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Uzen Japanese Cuisine
Category: Restaurants Japanese Japanese [Edit]
5415 College Ave(between Hudson St & Kales Ave)
Oakland, CA 94618
Neighborhood: North Oakland
(510) 654-7753
- Hours:
Mon-Fri 11:30 am - 2 pm
Mon-Sat 5:30 pm - 10 pm
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- No
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Beer & Wine Only
- Noise Level:
- Quiet
- Ambience:
- Casual
- Has TV:
- No
- Caters:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
250 reviews for Uzen Japanese Cuisine
Review Highlights
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"This place is great for people new to sushi." In 168 reviews -
"...of any variety (especially the special wild sockeye salmon." In 7 reviews -
"the food is definitely great, very fresh and yummy." In 22 reviews
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250 reviews in English
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Review from Mizzv M.
Oakland, CA
4/16/2012
This is where we go for high quality sushi in the East Bay. It's not pricey considering it's sushi and considering the price tags at other establishments in Rockridge.
The pros:
-You can trust the fish
-It feels like Japan, from the owner & chefs to the tiny space and servingware
-Accommodating - always let me sub an extra salad in place of the rice, order off the dinner menu for lunch if the item is available, get the salmon teriyaki without the teriyaki sauce...etc.
-Delicious food - they have the best sake kama, salad, sushi, tempura...everything really
-Value - the combination dinner where you get to pick two entrees is fantastic
-Private party space upstairs
The cons:
-The restroom is separate from the restaurant and has to be accessed by going out the backdoor...maybe that's a good thing, though?
-Parking on College is hit or miss.
-Closed Sundays and during lunch on the weekends
-they waitstaff gets bogged down on occasion when there are large parties
-no website, this yelp page is pretty much where I go to get their hours, #, etc.
So far, this is the best sushi we've found in the East Bay and this place would have a line out the door if it were in the city! -
Review from Jamie L.
Oakland, CA
My friend got a bento box and I got a hirame sashimi salad and we were both very content with our food! However, the service was pretty bad. We didn't get water until after we ordered, and we actually didn't get to order for a while after we sat down. The place is pretty small so it shouldn't be that difficult for 2 servers to serve their setting.
If Uzen changed their system by preparing the salads and little things in advance, the service wouldn't lag so much. -
Review from Jennifer S. P.
Lafayette, CA
5/10/2012 3 Check-ins Here
I work nearby and stop by for their udon soup and a couple of pieces of sushi for lunch. It is pretty affordable and the fish is very fresh. The food tastes great, but I wish they had more of a selection of rolls on the menu and they do not have an online menu or a takeout menu to refer to which is very difficult when you want to order lunch for a firm or with other co-workers.
I would recommend for Rockridge because there isn't much else that is walk-able sushi-wise. -
Review from Victor G.
3/21/2012
Uzen is next to soi 4, very small, has compacted modern seating of metal tables and wooden benches. sushi bar is located in far corner of uzen with the asian sushi master and his dos amigos.
lunch : limited menu of udon, bento specials, and some sashimi/niigiri. nigiri can be ordered ala carte.\\music: jazz
eats: sashimi lunch special (10.75)
-miso dressing on spring mix salad very tasting
-jasmine tea just so so, very plain
-miso salad very extraordinary, way above average
-15 minicuts of hamichi, tuna, white tuna, and salmon tasted fresh, not overly so.
-rice, just regular rice, not sushi rice.
temaki:
-checklist order list for nigiri provided. seemed pricey. passed.
-one check-in for tea. passed on average tea.
-3.5 stars for passable fare, trendy ambienceListed in: rockridge, oaktown
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Review from Christophe K.
Berkeley, CA
5/18/2012 1 Check-in Here
Excellent sushi. Selection is a bit limited but quality and freshness are exquisite. Very small place, modern design. Sweet staff serving you.
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Review from Jason W.
Lafayette, CA
5/10/2012
One of the best sushi places I've been to. The price was extremely reasonable and the sushi was great! Recommend this place highly.
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Review from Roy C.
