This place was good when it opened. And can still be ok if you sit at the sushi bar because the chefs will take good care of you. The food is good and I would say better than most sushi restaurants. The service kills the place for me: Every time we walk in we are blasted without hello but rather DO YOU HAVE A RESERVATION? If I had a res I would say so! How about welcome to Kakui? Last night they got me again ... Items on my bill that were not received! Always complaining of being short-staffed. Sorry, not my problem. At this point not one of my must go back to destinations. If you like bad service, try it!
(3)
packurknives a.
Take away one star for overpricing. The food however is great! Really fresh and some good inventive rolls. The brussel sprouts app is pretty damn awesome too. Service is good. This is a great addition to Montclair!
(4)
Angie C.
I love this sushi restaurant! Oh my - this place is delectable! My girlfriend and I visited this place, and although we are not the biggest sports fans, the 49er Roll and the Oakland A's Roll, both sounded the most appetizing in the moment! My favorite is the 49er roll, they place thin slices of lemon on top that makes it very refreshing and tasty. Some of the tastiest sushi I have had, very satisfying! Very posh atmosphere, and friendly service!
(5)
Sarah M.
We walked in with high hopes only to have them completely crushed by the horrible service at Kakui Sushi. When we arrived around 6 the restaurant was more then half empty. We were promptly seat and served water while we reviewed the menu. By the time they came to take our order about 10 minutes later we had finished our waters which were never refilled during the course of the meal. About 10 minutes after that our green teas and miso soup arrived. We asked for spoons and that took another 5 minutes. My chicken teriyaki arrived next which was a bunch of undercooked scrap meat. My husband sushi which was only two rolls took another 15 minutes to be served. By the time he received his measly rolls my scrap meat was already cold. During this time we were never asked by our server how our meal was or offered a refill on our waters or green teas.
(1)
Asya I.
We visited this Sushi restaurant based on pretty good reviews on Yelp. It was a bit of a disappointment as we drove from Castro Valley, expecting it to be an upscale Montclair restaurant: cozy, quaint, fresh raw seafood, romantic setting. Well, the place was crowded and tables are uncomfortably close in proximity to each other. Another family's kids were practically in my lap. We ordered hot sake, it tasted like it was already warmed up a couple of times before: so-so. We waited for quite some time... The waiters mixed things up and brought our order to the other table, but, luckily, they brought it back to us eventually. Finally our food came: adequate. We ordered sashimi salmon, an order of uni, and a couple of sushi rolls. Portions were on the smallish side. Then at some point we found a couple of very tiny pieces of glass in our marinated ginger. Not wanting to complain and ruin our own evening, we just chewed more carefully. Everything else was fine. In the morning we felt fine, no digestive issues. So not the worst possible place to eat, but we have had much better sushi than this!
(1)
Vanessa S.
We went back, and once again I am a fan! This time service was up to par and loved their brussels sprouts.
(4)
Tracy S.
I Love, Love, Love this place. I have been going there since they opend. The staff is amazing. The owner Yingji is also amazing. He treats everyone like family. The restaurant is beautiful, the food presentation is a piece of art.Everything is delicious, I never had a problem with service. They also offer off site catering.
(5)
Stephanie R.
Delicious, wonderful addition to Montclair! I dined with a friend last night, and we had a wonderful meal. I was a bit disappointed to find my first 2 choices (hamachi collar and the cod) sold out at 7:30pm, but I tried the salmon instead. It was so perfectly cooked and flavorful. I don't usually order salmon out, due to it often being dry and tasteless. This was the opposite. I had the the tuna poke starter, which was nice. It's not the poke I remember from Hawaii, but it was nice, fresh tuna. I tried a piece of the veggie tempura and a bite of the ribeye. Both were very good as well. Nice wine list. I enjoyed a dry German Riesling. I left feeling this is the best restaurant in Montclair. I haven't tried the sushi yet, but I will on another visit. Our service was good, and the noise level was fine. I thought we'd overhear our neighbors' conversations, with the seating so close together. But that wasn't an issue at all. It was a special treat. I look forward to future visits!
(4)
Derek N.
This is a beautifully-decorated sushi restaurant in the Montclair district of Oakland. The sushi rolls consumed were: (1) Oakland A's Roll that had spicy tuna, yum; (2) Dragon Roll, and a (3) DJ Roll (haha my first and middle initials). Overall, I had a nice meal. Overall, I thought the rolls consumed were good. I'd probably be back to try the sashimi and will report back to see how the raw-cuts stack up.
(3)
Tamara N.
The best thing about this restaurant is the food. We had a party of seven (which seemed to take up about 1/3 of the entire restaurant) and everyone liked the food. I would give four stars for the food. Black cod, miso soup, Lion King sushi roll, spicy tuna roll--all really good. We had many things from the menu, these are just the things that immediately spring to mind. Now for the bad--and this is what would keep me from returning--this place is small, claustrophobic, and loud. I was told the space used to be a Jamba Juice. How can you fit a sit-down restaurant in a spot that small? You can't. Our ears were assaulted by a cacophony of techno music and the voices of too many people in a small space. The arrival of the food was really random and not well paced. The service was average. The servers were pleasant enough, but a little forgetful.
(3)
Jennifer T.
Went there on a Sunday afternoon and sat at the sushi bar. Best sushi late lunch ever! What did I eat? KOBE BEEF NIGIRI- from Australia that was lightly torched on the outside- DAMN good - with a drizzle of a light special sauce the sushi chef Andy made. The beef melts in your mouth. So good. I had 4 orders. KUMAMOTO OYSTERS- Had these tiny, plump, sweet oysters "shooter" style with a bit of uni from Hokkaido (very small lobes and verrrry oceany sweet), tobiko and ponzu. Mouth orgasm. End of story. ALBACORE TORO NIGIRI- very very VERY reasonably priced. You can compare this with regular Toro. The fish is buttery and rich, it basically melts in your mouth with the addition of the perfectly cooked lightly vinegared sushi rice grains- such a perfect texture and flavor balance. VERY good. A must order. UNI SHOOTERS- When Kakui gets Uni flown in from Japan, and you're an Uni addict like me- BE SURE TO ORDER it. The small lobes are pale orange un color, super creamy and sweet. I paired it with quail eggs and ponzu. Mmmmm. 49ER ROLL- I always edit sushi rolls wherever I eat and Kakui's sushi chef Andy was happy to oblige me. I ordered the 49er with tempura asparagus and avocado on the inside with salmon and lemon on top. Dynamite. ANKIMO- was on their specials. The Monkfish liver was very nicely prepared and was full of flavor. It was served with daikon oroshi, ponzu and tobiko. Very impressive. SF sushi places finally have competition in the East Bay. My server, Tony, was very attentive and gave great service. Kakui is not my GO-TO place for sushi in the East Bay. YUM.
(5)
Grace A.
Please take the ramen off the menu. Ramen aficionados such as my wife will thank you for it. Cute ambiance but was not impressed by the food or the prices.
(1)
Betsy P.
Ordered to pick up only. Spider roll. $9 something with tax. It only had five pieces. Delicious, but WAY overpriced. The restaurant is small with upscale decor. Nice, but too rich for my blood. Thanks anyway, Monteclair.
(4)
Eva Y.
The place has interesting service where they tend to forget that you need utensils. Other than that, fish: very fresh. Menu items: fusion to traditional dishes. It's not a big place for group parties larger than 10 but the food is yummy. Their ribs however... is a bit too caramelized and sweet. You will need a bowl of rice with those sticky sweet ribs. As for their signature kakui rolls... I guess I didn't realized it did not have rice in it. Instead of nori wrapper, this roll is wrapped by a long piece of thinly sliced cucumber with 2 types of fish at the center. Interesting and refreshing. It's a good place for a date since the ambiance is nice and quiet.
(4)
Miss C.
We love this place! We're in at least once a week and haven't been disappointed. The fish is super fresh, great drink/wine list, and the rolls are quite creative. The chefs often chat just a bit with the patrons at the bar and that makes for a delightful experience. Current favorite roll: Alicia Roll. Can't miss: the Brussel Sprouts. I was surprised to see some of the negative reviews, not my experience at all. Fun, funky, and delightful!
(5)
Hollis M.
Great ford, service and ambiance. Last night was our fourth trip to Kakui and it was as good as the first three times. There were four of us for dinner, so we had many different things including a warm mushroom salad (so delicious), crisp garlicky edamame, a roasted beet salad, and pot stickers as apps. All really good. Entrees were black cod, hamachi collar, chicken, and pork belly. With a nice bottle of a moderately priced Black Dragon sake, it was an almost perfect meal (we wanted more dessert choices than just lemon sorbet, altho it is refreshing and light). Friendly servers happily share their vast knowledge of the dishes and provide good unobtrusive service. Lovely addition to Montclair's restaraunts.
(5)
Paris P.
Fantastic sushi, creative menu. Sit at the bar and chat up the awesome sushi chefs; they'll take care of you.
(5)
Simon b.
My wife and I don't get the chance to go out for dinner often so when we do it is a real treat. That being said we couldn't get into our regular Sushi spot and decided to try Kakui. We were so happy and excited we did. With no reservation we had a 20 minute wait on a Friday. They took our mobile number and said they would call us while we looked at the other local stores. Farmstead does a wine tasting on Fridays so that worked in perfectly. We sat at the bar and were greeted and served immediately. The menu offerings were tempting and everything we ordered was spectacular. I wish I could remember everything we had but it was all great. The place is small but the noise level was pretty low. The restaurant has a pleasing decor which really puts you at ease. This will now be our go to sushi spot.
(5)
Rob T.
Kakui Sushi is a nice addition to the restaurants popping up in Montclair. The food is fresh and service exceptional. - chicken kara age japanese fried chicken 8 = good - brussel sprouts karashi vinaigrette 9 = good - 49er roll shiso, avocado, tobiko, topped with salmon, sliced lemons 12 = i'm a Raider fan but this is the best 49er roll I've ever had...so fresh & refreshing - buta kakuni braised pork belly poached daikon, pickled onion, cilantro 13 = fatty pork is the best way to describe this heavenly dish - chicken teriyaki served with spicy aka miso and seasoned vegetables 13 = a different twist w/the spicy sauce but I prefer plain teriyaki sauce, a tad overcooked - ten piece maguro tuna sashimi 19 = fresh & melts like butter, excellent
(4)
Neil H.
Started with komatsuna (Miso steamed kale) always great to eat some greens. Probably my favor kale dish. Enjoy the broth after you finish all the kale. Then a quick hotategai (scallop) which was alive btw. Amazing. Then on to hamachi Kama. Yellow tail collar. So good. Loved it. If your up for some sake. Ask for some black dragon. Sit at the sushi bar and have some fun. Enjoy.
(5)
Steve L.
As most others have written, this is a pretty small place. The sushi is excellent as are both the brussel sprouts and the tuna poke (both on the appetizer menu). Favorite rolls are the Oakland A's, Kakui, and Alicia rolls. Everything is very fresh (and if you go at lunch, you can watch the sushi chef's butchering the fresh fish for that day. If you are sitting at the sushi bar - the chefs are very friendly and engaging. You still need to interact with some servers for drinks, certain apps (like miso soup or edamame), and for getting your check...and this is where they go from a four or five star to a three star for me. Their servers are inattentive and seem to spend more time gossiping around the wait station with their backs to the rest of the restaurant rather than checking on or even paying attention to their customers. On my last visit after being sat at the sushi bar and waiting for 10 minutes, the sushi chef, who was heads down and deep in orders, didn't even look at me - but turned his head and snapped at the waitress "this customer needs a menu". He was paying attention and he was slammed! Again, later in the meal, I was casually enjoying my well prepared tuna poke, just received my rainbow roll, and still hadn't received the miso soup that I had ordered as an appetizer. The two waitresses were still hovering around the computer at the wait station - back to me...the sushi chef looked at where I was sitting, grimaced, apologized, and snapped once again "where is this customer's miso soup?" At the end of the meal - it was getting pretty late for the restaurant and two of the three sushi chefs had left for a quick break. I was waiting and waiting and waiting for my check. Finally I walked over to where the waitresses had once again congregated and politely asked "I'm sorry to bother you, but may I get my bill?" You would have thought that I asked them to give up a kidney. Sushi is not inexpensive (nor should it be for the quality control standards involved and the training that a sushi chef must go through). If you are going to pay on average $40 - 50 per person for a meal, you expect to get a bit of attentive service. When it comes to Kakui...great sushi...great sushi chefs...crappy servers!
(3)
Alen K.
I want to love this place since it's so close, but the food quality and quantity is limiting my review. Their menu only had about 20 items, almost half are rolls. I don't mind rolls, but many of these weren't distinguishing themselves to be completely different rolls, each seemed to be a hybrid to one another. The layout inside is good, but don't sit at the table closest to the door like I did, it was annoying to have people standing in the door about 2 feet from me as I try to eat. Please please expand the menu and have more variety, I'm not wanting you menu to be complex, just give me more options.
(3)
Sam G.
This was my first experience eating real sushi in Berkeley. I loved everything about the place from the atmosphere, to the decor, to the arrangement of the tables and placement of the over-sized sake bottles on the built-in shelves in the walls. Our waiter was pleasant, nice, and helpful, though he didn't make any suggestions without our prodding him, but we enjoyed ourselves nonetheless and were able to have all our questions answered about the rolls on the menu. I tried the Rainbow Roll and the Four Seasons roll and thought both were out of this world. Worth a try, you won't regret coming!
(5)
Katrina M.
I LOVE going to Kakui Sushi! They have a wide array of sushi rolls, my favorite of which is the Lion King. I especially enjoy sitting at the sushi bar, watching and interacting with the chefs as they prepare the food. The staff is always friendly and attentive, absolutely no complaints as far as customer service goes. Once, we even ordered some sushi to takeout, and then changed our minds and asked if we could eat it there - no problem whatsoever, they were very quick to plate our food nicely and seat us. The only reason I rate this 4 instead of 5 is because of the lack of uniformity in the food. You might order the same roll on three different visits and receive it three different ways/with or without certain ingredients. It's always delicious though - so that's not too huge of a drawback to me. It's a little pricey, but very worth it. I will be coming here again and again and again!
(4)
Bellabee L.
If I could give negative stars I would. My sister and I took our mother here for dinner tonight for her birthday. We arrived at 5:15pm and the restaurant was pretty empty. Our waitress explained the appetizers/starters and main dishes, but said the food arrived as it was prepared. We didn't think anything of it. One of the items listed in the main dishes was a Hamachi collar, which also said limited availabilty. Of course, I wanted to try that. We asked if it was available, and she went to check. Took awhile for her to come back, but she said yes, it was. We said we'd take two. She was like "oh.....I have to check if there are two". Took awhile for her to come back, but she said yes, there were two, so my sister and I said we'd both like to order that, and my mother ordered the black cod. We never could get her attention again to order drinks and had to flag down another waiter. By this time, the restaurant was pretty full. The tables that sat after us started getting their food served. In fact, the table of 4 got all their food and the table of two got their's as well...served at the same time. Our food was no where to be seen.. 30 minutes later, I got my hamachi collar. 20 minutes later, we asked when the other orders would be coming since the table of 4 was already leaving having finished dining. The waitress said 3 minutes. My mother was then given her dish. 10 minutes later, the waitress is giving us our bill...and we asked where my sister's order was. She said she didn't order anything. We clarified that we had ordered two hamachi collars, not one...and the waitress proceeded to argue with us, rather loudly. Not wanting to argue with someone who was clearly wrong but not going to admit it, we waived it off and just asked for the bill. The waitress said she would give my sister some edaname to eat as she knew we were pressed for time, going to a concert. Really? For screwing up our order and arguing with us? Edaname? She should have comped us our drinks or one of the dishes on our bill. Horrible the way she shouted and argued when she was clearly wrong. Horrible that our dishes came out 30 minutes apart when all the other tables had their dishes delivered at the same time. Too bad too, because the food was good, but definitely not worth the horrible service. Will NEVER go here again!!
(1)
Rebecca R.
I can't help but wonder if I'm reviewing the same restaurant as some of the other reviewers here. Both times I have been, the staff have been pretty friendly and not super attentive but not ignoring either. It did take a while to get our food, but it was very crowded, and hey, Billy Joe Armstrong was there. The sushi, however, is fantastic. The last time we went there, my husband and I ordered mostly nigiri: octopus, crab meat, fatty tuna, albacore (my favorite), regular tuna, and stripped bass. They almost forgot the tako (octopus), and included sake (salmon) on the plate in its place, until we reminded them- at which point the chef said the the tako would be on the house. The nigiri itself was so fresh and delicious it almost melted in my mouth. You could tell that they cut the fish extremely precisely. We had two rolls. the Hot Tina roll and the Double Hamachi roll, both of which were out of this world tasty. If you are the kind of sushi eater who goes for the rolls, this place is not for you. It is expensive, because of the experienced chefs and quality of the fish, and if you just like rolls there is no reason to pay that much. If you like fresh fish that has been elegantly cut, come here. By the way, it is way better than the much more hyped up sushi places in the Bay Area, such as Kirala.
(5)
maria B.
This is as good as it gets in Oakland for Sushi, attentive service and a lovely space. We love to have Sunday lunch and places that don't serve eggs and breakfast foods are difficult to find, plus the sushi is very fresh even on Sunday when lots of folks pawn off old fish. The multi ethnic serving staff is helpful and knowledgable. Definitely a find , and soon we'll go back for dinner. if the weather is nice one can sit outside with one's dog.
(5)
Greg J.
Went there last night for a celebratory dinner. In one word: -- which means delicious in Japanese. Sat at the sushi bar. I tried a couple of the rolls and some hamachi sashimi. All really tasty! I would strongly recommend going here!
(4)
Brian H.
After reading the mixed reviews, I was blown away with dinner at Kakui. The crunchy tuna roll was delicious with a mix of creamy avocado and crunch tempura dipped tuna. Usually, when you order the chef's platter, you expect to get the leftovers and eel, but the 20-piece platter had a great selection of fish cut thicker than any sushi I have ever had. And the last surprise was that the price was reasonable. Under $100 for two people for so much food I ended up taking some home.
(4)
Rob R.
As someone who used to lived in Japan and took cooking classes in Tokyo, I'm happy to say that Kakui is one place that comes close to the real thing for many reasons: 1) Food quality. The menu offers a wide, wonderful variety of Japanese cuisine that is inventive and a nice alternative to the standard sushi places that abound. The Brussell Sprouts, for example were excellent. We've really never had a bad dish here. 2) Love of food. It is clear the owner/chef/whatever loves what they do. This devotion gives Kakui soul. 3) Service. Very attentive. Japanese cuisine is far more complex than just sushi and tempura. Kakui helps East Bay residents get a nice exposure to the wide world of Japanese food. The Sake, for instance, was excellent. The selection was a bit thin but focused and high quality.
(4)
Kathleen H.
This is by far the best of the three Montclair Village Japanese restaurants and one of the best in Montclair generally. I have eaten there several times now and enjoyed delicious food and good service that on their own would rate top marks. I particularly like the Lion King roll, Brussell Sprouts dish and some of the side items are exceptionally tasty. They offer a trio of sake samplers which is sort of fun to try out with a meal. I give four stars instead of five because the place can be a bit crowded due to space limitations but I will mention, too, the decor is soothing and stylish at the same time. It's a good place for date night and there are a few outside tables so you can watch passers by in the Village while enjoying the pleasant Oakland evenings in summer. I almost always sit outside when a table is available and the weather is nice.
(4)
Stephanie H.
This is my favorite sushi place in Oakland (Montclair)! The vibe is great no matter when I go in there, I can take work in and sit at the bar, and just ask them to keep surprising me...I sometimes don't even order - you know the old school sushi deal where you are at their whim? And their presentation style features some of the most beautiful, sharp, and luscious design...you'll want to take pictures before diving in. Excellent! As a matter fact, now I'm craving...off to Kakui for dinner :)
(5)
Jacqueline C.
Went to this place for dinner with my husband and I can't wait to go back! The look of the restaurant is modern and sleek. It is a very long and narrow space, so the various staff kept bumping into my purse, which was a little annoying. Maybe they need fewer tables? Service was friendly, though. We sat at a table, but the sushi bar looked interesting as well. For an appetizer, we shared the grilled brussel sprouts, which were fabulous. We already love grilled brussel spouts, which we make once a week at home, but these seemed to have hints of soy and wasabi. They were crispy, tangy, and wonderful. If only I'd had these as a kid! We split the lobster roll (real lobster), which was wonderfully buttery -- I think it was called the French Kiss roll -- and the Kakui roll, which consisted of hamachi, tuna, salmon, and avocado wrapped in cucumber. One very naughty roll and one very healthy roll -- a great combination! I had a nice glass of Riesling with my food and my husband had a flight of various sake, which he enjoyed. I had a sip of each and they all tasted very different. The portions were generous too. We finished our dinner with some red bean and chocolate mochi, which was accompanied by a sweet and salty sauce, that I am pretty sure was soy sauce! Who'da thunk? It definitely dressed up good ol' mochi. All very good and can't wait to go to visit Kakui again!
(4)
Bridget B.
Bummer! We've been coming to Kakui since they opened. Recently, we've noticed a drastic shift in the service and in the consistency of the food. Has there been a management change?? I'm not sure what it is - but man have they gone downhill. So sad because the location is so convenient for us and I love the warm vibe of the restaurant. Our recent visit was last Friday night. Perma-date and I made reservations for two at 7pm (oddly, they're not on opentable anymore, so we had to call it in. But no biggie). When we arrived, we were greeted by one person who said they were just getting our table ready (there were two open tables). No problem - I like my tables nice and spiffy. So she takes off and we see her buzzing around towards the back of the restaurant. Another person approaches us to see if we've been helped - well we thought so ... but. (now there are three open tables). 15 minutes later, a third person comes up to us - it's a small restaurant and it's easy to see we've been waiting for more than 15 minutes - and asks if we've been helped. So, we said no and were finally seated. The first hostess never came back - btw. And the rest is more of the same. We had to flag someone down anytime we wanted to order something and we waited FOREVER for our food. Some of our dishes were great - others, meh and worse yet, FISHY. I really hate writing bad reviews and I'm so hopeful that Kakui will get it together and return to the solid Montclair staple that it had been. Until then, there are just too many other great restaurants in the immediate area (next door at Metro - the service is superb!!) more deserving of our dolla bills.
(2)
Xoxi M.
The secret is to eat AT Kakui - It has become my favorite local sushi spot - fresh and clean sushi - and the staff has been great! They have improved very much!
(4)
Stef E.
It (slightly) pains me to give them 2 stars because the decor was nice, the service was fine and the sushi wasn't too bad but...I gotta go with 2 stars. Here's why: Overpriced all around - $12 mixed tempura? Really? Also, I'm convinced the ponzu sauce was missing an ingredient because it had absolutely no taste. No really. No taste at all. - $4 edamame? I ate it because I was hungry but I'm pretty sure the edamame had been "steaming" since the previous night. It was chalky and overcooked. If you're going to charge $4 for edamame at least make it fresh. - $12 chicken udon - it was basically pieces of chicken, carrots, and another green veggie with some udon noodles in miso broth. It was definitely not traditional, lacked good flavor and was way overly basic. - Sushi - was fine but again priced high for what it was. Ordered the 49er and 2015 roll The bill came out to over $66 and that included 1 beer. I don't mind spending some money on food but $65+ on the above was just too much for average food. I'm pretty sure we were paying for the decor inside because I sure didn't see anything about it having local, fresh organic items (which I'm happy to pay more for).
(2)
JM D.
Kakui is my ONLY place for sushi! I'm so fortunate they lived in Montclair Oakland. Always fresh! Great service, both for take-out and eat-in! Their Lion King roll is to die for, I actually crave it- I order it with jalapeño on top- try it and tell them JM will see them very soon. When I've had a long day at work I can order to go as I'm driving home and they have it ready to pick up fresh when I arrive.
(5)
Katherine K.
My husband and I tried Kakui Sushi after a recommendation from our Airbnb host. We enjoyed our dinner well enough. We ordered the buta abara, uni nigiri, French kiss roll, and the 2015 roll. Both rolls were good; we liked the French kiss roll more than the 2015. Probably because there was less going on in that roll so the flavors were more focused. The short ribs (buta abara) were tender enough to slide off the bone in one piece without much effort; juicy and quite savory, although a touch too salty for my taste. After eating here, we'd say this is more of a rolls place. The sushi rice really wasn't very good -- dry and flavorless. The uni nigiri would have been excellent if the sushi rice wasn't so distractingly bad. I guess you could always skip the nigiri and just do sashimi because we did enjoy the fish. Ambience is nice and relaxed. Service was very warm and accommodating.
(3)
Brittany D.
Overpriced sushi with a side of slow service was not what I expected when I came here. We came in around 8pm and didn't end up leaving until past 9pm and considering we hardly ordered anything and it wasn't a full house [I think it was a Monday or Wednesday night], it was a long time waiting. We were seated right away, but we were mostly waiting for food during that one hour period. Food: We ordered a miso soup to start, which was came to us the quickest. For appetizers, the komatsuna (miso steamed kale, butter, chili flakes) for $6 and the chicken kara age (japanese fried chicken) for $9. For dinner, the spider roll (fried soft shelled crab, cucumber, avocado, crab meat, topped with tobiko) for $10. The 30+ minute turnaround in getting all the food in reverse order (sushi roll first, then appetizers last)... NOT priceless. I was rather perturbed by the fact that the waiters were inattentive. Until the end, however, did they apologize for their slow service (so it was also acknowledged by the staff). They even offered us a peach sorbet, served on a frozen peach. It was a nice gesture, but it still didn't make up for many of the mistakes that were made. This is may what increased my rating from 1 to 2 stars. Service: Need I repeat myself? Atmosphere: Trendy with high ceilings and modern decor. Beautiful, but not too excessive flower arrangements. Overall: I wouldn't recommend this place unless you're really craving sushi and you happen to be in the area. But I think there are other places in the East Bay that offers excellent service and delicious sushi.
(2)
ThuZ W.
I loved loved this little sushi place. Super delicious n fresh n I am a sushi snob. Sat at the sushi bar n asked 4 freshest samples n a few roles I wanted n they were amazing. I loved it
(4)
Luang Y.
My wife and I were craving for sushi. As I was on way home from work, I yelped for sushi places in Oakland the area. And to my surprise there were a couple not too far from me with good reviews, so we decided to try Kakui Sushi. The place had a nice decor and really good customer service. We were immediately greeted upon walking up and seated fairly quickly. We had the spicy tuna and spider rolls, the spicy tuna was good. We also had the pork belly, which was great (it's our new favorite here). The only downside to our dining experience was it took a little while for our food to come out. Other then that, everything else was on par.
(4)
Matt Y.
3/28/15 Dinner Trying this place out since I want to branch out of our usual eating habit. It's in Montclair Village so I suppose the prices would reflect the neighborhood. They do take reservation so it's a big plus. Seated promptly for 7PM reservation. The place is already bustling before dark. My first impression: the decor is very uppity hipster contemporary-esque. Most of the patrons are consuming cooked food and drinking wines. So not very Japanese. The menu confirms this first impression. Lots of cooked entrees: ribs, teriyakis, grilled fish, braised pork belly, kumamato oysters, rack of lamb and yes, even Caesar salad! (in fact that's what my neighbor was having, a Caesar salad in Japanese restaurant). *Shrimp Tempura (3 pieces, $10): batter is too thick, shrimps otherwise are fresh. *Tempura Roll ($9): Shrimp is better fried in the roll (inconsistent frying?) with avocado and lettuce. *Assorted Chef's Sashimi (10 pieces, $25): fish is of very high grade, sliced in perfect squares, with maguro (tuna), hamachi (yellowtail), sake (tuna), and tai (red snapper), and albacore tuna. Despite the very high quality of fish, the sashimi order is not a dinner combo, so it doesn't come with rice or soup. Also for the first time ever in a Japanese restaurant, my sashimi did not come with wasabi---and I had to ask twice to get my wasabi. The soy sauce container on the table was also empty. So as you can see, I'm paying $70 for dinner and I think I deserve better service? Lack of attention to small details on the restaurant's behalf. The Gold Blossom wine ($10) was a great touch for the meal, however. That all said, I'm not sure if I'll make this my to-go place because you don't get very good value.
(3)
Ivana Y.
This has been a great addition to the Montclair area. The good: I enjoyed the sashimi and all the rolls we ordered. Recommended: brussel sprouts, JP roll, Kakui roll, Oakland A's. The bad: A bit pricy, but expected for the area. Easily spent $50(including tip) for lunch. Service was lacking. Took awhile for someone to bus our dirty plates, and we had to ask for water refills. Not sure if this was because we sat at the bar, but shouldn't happen regardless. Restaurant is a bit small and cramped, this use to be the old Jamba Juice.
(3)
Dave B.
Best Dragon Rolls! Customer service is great!
(5)
Anon A.
We have eaten here a few times and each time we have gotten a weird vibe about this place. The place is half empty and they turn people away if they don't have a reservation. We were there for over an hour and the place never filled up. Tonight the service was awful. The waitress didn't seem like she wanted to be there. She never checked in with us until the end of the night after we had to ask the hostess where our sushi was. The sushi is not bad, but totally overpriced. We won't be returning anytime soon. There are way better places around.
(2)
Angel K.
Very modern sushi place. Really nice interior. Kind of more like a date place rather than a place you bring your kids. Waiters are super friendly compared to waiters at other Japanese restaurant nearby. Super clean but very pricey. Good food comes with a price.
(4)
Tammy Y.
When I'm craving Japanese cuisine, I love a place that can tempt me with offerings beyond the typical sushi, sashimi and bento options. This place has it all - from amazing nigiri and yummy rolls, to fancy-schmancy entrees with complex flavors. I've been here 5+ times for dinner and can attest to Kakui's consistency in serving delicious, fresh food while providing fantastic service. I've NEVER had to ask for a water/tea refill and the staff checks in regularly without being overbearing. Here are some of the items I've enjoyed from my last meal: Brussel Sprouts (5 stars): These are A MUST! They're delicately fried and dressed in the yummiest FOODGASM-inducing vinaigrette. I always ask for extra vinaigrette on the side because it's my "ranch dressing" while I'm there - it goes well with EVERYTHING. Corn Kaleage (3.5 stars): You have to be in the mood for these so I don't always order them. They're delicately fried corn kernels topped in a wasabi salt, dressed with a spring salad in a tangy vinaigrette. Delicious when dipped in the Brussel Sprouts Vinaigrette! Buta Abara (4 stars): I'm not usually a fan of ribs but the marinade on these are delicious. I've ordered them three times and twice they've been fall-off-the-bone. Decent portion size (I believe they give you 4-5 ribs total). Buta Kakuni (4 stars): Mmm....butter! The slices of pork belly are melt-in-your-mouth perfection. Each thin slice of pork belly is served on poached daikon and topped with some pickled onion which adds the right amount of tang and texture. I would warn you that this is a very small serving size so as long as you're expecting this, you won't be disappointed. Rack of Lamb (5 stars): I hate lamb but these were insanely good. Great marinade and perfect cook on the meat! Served with a great sauce reduction and fried zucchini tempura. Ocean Trout Nigiri (5 stars): The most amazing Nigiri I've ever had! I've had the Ocean Trout and Kirala and this one is WAY BETTER! The color is very close to Salmon but the texture is more buttery, yet flaky. It's perfectly salted and topped with pickled onions. Flavor explosion! This is a must have and is my favorite thing on their menu!!!!! Oakland A's Roll (3 stars): Decent roll but very standard. Comes with spicy tuna and avocado on the inside, fresh salmon and tobiko on the outside. Tasty but nothing really special about it so it wasn't quite memorable. Definitely not worth $13! Next time, I'll stick to my Philly roll and sub in fresh salmon ($7.5) Expect to spend between $40-$60 on dinner for two, depending on how hungry you are! Definitely reasonably priced for the quality and amount of food that you receive! I'm SUCH a fan and will do my part to keep them in business!
(4)
Semiko P.
Modern... Fresh... Chic... Fresh... A little on the pricey side. The reason for my need to negate 2 stars is that Kakui is a little pricier than most sushi places but each and I every time I eat here I am satisfied w freshness, the taste, the presentation and I am full. I've only ever ordered take out- staff are all friendly and accommodating.
(3)
Ben T.
The food was quite good. But the service was so horrible, I have to give one star. The star is for the food. If you get a waiter named Darrell (Darryl?), just go next door to Flipper's and get a burger. Actually, do that anyway, because any restaurant that would employ this unsocialized cretin doesn't deserve your business. He forgot stuff. He ignored us and other customers. He brought out an appetizer only after being asked twice -- after we had all finished our meals. On three different occasions, he asked whether he had brought out stuff that we had already eaten. They had run out of cash for making change, and he talked and laughed with his buddy over in the corner, without letting us know what was going on, after he had taken our money. The people next to us asked where their food was -- all he said to them was, "Yes, we're very busy." No apology, no indication of when their food might come. He was the same way with us -- no acknowledgment that anything was wrong, and of course no apology. I'm an extremely sympathetic diner. I generally tip 20 percent minimum, and usually 25. Ninety percent of waiting tables effectively is showing concern and sympathy for diners. I don't necessarily have a problem with screwups (although there were a LOT of them with this guy), but I do have a problem with rude jerks who don't even acknowledge that something has gone wrong. We told some woman (hostess? not sure) about all this. She gave the boilerplate apologies and offered us a free appetizer, but it didn't really seem like she cared much. I might be wrong about that, but that's the feeling I got. Oh, and when we were leaving, after we finally got our change (that took a good 15 minutes -- after about 15 minutes of waiting for him to give us our check), he mumbled something, and I said, "Oh, and THANK YOU." He finally, grudgingly, said "thank you," probably because the hostess was still standing there. Worst waiter I've had in many, many years.
(1)
Joseph K.
Got to the restaurant at 8:15pm on 8/27. It was a total disaster. The staff was having issues with numerous customers. Jeremy the host, said he could seat us at a table outside. Jeremy told us to wait 10 minutes while he had the table prepared. We waited, an then went to the table where another group that arrived after us was about to sit down. It was very awkward for all. Jeremy ignored the situation an let the other party take the table. His response to us was just, "Sorry and I hope you try us again another evening". Meanwhile at another table, a group was trying to return their food and arguing with their wait person. The place was a zoo.
(1)
Cat T.
Service was great, 2 tables for outside seating if You have a dog, they were very gracious and brought him a bowl of water immediately. I was craving ramen so that's all I had, it was good but they need to spice up that broth, no wow factor there. I have to go back and try their sushi next time. It's a nice place to seat outside on a sunny afternoon in Montclair, I live here so I'd like to see more good restaurant choices.!
I see that most peoples' gripe is with the service, which I can attest to. Now, I myself, haven't gotten poor service or any sort of crazy cussed at/yelled at but I heard some pretty brutal horror stories. Now, my 5-star rating is for a couple of reasons. It is based on the fact that they're in Oakland or even most of the East Bay, I would actually say, Kakui is one of the best in terms of taste, quality and preparation. We would be playing with a different set of rules in SF, FYI. A couple of things to be mentioned, if you are a roll eater, though their selection is experimental and good-tasting. You are paying for them to defile high quality fish. Anything drenched in teriyaki sauce will taste rather alike, fresh or not fresh. I would also like to mention that because they are using said-high quality fish, you end up paying more. If I were to go to a sushi restaurant for rolls, I would go to Sushi Park or somewhere, where the quality of fish is ok but not as important once it goes into the roll. With that being said, I'm a nigiri/sashimi eater. I sit at the bar and ask the chef what's good. Simple, yes, true. But so much of the experience weighs on your interaction with the chef at the bar (and mine have all mostly been good), the way the fish is prepared (cut and washed) and the quality of the ingredients. The other part is to customize the visit for yourself, you need to know what you do and do not like in order for them to help you. Though, not all the fish available is the freshest or the best, there is a lot of time and care that goes into prepping the fish for your consumption. Kakui does it well, to the point that you can see the intricacy of their work. So yes, it costs more than other sushi restaurants in the area and yes, it also takes more time than normal. Grab a great a companion, have a drink and relax for the night while they prepare the food that will tickle your palette. Oh and yes, in the event that you are wondering how I never get poor service, I go when it's slow that night and on Tues/Sun nights. Try that out once and let me know how it goes. And if you're feeling like you need a great companion, I have no qualms if you'd like to take me to a sushi dinner every week ;)
(5)
Terese O.
The sushi is fresh, the sake is delicious. Order the salmon sashimi and pretty much any roll. I will be frequented this spot all the time. One of the better choices in Montclair Village.
(5)
Jerry N.
The decor is ok but that's about the only positive thing I can say about this over-priced non-authentic sushi joint. The cooked food is salty and the sashimi cut has good days but mostly bad days... I wanted to like this place but when your paying a premium you would expect customer service to be polite and respectful but that has not happened after making the mistake of going there twice.
(1)
Alexis F.
Ok service, nice decor. Pricey small portions, but tasty. Not the traditional sushi place.
(2)
Kiko' N.
Excellent as usual I didn't have chance to come here for while because I was experiencing other new restaurants all kind . This in my neighbor hood but high end city quality and price are not bad. Lunch is perfect to come because you don't need wait line! Owner is cute young guy he know how to make ppl come back ! I appreciated doing great job for Japanese food! It's so hard to keep up. And they have great fresh fish . Lovely place!
(5)
The Deed W.
I want to give them 3.5 stars. Dinner service at the sushi bar is nice....I think because the owner is basically there looking out for us. His presence is felt and the employees are on in it because he is our second voice. Their menu is creative....their quality is comparable to NOBU as far as creativity, execution, and taste. The ambience and decor of the place is texturally exquisite and contemporarily artistic. I went for lunch the other day and sat at a table. Not as special...servers were forgetful and basically understaffed. They might need a bus person clearing tables and dishes or more food runners. Servers needed reminders to bring stuff but they were always pleasant...just overwhelmed on a Thursday. I'll be back...probably for dinner at the sushi bar so I can sit by near the owner.
(3)
Darren N.
I love sushi and I go at least once a week. This is definitely going to be my favorite place for sushi craving. Too bad they close early (9pm) I'm a late night eater. Things we tried. Hamachi avocado, 10 pcs chefs choice, Alicia roll, Gindara. The food was amazing and service was good too. I rarely get sashimi but their fish definitely fresh. I'm surprised they are only 3.5 stars. If your looking food fresh fish and in the Montclair area this is definitely the place to go.
