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13 Incredibly Fresh Sushi Restaurants in the East Bay

Where to score the finest nigiri and the most decadent chirashi bowls

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Sushi is a mainstay of the Bay Area dining scene, and although most would point to San Francisco as playing host to the lion’s share of sushi restaurants, there are also a number of places in the East Bay that shouldn’t be scoffed at. The East Bay excels at offering excellent sushi, from high-end omakase to more casual spots — and (for the most part) all at affordable price points. There are also a number of shops still offering sushi to-go in case you feel like bringing some sushi-laden bento boxes home.

Here, then, are 13 great restaurants where you can get your sushi fix, from San Pablo out to Castro Valley and everywhere in between.

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Koi Sushi

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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.

Koi Sushi

Nori Roll

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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.

Hanazen

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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.

Iyasare

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This elegant Japanese restaurant in Berkeley’s tony Fourth Street shopping district is known for its ramen and tempura offerings, but staples such as the chirashi don, a rainbow mix of various sashimi, ikura, uni, and more make it an excellent sushi stop in its own right. Other rice bowls feature slices of sake, hamachi, or wild bluefin tuna sashimi, and the restaurant offers its food and rolls to go, such as their negihama roll with hamachi and green onion.

Fish & Bird Sousaku Izakaya

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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 at Berkeley Bowl West Cafe

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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.

Chirashi bowl and bentos from B-Dama/Berkeley Bowl West Luke Tsai

This North Oakland spot opened in the middle of the pandemic, but made a name for itself for its very handsome wooden sushi bentos — and, in particular, its $25 seven-piece nigiri box, which is customizable and allows for the selection of high-end options like toro and uni for no additional charge. Customers also now dine in at the popular restaurant to sample the a la carte nigiri menu and partake in the restaurant’s sake menu.

Dianne de Guzman

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.

Ebiko

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.

Yonsei Handrolls

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For those who would rather go trendier with their sushi, there’s been a boom in hand roll restaurants over the last year or so, and Oakland’s Yonsei Handrolls is one of the biggest and latest hand roll openings on the east side of the Bay Bridge. Chef Kyle Itani of Hopscotch and Itani Ramen leads the charge on this hand roll spot, offering zuke maguro, spicy scallops, or A5 wagyu-loaded hand rolls.

Ed Anderson

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.

Slices of seared tuna belly topped with black truffle paste and garlic chips at Delage Luke Tsai

Tancho Japanese Restaurant

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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.

Dianne de Guzman

Koi Sushi

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.

Koi Sushi

Nori Roll

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.

Hanazen

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.

Iyasare

This elegant Japanese restaurant in Berkeley’s tony Fourth Street shopping district is known for its ramen and tempura offerings, but staples such as the chirashi don, a rainbow mix of various sashimi, ikura, uni, and more make it an excellent sushi stop in its own right. Other rice bowls feature slices of sake, hamachi, or wild bluefin tuna sashimi, and the restaurant offers its food and rolls to go, such as their negihama roll with hamachi and green onion.

Fish & Bird Sousaku Izakaya

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 at Berkeley Bowl West Cafe

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.

Chirashi bowl and bentos from B-Dama/Berkeley Bowl West Luke Tsai

Mujiri

This North Oakland spot opened in the middle of the pandemic, but made a name for itself for its very handsome wooden sushi bentos — and, in particular, its $25 seven-piece nigiri box, which is customizable and allows for the selection of high-end options like toro and uni for no additional charge. Customers also now dine in at the popular restaurant to sample the a la carte nigiri menu and partake in the restaurant’s sake menu.

Dianne de Guzman

Uzen

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

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.

Ebiko

Geta

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.

Yonsei Handrolls

For those who would rather go trendier with their sushi, there’s been a boom in hand roll restaurants over the last year or so, and Oakland’s Yonsei Handrolls is one of the biggest and latest hand roll openings on the east side of the Bay Bridge. Chef Kyle Itani of Hopscotch and Itani Ramen leads the charge on this hand roll spot, offering zuke maguro, spicy scallops, or A5 wagyu-loaded hand rolls.

Ed Anderson

Delage

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.

Slices of seared tuna belly topped with black truffle paste and garlic chips at Delage Luke Tsai

Tancho Japanese Restaurant

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.

Dianne de Guzman

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