Takara Sake USA Inc.

Love this place! The membership is absolutely worth it if you live in the Bay Area and can visit regularly. The staff are amazing, friendly, welcoming, and great at what they do. The sake quality never disappoints. We always leave with a smile, and every friend I’ve brought here has loved it too. Don’t miss their occasional events, they’re set in such a great atmosphere and make for a truly unique experience! One recommendation would be to open the parking lot for customers on tasting days.

Do make sure make a reservation before you go and credit card only if you like to purchase anything after your testing! We have Eugene as our guide/host. He is wonderful, very knowledgeable about the products and the making of the sake. We sampled more than ten different Daijinjo, Junmai and Kinpaku. But my favorite is still the Daijinjo! Everyone here is very nice and friendly. Miss Hope Cooc is very nice and helpful with our order. We love to continue to coming back here to fix our Sake withdrawal.

Karen was our host of 4 and she was excellent! $20 for the tasting menu of 4 different sake. You can do add on for more tasting. The ticket includes museum as well. Reservations recommended!

Went there for the sake tasting. I can’t believe it’s only $20 for 5 different sakes. There are optional ones you can add, I would avoid them if it’s your first time. You’ll get the full range and next time you can spend extra on the stuff you like rather than experimenting on some of the higher end ones. The staff is extremely friendly, I am not super fan of sweet fruity sake, and they offer to change it for something else they recommended. Overall, pretty great experience.

I didn't know what to expect when my gf suddenly decided one sunny afternoon we couldn’t live another day without a tasting flight at Takara Sake USA. I hadn't even known the swill is manufactured in the US, much less so close to home in Berkeley! I was really going along just to please the woman, you know how it goes. GPT thinks “Takara" (宝) means “treasure” or “precious thing”, and, spoiler alert, a precious treasure indeed was about to unfold. Noting the thoughtful xeriscaping, we entered the elegant building no sooner than we plunged into an altered reality I can best describe as, how bout, a modern aesthetic industrial style with Japanese sensibilities. A distinctive sweet aroma permeates the air, as its alcoholic vapors lifts you up the floating staircase, as if into the clouds. As you ascend, your changing viewpoint reveals surprises: massive hardware installations (well, it’s a factory—what had I expected?) and then, a very large and riveting painting in subtle shades of bronze and brown, a sophisticated modern Japanese take on the Lichtenstein-pioneered paintbrush single-stroke style. You know, the just-drag-the-dripping-brush-across-the-canvas style, only tastefully. We arrived at the tasting area, a sophisticated bar in a voluminous room large enough to contain an A-frame polished wooden structure—try to imagine an indoor gazebo. An airy design with such beautifully crafted beams could only have been made in Japan. Then the surprises really began. We met the lovely Reiko, the resident sake scholar and firecracker who greeted us with a disarming smile and a charming Japanese lilt. We pleasantly exchanged our pleasantries, and then followed her down the rabbit hole. Between us were, oh, half a dozen petri-like covered dishes captioned with the various extents to which their grains of rice had been polished. At first I turned my nose up at the 30% polish and made eyes only with the 70%, until learning that it’s all good. Different applications, different price points—there’s an occasion for it all. But speaking of price points, this tasting menu is clearly a loss leader. By the time we arrived at the most polished sake, we were sipping the contents of an $800 bottle. You couldn’t help but emerge with a good understanding of sake’s sophisticated brewing process, unless of course you had instead devoted your attention to staring dreamily into Reiko’s eyes, also good. Reiko opens the dishes and gives you individual grains of rice to caress, grains in various stages of polishing. Polishing apparently is just a euphemism for skinning them alive. As Reiko explains, the grain’s protein is concentrated at its surface, around the starchy center. So the more that’s removed from the periphery, the sweeter the sake gets. As Reiko narrated, we powered through our sake flight, beginning with sake brewed from the least polished rice and moving down the array of glasses to the most polished. Highly polished rice for a distinctly unpolished taster, you say—like pearls before swine? Fine. In such matters, it’s true, I rely upon my highly polished gf. But even your friendly cretin loved the sake, and left knowing that Reiko’s splendid spiel would be echoing through my mind with every future sip of sake. Yes, the physical plant was beautiful and the sake was great, but Reiko made the day. In her capable hands, it was not just a tour, It was a tour de force!

One of the best gems of Berkeley. Two options for sake tasting. Our presenter was amazing and was very informative. It was a great time mixing with others at the tables. 10/10 and would return again ! Best for holidays with the family.

I visited with my friends, and this place is amazing! It was a very informative experience, which included the museum, video, and wonderful stories and explanations by Vivian! She is truly captivating and keeps you engaged. I appreciate Sake much more after this experience. Reserve tastings in advance because they do sell out!!!

Small, intimate museum and tasting room. I spent 2 hours here chatting with my guide, Mariko. Highly recommended for sake enthusiasts.

Finally made my way here, have been wanting to check it out for years! What a great experience. Fantastic group of people who work there! They really elevate the place. Arrived around 1:30pm Sunday, didn't realize they take tasting reservations and was relieved they accommodated a walk in- turns out this place gets very busy! The room was packed... it was actually really nice to be seated with others so we could socialize and learn together. Enjoyed the video and museum, which created such an appreciation for sake. Ended the class with some sake to go and wandered over to Dumpling Time- the perfect Sunday!

Booked a tasting after finding it online and was very happy with the experience. It starts with a video on the sake-making process, time to explore a small museum of related artifacts, followed by the actual tasting. Our server Eugene was incredibly knowledgeable and excited to share all the details of each sake we sampled. They also have examples to show during the tasting, including rice that was polished to different extents, sake prior to the pressing/filtration step, etc. We did the variety tasting and added on the bourbon barrel-aged sake. Our favorites ended up being the REI Junmai Daiginjo for its cleanliness and ease of drinking, and the Organic Nama for the depth of flavor. For the dessert sake, we relied on Eugene's two favorites, which were both enjoyable. Worth mentioning that we were 15 minutes late due to traffic and they still kindly accommodated us. We will definitely return and bring some friends/family.

