Sushinista

A really cute and hip sushi burrito place. A little misleading because there’s no raw fish, but I don’t mind that. There are meat options and grilled salmon, and fresh veggies and toppings (very similar to how you would order at Chipotle). The wasabi dressing is great and is actually spicy unlike other places I’ve had. The only downside is that I think their location is a little ways away from all the other fast restaurants, so I think they are missing out on all the UC Berkeley students. Also, the cashier and server are so friendly! This restaurant offers good, healthy options for people on the go!

Sushinista has it all: delicious food, friendly people, great ingredients, fast service, and reasonable prices. If you like bento and/​or sushi and you’re in the area, you should check them out!

I’ve come here several more times, and the food is consistently excellent, and the staff are always so friendly and gracious. Also I realized that sandwich places in the area charge just as much (if not more) for food that is nowhere near as tasty and fresh. So I take back what I said previously about it being pricey! I’ve stood in enough lines of chain sandwich shops only to get mediocre lunches with service that’s haphazard at best. Why bother with that when Sushinista is serving outstanding food and a pleasant experience!

I thought the idea of a sushi burrito was kind of stupid, but they really made it work! In stead of just giving you a giant, seaweed wrapped mess of rice, fish, and regret, which would become completely overwhelming, they give you cabbage, corn, and a whole lot of options! And if you’re anything like me, you’re already thinking about how bad this sounds, but I’m telling you, they make it work. It’s not a sushi role or a burrito, but it’s delicious! A little bit pricy though.

Cute place, interesting combinations, pretty decent food. In terms of sushi burritos I like Sumo Roll better but the bowl was great and surprisingly filling. I got the salmon rice bowl, and it was very refreshing with a great combination of textures and flavors. It comes with salad, your choice of vegetables, and some toppings. The yam tempura was so good, and the pickled radishes are yummy (coming from someone who doesn’t normally eat radishes). Especially liked the wasabi dressing.
The owners were very nice. They work thoughtfully and give their food a lot of attention. I would come back purely to support these people; however, I think it’s a little pricey for the amount that you get, hence the –1 star. Not exactly student fare. There also aren’t many seats and there’s no air conditioning, so I think you’re better off getting it to go.

$ 4 student special for a half sushi burrito is a steal! I got a really decent salmon sushi burrito with some pickled onions, corn, slaw, green bean, daikon, and some other veggies. It was delicious and a great portion size for lunch (not too much put you to sleep if you know what I mean). Really friendly staff too! Too bad they’re kind of tucked away on the street West of Shattuck, but definitely check them out.

Sushi burritos from Sushinista are the best!!! Better tasting than that other place on Kittteredge. And the people are so nice too. We love coming here. Even the vegetarian one with portobello mushrooms is delicious. We love you Sushinista people! Keep up the great work!

Healthy and they don’t put way too much horseradish like Sushi Secrets, but they almost overcompensate on the second aspect so that flavor isn’t as strong as I want it to be. Also texture of the seaweed on the outside isn’t as good as Sushi Secrets, and it’s pricey for how not filling it is. Still tasty, but I would have to order sushi burritos that would cost nearly $ 20 after tax to get my fill.

I came here with three friends so I got to try many different types of sushiritos. It was actually my first time having a sushirito and I think it’s a very innovative idea for a togo option. I tried the salmon, chicken, and beef. Each person liked their sushirito the most out of the other three so that worked out well. There is also a solid $ 8 deal for a in and out option with the sushi already wrapped up and made. You can get two halves and quickly come in and out. There is not very much seating so it’s not really a sit-​in place for lunch.

Delicious sushi burritos freshly made– or if in a hurry– specials of the day pre-​made for grab-​and-​go!
The owner, Hiro, is always kind and very courteous as are all staff. Fresh ingredients and never too long of a wait– great for lunch!!!

