Non-existent service, food is good. This place is hard to get a reservation so we were exited to try it. The food tastes good but the service is terrible. I guess there’s not a lot of good Japanese options in sd.
Each time it took us 5 minutes to get the server’s attention and another 5 minutes to get the thing done - to order, to give us the wasabi that they forgot to add along with the sushi, to refill tea, to serve the rice we ordered, to add water to the sukiyaki (the sukiyaki was too salty to eat for more than 10 min towards the end and we just turned off the stove and waited), to get the check etc. They also had the 90 min limit which made us anxious. ~half of the fish menu was unavailable today. Perhaps it’s from the storm.
Also the tip is calculated from after-tax amount, not pre-tax. We still tipped 18% after-tax since it’s a stormy day, but might not come back again.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 1
go hoashi
Hidden gem, cozy Izakaya style Japanese restaurant. Food reminds me of Japan. Definitely go back to try out different menu items
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Jennifer Jones
An unforgettable night at Robataya Oton! We had such an amazing dinner, easily one of the best Japanese meals we’ve ever had in San Diego. Every dish was outstanding: the fish was unbelievably fresh, the uni was the best we’ve ever tasted, and since it’s monkfish liver season, that was an absolute standout, rich, silky, and perfectly prepared. The shabu shabu was insanely good, full of flavor and beautifully presented. OMG, the meat!!!
We dined in one of their traditional horigotatsu rooms which was super cozy, private, and beautifully lit, which made the whole evening feel like we’d been transported to Japan. We were laughing, eating, and drinking nonstop, completely in the moment.
We shut the place down, and the owner, Kenji, couldn’t have been more gracious and kind. Truly a gem of a restaurant, warm hospitality, incredible food, and an experience we’ll be talking about for a long time. Looking forward to going back soon. Thank you to Kenji and his wonderful staff!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Will A
This place is great I've had omakase and it was the best thing I could do. The chef was funny and cooked some really food.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Jennie Chen
Their attitude was terrible, and they literally chase you out if you give too little tips.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Brett B
Tough to get an experience like this in San Diego. Kenji and team are exceptional in their craft and make you feel like you belong, unlike some other high-end sushi restaurants. Come for the food, stay for the hospitality.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Lynette Walker
We came right at closing and had a beautiful and intimate experience trying the curated nigiri omakase with the sushi chef! The Blue fin and Halibut fin were our favorites+
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Moto Sp
It was a pleasant experience. We would definitely go back :)
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Marli H
It was our first time at Robataya Oton and we all had a great time! I had the sukiyaki hot pot and it was delicious! Excellent quality veggies and meat. We had a private room that we loved and the staff was super friendly and attentive. It's a very small restaurant. Calling for reservation is a must.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Janice Y
Had an early dinner here on a Saturday. Reservations are a must and was easy to call ahead to arrange. I heard parking could be bad here, hence deciding to go early. When we arrived there was still a lot of parking, but was full when we left so plan accordingly.
Despite arriving early we were seated promptly. Tried a few small dishes (Toro, tamago, kaarage) and shared sukiyaki. Raw egg is included with sukiyaki and worth trying for dipping. Overall food was very good and service was attentive. Sukiyaki needed to be ordered for two people, but came with a good amount of meat. Menu is quite large so would like to come back again to try other things.
This place was so cute! Need to make reservations next time so we can get the booth seats. My favorite was the garlic calamari! 😋
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Diana Soto
Best neighbors and best curry!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Joanne Lee
Saw their Instagram ad and reminded me to come and leave a review for a very unpleasant experience from last year. Honestly food was not bad but gosh that sushi chef/owner was rude as hell. We were 5 min late and I called ahead to the waitress telling her we were looking for parking. (We had a 6pm reservation) We arrived at 6:05 to an absolutely empty restaurant and he yelled at us saying we are late and need to return table on time. It was my husband’s birthday and we took his parents with us. And we were mortified by this level of greetings. And of course we left before they turned the table.
Anyway. Again no complain about the food. Waitress was nice. But make sure you get there on time otherwise you’ll get yelled at even you called ahead and are apologetic.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 4
Service: 2
Roy Senior
Owner got some temper issues. Got all angry while explaining something. Hotpot was pretty bland as well.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Aven Liu
The food was fresh and good. Attentive service. The price for a family dinner is a little bit expensive.
