Yoshi’s began in 1972 as a small, North Berkeley sushi bar owned by a trio of struggling students with plenty of dreams. Its founder and namesake, Yoshie Akiba, orphaned during World War II, came to the U.S. to study fine arts, dance and dance therapy. She opened Yoshi’s Japanese Restaurant with her two best friends Kaz Kajimura, a journalist and carpenter, and Hiroyuki Hori, a painter and Japanese cook. The original North-Berkeley, 25-seat restaurant quickly became successful and by 1977 the three partners moved to a larger space on Claremont Avenue in Oakland and began introducing live music in their restaurant. Over the next 20 years, Yoshi’s built itself into one of the world’s most respected jazz venues and won a reputation as the Bay Area’s premier location for people who were looking for great food and the best jazz. Yoshi’s has hosted legendary jazz greats such as Betty Carter, Max Roach, Dizzy Gillespie, Joe Williams, Diana Krall, Branford Marsalis, McCoy Tyner, Harry Connick Jr. and Oscar Peterson among hundreds of others.
Hours
Dinner:
Mon – Wed: 5:30pm to 9:00pm
Thu – Sat: 5:30pm to 10:00pm
Sun: 5:00pm to 9:00pm
*Open 2 hours before the show
Happy Hour:
Mon – Sat: 4:30pm – 6:00pm
Late night menu served in Club, Bar & Lounge
Address
Jack London Square
510 Embarcadero West
Oakland, CA 94607
Contact
(510) 238-9200