Sushi boats are fast fun food for families

My own children tend toward burgers and quesadillas and have generally steered clear of more interesting cuisine, but they do love sushi boats!

At Sushi Boat restaurants, kids are often the primary patrons at the bar between about 5pm and 6:3opm. You can watch boats float by right within your grasp (mercifully behind a sneeze guard for particularly grabby toddlers) including vegetarian options, pineapple chunks, and a few dessert options. The best thing about this outing is that feeding hungry families is instantaneous: sit right down and grab your dinner without the burden of ordering.

Other stuff to know:

– Parking in Rockridge can be tough
– Come early, no reservations required
– This meal is NOT cheap. With just me and a mostly-vegetarian nine-year old, we spent over $50. Gulp. But we had lots of fun doing it.

I’m not especially loyal to Takara but I do love the boats (AKA bune) for speed and sheer joy. Other sushi recommendations from our readers include:

• Ty Alper likes Toyo on Shattuck with the family.
• Rob Baedeker likes Oni Sushi in Montclair village: good food, reasonable prices, super friendly staff. They give kids chopstick holders and a little bonus sushi roll made to look like a cartoon bear face
• Michelle Cruz Gonzales likes like Tsuru Sushi in San Leandro with her son.
• Sushi House in Alameda has outdoor seating (with heaters!) and is great for large groups.
• Chantal Laurie likes Glenview’s Sushi Park, while small, is incredibly accommodating to families and serves up might delicious rolls
• Cara likes El Cerrito’s Katana-Ya Ramen Restaurant has a nice variety of ramen (all kids like those long, fun noodles right?) and sushi.
• Koryo Sushi in Temescal wins with Whitney for being closest to our favorite karaoke joint.
• Find 27 Asian restaurants loved by kids on our Top 99 list.