San Francisco, CA
2/25/2012 1 Check-in Here
Uzen is a sushi restaurant that has so much potential, but just falls short. It has a nice minimalist atmosphere that's clean and inviting. Some of the fish was actually very fresh, but everything else was just lackluster.
--------------------------------------
FOOD:
The hamachi, wild salmon, amaebi, and albacore was excellent. Very fresh, very buttery.
The rest of the nigiri we had was just okay -- the roe, the unagi, the mackerel, and the uni.
*Another downside: they don't serve Toro (tuna belly) or Hamachi Belly. Not really docking them for that since they're not required to, but for a sushi joint, it's always something that's a plus.
Hamachi Collar = Meh. It was undercooked and didn't pack much flavor.
Salmon Collar = Nicely cooked, but also very flavorless. They didn't even bring out a dipping sauce for it.
Miso Cod = Very disappointed with this Miso Cod. The texture was okay, but there was only a slight miso flavor. It only had a faint sweetness present in what was otherwise a very bland (and small) piece of fish.
Crab salad = Horrible. Again, no flavor. The crab was fresh, but when mixed with the sliced cucumber, there just wasn't much there that was actually memorable whatsoever.
Ankimo (Monkfish Liver) = Horrible. Ankimo is one of my favorite dishes and Uzen does this one horribly. There's no creaminess to the liver and the distinct monkfish liver flavor was almost nonexistent. Not sure what they mixed into this pate, but it's only BARELY monkfish liver.
Soft-shelled crab = The only somewhat redeeming dish of the night. I wish it was a little crispier, though.
--------------------------------------
For those who believe that Uzen is one of the best sushi restaurants in the Bay Area, I encourage you to try Kiss Seafood, Kabuto, or Koo in San Francisco, and you'll instantly see the difference. I do admit though, that Uzen has pretty fresh fish for its sashimi -- but the entire experience just isn't good enough to compare with the countless number of amazing sushi restaurants that exist in the Bay Area. -
Review from Joco F.
Concord, CA
5/1/2012
First off the fish is really good here. There was no doubt about that. Though I like to think I'm a sushi traditionalist I didn't like that they had a very limited menu at least visually. They advertise special rolls if you ask the chef but in my opinion since many places have rolls different from place to place it would be hard for the regular specialty roll eater to order here. It would be similar to ordering a drink at a bar that is only made at certain bars. There were also flys in the middle of the room which was a turn off. That being said if it's just me wanting to go enjoy some really nice nigiri then this place is fine. But with friends who aren't into the fish as much this place can be kind of dull since there wasn't much to the menu and the decor was non existant.
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Review from Miyuki I.
San Francisco, CA
2/26/2012
Great spot for fresh, melt-in-your-mouth, goodness (sashimi and nigiri!!).
Need I say more?
The place is small (not many tables) so plan accordingly.
PS. The chawan mushi is delicious (delicate savory egg custard with seafood and veggies..nice warm-me-up on a cold day).Listed in: Best (REAL) Japanese Food
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Review from Noa P.
Emeryville, CA
5/2/2012
I say 4 stars. The menu is limited and the stuff they do offer is tastey. Nice big pieces of fish that are fresh. Don't have a huge selection but all of your standard nigiri like yellowtail, tuna, albacore, sea urchin, sweet shrimp, salmon, etc.
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Review from Maia S.
Albany, CA
5/16/2012
Uzen is so good!! I'v been here several times now as a group of 4 and we always ask the chef to just bring us whatever is best that night. They are really particular about the quality of fish that they use so we totally trusted that they would bring out the freshest and best dishes...and that was absolutely true. This is a little gem of a restaurant and I can't wait to come back again and again and again. Thinking of going to see the movie "Jiro Dreams of Sushi" and then coming straight to Uzen afterwards to get my fill of delicious japanese food. By the way, Uzen has way more than just sushi, and it is all amazing and not scary. GREAT quality food and good service too!
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Review from Jennifer L.
