Musashi

The quality of the food here was rather disappointing. It seemed like a great idea because it had good reviews and a nice happy hour menu.
The sushi rice in my tekka was mushy. The fish in the chirashi bowl was old, smelled super fishy, and cut poorly. The agedashi tofu was not evenly warm, some part was too warm and some part was cold, odd.
The only decent food items were the edamame and karage.
I would not come back. There was a wait, which is a rather misleading indicator for the quality. Service was good though.

BEST value chirashi bowl ever, so definitely worth 5 stars!
The mini chirashi is only $ 13, and it’s large enough to fill up a normal appetite… but I have larger than a normal appetite, especially when it comes to sushi. I tend to still be hungry after the mini if I don’t order anything else, so now I always get the regular chirashi for $ 22 ^_​^;;
With that said, I ALWAYS leave full with the regular size, so it’s absolutely worth it. Usually comes with salmon, tuna, yellowtail, mackerel, scallop, tamago, squid, ikura, and a few others I’m probably missing. It has about double the sashimi and rice that the chirashi bowl from Joshu-​ya down the street has, for roughly the same price and quality/​freshness.
Such a steal for a serious sushi craving. Best place to get your money’s worth for raw fish in Berkeley!

This is the only sushi place I’ve ever been to that has two sizes of chirashi They have a large chirashi $ 22 and a small chirashi for $ 13. It’s perfect!

I’ve been trying to find a good Chirashi place in Berkeley. I popped over to Unilocal and saw that people were raving about this place, and decided to give it a go!
Fair bit of warning: The restaurant itself is really small and crowded, so it might take you some time to get in. I went with a friend at 6:00 PM on a Friday night, and it took us around 30 minutes to get a table for two. It was completely worth it though, let me tell you that.
I got the regular size Musashi, which ended up being HUMONGOUS. Next time, I’ll probably just get the mini Musashi, as people on Unilocal said that’s enough to make you feel! The Musashi comes with multiple kinds of fish, roe, scallops, and a huge portion of rice. It’s filling, fresh, and definitely the best raw fish I’ve had in the East Bay so far.
If you’re looking for somewhere to get your raw fish on, I’d definitely recommend Musashi!

This was part of my search for a chirashi bowl in the east bay. I was ordering it as takeout and picking it up on the way home. There’s some street parking and also lot parking is free after around 6pm (?). Overall, the mini chirashi was decent and only $ 13. It was definitely filling and well presented. I’m definitely more of a fresh fish and shrimp kind of person; so I didn’t particularly enjoy the squid, roe, and scallop. The raw sashimi though was fine and tasted relatively fresh although not of the highest quality (no fishy odor and normal texture). To be fair though, you get what you pay for. The rice tasted like it had been sitting for awhile and was a bit mushy. I wouldn’t get it again but I might consider visiting the place again if I were stranded within a one block radius (otherwise there is fresh poke and other sushi options a few blocks further) as the people are friendly and people seem very positive about their other dishes.

Looking for a dinner spot and accidentally came across Musashi. They just opened for dinner and we were the first customers. No wait, yay!
We had a bunch of small plates, skewers, and a roll to share between 2 people including myself. Everything came out delicious. Can’t wait to come back to try the nigiri and sashimi when I’m not pregnant. Service was also very attentive, our teas were filled and our plates were cleared when they were emptied.

I usually opt out from eating Japanese food in Berkeley because I’m Japanese and I don’t really see why I should go out of my way to do so when I can eat back in Japan. That said, Musashi is a place I can rely on for good Japanese food. I’ve only been here twice so far, but I can see this being my go-​to spot.
The Chirashi-​don is a must, and the mini is definitely enough to make you full. I’ve also gotten the chicken kara-​age both times I’ve been here and they’re always great. I also had their kitsune udon, which was great but I didn’t think it was worth the amount I paid for it considering how easy it is to make at home. Regardless, it was just the kitsune udon I wanted.
The service here is really great and the staff are incredibly friendly. Musashi is like going home to eat good food, except I’m paying for it. This place is definitely a once-​in-​a-​while treat since it is a little bit on the pricey side. If you want authentic Japanese food, this is your place.
TIP: this place gets pretty crowded so make sure you go right at opening time or around their closing time if you don’t want to wait too long!

