Yoshi’s Oakland

Always a good time here. The sound is the best. To bad the one in SF was closed down a few years back. The staff and the bands are always superb.

If you want sushi, dont go here. Not as authentic as you want.
We spend over $ 100 for two people and we have to box our own left over food as well as we have to ask the server to give us a new spoon since the previous spoon is not clean.
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One of the worst subways I have ever been too. It was poorly air-​conditioned. Just kind of warm. The lady working there seemed inconvenienced by our presence. Like we interrupted her private time. I could hardly hear her when she spoke. She kind of just threw our sandwiches together. The bread was a little stale. And they didn’t participate in subway rewards.

location: In beautiful jack london sq with a parking structure right next to it. They do validate, so I think I paid around $ 3 for 2 hours? I gladly paid it since parallel parking is not my strong point — but they do have street parking a few blocks down. The inside is jampacked with tables.
service: A lot of room for improvement — i.e., actually remembering things I order… and bringing them. food comes out quickly but it seems that servers are spread pretty thin.
food:
–Japonese roll: this was good, but the rolls are too big. I’d much rather they be smaller and have like 8 of them then really huge 5 ones. It was hard to pick up and it ended up breaking up everywhere anyways (³⁄₅)
–high note: lots of sushi for the price, and it was great quality (⁴⁄₅)
–spicy geisha roll: my absolute favorite, and the star of the show. (⁵⁄₅)
–cali roll: don’t judge me, but I still love a good cali roll. They use snow crab so it’s delish (⁴⁄₅)

Love the performance space. Food is pretty good.

Like live music? Like good Japanese food? Yoshi’s is the perfect place for you to visit!
I got the chance to visit when I stayed on a house boat in Alameda just across the bay and I am so glad I got to experience this. Thelma Houston performed and I snagged a ticket on the night and grabbed a tall bar stool towards the back left of the venue.
As I got there in time for dinner, I ordered:
Kobe styled beef skewers $ 12
Nigiri ichiban combination $ 18
Service was quick, food was tasty and the show was brilliant. The audience really went nuts and the caliber of the performers was fantastic for the price of the show. Great night of live music and food, would go visit again in a heartbeat.

It’s the spot to be: but the little bar before and shows is atrocious. The food is great but the BBQ eel is the freaking best! I used to go to shows there at least one a month. I stopped behind the loser staff they had at the door and the crazy seating. The shows are very nice. I’m just done giving Yoshi’s my money. I will go as a plus one. But never on my dime again!

The place is beautiful. Clean and Hygienic. Modern interiors and serene ambience. Not a good place for vegetarians. But it can be a heaven for fish lovers. Deserts not that great but impressive presentation for all the food. Staff was professional and helpful.
We actually went there to attend the concert of ANDY MCKEE which was phenomenal.

Great food and service, but a little bit expensive. It is a really nice restaurant and parking is easy (that’s a plus). They also have live music on certain days definitely can’t go wrong with live music, a bar and good sushi. I would definitely be back for a date night or a night out with friends. Theres alot of other cool bars around the Jack London Square area for after dinner.

I saw Rana Farhan perform here. There was good food to go along with the good music. The stage seemed really small for Rana and her band. They made it work though and gave a great performance.
The staff was professional and helpful, they have a lot of people and order to balance in a small amount of time and I think they did a great job. There didn’t seem to be a bad seat in the house. I was in the back, against the wall, and I had a great view of the stage. I’d look forward to seeing another performance here.

I absolutely love having Yoshi’s in Oakland. I appreciate all the talent they attract whether it be local, national, or international. I’ve probably attended three dozen shows over the years, plus another two dozen at the now defunct SF location. The intimacy and grand acoustics are like no other in the Bay. Despite their one of a kind presence there’s a few things I need to share.
Honestly I have had much tastier Japanese food even though this is always fresh. The portions are relatively small and the prices are steep. Even if you dine before the show you may not get what I consider preferred seating.
I have had a couple of snafus and management has notoriously been snobby and defensive. Customer service is not their strong suit in general.
Overall it is clean but they often struggle with the ladies restroom.
On the plus side they distribute an excellent e-​newsletter and generally provide their line-​up weeks/​months in advance. The concert prices are fair, but the 8pm or early show tends to be shorter than the later show. Encores are exceptional but extraordinarily long shows haven’t been my experience.
I plan to patronize Yoshi’s as long as they continue to bring accomplished multicultural artists to the Town.

