Joshu-Ya Brasserie

Came here to see what the hype was about this place. Came here with only one friend so seating was very easy and quick for us. The place is quite small so we ended up sitting outside which wasn’t a problem since the weather was so nice.
Food: I wish the portions are bigger but you can def. taste the difference in quality compared to other sushi places near campus. The food was AMAZING. They also gave us free hand rolls if we check in on Unilocal.The rolls were on the pricier side and I wish I got more, but the rolls tasted so fresh and refreshing. Would recommend coming here if you’re down to splurge on good sushi — WHICH IS A MUST.

If you’re looking for an authentic Japanese restaurant, don’t come here; go to Musashi instead. However, if you’re looking for a Japanese fusion restaurant, Joshu Ya will definitely satisfy your craving! Every once in awhile, I’m in need of some sushi and am too lazy to go down to Shattuck to go to Musashi so I come here since it’s close to my apartment.
I give them 3.5 stars instead of 4. I’m docking half a star off for the wait and service; they kind of forgot about us even though we put our name on the list. The host asked if we put down our name and we said yes and he left and when he came back, he seated another party. I understand that they were busy but we had to wait quite a while and a few parties that came after us were seated before us. The host initially told us 20 minutes but we waited much longer than that.
It’s nice that there’s always some sort of special when you check in, and most recently, you get 50% off an appetizer, so my friend and I ordered the calamari. It was such a good deal because it was a hefty portion and it was normally $ 12. I usually get the Lion King, which is a baked salmon roll. It’s pretty good; the salmon is mostly cooked and over a California roll baked with a layer of mayo on top. The salmon is fresh and the mayo is slightly burnt; giving a different flavor. Their rolls are a tad expensive, but it’s a nice treat every once in awhile.
It’s a must visit for every Cal student, so definitely come check it out if you want to try some Japanese fusion dishes!

It is a disappointment.
Joshu-​ya was on my bookmark for a very long time, and finally I got a chance to go and try it out! I was all excited about it but after dining there, I left with disappointment.
Joshu ya was pretty tiny, but we were able to make reservation for mother’s day. They do offer sushi and sushi rolls, but they also offer fusion cooked food.
FIve of us ordered 2 rolls, a pork belly noodle, pork belly taco, mussels and a risotto. The rolls were fine, mussels and risotto was pretty good — but on the salty side. The two pork belly items were the most disappointing — the pork belly were extremely salty. The cold noodle was overcooked so the whole combination with the sauce was just weird.
Overall it was alright. I don’t plan on going back thou.

I’d seen this place many times, but it was always out of my price range, and presumably that of many Berkeley students. Really cute outdoor seating with space heaters if necessary.
The rolls were pretty expensive and took some time to come out, so be prepared for that. I believe we spent about $ 15 per 10-​piece roll. They are really, really good though. Generous cuts of high-​quality fish, and the rolls are presented very beautifully.
They serve truffle fries for a fraction of the price and, if you like truffle, those are absolutely delicious.
I’ll be back, but probably not often bc I am a poor college student :(

I haven’t visited this place for like a year, but I can definitely tell that the menu has changed a lot.
My cousin ordered pork belly soba, which is nice, like usual. I ordered a Crunch Munch roll. I expected the crab to be fried soft shell crab, but it came with imitation crab, I think. Otherwise, the combination of unagi and alvacado is great. Sashimi is ok; I have to say that I was not amazed by sashimi.

I can understand the reason for why Joshuya remains one of the most popular sushi spots in Berkeley– it has a seemingly interesting menu, trendy atmosphere, and decent sushi.
I ordered the sushi combo, which came with 7 pieces of nigiri and a roll of my choice. The fish was generally above average quality. I really liked the ootoro nigiri, which is the fatty tuna belly cut. It was very flavorful and had just the right amount of moisture. The mackerel was definitely the worst part of my sushi combo, and was overly fishy with an unpleasant soggy texture. I didn’t appreciate the rice they used for the nigiri as it had the tendency to fall apart a little bit. The sashimi salad is a solid side dish or appetizer if you’re not looking for a full out sashimi meal but want some sashimi. I don’t think the non-​sushi items here are anything special, but they have interesting items like risotto, octopus, Kobe beef sliders, and bone marrow.
Service here is pretty awful. Food comes out too slowly, even on non-​busy days, and a lot of the waitresses give me the impression that they really hate their jobs and don’t care whatsoever.
Joshuya is a good place to go if you’re craving some higher quality sushi, an intimate setting, and live in Berkeley. However, I definitely wouldn’t come here for a special occasion or go out of my way to eat here if I have better options.