At first, my friends and I were planning to go to Joshuya brasserie for a desperate need of sushi. Joshuya has its reputation around the area and so it’s the safe place to go. But unfortunately when we went, we were gonna wait an hour to get seated. So we decided to go around and find a new place. Musashi is what I found near Joshuya.
At first, we were hesitant because nobody in the group went to that place before. Plus, frankly the appearance is less attractive than other sushi place.
But once inside I realized the waitresses were fluent in Japanese and that was one good point about it. Not that I don’t speak English. It’s just a matter of atmosphere I guess.
Unfortunately, they were not many houses for a party of 6. We wanted to share sushis so that it would not be too expensive but the sushi combo was only 8 pieces for $ 25. So we went with the Chirashis for $ 22. You will tell me it’s not less expensive but well, at least we have way more fish per person than with the combos. Plus, the fish was falling on the side because they were so may of them. I was positively surprised by the freshness and perfect taste of the fish.
I me a you don’t find that quality around here. $ 22 is not too bad after all.
I recommend.

My favorite hole in the wall Japanese restaurant in Berkeley.
Musashi has a distinctly mom and pop feel to it. The menu has very diverse options ranging from hibachi grill items to fresh sashimi. They even have traditional Japanese wappameshi (rice topped with different ingredients and cooked in a round wooden container). My favorite wappameshi is the eel. It comes with delicious japanese steamed egg (chawan mushi).
I also love the chirashi bowl. It’s one of the better ones I’ve seen in the Bay Area. There is a good variety of fish and each piece is thick and fresh. Occasionally, there’s even UNI!
It’s NOT pricey for the quality of the food but it’s not 100% affordable on a student budget. That being said, Musashi has daily specials and happy hour deals that are affordable for any budget. $ 5 for chicken karaage? What a steal.

This is probably one of my favorite Japanese restaurants in Berkeley! Although its $$, its worth it when you’re craving sashimi :)
Came on a weekday night, and the wait was expected. (~15−20 minutes that day) Service was really friendly, and the atmosphere of the restaurant complemented the beautifully presented food.
Ordered a Kara-​age (fried chicken) appetizer and a mini chirashi bowl for dinner. The chicken was a pretty normal, you won’t be disappointed. Side salad included. The chirashi was so worth it! It was just the right size for me, but I don’t usually eat that much. The mini chirashi has lots of fresh fish over sushi rice, and comes with a miso soup. I especially love their salmon– it was fatty and delicious. Would come again for their chirashi!

My boyfriend and I went here for an anniversary and it was, hands down, the best sushi dinner experience we’ve ever had. He is a sushi chef and we have collectively eaten at tons of joints of various degrees of fancy, artsy, hole in the wall, etc., and this place is the whole package. The slices of fish for sashimi and nigiri are generous, the fish is super fresh, and the presentation is beautiful. The place is small but designed well, and has a nice «traditional» feel. Come right when they open to avoid a long wait!

We arrived half an hour after they opened on a Friday night and all the tables were already full! We sat at the sushi bar and ordered chirashi (A+), toro (A), Chu toro (A+), Albacore (A), tempura sweet potato (A+), and Uni (A+). Everything was absolutely incredible. Staff was friendly. Food was delicious. And the prices were consistent, if not far better, than what you would expect.
It’s a small operation but they are dialed. Our server started out the night on the grill, cooking and frying, and then when it got busy she moved to the floor seamlessly and with a smile.
They had fantastic grill and hot items, and the specials board offered a lot of different fish.
Eat here, order the chirashi bowl, and enjoy!!! (The chirashi is expensive compared to other Berkeley restaurants but it offers waaaaay more fish than the others do. They also offer a half order).

I loveeeee musashi. If I still lived in the bay, I would frequent musashi more often. Especially since their HH specials look so good!
I love their chirashi. The fish is very fresh and tasty and the portions are really generous. Also, I’m a sucker for beautiful presentation. A few of us got the mini chirashi and they were also generous with the portions and beautiful in presentation.
The place is a little small and it gets really busy, but if you get there right when they open, it’s not a big problem. I like the décor and service was good.

