Love NIWA.
I've been going to this sushi joint for 15 years.
Frank is the owner- main sushi chef.
Order
Baja California rolls (spicy)
Spicy tuna hand rolls
Cucumber salad
And for sushi- make sure to look at the "specials" menu that is behind the sushi counter- the frank roll is awesome.
For Chinese food- order:
Potstickers
Chow fun
Sizzling rice soup
We are new to the area and my son and I decided to give Niwa a try. I have to say I was skeptical but my son insisted. The sushi was really very good and reasonably priced. We had a California Roll and took the "real crab" option. It was fantastic! Enjoyed a couple of oysters on the half shell prepared a little differently than I am used to but they were great as well. The spider roll was very well done and did not skimp on the soft shell crab.
If you are looking for a hopping atmosphere this will not be the place for you. However, if you are into straight up, really good sushi you need to give this place a try. You will not be disappointed.
The main reason why I go here is because of Frank the Sushi Chef, the Spicy Tuna Hand Roll, and the cucumber salad.
Spicy Tuna is mouthwatering. I HATE HATE HATE it when you order a spicy tuna roll and the tuna is ground-up. I wonder what else is in that... seriously it probably is better not knowing. Frank puts CHUNKS of REAL Tuna in his spicy hand rolls and the sauce he uses is delicious!
I love going into a restaurant that I frequently visit and have them remember me. It's a good feeling. I also love that Frank knows I do not like sprouts. I have never told him this, but he noticed I would pick them out of my sushi, so he always gave me the one without sprouts! Who pays that close attention to their customers these days?! Only Frank. If a woman is making the sushi, its his wife and he is probably sick. He is the only sushi chef there, so his wife covers for him. She doesn't know what is in the rolls because she rarely works there. I usually tell her how Frank makes it for me and she appreciates it.
I have never eaten Chinese food from here so this review is soley based on the sushi.
P.S. how many places can you create your OWN sushi roll?
I have been going here for the last 10 years. Â I have been to other sushi restaurants, and they don't compare to Niwa. Â Niwa's sushi is always fresh. Â The portions are very good. Â It is smart to serve Chinese food with sushi. Â This provides more variety for the family. Â I highly recommend this restaurant.
Review Source:We love this place! The sushi is ALWAYS fresh and delish... the rolls - fantastic! There's a hand roll named after a customer that's one of the best I ever had! I can't remember the name but you'll be very happy with anything on the 'Specials' board.... even the unique sushi 'balls'.
It's a casual/comfy place.... we like sitting at the sushu bar to watch the owner, Frank at work and he's quiet but so sweet. There's also a menu with Chinese food - yep that's unusual but it ABSOLUTELY works!! Great sake too.
I've been on the hunt for a real knock out sushi place and this is it! I was introduced to Niwa by my now boyfriend. It's not an impressive place when you walk in the door, but you make your way to the Sushi Bar at the back and take a seat. Frank, the owner and Sushi Chef is a wonderful man. Always smiling, always with a recommendation! The boyfriend and I eat here almost once a week, not hard to imagine why he has a roll listed on the wall behind Frank ( the Ken Special, It's one of the best :) very light very flavorful) The Poke and White Tuna Tatake are tasty, not over seasoned. One thing I will say is be careful ordering the spicy stuff! We usually order the Poke on the mild side and I'll have a spicy scallop handroll at about a 5 on the hot scale.
I've been to some sushi places that are supposed to be "Awesome" or "The best Ever!!" I've always been disappointed by the quality  of the fish, and annoyed with what I paid for it. Not so here. No 'Fishy" taste, its all clean and fresh with that slight sweetness that real fresh fish should have.
if you are in the Orinda area try Niwa. You won't be disappointed.
Why is there such love for this place? I don't get it.