Berkeley, CA
3/25/2012
Confession: I had not had sashimi before visiting Uzen. Why? no good reason, other than the thought of eating raw fish gave me the creeps. And walking into a place that smells of fish, doesn't make me want to eat it. After reading the other reviews I decided to give sashimi a try at Uzen. I had the yellow tail and the reviews rang true, it really did taste buttery. And the restaurant doesn't smell of fish. Only drawback to visiting again is that the service is very slow and not super attentive.
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Review from Joyce B.
2/12/2012
Since I've been on a sashimi craving, I decided to get the sashimi salad here. The food here are pretty pricey for college students, $10+ for all small dishes and entrees. The sashimi were extremely fresh. Mine came with salmon and scallops and they are so tasty that you can't taste the any rawness. I'd definitely recommend this dish. I didn't see too much variety on their menu but I'd definitely go for the sashimi.
The restaurant is a bit small and there's a sushi bar section and a couple of tables for large groups but wouldn't recommend bringing group larger than 4-5. -
Review from Calvin L.
Oakland, CA
4/13/2012
Very mediocre, both the sushi and cooked dishes. The fish was neither super fresh nor not fresh, just average. Which would be fine it it were priced as such. I don't mind average sushi at the right price, but considering I just dropped $30, I expect at least above average. Also, some pretty spotty service here.
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Review from David G.
Napa, CA
1/28/2012
had dinner at Uzen last night after a meeting in Berkeley. The food was good, the service was more than good - it was really great.
but the lack of fifth star is because of the very ordinary fish selection. Every fish was great quality, but there was nothing more than the usual maguro, hamachi, sake, unagi, aji, etc. We had hoped for the cool stuff that always manages to appear at Takara in SF.
at least it was better than the tired, old Kirala... -
Review from Jill T.
1/16/2012 2 Check-ins Here
A friend had posted on her facebook page that Uzen was the best sushi around, she knew cause she works there.
Being a sushi lover I decided to take her up on this challenge and see if in fact this was some of the best sushi around.
Well...the verdict.
She was right. Uzen is some of the best sushi around. It was fresh and super good. I am sitting here on Monday morning thinking of the Aji! Wow, was it amazing. It's basic sushi. Not a lot of rolls to choice from, which I see as a good thing. We ordered one roll and it was the low spot in our experience. We ordered more Nigiri and it was soooo good, fresh, and tasty.
Winner!!!!!!!!! -
Review from Kevin H.
San Francisco, CA
4/11/2012
Went here yesterday for the first time. We went around closing time, but they were very nice and told us that they were cutting off orders to the kitchen 15 minutes before closing (10pm). We looked at the menu (3 or 4 to be exact). They had appetizer specials, sushi specials, and entree specials. They had mostly sashimi on the menu where you mark down how many of each order you want (sort of like a Chinese dim sum place). Initially it looked like they didn't have a wide variety, but the waitress told us that we can order any regular roll that you could find at any other Japanese restaurant and they would make it for us. We got 4 orders of sashimi (which were really good -- fresh fish), salmon, and the spicy crunchy roll.
The food was delicious and the service was great!
It's a nice small surprise on College Ave. -
Review from Jen S.
Oakland, CA
3/31/2012
They have the best bowl of udon, at least on college ave. I've tried them all and hands down Uzen has the best bowl. Ultimately it's their broth. A perfect bowl of umami. I recommend!
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Review from Art O.
San Francisco, CA
12/29/2011
Hmm - surprised I haven't written a review of Uzen since I've been here at least a half dozen times.
The menu is straight forward - no specialty rolls unless you ask the chefs for them. The portions are good sized and the quality is from good to excellent. But you also pay for that. In other words it's going to be a bit more expensive than other sushi joints but you get what you pay for.
I wish they had a bit more selection of specialty rolls. Trust me, I don't like sushi joints that have page after page of crazy rolls but it'd be nice to offer a bit more options rather than having to ask for them and the price. -
Review from jason c.
Oakland, CA
11/19/2011
Eat here .. the Food was fantastic.. The oyster, Yellotail collar and the Aji as well as softshell crab rocked.. the rice in the sushi was not the ultimate, not quite soft or warm enough. but the food is really good. My Japanese friend said she thought the food was "authentically Japanese" and good.