(5)
Marc D.
I'm always so disappointed in this place and I keep wanting to love it. The space is fairly "cool", the sushi is ok - although at times I find it to "warm" and I like my raw fish really chilled. The biggest let down and turn-off is the host/reception. They are just down right rude and not accommodating, such as seeing empty stools at the sushi bar but being told that we can't sit at those. Maybe get rid of the fancy flower arrangement as I'm thinking that doesn't pay for food and drinks?!? Too bad as they could do so much better. I say if you're going to spend that kind of $ drive a bit further and find a better sushi place.
(1)
E B.
I was starving. I received very slow and not great service. The roll I ordered was not described accurately on menu so they remade it and more than a half an hour later (for one roll which had to be remade) it came out undercooked so I just left without even eating anything. What a disappointing experience.
(2)
Anna C.
This is definitely one of the best sushi places I've ever tried. Their fresh sashimi and delicious rolls already deserve five stars, but other items on the menu were great too -- seasonally-sweet heirloom tomato salad, savory black cod, refreshing peach sorbet (served in a peach!). It's definitely not cheap, but actually pretty inexpensive for the quality. Service was perfect -- but I guess it helps that we were one of three tables (Sunday lunch), and my friends are regulars. Ambiance is classy. Parking is terrible.
(5)
Ron E.
If you are in the mood for authentic, fresh sushi and a real experience of Japanese cuisine, this is NOT the place to go. The sashimi here is average. Some of it was acceptable but they gave me some hamachi that had no taste, which I sent back. The ambience is not bad and the staff were fine. Not a bad place for a date but not recommended if you're searching for good sushi.
(3)
Grace L.
We just moved in the neighborhood and thought to try out the local sushi place. Service is fine, friendly crew. Sushi is considered fresh, 7 out of 10. Cooked food such as dinner plates are 5 out of 10. Too salty and the ingredients are not fresh. I will not recommend this place.
(2)
Melanie G.
Even though this is a very small resturant, the food and service is great. Sushi is very fresh, and portions are nice size. Be sure and try the Brusselspouts and the mixed tempura. GREAT!!!
(5)
Payal C.
Good spot! The food was wonderful - I especially loved the Kakui Roll, which was so fresh tasting and light. The sashimi was also very fresh, although cut a tiny bit too thick for my preference. Service and ambiance were nice. Has the feel of a really nice trendy little date spot without the pricy food.
(4)
Maria H.
I'm honestly surprised at the 3.5 star review. I had a WONDERFUL time and the food is too good for this kind of rating! EATS: 20-Piece Sashimi (43) Had about 5 different types of fish that included sake, red snapper, hamachi, white tuna, and... something. Fish was fresh and super good. Not presented on ice, like Victor G. experienced (maybe they are taking Yelp advices?), cuts were good and a decent size. Pricing is a little hefty though. Hamachi Avocado (14) Raw hamachi on top of smashed avocados. Topped with cucumber, jalapeno, and drizzled with ponzu sauce. So delish, super light. I usually take the jalepeno off of my food, but the little bit of acidity and heat essence that it left was great with the dish. Spicy Scallop Roll (6.5) This is now my new favorite place to get spicy scallop. SO NOMS! Not overly stuffed with rice, which is a big killer for this roll. Ok portions of scallops, of course I can always use more (wink). Scallops are SO FRESH and creamy. It quite literally melted in my mouth. GAHH, I want more as I write about it. Oakland PD Roll (15) Shrimp tempura, spicy tuna, crab, avocado, and topped with unagi. Probably all the things that I don't really care for in a roll. But in this case, it was actually super yummy! I usually hate unagi because it is too often overly sauced. This roll had that perfect amount. I would usually eat no more than a piece of anything with unagi on it, but in this case, I had 3 before my dinner date devoured the rest. For Dessert, Orange Sorbet (?) Orange sorbet served in an actual orange, cute little after dinner refresher! The rest of the menu looked soooo good! Will definitely come back to try some other dishes out.
(4)
Joe H.
Felt the food could have been great, but it took way too long to get my main, as when I asked about it, it was going to be 5 minutes. Not a great experience for myself, and I do not see myself coming back. Seemed as if there was a single server/hostess the whole time.
(2)
Zachary l.
THIS HAS BEEN BOILING FOR A LONG TIME. I love sushi Im serious about what I get and realistic about what I will get. This place puts on such a pretty face. some of the starters are fine most rolls were just ok. I got the toro and it was a little cheap wich was cool but I know what that means. So im pretty positive it was not even close to toro. Maybe shiro maguro... So after a LARGE meal and a couple of sakes I like having Nigori with my food. The waitress brings it over I give it a shake and we start to drink. the OVERLY charismatic trying way to hard to talk to me chef guy says excitedly "NO NO NO YOU HAVE TO SHAKE IT A LOT!" this ass bag grabs the sake glass and shakes it SPILLING IT ALL OVER ME MY MOM AND THE WALL. Kinda funny. I get it, I lauged that isnt the problem. still drank what little was left in the bottle. What really kicked me right in the teeth was THEY KEPT IT ON MY BILL. No way. Not in any job I have ever had would I have kept it on the bill. Not in any persons world would they find it appropriate to do that. So on top of MEDIOCRE expensive food wasted over priced spilled nigori left on the bill. Good service people keep your water FULL. ALL THE TIME. Good service is knowing when its not appropriate to pester people. Ill pay for the experience, Ill pay for decent food with really good service. Its the total experience you pay for. None of these expectations were met nothing was worth this experience. Kansai- not amazing, fun late night, pretty cheap, ok service. Shimisu- good food, good service all around nice for the price. I could go on but im just showing you what I think of the rest. they are better.
(2)
Bernadette M.
The Montclair Village is so darn adorable! I really just want to move to Piedmont someday so I came to town by myself to explore but was craving sushi so I might as well indulge. There were a total of four table outside, with two of the four on one side of low railing. Inside there were small two and four-tops and a sushi bar. Being that I was dining by myself I had no problem when they offered me a seat the bar. I ordered a glass of the Riesling, the Jerry's Special Roll and the Crunchy Tuna roll with a side of ponzu sauce. I don't use soy sauce. Ponzu is my thing and all places make it a little different. My favorite roll in the world is the Happy Roll in Brentwood, CA (NorCal) as well as their ponzu sauce. Danny, the sushi chef always makes things special for me. I have to say that it's been a good month or so since I've had sushi and this was really hitting the spot. The presentation of the Jerry's Roll was amazing. But the Crunchy Tuna Roll was perfection. I finished off the Jerry's Roll first so I can end my meal with the Crunchy Tuna Roll and leave my taste buds happy for the rest of the night. The clientele was exactly what I was looking for if this became my local sushi spot. They were friendly, educated, family oriented and know good sushi. Then again, there's not another sushi spot nearby according to the Yelp app. The staff was attentive and friendly. They signaled each other when people came into the restaurant and when they left, when food was up and where it went. The regulars loved the manager/owner, Andy. Fist bumps and joking around was common between him and his regulars. I loved the decor. The high ceiling, the cut inserts holding photos and large sake bottles, the wooden beam that went across the ceiling to the colorful pieces of artwork and fancy flower arrangement on the other side of the sushi bar. I saw a hint of their Halloween directions that consisted of a stuffed bat sitting on two mini pumpkins. Great experience and delicious food. I'd love to come back.
(5)
NeEddra J.
Unbelievably small portions. Unbelievably small. Maybe dining in is better, but when I ordered take out - black cod and tuna poke - totaling $30+ dollars, I expected to get more than two pieces of cod about the size if a silver dollar.
(1)
Larry H.
Worst Sushi I have ever had. Seaweed in the rolls was like waxpaper, had to spit it out, GF had chicken in soup that was so tough it was like rubber. They did take some charges off but the lunch was awful.
(1)
Kim P.
Love this place because it is consistently good and the team/ service here is great. It's kid friendly and my 4 year old loves it!
(4)
Chris S.
I just came from Sushi Ran last night where I was extremely disappointed by the quality of fish. Kakui Sushi, BY FAR has the best sashimi I have ever had and I have never had better sushi or Japanese cuisine in the Bay area than I have had at Kakui. I had just assumed that Sushi Ran was going to be the ultimate sushi experience in the Bay Area but little did I know that the best is practically just down the street from where I live. Now I feel spoiled. Believe me, if you are an SF person, it is definitely worth the trek over the bridge to Montclair Village, especially if you want to impress a date with fine sushi, fresh, fresh fish and a romantic, cozy, ambiance. Chef's name is Yingji - so talented. ENJOY!!!!!!
(5)
Anya G.
Delicious fresh sushi. On the pricey end. Pleasant experience
(5)
David A.
After reading the bad reviews I was a little reluctant to go there with a friend. BUT was I surprised. The Sushi was GREAT, service was prompt and perfectly timed. Its a place where you can go and have a great meal and some really great sashimi. I would go again. Its a small place but the food is excellent.!
(5)
Mary M.
Friday lunch. Two girlfriends. Food mediocre; service atrocious; wait person appallingly inept.
(2)
Jill T.
This is a great place. It's slowly becoming our new go to sushi spot. Fresh, tasty sushi, at a reasonable price.
(4)
Emily D.
I really wanted to like this place and had high hopes, but alas. I came here for a sporadic father-daughter lunch. I got a veggie tempura bento and an alicia roll, while my daddio got a chicken bento. We sat waiting for a while, catching up on things enjoying the trendy atmosphere, but getting increasingly hungrier as more and more time passed. Slightly annoyed that our tea hadn't come out yet, my dad's bento suddenly appeared in front of him, but mine was no where to be seen for the next 7 minutes or so. I knew he was hungry so I told him to go ahead and eat, but he had consumed a fair bit by the time mine came out. Bad timing. It took even longer for my one roll, which I had practically forgot about. Everything was displayed in separate plates on one large tray. It was a very odd, cluttered method to present everything. One trip when carrying the tray and everything would go flying. It's perhaps just my personal taste, but I found it truly bizarre. My tempura was tragically soggy and unappetizing but I ate it anyway because I was so hungry at this point. The one saving grace of the meal was my roll, which was fantastic. I would probably come again just to try more of their rolls because I liked the one I got so much, but I'd skip on everything else. Too bad.
(3)
Jennifer T.
Recommended by some local friends, we went out late on a Friday evening. I was immediately impressed that not only was it busy, but had readily available seating, but we had the option of inside or outside. Lovely storefront with a view of scenic Montclair Village. From seating to service was a bit of a gap - perhaps some communication issues amongst staff? Finally the hostess apologetically came and brought water and took the order that we had long since settled on. Very much loved the modern but quiet decor and atmosphere. The appetizer, gyoza, was piping hot and succulent and followed closely by the two sushi rolls we ordered. So good. Absolutely delicious and beautifully presented as well. We were both very satisfied at the end of the meal and enjoyed the contrasting dishes immensely. Definitely plan to go back with other friends in the future. The gyoza felt overpriced, the sushi fairly priced for the quality and presentation.
(4)
J.A. K.
Kakui gets a low rating after they did a 'bait and switch' on us. Spouse ordered the 10-pc hamachi and got....???. We weren't completely sure what it was at first, but after two slices DH said, "I don't know what this is, it isn't bad; but this just doesn't taste like hamachi." Hamachi is his favorite sashimi. 90% of the time when he orders Japanese food, it's a hamachi plate. I tried a bite and said, "Nope, I think I might know what this is, but I agree it's not hamachi." I noted the appearance carefully, came home and did some research. Yup, it was escolar! Now, it was nice and fresh. Escolar has a clean taste, although we wouldn't agree it has any kind of real sweetness to it. But escolar is a much, much cheaper fish than yellowtail (and also dangerous in large quantities - it's nicknamed "The Ex-Lax Fish" for a reason!). How much cheaper? You can buy two pounds of escolar for less than what a pound of hamachi costs. So....maybe they thought two Asians were so dumb they couldn't tell hamachi from something else. Guess what? We can, we did, and we won't be coming back again. You'll find us at Kiku Sushi/Berkeley. It's worth the extra driving time to go somewhere that's both honest and high quality sashimi.
(1)
Lauren F.
Excellent food, excellent service, a bit pricey. Everyone was super nice BUT (-1 star) I noticed a huge switch in the atmosphere when the owner showed up. The employees' moods plummeted and he started yelling loudly, in front of patrons, at one of his waiters about the positioning of the tables. The waiter then moved the tables about an inch and he was satisfied. Is that really necessary? You can definitely tell he's a very NEGATIVE influence on this restaurant. Other than that, everything was wonderful.
(4)
Rocky L.
As a party of 3, we had a nice meal there, the dishes were well prepared and tasty, the service was prompt and reasonably attentive. I think our timing was good, 7pm on a Monday night, it started filling up a little more as we were there. I agree with some of the other reviews, the portions are on the small side, but not so much that I thought we didn't get value. I saw some of the negative reviews had to do with take out, do yourself a favor and eat there - the atmosphere is kind of cool, modern, dark, not cramped.
(4)
heather s.
The owner, and head sushi chef, Yinji, has to be one of the most despicable restaurant owners I have crossed paths with. I took my young son to eat dinner and we decided to eat at the bar because he loves to watch the chefs make sushi. The entire meal Yunji berated and belittled his staff, purposely humiliating them and smirking while doing it. When we first sat down one of the male sushi sous-chefs was berating the hostess, using the *f* word to talk about her to other sous-chefs. It was incredibly uncomfortable as a patron (not to mention my young son sitting there listening and observing the whole thing) and I was shocked at how unprofessional Yunji and some of his staff were. Clearly Yinji has created a culture in his restaurant where it is ok to be misogynistic, tyrannical, and just plain mean-spirited--he treats his employees horribly, and his customers just as badly. When the waitress asked me how things were I quietly told her it was one of the most uncomfortable meals I had ever paid for. She apologized profusely, and when I turned back around Yinji was staring at me and asked if all was OK. I told him no, that I was appalled at how he treated his staff. He told me next time I should sit at a table instead of the bar. REALLY? Last time I checked the bar was part of the restaurant, and a place where the employees, and ESPECIALLY THE OWNER, should act with professionalism and courtesy. Yinji needs to check his drama at the door and learn a little something about customer service and the golden rule. To top it off, while I waited for my bill he stood directly in front of me behind the bar glaring at me. I was astonished at his aggressiveness and hostility. Of course, the hostess and waitress were so apologetic--I felt horrible for them that they work for such tyrant. There are too many good restaurants in Oakland. I live in Montclair and love to support local businesses but I will never return here. If you are looking for a good sushi restaurant where the staff is kind and professional (and the fish is fresh) go to Shimzu in Piedmont or Ozumo in Rockridge--you will have a much better experience and be able to enjoy your meal without the drama of the chef/owner.
(1)
Megan V.
The food is good but the service is horrible. I made an order for take out and when I arrived to pick it up they hadn't even started on making it. They were also out of one of the items I ordered and didn't bother to call me before I arrived to let me know. I waited in the restaurant for 15 minutes, standing, meanwhile I watched as they served the table near me the wrong order.
(1)
Virat R.
Would say really good for people who enjoy sushi with no fish, ie veggi. Loved the place staff is always willing to make a different veggi roll for me, also they have really fresh and great tasting sushi rolls, which my friends have. But overall one of the best places I have eaten sushi which is veggi Thank you guys!
(5)
Michelle A.
My boyfriend took me here for Valentine's dinner - and he scored some major points! First I'll start with the atmosphere - super romantic with sexy lighting. Was this because of V-day? Maybe, but I had no problem seeing my food and it created a very comfortable environment. Now the food! YUM. It was a set menu for Valentine's day, which worked really well for me. I tend to have a difficult time narrowing down food choices because I want to try everything. Anyways, the set menu couldn't have been better - 6 courses total. I'm a little fuzzy on the details of each dish thanks to the complimentary bottle of champagne that went with our dinner. The courses included a crab salad, fresh oysters, nigiri, assorted rolls, beef OR salmon (main course), and ice cream (dessert). My boyfriend got the beef for his main course and I got the salmon. I would give my salmon 5/5 stars for flavor and tenderness - it was cooked perfectly. My boyfriend asked for his steak medium, but it was pretty much rare, which would have been OK if it hadn't already been sliced. The dessert was pretty lame, but we were so full at that point it really didn't matter. Overall, the food was super flavorful and fresh. Will be going back to try their regular menu I'm sure!
(4)
Chris O.
1 adult, 2 young boys, $100 (didn't order beverages) We started with heirloom tomatoes...the sweet, juicy tomatoes were overpowered by ponzu vinaigrette. The spicy tuna roll was a bit fishy with tiny pieces of cartilage throughout. The shrimp tempura roll, as well as the shrimp tempura appetizer was good. That's it, nothing was "wow, that was amazing", it wasn't even, "I'm stuffed." Dear Kakui, bring us the "wow". Have a meeting with the staff and have everyone taste the food, critique it, change it, before it's Kapui. After dinner, the boys came home and I had to make dinner after all. Sigh. Come on Montclair Eateries! I would so much rather support my hood than to hop in the car and head over to Rockridge. Give us fresh, clean, simple and tasty. make your customers say, "wow!"
(2)
Natalie N.
Happily surprised by the fresh, creative sushi we had last night. Started with your typical miso soup followed by the 49er roll at the recommendation of our server. It was very good! Perfect sized roll (not too huge) with fresh salmon and lemon. We also got the chef's choice sashimi plate and it was also very good, not fishy at all. We noticed they do pick up/online ordering which is good to know. They were making quite a few to-go containers of sushi that people were coming in to get. The interior is nice, as was the service. We didn't feel rushed and it was relatively lively at 8:00pm mid-week. We will be back to try more!
(4)
Karen S.
Delicious fresh food. Somewhat limited menu. Service varies. We come here often, as it's the best Japanese food around (and Montclair has 2 other Japanese restaurants within a block). I love the brussel sprouts; gindara; tempura; and the bento box lunches. The salmon is usually awesome. I wish they had more to drink than just sake (there's some wine too, but minimal choices). Service can be steller, but it can also be mediocre. I want to give the place 5 stars but can't quite do it......probably because of service inconsistency. Also, it's cold in there. Most of the tables are right by the door.
(4)
Michael U.
Beginning the story with my first bites in the city of Oakland, Kakui proved to be an experience in and of itself largely because my colleague was known to the restaurant; no order was placed and the bill went on his tab. Chatting with the owner and sushi chef as we ate and talked about the area, the job, and the economy of medicine food simply appeared and while descriptions were largely inconsequential in such a setting my questions were answered at length with the owners showing great interest and pride in their products and sourcing - mostly from California and the Salmon actually line-caught that very morning. With conversation flowing between ourselves and the staff and water perpetually at 3/4 full or better the first plate to arrive at our table would be the house 'signature' grilled caramelized Brussels' Sprouts with karashi vinaigrette - a sweet and savory crunchy riff on the one of my favorite vegetables slightly tinted with mustard, an ingredient I generally don't favor but used to great effect here adding a slightly spicy bite to the heady sprouts. Moving next to a special request from my associate the second dish to arrive would be a half-dozen briny Kumamoto oysters with topped with ponzu, tobiko, and a dash of tobsasco - brisk, briny, and just a dash of heat they were standard but nicely harvested and shucked - nothing to write home about, but quite good for a standard oyster prep. Moving next to our sashimi selections served with a house brewed soy sauce, plenty of daikon, and a smear of wasabi paste plus excellent candied ginger the chef's choice selection for the day consisted of Butterfish, Tai Snapper, Bluefin Tuna, and Line-caught Salmon reportedly brought in from the boats that very morning. Always a fan of the first three selections and less frequently of salmon the fish was all fresh and watching the owners train a young chef on the appropriate way to fillet and slice each fish was actually quite a lot of fun. Sure this is not the sort of sushi you'll get at Urasawa, but considering the menu prices I actually found the quality quite favorable. Having spent the last 9 hours en route from Columbus to Oakland and getting somewhat tired (with a long night at Saison beginning at 7:30 ahead of me) our final dish of the early afternoon would be the California beef "Okinawa-style" filet mignon with fish sauce, garlic, and mushrooms served over rice - a surprisingly tender amalgam of lean beef with the earthy aromatics of a variety of fibrous mushrooms serving to balance the hefty sauce. Apparently my colleague's favorite dish this large portion listed at $21 on the dinner menu was more than enough for one but a great dish to be shared even though I largely stuck to the mushrooms as I tend to find beef monotonous. As previously mentioned we never saw a bill but considering the fact that my colleague reported he went back later that week for dinner with a number of his friends it appears that Kakui has gathered a well deserved clientele of regulars and after browsing the online menu in retrospect I think the quality of the food, service, and setting were certainly worth the prices placing the restaurant in the mid-range of America's sushi scene...and in central Ohio it would be a gem.
(4)
Pacita D.
I took my client and my escrow officer to celebrate closing escrow on a home purchase. Neither one of them have ever been to Kakui, so I told them they're in for a treat. We started with: Brussel Sprouts -- yes, Brussell sprouts....in a sushi place...and yes, it was perfectly delicious. Gyoza Gomae Hamachi Unagi Alicia Roll (asparagus, avocado, topped with spicy tuna) Salmon skin roll (toasted and crunchy salmon skin, assorted vegetables) California roll (what can I say, they wanted it....thankfully, it was great, too!) Jerry special roll (salmon asparagus, avocado with spicy ponzu sauce) Spider roll (fried soft shell crab, cucumber, avocado) For me, a sake flight Wine for her Beer for him My friends had never tried the salmon skin roll, and probably would not have thought to order it. But this is Kakui --- it was fabulous. They were particularly impressed with the Alicia roll, and said they've never had anything quite like it. And when the owner/chef came by to greet us, I mentioned that my client and I were also celebrating our birthdays (we're two days apart). Whereupon he sent over sorbet. Peach sorbet in a hollowed out peach, lemon sorbet in lemon, and mango (yes, hallowed out mango). So refreshing! And complimentary, too. The night was an absolute winner.
(5)
Mei L.
Went here at lunch and had a great time. We had 6 people and there was a reservation made, so we did not have to wait. We started with assorted sashimi chef's choice: hamachi was my favorite. I have had good sashimi and their fish is VERY high grade. Then: Uni (which I'm not a fan of, but their uni, is not over salty) Saba (buttery and my favorite fish, wish they had aji which i love more) Spicy Scallop Roll: Spicy, good but forgettable. KAKUl roll: My co-workers liked this roll alot, I'm not the biggest fan of cucumber wrapped sushi... Tuna Poki:Wish it had more flavor or heat... Lion King: Really Taste, since most places make it too mayo-ie. Perfect balance! Four Seasons Roll: Very Pretty and good but forgettable. Super Dynamite Roll: Fried Happiness...do i need to say more... Oakland PD Roll: New Fav Roll!!! Unagi-don...SO GOOD. Only at lunch...they best eel I have had anywhere. Dessert: One of each sherbet...mango (loved it), lemon(little too tart), orange (like a creamsicle) & peach (perfect....)
(5)
Sarika S.
I frequently grab vegetarian lunch from Kakui. Until now I've been a big fan, their rolls are great and service impeccable. I ordered my usual only to discover they had gotten my order wrong and instead of vegetarian rolls I had received shrimp rolls when I got home. I thought something was wrong when the bill arrived as it was slightly higher, but i didn't think much of it as I was in a rush. I called immediately, I never got a sorry, they did offer to make a new roll but I didn't have time to go back. Instead of offering to credit me back for the rolls that went in the bin or even offering credit for the next trip, they simply didn't have much else to say. Well thank you Kakui, that will be my last trip for lunch at your place.
(2)
Julianne B.
My husband and I decided to lunch ourselves with our neighbors today! We had high hopes as this place is generally pretty good. The place was empty, we thought we would get good service! We spent 200.00 and were totally ignored! worst service ever! We sat without food and drinks which seemed like an eternity! Time to find a new sushi Place.
(2)
Mike S.
This was probably one of the worst sushi places I have been to. Not authentic, very overpriced, fish was lousy, and the service was horrible. Not to mention my wifes chicken teriaki was pink in the middle, fatty, and tasted horrible. The 5-star reviews here lead me to believe some people live in a bubble and do not travel too far to taste good food. My wife ordered chicken teriaki, which is cooked -- and arrived a good 15 mins before my sushi. If anything, I would have imagined the other way around ?? --- Not to mention the chicken was very raw. My glass of water was empty, and tea never even offered a re-fill. Miso soup tasted like powder-mix. Honestly, I would have left right after I ordered when I looked around at the food coming out, but I felt bad. Big mistake. I give 1-star because I was left hungry, a big check, and an hour off my time wasted. We ended up walking across the street to this place called Kotobuki, which did not have the best fish, but the service was great, fast, and a fair value. If you want to throw your money down the drain to sit in a fancy decorated restaurant that gets away with serving horrible food, and deliveres horrible servive, then go here.
(1)
MartÃn Y.
I did expected better.... This was not a waste of time but boy oh boy the service needs major work. We enter the place and the girl helped us... yet she must have adhd or something because we waited for 5 minutes even tho the place was half empty. The owner was chatting with a friend for a while... his place was in complete chaos... and I notice only one table was served. Finally the only server really working all the tables came and sat us. He was very nice but I felt bad for him... he was working his ass off and no one was helping him. EVERYONE ELSE WAS HANGING OUT..... The girl finally came along to collect the check once we were done. I agree with plenty of the reviews here.... the service sucks ass and the owner needs to make a solid decision and change the personnel. 2 stars because the food was ok.
(2)
Jeff L.
This review is only for service since we never got our to-go order. Apparently the printer ran out of paper so the restaurant never received our online order. When I showed up to pick it up, I was told without remorse that the printer ran out of paper and that it would take about 30-40 more mins for our order. I'm easily pleased with an offer of a free dish or a discount, but nothing was offered. I won't be going back. There are far too many good sushi restaurants (Mijori, sushi park, etc) in the area to have to deal with poor service.
(1)
Andrew C.
Tried Kakui again now that the weather has cooled ;-) and got the Chirashi ($16). They start you off with a cup of miso soup in a nice looking wooden bowl / cup ( yelp.com/biz_photos/JiO0… ). Tasted good. Nothing special, but a nice amount of tofu & wakame. Fanciest chirashi presentation I've seen with 1 tamago, 2 sake, 2 shiro maguro, 3 maguro, 3 tai, and 3 escolar on small bed of sushi rice in a wide brimmed plate with a smear of wasabi on one side ( yelp.com/biz_photos/JiO0… pardon the poor angle!). It was very pretty plating and not the standard round lacquer bowl you usually see with chirashi. I dug in. Not bad though the tai and albacore were just OK, and tasted a little long in the tooth. Like Yojimbo in Alameda, they have escolar in the chirashi, but not on the sushi or sashimi menus. Maybe because the clean flavor might become too popular ala carte which could lead to other "issues" en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Es… I ran out of sushi rice before finishing the fish because of the small amount of rice that could fit into the depression of the fancy bowl. It was a big drawback of the nice presentation. Service was OK. Somewhat friendly, but seemed to disappear in unison when I needed something (more tea. dropped a chopstick).
(3)
Marcella Renae Y.
Our waiter was fantastic! He went through the entire menu with us since this was our first time here! We ordered a bottle of the Keenan Chardonnay and it did not disappointment. The wine went so well with the Toro and the Hamachi Avocado appetizer, which I must say, was super fresh and tasty. I am new to the area and have been looking for a new sushi spot! I am so glad to have stumbled upon this one. The staff was friendly and the food was great! 5 stars over all.
(5)
Michelle S.
I don't know what it is about Berkeley, Oakland and sushi - it's as if most restaurants strive to make hip ambiance and excellent sushi mutually exclusive. You can find one trait, but not both in the same restaurant - until now. Not only is Kakui a breath of fresh air for the Montclair Village restaurant scene - I think it's a real find for people like me - people who love sushi, eat it often and like the experience to be a little bit sexy. The space is small but well-appointed, the art is modern, the lights are low and the music is not. The presentation is beautiful - due partly to the incredible collection of tableware and partly to the imaginative efforts of the sushi chefs. Presentation is everything - except when it comes to sushi and especially when it comes to sushi. Meaning the real aficionados are not going to fall for fancy garnishes and no substance, but at the same time it's a missed opportunity to not get creative with all those unique ingredients. I think Kakui delivered BOTH - style and substance - the night I was there. The nigiri is great - super fresh, generous portions and the rolls are tasty too. The Oakland PD Roll with shrimp tempura, spicy tuna, crab, avocado, and topped with unagi is a real stand out. I've saved the best for last. They are not messing around with the top-notch sake selection - of course they're not messing around with the prices either. But they do offer sake flights and that's a great way to try several different styles without blowing the budget - relatively speaking - we are talking sushi restaurant here. Most of the ingredients are flown in fresh from all over the world and artfully prepared in front of you - it's not supposed to be cheap.
(5)
Pam H.
We love Kakui. In fact, we won't eat at any other local sushi place anymore because they just are never as good as Kakui. The fish is the freshest I have ever eaten anywhere. My partner travels all over the world for a living. ...still says Kakui is the best sushi. Usually we let the chefs choose a 12 piece nigiri for us, we also have soup and salad.
(5)
Victor G.
kakui has a modern, dark, mysterious decor. received a small "greeting" from staff as i entered. none when i left. music: jazz sampling: -20 pieces of sashimi for $30 *mix of albacore, hamachi, seared white fish,chopped tuna , suzuki, and salmon slices on a mountain of ice with a branch twig and a plastic leaf as decor. *slices were thick and generous in size but the sashimi universally tasted cold and tasteless. being on ice is just part of the problem. was the ice used to masked cheaper and less fresh cuts of fish? unknown. temaki: -didn't get any lap action as alluded to by another reviewer, got lots of tea refills and some cold water though.. -eatery was dead, just 5 people. -doubt waitresses have much experience, they resemble models at car shows. i was really concentrating on the sashimi..... -nigiri(6ish?)/ sushi seem pricey. saw rock & roll (6), 6 pieces, size of a kappa roll. -value 4 stars, service 4-5 stars, food barely 3 stars, freshness a concern. presentation of sashimi on ice a major wtf? -given one menu, a wine menu and a booklet on other alcoholic drinks. hint. hint. -should have gone to the restroom. that should be the highlight. of my visit here (according to betty h.)
(3)
Danny L.
Kakui.... - Spicy chicken combo was tantalizing with a nice kick, but the portions were VERY VERY tiny... literally only a few pieces of chicken. - The service is courteous and friendly but the price is a little steep. The Chef's special is savory and delish! It contained an assortment of sashimi drenched in the chef's special sauce (soy sauce and sugar?!). It's new (open less than a month) so I'm sure they will eventually work out their kinks.
(3)
tabisky c.
Earlier postings indicate a wait staff of women who were not knowledgeable with the menu. Now you have a staff of one waiter who does not know what is offered on the menu as he was clueless as to what we wanted to order. We had to point to the specific items on the menu so he could write it down. The sushi chef never cracked a smile; it was not a friendly place to dine. I don't understand why the kakui bento includes rice/soup/salad/fruit, but the kakui don (more expensive) does not include any of the above. Most of the Japanese restaurants offer at least soup and salad. It wasn't crowded when we came to visit and the young waiter directed us to a table in the middle of the aisle while other tables were open in the corner or in the front. What is he thinking? Bottom line, my dining partner got sick that evening from eating the hamachi which was not prepared properly. The sashimi which should have been void of any red blood veins was presented on his plate. My partner commented that this was rather strange to see hamachi presented this way. Thinking back, he should have not eaten that meal. If it doesn't look right, then it's not prepared right. We eat a lot of sashimi from the best Japanese markets and restaurants so we should have followed our instincts. Never again.
(1)
Cheesemonger Jeff D.
What a great addition to Montclair Village! Great design, good food and service, a friendly owner who goes out of his way top ensure that you are taken care of, and a nice Sake list! I have eaten there twice - and have been pleased with the quality and tastiness of both the fresh fish and cooked meats served. Looking forward to more visits and adding a fifth star!
(4)
Junia L.
Overall, this was a good place, especially compared to the other Japanese restaurants in Mont Clair. Like the others said, the plating is really small which makes it a bit pricey for the portions you get. I tried the brussel sprouts since everyone on yelp was raving about it. It was good; there is a strong mustard flavor which I loved in the beginning, but after a while I needed to move on to the other dishes. This is definitely a dish to share. My favorite was the live scallops. They were sweet and fresh. Sashimi was ok. They were large but I didn't really like the way it was cut. I also found two scales in my tuna sashimi.
(3)
Michael H.
I like Kakui, yet don't. First thing is that the restaurant feels a bit cramp as soon as you walk in. To me it feels like the tables are scrunched together. Not only do they have a bunch of tables but there's also a bar to compete with. There are a couple of small tables outside. I think this restaurant would be awesome with a big outdoor patio but let's be logical here. I can't really blame them since they're trying to maximize their small space. At least it's "intimate"; although, the high ceiling with the sun window adds the space. The decor is nice and alluring. Kakui has a black and white color scheme: the tables are dark wood, the plating is white, the chopsticks are black with reflective metal bands, the menus are egg white, the staff wears black, the walls are white. The one accent of color are the several glossy resin abstract paintings on the wall. I thought the napkins were nicely folded. Here's the food we had: wakame seaweed salad 5 -Good. Pretty traditional seaweed salad you've had at any other Japanese restaurant. brussel sprouts karashi vinagrette 8 -Recommended by our waitress. It was perhaps the biggest disappointment out of all the dishes. The flavor was a little odd but the texture to me was way off. shrimp tempura tentsuyu dipping sauce 10 -Great tempura. Really light and crunchy. Plate comes with 5 shrimp. KAKUI roll hamachi, tuna, salmon, avocado, wrapped with thinly sliced cucumbers 12 -Kinda like a non-carb appetizer considering it has no rice. It was something different but altogether not really exciting or satisfying. Something I'd expect at a day spa. jp roll shrimp tempura, tuna, salmon, white tuna, avocado wrapped with soy bean paper 8 -Since they do their shrimp tempura well, this roll succeeds. dj roll unagi, avocado, topped with salmon 11 -Good stuff. rainbow roll california roll topped with assorted sashimi 12 -How many ways can you mix fish, avocado, and cucumber? Still good. ebi yaki grilled prawns, ponzu, daikon oroshi 14 -Good. The shrimp is surprisingly salty, yet the saltiness is great. Not so sure if I'd get again. butz ribs served with spicy aka miso glazed and mixed green salad 15 -The best dish of the nice. Impressive. The salad is surprisingly good. gindara grilled sea bass, bok choy, miso sake reduction 15 -Good fish. Juicy and the sake reduction is nice. Even though the service is friendly and well intentioned, it's cumbersome and confused. At one point two members drop a plate. Several times during our meal we had different people taking our orders. We should really only be talking to one waiter to avoid mixups. If this were a casual sushi spot I could overlook this but they're selling themselves as a fine dining establishment so they need to improve. Kakui has been open since March 2010. I hope they improve next year. On the bright side they were nice and said "thank you" a lot. I'll give them an "A" for effort (is it "A" for Affort?, should I be giving an "E" for effort?). It's not common to have like most of the staff thank you on your way out. ___ A tiny, or "intimate", spot for Japanese cuisine. The food is good and very well presented. Some dishes are hit or miss. The staff needs improvement yet they're well intentioned. Would come back with a party of 2-3. They only have green tea ice cream mochi for dessert.
(4)
Sid F.
Ugh, don't be lured by the nice decor and fancy presentation. This place is major fail for anyone who isn't the target demographic in Montclair. I looked at their fish at the sushi bar and all of it it looked dried and shriveled. I got the 10 pc sashimi and it was terribad. How can sake (salmon), the most used fish taste like cardboard. The other cuts were about as flavorful as gym socks. Ugggghh. It'd be nice if the sever gave me quick rundown on what was being served since it was "Chefs Choice". Service is non-existant. We came at lunch and it took 10 minutes to order and there weren't any other customers. Seriously, it's lunch and maybe, just maybe, people have a lunch hour and have to get to work. Toshi Sushi down the street isn't as fancy or nice looking but it's gourmet compared to this place.
(1)
sean f.
Pretty decent (3.5 star) place, definitely the best of the lot in Montclair/Rockridge. Really nice atmosphere compared to most of the sushi places in the area. Good sake selection.
(3)
donavan s.
This place has nice decor and looks great. I had a good meal . Nothing to rave about but good But what was memorable was this guy that said He was the owner kept creeping me out by comming on to me and admiring my watch and taste? He was weird and made me feel weird too. If he is the owner he should just tone it down a little
(3)
J. Patrick M.
Great sushi-family friendly easy going staff. Only complaint might be the service was a little too fast-is that a complaint? We love the Kakui rolls.
(4)
Joy A.
Loved the decor, stoneware, chop sticks, wine, food, servers! DID NOT feel comfortable with the blatant DISCRIMINATION! Scenario: Your in a restaurant and the "figurehead" makes SEVERAL rounds (visits every table to check for customer satisfaction) to all of the tables but yours, avoids you like the plague. SUPER obvious!!! I was so uncomfortable, I couldn't wait to get out of there. I cannot recommend this place:-)
(1)
kristi s.
This place is run so poorly. All the bad reviews have the same common theme. So...we live in Montclair and have a 3 year old, so take-out is as good as it gets, and there aren't many options so we get Kakui about once a month. It's gone downhill consistently over the past 2 years but edible. Tonight I was on hold for 10 minutes trying to order, so I gave up and ordered online. I called again 20 minutes later to make sure the order went through and they told me the wait would be another hour. Okay, fine. Brought the food home and half our order was missing. And the chicken teriyaki, which was advertised as having grilled asparagus, looked disgusting and was accompanied with 2 steamed broccoli spears. So husband went back (the food hadn't been made and he had to wait again), I called to complain, and they lamely took $19 off of our $52 bill. Come on, 2 trips to your restaurant should be comped. The reviews for this place consistently show that the kitchen/servers/managers don't track the food coming out of the kitchen. They don't tell customers when ingredients on the menu are missing. Plus the food is mediocre at best whereas it used to be really good. Apparently the owner is really cool -- read your Yelp reviews and fix it!
(1)
Susan B.