What an amazing tasting experience! The tasting room requires a reservation. I went there with my sister on a Sunday afternoon for their shopping experience (no rsvp required) and was greeted by Vivienne. Luckily for us, she let us know they still had two spots available for the tasting experience if we were interested and we went for it. The first part is watching the video of the sake making process. Not only was it interesting to learn about the process, but I didn't think i would enjoy the soundtrack to the video as well. The tasting experience itself was very educational and informative. They have a tasting menu you can choose for your sake flight experience and also individual tasting. I don't usually drink alcohol so I had a "non drinker" placard on my table, but it did not stop me from taking some sips from my sister's sake flight. I ended up trying the Mio sparkling sake and the Nigori Sake in White Peach -- both are very sweet like a dessert drink. I also learned why Berkeley was the ideal location for Takara Sake to have their factory, and let's just say the Bay Area is blessed with good weather, good water, and good food. We also got lucky to try one of the sake (forgot which one) they usually do not sell outside of their factory! Afterwards, we went to the museum to explore and to see the actual tools used in the sake making process. We did not see the silos though, so we might need a repeat visit. Overall ambiance is very nice. Exudes calmness with Japanese architecture designs. The tasting room cost can be quite pricey especially when you start adding individual tasting to the flight tasting. They do sell sake (duh) so if you tried one you like, it can be convenient for you to get it there. If you are in Berkeley and are wondering where else to explore, definitely check this place if you like sake and appreciate the art and science that goes into making them!

Amazing tasting experience with Vivienne! She's so enthusiastic about sake, I enjoyed hearing her talk about each sake. What a gem of a woman! We opted for the daiginjo tasting menu- they newly refreshed their tasting offerings to offer more tiers to choose from. We got lucky and tried their Nama Nama sake in house - this is a sake that's so fresh from the brewery it's brought in unbottled to the tasting room and they don't sell it anywhere else outside of the tasting room. Would come back to do another tasting or get a pour here. This experience was so great- I loved how quiet the tasting room was and the large art mobiles in the tasting room.

I came here because I received a gift of Sake and I remembered that I'd been wanting to visit since I was a kid. I found that on a Thursday, they had 1, 2, and 3 o'clock appointments and I chose the 2:00 slot. This didn't start well at all. Because of a ton of traffic on a Thursday afternoon. Not rush hour, just after lunch something I was told was common when I arrived. However, I'm usually teaching so I didn't know. So, I was late and then the driving directions directed me to a parking lot, which would have been fine, except it's for employees only. So after walking around and finally calling, I was able to get in. I had to leave the building to park my car on the street. When I returned I saw a bunch of people sitting at a long table and was told that they were from the 1:00 group. Ok, so I sat at a long table and was told that table was for the 3 pm group. My group was watching a movie, which I missed because I was trying to find a parking spot. Then we sat around the tiniest of tables, yes, our group was smaller, but there was barely any room to move. So the tasting started and the directions were hard to follow. I tasted the Sake, but I had more fun walking around and taking pictures. They have a museum to occupy you which is cool. A nice audio would have been helpful. All and all, it was fine for what it was. But I wouldn't go back on my own, but if a friend mentioned that they wanted to go, I'd consider going with them and make sure to tell them everything I learned about getting there early. That's probably the only way I'll finally get to see the intro video.

We arrived super late for our reservation and missed the movie. The lady helping us was so nice, detailed and educated on sake. The tasting was great, lots of fun. It's a super cute place with a small museum area. Would recommend it!!

This place requires reservations, but the host was nice enough to let us join a group for the sake tasting. We first watched a 10 minute video about how Sake is made and produced, then we explored the museum which included the tools used to produce Sake. We then sat as a group and went through a 7-ish course of Sake tasting (if you chose the Variety course). You're also able to order extra glasses of sake along with the tasting. Then at the end, you're given a menu of bottle selections for home. This is a great group experience and a way to socialize with friends and strangers alike. I would definitely recommend!

Man, I really like very curated "touristy" experiences like this. It was cool to find one so close to home. The tasting is fun, and very educational - we watched a video at the beginning, and the woman who ran the tasting taught us a lot about what made each pour taste different. A lot more information than a typical wine tasting, and very tasty. Great date idea, but would also be fun with a group of friends or even alone.

They are finally open for tasting again after Covid! Go online and make a resy! It's super easy. When you walk in you'll notice these amazing crane fan and it swear it's the cutest! Before the tasting start you'll watch a quick video on how they produce the sake. I promise you'll have such a different appreciation for sake afterwards! Tasting is $15 and they have additional sake you can taste for an additional cost. They also have a little musuem which is included with the price of the tasting. They have a little store you can buy the sake you like. A few bottles can only be purchased at the fa 10/10 would definitely do it again!

We had so much fun doing a tasting here. Vivian was great! They start off with a short video and then you move to the tasting - expect to spend 90 min or so! We learned a lot about the sake and took some home! Would definitely bring more friends here

I have been there three times and the first two times were fantastic! The last/3rd time, was very disappointing. The host/pourer was very polite however, there was only one, who poured our tasting as well as worked the retail. There were only four of us and we joined another two groups, so it would be efficient. She was also pouring another group on the bar. I felt sorry for her, as she was going back-and-forth and trying to please everyone.