I ordered one sushirrito with the following options:
grilled salmon with pickled scallion and corn
white rice
yam tempura
red radish
sesame seeds
Given the price range, Sushinista’s offering of grilled salmon, at no extra charge, pleasantly surprised me. The grilled salmon at the serving station looked shredded, which may detract some patrons, but the salmon was still juicy, with a hint of shoyu. The coleslaw that comes in the sushirrito tasted a bit overdressed, however, which detracted from the yam tempura and the red radish.
Overall, considering I paid less than $ 10 post-​tax and received a filling meal w/​salmon, I plan on returning to Sushinsta.

The concept is cool but the food just wasn’t that great. When I think of a «sushi burrito» I imagine different types of fresh fish options to put inside. However, the only thing close to sushi was the grilled salmon. The other meat options were chicken, beef, and pork. I opted for the grilled salmon bowl and my boyfriend ordered the chicken sushiritto. The meat and vegetable choices didn’t look too appetizing and seemed like they have been sitting out for a long time. That surprised me since it was early afternoon when we arrived. The sushiritto was small and didn’t really taste like anything. The bowl was more flavorful but wasn’t anything amazing either.
Service was good though — the man helping us was really nice and explained how to order. The place is really small with only three small round tables and two cocktail tables if you want to dine in. Oh, and in case you were wondering, they do accept credit cards and parking is along the street.

Very convenient and fresh! Great customer service, I would recommend this place as well as go back! I got a salmon bowl and greet tea Mochi matcha ice cream! I came here after my workout for some protein and doubled up on the salmon, can’t wait to go back!

Ordered two sushi burritos. How this place works is you create your own by picking the toppings but limited per category. They’ll cut it in half so if you’re going with a friend you should pick something different therefore you guy can half of each. Customer service is excellent!!!
1^st burrito– salmon with wasabi, yam, zucchini, sesame seed. (Other veggies and corns come with it)
*this is pretty good.
2^nd burrito– beef which tasted like Bulgogi, yam, radish, sesame seed (and everything else come with a sushi burrito)
*i wouldn’t get beef again because it tasted exactly like a Korean burrito. The beef was marinated. The beef flavor was too strong that it covered other flavors.

This place is about 2 blocks away from the usual downtown Berkeley area, right outside Berkeley High School.
We found this place because of a sandwich board pointing out that this place was nearby. When we walked in, I noticed it was really clean and the staff was really friendly. One of the chefs was nice enough to explain to me how their ordering system works, and I picked the pork sushiritto.
I have a bias towards sushi and burritos, so when you put them together for me it’s hard for me not to like it :)
They put edamame beans, a cabbage salad, and a few other things into my sushiritto. It tasted really good; they let you pick a lot of parts of it so you have a lot of say into how yours will turn out and taste. I put bacon bits in mine and I really liked how it turned out.
If I’m ever craving this again I’m definitely going to give them a call and try a pick-​up order to skip the line too.

Berkeley now has three sushi burrito restaurants all within a few blocks of each other in downtown, and it does make it hard to be loyal when I genuinely like them all for different things.
However, I’ve been to this place a few times now, and I can’t deny that it’s my favorite! Definitely try it, even if you consider yourself loyal to one of the other sushi-​burrito establishments— Sushinista has significantly different offerings, including mostly cooked protein options, and the flavors should not be missed!
The rolls are a little smaller than you get at other places, and while I know it’s the ‘American way’ to do things big, I think that Sushinista’s rolls are the perfect size for a meal. The toppings aren’t spilling out or competing for attention — instead each ingredient is thoughtfully spread evenly throughout the roll, in perfect proportion, so that each bite is a balance of harmonious flavors. You can pick and choose your fillings to experiment with different flavors and textures, knowing that each choice is fresh and well seasoned (where applicable). Personally, I love adding the fresh fruit option, which changes according to what is available seasonally.
Also, it’s worth mentioning that the matcha salt that comes with the sides (fried tomato or sweet potato tempura) is absolutely delicious. The woman who rung me up passed the salt over to me and urged me to try it, as if she thought I might not be interested, but I can say anyone who eats the sides without the matcha salt is SERIOUSLY missing out. It’s delicious.
I think that the owners are often the people you see at the front, at least for now. They are polite, friendly, and very attentive to all of their customers. They are an absolutely lovely Japanese couple, and they have managed to perfectly deliver authentic Japanese flavors in an interesting way that’s both comforting and delicious. The seasoning on the meats reminds me of my Japanese family’s recipes, which I consider to be high praise, indeed!

