I went for the first (and last) time in June 2025 and it was one of the most disappointing culinary experiences to date. My partner and I did the tasting and if it had been $150pp, I would have been mildly disappointed but quickly forgotten it. The fact that it was nearly $300pp - only $100 less than Addison!! - made it so memorably overpriced that my partner and I joke every time we've had a terrible meal that at least it wasn't as bad as Matsu.
We were wary of the price and lack of a star (honestly, we should have known better, with how easy it was to get a reservation), but the a la carte menu was so sparse in its descriptions and the staff so unhelpful that we just gave up and did the tasting out of confusion, really. My partner wasn't crazy about any his courses, and my vegetarian courses basically all tasted the same - spicy. I ate only 1/2 of each course and the staff never asked why my plates weren't coming back clean, or if everything was okay.
Needless to say, we will never go back. I really don't understand what I'm missing with all these rave reviews I've seen!
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 2
Ryan
Haven't been to Matsu in a few years and the experience was incredible and surpassed even my already large expectations!! The staff was amazing, food was innovative and incredible, and overall the experience was so fun. Can't wait to come back
Joseph Dinh
I usually never write reviews but I had to let the world know about this. This place is an absolute scam. Never had I ever had food that tasted this bad. Like... really bad. The combinations of food does not make any sense at all. Thank god I'm in a long relationship with my girlfriend because if this was my first date.. she would ghost me.
I paid roughly $700 for this experience and it was probably the worst food I've eaten. My girl and I asked for the check before the course was over. That's how terrible it was.
In all, the experience felt like we were getting punk'd thinking that each dish was gonna be better, but as it progress it got worse.
Again, I would not recommend this to anybody at all. Bad signals already when we first entered and there was hardly anybody eating there. And as we looked around, nobody finished their food or liked it at all. Honestly, felt like we were trapped and forced to continue trying each dish.
Ate here November 1st 2025
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 1
Service: 3
Joseph
Definitely not worth the money. Whoeever came up with this menu doesn't seem to taste their food. If they did, they would know that its absolutely disgusting.
Michelle
An absolutely stellar dining experience. Thank you so much to the chef and staff for such a special evening.
Stephanie
The restaurant is a hole-in-the-wall in an Oceanside strip mall, but what an outstanding culinary experience!! The service was wonderful, the staff were all so friendly and well-versed in all 10 courses of the omikase menu. The food was perfection, so it was unfortunate that it was so empty on a Saturday night, it definitely is Michelin star worthy, so people need to wake up and overlook the location!
Opentable Diner
A truly secluded and mellow experience. I hope it will become your favorite spot as it became mine.
Susan
Matsu was a lovely dining experience. The service was amazing. Coltrane and his team were knowledgeable, friendly and attentive. Each course was expertly explained and served. We had the tasting menu and it was plenty of food. The price is a little steep but I'd go now before they get a Michelin star. It was not a busy night so it would have been nice if the chef came out to our table.
Emily Lukacz
Intimate dining experience with fabulous service and food. Thoughtful wine pairing with some fun and unique drinks
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Spencer
Our dining experience was great, the owner and collaborating chef came by multiple times to drop off plates and explain the different concepts.
Hidden gem! Upscale modern , fun, beautiful presentation, locally sourced, great service and unique recipes! A must try! We ordered nearly everything from the Ala carte menu, next time we'll do the 10 course tasting menu.
Willa
Not worth the money at all. Many dishes missed the mark. Bitter flavors, undercooked potsticker course (dough and center felt undercooked and we were not able to finish it), one dish came out so hot it burned my partner's mouth, lobster cut into too large of bites without a knife to cut (not to mention it would have been very difficult to cut served in a bowl), the menu didn't list a description of what each course was, no hostess (we were seated by the wait staff), extremely loud inside (could use some sound dampening), and I've seen more interesting decor at hole in the wall restaurants (at least invest in real plants for that price point)...I could go on and on. When you're paying that much the details matter and too many were overlooked. I have no clue how this restaurant got named best Japanese restaurant in San Diego since 2022. I've had many multi course fine dining meals in many states and countries, and this was the worst one I've ever experienced. You know it's really bad when you consider leaving before all the courses have come out. Made for a very disappointing anniversary dinner. We regretted spending our money here. The one good thing was the service, which was excellent and friendly. Only issue was the noise level in the restaurant made it difficult to hear the staff's description of the dishes at times. We would absolutely not return.
Kimberly
What an exquisite journey through a tasting menu that was made up of tasty dishes I'd never experienced before anywhere on Planet Earth! While inspired by Japanese culture, it was nothing like anything I'd ever had in my ~100 business trips to Japan. So creative! And the people who were preparing and serving the dinner and wine/sake pairing made it interesting and fun by truly connecting with us as human beings. Wonderful!
janeth
Matsu is certainly an experience! Excellent and very knowledgable service—I tried the 10-course tasting menu and the paired wine and sake tasting-but it ended up being all high end wines, which surprised me a bit. I was hoping for the highest end sushi, sashimi and other Japanese creations—but I wonder if they cater more to the American tastebuds of 3-4 desserts and quite a bit of creams and heavy sauces that, unfortunately, did not agree with me. I've experienced amazing food in Kyoto so I may be a little jaded, but I did not think the food was on par with the price.
Tessie
I had a very disappointing experience at Matsu. The food quality was poor, and I even found seafood skin and fish scales in my dish, which was completely unacceptable. Everything was overly salty, and when I mentioned it to the server, nothing was changed. The service and drinks were good, but the food completely ruined the experience. Overall, it was a very bad dining experience and I cannot recommend this place.
