I’ve been to Hatsuzakura four times now and each one has been a unique and rewarding experience. From the service, to the atmosphere, and the food. Especially the food! Each meal has been a welcoming reminder of wonderful times living in Japan. An absolute must when in San Diego! Don’t forget, they close briefly from 3-4:30 pm.
evie
$18 for kakigori is daylight robbery
got the mango kakigori + matcha latte; their matcha is soo creamy and u can really taste the high quality matcha. it's a bit on the sweeter side though but still v yummy. i wouldn't get the kakigori again but their matcha was def worth it. also very cute place and great for pictures
Jennifer Joy
The Daifuku here is EXCELLENT, 11/10. All the textures and ratios and sweetness are spot on, Curry is great but I’ll be back for the Daifuku alone!
(Thank you for your generosity and whimsy, Rey!)
Joella Fang
had an exceptional dining experience at Hatsuzaura! The soup, salad, and dessert were all delicious and authentic Japanese cuisine. Some dish only can find here. Highly recommend. Worth a visit
Sabrina Sabels
I recently returned from a trip to Japan and have been missing it. The food and atmosphere of this restaurant instantly transported me back! I got the omurice with the $3 beer deal and my husband got the yakisoba. We both really enjoyed our meals and split a delicious matcha parfait for dessert. We will be back!
Phong Hua
👍👍👍
Jena Crosby
Food was amazing and so were the drinks and desserts!
Just be careful when parking because there is only street parking and the inside is small that it's best to go either as a pair or 3. Party of 4 is pushing it and any more, either you want 1 hour+ for a table to all eat together or eat at separate tables.
Kevin Gizara
I don’t have any complaints about this place. Everything was wonderful and it’s a stand out Japanese place even in San Diego (fierce competition). I highly recommend!
J. Oga
This place is amazing. Cozy, friendly with delicious food. Best matcha latte I had in San Diego. The curry was great. Bathroom is clean. Great overall experience. Will be back
Pauline Steele
Hatsazukara is a very intimate restaurant located in a quiet neighborhood in University Heights. When driving to the place, at first I thought I had the wrong address but it’s just a little hidden. Once you enter, you’ll see how amazing the decor and ambiance is inside. Our party of 2 ate here for lunch on Thursday and there were still many seats available, though I can see how a long wait can form during dinner/busier times. There were a few 4-person seats, a few 2-person seats, bar seats, and 1 bigger table on the patio that can maybe seat around 6 people.
Our server was very attentive and our food came out fairly quickly. There’s a separate tea menu that featured milk teas (all iced) and loose leaf tea (hot or iced). I opted for the Okinawa Brown Sugar Milk Tea ($8.50) and it was delicious! My friend ordered hot Matcha Latte which also tasted great. We ordered the Full Set + $7.50 for 1 entree, soup, salad/rice, and 1 small dessert. -Guratan ($17): creamy baked macaroni casserole that was bigger than what we had seen in the pictures. It was so creamy and delicious and was pretty filling -Yakisoba ($15) + sub shrimp ($3): it was filling and had a generous amount of little shrimps in the dish though I think it could used just a tad bit more flavor -For the small desserts as part of the full set, you get an option for either regular mochi or mochi ice cream. We opted for Matcha Mochi Ice Cream which had 1 piece cut in half. It was pretty delicious!
Absolutely loved the vibe inside this restaurant and would come back again for their teas and to try out more things on their dessert menu!
Cute Japanese Cafe restaurant. Lots of tea selection.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: White Cream Pasta, Karaage Chicken
Daniela Alvarado
Wow where do I start!! The authenticity of this place blew me away! As someone who lived in Japan for three years before , the flavors here really took me back.. everything from the decor inside to the way the bathroom was set up right down to the smell of cherry blossom fragrance when you walk in. It was spot on!!
We were seated right away and given water in the cutest pink glasses. We ordered the Chef Soichi Karaage as an appetizer, and for entrees I ordered the Bakudan Onigiri with Tuna Mayo and my friend got the Guratan. Oh my goodness!!8!$/?3 had Karaage in the states but no one ever gets it right but Hatsuzakurs did! It was authentically Japanese either way the batter being perfectly airy like you’d get in the streets of Japan served either way a beautiful dollop of Japanese mayo and I squeezed the lemon on top and it really brought it all together! My Onigiri was cooked perfectly and again authentic flavors that just gave my taste buds a hug! The tuna was fresh and it was actually a very large onigiri so I didn’t get to finish it in one sitting. And the Guratan was a delicious white cream pasta that was absolutely delicious!
Everything was perfect right down to the service and the little details. I was so happy here I wanted to cry! I finally! Authentic Japanese! You gotta try it if you’ve ever wondered about Japan flavors, REAL JAPANESE FLAVORS!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Tuna Mayo and Salted Plum Onigiri, Chef Soichi Karaage
Nathalie Lawrence
Staff was really nice to me.
The food is delicious. The grutan or penne and cheese casserole was succulent. However chicken was overcooked. The sandos were amazing, the bread tastes so good even without anything on there. The onigiri had cooked salmon inside of it (i was expecting raw :( ) so not my cup of tea. The strawberry soda was really good, they make it homemade. The karaage chicken was meh in my opinion. Bland and not really good.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Fruit Sando
Anthony Raymundo
Love this place. A hidden gem in the heart of San Diego
Kid-friendliness: Sat by the bar with our 3 month. It was Great
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Fruit Sando, Tuna Mayo and Salted Plum Onigiri, Strawberry Mochi Ice Cream, Chef Soichi's Karaage GFO
Debora Adjibaba
The food was very disappointing. Ordered 3 dishes and I thought all 3 were disgusting. The atmosphere is calming though and the service is great.