***Lunch Review*** I came here for lunch and I have to say, for $12, I thought my Bento Box was a slamming deal. Not in the mood for sushi, I decided to indulge in deep fried goodness and ordered the Tempura Vegetables and Shrimp Bento. This meal comes with miso soup, a little salad, rice, tempura dipping sauce and a half an orange, although I'm guessing the fruit might change based on what they have available. Being the tempura connoisseur that I am, I have to say I liked that the batter wasn't too heavy and didn't feel overly greasy. The shrimp tasted pretty darn good and the veggie assortment was the usual suspects, which I like. Personally I thought the portions were just right because it's very easy for me to overindulge in fried goodness. I am a wasabi fiend so I of course asked for some and proceeded to drown my rice with my wasabi soy sauce combo. I like the modern look of the place and I thought our waitress was a nice gal. Based on what I saw on other people's plates, the sushi looked pretty darn good. I'll have to give that a try next time.
(4)
Colleen R.
Came here because my sister said it was rated best sushi, by who - probably someone without taste buds. We came here once before and we had a bad experience but I couldn't remember why. I remembered immediately once I sat down. They have horribly slow and pathetic service! Food was mediocre and overpriced for the quality. I ordered the Oakland PD roll because it has spicy tuna. Unfortunately when it came to my table there was barely any spicy tuna! Lame. We were handed our bill after they filled our glasses with warm murky cucumber water! Gross. Also, what if I was still hungry and wanted to order more - plus, they didn't even ask how our meal was. Rude Overall - lame, gross and rude. I'd rather save my money and go hungry.
What a shock! We used to love Kakui but they have really screwed up a $80 dinner! Our family of 4 ordered a take-out meal of what we normally order and things have changed! The chicken teriyaki was just plain grilled chicken served with a little lettuce. The beef dish was simple grilled meat again with cold mushrooms. No soup, vegetable, or rice. At least, the brussel sprouts were delicious as usual. We will not being going back unless it is for only sushi.
(1)
Joel G.
When I last visited Kakui Sushi this summer, it was so much better than tonight. Good service, good food, good times. Tonight was just the opposite. They were nice enough to hold my table for 30 minutes past my reservation time, but not reluctant to have the hostess / waitress lecture me before I had taken my coat off about being late. And I called on the way to say I was coming! Please, restaurateurs, don't force a customer to apologize when he enters. It's not like the restaurant was more than half full at any point during our visit. Speaking of half, our hostess was the sole waitress tonight. It was very, very hard to get her attention. Perhaps not her fault, but her service was lacking. With half the floor staff we got half the attention we should have. This meant the tuna sushi we didn't order arrived first and the Jerry's Special roll arrived late and soggy. My first experimence ever with soggy sushi... please throw it back in the pond. My wife's Oakland roll, she tells me, was supposed to have spicy tuna in it. We didn't taste it. My sons, who always order rice rolls (this makes it easy for all parties) both spit them out because they tasted fishy and had tobiko on them. My major gripe, though, was with the tip: Why do restaurants charge 20% tip for a party of six? And why do they charge this based on the food tab PLUS tax? I cannot send a message of displeasure via the tip when it's already been charged to my card. I could have lived with a mandatory 15% tip based on the value of what I ordered. The tip would have been a reasonable (but for the service...) $13.50. But charging me 20% based on bill plus tax amounted to $19.58, increasing the tip by nearly 50%. You can only get away with this once, Kakui Sushi. You won't see me again. I'm not going back to Kakui Sushi again. I'm still tasting the tempura batter, which is only part of the sour taste in my mouth.
OOh YUMMY. Love coming here with friends, it's close to home and a delicious little treat. It's a small plate type of deal but we always leave so full. LOVE LOVE LOVE the brussel sprouts, you have to try these. Also, the ribs are fall of the bone finger licking...we don't look to classy eating them. Service is GREAT too, very attentive and my water glass is never empty. Try all their sushi, but I would say I like their Kakui roll (no rice) wrapped in cucumber. Super refreshing and delicious. Overall, i would recommend this place for a date night, girls night or whatever, yummy food and great decor. Plus get John as you waiter...he's AWESOME! :)
(4)
Grace S.
Why do restaurants in Montclair miss the mark? New place so it's busy... Wait for a table... Then wait some more... Then the hostess thankfully talked the manager into seating us at a table for 4 (we were only a party of two and since there weren't any parties of 4 waiting, it seemed like it made sense to seat us). Almost an hour later we get seated. Whew! Then we wait some more.... before we can order... Out of all thing we enjoyed the brussel sprout the most. YUMMY! The sushis were OK but felt they were not as fresh as it should have been (if it smells a bit fishy it's not fresh). The rolls were not tightly rolled either like they had inexperienced chefs (it kept breaking up on me). Out of Uni but their Maguro was decent. Did I mention the smell? This place needs some ventilation... spelled a bit like fish and dishwater. Overall food gets 2 1/2 stars. For Montclair you don't have much option for good food. For that reason this place may get a lot of attention. I may try this place again except that in a few days there are 2 more sushi places opening (Kutobuki will open in a few days, Sushi Park will also open soon on Park Blvd., and there is the Toshi Sushi, which has been around for awhile). This should be interesting....
(2)
Debra M.
Still loving this place. The owner still delivering the freshiest, most beautifulest (is that a word) Sushi I have ever seen. If you like rolls the Lion King is to die for, and the wonderful Salmon with Egg Plant just so flavorful it's insane. No TV 's here, just great conversation, low lit, and it's okay to dress down in a nice way. You know what I mean, get out your nice jeans or wear that pretty dress. You'll be sorry if you miss this place. It's awesome fook no matter what you order, and its fresh. That's really what you're wanting and you know it. Yum!
(5)
Gerry C.
I would like to patronize Montclair businesses when appropriate, so Sushi night at Kakui which is a new addition to the Village. Decor is terrific and nice addition to the Village environment. The service was satisfactory. I recommend the ownership continue to work on best practices. It appeared to me the service team was inexperienced. The manager or owner was on site however I did not sense he had extensive experience managing a busy restaurant. He should focus on execution and best practices at this point of the restaurant's development. He did make a point of coming to our table asking if everything is OK. Since he stopped by several times he may have had the impression we were unhappy. He could have spent his time working with table clean up, timely service and quality of food preparation. I think the quality of the sushi was satisfactory however not extraordinary and will have to do better to compete with other sushi restaurants in Oakland and Berkeley. Spicy tuna roll and California rolls were sub par, rice used on rolls appeared to have a different texture. Unagi was good, veg tempura was also pretty good. Agedashi Dofu not very good. More competition is coming the village, Kakui will have to improve its food and continue to refine its service. The music was loud and appeared to be out of place in this venue. Kakui needs time to develop and improve. I'll be back in a couple months.
(2)
Yushan K.
Great quality fish, pleasant service, and nice ambiance. Had tempura to start, which I was disappointed only had regular batter without panko. But 15 piece sashimi was great, especially the butterfish. The 49er roll was really different - no nori; shiso, roe, and avocado on the inside; salmon on top of the rice with a thin slice of lemon (which I picked off!). While I did miss the nori, the texture was super soft and tasty as a result. The people next to us had a chef's choice dinner where you tell them what you want to spend and the chef will whip something up in your budget...apparently it's a sushi thing. Maybe I'll try that sometime!
(4)
Jessica R.
Alright, I am here to tell you about the deliciousness that is Kakui! Let me start off with, wow- brussel sprouts have never tasted so good! In fact, good would be an understatement. I was pleasantly surprised when the sushi got back to the house. Everything looked absolutely delectable. I forgot to mention, I've only had take-out from Kakui, but the presentation was so astonishing, that I can't imagine the restaurant and the service being anything short of the same. Besides the divine taste of the food, (did I mention the brussel sprouts are to die for?!?!), I really couldn't believe the vibrant colors. I do believe this was the first time I have ever eaten anything that has looked so beautiful and pleased my taste buds so. Really. Being so impressed, and despite the fact that I have never actually been to the restaurant, I was compelled to yelp. I've posted my pictures, please have a look, but don't lick your monitor. :P Here's to good eating and happy yelping: Cheers!!
(4)
Jake J.
I liked this upscale place in Montclair and the decor is beautiful. The sushi itself was good but not quite good enough to be "great" (went on a Sunday) Ordered some other dishes too. Pork belly was great, and the hamachi avocado dish also quite tasty. The mussels were not good - a number were barely open, so undercooked or just bad ones and the broth was too salty. The service was inconsistent and not good overall - they did not remove plates or offer to bring any small plates, they served food at the corner of the table for some reason. So, that needs improvement, as is often the case with restaurants that focus on food and not training! All in all, I liked it and would try again, but I was not compelled to return or rate it highly without some improvements. Update 1/2013: Same impression: food pretty good, but service inconsistent and not very good. They really need to train their staff or hire more experienced people.
(3)
tina l.
Best rolls in the Bay Area
(5)
Jaime L.
Not as good as the first few times I went there. Last time the Lion King roll, which is the first time i'd ever tried it was not good. The salmon did not have a nice texture at all, and they use a blow torch to scorch the sauce and salmon. While this sounds like a good idea, the gas of the blow torch was like all I could taste. Not good. Service is still good, they are definitely trying hard and I appreciate that in a neighborhood restaurant. Also had the Japanese fried chicken for something new and it was good! I think maybe I'm just not a fan of the Lion King roll, and it seems that you have to dine there when the better sushi chefs who work there are at the bar. Would give it 3.5 if I could.
(4)
Megan S.
I was disappointed and unimpressed. The food is okay but the customer service is atrocious and not appreciated. We made a reservation for 8:45, the restaurant wasn't crowded, and there were 3-4 tables open however, it took the host staff a while to figure out where to seat us (party of 2). Once seated it took roughly 10 minutes to get water and then another few minutes after that for our waitress to finally come to our table. Jenny-our waitress seemed friendly enough and took our order, however, this was one of the last times we saw her. Needless to say that the other tables around us were being taken care of by a different waiter were well cared for and efficiently served. We started with soup. The miso soup was good but luke warm. Usually when I have miso soup it is piping hot, this soup was unexpectedly cool. Our food was the highlight of the experience though not worth the price tag. We ordered a spider roll, philly roll, jp roll and the Butz ribs. The tables next to us who were seated at the same time as us were all served way before us. I was also unimpressed by having to ask for basics at a sushi restaurant such as soy sauce bowls. We finally got our sushi however we waited over 30 minutes for our ribs. Ribs that take this long to prepare should have a warning label! By the time the ribs did come out I was full and didn't even want to eat them. The ribs though fall off the bone tender, tasted like BBQ sauce, and were not what I had expected. Jenny (our waitress) checked in once after our ribs had arrived, mind you the two tables that were seated around the same time that we were had already gotten all of their food, eaten, paid their tabs, and left. At this point we were tired of waiting and being ignored and just wanted to leave. I wouldn't recommend this restaurant for families or larger parties, the dining room is small and crammed in. Kids running down the narrow aisle is not ideal. In all, I would not go back simply for the lack of customer service and high price tag for okay food. There are 2 other sushi restaurants in Montclair as well as the rest of the east bay. I will be taking my sushi business else where.
(2)
Jeff H.
One of the best, trendiest sushi restaurants I've been too. Very nice ambience and the food is off the hook! I highly recommend this spot.
(4)
Terry P.
We had a great time at Kakui, found the staff hip but friendly, attentive to our needs but not obtrusive, and the food fresh and generous. It was our first visit, on a cold and very rainy night. We went early and the restaurant filled nicely despite the weather, always a good sign when you're looking for fresh fish. They had one of my all-time favorite dishes, hamachi kama, on the menu, and I was happy to get the succulent, tender but crisp-skinned grilled yellowtail collar (they call it cheek). It was almost enough for a meal, but I had ordered sashimi too, and ended up eating every last bite of the ten half-inch thick slices (I got the chef's choice, which included white and red tuna, hamachi and salmon), plus a few bites of my husband's food too. Presentation is artistic and the combinations they offer as sushi rolls seem well thought out, for instance combining a pair of crisp tempura prawns with fresh tuna, salmon and avocado in the JC roll, which you can get with seaweed or with tofu skin wrapper. We sat next to the pick-up station at the bar, and watched a lot of very generous portions and elegant looking plates of food go out to the tables. A live scallop special (ask the waiter or chef what specials are on tap, as there's no specials board) included both the freshly harvested scallop meat, thinly sliced then wrapped around five little pads of rice, and the muscles from the shell, done tempura style with onions--crisp, greaseless and flavorful. All in all, a very good experience. The decor is warm and cosy, the little bar gives a good view of the action, and the sake menu is large enough to satisfy anyone's taste. We will go back, for sure. Soon.
(5)
Kelly S.
Best restaurant in Montclair village. Friendly, good service, excellent food, decent prices. The design of the space is impressive. Bento box lunches are great as well as the high quality sushi. Everything I've ordered here has been very good. As with many small restaurants, the chef is better on weekend nights than say, Monday lunch. But still always good.
(5)
Shelley L.
Over priced! Associates and waiters are nice but it doesn't make up for it being over priced. I only come back for a change from main stream japanese food. Their ribs are great but ask for light sauce.
(3)
Deidre J.
I am a fan! I am a regular and love that the staff treats me like a VIP. Try the seaweed salad, very good and my kids adore it. Also try the following rolls: Kakui, 2010 and the vegetable tempura rolls.
(5)
Amanda S.
They use fake crabmeat which is my automatic downgrade to max 3 stars. It's a shame because the service is OK, the fish is pretty fresh for the price and the outdoor seating is nice. But it's a pretty average sushi joint. Best rolls I've had: Oakland A's and 49'er rolls.
(3)
Stephanie H.
Previous yelp reviews gave me pause to try Kakui but I was not disappointed. In Monclair, Kakui is not only the best Japanese restaurant but probably the best restaurant in the village. My daughter and I made reservations through Open Table. We were seated promptly. Service was very good. Wine selection was good. Ambience was up my alley. And the food...we both thought the agedashi tofu was mouthwatering, gyoza was perfect and my sushi was fresh and tasty. I prefer the brussel sprouts at Yoshi's (5 star dish) but Kakui's version was pretty good. My only complaint would be the lack of dessert offerings. They only had mochi ice cream the night we went. I'm a local and appreciate having Kakui in the neighborhood.
(4)
Sarita O.
I disagree with the glowing assessments of this restaurant. I really wanted to like it but the sushi is just not up to par. The smoked salmon was not fresh and it was chewy. The spicy tuna was not spicy and the tuna was second rate. The hamachi was tasteless. The "salmon skin" roll was inedible - I am positive it was salmon bones, not salmon skin, and I had to stop after one piece or I might have choked. The rice was not properly cooked. It was not sticky and had no flavor. The sea bass appetizer was undercooked and hadn't been scaled. By the time we were done eating, there was a little pile on our plates of stuff we spit out. For $70 for two people with no drinks, I expect top notch sushi but got, at best, average sushi. On the positive side, the decor is nice and the service was good. If you do go there, don't sit at the sushi bar like we did because there is no foot rest so your feet just dangle down cutting off the circulation in your thighs. Oh, and the sushi chefs are not Japanese, they are Chinese - not that there is anything wrong with that, but if you are looking for authenticity, you won't find it at Kakui.
(2)
T M.
Wow, a hip restaurant in Montclair. Who knew? Cute, friendly waitresses. We had Pot stickers - ok Shrimp Tempura - very good Spicy tuna roll - great A tuna salad. - off the hook Sashmi - very good Very cool atmosphere, w/ nice techno music. Decor is very nice. Only complaint is that the table for two is small for two people. Two thumbs up.
(4)
Puppyface F.
My husband and I wanted to try this restaurant we found a few weeks ago. I went to their website and made a reservation on-line yesterday. When we got there tonight, a woman asked us if we had a reservation. We told her it was under my husband's name but she said she didn't have our reservation. I expected her to say that she was sorry or something but she acted as if it was our fault. Then she put us at the end of the sushi bar in front of the sink. I don't think they should have customers sit where the sink is. Uh-oh, this doesn't look right already... It turned out that our waiter was pretty friendly and polite. The food was good though the miso soup was weak. I liked the warm mushroom salad. My husband's steak was good, too. I like the way they season their sushi rice. Tuna was nice and fresh. I found most sushi chefs speaking Chinese to each other. That's kind of a shame because I thought I could feel like I was actually in Japan. (I'm from there. "A real Japanese restaurant" was what I was looking for.) Since this is a little pricey restaurant, I would like to save it for a special occasion; however, I don't know if I would go back knowing that the service might ruin the occasion.
(3)
Ingrid S.
Had an excellent lunch here. No waiting. We walked in and sat at the counter, in front of the nicely displayed mouth-wateringly-fresh-looking cuts of fish. Started with some tuna sashimi, which was served up as a delicately sliced bright red work of art. The quality was excellent: moist, flavorful, tender. Just melted in my mouth. Also tried something cooked, a grilled hamachi, and two different rolls. Everything was scrumptious; everything got eaten (except for some skin and bones on the hamachi). Maybe lunch is better than dinner? Our servers were very attentive, water glasses never even got close to being empty, there was no blaring music, and our food was served promptly, not hurriedly. While the atmosphere is very cool, modern, and comfortable inside, they're setting up more tables in the small outdoor dining patio, which looks like a fabulous spot for a summer lunch in the Village.
(4)
Keith H.
I live locally, and it's a fairly good place to go maybe once a month. Very high prices for food that is good but not great. The service is fairly poor, often you have to ask to get refills and more then once we have waited a good 30 minutes just for one roll to come out. Better choices in other locations.
(3)
Cindy Y.
I haven't been to many of the Montclair restaurants because I am usually disappointed. Kakui is pretty good - I was surprised and glad I tried it today! We had some sashimi, the fried Brussel sprouts, hamachi and avocado salad, and a jp roll. We enjoyed all of it. The fish was fresh and tasty. Sushi rice was well seasoned, had good texture and the rolls had the right rice to filling ratio. I hate it when all you get is rice! The brussel sprouts were yummy - try them! The portion size was quite reasonable for the price. Service was friendly and efficient, but we were also one of the first tables to be served. The place seemed to get busier after 7:00 pm when we left. The presentation of the food was really nice. It makes the restaurant appropriate for a date, birthday, and just something a little nicer than a cheap eat. Kakui isn't exactly a family restaurant but would be fine to bring young children. It's nice to have a "go to" in Montclair and a good alternative to going to Piedmont Ave or Rockridge!
(4)
Brian S.
This place in the Montclair village has been open for a few months now and suprised there is no review. The design is cool and the place was packed on a Thursday night around 7pm. Snagged one of the last tables for two and perused the menu which has lots of creative rolls. The prices are a little steep for sushi joints. The gyoza were very good, nice and crispy. The bean salad with peanut sauce dressing was tasty too. The hamachi sashimi was very fresh but the nigiri was just OK. The unagi was mushy and the spicy tuna roll with little spice and mushy too. We liked that it was wrapped with a soy bean wrapper versus seaweed and had panko crispy flakes. All it needed was firmer fish with more spice. Unfortunately they did not have anyone working the door and lots of new customers came and left as no one paid them any attention. We asked the lead server why no one was hosting and she said they sent her home. Odd for sure. Then she said we have a 45 minute wait so it's Ok that other new customers have left. Chances are they will not be back. We have heard this from other friends who have attempted to go to Kikui. Too bad as we really wanted to like this new place. If they do not get their act together they will not survive. Oh and for sure fire the lead server who was an Asian lady wearing a vest and glasses. With a cavalier attitude like that Kikui is sure to not get repeat biz!! But I must say our server was fantastic and worked her arse off as they were short of help. Cheers, Brian
(2)
Kim K.
We go here once a week. My seven year-old is addicted. Lucky us. Good excuse to get the best sushi in the area. Our favorite is the Oakland PD roll and the Maguro is the best. Yes, tables are crowded. We like to sit outside with the heat lamps if the inside is packed. The owner is a savvy business owner. He recognizes his customers and makes them feel welcome. Make reservations if you want a better seat.
(4)
Anne M.
We had the sushi chef put together a platter of his choice.....sushi was fresh and tasty and beautifully served.... but nothing particularly unusual. You can't go wrong with the Brussels sprouts or pot stickers (fried not steamed) either. Good sake selection. The banquette along the wall is low to the table and a little uncomfortable...all and all I would say Kakui is great place for a reliable sushi fix.
(4)
Chris O.
Kakui has become a Sunday tradition for my family. First we hit the Montclair farmer's market, then have lunch at Kakui. I had given up on good sushi in Montclair years ago, and I am thrilled that there is finally a local sushi bar with firm and textured uni and fresh specials that delight the palette.
(5)
Alison W.
We had lunch here and it was delicious, first rate even for the Bay Area. I had the sashimi lunch: four pieces of sashimi and small sushi rolls, which came with miso soup, a well-dressed salad, and a cut-up--and perfect--orange. The sashimi was tender and pristine. My friend had grilled salmon, which also was first-rate, with the same accompaniments. She started with shrimp tempera, light and airy. The food was just the right amount for lunch, and ran us about $40, with tea and a beer. The atmosphere is friendly, the decor spare, and even though it was lunch on a Monday, most tables had people, so it is already popular. I plan to have dinner there soon.
(4)
Duane W.
I went here on the insistence of my wife, took a good friend of mine who was in town, and it was very good. We had a res, so we walked up at 7:30, and walked right in to our little table. Everyone was smiling and helpful, our order was taken, and while they were out or didn't have a fair amount of stuff I like to eat, the fish we did receive was extremely fresh and flavorful. The downside is, the place is small and feels a little cramped, and it's VERY loud. All things considered, I'll go back for round two. :)
(4)
Tina L.
Service/food was ok. I.e overpriced minature oysters.slow azz serving ..due to the frickin' Chinese faux mohawkin' sushi chef who was like busy chatting' it up with these two chicks so our rolls were taking forever to come out. Once is good enough for me. I'm alwayz down to trying new places out.my advice is to shape up and hire more attentive sushi chefs to even out the attention/sufficient service to other patrons.honestly Ive never been to a restaurant where we had to serve our own cake. No candle so we had to blow out a table candle. Good luck in staying in business.
(1)
artemis k.
For the money you'll spend here, go to Yoshi's Oakland (not SF) or Ippuku in Berkeley for better quality food. I don't think this place would survive outside of Montclair at the prices they're asking. The brussels sprouts were tasty, but the mustard sauce was heavier than what I would expect from well-prepared Japanese food. Ditto for the warm mushroom salad, tasty, but over-seasoned. In contrast, the sushi rice in the veg tempura roll was under-seasoned and oddly textured. The cod was definitely priced as an entree, but the portion was tapas-sized, and didn't come with rice or miso soup. The fish was okay, but too salty and too sweet. There was a heavy-handedness about the food in general. Lastly but not leastly (altho most people probably go there for the sake), the green tea was weak, not at all what I'd expect from a more upscale place like this.
(2)
S M.
Good restaurant. I prefer the dinner menu.Great Hammachi Kama !
(3)
elise o.
I went here with my 8 year old niece, here's what she said. "You can never get full on good sushi. I like toro and hamachi and the California roll. They were awesome. I'm eight years old. I like sitting at the sushi bar. I give them five stars"
(5)
Alicia F.
When I was in elementary through my sophomore year in high school, this was a jamba juice. I was pretty surprised that they could turn such a small place to a chic little eatery. There's limited outdoor seating and some "booth" like table setting. They must of made the ceilings higher, when it was jamba it looked smaller! The sushi is very good, personally i like the sashimi bento. Very fresh and the setting is really cute! I think every meal comes with miso soup served in a wooden soup box. The bento comes with salad, fruit, rice and your choice of either veggie tempura, mixed tempura, sashimi, beef or chicken teriyaki. the last three choices come with california roll or sometimes they have a tempura(ed) california roll. Just one minus is the limited seating. But it doesn't seem crowded on most weekdays.
(3)
Sabrina A.
Wow!!!! Exactly what Montclair Village and the East Bay needs! I very hip, friendly, gorgeously chic and tasty Sushi restaurant!! Great Sake menu and tastings and fantastic specialty rolls. Sushi was all fresh and the chefs were very creative. Highly, highly recommend it!
(5)
Eric H.
Kakui is the best sushi in town. Original dishes and new items on a regular basis. The chef's are awesome at the bar and the service is good. The place is small, but what do you expect for Montclair. My wife and I enjoy Kakui at least once a week. Try the Kakui roll for something different!
(5)
Kelly Z.
Best sushi in bay area!!
(5)
C N.
The pros: fish was good, but not great (I expected better quality for $9 for 5 pieces of sake sashimi). Staff was friendly and attentive when at the table (they gave me water while waiting for to-go). Decor is beautiful, sleek, and modern. Nice location (minus parking nightmare, but close to lots of other things). One last pro: wheelchair accessible and automatic door. Maybe it's the law now, but it's nice to see that restaurants aren't counting out those with disabilities as their customers. The cons: Service was spotty when away from table. I was there promptly at opening for dinner service to get take out. Waited for order to be taken even though I was the only one in there. The worst? THE WAIT TIME. I ordered miso soup and sashimi to go. It took more than 20 minutes. That's shameful. I understand that sushi fish needs to be handled carefully, but 20 minutes for taking 5 slices off a strip of salmon and ladling 4 ounces of miso into a plastic bowl? C'mon! And the miso: it was unflavorful, and for paying $3 for something I consider a relatively cheap staple of Japanese restaurants, I got about 3-4 ounces. Really?! A dollar per ounce! I'll probably go back because the food was good (I tried a friend's JB roll which was incredible), but only when I have money to burn and can't go to another sushi place. Please try harder Kakui, because your location and decor is amazing!
(3)
Margaret S.
Wow. Lots of very mixed reviews. I liked this place a lot. I went here for my anniversary and sat at the sushi bar. they were a bit disorganized around who our server was so we were served by many different people. When we mentioned it was our anniversary, they brought out a glass of champagne for each of us, really nice. Everything we ordered was excellent, beautiful presentation, fresh fish. The restaurant is beautiful to be in, the dishes and plates are lovely. My only complaint is that it is too expensive for me to go on a regular basis. The quality of the food is better than the local Toshi, but less affordable for sure. I don't know that this is a fault of the restaurant, you have to pay for good quality. I will just add it to my special occasions list.
(4)
Jennifer L.
My husband and I - Ordered Gomae: ok, not great Ordered Miso Soup: didn't get it Ordered: 4 rolls. Got 3 out of 4, ordered the 4th one again, still did not get it Ordered 2 Sapporro: Got 3 somehow Left there: Very hungry, yet intoxicated They took the beer off the bill, but should have done more for us after all the mistakes. We were having a much needed date night. Paid for babysitter to come home hungry.
(1)
Art L.
We frequent a number of Japanese restaurants, but had never tried this one, more or less in our neighborhood. Friends had told us the food was good but service was slow. The four of us went on a quiet Sunday night at about 7--only about 1/3 of the tables were occupied. Sushi chefs were not busy. We ordered many dishes, some salads, soup, sushi, a roll and a seafood udon dish. Initially, food was served quickly, including salads and soup and sushi. The salad which featured tomatoes had a couple of ripe slices, but several were NOT ripe. Three people were eating for at least 20 minutes before the fourth person in our group finally received the seafood udon. Everyone else was long since finished while he ate. Expensive, given poor service and lackluster food. Presentation of several dishes was very nice.
(2)
Shevette S.
This is a tough restaurant to rate. The food is absolutely fantastic. Fresh and delicious sushi, which can be difficult to find. The sushi chef is appropriately creative with the rolls. Food = 4+ stars. However, the service leaves much to be desired. The wait staff is unseasoned, as if not one of them has never has a job in the restaurant business. Service = 1 star ... this significantly reduces my rating here. The restaurant decor is well done and the music selection is well done. They have placed too many tables in the small space though, so one may need to be cautious of the certain seating selections. Decor and ambiance = 3 star.
(2)
Welch W.
I don't know a thing about Japanese cooking so the experience was without prejudice. The place had a very hip almost European feel (the music and decor) which was enjoyable. The service was adequate. The food - well a run down on our meal. The bean starter (raw - semi-cooked) was no better than high grade hay. The pot-stickers were four and tasty. The salmon with eggplant was excellent, a rich and sweet maple type sauce while not unique was just right. But the crusted skin was out of this world. A bit on the pricey side but not bad for a light dinner. Will return for lunch.
(3)
Rita T.
Ordered ahi poke on last Saturday night. I swear we couldn't find the ahi, and for $9 it was ridiculous! Will not be going back.
(1)
Susan G.
What a gem! Incredible food. Try the Mushroom salad. And it's all beautifully prepared. It's like artwork. Great service. The staff runs this place like "everyone knows your name." They are warm, responsive and engaging. I want to go back again and again and again.
(5)
Tricia B.
I love this place and eat here about once a week. It's tough to find quality tuna these days but you can always count on Kakui for their top grade melt in your mouth tuna! I do agree the wait staff isn't real knowledgeable, they often have to go ask questions. However the owner and sushi chefs are very friendly, I always enjoy chatting with them.
(4)
hane a.
it is official - i found my favorite sushi restaurant in the East Bay. stars galore for beautiful presentation, fresh fish, delicious roll combinations, relaxed and sophisticated ambiance, friendly and knowledgeable service. favorite: 49er roll w/out the seaweed wrap. best one i've had so far.
(5)
Royce L.
I just remember it being really expensive. Small location. Nice addition to montclair but just okay for my taste.
(3)
Fred W.
Very fresh fish. very quick service. Nice decor. The Hamachi & Avocado, which was delicious, was a bit thin; perhaps to allow more expression for the sauce. The other portions where more than adequate on the sashimi and sushi we ordered.
(5)
Cindy F.
This really is a sushi spot. The menu is creative and the sushi is fresh. This is not a cheap place, but a spot to go when you real want some real sushi. I'm no uni lover, but my hubby likes it and this place has the freshest. The decor is modern and the service is pleasant. I've brought our kids, but this is too nice for kids. Better for a date night.
(4)
Tsuni S.
NOW I know you don't go to a sushi restaurant for wine... its Sake or Beer, but they need to offer a few solid wines that pair well with sushi... rieslings, sauvignon blancs... they have 2 Sauv Blancs on the menu and they are terrible. Also the Prosecco they offer is also more of a dessert wine Muscat, very sweet and peach in finish - definitely not a traditional dry Italian Prosecco. Thank G for their great Sake menu though. That saved us.
(4)
Scott R. D.
I had a late lunch and wasn't very hungry so I didn't try that much, but what we had was delicious. The brussels sprouts were delicious. The couple of pieces of sashimi I had tasted fresh. Will go back.
(4)
Evie H.
I couldn't be happier to have this amazing restaurant in my little Montclair Village! Everything I've tried has been excellent and the personalized service is outstanding! It's become a bit of the local hang out too, so now I go in and enjoy great conversation too. Really, the best sushi restaurant I've ever been to. YAY!
(5)
Josh F.
Really enjoyed this new place next to Peets in Montclair Village. Unusual and distinctive flavors. Chic atmosphere. Downside was that my fish dish was very small and the walls need washing. Fix those 2 things and I'd up to 4.5 stars. Extra service, SF style would give it 5.
(4)
Robyn F.
This place is overpriced. It is aesthetically pleasing, new and modern design inside but the sushi is underwhelming and not worth the price. For around the same price you can have excellent expensive sushi at Ozumo in downtown Oakland. It is a smal space and they have done a lot with it but they should have a better selection on sushi and traditional Japanese dishes. It is just average in my opinion. The sushi spot on La Salle (Oni Sushi) is the same quality sushi for a way better price.
(3)
angela t.
Great little restaurant !!!! It is one of our favorite neighborhood restaurants . Love the brussel sprouts and the Lion King !!!! The decor is contemporary .Very nice atmosphere . Puts you in mind of a slick LA restaurant . Can be a little pricey , but well worth it ! You wont be disappointed .
(4)
David D.
A refreshing addition to the tired restaurants in Montclair Village. Our server was the perfect combination of friendliness and knowledge of the food on offer - she made our day with her energetic good humor! I had the sashimi bento - terrific! My patrtner had the chicken donburi which he loved. The grilled brussel sprout appetizer was the highlight. We'll definitely go back!
(4)
neil s.
Mike Z is one of my favorite yelpers, and a friend, but not sure i'm with him on this one (and i assuredly don't write as well, or as wittily....prii?) Agree that montclair village has been a bit of a culinary black hole, and always eager for new sushi. Space is indeed nice and a bit upscale stylistically. walls, tables knida cool, music pumping, staff all in black, very 'shprocket' style (touch my monkey, ditar). But space is small, and tables really crammed together. We become quite chummy with our neighbors (but that was not my intent) after our waiter spilled water on them, trying to wedge into our table to refill ours. just too tight. Staff very enthusiastic, but frankly, in our case, very disorganized. Ordered soups that never came (although to be fair, he then comped our potstickers as compensation). Had to ask for a fork for my chopstick-challenged pre-teen three times. Took forever to pick up the check etc. Seems like a team approach, which may be a good idea for their work flow, but it also diffuses responsibility, and it was never clear who was taking care of us (ie bringing the soup (or not), bringing the fork, bringing the check etc) On to the food: very good. But frankly, not extraordinary. and definitely pricey. Tuna Poke was very good. Ceasar salad with tofu cubes instead of croutons was small but interesting. Rolls fine, but frankly not any different than mijori, or drunken fish, or others. and yes, pricey, including $14+ for many rolls. SO, middling evaluation. Nice space, but tight. Enthusiastic servers but disorganized. Good but pricey food. we'll go back, but its certainly not exceptional. and why can't you get a cup of coffee in montclair after 7PM?
(3)
Mocha G.
We had 7:30pm reservations and we were seated promptly at 7:30pm. Restaurant very hip and modern. The brussel sprouts were outstanding. Spider roll was average. What was the hit of the evening was the Okinawa surf and turf (Okinawan beef and lobster) Wow such great flavors melding together.The other special we had was the Scallop sashimi. It was presented like a beautiful flower with lemon slices between each sashimi and the scallops were so delicate in flavor. This restaurant has some unusual Japanese dishes and love it that the chef like to think outside the box. Be sure to note the presentation of some of the dishes. They used wasabi and painted a pattern on the wide rim of the dishes. Very nice touch.
(4)
Roderick B.
I read it on here before going that the brussel sprouts were great, and I have to SAY the is very true. Fallowed by every sushi roll and piece of sashimi that was placed in front of me. But wait the best beet salad I ever had anywhere was here too the wasabi beet salad.
(5)
Doctor G.
Mostly non-traditional Japanese cuisine. This means tasty, expensive and small portions. Kakui is a small restaurant with a very hip decor and a high ceiling. Features thumping Euro-dance music. We had brussel sprouts with karashi vinagrette - excellent. The tuna poke had lots of cucumbers in it - for better or worse, depending upon your love for cucumbers. The special raw scallops came beautifully arranged with lots of stuff, including thinly sliced wedges of lemon between each scallop. I ate one wedge with my sashimi scallop, which ruined the entire thing. I presume the lemon was for presentation only. The scallop deep fried with onion tasted like onion rings. The special french kiss roll was pretty good too. Not sure what was in ti. I really enjoyed the special Okinawa beef with bits of lobster and long necked mushrooms in a super tasty meat sauce. Would have been perfect the dish had been twice the size and came with rice. Instead, it was served in this huge round plate with a small two inch indentation in the middle for the dish itself. Street parking. I noticed that the muni lot 1.5 blocks up hill was closed when we came back. Full bar, but since this is a non-traditional Japanese restaurant - no plum wine.
(3)
Ann D.
Decided to order lunch from here one day. The restaurant is nice and looks modern fitting in nicely in the Montclair District. The food however is definitely not worth it. Ordered an unagi don off the lunch menu. Said on the menu that it comes with soup. The soup is fine but the dish is lonely with just the unagi and rice and the sauce is nothing special but just sauce that you'll find on any unagi at any japanese restaurant. I guess my main gripe is that it didn't even come with a salad whatsoever and for $10 for just unagi and rice, I'd say go somewhere else. And the unagi was burnt. Definitely not going back there.
(1)
Jessica G.
Hooray for Montclair! Finally a hip joint. Quaint and cool. I came when I was pregnant and had the Heirloom tomato salad and the Hamachi cheeks which were both delicious. Now I go for the raw stuff! Creative sauces and combos, everything fresh, really really yummy. Service can be a little off. Well priced lunch specials. Great wine selections, try their Malbec.
(4)
Dave D.
I have been waiting for a new restaurant for some time. Kakui is wonderful and vibrant on the inside, with a wonderful staff and a owner who knows his sushi. Just came back from the grand opening and it was a hit. looking forward to many evening spent here.
(5)
Deena R.
Best sushi experience in the Bay Area. Beginning with the sake tastings that our server and host initiated and sustained the whole night. Customer service is phenomenal. The food is memorable. Appetizers are eclectic. The fish was fresh and well presented. I had one of the best birthday dinners of my life, and part of this owed to the fantastic hosting and very attentive sushi chefs. The ambiance was intimate and comfortable. Thank you so much Kakui Sushi for a memorable birthday!
(5)
Masa S.
If you don't care about quality, then eat here for your sushi roll fix. If you want quality, go elsewhere. Sushi has two main requirements: 1) quality ingredients and 2) proper preparation/technique. The ingredients used here are terrible. At a Japanese restaurant, fried soft shell crab should either have tempura batter or panko crust. Breading with the consistency of the "Italian bread crumbs" you buy at the supermarket (minus the herbs) seems sacreligious. However, I would have gotten over the bread crumb issue if it was well-executed. IT WAS NOT. The soft-shell crab was cold, dry, and hard and tasted like it had been cooked hours earlier. In addition, the fish quality was TERRIBLE. Tuna should have a delicious, mild taste. Our order was fishy and contained a lot of connective tissue. Essentially, they used the low quality scraps from already low quality fish. Also, I don't think the sushi chefs have received proper training (or enough proper training). The rice was wrong in every way possible. The texture was not firm, the seasoning was barely there, and the execution of the application of the rice in the sushi was poor. The workmanship struck me as the likely outcome of a restaurant being opened by people who worked for a company making supermarket sushi in plastic containers. Most people who buy a book and try making sushi at home will do better. I will say that the brussel sprouts were great and justify the one star Yelp forced me to give this place. The irony is that they're basically roasted brussel sprouts with honey-mustard, which is distinctly NOT Japanese.
(1)
Laurie K.
