There’s a new suhi place in El Cerrito and I think it might have seized the title of best sushi in the Bay Area. It’s called Taki Sushi and it’s on the corner of San Pablo and Schmidt, across the street from the post office. You must take your next sushi date to this place, it is that much of a steal.
Decor: 9
The first thing you’ll notice is the sushi bar, which is stocked with giant slabs of fish. This is good modern Japanese decor. There’s a big screen TV which presumably is supposed to have something like ESPN and such on it, but I knocked off a point because it had America’s Funniest Home Videos. The last thing you want to see as you put raw fish in your mouth is some dad taking a whiffle bat to the testicles or some guy flip over his bicycle. Other than that, the decor is a perfect fit for what the restaurant is, a humble but brilliant sushi house. There’s also an impromptu parking lot in front of it, which I don’t think is supposed to be a parking lot. I gave it a bonus point for reversing the Bay Area’s war on cars and convenient parking.
Service: 8
As a point of disclosure, I sat at the sushi bar so I have no idea how the “normal” food or the service is at regular tables. However, I found the sushi bar to be excellent. The chef was chatty and friendly, but politely quiet when I talked to Aki about our own thing. The chef was tolerant of questions and made his cuts promptly and skillfully. You may or may not appreciate that if you order shrimp, they will fry the head for you. I will note that a couple people looked at me strangely for happily chomping the heads. The tea was plentiful and the check didn’t come until we asked for it. All good things.
Food: 10
As I noted, probably the best sushi place in the Bay Area, or at least a serious contender. The portions of fish are extremely generous, such that the higher price for nigiri is a much better value than most places owned by Koreans. Especially good were the white tuna, yellowtail, and mackerel. You won’ t bother with finer cuts like toro because the normal sushi is so good. This is a place you must try.
Ambience: 7
Taki has a good feeling to it, but the crowd is still a bit mixed among the daring who want to try something new. In fact, you won’t even find this place on Google maps yet. So it’s good and bad that this place hasn’t been “discovered” yet. Good because you don’t get the Bay Area yuppies but bad because you get a bit of a hollow feeling that more people should be in there.
Score: 34/40
Price: $30 per person (9 orders of nigiri)
Verdict: Hidden gem. Go there before it’s found.
woah woah woah, hold up a second here. The apartments I lived in were right across from the post office at San Pablo and Schmidt!