This was the most fun experience I've had at a tasting! It was educational on the history of sake and how it is made. I enjoyed learning more about it and the decadence of sake. It was decorated nicely, as if we were in Japan. We were then grouped according to how many folks we had. It was just me and Hubby, so they parred us with another couple at the counter, which was totally cool. They were a fun couple to have some drinks with. We each did the $30 tasting to split up trying all the drinks and added the premium for an extra $10 for their premium bottles. Our waitress was super chill and gave us a few extra tastings since there were so many fruity flavors we couldn't decide, which was super helpful as we ended up leaving with 4 bottles of the ones she recommended. Fun date or friends day out social event! 10 stars if possible!

The Takara Sake Museum and Tasting Room is definitely worth visiting to get introduced to the wonderful world of sake, Japanese rice wine. For $10, you get to sip 6-7 different varieties of sake, which vary in sweetness, temperature, and alcohol content. You'll also be able to do a self tour of a small museum, along with a short video of the modern sake-making process. Be sure to make an appointment! I came here as part of a team-building evening event. The highlight was definitely the tasting! All of us chose the classic menu, which gives you the widest variety. Here are my ratings for the various sake: Sho Junmai Ginjo - The first one and probably my favorite. Like a chilled, sweet white wine (5 stars). ShoChikuBai Organic Nama - Unpasteurized sake that's treated by micro-filtration and needed to be drunk fast! It was not my favorite, and some of my friends tasted the mushroomy flavor. (3 stars). ShoChikuBai Classic - Served warm at 100F or chilled, and they let us try both. This is Takura's flagship sake. I like the chilled version (4 stars) but not the warm one (2 stars). Warm booze to me is acceptable only if its coffee-based, LOL. Shirakabegura Mio Sparkling - Yikes this was way too sweet for me, like a boozy Sprite. (3 stars) Sho Ginjo Nigori - Served in a pretty, purple bottle this chilled, milky sake was sweet. I liked it (4 stars), but two of my friends sipping on either side of me hated it and nearly spit it out. Can't explain that one. Hana Lychee Sake - I enjoy Lychee Soju so why not try Lychee Sake. The filtered, chilled lychee is definitely a dessert drink (5 stars). Plum Sake - The final sake and its real special. It was actually cherry flavored, and the flavor was so rich and intense they added ice cubes to our cup! This tasted like port, and would be a great drink after a heavy meal. (5 stars). Overall 4 stars for an awesome event. I don't normally drink on school nights, but sake is worth it. Kanpai!

Was introduced to this place by a set of friends back in 2013. Since then I absolutely love Sake. We visited them again this year for Sake tasting and I am not surprised that this place has only become more popular. We went there on a Sunday evening but there was a group that was having a bridal party and another small group. Both were having separate tasting. We were asked to put down our name and they will see if they have enough bandwidth to do tasting on that day. Luckily one more couple walked in and they had 2 couples for tasting. They provided us with 2 options, 1 of $10 that had regular sake and another of $20 that had premium sake and 7 tastings. We decided to go with the regular one. Experience was great and we got to taste a lot of sakes. Luckily this place is next to Viks Chaat so we went there to have some food. Had a great time, will be back sometime. Highly recommended tasting experience for friends and family!

Such a peaceful, beautiful experience. My dad took me here after he had visited around 10 years ago and recommended the visit. The education on sake was delightful and the service was even better. The sweetest woman ran the tasting and made our time there absolutely amazing. I would honestly just go back for her! Highly recommend if you're new to sake or want something fun and new to do!

Takara Sake is definitely more for the tasting experience than the museum. You can find a good deal if you're super into sake on Groupon for $35 and $45! My friend and I bought the deal for $45 on Groupon that came with 3 large Sake bottles and 2 Wooden Masu Cups (their more like boxes to hold the Sake in), and with $15 each for the tasting. Honestly I would recommend just going there and just doing the tasting instead of buying the Groupon. Having the tasting was really great, but it was too much for me personally, and trying different sweet alcohols is rough on your body after. 3 Bottles is a lot after, but now we know what we like and don't like. The B set is more for beginners for sake, and the C set is more for people who are more hardcore into sake. I got B, and my friend got C, so we got to try each others! On weekends, you need to make a reservation for a tasting!

Went for a little Father's day excursion with the wife and had a great time! Paid for about 9 different samples and oh my goodness... I don't even know for sure how many we tried! Our hostess really was knowledgeable about the types and flavor of what we tried while encouraging us to share our thoughts. Even ended our time with her favorite mixture which was a blend of a sweet Plum and their more recent Sparkling Sake. Wish we had brought some cash to tip her. Had another​ couple end up at our table as they walked in and really just added to the experience. The Lady was very descriptive and had similar opinions as myself while her partner and my Wife saw eye to eye on quite a few flavor profiles as well. Definitely going back for another try and MUST bring a friend or 2!

This was a surprisingly great tour and tasting, really informative and fun. I've never really liked sake, but there were a couple of genuinely delicious, easy-to-drink sake varieties on the tasting menu, and that low-alcohol sparkling beverage they give you at the start of the tasting would make the PERFECT "summer afternoon in the garden" kind of drink... if only I had a garden.

Hidden-gem for sake tasting and brewery tour. Reservation is required for tasting. They cater to larger groups. We dropped in not knowing this, fortunately they have a limited time offer of 5 dollar/shot of nama-nama, a freshly made sake that's only good for less than a week. So it's not available for purchase at any market, nor can be purchased at the brewery. It's for on-site tasting only. I can't drink but I took a sniff. It was fresh and sweet with a scent of floral aroma on the nose. There are gift sets of sake drink ware and robes with their brand printed for sale. They make good souvenirs.

