Musashiya

This is a restaurant in the market with a shared common eating area. My daughter refuses to eat anywhere else. The udon is actually very well done, as are the pork & beef rice bowls. Healthy portions, and you can add whatever you want. It's all pretty tasty.

Quick and easy bites, this is the place to be. Unfortunately, the food was not up to par. I ordered the Mini Katsudon, but the pork was rubbery and flavorless. The breading did not stick to the pork in an ideal way and just completely fell off the pork. The egg was both undercooked and overcooked; it was clear and raw but also overcooked. Sadly, the experience was not ideal.

Yuzu soba or udon always great here, nice and refreshing chewy firm bites with satisfying portions. Love the convenience of an easy meal next to a quick grocery stop.

Delicious Asian restaurant located within the Mitsuwa marketplace. This is a nice place to eat before or after shopping at the attached Asian market. Delicious Asian cuisine. Fast service. Clean dining area. The kitchen staff was very conscientious about helping me with my allergy needs. Pleasant dining staff and cashier. Will eat here again!

Always good food here. Anything on the menu is yum. Cooked fresh and great portions. We love coming here and the noodle place next door. You can't go wrong and grab some groceries at Mitsuwa.

Excellent chicken katsu. Very very nice and friendly people too! Came here thrice during my trip.

Ordered shrimp & vegetables tempuras noodle soup. There were few customers. It took ~20min before the soup ready. The vegi tempuras were raw and the shrimps tiny. The soup was a diluted soy sauce and very salty. So basically you’ll expect to get som noodles in soy sauce.

I got the Katsu Teishoku but the meat was a bit overcooked. The breading was so greasy that I ended up just eating the meat without the breading.

So many options here and I've tried about half of them so far (not all at once lol). Service is fast, but they just get down to business and take your order right away. My go-to is the Gyudon because it's so balanced. I love the broth so I usually as for extra each time. The oyakodon and udon selections are great, too. The vibe is a cafeteria style, so it's perfect for a lunch/dinner when you just want to eat and be on your way. I will say that it is a bit pricey. You can get cheaper options from the bento section in Mitsuwa, which is just as fresh (but cold). But if you want it hot and made in the spot, then Musashiya is the way to go.

3.5/5 STARS-- If you're looking for a quick fix Japanese -- this is the spot . Located inside Mitsuwa's cozy food court with open seating that's shared with a few other food stalls . Seating is first come, first served . You place your order first, then they call out your number to grab your food . I love the display of dishes to showcase their menu . Customer service is typically short and to the point as expected lol . The wait time on our order was awhile-- I want to say we waited at least 20-30 minutes or so; patience is virtue my fellow foodies . Also, we were here on a weekend around lunchtime-- so that could also play a factor to wait time . Here's what we ate: Shrimp (ebi) udon-- broth was steaming hot and super flavorful . Salty, umami, and soo comforting . The shrimp tempura was piping hot and made fresh ! The batter wasn't made with panko, but it was light and crisp . The batter to shrimp ratio was perfection and the shrimp Itself had a nice plump bite . Udon noodles were mediocre, but still got the job done . Basic, yet bougie--Highly recommend ! 9/10 Beef curry udon-- curry broth was overpowering; reminded me more of an Indian curry spice vs Japanese style . A bit on the heavier side . Beef and carmelized onions were the star of this dish-- plentiful, tender, and tasty . Craving satisfied?-- yes . Order again?-- prob not . 6/10 Pork tonkatsu curry rice plate-- rice was fresh . Curry sauce was on the sweeter side, but more delicious than the beef curry udon broth . Pork tonkatsu was juicy, but needed a bit more salt . Panko breading gave it a nice crunch . Overall-- not bad, would order again 7.5/10 Chicken karaage-- made with chicken thighs . So juicy and flavorful . Loved the karaage batter, wished the portion size was bigger . 8/10 We had a nice lunch . Food satisfied our cravings . Wait time could've been better, but I understand because our food came out all so fresh . Would return if I'm in the area to try more of their menu !

