Good izakaya experience. If you're craving good chargrilled skewers, this will hit the spot. Their omakase and house special chicken skewers are top notch-dont skip those. Nice ambience too, reminiscent of a 'alleway in Japan' vibe.They don't take reservations online, but you can call to reserve a spot.
Where have you been Ippuku???The absolute best Izakaya in the Bay Area... nothing comes close! If I could allocate 6 stars; I would! The ambiance, the menu, the quality of the food, everything!!! They know how to cook every single item on the menu; perfection in every bite! We tried almost everything; and it was so good, booked our next visit on our way out... Two observations: 1) there's no sign for this place; and 2) you can't book online! I always struggled to call during business hours that's why it took me so long to book. I would have otherwise visited months ago! We will return multiple times.
Good authentic Japanese yakitori. Service was good but not impressive. Very conveniently located to the new residence Inn in downtown Berkeley. Convenient place to hang out for an afternoon beer or eat. We were here during graduation week and reservations were required.
Where have you been Ippuku??? The absolute best Izakaya in the Bay Area... nothing comes close! If I could allocate 6 stars; I would! The ambiance, the menu, the quality of the food, everything!!! They know how to cook every single item on the menu; perfection in every bite! We tried almost everything; and it was so good, booked our next visit on our way out... Two observations: 1) there's no sign for this place; and 2) you can't book online! I always struggled to call during business hours that's why it took me so long to book. I would have otherwise visited months ago! We will return multiple times.
As a Japanese person, this restaurant is legit! True izakaya experience. Everything is so tasty.I’ve been here a few times.Suquid black ink fried rice and potato salad are my favorites!For this time, we didn’t make a reservation but we went there at 5 on Friday so we could dine. I think making a reservation is safer.We brought our 3 month old ;) he enjoyed the ambience ;)
A very pleasant experience. Japanese cuisine is not something I eat a lot of (sushi-aside) but everything here was well prepared. The skewers were maybe lacking in some flavour/seasoning to my tastes but the service was very good and I would recommend the restaurant to anyone visiting Berkeley. I was in the area for a concert (Del Amitri at Cornerstone) and am glad we picked this as our pre-concert meal.
Worst ramen I've ever had. They only have raw chicken ramen and it does not cook enough in the broth OR buried under noodles-- they insisted it's safe to eat raw chicken and I told them that makes me really uncomfortable.They served me a new ramen with cooked chicken and it was totally unseasoned. The blandest chicken you could suffer. The broth was underdeveloped, no umami-WOW-factor. The noodles were not offensive.After two hours, I paid my bill and left hungry.
A vary unpredictable place. I dined here twice. It is not likely there will be a third. The first time I came, there are a lot of dishes taken off the menu. But the second time, they provided them. I ordered ink rice both times. The first time it tasted good and squid-y (seafood-y/umami-ish). The second time it just tasted like regular fried rice (that happens to be black). The Waygu skewer tasted different both times as well. The minced chicken with yolk and the mackerel was pretty good. But I only ordered them once, so I cannot guarantee.
Absolutely wonderful restaurant; went here for my birthday and it was an immersive experience to say the least. I will definitely be coming back. There wasn't a single item on the menu I didn't enjoy and the drink menu was equivalently impressive 10/10
Good place with really cool ambience. The service was good but the sushi nothing special, really thick cuts and to much rice