Izakaya

I have greatly enjoyed Izakaya Benicia, and they are my new favorite sushi joint in my neck of the woods. they're not AYCE, and the prices differ between the nigiris, so if I ever am in Benicia while starving and broke I had best be careful. the decor inside is such a faithful recreation that when I try to remember what it was like to eat at an Izakaya in Kyoto, I will misremembered and mix that memory with this one. the food was delicious, I had a bento, some miso soup, and two nigiris. the otoro was an eye watering 18 dollars for a two piece, but the slices were generous. the scallop nigiris were 2 pieces for 8 dollars and I couldn't lift them with chopsticks, I needed fingers. the bulgogi bento was well balanced, the salad was well dressed, the entire experience was well packaged and a delight to the senses. Friendly staff. will come again

Messed up the order on 2 of 5 items. The rolls were bland except the fried parts which tasted like the oil had been used too long. Worst sushi I've had in5 years.

Still my favorite Sushi spot in town.I just love the peeps that work here. They always are so friendly and fun when we dine in. We went here recently and I noticed that I always have a bad habit of taking pictures of my food specifically here. Ive been to Izakaya so many times and usually am so hungry that I forget to take pictures of all the yummy food. I've never bad a bad roll so I think my brain just goes on autopilot or something. So the goal is to keep trying different rolls on the menu each time I come.If like you spicy rolls or Spicy Tuna, try the Spicy Unagi Roll. Spicy Tuna, Unagi, and Roasted Garlic packed together for maximum flavor. I also tried the Seared Scallop and Crazy Monkey Rolls this weekend and was just as amazed. Just a reminder. If you ever want to ball out and have an amazing 10+ course dinner, try the Omakase Thurs-Saturday. If you do this I recommend calling ahead and setting up a reservation.

A bit of a hidden sushi spot in Benicia on first street. Love the selection of rolls they have. Everything is fresh tasting. The toro roll was definitely a highlight! Highly recommend trying this spot if you're in town. Service is very friendly and quick. Small dining area but doesn't feel crowded and uncomfortable.

Came here for a late lunch and was surprised that the quality was better than I expected. I prefer this spot over Kaigan, the other sushi spot on first street. I'm on a hunt for a lion king roll that tastes better than Yo Sushi's but I haven't been successful yet, and this place's version wasn't as good either. But the mackerel lunch was delicious and I'd order that again

Came here for the omakase. Since it's always changing your experience will vary. My experience was quite good. First time doing omakase. The total for 3 people after tip was about $400. I reached out through Facebook messenger a couple days in advance to see if they take reservations since the omakase is advance order or subject to availability. They do take reservations. I was told someone would call me back to confirm. A day later I got the call back. I was asked about any food allergies. For the omakase they require a deposit of $25 per person. The deposit is put towards your total bill. The location is tucked away on Benicia's 1st street. Secluded. The inside is a little bigger than expected. There is another room besides the bar seating you see as soon as you walk on. Lighting is a little dim. It doesn't look like a super fancy sushi joint. So I was very surprised by the omakase we got. What we got looked like it came out of a five star restaurant. Server and maybe the chef asked again if there are any allergies or dislikes for the food. They will cater to you. Started off with oysters. Yum! Then a lobster claw salad. The third dish included ahi poke, some salmon and tomato salad, and ikura and hicama salad, deep fried amaebi and scallops, two rounds of various nigiri (there is a dab of wasabi between the rice and fish!), wagyu which was melt in your mouth, razor clam baked and fried, the main course was lobster over cauliflower, with some asparagus and fried shrimp balls, and dessert was crème brûlée but my companions chose to swap it out for the mango soleil. So it was about 10 courses over 2 hours. They really want to make sure you walk away full. We were asked before the main course to rate our hunger level (they will give you more food if you're still hungry) and again after the main course and before dessert. So my experience didn't look like the other Yelp omakase pics. But it was good and definitely worthy of a special occasion. It was a delight. Will likely come back for sushi or nigiri during a regular dinner night out.

Ordered the dragon and pink lady. Probably just the timing of when I chose to eat here, but their roles are nothing special. Just another average sushi spot.

Attended a private party in this cozy restaurant. Everyone loved the food but I best enjoyed their sushi, sashimi and japchae. Service was great. Will be back.

A little hard to find. It's down the side of a building up a few set of stairs on the deck off the sidewalk. The orders surprised me because they were pretty large servings. The rice on the sushi was kind of loose but other than that the taste and the freshness of the seafood was very good. We ordered the Sashimi Combo and the lion king and the sukiyaki. The sukiyaki was good but the beef was overcooked.Service was great. We sat outside and they made sure to pop out every few minutes to see if we needed anything. Will go again.

I haven't been to this locations since it was the former Matsuri, many years ago. It had the same setting but was less crowded (early Thursday evening). It was a good time, as we were promptly seated. Lighting was a bit dim for me, but nice for an intimate dinner. A fake candle would've been nice. Service was good and prompt. My daughter and I shared a sashimi combination, nigiri deluxe, and nachos. Nachos were good, like a Filipino version of ceviche. The nigiri and sashimi were good. Pretty basic but fresh. $28 for sashimi combo was a great price, but nothing comes with it. Miso soup for about $3 just was the broth. I'd pass on that.