EAST BAY INSOMNIAC

KORYO SUSHI

4390 Telegraph Ave #G, Oakland • 594-0661

SERVING (see full menu)

• sushi and sahimi dinners (@ $17.95-$19.95)
• tempura dinners (@ $9.95-$12.95)
• teriyaki dinners (@ $9.95-$12.95)
• katsu: chicken, fish or beef (@ $10.95-$14.95)
• bento boxes (@ $12.95-$16.95)
• vegetarian options (ask for fish flakes removed)

OPEN UNTIL: 2:30AM (Fri & Sat) • 1:30AM (Tues-Thurs) • 11:30PM (Sunday) • closed Mondays

PARKING: lot

THE EBI mini REVIEW: Koryo has been serving sushi for over a decade and it shows in their careful preparations and dedicated following. What it lacks in atmosphere (tables in one room are next to storage shelves and a meat freezer), it makes up for in every other way.

Some highlights:

• Martha and Micah, who know more about sushi than I can even pretend to won’t go anywhere else.
• At 10PM, most seats were filled and our food still arrived in 10 minutes flat.
• EXTENSIVE menu is available in full through 2:30AM on weekends.

Bonus attractions:

• Immediate proximity to late-night cyber cafe, Korean BBQ and Jaguar Karaoke
• A stone’s throw from the 24-hour Temescal Walgreens
• Employs a hot goth waitress

REVIEWS: 

WEBSITE: Got Sushi And Sake?

KANSAI

4345 Telegraph Ave, Oakland • 658-7273

SERVING (See full menu):

• sashimi and sushi
• hand rolls
• bento boxes
• Japanese entrees

OPEN UNTIL: 2AM (Fri & Sat) • 12AM (Mon-Thurs) • 10PM (Sunday)

PARKING: street (easy)

THE EBI REVIEW:

I’d been trying to get friends to check this place out for a while, but in Temescal, Koryo Sushi reigns supreme. So it took a visit from an out-of-towner to get this review.

Background/Disclaimer: Sushi, like the post-Twin Peaks work of David Lynch, is something that I really want to like, but ultimately have a bit of trouble coming to grips with. My girlfriend says I’m getting better (though we disagree on the merits of Inland Empire: quite possibly my favorite since Wild At Heart). But I digress.

Kansai has a swanky motif: mod patterns with warm colors and creative lighting. Geeks will enjoy the tabletop “call” buttons that send signals to the (possibly) Japanese and (definitely) friendly waitstaff. Dinner for two with wine was under $50 with leftovers to feed a particularly epicurean neighborhood panhandler.

We ordered the following: (more…)