Hive Sushi Lounge

This place has great sushi and a large selection. I enjoyed all my dishes and they have a good happy hour on Sunday. The staff was super friendly too. They had good tunes on as well.

I've been to many sushi spots across the country and I was a big fan of the Hive Sushi Lounge. Sushi, service, and atmosphere were all excellent. They have some unique/creative special sushi rolls on the menu I enjoyed the "hot mess roll". The atmosphere was cozy/romantic/ and somewhat hip. Overall a great spot for date night or sushi with friends.

The good: I like this atmosphere it's a great date spot because you can talk and be heard. No over powering music. The lighting is on point. Happy hour 8 piece rolls. The bad: I've had sushi here before but today it tasted like it was mush. Almost a warm fish and rice instead of colder.

Incredibly friendly staff, decent sushi menu, small, cozy space. My biggest complaint is it’s only open for dinner. Would be perfect if I could get lunch there too! Our favorites are the tuna sliders with fries (see pic), the shinobi roll, and they have great seaweed seaweed salad (see pic).

Good place to hangout and relax. The service is okay, I have been to this place 4 times and the server or host never really check-up on you to see how you are doing. The food is good and prices are reasonable.

The team working the night we dined were warm and friendly! Coldest Saporo pour in town! The seasonal tempura was fabulous...not your basic batter for sure... it had a slight sweetness or nutmeg hint to it..YUM! I love the shoestring fries and karate chicken..perfect comfort apps and we enjoyed the Kronic,and dragon fly rolls. Going back next week for a deeper dive in tobthe rolls!!

Really good sushi ! Ryan was great with suggestions and overall friendly server ! He made the experience 10x better! Would highly recommend ! The environment was laid back!

I think i loved the taste of the sushi but the problem was the timing of the orders. We went for one of my coworkers birthday celebration. 7top ordered our sushi and started to wait for the orders which took about 15 mins for 3 of us, here is the problem started because what do we actually do with 3 sushi? There are rules of table in all of the cultures so we all felt that awkward moment of the silence. Then we actually waited 15 more minutes to get our 4 of the sushi orders. But now after 30 minutes late we were still begging for a cup of water. I have been in to restaurants business for more then 7 years but i have never delivered 7 tops plate with 15-17mins gap. Besides that music was too loud for any of us to talk and chat but i still have to say WE ALL LOVED OUR SUSHIS! IT was not the best experience for us but to be honest they deserve to be visited at least one more!

I have never been treated so poorly in a restaurant as I was at Hive Sushi. It started off poor cause as soon as I walked in (the place was not very busy either) the waitress barely acknowledged me, just said "sure" when I asked for a table, and acted like she couldn't care less that I was there. It's like she was making it her mission to make me feel unwelcome. Then, when I tried to order a drink, she *denied* me service because I presented my **military ID**! And not my drivers licenses. Which felt very disrespectful, I also had credit cards with my full name on them, but that still wasn't good enough for her. I'm not entirely sure if she was lacking competence and could not identify the birthday on a military ID or was just purely judging me because I do have a younger appearance. Overall, It was humiliating, and I felt totally degraded by how she treated me like I didn't even belong there. When I spoke to the manager or shift lead who was working that night, things only got worse. He was extremely weird and defensive, immediately siding with the waitress without even hearing me out. It was honestly disgusting how unprofessional both of them were, like they had something personal going on, which is completely inappropriate in a work environment. Instead of addressing my concerns, this manager/shift lead (whoever was in charge) just made me feel like I was the problem and the waitress started crying a river out of no where and made herself the victim. To top it all off, it took over 40 minutes just to get a bowl of miso soup! While the food was okay, it's clear that good service is not a priority at this place. I'm not usually one to complain, but I felt completely disrespected and judged based on my appearance. I wish I got the name of the waitress, who worked the night shift and had tattoos on her hands, but I will definitely never be back. I would give zero stars if I could, and I recommend that no one wastes their time or money here.

