. I actually didn't taste much of the plum, but maybe my palate was not refined enough to pick up those notes. The 49'er roll was filled with shrimp tempura and avocado, with a slice of salmon, topped with fish roe and a tiny sliver of lemon. I will have to say that I thought it was very interesting to have the lemon on top, as it brought a very bright, citrus-y note to the roll. The saba shio is a grilled mackerel (with salt). I'm a big fan of mackerel, so I liked this dish, though I would have preferred the skin to be crispier. Flavor was good! Grilled squid was also really nice; I'm also personally a pretty big fan of squid, and this did not disappoint. The teriyaki sauce didn't overwhelm the flavor of squid, so it didn't taste too sweet to me, and there was a lot of squid! The other person in my dinner party did not eat squid, so it was a bit of a challenge to pack it all down. Finally, the chicken katsu don was something I absolutely loved here. Unlike some restaurants that just do deep fried chicken cutlet atop a bed of plain white rice, the don here is delicious. The entire bowl was soaked in the delicious dashi sauce/broth (it tastes like a fish-based dashi broth to me!) that permeates every bite of the bowl (and yet not overwhelmingly so). Atop the rice, are pieces of fried chicken, that too were soaked and steamed within the dashi broth, along with sliced onions. And over everything were some scrambled eggs, that was steamed along with the chicken. I think this would probably qualify as a comfort food dish for me, just because of how warming and delicious this is. Overall, super good first experience here. I hope to come back around to try more of their menu because a lot of their items are pretty legit.

Y'ALL this is a hidden gem in Berkeley! It's right by Trader Joe's, but the entrance is off the street down a few steps. Seriously, a hole-in-the-wall. I found it through Yelp! Blossom Roll: Inside (tuna, avocado); top (salmon, lemon). This roll was light and refreshing-I try to avoid rolls with imitation crab, and this one was the perfect choice. Fried Purple Potato Croquette: OMG YOU HAVE TO ORDER THIS. Seriously one of the best appetizers I've ever had at a Japanese restaurant. It's essentially ube! This appetizer could pass as a dessert, even, it's that good! Slightly sweet, so moist and soft on the inside and a perfect crispy crunch. It's topped with some tasty sauce too. Baked Salmon Roll: My friend ordered this and enjoyed it. Katsu-don: My friend loves this dish and insisted that we order it, but I thought the pork cutlet was particularly dry. The rice, egg, and onions were tasty, though. Fried Calamari: HIGHLY RECOMMEND! I was expecting this to be those little pieces that you eat with your fingers, but it was a legit piece of fried squid cut like chicken-I was weary of eating that thick of a piece, but it was actually quite tasty. Some appetizers I wanted to order, such as the gyoza and takoyaki, they do not make in the restaurant, so I opted not to order them. I came on a Friday night, and it wasn't too particularly crowded, but we did have to sit at the bar because some tables were reserved. The service was friendly, but slow at times. Since we were at the bar, they handed all our food (hot dishes and sushi) right to us which was nice and convenient.

Located off MLK, parking can be a pain but luckily I found free parking couple streets down. Sushi dinner A- $23 came with 8 price nigiri, Cali roll, miso soup and small side salad. The soup was super salty. Nigiri tasted okay. Lion king roll - $12 basic yet wasn't that good. Una-avo roll- $9 essentially a rock n roll and other sushi restaurant The wasabi wasn't fresh, like it was dried and you can see the brown discoloring. Overall, I wasn't impressed with anything and don't think I would return.

Love this place! We ordered the 49'ers roll and the shrimp tempura roll which were both amazing and tasted super fresh. The ambience of the place was also very warm and nice + quick and friendly service. Will be back again!

Open during our shelter-in-place. Food is as delicious as ever. Highly recommend! Support them and your other favorites so they are not lost to the pandemic...

This place is small and cozy, but their food is clean and delicious. It's clear that this place is frequented by regulars, a go-to place for sushi (which I think is hard to find in Berkeley). The portions were relatively small in relation to their price, but still tasty! I would highly recommend their Futomaki roll and rainbow roll. Items like sashimi are also great. And don't forget to order a bowl of udon.

Sushi California is THE. BEST. We love the entire staff, they've become like family and the sushi, sake, EVERYTHING is always fresh and delicious, incredible service, oh and affordable too. We frequented more before shelter in place, but do try to order takeout as much as possible during Covid19. Highly, highly recommend and if you're able, help support this local Berkeley gem!