I like the food here.. a lot. -
Review from Tiffany Y.
Berkeley, CA
12/26/2011
Yum yum yum yum yum. One of the best Japanese restaurants I have been to; would definitely recommend!
The fish here is fresh, the chefs and skilled and careful with their work, and everything tasted great! I came here primarily to try their rolls and sat at the sushi bar. Uzen is almost like a make-your-own-roll restaurant where there is a very short sushi list on the menu but the chefs custom-make anything you ask them to (NOTE: each added items cost extra) I tried a dragon roll, a rainbow roll, a spider roll, and some salmon nigiri. I absolutely loved everything and the food is very refined.
Uzen is small but chic with cool lighting and modern seating, which made it feel less cramped than it could've. Service is fantastic, but the rolls take some time to prepare so I would only recommend this place to people who are not in a rush. Service is not bad, though the small space forced the three or four waitresses to stand directly behind us while we ate, which was a little uncomfortable.
NOTE: Uzen is a tiny bit more expensive than your average Japanese restaurant, but nothing out of the ordinary.
WILL I come back: Yes!
WHEN will I come back: If I want a classy meal and quality sushi
WHAT will I do differently: Order fast so I don't have to wait TOO long for my meal to appear, roll by roll. And I would sit a farther away from the corner the waitresses congregate; having four people breathing down on your neck during a meal is a little unnerving. -
Review from M A.
San Francisco, CA
12/30/2011
It was the attention to detail that made our experience here special. With my shrimp tempura--an assortment of vegetables cooked to perfection...one slice of perfectly tender carrot, one slice of potato, and several others. Little surprises.
We ordered a couple of rolls, one California and one special roll--I forget exactly what--with asparagus and jalapeño. The California roll was perfect and was obviously conceived of by someone wanting to make it special--perfect rice, perfect avocado--very creamy texture. We really enjoyed the shaved jalapeño on the second roll which afforded a surprising, complementary flavor, and we wished we tasted more of it. I've never enjoyed asparagus in maki but was willing to try it again, and this unfortunately was not an exception. The flavor of asparagus seems hard to mix (which was true in this case) and can often be watery. Also, the roll was too big to comfortably eat in one bite, and was hard to bite through because it was rolled more than once, seaweed spiraling inside.
The service was very attentive overall. I wouldn't expect every server to have intimate knowledge of each sake, but our server knew nothing about any of them and could not give us a recommendation. A basic working knowledge would have been nice. We ended up ordering the Creme de Sake since we wanted an unfiltered one, but it ended up being too sweet to work well with the meal.
The decor was a bit deconstructivist, drawing attention to the interesting vertical space inside.
Overall a very good experience and we will be back. -
Review from Jenn D.
San Francisco, CA
11/16/2011
Went here last Friday night and the sushi was fantastic and the service was great. It's a little unassuming place on College, literally without a sign on the door. The place was pretty busy, but still some open tables. When we got a menu it took a minute to figure it out & had to ask the server exactly how to order. Basically they give you a menu of fish, and you just use a pencil to write in quantity, which I believe was all nigiri. There is also another menu with appetizers & some cooked food, but we didn't spend too much time on it.
We ordered a sashimi appetizer sampler, which came w/ blue fin tuna (pretty crazy) & we licked everything clean. The sushi all melted like butter. Then we ordered bass (the server said it was caught that day), scallop (so good), and sake nigiri, which were delicious, plus two simple rolls (yellowtail/green onion and tuna). She also said they can make any traditional roll (like dragon, rainbow, etc.), but they are not listed on the menu, but we didn't get any if those.
The service was warm & friendly, the fish was delicious- we will definitely return to this place. -
Review from Jasmin L.
San Francisco, CA
DINNER AND MOVIE: September 17, 2011 @ 5:30 PM before "Contagion" at AMC Emerybay
We have been loyal to Uzen because Uzen has never let us down.
