Kuriya Japanese Kitchen — Restaurant in Albany

This little japanese restaurant close to the entrance of Solano Avenue's eclectic food and unique shops offers a very cozy dining experience.

On a nice cool Summer evening we decided to go out for a nice birthday dinner with the entire family. Normally we go to our usual japanese restaurants nearby or order out but since this was a special birthday dinner for our daughter it was a nice treat for all of us to experience a new place.

We came in a bit after 7pm, most tables were already filled with only a couple two seaters available. We opted for the counter seats which was fine and a new experience for us as we usually eat at a table. The wait staff were attentive and gave us our menus and water to start. We placed our order which was a Lion king roll, Hot night roll, black garlic tonkatsu ramen, tonkatsu curry rice and a Chirashi bowl.

It took awhile for the food to come due to the Chirashi and probably the curry too but the dishes all came in about the same time and we were eating pretty much the same time.

The lion king roll was very filling and I heard that it had a fishy taste to it, probably from the excess salmon fat and pieces of skin.

The tonkatsu curry was okay and it too was filling. It had plenty of vegetables and the tonkatsu was a good portioned size. I wish there was a bit more curry sauce. To me it seemed like it was a bit too little for the amount of rice included. I'm glad they didn't pour the curry sauce over the tonkatsu and kept the crispness of the panko coating.

The black garlic tonkatsu ramen looked great and for the first few bits it was delicious. Somewhere in the middle of eating the flavors of the soup just started to become plain like the char siu pork. Speaking of the char siu pork, I was disappointed with the flavors of the pork. It seemed like they just rolled up a piece of pork belly and straight up boiled it in water and that was all. There was the pork flavor but no seasoning whatsoever, no soy sauce, no mirin , no brown sugar, etc. Classic japanese style char siu seasonings. However, the half boiled egg was delicious. Too bad they only give you half an egg. The rest of the ramen was just okay.

The Hot Night sushi roll was good and I was able to watch the sushi chef make it in front of me. The spicy tuna topping was fresh and had a good amount of heat but not too much. The shrimp tempura inside was okay for a mass produced frozen ingredient. Sushi rice was fresh and was well proportioned to the amount of filling and topping.

The Charashi bowl was impressive looking but my daughter said it could have used something else.. I mean it's a bowl with rice a few pieces of vegetables and sashimi.... not sure what my daughter was expecting...shrug

Overall, the dining experience at Kuriya was good. Food was okay, service was great, restaurant decor and atmosphere was excellent and cozy. Pretty good for a nice date location. Eat here and then take a small stroll up Solano for some after dinner ice cream or look at the little shops...

We had a deeply disappointing and distressing experience at this establishment and, based on it, I would not recommend visiting. In short, on Mother’s Day, our blind family faced an inequitable waitlist process, inconsistent and dismissive treatment, and were ultimately yelled at, physically nudged, told we could not take photos for an online review, and had the police called on us by staff.

On Mother’s Day, my partner, our toddler, and I chose to celebrate at this location. Upon arrival around 5:50 PM, we were informed there was a waitlist. Staff pointed us to a sign-up sheet and told us there were three parties ahead of us. We waited outside in the cold for nearly 50 minutes.

During that time, we overheard the front staff receiving a call about a large party. Shortly after, a group of eight arrived and was seated immediately. Others in line waiting outside with us mentioned tables were being combined to accommodate them. This confused us, if tables were available, why hadn’t we been seated earlier? We asked to speak with a manager inside to better understand the seating policy. While waiting near the entrance, three staff members gave inconsistent explanations: first claiming there was no separate reservation system, then stating that the large party had made a reservation two weeks in advance. As we tried to clarify, the interaction escalated. A male staff member began yelling and physically nudged me out the door, saying they had the right to refuse service and we can’t take photos of their entrance for online review. Shortly after, they threatened to call the police.

We remained outside to communicate our side of the story to the Albany Police. The officers listened to both sides and expressed empathy but explained there was little they could do since no crime had occurred. They confirmed the establishment name and address, then suggested we share our experience in writing.

This is that review. We want others to be aware of what we experienced: an inequitable waitlist process, dismissive treatment, and an encounter that left us feeling torn down, especially on a day that was supposed to be celebratory.

We lost over an hour and a half of our day and had to rush home to get our toddler to bed. The only bright moment came as we were leaving, when a kind person who witness the incident ran up to us and expressed sorrow for our experience, and handed our child a small toy, noticing he was hungry and...

February 23, 2025 Of course we had to come back to see Chef Jackie and his family and of course we sat at the bar again. As always, we let Chef Jackie decide what to serve us and we are always SO excited and satisfied.

This time, Chef Jackie served us the Scallop Crudo, which was beautiful raw scallops in a ponzu and olive oil sauce with sprouts; the freshness of the scallops paired with the acidity of the ponzu was so new and refreshing. We also had several nigiri. The quality never disappoints and surpasses so many other restaurants that we have been to. The sushi taco was such a fun mouth experience texturally and flavor wise. The tuna tataki was AMAZING. The ponzu and fresh cracked black pepper was SO fun and tasty. Our favorite sushi restaurant and our favorite family.

As always, thank you Chef Jackie and family. ❤️

2024 We came here one night on a whim and are SO HAPPY we did! SIT AT THE BAR FOR AN INCREDIBLE EXPERIENCE.

First, the service was amazing and unforgettable! We sat at the bar and ordered sushi all night. Chef Jackie made all our food with love and explained each fish to us. He and his family opened this restaurant 3 months ago, but they have been in the business for decades. You can tell they put a lot of care and thought into their food.

Next, the fish had amazing quality and was so delicious! You can taste the freshness of each fish, and they're each so different and unique in their own way! Chef Jackie also talked us through how they transport, clean, age, and prepare their fish.

Such a wonderful experience. We will definitely be coming back for more food and for the people!!

THANK YOU, CHEF...