Temari

Temari is one of my favorite Japanese restaurants. The food is simple, fresh, and consistent in quality (good service too). I usually order their temaki special, chirashi bowl, or unagi don. The complimentary salad appetizer is also nice. In addition to being simple, fresh, and consistent it’s also a healthy dinner. My only criticism is their soba. It’s a little Too simple (just soba and broth). Better to order the udon instead which has more to it. I also enjoy the calm and quiet atmosphere, which is another reason why I come here. It’s a nice place to wind down after a tiring day at work.

A friend and I have been going here for dinner once a month for the past 6 months or so. My friend is Japanese and knows good Japanese food. Food was great and more than made up for the waitress who never smiled. Our last visit was on October 7, 2015. We have tekka maki, unagi and CA roll. They were all very good, rolled tightly and tasty. However, seven hours after our dinner, we both experienced very bad stomach issues… to put it nicely on both ends! One started at midnight and the other at 2AM. When we e-​mailed each other the next morning, my friend had it so bad that work was out of the question that day. Luckily I made it in, with stomach ache.
This is very sad as we both liked the food at this place. Generally we order the same items, with a little change up now and then, but tekka maki is a regular on our menu. Unfortunately, we will never return to this restaurant.

Love this spot. Great neighborhood sushi spot with reasonable prices. Can get a little busy weekend evenings, but call in and take out is an option. Crispy shrimpy roll!

My spicy tuna roll was bland (and others said their rolls were similarly mediocre) but the nigiri was pretty good. Don’t go with a group larger than 4, even with a reservation — they split up our order so that food came out 4 people at a time. The last 4 orders came out after the prior 8 people in our group already finished. Other diners came in, ordered, ate, and left while we still waited for our food.

Came here in a group of 11 for a birthday dinner. It’s a pretty small place, but cozy. All of the food was good, with good sized portions and reasonable prices. Our group had a variety of appetizers, rolls, and dinners, and everyone seemed to enjoy their food. The only problem was the service. I understand that we were a big group, and probably bigger than they were used to serving. However, I made a reservation four days in advance, so it wasn’t a surprise that we were coming. It was not a huge deal that the food took a long time, but the service was so haphazard – it took ages to even get drinks or edamame, and some people didn’t get their dinners until after everyone else had finished. A little bit more consistency, or at least getting our drinks and something to nibble on quickly, would have gone a long way. I would go back because the food was good and the waiters were friendly, but not with more than four people.

Better enjoy it while it’s still around folks because real Japanese neighborhood restaurants have nearly vanished from the East bay.
I just had a bowl of sukiyaki beef at Temari and nearly fainted it was sooooo good. And it was less than twenty dollars. The service was ok by American standards, but horrible by Japanese standards, but hey, this is America. Temari is good Japanese down home cooking, nothing more.
I like my down-​home Japanese soulfood home cooking with all of it’s imperfections. And while Temari is not top shelf, like Hotel Okura in Tokyo, or like some heralded word-​of-​mouth invitation-​only neighborhood restaurants in Tokyo, it’s still JAPANESE! The seasonings are done correctly, albeit imperfectly.
Non-​Japanese «Japanese» restaurants pervade the bay area. If I experience another donburi bowl with an uncooked unseasoned broccoli floret I will lose my mind.; or improperly seasoned rice, chicken, beef, teriyaki, sukiyaki, or soggy tempura, (the list goes on) I will have to stop eating Japanese food, or schlep to SF for a simple meal. Imagine Itallian bolognese sauce without garlic, sausage, or pork, or French cooking without cream or butter, and you get the picture.
NOTE: to those restaurant goers/​critics who expect high grade sushi at East bay neighborhood Japanese restaurants, go to Japan. (reality check — there really isn’t any fabulously good sushi in the Bay area).

Came here on a fluke while waiting for karate to end and I’m glad I came in. Good prices, comfort setting, good food and very friendly staff I will definitely come back.

I don’t know. I stood inside by the door for about 5 minutes while with hardly a staff-​spotting. When they did pass through the room, they were careful to avoid eye contact. I’m sure they were so busy, they didn’t even have .05 seconds to wave their hand towards the room and say «you can sit anywhere» — which the guy finally did after 5 minutes. It was nice to sit. Then, I just sat there. And sat there. And sat there. Finally, after more avoidance of eye contact (but hardly ever seeing any staffers), I stood up and walked out. A simple «someone will be right with you» or any acknowledgement that I was there probably would have kept me there. So I don’t know how the food it, but so far, the service is just plain rude.