Over the years, Mr P and I have made our rounds of "remarkable" sushi joints in SF and East Bay -- SF's "Ino Sushi" (good $$$ sushi but scary chef), Berkeley's "Kirala" and Oakland's "Rikyu" plus over a dozen more.
When we are not trying to be adventurous and just want a sushi dinner that we know will not disappoint, then Uzen is our place.
Today I was having a craving for 20 buttery slices of raw fish. So we decided to go to Uzen for our date night.
DECOR/AMBIANCE: http://www.yelp.com/bi...
It has been a while but Uzen still has the same contemporary minimalist decor. The place is small but classy and clean. It gets crowded easily and private dining is possible at a separate dining room. We always take our place at the sushi bar for the simple reason of knowing that the chef will take care of us. He has in the past and he did it again tonight. If you sit at the bar, your sushi will be served on a long leaf instead of a plate which adds cuteness to the dining experience! http://www.yelp.com/bi...
SUSHI/SASHIMI:
We have had countless nigiris, bento boxes and sashimis over the years of dining at Uzen. I would say the raw fish are the way to go here. BUTTERY, MELT.IN.YOUR.MOUTH. NICE PORTION. HIGH QUALITY FISH.
~ MYTH #1: Limited fish selection: We usually ask the chef for his recommendations. And he would tell us about the finest selection for the evening. We even scored a fish that was shipped from Japan the night before. If you want crazy "Godzilla Played 49ers on Superbowl" here, Uzen is not your place.
~ MYTH #2: Chef was unfriendly: If you sit at the bar, you will see that the Japanese chef is fully concentrating on his craft. He will occasionally remove your empty miso bowl and will make sure that your tea cup is full. While making sushi he directs his servers to make sure that the diners are taken care of-- sort of like a coach or director. He is always busy, will not kiss your behind but he has always been friendly to those who were friendly to him.
SIT AT THE BAR:
Almost always, the chef will drop an extra sushi for us to try. Last night he gave us a sample of super-yummy Black Cod in rice wine and talked to us for a little bit.
DINNER:
2 Nigiris each: Scallops, Salmon, Snowcrab, Tuna http://www.yelp.com/bi...
2 Sweet Shrimp with the head served to us fried (YUM!!!) http://www.yelp.com/bi... http://www.yelp.com/bi...
1 Sashimi Bento of 20 raw fish (Salmon, Red and White Tuna, Halibut, Albacore) http://www.yelp.com/bi...
1 Tempura and Chicken Teriyaki Bento Box (both bentos came with miso soup and salad.)
CHECK: $79 before tip and 1 non-alc drink
GREAT VALUE: We were fully satisfied and stuffed. It also seemed like the prices went down. Our tab in the past has usually been around $120 with tip for the same amount of food but it was a lot cheaper last night.
ADDICTIVE FACTOR: 5 Highly Addicting
BUTTERY, MELT.IN.YOUR.MOUTH. NICE PORTION. HIGH QUALITY FRESH FISH.
MOVIE REVIEW: "Contagion"
I saw the filming of "Contagion" at the Civic Center almost a year ago. I did not see Matt Damon but my co-workers did and reported that he was cute. Contagion is a sci-fi that felt could be real enough. Bird Flu and H1N1 did happen so why not this new epidemic? With a positive ending. Recommended! -
Review from Grace C.
11/5/2011
I had the miso-marinated black cod appetizer & the chicken karaage. Both of them had good flavor, but I wish the karaage was actually crispy. If you eat something deep-fried, then it better be crispy, otherwise why bother deep-frying it?
J liked the sashimi, said it was fresh.
Oh & the salad dressing they use is really good. Wish I had the recipe. -
Review from J H.
San Jose, CA
12/23/2011
I came here with a large group and we were seated very quickly. The service was quick but seemed skeptical of a bunch of teenagers at a nice Japanese restaurant.
Everyone else ordered from the sushi menu while I got a bowl of Udon. The price made sense for a nice Japanese place like this. The udon tasted pretty good, and was at a decent for the price I paid. The sushi, according to everyone else, was very good, and well worth it.