More of an izakaya than a Japanese restaurant, Musashi is a pretty decent place to get some cheap beer and bar food (during their happy hour). Possibly a cheaper alternative to Ippuku.
TL;DR:
⁴⁄₅ service — pretty attentive almost too attentive
³⁄₅ food — a lot of the dishes were room temperature or charred which made them just kind of meh
⁴⁄₅ ambiance — goes for the intimate izakaya feel, but definitely has a strong sushi restaurant smell and the seats aren’t too comfortable.
I really wanted to love Musashi, as their happy hour looked so promising, but some little things that bothered me added up over time.
The service was pretty nice, a little brusque but they were pretty attentive. There are two waitresses for the small restaurant, and both check on customers pretty often (I think ours checked to see if we wanted to order more 4 times the 90 minutes we were there), and reminded us about last call for happy hour. The service is relatively fast.
Food-​wise, we ordered the Otsumami (agedashi tofu, tuna poke, and seaweed/​cucumber salad) sampler, Karaage, California rolls, yaki onigiri, duck and leek skewer, and the plum and cucumber roll.
Overall their food seems to have two temperature states: room temperature or charred. The complementary pickled cucumber was room temperature, which really took away from the refreshing nature of the dish.
California rolls were good! Their price ($ 3.50 for 8 pcs) was even better.
The agedashi tofu and cucumber salad of the Otsumami sampler was a little under seasoned and room temperature. The duck and leek skewer was a little overcooked (outside layers of the leek were charred black).
The karaage was pretty standard fried chicken, not particularly noteworthy, but it does taste pretty good with the lemon on the side.
On the flip side, some of their items were overly seasoned.
The plum-​cucumber roll was… memorable… but not necessarily in a good way. There was wayyyy too much plum sauce in it, so it was super sour and almost a punishment to eat.
The yaki onigiri was covered with a thick layer of miso paste on only one side, so it was a little overpowering.

Far too expensive for the quality of food they provide.
Their Chirashi bowl is huge. Too bad the only edible fish in it is the salmon and tuna, which tastes like it was just bought from Ranch 99. Everything else is too far gone — clearly so much time has passed since it was fresh that it just reeks. I had to shovel wasabi down my throat to go with some of the sashimi to overpower the terrible, disgusting flavors.
I’d say their Unagi Wappa Meshi is at least a step above buying canned eel at an asian market, but not by much. Flavorless, bone-​filled eel masked by a heavy soy glaze. Gross. Managed to finish is because it was at least better than the Chirashi. At least the Chawanmushi it came with is alright.
Their Karaage… is alright, I suppose, but definitely worse than the cheap stuff you’d get for 200 yen at the convenience stores in Japan. Lacking flavor everywhere, and overfried and overbattered.
Maybe I’ve become one of those elitists who can’t eat Japanese food here in the States anymore. Hopefully not.

Food: Musashi’s a hole in the wall place that is easily overlooked. If it hadn’t been for my friend, I would’ve missed it! Nonetheless, I would say Musashi is one of the better sushi restaurants in the Berkeley, up there with Joshuya, Kirala, and Kiraku’s. I decided to go with the mini chirashi bowl! I have to say the presentation is beautiful with a wide array of raw fish. For a reasonable price, the chirashi bowl doesn’t skimp! I was full by the time I finished the sushi rice, which I didn’t expect. I’m no sushi expert, but I wish the sashimi was a little chilled; the sashimi on top was a little lukewarm.
Service: The service is pretty average. They’re nice and they check in from time to time.

I first heard of Musashi through a friend who wanted to eat there for lunch. It’s a small Japanese restaurant on Dwight, far away from the cluster of restaurants on Telegraph or Shattuck.
I’ve tried their mini chirashi bowl and their Katsu-​don. The mini chirashi bowl is perfect for those who can’t eat a huge bowl in one sitting — it’s portioned wonderfully, although I do wish there were more fish sometimes (me being greedy~).
The Katsu-​don was something I tried on a whim by myself for lunch. I was craving Katsu but wanted to try something new. It was salty (soy sauce?) And has eggs, cooked onions, and Katsu slices! Of course the Katsu wasn’t crispy but soft/​soggy almost, since it was covered in egg, but it was a pretty good meal. I’d recommend getting their noodles or sushi though for the full experience.

