Smart Deli

I was walking past this little Japanese joint and had to stop, eye catching artwork. As a hardcore Japanese food fan & aficionado ramen & sushi cook I had to enter. Not only was my chirashi bowl amazing, the mackerel specially was out of this world, so was the unagi.
The staff was so friendly, I just wanted to move in on the spot and cook and eat with them all day.
The Japanese green tea was on point.
And if that was not enough, they have a tiny supermarket with Japanese groceries in the back, stocking everything a ramen, sushi and general Japan lover needs to cook authentic Japanese meals at home. And all this at a price I have never seen before in any Japanese / oriental market. I stocked up on some bonito flakes and kombu for dashi and left, as the happiest man alive.

Yes I returned half an hour later for another serving I could not help myself.

Walking up street, I immediately spotted the storefront to this Japanese restaurant- it's hard to miss with the most colorful and cute artwork painted on the storefront windows.

This is truly a special and unique place that will transport you to Japan. You will completely forget you're in Berlin as you enter this hip and very pink restaurant. Yumi (lady who runs the place) and the staff are all super-friendly - It was so nice to see so many happy smiling faces. With a little smile of my own, I ordered and settled in for a yummy meal and a feel-good Japanese cultural experience.

The menu is simple, fresh and authentic Japanese home cooking - the kind of stuff you'd find coming from a real Japanese kitchen including: Grilled fishes, Yakiniku beef, Miso tofu, Teriyaki Chicken, Noodle bowls, Sushi, Japanese rice porridge and a range of authentic side dishes. The dishes are carefully prepared and arrive the table looking picture perfect - how often do you get a salad with little carrots cut into cute little flower shapes?

They also have bento boxes which are packaged boxes filled with a variety of tasty bites portioned and sectioned to make a really healthy and convenient meal to go. Growing up in Hawaii, I remember being able to grab these types of bento boxes all over the place. Seeing the bento boxes on the counter brought back some nice memories and I'll definitely be back to grab one next time I need a quick meal to go.

I also found out that Smart Deli also has an online food order/delivery service. The order form is on their website. I took a look and there is a nice wide range of all the Japanese basics you'd need to cook a nice meal at home. So, if you're feeling inspired to cook some Japanese food in your own kitchen, you're all set here!

Before I left, Yumi came over to chat with me as I was looking at a flyer for an upcoming event they were hosting with handmade crafts and food demos. It was such a nice treat getting to learn about her life and the restaurant. Felt like being at a friends house for lunch and sitting around chatting after. All her hard work definitely shows as I found out it happened to be their 10 year anniversary on the day I was there and I got a free homemade smiley face cookie for their birthday as part of the celebration.

What more can I say? Go check this place out - you'll be hooked too

A real mix of different Japanese food served by genuinely friendly people.

There are slightly different menus for lunch and dinner. The lunch time one is reasonably priced; the set meals are particularly good value. The food is always delicious and fresh, be it noodles, sushi or soups. Their hot food like teriyaki chicken is unusually good. If you are encumbered by a large appetite, you might find yourself satisfied with the quality and flavour but not with the portion size. Sometimes I find myself ordering two things here out of fear of leaving hungry.

In the evening, things are still good but be aware that they are distinctly more expensive.

There is also a shop area at the back where they sell a good range of Japanese food and food ingredients.

For me.was.just ok.
BUT! Nice.rice..i should.admit that.
But some are too expensibe for the price. But overall 8~11euro/plt. Fish was.enough fresh.
Service.was ok.
But nothing "wow".just OK..

I would.say, have this kinds of OK restaurant near house for when i dont want to cook and dont wanna go far to eat great food.

If you're craving Japanese food, then stop by this place.

I love unagi and they served a nice portion of unagi on rice. I love their unique selection of bottled soda pop.

Nice little place away from the busy areas.

Arigato

I didn't have their bento so far and I am looking forward to it. At my visit I had a so called tofu steak instead which turned out to be fried tofu with mushrooms. The seasoning of the mushrooms and sauce was good while the tofu was too bland. It was okaaaaaay and didn't made it to one of my favourites to far but I am betting on their bentos.

Very small & cute Japanese supermarket where you can also have fantastic lunches.


The sushi is amazing and we had a delicious teriyaki salmon here!

Nice place! little kitschy inside but really good food. i had some sushi and meatballs covered in noodles, don't know whats there name. i had a nice citrus tea also. the atmosphere is quiet nice, the waitress are nice.
what else to say if you're around chaussee straße you should give it a try :)

Great place! Glad to see its move from near Boxhagenerplz., hopefully it will spell death to all the fake sushi joints that plague all directions around Friedrichstr. and Torstr.
Authentic, home made Japanese rolls, noodles, groceries. Yeah, you can go for the fake 50 percent sushi buffet whatevers, but we all know once you taste quality, authenticity.it is hard to go back.
Many vegan options, a welcome wrinkle in technology from the Japanese.
Highly recommended are the hand made tofu, made to order rolls.

LOVE this place! i hardly ever get to go because i'm usually working and they close around the times we are closing but you can expect a small and very kitschy japanese themed shop. fresh sushi and a nice cafe to sit and enjoy the food. they have lunch specials, soups, sashimi, gifts and even green tea ice cream! love love love it! and the owners are cool too. go support this place!