We party of three went on a Sunday eve. It’s a cozy japan like ambiance. We went for simple food. It was fine, much more a neighborhood type place than a destination. Udon & soba with veggies, nigiri was fresh and tasty-​tempura.
I did not care for their rolls (spicy tuna and dragon) strange spices and rather small.
The prices were reasonable but I would not call them inexpensive. $ 25 PP. Service was average.

I’ve lived in Japan, so the outside aesthetic definitely made me feel nostalgic and hopeful for eating some authentic Japanese food.
Unfortunately, the glaring florescent lights were an immediate reality check as soon as I walked through the door. Still, I decided to give it a try.
They sushi may be good, but there was a heavy odor that turned me off. I ordered kinoko soba (mushroom soba). The broth was a little sweet, but there was a nice assortment of mushrooms. Unfortunately, one type (baby bella?) must have had msg sprinkled on it as the flavor was rather off and VERY strong — inedible. I think it was one of the most expensive items on the menu coming in under $ 10, so it was not the biggest loss. Still unlike the obvious regulars, I will not be going back.

Good neighborhood spot. Casual and low key, nice value and plenty of choice, Japanese village décor. Seats maybe sixty total.

This is a respectable sushi restaurant set in a Japanese style building. The service is friendly and the locale pleasant. The key to good sushi is the rice and they do the rice perfectly here, problem is the fish is just okay and portions are a bit small.
I’m not a sushi expert but i do have fairly high standards, having lived near Ebisu in SF and frequently visited friends at Mission/​Castro sushi places like Warakbune, Eiji, and Sushi Time. The sushi at Temari is not quite as excellent as at those places but it’s certainly good… i’m happy to have it as the neighborhood sushi place and will be back.

Definitely disappointed in the lack of solid Japanese options in the El Cerrito area, but I guess there isn’t much of demand to warrant it. I’m not saying Temari is bad; I liked the food and the atmosphere, but it wasn’t anything spectacular.
The biggest disappointment for me was the agedashi tofu. Usually, the soup that it’s soaked in is flavorful, accented by radish purée. You bit into a tofu that’s been deep fried well enough that it has a crunchy exterior, but the tofu inside is still nice and soft. The agedashi here was far from that. The exterior was soggy, the soup was very bland, and there was no radish purée :(.
The sushi was good, and the bill was reasonable. If I were craving Japanese food in El Cerrito, this seems like a good option… but if I really wanted great Japanese food, I’d probably make the drive elsewhere.

I really enjoy the quality to price ratio at Temari but have to give them 3 stars because their carry out estimates are horribly under estimated. It usually takes them over twice as long as they quote. Just a heads up. I have been here many times as the food is worth the wait but always fool myself by only showing up ten min late. Carry out patrons beware…
That said I love their rainbow roll and volcano roll and they have the best price to quality toro around. Pretty consistent good quality fish for the price says my ignorant pallet. They also do udon quite well. I recommend eating in.

This is my mom and my favorite mom and pops stop for Japanese food. We are Japanese and my mom is an excellent cook herself so we usually eat most of these things at home. However, every now and then we eat out. This is one of the few places deemed worthy for my mom and my money. We went on her birthday and ordered the ton Katsu and tempura udon. I love their dashi (broth), it rivals my moms! My mom loved her tonkatsu because it was perfectly breaded and had just the right amount of fat. We also love their salad, the dressing is light but oh so delicious.
We’re dedicated customers of this spot!