Another great, authentic, family run Japanese restaurant in Berkeley! It’s a small place with minimal décor. It’s very casual and homey. We were seated at the bar when we visited and our server, who is the daughter of the owners, was very fast and efficient.
We ordered:
*Tempura Udon-​this was good. I liked how our server asked if we wanted the tempura on the side. The tempura was fried perfectly. I thought the soup for the udon was a tad bit sweet and my girl thought it was perfect.
*CA Roll-​we ordered it with imitation crab. This was ok, thought the seaweed was a bit too chewy.
*Nigiri and tempura lunch-​the nigiri was delicious. I appreciated how the tempura came with a small side of grated Daikon and ginger, it’s a given to include that when ordering tempura. I haven’t come across a Japanese restaurant in my hometown who serves it like that.
Overall, the show stopper was the tempura. It was fried to a crisp, not greasy and we liked the variety of veggies along with the shrimp that was available. The price was very reasonable for the amount of food we ordered. I’ll definitely return if I’m in the area!

Small establishment with some pretty awesome happy hour deals! They don’t take reservations, and don’t take parties with more than six people… so plan accordingly!
Happy Hour is from 5pm-​7pm
— $ 5 draft beers
— $ 5 hot sake or sochu
— $ 2 – 5 appetizers
— $ 7 sashimi (3 pieces of tuna and 2 pieces of salmon)
— $ 3 – 5 sushi rolls
The mini chirashi bowl ($ 12) is a pretty good value for the amount of assorted fresh raw fish you get!
Service is friendly and attentive. Food came out pretty fast. If you’re looking for a place for drinks and some rolls, head on over to Musashi! :)

Fresh sushi for a great deal. What’s not to love? Tastes great, and presentation is pretty. The mini Chirashi bowl has at least 10 pieces of assorted fish and some yummy tamago over rice for $ 12. Pretty darn good for sushi. Quality too, and the mini size was just right.
You also get a side of a vegetable, changes depending on what ingredients they have – mine was green beans which were cooked nice and salty. The meal also comes with warm miso soup and tsukemono/​pickled vegetables. Yum.
The reason why I give this place 3 instead of 4 stars is due to the inconsistent and slow service. We weren’t acknowledged when we came in, and the server seated a couple that came in after us first. I know they don’t take reservations, and she saw us there first. Granted, the couple didn’t seem too ashamed about that either, but we weren’t about to make a scene.
We got a mini bowl to go for our friend, and the younger server asked us if we wanted the miso soup that came with it to go when we got up to leave, we said of course. We were standing with our coats on waiting for quite some time after. She obviously saw we were anxious to get going, don’t know why she didn’t grab the soup when she even brought it up. So we ended up leaving without it.
But I’d definitely come back for that sushi. Just hope the service is better.

Definitely the best Chirashi Bowl that I’ve had in Berkeley! (compared to Joshuya, Manpuku and CU Sushi).
The place is pretty small but they were able to seat 6 of us on a Thursday night around 7pm right away. They waitress was super nice. She gave us the happy hour deal even though we came right when it ended!
(++) Chirashi Bowl. The fish was super fresh and I was able to get a great deal for it. Definitely save your money and get the Mini Bowl ($ 12). I was very hesitant at first in terms of how full I’ll get, but if you eat this with some appetizers and you’ll definitely be full by the end!
(+) Hotate (Grilled Scallop). I think there was 4 scallops on a skewer for $ 5.50. Pretty pricey but it was grilled to perfection. Definitely would have been better if there was more flavor to it though.
(+) Ika Yaki (Grilled Squid). I love the smokey flavor to it. It was also grilled perfectly because it wasn’t too chewy or too soft. I definitely recommend this appetizer to share if you’re with a group!
Overall, very pleased with my meal. Will definitely come back if I’m ever craving some fresh raw fish. This place is a bit further away from campus so not many people know about it but it’s definitely worth a try.