Ambiance: Extremely Loud. Blasting disco music and tons of college coeds yelling to each other. Think «sports bar volume, but with sushi.»
Service: Like molasses: sweet but slow as hell!
My order of Inari (2 pcs) took 30 minutes to get to the table, AFTER I had already eaten everything else — I ordered it when my Tako-​Yaki got dropped off, realizing how tiny the Tako-​Yaki was and that I would need something else to eat. While waiting for said Inari, about 3 servers came by to refill my water, but none of them removed the pile of dirty dishes I had pre-​bussed and pushed across the table; I had to finally ask someone point blank to take them away.
My soy sauce container was empty so I took one from a neighboring table, and it contained about 1tsp of soy sauce… I see this in a lot of their reviews and I wonder if they’re rationing or something?
Food: So-​so.
— The house salad was fresh, big and a nice mix of veggies, but it was a basic restaurant side salad, pretty hard to screw that up. The dressing is yummy though.
— The Tako-​Yaki (batter-​fried Japanese octopus) was just straight YUCKY. They are about the size of golf balls, and look like golden fried perfection on the outside, but when you bite into it, it’s like a Gusher of raw batter. The microscopic piece of octopus inside is only about ¼″ X ½″. Sad panda. 6pcs for $ 8.50.
— The Inari was tasty, but this is pretty much impossible to fuck up – it’s a tofu skin with a scoop of rice shoved inside. Why this took 30 minutes to prepare is mind-​boggling. It’s not like I ordered an entire roasted duck.
I was really looking forward to trying this place after seeing the Unilocal rating and the fact that it’s really close-​by on foot, but I’m pretty disappointed. Don’t think I’ll be back.

Loved this place! Price point is a little high but I really liked their menu and their food was delicious. Tried their lucky Danny roll and another roll that I forgot. I also got their chorizo mussels which was super delicious as well as their chirashi bowl.

The one star is because there is outdoor seating, which is lovely on a hot day. Otherwise, I would not waste my time.
Service was terrible. We were top of the waitlist, and there were 3 empty tables the host says were reserved. They have you wait outside the gate of the restaurant at a bench along a narrow driveway. Cars driving through are so close you have to pull your feet in to avoid getting squashed. After half an hour of waiting, the host grudgingly decided to let us sit down at one of them. Like other reviewers, we waited forever for our food, repeatedly asking our server if it was ready. Soy sauce was empty,
Miso soup was barely tepid and lacking flavor (and my sister found a hair in hers). Dumplings were dripping in grease and had less than ¼ tsp of filling. Sushi and rolls were totally uninspiring in flavor.
Overall, I was disappointed that we didn’t share the opinion of other Unilocalers. A total waste of a dinner out.

2.5 stars, but for the sake of the business I give 3.
Good part first: the food! We had a Chirashi bowl, Wakame salad and the 10 pieces nigiri Moriawase. Taste was good, fish was fresh and well cut, the rice was really good.
Now the bad part: the service! No napkins and chop sticks on our table, not even when we were served a miso soup. I had to get in, was ignored for 5 minutes and then finally got napkins and chop sticks. We also had to wait 1 HOUR for our food and then starters and main course came at the same time — after repeatedly asking for it. What upset me the most, was that others, who came later than us, were served first. There was also no soy sauce in the suspender.
Before we got the bill, the staff came over to apologize for the delays, saying there was a transition phase problem. Sadly, we were unlucky and such things can happen. But it wasn’t a good experience nonetheless.