I'm very disappointed with how we were treated at The Hive. My girlfriend and I went there recently to enjoy some evening sushi, and we were refused service because we had apparently shown up "intoxicated" during our previous visit. First of all, we were celebrating a very special occasion, and while we may have had a drink or two before our last arrival, we weren't disruptive or rude whatsoever. I also made sure to leave a healthy tip for our subpar waitress/service (tattooed arms and a constant RBF). It's frustrating that instead of welcoming us back as regular customers, they held a grudge over something that shouldn't have been a big deal. This was a complete overreaction. We just wanted to enjoy some sushi and celebrate in peace, but now we'll be taking our business elsewhere from now on. It's unfortunate because we had one good experience at The Hive in the past. If you want a place that appreciates its loyal customers, I'd recommend Zzan Sushi, right down the street. They had a much better vibe and their service was top tier!

I had one of the WORST experiences ever at Th Hive Sushi Lounge and will NEVER go back! I came in with my baby, who, yes, was crying at the time. Babies cry - it happens - but apparently, this restaurant doesn't think parents and children deserve any respect! The waitress, who was around 5'7", mid-thick build, had arm tattoos, and was Caucasian, treated me horribly. From the moment I walked in, she gave me nasty looks like I didn't belong there just because my baby was upset. Instead of showing any understanding or compassion, she was incredibly judgmental, making me feel like an inconvenience the entire time. Even after I managed to soothe my baby, the waitress continued to be rude and dismissive, acting like we weren't worth her time. The service was slow, and she barely came to our table, clearly deciding we weren't worth the effort because of my baby. I still tipped her despite her horrible attitude, but even then, her rude demeanor didn't change. No one should be treated like this, especially parents with young children. Restaurants should be welcoming to all patrons, but this place clearly has no interest in accommodating anyone with a crying baby. Instead of empathy, I received judgment and poor service. If you have kids, I'd recommend staying FAR away from this place. There are plenty of restaurants that treat customers - and their families - with respect.

Came here on a whim while in SD for work. The location is a bit sketchy, I walked from Balboa Park and passed many drugged out homeless people. Food: The food was good, the cucumber salad was a bit different than what I am used to, the cucumbers looked like they have seen better days. Miso soup was good. GFR roll had everything I was craving - yellowtail, spicy tuna, avocado and something resembling a California roll inside. I also ordered 2 salmon sashimi. I had their Peach blossom and a cocktail made by the bartender from his imagination. Service: excellent service, two folks - a gentleman in his 40s and a young woman who looked early 20s. Everything came out quick and to order. He even sat me in a quiet spot because..... Clientele: this is why I give this spot minus two stars. A couple with three children under the age of 2, who were literally running around, screaming, spinning bar stools and causing havoc. Parents skillfully ignored the kids. Kids running into the street, climbing on tables, etc. At the bar - a few EXTREMELY LOUD folks, where even though I sat outside, I heard intimate details of their sexual lives, tattoos, horoscopes etc. Loud rap music. Total bill was $86 for 1 person.

The open air. The music. The service as soon as I stepped in the doors. And the food. Yo this was my first time visiting San Diego and i had a taste for some sushi. To Yelp I go!!! The team (in every sense of the word) made sure i had everything i needed, including some dope ass recommendations. I had the edamame (because I always have edamame. It's like my appetizer...and it was hot) and a spider hand roll a fried avocado hand roll and the salmon skin hand roll. ALL 3 were amazing. And filled to the rim. The shrimp and scallop gyozas were a pleasant surprise and i Do Mean PLEASANT!!! They were soooo flavorful and a great balance between soft and crunchy. I didn't have to ask for low sodium soy sauce either, that's all they have (along with a gluten free option). I can't say enough good things about this spot. The Vibe is so dope. The energy of the team is so dope. The food is soooooooo dope. I got STUNG at the HIVE!!! I cannot confirm or deny whether I will be back on Wednesday (my last day in SD).