Good fish that has enough flavor coming through solid execution in the prep of the rolls and nigiri, will be returning.

This restaurant has been here for years and has never disappointed. Owner is from Japan and I almost feel like this sushi is imported straight from the mother land. Worth it

Just discovered this place as I was traveling - was really happy with my experience here and the staff were so friendly and welcoming. Food was fresh and really affordable! Going to have to come back here again.

This is my favorite sushi place!! The fish always tastes so fresh and Kiyomi is just the best waitress. My boyfriend and I go to sushi cal whenever we can! Excellent service and very cozy feeling. Also! Live music on certain days!!!!

Authentic Japanese food served by chef from Japan. Best sushi restaurant closed to Berkeley campus.

Passed by this gem on the way to Trader Joes. Sushi California is an amazing restaurant that deserves more attention. The staff are super friendly and welcoming and always on top of their stuff. The food is fresh and tasty as well as affordable. The fried calamari and fried purple potato croquette are must order appetizers. Highly recommend!

The 49'er roll is made in heaven. The Jazz guitar and sometimes band are fantastic bebop players. Have you ever had well prepared sushi to Coltrane? So so good. It can be slowish whenbusy but still worth it.

This is probably going to be my new sushi place! I loved the food here. the portion was Very good, the pricing was not bad. We ordered Five dishes and it was about $80 and the sever was very friendly. Definetly will be back there.

Good sushi... good service and nice and quiet when I came in around 9 pm on a Friday night. There's street parking and one bathroom gender neutral... try their agendashi tofu

I'm so confused by Sushi California. It's been around forever, and various people have raved to me about how good it is, including Japanese-American friends. We finally popped in last week, and the first sign that not all was well was the blank look the staff gave us upon coming in. A smiley waitress did emerge eventually and we sat at the sushi bar. The sushi chef and the woman doing the frying both look the role, but ultimately the food that came out was pretty awful. None of the rolls we got could be distinguished by taste, primarily due to the rice/fish ratio being wayyyy off. The hamachi roll we got here was more like onigiri balls with little bits of misshapen fish falling out the centers. Certainly a place to come for a filling meal, but I couldn't even assess the quality of the fish here. And why does the futomaki here have carrot and lettuce?? The low point was definitely the tempura. After watching the woman slowly fry each piece, I was pretty excited, but we were disappointed as soon as it arrived. None of the flaky light batter that you'd expect from even a mediocre Japanese joint, but it was heavy and chewy, and even the veggies were cut with a hacksaw. Dinner was $52 for two people for four rolls and tempura, but your money is better spent elsewhere.

The food was decent. I eat sushi a lot so I really take portion and price serious. I ordered two rolls, karaage chicken and sashimi platter. The sashimi was $30 and it came with 16 slices not very filling. The menu was very limited and some rolls were identical with minor changes. Also the fact that most rolls started at $15 was ridiculous. Pls improve on portion and selection.

Food was not good. Beef teriyaki was raw and cold in the center and tough to eat. The fish was not fresh. Ginger had a weird smell (kind of like sewage). Sushi and Sashimi (Chef's choice) limited selection of fish. Salmon was so lemony, tasted they brined in lemon and also gave bad cuts. Miso soup was way too salty.

A solid 3.5 stars for Sushi California. I definitely agree with Elizabeth G. over here -- good quality sushi, but the ambiance is lacking. We came here on a day where the high was ~ 78 F, but the inside of this place was stifling. We were just short of full-on sweating, but all 4 of us felt uncomfortably warm for the duration of dinner. Granted, we did sit near the window so there was sunlight seeping through the blinds, but it would have been nice to have a fan or mild AC unit going. :) I had a pretty standard order (eel avocado and sake (salmon)). The rice was firm, well-done, and not overdone. The eel was nicely barbecued and avocado at a generous portion. One of us got the lion king, which looked quite spectacular and indulgent (the melted cheese was very impressive) so I think I'll get that next time.

THE BEST SUSHI IN THE BAY AREA, HANDS DOWN. I have been coming here for about 25 years now and it's the same wonderful guy behind the counter putting care and attention to detail into every roll. The ingredients are QUALITY- fresh, fresh, fresh. Everything else on the menu is great as well- udon, tempura, etc. The ambiance is intimate and cozy. The servers are incredibly attentive and kind. My 3 year old often gets handed some fun origami that the servers have crafted in the back. Same guy that plays guitar (not sure what days during the week) is really good and adds a delightful touch to the overall experience. I can not recommend this place enough. My absolute FAVORITE!!!