This tiny Berkeley establishment serves up some incredible sushi. The space has a small patio and inside seating that allows you to watch the chefs create the rolls, but wherever you choose to sit, make sure you make a reservation! You’ll begin the meal with complimentary miso soup. Wine, beer and sake are offered, but it’s a very limited selection [they did not have any cocktails during our visit]. We started with the Sashimi Mix ($ 13) for six of the chef’s choice sashimi cuts. Followed by five sushi rolls (these are large rolls, four would’ve sufficed, but #whenonvacation).
Joshu-​Ya ($ 10.50; shrimp tempura, cucumber, unagi, avocado), Spicy Crunch ($ 11.00; spicy tuna, tuna, avocado, tempura flakes, soy paper), Tiger ($ 13.50; unagi, salmon, cucumber, jalapeño, avocado, spicy aioli) and Rainbow ($ 10.00; crab, avocado, 4 fish topping) and a final one that I don’t remember. The Joshu-​Ya and Spicy Crunch were my favorites, the other two were good, but not as memorable. Overall, if you’re looking for excellent sushi, visit Joshu-​Ya Brasserie. Service and atmosphere didn’t impress, so make sure you come for the sushi!

Was really looking forward to this place but I don’t feel it lived up to the hype. I ordered a spider roll. It was really good, light on the rice and great flavor. I probably should have stuck with just the sushi rolls or sashimi. This is where I went wrong.
They start you off with a miso soup and I normally love this but it was so extremely salty, my mouth still feels like it’s burning from all the salt. I also ordered seaweed salad but had to return it because it was so salty — probably would have gotten a years worth of my sodium requirement from just the soup alone!
If you check in on Unilocal they give you ½ off a select few appetizers. I ordered the friend chicken — terrible. Almost was unrecognizable as chicken and so overdone that it was dark brown?! At first I actually thought it was over friend potatoes but alas, it’s over friend chicken. I could have not ordered that and saved the half price I spent. But, I have leftovers and I think my dogs will really enjoy them because I certainly did not.
The staff was very courteous and attentive which always is a plus and I can’t take anything away from them for that. But, I felt like the food left a lot to be desired. Not sure what is so great about this place but I’ll have to check out what everyone else is eating next time! Duh — it’s Unilocal that’s what this is for! I feel like it deserves another chance if I’m in the area.
Oh — it’s a very small joint and parking in the area is awful so be prepared to drive around. They have a little parking lot in the back of the place but it was such a tight squeeze I actually moved my car. It was so cramped, was concerned someone would hit my car trying to get out. Compact cars only!

Came back here over the weekend since me and some friends were in Berkeley. Even though it sounds like ownership recently changed, Joshu-​Ya was just as good as I remembered it to be! We were very happy with the quality of fish and sushi rolls that we ordered. The price was very reasonable as well, though I remember the days it seemed so pricey for a college student. :)
I ordered the warriors roll, which came with spicy tuna, salmon, avocado, and crab wrapped in soy paper. It was delicious! This roll was especially a good deal since there was no rice, so my filling was mostly fish and crab.
I would stick with the sushi since one of my friends ordered the chicken udon and found it disappointing. They don’t use the typical chewy udon noodles here, so it didn’t taste that great.
Also don’t forget to check in on Unilocal for 50% off an appetizer. The 6 piece takoyaki was very tasty and only cost $ 4 with the deal!

This is one of my favorite places in Berkeley. The food is always fresh and on point.
I really enjoy the feeling of their outdoor patio. With the garden and fountain you completely forget you in the middle of busy Berkeley.
I’d write more, but my paparazzi roll just showed up so I’m going to go eat that.