Lovely food, although expensive (befitting its setting) and since we were going to the show afterward, we were given extraordinary seats.
The last time I’d been to Yoshi’s was at its Berkeley location, and I was obviously impressed with the new setting. As a periodic treat, absolutely.

Absolutely still in love with this restaurant and music hall.
The romantic atmosphere has dim lighting to set the mood. There’s a full bar for those not on a date but still want to mingle.
The food ok. You can make a reservation and if you don’t finish eating before your show begins, tell your host and they’ll bring it to your seat inside the concert area.
Amazing wine selections. I like the Riesling.
They could update the furniture but don’t let that stop you from having a good time. Once the musical acts are on its party time and you’re hardly in your seat (unless that’s the scene for that event, which is still cool).
If you can get a booth for better seating.

Great venue in the heart of Oakland. Wonderful local music, national and International performances. The sound is amazing, the food is delicious! Overall a great night out without breaking the bank, but still grown and sexy!
** Tip** Reserve your seats for the show 1:30 hours before the show starts to avoid the seating mob.

Fresh, tasty menu. Convenient parking. Excellent acoustics. Generous bartenders. Top-​notch musical guests — what’s not to love?!

The ambiance and and intimate concert area are worth the money you will get a good view of the artist. It felt like Floetry was singing just to me. Now the food is very mediocre I had the uni scallop risotto, first off I have had many risottos and scallops but this was not right. I could not finish it. The scallops had a overly fishy taste and the risotto had a caned milk taste. A sweet after taste. I could not taste any uni. It was a major fail for me. The sushi was ok. My partner steak was good. I should have ordered the steak. The drinks
Were top notch. The only advantage of eating at Yoshis is they will save you a seat. Oh yea I had dessert the Crème brûlée was ok had the same milk taste as the jasmine rice risotto. That was not risotto rice that was a jasmine rice. I cannot get over how they screwed that risotto up. I would give them another chance again and probably stick to the sushi or a steak.

Stopped in here with a group of friends one evening. It was an impromptu dinner stop. As, I recall they accommodated us the best they could. There was a bit of a wait being a Saturday. We were a group of 6. The food was good. I think I would have to go back again to make a final decision about this place to be honest.

We had a preset dinner menu. My husband had the lobster and I had the lamb. The lobster was decent, nothing special. The lamb on the other hand was too salty. I like my food on the salty side but not «I need a gallon of water kind of salty». The rest of our party felt the same. We had to order additional food. Waaaay too expensive for the quality.
I have to admit the ambiance was beautiful… very romantic. Our waiter was knowledgable and friendly.
The night wasn’t a total waste because we had good company.

Came in to have dinner and then had a great dinner. Sushi was good but the pieces were really large so it was hard to eat but it does taste good.
Seaweed salad was really good, vegetable tempura I could have not had and been ok, tofu starter was nice and soft, shrimp tempura was awesome. But dot get the crème brûlée very weird texture and not flavor I was not impressed. Service was good but not great.
The main reason I give this a 5 star was the venue itself and the show Sergio Mendez and his crew was just unreal! So much fun a must see! Kept it current and great vibes!

This was my first visit to Yoshi’s. I am not big on sushi but I am big on Jon Cleary and the Absolute Monster Gentlemen who were performing here. This place, located in the sadly under utilized Jack London Square in downtown Oakland, is a really great venue to see live music. Not a bad seat in the 350 seat house. And even better, if you eat dinner in the dining room they reserve a seat for you in the performance hall, which for us turned out to be right at the foot of the stage. Very cool.
We could hear the early show going on while we ate in the comfortable dining room. We ordered the Snow Monkey Roll and the Warrior Roll– both were really really good. And we used the Unilocal freebie on check in for sea salt edamame.
Like I said I am not big on sushi and don’t really have a strong sense for what ‘good’ sushi would be like, but these rolls were tasty and we ate them all up. I doubt I would ever come here just to eat, but would definitely come to eat if there was a show I wanted to see! Dinner for two with sake and beer was about $ 70; show tickets were $ 22 each. Yeah, I am a fan!

