I've been to IYASARE twice and have always been thoroughly impressed with the food, service, and ambiance! Our server, Andy, was exceptional at his job. Just looking at the menu alone everything sounded appetizing and very unique. Our party was pretty open to trying anything and everything so we asked Andy to surprise us with our menu items alongside a few for sure items that we wanted. He made sure to ask if we had any allergens or dietary restrictions before selecting the items for us. Every single dish was phenomenal and so flavorful. Our food included spicy edamame, tori kara-age appetizer, bacon mochi, Iyasare kakiage tempura, geisha roll, chef's omakase, and kara-age curry don. Although everything was spectacular, my favorites were definitely the Iyasare kakiage tempura, the chef's omakase, and the bacon mochi. The Iyasare kakiage tempura is a thick seafood pancake that comes with a nice bonito soy broth for dipping as well as matcha powder, green sea salt powder, and togarashi. I might be wrong with the powders but they had a nice additional flavor to the tempura. It's fried to perfection and you can taste the quality of ingredients. They were definitely generous with the Black Tiger shrimp pieces. The first time I had the bacon mochi, I personally thought it was just alright but when I had it for the second time today, I loved it. The mochi was fried at the perfect consistency with soft texture and crispy skin. It didn't get stuck in my teeth this time. The bacon added a little saltiness to the mochi which really balances out the taste. The chef's omakase was amazing as well. Each sashim piece was very fresh and delicious in its own without the need for soy sauce/wasabi. Andy took the time to explain all the fish and seafood on the plate which we appreciated. The snowcrab and the toro tuna hand roll were amongst my favorites from the plate. We ended the night with their cheesecake with blueberry compote. It was amazing as i remembered from last visit. The cheesecake is super light and not dense at all. It's very creamy and the graham cracker crust was delicious. I know their dessert is seasonal as well but you can never go wrong with any of their cheesecakes. Highly highly recommend checking out Iyasare! Thank you Iyasare and Andy for serving us!

Love love this place! Ambience, service quality of food. Everything here is exceptional. I would recommend reservations . The mushroom asparagus tempura is by far one of our favorite appetizers . And the habanero sauce on top of the sushi roll - love

We had the honor of dining at Iyasare for date night after hearing so many good reviews from friends and family. This place lives up to the hype! Their ramen was amazing.. super rich broth, tender chasu, and fresh veggies. The portion size of the fish in the Ikura Don was definitely on the smaller side.. I left feeling slightly hungry still which is a little disappointing knowing how much we paid. However, at the end, it didn't really matter to me because our overall dining experience was divine. We had the pleasure of having Jackie as our server! She was helpful, knowledgeable, and just an overall an amazing human being! So glad we got to chat with her at the end of our meal. Be prepared to spend some $$$

Second time at Iyasare. First time was spectacular. We had a reservation for early Sunday night and were seated right away. Ordered the grilled squid I already had last time. Equally delicious this time ! My wife got the sake don, which was also really good. Salmon tasted great. Seaweed salad was ok. Letdown was the cheesecake desert which wasn't properly thawed or at least it was still half frozen especially the lower part. Next time I'll get the tempura again which was probably best item from the first time.

Went to Berkeley Fourth Street to pick up some items and decided to pop in for an early dinner. We don't have any reservations but there was room at the bar and we got a table pretty easily. The service was incredible. Water was refilled frequently and the staff was incredibly attentive. We got a ramen, two rolls, a scallop & uni appetizer (this was divine!) and cocktails as well. Everything tasted delicious and the presentation was also beautiful. Great spot for an intimate date or a fun night out with friends!

Celebrated our anniversary here tonight. Their special Ocean UmamiHokkaido scallops, ikura caviar, uni, nori puree, ume, shiso were so good - like a party in your mouth. Kids had the Sendai ramen and enjoyed it. My husband had the chirashi. My Hamachi Ikura don was good but I felt that the cuts of fish were the thinnest I've ever had at Iyasare to date. My husband gave me his hamachi from the chirashi and it was definitely thicker than the slices on my bowl. That's my sole feedback area - to make sure their cuts are uniform for the bowls. The Brussel sprouts are addictive and I have to ask how they are cooked. The seasoning is so umami and the sprouts are fresh. The desserts were delicious and I'm glad we ordered both. It's not a restaurant we usually visit with our kids but it is Spring Break and I'm grateful the staff were so accommodating and friendly.

Top notch Japanese cuisine. It's always crowded here. It's challenging to get a reservation. Great place for lunch or dinner if you're shopping on 4th Street in Berkeley. The staff are very friendly. Sushi is very fresh and delicious. One of my fav dishes is the Iyasare kakiage tempura with burdock root, onion, sweet potato, shiitake, shungiku, and tiger prawns. It was very nice and crunchy. Also ordered the agedashi tofu & nasu fried silken tofu, Japanese eggplant, ginger-daikon. It was very good. The sushi roll we ordered was a hamachi roll. Delicious.

I came here for part two of my birthday celebration. I've always wanted to come here every since I found out about their bacon mochi because it was gluten-free and I heard it was amazing. Turns out that this is no longer the case and that their teriyaki sauce does have gluten in it. We were fortunate enough to stand in line and actually get a seat at a community table. This space inside is much bigger than I thought it was. And even though I was hoping to get a table outside, I'm glad that I didn't because it became very cold and I would've been very uncomfortable. The community is a cute one and I'm glad we got to sit there. I told the waitress that I was celebrating my birthday and that's how I got my birthday champagne and I appreciated that. It was very good. She was very good at helping me navigate them menu because I have the allergies of shellfish and wheat. I did choose the grilled dish and it worked out just fine. I actually like my dish better than my husband and his was good. It was hard to eat with the chopsticks, however, that's not an issue with the food or the quality. It was very good. The people there are very very very nice , and they were very attentive. Everyone from the person who filled our water glasses, to the person who brought me my champagne, to the person who took our order, and the person who served us, etc. everyone was absolutely wonderful, and I appreciate that! I really felt felt taken care of when my food arrived and the waitress took my food and took it back to the cook to explain to him that I could not have the teriyaki sauce. I really appreciate it that attention to detail. I wanted to order dessert but the gluten-free dessert they had had banana in it and I hate bananas. Otherwise, I would've ordered something. I know I'll be back and feel very good about this because I now know what to expect when I go in.