This place somehow always manages to have a line, so that’s how you know it must be good. Situated on the border of college campus and the rest of Berkeley, it attracts both working an student class alike. I believe they do take reservation, so you may want to consider that if you know your plans in advance.
Apparently they just started sourcing all their fish from the Tsukiji market in Japan, meaning the quality of the fish just got a major upgrade.
Chicken karaage: This is part of the «bar bites» that you can get 50% off of when you check in. Great deal as it comes with a hefty portion of karaage fit for sharing between two if not four. The karaage was fried quite darkly, but still delicious fried pieces of chicken. They were also quite generous with the meat, and there wasn’t too much batter.
Chirashi: Order this if you want to appreciate an assortment of raw fish, including salmon and fatty tuna. Other fish that come with it are smoked mackerel, yellowtail, salmon, and tuna.
Pork Belly Zaru Soba: good mix of the pork belly and the soba. I liked that it came decorated with all sorts of other goodies on top like shaved radish, cucumber, and jalapeño. The sesame ponzu sauce went great together with both the pork belly and noodles.
Albacore special: I’d definitely recommend trying one of their sashimi specials, which we splurged on once, and it worth it to try.
Joshu-​Ya is a fit for a special occasion or just a moment when you need a little treat. They have quite a cute/​romantic outdoor seating ambiance with lights strung up and a little fountain. All the servers were also very courteous and efficient. Since I live across the street, I’m always tempted to go back, even with such a long line!

Nice place for some creative Japanese dishes and sushi! Everyone gets a bowl of miso to start, nice touch. :) Next up was their fried chicken — the karaage wins hands down in quantity for the price compared to a bunch of other ramen joints and izakayas I’ve been to in SF and beyond, and tastes good enough, but I like the crispier batter found in some of the other places. Still, not a bad choice, esp. with the half off Unilocal check-​in deal currently running. Was also informed that they have been sourcing their non-​roll fish from Tsukiji lately, which is pretty darned cool. They also have a $ 70 and $ 100(!) fish tasting menu, which I don’t recall being there in the past. Indeed you can see and taste the difference between say the fish in the chirashi which I ordered, vs the fish they used on a roll. Enjoyed all the fish in that bowl, especially the creamy delicate scallop. The minced fatty tuna oddly was the least interesting to me in my chirashi. Definitely go with a non-​roll choice if you can spring for it. The spicy tuna used in one of their rolls was definitely disappointing after eating some of the higher quality fish. On a previous visit, I recall really enjoying the large serving of pork belly on soba noodles, with other goodies topping it.
This place seems to always be crowded; had to wait 25 min or so most recently for a table of 2 on a Sunday ~7pm, despite the rain. Make reservations or be prepared to wait!

Holy shit. Get the Kobe bone marrow burger. One of the best burgers I’ve ever had, hands down. The sushi isn’t bad either (it’s actually pretty freakin good)
Note the only reason I’m not giving
This 5 stars is cus the service was subpar. Though friendly, which I greatly appreciate, they took 10−15m to take my order, couldn’t understand me then another 5 to get someone out who could. Also gave me the wrong check lol.
But still a great exp!!! St by if you can

Absolutely terrible service. I’ve been here numerous times and the wait is always insanely long b/​c they only have 3 servers catering to all the customers. The other night we made a reservation at 8pm and we didn’t even get seated until 8:30 despite us having a reservation. We finally got the waiter’s attention to order and our food didn’t start coming out until 9:15. Throughout our entire meal we didn’t get any service at all until we were asking for the check.
Food is good (+1 star) but not good enough to the point that I can wait 45 min and disregard lack of service. Also I’m not willing to pay the higher price at Joshuya’s if I’m not even getting service at all. If you’re looking for sushi, I suggest CU Sushi on center! Same delicious rolls with fresh fish, same if not even better service there but the price is way way cheaper.