You walk in and first thing that should have made me walk right out is it looks like a Chinese restaurant. Oh dear. Already I knew the sushi was going to be questionable. The waitress bustles us to a table, throws some menus at us and then wants to know what we want. We decide to just try the spicy tuna handroll first (didn't all the reviews say it was the best thing ever??). A little while later out comes a spicy tuna CUT roll. Um. No. I tell the waitress we ordered 2 spicy tuna handrolls. Not cut. Handrolls. As any abrasive chinese waitress knows - Feign ignorance and tell the customer they are completely wrong and they will eat what they are given. Sushi Nazi much? My friend is super nice and both of us don't want to cause a scene so we figure if it's good, it's good - cut or hand.
1. Wow. Could the fish be any less fresh?!?! It was just membraney and fishy.
2. They were using unseasoned long grain rice. I work in the rice industry so I know my rice. And this was neither sushi rice nor was it flavored at all. It was gummy and made the seaweed chewy and wet. Blech.
At that point my friend and I decided we would order from their regular menu. I would have left but I didn't want to roam around finding somewhere else to eat at that point. Â I ordered the Salmon Teriyaki with sauce on the side and my friend ordered Chicken Teriyaki sauce on the side. Thank Goodness for the sauce on the side. It came out as a gelatinous bowl of goop. I picked at my overcooked salmon a bit and we left.
Afterwards I headed over to Yogurtland and got more satisfaction out of my cup of froyo than I could get out of a whole meal from this place.
Agreed, the spicy tuna handroll is the best in the Bay. No other place makes it like Frank does, with large slices of tuna instead of the mashed tuna. As Frank explained, many places take the worst part of the tuna and mash it up to make a handroll, and the good part is used for sashima and sushi rolls. Not this place!
And yes, while the portions may not be as large as other sushi places, it's all about quality and not quantity when it comes to sushi. If you want large rolls filled with more rice than fish, go to places like Sushi House. But if you want quality sushi, come see Frank.
Not a fan of Uni but Frank said he only buys AA or AAA quality Uni. Won't buy it unless it's the highest quality. If you've ever bought fish from the wholesalers (I haven't) then you would probably agree that it's high quality.
Maybe I'm biased because I've been coming here for over 10 years, and everytime I order the hand rolls, Frank loads it with more fish than rice! I will try other sushi places as I love sushi, but I will always come back to Niwa!
Honestly, this place has spoiled me. Â The owner and sushi chef Frank is friendly and very well skilled. Â Every time I cheat on Frank and eat elsewhere all I can think about is how I should have waited until I was back in Orinda to blow my sushi appetite. Â
My favorite roll is spicy tuna and I've never had better at any other place. Â Everybody else serves blended tuna-smoothie from a can while Niwa's is diced and impossibly fresh. Â And to top it all off their sauce is unbelievable. Â Get the hand roll!!
When you sit at the sushi bar you are greeted with a complementary crab and cucumber salad with sesame crack/cocaine sauce. Â From there it's all gravy; just order what you like.
I have been coming here for over ten years and for all of our sake it hasn't changed one bit (except for the decor, which got a massive upgrade about 5 years ago when they remodeled).
Ok, I had to write this to make up for some of the horrible reviews.
I've been coming here for more than 10 years--for the sushi. This will not be a review of the Chinese food, although I can say that it's just O.K.
This is the kind of place where if you know what to order, you'll never want to go anywhere else. But if you have never been here before, I could see things going awry.
First, the fish is fresh, (they usually have either Toro, Yellowtail Belly or Salmon Belly), and everything is reasonably priced.
Here is what you come here for:
Spicy Tuna Handroll--You will NOT find another one this good. Anywhere. Trust me, I've tried. You can also order the "scallop special" and ask for them to make it spicy--same idea, different spin. Delicious.
Cucumber Salad--Cucumbers, fake crab, and dressing. Only Frank knows how to make the salad dressing, so if they're running low they seriously ration it. Because it's like crack. I'm addicted, and must have large portions in which I dip everything. Even food snobs get over the fact that they're eating fake crab. It's that good.
Spider Roll/Flower Roll (Shrimp tempura)--They add avocado. More crab. It's moist. This is the only place I'll eat a roll like this and like it.
