It breaks my heart to write this bc I really enjoy the food here, but the series of unfortunate events compounded in the same meal has lead me here. The first plate in our order came pretty quickly, and then the rest of the orders came 40 minutes later? Then the wagyu plate was not the greatest for the cost. Then our food came out when the surrounding tables around us had their food come out in one large order, and they came minutes after us. And finally, the meek apology in passing at the end showed they basically didn't care. I understand hiring and restaurants have it hard these days, but a full restaurant on a Tuesday should have better service.
John Asuncion
The food here was some of the best Japanese food I've had in any state or country, except Japan. Service was okay, but more than made up for it with the exceptional food. My family wanted to dine here New years eve, sadly they were closed. We had to settle for a disappointing Chinese restaurant.
Max Youshimatz
Great place for Japanese food. I come to this place regularly, and have tried a large number of dishes. Some of my favorites are the Chirashi bowl, Okonomiyaki and their Sukiyaki. These dishes take me back to my time traveling through Japan.
Lyvidia A
Great restaurant with a good mix of Japanese food and drinks. Had the pork belly appetizer, the saba sashimi, mixed sushi, Okinawan soba, and chirashi bowl. The saba was incredible and the mixed sushi was a nice selection of 8 nigiri. The chirashi bowl was very good, I didn't realize when ordering that it came with more than just the bowl. The miso soup was well balanced and had tempura bits in it. The agedashi tofu was delicious and perfectly made. The potato salad and pickles were a nice touch. The bowl itself was loaded with all sorts of goodies, including cod roe, unagi, ika, and a cooked shrimp. The unagi had a light amount if sauce on it which allowed you to actually taste the wonderfully smoky eel. Will definitely be back to try other items that we didn't get a chance to. (The yakitori looked so good!)
Kathy Helder
Food was very good (recommended by friend). We were tight on time due to flight out. Food and dining took 1 hour. Price for 3 people was reasonable. The place filled quickly. I definitely will go back.
Karen Chan
My sister and I sat at the sushi bar for omakase. It was truly one of the best experience. The sushi chefs were very friendly, prepared tons of wonderful and delicious sushi. Every piece was different. The price was great.
Ihui Chang
The sashimi is fresh and delicious. We had pork curry rice, yaki udon, seafood steam egg. Everything is good. Love to come back again!
CHI
Love their bento set! ? I often come here for lunch, the bento is tasty and with reasonable price.
Jeremy Katz
This place will set you back some coin, but it’s quite authentic.
Hannah Myers
Disappointed. We were sat down and ordered within ten minutes but it took them nearly an hour to get out our food to us, and then it took them another 15-30 minutes to get our check. The food wasn't that bad but it wasn't great either, likely will not be coming back.
This restaurant came highly recommended, and was quite a disappointment. Dinner was served an hour after we ordered. Very difficult to get any of the staff's attention. The food was okay, not stellar. Likely will not give them a second chance because there are too many outstanding Japanese restaurants in the area.
Evan H
My 93 yr old Aunt took me here for lunch on my quick trip to San Diego. She chose Izakaya Sakura because my dad had hosted a family gathering here a few years back. She remembered it was good and thought it would be fun to eat at the sushi bar. It was indeed very fun!The restaurant isn't very big but it does have a few tables inside, a sushi bar, and a few outdoor seats. My aunt had made reservations ahead of time for the sushi bar and it was probably a good idea as the place during lunch rush on a Saturday was pretty steady.We sat at the sushi bar and asked the sushi chef, Kazu, to do a sushi lunch style Omakase. He was more than happy to do that. Kazu then proceeded to make us sushi nigiri after sushi nigiri.I've been to many sushi restaurants and what made this special was not only the sushi but Kazu himself. We learned that Kazu was the owner and has had that location for 21 years. He also had lived/worked in Portland Oregon where I am from. As we talked and ate each of his wonderful creations, Kazu started to really tailor the sushi in his omakase for us. He started sharing special fish flown in from Japan that were generally reserved for the high end menu/dishes (like a fish cousin to Fubu and fresh raw Tako). It was like I was at a whisky bar and the owner just opened up his private collection for us to try.The menu here is extremely reasonably priced for those looking for the standard Japanese fare. However, I would highly recommend going here to experience the chef's choice off menu omakase. Make sure to ask Kazu to start with the special ("Japanese") sushi cased on the left... That was pure taste bud heaven.Overall this isn't the fanciest of Japanese locales. However, it is more homey and what I remember what it was like back in Japan at a sushi bar. On my upcoming return trip to San Diego my Aunt and I have already made reservations to come back to hang out with Kazu and order his off menu omakase again. You should too if you want a little sushi adventure.
Derrick Judge
Great food, reasonable prices, and good service... There menu isn't the most straight forward but the food is very good. Did the curry omelet and it was great
Chia-Hsien Ho
Great place for Japanese beer and alcohol.Foods are fine too.One of our water glasses is not well-cleaned and smelled like raw fish. We responded to the server and got changed. Not a big deal but could be more careful on the detail.
Susan K
This is the worst food I've ever had on convoy street. I bought 6 different appetizers and they were all bad aside from the karragge chicken. These skewers were $5 for 4 bites of bad unflavored meat, the pork belly looked tasted like it was previously frozen and then flash fried, it was tough and chewy. The gypza was mushy. I have never been so disappointed. Gross food. Stay away!