This is a really solid casual sushi spot. You can find street parking, but you may need to walk a block or two depending on the time you go. They have happy hour every day, I believe it's from 5:00 to 8:00, but I would check with them. They also have all day happy hour on Sundays. This is a go to spot for my boyfriend and I because the staff is incredibly friendly, the prices are reasonable, and they are dog friendly. Their vegetable tempura is really good, and features vegetables like lotus root which felt higher end than expected. I wouldn't say that this is a spot when you're looking for the absolute best sushi of your life, but if you're looking for something that's solid in an environment that is comfortable and cozy and you just want to hang out and chill, this is a spot. It's not super authentic, but it's also more accessible for people who are local. Rather than some of the fancier places around town.

We were looking to walk to a sushi place one night and decided on Hive. We left SO pleased we chose the spot. It's small but has a homey feel. The sushi was fresh and flavorful and the kimchi is a MUST. Service was attentive and pleasant.

Really basic sushi, nothing special and just good enough. Tables were a bit sticky, the atmosphere was nice, pricing average. That's all pretty basic review.

Went in on a Labor Day , was in the area with my boyfriend. We were greeted the moment we walked in and was told to take a booth. It was not busy maybe because of the holiday but we were there around 4pm on a Monday. The decor is cute, loved the glass and painting on the walls. The server came over with two glasses and poured us water. We ordered and shared 3 specialty Rolls. East Village, Kyojin, and Yellow Jacket. We liked all 3! The presentation was great and flavor was really good. We asked for a side of chili oil because we both like things extra spicy so that made the rolls even better the price for the rolls was not bad, will definitely be back to try out more!

Kyojin and spicy tuna roll ! This place has chill vibes. Music is always good . Staff are nice and attentive, and the chefs make great sushi ! If you're looking for a lowkey place to have a drink and some food this is it!

Sevice was fantastic super attentive !! Sushi was really good! Would definitely come back!! We finshed everything and the dessert was amazing!!

Food was excellent. Service was not. 3 of the 4 sushi dishes we ordered arrived. The 1st was served without plates, soy sauce, chopsticks, napkins, wasabi etc. After the 2nd request for our missing dish we asked to have it taken off the check. No reason to return.

Upon entering I scoped out the establishment In the back is the sushi bar and a party room I was told I had seat out front at a table booth or the bar It appears to be a dive from the outside For being a sushi place I didn't see any Asian people The food was ok There's also outdoor seating

Stopped by for dinner with my sister since she lives right down the street. We were greeted by a waiter and sat outside on the patio since we brought a weenie dog. The food and drinks here was great! We ordered Spicy Garlic Edamame, salmon and albacore nigiri, their fried avocado rolls, and a speciality roll which I cannot remember the name of accompanied by a Moscow mule and a drink that I can no longer find on their menu online but it was good! Overall a nice spot to grab a bite. Looking forward to eating here again!

This review is long overdue. My girlfriends and I celebrated her birthday, and this restaurant was recommended by a foodie influencer. My one star rating is due to the following: 1. Service - slow and unattentive. We didn't have enough soy sauce dishes, and we asked for more. The server said she would be back with more once they are washed. It's a decent size restaurant and there weren't many guests, so we were puzzled that they didn't have clean dishes. 2. Don't trust all influencers or reviews - sushi was not good! Terrible and a rip off the best thing we ate were the shoe string fries! 3. Last but not least, we brought a Paris Baguette cake and a knife to cut it with. We were told that if we wanted to slice the cake in their restaurant, they would have to charge us $5 per slice to cut. That would have been a total of $20 since there were four of us (mind you this is a casual sushi spot). We insisted we would cut the cake ourselves, and they didn't allow us to! Even the server hadn't known of that rule until that nught. We decided on going to my friends place to cut the cake. Quite frankly, we were mistreated at the Hive and we will never return again! I don't think they liked us Asians hahaha. All good though there are so many other good sushi spots in SD that have better customer service and will treat us well.

