16 Best Japanese Restaurants in Alameda

“Well hidden gem in the heart of Alameda, Utzutzu offers a culinary journey like no other with its exquisite 8-course Japanese dining experience. Each dish is a masterpiece, blending the freshest ingredients with skilled craftsmanship. From delicate sashimi to innovative rolls, the flavors harmonize in a symphony of taste. Impeccable presentation and attentive service elevate the dining experience, making this a haven for sushi enthusiasts seeking a refined gastronomic adventure.“

“Best suishi on the island! The kaisin don was excellant. The quality and variety of fish does not disappoint. Sea bream, halibut, uni, golden eye snapper and don't miss out, try the wagyu nigiri! Service is wonderful. I spent $75 for dinner, but I can eat alot of fish. You can definitely get out the door cheaper and still well fed.“

“Great food! Fast service. Cute atmosphere decorated with anime figurines and a small tv playing anime as well. The Yojimbo was delicious but a little hard eat because the roll is so big! The Dragon Rolls (red & regular) were great!! I love the many eel options on the menu! My friend also got the smaller option for the bento box and it came with SO MUCH FOOD for such a great price! I will definitely come back. The entrance is a little deceiving. It looks like you are walking into a back door and you pass the kitchen and still cant see the seating area. As you continue down the walkway, tho e place opens up and is much bigger and nicer than anticipated!“

“Kid-friendliness: Very kid-friendly in that the staff is so sweet to the kids and thoughtful. Like one employee helped show us where the bathroom was just because he headers me trying to get my 5yo to go, and of course he went faster with the ushering… They have the kid chopstick helpers AND provide warm/cool hand towels upon seating!!!“

“Hashi Gawa was such an amazing find! We were in the area and I was craving sushi so I just yelped places near by. I'm so happy we chose to come here because everything was fantastic. We came around 6:30pm on a Friday and it was already pretty packed. We were a party of two and waited roughly an hour before we got seated. The server was very fast and brought the specials on the board to us so we could take a look. They had a lot of things on the menu that I wanted to try but we stuck mostly to nigiris because we wanted to test out the fish quality. We ordered an assortment of nigiris, one roll, one sashimi, and two hand rolls to try. My favorites were the Zuke Sake Nigiri, Walu Nigiri, Walu Sashimi, Spicy Scallop Handroll, and (Not pictured) Double Toro Roll!! The fattiness of the Zuke Sake Nigiri was so yummy, I loved the marinated soy that was on top. The Walu was phenomenal, I really enjoyed the walu/escolar because it's so buttery smooth. The Spicy Scallop Handroll was fresh, creamy, and the seaweed had a nice crunch! I can't believed I forgot to take a picture of the double toro roll, this was crazy good. I loved the mango inside the roll and how it was topped with a shiso leaf. It cut the fattiness of the roll very well. I'm devastated that I live so far from Hashi Gawa because this was truly such an amazing find. The service was great and everything came out super fast. The sushi was glorious, I wish I tried more things!!! I will definitely be coming back to try other stuff if I am ever in the area.“

“Cute place that serves sushi and boba drinks. Fast service and quick seating on a weekend night. We ordered a caterpillar roll, golden gate roll, and salmon bento box. Bento box was great but the rolls were a little disappointing. Food breakdown - drinks- only water is offered. No complimentary tea. They do sell sake, cocktails, and boba drinks including Thai tea, milk tea, fruit teas. - salmon bento box came with 2 fillets of grilled salmon, 6 slices of California roll, 2 croquettes, 3 dumplings, and a big scoop of rice with a side of house salad. No side miso soup included. The salad was good. The salmon was nicely cooked with crispy skin. The croquettes were light and crispy. I do have beef with their sushi rolls though... -sushi rolls- decent size California roll: had lots of mixed fake crab. A small bit of avocado. But no cucumber... it throws me off. Golden gate roll: dressed up California roll topped with half salmon and half hamachi. Also no cucumber. Caterpillar roll: again, lots of fake crab meat, but the shrimp tempura is very skinny small, guess they use tiny shrimps. And, there was no unagi or cucumber. Tbh, the descriptions of the sushi rolls on the menu are correct.. it's just that I've come to expect certain things in my sushi when I order common rolls like California roll and caterpillar roll. When certain ingredients are left out, it's just not the same flavor profile or texture. Just be aware when ordering.“

“I had a few things from this menu and for the price the food was very good. Very affordable! The cucumber salad was a bit off as it was sweet pickles with sesame seeds but other than that the food was amazing. The service was great the waitress so so kind and the staff as well. Took well to tips would definitely be back. The dining room is comfortable casual you could dress up to come here but isn't necessary amazing space as well must try for affordable sushi!“

