Our family's favorite Japanese restaurant in Berkeley. Long line and always long wait. Worth it though. Do make sure you make a reservation. We love hotpot, Yaki Udon is absolutely the best with the pesto in it. Corn tempura is great for starter. Kiraku Nigiri Sampler is a MUST! (Expensive but you will really appreciate this dish!) Great sake selection. Everything sushi is great her. Only one dish I don't like is baby squid. Too raw for me, and I can't get over the texture. Service is amazing!
We arrived at 5:35 on Saturday afternoon (the place opens at 5:30pm) and realized there was a 1.5 hr waiting line already. The place has limited seats.However, it was totally worth. We ordered some of the famous dish and every single one of them is amazing and tasty.It’s not cheap (~$70 per person) and it’s small, but we will come back to have more.
Very good food! I'd like to shine some light on their daily special menu, I was informed that it changes on a regular basis and usually there aren't any pictures of those dishes here on Google Review. I'm not much of a photographer, but I do recommend picking at least something off the special menu.On the contrary, due to the food being excellent (and exotic, I had this *firefly squid* nigiri sushi and oh my go-- let me continue), the prices are quite high. I think I dropped maybe $40~ and wasn't completely full, so this would to me be a "special occasion store" or for a treat kind of thing. Can't take a star off because I wouldn't come regularly; if I had the budget I would!
Incredible experience! The service was great and the food was SO good! It was definitely on the pricier side so more of a treat yourself/special occasion kind of place, but you can actually taste the quality of the food compared to less expensive restaurants. All the food melts in your mouth and was so good they even made some of us like things that we thought we felt indifferent about or didn't like (certain types of fish and umi). Highly recommend trying!!!
Always wanted to come here for last 2years.200% satisfied about all of foods, staffs are very attentive and no hassle even it's fully occupied in a small place. Cozy dinner time. Only one sad thing, many drinks and ingredients from Japan are now out of stock or very hard to get in.I just enjoyed my Asahi draft beer after heard it's the last glass they can offer.
The sashimi was very good, but what was incredible was the tongue skewer. It was soooo tender and rich... Loved! The sweet potato brulee was a great finish to dinner.
Great spot for dinner and conversation. Wide selection of new and familiar dishes. Do not be scared by the long wait list, it goes by quick (and staff does ask you to clear the table once finished). The sashimi was so fresh but don't be afraid to order new things! Great Japanese spot! Also the grapefruit Gelato at the end was just so light.
Kiraku is a popular izakaya style restaurant south of Berkeley's campus. There is a wide selection of many dishes that are all delicious. They have every type of Japanese food that you can want. The chef is super awesome, accommodating dietary restrictions and the staff do an excellent job making sure every table is doing well.
The staff was very polite and quick to clear empty plates, refill drinks, and respond to requests. The food is divine. Especially the desserts! A lovely spot. Highly recommend
Overall, everything tasted great; the raw fish was fresh. I loved the agedashi tofu and the somen noodles. The ramen also stood out as it was different--the broth was light and refreshing. The only thing I didn't like was the grilled rice ball; it was bland and it wasn't crispy enough. I wouldn't order it again.