Address: | 2100 Ward St, Berkeley, CA 94705, USA |
Phone: | +1 510-549-3486 |
Site: | kiralaberkeley.com |
Rating: | 4.2 |
Working: | 11:30AM–2PM 11:30AM–2PM 11:30AM–2PM 11:30AM–2PM 11:30AM–2PM 5:30–9:30PM 5–9PM |
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Rebecca Bermudez
Went as a little date with my hubby. Got the mushroom soup as a starter it was excellent. Plus some other food that was good but nothing noteworthy. Our experience was awful though, we waited a decent amount of time for a table and people who came after us were sat first, then after we were sat and ordered and our drinks came the hostess came and asked us if we could move to the bar because another group whod come even later than the other that I mentioned "had been waiting a long time". First I was shocked, Ive been a host before and that is just something you dont do, second wed waited longer than the new group had, and third, if Id wanted to sit at the bar Id have asked to at the beginning. Bah! So awkward. Now my date night is 2x tainted, then as the staff are bussing a table next to us they drop and break a cup with shards and liquid all over my purse and leg. I know that was just a bunch of unfortunates, but it wasnt enjoyable. My husband wanted to go back a couple months later but Im not game. It was our anniversary and the first date night without baby in tow so I was highly anticipating a nice evening out and they didnt provide. At least give a little comp on our tea or soup ya know to show consideration for the dropped glass etc. Its called customer service.
MR
Mr. Bond Ng
I love this place. If you want authentic Japanese food (maybe with a twist), then this is the place to be! The sushi are fresh and better than many of the sushi place I know. The staff are friendly and very polite. I say there maybe a twist to the authenticity because I am not sure if grill lamb and squid are from Japanese food too, maybe it is, I just dont know...but those two appetizers are the bomb! There is often a line to get a table here. If you dont want that then you should consider showing up as soon as they open at 5:30pm or before 6pm; after 6pm then you usually have to wait. My dad doesnt believe in waiting in line at any restaurant, but after his experience here, he said "I understand now." :) One last thing, Yeah, the price maybe a little higher compare to other Japanese restaurant...maybe just a dollar or two more BUT IT IS WORTH THE EXPERIENCE! Try it then youll see.
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Victoria P.
I went here with two of my girlfriends to gab. Theyve both eaten here before, and recommended it for our dinner out. I ordered seaweed salad, dragon roll, and inari. The seaweed salad had different types of seaweed, which was a nice surprise from the norm. It was sweet and vinegary, and a perfect start to my meal. The unagi in the dragon roll was fresh, and the inari didnt skimp on the rice. If youre here by yourself, or in a party of two, bar seating might get you in faster. Otherwise, you have to add your name on a list, and wait outside because there isnt much room to wait inside. It can also get pretty loud inside because its somewhat of a small area with tables very close to each other. I saw a "Bay Area Check Please" sticker, so I assume it was featured on the show. So its not a surprise that this place gets busy.
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BT XT
Confused. Not sure. The place is hustlin - with staff. The service is not the best - they try. But the food is what got me. I was expecting some real awesome food but I was left puzzled - like the first time you see a teletubby on the street for real - and you left wondering if thats real or just make believe. My order of sashimi was a disaster. After drowning it in wasabi and soy, it still tastes bad. Try at your own risk. I for one am convinced that theres other places who serve better sushi. Still scratching my head - and thankful that its not my stomach or my butt :-) hmmmmmm And dont sit next to the grills - unless its a cold day - else you will sweat - and thats before you taste the food ...
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Drew Foster
My favorite sushi bar anywhere, the old guys they have slicing n dicing have been there forever n really know what there doing. The fish is always fresh, service despite the crowds is great. There is always a line which should tell you something. My favorite things to order is the blackend cod (i know not raw fish) but whatever they marinate this in makes it melt in your mouth and tastes like butter. Had my kids tried this when they were young im positive they would eat fish today. I also like their seaweed salad, its way softer n less get caught in your teeth stringy. Everything else is what youd expect to be n up to top standards.
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Robert Fuentes
Weve been dining here for almost 20 years, before the awards were given and before its addition of the sake bar. Cant say that weve ever been disappointed. In fact we compare every sushi place to this none. The freshest fish one can ever find. The tempura is light and crispy. The food from the rabata grill quite tasty. Service can be sporadic even for regulars. Staff is quite friendly. When we lived in the area we were there every week. Now due to distance it has become our place to travel to to celebrate a special occasion. Come early though; the wait can be long. Well worth it though.
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Allison Tebbe
This used to be my favorite sushi spot in the east bay but we had a horrible experience tonight. Went to celebrate a friends birthday, who practically lives at Kirala, and they rudely asked us to leave because a couple was complaining about having to wait for a table. We had literally just finished our drinks and hadnt even signed the check and they said hurry you have to go because a couple was raising hell because they thought we should have eaten faster. We dropped $270 for three people. I think that should at least buy us 15 mins to finish our conversation and sign the check.
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Alan W.
Came here on a Wednesday night and the place was packed. Luckily, despite the full house we only waited for about 10 minutes before we got our table. Once seated we ordered a whole bunch of stuff. Everything was pretty tasty, except for the Japanese salad which is not my favorite. Also everything was rather small in portion, if it werent for the udon, I would have definitely needed more food. All in all, it was a good meal and the food was yummy. I just need to order more food next time to make sure I dont leave hungry. Lol...
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Linh Chuong
I saw that this place was ranked well for Japanese in the East Bay so I took my sister out to a light lunch for her birthday here. We had the deluxe sashimi set and the vegetable soba noodle soup. I cant judge the quality of their other dishes but the sashimi grade is not high enough for a Japanese restaurant. The mackerel was not fresh, and smelled too fishy. The cut of tuna we were given was also not a good cut for sashimi (had too much sinew). My sisters favorite was the salmon, but it wasnt outstanding by any means.
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Simon Fiorucci
Other reviews had me worried that this place would be too crowded, but showing up unannounced at 6pm on a Wednesday we managed to get a table for 10 people without trouble. Did not really see a line forming later in the evening either. perhaps just luck, but at least it can happen! The sushi-sashimi choices are kind of pricey, but very fresh and very well presented. The hot meals like don and teriyaki are more affordable and equally excellent. Special note for the house sake, which comes hot and in a $4 bottle.