You know when you crave sushi and the neighborhood place knows your name. (Think Cheers) This is Hive for me. Beautifully prepared, sushi from people who are friendly kind and accommodating, especially for people like me with food allergies. I called up last night and asked them if they had time to prepare some food allergy friendly sushi, and immediately, the man on the phone recognized me, and I felt at ease. I just said what I was thinking, and he said, "Let me take it from here." When someone does this, it takes the pressure off me having to be in total control of everything. As a food allergy person, I miss the spontaneity of eating out or take out. I couldn't wait to get home and inhale the beautiful spread they made me. The fish is always fresh, the people are kind, and it passes the vibe check. Give them a try.

I went here a few months ago on a bad first date and had been meaning to leave a review. Sushi was fresh and flavorful. I can't remember what rolls we tried but I liked almost everything. We sat at the bar which was nice since everything else seemed full. The staff was attentive and we were in and out pretty quick which was good news to me. I've been meaning to go back.

The cucumber salad is great. I will give them that. Their food is a little overpriced for what it is. My best friend just bought a place right next to hive, so we were excited to have a sushi place so conveniently available... this is my fourth time in here and we've had the same male waiter. He makes you feel like a nuisance and plays the most insane heavy metal music. We had to leave tonight before even ordering sushi, due to my friend getting a headache. It's the most uncomfortable atmosphere both volume/music and welcoming. I gave it as many fair chances as I could and I will never go back.

I stumbled on to this place thanks to a friend's recommendation, and it's just a few blocks away from where I live. For my meal, I had the Scallop Gyoza, Yellowtail and Salmon Nigiri and of course their mouthwatering "Hot Mess" Roll, paired with a cucumber salad. Every course was fantastic and the service was prompt and gracious. To complement this I washed it down with a couple of beers. And the best part of it is that their Sunday Happy Hour is ALL DAY!! It couldn't have been more perfect. I found the ambiance to be sort of Hipsterish and the staff was friendly with no attitude. I think I found my new favorite Sunday Hangout. The combination of fantastic food; generous Happy Hour offerings and the relaxed atmosphere makes Hive Sushi and ideal spot for a leisurely Sunday bite and some well deserved relaxation.

My wife and I have been to this Sushi place since 2021 and never have we been charged gratuity for two people. Our waitress with dread locks charged us gratuity then also had the audacity to point her little screen at us and ask for more tip. Buyer Beware!

I met my better half here December of 2010 at a mutual friends birthday dinner. 13 years together September of this year. We still visit Hive Sushi from time to time to reminisce

Staff particularly the waitress with dreads has terrible customer service. The waitress is rude and doesn't know what she is doing. To top it off we weren't even done eating and they asked us if we wanted to pay the bill FOUR times while there was no one waiting and open tables throughout. Horrible.

This is one of my go to spots. The sushi is delicious. The staff is super friendly. Great date spot or after work spot with friends. My friend also threw her husband's 30th birthday here and it was so fun! Customized drink menu with constant sushi and fun!

One of my all time favorite sushi spots. I've been coming here since 2017. My favorite bartender might be long gone, but the happy hour deals still rock

Anyone who's tired of the runaway ideas of what sushi has become.. needs to walk in the back and sit at the sushi and just settle in. Best I've had in ages. I've been everywhere. Tadakoro So-ichi Ota. This has an amazing place in a needed void. I'm all in

Came here today for the first time. The place itself is super nice and aesthetically pleasing. They have large tables that can seat different parties (share the table) and a couple of booths. I ordered 2 drinks: the Geisha and the Spritz. They were tasty! Now the food.. I got a spicy miso soup to start and it was delicious. I wasn't happy with my spicy tuna roll though. The flavor was so off, and it tasted fishy too. I couldn't finish it. I got the spider roll and it was better. Not the best sushi I've had and I don't think I'll come back for it. The French fries were good so I guess that's cool lol. Also, it was disappointing to see not one person of color on staff. No one was Japanese either if you catch my drift lol.

