Iyasare

Been here twice. Had great food both times.

Nice place for weekend brunch followed by some shopping. Prefer to sit outside, because it's loud and dark inside.

My only complaint is that their plating is sometimes more aesthetically oriented than food oriented. Case in point, our tempura was plated inside a pool of dashi, which meant it was soggy by the time it arrived. This ruined an otherwise outstanding dish. I explained this to waitress whose response was OK I'll let the kitchen know with no follow up.

My first time here was my birthday and it did not disappoint. We got seated right away, the service was friendly, and the unagi-don with the extra fresh uni was the best I've had in a while. I've been in the area for 5 years - why did it take me so long to try it? I won't wait until my next bday to return.

BB

I've been to IYASARE twice and have always been thoroughly impressed with the food, service, and ambiance! Our server, Andy, was exceptional at his job. Just looking at the menu alone everything sounded appetizing and very unique. Our party was pretty open to trying anything and everything so we asked Andy to surprise us with our menu items alongside a few for sure items that we wanted. He made sure to ask if we had any allergens or dietary restrictions before selecting the items for us. Every single dish was phenomenal and so flavorful.

Our food included spicy edamame, tori kara-age appetizer, bacon mochi, Iyasare kakiage tempura, geisha roll, chef's omakase, and kara-age curry don. Although everything was spectacular, my favorites were definitely the Iyasare kakiage tempura, the chef's omakase, and the bacon mochi.

The Iyasare kakiage tempura is a thick seafood pancake that comes with a nice bonito soy broth for dipping as well as matcha powder, green sea salt powder, and togarashi. I might be wrong with the powders but they had a nice additional flavor to the tempura. It's fried to perfection and you can taste the quality of ingredients. They were definitely generous with the Black Tiger shrimp pieces.

The first time I had the bacon mochi, I personally thought it was just alright but when I had it for the second time today, I loved it. The mochi was fried at the perfect consistency with soft texture and crispy skin. It didn't get stuck in my teeth this time. The bacon added a little saltiness to the mochi which really balances out the taste.

The chef's omakase was amazing as well. Each sashim piece was very fresh and delicious in its own without the need for soy sauce/wasabi. Andy took the time to explain all the fish and seafood on the plate which we appreciated. The snowcrab and the toro tuna hand roll were amongst my favorites from the plate.

We ended the night with their cheesecake with blueberry compote. It was amazing as i remembered from last visit. The cheesecake is super light and not dense at all. It's very creamy and the graham cracker crust was delicious. I know their dessert is seasonal as well but you can never go wrong with any of their cheesecakes.

Highly highly recommend checking out Iyasare! Thank you Iyasare and Andy for serving us!

Went to Berkeley Fourth Street to pick up some items and decided to pop in for an early dinner. We don't have any reservations but there was room at the bar and we got a table pretty easily.

The service was incredible. Water was refilled frequently and the staff was incredibly attentive. We got a ramen, two rolls, a scallop & uni appetizer (this was divine!) and cocktails as well. Everything tasted delicious and the presentation was also beautiful. Great spot for an intimate date or a fun night out with friends!

I came here for part two of my birthday celebration. I've always wanted to come here every since I found out about their bacon mochi because it was gluten-free and I heard it was amazing. Turns out that this is no longer the case and that their teriyaki sauce does have gluten in it.

We were fortunate enough to stand in line and actually get a seat at a community table. This space inside is much bigger than I thought it was. And even though I was hoping to get a table outside, I'm glad that I didn't because it became very cold and I would've been very uncomfortable. The community is a cute one and I'm glad we got to sit there. I told the waitress that I was celebrating my birthday and that's how I got my birthday champagne and I appreciated that. It was very good.

She was very good at helping me navigate them menu because I have the allergies of shellfish and wheat. I did choose the grilled dish and it worked out just fine. I actually like my dish better than my husband and his was good. It was hard to eat with the chopsticks, however, that's not an issue with the food or the quality. It was very good.

The people there are very very very nice , and they were very attentive. Everyone from the person who filled our water glasses, to the person who brought me my champagne, to the person who took our order, and the person who served us, etc. everyone was absolutely wonderful, and I appreciate that!

I really felt felt taken care of when my food arrived and the waitress took my food and took it back to the cook to explain to him that I could not have the teriyaki sauce. I really appreciate it that attention to detail.

I wanted to order dessert but the gluten-free dessert they had had banana in it and I hate bananas. Otherwise, I would've ordered something. I know I'll be back and feel very good about this because I now know what to expect when I go in.