Joshu-​Ya Brasserie is one of my favorite sushi restaurants in Berkeley, but I don’t find myself coming here as often as my other favorites because of the long wait times and because this restaurant is on the higher end of what I’m willing to pay sushi on a regular basis. Therefore Joshu-​Ya is my special occasion sushi restaurant that I like to come to once in a while with good company when I feel like treating myself.
My two favorite things to order from Johu-​ya are the Rainbow Roll and the Lion King Roll. The Rainbow Roll comes with crab and avocado inside the roll and four fish topping outside the roll. This roll is fresh, creamy because of the avocado, and so tasty on its own without soy sauce, ginger, or wasabi (just how I like my sushi rolls!). The Lion King Roll is a baked roll that has crab and avocado inside the roll and baked salmon and parmesan sauce on the outside. I’ll admit that when I first tried the Lion King roll, I didn’t really like the parmesan sauce on the roll because I felt that it had overpowered the other ingredients, but having ordered this roll a few times now, it has really grown on me flavor wise. The Lion King roll definitely packs a punch with its flavors and is therefore incredibly flavorful on its own, and it is a baked roll, which is my favorite type of sushi roll.
I love the outside décor of Joshu-​ya! It has a fountain and heating lamps with umbrellas on the tables, and they have strung up lights all around to give it a romantic vibe. It does become really cold at night though, despite the heating lamps, so if you’re coming dinner I would recommend eating inside. The inside décor is all right: the part of the restaurant that has tables facing the fountain is really lovely because three of the walls have large panel windows to look out into the outside patio area, but the part of the restaurant that requires you to go inside past a curtain is kind of dark and gloomy — it’s not my favorite spot to sit at.
Overall, the food at Joshu-​Ya is on the pricey end, so I’d recommend this restaurant as a special occasion restaurant, and the wait times for food can be really long, so I’d recommend coming during off hours.

Summary:
–Good omakase though not the most filling
–A+ service from the chef (plus the new owner was also friendly)
−3÷5 for the kitchen items I’ve tried
–Very nice atmosphere
–Cost isn’t half bad for the quality
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Finally had the chance to come back again and was excited to give it another go. Unfortunately chef Alex no longer works here but I came in for an omakase and I was damn sure gonna get it. There is also a new owner now (started in July I think).
When I came in there was a slight wait of 2 – 3 small groups ahead of me. I put my name down and requested a table anywhere since I was eating by myself. Despite this it took me 20 minutes to get seated for an empty bar.
Once I was seated I was well taken care of. The head chef who trained Alex was preparing the food and I was excited to see what I would get. He was very friendly and talked with me the entire time which was great. This time instead of getting a variety of nigiri, the chef prepared more dish-​like items so it was interesting. However he did explain that since it was a Sunday, they didn’t have the freshest items available and they ran out of wasabi. The selection of fish wasn’t as interesting and the lack of real wasabi does take away from it a bit but overall the dishes were all very well composed and I really enjoyed them.
–Miso Soup (2.5÷5) Nothing special, little to no tofu
–Blue fin tuna w/​ikura, ankimo, radish, on a slice of lime (⁴⁄₅)
So many textures and flavors going on. It was delicious! Kind of tough to eat nicely though.
–4 pieces of nigiri (2 prepared in a traditional style, 2 in a modern/“fusion” style) 2 salmon, 2 hamachi (3.5÷5)
Though they were fattier pieces of fish, they still weren’t extremely flavorful but definitely better than the run of the mill stuff. The fusion style made it a bit more interesting and I enjoyed those pieces more.
–Amaebi & raw quail egg. Egg shell filled with plum wine and the amaebi head placed over whipped cream cheese. Matcha powder sprinkled on top. (⁵⁄₅)
Hands down my favorite item of the meal. The subtle taste and texture of the egg plus that little something extra from the green tea really set it all over the top. Absolutely loved it.
–Plate of nigiri (ikura, bluefin tuna, unagi, shime saba, hotate w/​ankimo) — Tuna was especially good and the unagi is some of the most tender and flavorful unagi I’ve ever had. Selection wasn’t as interesting but it was done well. (⁴⁄₅)
–Engawa Nigiri: Not part of the initial omakase, I just happened to mention I was craving it and he threw in a piece on the house cause he mentioned this batch wasn’t very good. He was right but ⁵⁄₅ for that service!
Overall I’ve really enjoyed both my times here. The rice was on point this time around and the chef was extremely nice. If you’re looking for an omakase, I’d recommend this place. It’s not the most filling one for the price but the creativity in the dishes makes it very interesting. Their kitchen items & some of their rolls still aren’t particularly worth it in my opinion though (which is the only downside of the place).