Intimate, classy, a small venue, these adjectives would be the first words that come to mind when describing Yoshi’s. Other venues just don’t compare when it comes to sitting close to the entertainment/​shows, and there are no bad seats in the house.
There’s plenty of positive things to say about Yoshi’s. The food is decent. The service is good for the most part. Usually there’s at least one show every other month that I want to buy tickets for.
The Food:
Halibut cheeks: these little appetizers were delicious, tender pieces of fish. So good we ordered a second order.
Nigiri set: decent nigiri but on the pricy side for sure.
Specialty rolls: my humble a opinion is I prefer to stay clear of these because many of them have mayo slathered on top which isn’t right on sushi. But if you like mayo on your specialty rolls then it’s great.
Drinks: my wife likes the Honey Suckle Martini. She orders it every time we come to Yoshi’s.
The bad: if I were to nitpick on anything, because it’s such a small venue it can get cramp in the seating which can be uncomfortable.
Overall however there is no venue better for a show. Excellent location in Jack London, even better that I live two blocks away.

Last night I came to Yoshi’s for the Musiq Soulchild concert. This was my first time here. Soooo, first things first.
Restaurant: I made reservations because you get priority seating when you do. But aside from that the food was extremely tasty! For starters we got the shrimp and vegetable tempura. Came out extremely hot, which was great because most sushi places don’t. For dinner we got the Lobster Roll, Spicy Tuna, and 2 other rolls that I can’t remember. These 2 were my favorite!!! Ask for sriracha and mix with the soy sauce, becomes absolute perfection! Please note that you have to remove your shoes, so make sure your feet or socks are good.
Venue: it is very small, so if you have issues being shoulder to shoulder with people it is not for you. We sat at table 11 (super close to the stage), and we shared it with 2 other people whom we didn’t know, but after being so close I’m sure we left as bffs! You can get food and drinks while the show is going on, so enjoy.

We had a wonderful evening at Yoshi’s!
First, we went to dinner at Yoshi’s. I ordered the Halibut Cheeks (tempura) and a spider roll. It was very well seasoned and very good. I also had a taste of the soba noodles with seaweed salad which was probably the best soba noodles that I’ve tasted thus far. My friends ordered the pork chop which they said was really good!
Second, the service was also amazing. Dave, was attentive to our needs, he articulated his answers well regarding any of our inquiries and he had a very pleasant personality. Definitely a huge plus.
After dinner we watched Keiko Matsui’s final performance during her U.S. tour. Wow… phenomenal!!!
Over all great ambiance, food, performance and evening!

I’ve got serious love for Yoshi’s Oakland. If an intriguing act pops up on their calendar, my hand starts itching for a credit card to place an order for tickets. The intimacy of the space draws me in. I’ve had countless amazing experiences seeing live music here, mere feet away from the musicians. Only 310 seats! The talent that comes through here is tremendous — Lisa Fischer, Luke James, Rachelle Ferrell, Musiq Soulchild, Goapele, Rumer… The list goes on and the lion’s share of the shows I’ve attended have been like master classes of vocal excellence. That being said, if the performer you’ve come to see doesn’t bring their A game, it will be glaringly apparent. This type of setting lends itself to real players and quality talent.
In terms of seating, I highly suggest you aim for a centrally located table in the first few rows. Lucky table 13 is my go-​to preference because you have a clear view of all the gritty details and more room to stretch out. Some of the tables in the far back really force you to squeeze in, which can be rather awkward, especially if you are sharing a four top with strangers. If you have a bigger group, they have booth seating, but I stand by my pick. If you find yourself hungry or thirsty during the show, you can order from their full menu right at your table. The waiters swirling around during the performance can be distracting, but in my experience, they do a great job of navigating the floor and taking care of the customers without killing the vibe.
As for the restaurant, what a beautiful dining room. Decorated in shades of cream, there are plenty of tables for all sizes of groups, a long wooden sushi bar, and a no shoes allowed dining area that draws influence from traditional zashiki seating. It’s practically exploding with ambiance. Whether it’s busy or slow, the wait staff and the hosts are always welcoming, attentive, and timely. Food wise, the pan seared maguro salad is my favorite because it’s reasonably healthy and the wasabi vinaigrette is on point. I’m not a huge fan of their sushi, but if I had to pick, the spicy geisha is my roll of choice. One thing is for sure, the plating of the dishes is always visually pleasing. I wouldn’t say that their food merits a five star rating, but it is good enough to make Yoshi’s a one stop shop for dinner and a show every once in awhile.
If you like up close and personal live music with a side of sushi, check Yoshi’s calendar and prepare to be enchanted.