“Quiet night with all the trick or treaters about and, I guess, no one gives out sushi on Halloween. Their loss, my win-- I had the sushi bar to myself and the full attention of a very talented and friendly sushi chef. I chose some things (nigiri, rolls) and all was fresh, super tasty, well prepared and nice portions. The miso soup was tasty but lava hot! I also asked for and enjoyed some recommendations by the chef and will definitely be back for more!“

“I had a few things from this menu and for the price the food was very good. Very affordable! The cucumber salad was a bit off as it was sweet pickles with sesame seeds but other than that the food was amazing. The service was great the waitress so so kind and the staff as well. Took well to tips would definitely be back. The dining room is comfortable casual you could dress up to come here but isn't necessary amazing space as well must try for affordable sushi!“

“Hands down best bento box place! Most of the places I've been to, their chicken would be super dry or they don't give enough sauce. I've been going here for years and ever time I get a bento box it doesn't disappoint. Their salad and noodles ARE THEY BEST (although some of my friends haven't been big fans), I personally love it! Service was quick, you just order and sit down and when your food is ready they'll let you know. The inside may not look the best or look the cleanest, but the bento boxes are amazing!“

“I remember going to another branch and having a really delicious meal.Came here and found it!!!I was happy to go in and have lunch.I feel like this place tastes even better!!!Please come here two or three times♡Healing time after a long time?“

“Ok, let me start by saying the food here is amazing. I've been twice, and both times I got the Special Keisen Don and I was really impressed by the selection of fish and seafood. Everything was so fresh and included yummy specialty items such as hotate, ikura, nishin, fatty tuna, etc. The food is so good that I believe this place deserves better service. The second time I went, there was only one front of house staff who briefly greeted, served us, and seemed to also be preparing the food as well as bussing tables. We ordered our food from a QR code on the table, and it was a bit confusing because all of the orders from the table are combined together on one check. I believe there should be an option for separate checks. It's nice to have the option to order though QR, but honestly nothing really beats old fashioned good service, and this place could really blow up if the service was as good as the food is. I'll be returning for the the food though as long as the quality remains consistent.“

“Local sushi restaurant on Bay Farm Island run by a Japanese chef (rare these days). We've both dined here and ordered to-go from here quite a few times for sushi cravings, a quick dinner, etc. Recommendations: - Salmon Salad: coming in two sizes (small and large), this salad is mixed with olive oil and topped with raw salmon and tobiko. Definitely not a typical salad, but is tasty (I order without the Parmesan) - 49ers roll: unliked other restaurants, Angel Fish adds tobiko to their 49ers roll, which is a fun touch. This is typically one of my go-to orders - Oshinko: we order this with green onion for an added flare of flavor - Tamago: not my favorite tamago, but it does the job - Tempura: their vegetable tempura is good (especially the sweet potato) Miscellaneous: - Parking is shared with other shops in the plaza - Bathroom is tucked in the back“

“Came here for my birthday dinner (12/13/23) and was not disappointed. I hadn't yet been to this new location and had only been to their original spot down on Park St., so I was excited to check out their new place.Definitely a significantly larger space with way more room and higher ceilings (though I do really enjoy the hole-in-the-wall vibes of the original spot). Better for groups (and we were a group of five this night). Our waitress was very nice and the food came out pretty fast. There was some minor confusion/a mixup over a dish my dad ordered, which they rectified immediately without issue.I got my usual, the spicy miso gyoza ramen, and it was so delicious. I also got a couple pieces of nigiri that were very fresh. We hadn't been to Yojimbo for a few years, so we were all pretty impressed by how generous they are with their portions and especially for the price. We're all so used to getting little food for our money in the Bay Area these days that we were happily surprised by how full we all were at the end of the meal. Just the amount of teriyaki chicken my brother got in his bento was shocking.Now I know that I can go to either Yojimbo location and get a great meal. Will definitely keep supporting both.“

“Stopped by here for lunch and dined outside. The sweetest waitstaff helped us. We were served ice cold water right away. The bento box lunch special caught our eye. You choose one appetizer and one entree. it comes with a salad with a delicious ginger dressing, rice, and a juicy slice of orange.“

“I come here frequently as I like the rolls they offer for a decent price. The food isn't always consistent. Some days I like my rolls better than others. But I keep coming back because it's overall a solid sushi spot with quick service that scratches the itch for sushi.“