Looking for a yummy Japanese meal near you?

Hoodline crunched the numbers to find the best affordable Japanese restaurants around Berkeley, using both Yelp data and our own secret sauce to produce a ranked list of the best spots to satisfy your cravings.

1. KoJa Kitchen

Topping the list is KoJa Kitchen. Located at 2395 Telegraph Ave. (between Channing Way and Durant Avenue), the Asian fusion, Korean and Japanese spot is the most popular budget-friendly Japanese restaurant in Berkeley, boasting four stars out of 1,382 reviews on Yelp. 

According to the restaurant's website, "KoJa (aka Korean-Japanese) is a special gourmet sandwich infused with a unique combination of Korean & Japanese flavors. To step it up a notch, KoJa Kitchen substitutes the traditional wheat buns with freshly made crispy garlic rice buns."

On the menu, you'll find KoJa sandwiches, rice bowls, tacos, Korean buffalo wings, umami fries and more. 

2. Tamon Tea

Next up is Downtown Berkeley's Tamon Tea, situated at 2055 A Center St. With 4.5 stars out of 167 reviews on Yelp, the Japanese spot has proven to be a local favorite for those looking for a budget-friendly option. 

The menu features items like mochi balls, omusubi, udon noodles, miso soup, boba milk tea, shaved ice and more. 

Yelper Victoria L. wrote, "You can tell everything is fresh because there's nothing sitting on the counter — when you order, they'll make it right in front of you."

3. Kyoto

Kyoto, located at 1599 Solano Ave. (between Peralta and Tacoma avenues), is another top choice, with Yelpers giving the affordable sushi bar and Japanese spot four stars out of 187 reviews. 

The store is half sushi restaurant, half Japanese grocery store. The grocery side has Japanese snacks, sauces, drinks and more. On the menu, you'll find a variety of sushi rolls like a smoked salmon roll, unagi roll, shrimp tempura rolls, avocado rolls and more. 

4. Sushinista

Sushinista, a Japanese spot in Downtown Berkeley, is another cheap go-to, with four stars out of 124 Yelp reviews. Head over to 2235 Milvia St. (between Bancroft Way and Kittredge Street) to see for yourself.

Here, you can build your own sushi burrito or sushi burrito bowl. Choose from ingredients like honey grilled chicken, crunchy shrimp, grilled salmon, fried zucchini, red radish, tempura flakes and more. 

"I really appreciated how fresh and light everything tasted, most of the sushi burrito places are too heavy," wrote Yelper Julia N. "This place was nice because they used what you would find in a bento and not necessarily sushi."

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This story was created automatically using local business data, then reviewed and augmented by an editor. Click here for more about what we're doing. Got thoughts? Go here to share your feedback.