Nanayiro

So I got the Dragon Roll with no cucumber and the Lion King and my total was $ 30. Way too expensive for 2 rolls and just genuinely not good. The rolls were too big, the rice had a gross flavor, and the rolls overall were just not very fresh or good tasting. Also, the water tasted like cleaner. The servers were nice so I pretended like I was full, boxed my «leftovers», tipped and left. I wish I never went there.

This place was dreadful. We sat for 15 minutes without being greeted or even noticed. I had to hunt someone down in the kitchen to take our drink order. The miso soup was not fully hot and not flavorful. I ordered the crunch roll, it was very bizarre, it was a huge pile of what appeared to be shaved tempura? I dug out some rolls from underneath, which fell apart as I extracted them. We said something to the waitress, she laughed nervously and asked if we were finished. Odd. Not recommended.

Heard mixed things about Nanayiro ever since I got to Berkeley. «Oh, this place is really pricey, it’s not worth it.» «Oh, this place is the best!» I’m not sure why, but I guess I never really got around to trying it.
Until my friend wanted to go somewhere close, and I guess it was «about damn time» I try Nanayiro.
We went during lunch time around 1245 on a Saturday and it was pretty empty. There really isn’t much in terms of an ambiance for a Japanese/​sushi restaurant. Their menu is pretty standard with pretty normal prices (around $ 17 for a roll, $ 20 for the combo). But I was more intrigued with the Bento boxes, which apparently give you a good amount.
I settled for the bento box with spicy salmon and tune. The food came out relatively quickly, which can be a good or bad thing. But since we were short on time, fast food is okay food. We got miso soup with our bento box which is always a good complement. The bento came out soon afterwards and the portion size is decent for around $ 12. The sushi honestly (as much people say) didnt really taste that great. I mean you can only do so much for rolls, but these were not fresh and pretty basic. However, I do appreciate that everything else made up for the $ 12 – 15 I paid. You get rice, some seaweed on the side, and a bit of lettuce.
Overall, if I’m going to actually go for sushi, I wouldn’t choose this place, but that’s my opinion. I might come back and check their legitimate raw fish, but I have a feeling I won’t be blown away. You may be better off going to Musashi.
Eat well and prosper,

Peaceful and elegant restaurant in downtown Berkeley with great food and nice, relaxing music. Staff is Korean, not Japanese, but that’s OK with me.
I asked the chef if he would replace the raw fish in a chirashi dish with veggies and he really outdid himself (see photo).
Not a bargain, but average prices for downtown Berkeley.

I ordered the 3 item bento box today for lunch.
1. The chicken teriyaki had a strong burnt, bitter taste to it
2. They gave me tuna instead of salmon, but I said no problem. However, the 3 tiny pieces of tuna was very average quality at best. That counts at an «added on item», which was $ 5 more.
3. The California roll was overflowing with mayo.
My wife’s seafood udon was also very tasteless :(
So we went 0 for 4. It was pricey, over $ 40 because we ordered a seaweed salad and no beverages. I would never go back again.

Yesterday my husband and I had lunch. As soon as we walked in, one of the women just stared st us then sat us at a «robbly «table near Shattuck Ave. My husband accidentally spilled the soup on himself and the floor. no one immediately came to the table to try to help, when they did this woman had a look of disgust gave him a towel, he ended up cleaning stuff off the floor and table never once did anyone come over to clean or help clean. the woman; a little older it was around 1:30 in the afternoon. we will not come back to this restaurant. the women there especially this particular one look like she didn’t want us there. too bad it used to be in the 90’s and early 2000 a good restaurant.

Although it’s a bit pricy, the foods are really good! Big portion! I love the sexy roll with eel :) also their bento box is delicious, you can choose two items (including grilled salmon, tuna, spicy salmon roll, etc.) for 17 $.

I had to lower my rating by one star because lately it seems that they have been slacking on removing the shells from the lobster and the shrimp. The past 3 times that I have ordered, I have chewed on pieces of shrimp and lobster with the shell still on. I wouldn’t complain if it was just one small piece of shell in my roll, but it is many pieces throughout the entire roll, and it has happened the past 3 times I have ordered. I can’t even eat my rolls comfortably because I keep expecting to bite into a hard piece of shell. The rolls are still delicious, but I just wish they would take a little more time to properly clean the lobster and shrimp.

Really enjoyed the food here. I just had a bento box witch comes with two side items. It’s pricier than most places but it has the ambiance is of a higher class restaurant making the dining experience really pleasant. I loved the great jazz that was playing over the audio system.
What I also really liked is they let me enjoy my food and didn’t bug me or hurry me up or clean up around me while I’m still sitting there. Decent customer service.

Yes please. I couldn’t be more satisfied with the roll sizes here! They were practically 2-​bite pieces.
I wanted a nice relaxing atmosphere after a day in the city. This will be my sushi place when in Berkeley for sure.

Nanayiro is one of my favorite sushi places in Berkeley. Their sushi is made with fresh ingredients, has beautiful presentation, and is incredibly filling. My favorite roll is the lion king roll because I love my sushi baked, with fresh salmon, and flavorful on its own, because I never eat sushi with soy sauce, ginger, or wasabi. The lion king roll meets all of these requirements as well as tasting luxurious. The roll has fresh crab meat and avocado inside the roll and salmon, mayo roe (fish eggs), and eel green sauce on the outside, and all the ingredients are proportional to the amount of rice and seaweed in the roll. I love the eel green sauce with the mayo roe because they really bring all the ingredients together without masking the flavors of the crab, avocado, or the salmon, which is really kind of miraculous because mayo can be an overpowering flavor. Nanayiro is one of the more elegant-​feeling restaurants that I’ve been to in Berkeley, and the price definitely reflects that. The lion king roll on its own is $ 16, which is pricey for sushi, but the price meets the quality.