TERRIBLE SERVICE. there's a lady that runs the bar and I don't know her name but she has dreads and she's got the most terrible attitude. We came in and she told us to wait so she can "catch up with some stuff" that's fine but I don't understand why she has to say it like she doesn't need customers. The server doesn't really care about serving, or he's probably tired idk. Food takes an eternity to come out. I asked for a bowl of white rice multiple times and it took 40 minutes for the bowl of WHITE RICE TO COME OUT. it's a sushi lounge, don't they just have white rice on the ready? I also go attitude for asking for ginger too. No one in the lounge smiles, and they all have "unhappy to be here" faces. I'm sure the food was decent or good but I'm not even sure because I was so hungry by the time it came out, I don't even know what it tasted like.

I went to Hive with my bf last night and had the best experience! We were greeted super fast and sat at a nice table, the whole place had an awesome vibe going on and it was clear that the owner/manager put his heart and soul into the place and made the effort to get to know his guests, the sushi was fantastic, service was great, and vibes were spectacular! 10/10 would recommend coming here with friends for drinks and sushi, on a date, or even with family. This is now my go to sushi spot! Bomb Roll and Spider Roll were my favs!!!!

It's one of my favorite sushi spots for our at home date nights! Things to know: The prices can add up if you order lots of sushi like I do, so choose wisely and pick your favorites. I'd recommend it for an SD local!

First, the service was fine. But otherwise, we were so surprised! We asked if they had real crab California rolls. They said they did but what they served us gave is stomach aches! One item in particular was the California roll ... we asked for real crab and they said they had it (as opposed to imitation crab). But what we were served was something like canned crab or tuna fish in a roll, or something truly sub par, and we eat real crab rolls all the time up in northern CA (usually snow crab is served) - we were polite but this was not good. The hamachi sashimi was big pieces and ok. Maybe this is more of a drinking joint than a food joint.

know I'm late to the party about HIVE but Hot Mess entry was on point like CP3. If I knew it was going to be that amazing I would have ordered 2 and left it at that. I did have other sushi but this one was the stand alone.

This place is great! We've been here twice and it was great both times. The spicy edamame, specialty rolls (GFR and tiger uppercut) and the shrimp gyoza were amazing! Service is fast and friendly, the only thing that I would change is the music, it can be a little overwhelming but other than that highly recommend. They also have a nice variety of sake and happy hour all day Sunday.

Wish I could recommend this place, but the sushi is so below par and the place itself is filthy. The bar area and sushi bar actually smell. Might be helpful to clean if you're going to serve raw fish.

Hive has some of the best Sushi in SD... maybe even southern CA honestly. I visited SD a few times over the last year and stopped here each time. It's on par with some of my favorite northern CA sushi spots. What makes it good? First, the fish is always fresh. And it has just the right texture... truly a must for a good sushi spot. Admittedly I love the "special rolls" at sushi spots (give me all the sauce!) and Hive has some really good ones that are so well balanced! But again, the fish is so fresh I'll usually get some Nigiri and/or sashimi as well (something you can only do at top notch spots!). The drinks compliment the food and the service is great. If you're looking for some real good sushi, whether you like straight up sashimi or some saucy rolls, HIVE is your spot! Will be back in January when I'm back in SD!

To start off, the waitresses were taking shots, both of them. When we got there we said, oh well, our food might take longer than expected, about 30-40 minutes later, our first roll comes out, immediately, I noticed a bug in it. A live swirling moth stuck to the top of the sushi roll sauce. We immediately told her and she took it and they brought us another roll. Something with "spicy tuna" in it. I have to say I don't know what it is but it was not spicy tuna. This red dark looking PASTE in our sushi rolls too disgusting to take another bite. Second a piece of sashimi, immediately got gooey nasty vibes from it I wanted to leave. They comped all the food even though we ate none, and I paid for drinks, edimame, and a spicy miso. And luckily left a tip because the waiters were nice enough to understand. Likely they have been through this before. Felt sorry for them as they both looked stressed. Absolutely gross sushi. Not a sushi spot period. My stomach is very uneasy as I write this.