I'm not sure why I don't visit more than once a decade because I do loves me some warm sake to make me feel tingly in the cool of the evening. I'm sure if I stayed in Japan after my birth, I'd be one of those salarymen who gets drunk before taking the three-hour train ride home to my shrew of a wife. It took Jamie W.'s interest in going to motivate me to make a reservation here. Unlike Tiffany Haddish who would have schooled me on the financial reward of using Groupon, yeah uh-huh, I just went with two $10 flights of six featured sake tastings. But before we could start getting our rice liquor on, we were told to go through their sake museum, which was actually one room full of all the traditional wooden implements necessary to make sake back in the days of yore. So we perused the baskets and barrels, the scoopers and shovels, the maps (photo: http://bit.ly/2xTrC3X)...but I won't lie...we was thirsty, yeah uh-huh. Then we needed to sit in front of a TV screen so we could patiently watch the meticulous documentary on the laborious process of sake making. It was interesting in a PBS sort of way, but I think if it had some Kurosawa touches with blood and swords, it could have given the film a much needed goose. I think the video lasted less than fifteen minutes, but by this point...tick-tick, tick-tick, uh-huh. When we saw the crawl of the end credits, we got excited because it was time to drink. Back to the cavernous tasting room for us (photo: http://bit.ly/2kVixhO) where the hostess was very pleasant and a font of sake knowledge. We started with the fruity Sho Chiku Bai Premium Ginko, a fine introduction to the sake uninitiated (photo: http://bit.ly/2kTwJYO), and then segued into the Sho Chiku Bai Organic Nama, an earthier libation that tasted of mushrooms with a chocolatey finish. The room temperature Sho Chiku Bai Classic came next, and that was sake as I knew it. My favorite came soon after, the prosecco-like Shirakabegura MIO Sparkling, which I could see making me giddy after a few swigs, yeah uh-huh. The white peach flavor of the Sho Ginjo Nigori was quite pleasing as well (photo: http://bit.ly/2JElMIz), but we both found the final plum sake wine way too sweet. A lovely flight even as I stumbled over the plaster boulder on the way out. Yeah uh-huh.

If you ever find yourself in West Berkeley, skip the wineries and check out Takara Sake! We love to bring East Bay visitors to a tasting here because it's such a unique experience. When you first arrive you can check out an actual museum and from there you watch a super informational video on the sake making process. After that, that's when the fun begins! For only $10 or $20 (a GREAT deal) you can sample several different types of sakes (from dry to sweet to fruit-flavored) and get a better sense of what you like in a sake. I'm personally not a big sake drinker, but my absolute favorite is the MIO sparkling sake. It makes for a great gift and is fun to bring to a party because it's so unique. I definitely recommend spending an afternoon sampling sakes here!

Such a fun experience! I know Takara has been around for awhile, and I'm happy I finally got to go! I ended up coming on a Thursday afternoon, and made reservations online. Luckily, we were the only ones there. The museum was interesting, and then they showed a movie about the Sake making process. I really had no clue how sake is made so it was informative! Then my favorite part, the sake tasting! All of them were delicious and the person serving us was really nice and helpful. All in all, we were there for maybe an hour, but we had a great time! A fun thing to do in the East Bay!

Always been a fan of their Sho Chiku Bai Junmai Sake that I typically grab at the grocery store. Tried their sake tasting and it definitely gave me a different perspective on sake. I love it even more! The entire experience was educational with a light buzz. We had a tasting appointment on Mother's Day and was anticipating a full house. The holiday traffic set us a few minutes late as well. Street parking out front was occupied that led us to park a few blocks away. Vigorously making our way was unnecessary. It turned out no one was there and time was not an issue. Felt like an idiot. We were immediately greeted and given the option to view a short film on their traditional sake process. Then after, we headed to the bar and picked samplers from their menu. The more variety you try, the more you appreciate each and every one of them. After our tasting, we could not refuse but to purchase our favorites. In addition, we were given a gift bag that is included. I need to return on annual basis just to refresh my sake taste buds.

Takara Sake is amazing! Making a reservation is so easy! All you have to do is go to their website and select a date and time to come in. I went with my friend and learned so much about sake. Parking is easy! There's a lot of available street parking in this neighborhood. Be sure to pay for it at one of the machines and leave the ticket in your car. Once you go inside, you will be greeted by one of the workers and write your name down on the reservation sheet-- they alSo do walk-ins as well (depending on how busy it is). Once you write your name down, you get to watch this wholesome and informative video on how sake is made. After the video is done, you will be told to come to the bar and select your sake tasting package! It's all super fun and affordable. There are no wrong choices when picking a tasting package! The sake expert helping us was Tomoko. She was super sweet, funny, and extremely knowledgeable about sake. You can ask her anything! She is so easy to talk to and answers very clear and concise. She explained sake and food pairing, different types of sake, the difference between cold, hot, and room temperature sake, rice polishing, how to serve sake-- everything! Ask her anything! She knows all about it! She is terrific! I definitely want to come back soon because a sake bar is so unique to have here in the Bay Area. There was also a cute museum and a small area to drink and take pictures. This is a great place to take friends and family who love sake, or even want to learn more about the taste and process of sake. On my way out, I was even able to meet the director and Vice President, Atsushi! I was so buzzed, and he was so happy that I was having a great time! I will definitely have to come back and bring my friends! You will really enjoy your experience here! I totally recommend this place to everyone. I also recommend the sparkling sake, Mio! It's phenomenal!

Have driven past this place for years & decided to come for sake tasting Sunday. Reservations recommended & can be made online but we called ahead late in the afternoon & had no problem getting to last tasting at 4:30 pm Street parking was not too bad, found a spot about a block away. Video was a little dated but still informative, tasting pours were quite generous & service was fabulous. Patient & knowledgeable. We did one $19 tasting and one $20 also the special $5 shot of fresh NamiNami Facilities are quite beautiful inside, restrooms are clean, prices for bottles are super reasonable.