I was greeted with a smile from the owners upon walking in. This is a small place; can be easy to miss. They were so brand new they didn’t even have chairs yet when I stopped in right before Christmas — so hopefully they do now!
The ordering is set up Chipotle-​style in that you can order from burritos or bowls. For $ 8.75 you choose a protein (only current vegetarian option is portobello mushrooms), two veggies, and one topping. The bowl was a bit smaller than I expected but a healthy lunch portion nonetheless. The Thai curry sauce on the portobello was good, but I’d love to try a few of the other sauces, like the teri mayo, not sure how much one can customize their order, however.
Lack of one star is due to location. It’s right across from the high school, so prepare to wade through throngs of teens (most of which are taking up space eating pb&j’s at one of the highly coveted tables).

Was slightly confused when I saw all the proteins were cooked, despite it being called sushinista. I am primed to think raw fish when I see sushi.
The taste and balance of flavors/​textures could use some fine-​tuning. The offering of veggies are interesting, if a bit strange (ex. pear). I thought it was funny when I chose my vegetable the person very carefully took 2 small pieces of the vegetable and gingerly laid them on the sushirrito. The seaweed gets difficult to rip off (when you bite) as the moisture from the rice soaks in.
Nice staff, trendy food.
Will try again in the future.
I would not go out of my way to try here, but if it is a convenient location then you can give it a try.
I think they opened quite recently, so I assume they will adjust stuff as necessary.
I like Tamon Tea nearby which has onigiri, another option if you want fast, light, Japanese lunch.

sushinista seem to be the only place opened in Berkeley on xmas eve. problem– i have a dislike for sushi burritos but didn’t see «bowl» as a second offering.
*maybe offering them side by side instead of vertically (w/​pics) would be helpful.
menu:“sushi” burritos and bowls (8.75) protein: salmon, honey grilled chicken, portabllo, cutlet, and sliced beef. main & side=set (11), a savings of 1.75
eats: chicken karaange (4) with 5 spice or curry
–shake and bake style, 5 pieces, superior to most offerings but not Abura-​ya
–tender, moist, chewy, greaseless
temaki:
–very friendly, personable service
–was advised to try burrito, stated my disdain for burritos, even mexican
bowl a better choice for me.
*difficult to make snap decisions in less than a minute. always go with my likes/​dislikes on reflex.
–pictures would be helpful
3.5 stars. possible upgrade to 4 stars if i ever decide to try a bowl, not a burrito.
–maybe saw sushi bowl as an offering but proteins listed were not sushi so didn’t register.

Who needs tortilla wrapped burritos when you can wrap your filling in seaweed and rice instead? If you haven’t tried a sushi burrito yet you absolutely must do so. Berkeley already has three spots: Sushi Secrets, Sumo Roll, and now Sushinista, all with varying customization options.
Sushinista focuses on cooked meat (beef, tonkatsu, chicken, grilled salmon, etc.) rather than raw fish, and includes some cool toppings (tempura flakes, bacon bits, etc.). They’re a new spot, still in soft launch mode, so they have a few small things to work on such as burrito construction speed, but I was really pleased with the quality of my food. It tasted great, was fairly reasonably priced at $ 9, they didn’t skimp on the filling, and the burrito held surprisingly well together.
One note is that Sushinista located right across the street from Berkeley High School. If you plan to visit, I’d recommend avoiding the high school lunch rush, just as the folks in my office have now become experts at. Their lunch hours are 11:38 — 12:18 on Mondays, and 12:24 — 1:04 other days of the week. Avoid those hours like the plague!