Probably the most reliable sushi spot this far north and west in Contra Costa County, Koi might not be the first pick for sushi purists, as it’s mostly known for its saucy and humongous specialty rolls. That said, the nigiri here are reasonably solid and the $20 chirashi bowl is a great value. If you have a soft spot for a Lion King roll, the seared version here really hits the spot.

If you’re looking for an immaculate omakase experience, that was never what this tiny and perpetually busy strip mall sushi restaurant was about — even prior to the pandemic, it was mostly a takeout spot. Nori Roll’s calling card is very fresh sashimi and nigiri, served up quickly and at an uncommonly reasonable price. The chirashi bowl is one of the better deals around.

This intimate sushi bar in Orinda specializes in traditional Edomae-style sushi — simple, unadorned nigiri that shows off the chef’s knife skills and the quality and freshness of the fish. If you can plan ahead and order at least three days in advance, the restaurant also offers premium sushi to-go, with big trays of nigiri (although, be aware, it can cost upwards of $100 a person), a couple of different chirashi bowl options, and battera, a pressed mackerel sushi. Otherwise, reservations can be made to dine in-house and be prepared to arrive in dress code.

Fish & Bird is one of a number of ambitious Japanese restaurants in the Bay Area that never used to be a sushi restaurant per se — even if they had a couple of sashimi options on the menu — that shifted gears during the pandemic. Fish & Bird had been best known for its stylish, creative izakaya dishes that landed the restaurant a mention in the Michelin Guide. But during the pandemic, the restaurant added to its repertoire with a few sushi items such as a chef’s selection of nigiri, a kaisen don bowl with assorted sashimi over sushi rice, and a chef’s choice sashimi plate.

B-Dama chef-owner Chikara Ono was running the kitchen at the cafe space adjacent from the Berkeley Bowl West supermarket — an arrangement that has afforded him the opportunity to test out a whole host of new restaurant concepts. Through it all, the cafe has emerged as one of the East Bay’s most affordable and convenient sources of high-quality sushi rolls and generously portioned chirashi bowls.

This longtime Rockridge mainstay isn’t the kind of sushi restaurant where diners will find the rarest or most unusual fish selections, but for all of the staples — salmon and hamachi nigiri, simple rolls, and the like — Uzen remains one of the best in the business.

Ebiko’s roots come from family-owned Berkeley restaurant Kyoto Sushi, where Ebiko owner David Liu’s mother, Mei, has run the shop for the past 25 years. Now, Liu has a sushi shop of his own, running Ebiko as a daytime spot perfect for lunchtime or afternoon picnics. The kaisen don features a chef’s choice of sashimi, along with ikura and crab — with a “deluxe” version upgraded with sweet shrimp and uni — and a daily special of seven pieces of nigiri with the day’s best fish options available.

When it comes to inexpensive and reasonably high-quality sushi (both rolls and nigiri), Geta has long been the local champ — part of the reason why its tiny dining room was perpetually crowded, with a line out the door, in pre-pandemic times. If you’re dining in, check out the signboard of daily specials.

Never purely a traditional omakase spot, Delage has made a name for itself with a multi-course feast by chef Mikiko Ando that includes not just nigiri (though the nigiri was splendid), but also elegant salads and cooked dishes mixed in as well.

Don’t let this restaurant’s location in a Castro Valley strip mall deter you: Tancho Japanese Restaurant serves excellent Edomae-style sushi in an omakase setting, and bento boxes are available to go with high-end add-ons such as Hokkaido uni. Expect seasonal fish to be part of the menu throughout the year.