So much fun! You can wander the museum, watch a video, and then TASTING! We serendipitously made it for the Nama Nama tasting. It was so good! We enjoyed everything about our experience. It's educational and delicious. It's also very reasonably priced. I learned a lot about sake and what I like. Street parking, $3 for two hours, which is enough time. Reservations recommended.

Not a big fan of sake but decided to try sake tasting instead of the usual breweries in the bay area. Came on a Sunday and saw a sign that said weekends needs reservation but they were really nice and allowed us to attend without a reservation since we were a small party of two. They had a small gallery in the back which was interesting and insisted we watch a 15 minutes informative video on sake making before the sake tasting. The video was pretty informative and shows you each process of sake making. Once we were seated for the tastings we had to decide whether we want the $10 sake tasting or the $20 sake tasting. We opted for the $20 because the sake selection was more unfamilar compared to the $10 list. Plus it came with sake with gold flakes. During the each tastings they would tell you about the sake and history of the company. They should offer something to grub on cause I got a bit hungry. Although not having food in the area is probably why this place looks extremely clean and they had simple yet traditional decorations. Great experience if you like sake.

We had so much fun here. My husband has had a tough time with sake- he's had some bad cheap sake, and then one glass at Morimoto in Napa that he loves- but it was 375 a bottle (sadness). So it was a great relief to come here and find that he can like Sake that's not quite so expensive. He did the B tasting and I did the A tasting- in this way, by sharing, we covered most of the bottles. We had done a Groupon- and we got Gift package #2 to take home. Sake cups (Masu), Bottle of Sho Chiku Bai Sho Junmail organic, Bottle of Sho Chiku Bay Sho Ginjo Nigori and a bottle of Hana Orange. As I said, we tried most of the sake offerings- but we were really "wowed" by Shirakabegura- only 5% alcohol, and the delicious taste of something similar to a sweet moscato. We loved this one! Bought two of the large bottles (44 dollars for 2). We also bought the Sierra cold sake- because it was crisp, clear and light- perfect for summer as our host said. 19.55 for four small bottles. We also LOVED the plum wine- we bought the Koshu plum sake (2 bottles!). We also bought 1 yuki White peach and 2 Hana pineapple flavored sake bottles. I am in love with the pineapple. It's hard to find good, fresh tasting pineapple drinks- look no further than Hana pineapple. It's really amazing. I loved the museum here- I learned a lot about the sake process. And the film was really helpful. I wish I'd gone here before I went to Japan, as I would have paid more attention to the sake there. When I think of all the sake opportunities I've missed, I weep! Parking is a little tight here, so come well before your reservation and find a spot. You'll have the choice of stairs or a ramp to enter the building, and then you can take an elevator or the stairs up to the tasting room and museum. It's an awesome experience. I think anyone would find at least one tasting they loved here, since the sake is so different. The traditional creamy, yeasty sake is just a completely different drink from the light fruity and floral sake- and that's no wonder since they are made from different molds and yeasts.

Had a great time my second time visiting this place after a failed attempt to enjoy a sake tasting when I had first go to the Bay Area for a family reunion. We didn't know that we had to make a reservation on the weekends but this past Saturday before heading on my red eye back to the East Coast, I was able to enjoy this experience with family. You would not have known that their distribution center housed a beautiful Japanese tasting room from the outside. But with a serene environment that's also filled with delicious sake and history of the production, you'll be asking yourself why you haven't come sooner. The tasting consists of a short video that details the history and creation of sake which is pretty unique compared to beer and wine. The video along with the small museum in the back show how sake was made years ago and how the modern age has influence the production and taste of sake now.. Though we are in the modern age, the sake taste clean and refreshing with each unique bottle offering a unique taste and experience and with our knowledge and comical Sake expert, we were both informed and entertained by all that she had shared. We were able to sample primarily sweet and chilled sakes for $10 while the most dry ones and upper tiered were $20 a tasting. But we took our expert's advice and shared samples giving us all the full experience with a couple of additions not on the menu. That part really is great about keeping a human element to these companies. We had a women that was passionate about her job and the drinks she poured and they all had fun even sampling a homemade concoction; but all in all people that want to share what sake means to them and what is good sake.

Visit: 2.13.20 Parking: Street / Metered Ambiance: Chill Drinks: Classic, Modern & Traditional Sake. My favorite was the Sparkling Sake - Mío. Ugh! So yum! Service: She was Exceptional, knowledgable and very thorough (unfortunately I didn't get her name) Really Enjoyed this Sake Tasting Experience. It was my first Sake tasting, so I don't have anything to compare it to, but I have done many other tastings (wine, tequila, vodka) and I would say this is one of the top 5! There's a small cute museum where you can learn about the tools they use to make the Sake, as well as an informative video about the fertilization process. All around very educational! Then comes the tasting - Three different flights to choose from, all between $10-$20! Offering both chilled and warm Sake, Generous portions, she explained food pairings, and difference between dry and sweet Sake! Learned so much! Would I come back? Yep! Already told my friends all about it!

