Seasons of Japan

A wonderful Japanese café, one of my favorite places in Berkeley. My favorite item is the large Berkeley Bowl, which consists of perfectly cooked cubed chicken in a light soy sauce with perfectly cooked zucchini on a bed of brown rice. Simple ingredients but deliciously done, and at a modest price. They also have live jazz music two times a month. Highly recommended!

Against my better judgement, I went back.
BIG mistake.
I tried the online order, went to pick it up and they tell me «Oh that hasn’t worked for a long time»
So it didn’t take my order, but it did charge my credit card.
Since I was already there, I re-​ordered and complained to the manager, which was clearly pointless, because all she did was apologize profusely.
When I got my teriyaki chicken bowl back to my office, I had no sauce, very little meat and the broccoli was under-​cooked.
Never again.

Service and atmosphere are okay, but the spicy miso ramen I ordered that came up to $ 11 was very disappointing in terms of the amount of meat — literally just a few strands of pork the size of the surrounding bean sprouts! For that price I expect at least a couple *slices*, not strands. Ignoring that, the broth, the noodles, and the pork were all actually quite good. But if they ran out of pork, they could at least have the courtesy to ask if I wanted some meat substitute. Regardless, I will never be coming back. There is absolutely no excuse for being this skimpy on protein, especially for the most expensive ramen option on the menu.

DO NOT ORDER ONLINE. I ordered dinner for two online, and received a call just as I was leaving to pick it up (luckily) saying that they had closed early, and would refund my purchase. They never refunded me, and no one from the store will acknowledge the issue.

This little gem was conveniently located a few blocks away from my apartment, heading towards South Berkeley on Shattuck.
Best time go in my opinion is at night. About an hour before they close, generally speaking, you’d pretty much get the place to yourself. Service is better, and rolls aren’t being rushed out, looking incomplete and falling apart.
Definitely better than average sushi spot and worth a try. Good bento and lunch deals.

I tried their ramen before, and this time the shrimp tempura and chicken kalaage, the fired chicken. They all taste good. The chicken is crispy outside and soft inside, and the tempura, the shrimp is juicy. It is a good place for a meal.

I’ve always passed by this place, but I never really knew or heard much about it. My friend and I ate here randomly one day for dinner. First of all, ordering was pretty overwhelming. The menu had so many options, and as we were at the counter looking stupid and muttering that we weren’t sure how to order, the cashier didn’t offer us any help or guidance at all. We weren’t super hungry, so we ultimately decided to share a large steak bowl and the super salmon roll (?) which was a special for ~$ 4.99 that day.
The steak bowl was very simple — white rice, some pieces of steak and mushrooms with a brown sauce. There were also teriyaki and soy sauces at the self-​serve counter. Albeit simple, the steak had surprisingly good flavor. It could have done with some vegetables or something though. The salmon roll wasn’t that good… the salmon was cooked, not raw, and there wasn’t much flavor in it. All I could taste was mayo.
The store itself was nice. It seemed to be a place where single customers would come in for a quick meal. They also had several TV screens set up for customers to watch sports games. All in all, an okay experience.

I enjoy the food here. The only unfortunate thing is that the Super Bowl is not so super, definitely not enough meat. The large number of people that eat here leaves no reason to be tight with the meat. I don’t want to down grade the stars, increase the meat.

My partner and I went here spontaneously since we live nearby and have never been! Both the ramen and steak bowl were pretty decent. The ramen (my food) came quickly, but they were a little slow with partner’s steak bowl considering the restaurant wasn’t very crowded. This, and the waitresses almost gave our food to other tables on accident multiple times.
Otherwise, we liked Seasons of Japan and would consider eating here again since it’s decently priced for decent food.

Now I get why this place is so badly rated. I was apprehending the taste but still wanted to try by myself to have a legit personal opinion.
I got the pork ramen. The noodles tasted like flour, the soup had the Japanese taste but got boring at some point. The pork was too chewy and not tasty. As a Japanese born and raised, I don’t recommend the ramen here.
I’m sure people who come here are more interested in the rice bowls or other things not involving noodles. I haven’t tried yet so I don’t know but I’m pretty sure that’s what this place is best at. So I’m rating two stars just because there is still a chance.

I got the mini chicken bento box.
$ 5 for a quick meal. It is small, small amount of chicken, rice and 4 pieces of a California roll hence mini lol.
It all tasted yummy

Seasons of Japan is one of the few great gentrified food establishments.
Food is fantastic; pricing is in line with non-​gentrified establishments (my order was $ 5.45 with tax); no expectation of tips; no debit/​credit card minimum; one of the best interior buildouts in Berkeley; fantastic concept (since it’s one of the few Japanese food establishments in Berkeley) plus it has a nighttime sake bar outside which is crazy unique.
I’m not an expert on Japanese food so I can’t comment further on that, but it was good to me.

The wait time here is awful. Often takes 30 minutes plus. Won’t be coming back anymore — it has gotten worse.
Also, they have a soda machine that has been out of order for over 6 months. And condiments have decreased. Maybe they are struggling?