I’ve been to Hatsuzakura four times now and each one has been a unique and rewarding experience. From the service, to the atmosphere, and the food. Especially the food! Each meal has been a welcoming reminder of wonderful times living in Japan. An absolute must when in San Diego! Don’t forget, they close briefly from 3-4:30 pm.
$18 for kakigori is daylight robbery
got the mango kakigori + matcha latte; their matcha is soo creamy and u can really taste the high quality matcha. it's a bit on the sweeter side though but still v yummy. i wouldn't get the kakigori again but their matcha was def worth it. also very cute place and great for pictures
The Daifuku here is EXCELLENT, 11/10. All the textures and ratios and sweetness are spot on, Curry is great but I’ll be back for the Daifuku alone!
(Thank you for your generosity and whimsy, Rey!)
had an exceptional dining experience at Hatsuzaura! The soup, salad, and dessert were all delicious and authentic Japanese cuisine. Some dish only can find here. Highly recommend. Worth a visit
I recently returned from a trip to Japan and have been missing it. The food and atmosphere of this restaurant instantly transported me back! I got the omurice with the $3 beer deal and my husband got the yakisoba. We both really enjoyed our meals and split a delicious matcha parfait for dessert. We will be back!
👍👍👍
Food was amazing and so were the drinks and desserts!
Just be careful when parking because there is only street parking and the inside is small that it's best to go either as a pair or 3. Party of 4 is pushing it and any more, either you want 1 hour+ for a table to all eat together or eat at separate tables.
I don’t have any complaints about this place. Everything was wonderful and it’s a stand out Japanese place even in San Diego (fierce competition). I highly recommend!
This place is amazing. Cozy, friendly with delicious food. Best matcha latte I had in San Diego. The curry was great. Bathroom is clean. Great overall experience. Will be back
Hatsazukara is a very intimate restaurant located in a quiet neighborhood in University Heights. When driving to the place, at first I thought I had the wrong address but it’s just a little hidden. Once you enter, you’ll see how amazing the decor and ambiance is inside. Our party of 2 ate here for lunch on Thursday and there were still many seats available, though I can see how a long wait can form during dinner/busier times. There were a few 4-person seats, a few 2-person seats, bar seats, and 1 bigger table on the patio that can maybe seat around 6 people.
Our server was very attentive and our food came out fairly quickly.
There’s a separate tea menu that featured milk teas (all iced) and loose leaf tea (hot or iced). I opted for the Okinawa Brown Sugar Milk Tea ($8.50) and it was delicious! My friend ordered hot Matcha Latte which also tasted great. We ordered the Full Set + $7.50 for 1 entree, soup, salad/rice, and 1 small dessert.
-Guratan ($17): creamy baked macaroni casserole that was bigger than what we had seen in the pictures. It was so creamy and delicious and was pretty filling
-Yakisoba ($15) + sub shrimp ($3): it was filling and had a generous amount of little shrimps in the dish though I think it could used just a tad bit more flavor
-For the small desserts as part of the full set, you get an option for either regular mochi or mochi ice cream. We opted for Matcha Mochi Ice Cream which had 1 piece cut in half. It was pretty delicious!
Absolutely loved the vibe inside this restaurant and would come back again for their teas and to try out more things on their dessert menu!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
Cute Japanese Cafe restaurant. Lots of tea selection.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: White Cream Pasta, Karaage Chicken
Wow where do I start!! The authenticity of this place blew me away! As someone who lived in Japan for three years before , the flavors here really took me back.. everything from the decor inside to the way the bathroom was set up right down to the smell of cherry blossom fragrance when you walk in. It was spot on!!
We were seated right away and given water in the cutest pink glasses. We ordered the Chef Soichi Karaage as an appetizer, and for entrees I ordered the Bakudan Onigiri with Tuna Mayo and my friend got the Guratan. Oh my goodness!!8!$/?3 had Karaage in the states but no one ever gets it right but Hatsuzakurs did! It was authentically Japanese either way the batter being perfectly airy like you’d get in the streets of Japan served either way a beautiful dollop of Japanese mayo and I squeezed the lemon on top and it really brought it all together! My Onigiri was cooked perfectly and again authentic flavors that just gave my taste buds a hug! The tuna was fresh and it was actually a very large onigiri so I didn’t get to finish it in one sitting. And the Guratan was a delicious white cream pasta that was absolutely delicious!
Everything was perfect right down to the service and the little details. I was so happy here I wanted to cry! I finally! Authentic Japanese! You gotta try it if you’ve ever wondered about Japan flavors, REAL JAPANESE FLAVORS!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Tuna Mayo and Salted Plum Onigiri, Chef Soichi Karaage
Staff was really nice to me.
The food is delicious.
The grutan or penne and cheese casserole was succulent. However chicken was overcooked.
The sandos were amazing, the bread tastes so good even without anything on there.
The onigiri had cooked salmon inside of it (i was expecting raw :( ) so not my cup of tea.
The strawberry soda was really good, they make it homemade.
The karaage chicken was meh in my opinion. Bland and not really good.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Fruit Sando
Love this place. A hidden gem in the heart of San Diego
Kid-friendliness: Sat by the bar with our 3 month. It was Great
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Fruit Sando, Tuna Mayo and Salted Plum Onigiri, Strawberry Mochi Ice Cream, Chef Soichi's Karaage GFO
The food was very disappointing. Ordered 3 dishes and I thought all 3 were disgusting. The atmosphere is calming though and the service is great.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 1
Service: 5
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