Reviews for Iyasare in Berkeley, CA
Excellent restaurant. The service was amazing. Very in tune with the flow of the dinner. I took my teens and they were even... impressed. The food was spectacular and abundant. I was truly impressed by the quantity recieved with each dish. Very highquality. Bar was excellent. We will most definitely be back. Read more
My partner and I decided to walk in after finding Iyasare on a best restaurants list, and we were in for a treat. Our host,... Mariah, was so welcoming and gave us suggestions for every course of the meal. She suggested the Kakiage tempura with tigershrimp, this was one of the best foods I’ve ever had, I lived in Tokyo for three years and I have not seen this concoctionbefore, the texture, the taste, and the spices were perfect. The birria ramen was decent, a little salty, but the meat wascooked perfectly, and the hot sauce on the side was very spicy! The sake (salmon) ikura don was great, the ikura tastedamazing, and the salmon was fresh. The sushi rice could have maybe used a bit more flavor like vinegar. But very good. TheSakura cheesecake was a very tasty cheesecake topped with cherries and a red sweet sauce, but I am not sure where the Sakurapart came into play. The experience was great, especially the tempura and Mariah’s service, the tempura was exquisite andMariah brought a good energy to the experience. Read more
We went when they opened (at 5:30) on a Saturday. While many people reserved, there were a few walk-ins (like us). If you are... going to arrive any later than 5:30 on a weekend, I woud recomment reservations. So for the appetizer, we orered the IyasureKaklage Tempura. It seemed mostly of sweet potato, but it as fine with a nice presenation. Our family went with ramen. I wentwith the vegetable shoyu ramen and the rest had the chashu miso ramen. The vegatable was good but I wish they had a veganversion. It is always disappointing when you are in the bay area and the menu doesn't offer a vegan option. The chashu wassalty for my wife and my kids thought it was "too many vegetables" in it. It would be nice if they offered to serve thevegetables on the side for children. Other than that, the serving size is rather large so go hungry or be prepared to throw alot of food away or take it home with you. We ordered a roll but it never came (though we were charged for it). The service wasgood though as the waiters were always quick to fill the water and the drinks came quickly. Costs will run you about$30-$40/person + drinks so it may be spendy for some. Not sure if we will return and if we do, we'll likely try the rolls asthey looked good as the waiters were brinking it out. My kids said they will not eat ramen in a place that doesn't offertonkatsu. Read more
First time here but kind of disappointed. Besides the price is really high, the food taste is also off too much. However, the... environment and service is very good. You need to make reservations or go there early to take the chance. Read more
ATMOSPHERE: The restaurant is located in middle of 4th street shopping promenade in Berkeley, and it was absolutely beautiful at... night (shortly after the new year) where all of the trees along the street were decorated really nicely with lights. We wereseated outside on the patio, with a heat lamp to keep us warm, admiring all the christmas lights along thepromenade. FOOD: Sendai hot chicken (5 out of 5): My favorite. The chicken is fried to a crisp, and wow it is quite spicy, sobeware. But the soy glaze dipping sauce helped to balance out the spice. Kara-age curry don (4 out of 5): In retrospect, thiswas a bit redundant with the sendai hot chicken, as this came with a similar fried chicken which was crispy fried and delicious. Comes with a standard Japanese curry which I've had many times before, but the fried chicken was great. Okonomiyaki pancakeGinza style (3.5 out of 5): Most likely just my own taste buds, but it was a little too seafood for me. But if you're reallyinto seafood, this might be a treat. Yasai yaki (3.5 out of 5): A little plain for me. It also came with bonito flakes, whichI felt was a bit out of place. If you're vegetarian, you may want to ask them to omit that. Read more
I consider Iyasare as one of my top restaurants of all time and I think that’s saying a lot. On 4th St in Berkeley, where the... bar is high, I think this Japanese restaurant delivers on high quality food, at a good price, with amazing service, and plentyof available spaces. I’ve been a stickler about highly rating restaurants that are inaccessible to everyday people and oftenrequire months of advance notice or booking to get in. We go here for celebratory occasions or just everyday dining. Wenormally get the kakiage, an amazing tempura yakitori-style dish that serves veggies in addition to huge prawns. We’ve orderedthe ramen, many of their fresh salads, sushi/chirashi, and unagi donburi. You can’t go wrong with anything on the menu. Read more
Comfort feast to say the least! We got to ichiba salad, the karaage curry, and the chashu miso ramen all at the recommendation... of our lovely waiter. Everything was outstanding, even the tea! The karaage was the best I’ve ever had, and I’ve been toTokyo. Maybe that’s blasphemous to say, but it’s true :) Definitely a treat yourself type of place, especially after a fullday of walking and shopping around 4th street! Read more
There’s not a lot of buzz on iyasare - but it has become one of our absolute favorites in Berkeley with consistently yummy... foods!!!! Our favs are the California rolls (with real crab pieces!), kakiage tempura with shrimp and bonito broth, bacongrilled mochi, and any of their salads and sushi are always wonderful. Seats can get pretty booked - so make sure you reserveahead. And their crews are so attentive as well. Read more