Even though I give it three stars, I really enjoyed it there. My girl friends and I were the first ones to arrive and we were greeted immediately. The restaurant was a lot smaller than I thought. I'd say up to 10 tables total. You can see the sushi chef do his thing behind the counter and his greeting was warm and friendly, everyone was really. We ordered: Lion King Roll (Okay, my least favorite) Rainbow Roll (Really Good, my favorite) Fresh Crab Roll (Good) Salmon Sashimi (Good slices and not fishy) Fried Calamari (Lightly battered with yummy dipping sauce) Miso Soup (Really Good) Hamachi Kama (Grilled Yellowtail which was good) I normally order Lion King Roll each time I try a sushi restaurant and theirs wasn't very flavorful. The service got very slow when the place got crowded. It's popular and gets packed easily since it's such a small place. Had to ask for water to be refilled but they were more than happy to do it when asked. I understand that it gets overwhelming so it didn't really bother me. We decided to leave so we can make room for others but we heard the live jazz player just in time and he was good. The live music starts at 7pm so that's definitely unique to have and finding parking wasn't bad at all. I'm sure I'll come back.

Cute hole in the wall with great sushi! They often have live music after 6pm.

This restaurant discriminates against disabled people!!! If you have a certified service dog for any disability other than blindness they literally will NOT SERVE you. This is ILLEGAL, not to mention extremely rude and unethical. The Americans with Disabilities Act is very clear about federal requirements: "Under the ADA, State and local governments, businesses, and nonprofit organizations that serve the public generally must allow service animals to accompany people with disabilities in all areas of the facility where the public is normally allowed to go. " (ada.gov) Relevantly, it also states precisely that "Establishments that sell or prepare food must allow service animals in public areas even if state or local health codes prohibit animals on the premises." (ada.gov) The fact that the owner of this business literally kicked my service dog and me out of his sushi restaurant is a blatant act of discrimination and a display of abhorring customer service. Ignorance of the law or inability to understand it are not an acceptable justification for this type of behavior.

We get takeout regularly during Covid19. They are very hygiene focused and the fish is so fresh. Pick up orders are smooth especially if you call 40 mins in advance.

Waited a little over 20 mins for a baked roll and a salad.. the salad was about 5 pieces of lettuce wrapped in foil with some watery dressing. With the roll came two tiny slices of ginger. The roll itself was tiny. Really disappointing that for $15 it was barely a snack size meal.

"Cant take a phone order. Too busy"....and their website is down with a db error which means this is after squinting through crappy menu photos.... Some businesses just don't want to be very successful. How hard would a "we're a little slammed so you might have to wait 45 minutes" be? Really? No way for the sushi chefs to deliver in the 1.5 hrs until closing? Jeez. Too bad, I've enjoyed take out orders from here in the past. Annnd we're done.

The best ambience of any restaurant I've been to. No loud pop music blasting into your ears or ultra bright lighting that makes you feel like you are in a gym. Just a quiet, dim corner that's perfect for enjoying a relaxing dinner. The food is just as good. I had some very tasty white tuna and fresh uni. But their Okinawa soba really made an impression. As a big noodle eater myself, I confidently vouch for one of the best broth ive had. One reminder is that they call it soba in Okinawa but it's actually very similar to udon. A perfect meal to warm you up on a chilly night.

Daaaamnnnn! Pretty good. They're my local spot. I've been here over four times. Standard fare. My default sushi is Canada BC and Portland OR. This holds up to my memories of good sushi

Delicious fresh sushi in a relaxed, low-key environment. The salmon was to die for! Clams in sake broth were delicious.

This place is such a cute hole in the wall and they have some amazing rolls and aji fry. Def a must try!

Sushi California is like no other. The atmosphere is perfect for a date, from the live music to the decor! Also, you the staff is amazing, very welcoming and social! Of course the food is AMAZE! Must try and will easily become a weekly go to!

I came here 2 months ago, so I basically forgot what I ordered except the bill was like $54 for two people and we both were very full as we left! We ordered sake, which is ok, just like other places. AgeDashiTofu is pretty good! But overall, as I can remember is above average. This place isn't big, iit fits about 30 people, so it wouldn't get too noisy like sushi house or other places. street parking only and they are closed on sundays. Service was above average too!