We had the honor of dining at Iyasare for date night after hearing so many good reviews from friends and family. This place lives up to the hype! Their ramen was amazing.. super rich broth, tender chasu, and fresh veggies. The portion size of the fish in the Ikura Don was definitely on the smaller side.. I left feeling slightly hungry still which is a little disappointing knowing how much we paid. However, at the end, it didn't really matter to me because our overall dining experience was divine. We had the pleasure of having Jackie as our server! She was helpful, knowledgeable, and just an overall an amazing human being! So glad we got to chat with her at the end of our meal. Be prepared to spend some $$$

Second time at Iyasare. First time was spectacular. We had a reservation for early Sunday night and were seated right away. Ordered the grilled squid I already had last time. Equally delicious this time ! My wife got the sake don, which was also really good. Salmon tasted great. Seaweed salad was ok. Letdown was the cheesecake desert which wasn't properly thawed or at least it was still half frozen especially the lower part. Next time I'll get the tempura again which was probably best item from the first time.

A restaurant with a nice atmosphere but food is way overpriced for its portion size. We had reservations for a party of 3 on a Saturday evening. We got there 10 minutes before the dinner time opening and there was a long line of people waiting in the front. It's a popular place for people to dine in but likely because there are limited options available in this part of Berkeley.

Parking: no designated lot but there is a public lot nearby with a good number of spots. The spaces are tight though so use at your own risk. The public lot offers 3 hours of free parking.

Decor: elegant and upscale with an open kitchen and open bar concept. There are seating indoors and outdoors (in the patio area and on the street). If you are one of those who prefer outdoor dining, try to grab a spot in the patio area, it's pretty romantic. I would not recommend the seating area on the street. Imagine all the cars that drive past you and all the dust getting into your food.

Food: portion size is small and cost is high. We left hungry but the bill was $200+ for 3 people. We ordered the Iyasare kakiage tempura with black tiger shrimp (highly recommend and the only thing I think it's worth ordering at this spot), kani maki ($23 for 5 small pieces, don't order this!), okonomiyaki pancake (small and severely burnt, don't get this either), gindara (tasted average, I've had better), and the hamachi & ikura don (expensive and small portion size, you can't mess up on this since there's no cooking involved). For dessert, we shared the Japanese cheesecake with matcha crumble (very fluffy, light and matched well with the matcha crumble).

Service: attentive, our waters were refilled once and if we needed something, staff is easily accessible and willing to help.

1 star for service, 1 star for ambiance and 1 star for the iyasare kakiage tempura with tiger shrimp.

Food: Variable. A mix of flavors, some of which are truly exceptional. 

- Ramen: it was fine and served its purpose. (First order, last year)

- Crab Roll: it was served warm and didn't meet my expectations. The warm temperature affected the texture and taste, making it difficult to enjoy. I gaged and regurgitated all of it. This was alarming and unpleasant. (Ordered last year and refunded by diff manager)

- Kara-age Chicken was exceptional! The flavors were terrific, and the chicken was deliciously tender. (ordered to go -today)

- Veggie Rolls: disappointingly small portion size for the price. Additionally, the take-out tax, tip, and overall prices made the experience not worth it for me. (ordered to go - today)

Service: - Attentive, in general, especially from the host.

Mandatory tip: - BEWARE OF THIS PRICE GOUGING AND "TAKE OUT GRATUITY" WHEN THERE IS NO SUCH "TAX" FOR DINING IN.

Ambiance: - Airy and pleasant, with indoor and outdoor seating options.

We were excited to try this Michelin recommended Japanese restaurant, located in west Berkeley in the main shopping strip. Street parking and a large paid lot is nearby. Service was ok but I expected more for the price point.

Food was disappointing the dishes are mostly traditional with not much inspiration to call it contemporary.

Sashimi salad - 4/5 lighter alternative to chirashidon, but fish was average

Asparagus & matsutake mushroom tempura - 1/5 the tempura was OK but I'm really rating the service because they had ran out of asparagus and did not tell us when we ordered. They served us only mushrooms and I had to ask our server what happened, they said they gave us extra mushrooms instead. I would've appreciated if they told us before serving so that we could decide to order something else.

Sendai hot chicken - 4/5 we asked for the sauce on the side because it's super spicy, chicken was ok moist but could be crispier. I liked alternating between the soy sauce and the mustard.

Teppanyaki - 2/5 most disappointed with this dish, we asked for medium rare and it looked raw in the middle and almost burnt outside. It's served on a sizzling plate but the rice and onions didn't get charred enough.

Overall service was below average and food was not up to the standard we were expecting. The area is nice though so we were able to walk around and shop after lunch.