Had a roll with tasteless eel tasteless everything even the overused rice was bad without the sauce the fish had no flavor
Low grade garbage
They charge 16 plus for a roll
I had 3 bites and sent back.
Skip this place

Reasonable food, smallish portions for the cost. It’s probably a downtown thing. I’ve been here three or four times now so I’m comfortable saying the food is reliably good. But the place doesn’t have food that stands out among other sushi restaurants.
The staff were friendly, but seemed a bit judgmental the last time I was there. I ordered another roll after I’d finished what they brought me for the first round. A server came up to me with the check and I said I would like to order something else, then she just stared at me for a moment and said «really?». What can I say, I was hungry.

Anyone who thinks this is the best sushi joint is as crazy as the Mad Hatter!
If you think the sashimi here is the best in Berkeley, well then I have a Millennium Falcon out back that I’d like to sell you.
Maybe best sashimi on this corner maybe, haha.
But seriously, based on a lot of Japanese places being closed on Mondays I came here.
Decent bento box, with a good creamy miso dressing. Not a big fan of their spicy tuna roll or their fake California roll.
If you’re a student and want something Japanese that’s a little above a food court in terms of taste, then this is your place.

I tried out Nanayiro with a friend a few weeks ago. I’ve actually known about this place for a really long time but never came to try it out because of the price and cuz I was a poor college student. So when my friend suggested we try it out, I was a little skeptical. Anyways, I came in and asked for a table and was seated fairly quickly. We decided to order a few rolls: the Amazon roll, the Ninja, and the Samurai roll. Our order came out fairly quickly and tbh they were amazing! The fish was fresh and the flavors were unique. Also, the rolls were ACTUALLY spicy. I hate when rolls are advertised as spicy and they really aren’t. Anyways, this was delicious and the rolls were super filling (huge). I will definitely be coming back.
Also props for the atmosphere. It was quiet but not too quiet and allowed for some great conversation.

A good choice for a sushi dinner.
The restaurant is clean and inviting. Good for a dinner date or small group. Service is casual and friendly.
All of the food I have tried has been pretty good. It won’t blow you away and like most other sushi places it is not cheap, but I have generally been satisfied. The one thing that stood out was how big the rolls were. Most folks probably could not eat a piece in a single bite. Not sure if it is a good thing or not, but it was definitely notable.
I have also tried their chirashi bowl. It has lots of fish, but unfortunately the wasabi for some reason got mixed up with everything and the fish were served a bit too cold. As the fish got warmer the dish got tastier.
You might miss Nanayiro because it is on the edge of downtown, but it might be worth a try!

I’ve always wanted to try this place since I walked by it a couple times, and I finally did.
In all, I like this place.
I got the Samurai roll and roll was big with large slices of salmon and was filled with spicy tuna. One roll was filling for dinner.
The dinner combo with the sashimi and nigiri is also really good! The sashimi slices are really big though so be prepared to take at least 2 bites to eat it.
The only downside was that the price was a bit more expensive compared to other sushi restaurants in Berkeley. And no complimentary salad as appetizers.

A very solid sushi place for Berkeley that _isn’t_ Kirala! Huzzah!
It’s down the street from my house, so they get bonus points for that.
The fish is good, the portions fairly generous, and the service quick. All in all, a solid experience. Definitely coming back, and skipping the line at Kirala.

First off, I would actually give this place 3.5 stars. But since Unilocal doesn’t allow half stars, it’s gonna have to be a 3.
Why you ask? Well, the food here is pretty decent, with a great selection of interesting sushi rolls, bento boxes, and other entrees, along with a lunch menu with special deals. But, it’s just too expensive for the atmosphere and cooking. For lunch, you will definitely pay around $ 15 and for dinner, expect to pay $ 20+ per person. Yeah, Japanese food is more expensive than others because of the raw fish and whatnot, but for the price, there are better Japanese restaurants in the area (ie Kiraku, Kirala).
But purely reviewing the food itself, my order of Ton Katsu Curry was actually very good. The pork itself is fried really well, with nice tender pork on the inside and a beautiful golden fried coat on the outside. Definitely some of the best Tonkatsu I’ve tasted, both flavor and texture-​wise. The curry itself tasted ok, but it was really thin and watery instead of being thick the way I expect Japanese curry to be. Good thing I ordered it on the side so that the perfect pork wasn’t drenched or soggy!
One weird quirk though — they serve a small serving of preserved seaweed with the meals… in a little paper ramekin… the kind you associate with free samples at Costco. For the price range, I would definitely not expect that sort of presentation, but maybe that’s just me.

Nice sushi shop with Burning rolls
Words cannot describe how awesome the fire roll is! At first I wasn’t really sure what to do with the fire, or whether I should stick my Wooden chopsticks into the pit of fire to grab ma sushi. How do I eat ma food???
Turns out, you’re supposed to wait for the fire to burn itself out (~5 min). The sushi inside was actually pretty good – the fire actually gave it a slight «burnt» smokey flavor, which when coupled with the crunchy tempura in the center, tasted quite well.
The other non-​burning rolls are pretty good too. The décor inside was also quite nice, with nice furniture and a chill vibe.
Everyone in Berkeley should visit this place at least once!