The place looks smaller than it actually is, and seats more people than you'd expect. It wasn't too noisy and is pretty simple in decoration.
Tending to the bill at the end was only complicated because there were so many of us. The staff probably got a bit frustrated at us but we still got it taken care of at the end. What do you really expect from a bunch of teenagers?
I'd recommend this place to anyone with a bigger wallet than mine, and I'd probably try this place again when I have more money and a smaller party. -
Review from Grace C.
7/31/2011
Goal: find a sushi restaurant in Oakland or Berkeley that could comfortably seat 6 people and also be a welcoming atmosphere for lingering (no rush) and no waiting for a table. It was J's birthday. I asked him: would you rather have ok sushi and a comfortable dining atmosphere or stellar sushi and feel rushed? He chose the former over the latter. I relayed my criteria to a friend from Japan and she mentioned Uzen. I had originally chosen Rikyu.
Making a reservation for 6 was easy. Lauren mentioned she would seat us upstairs if the downstairs was crowded. Upstairs can accommodate 10 people. I briefly debated whether or not to invite more people, but in the end, decided to keep it intimate. I find it annoying when there are many people and you end up only talking to person beside you and there are 5 different conversations happening simultaneously.
When we arrived (6:30p on Sat night), the downstairs only had 2 tables full, so there was seating for us. I immediately noticed the noise level was high (since ceiling so high). Lauren looked at my face and immediately gave us the option of going upstairs. Upstairs is a room holding two traditional japanese tables with tatami mats and pillows for seating. Larger table seated six and smaller table seated 4. Screen separated both tables. I grabbed some floor pillows from the other table and added extra pillows for myself and J. The floor pillows, I noticed, seemed to be silk and were in need of dry cleaning (some stains). There were fabric pillows stacked in the back of the smaller table. Small window. There was an alcove in the back of the larger table that was filled with knick-knacks. I thought the room could have been better decorated/organized.
Everyone had to take off his/her shoes before the entryway. The music was muzak. It was quite funny - ranged from classical to Broadway musicals to jazz.
We ordered a ton of nigiri (plus squid) and everyone had a main dish from tonkatsu to soba to veggie tempura (me) and agedashi tofu (me). Dessert was 3 flavors of mochi ice cream with honey dew slices.
For birthdays, Uzen does not sing or provide candles or free dessert.
(It was fine by us.)
J said the sushi was ok, but nothing memorable.
Kirala much better quality wise, but J enjoyed dining upstairs.
My tempura was so-so.
My agedashi tofu was awesome.
Reminded me of the way my mom makes it.
Loved the mushrooms - plenty of mushrooms.
Drinks were good according to J - unfiltered sake and a sake called "Demon Lover" with hints of watermelon.
Total bill for 6 people amounted to $290 including an 18% tip (Tip was $45). Note: everyone ate until they were stuffed. Lots of food.
Eating here is 20-25% cheaper than Kirala. Definitely more pleasant in terms of us being able to take our time and be relaxed about eating/drinking. Note: we spent 2.5 hours at Uzen (and then afterwards went for tea at Crepevine).
Service terrific.
J was happy. Good birthday outing with close friends.
I'm still amazed we PRIVATE room to ourselves - for only 6 people. -
Review from Andrew S.
12/30/2011 4 photos
I had a bunch of the different sushis here. All of the sushi tasted really fresh. Loved the salmon and ended up getting a dragon roll that me and the ladyfriend enjoyed. It was a little bit pricey but pretty standard for sushi. The place got crowded really quickly but it really ebbed and flowed throughout our meal so it's probably best to make reservations (we did the day of)
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Review from Christopher F.
San Francisco, CA
1/18/2012
Yes I agree with my yelp friend Jason C. This place was very authentic. Similar to places in Japan. Table service was rather sketchy, but the food made up for it.
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Review from David C.
4/3/2011 1 photo
***This would be a five star if it weren't for the particularly slow service I experienced that night. Food itself was excellent.