Country Roll/Sunset Roll--For eel lovers.
Don't go for ambiance or the most fancy sushi eating you've ever experienced. Definitely a go-to for your weekly sushi endeavor.
An average of 4 stars?! Â Come on, yelpers, you're letting me down.
After seeing such high reviews of this place, I came to check it out. Â The portions are SMALL. Â $10 rolls come with six skinny pieces. Â Seriously?! Â
The food itself was fine. I ended up ordering four rolls (I initially ordered three, but had to add one more because the rolls were tiny and I was still hungry). Â Four rolls with tax and tip set me back over $50. Â For just me! Â
My favorite sushi place is Momoyama Sushi in Concord. Â Two giant rolls can fill me up and set me back only $25 out the door.
The first time we went there we had lunch and our waitress was very friendly and loved our 14 month old son. My husband loved the food. Second time we went we had dinner. It was chaos in there! It took about 15 min for anyone to take our order and we got no water refills. The waitress was not friendly and hardly said 2 words to us, the food was dry and not very tasty this time around. To top it off, I ended up having an allergic reaction to something they served us and broke out in welts. =/ Â Haven't been back since.
Review Source:Definitely, one of the Best sushi places in the East Bay. 4 of us used to go here every week in 2000. Then well all moved farther away. We found other places near us, but none as good at Frank. Thank you Judy for the "Judy Hand Roll" its' awesome. The fish is always fresh, the sauce on the rolls TO-DIE-FOR, Frank and his staff are always warm and friendly. It's priced for Orinda, but you get what you pay for. So, we can only go here every once in a while when we visit family in El Sobrante. I asked Frank to open a second location to WC or Concord, he didn't bite. oh well. I know a Great Sushi Chef and also a cook.
Review Source:My friends live in the East Bay and I don't. Went up for a friend's birthday and he suggested this sushi place since he always drives by it but has never gone.
Sign says something along the lines of "sushi & Chinese cuisine" and according to my friend, that is "the both of best worlds".
Chinese owned. It's funny because when you walk in you see the Chinese round banquet tables and overstuffed low chairs. A lot of white people eating Chinese food. Pretty empty. Pleasant staff (two women).
Then towards the back there is this "sushi-bar" which looks like a formica/faux marble counter top with more stuffed chairs. This is where we sat. And mistakenly ordered sushi.
They gave us a nice, free little appetizer of edamame (soy beans) and a paper with which to mark off our selection. The prices were outrageous! Ok, I thought. Chinese owned and expensive as hell, this place must be the best damn fusion sushi place in the world. Not.
We ordered salmon skin maki, scallop handroll, "Ken's" roll & blossom roll.
My blossom roll (tenpura + california roll combined with tobiko on the outside) had a hair in it. I was about to complain but my friends said "JUST EAT IT!". I ate around it but they ate the contaminated piece. This roll cost about $9 bucks for six pieces. The sushi rice was not very seasoned (can't taste any vinegar!) and there was some weird mayo-sauce squirted all over the inside.
My friend, Kenneth H., ordered the Ken's roll 'cause his name his Ken. Â When he ordered, she had to read the sign on the wall with all the ingredients on it for a couple minutes before making it. Literally. Oh and she forgot to put albacore on top. ($12)
For 3 people: 4 small sushi orders of less than decent quality the total came just over $35 w/o tip. Yikes. Maybe this is delish for Orinda but here in the city we do sushi right.
first, the owners are chinese... if that matters at all.
the atmosphere is nice, but the food isn't so great.
i ordered the ken special roll. because my name is ken.
it was supposed to have albacore on it. nope.
she had to look back at the menu to see what was supposed to be in it.
they people are nice, but i don't like the food... at least not for the price.
the roll i had was like $12.
for $12 +$1 i can go to fuji and eat all the fried oysters and softshell crab i want.
i went with two friends and we ate a total of 4 things, which came out to about $35. i tipped about $5. i felt cheated for tipping so much.
definitely not going here again.
One of the best places to get sushi in the east bay.