I forgot my lunch on my way to work today, so I stopped by here after seeing an ad outside for their mini-​bento box. Only $ 5? Worth a shot!
It came with edamame, four california rolls, rice (I got garlic rice), and chicken teriyaki. Everything was made to order and was DELICIOUS. It was the perfect amount of food for me for lunch, and for five bucks it beats the hell out of the pre-​packed lunches at Trader Joe’s.
I can’t speak to the rest of the food or the quality of raw fish etc. here… but the service was friendly (if not a bit slow for take out) and I thoroughly enjoyed my lunch. I’ll for sure be back for the mini bento the next time I «forget» my lunch at home!

Wait time for a take out sushi roll from 1:42 to 2:23. Clearly my time of day isn’t worth theirs.
I’ve never left such a horrendous review before, but I think this is well deserved as I stand here awkwardly still waiting for my order to come out. Not only has everyone in front of me gotten their take out orders OR their eat-​in orders, but the people who ordered AFTER me have also all gotten their orders.
I do acknowledge I was the only one who got a sushi roll and it was a take out, but really? I think even Tako Sushi’s service is better, and that’s saying something. This isn’t even one of those high quality Japanese restaurants, so I was surprised that it took this long to get the food out. From ramen to donburi, everything came out before my order did, which leads me to believe that maybe the cooked foods are all stored in mass amounts, premade, in the back. How else can you justify this ridiculous wait time for a sushi roll? I think the most angering part is when the cashier refuses to meet your gaze and you have to flag her down to ask her where on earth your sushi roll went.
Overall, even without trying the food and just rating this place based on service, this place should be a solid 1 star.

Had the tonkatsu pork ramen. Ramen soup was decently rich in taste, although the noodles were slightly disappointing (noodles were like the ones you would find in cheap ramen packets). However, overall the taste was decent for the price I paid.
⁴⁄₅ would come again.

Sometimes I like to try places on a whim just because I always pass by. And yeah… I always find myself regretting that decision.
Case in point: Seasons of Japan
From the outside, it looks good, but the food is seriously lacking quality and freshness.
*Large ramen — Lots of noodles and definitely can be shared by two people. Noodles were ok, but the broth tasted funny. At the time, it a had a weird chemical aftertaste and I couldn’t figure out what it was. It was a turn off and I wouldn’t order this again. We ordered it with fried popcorn chicken on the side and the chicken was the best part!
*Sashimi bento box. Came with a decent amount of food. Miso soup, tempura shrimp and vegetables, California roll, edamame and sashimi tuna and albacore. Everything but the sashimi tasted ok. The sashimi wasn’t fresh and didn’t taste good, and that defeats the whole purpose of even getting this bento box.
My overall impression: stick with the COOKED food, especially something fried, can’t go wrong with that.
Prices are decent, you can get a filling meal for about $ 10 here but I don’t think i’ll be returning anytime soon.

So I dropped by Seasons of Japan after a recommendation by a friend. This place is exactly what three stars says: A-​OK.
As many other reviews have discussed, the price point is a little high for the food quality and portion size. This isn’t to say that the quality is bad, just that there are twenty other restaurants in the area that are probably better options unless you’re really craving pseudo-​Japanese and don’t want to spend $$$ on Ippuku or Kiraku.
I ordered the shrimp and broccoli bowl with the garlic/​butter rice. I actually thought my meal was well done (the shrimp was very good and anything with butter in it is bound to be delicious). However, I paid around $ 10.00 for a «medium» sized bowl which probably will leave you satisfied if you are not very hungry, but if you’re looking for a large meal, then I would not go here.
If you do decide to eat here, their white «yum» sauce is apparently very good. I did not use it because it’s a mayo base and I don’t like mayo with my rice and shrimp, but the employees told me they are well known for their «yum» sauce.

Nice modern place. The smell of Raman fills the air the sushi is a little pricy but I didn’t mind it much. Its a nice place to chill, maybe read. and eat or do a little work. Its not loud, the music is like modern slow jazz. Which I don’t know how I feel about it. I wish there was more Japanese featureings like on the walls. Its a bit weird to order at the counter then sit, especially if you don’t know what you want.
The caterpillar roll is to my liking Cus I love shrimp tempura and avacado and the super salmon roll wasn’t bad. The salmon was cooked perfectly and I didn’t mind the salmon row on top. I wish it was a little cheaper but I don’t eat out often so I’m not complaining.

I came here craving ramen during lunch, but turns out they only serve ramen after 4 since it takes time for the broth to cook. But I did come back the same day for dinner and ordered the pork ramen, and it definitely hits the spot. I liked how the pork was crispy, the noodles were cooked well, and the broth was tasty with a hint of spice. I’d only suggest that they have the option to add a boiled egg to the ramen bowl.
The cashier was very friendly, and food comes out quick! It’s about $ 7.50 for the ramen bowl, so it’s a good cheap option. I’d go back to get my ramen fix when in Berkeley.