I went for the first (and last) time in June 2025 and it was one of the most disappointing culinary experiences to date. My partner and I did the tasting and if it had been $150pp, I would have been mildly disappointed but quickly forgotten it. The fact that it was nearly $300pp - only $100 less than Addison!! - made it so memorably overpriced that my partner and I joke every time we've had a terrible meal that at least it wasn't as bad as Matsu.
We were wary of the price and lack of a star (honestly, we should have known better, with how easy it was to get a reservation), but the a la carte menu was so sparse in its descriptions and the staff so unhelpful that we just gave up and did the tasting out of confusion, really. My partner wasn't crazy about any his courses, and my vegetarian courses basically all tasted the same - spicy. I ate only 1/2 of each course and the staff never asked why my plates weren't coming back clean, or if everything was okay.
Needless to say, we will never go back. I really don't understand what I'm missing with all these rave reviews I've seen!
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 2
Haven't been to Matsu in a few years and the experience was incredible and surpassed even my already large expectations!! The staff was amazing, food was innovative and incredible, and overall the experience was so fun. Can't wait to come back
I usually never write reviews but I had to let the world know about this. This place is an absolute scam. Never had I ever had food that tasted this bad. Like... really bad. The combinations of food does not make any sense at all. Thank god I'm in a long relationship with my girlfriend because if this was my first date.. she would ghost me.
I paid roughly $700 for this experience and it was probably the worst food I've eaten. My girl and I asked for the check before the course was over. That's how terrible it was.
In all, the experience felt like we were getting punk'd thinking that each dish was gonna be better, but as it progress it got worse.
Again, I would not recommend this to anybody at all. Bad signals already when we first entered and there was hardly anybody eating there. And as we looked around, nobody finished their food or liked it at all. Honestly, felt like we were trapped and forced to continue trying each dish.
Ate here November 1st 2025
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 1
Service: 3
Definitely not worth the money. Whoeever came up with this menu doesn't seem to taste their food. If they did, they would know that its absolutely disgusting.
An absolutely stellar dining experience. Thank you so much to the chef and staff for such a special evening.
The restaurant is a hole-in-the-wall in an Oceanside strip mall, but what an outstanding culinary experience!! The service was wonderful, the staff were all so friendly and well-versed in all 10 courses of the omikase menu. The food was perfection, so it was unfortunate that it was so empty on a Saturday night, it definitely is Michelin star worthy, so people need to wake up and overlook the location!
A truly secluded and mellow experience. I hope it will become your favorite spot as it became mine.
Matsu was a lovely dining experience. The service was amazing. Coltrane and his team were knowledgeable, friendly and attentive. Each course was expertly explained and served. We had the tasting menu and it was plenty of food. The price is a little steep but I'd go now before they get a Michelin star. It was not a busy night so it would have been nice if the chef came out to our table.
Intimate dining experience with fabulous service and food. Thoughtful wine pairing with some fun and unique drinks
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Our dining experience was great, the owner and collaborating chef came by multiple times to drop off plates and explain the different concepts.
Restaurantji Recommends
Hidden gem! Upscale modern , fun, beautiful presentation, locally sourced, great service and unique recipes! A must try! We ordered nearly everything from the Ala carte menu, next time we'll do the 10 course tasting menu.
Not worth the money at all. Many dishes missed the mark. Bitter flavors, undercooked potsticker course (dough and center felt undercooked and we were not able to finish it), one dish came out so hot it burned my partner's mouth, lobster cut into too large of bites without a knife to cut (not to mention it would have been very difficult to cut served in a bowl), the menu didn't list a description of what each course was, no hostess (we were seated by the wait staff), extremely loud inside (could use some sound dampening), and I've seen more interesting decor at hole in the wall restaurants (at least invest in real plants for that price point)...I could go on and on. When you're paying that much the details matter and too many were overlooked. I have no clue how this restaurant got named best Japanese restaurant in San Diego since 2022. I've had many multi course fine dining meals in many states and countries, and this was the worst one I've ever experienced. You know it's really bad when you consider leaving before all the courses have come out. Made for a very disappointing anniversary dinner. We regretted spending our money here. The one good thing was the service, which was excellent and friendly. Only issue was the noise level in the restaurant made it difficult to hear the staff's description of the dishes at times. We would absolutely not return.
What an exquisite journey through a tasting menu that was made up of tasty dishes I'd never experienced before anywhere on Planet Earth! While inspired by Japanese culture, it was nothing like anything I'd ever had in my ~100 business trips to Japan. So creative! And the people who were preparing and serving the dinner and wine/sake pairing made it interesting and fun by truly connecting with us as human beings. Wonderful!
Matsu is certainly an experience! Excellent and very knowledgable service—I tried the 10-course tasting menu and the paired wine and sake tasting-but it ended up being all high end wines, which surprised me a bit. I was hoping for the highest end sushi, sashimi and other Japanese creations—but I wonder if they cater more to the American tastebuds of 3-4 desserts and quite a bit of creams and heavy sauces that, unfortunately, did not agree with me. I've experienced amazing food in Kyoto so I may be a little jaded, but I did not think the food was on par with the price.
I had a very disappointing experience at Matsu. The food quality was poor, and I even found seafood skin and fish scales in my dish, which was completely unacceptable. Everything was overly salty, and when I mentioned it to the server, nothing was changed. The service and drinks were good, but the food completely ruined the experience. Overall, it was a very bad dining experience and I cannot recommend this place.
Loading...