Ok, time to eat my words. I still think they got off to a spectacularly rough start customer service-wise, but the maguro sashimi and other dishes were worth it when I was finally able to dine here. Given the location, I can understand why they feel justified in charging steep prices, so I can't complain there since the quality comes through. I was so unimpressed by takeout at the even newer Kotobuki down the street that I would gladly save my pennies and eat here instead, albeit more infrequently.
(4)
joel m.
Good food, good service, right price.
(4)
Mark M.
Talk about "Oh my Gosh!!!". This food is so fantastic I'm not sure I can give it the justice it deserves!!! The inside of the building is as fantastic as the food. The staff is very friendly and even on day 2 very calm. I would not miss this place!! If you want sushi you'll come back for again & again... This is your place. Yum!!!
(5)
Hana L.
Oishii Sooooo, desu yo! (translation: So Delicious!) Thank you for bringing such tasty food to Montclair Village! Having been born in Japan I am very picky about my rice. Having looked for good sushi in Oakland for many years, I am thrilled to finally find such FRESH, tasty, and full servings of fish here at Kakui. The ambiance is like an upscale SF restaurant. Staff have always been friendly and helpful to me. And the fact that it's down the street from my work? Bonus! Arigato gozaimashita! I'm coming back.
(5)
M S.
Living in Montclair, I really wanted to like this place. Shortly after opening, we went for a late Sunday lunch and had a decent experience, and figured the kinks would be worked out once they were open a bit longer. Flash forward about four weeks later, and I called them to order take-out. However, the gal on the phone told me that I had to come in and order because they didn't allow phone orders. Curious, I asked why, and she explained that they couldn't stay on the phone long because of credit cards. Pardon? She further explained it was because they needed to keep the phone line open to run credit cards through. She seemed embarrassed by the explanation, so I didn't press it. I asked her how long she estimated a take-out order would take and she guessed, "...Thirty minutes...?" I don't understand how a restaurant would choose to miss out on phoned-in take out orders, all for the *possibility* of running a credit card at that *exact* moment. And, if running a credit card is that important to you, why not just order a second phone line? It can't be that much, and I'm sure my take-out order would've covered the second line's cost for the month. The inconvenient take-out process is disappointing and is a deterrent for us going there again.
(2)
lars t.
Great sushi, always fresh! I love eating here and bringing people here. I've never been disappointed. Last time I was in I even got to chat with the owner for a few minutes. He was very nice and excited to have opened a restaurant in Montclair.
(5)
James R.
It's a modern fun place. I liked the Hamachi Kama and brussel sprouts. I has the chief choice sashimi (omakase ) it wasn't bad but I with this option I always am hoping something special. I also ordered the toro but this was not something I will order there again. The service we good but not attentive -- we waited 10 to 15 minutes for our drink order to be taken. We also order a daiginjo sake that was very good -- they respectable sake list. Over all I would good again.
(3)
Jenny C.
i'd give the decor about 3.5 stars. it was modern, with dark and moody lighting. the food only deserves 1-2 stars. here's why. 1. the portions were small for the price. each piece of sashimi was cut at about half the size you usually get at real japanese restaurants. 2. it's not authentic. we also ordered yaki udon, because it's usually a safe dish. here it had too much sauce and tasted more like chinese chow mein than anything that resembled japanese food, which is usually pretty light and fresh. if the prices were cheaper, i think we'd come back. the food's not terrible and it's close to our house. but for this price, save your money and go to a real japanese restaurant - there are plenty in town.
(2)
Zena A.
I have high expectations for sushi, but I'll live with mediocre stuff sometimes. This really wasn't even mediocre. It had received such good reviews on here but blahhhh....over priced, fish was not high quality - fatty bits all over the salmon, tuna, yuck. Funky taste in one roll almost made me gag. Pretty space, nice folks, but yuck. Too bad, Montclair's eating options suck.
(1)
Susan g.
The food is delicious, but the service was infuriatingly disorganized and slow, and our server vacillated between indifference and mild hostility.
(2)
Rachel E.
Nice modern decor but that is the only good thing I can say about it. The flavors were bland, the presentation pretentious, the attitude of the hostess, wait staff, and sushi chefs was uniform in its snottiness. The staff acted as if they were doing us a favor rather than working to earn repeat customers. The menu is incomplete, for example edamame does not appear on the menu but if you ask they have it and the server acted as if we should have known. The rolls were weird, not in the norm and not well executed. The quality of the fish was average to below average but priced as if it is the highest quality. What you're paying for is the presentation and decor. There is better, friendlier, less pricey sushi in Montclair albeit without the hip decor.
(1)
Paige W.
We went to Kakui last night to celebrate a birthday and were not disappointed. Great service, great food, great presentation of all. The tempura rolls (granted, I ordered veg tempura and instead got rolls) were outstanding, as was the grilled beef with daikon, ginger and seven spices. The kani was fresh, the spiced tuna rolls perfect, and really friendly, fast, professional service. It appears they have worked out some of the kinks noticed in early reviews. This restaurant fills a gap in Montclair, where we had no restaurant that came anywhere close to fine dining - with little flourishes like a waiter placing your napkin in your lap, complimentary appetizers from the kitchen and a greeting from the owner....we're fans!
(5)
Neeta D.
I'm reading all these great reviews and I'm confused. Maybe it's just not good for takeout. We've tried this place a handful of times, hoping it would become our regular sushi takeout spot but I don't think I'll be going back. The salmon was believe or not tasteless and the octopus was so stinky-fishy it was inedible. The rice on the rolls was dried out or something, maybe not cooked enough? not sure, but it was bad. They forgot to give us wasabi and ginger. Overall, terrible. Bummer.
(1)
Kate S.
It's a bad sign when uppermost in your mind at dinner is what you have in your fridge at home to make up for the disappointment. Dinner here was an overpriced let down especially in terms of portion size. The reviewer that described the cod entree as tapas sized was totally accurate. I ordered the cod and it was gone in 3 bites - I expect a little more for dinner. It's a pity because food seemed tasty but really, 3 bites????
(2)
Rick G.
This is the 2nd and newest sushi place in Montclair. The food is very good and nicely presented. They had blue fin tuna when we were there, which is unusual. Be advised, this is not a cheap place. $80 for two (with wine and beer). Worth a try. Small place so it does crowd up.
(4)
Debbie T.
My hubby & I had a sunny Saturday lunch out on their little deck in front. Our server was an upbeat young lady who was very attentive throughout our meal. She apologised when hubby pointed out that I didn't get the fruit with my meal, (which was written on the menu) and took great measures to see to it that we were happy. I ordered the vegetable tempura bento, which came with miso, a nice sized salad, a bowl of white rice and a fresh orange cut into wedges. I give them an A for presentation, and another A for the taste. The tempura portion was generous, served on a separate black rectangular dish. The salad was brought out first, lightly dressed greens, a fresh and ample serving. My hubby ordered the sashimi bento which had fresh salmon and tuna which he says melted in his mouth. He also enjoyed the generous portion served to him. We skipped the drinks, just had green tea, which we weren't charged for. The only think that slightly bothered us was that our server mentioned the sake several times before and again, while taking our order. We weren't interested in sake, but it seems that they push it a bit, and they bring a sake menu out with the food menus. Aside from that though, we loved this place, and maybe next time will have dinner inside. As a vegetarian, my choices are a bit limited, but the tempura was cooked just right, and they also have it in a sushi roll. I also may try the green bean salad and perhaps the avocado roll. We plan on returning, my Japanese hubby loved it! He knows good sashimi when he tastes it.
(5)
d s.
I really wanted to like this restaurant, but alas, it didn't meet my expectations. When dining at a sushi joint I expect to be served sushi and sashimi when ordered. We ordered a bountiful of appetizers, sushi and sashimi, along with bottles of wine, but was only served apps and wine. We thought sushi and sashimi would come soon... Sat, ate apps, and drank wine for about 45 minutes to an hour. Sushi and sashimi never came. When we asked the waiter for it, he apologized, and a bottle of wine ended being on the house. Luckily the apps were filling & ended up telling the waiter to forget the sushi & sashimi orders, but we left feeling hungry for sushi.
(2)
Timber E.
So not impressed with this place after three attempts to like it. Service was slow the second visit. So obviously not the waiters issue - the sushi chefs were drinking and partying with customers at the sushi bar. Everyone around us was ticked off. When I commented on this, the waiter brought over complimentary sake, and ended the meal with complimentary mochi. Last week, we ate at the bar. I was mildly offended by the sushi chef as he kept on implying things based upon the suggestive name of one of the rolls and alluded to an ex-girlfriend. Could tell he was behind again, and offered complimentary sake to a displeased table customer. He was spending too much time talking and drinking with the patron next to us. Forgot to mention how dirty it was on one of the visits. Asked the hostess for a clean menu, and she brought another dirty one which she said was the cleanest she had. Dirty floors, too. Recommend people go to Name next to Farmer Joe's. Fresher fish, better service, and nicer people.
(2)
Eric A.
The sushi here is very good, and better than Toshi for sure. I really enjoy the restaurant space itself as well, which is rare treat in Montclair.
(4)
Carla C.
My husband and I came in here for lunch and were pleasantly surprised - the rolls and sashimi were great! It was very quiet for lunch and that made me hesitate before we went in, but am I ever glad we gave it a try. Everything was fresh and delicious. The only thing I wasn't impressed with was the seaweed salad. The service was adequate, nothing spectacular. Very glad this little gem moved into Montclair!
(4)
Jack B.
Finally, both new restaurants in Montclair are worth going to more than once. We must have been there last Friday when Tsuni S was. I think that they were right behind us as we were seated at a 2 top table by the sushi bar. Another reviewer was right: avoid that table at all costs. We overheard the information that was being given to the next table on the different sake that they served, so we ordered as well after being given a mini-seminar on what we could expect with each. It was very helpful of John our waiter and he was very patient. On to the food: It was AWESOME! We went there again last night and again it was AWESOME! Such a nice contrast to that dump down on Moraga and LaSalle that served us warm sushi (as in broken refrigerator). As I said John our waiter was very patient and mind you the place was packed and he still took the time to interact with us. Oh and Tsuni S. If you were at the table behind us, it was one of the few times that we've been seated next to a table with a child that behaved. Keep up the good work.
(5)
Jill R.
Went here for the first time this eveing and I have to say we had a great dinner. My only complaint is that the prices are too steep. Otherwise, we had very tasty, fresh sushi. I have read the previous reviews and am thinking that this place is really trying to work out the kinks. The manager was so avaiable and courteous and when I inquired about the owner/chef, he did say that this restaurant is his first endeavor...so, I say you all give it another try. Really, we eat sushi a lot and really loved our meal. We had:Gyoza, very good 2010 Roll, amazing Brussel sprouts..wow! Beef entree, amazing Hamachi with avocado appetizer, "melt in your mouth", says my 9 year old son!
(4)
Crystal X.
This is my first time eating sushi at the East Bay. The food quality is great plus and the same as the service!! I will better come back again.... :) beef tataki is great, sashimi is fresh and beautiful.oakland pd roll is yummy........if you are a sushi lover, I will recommend you come and try them. P.S. the interior design is nice and relax style!
(5)
Fermin R.
fancy plating/presentation of plates. small, tidy, delicious.
(4)
Kate F.
Kakui Sushi is a wonderful addition to Montclair. The food is great. We have been there twice so far and we are going back again. The fish tasted fresh and the presentation is artful. The staff is friendly. The owner (I think) gave us saki to try, which was delicious. The second time in, the owner (I think) gave us a brussel sprout dish that was awesome. I've been to many, many sushi places around the bay area and this is one of the best.
(4)
t l.
Just went there on thursday night and the food was excellent. one of their popular dishes not on the menu is a scallop sushi dish. we also had the lion king roll (melted in my mouth) and the dynamite roll. all was good. we were the last people in the restaurant, and i really appreciated not feeling rushed out
(4)
J J.
positives: very fine sushi and execution of rolls, delicious beef and delicious pork rib entrees. loved the brussels sprouts preparation. negatives: slipshod service--took forever to get soy sauce and water refills NOISE IS DEAFENING, from the other customers and kitchen Do some noise-abating measures, and I'll be back.
(4)
Eva H.
Nice, hip place but it is expensive. I've eaten there 4 times and the last time, I had the spicy tuna roll and the tuna was not fresh. The tuna was also not the red maguro but the white cheaper tuna...I was disappointed. Haven't been back since.
(3)
Todd C.
this is a pretty small place, probably seats 30-40 people Max. The standout item for me is the flash fried brussel sprouts with a sweet mustard glaze, very yummy appetizer. Miso soup is OK. Oakland PD roll was tasty topped with some very fresh bbq eel. Didn't order the 2010, but I was jealous ever time someone ordered it b/c it looked awesome. Service is OK, but they tend to entertain their "regulars", and half way take care of the common folk. The atmosphere at Kirala in Berkeley is much better, and the quality of sushi at Semo's in Fremont is way better. But, this place is consistent, convenient and quick to get in and out of.
(4)
Baldeep S.
Stopped in after work last week and had their Fliet in gravy sauce. It was soooooo good! As usual their sushi was excellent. This is my regualar lunch spot!!
(5)
Carrie M.
Amazing! Service was very attentive and speedy. Sushi ROCKED. Try the Brussel Sprouts!! We've been back many times, and loved every one.
(5)
Co C.
Some of the best sushi/sashimi I have had, and I love sushi! Great addition to Montclair!! Try the tempura green beans and brussel sprouts! Everything I have had at Kakui has been delicious!!
(5)
Kelly E.
They have pretty good sushi here. The lion king roll is my favorite!
(4)
Alan P.
Went there for lunch. The sushi was fresh, and good (and deserves 4 stars). The katsu-don (fried pork chop with rice) was just A-OK. Service was good. I can say that this is the best Japanese restaurant (among the three) in Montclair village.
(3)
Andrew S.
I went back and the food was still great but they had fixed their service problems. Now the only problem is how hard it is to get a table because the place seems to be packed all the time.
(5)
Erin R.
This was our first time trying to new sushi joint in the village. I think they have taken the mixed Yelp reviews to heart, because our experience last night was absolutely perfect. For one thing, it's really great for a young couple (that's us) with no kids who just moved from the city to have such a cool sushi bar in the village. The atmosphere is really swanky and modern, and the servers and sushi chefs are so, so friendly. I felt like we were already regulars, and it was our first time there. ANYWAY - the food. We only tried the sushi, but the portions are big, and the chefs take great care to make each plate an artistic presentation. Even my hamachi nigiri was made beautiful, with artful relishes. My favorite roll of the night was the Crunchy Tuna Roll. Unique, delicious, completely satisfying. We also loved the Four Seasons Roll - also the most beautiful display of the night. So many wonderful, intense flavors working together harmoniously. A true delight. Other things we had were more basic - a tuna roll, some miso. But seriously, every single item was perfect. I love this place and will definitely be one of their regulars.
(5)
liza m.
We stumbled into Kakui at 8:55 p.m. on a Wednesday night. With five minutes until closing, they could have easily turned us away and forced us to :::gasp::: cook for ourselves at home. My first impressions of Kakui -- modern, fresh, hip, uhh what's this place doing in Montclair? Don't get me wrong. Montclair is a nice place, but the words modern, fresh, and hip don't exactly come to mind. Think traditonal, dated, mom and pop type places. I ordered the uni nigiri and the small order of the sake sashimi. Hubby ordered the A's roll. First off, I was VERY happy that they had uni available (most places order a small amount per day, and usually run out very quickly). The uni was fresh, squishy, tasted like the sea. YUM! The sake was pricey, but the cuts were thick and fresh. YUM again! I didn't taste the A's roll, but it looked like your average run of the mill sushi roll. I did notice it was pretty plentiful. Plus, the waitress was very nice and gave me husband a side of unagi sauce. I would take a friend who wasn't familiar with Oakland out here for a nice dinner in a heartbeat. My only suggestion is they have pictures of the fancier type rolls. Yeah, it's not exactly chic, but it would be really be helpful.
(4)
Randy E.
Had a fantastic dinner. Best brussels sprouts dish ever. Nice sushi. Best uni in Monntclair.
(4)
Carl T.
Not sure why there are some really bad reviews of this place as we live nearby and have never had a bad experience. Sushi is very good for an East Bay neighborhood restaurant. Sure, there are better places that we go to in the City, but the food, Sake selection and service have all been fine every time
(4)
Patrick B.
We just had dinner here recently. Loved the quality and the variety we received. We went on a Saturday night and we couldn't have been happier. Not sure why there are so many other mixed reviews for this place, maybe we caught them on a better night. But we would definitely go there again.
(5)
Ellen F.
The decor is lovely and the food is divine. The service is friendly, but slooooooooow. 5 of us came in for lunch, each ordering an entree for ourselves. One person's sushi came immediately and everything else dribbled in over the next 30 minutes. Hot things got cold while we waited for others' food to be delivered. Frustrating. Hoping this changes. Will give it another try, but my advice for now is to not go if your entire party wants to eat at the same time...
(3)
tulip m.
I finally stopped in my new local sushi spot and wound up having dinner there twice this week! It was fabulous. The presentation of the food is lovely. The service is terrific - they are clearly working on fixing their image from early weeks. The atmosphere is sophisticated for Montclair, making it a nice addition.
(4)
laura N.
They must be reading these comments. Went there two nights ago and the service was excellent. Food lovely.Prices are steep. Decor has upped the ante in Montclair, taking it to a new level. All in all, I'd return, though with a party of two instead b/c it's so expensive. Give it some more time. And I hope they are here to stay.
(5)
Audrey W.
Just LOVED this place...!!! I don't understand the negative reviews? 3 of us went for dinner, 7:30 on a Weds night, with no reservation. We had to wait about 20 minutes for a table but we were served water, edamame and sake while we waited, so no complaints there. The place is small and crowded but not overly noisy, so thats good too. Then the sushi arrived - gorgeous looking, fresh and very tasty! Oh - try the cherry blossom sake.
(5)
Todd F.
I'm sorry that a few reviewers were disappointed, because we were thrilled with the fresh, clean, and rich flavors of everything we ate and drank. The classic items on the Nigiri sushi menu were just what we expected but more so! The fish was astonishingly fresh. The sake menu was varied and reasonably priced. The service was friendly and professional. The caterpillar roll was exemplary, and the vegetarian futo maki roll was full of distinct, fresh tastes and textures. It's a great addition to Montclair. We can even walk there. We expect to become regulars.
(5)
Annie G.
I was somewhat disappointed by Kakui. I am a San Francisco transplant and I have high standards for restaurants. I eat out very often and so I have the opportunity to sample different offerings. I went to Kakui for the fixed price menu on Valentine's Day. The champagne and wines were nice. The steak was fabulous. The lobster rolls were fantastic. Unfortunately, the raw fish didn't taste as fresh as it should. The service lagged; we waited a while in between courses. I noticed our server visiting with friends as our glasses stood empty and our table bare. The price was $85 per person which is pretty steep, particularly for Oakland. I expected more. The thing that was most disturbing was that they had the nerve to add gratuity on at a rate of 20% on the amount including tax. So, two people got out of the restaurant for about $225 on Valentine's Day. I felt that the missteps were amatuerish and entirely undeserving of the price. I would not recommend the fixed price menu to anyone. Individual items may be worthwhile but that remains to be seen.
(2)
Jenny B.
Excellent experience here at Kakui! Husband and I were thrilled to find two empty seats at the sushi bar at 7:30 on a Thursday night. We were greeted cheerfully by the hostess, and given an enthusiastic recommendation for sake by our waitress, who was wonderful throughout the evening - always checking in with us, asking what we liked, etc. We started with the tuna poke - a generous portion and very flavorful, with quite a bit of spicy kick! Next came Hamachi sashimi - thick, firm, buttery slices that melt in your mouth. Thumbs way up! The Oakland PD roll was the perfect combination of warm and sweet, and we finished up, on the suggestion of the sushi chef, with an incredible kobe beef roll that had seared foie gras on top - not only delicious, but entertianing to watch the chefs with their torches! Great presentation on all plates - we didn't see one item come out of the kitchen that didn't look mouth-watering. I predict I'll be begging to come back next week.
(4)
Laurie H.
Sadly, it looks like we are done with Kakui. Came in tonight (Friday night) and got a table for three right away. Everything was going amazingly. The server was sweet, the food was coming out in a well-timed pace and tasting good....and then, like every other time we've been there, it fell completely apart. Kept waiting for son's roll (his only entree-type order). And waiting. And the rest of the food had been delivered. And eaten. No roll. And no unagi for me, but I had had much food already so I was okay with it. No kidding - at least 45 minutes went by (and as I said, the food was eaten) when the server came back to let us know that they were out of asparagus (key to his asparagus tempura roll he had ordered). 45 minutes. FORTY FIVE minutes. There were no other options for him, so we said, okay - will the unagi be out soon? Oh, yes. 10 minutes later the check came. With the unagi on it. No unagi. So of course I asked for it to be taken off....now I'm just ready to go. It took another 10 minutes for her to come back with the unagi taken off the bill, and yet she had the unagi in a to-go box (along with an order of cauliflower that she had brought to try to make up for the missing asparagus roll). Sigh. You could debate all day on whether it was the kitchen or the server who should have been paying more attention. Doesn't matter - it's the restaurant that is responsible....and this is a consistent pattern for Kakui. Every single time things are rolling along well and then they drop off in the end, making us just want to get the hell out. So, I've learned my lesson this time and will definitely take my business elsewhere.
(2)
Stephen G.
Mushy sushi. Curt service. Cold room. All in all, one of the worst Japanese restaurants I've ever been to...and in fact the worst, if you take its prices into account. That about sums it up. But to go into a bit more detail, I decided to give Kakui another try (last night, Sunday) after finding it mediocre the first time around earlier this year. Sadly, it was even worse the second time around. As a Montclair resident, I really wanted to like Kakui, especially since it has aspirations to offer a creative menu in a hip setting. But it confuses aspirations with pretentions. While not all of the dishes that my two friends and I had were bad, the food was a very mixed experience. Worst of all, the consistency of the fish in the rolls we ordered was pretty mushy...not at all fresh. On the positive side, a brussels sprouts appetizer was delicious. But on balance, with so many good Japanese restaurants around, why settle for dishes that were largely disappointing? What's more, this is a semi-upscale place in terms of its price and ambiance. You can do better at more moderately priced Japanese restaurants. Unfortunately, the mediocre food actually compared favorably with the service. Our waiter was absolutely lousy: curt, officious, impatient with any question, slapped the dishes down on the table, never wiped down the table, got our order wrong, etc., etc. Instead of the common courtesies even a half-decent waiter might display, his most common comment to us was, "Anything else?" At first I thought his poor service was because the place was semi-busy, with half the tables occupied...not that it would have justified his lack of professionalism. But even after the semi-crowd thinned out, he remained lousy. I otherwise would have given the restaurant two stars (not a glowing review, I realize). But he brought it down yet another notch. Finally, this somewhat cramped restaurant is not a great place to go on a cold winter's evening. It's a smallish room, not well heated to begin with, that gets a cold draft any time the door opens. Given the set-up of the room, there's really no great table for escaping that breeze.
(1)
Electro B.
Do not order food from Kakui over the phone, or via the web, for pickup. They routinely leave out items. This has happened to me twice in in a total of five orders. Not good odds! Avoid if possible.
(1)
Admin A.
I don't understand some of the negative reviews here as my own experience with the quality of sushi has been nothing short of spectacular. Hands down, this is the best sushi restaurant in Oakland. I used to go to Kirala in Berkeley but there was always a long wait and the menu has been pretty much the same for the past fifteen years. Kakui has some of the best sashimi you can get anywhere in the East Bay. They have a great selection of appetizers too. My favorite is the Kale soup and hamachi avocado garnished with jalapeno pepper. The uni and shiro magaru are amazing and the rolls rank up there with Uzumo in SF. The sushi chef and owner, Jinji, is a great guy and is a perfectionist. Also the price is very reasonable for the quality of sushi they offer. Most people who go there are regulars and live near by. If you live in Montclair Village, you are missing out if you don't give them a try. Be careful because you will get hooked. My wife and I go there just about every Wednesday for our sushi date night at the bar.
(5)
John Z.
It's odd to give such high props to a Sushi restaurant for, of all things, their brussels sprouts. Then again it's odd that, even sitting at the sushi counter, I didn't order any sushi. That's right, no sushi. Honey badger don't care. Some fragmented highlights of my lunch: - Kakui Sushi's exterior. The horizontal wood paneled exterior is, by chance or design, an effective feng shui deflector for its T-intersection location. Pretty, too. - The three-part sake flight. Artfully presented, with a written description of each sake's origins and distinctions, the wines played well with each other and the food. I got a stronger buzz than expected, so be warned. - The aforementioned brussels sprouts. A little smoky, a lot savory, with just the right enhancement of tang and sweet. Aside from SF's now-defunct Mecca, these were the best B.S.'s I've had outside my kitchen. - Watching the chef front-row prepare his sushi. It's pure craftsmanship. -- The sushi. Yes, I said I didn't order any, but my dear dining companion did, and was gracious enough to let me sample. The 49er roll, with its light draping of sliced lemons, tasted as elegant and fresh as it looked. -- The solo diners sitting to our left & right. Apparently regulars and obviously enamored. Low-keyed but oh-so passionate in their praise when asked by the chef if they liked their sushi. Notable, but not stellar, my Katsu-don pork. The included miso, perfect. A bit more pricey than my usual sushi haunts. But the pride shown in its ambiance and food justify it. If you want to make a special, intimate event of sushi dining, Kakui is well worth your consideration.
(4)
Sam R.
Several people from the other side of the tunnel had recommended this place to me, and it took me a while to make it up the hill to Montclair for an actual meal! Having all kinds of "food renaissance" happenings in downtown Oakland makes it really hard to want to venture up to the hills. Thank Beyonce I made it up Broadway Terrace to Kakui-- I went for lunch on a Saturday with a friend, and saddled up to the sushi bar to gawk, chat, and gorge. The stop for coffee along the way at the Broadway Terrace Cafe helped, too (love that place) :) Small interior. Classy, minimalist/wood design. 1-2 wait staff, 1-2 sushi chefs-- a pretty tight operation. Service was friendly, SUPER-quick, and they take a really great stay-the-hell-out-of-your-hair approach while still being attentive. LOVE that. It's hard to review a sushi place, because so much depends on the freshness of stuff that day, and every item can be so different. We ordered mostly sashimi, sake, and then a couple of crazy-rolls- even said "crazy-rolls" were not too over the top like most places. Delicious balance of flavors without TOO too many ingredients. We also went a little crazy and got some weird butter/Lobster roll. Not authentic at all, but SO GOOD. I recommend going and doing your own sushi thing, but definitely trying out some sashimi. Like I said, it was fresh to def, and the chefs are friendly, chatty, and will set you up with something you'll like even if you're unsure. Personally, I wanted to sit and eat the entire cut of butterfish that was sitting in front of me at the bar....slice by slice. I settled for just a few pieces--it was phenomenal. Mild flavor, super fresh...MMM And don't forget... they've got a great selection of premium sake! Not the cheapest spot, but definitely worth the trip up the hill. It can be pricey, if you end up ordering as much as I did, so I would recommend lunch, and see where that gets you! Very, very good for a place that's only been opened a few years--I'll be back!
(4)
Stephanie S.
Kakui Sushi is the best sushi restaurant in the Bay Area. The quality of the fish is outstanding and the staff is always pleasant and attentive. I eat there or order take out at least once a week.
(5)
Stu S.
We had dinner there this evening and were somewhat disappointed. We ordered the roasted cauliflower salad and it tasted mostly of lemon juice. The warm mushroom salad with ponzu truffle sauce tasted like soy sauce; certainly no truffle flavor. The salmon entree with miso sake butter was good, and it came with tiny slices of eggplant and nothing else. If you want rice it is extra. The sweet miso marinated black cod had a slightly sour note, but the fish was tender and flaky. It came with two pieces of baby bok choy. We ordered a dragon roll to share, and that was delicious. The service was excellent. Too bad the wait staff had to constantly close the door that would not shut completely itself. The tables are placed too closely together, but the decor is soothing, and the almost cathedral ceiling adds a feeling of spaciousness to this small restaurant. On our way out we saw Jerry Brown come in. I shook his hand and chatted for a second. I wonder if he orders the jerry special roll (yes it is on the menu).
(2)
Steven H.
Kakui is awesome! Best sushi in the area. We take our kids as a special treat, and sometimes my wife and I meet for lunch. I've probably been 15 times, and never had a bad meal. The sushi is always fresh and yummy, and the cooked items are also excellent. The owner Yingji is really knowledgeable and great at explaining everything from how the rice is made to which fish is best on any given day, and why.
(5)
Sandra S.
By far, hands down the best sushi I've tasted. I love this place!!!! The fatty in me didn't want to leave, in fact...the worst part of my entire stay here was the fact that I had to leave. I mean...I even found great parking :) Really cute and quaint spot. I loved the decor. The tables were close to each other but not too close where you can hear the entire conversation of the person next to you (unless you were purposely listening) or where you were knocking elbows. The servers were really accommodating and super friend. It always helps to be greeted by nice smiles :) I treated my friend LadyJ to dinner since she got a promotion at work and we both love sushi. Our order went something like this: * mixed tempura - mmm...never have I eaten every single piece. It was fabulous * seaweed salad - not my thang but LadyJ loved it * dragon roll - LadyJ thought it was the BoMb * tempura roll - succulent and mouth watering * california roll - huge...I mean HUGE * glass of french wine - chardoney - I was in heaven All in all, I can't wait to go back to this place. It was fabulous!!!! Total damage for 2 - $73.03
(5)
Brandi W.
The lion king is one of the best I've had and every roll I ordered was delish and fresh and they actually use real seafood!! I love the modern decor also, this is way better than the sushi place around the corner, which shall go nameless for now.
(5)
Kerry Z.
The owner should read these reviews and perhaps make some serious changes in order to save his/her business. Okay, now to my review. First of all, it's overpriced. Second, the workers are ding-dongs, and finally the consistency of the rolls are like mushed up bananas. Funny because the roll I ordered had the word "CRUNCHY" in it. They need to do some research on that term before they just slap it on the menu like that. What a terrible waste of $9. The atmosphere is really cool, but not cool enough to serve crappy food. Also, I saw a fly land on their cutting board. Yes, the same cutting board they place the food on that eventually makes it's way into your mouth. So essentially, you're eating sushi rolls with a hint of fly shit.
(1)
Lee R.
My go to good place to eat good food in Montclair. The owner really cares about having fabulous sushi ... and he does. Now he saves me a trip to Alameda when I want the best sushi! Lunch date ... Kakui! Yum.
(5)
Nancy F.
Service and seating is an F. Food is a solid B. I don't think management thinks through the service. I got there with my hubby, my 2 kids and my friend at 5:45PM! Although there were plenty of tables available (one lady even told me she got a seat easily 10 mins. before me) but they told me they didn't have anything for me for 1.5 hours! That is ridiculous. Then the host tells me that there's a reservation an 1 hour from now so he can't give me a table/seat except for the bar. This is outrageous! Why would they miss out on business for 1 hour waiting for someone's reservation? This left a bad taste in my mouth because they didn't seem to care about the customer standing right in front of them. I also found the wait staff cold and young/too green/didn't know what they were doing! I found the service cold, curt and unfriendly.
(2)
Shoshana F.
The food has always been excellent, but the last two times we have been very disappointed in problems that stemmed from poor management of the kitchen. It wasn't that they ran out of food while we were there, it was they didn't have it in the first place. The kitchen neglected to tell the waitstaff. Last night they didn't have wakame, pork belly or lamb and who knows what else. (My husband doesn't eat raw fish, so he appreciates the cooked food options.). My daughter and I ordered a variety of nigiri and sushi rolls. They only started to trickle out after my husband finished his entree, took over an hour for us to get all the dishes served - and we still had to ask for the last two dishes. We complained to the manager about all the problems with service, who was apologetic, but full of excuses. When we first got our bill, there was nothing taken off, which I didn't think was right. I said something to the server, who said we shouldn't have gotten the full bill, which she then took 20% off. That was appreciated. I hope that the kitchen problems can be remedied, because despite the excellent quality of the fish and presentation, I won't be back for a repeat performance.
(3)
Brian M.
Love, love, love this place. The sushi at Kakui is extremely fresh and tasty (see my photos via the link above). I've had my share of bad sushi so when I find a good place I become a loyal patron. TIP: Be sure to ask your server about their daily fresh seasonal specials (they won't be on the menu... and be warned that they might be sold out later in the evening). For example, we had freshly caught LIVE scallops served on top of the shell which was to die for. It just melted in your mouth. I also love their selection of rolls especially the "Alicia Roll" which I found out was named after one of Kakui's regular customers. The roll has lobster sauce garnished with a jalapeno and fish eggs on top... very creative! The brussels sprouts were also really tasty as many others have mentioned. I forgot to ask how they were prepared. Excellent. In short, very creative sushi and rolls, easy parking and Kakui is located in Montclair which is very quaint. We've had a great experience both times we've been there and plan on returning soon. BTW, this location used to be a Jamba Juice... they did a really good job with the interior/remodel.
(5)
Heidi S.
Incredible. The atmosphere is lovely- modern, clean, beautiful, excellent lighting. The service is amazing. I sat at the sushi bar for a late afternoon lunch and the sushi chef's made me laugh and also taught me all sorts of interesting things about traditional Japanese cuisine and the philosophies behind it. The albacore sashimi was the best I have ever had. Fresh, perfect, and excellent presentation. This place is great for a date or a casual lunch.
(5)
D C.
This is relatively new in Montclair. We wanted to give this place a try and so we did. What a disappointment! The place is small and there is not a lot of room to move around. The tables are literally next to each other. The food came out at a snail's pace. When we finally got our food, the sushi rolls were just ok. It might have been a busy night...we might just give it another try.
(3)
Alexander H.
Found my new spot! Brussel sprouts are great! All the rolls are great and the sashimi was super high quality. Reasonable prices. Scallops were very fresh as they were live. The owner is also hilarious and friendly.
(5)
Kari S.
Alicia roll, Oakland A's roll, and crunchy tuna roll. These are my and my husband's staples. They are a great combination of very fresh fish, sauces, and presentation. It has a very neighborhood feel to it, but it also has very modern decor which is new for the Montclair area. I'm not a huge sushi eater (just starting) so I love the fact that their chicken teriyaki is not gross like what you get in most bento boxes. Theirs is not even a bento box. It is a beautifully marinated, slightly spicy piece of chicken breast with rice and asparagus and salad on a plate, not a box. I order it all the time! The only con is it is pretty pricey, but sooooo worth it.
(4)
Laura C.
Food was great. 4 stars. Not sure what the one-star Yelpers were complaining about.. our fish seemed fresh. Maybe they listened to you and cleaned up their act before we got there. Ambiance - Decor is wonderful but it's hella noisy in there. A dish dropping almost pierced our ears. When we first went in the staff was all talking/laughing loudly and it was cacophonous. What didn't work - the woman waiting tables was standing in front of my chair while I was waiting to be seated at the bar for an inordinate amount of time as she was talking to the guys behind the bar. It was like she was oblivious to us waiting there - very unprofessional. She also plopped her big-ass purse right up on the bar. Do you know how nasty the bottom of womens' purses are? They sit on bathroom floors. All in all, I'm happy that a Japanese restaurant with nice ambiance is in the hood.
(3)
Scott L.
A little pricey for Japanese food. Upscale ambiance but get rid of the top 20 pop music blaring from the sushi bar. Jazz more appropriate given the dark atmosphere? Miso Cod is good although portion was small. Owner has to rethink what they are tyring to achieve. Asian Tapas / Small Plates? Service was attentive but felt rushed..possibly they are over compensating for past reviews which complained about slow service....
(3)
Celeste B.
Beautiful setting but the food was just ok. The tempura shrimp was good. I would not mind going back but it is not a place I would choose.
(2)
Betty H.
I must thank Mike Z for his review of Kakui Sushi. I just had the most wonderful lunch at this lovely new restaurant in Montclair. The sushi is presented in such a creative way. Not only is everything extremely fresh, but it's pretty too. Yes the service is amateurish, but if you have a little time on your hands sit back and enjoy the beautiful surroundings, and the enjoyment of seeing all the gorgeous presentations that are coming out of the kitchen and sushi bar. And while your there, make sure to visit the restroom. It is so pretty; that after washing my hands I found myself wiping the water splashes off the side of the basin. Yes, it's that nice in there. I didn't get any of the lap action that Mike got, so I'm a bit bummed. Guys have all the luck.
(4)
Jay Z.
It has always been a mystery to me why Montclair Village could not support any really good, fun and unique restaurants. Pretty much all of the dining spots in Montclair are boring and mediocre. This shouldn't be the case. The locals generally have a lot of spare dining dollars, and these are the same people who head down the hill to Uptown, Temescal, Rockridge, Glenview and other Oakland neighborhoods for excellent options. I have a few theories about this, but I'll hold my tongue. The last thing I need is an angry mob of villagers showing up at my door, wagging their tanned fingers at me, while their Volvos, double strollers and Prii block my driveway and their 2 point 3 children threaten me menacingly with their lacrosse sticks. No, I'll just say that happily the drought is over. The fish is top quality and very fresh, the surroundings are really nice and the gracious young owner roams the room making sure everyone is happy. Even the prices are reasonable for this kind of place. I am truly baffled by some of the poor reviews. The only thing holding me back from that 5th star is the slightly amateurish service at a place that puts on airs of being a little extra fancy. After we were seated, a waiter came by, unfolded our napkins and laid them across our laps. When that happens, service expectations tend to skyrocket. So, it was a little disappointing to have the food come out haphazardly and for the waiter to have no clue what went where. Normally I wouldn't care so much about that stuff at a sushi joint, but when you put your hands in my lap I get excited about what's next.
Takes Reservations : Yes Delivery : No Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Dinner Parking : Street Bike Parking : Yes Wheelchair Accessible : Yes Good for Kids : No Good for Groups : No Attire : Casual Ambience : Trendy Noise Level : Average Alcohol : Beer & Wine Only Outdoor Seating : Yes Wi-Fi : No Has TV : No Waiter Service : Yes Caters : Yes
David L.
This place was good when it opened. And can still be ok if you sit at the sushi bar because the chefs will take good care of you. The food is good and I would say better than most sushi restaurants. The service kills the place for me: Every time we walk in we are blasted without hello but rather DO YOU HAVE A RESERVATION? If I had a res I would say so! How about welcome to Kakui? Last night they got me again ... Items on my bill that were not received! Always complaining of being short-staffed. Sorry, not my problem. At this point not one of my must go back to destinations. If you like bad service, try it!