I really craved some Tonkatsu one day, so me and my roommate Unilocaled this place near by. It’s quite easy to miss since it has a small sign on a busy main street. They also have a parking lot near them, so that’s a major plus.
SERVICE:
The service was friendly and professional. The attentiveness aspect could be improved. There was also quite a wait to get our orders taken, even though it didn’t seem to busy.
FOOD:
Tonkatsu –The breading was good, but the pork itself was too thick and overcooked. It was tough to eat. It was also sliced pretty wide, which made it more difficult to tear it.
Beef Teriyaki — The steak wasn’t the cut usually used for teriyaki so it really didn’t have that great consistency a teriyaki meat dish needed. Also, because it wasn’t the right cut of steak it didn’t absorb the teriyaki sauce like it was suppose to. Therefore, the dish was very bland.
Spicy Tuna Roll — This is not your typical spicy tuna roll, it’s basically a tuna roll + spicy mayonnaise on top. Definitely not what I expected when I ordered the spicy tuna roll. The ratio of rice to stuffing as ideal though.
CA Roll — This was more typical. They have two kinds: one with imitation crab and one with fresh crab. Both were delicious. The rice to meat and vegetable was perfect, so that each bite had each distinct flavor carefully balancing out.
OVERALL:
I would recommend this place. The prices are decent and the food is on par with other Japanese restaurants.

Was this place love at first sight? Oh heavens no, it looks terrible from the outside. I might have mistaken it for just a boarded up building if I wasn’t looking for it. Thankfully my gps did not lead my astray and I was able to find one of the cutest and quietest sushi restaurants I’ve been to.
Me and my friend came here because I had a $ 25 dollar gift card that I won from an auction. As usual these days, I ordered the chiraishi. The slices of sushi were nice and fresh, and the serving size was just perfect. I finished the entire bowl and I left feeling just right. The dish my friend got was their Chicken Kaarage, which was pretty typical tasting. Just like fried chicken! It’s nice that the chicken wasn’t dry at all, but it didn’t really stand out from the rest. My friend also ordered the Perilla leaf roll and it was so simple, yet it was the best thing on the table. I wish more restaurants utilized perilla leaves in their dishes. It has a minty flavor, but it’s better than just pure mint. You gotta try it out yourself!
The staff is amazingly nice, and the prices weren’t bad at all! I’d come back here purely for the perilla leaves to be honest. There’s much more to like about Temari though, and I’ll definitely be back for more!

This is a regular spot for family dinners and for good reason. The staff are always really nice and friendly (it might help that my cousin and her husband are regulars). They also take reservations which is nice for us since we usually have 6+ people every time. If you come around 5:30 it’s usually empty enough anyways.
There are two dishes here that we get every time that are the best out of all of their equivalents at other Japanese restaurants I have tried.
First is agedashi tofu. The outside is fried thinly and is moist (from the sauce) yet delightfully crispy. The inside is nice and soft but holds together firmly. It’s hard to describe but it’s definitely different from any other agedashi tofu I’ve had at other places.
Second is the asparagus wrapped with beef. The beef is thinly sliced and tender and juicy and the sauce they use has really good flavor. I don’t know why but when I’ve had this at other places it just doesn’t taste as good.
I’m not big on raw fish so I can’t speak for the rolls and sashimi, but the rest of my family loves them. Especially crispy shrimpy roll, spider roll, and one of their specials, california crunchy roll.
Other regular items we get are karage chicken (also yummy), tonkatsu (nice crispy breading), tempura, and oshitashi (REALLY good, and I don’t even like spinach!).
The only reason this is 4 stars instead of 5 is because sometimes the service can be a little slow. Their kitchen is tiny though so it’s understandable, especially since everything is cooked/​prepared to order.

Temari is «now opened for lunch». and they had bento boxes.(2). the rest of menu is typical japanese eatery. décor is typical minimalist japanese (when owner is actually japanese.)
eats: sanshoku (3 colors) bento box (12.5)
–gyu-​dan
nicely sliced grilled (tender) tongue over marinated rice.: yummy
–mixed charashi (hamachi, white fish, ebi, sake, surimi, tamago, ebi
pretty fresh, above average slices. good value
–ten-​don
fried veggie strips over marinated rice
looked liked (chinese) egg foo yung. very tasty.
–miso soup
tasty, no msg
–mixed green salad
nice miso dressing…
temaki:
–5 stars for dish
–5 for service
–4 overall since the rest of menu is average.
–specials (yakatori-​5) available.

We stopped here on our way back home from a day of sightseeing in SF. We wanted to try this place out and I am glad we did! We came here based on the reviews from Unilocal.
We came here during dinner hours and were seated immediately. We were given complimentary edamame and hot tea. I ordered the sukiyaki, my daughter ordered the udon and my mom ordered nigiri. Everything was delish, we received all of our food quickly and everyone received their food at the same time.
I would highly suggest if you are on in the area, to give this little place a try!