What is the most exclusive tasting experience in California? No, it's not in Napa. And it's definitely not wine, beer, or distilled spirits. It's sake. Made according to demanding Japanese traditions using only rice, spring water, koji, and yeast. Junmai sake, in other words, along with premium and ultra premium Ginjo and Daiginjo styles that involve polishing of the rice grains to 60% or less of their original sizes, resulting in delicate, floral sake that is best served chilled in special glasses, like fine white wine. Berkeley is one of few places in the US where you can sample traditionally made premium sake, along with the opportunity to learn more about the history and technology used to craft rice based alcoholic beverages. Sho Chiku Bai (Pine Bamboo Plum) is the American West Coast outpost of Kyoto-based Takara Shuzo Co. Since its founding in 1983, it has pioneered California sake making using heirloom rice varietals imported from Japan, like Yamadanishiki, to produce award winning Daiginjo and Ginjo products. Visiting the tasting room in Berkeley is a great way to sample a wide range of sake types, both those made in the USA plus several from the Shirakabegura sake works near Kobe, Japan. A one room museum contains a range of historic artifacts and step by step instructional displays of how sake traditionally was made. Visitors also are invited to view a short documentary on sake making, about 10 minutes long, before their tastings. You don't come here simply to drink sake! The experience is designed to be educational in nature, so treat it as such even if you are knowledgeable about sake types and traditions. The tasting itself can last more than an hour and will likely include warm as well as chilled sake. The Tokubetsu, Kimoto, and organic Nama Junmai sakes are especially nice, as are the high end Daiginjo sakes from California and Japan. A small gift shop contains reasonably priced sake cups, carafes, and glasses, in addition to lots of sake bottles of various sizes for purchases. Even if you only plan to do a museum tour and tasting, visiting is a very fun thing to do in Berkeley. It's well suited for single visitors, couples, and groups (reservations recommended), especially if you arrive early after they open at noon daily. Because no food is served, plan on a lunch after the visit. The popular Fourth Street shopping and dining district is a short walk away. And if you want tips on good Japanese food in the area, just ask the gracious tasting room staff for suggestions!

Sock it to me? More like "sake to me"! Kanpai (cheers). Cho oishi (aka hella' good)! Quick sidebar: Takara Sake USA is part of the Takara Shuzo Company in Japan that started brewing the delicious rice wine in the mid-1800s and opened the Berkeley brewery in 1982 to become the largest producer of Sake in America. Takara Sake's most well-known brand is Sho Chiku Bai which means "redwood tree/bamboo/plum". I've always loved sake and after watching "The Birth of Sake" documentary on Netflix that told the story of a brewery in Japan that still makes sake by hand, I've been on a sake drinking binge. Love the 720 ml bottles and all the tradition behind the rice wine! So when a Living Social coupon came up that offered three bottles of sake with a tour and a complimentary tasting for two for Takara, it was a no-brainer. After asking the CFO (aka wifey), we booked a rainy Saturday to make our reservation because sake just tastes better in the cold when it's nippy. And speaking of nippy, Nippon does mean Japan after all. After finding street parking across the street and paying the City of Berkeley a small parking tax (since only Sundays and holidays are free), and because there is no separate lot, we walked up the stairs to the tasting room. We signed into a clipboard and walked up to the bar area not knowing what to do. I presented Yukiko with our printed coupon and she gave us a paper bag of three Sake bottles. Then she told us we could check out the museum and watch a documentary and then come back for the complimentary tasting. Honestly, the museum was kind of underwhelming. It was informative and all, but kind of small. By this point we just wanted to drink... so we skipped the 1990s-style video and went back to Yukiko who is like the most super sweet Japanese lady ever. I give her props for answering the zillion questions I asked her. Hehehe. It turns out that there are multiple sake tasting options lettered A through I that includes everything from variety and very sweet to junmai and ginjo flights. Our coupon allowed us to try their D sample that was a mixture of three junmai and three ginjo sakes that included two daiginjo sakes, which is like the Super A-grade of sakes. Letter D was one of the more premium tastings at a normal cost of $10 for six samplings. BTW normal tasting flights are only $5! Yukiko gave us a sheet and a #2 pencil to take notes and like the nerd that I am, I did exactly that. Although towards the end of the tasting, I think I stopped. Our favorite sake had to be the Sho Chiku Bai Antique imported from Japan that is a junmai daiginjo sake that was very smooth. We also enjoyed the award-winning Shirakabegura Tokubetsu Junmai that is also imported from Japan and means "white wall". We ended up getting a bottle of the Shirakabegura Tokubetsu Junmai to save it for when Game of Thrones and the white walkers come back. We The North! The awesome thing about the tasting was that Yukiko even let us try the junmai sakes at both room and warm temperatures to taste the differences and she allowed us to try some of the flavored sakes. Too bad they were way too sweet for us. At the end of the day we really enjoyed our visit and Yukiko even said that if you come with several people, you can each try a different tasting option. * Elite Tip: Bring some snacks since no food is served. And also, no dogs allowed.

Legit!!! You watch a 10 minute video that is very informative and then you choose the tasting package. Each sake you try is so different and they definitely have solid selections. I didn't care too much for the sweet ones but the lady also did a personalize mix for me and it was delicious. Will come back to visit and possibly get some sake next time I'm in town.

This place is sooo worth it! I know there was a groupon going around but I've checked back multiple times and it has been sold out ): Nevertheless, we still got quite our money's worth without the groupon. In the beginning you watch a 10 minute video of how sake is made, it's a little outdated but not too boring either. Then after someone shows you to where you're going to do your sake tasting and with whom. The lady we had, totally forgot her name but she was very sweet and accommodating with my boyfriend and I. There's a few options to choose from, and they range from $5-$20 if I remember correctly. We chose A and B which came out to $30 total. The sakes we tasted were a pretty wide variety, and some better than others. We even ended up buying some to take home (there was a deal for a 4-pack for $11.99) and didn't break the bank either. There's also water to drink in between tasting the different sake as well as to settle the stomach. After the tasting, there's a tiny museum exhibiting the tools and everything else used to make the sake (which were all apparently shipped from japan!). Lots of fun, and will definitely be coming back. Hopefully with the groupon!