(3)packurknives a.
Take away one star for overpricing. The food however is great! Really fresh and some good inventive rolls. The brussel sprouts app is pretty damn awesome too. Service is good. This is a great addition to Montclair!
(4)Angie C.
I love this sushi restaurant! Oh my - this place is delectable! My girlfriend and I visited this place, and although we are not the biggest sports fans, the 49er Roll and the Oakland A's Roll, both sounded the most appetizing in the moment! My favorite is the 49er roll, they place thin slices of lemon on top that makes it very refreshing and tasty. Some of the tastiest sushi I have had, very satisfying! Very posh atmosphere, and friendly service!
(5)Sarah M.
We walked in with high hopes only to have them completely crushed by the horrible service at Kakui Sushi. When we arrived around 6 the restaurant was more then half empty. We were promptly seat and served water while we reviewed the menu. By the time they came to take our order about 10 minutes later we had finished our waters which were never refilled during the course of the meal. About 10 minutes after that our green teas and miso soup arrived. We asked for spoons and that took another 5 minutes. My chicken teriyaki arrived next which was a bunch of undercooked scrap meat. My husband sushi which was only two rolls took another 15 minutes to be served. By the time he received his measly rolls my scrap meat was already cold. During this time we were never asked by our server how our meal was or offered a refill on our waters or green teas.
(1)Asya I.
We visited this Sushi restaurant based on pretty good reviews on Yelp. It was a bit of a disappointment as we drove from Castro Valley, expecting it to be an upscale Montclair restaurant: cozy, quaint, fresh raw seafood, romantic setting. Well, the place was crowded and tables are uncomfortably close in proximity to each other. Another family's kids were practically in my lap. We ordered hot sake, it tasted like it was already warmed up a couple of times before: so-so. We waited for quite some time... The waiters mixed things up and brought our order to the other table, but, luckily, they brought it back to us eventually. Finally our food came: adequate. We ordered sashimi salmon, an order of uni, and a couple of sushi rolls. Portions were on the smallish side. Then at some point we found a couple of very tiny pieces of glass in our marinated ginger. Not wanting to complain and ruin our own evening, we just chewed more carefully. Everything else was fine. In the morning we felt fine, no digestive issues. So not the worst possible place to eat, but we have had much better sushi than this!
(1)Vanessa S.
We went back, and once again I am a fan! This time service was up to par and loved their brussels sprouts.
(4)Tracy S.
I Love, Love, Love this place. I have been going there since they opend. The staff is amazing. The owner Yingji is also amazing. He treats everyone like family. The restaurant is beautiful, the food presentation is a piece of art.Everything is delicious, I never had a problem with service. They also offer off site catering.
(5)Stephanie R.
Delicious, wonderful addition to Montclair! I dined with a friend last night, and we had a wonderful meal. I was a bit disappointed to find my first 2 choices (hamachi collar and the cod) sold out at 7:30pm, but I tried the salmon instead. It was so perfectly cooked and flavorful. I don't usually order salmon out, due to it often being dry and tasteless. This was the opposite. I had the the tuna poke starter, which was nice. It's not the poke I remember from Hawaii, but it was nice, fresh tuna. I tried a piece of the veggie tempura and a bite of the ribeye. Both were very good as well. Nice wine list. I enjoyed a dry German Riesling. I left feeling this is the best restaurant in Montclair. I haven't tried the sushi yet, but I will on another visit. Our service was good, and the noise level was fine. I thought we'd overhear our neighbors' conversations, with the seating so close together. But that wasn't an issue at all. It was a special treat. I look forward to future visits!
(4)Derek N.
This is a beautifully-decorated sushi restaurant in the Montclair district of Oakland. The sushi rolls consumed were: (1) Oakland A's Roll that had spicy tuna, yum; (2) Dragon Roll, and a (3) DJ Roll (haha my first and middle initials). Overall, I had a nice meal. Overall, I thought the rolls consumed were good. I'd probably be back to try the sashimi and will report back to see how the raw-cuts stack up.
(3)Tamara N.
The best thing about this restaurant is the food. We had a party of seven (which seemed to take up about 1/3 of the entire restaurant) and everyone liked the food. I would give four stars for the food. Black cod, miso soup, Lion King sushi roll, spicy tuna roll--all really good. We had many things from the menu, these are just the things that immediately spring to mind. Now for the bad--and this is what would keep me from returning--this place is small, claustrophobic, and loud. I was told the space used to be a Jamba Juice. How can you fit a sit-down restaurant in a spot that small? You can't. Our ears were assaulted by a cacophony of techno music and the voices of too many people in a small space. The arrival of the food was really random and not well paced. The service was average. The servers were pleasant enough, but a little forgetful.
(3)Jennifer T.
Went there on a Sunday afternoon and sat at the sushi bar. Best sushi late lunch ever! What did I eat? KOBE BEEF NIGIRI- from Australia that was lightly torched on the outside- DAMN good - with a drizzle of a light special sauce the sushi chef Andy made. The beef melts in your mouth. So good. I had 4 orders. KUMAMOTO OYSTERS- Had these tiny, plump, sweet oysters "shooter" style with a bit of uni from Hokkaido (very small lobes and verrrry oceany sweet), tobiko and ponzu. Mouth orgasm. End of story. ALBACORE TORO NIGIRI- very very VERY reasonably priced. You can compare this with regular Toro. The fish is buttery and rich, it basically melts in your mouth with the addition of the perfectly cooked lightly vinegared sushi rice grains- such a perfect texture and flavor balance. VERY good. A must order. UNI SHOOTERS- When Kakui gets Uni flown in from Japan, and you're an Uni addict like me- BE SURE TO ORDER it. The small lobes are pale orange un color, super creamy and sweet. I paired it with quail eggs and ponzu. Mmmmm. 49ER ROLL- I always edit sushi rolls wherever I eat and Kakui's sushi chef Andy was happy to oblige me. I ordered the 49er with tempura asparagus and avocado on the inside with salmon and lemon on top. Dynamite. ANKIMO- was on their specials. The Monkfish liver was very nicely prepared and was full of flavor. It was served with daikon oroshi, ponzu and tobiko. Very impressive. SF sushi places finally have competition in the East Bay. My server, Tony, was very attentive and gave great service. Kakui is not my GO-TO place for sushi in the East Bay. YUM.
(5)Grace A.
Please take the ramen off the menu. Ramen aficionados such as my wife will thank you for it. Cute ambiance but was not impressed by the food or the prices.
(1)Betsy P.
Ordered to pick up only. Spider roll. $9 something with tax. It only had five pieces. Delicious, but WAY overpriced. The restaurant is small with upscale decor. Nice, but too rich for my blood. Thanks anyway, Monteclair.
(4)Eva Y.
The place has interesting service where they tend to forget that you need utensils. Other than that, fish: very fresh. Menu items: fusion to traditional dishes. It's not a big place for group parties larger than 10 but the food is yummy. Their ribs however... is a bit too caramelized and sweet. You will need a bowl of rice with those sticky sweet ribs. As for their signature kakui rolls... I guess I didn't realized it did not have rice in it. Instead of nori wrapper, this roll is wrapped by a long piece of thinly sliced cucumber with 2 types of fish at the center. Interesting and refreshing. It's a good place for a date since the ambiance is nice and quiet.
(4)Miss C.
We love this place! We're in at least once a week and haven't been disappointed. The fish is super fresh, great drink/wine list, and the rolls are quite creative. The chefs often chat just a bit with the patrons at the bar and that makes for a delightful experience. Current favorite roll: Alicia Roll. Can't miss: the Brussel Sprouts. I was surprised to see some of the negative reviews, not my experience at all. Fun, funky, and delightful!
(5)Hollis M.
Great ford, service and ambiance. Last night was our fourth trip to Kakui and it was as good as the first three times. There were four of us for dinner, so we had many different things including a warm mushroom salad (so delicious), crisp garlicky edamame, a roasted beet salad, and pot stickers as apps. All really good. Entrees were black cod, hamachi collar, chicken, and pork belly. With a nice bottle of a moderately priced Black Dragon sake, it was an almost perfect meal (we wanted more dessert choices than just lemon sorbet, altho it is refreshing and light). Friendly servers happily share their vast knowledge of the dishes and provide good unobtrusive service. Lovely addition to Montclair's restaraunts.
(5)Paris P.
Fantastic sushi, creative menu. Sit at the bar and chat up the awesome sushi chefs; they'll take care of you.
(5)Simon b.
My wife and I don't get the chance to go out for dinner often so when we do it is a real treat. That being said we couldn't get into our regular Sushi spot and decided to try Kakui. We were so happy and excited we did. With no reservation we had a 20 minute wait on a Friday. They took our mobile number and said they would call us while we looked at the other local stores. Farmstead does a wine tasting on Fridays so that worked in perfectly. We sat at the bar and were greeted and served immediately. The menu offerings were tempting and everything we ordered was spectacular. I wish I could remember everything we had but it was all great. The place is small but the noise level was pretty low. The restaurant has a pleasing decor which really puts you at ease. This will now be our go to sushi spot.
(5)Rob T.
Kakui Sushi is a nice addition to the restaurants popping up in Montclair. The food is fresh and service exceptional. - chicken kara age japanese fried chicken 8 = good - brussel sprouts karashi vinaigrette 9 = good - 49er roll shiso, avocado, tobiko, topped with salmon, sliced lemons 12 = i'm a Raider fan but this is the best 49er roll I've ever had...so fresh & refreshing - buta kakuni braised pork belly poached daikon, pickled onion, cilantro 13 = fatty pork is the best way to describe this heavenly dish - chicken teriyaki served with spicy aka miso and seasoned vegetables 13 = a different twist w/the spicy sauce but I prefer plain teriyaki sauce, a tad overcooked - ten piece maguro tuna sashimi 19 = fresh & melts like butter, excellent
(4)Neil H.
Started with komatsuna (Miso steamed kale) always great to eat some greens. Probably my favor kale dish. Enjoy the broth after you finish all the kale. Then a quick hotategai (scallop) which was alive btw. Amazing. Then on to hamachi Kama. Yellow tail collar. So good. Loved it. If your up for some sake. Ask for some black dragon. Sit at the sushi bar and have some fun. Enjoy.
(5)Steve L.
As most others have written, this is a pretty small place. The sushi is excellent as are both the brussel sprouts and the tuna poke (both on the appetizer menu). Favorite rolls are the Oakland A's, Kakui, and Alicia rolls. Everything is very fresh (and if you go at lunch, you can watch the sushi chef's butchering the fresh fish for that day. If you are sitting at the sushi bar - the chefs are very friendly and engaging. You still need to interact with some servers for drinks, certain apps (like miso soup or edamame), and for getting your check...and this is where they go from a four or five star to a three star for me. Their servers are inattentive and seem to spend more time gossiping around the wait station with their backs to the rest of the restaurant rather than checking on or even paying attention to their customers. On my last visit after being sat at the sushi bar and waiting for 10 minutes, the sushi chef, who was heads down and deep in orders, didn't even look at me - but turned his head and snapped at the waitress "this customer needs a menu". He was paying attention and he was slammed! Again, later in the meal, I was casually enjoying my well prepared tuna poke, just received my rainbow roll, and still hadn't received the miso soup that I had ordered as an appetizer. The two waitresses were still hovering around the computer at the wait station - back to me...the sushi chef looked at where I was sitting, grimaced, apologized, and snapped once again "where is this customer's miso soup?" At the end of the meal - it was getting pretty late for the restaurant and two of the three sushi chefs had left for a quick break. I was waiting and waiting and waiting for my check. Finally I walked over to where the waitresses had once again congregated and politely asked "I'm sorry to bother you, but may I get my bill?" You would have thought that I asked them to give up a kidney. Sushi is not inexpensive (nor should it be for the quality control standards involved and the training that a sushi chef must go through). If you are going to pay on average $40 - 50 per person for a meal, you expect to get a bit of attentive service. When it comes to Kakui...great sushi...great sushi chefs...crappy servers!
(3)Alen K.
I want to love this place since it's so close, but the food quality and quantity is limiting my review. Their menu only had about 20 items, almost half are rolls. I don't mind rolls, but many of these weren't distinguishing themselves to be completely different rolls, each seemed to be a hybrid to one another. The layout inside is good, but don't sit at the table closest to the door like I did, it was annoying to have people standing in the door about 2 feet from me as I try to eat. Please please expand the menu and have more variety, I'm not wanting you menu to be complex, just give me more options.
(3)Sam G.
This was my first experience eating real sushi in Berkeley. I loved everything about the place from the atmosphere, to the decor, to the arrangement of the tables and placement of the over-sized sake bottles on the built-in shelves in the walls. Our waiter was pleasant, nice, and helpful, though he didn't make any suggestions without our prodding him, but we enjoyed ourselves nonetheless and were able to have all our questions answered about the rolls on the menu. I tried the Rainbow Roll and the Four Seasons roll and thought both were out of this world. Worth a try, you won't regret coming!
(5)Katrina M.
I LOVE going to Kakui Sushi! They have a wide array of sushi rolls, my favorite of which is the Lion King. I especially enjoy sitting at the sushi bar, watching and interacting with the chefs as they prepare the food. The staff is always friendly and attentive, absolutely no complaints as far as customer service goes. Once, we even ordered some sushi to takeout, and then changed our minds and asked if we could eat it there - no problem whatsoever, they were very quick to plate our food nicely and seat us. The only reason I rate this 4 instead of 5 is because of the lack of uniformity in the food. You might order the same roll on three different visits and receive it three different ways/with or without certain ingredients. It's always delicious though - so that's not too huge of a drawback to me. It's a little pricey, but very worth it. I will be coming here again and again and again!
(4)Bellabee L.
If I could give negative stars I would. My sister and I took our mother here for dinner tonight for her birthday. We arrived at 5:15pm and the restaurant was pretty empty. Our waitress explained the appetizers/starters and main dishes, but said the food arrived as it was prepared. We didn't think anything of it. One of the items listed in the main dishes was a Hamachi collar, which also said limited availabilty. Of course, I wanted to try that. We asked if it was available, and she went to check. Took awhile for her to come back, but she said yes, it was. We said we'd take two. She was like "oh.....I have to check if there are two". Took awhile for her to come back, but she said yes, there were two, so my sister and I said we'd both like to order that, and my mother ordered the black cod. We never could get her attention again to order drinks and had to flag down another waiter. By this time, the restaurant was pretty full. The tables that sat after us started getting their food served. In fact, the table of 4 got all their food and the table of two got their's as well...served at the same time. Our food was no where to be seen.. 30 minutes later, I got my hamachi collar. 20 minutes later, we asked when the other orders would be coming since the table of 4 was already leaving having finished dining. The waitress said 3 minutes. My mother was then given her dish. 10 minutes later, the waitress is giving us our bill...and we asked where my sister's order was. She said she didn't order anything. We clarified that we had ordered two hamachi collars, not one...and the waitress proceeded to argue with us, rather loudly. Not wanting to argue with someone who was clearly wrong but not going to admit it, we waived it off and just asked for the bill. The waitress said she would give my sister some edaname to eat as she knew we were pressed for time, going to a concert. Really? For screwing up our order and arguing with us? Edaname? She should have comped us our drinks or one of the dishes on our bill. Horrible the way she shouted and argued when she was clearly wrong. Horrible that our dishes came out 30 minutes apart when all the other tables had their dishes delivered at the same time. Too bad too, because the food was good, but definitely not worth the horrible service. Will NEVER go here again!!
(1)Rebecca R.
I can't help but wonder if I'm reviewing the same restaurant as some of the other reviewers here. Both times I have been, the staff have been pretty friendly and not super attentive but not ignoring either. It did take a while to get our food, but it was very crowded, and hey, Billy Joe Armstrong was there. The sushi, however, is fantastic. The last time we went there, my husband and I ordered mostly nigiri: octopus, crab meat, fatty tuna, albacore (my favorite), regular tuna, and stripped bass. They almost forgot the tako (octopus), and included sake (salmon) on the plate in its place, until we reminded them- at which point the chef said the the tako would be on the house. The nigiri itself was so fresh and delicious it almost melted in my mouth. You could tell that they cut the fish extremely precisely. We had two rolls. the Hot Tina roll and the Double Hamachi roll, both of which were out of this world tasty. If you are the kind of sushi eater who goes for the rolls, this place is not for you. It is expensive, because of the experienced chefs and quality of the fish, and if you just like rolls there is no reason to pay that much. If you like fresh fish that has been elegantly cut, come here. By the way, it is way better than the much more hyped up sushi places in the Bay Area, such as Kirala.
(5)maria B.
This is as good as it gets in Oakland for Sushi, attentive service and a lovely space. We love to have Sunday lunch and places that don't serve eggs and breakfast foods are difficult to find, plus the sushi is very fresh even on Sunday when lots of folks pawn off old fish. The multi ethnic serving staff is helpful and knowledgable. Definitely a find , and soon we'll go back for dinner. if the weather is nice one can sit outside with one's dog.
(5)Greg J.
Went there last night for a celebratory dinner. In one word: -- which means delicious in Japanese. Sat at the sushi bar. I tried a couple of the rolls and some hamachi sashimi. All really tasty! I would strongly recommend going here!
(4)Brian H.
After reading the mixed reviews, I was blown away with dinner at Kakui. The crunchy tuna roll was delicious with a mix of creamy avocado and crunch tempura dipped tuna. Usually, when you order the chef's platter, you expect to get the leftovers and eel, but the 20-piece platter had a great selection of fish cut thicker than any sushi I have ever had. And the last surprise was that the price was reasonable. Under $100 for two people for so much food I ended up taking some home.
(4)Rob R.
As someone who used to lived in Japan and took cooking classes in Tokyo, I'm happy to say that Kakui is one place that comes close to the real thing for many reasons: 1) Food quality. The menu offers a wide, wonderful variety of Japanese cuisine that is inventive and a nice alternative to the standard sushi places that abound. The Brussell Sprouts, for example were excellent. We've really never had a bad dish here. 2) Love of food. It is clear the owner/chef/whatever loves what they do. This devotion gives Kakui soul. 3) Service. Very attentive. Japanese cuisine is far more complex than just sushi and tempura. Kakui helps East Bay residents get a nice exposure to the wide world of Japanese food. The Sake, for instance, was excellent. The selection was a bit thin but focused and high quality.
(4)Kathleen H.
This is by far the best of the three Montclair Village Japanese restaurants and one of the best in Montclair generally. I have eaten there several times now and enjoyed delicious food and good service that on their own would rate top marks. I particularly like the Lion King roll, Brussell Sprouts dish and some of the side items are exceptionally tasty. They offer a trio of sake samplers which is sort of fun to try out with a meal. I give four stars instead of five because the place can be a bit crowded due to space limitations but I will mention, too, the decor is soothing and stylish at the same time. It's a good place for date night and there are a few outside tables so you can watch passers by in the Village while enjoying the pleasant Oakland evenings in summer. I almost always sit outside when a table is available and the weather is nice.
(4)Stephanie H.
This is my favorite sushi place in Oakland (Montclair)! The vibe is great no matter when I go in there, I can take work in and sit at the bar, and just ask them to keep surprising me...I sometimes don't even order - you know the old school sushi deal where you are at their whim? And their presentation style features some of the most beautiful, sharp, and luscious design...you'll want to take pictures before diving in. Excellent! As a matter fact, now I'm craving...off to Kakui for dinner :)
(5)Jacqueline C.
Went to this place for dinner with my husband and I can't wait to go back! The look of the restaurant is modern and sleek. It is a very long and narrow space, so the various staff kept bumping into my purse, which was a little annoying. Maybe they need fewer tables? Service was friendly, though. We sat at a table, but the sushi bar looked interesting as well. For an appetizer, we shared the grilled brussel sprouts, which were fabulous. We already love grilled brussel spouts, which we make once a week at home, but these seemed to have hints of soy and wasabi. They were crispy, tangy, and wonderful. If only I'd had these as a kid! We split the lobster roll (real lobster), which was wonderfully buttery -- I think it was called the French Kiss roll -- and the Kakui roll, which consisted of hamachi, tuna, salmon, and avocado wrapped in cucumber. One very naughty roll and one very healthy roll -- a great combination! I had a nice glass of Riesling with my food and my husband had a flight of various sake, which he enjoyed. I had a sip of each and they all tasted very different. The portions were generous too. We finished our dinner with some red bean and chocolate mochi, which was accompanied by a sweet and salty sauce, that I am pretty sure was soy sauce! Who'da thunk? It definitely dressed up good ol' mochi. All very good and can't wait to go to visit Kakui again!
(4)Bridget B.
Bummer! We've been coming to Kakui since they opened. Recently, we've noticed a drastic shift in the service and in the consistency of the food. Has there been a management change?? I'm not sure what it is - but man have they gone downhill. So sad because the location is so convenient for us and I love the warm vibe of the restaurant. Our recent visit was last Friday night. Perma-date and I made reservations for two at 7pm (oddly, they're not on opentable anymore, so we had to call it in. But no biggie). When we arrived, we were greeted by one person who said they were just getting our table ready (there were two open tables). No problem - I like my tables nice and spiffy. So she takes off and we see her buzzing around towards the back of the restaurant. Another person approaches us to see if we've been helped - well we thought so ... but. (now there are three open tables). 15 minutes later, a third person comes up to us - it's a small restaurant and it's easy to see we've been waiting for more than 15 minutes - and asks if we've been helped. So, we said no and were finally seated. The first hostess never came back - btw. And the rest is more of the same. We had to flag someone down anytime we wanted to order something and we waited FOREVER for our food. Some of our dishes were great - others, meh and worse yet, FISHY. I really hate writing bad reviews and I'm so hopeful that Kakui will get it together and return to the solid Montclair staple that it had been. Until then, there are just too many other great restaurants in the immediate area (next door at Metro - the service is superb!!) more deserving of our dolla bills.
(2)Xoxi M.
The secret is to eat AT Kakui - It has become my favorite local sushi spot - fresh and clean sushi - and the staff has been great! They have improved very much!
(4)Stef E.
It (slightly) pains me to give them 2 stars because the decor was nice, the service was fine and the sushi wasn't too bad but...I gotta go with 2 stars. Here's why: Overpriced all around - $12 mixed tempura? Really? Also, I'm convinced the ponzu sauce was missing an ingredient because it had absolutely no taste. No really. No taste at all. - $4 edamame? I ate it because I was hungry but I'm pretty sure the edamame had been "steaming" since the previous night. It was chalky and overcooked. If you're going to charge $4 for edamame at least make it fresh. - $12 chicken udon - it was basically pieces of chicken, carrots, and another green veggie with some udon noodles in miso broth. It was definitely not traditional, lacked good flavor and was way overly basic. - Sushi - was fine but again priced high for what it was. Ordered the 49er and 2015 roll The bill came out to over $66 and that included 1 beer. I don't mind spending some money on food but $65+ on the above was just too much for average food. I'm pretty sure we were paying for the decor inside because I sure didn't see anything about it having local, fresh organic items (which I'm happy to pay more for).
(2)JM D.
Kakui is my ONLY place for sushi! I'm so fortunate they lived in Montclair Oakland. Always fresh! Great service, both for take-out and eat-in! Their Lion King roll is to die for, I actually crave it- I order it with jalapeño on top- try it and tell them JM will see them very soon. When I've had a long day at work I can order to go as I'm driving home and they have it ready to pick up fresh when I arrive.
(5)Katherine K.
My husband and I tried Kakui Sushi after a recommendation from our Airbnb host. We enjoyed our dinner well enough. We ordered the buta abara, uni nigiri, French kiss roll, and the 2015 roll. Both rolls were good; we liked the French kiss roll more than the 2015. Probably because there was less going on in that roll so the flavors were more focused. The short ribs (buta abara) were tender enough to slide off the bone in one piece without much effort; juicy and quite savory, although a touch too salty for my taste. After eating here, we'd say this is more of a rolls place. The sushi rice really wasn't very good -- dry and flavorless. The uni nigiri would have been excellent if the sushi rice wasn't so distractingly bad. I guess you could always skip the nigiri and just do sashimi because we did enjoy the fish. Ambience is nice and relaxed. Service was very warm and accommodating.
(3)Brittany D.
Overpriced sushi with a side of slow service was not what I expected when I came here. We came in around 8pm and didn't end up leaving until past 9pm and considering we hardly ordered anything and it wasn't a full house [I think it was a Monday or Wednesday night], it was a long time waiting. We were seated right away, but we were mostly waiting for food during that one hour period. Food: We ordered a miso soup to start, which was came to us the quickest. For appetizers, the komatsuna (miso steamed kale, butter, chili flakes) for $6 and the chicken kara age (japanese fried chicken) for $9. For dinner, the spider roll (fried soft shelled crab, cucumber, avocado, crab meat, topped with tobiko) for $10. The 30+ minute turnaround in getting all the food in reverse order (sushi roll first, then appetizers last)... NOT priceless. I was rather perturbed by the fact that the waiters were inattentive. Until the end, however, did they apologize for their slow service (so it was also acknowledged by the staff). They even offered us a peach sorbet, served on a frozen peach. It was a nice gesture, but it still didn't make up for many of the mistakes that were made. This is may what increased my rating from 1 to 2 stars. Service: Need I repeat myself? Atmosphere: Trendy with high ceilings and modern decor. Beautiful, but not too excessive flower arrangements. Overall: I wouldn't recommend this place unless you're really craving sushi and you happen to be in the area. But I think there are other places in the East Bay that offers excellent service and delicious sushi.
(2)ThuZ W.
I loved loved this little sushi place. Super delicious n fresh n I am a sushi snob. Sat at the sushi bar n asked 4 freshest samples n a few roles I wanted n they were amazing. I loved it
(4)Luang Y.
My wife and I were craving for sushi. As I was on way home from work, I yelped for sushi places in Oakland the area. And to my surprise there were a couple not too far from me with good reviews, so we decided to try Kakui Sushi. The place had a nice decor and really good customer service. We were immediately greeted upon walking up and seated fairly quickly. We had the spicy tuna and spider rolls, the spicy tuna was good. We also had the pork belly, which was great (it's our new favorite here). The only downside to our dining experience was it took a little while for our food to come out. Other then that, everything else was on par.
(4)Matt Y.
3/28/15 Dinner Trying this place out since I want to branch out of our usual eating habit. It's in Montclair Village so I suppose the prices would reflect the neighborhood. They do take reservation so it's a big plus. Seated promptly for 7PM reservation. The place is already bustling before dark. My first impression: the decor is very uppity hipster contemporary-esque. Most of the patrons are consuming cooked food and drinking wines. So not very Japanese. The menu confirms this first impression. Lots of cooked entrees: ribs, teriyakis, grilled fish, braised pork belly, kumamato oysters, rack of lamb and yes, even Caesar salad! (in fact that's what my neighbor was having, a Caesar salad in Japanese restaurant). *Shrimp Tempura (3 pieces, $10): batter is too thick, shrimps otherwise are fresh. *Tempura Roll ($9): Shrimp is better fried in the roll (inconsistent frying?) with avocado and lettuce. *Assorted Chef's Sashimi (10 pieces, $25): fish is of very high grade, sliced in perfect squares, with maguro (tuna), hamachi (yellowtail), sake (tuna), and tai (red snapper), and albacore tuna. Despite the very high quality of fish, the sashimi order is not a dinner combo, so it doesn't come with rice or soup. Also for the first time ever in a Japanese restaurant, my sashimi did not come with wasabi---and I had to ask twice to get my wasabi. The soy sauce container on the table was also empty. So as you can see, I'm paying $70 for dinner and I think I deserve better service? Lack of attention to small details on the restaurant's behalf. The Gold Blossom wine ($10) was a great touch for the meal, however. That all said, I'm not sure if I'll make this my to-go place because you don't get very good value.
(3)Ivana Y.
This has been a great addition to the Montclair area. The good: I enjoyed the sashimi and all the rolls we ordered. Recommended: brussel sprouts, JP roll, Kakui roll, Oakland A's. The bad: A bit pricy, but expected for the area. Easily spent $50(including tip) for lunch. Service was lacking. Took awhile for someone to bus our dirty plates, and we had to ask for water refills. Not sure if this was because we sat at the bar, but shouldn't happen regardless. Restaurant is a bit small and cramped, this use to be the old Jamba Juice.
(3)Dave B.
Best Dragon Rolls! Customer service is great!
(5)Anon A.
We have eaten here a few times and each time we have gotten a weird vibe about this place. The place is half empty and they turn people away if they don't have a reservation. We were there for over an hour and the place never filled up. Tonight the service was awful. The waitress didn't seem like she wanted to be there. She never checked in with us until the end of the night after we had to ask the hostess where our sushi was. The sushi is not bad, but totally overpriced. We won't be returning anytime soon. There are way better places around.
(2)Angel K.
Very modern sushi place. Really nice interior. Kind of more like a date place rather than a place you bring your kids. Waiters are super friendly compared to waiters at other Japanese restaurant nearby. Super clean but very pricey. Good food comes with a price.
(4)Tammy Y.
When I'm craving Japanese cuisine, I love a place that can tempt me with offerings beyond the typical sushi, sashimi and bento options. This place has it all - from amazing nigiri and yummy rolls, to fancy-schmancy entrees with complex flavors. I've been here 5+ times for dinner and can attest to Kakui's consistency in serving delicious, fresh food while providing fantastic service. I've NEVER had to ask for a water/tea refill and the staff checks in regularly without being overbearing. Here are some of the items I've enjoyed from my last meal: Brussel Sprouts (5 stars): These are A MUST! They're delicately fried and dressed in the yummiest FOODGASM-inducing vinaigrette. I always ask for extra vinaigrette on the side because it's my "ranch dressing" while I'm there - it goes well with EVERYTHING. Corn Kaleage (3.5 stars): You have to be in the mood for these so I don't always order them. They're delicately fried corn kernels topped in a wasabi salt, dressed with a spring salad in a tangy vinaigrette. Delicious when dipped in the Brussel Sprouts Vinaigrette! Buta Abara (4 stars): I'm not usually a fan of ribs but the marinade on these are delicious. I've ordered them three times and twice they've been fall-off-the-bone. Decent portion size (I believe they give you 4-5 ribs total). Buta Kakuni (4 stars): Mmm....butter! The slices of pork belly are melt-in-your-mouth perfection. Each thin slice of pork belly is served on poached daikon and topped with some pickled onion which adds the right amount of tang and texture. I would warn you that this is a very small serving size so as long as you're expecting this, you won't be disappointed. Rack of Lamb (5 stars): I hate lamb but these were insanely good. Great marinade and perfect cook on the meat! Served with a great sauce reduction and fried zucchini tempura. Ocean Trout Nigiri (5 stars): The most amazing Nigiri I've ever had! I've had the Ocean Trout and Kirala and this one is WAY BETTER! The color is very close to Salmon but the texture is more buttery, yet flaky. It's perfectly salted and topped with pickled onions. Flavor explosion! This is a must have and is my favorite thing on their menu!!!!! Oakland A's Roll (3 stars): Decent roll but very standard. Comes with spicy tuna and avocado on the inside, fresh salmon and tobiko on the outside. Tasty but nothing really special about it so it wasn't quite memorable. Definitely not worth $13! Next time, I'll stick to my Philly roll and sub in fresh salmon ($7.5) Expect to spend between $40-$60 on dinner for two, depending on how hungry you are! Definitely reasonably priced for the quality and amount of food that you receive! I'm SUCH a fan and will do my part to keep them in business!
(4)Semiko P.
Modern... Fresh... Chic... Fresh... A little on the pricey side. The reason for my need to negate 2 stars is that Kakui is a little pricier than most sushi places but each and I every time I eat here I am satisfied w freshness, the taste, the presentation and I am full. I've only ever ordered take out- staff are all friendly and accommodating.
(3)Ben T.
The food was quite good. But the service was so horrible, I have to give one star. The star is for the food. If you get a waiter named Darrell (Darryl?), just go next door to Flipper's and get a burger. Actually, do that anyway, because any restaurant that would employ this unsocialized cretin doesn't deserve your business. He forgot stuff. He ignored us and other customers. He brought out an appetizer only after being asked twice -- after we had all finished our meals. On three different occasions, he asked whether he had brought out stuff that we had already eaten. They had run out of cash for making change, and he talked and laughed with his buddy over in the corner, without letting us know what was going on, after he had taken our money. The people next to us asked where their food was -- all he said to them was, "Yes, we're very busy." No apology, no indication of when their food might come. He was the same way with us -- no acknowledgment that anything was wrong, and of course no apology. I'm an extremely sympathetic diner. I generally tip 20 percent minimum, and usually 25. Ninety percent of waiting tables effectively is showing concern and sympathy for diners. I don't necessarily have a problem with screwups (although there were a LOT of them with this guy), but I do have a problem with rude jerks who don't even acknowledge that something has gone wrong. We told some woman (hostess? not sure) about all this. She gave the boilerplate apologies and offered us a free appetizer, but it didn't really seem like she cared much. I might be wrong about that, but that's the feeling I got. Oh, and when we were leaving, after we finally got our change (that took a good 15 minutes -- after about 15 minutes of waiting for him to give us our check), he mumbled something, and I said, "Oh, and THANK YOU." He finally, grudgingly, said "thank you," probably because the hostess was still standing there. Worst waiter I've had in many, many years.
(1)Joseph K.
Got to the restaurant at 8:15pm on 8/27. It was a total disaster. The staff was having issues with numerous customers. Jeremy the host, said he could seat us at a table outside. Jeremy told us to wait 10 minutes while he had the table prepared. We waited, an then went to the table where another group that arrived after us was about to sit down. It was very awkward for all. Jeremy ignored the situation an let the other party take the table. His response to us was just, "Sorry and I hope you try us again another evening". Meanwhile at another table, a group was trying to return their food and arguing with their wait person. The place was a zoo.
(1)Cat T.
Service was great, 2 tables for outside seating if You have a dog, they were very gracious and brought him a bowl of water immediately. I was craving ramen so that's all I had, it was good but they need to spice up that broth, no wow factor there. I have to go back and try their sushi next time. It's a nice place to seat outside on a sunny afternoon in Montclair, I live here so I'd like to see more good restaurant choices.!
(4)David S.
Return visit after a couple of years, still outstanding. Went light on the sushi, highly recommend the brussel sprouts and rack of lamb, both perfect. Salads excellent as well. Given the food quality, good value ($35/person for full dinner, no alchohol). Décor very nice, service efficient and friendly.
(5)Winé C.
I see that most peoples' gripe is with the service, which I can attest to. Now, I myself, haven't gotten poor service or any sort of crazy cussed at/yelled at but I heard some pretty brutal horror stories. Now, my 5-star rating is for a couple of reasons. It is based on the fact that they're in Oakland or even most of the East Bay, I would actually say, Kakui is one of the best in terms of taste, quality and preparation. We would be playing with a different set of rules in SF, FYI. A couple of things to be mentioned, if you are a roll eater, though their selection is experimental and good-tasting. You are paying for them to defile high quality fish. Anything drenched in teriyaki sauce will taste rather alike, fresh or not fresh. I would also like to mention that because they are using said-high quality fish, you end up paying more. If I were to go to a sushi restaurant for rolls, I would go to Sushi Park or somewhere, where the quality of fish is ok but not as important once it goes into the roll. With that being said, I'm a nigiri/sashimi eater. I sit at the bar and ask the chef what's good. Simple, yes, true. But so much of the experience weighs on your interaction with the chef at the bar (and mine have all mostly been good), the way the fish is prepared (cut and washed) and the quality of the ingredients. The other part is to customize the visit for yourself, you need to know what you do and do not like in order for them to help you. Though, not all the fish available is the freshest or the best, there is a lot of time and care that goes into prepping the fish for your consumption. Kakui does it well, to the point that you can see the intricacy of their work. So yes, it costs more than other sushi restaurants in the area and yes, it also takes more time than normal. Grab a great a companion, have a drink and relax for the night while they prepare the food that will tickle your palette. Oh and yes, in the event that you are wondering how I never get poor service, I go when it's slow that night and on Tues/Sun nights. Try that out once and let me know how it goes. And if you're feeling like you need a great companion, I have no qualms if you'd like to take me to a sushi dinner every week ;)
(5)Terese O.
The sushi is fresh, the sake is delicious. Order the salmon sashimi and pretty much any roll. I will be frequented this spot all the time. One of the better choices in Montclair Village.
(5)Jerry N.
The decor is ok but that's about the only positive thing I can say about this over-priced non-authentic sushi joint. The cooked food is salty and the sashimi cut has good days but mostly bad days... I wanted to like this place but when your paying a premium you would expect customer service to be polite and respectful but that has not happened after making the mistake of going there twice.
(1)Alexis F.
Ok service, nice decor. Pricey small portions, but tasty. Not the traditional sushi place.
(2)Kiko' N.
Excellent as usual I didn't have chance to come here for while because I was experiencing other new restaurants all kind . This in my neighbor hood but high end city quality and price are not bad. Lunch is perfect to come because you don't need wait line! Owner is cute young guy he know how to make ppl come back ! I appreciated doing great job for Japanese food! It's so hard to keep up. And they have great fresh fish . Lovely place!
(5)The Deed W.
I want to give them 3.5 stars. Dinner service at the sushi bar is nice....I think because the owner is basically there looking out for us. His presence is felt and the employees are on in it because he is our second voice. Their menu is creative....their quality is comparable to NOBU as far as creativity, execution, and taste. The ambience and decor of the place is texturally exquisite and contemporarily artistic. I went for lunch the other day and sat at a table. Not as special...servers were forgetful and basically understaffed. They might need a bus person clearing tables and dishes or more food runners. Servers needed reminders to bring stuff but they were always pleasant...just overwhelmed on a Thursday. I'll be back...probably for dinner at the sushi bar so I can sit by near the owner.
(3)Darren N.
I love sushi and I go at least once a week. This is definitely going to be my favorite place for sushi craving. Too bad they close early (9pm) I'm a late night eater. Things we tried. Hamachi avocado, 10 pcs chefs choice, Alicia roll, Gindara. The food was amazing and service was good too. I rarely get sashimi but their fish definitely fresh. I'm surprised they are only 3.5 stars. If your looking food fresh fish and in the Montclair area this is definitely the place to go.
(5)Marc D.