Went on a date here on a Friday night after reading many reviews. Sushi is my favorite food (legitimate Japanese style, I'm not talking about rolls LOL), so my standards are pretty high. We both settled for an order of chirashi as the main, and we had ikura (salmon roe) and uni (sea urchin) nigiri as appetizer.
The ikura was VERY fresh. I know this because it had a lingering sweet taste after the initial fishiness hit. Usually, the sweetness is nonexistent if it is not fresh. The uni was nice and creamy. A+ for freshness here as well. The rice was just the right sweetness (not too much vinegar), and was shaped immaculately. No falling apart, but not too hard. For appetizers, this was a good sign because my logic is that if a restaurant can afford to serve fresh ikura, uni, or amaebi, they would have no problem with simpler varities of fish like salmon or albacore.
The chirashi was a delight. In total, I saw salmon, albacore, saba (mackeral), tuna, white tuna, yellowtail, and unagi. I was delighted by the consistency in freshness across the board. The rice was seasoned to perfection again, and sprinkled with sesame seeds and fish roe (an uncommon but welcomed practice). My date and I both agreed that the food was on point.
The only reason why it gets four stars is because the wait for our food was very long, even though we sat down for a very late dinner. Its good sushi, but expect to pay for the quality. I would definitely recommend this place and will be coming back. Service was friendly and street parking was easy. The restaurant is a bit small, so I can see it getting crowded, but the ambiance is great. -
Review from Vicky L.
Date night with BF brought us to Uzen because I told him that we could only go somewhere he hadn't been. After not seeing it from the car, we walked down the street and saw a very small sign, which led us directly into a small, bright, clean restaurant with surprisingly high ceilings.
The girls working there were really nice, but as a CCG who has experienced quality Japanese food at decent prices, I don't think I could be bothered to come back here. The food selection is surprisingly limited if you don't want sushi, so I settled on the udon, and BF had tempura.
The food was okay. Really pricey for what it was, and I've had way better. This could potentially be a really cutesy date place for sushi, but I'll continue going to my regulars in San Francisco for great Japanese food. -
Review from Renata Z.
Walnut Creek, CA
1/7/2012
When I want nothing more than perfect melt-in-your-mouth unadulterated nigiri (and this happens a little too often than my budget would prefer) I come here. It's simple, it's perfect, it's pricey, but worth it any day.
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Review from Michelle Y.
Oakland, CA
4/15/2011
A small little place that serves fresh and delicious authentic Japanese food. Went on a date with my mom to try it out, my mom knows one of the chefs here, so when we sat down we were greeted with some age-dashi tofu. SOO good. I have to say to really know if a Japanese restaurant is good is to get the tempura and it was excellent. Light and crispy. My mom also got the gindara (miso black cod) that never disappoints and I was craving udon so I went with that. Everything was delicious.
I would have to say the food is great, just don't expect a huge portion. So, I suggest get a bunch of small plates so that you can try a variety of their specials. Also service was great! Realized that one of our waitresses was a classmate from Middle school! haha...it was great to catch up.
Overall good place to go to, for a date or if you want a splurge a little. :) -
Review from Patty L.
Berkeley, CA
10/7/2011
I absolutely love dining at Uzen! I would proudly say that it is currently my favorite sushi joint in Berkeley (Kirala being a close second). While the nigiri is priced slightly above moderate, the pieces of fish are incredibly fresh and large. Order the Chawanmushi if you've never had it, but be prepared to wait a ridiculously long time for a tiny ramekin filled with savory egg custard. Great ambience, short to average wait to get seated, friendly servers, fresh fish, and moderate prices are just a few reasons I keep coming back.
Listed in: Best in Zee Hood
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Review from Amiee H.
1/16/2011
Past by this place many times; glad my friend finally convinced me to go try it.
Food:
1) Grilled squid: They serious GRILL AN ENTIRE SQUID here and serve it to you on a plate. It's still in it's original form but just grilled and cut up for your enjoyment. It tasted pretty good with the sauce they served it with but kinda bland without the sauce.
