Tako Sushi

I’ve come up with a rule of thumb for sushi restaurants… the more they rely on tempura rolls and/​or rolls doused in mayo the worse the overall quality.
That rule held true here at Tako. It’s not bad sushi per se… the basic rolls (e.g. spicy tuna) are respectiable if not great. About what you would want for a cheap college street sushi joint, But the specialty rolls slathered with a spicy mayo (that somehow manages to be bland despite the name) and the reliance on panko breading to make things appealing speaks to the overall marginal quality of the fish and rice.
Like I said, it’s not bad and the service is fine. The miso soup and seaweed salad are good. But this is not a place to go for a great or even particularly good sushi meal. It’s a place if you need a quick and reasonable priced sushi-​fix.
I’d say stick with the simple rolls if you come here.

really should have listened to other reviewers and avoided the fancy rolls, they were overpriced for what you get and covered in awful mayosauce. the main ingredients are either fried or mayo crab salad, can’t even taste the sushi really. The smaller reasonably priced were fine but could not make up for the poor quality. I went to this place when it opened probably 15 years ago and loved it, my tastes certainly have changed but there really is a lot of room to improve here

Great place near campus to get cheap and fast sushi. It’s no Joshu-​ya but you get your bang for your buck.
Ambiance/​Service: Usually pretty packed since it’s one of the more affordable places. All the seating is in the back so you just walk past the cashier if you’re dining in. The servers were really fast to take our orders and get us everything we needed.
Food: I usually get the lion king roll at most sushi places — love baked rolls. Not the best i’ve had but it was still very filling.
Pros: They have student specials so be on the look out for them!

In a city like Berkeley, where food is more than just sustenance; Tako Sushi can really hold their own among some of the more established and well known businesses. This restaurant not only offers a variety of traditional Asian dishes ranging from Umagi to Bulgogi, but each is prepared fresh to order at a reasonable price. I like everything here, but highly suggest the California Roll special (50 rolls for less than $ 35), it’s a hella good deal :)

Well, this place really isn’t the best place for Japanese food but it has one of the most affordable prices around Berkeley in my opinion. It’s also conveniently located in South Berkeley so it is easily accessible for students to grab a bite. The staff here is very friendly as well although they can be a bit scary at times.
I love getting the student specials here since each bowl only costs around $ 6. My favorite one to get is the Oyako Donburi which consists of chicken and egg over rice. It’s a simple but filling dish and is much cheaper than other options around Berkeley. The miso soup that comes with your meal is also nice and warms up your belly. I wasn’t a big fan of the chicken teriyaki here and I also think you are better off making ramen at home rather than ordering it here. Overall, this place is good to grab a cheap dish but don’t expect high quality food.

Great service, great food, great prices! ¹⁰⁄₁₀ would recommend.
My friends and I even brought wine in and there was no corkage fee! I love Tako!

This place has mediocre sushi, but offers a very cheap option. I rarely come here anymore but when I did, I tried the simple rolls like the California roll as well as the cheap $ 5 ramen. It’s great that they offer Japanese flavors at a much more affordable price but the quality definitely isn’t great.
The sushi rice does not taste fresh and is often too sticky or too hard. Not to say the flavor isn’t there, but when I order raw fish, I expect fresh fish for the sake of my tummy. The ramen is plain but does the trick when you want something fast and hits the spot. It’s like ramen that you can make at home, but with some kimchi and other vegetables added into the broth.
The interior is dingy and the tables are a bit sticky, but service is quick and food is alright.

Nice spots for sushi food. Multiple choice and delicious food satisfied me a lot and will try another time! Also, the price is quite reasonable to Berkeley students!

LOVE this place! The food is cheap and the portion sizes are hugee, especially the lunch bentos. Pretty tasty too in my opinion. :)

A good, if not average, Japanese restaurant that serves good sushi.
Don’t come in here expecting a fine, top-​notch sushi experience, because that’s not what Tako Sushi is about. After all, it’s located next to a university, so it’s mainly targeted at college students who just want to eat Japanese food without having their wallets bleed.
That being said, the sushi rolls here are still very good for the price you pay, especially during lunch time, as portions are pretty generous.
Most prices are acceptable, if not good value for the money, though a few dishes are a little too pricey given their quality (e.g. Chirashii, sashimi). As long as you stick to the basic items such as the sushi combos, you’ll be fine (although some could still be a bit cheaper in my opinion).
Service is generally good, though wait times can be a little long at times (especially during dinner time).
Bottom line is, if you’re just feeling for some sushi and don’t want to spend too much money, then Tako Sushi is the place to go in Berkeley.
However, if you don’t mind paying just a little more for better quality sushi, look elsewhere.

Finally tried this place and 1. it’s not as cheap as everyone makes it out to seem and 2. the quality is just absolutely terrible. I got their spicy tuna roll and california roll and the rolls were practically falling apart and the spicy tuna did not taste fresh at all. I’d suggest just heading over to some other japanese place like CU sushi or even the place in asian ghetto, pay about the same price or $ 1 – 2 more for way better quality and taste… I had a reason to hold off on trying this place and boy was I right.