I'm always so disappointed in this place and I keep wanting to love it. The space is fairly "cool", the sushi is ok - although at times I find it to "warm" and I like my raw fish really chilled. The biggest let down and turn-off is the host/reception. They are just down right rude and not accommodating, such as seeing empty stools at the sushi bar but being told that we can't sit at those. Maybe get rid of the fancy flower arrangement as I'm thinking that doesn't pay for food and drinks?!? Too bad as they could do so much better. I say if you're going to spend that kind of $ drive a bit further and find a better sushi place.
(1)E B.
I was starving. I received very slow and not great service. The roll I ordered was not described accurately on menu so they remade it and more than a half an hour later (for one roll which had to be remade) it came out undercooked so I just left without even eating anything. What a disappointing experience.
(2)Anna C.
This is definitely one of the best sushi places I've ever tried. Their fresh sashimi and delicious rolls already deserve five stars, but other items on the menu were great too -- seasonally-sweet heirloom tomato salad, savory black cod, refreshing peach sorbet (served in a peach!). It's definitely not cheap, but actually pretty inexpensive for the quality. Service was perfect -- but I guess it helps that we were one of three tables (Sunday lunch), and my friends are regulars. Ambiance is classy. Parking is terrible.
(5)Ron E.
If you are in the mood for authentic, fresh sushi and a real experience of Japanese cuisine, this is NOT the place to go. The sashimi here is average. Some of it was acceptable but they gave me some hamachi that had no taste, which I sent back. The ambience is not bad and the staff were fine. Not a bad place for a date but not recommended if you're searching for good sushi.
(3)Grace L.
We just moved in the neighborhood and thought to try out the local sushi place. Service is fine, friendly crew. Sushi is considered fresh, 7 out of 10. Cooked food such as dinner plates are 5 out of 10. Too salty and the ingredients are not fresh. I will not recommend this place.
(2)Melanie G.
Even though this is a very small resturant, the food and service is great. Sushi is very fresh, and portions are nice size. Be sure and try the Brusselspouts and the mixed tempura. GREAT!!!
(5)Payal C.
Good spot! The food was wonderful - I especially loved the Kakui Roll, which was so fresh tasting and light. The sashimi was also very fresh, although cut a tiny bit too thick for my preference. Service and ambiance were nice. Has the feel of a really nice trendy little date spot without the pricy food.
(4)Maria H.
I'm honestly surprised at the 3.5 star review. I had a WONDERFUL time and the food is too good for this kind of rating! EATS: 20-Piece Sashimi (43) Had about 5 different types of fish that included sake, red snapper, hamachi, white tuna, and... something. Fish was fresh and super good. Not presented on ice, like Victor G. experienced (maybe they are taking Yelp advices?), cuts were good and a decent size. Pricing is a little hefty though. Hamachi Avocado (14) Raw hamachi on top of smashed avocados. Topped with cucumber, jalapeno, and drizzled with ponzu sauce. So delish, super light. I usually take the jalepeno off of my food, but the little bit of acidity and heat essence that it left was great with the dish. Spicy Scallop Roll (6.5) This is now my new favorite place to get spicy scallop. SO NOMS! Not overly stuffed with rice, which is a big killer for this roll. Ok portions of scallops, of course I can always use more (wink). Scallops are SO FRESH and creamy. It quite literally melted in my mouth. GAHH, I want more as I write about it. Oakland PD Roll (15) Shrimp tempura, spicy tuna, crab, avocado, and topped with unagi. Probably all the things that I don't really care for in a roll. But in this case, it was actually super yummy! I usually hate unagi because it is too often overly sauced. This roll had that perfect amount. I would usually eat no more than a piece of anything with unagi on it, but in this case, I had 3 before my dinner date devoured the rest. For Dessert, Orange Sorbet (?) Orange sorbet served in an actual orange, cute little after dinner refresher! The rest of the menu looked soooo good! Will definitely come back to try some other dishes out.
(4)Joe H.
Felt the food could have been great, but it took way too long to get my main, as when I asked about it, it was going to be 5 minutes. Not a great experience for myself, and I do not see myself coming back. Seemed as if there was a single server/hostess the whole time.
(2)Zachary l.
THIS HAS BEEN BOILING FOR A LONG TIME. I love sushi Im serious about what I get and realistic about what I will get. This place puts on such a pretty face. some of the starters are fine most rolls were just ok. I got the toro and it was a little cheap wich was cool but I know what that means. So im pretty positive it was not even close to toro. Maybe shiro maguro... So after a LARGE meal and a couple of sakes I like having Nigori with my food. The waitress brings it over I give it a shake and we start to drink. the OVERLY charismatic trying way to hard to talk to me chef guy says excitedly "NO NO NO YOU HAVE TO SHAKE IT A LOT!" this ass bag grabs the sake glass and shakes it SPILLING IT ALL OVER ME MY MOM AND THE WALL. Kinda funny. I get it, I lauged that isnt the problem. still drank what little was left in the bottle. What really kicked me right in the teeth was THEY KEPT IT ON MY BILL. No way. Not in any job I have ever had would I have kept it on the bill. Not in any persons world would they find it appropriate to do that. So on top of MEDIOCRE expensive food wasted over priced spilled nigori left on the bill. Good service people keep your water FULL. ALL THE TIME. Good service is knowing when its not appropriate to pester people. Ill pay for the experience, Ill pay for decent food with really good service. Its the total experience you pay for. None of these expectations were met nothing was worth this experience. Kansai- not amazing, fun late night, pretty cheap, ok service. Shimisu- good food, good service all around nice for the price. I could go on but im just showing you what I think of the rest. they are better.
(2)Bernadette M.
The Montclair Village is so darn adorable! I really just want to move to Piedmont someday so I came to town by myself to explore but was craving sushi so I might as well indulge. There were a total of four table outside, with two of the four on one side of low railing. Inside there were small two and four-tops and a sushi bar. Being that I was dining by myself I had no problem when they offered me a seat the bar. I ordered a glass of the Riesling, the Jerry's Special Roll and the Crunchy Tuna roll with a side of ponzu sauce. I don't use soy sauce. Ponzu is my thing and all places make it a little different. My favorite roll in the world is the Happy Roll in Brentwood, CA (NorCal) as well as their ponzu sauce. Danny, the sushi chef always makes things special for me. I have to say that it's been a good month or so since I've had sushi and this was really hitting the spot. The presentation of the Jerry's Roll was amazing. But the Crunchy Tuna Roll was perfection. I finished off the Jerry's Roll first so I can end my meal with the Crunchy Tuna Roll and leave my taste buds happy for the rest of the night. The clientele was exactly what I was looking for if this became my local sushi spot. They were friendly, educated, family oriented and know good sushi. Then again, there's not another sushi spot nearby according to the Yelp app. The staff was attentive and friendly. They signaled each other when people came into the restaurant and when they left, when food was up and where it went. The regulars loved the manager/owner, Andy. Fist bumps and joking around was common between him and his regulars. I loved the decor. The high ceiling, the cut inserts holding photos and large sake bottles, the wooden beam that went across the ceiling to the colorful pieces of artwork and fancy flower arrangement on the other side of the sushi bar. I saw a hint of their Halloween directions that consisted of a stuffed bat sitting on two mini pumpkins. Great experience and delicious food. I'd love to come back.
(5)NeEddra J.
Unbelievably small portions. Unbelievably small. Maybe dining in is better, but when I ordered take out - black cod and tuna poke - totaling $30+ dollars, I expected to get more than two pieces of cod about the size if a silver dollar.
(1)Larry H.
Worst Sushi I have ever had. Seaweed in the rolls was like waxpaper, had to spit it out, GF had chicken in soup that was so tough it was like rubber. They did take some charges off but the lunch was awful.
(1)Kim P.
Love this place because it is consistently good and the team/ service here is great. It's kid friendly and my 4 year old loves it!
(4)Chris S.
I just came from Sushi Ran last night where I was extremely disappointed by the quality of fish. Kakui Sushi, BY FAR has the best sashimi I have ever had and I have never had better sushi or Japanese cuisine in the Bay area than I have had at Kakui. I had just assumed that Sushi Ran was going to be the ultimate sushi experience in the Bay Area but little did I know that the best is practically just down the street from where I live. Now I feel spoiled. Believe me, if you are an SF person, it is definitely worth the trek over the bridge to Montclair Village, especially if you want to impress a date with fine sushi, fresh, fresh fish and a romantic, cozy, ambiance. Chef's name is Yingji - so talented. ENJOY!!!!!!
(5)Anya G.
Delicious fresh sushi. On the pricey end. Pleasant experience
(5)David A.
After reading the bad reviews I was a little reluctant to go there with a friend. BUT was I surprised. The Sushi was GREAT, service was prompt and perfectly timed. Its a place where you can go and have a great meal and some really great sashimi. I would go again. Its a small place but the food is excellent.!
(5)Mary M.
Friday lunch. Two girlfriends. Food mediocre; service atrocious; wait person appallingly inept.
(2)Jill T.
This is a great place. It's slowly becoming our new go to sushi spot. Fresh, tasty sushi, at a reasonable price.
(4)Emily D.
I really wanted to like this place and had high hopes, but alas. I came here for a sporadic father-daughter lunch. I got a veggie tempura bento and an alicia roll, while my daddio got a chicken bento. We sat waiting for a while, catching up on things enjoying the trendy atmosphere, but getting increasingly hungrier as more and more time passed. Slightly annoyed that our tea hadn't come out yet, my dad's bento suddenly appeared in front of him, but mine was no where to be seen for the next 7 minutes or so. I knew he was hungry so I told him to go ahead and eat, but he had consumed a fair bit by the time mine came out. Bad timing. It took even longer for my one roll, which I had practically forgot about. Everything was displayed in separate plates on one large tray. It was a very odd, cluttered method to present everything. One trip when carrying the tray and everything would go flying. It's perhaps just my personal taste, but I found it truly bizarre. My tempura was tragically soggy and unappetizing but I ate it anyway because I was so hungry at this point. The one saving grace of the meal was my roll, which was fantastic. I would probably come again just to try more of their rolls because I liked the one I got so much, but I'd skip on everything else. Too bad.
(3)Jennifer T.
Recommended by some local friends, we went out late on a Friday evening. I was immediately impressed that not only was it busy, but had readily available seating, but we had the option of inside or outside. Lovely storefront with a view of scenic Montclair Village. From seating to service was a bit of a gap - perhaps some communication issues amongst staff? Finally the hostess apologetically came and brought water and took the order that we had long since settled on. Very much loved the modern but quiet decor and atmosphere. The appetizer, gyoza, was piping hot and succulent and followed closely by the two sushi rolls we ordered. So good. Absolutely delicious and beautifully presented as well. We were both very satisfied at the end of the meal and enjoyed the contrasting dishes immensely. Definitely plan to go back with other friends in the future. The gyoza felt overpriced, the sushi fairly priced for the quality and presentation.
(4)J.A. K.
Kakui gets a low rating after they did a 'bait and switch' on us. Spouse ordered the 10-pc hamachi and got....???. We weren't completely sure what it was at first, but after two slices DH said, "I don't know what this is, it isn't bad; but this just doesn't taste like hamachi." Hamachi is his favorite sashimi. 90% of the time when he orders Japanese food, it's a hamachi plate. I tried a bite and said, "Nope, I think I might know what this is, but I agree it's not hamachi." I noted the appearance carefully, came home and did some research. Yup, it was escolar! Now, it was nice and fresh. Escolar has a clean taste, although we wouldn't agree it has any kind of real sweetness to it. But escolar is a much, much cheaper fish than yellowtail (and also dangerous in large quantities - it's nicknamed "The Ex-Lax Fish" for a reason!). How much cheaper? You can buy two pounds of escolar for less than what a pound of hamachi costs. So....maybe they thought two Asians were so dumb they couldn't tell hamachi from something else. Guess what? We can, we did, and we won't be coming back again. You'll find us at Kiku Sushi/Berkeley. It's worth the extra driving time to go somewhere that's both honest and high quality sashimi.
(1)Lauren F.
Excellent food, excellent service, a bit pricey. Everyone was super nice BUT (-1 star) I noticed a huge switch in the atmosphere when the owner showed up. The employees' moods plummeted and he started yelling loudly, in front of patrons, at one of his waiters about the positioning of the tables. The waiter then moved the tables about an inch and he was satisfied. Is that really necessary? You can definitely tell he's a very NEGATIVE influence on this restaurant. Other than that, everything was wonderful.
(4)Rocky L.
As a party of 3, we had a nice meal there, the dishes were well prepared and tasty, the service was prompt and reasonably attentive. I think our timing was good, 7pm on a Monday night, it started filling up a little more as we were there. I agree with some of the other reviews, the portions are on the small side, but not so much that I thought we didn't get value. I saw some of the negative reviews had to do with take out, do yourself a favor and eat there - the atmosphere is kind of cool, modern, dark, not cramped.
(4)heather s.
The owner, and head sushi chef, Yinji, has to be one of the most despicable restaurant owners I have crossed paths with. I took my young son to eat dinner and we decided to eat at the bar because he loves to watch the chefs make sushi. The entire meal Yunji berated and belittled his staff, purposely humiliating them and smirking while doing it. When we first sat down one of the male sushi sous-chefs was berating the hostess, using the *f* word to talk about her to other sous-chefs. It was incredibly uncomfortable as a patron (not to mention my young son sitting there listening and observing the whole thing) and I was shocked at how unprofessional Yunji and some of his staff were. Clearly Yinji has created a culture in his restaurant where it is ok to be misogynistic, tyrannical, and just plain mean-spirited--he treats his employees horribly, and his customers just as badly. When the waitress asked me how things were I quietly told her it was one of the most uncomfortable meals I had ever paid for. She apologized profusely, and when I turned back around Yinji was staring at me and asked if all was OK. I told him no, that I was appalled at how he treated his staff. He told me next time I should sit at a table instead of the bar. REALLY? Last time I checked the bar was part of the restaurant, and a place where the employees, and ESPECIALLY THE OWNER, should act with professionalism and courtesy. Yinji needs to check his drama at the door and learn a little something about customer service and the golden rule. To top it off, while I waited for my bill he stood directly in front of me behind the bar glaring at me. I was astonished at his aggressiveness and hostility. Of course, the hostess and waitress were so apologetic--I felt horrible for them that they work for such tyrant. There are too many good restaurants in Oakland. I live in Montclair and love to support local businesses but I will never return here. If you are looking for a good sushi restaurant where the staff is kind and professional (and the fish is fresh) go to Shimzu in Piedmont or Ozumo in Rockridge--you will have a much better experience and be able to enjoy your meal without the drama of the chef/owner.
(1)Megan V.
The food is good but the service is horrible. I made an order for take out and when I arrived to pick it up they hadn't even started on making it. They were also out of one of the items I ordered and didn't bother to call me before I arrived to let me know. I waited in the restaurant for 15 minutes, standing, meanwhile I watched as they served the table near me the wrong order.
(1)Virat R.
Would say really good for people who enjoy sushi with no fish, ie veggi. Loved the place staff is always willing to make a different veggi roll for me, also they have really fresh and great tasting sushi rolls, which my friends have. But overall one of the best places I have eaten sushi which is veggi Thank you guys!
(5)Michelle A.
My boyfriend took me here for Valentine's dinner - and he scored some major points! First I'll start with the atmosphere - super romantic with sexy lighting. Was this because of V-day? Maybe, but I had no problem seeing my food and it created a very comfortable environment. Now the food! YUM. It was a set menu for Valentine's day, which worked really well for me. I tend to have a difficult time narrowing down food choices because I want to try everything. Anyways, the set menu couldn't have been better - 6 courses total. I'm a little fuzzy on the details of each dish thanks to the complimentary bottle of champagne that went with our dinner. The courses included a crab salad, fresh oysters, nigiri, assorted rolls, beef OR salmon (main course), and ice cream (dessert). My boyfriend got the beef for his main course and I got the salmon. I would give my salmon 5/5 stars for flavor and tenderness - it was cooked perfectly. My boyfriend asked for his steak medium, but it was pretty much rare, which would have been OK if it hadn't already been sliced. The dessert was pretty lame, but we were so full at that point it really didn't matter. Overall, the food was super flavorful and fresh. Will be going back to try their regular menu I'm sure!
(4)Chris O.
1 adult, 2 young boys, $100 (didn't order beverages) We started with heirloom tomatoes...the sweet, juicy tomatoes were overpowered by ponzu vinaigrette. The spicy tuna roll was a bit fishy with tiny pieces of cartilage throughout. The shrimp tempura roll, as well as the shrimp tempura appetizer was good. That's it, nothing was "wow, that was amazing", it wasn't even, "I'm stuffed." Dear Kakui, bring us the "wow". Have a meeting with the staff and have everyone taste the food, critique it, change it, before it's Kapui. After dinner, the boys came home and I had to make dinner after all. Sigh. Come on Montclair Eateries! I would so much rather support my hood than to hop in the car and head over to Rockridge. Give us fresh, clean, simple and tasty. make your customers say, "wow!"
(2)Natalie N.
Happily surprised by the fresh, creative sushi we had last night. Started with your typical miso soup followed by the 49er roll at the recommendation of our server. It was very good! Perfect sized roll (not too huge) with fresh salmon and lemon. We also got the chef's choice sashimi plate and it was also very good, not fishy at all. We noticed they do pick up/online ordering which is good to know. They were making quite a few to-go containers of sushi that people were coming in to get. The interior is nice, as was the service. We didn't feel rushed and it was relatively lively at 8:00pm mid-week. We will be back to try more!
(4)Karen S.
Delicious fresh food. Somewhat limited menu. Service varies. We come here often, as it's the best Japanese food around (and Montclair has 2 other Japanese restaurants within a block). I love the brussel sprouts; gindara; tempura; and the bento box lunches. The salmon is usually awesome. I wish they had more to drink than just sake (there's some wine too, but minimal choices). Service can be steller, but it can also be mediocre. I want to give the place 5 stars but can't quite do it......probably because of service inconsistency. Also, it's cold in there. Most of the tables are right by the door.
(4)Michael U.
Beginning the story with my first bites in the city of Oakland, Kakui proved to be an experience in and of itself largely because my colleague was known to the restaurant; no order was placed and the bill went on his tab. Chatting with the owner and sushi chef as we ate and talked about the area, the job, and the economy of medicine food simply appeared and while descriptions were largely inconsequential in such a setting my questions were answered at length with the owners showing great interest and pride in their products and sourcing - mostly from California and the Salmon actually line-caught that very morning. With conversation flowing between ourselves and the staff and water perpetually at 3/4 full or better the first plate to arrive at our table would be the house 'signature' grilled caramelized Brussels' Sprouts with karashi vinaigrette - a sweet and savory crunchy riff on the one of my favorite vegetables slightly tinted with mustard, an ingredient I generally don't favor but used to great effect here adding a slightly spicy bite to the heady sprouts. Moving next to a special request from my associate the second dish to arrive would be a half-dozen briny Kumamoto oysters with topped with ponzu, tobiko, and a dash of tobsasco - brisk, briny, and just a dash of heat they were standard but nicely harvested and shucked - nothing to write home about, but quite good for a standard oyster prep. Moving next to our sashimi selections served with a house brewed soy sauce, plenty of daikon, and a smear of wasabi paste plus excellent candied ginger the chef's choice selection for the day consisted of Butterfish, Tai Snapper, Bluefin Tuna, and Line-caught Salmon reportedly brought in from the boats that very morning. Always a fan of the first three selections and less frequently of salmon the fish was all fresh and watching the owners train a young chef on the appropriate way to fillet and slice each fish was actually quite a lot of fun. Sure this is not the sort of sushi you'll get at Urasawa, but considering the menu prices I actually found the quality quite favorable. Having spent the last 9 hours en route from Columbus to Oakland and getting somewhat tired (with a long night at Saison beginning at 7:30 ahead of me) our final dish of the early afternoon would be the California beef "Okinawa-style" filet mignon with fish sauce, garlic, and mushrooms served over rice - a surprisingly tender amalgam of lean beef with the earthy aromatics of a variety of fibrous mushrooms serving to balance the hefty sauce. Apparently my colleague's favorite dish this large portion listed at $21 on the dinner menu was more than enough for one but a great dish to be shared even though I largely stuck to the mushrooms as I tend to find beef monotonous. As previously mentioned we never saw a bill but considering the fact that my colleague reported he went back later that week for dinner with a number of his friends it appears that Kakui has gathered a well deserved clientele of regulars and after browsing the online menu in retrospect I think the quality of the food, service, and setting were certainly worth the prices placing the restaurant in the mid-range of America's sushi scene...and in central Ohio it would be a gem.
(4)Pacita D.
I took my client and my escrow officer to celebrate closing escrow on a home purchase. Neither one of them have ever been to Kakui, so I told them they're in for a treat. We started with: Brussel Sprouts -- yes, Brussell sprouts....in a sushi place...and yes, it was perfectly delicious. Gyoza Gomae Hamachi Unagi Alicia Roll (asparagus, avocado, topped with spicy tuna) Salmon skin roll (toasted and crunchy salmon skin, assorted vegetables) California roll (what can I say, they wanted it....thankfully, it was great, too!) Jerry special roll (salmon asparagus, avocado with spicy ponzu sauce) Spider roll (fried soft shell crab, cucumber, avocado) For me, a sake flight Wine for her Beer for him My friends had never tried the salmon skin roll, and probably would not have thought to order it. But this is Kakui --- it was fabulous. They were particularly impressed with the Alicia roll, and said they've never had anything quite like it. And when the owner/chef came by to greet us, I mentioned that my client and I were also celebrating our birthdays (we're two days apart). Whereupon he sent over sorbet. Peach sorbet in a hollowed out peach, lemon sorbet in lemon, and mango (yes, hallowed out mango). So refreshing! And complimentary, too. The night was an absolute winner.
(5)Mei L.
Went here at lunch and had a great time. We had 6 people and there was a reservation made, so we did not have to wait. We started with assorted sashimi chef's choice: hamachi was my favorite. I have had good sashimi and their fish is VERY high grade. Then: Uni (which I'm not a fan of, but their uni, is not over salty) Saba (buttery and my favorite fish, wish they had aji which i love more) Spicy Scallop Roll: Spicy, good but forgettable. KAKUl roll: My co-workers liked this roll alot, I'm not the biggest fan of cucumber wrapped sushi... Tuna Poki:Wish it had more flavor or heat... Lion King: Really Taste, since most places make it too mayo-ie. Perfect balance! Four Seasons Roll: Very Pretty and good but forgettable. Super Dynamite Roll: Fried Happiness...do i need to say more... Oakland PD Roll: New Fav Roll!!! Unagi-don...SO GOOD. Only at lunch...they best eel I have had anywhere. Dessert: One of each sherbet...mango (loved it), lemon(little too tart), orange (like a creamsicle) & peach (perfect....)
(5)Sarika S.
I frequently grab vegetarian lunch from Kakui. Until now I've been a big fan, their rolls are great and service impeccable. I ordered my usual only to discover they had gotten my order wrong and instead of vegetarian rolls I had received shrimp rolls when I got home. I thought something was wrong when the bill arrived as it was slightly higher, but i didn't think much of it as I was in a rush. I called immediately, I never got a sorry, they did offer to make a new roll but I didn't have time to go back. Instead of offering to credit me back for the rolls that went in the bin or even offering credit for the next trip, they simply didn't have much else to say. Well thank you Kakui, that will be my last trip for lunch at your place.
(2)Julianne B.
My husband and I decided to lunch ourselves with our neighbors today! We had high hopes as this place is generally pretty good. The place was empty, we thought we would get good service! We spent 200.00 and were totally ignored! worst service ever! We sat without food and drinks which seemed like an eternity! Time to find a new sushi Place.
(2)Mike S.
This was probably one of the worst sushi places I have been to. Not authentic, very overpriced, fish was lousy, and the service was horrible. Not to mention my wifes chicken teriaki was pink in the middle, fatty, and tasted horrible. The 5-star reviews here lead me to believe some people live in a bubble and do not travel too far to taste good food. My wife ordered chicken teriaki, which is cooked -- and arrived a good 15 mins before my sushi. If anything, I would have imagined the other way around ?? --- Not to mention the chicken was very raw. My glass of water was empty, and tea never even offered a re-fill. Miso soup tasted like powder-mix. Honestly, I would have left right after I ordered when I looked around at the food coming out, but I felt bad. Big mistake. I give 1-star because I was left hungry, a big check, and an hour off my time wasted. We ended up walking across the street to this place called Kotobuki, which did not have the best fish, but the service was great, fast, and a fair value. If you want to throw your money down the drain to sit in a fancy decorated restaurant that gets away with serving horrible food, and deliveres horrible servive, then go here.
(1)MartÃn Y.
I did expected better.... This was not a waste of time but boy oh boy the service needs major work. We enter the place and the girl helped us... yet she must have adhd or something because we waited for 5 minutes even tho the place was half empty. The owner was chatting with a friend for a while... his place was in complete chaos... and I notice only one table was served. Finally the only server really working all the tables came and sat us. He was very nice but I felt bad for him... he was working his ass off and no one was helping him. EVERYONE ELSE WAS HANGING OUT..... The girl finally came along to collect the check once we were done. I agree with plenty of the reviews here.... the service sucks ass and the owner needs to make a solid decision and change the personnel. 2 stars because the food was ok.
(2)Jeff L.
This review is only for service since we never got our to-go order. Apparently the printer ran out of paper so the restaurant never received our online order. When I showed up to pick it up, I was told without remorse that the printer ran out of paper and that it would take about 30-40 more mins for our order. I'm easily pleased with an offer of a free dish or a discount, but nothing was offered. I won't be going back. There are far too many good sushi restaurants (Mijori, sushi park, etc) in the area to have to deal with poor service.
(1)Andrew C.
Tried Kakui again now that the weather has cooled ;-) and got the Chirashi ($16). They start you off with a cup of miso soup in a nice looking wooden bowl / cup ( yelp.com/biz_photos/JiO0… ). Tasted good. Nothing special, but a nice amount of tofu & wakame. Fanciest chirashi presentation I've seen with 1 tamago, 2 sake, 2 shiro maguro, 3 maguro, 3 tai, and 3 escolar on small bed of sushi rice in a wide brimmed plate with a smear of wasabi on one side ( yelp.com/biz_photos/JiO0… pardon the poor angle!). It was very pretty plating and not the standard round lacquer bowl you usually see with chirashi. I dug in. Not bad though the tai and albacore were just OK, and tasted a little long in the tooth. Like Yojimbo in Alameda, they have escolar in the chirashi, but not on the sushi or sashimi menus. Maybe because the clean flavor might become too popular ala carte which could lead to other "issues" en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Es… I ran out of sushi rice before finishing the fish because of the small amount of rice that could fit into the depression of the fancy bowl. It was a big drawback of the nice presentation. Service was OK. Somewhat friendly, but seemed to disappear in unison when I needed something (more tea. dropped a chopstick).
(3)Marcella Renae Y.
Our waiter was fantastic! He went through the entire menu with us since this was our first time here! We ordered a bottle of the Keenan Chardonnay and it did not disappointment. The wine went so well with the Toro and the Hamachi Avocado appetizer, which I must say, was super fresh and tasty. I am new to the area and have been looking for a new sushi spot! I am so glad to have stumbled upon this one. The staff was friendly and the food was great! 5 stars over all.
(5)Michelle S.
I don't know what it is about Berkeley, Oakland and sushi - it's as if most restaurants strive to make hip ambiance and excellent sushi mutually exclusive. You can find one trait, but not both in the same restaurant - until now. Not only is Kakui a breath of fresh air for the Montclair Village restaurant scene - I think it's a real find for people like me - people who love sushi, eat it often and like the experience to be a little bit sexy. The space is small but well-appointed, the art is modern, the lights are low and the music is not. The presentation is beautiful - due partly to the incredible collection of tableware and partly to the imaginative efforts of the sushi chefs. Presentation is everything - except when it comes to sushi and especially when it comes to sushi. Meaning the real aficionados are not going to fall for fancy garnishes and no substance, but at the same time it's a missed opportunity to not get creative with all those unique ingredients. I think Kakui delivered BOTH - style and substance - the night I was there. The nigiri is great - super fresh, generous portions and the rolls are tasty too. The Oakland PD Roll with shrimp tempura, spicy tuna, crab, avocado, and topped with unagi is a real stand out. I've saved the best for last. They are not messing around with the top-notch sake selection - of course they're not messing around with the prices either. But they do offer sake flights and that's a great way to try several different styles without blowing the budget - relatively speaking - we are talking sushi restaurant here. Most of the ingredients are flown in fresh from all over the world and artfully prepared in front of you - it's not supposed to be cheap.
(5)Pam H.
We love Kakui. In fact, we won't eat at any other local sushi place anymore because they just are never as good as Kakui. The fish is the freshest I have ever eaten anywhere. My partner travels all over the world for a living. ...still says Kakui is the best sushi. Usually we let the chefs choose a 12 piece nigiri for us, we also have soup and salad.
(5)Victor G.
kakui has a modern, dark, mysterious decor. received a small "greeting" from staff as i entered. none when i left. music: jazz sampling: -20 pieces of sashimi for $30 *mix of albacore, hamachi, seared white fish,chopped tuna , suzuki, and salmon slices on a mountain of ice with a branch twig and a plastic leaf as decor. *slices were thick and generous in size but the sashimi universally tasted cold and tasteless. being on ice is just part of the problem. was the ice used to masked cheaper and less fresh cuts of fish? unknown. temaki: -didn't get any lap action as alluded to by another reviewer, got lots of tea refills and some cold water though.. -eatery was dead, just 5 people. -doubt waitresses have much experience, they resemble models at car shows. i was really concentrating on the sashimi..... -nigiri(6ish?)/ sushi seem pricey. saw rock & roll (6), 6 pieces, size of a kappa roll. -value 4 stars, service 4-5 stars, food barely 3 stars, freshness a concern. presentation of sashimi on ice a major wtf? -given one menu, a wine menu and a booklet on other alcoholic drinks. hint. hint. -should have gone to the restroom. that should be the highlight. of my visit here (according to betty h.)
(3)Danny L.
Kakui.... - Spicy chicken combo was tantalizing with a nice kick, but the portions were VERY VERY tiny... literally only a few pieces of chicken. - The service is courteous and friendly but the price is a little steep. The Chef's special is savory and delish! It contained an assortment of sashimi drenched in the chef's special sauce (soy sauce and sugar?!). It's new (open less than a month) so I'm sure they will eventually work out their kinks.
(3)tabisky c.
Earlier postings indicate a wait staff of women who were not knowledgeable with the menu. Now you have a staff of one waiter who does not know what is offered on the menu as he was clueless as to what we wanted to order. We had to point to the specific items on the menu so he could write it down. The sushi chef never cracked a smile; it was not a friendly place to dine. I don't understand why the kakui bento includes rice/soup/salad/fruit, but the kakui don (more expensive) does not include any of the above. Most of the Japanese restaurants offer at least soup and salad. It wasn't crowded when we came to visit and the young waiter directed us to a table in the middle of the aisle while other tables were open in the corner or in the front. What is he thinking? Bottom line, my dining partner got sick that evening from eating the hamachi which was not prepared properly. The sashimi which should have been void of any red blood veins was presented on his plate. My partner commented that this was rather strange to see hamachi presented this way. Thinking back, he should have not eaten that meal. If it doesn't look right, then it's not prepared right. We eat a lot of sashimi from the best Japanese markets and restaurants so we should have followed our instincts. Never again.
(1)Cheesemonger Jeff D.
What a great addition to Montclair Village! Great design, good food and service, a friendly owner who goes out of his way top ensure that you are taken care of, and a nice Sake list! I have eaten there twice - and have been pleased with the quality and tastiness of both the fresh fish and cooked meats served. Looking forward to more visits and adding a fifth star!
(4)Junia L.
Overall, this was a good place, especially compared to the other Japanese restaurants in Mont Clair. Like the others said, the plating is really small which makes it a bit pricey for the portions you get. I tried the brussel sprouts since everyone on yelp was raving about it. It was good; there is a strong mustard flavor which I loved in the beginning, but after a while I needed to move on to the other dishes. This is definitely a dish to share. My favorite was the live scallops. They were sweet and fresh. Sashimi was ok. They were large but I didn't really like the way it was cut. I also found two scales in my tuna sashimi.
(3)Michael H.
I like Kakui, yet don't. First thing is that the restaurant feels a bit cramp as soon as you walk in. To me it feels like the tables are scrunched together. Not only do they have a bunch of tables but there's also a bar to compete with. There are a couple of small tables outside. I think this restaurant would be awesome with a big outdoor patio but let's be logical here. I can't really blame them since they're trying to maximize their small space. At least it's "intimate"; although, the high ceiling with the sun window adds the space. The decor is nice and alluring. Kakui has a black and white color scheme: the tables are dark wood, the plating is white, the chopsticks are black with reflective metal bands, the menus are egg white, the staff wears black, the walls are white. The one accent of color are the several glossy resin abstract paintings on the wall. I thought the napkins were nicely folded. Here's the food we had: wakame seaweed salad 5 -Good. Pretty traditional seaweed salad you've had at any other Japanese restaurant. brussel sprouts karashi vinagrette 8 -Recommended by our waitress. It was perhaps the biggest disappointment out of all the dishes. The flavor was a little odd but the texture to me was way off. shrimp tempura tentsuyu dipping sauce 10 -Great tempura. Really light and crunchy. Plate comes with 5 shrimp. KAKUI roll hamachi, tuna, salmon, avocado, wrapped with thinly sliced cucumbers 12 -Kinda like a non-carb appetizer considering it has no rice. It was something different but altogether not really exciting or satisfying. Something I'd expect at a day spa. jp roll shrimp tempura, tuna, salmon, white tuna, avocado wrapped with soy bean paper 8 -Since they do their shrimp tempura well, this roll succeeds. dj roll unagi, avocado, topped with salmon 11 -Good stuff. rainbow roll california roll topped with assorted sashimi 12 -How many ways can you mix fish, avocado, and cucumber? Still good. ebi yaki grilled prawns, ponzu, daikon oroshi 14 -Good. The shrimp is surprisingly salty, yet the saltiness is great. Not so sure if I'd get again. butz ribs served with spicy aka miso glazed and mixed green salad 15 -The best dish of the nice. Impressive. The salad is surprisingly good. gindara grilled sea bass, bok choy, miso sake reduction 15 -Good fish. Juicy and the sake reduction is nice. Even though the service is friendly and well intentioned, it's cumbersome and confused. At one point two members drop a plate. Several times during our meal we had different people taking our orders. We should really only be talking to one waiter to avoid mixups. If this were a casual sushi spot I could overlook this but they're selling themselves as a fine dining establishment so they need to improve. Kakui has been open since March 2010. I hope they improve next year. On the bright side they were nice and said "thank you" a lot. I'll give them an "A" for effort (is it "A" for Affort?, should I be giving an "E" for effort?). It's not common to have like most of the staff thank you on your way out. ___ A tiny, or "intimate", spot for Japanese cuisine. The food is good and very well presented. Some dishes are hit or miss. The staff needs improvement yet they're well intentioned. Would come back with a party of 2-3. They only have green tea ice cream mochi for dessert.
(4)Sid F.
Ugh, don't be lured by the nice decor and fancy presentation. This place is major fail for anyone who isn't the target demographic in Montclair. I looked at their fish at the sushi bar and all of it it looked dried and shriveled. I got the 10 pc sashimi and it was terribad. How can sake (salmon), the most used fish taste like cardboard. The other cuts were about as flavorful as gym socks. Ugggghh. It'd be nice if the sever gave me quick rundown on what was being served since it was "Chefs Choice". Service is non-existant. We came at lunch and it took 10 minutes to order and there weren't any other customers. Seriously, it's lunch and maybe, just maybe, people have a lunch hour and have to get to work. Toshi Sushi down the street isn't as fancy or nice looking but it's gourmet compared to this place.
(1)sean f.
Pretty decent (3.5 star) place, definitely the best of the lot in Montclair/Rockridge. Really nice atmosphere compared to most of the sushi places in the area. Good sake selection.
(3)donavan s.
This place has nice decor and looks great. I had a good meal . Nothing to rave about but good But what was memorable was this guy that said He was the owner kept creeping me out by comming on to me and admiring my watch and taste? He was weird and made me feel weird too. If he is the owner he should just tone it down a little
(3)J. Patrick M.
Great sushi-family friendly easy going staff. Only complaint might be the service was a little too fast-is that a complaint? We love the Kakui rolls.
(4)Joy A.
Loved the decor, stoneware, chop sticks, wine, food, servers! DID NOT feel comfortable with the blatant DISCRIMINATION! Scenario: Your in a restaurant and the "figurehead" makes SEVERAL rounds (visits every table to check for customer satisfaction) to all of the tables but yours, avoids you like the plague. SUPER obvious!!! I was so uncomfortable, I couldn't wait to get out of there. I cannot recommend this place:-)
(1)kristi s.
This place is run so poorly. All the bad reviews have the same common theme. So...we live in Montclair and have a 3 year old, so take-out is as good as it gets, and there aren't many options so we get Kakui about once a month. It's gone downhill consistently over the past 2 years but edible. Tonight I was on hold for 10 minutes trying to order, so I gave up and ordered online. I called again 20 minutes later to make sure the order went through and they told me the wait would be another hour. Okay, fine. Brought the food home and half our order was missing. And the chicken teriyaki, which was advertised as having grilled asparagus, looked disgusting and was accompanied with 2 steamed broccoli spears. So husband went back (the food hadn't been made and he had to wait again), I called to complain, and they lamely took $19 off of our $52 bill. Come on, 2 trips to your restaurant should be comped. The reviews for this place consistently show that the kitchen/servers/managers don't track the food coming out of the kitchen. They don't tell customers when ingredients on the menu are missing. Plus the food is mediocre at best whereas it used to be really good. Apparently the owner is really cool -- read your Yelp reviews and fix it!
(1)Susan B.
***Lunch Review*** I came here for lunch and I have to say, for $12, I thought my Bento Box was a slamming deal. Not in the mood for sushi, I decided to indulge in deep fried goodness and ordered the Tempura Vegetables and Shrimp Bento. This meal comes with miso soup, a little salad, rice, tempura dipping sauce and a half an orange, although I'm guessing the fruit might change based on what they have available. Being the tempura connoisseur that I am, I have to say I liked that the batter wasn't too heavy and didn't feel overly greasy. The shrimp tasted pretty darn good and the veggie assortment was the usual suspects, which I like. Personally I thought the portions were just right because it's very easy for me to overindulge in fried goodness. I am a wasabi fiend so I of course asked for some and proceeded to drown my rice with my wasabi soy sauce combo. I like the modern look of the place and I thought our waitress was a nice gal. Based on what I saw on other people's plates, the sushi looked pretty darn good. I'll have to give that a try next time.