What a fun experience! My boyfriend and I came here with a Groupon which I thought was an awesome deal. You get two tastings, three bottles of sake to take home, and two wooden masu cups for $45. There is a small museum in the back where you can see all of the old equipment on display. The tasting starts with a 10 minute informational video. A little cheesy, but very informative. You then go back to the tasting area and can choose from tasting A or tasting B. I did A and my boyfriend did B, so we were able to try just about all of the different types of sake. The woman leading the tasting was very sweet and knowledgeable. If you enjoy sake, this place is definitely worth the visit! I recommend you make reservations about a week in advance, as I have heard they tend to fill up. You can make reservations right on the website.

I thought it was a great experience. We were one of the first groups in for the day. You sit at a communal table. Street parking only. Not really much of anything else in the neighborhood. Being it my first time I thought there was too many options to really make a informed decision about what flight I wanted. Once seated we waited for a little too long to finally start the process but once we started the Sake came out in rapid fire. Almost a little to hard to finish the taste before the next one. There was not a lot of instruction or explanation about the Sake or really much time to ask a question before the next taste was on the way. I had no idea there was a sparking Sake, so that was a fun surprise. I purchased a bottle of that. I liked the fun video about how Sake is made and the museum.

A fun, unique experience as well as being educational. If you enjoy sake, check this place out.

What a grand experience! Came here because of the living social deal. First, the location will look like a warehouse but they do a good job with signage to direct customers to the tasting room. After walking up the stairs, you'll find yourself in an open space, and the bar centered. We came a little late to our reservation, so we opted to watch the complimentary video and go through the museum afterward instead (yes, they have a museum!) We chose the variety tasting which came with 7 different sakes. The best part about the tasting is that you're actually educated on the types of rice/fermentation process, where the sake is made, and the flavor each. Tastings for walk-ins or reservations without the Groupon/Living Social deals are $10. Very inexpensive. Bottles are also for sale! I think this is a unique experience and great to either come on a date or with a small group of friends!

Ever been to a sake tasting? Daily, from noon to 6, Takara Sake Factory is open for sake tastings. There's also a museum (free admission) and video (also free; you can probably skip it). All this resides at their factory headquarters - you can even observe the bottling process from above. For the sake tasting, several packages are available depending on how familiar you are with sake and on what kind you prefer. I went for the total tasting ("A") for a mere $5. The company rep and our teacher for the afternoon - Izumi - was chill, and led us on a tour of various sakes in their relaxed tasting room. He was professional, knowledgeable, and friendly - we got a photo with him - and we learned the difference between sake and soju, and how sake is like wine. There was a lot of sipping and shooting going on, which led quite naturally to us Takara's in-house stock. You can buy various bottles of Takara sake. Try their lychee sake! It's heavenly. We purchased a few bottles for gifts for convenience's sake. Food of some kind - sushi or edamame, maybe? - would make Takara perfect. Even without food, the sake tasting was still a wonderful thing, and if you haven't been to one yet, there's a first time for everything!

Wanna know more about sake and how it's produced? Well, this is the place to go; if you want to learn more about how it's made. You'll appreciate the history behind it all, as well as the precision it takes to create such a fine natural beverage. This place is pretty small for a museum, but you'll most likely spend about an hour or two. It's definitely a "trying something different" idea! First things first, this place can get busy so make sure you sign up with the manager so they can have you listed for a tastings time. Upon arrival, you walk up the stairs and the aroma from the rice just hits your nose. At the top you'll notice through the glass window, the bottling process. As you enter the tasting room, you'll notice the contemporary wooden structures. Open structures that represent open space. Moving forward, there is the sake museum. Here is where your history lesson begins. From the sakafune (for pressing), to the koshiki (for steaming), to the sakabayashi representing a 'new-age' for sake; look up and you'll see a mapped timeline that will show you the process of each tool presented. Even the video is very informative about the men that make sake. It's only about 15-20 minutes long. Now as for the sake tasting. Man, what a deal, five sample shots and three bottles at the end. We loved it! The woman that helped us, who was super nice, started us off slow with the stronger less aged sake, to more smoother, and sweeter types that I really never knew about. Like fine wine, you'll notice the differences. Liked some and loved some! Other than the three free bottles we had, we ended up buying five more different types of sake bottles. After doing the sake tasting, I really did appreciate the various ways in which sake is created. In my opinion, if you have an out-of-town guest layin' around the house; This is the perfect opportunity to do something and say "hey, lets check this place out"! Enjoy!

This was Yelp East bay Field Trip 2013 Number 1 . It was a very fun one. I rolled to Takara in my Whip Black Beauty . I was able to Park right in front. I rolled upstairs and was Greeted by the Lovely Ms Nique who past out our Home Work . The Tasting rooms at Takara are quite impressive .Lots of traditional woodwork . The Museum is quite interesting . I would love some of the exhibits for my Man Cave LOL.. They showed us a Video that showed how Sake was made it was quite informative.. Then we paid our Tasting Fee and we were shown to a private tasting room. In the Tasting room there were 6 different types of Sake for us to try. 1 Sierra Cold -Ginjo type Alc-12% , Sake meter + 5 Dry Light and Clean ,Refreshing with smooth aroma. 2 ShoChikuBai Nama-Junmai Unpasteurized type , Alc-15% ,Sake Meter+5 Dry , Bold and Yeasty in Front. Fruity and Refreshing Taste. 3 ShoChikuBai Classic- Junmai Type, Alc-15% Sake Meter "+3 mild ,Well Balanced and Full Body. 4 ShoChikuBai Nigori , Silky Mild ,Junmai Unfiltered Type,Alc-15% , Sake meter-20 Sweet and Robust ,but clean finish. 5 Hana Flavored Sake,Flavored Type, Alc-8% Sweet, Fruity sweet with mellow aroma. 6 Koshu Plum ,Plum Sake ,Alc-12% Very Sweet , Rich Sweet and Complex. Cherry and Almond. 7 You get to choose a Sake to try. which was Rei Junmai Ginjo Draft, Sho Chiku Bai , Alc-15% I liked number 7 so much I bought 2 Bottles Lol. Thanks Ms Nique and Takara Sake for a great learning Experience.