2) Salmon, Scallop Salad (Salad #2): The raw salmon and scallop were SOO FRESH! They were super super good! I really liked it! The leafy greens were pretty fresh and tasty too but I think I was more blown away by the salmon and scallop!
3) Unagi and Avocado Roll: They don't skimp on the unagi or the avocado here! I like that!
4) Spider Roll: BEST spider roll EVER!! They do a good job of seasoning the soft shell crab and it's fried to perfection here! They also give you a large portion of soft shell crab in the roll! I really liked how you can actually tell you got some soft shell crab in your spider roll here!
Service:
REALLY nice servers! Friendly and fast!
Ambiance:
Cute little restaurant. Makes good use of the limited space. Has an area for a sushi bar but also has table seating. Very cute and cozy place! Nice place for a good date or a long chat with some buddies!
Price:
Very reasonable for such good FOOD!
Overall:
Loved it! I would totally come back! -
Review from Laura J.
Oakland, CA
5/18/2011
I made this face for hours after eating at Uzen:
^___^
Fresh, delectable, and portions that fit the delicate tastes perfectly. It's like Get-A's high class cousin. 4 stars for slow service, but other than that, it was awesome!
Side note: It's a small restaurant; good for dates, not for large groups. -
Review from Carmen M.
Hayward, CA
3/13/2012
I think this place is great for sushi and not much else.
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Review from Jamie L.
Oakland, CA
7/17/2011
There are very few places that I hate. Uzen is one of them. I have visited this place a handful of times over the years hoping that the last experience was a fluke. Alas I have only found consistency in the mediocrity of its sushi and the unfounded pretentiousness of its service. I can stand a little attitude if the sushi is worth it, but here it is most certainly not.
There are plenty of great sushi joints in the east bay. Don't waste your time here. -
Review from Alice M.
12/5/2010 2 Check-ins Here
My first omakase experience.
I first came to Uzen because I heard they might have omakase. Omakase (for those of you who don't know, because I didn't haha) is Japanese for something like "up to you" and basically asks the chef to choose whatever they want to give you -- usually their freshest and best fish -- until the point that you've had too much to eat!
I first heard of it when my friends got it while I just ordered the usual rolls, and even though I had never been a huge fan of nigiri/sashimi before then, for some reason, I became OBSESSED with the idea of omakase. Finally, this is the place I decided to try it first with one of my long-time friends (who had also never heard of it, but loved sushi as much, if not more, than I did).
Uzen, although it didn't give us quite the experience I expected (details in a second), was a great place to try omakase for the first time. Things that were slightly strange: 1. the waitresses didn't know what I was talking about when I asked if they had omakase (had to ask the sushi chef), and 2. instead of slowly giving us pieces one by one to enjoy (as I had seen happen with my friends at the other place), the chef gave us almost all our pieces at once and we had to pace ourselves instead.
Reasons why Uzen was so great: 1. fish was delicious, 2. the chef was very accommodating and gave us free soup and salad too!, 3. prices weren't bad! For about 8 pieces for myself including tax and tip, I only paid $24!
Omakase or otherwise, Uzen is a cute little sushi place that is a great option on College. Thank you Uzen!Listed in: I was deprived until...
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Review from acid b.
San Francisco, CA
1/20/2011
Other people have written about the food.. i agree sashimi pretty close to as fresh as it gets in the bay area. Cooked 'appetizers' amazing..
But what I wanted to write about was the cost...
Party of 5 (just went sake tasting at Takara, so def hungry):
2 bottles of Asahi
3 green teas
1 warmed house sake
Ohitashi (organic)
Grilled squid
Miso marinated cod
Eggplant/ white miso sauce
3 miso soups
5 bowls of rice
1 order of omakase sashimi for 5 (~1-2 piece/person x 6 kinds of fish including uni, mackerel, butterfish, salmon, tuna, forgot the other one)
Total: $104... do NOT tell me that is too expensive for Bay Area good sushi places. AND everybody was happy and actually said "mmmmh! this is amazing" so there!
Go there, get a reservation, expect freshness and tastiness, quick service.. do not expect ambiance.