(4)Colleen R.
Came here because my sister said it was rated best sushi, by who - probably someone without taste buds. We came here once before and we had a bad experience but I couldn't remember why. I remembered immediately once I sat down. They have horribly slow and pathetic service! Food was mediocre and overpriced for the quality. I ordered the Oakland PD roll because it has spicy tuna. Unfortunately when it came to my table there was barely any spicy tuna! Lame. We were handed our bill after they filled our glasses with warm murky cucumber water! Gross. Also, what if I was still hungry and wanted to order more - plus, they didn't even ask how our meal was. Rude Overall - lame, gross and rude. I'd rather save my money and go hungry.
(2)Jaime A.
This place is TERRIBLE. The hubs and I went there for dinner last night and we made reservation for 6:00 PM. When we arrived we were given two table options - the first was RIGHT in front of the door, and the other table was wedged between the sushi bar seats and the hallway the wait staff used to get to and from the kitchen. We sat in the hallway (and were bumped into at least 50 times in less than an hour. The entrée selections were limited, but the sushi/sashimi list was huge. We selected the brussel sprouts (the only good thing we had), the tuna poke (Kakui uses really poor quality tuna and the poke was REALLY under-seasoned), vegetable tempura (it was okay, not greasy, but nothing great), and two sushi rolls. The first roll was the Green Roll - the tuna was such low quality it tasted fishy like salmon and had a lot of connective fibers - nearly inedible. The Spider Roll was awful. My husband thinks the TINY soft shell crabs were precooked. I think they were recooked. Regardless, the crab literally had the taste and texture of cardboard. Also, the sushi rice was under-seasoned and the texture was terrible. Overall, our meal cost over $60 and we left disgusted and hungry. Kakui will do well in Montclair Village because they have a captive audience, but I will NEVER be back again. I suggested you go elsewhere for your sushi fix.
(1)Pamela M.
What a shock! We used to love Kakui but they have really screwed up a $80 dinner! Our family of 4 ordered a take-out meal of what we normally order and things have changed! The chicken teriyaki was just plain grilled chicken served with a little lettuce. The beef dish was simple grilled meat again with cold mushrooms. No soup, vegetable, or rice. At least, the brussel sprouts were delicious as usual. We will not being going back unless it is for only sushi.
(1)Joel G.
When I last visited Kakui Sushi this summer, it was so much better than tonight. Good service, good food, good times. Tonight was just the opposite. They were nice enough to hold my table for 30 minutes past my reservation time, but not reluctant to have the hostess / waitress lecture me before I had taken my coat off about being late. And I called on the way to say I was coming! Please, restaurateurs, don't force a customer to apologize when he enters. It's not like the restaurant was more than half full at any point during our visit. Speaking of half, our hostess was the sole waitress tonight. It was very, very hard to get her attention. Perhaps not her fault, but her service was lacking. With half the floor staff we got half the attention we should have. This meant the tuna sushi we didn't order arrived first and the Jerry's Special roll arrived late and soggy. My first experimence ever with soggy sushi... please throw it back in the pond. My wife's Oakland roll, she tells me, was supposed to have spicy tuna in it. We didn't taste it. My sons, who always order rice rolls (this makes it easy for all parties) both spit them out because they tasted fishy and had tobiko on them. My major gripe, though, was with the tip: Why do restaurants charge 20% tip for a party of six? And why do they charge this based on the food tab PLUS tax? I cannot send a message of displeasure via the tip when it's already been charged to my card. I could have lived with a mandatory 15% tip based on the value of what I ordered. The tip would have been a reasonable (but for the service...) $13.50. But charging me 20% based on bill plus tax amounted to $19.58, increasing the tip by nearly 50%. You can only get away with this once, Kakui Sushi. You won't see me again. I'm not going back to Kakui Sushi again. I'm still tasting the tempura batter, which is only part of the sour taste in my mouth.
(1)Bonnie M.
A neighborhood gem. Excellent rolls, interesting small plates, and a very friendly staff. The black cod entrée was remarkably good.
(4)Michelle Y.
OOh YUMMY. Love coming here with friends, it's close to home and a delicious little treat. It's a small plate type of deal but we always leave so full. LOVE LOVE LOVE the brussel sprouts, you have to try these. Also, the ribs are fall of the bone finger licking...we don't look to classy eating them. Service is GREAT too, very attentive and my water glass is never empty. Try all their sushi, but I would say I like their Kakui roll (no rice) wrapped in cucumber. Super refreshing and delicious. Overall, i would recommend this place for a date night, girls night or whatever, yummy food and great decor. Plus get John as you waiter...he's AWESOME! :)
(4)Grace S.
Why do restaurants in Montclair miss the mark? New place so it's busy... Wait for a table... Then wait some more... Then the hostess thankfully talked the manager into seating us at a table for 4 (we were only a party of two and since there weren't any parties of 4 waiting, it seemed like it made sense to seat us). Almost an hour later we get seated. Whew! Then we wait some more.... before we can order... Out of all thing we enjoyed the brussel sprout the most. YUMMY! The sushis were OK but felt they were not as fresh as it should have been (if it smells a bit fishy it's not fresh). The rolls were not tightly rolled either like they had inexperienced chefs (it kept breaking up on me). Out of Uni but their Maguro was decent. Did I mention the smell? This place needs some ventilation... spelled a bit like fish and dishwater. Overall food gets 2 1/2 stars. For Montclair you don't have much option for good food. For that reason this place may get a lot of attention. I may try this place again except that in a few days there are 2 more sushi places opening (Kutobuki will open in a few days, Sushi Park will also open soon on Park Blvd., and there is the Toshi Sushi, which has been around for awhile). This should be interesting....
(2)Debra M.
Still loving this place. The owner still delivering the freshiest, most beautifulest (is that a word) Sushi I have ever seen. If you like rolls the Lion King is to die for, and the wonderful Salmon with Egg Plant just so flavorful it's insane. No TV 's here, just great conversation, low lit, and it's okay to dress down in a nice way. You know what I mean, get out your nice jeans or wear that pretty dress. You'll be sorry if you miss this place. It's awesome fook no matter what you order, and its fresh. That's really what you're wanting and you know it. Yum!
(5)Gerry C.
I would like to patronize Montclair businesses when appropriate, so Sushi night at Kakui which is a new addition to the Village. Decor is terrific and nice addition to the Village environment. The service was satisfactory. I recommend the ownership continue to work on best practices. It appeared to me the service team was inexperienced. The manager or owner was on site however I did not sense he had extensive experience managing a busy restaurant. He should focus on execution and best practices at this point of the restaurant's development. He did make a point of coming to our table asking if everything is OK. Since he stopped by several times he may have had the impression we were unhappy. He could have spent his time working with table clean up, timely service and quality of food preparation. I think the quality of the sushi was satisfactory however not extraordinary and will have to do better to compete with other sushi restaurants in Oakland and Berkeley. Spicy tuna roll and California rolls were sub par, rice used on rolls appeared to have a different texture. Unagi was good, veg tempura was also pretty good. Agedashi Dofu not very good. More competition is coming the village, Kakui will have to improve its food and continue to refine its service. The music was loud and appeared to be out of place in this venue. Kakui needs time to develop and improve. I'll be back in a couple months.
(2)Yushan K.
Great quality fish, pleasant service, and nice ambiance. Had tempura to start, which I was disappointed only had regular batter without panko. But 15 piece sashimi was great, especially the butterfish. The 49er roll was really different - no nori; shiso, roe, and avocado on the inside; salmon on top of the rice with a thin slice of lemon (which I picked off!). While I did miss the nori, the texture was super soft and tasty as a result. The people next to us had a chef's choice dinner where you tell them what you want to spend and the chef will whip something up in your budget...apparently it's a sushi thing. Maybe I'll try that sometime!
(4)Jessica R.
Alright, I am here to tell you about the deliciousness that is Kakui! Let me start off with, wow- brussel sprouts have never tasted so good! In fact, good would be an understatement. I was pleasantly surprised when the sushi got back to the house. Everything looked absolutely delectable. I forgot to mention, I've only had take-out from Kakui, but the presentation was so astonishing, that I can't imagine the restaurant and the service being anything short of the same. Besides the divine taste of the food, (did I mention the brussel sprouts are to die for?!?!), I really couldn't believe the vibrant colors. I do believe this was the first time I have ever eaten anything that has looked so beautiful and pleased my taste buds so. Really. Being so impressed, and despite the fact that I have never actually been to the restaurant, I was compelled to yelp. I've posted my pictures, please have a look, but don't lick your monitor. :P Here's to good eating and happy yelping: Cheers!!
(4)Jake J.
I liked this upscale place in Montclair and the decor is beautiful. The sushi itself was good but not quite good enough to be "great" (went on a Sunday) Ordered some other dishes too. Pork belly was great, and the hamachi avocado dish also quite tasty. The mussels were not good - a number were barely open, so undercooked or just bad ones and the broth was too salty. The service was inconsistent and not good overall - they did not remove plates or offer to bring any small plates, they served food at the corner of the table for some reason. So, that needs improvement, as is often the case with restaurants that focus on food and not training! All in all, I liked it and would try again, but I was not compelled to return or rate it highly without some improvements. Update 1/2013: Same impression: food pretty good, but service inconsistent and not very good. They really need to train their staff or hire more experienced people.
(3)tina l.
Best rolls in the Bay Area
(5)Jaime L.
Not as good as the first few times I went there. Last time the Lion King roll, which is the first time i'd ever tried it was not good. The salmon did not have a nice texture at all, and they use a blow torch to scorch the sauce and salmon. While this sounds like a good idea, the gas of the blow torch was like all I could taste. Not good. Service is still good, they are definitely trying hard and I appreciate that in a neighborhood restaurant. Also had the Japanese fried chicken for something new and it was good! I think maybe I'm just not a fan of the Lion King roll, and it seems that you have to dine there when the better sushi chefs who work there are at the bar. Would give it 3.5 if I could.
(4)Megan S.
I was disappointed and unimpressed. The food is okay but the customer service is atrocious and not appreciated. We made a reservation for 8:45, the restaurant wasn't crowded, and there were 3-4 tables open however, it took the host staff a while to figure out where to seat us (party of 2). Once seated it took roughly 10 minutes to get water and then another few minutes after that for our waitress to finally come to our table. Jenny-our waitress seemed friendly enough and took our order, however, this was one of the last times we saw her. Needless to say that the other tables around us were being taken care of by a different waiter were well cared for and efficiently served. We started with soup. The miso soup was good but luke warm. Usually when I have miso soup it is piping hot, this soup was unexpectedly cool. Our food was the highlight of the experience though not worth the price tag. We ordered a spider roll, philly roll, jp roll and the Butz ribs. The tables next to us who were seated at the same time as us were all served way before us. I was also unimpressed by having to ask for basics at a sushi restaurant such as soy sauce bowls. We finally got our sushi however we waited over 30 minutes for our ribs. Ribs that take this long to prepare should have a warning label! By the time the ribs did come out I was full and didn't even want to eat them. The ribs though fall off the bone tender, tasted like BBQ sauce, and were not what I had expected. Jenny (our waitress) checked in once after our ribs had arrived, mind you the two tables that were seated around the same time that we were had already gotten all of their food, eaten, paid their tabs, and left. At this point we were tired of waiting and being ignored and just wanted to leave. I wouldn't recommend this restaurant for families or larger parties, the dining room is small and crammed in. Kids running down the narrow aisle is not ideal. In all, I would not go back simply for the lack of customer service and high price tag for okay food. There are 2 other sushi restaurants in Montclair as well as the rest of the east bay. I will be taking my sushi business else where.
(2)Jeff H.
One of the best, trendiest sushi restaurants I've been too. Very nice ambience and the food is off the hook! I highly recommend this spot.
(4)Terry P.
We had a great time at Kakui, found the staff hip but friendly, attentive to our needs but not obtrusive, and the food fresh and generous. It was our first visit, on a cold and very rainy night. We went early and the restaurant filled nicely despite the weather, always a good sign when you're looking for fresh fish. They had one of my all-time favorite dishes, hamachi kama, on the menu, and I was happy to get the succulent, tender but crisp-skinned grilled yellowtail collar (they call it cheek). It was almost enough for a meal, but I had ordered sashimi too, and ended up eating every last bite of the ten half-inch thick slices (I got the chef's choice, which included white and red tuna, hamachi and salmon), plus a few bites of my husband's food too. Presentation is artistic and the combinations they offer as sushi rolls seem well thought out, for instance combining a pair of crisp tempura prawns with fresh tuna, salmon and avocado in the JC roll, which you can get with seaweed or with tofu skin wrapper. We sat next to the pick-up station at the bar, and watched a lot of very generous portions and elegant looking plates of food go out to the tables. A live scallop special (ask the waiter or chef what specials are on tap, as there's no specials board) included both the freshly harvested scallop meat, thinly sliced then wrapped around five little pads of rice, and the muscles from the shell, done tempura style with onions--crisp, greaseless and flavorful. All in all, a very good experience. The decor is warm and cosy, the little bar gives a good view of the action, and the sake menu is large enough to satisfy anyone's taste. We will go back, for sure. Soon.
(5)Kelly S.
Best restaurant in Montclair village. Friendly, good service, excellent food, decent prices. The design of the space is impressive. Bento box lunches are great as well as the high quality sushi. Everything I've ordered here has been very good. As with many small restaurants, the chef is better on weekend nights than say, Monday lunch. But still always good.
(5)Shelley L.
Over priced! Associates and waiters are nice but it doesn't make up for it being over priced. I only come back for a change from main stream japanese food. Their ribs are great but ask for light sauce.
(3)Deidre J.
I am a fan! I am a regular and love that the staff treats me like a VIP. Try the seaweed salad, very good and my kids adore it. Also try the following rolls: Kakui, 2010 and the vegetable tempura rolls.
(5)Amanda S.
They use fake crabmeat which is my automatic downgrade to max 3 stars. It's a shame because the service is OK, the fish is pretty fresh for the price and the outdoor seating is nice. But it's a pretty average sushi joint. Best rolls I've had: Oakland A's and 49'er rolls.
(3)Stephanie H.
Previous yelp reviews gave me pause to try Kakui but I was not disappointed. In Monclair, Kakui is not only the best Japanese restaurant but probably the best restaurant in the village. My daughter and I made reservations through Open Table. We were seated promptly. Service was very good. Wine selection was good. Ambience was up my alley. And the food...we both thought the agedashi tofu was mouthwatering, gyoza was perfect and my sushi was fresh and tasty. I prefer the brussel sprouts at Yoshi's (5 star dish) but Kakui's version was pretty good. My only complaint would be the lack of dessert offerings. They only had mochi ice cream the night we went. I'm a local and appreciate having Kakui in the neighborhood.
(4)Sarita O.
I disagree with the glowing assessments of this restaurant. I really wanted to like it but the sushi is just not up to par. The smoked salmon was not fresh and it was chewy. The spicy tuna was not spicy and the tuna was second rate. The hamachi was tasteless. The "salmon skin" roll was inedible - I am positive it was salmon bones, not salmon skin, and I had to stop after one piece or I might have choked. The rice was not properly cooked. It was not sticky and had no flavor. The sea bass appetizer was undercooked and hadn't been scaled. By the time we were done eating, there was a little pile on our plates of stuff we spit out. For $70 for two people with no drinks, I expect top notch sushi but got, at best, average sushi. On the positive side, the decor is nice and the service was good. If you do go there, don't sit at the sushi bar like we did because there is no foot rest so your feet just dangle down cutting off the circulation in your thighs. Oh, and the sushi chefs are not Japanese, they are Chinese - not that there is anything wrong with that, but if you are looking for authenticity, you won't find it at Kakui.
(2)T M.
Wow, a hip restaurant in Montclair. Who knew? Cute, friendly waitresses. We had Pot stickers - ok Shrimp Tempura - very good Spicy tuna roll - great A tuna salad. - off the hook Sashmi - very good Very cool atmosphere, w/ nice techno music. Decor is very nice. Only complaint is that the table for two is small for two people. Two thumbs up.
(4)Puppyface F.
My husband and I wanted to try this restaurant we found a few weeks ago. I went to their website and made a reservation on-line yesterday. When we got there tonight, a woman asked us if we had a reservation. We told her it was under my husband's name but she said she didn't have our reservation. I expected her to say that she was sorry or something but she acted as if it was our fault. Then she put us at the end of the sushi bar in front of the sink. I don't think they should have customers sit where the sink is. Uh-oh, this doesn't look right already... It turned out that our waiter was pretty friendly and polite. The food was good though the miso soup was weak. I liked the warm mushroom salad. My husband's steak was good, too. I like the way they season their sushi rice. Tuna was nice and fresh. I found most sushi chefs speaking Chinese to each other. That's kind of a shame because I thought I could feel like I was actually in Japan. (I'm from there. "A real Japanese restaurant" was what I was looking for.) Since this is a little pricey restaurant, I would like to save it for a special occasion; however, I don't know if I would go back knowing that the service might ruin the occasion.
(3)Ingrid S.
Had an excellent lunch here. No waiting. We walked in and sat at the counter, in front of the nicely displayed mouth-wateringly-fresh-looking cuts of fish. Started with some tuna sashimi, which was served up as a delicately sliced bright red work of art. The quality was excellent: moist, flavorful, tender. Just melted in my mouth. Also tried something cooked, a grilled hamachi, and two different rolls. Everything was scrumptious; everything got eaten (except for some skin and bones on the hamachi). Maybe lunch is better than dinner? Our servers were very attentive, water glasses never even got close to being empty, there was no blaring music, and our food was served promptly, not hurriedly. While the atmosphere is very cool, modern, and comfortable inside, they're setting up more tables in the small outdoor dining patio, which looks like a fabulous spot for a summer lunch in the Village.
(4)Keith H.
I live locally, and it's a fairly good place to go maybe once a month. Very high prices for food that is good but not great. The service is fairly poor, often you have to ask to get refills and more then once we have waited a good 30 minutes just for one roll to come out. Better choices in other locations.
(3)Cindy Y.
I haven't been to many of the Montclair restaurants because I am usually disappointed. Kakui is pretty good - I was surprised and glad I tried it today! We had some sashimi, the fried Brussel sprouts, hamachi and avocado salad, and a jp roll. We enjoyed all of it. The fish was fresh and tasty. Sushi rice was well seasoned, had good texture and the rolls had the right rice to filling ratio. I hate it when all you get is rice! The brussel sprouts were yummy - try them! The portion size was quite reasonable for the price. Service was friendly and efficient, but we were also one of the first tables to be served. The place seemed to get busier after 7:00 pm when we left. The presentation of the food was really nice. It makes the restaurant appropriate for a date, birthday, and just something a little nicer than a cheap eat. Kakui isn't exactly a family restaurant but would be fine to bring young children. It's nice to have a "go to" in Montclair and a good alternative to going to Piedmont Ave or Rockridge!
(4)Brian S.
This place in the Montclair village has been open for a few months now and suprised there is no review. The design is cool and the place was packed on a Thursday night around 7pm. Snagged one of the last tables for two and perused the menu which has lots of creative rolls. The prices are a little steep for sushi joints. The gyoza were very good, nice and crispy. The bean salad with peanut sauce dressing was tasty too. The hamachi sashimi was very fresh but the nigiri was just OK. The unagi was mushy and the spicy tuna roll with little spice and mushy too. We liked that it was wrapped with a soy bean wrapper versus seaweed and had panko crispy flakes. All it needed was firmer fish with more spice. Unfortunately they did not have anyone working the door and lots of new customers came and left as no one paid them any attention. We asked the lead server why no one was hosting and she said they sent her home. Odd for sure. Then she said we have a 45 minute wait so it's Ok that other new customers have left. Chances are they will not be back. We have heard this from other friends who have attempted to go to Kikui. Too bad as we really wanted to like this new place. If they do not get their act together they will not survive. Oh and for sure fire the lead server who was an Asian lady wearing a vest and glasses. With a cavalier attitude like that Kikui is sure to not get repeat biz!! But I must say our server was fantastic and worked her arse off as they were short of help. Cheers, Brian
(2)Kim K.
We go here once a week. My seven year-old is addicted. Lucky us. Good excuse to get the best sushi in the area. Our favorite is the Oakland PD roll and the Maguro is the best. Yes, tables are crowded. We like to sit outside with the heat lamps if the inside is packed. The owner is a savvy business owner. He recognizes his customers and makes them feel welcome. Make reservations if you want a better seat.
(4)Anne M.
We had the sushi chef put together a platter of his choice.....sushi was fresh and tasty and beautifully served.... but nothing particularly unusual. You can't go wrong with the Brussels sprouts or pot stickers (fried not steamed) either. Good sake selection. The banquette along the wall is low to the table and a little uncomfortable...all and all I would say Kakui is great place for a reliable sushi fix.
(4)Chris O.
Kakui has become a Sunday tradition for my family. First we hit the Montclair farmer's market, then have lunch at Kakui. I had given up on good sushi in Montclair years ago, and I am thrilled that there is finally a local sushi bar with firm and textured uni and fresh specials that delight the palette.
(5)Alison W.
We had lunch here and it was delicious, first rate even for the Bay Area. I had the sashimi lunch: four pieces of sashimi and small sushi rolls, which came with miso soup, a well-dressed salad, and a cut-up--and perfect--orange. The sashimi was tender and pristine. My friend had grilled salmon, which also was first-rate, with the same accompaniments. She started with shrimp tempera, light and airy. The food was just the right amount for lunch, and ran us about $40, with tea and a beer. The atmosphere is friendly, the decor spare, and even though it was lunch on a Monday, most tables had people, so it is already popular. I plan to have dinner there soon.
(4)Duane W.
I went here on the insistence of my wife, took a good friend of mine who was in town, and it was very good. We had a res, so we walked up at 7:30, and walked right in to our little table. Everyone was smiling and helpful, our order was taken, and while they were out or didn't have a fair amount of stuff I like to eat, the fish we did receive was extremely fresh and flavorful. The downside is, the place is small and feels a little cramped, and it's VERY loud. All things considered, I'll go back for round two. :)
(4)Tina L.
Service/food was ok. I.e overpriced minature oysters.slow azz serving ..due to the frickin' Chinese faux mohawkin' sushi chef who was like busy chatting' it up with these two chicks so our rolls were taking forever to come out. Once is good enough for me. I'm alwayz down to trying new places out.my advice is to shape up and hire more attentive sushi chefs to even out the attention/sufficient service to other patrons.honestly Ive never been to a restaurant where we had to serve our own cake. No candle so we had to blow out a table candle. Good luck in staying in business.
(1)artemis k.
For the money you'll spend here, go to Yoshi's Oakland (not SF) or Ippuku in Berkeley for better quality food. I don't think this place would survive outside of Montclair at the prices they're asking. The brussels sprouts were tasty, but the mustard sauce was heavier than what I would expect from well-prepared Japanese food. Ditto for the warm mushroom salad, tasty, but over-seasoned. In contrast, the sushi rice in the veg tempura roll was under-seasoned and oddly textured. The cod was definitely priced as an entree, but the portion was tapas-sized, and didn't come with rice or miso soup. The fish was okay, but too salty and too sweet. There was a heavy-handedness about the food in general. Lastly but not leastly (altho most people probably go there for the sake), the green tea was weak, not at all what I'd expect from a more upscale place like this.
(2)S M.
Good restaurant. I prefer the dinner menu.Great Hammachi Kama !
(3)elise o.
I went here with my 8 year old niece, here's what she said. "You can never get full on good sushi. I like toro and hamachi and the California roll. They were awesome. I'm eight years old. I like sitting at the sushi bar. I give them five stars"
(5)Alicia F.
When I was in elementary through my sophomore year in high school, this was a jamba juice. I was pretty surprised that they could turn such a small place to a chic little eatery. There's limited outdoor seating and some "booth" like table setting. They must of made the ceilings higher, when it was jamba it looked smaller! The sushi is very good, personally i like the sashimi bento. Very fresh and the setting is really cute! I think every meal comes with miso soup served in a wooden soup box. The bento comes with salad, fruit, rice and your choice of either veggie tempura, mixed tempura, sashimi, beef or chicken teriyaki. the last three choices come with california roll or sometimes they have a tempura(ed) california roll. Just one minus is the limited seating. But it doesn't seem crowded on most weekdays.
(3)Sabrina A.
Wow!!!! Exactly what Montclair Village and the East Bay needs! I very hip, friendly, gorgeously chic and tasty Sushi restaurant!! Great Sake menu and tastings and fantastic specialty rolls. Sushi was all fresh and the chefs were very creative. Highly, highly recommend it!
(5)Eric H.
Kakui is the best sushi in town. Original dishes and new items on a regular basis. The chef's are awesome at the bar and the service is good. The place is small, but what do you expect for Montclair. My wife and I enjoy Kakui at least once a week. Try the Kakui roll for something different!
(5)Kelly Z.
Best sushi in bay area!!
(5)C N.
The pros: fish was good, but not great (I expected better quality for $9 for 5 pieces of sake sashimi). Staff was friendly and attentive when at the table (they gave me water while waiting for to-go). Decor is beautiful, sleek, and modern. Nice location (minus parking nightmare, but close to lots of other things). One last pro: wheelchair accessible and automatic door. Maybe it's the law now, but it's nice to see that restaurants aren't counting out those with disabilities as their customers. The cons: Service was spotty when away from table. I was there promptly at opening for dinner service to get take out. Waited for order to be taken even though I was the only one in there. The worst? THE WAIT TIME. I ordered miso soup and sashimi to go. It took more than 20 minutes. That's shameful. I understand that sushi fish needs to be handled carefully, but 20 minutes for taking 5 slices off a strip of salmon and ladling 4 ounces of miso into a plastic bowl? C'mon! And the miso: it was unflavorful, and for paying $3 for something I consider a relatively cheap staple of Japanese restaurants, I got about 3-4 ounces. Really?! A dollar per ounce! I'll probably go back because the food was good (I tried a friend's JB roll which was incredible), but only when I have money to burn and can't go to another sushi place. Please try harder Kakui, because your location and decor is amazing!
(3)Margaret S.
Wow. Lots of very mixed reviews. I liked this place a lot. I went here for my anniversary and sat at the sushi bar. they were a bit disorganized around who our server was so we were served by many different people. When we mentioned it was our anniversary, they brought out a glass of champagne for each of us, really nice. Everything we ordered was excellent, beautiful presentation, fresh fish. The restaurant is beautiful to be in, the dishes and plates are lovely. My only complaint is that it is too expensive for me to go on a regular basis. The quality of the food is better than the local Toshi, but less affordable for sure. I don't know that this is a fault of the restaurant, you have to pay for good quality. I will just add it to my special occasions list.
(4)Jennifer L.
My husband and I - Ordered Gomae: ok, not great Ordered Miso Soup: didn't get it Ordered: 4 rolls. Got 3 out of 4, ordered the 4th one again, still did not get it Ordered 2 Sapporro: Got 3 somehow Left there: Very hungry, yet intoxicated They took the beer off the bill, but should have done more for us after all the mistakes. We were having a much needed date night. Paid for babysitter to come home hungry.
(1)Art L.
We frequent a number of Japanese restaurants, but had never tried this one, more or less in our neighborhood. Friends had told us the food was good but service was slow. The four of us went on a quiet Sunday night at about 7--only about 1/3 of the tables were occupied. Sushi chefs were not busy. We ordered many dishes, some salads, soup, sushi, a roll and a seafood udon dish. Initially, food was served quickly, including salads and soup and sushi. The salad which featured tomatoes had a couple of ripe slices, but several were NOT ripe. Three people were eating for at least 20 minutes before the fourth person in our group finally received the seafood udon. Everyone else was long since finished while he ate. Expensive, given poor service and lackluster food. Presentation of several dishes was very nice.
(2)Shevette S.
This is a tough restaurant to rate. The food is absolutely fantastic. Fresh and delicious sushi, which can be difficult to find. The sushi chef is appropriately creative with the rolls. Food = 4+ stars. However, the service leaves much to be desired. The wait staff is unseasoned, as if not one of them has never has a job in the restaurant business. Service = 1 star ... this significantly reduces my rating here. The restaurant decor is well done and the music selection is well done. They have placed too many tables in the small space though, so one may need to be cautious of the certain seating selections. Decor and ambiance = 3 star.
(2)Welch W.
I don't know a thing about Japanese cooking so the experience was without prejudice. The place had a very hip almost European feel (the music and decor) which was enjoyable. The service was adequate. The food - well a run down on our meal. The bean starter (raw - semi-cooked) was no better than high grade hay. The pot-stickers were four and tasty. The salmon with eggplant was excellent, a rich and sweet maple type sauce while not unique was just right. But the crusted skin was out of this world. A bit on the pricey side but not bad for a light dinner. Will return for lunch.
(3)Rita T.
Ordered ahi poke on last Saturday night. I swear we couldn't find the ahi, and for $9 it was ridiculous! Will not be going back.
(1)Susan G.
What a gem! Incredible food. Try the Mushroom salad. And it's all beautifully prepared. It's like artwork. Great service. The staff runs this place like "everyone knows your name." They are warm, responsive and engaging. I want to go back again and again and again.
(5)Tricia B.
I love this place and eat here about once a week. It's tough to find quality tuna these days but you can always count on Kakui for their top grade melt in your mouth tuna! I do agree the wait staff isn't real knowledgeable, they often have to go ask questions. However the owner and sushi chefs are very friendly, I always enjoy chatting with them.
(4)hane a.
it is official - i found my favorite sushi restaurant in the East Bay. stars galore for beautiful presentation, fresh fish, delicious roll combinations, relaxed and sophisticated ambiance, friendly and knowledgeable service. favorite: 49er roll w/out the seaweed wrap. best one i've had so far.
(5)Royce L.
I just remember it being really expensive. Small location. Nice addition to montclair but just okay for my taste.
(3)Fred W.
Very fresh fish. very quick service. Nice decor. The Hamachi & Avocado, which was delicious, was a bit thin; perhaps to allow more expression for the sauce. The other portions where more than adequate on the sashimi and sushi we ordered.
(5)Cindy F.
This really is a sushi spot. The menu is creative and the sushi is fresh. This is not a cheap place, but a spot to go when you real want some real sushi. I'm no uni lover, but my hubby likes it and this place has the freshest. The decor is modern and the service is pleasant. I've brought our kids, but this is too nice for kids. Better for a date night.
(4)Tsuni S.
NOW I know you don't go to a sushi restaurant for wine... its Sake or Beer, but they need to offer a few solid wines that pair well with sushi... rieslings, sauvignon blancs... they have 2 Sauv Blancs on the menu and they are terrible. Also the Prosecco they offer is also more of a dessert wine Muscat, very sweet and peach in finish - definitely not a traditional dry Italian Prosecco. Thank G for their great Sake menu though. That saved us.
(4)Scott R. D.
I had a late lunch and wasn't very hungry so I didn't try that much, but what we had was delicious. The brussels sprouts were delicious. The couple of pieces of sashimi I had tasted fresh. Will go back.
(4)Evie H.
I couldn't be happier to have this amazing restaurant in my little Montclair Village! Everything I've tried has been excellent and the personalized service is outstanding! It's become a bit of the local hang out too, so now I go in and enjoy great conversation too. Really, the best sushi restaurant I've ever been to. YAY!
(5)Josh F.
Really enjoyed this new place next to Peets in Montclair Village. Unusual and distinctive flavors. Chic atmosphere. Downside was that my fish dish was very small and the walls need washing. Fix those 2 things and I'd up to 4.5 stars. Extra service, SF style would give it 5.
(4)Robyn F.
This place is overpriced. It is aesthetically pleasing, new and modern design inside but the sushi is underwhelming and not worth the price. For around the same price you can have excellent expensive sushi at Ozumo in downtown Oakland. It is a smal space and they have done a lot with it but they should have a better selection on sushi and traditional Japanese dishes. It is just average in my opinion. The sushi spot on La Salle (Oni Sushi) is the same quality sushi for a way better price.
(3)angela t.
Great little restaurant !!!! It is one of our favorite neighborhood restaurants . Love the brussel sprouts and the Lion King !!!! The decor is contemporary .Very nice atmosphere . Puts you in mind of a slick LA restaurant . Can be a little pricey , but well worth it ! You wont be disappointed .
(4)David D.
A refreshing addition to the tired restaurants in Montclair Village. Our server was the perfect combination of friendliness and knowledge of the food on offer - she made our day with her energetic good humor! I had the sashimi bento - terrific! My patrtner had the chicken donburi which he loved. The grilled brussel sprout appetizer was the highlight. We'll definitely go back!
(4)neil s.
Mike Z is one of my favorite yelpers, and a friend, but not sure i'm with him on this one (and i assuredly don't write as well, or as wittily....prii?) Agree that montclair village has been a bit of a culinary black hole, and always eager for new sushi. Space is indeed nice and a bit upscale stylistically. walls, tables knida cool, music pumping, staff all in black, very 'shprocket' style (touch my monkey, ditar). But space is small, and tables really crammed together. We become quite chummy with our neighbors (but that was not my intent) after our waiter spilled water on them, trying to wedge into our table to refill ours. just too tight. Staff very enthusiastic, but frankly, in our case, very disorganized. Ordered soups that never came (although to be fair, he then comped our potstickers as compensation). Had to ask for a fork for my chopstick-challenged pre-teen three times. Took forever to pick up the check etc. Seems like a team approach, which may be a good idea for their work flow, but it also diffuses responsibility, and it was never clear who was taking care of us (ie bringing the soup (or not), bringing the fork, bringing the check etc) On to the food: very good. But frankly, not extraordinary. and definitely pricey. Tuna Poke was very good. Ceasar salad with tofu cubes instead of croutons was small but interesting. Rolls fine, but frankly not any different than mijori, or drunken fish, or others. and yes, pricey, including $14+ for many rolls. SO, middling evaluation. Nice space, but tight. Enthusiastic servers but disorganized. Good but pricey food. we'll go back, but its certainly not exceptional. and why can't you get a cup of coffee in montclair after 7PM?
(3)Mocha G.
We had 7:30pm reservations and we were seated promptly at 7:30pm. Restaurant very hip and modern. The brussel sprouts were outstanding. Spider roll was average. What was the hit of the evening was the Okinawa surf and turf (Okinawan beef and lobster) Wow such great flavors melding together.The other special we had was the Scallop sashimi. It was presented like a beautiful flower with lemon slices between each sashimi and the scallops were so delicate in flavor. This restaurant has some unusual Japanese dishes and love it that the chef like to think outside the box. Be sure to note the presentation of some of the dishes. They used wasabi and painted a pattern on the wide rim of the dishes. Very nice touch.
(4)Roderick B.
I read it on here before going that the brussel sprouts were great, and I have to SAY the is very true. Fallowed by every sushi roll and piece of sashimi that was placed in front of me. But wait the best beet salad I ever had anywhere was here too the wasabi beet salad.
(5)Doctor G.
Mostly non-traditional Japanese cuisine. This means tasty, expensive and small portions. Kakui is a small restaurant with a very hip decor and a high ceiling. Features thumping Euro-dance music. We had brussel sprouts with karashi vinagrette - excellent. The tuna poke had lots of cucumbers in it - for better or worse, depending upon your love for cucumbers. The special raw scallops came beautifully arranged with lots of stuff, including thinly sliced wedges of lemon between each scallop. I ate one wedge with my sashimi scallop, which ruined the entire thing. I presume the lemon was for presentation only. The scallop deep fried with onion tasted like onion rings. The special french kiss roll was pretty good too. Not sure what was in ti. I really enjoyed the special Okinawa beef with bits of lobster and long necked mushrooms in a super tasty meat sauce. Would have been perfect the dish had been twice the size and came with rice. Instead, it was served in this huge round plate with a small two inch indentation in the middle for the dish itself. Street parking. I noticed that the muni lot 1.5 blocks up hill was closed when we came back. Full bar, but since this is a non-traditional Japanese restaurant - no plum wine.
(3)Ann D.
Decided to order lunch from here one day. The restaurant is nice and looks modern fitting in nicely in the Montclair District. The food however is definitely not worth it. Ordered an unagi don off the lunch menu. Said on the menu that it comes with soup. The soup is fine but the dish is lonely with just the unagi and rice and the sauce is nothing special but just sauce that you'll find on any unagi at any japanese restaurant. I guess my main gripe is that it didn't even come with a salad whatsoever and for $10 for just unagi and rice, I'd say go somewhere else. And the unagi was burnt. Definitely not going back there.
(1)Jessica G.
Hooray for Montclair! Finally a hip joint. Quaint and cool. I came when I was pregnant and had the Heirloom tomato salad and the Hamachi cheeks which were both delicious. Now I go for the raw stuff! Creative sauces and combos, everything fresh, really really yummy. Service can be a little off. Well priced lunch specials. Great wine selections, try their Malbec.
(4)Dave D.
I have been waiting for a new restaurant for some time. Kakui is wonderful and vibrant on the inside, with a wonderful staff and a owner who knows his sushi. Just came back from the grand opening and it was a hit. looking forward to many evening spent here.
(5)Deena R.
Best sushi experience in the Bay Area. Beginning with the sake tastings that our server and host initiated and sustained the whole night. Customer service is phenomenal. The food is memorable. Appetizers are eclectic. The fish was fresh and well presented. I had one of the best birthday dinners of my life, and part of this owed to the fantastic hosting and very attentive sushi chefs. The ambiance was intimate and comfortable. Thank you so much Kakui Sushi for a memorable birthday!
(5)Masa S.