What a fun experience. We stumbled upon it on a bike ride. We had the place to ourselves and spent about 45 mintues there between the museum, 15 minute video and the tasting with a very knowledgable and friendly Japanese gentleman. I wish I caught his name, he was fun. We shared a tasting and it was plenty of sake for me, especially because he gave us extra samples. My husband makes wine and was interested in the process for sake so he was a captive audience. My favorite was the sparkling sake. It tasted like soda! I recommend doing the tour/tasting when you are not in a hurry and embrace the learning and the experience. It was interesting to watch the traditional way of making the sake, very ceremonial. Great deal for $5, I would have been drunk had I gotten my own tasting.

This was such a fun and interesting experience! First, you come in and watch a short film on how sake is made. Then, you can take a little tour of their museum. I bought a Groupon to try some sake here... turns out their prices normally are pretty fair. For a sampler of sake, it's around $10. With each pour, they describe the flavors and other fun facts about the sake. After you're done tasting, you can buy the sake! I will definitely come back! This is a good experience if you were to have friends visiting or you want to do a short activity before you go to dinner.... Definitely make a reservation! It's very easy online, you can make a reservation at every hour. Also, you can call them. They're very nice and very knowledgeable! Do make sure you come a little early because parking is tough since it's near 4th street and they like to do the sake tasting in groups.

I learned of Takara sake on tripadvisor, and took the bus there from campus -- it was short at around 15-20 minutes. It looks like an unassuming warehouse on the outside, but the inside was incredibly calming. When you walk in you can sign in for the tasting and specify whether you have a reservation or not. My friend and I went on a Saturday before 5 for their last tasting of the day, however I heard reservations might be necessary for the weekends. There were wooden arches and interesting mobiles along the ceiling of the main room, which has a tasting bar and an education area, which shows a video on how sake it made before every tasting. There was a second room with equipment for old school sake making, and pamphlets that walked you through the process through pictures. The actual tasting was around $10, paid with cash, and you get two or three options, however everyone in my group chose the second variety tasting since it encompasses both dry and sweet variations. You can pay $5 for a small(?) glass of one of their special sakes. You write notes onto a paper after each of the 7-8 types, and range in temperature upon serving. Our tender was very nice, and responsive to questions! At the end you can buy sake by the bottle. If you get the groupon, I think it is two take home bottles (probably small bottles?) and two tastings for $31! The whole experience was a little over one hour. There is a key for the women's bathroom. This was definitely a great experience and I would recommend it to anyone who is looking to get edumacated on sake!

This review is eight years late! I frequented this sake brewery when I lived in the Bay Area [SD now], and Takara catapulted my interest and passion for sake. I still seek it out at my local Asian grocery, particularly when the Shirakabe gura Tokubetsu Junmai is on sale around the holidays. I have even tried homebrewing sake a few times. It all starts in 2009 when I spotted the name on the building from the highway and looked it up. Sake brewery? Museum? I had to check it out and am so glad I did. Mika was a great sake hostess and educator, tho it's been a few years since I've been, and I'm not sure she still works there. I visited maybe a dozen times over a couple years and always loved trying new sake, picking up some staples, and always checking out the museum. The craftsmanship on the old tools and machines shows ingenuity, refinement and real skill. In addition to the above premium sake, I still regularly opt for their nigori and classic. The classic is so inexpensive I use a bit of it cooking, yet tastes perfectly fine enough to serve to guests or enjoy for oneself. I prefer both of these slightly chilled. If you're ever in the Bay, swing on by for a tasting and a peek of the museum. If you can't, look for their sake everywhere else!

Came here with a group of friends for their sake tasting. Make a reservation before deciding to come here. When you arrive, you watch a video on the process of making sake, which was quite interesting, afterwards, you are split up into areas(either a table or standing area at the bar) where you get to choose between the two sake tastings. They are quite generous with their pours and you can definitely feel it by the time you are done. I am not well versed in types of sake, so this is a good introduction to what types fit your taste.

Great tasting, of a wide variety of their sake, and fun stories from the staff. Would definitely go back.

SO MUCH FUN. This had to be the best tasting experience I've ever had. $5 for an extensive tasting of numerous sake. Wonderful. Sign in your name at the front. Wait to be called. While you're waiting, check out the museum and watch the DVD on sake making. Once you get to the counter, get ready for a barrage of sake. The person will give you a menu and you can choose between numerous types of tastings. We went for the variety and the ginjo and junmai combo. I think this is the way to go so that both of you can try a bunch of different types. We also went with an extra single tasting of their special, seasonal sake: dai ginjo. The lady we had delivering our sake was super knowledgeable and answered all of our questions. I seriously can't wait to come back. We ended up buying 3 of our favorite bottles for $20...super affordable. This place is a must try. If you haven't been here, you're missing out!

This was my first time having a sake tasting, and t was great experience. At the beginning, you can look at a museum section that they have, and then they have you watch a 10- to 15-minute video about how sake is made. It's an extremely informative video, but not the most engaging narrator (thought worth noting). After that, we were able to pick what sake tasting we wanted. My friend and I just got the $20 tasting to share, it I really appreciate that they still poured full glasses for both of us. I got to have a better understand of which sake I like, and they really walk through the flavors with you. Highly recommend!