Kirala Restaurant

We came here early right when they opened for dinner which was definitely the right choice as the restaurant quickly got packed. We sat at the sushi bar and I ordered the chutoro don, clam miso soup, and grilled stuffed mushrooms. The chutoro don was delicious with thick slices of fatty tuna and I liked that it came with Ikura. The grilled mushrooms stuffed with minced chicken were great as well and had a good amount of smokiness. Service was rushed but given how busy they were it's understandable. Will definitely be back!

Dine in. I was about to leave a 3 star review, since I do takeout here often enough, but I just dined in with some friends, and it was such a better experience. Everytime I do takeout, I'm always disappointed.Dining in: it's warm, cozy and always busy adding to the ambience. They have a long sushi bar, and about a dozen or so tables. While the server wasn't the friendliest, the sushi was good, which when doing takeout, hasn't been the case recently. I do wish they had better sushi sets - no nigiri plates, you have to go a la carte. The robata is delicious and they have weekly specials when dining in.Overall, a very popular and cozy Japanese restaurant that is worth the money if you're having a dining in experience. Takeout isn't consistent and ends up being quite a bit of money for what I think ends up being averagely thrown together sushi.

I came with a couple of friends on a busy Saturday night. We were able to sit at the bar and order our food there. We were soon served by the bartender with cutlery and water. I ordered the deluxe sushi dinner and it was delicious. The fish was fresh and buttery soft. My friend ordered a beef skewer and a couple rolls. The portions were very good. I wish I tried the clam miso soup but I'll probably try it next time. The restaurant is quite compact with a cluster of tables close to one another, seats along the sushi bar and grill, and more seating at the bar itself. Regardless, the food was worth it.

My family and I love coming to Kirala when we're in the Berkeley area for dinner. The food here is consistent and service was always fast, friendly, and efficient (especially when we'd see our favorite server Eddie around). My favorite spot to sit would be around the sushi bar and grill. This is one place I love coming back to to enjoy robatayaki. I recently found out about the yakisoba and it's incredible. Seriously have yet to have any bad experience or food here. If you haven't tried this place yet, do yourself a favor and grub here!

It's been decades since my last visit. It's a unique Japanese skewer place. A lot unusual selection with the usual Japanese fares. On this occasion, I just couldn't click with the variety offered. So in my eclectic manner, I had ordered the mushroom stuffed with chicken, short ribs, and the third item I can't recall. The short ribs was a fusion of Korean and Japanese teriyaki which was good and plenty, perhaps too much if a good thing. lol the stuffed mushroom was alright, not memorable whereas my third item despite my photo, I can't recall. This has steady stream of diners as always. Menu prices are a bit on the higher side and each individual item adds up. Just be aware. It's an institution and perhaps better in memory until I get better acquainted on their offerings. My bad.

Last minute dinner idea and I remembered Kirala. I hadn't eaten there for decades, but was very happy to have gone. We sat at the counter and watched the grill & sushi chefs do their thing. The service was on point as well. Delicious meal and memories to boot. Thank you, Kirala!

It was a busy Friday night and my date and I walked in and waited for a mere 2 minutes to get seated at the bar area. The bar seating was pretty cool since it gave us a chance to watch the robata grill (robatayaki) in action.We ordered (and shared) the following dishes: the Seafood Yaki-Udon, Seaweed Salad, Edamame, a Spicy Crab Roll and a Caterpillar Roll. I had no complaints of the food since it arrived fresh and tasteful. My personal favorite was the Yaki-Udon, since the noodles and the scallops and shrimp were flavorful together!The service was quick and friendly. The staff running the floor were courteous and mindful.I'm giving this place a rating of 4.8 aye!

Kirala Restaurant is a very popular restaurant that always has long lines. We were fortunate to get in before closing.It is a very cozy and small restaurant. The decor is modern yet simplistic.Deluxe Sashimi Dinner: five kinds of fresh sliced raw fish (15 pcs). Tuna, seared tuna, salmon, albacore, and yellow tail. The sashimi was fresh.Uni Nigiri (Santa Barbara) - The uni was good, but not as great as I had hoped it would be.The service was friendly and attentive.Overall, 3.5 stars.

When you are craving good Japanese food but unable to make the trip to SF or South Bay, Kirala does the job. It's always busy during dinner time and judging from the older crowd, it's definitely not budget-friendly for the average college student. However, if you go with a group of friends and share, it's not too bad and you can try a variety of dishes. The standout is the unagi bowl, which has three thick strips of perfectly seasoned and cooked strips of eel. The mackerel was worth an experience. It comes with pureed white radish and sauteed carrots+burdock, which pairs nicely with the umami smokiness of the grilled mackerel. Their chirashi bowl also has a good selection of fish - all fresh. The udon was very average for me but that may be because I'm not a huge udon broth person. Overall, it's the place I recommend when you need Japanese food fix in Berkeley but not otherwise.

It's a legacy established sushi place in Berkeley. Great variety of Japanese Cusine. Rolls are limited but delicious. It's a bit pricy but good quality.Service a bit slow and messy sometimes but OK. Free and paid street parking available.Accessible by ramp but narrow paths inside.Only outdoor seating.Credit card payment incur extra 4%, cash preferred.