If you don't care about quality, then eat here for your sushi roll fix. If you want quality, go elsewhere. Sushi has two main requirements: 1) quality ingredients and 2) proper preparation/technique. The ingredients used here are terrible. At a Japanese restaurant, fried soft shell crab should either have tempura batter or panko crust. Breading with the consistency of the "Italian bread crumbs" you buy at the supermarket (minus the herbs) seems sacreligious. However, I would have gotten over the bread crumb issue if it was well-executed. IT WAS NOT. The soft-shell crab was cold, dry, and hard and tasted like it had been cooked hours earlier. In addition, the fish quality was TERRIBLE. Tuna should have a delicious, mild taste. Our order was fishy and contained a lot of connective tissue. Essentially, they used the low quality scraps from already low quality fish. Also, I don't think the sushi chefs have received proper training (or enough proper training). The rice was wrong in every way possible. The texture was not firm, the seasoning was barely there, and the execution of the application of the rice in the sushi was poor. The workmanship struck me as the likely outcome of a restaurant being opened by people who worked for a company making supermarket sushi in plastic containers. Most people who buy a book and try making sushi at home will do better. I will say that the brussel sprouts were great and justify the one star Yelp forced me to give this place. The irony is that they're basically roasted brussel sprouts with honey-mustard, which is distinctly NOT Japanese.
(1)Laurie K.
Ok, time to eat my words. I still think they got off to a spectacularly rough start customer service-wise, but the maguro sashimi and other dishes were worth it when I was finally able to dine here. Given the location, I can understand why they feel justified in charging steep prices, so I can't complain there since the quality comes through. I was so unimpressed by takeout at the even newer Kotobuki down the street that I would gladly save my pennies and eat here instead, albeit more infrequently.
(4)joel m.
Good food, good service, right price.
(4)Mark M.
Talk about "Oh my Gosh!!!". This food is so fantastic I'm not sure I can give it the justice it deserves!!! The inside of the building is as fantastic as the food. The staff is very friendly and even on day 2 very calm. I would not miss this place!! If you want sushi you'll come back for again & again... This is your place. Yum!!!
(5)Hana L.
Oishii Sooooo, desu yo! (translation: So Delicious!) Thank you for bringing such tasty food to Montclair Village! Having been born in Japan I am very picky about my rice. Having looked for good sushi in Oakland for many years, I am thrilled to finally find such FRESH, tasty, and full servings of fish here at Kakui. The ambiance is like an upscale SF restaurant. Staff have always been friendly and helpful to me. And the fact that it's down the street from my work? Bonus! Arigato gozaimashita! I'm coming back.
(5)M S.
Living in Montclair, I really wanted to like this place. Shortly after opening, we went for a late Sunday lunch and had a decent experience, and figured the kinks would be worked out once they were open a bit longer. Flash forward about four weeks later, and I called them to order take-out. However, the gal on the phone told me that I had to come in and order because they didn't allow phone orders. Curious, I asked why, and she explained that they couldn't stay on the phone long because of credit cards. Pardon? She further explained it was because they needed to keep the phone line open to run credit cards through. She seemed embarrassed by the explanation, so I didn't press it. I asked her how long she estimated a take-out order would take and she guessed, "...Thirty minutes...?" I don't understand how a restaurant would choose to miss out on phoned-in take out orders, all for the *possibility* of running a credit card at that *exact* moment. And, if running a credit card is that important to you, why not just order a second phone line? It can't be that much, and I'm sure my take-out order would've covered the second line's cost for the month. The inconvenient take-out process is disappointing and is a deterrent for us going there again.
(2)lars t.
Great sushi, always fresh! I love eating here and bringing people here. I've never been disappointed. Last time I was in I even got to chat with the owner for a few minutes. He was very nice and excited to have opened a restaurant in Montclair.
(5)James R.
It's a modern fun place. I liked the Hamachi Kama and brussel sprouts. I has the chief choice sashimi (omakase ) it wasn't bad but I with this option I always am hoping something special. I also ordered the toro but this was not something I will order there again. The service we good but not attentive -- we waited 10 to 15 minutes for our drink order to be taken. We also order a daiginjo sake that was very good -- they respectable sake list. Over all I would good again.
(3)Jenny C.
i'd give the decor about 3.5 stars. it was modern, with dark and moody lighting. the food only deserves 1-2 stars. here's why. 1. the portions were small for the price. each piece of sashimi was cut at about half the size you usually get at real japanese restaurants. 2. it's not authentic. we also ordered yaki udon, because it's usually a safe dish. here it had too much sauce and tasted more like chinese chow mein than anything that resembled japanese food, which is usually pretty light and fresh. if the prices were cheaper, i think we'd come back. the food's not terrible and it's close to our house. but for this price, save your money and go to a real japanese restaurant - there are plenty in town.
(2)Zena A.
I have high expectations for sushi, but I'll live with mediocre stuff sometimes. This really wasn't even mediocre. It had received such good reviews on here but blahhhh....over priced, fish was not high quality - fatty bits all over the salmon, tuna, yuck. Funky taste in one roll almost made me gag. Pretty space, nice folks, but yuck. Too bad, Montclair's eating options suck.
(1)Susan g.
The food is delicious, but the service was infuriatingly disorganized and slow, and our server vacillated between indifference and mild hostility.
(2)Rachel E.
Nice modern decor but that is the only good thing I can say about it. The flavors were bland, the presentation pretentious, the attitude of the hostess, wait staff, and sushi chefs was uniform in its snottiness. The staff acted as if they were doing us a favor rather than working to earn repeat customers. The menu is incomplete, for example edamame does not appear on the menu but if you ask they have it and the server acted as if we should have known. The rolls were weird, not in the norm and not well executed. The quality of the fish was average to below average but priced as if it is the highest quality. What you're paying for is the presentation and decor. There is better, friendlier, less pricey sushi in Montclair albeit without the hip decor.
(1)Paige W.
We went to Kakui last night to celebrate a birthday and were not disappointed. Great service, great food, great presentation of all. The tempura rolls (granted, I ordered veg tempura and instead got rolls) were outstanding, as was the grilled beef with daikon, ginger and seven spices. The kani was fresh, the spiced tuna rolls perfect, and really friendly, fast, professional service. It appears they have worked out some of the kinks noticed in early reviews. This restaurant fills a gap in Montclair, where we had no restaurant that came anywhere close to fine dining - with little flourishes like a waiter placing your napkin in your lap, complimentary appetizers from the kitchen and a greeting from the owner....we're fans!
(5)Neeta D.
I'm reading all these great reviews and I'm confused. Maybe it's just not good for takeout. We've tried this place a handful of times, hoping it would become our regular sushi takeout spot but I don't think I'll be going back. The salmon was believe or not tasteless and the octopus was so stinky-fishy it was inedible. The rice on the rolls was dried out or something, maybe not cooked enough? not sure, but it was bad. They forgot to give us wasabi and ginger. Overall, terrible. Bummer.
(1)Kate S.
It's a bad sign when uppermost in your mind at dinner is what you have in your fridge at home to make up for the disappointment. Dinner here was an overpriced let down especially in terms of portion size. The reviewer that described the cod entree as tapas sized was totally accurate. I ordered the cod and it was gone in 3 bites - I expect a little more for dinner. It's a pity because food seemed tasty but really, 3 bites????
(2)Rick G.
This is the 2nd and newest sushi place in Montclair. The food is very good and nicely presented. They had blue fin tuna when we were there, which is unusual. Be advised, this is not a cheap place. $80 for two (with wine and beer). Worth a try. Small place so it does crowd up.
(4)Debbie T.
My hubby & I had a sunny Saturday lunch out on their little deck in front. Our server was an upbeat young lady who was very attentive throughout our meal. She apologised when hubby pointed out that I didn't get the fruit with my meal, (which was written on the menu) and took great measures to see to it that we were happy. I ordered the vegetable tempura bento, which came with miso, a nice sized salad, a bowl of white rice and a fresh orange cut into wedges. I give them an A for presentation, and another A for the taste. The tempura portion was generous, served on a separate black rectangular dish. The salad was brought out first, lightly dressed greens, a fresh and ample serving. My hubby ordered the sashimi bento which had fresh salmon and tuna which he says melted in his mouth. He also enjoyed the generous portion served to him. We skipped the drinks, just had green tea, which we weren't charged for. The only think that slightly bothered us was that our server mentioned the sake several times before and again, while taking our order. We weren't interested in sake, but it seems that they push it a bit, and they bring a sake menu out with the food menus. Aside from that though, we loved this place, and maybe next time will have dinner inside. As a vegetarian, my choices are a bit limited, but the tempura was cooked just right, and they also have it in a sushi roll. I also may try the green bean salad and perhaps the avocado roll. We plan on returning, my Japanese hubby loved it! He knows good sashimi when he tastes it.
(5)d s.
I really wanted to like this restaurant, but alas, it didn't meet my expectations. When dining at a sushi joint I expect to be served sushi and sashimi when ordered. We ordered a bountiful of appetizers, sushi and sashimi, along with bottles of wine, but was only served apps and wine. We thought sushi and sashimi would come soon... Sat, ate apps, and drank wine for about 45 minutes to an hour. Sushi and sashimi never came. When we asked the waiter for it, he apologized, and a bottle of wine ended being on the house. Luckily the apps were filling & ended up telling the waiter to forget the sushi & sashimi orders, but we left feeling hungry for sushi.
(2)Timber E.
So not impressed with this place after three attempts to like it. Service was slow the second visit. So obviously not the waiters issue - the sushi chefs were drinking and partying with customers at the sushi bar. Everyone around us was ticked off. When I commented on this, the waiter brought over complimentary sake, and ended the meal with complimentary mochi. Last week, we ate at the bar. I was mildly offended by the sushi chef as he kept on implying things based upon the suggestive name of one of the rolls and alluded to an ex-girlfriend. Could tell he was behind again, and offered complimentary sake to a displeased table customer. He was spending too much time talking and drinking with the patron next to us. Forgot to mention how dirty it was on one of the visits. Asked the hostess for a clean menu, and she brought another dirty one which she said was the cleanest she had. Dirty floors, too. Recommend people go to Name next to Farmer Joe's. Fresher fish, better service, and nicer people.
(2)Eric A.
The sushi here is very good, and better than Toshi for sure. I really enjoy the restaurant space itself as well, which is rare treat in Montclair.
(4)Carla C.
My husband and I came in here for lunch and were pleasantly surprised - the rolls and sashimi were great! It was very quiet for lunch and that made me hesitate before we went in, but am I ever glad we gave it a try. Everything was fresh and delicious. The only thing I wasn't impressed with was the seaweed salad. The service was adequate, nothing spectacular. Very glad this little gem moved into Montclair!
(4)Jack B.
Finally, both new restaurants in Montclair are worth going to more than once. We must have been there last Friday when Tsuni S was. I think that they were right behind us as we were seated at a 2 top table by the sushi bar. Another reviewer was right: avoid that table at all costs. We overheard the information that was being given to the next table on the different sake that they served, so we ordered as well after being given a mini-seminar on what we could expect with each. It was very helpful of John our waiter and he was very patient. On to the food: It was AWESOME! We went there again last night and again it was AWESOME! Such a nice contrast to that dump down on Moraga and LaSalle that served us warm sushi (as in broken refrigerator). As I said John our waiter was very patient and mind you the place was packed and he still took the time to interact with us. Oh and Tsuni S. If you were at the table behind us, it was one of the few times that we've been seated next to a table with a child that behaved. Keep up the good work.
(5)Jill R.
Went here for the first time this eveing and I have to say we had a great dinner. My only complaint is that the prices are too steep. Otherwise, we had very tasty, fresh sushi. I have read the previous reviews and am thinking that this place is really trying to work out the kinks. The manager was so avaiable and courteous and when I inquired about the owner/chef, he did say that this restaurant is his first endeavor...so, I say you all give it another try. Really, we eat sushi a lot and really loved our meal. We had:Gyoza, very good 2010 Roll, amazing Brussel sprouts..wow! Beef entree, amazing Hamachi with avocado appetizer, "melt in your mouth", says my 9 year old son!
(4)Crystal X.
This is my first time eating sushi at the East Bay. The food quality is great plus and the same as the service!! I will better come back again.... :) beef tataki is great, sashimi is fresh and beautiful.oakland pd roll is yummy........if you are a sushi lover, I will recommend you come and try them. P.S. the interior design is nice and relax style!
(5)Fermin R.
fancy plating/presentation of plates. small, tidy, delicious.
(4)Kate F.
Kakui Sushi is a wonderful addition to Montclair. The food is great. We have been there twice so far and we are going back again. The fish tasted fresh and the presentation is artful. The staff is friendly. The owner (I think) gave us saki to try, which was delicious. The second time in, the owner (I think) gave us a brussel sprout dish that was awesome. I've been to many, many sushi places around the bay area and this is one of the best.
(4)t l.
Just went there on thursday night and the food was excellent. one of their popular dishes not on the menu is a scallop sushi dish. we also had the lion king roll (melted in my mouth) and the dynamite roll. all was good. we were the last people in the restaurant, and i really appreciated not feeling rushed out
(4)J J.
positives: very fine sushi and execution of rolls, delicious beef and delicious pork rib entrees. loved the brussels sprouts preparation. negatives: slipshod service--took forever to get soy sauce and water refills NOISE IS DEAFENING, from the other customers and kitchen Do some noise-abating measures, and I'll be back.
(4)Eva H.
Nice, hip place but it is expensive. I've eaten there 4 times and the last time, I had the spicy tuna roll and the tuna was not fresh. The tuna was also not the red maguro but the white cheaper tuna...I was disappointed. Haven't been back since.
(3)Todd C.
this is a pretty small place, probably seats 30-40 people Max. The standout item for me is the flash fried brussel sprouts with a sweet mustard glaze, very yummy appetizer. Miso soup is OK. Oakland PD roll was tasty topped with some very fresh bbq eel. Didn't order the 2010, but I was jealous ever time someone ordered it b/c it looked awesome. Service is OK, but they tend to entertain their "regulars", and half way take care of the common folk. The atmosphere at Kirala in Berkeley is much better, and the quality of sushi at Semo's in Fremont is way better. But, this place is consistent, convenient and quick to get in and out of.
(4)Baldeep S.
Stopped in after work last week and had their Fliet in gravy sauce. It was soooooo good! As usual their sushi was excellent. This is my regualar lunch spot!!
(5)Carrie M.
Amazing! Service was very attentive and speedy. Sushi ROCKED. Try the Brussel Sprouts!! We've been back many times, and loved every one.
(5)Co C.
Some of the best sushi/sashimi I have had, and I love sushi! Great addition to Montclair!! Try the tempura green beans and brussel sprouts! Everything I have had at Kakui has been delicious!!
(5)Kelly E.
They have pretty good sushi here. The lion king roll is my favorite!
(4)Alan P.
Went there for lunch. The sushi was fresh, and good (and deserves 4 stars). The katsu-don (fried pork chop with rice) was just A-OK. Service was good. I can say that this is the best Japanese restaurant (among the three) in Montclair village.
(3)Andrew S.
I went back and the food was still great but they had fixed their service problems. Now the only problem is how hard it is to get a table because the place seems to be packed all the time.
(5)Erin R.
This was our first time trying to new sushi joint in the village. I think they have taken the mixed Yelp reviews to heart, because our experience last night was absolutely perfect. For one thing, it's really great for a young couple (that's us) with no kids who just moved from the city to have such a cool sushi bar in the village. The atmosphere is really swanky and modern, and the servers and sushi chefs are so, so friendly. I felt like we were already regulars, and it was our first time there. ANYWAY - the food. We only tried the sushi, but the portions are big, and the chefs take great care to make each plate an artistic presentation. Even my hamachi nigiri was made beautiful, with artful relishes. My favorite roll of the night was the Crunchy Tuna Roll. Unique, delicious, completely satisfying. We also loved the Four Seasons Roll - also the most beautiful display of the night. So many wonderful, intense flavors working together harmoniously. A true delight. Other things we had were more basic - a tuna roll, some miso. But seriously, every single item was perfect. I love this place and will definitely be one of their regulars.
(5)liza m.
We stumbled into Kakui at 8:55 p.m. on a Wednesday night. With five minutes until closing, they could have easily turned us away and forced us to :::gasp::: cook for ourselves at home. My first impressions of Kakui -- modern, fresh, hip, uhh what's this place doing in Montclair? Don't get me wrong. Montclair is a nice place, but the words modern, fresh, and hip don't exactly come to mind. Think traditonal, dated, mom and pop type places. I ordered the uni nigiri and the small order of the sake sashimi. Hubby ordered the A's roll. First off, I was VERY happy that they had uni available (most places order a small amount per day, and usually run out very quickly). The uni was fresh, squishy, tasted like the sea. YUM! The sake was pricey, but the cuts were thick and fresh. YUM again! I didn't taste the A's roll, but it looked like your average run of the mill sushi roll. I did notice it was pretty plentiful. Plus, the waitress was very nice and gave me husband a side of unagi sauce. I would take a friend who wasn't familiar with Oakland out here for a nice dinner in a heartbeat. My only suggestion is they have pictures of the fancier type rolls. Yeah, it's not exactly chic, but it would be really be helpful.
(4)Randy E.
Had a fantastic dinner. Best brussels sprouts dish ever. Nice sushi. Best uni in Monntclair.
(4)Carl T.
Not sure why there are some really bad reviews of this place as we live nearby and have never had a bad experience. Sushi is very good for an East Bay neighborhood restaurant. Sure, there are better places that we go to in the City, but the food, Sake selection and service have all been fine every time
(4)Patrick B.
We just had dinner here recently. Loved the quality and the variety we received. We went on a Saturday night and we couldn't have been happier. Not sure why there are so many other mixed reviews for this place, maybe we caught them on a better night. But we would definitely go there again.
(5)Ellen F.
The decor is lovely and the food is divine. The service is friendly, but slooooooooow. 5 of us came in for lunch, each ordering an entree for ourselves. One person's sushi came immediately and everything else dribbled in over the next 30 minutes. Hot things got cold while we waited for others' food to be delivered. Frustrating. Hoping this changes. Will give it another try, but my advice for now is to not go if your entire party wants to eat at the same time...
(3)tulip m.
I finally stopped in my new local sushi spot and wound up having dinner there twice this week! It was fabulous. The presentation of the food is lovely. The service is terrific - they are clearly working on fixing their image from early weeks. The atmosphere is sophisticated for Montclair, making it a nice addition.
(4)laura N.
They must be reading these comments. Went there two nights ago and the service was excellent. Food lovely.Prices are steep. Decor has upped the ante in Montclair, taking it to a new level. All in all, I'd return, though with a party of two instead b/c it's so expensive. Give it some more time. And I hope they are here to stay.
(5)Audrey W.
Just LOVED this place...!!! I don't understand the negative reviews? 3 of us went for dinner, 7:30 on a Weds night, with no reservation. We had to wait about 20 minutes for a table but we were served water, edamame and sake while we waited, so no complaints there. The place is small and crowded but not overly noisy, so thats good too. Then the sushi arrived - gorgeous looking, fresh and very tasty! Oh - try the cherry blossom sake.
(5)Todd F.
I'm sorry that a few reviewers were disappointed, because we were thrilled with the fresh, clean, and rich flavors of everything we ate and drank. The classic items on the Nigiri sushi menu were just what we expected but more so! The fish was astonishingly fresh. The sake menu was varied and reasonably priced. The service was friendly and professional. The caterpillar roll was exemplary, and the vegetarian futo maki roll was full of distinct, fresh tastes and textures. It's a great addition to Montclair. We can even walk there. We expect to become regulars.
(5)Annie G.
I was somewhat disappointed by Kakui. I am a San Francisco transplant and I have high standards for restaurants. I eat out very often and so I have the opportunity to sample different offerings. I went to Kakui for the fixed price menu on Valentine's Day. The champagne and wines were nice. The steak was fabulous. The lobster rolls were fantastic. Unfortunately, the raw fish didn't taste as fresh as it should. The service lagged; we waited a while in between courses. I noticed our server visiting with friends as our glasses stood empty and our table bare. The price was $85 per person which is pretty steep, particularly for Oakland. I expected more. The thing that was most disturbing was that they had the nerve to add gratuity on at a rate of 20% on the amount including tax. So, two people got out of the restaurant for about $225 on Valentine's Day. I felt that the missteps were amatuerish and entirely undeserving of the price. I would not recommend the fixed price menu to anyone. Individual items may be worthwhile but that remains to be seen.
(2)Jenny B.
Excellent experience here at Kakui! Husband and I were thrilled to find two empty seats at the sushi bar at 7:30 on a Thursday night. We were greeted cheerfully by the hostess, and given an enthusiastic recommendation for sake by our waitress, who was wonderful throughout the evening - always checking in with us, asking what we liked, etc. We started with the tuna poke - a generous portion and very flavorful, with quite a bit of spicy kick! Next came Hamachi sashimi - thick, firm, buttery slices that melt in your mouth. Thumbs way up! The Oakland PD roll was the perfect combination of warm and sweet, and we finished up, on the suggestion of the sushi chef, with an incredible kobe beef roll that had seared foie gras on top - not only delicious, but entertianing to watch the chefs with their torches! Great presentation on all plates - we didn't see one item come out of the kitchen that didn't look mouth-watering. I predict I'll be begging to come back next week.
(4)Laurie H.
Sadly, it looks like we are done with Kakui. Came in tonight (Friday night) and got a table for three right away. Everything was going amazingly. The server was sweet, the food was coming out in a well-timed pace and tasting good....and then, like every other time we've been there, it fell completely apart. Kept waiting for son's roll (his only entree-type order). And waiting. And the rest of the food had been delivered. And eaten. No roll. And no unagi for me, but I had had much food already so I was okay with it. No kidding - at least 45 minutes went by (and as I said, the food was eaten) when the server came back to let us know that they were out of asparagus (key to his asparagus tempura roll he had ordered). 45 minutes. FORTY FIVE minutes. There were no other options for him, so we said, okay - will the unagi be out soon? Oh, yes. 10 minutes later the check came. With the unagi on it. No unagi. So of course I asked for it to be taken off....now I'm just ready to go. It took another 10 minutes for her to come back with the unagi taken off the bill, and yet she had the unagi in a to-go box (along with an order of cauliflower that she had brought to try to make up for the missing asparagus roll). Sigh. You could debate all day on whether it was the kitchen or the server who should have been paying more attention. Doesn't matter - it's the restaurant that is responsible....and this is a consistent pattern for Kakui. Every single time things are rolling along well and then they drop off in the end, making us just want to get the hell out. So, I've learned my lesson this time and will definitely take my business elsewhere.
(2)Stephen G.
Mushy sushi. Curt service. Cold room. All in all, one of the worst Japanese restaurants I've ever been to...and in fact the worst, if you take its prices into account. That about sums it up. But to go into a bit more detail, I decided to give Kakui another try (last night, Sunday) after finding it mediocre the first time around earlier this year. Sadly, it was even worse the second time around. As a Montclair resident, I really wanted to like Kakui, especially since it has aspirations to offer a creative menu in a hip setting. But it confuses aspirations with pretentions. While not all of the dishes that my two friends and I had were bad, the food was a very mixed experience. Worst of all, the consistency of the fish in the rolls we ordered was pretty mushy...not at all fresh. On the positive side, a brussels sprouts appetizer was delicious. But on balance, with so many good Japanese restaurants around, why settle for dishes that were largely disappointing? What's more, this is a semi-upscale place in terms of its price and ambiance. You can do better at more moderately priced Japanese restaurants. Unfortunately, the mediocre food actually compared favorably with the service. Our waiter was absolutely lousy: curt, officious, impatient with any question, slapped the dishes down on the table, never wiped down the table, got our order wrong, etc., etc. Instead of the common courtesies even a half-decent waiter might display, his most common comment to us was, "Anything else?" At first I thought his poor service was because the place was semi-busy, with half the tables occupied...not that it would have justified his lack of professionalism. But even after the semi-crowd thinned out, he remained lousy. I otherwise would have given the restaurant two stars (not a glowing review, I realize). But he brought it down yet another notch. Finally, this somewhat cramped restaurant is not a great place to go on a cold winter's evening. It's a smallish room, not well heated to begin with, that gets a cold draft any time the door opens. Given the set-up of the room, there's really no great table for escaping that breeze.
(1)Electro B.
Do not order food from Kakui over the phone, or via the web, for pickup. They routinely leave out items. This has happened to me twice in in a total of five orders. Not good odds! Avoid if possible.
(1)Admin A.
I don't understand some of the negative reviews here as my own experience with the quality of sushi has been nothing short of spectacular. Hands down, this is the best sushi restaurant in Oakland. I used to go to Kirala in Berkeley but there was always a long wait and the menu has been pretty much the same for the past fifteen years. Kakui has some of the best sashimi you can get anywhere in the East Bay. They have a great selection of appetizers too. My favorite is the Kale soup and hamachi avocado garnished with jalapeno pepper. The uni and shiro magaru are amazing and the rolls rank up there with Uzumo in SF. The sushi chef and owner, Jinji, is a great guy and is a perfectionist. Also the price is very reasonable for the quality of sushi they offer. Most people who go there are regulars and live near by. If you live in Montclair Village, you are missing out if you don't give them a try. Be careful because you will get hooked. My wife and I go there just about every Wednesday for our sushi date night at the bar.
(5)John Z.
It's odd to give such high props to a Sushi restaurant for, of all things, their brussels sprouts. Then again it's odd that, even sitting at the sushi counter, I didn't order any sushi. That's right, no sushi. Honey badger don't care. Some fragmented highlights of my lunch: - Kakui Sushi's exterior. The horizontal wood paneled exterior is, by chance or design, an effective feng shui deflector for its T-intersection location. Pretty, too. - The three-part sake flight. Artfully presented, with a written description of each sake's origins and distinctions, the wines played well with each other and the food. I got a stronger buzz than expected, so be warned. - The aforementioned brussels sprouts. A little smoky, a lot savory, with just the right enhancement of tang and sweet. Aside from SF's now-defunct Mecca, these were the best B.S.'s I've had outside my kitchen. - Watching the chef front-row prepare his sushi. It's pure craftsmanship. -- The sushi. Yes, I said I didn't order any, but my dear dining companion did, and was gracious enough to let me sample. The 49er roll, with its light draping of sliced lemons, tasted as elegant and fresh as it looked. -- The solo diners sitting to our left & right. Apparently regulars and obviously enamored. Low-keyed but oh-so passionate in their praise when asked by the chef if they liked their sushi. Notable, but not stellar, my Katsu-don pork. The included miso, perfect. A bit more pricey than my usual sushi haunts. But the pride shown in its ambiance and food justify it. If you want to make a special, intimate event of sushi dining, Kakui is well worth your consideration.
(4)Sam R.
Several people from the other side of the tunnel had recommended this place to me, and it took me a while to make it up the hill to Montclair for an actual meal! Having all kinds of "food renaissance" happenings in downtown Oakland makes it really hard to want to venture up to the hills. Thank Beyonce I made it up Broadway Terrace to Kakui-- I went for lunch on a Saturday with a friend, and saddled up to the sushi bar to gawk, chat, and gorge. The stop for coffee along the way at the Broadway Terrace Cafe helped, too (love that place) :) Small interior. Classy, minimalist/wood design. 1-2 wait staff, 1-2 sushi chefs-- a pretty tight operation. Service was friendly, SUPER-quick, and they take a really great stay-the-hell-out-of-your-hair approach while still being attentive. LOVE that. It's hard to review a sushi place, because so much depends on the freshness of stuff that day, and every item can be so different. We ordered mostly sashimi, sake, and then a couple of crazy-rolls- even said "crazy-rolls" were not too over the top like most places. Delicious balance of flavors without TOO too many ingredients. We also went a little crazy and got some weird butter/Lobster roll. Not authentic at all, but SO GOOD. I recommend going and doing your own sushi thing, but definitely trying out some sashimi. Like I said, it was fresh to def, and the chefs are friendly, chatty, and will set you up with something you'll like even if you're unsure. Personally, I wanted to sit and eat the entire cut of butterfish that was sitting in front of me at the bar....slice by slice. I settled for just a few pieces--it was phenomenal. Mild flavor, super fresh...MMM And don't forget... they've got a great selection of premium sake! Not the cheapest spot, but definitely worth the trip up the hill. It can be pricey, if you end up ordering as much as I did, so I would recommend lunch, and see where that gets you! Very, very good for a place that's only been opened a few years--I'll be back!
(4)Stephanie S.
Kakui Sushi is the best sushi restaurant in the Bay Area. The quality of the fish is outstanding and the staff is always pleasant and attentive. I eat there or order take out at least once a week.
(5)Stu S.
We had dinner there this evening and were somewhat disappointed. We ordered the roasted cauliflower salad and it tasted mostly of lemon juice. The warm mushroom salad with ponzu truffle sauce tasted like soy sauce; certainly no truffle flavor. The salmon entree with miso sake butter was good, and it came with tiny slices of eggplant and nothing else. If you want rice it is extra. The sweet miso marinated black cod had a slightly sour note, but the fish was tender and flaky. It came with two pieces of baby bok choy. We ordered a dragon roll to share, and that was delicious. The service was excellent. Too bad the wait staff had to constantly close the door that would not shut completely itself. The tables are placed too closely together, but the decor is soothing, and the almost cathedral ceiling adds a feeling of spaciousness to this small restaurant. On our way out we saw Jerry Brown come in. I shook his hand and chatted for a second. I wonder if he orders the jerry special roll (yes it is on the menu).
(2)Steven H.
Kakui is awesome! Best sushi in the area. We take our kids as a special treat, and sometimes my wife and I meet for lunch. I've probably been 15 times, and never had a bad meal. The sushi is always fresh and yummy, and the cooked items are also excellent. The owner Yingji is really knowledgeable and great at explaining everything from how the rice is made to which fish is best on any given day, and why.
(5)Sandra S.
By far, hands down the best sushi I've tasted. I love this place!!!! The fatty in me didn't want to leave, in fact...the worst part of my entire stay here was the fact that I had to leave. I mean...I even found great parking :) Really cute and quaint spot. I loved the decor. The tables were close to each other but not too close where you can hear the entire conversation of the person next to you (unless you were purposely listening) or where you were knocking elbows. The servers were really accommodating and super friend. It always helps to be greeted by nice smiles :) I treated my friend LadyJ to dinner since she got a promotion at work and we both love sushi. Our order went something like this: * mixed tempura - mmm...never have I eaten every single piece. It was fabulous * seaweed salad - not my thang but LadyJ loved it * dragon roll - LadyJ thought it was the BoMb * tempura roll - succulent and mouth watering * california roll - huge...I mean HUGE * glass of french wine - chardoney - I was in heaven All in all, I can't wait to go back to this place. It was fabulous!!!! Total damage for 2 - $73.03
(5)Brandi W.
The lion king is one of the best I've had and every roll I ordered was delish and fresh and they actually use real seafood!! I love the modern decor also, this is way better than the sushi place around the corner, which shall go nameless for now.
(5)Kerry Z.
The owner should read these reviews and perhaps make some serious changes in order to save his/her business. Okay, now to my review. First of all, it's overpriced. Second, the workers are ding-dongs, and finally the consistency of the rolls are like mushed up bananas. Funny because the roll I ordered had the word "CRUNCHY" in it. They need to do some research on that term before they just slap it on the menu like that. What a terrible waste of $9. The atmosphere is really cool, but not cool enough to serve crappy food. Also, I saw a fly land on their cutting board. Yes, the same cutting board they place the food on that eventually makes it's way into your mouth. So essentially, you're eating sushi rolls with a hint of fly shit.
(1)Lee R.
My go to good place to eat good food in Montclair. The owner really cares about having fabulous sushi ... and he does. Now he saves me a trip to Alameda when I want the best sushi! Lunch date ... Kakui! Yum.
(5)Nancy F.
Service and seating is an F. Food is a solid B. I don't think management thinks through the service. I got there with my hubby, my 2 kids and my friend at 5:45PM! Although there were plenty of tables available (one lady even told me she got a seat easily 10 mins. before me) but they told me they didn't have anything for me for 1.5 hours! That is ridiculous. Then the host tells me that there's a reservation an 1 hour from now so he can't give me a table/seat except for the bar. This is outrageous! Why would they miss out on business for 1 hour waiting for someone's reservation? This left a bad taste in my mouth because they didn't seem to care about the customer standing right in front of them. I also found the wait staff cold and young/too green/didn't know what they were doing! I found the service cold, curt and unfriendly.
(2)Shoshana F.
The food has always been excellent, but the last two times we have been very disappointed in problems that stemmed from poor management of the kitchen. It wasn't that they ran out of food while we were there, it was they didn't have it in the first place. The kitchen neglected to tell the waitstaff. Last night they didn't have wakame, pork belly or lamb and who knows what else. (My husband doesn't eat raw fish, so he appreciates the cooked food options.). My daughter and I ordered a variety of nigiri and sushi rolls. They only started to trickle out after my husband finished his entree, took over an hour for us to get all the dishes served - and we still had to ask for the last two dishes. We complained to the manager about all the problems with service, who was apologetic, but full of excuses. When we first got our bill, there was nothing taken off, which I didn't think was right. I said something to the server, who said we shouldn't have gotten the full bill, which she then took 20% off. That was appreciated. I hope that the kitchen problems can be remedied, because despite the excellent quality of the fish and presentation, I won't be back for a repeat performance.
(3)Brian M.
Love, love, love this place. The sushi at Kakui is extremely fresh and tasty (see my photos via the link above). I've had my share of bad sushi so when I find a good place I become a loyal patron. TIP: Be sure to ask your server about their daily fresh seasonal specials (they won't be on the menu... and be warned that they might be sold out later in the evening). For example, we had freshly caught LIVE scallops served on top of the shell which was to die for. It just melted in your mouth. I also love their selection of rolls especially the "Alicia Roll" which I found out was named after one of Kakui's regular customers. The roll has lobster sauce garnished with a jalapeno and fish eggs on top... very creative! The brussels sprouts were also really tasty as many others have mentioned. I forgot to ask how they were prepared. Excellent. In short, very creative sushi and rolls, easy parking and Kakui is located in Montclair which is very quaint. We've had a great experience both times we've been there and plan on returning soon. BTW, this location used to be a Jamba Juice... they did a really good job with the interior/remodel.
(5)Heidi S.
Incredible. The atmosphere is lovely- modern, clean, beautiful, excellent lighting. The service is amazing. I sat at the sushi bar for a late afternoon lunch and the sushi chef's made me laugh and also taught me all sorts of interesting things about traditional Japanese cuisine and the philosophies behind it. The albacore sashimi was the best I have ever had. Fresh, perfect, and excellent presentation. This place is great for a date or a casual lunch.
(5)D C.
This is relatively new in Montclair. We wanted to give this place a try and so we did. What a disappointment! The place is small and there is not a lot of room to move around. The tables are literally next to each other. The food came out at a snail's pace. When we finally got our food, the sushi rolls were just ok. It might have been a busy night...we might just give it another try.
(3)Alexander H.
Found my new spot! Brussel sprouts are great! All the rolls are great and the sashimi was super high quality. Reasonable prices. Scallops were very fresh as they were live. The owner is also hilarious and friendly.
(5)Kari S.
Alicia roll, Oakland A's roll, and crunchy tuna roll. These are my and my husband's staples. They are a great combination of very fresh fish, sauces, and presentation. It has a very neighborhood feel to it, but it also has very modern decor which is new for the Montclair area. I'm not a huge sushi eater (just starting) so I love the fact that their chicken teriyaki is not gross like what you get in most bento boxes. Theirs is not even a bento box. It is a beautifully marinated, slightly spicy piece of chicken breast with rice and asparagus and salad on a plate, not a box. I order it all the time! The only con is it is pretty pricey, but sooooo worth it.
(4)Laura C.
Food was great. 4 stars. Not sure what the one-star Yelpers were complaining about.. our fish seemed fresh. Maybe they listened to you and cleaned up their act before we got there. Ambiance - Decor is wonderful but it's hella noisy in there. A dish dropping almost pierced our ears. When we first went in the staff was all talking/laughing loudly and it was cacophonous. What didn't work - the woman waiting tables was standing in front of my chair while I was waiting to be seated at the bar for an inordinate amount of time as she was talking to the guys behind the bar. It was like she was oblivious to us waiting there - very unprofessional. She also plopped her big-ass purse right up on the bar. Do you know how nasty the bottom of womens' purses are? They sit on bathroom floors. All in all, I'm happy that a Japanese restaurant with nice ambiance is in the hood.
(3)Scott L.
A little pricey for Japanese food. Upscale ambiance but get rid of the top 20 pop music blaring from the sushi bar. Jazz more appropriate given the dark atmosphere? Miso Cod is good although portion was small. Owner has to rethink what they are tyring to achieve. Asian Tapas / Small Plates? Service was attentive but felt rushed..possibly they are over compensating for past reviews which complained about slow service....
(3)Celeste B.
Beautiful setting but the food was just ok. The tempura shrimp was good. I would not mind going back but it is not a place I would choose.
(2)Betty H.
I must thank Mike Z for his review of Kakui Sushi. I just had the most wonderful lunch at this lovely new restaurant in Montclair. The sushi is presented in such a creative way. Not only is everything extremely fresh, but it's pretty too. Yes the service is amateurish, but if you have a little time on your hands sit back and enjoy the beautiful surroundings, and the enjoyment of seeing all the gorgeous presentations that are coming out of the kitchen and sushi bar. And while your there, make sure to visit the restroom. It is so pretty; that after washing my hands I found myself wiping the water splashes off the side of the basin. Yes, it's that nice in there. I didn't get any of the lap action that Mike got, so I'm a bit bummed. Guys have all the luck.
(4)Jay Z.
It has always been a mystery to me why Montclair Village could not support any really good, fun and unique restaurants. Pretty much all of the dining spots in Montclair are boring and mediocre. This shouldn't be the case. The locals generally have a lot of spare dining dollars, and these are the same people who head down the hill to Uptown, Temescal, Rockridge, Glenview and other Oakland neighborhoods for excellent options. I have a few theories about this, but I'll hold my tongue. The last thing I need is an angry mob of villagers showing up at my door, wagging their tanned fingers at me, while their Volvos, double strollers and Prii block my driveway and their 2 point 3 children threaten me menacingly with their lacrosse sticks. No, I'll just say that happily the drought is over. The fish is top quality and very fresh, the surroundings are really nice and the gracious young owner roams the room making sure everyone is happy. Even the prices are reasonable for this kind of place. I am truly baffled by some of the poor reviews. The only thing holding me back from that 5th star is the slightly amateurish service at a place that puts on airs of being a little extra fancy. After we were seated, a waiter came by, unfolded our napkins and laid them across our laps. When that happens, service expectations tend to skyrocket. So, it was a little disappointing to have the food come out haphazardly and for the waiter to have no clue what went where. Normally I wouldn't care so much about that stuff at a sushi joint, but when you put your hands in my lap I get excited about what's next.
(4)