Non-existent service, food is good. This place is hard to get a reservation so we were exited to try it. The food tastes good but the service is terrible. I guess there’s not a lot of good Japanese options in sd.
Each time it took us 5 minutes to get the server’s attention and another 5 minutes to get the thing done - to order, to give us the wasabi that they forgot to add along with the sushi, to refill tea, to serve the rice we ordered, to add water to the sukiyaki (the sukiyaki was too salty to eat for more than 10 min towards the end and we just turned off the stove and waited), to get the check etc. They also had the 90 min limit which made us anxious. ~half of the fish menu was unavailable today. Perhaps it’s from the storm.
Also the tip is calculated from after-tax amount, not pre-tax. We still tipped 18% after-tax since it’s a stormy day, but might not come back again.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 1
Hidden gem, cozy Izakaya style Japanese restaurant. Food reminds me of Japan. Definitely go back to try out different menu items
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
An unforgettable night at Robataya Oton!
We had such an amazing dinner, easily one of the best Japanese meals we’ve ever had in San Diego. Every dish was outstanding: the fish was unbelievably fresh, the uni was the best we’ve ever tasted, and since it’s monkfish liver season, that was an absolute standout, rich, silky, and perfectly prepared. The shabu shabu was insanely good, full of flavor and beautifully presented. OMG, the meat!!!
We dined in one of their traditional horigotatsu rooms which was super cozy, private, and beautifully lit, which made the whole evening feel like we’d been transported to Japan. We were laughing, eating, and drinking nonstop, completely in the moment.
We shut the place down, and the owner, Kenji, couldn’t have been more gracious and kind. Truly a gem of a restaurant, warm hospitality, incredible food, and an experience we’ll be talking about for a long time. Looking forward to going back soon. Thank you to Kenji and his wonderful staff!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
This place is great I've had omakase and it was the best thing I could do. The chef was funny and cooked some really food.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Their attitude was terrible, and they literally chase you out if you give too little tips.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Tough to get an experience like this in San Diego. Kenji and team are exceptional in their craft and make you feel like you belong, unlike some other high-end sushi restaurants. Come for the food, stay for the hospitality.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
We came right at closing and had a beautiful and intimate experience trying the curated nigiri omakase with the sushi chef! The Blue fin and Halibut fin were our favorites+
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
It was a pleasant experience. We would definitely go back :)
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
It was our first time at Robataya Oton and we all had a great time! I had the sukiyaki hot pot and it was delicious! Excellent quality veggies and meat. We had a private room that we loved and the staff was super friendly and attentive. It's a very small restaurant. Calling for reservation is a must.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Had an early dinner here on a Saturday. Reservations are a must and was easy to call ahead to arrange. I heard parking could be bad here, hence deciding to go early. When we arrived there was still a lot of parking, but was full when we left so plan accordingly.
Despite arriving early we were seated promptly. Tried a few small dishes (Toro, tamago, kaarage) and shared sukiyaki. Raw egg is included with sukiyaki and worth trying for dipping. Overall food was very good and service was attentive. Sukiyaki needed to be ordered for two people, but came with a good amount of meat. Menu is quite large so would like to come back again to try other things.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
This place was so cute! Need to make reservations next time so we can get the booth seats. My favorite was the garlic calamari! 😋
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Best neighbors and best curry!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Saw their Instagram ad and reminded me to come and leave a review for a very unpleasant experience from last year. Honestly food was not bad but gosh that sushi chef/owner was rude as hell. We were 5 min late and I called ahead to the waitress telling her we were looking for parking. (We had a 6pm reservation) We arrived at 6:05 to an absolutely empty restaurant and he yelled at us saying we are late and need to return table on time. It was my husband’s birthday and we took his parents with us. And we were mortified by this level of greetings. And of course we left before they turned the table.
Anyway. Again no complain about the food. Waitress was nice. But make sure you get there on time otherwise you’ll get yelled at even you called ahead and are apologetic.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 4
Service: 2
Owner got some temper issues. Got all angry while explaining something. Hotpot was pretty bland as well.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
The food was fresh and good. Attentive service. The price for a family dinner is a little bit expensive.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Loading...