Who would think? All the way in Orinda.
But this place is indeed great, I've been there several times and I even had a birthday celebrated there.
All the rolls I've had are tasty.
The staff is friendly and the price is not bad for having such great sushi.
We've been going to Niwa since Frank first opened over 15 year ago. Â At least 100 times and while Frank has had some off days it is the best sushi we've ever had in the Bay Area.... at least for our taste. Â Frank and I invented the Tiffany Role probably 14 years ago....yum. Â Ask him how it got it's name? Â Since then he's added the customer sushi list. Â Great fun and some are the best you'll ever have. Â Try the Judy cut role sometime if you like garlic. Â knock your socks off.
Agreed, Chinese is not the speciality at Niwa but the sushi is to die for.
Pound for pound, Niwa is one of the best Sushi restaurants in the Bay Area. You won't get the atmosphere of a Daly City Sushi House, or the energy of a San Francisco hot spot. What you could, and I hope you do get is the best dang hand roll in town. Put them to the challenge... Walk right up... take a seat at the bar, and order a sake hand roll... I dare ya'.
Review Source:SUPERB DELICIOUSNESS!!!!!
Ok. First, lets start with how I categorize sushi eaters.
1. Noobs. These people LOVE fusion sushi rolls. They prefer not to eat so much nigiris because they are pricey and are not so fulfilling as the rolls. They also cant tell good vs decent fish. You can find most of these people in places such as Sushi House in Alameda.
2. Intermediate. These people go for good quality nigiris and sashimi rather than the rolls. They have a higher level of appreciation of a honest, traditional fresh sushi. They eat not to get full, but to enjoy every bite of a fresh fish.
3. Advanced. I am not there yet.
OK. So, if you are a NOOB sushi eater, this may not be your place. The rolls are good. But if what you want is quantity over quality rolls, just go to sushi house. They have better value for rolls. Big portion, cheap price. HOWEVER, if you love nigiris, this is THE PLACE TO GO. I have been going to Sushi House, Kamakura, etc but Niwa mops the floor with their sushi. Seriously. the nigiris are awesome. they are so fresh, so good, so yummm so great I want to scream everytime I eat them. My personal favorites are salmon, mackerel, and the super delicious melt-in-your-mouth unagi. Thinking about them makes me drool...
Sure, the price can be expensive. I ate nigiris and sometime the bill can rack up to $28 per person (I eat a lot). I am a thrifty eater. I HATE HATE HATE HATE restaurants that all about put syle first, food second (example: PF Chang, E tutto Qua ect ect). I am the type of person who goes deep into Chinatowns to get good, authentic, hole in the wall-food. But I will go to Niwa everytime. The sushi definitely warrants the price.
Conclusion: The best (real) sushi ever!!! Â
Oh and the chef is supernice. Just like a kind, old man. He went to sushi school in Japan and apprenticeship for at least 10 years before he opened Niwa.
i met frank years ago when he worked at the house of sake in walnut creek. frank was so handsome back then. today, he look likes a befuddled lovable panda bear. frank is the sushi chef/owner here. he also sells chinese food.
i hooked up with a bud who is a regular here. frank is a virtuoso of sushi. who doesn't  produce masterpieces but decent productions which  are superior to most. there's no pretense here. no listings of hundreds of rolls, just a list of favs of his customers and a short list of special items that were available.
nigiri samplings:
- fried shrimp tempera(4/4.85), pretty juicy and tasty. WINNER! came with a bowl of rice, i think.
-oysters tempera (6/6.95): small juicy & fried. ok. probably came bottled.
-tuna tatare (9.95): pieces of marinated tuna in sesame oil etc. not seared as i thought. tasty nonetheless.
- salmon nigiri(4.25) Â ok
-hamachi  nigiri(4.25) ok
-hamchi belly nigiri(4.75)  very creamy, melts in your mouth and  fresh
-salmon belly nigiri(4.75) very creamy and fresh
-hamachi kama,( 2 piece/9.95): pretty tasty grilled head  of hamachi.
