Best Japanese Restaurants in Albany

It is great to have dinner, however if you want to go listen to music and get seats they do reserve seats! The problem is they let all the non reserved tickets holders in before the diners who have reserved seats??? Cathy

We went for my wife’s birthday and had a very nice time. The food was exceptional and the wait staff was an orchestrated ballet of impeccable service. Everything from the appetizers, the main courses and the desserts were all rock solid. I expected at least one of these categories to be a little weak (as they are with most restaurants) and I was continually pleasantly surprised by the dynamic flavors and incredibly well-prepared, and well-seasoned food overall. My only critique would be that the broccolini was undercooked for my taste and a little too heavy on the garlic, and the porterhouse rolls were slightly disappointing — they were made of some kind of wheat dough with an added aromatic that wasn’t needed in my opinion. I was hoping for the classic buttery white bread porterhouse rolls! But if you are looking for exotic flavors, and open to things being a little different than expected, there’s no shortage of that at Niku. The ambience was modern, tasteful and chic. The music was a little loud, but that helped to provide a very immersive experience. After a few drinks you don’t notice as much lol. They have three different seating options: bar, tables, and chefs counter. This was not as clearly explained as it could’ve been on their website or on OpenTable. The pictures I found online didn’t give a clear enough idea of what the different seating options would look like, so that made planning a special occasion a little difficult. Otherwise, I couldn’t recommend this place enough.

Great service. Presentation is entertaining. Food is amazinc

We live Fush & Bird! In all of the East Bay it is probably the most authentic Japanese food that one can find. The sashimi is very fresh. The temporary light and the tofu is phenomenal. I always look forward to returning to this wonderful restaurant!

We ate at Akemi two nights in a row. That says it all. Counter seating was tons of fun. Watching the masters at work was best theater in Berkeley. Food was simply delicious. And, we will return!