It breaks my heart to write this bc I really enjoy the food here, but the series of unfortunate events compounded in the same meal has lead me here. The first plate in our order came pretty quickly, and then the rest of the orders came 40 minutes later? Then the wagyu plate was not the greatest for the cost. Then our food came out when the surrounding tables around us had their food come out in one large order, and they came minutes after us. And finally, the meek apology in passing at the end showed they basically didn't care. I understand hiring and restaurants have it hard these days, but a full restaurant on a Tuesday should have better service.
The food here was some of the best Japanese food I've had in any state or country, except Japan. Service was okay, but more than made up for it with the exceptional food. My family wanted to dine here New years eve, sadly they were closed. We had to settle for a disappointing Chinese restaurant.
Great place for Japanese food. I come to this place regularly, and have tried a large number of dishes. Some of my favorites are the Chirashi bowl, Okonomiyaki and their Sukiyaki. These dishes take me back to my time traveling through Japan.
Great restaurant with a good mix of Japanese food and drinks. Had the pork belly appetizer, the saba sashimi, mixed sushi, Okinawan soba, and chirashi bowl. The saba was incredible and the mixed sushi was a nice selection of 8 nigiri. The chirashi bowl was very good, I didn't realize when ordering that it came with more than just the bowl. The miso soup was well balanced and had tempura bits in it. The agedashi tofu was delicious and perfectly made. The potato salad and pickles were a nice touch. The bowl itself was loaded with all sorts of goodies, including cod roe, unagi, ika, and a cooked shrimp. The unagi had a light amount if sauce on it which allowed you to actually taste the wonderfully smoky eel. Will definitely be back to try other items that we didn't get a chance to. (The yakitori looked so good!)
Food was very good (recommended by friend). We were tight on time due to flight out. Food and dining took 1 hour. Price for 3 people was reasonable. The place filled quickly. I definitely will go back.
My sister and I sat at the sushi bar for omakase. It was truly one of the best experience. The sushi chefs were very friendly, prepared tons of wonderful and delicious sushi. Every piece was different. The price was great.
The sashimi is fresh and delicious. We had pork curry rice, yaki udon, seafood steam egg. Everything is good. Love to come back again!
Love their bento set! ? I often come here for lunch, the bento is tasty and with reasonable price.
This place will set you back some coin, but it’s quite authentic.
Disappointed. We were sat down and ordered within ten minutes but it took them nearly an hour to get out our food to us, and then it took them another 15-30 minutes to get our check. The food wasn't that bad but it wasn't great either, likely will not be coming back.
Restaurantji Recommends
This restaurant came highly recommended, and was quite a disappointment. Dinner was served an hour after we ordered. Very difficult to get any of the staff's attention. The food was okay, not stellar. Likely will not give them a second chance because there are too many outstanding Japanese restaurants in the area.
My 93 yr old Aunt took me here for lunch on my quick trip to San Diego. She chose Izakaya Sakura because my dad had hosted a family gathering here a few years back. She remembered it was good and thought it would be fun to eat at the sushi bar. It was indeed very fun!The restaurant isn't very big but it does have a few tables inside, a sushi bar, and a few outdoor seats. My aunt had made reservations ahead of time for the sushi bar and it was probably a good idea as the place during lunch rush on a Saturday was pretty steady.We sat at the sushi bar and asked the sushi chef, Kazu, to do a sushi lunch style Omakase. He was more than happy to do that. Kazu then proceeded to make us sushi nigiri after sushi nigiri.I've been to many sushi restaurants and what made this special was not only the sushi but Kazu himself. We learned that Kazu was the owner and has had that location for 21 years. He also had lived/worked in Portland Oregon where I am from. As we talked and ate each of his wonderful creations, Kazu started to really tailor the sushi in his omakase for us. He started sharing special fish flown in from Japan that were generally reserved for the high end menu/dishes (like a fish cousin to Fubu and fresh raw Tako). It was like I was at a whisky bar and the owner just opened up his private collection for us to try.The menu here is extremely reasonably priced for those looking for the standard Japanese fare. However, I would highly recommend going here to experience the chef's choice off menu omakase. Make sure to ask Kazu to start with the special ("Japanese") sushi cased on the left... That was pure taste bud heaven.Overall this isn't the fanciest of Japanese locales. However, it is more homey and what I remember what it was like back in Japan at a sushi bar. On my upcoming return trip to San Diego my Aunt and I have already made reservations to come back to hang out with Kazu and order his off menu omakase again. You should too if you want a little sushi adventure.
Great food, reasonable prices, and good service... There menu isn't the most straight forward but the food is very good. Did the curry omelet and it was great
Great place for Japanese beer and alcohol.Foods are fine too.One of our water glasses is not well-cleaned and smelled like raw fish. We responded to the server and got changed. Not a big deal but could be more careful on the detail.
This is the worst food I've ever had on convoy street. I bought 6 different appetizers and they were all bad aside from the karragge chicken. These skewers were $5 for 4 bites of bad unflavored meat, the pork belly looked tasted like it was previously frozen and then flash fried, it was tough and chewy. The gypza was mushy. I have never been so disappointed. Gross food. Stay away!