-cali roll ( ? ) didn't try
-couple cold  sakes and sapporos(20ish)
yelp was mentioned  (awhile ago) and we got 15% off.
niwa is the best in lamorinda. for sushi. Â generous fresh cuts of sushi at a reasonable price.
We came here for a sushi dinner. It was great!
The unagi was reaaally good... I would say the nigiris are great but the rolls are okay. Â Saba was also really good -- must try. Sake was good also.
Oh, and don't forget to mention yelp, they will give you a discount. I think it's like 10% for sushi? Yay, will definitely come back again.
After reading all the reviews I am thinking that next time we go we have to order sushi! Â
We didn't try this restaurant until sometime last year even though we've lived in Orinda for three years now. Â We live on the other side of the town so coming here means we have to get in the car vs. rolling down the hill in our sweats around Theatre Square. Â However, after we tried Niwa, both my husband and I thought their Chinese food is perhaps the tastiest around town (which, in all honesty, doesn't amount to much because good Chinese food and Orinda seem like an oxymoron). Â Having said that, it's really not that bad. Â The staff is super friendly and I don't mind the cheap and cheesy decor. Â It's relaxing to dine in there with kids. Â Fancy restaurants means I'll be nervous taking kids there.
Our kids LOVE the Unagi-Don here. Â The portion is very generous and the pickled dikon on top is delicious. Â We also enjoy the Sweet and Spicy Chicken (I think that is the name), Mongolian Beef, Foil Wrapped Chicken and Eggplant w/ whatever meat you like to pair with. Â It's all very Americanized Chinese food, but if you go in knowing that, you'll be all right. Â If they'd start serving brown rice it'll even be better.
Definitely a regular now...
sat at the bar and tried the salmon nigiri, tuna roll, spider roll, and spicy scallop hand roll. they were all really good and tasted very fresh.
the good news: all that sushi and a large kirin came to $35.
the bad news: ordering a kirin led to a discussion about how a kirin is a half deer, half dragon creature. and how my bf knew this already because he once owned a kirin. and by "owned" i'm referring to a few years ago when he was a known online computer gamer. a dark part of his past i don't discuss often.
One of my favorite restaurants in Orinda. I work right around the corner so this is a frequent lunch choice. The lunch specials have tons of food for a great price. The Chinese food is good, the sushi is great... my personal favorites -
broccoli beef
black bean shrimp
flower roll
potstickers
saki
The staff knows me by name and knows what I like to order, got to love that!
Been going since 1995, trying out both the Chinese (eg Mongolian Beef, S&Sour prawns both excellent) and the Sushi. Sushi-wise I stick with the California rolls as I do not eat raw fish, but my wife, (who has partaken of some excellent, expense-account-funded Sushi in San Francisco), says Niwa is up there with the best of them. The staff are friendly and polite. The ornamental fish tank is interesting, it contains a 3 foot eel, which was only 6" long when we started going there.
Dec 2008: Mongolian Beef recipe appears to have changed for the worse. MB afficionados be warned.
First of all, their sushi menu was pretty basic. I'm definitely a specialty roll fan, and this place lacked them big time. Then, I was charged an extra $1 because I wanted my tuna roll to be a SPICY tuna roll. Whatever.. I just thought that was odd. Then, I waited 20-25 minutes while I watched people go in and out, order after me and get their food before me. I was annoyed. Then when I got my order, There were 4 California rolls, 6 pcs. of shrimp tempura roll and 6 pcs. of spicy tuna roll. The spicy tuna is what I REALLY wanted and it was wrapped on the outside with nori.. the others were normal and wrapped in rice. Not only was my much-anticipated spicy tuna roll in nori, but it wasn't a true spicy tuna roll. It was a regular tuna roll with some spices thrown into the mix.
I don't think I'll be returning here unless it's a sushi emergency and it's the only thing open.
This restaurant clearly cares about their customers!
My boyfriend and I went there for a sushi dinner, and the options were endless. Not only did they have your standard sushi menu, but they had about 20 different "customer specials"-- favorites created by their customers.
