Shimizu Sushi

I've been here multiple times for sushi since 2016 to now and I have been well served by this restaurant's tasty food.Their sushi is pretty solid. The bento box has plenty of food, but the galbi/short rib was a bit modest (portion wise) to my liking.Service was attentive and friendly, ambiance was very modest and centralized in simplicity, where simplicity is best.I would come here more often if parking wasn't such a hassle (yes they have a parking lot but it's small)

A solid 2 star Japanese restaurant. Was surprised by their overall 4 stars rating. For a $23.50-25.50 bento box, I expected more. The taste was meh and yet, they only gave you a few pieces of meat. More importantly, the sashimi quality was subpar, tasted like a C/C- grade quality. Was definitely disappointed and will not return.

This place is so yummy. It is a bit small so definitely plan to either way or try to make reservations whenever possible or if if you're able to take it home to eat. The place is small, but cutely decorated inside. The staff is extremely accommodating.

Oof. Big mistake. Found ourselves in Piedmont on a Saturday night. Restaurant waits were long everywhere, but Shimizu had availability. That should've been the first tell. The menu is highly Americanized, unhealthy fried stuff and funky rolls with cream cheese. We shared a number of dishes, including a tofu dish, a chicken skewer appetizer, udon soup, and some sushi rolls. We were so disappointed :( While service was prompt and kind, the food wasn't good. The chicken skewers were rubbery; the soup was watered down and flavorless. I've made rice bowls tastier than the sushi rolls we tried. This place is a staple and has apparently been around for forever, so perhaps worth another go, but this experience was a bust.

Gave this place a try as i was looking to change up our usual from across the street...I think my verdict is gonna be that this place is not amazing. The service and ambiance was quite nice though. maybe it was the fact that i came in 15 minutes before closing, but the food didn't really quite hit the spot. I got the charisma roll I think? Spicy tuna with avo and shrimp tempura. Could not taste the spiciness, or shrimp tempura. The tuna on top didn't taste particularly fresh either. We also got a yakisoba, which we probably should've known wasn't gonna be mind blowing. But it also just tasted really American? Like something I'd get at Panda Express or a mall food court vibe. Overall probably wouldn't come back, nothing was really impressive to me and feel like it's not quite worth the price point.

Saturdate Night DinnerFOOD:We shared the fried calamari and also had a Flying Dragon which was sushi on fire (literally!). I had a mixed shrimp and vegetable tempura bento while he had the sashimi.EXPERIENCE:The space was tight. Customers might be asked to share a table with people outside of their party. Fun vibe, most especially with the sushi on fire, which seemed to be popular as many tables ordered one as well. . Family friendly. Food was tasty and portions were generous. Staff were nice and attentive.

Dear Shimizu Sushi,Last night around 5:15 pm. I came to order my take out order at the window. I ordered 3 rolls of sushi( Angel roll , Delicious roll Sex in the city roll) and 9 pieces of sashimi. It cost me $106.00 plus tip. But instead of getting the 9 slices of sashimi. I got 9 pieces of NIGIRI instead !!! What a ripe off. I know the difference. I paid $35.00 for the nigiri not sashimi. I was not happy because I was looking forward to my sashimi. I didn't figure this out until I got home. My sushi came in a plastic container which is fine. When I saw how the chef packed my 3 rolls of sushi. I was very disappointed. First of all, presentation is a huge factor. It was a mess!!! The ginger and wasabi were in a cupcake liner. It would have been nicer on the plate instead. There was nothing pretty about this. Same thing happened with so called sashimi. The sushi didn't taste fresh and the temperature of the sushi was room temperature. The service was great. The young lady who took my order was very pleasant. She even took the menu out for me because I wanted to choose my sashimi order. I asked for extra ginger and wasabi. That was honored. So thank you young lady. Since I am a sushi snob. I know what a quality sushi should take like. It was lacking in taste. There wasn't enough flavor. It didn't taste like what my sushi typically tasted like. I was disappointed because I paid $106.00 dollars for my dinner. I don't think I would go there again. The presentation was a mess. They got the wrong order and the taste of the foods was lacking of flavor. Everything f that could have gone wrong went wrong. It might have been a busy night that is no excuse. Please show some care in your presentation. People like to see a beautiful presentation to how their food is served. Not just thrown in. Food was lacking flavor and freshness. I was extremely disappointed when I found out that I had nigiri instead of sashimi. Sincerely, Very Unhappy Customer from Fremont.

This was my 4th time at Shimizu and it has become one of my go-to sushi spots in Oakland. They have a dedicated gluten free menu which is helpful for my celiac/gf folks. They also offer Tamari, gluten free soy sauce. Some of the appetizers are a bit lackluster in my opinion, but all of the rolls I have had are tasty and very fresh. The restaurant itself is small but intimate and does not feel crowded. Service is superb each and every time. Lastly, the location is great. You can explore the area filled with cute shops and cafes before or after sushi. Fairly safe as well.