So some of my friends give me a lot of attitude when I say that I love Tako Sushi — so hear me out before you stop reading.
I think the issue a lot of people have with Tako sushi is that they expect to eat sushi /​japanese food when they come here… don’t!!! Tako sushi is to Japanese food what Panda Express is to Chinese food. Essentially, if you walk in thinking it’s not Japanese food, its actually quite good and a really good value.
Essentially, the key take away is that when you come here, you focus on the basics in every regard (normal chicken udon, rolls, chicken teriyaki, etc.). If you don’t stray away from the basics, you’re solid. DO NOT GET FANCY STUFF LIKE SASHIMI — really not worth your money. I think the best food is the student combos as well as entrée combos and sushi combos. DO NOT get the rolls here — they are drowned in a weird sauce.
In terms of actual menu items, I recommend:
— Sushi Combo B (CA rolls and Salmon Skin rolls for only around ~$ 8. It fills me up and I’m a pretty hefty dude)
— Chicken Popcorn Bites (Just yummy and drowned in sauce… LOL /​perfect for sharing)
— Chicken Teriyaki Bowl Student Special + option of adding 4 CA rolls (~$ 8… so much food again)
— Chicken Katsu Combo or other cheaper combos (~$ 12 for SOOOO MUCH FOOD. Srsly like 2 meals).
Not the best food I’ve had, but you definitely get what you paid for – which isn’t very much to begin with.

I have been to this place many times because, unlike other newrby sushi establishments, it is worth coming back for.
Lets start with the ambience of the store. Frm the cherry blossom wall décor, to the warm colored wood of the furniture– the store radiates an aura of comfort and style. Along with this, the staff that work here are always polite and on time with whatever they do. I found it difficult to finish my cup of water when it would generally be refilled whenever it was more or else half full. The only thing that breaks the immersion would be the strange entrance, but it is unavoidable considering the claustrophobic City that Berkeley is.
Along with the great service, the crème de la crème. I’ve been to family sushi stores likc Sushi Cal is Harbor City, CA, AYCE stores like Sake 2 Me, and general sushi chains. They all have their strengths, but there’s something about the preparation and presentation that this store has that gives a great meld of the small family shop and the big chain restaurants. The fish tastes fresh, not frozen and the rice is always the correct texture.
I sad that I don’t have this store near my hometown, but if I did, I would keep coming back for more.

I made the mistake of getting the Chirashi here once. Not only did it take 30 minutes for the dish to come out, but when I got it, the fish was still partially frozen. There were ice flakes visible on the fish itself, and you could definitely feel the ice when you bit into the fish itself.
I don’t know what I expected from Tako Sushi, but I was certainly disappointed when I saw my Chirashi bowl.
Won’t be coming back.

The rolls are pretty big and a good deal for students on a college budget. My friends and I (there’s 4 of us) ordered 3 different rolls and we were unable to finish it all. However, the sashimi didn’t seem too fresh and the wait for the baked rolls were quite long… overall there is better quality Japanese food elsewhere.

bibimbap for $ 6.99 during lunch. there’s too many places to eat on this main street near UC berkeley… it’s so hard to choose. I really enjoyed the bibimbap and it was heavy as I ordered it to go. Good stuff. Yum.

This is my go-​to sushi spot in Berkeley. Their prices are affordable and they’ve now adopted a bit of Korean sushi.
They added bibimbap to their menu along with the Korean kicker roll ($ 4), which has bulgogi, kimchi, and avocado. So good!
The waiters are generally pretty attentive and the atmosphere is pleasant. There are cherry blossom trees painted on the walls and they have assorted non-​pop music playing at an audible volume.
Next time I’m craving cheap, yummy sushi, you’ll know where to find me.

Been here quite often. It’s a solid place to eat. Not a place for an occasion but normal meal yeah. Good place for a larger group of friends (4 – 8)
Staff is nice most of the time, but never rude or mean.
I don’t eat fish so weird for me to come. But I always get the teriyaki chicken bowl which is nicely affordable, for students especially!

Not a bad place for someone who’s on a budget, but there is definitely better Japanese food out there. I came in on a Tuesday for lunch, and I ordered the tonkatsu donburi and one soft shell crab appetizer to share while my friend ordered inari and an alaskan sushi roll I believe.
The donburi (3.5 stars): Not bad, I liked the layer of eggs with the green onion and the tonkatsu itself was good. The fried batter wasn’t too heavy, but it could have been more flavorful. The rice had some light soy sauce which was good, but they used some sort of barbecue sauce which I didn’t like. It felt a little cheap.
The soft shell crab (2 stars): They used the same panko mix to fry the soft shell crab as they did with the tonkatsu. It just made the soft shell crab too heavy. They should have used tempura batter for the soft shell crab which is more golden and fluffier.
Service: Decent, fast, and they refilled our waters without being prompted. A solid 2.7 stars.
Would I come back? No, but it’s not a bad spot to eat cheap Japanese food, it’s just not my thing.

Comparing all the sushi options in the vicinity of UC Berkeley, Tako is a good place to get yummy sushi at a fair price.
They provide complimentary miso soup no matter what you order, and are pretty fast at getting the orders out
I wouldn’t come here for quality Japanese food though.