The Yasai: Vegan Japanese Experience at Little Italy

We had gyoza, sushi, and ramen. Everything was great but the gyoza blew me away! Might want to make a reservation on weekends it’s not very big inside

This place is a gem. As others have stated, you are asked upon entering which menu you would like. I ordered a few things but what I would like to highlight are the super jumbo crispy vegan gyoza and the classic ramen. The gyoza was the best gyoza I’ve ever had. Absolutely delicious. The ramen was well balanced. Delicious broth, well cooked noodles, and some interesting additions like squash. You can’t go wrong dining here.

Yasai is a hidden gem for vegan foodies in San Diego! I recently visited and was blown away by the flavors and service. I ordered the Kyoto Suyu Ramen, and it was love at first sip. The rich, savory broth was perfectly balanced, and the noodles were cooked to perfection. The portion was generous, and the presentation was beautiful. What really impressed me, though, was the thoughtful service – my server asked if I was vegan or non-vegan, which was a nice touch and showed they truly care about their customers' dietary needs. The staff were friendly and attentive, making sure I had everything I needed. If you're a vegan or just looking for a delicious, plant-based meal, Yasai is a must-try. Highly recommend the Kyoto Shoyu Ramen – you won't be disappointed!

Amazing vegan sushi rolls, and ramen. Whole separate vegan menu.

I would 100% recommend these sushi. No but seriously, is there any negative I can point to about the sushi rolls I've had numerous times at this place?? NO! I even drive from Carlsbad to get them. which would maybe be a negative??

The sign outside says "Vegan Sushi Bar", which is a bit misleading as this place is NOT 100% vegan. However, they do have a dedicated vegan menu to make up for it. Not the best vegan sushi experience, but if you are in the mood for Japanese food, it does the job.

The best Ramen I have ever ate

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

best vegan Japanese food we’ve ever had by far
Love the quaint, comfortable atmosphere
Service was really quick and friendly

Really appreciated that they had a separate vegan menu

Honestly, my wife had an issue ordering because there were so many choices

I went with the dream come true platter, and my wife chose the little Italy

It was clear that someone put a lot of thought and pride into providing an amazing culinary vegan experience. This team really love what they’re doing in the kitchen.

Everything we were served was delicious with an extra bonus of the amazing presentation .

food quantity was generous and I felt pricing was reasonable

For sure, we’re going to come back

We sat inside, which was super comfortable, but I would agree with the earlier review that if you sat outside, you should be aware that the planes are flying overhead … frequently !!

Vegetarian options: 100% vegan options on this menu
Makes selection a little challenging because there’s so many choices
We try to And and both of them were outstanding
Excited at the thought of coming back and trying more dishes

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Little Italy Roll

Yasai delivers a memorable dining experience with a creative plant-based menu that stands out. The mushroom bao buns were an absolute highlight—fluffy, flavorful, and perfectly balanced. Their sushi was also impressive, with the purple rice adding a unique and visually striking variation that pairs beautifully with the fresh ingredients. For dessert, the pistachio ice cream was a delightful conclusion—rich, creamy, and perfectly sweetened. It's clear that attention to detail extends through every dish, making Yasai a must-visit for anyone exploring vegan cuisine or simply looking for a fresh culinary adventure. Highly recommend!

Absolutely no customer loyalty. Especially for a place I've given countless dollars to.

Constantly given gluten when i ask for gluten free, and they always expect me to just "understand" when my thyroid was affected on multiple occasions.
But I didnt get the same consideration in return.

Honestly hurt by how all of this went. But I cant say that im surprised.

I never leave reviews on restaurants, but today felt like a huge slap in the face. 👍 Thanks for nothing.

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 3

Service: 1

Beautiful presentation, food was super tasty 💛💛 especially the vegan options!!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 4

Service: 5

***Not sure why they advertise in their name "Vegan Japanese experience" when they serve meat items as well. Makes me uneasy knowing if they use separate items when making meat dishes.

Food wasn't mind-blowing. Was expected to at least be like - ooh this is good... For a $30 bento plate! Which barely just filled me up. It seems like you're paying for presentation honestly, because they do a good job at that (as seen in my picture).
Paying almost $23 for ONE roll that I can surely tell you isn't gonna make me full, is absolutely ridiculous. Again, paying for presentation.

Service - ladies were very nice BUT - they served me a good 7 mins before bringing out my friends food and then didn't even take away our plates until awhile after the bill was paid. They should be glad I wasn't the one paying........

Atmosphere - Was average as anyplace that's in the area. Nothing stood out or drew me in to see if this was a place I wanted to eat. Only came here because it WAS supposedly an all vegan restaurant

I went to the one up north awhile ago, and they seemed to be better, but then again that was a few yrs ago.

Honestly, I eat out for the food - Not presentation. Really wish this place was better because I want a "vegan" serving place to thrive, but I won't be coming back when there's other places that charge less and have better service.

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 3

Service: 2

The food was delicious service was fast but only reason I'm ranking it less than 5 is because our whole family's stomach was upset after eating this and we eat ramen in different places it's the first time this has happened other than that service was fast and the staff was friendly and efficient

Kid-friendliness: Took my 13 and 14 year old but I saw other people with younger children it was decent

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 3

Service: 5

I order bao buns, amakara roll, and kyoto shoyu ramen, all from the vegan menu. The bao buns were too salty. The roll was enjoyable. The ramen was decent, certainly not the best I’ve had. The bao buns came out quickly, however the other two dishes took a lengthy amount of time. So much so that I had to check in with my waitress on the status. When she reckoned that it was due to how busy they were, I completely understood. However, when I saw multiple groups that came in after me being served multiple dishes before I received mine… that was a bit upsetting. Also, my glass had a funky smell to the point where I didn’t even want to drink out it. I will say the staff is very friendly.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 3

Service: 3

I thought this was a vegan place so stopped going there years ago. It's not solely vegan. Great pork tonkotsu ramen and pot stickers. At least as good as UnderBelly.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5