I give Shimizu Japanese Cuisine three stars. It's not bad.My sister introduced us to this place. She comes here when her and her husband's go-to sushi joint, the Judoku Sushi location in Rockridge, is closed. That said, I think the two restaurants' hours are largely the same. I think Shimizu has slightly more seating, especially inside. Both places are popular and we've had to wait at both. Coincidentally, on the night we visited Shimizu, my sister recognized one of the sushi chefs from Judoku working here.We visited on an ordinary Monday for dinner. Around 6:25pm, the dining room and sushi bar were full. Unlike Judoku Rockridge, Shimizu has no outdoor seating. However, something that's nice about Shimizu (and that Judoku Rockridge doesn't have) is free dedicated parking. Shimizu has a small paved lot with about seven spaces. We got lucky and were able to snag one.We wrote our name on a paper waitlist at the check-in table inside. Party of six. We waited about 40 minutes. We had to wait outside on the sidewalk with a couple other groups. We finished dinner and left around 7:50pm. At that time, the dining room was still full, to give you a sense of how busy it was.Shimizu Sushi opened in June 2010. This is a simple, humble neighborhood sushi joint. There's no pretense about it. It's a no-frills experience. The dining room was cozy and seats were placed closely together to maximize space.At dinnertime, the menu featured a wide variety of sushi rolls plus common types of nigiri and sashimi. I didn't notice any specials except for an Uni Shooter (which we got - more on that below). In addition to sushi, there was a decent variety of Japanese appetizers, entrees, and bento boxes. There's also a touch of Korean on the menu with BBQ Beef Short Ribs (a.k.a. galbi, $15.50 a la carte, about $25 as part of a bento dinner) and a Spicy Fish Bowl (a.k.a. hoe-deopbap, $32.50).Here's what we got:Appetizers* Agedashi Tofu ($9.90) - deep-fried tofu, radish on top with tempura sauce* Pan Fried Gyoza ($11.50) - 6 pieces of pan-fried potstickersUdon* Nabeyaki Udon ($17.90) - chicken, fishcake, egg, noodles, and vegetables in broth; shrimp tempura served on the sideSushi & Sashimi* Chirashi ($32.50) - chef's selection of fresh sashimi, served over sushi riceNigiri (price per 2 pieces except for Toro)* Hamachi ($8.50) - yellowtail* Tai (8.90) - red snapper* Toro (market price = $9.50 per piece) - fatty tunaShimizu Special Rolls* Ladybug Roll ($17.50) - salmon, avocado covered with scallop, avocado, tobikoShimizu Spicy Rolls* Mendocino ($17.50) - spicy tuna, cucumber with salmon, avocado, and tobiko on top* S.O.S. Roll ($18.50) - spicy tuna, yellowtail, radish sprouts covered with spicy salmon, jalapeno, and tobikoSpecial* Uni Shooter ($11.90)Drink* Marble Soda ($4.95) - Ramune Japanese soft drink; my niece chose strawberry flavorEveryone at the table got miso soup, included with our orders.My nieces devoured their miso soup, Agedashi Tofu, and Pan Fried Gyoza. These are good, safe choices that suit almost any palate. Shimizu's Agedashi Tofu and Gyoza were standard and didn't stand out from the same dishes at other Japanese restaurants.The Nabeyaki Udon was A-OK. The portion size was generous and there was a good balance of ingredients. This was a fairly simple and straightforward comforting dish. If you like udon, you should be satisfied with it.I was a bit underwhelmed with the Chirashi, but I'm also spoiled by my neighborhood izakaya back home in Atlanta ( https://www.yelp.com/biz/ginya-izakaya-atlanta-4 ). When I ordered it, I requested no shrimp due to my shrimp allergy. My Chirashi came with three pieces each of tuna, salmon, yellowtail, and albacore tuna plus two pieces of tamago (cooked egg). These are the cheapest, most basic kinds of sushi. For a Japanese restaurant in the Bay Area, I expected more variety. Also, the quality of the tuna wasn't great. The fish was still a bit too frozen and the texture was off. That said, all of the fish slices were nice and thick so I'll give them that. I recognize Chirashi can vary widely from restaurant to restaurant and even from day to day at the same restaurant, so it can be a bit of a gamble.The Hamachi, Tai, and Toro nigiri were all pretty solid as were the Ladybug, Mendocino, and S.O.S. rolls. I'm not a big rolls guy, but I do love nigiri. I think this place does a nice job with both nigiri and rolls, so you probably won't be disappointed there. Aside from the tuna in the Chirashi, I thought the quality of the fish was good and fresh.The Uni Shooter was interesting. It had uni, tobiko, spring onion, and other ingredients. It was a savory shot.Service was excellent. Kristine was our server and she was terrific.Shimizu has a loyalty card at dinner. You get one stamp for every $25 spent. After 10 stamps, you get $10 off.

It's not often that we eat sushi but when we do, Shimizu is the place to go in Piedmont Avenue in Oakland. The fish is the freshest around and the tempura is crispy yet delicate.Hubby had ordered the tempura as a starter and it is a generous basket of fried goodness. The vegetables are all generously sliced and cooked just right. Vegetables included broccoli, pumpkin, sweet potato, asparagus and zucchini. When my bento came, there was more tempura including a shrimp. It was a generous portion as well. The tuna sashimi had three nice slices that just melted in my mouth.Hubby really enjoyed his roll which was not too spicy at all. Fish was very fresh and flavorful.The place is small and the staff is attentive and nice. They have a small parking lot which has lots of warnings about not having any valuables visible. Unfortunately this is the state of Oakland so be street smart okay?Do support this great local business. Your tummy will be happy!