Unusually, they also had a regular menu with Chinese food. I came with the pretense that it wouldn't be that great, but the chow mein was delicious! Best I've had in a while.
And their sushi was yummy!! The fish was very fresh as were the vegetables. Lots of interesting combinations to choose from..kinda addicting!
OH! I have to add that their audio/video is AMAZING!!! Their TV and speakers are all high end which makes a great spot for watching the game :)
Give it a try- you'll love it!!
FRANK IS THE BEST!!!
I miss this place soo much. Their Poke' is the best I've ever had. Â And my husband is nuts for their nigiri. Â This place is a gem hidden in a tiny town. Â Who would know such an incredible sushi chef in the middle of nothing. Â Oh gosh, I can't even think about this right now or I'll be sad that I can't have that Poke. Â
I am head over heals in love with this place. Â Everyone go try it Frank deserves to have a very busy business.
HOWEVER, Â do not eat CHINESE here!! It is super americanized and aweful!!
Go here and only order sushi. Â And if you are looking for more creative rolls make one up and ask Frank to make it. Â I would be very surprised if he said no.
I commute all the way from Hercules, CA to just go to this place. Â Love it! Â Frank the sushi chef is awesome. Â Their customer service is excellent. Â They are very attentive and have great pricing on food. Â Love their oyster and scallop shooters and they customize your rolls and shooters if you want. Â They rarely ever say no and that makes them unique. Â I go there only for sushi but their Chinese food is good too. Â They even have the gold flake sake as well. Â I will always be loyal to them. Â Niwa Rocks! Â You'll probably see that on one of my cedar boxes above the sushi bar.
Review Source:Definitely not the best Sushi ever. Â The quality of the fish was good and the menu was diverse covering both Chinese & Japanese, but the sushi offerings were boring and not described on the menu. Â Too many CA roll variations. Â Seemed dumbed down. Â It wasn't the worst sushi ever, but far from the best.
Review Source:To start with, I don't eat Chinese food, so cannot comment from personal experience. My friends that do say the Chinese food here is very good.
I do eat sushi, regularly. And Frank (half Japanese, half Chinese) here at Niwa's is the best sushi guy in the Bay Area. The wife and I have tried all of the top rated sushi places in SF, Oakland and Berkeley, and we keep coming back to Niwa's.
Two downsides: the interior decorating is cheap crap, to say the least. They had a fire a couple of years ago, closing them down for repairs. Since they had to replace the tables, chairs, decorations, etc. we were hoping that they would come up with more tasteful stuff, but nope - Frank just has bad taste in furnishings (although the sushi bar itself is very nicely done, and they have a cool fish tank - my comments are about the tables and chairs). Also, Frank has a thing for cheesy '60s pop songs, which are always playing in the background. We must have hear the song Alfie a million times.
That said, the sushi is just too good to pass up. Some of them, like the sake and toro, melt in your mouth like butter. And the various rolls are uniformly excellent. Test drive any of your favorites and you'll come back for more. And don't pass up the oyster shooter . . .
Amazing sushi... Amazing! I have been going to Niwa since I was a young girl. Â Actually, Niwa and I have quite a story...
We moved away from Orinda when I was just a young girl... however many nights did I stay up thinking about Niwa... their dashing tuxedo roll, their unforgettable cucumber salads, their spicy, tantalus tuna hand roll... mmm... Niwa was def. a lost love of mine :)
Well, throughout the years... there was not one holiday to San Francisco in which I forgot to reminisce with good old Niwa at least once.... if not a couple times!.... a day!!.... ok... ok... I guess I couldn't handle THAT much Niwa.
To this day... Niwa and I still have it going on.
The end.
There is nothing spectacular about this dining establishment; when you are stuck out in Orinda and you are craving Chinese this is the place. Â The Lemon Chicken was what I have come to expect from any Chinese restaurant; nothing to praise Mao over but it's filling and bad for you. Â And as far as I could tell there was no MSG.
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