I've come here since I was young and it use to be my favorite sushi place but I rather just order out now. The waitresses make the entire experience uncomfortable. They make it really obvious they don't enjoy work and create super weird and uncomfortable vibe. The food is good but not worth dealing with the waitresses rude remarks and passive aggressive attitudes.

Very cute spot and good vibes. Only thing is I almost died from eating the food. I got horrible tummy food poisoning. When we ordered the food 'sushi (raw fish)' it was warm and mushy and like it was sitting out for a while. One of the rolls had a literally fly in top stuck to the roll. The waiters were all drinking heavily so no wonder the food was left to sit for a while. We had to leave the food because if we ate anymore we should have for sure gotten horribly horrible ill. 3 days later and I'm still having number 3. I get that waiter can drink sometimes and it's a work vibe but. Sushi is a little different and getting sh*t faced while service is not okay.

Honestly the most underrated sushi spot in SD. Can't stop thinking about the scallop dish :) bartenders were super cool and took great care of us, and recommended some killer sake to go with our meal. Overall a really great vibe and amazing food, can't wait to go back!

Love hive! All day happy hour on Sunday is a must! Service is always great! Food is always on point!

I gotta give a shout out to this place. We came in and sat at the sushi bar and had such a wonderful time. They also made us some amazing food. The Hamachi Kama (yellowtail collar) was amazing, in particular. One of the best fish dishes I've ever had. Def sit at the sushi bar, those guys are a hoot and are very passionate about their work and they deserve more people at the sushi bar!

The food was good but the service was horrible in terms of waiting over an hour to be served, to receive check after we finished food. just overall horrible in time management i wouldn't recommend at all.

Nastiest sushi, definitely a lot of other places to go for the price point. Customer service is very underwhelming, the girls here look bored and like they're about to fall asleep.

It's a sunday night. 8:35pm. Ordered 40 minutes ago. Still no sushi. Place ain't crowded. Will update soon once I eat and sushi arrival time....okay sushi was great. took 80 minutes minimum. probably more. final conclusion is 2 star. still very upset. obviously, the rating would be much higher if we didn't wait an insane amount of time. do you think i want to do this to them?

Spent the weekend in San Diego and friends had suggested we go to Hive while we were there. I must say, I'm so glad that we did. Everything we ordered was amazing, especially the scallop nigiri! Tara was a wonderful server who helped us in deciding what to order. For those of you who have people in your party who don't eat sushi, their Fried chicken is so good! Highly recommend if you are anywhere near San Diego!

I like this place They have great service and a few chefs that can whip up just about anything and might even treat you to one of their own inventions! Super friendly staff all around. The only downside is the parking! But I guess it's good to walk off all that rice and sake so parking across town doesn't seem so bad.

We went for the first time last night and this might be my new favorite sushi spot in San Diego. The sushi is bomb!! The GFR roll (yellowtail & spicy tuna) was hands down my favorite, but there's also a special roll with truffle oil that was so unique and so yummy. Plus, the cocktails were really good - highly recommend the bonsai which had matcha and mezcal. Overall, we loved it!!

We were suppose to go to the bowling alley nearby but we wanted sushi first so this was a cool spot just around the corner. It is a less travelled part of town but really cool in its own right. The sushi is incredible and the space is bright and friendly. It isn't super fancy but I would definitely take a date here if I had a reason to be in this section of town. I don't know if I would come here specifically though.

We really liked Hive! We came here for dinner on a weekday and it has a very nice atmosphere. Big windows, nice decor, and the food is delicious. We highly recommend it.

OPEN during shelter-in-place! Not sure of their hours, but their door was definitely open. They do take-out and delivery.