This is my favorite place to get a gyudon. The portions are large, unlike other restaurants that charge just as much for less. The gyudon tastes perfect! If I lived closer I would be eating here once a week haha. During my last visit I also tried the vegetable croquette and it was very tasty, especially with the katsu sauce.

food is 10/10 service is 10/10 I get this order all the time and find my self coming back almost everyday :) also love how it's very clean

If I need a quick lunch and am craving Japanese food I like to come to the Mitsuwa food court to grab a bite to eat. There are 2 food spots inside this food court: - Santouka: Specializes in Hokkaido salt ramen. - Musashiya: Specializes in a variety of Japanese set meals (non seafood) Prices are decent, I actually like how they have mini sizes of certain items. The food can be hit or miss depending on what you get. One time i got a katsu set meal and the breading fell right out like it wasn't breaded properly on the pork. The oyako don is something I got recently and it was not too bad. Came with miso soup which was nice. Again this is a place I don't expect amazing quality food but just need a quick bite.

Quality, delicious food. They have food on display behind the glass so you can see exactly how your food will look. Food comes out quick. More like a little food court area with no waiter service. They are right next to a ramen place. This restaurant is located in Mitsuwa. Crowded, but still some seats left during lunch time on the weekend. Tables are clean.

Musashiya is a good quick lunch if you need Japanese food in your tummy. Been eating here since i was 8 y/o and the food taste just as the same. I do miss the shaved ice before i hope they bring that back . I recommend my go to the fried pork cutlet mini bowl. If you want something more order a pork tonkatsu, don't forget to squeeze the lemon!

I have been to a lot of the restaurants inside Mitsuwa locations throughout southern California and they have not disappointed me until today. We stopped by the Mitsuwa in Kearny Mesa to pick up some groceries and a quick lunch. There are 2 restaurants in this food court and I chose this one since they offered a pork Katsu lunch set with curry. The pork lacked seasoning and tasted old. The breading on the pork was falling off, it was not the signature Japanese katsu with the panko breading. The curry was filled with onions and lackluster. I don't think we will be back again and we will just visit the ramen place next time we visit this market.

This place serves some tasty tonkatsu, both crispy and flavorful. There are pork and chicken options to select from. The dipping sauce goes well with the tonkatsu. Good amount of food. The service is quick and ambiance is pretty quiet. This place is smaller than expected, probably fits less than 15 people so the wait time can be a bit longer. Located in a shopping plaza nearby the hot pot, so parking can be busy at times.

Located in H Mart, 1 of the 2 restaurants. You can order & dine in a dining area shared with the other restaurant. I love how they have realistic displays of their dishes, it definitely makes it easier to choose. They serve udon, soba, or rice dishes. Udon with Tempura Shrimp: Broth was okay, a bit salty. I recommend asking for the tempura on the side because the tempura gets soggy in the hot soup.

Not sure what happened to this place, it used to be a good "cheap-good" eatery inside Mitsuwa and now it's nothing but high-prices- trashy Japanese food place. This is the second time now we ate here that their food tasted trash. We ordered Beef curry, Mini Chicken Katsudon bowl, a side of mixed tempura, and Beef bowl. My son had the beef bowl and he said it's okay. When I started eating the beef curry, it was cold and it seemed like they just microwaved it. Aside from that, the beef chunks are sliced big. Unbelievable! So,moving on to the Chicken katsudon, just the look of it makes me want to take it back already, but I still gave it a try anyway. The first bite was such a disappointment. It tasted bland and it had that "plastic" chemical taste as if the food got contact with some plastic kitchen utensils while cooking it. The mixed-tempura- not even worth the money we paid for the veggies and one piece of shrimp tempura they served. Oh well, it's a lesson learned. Never going back to eat in this place. They probably let go of their former cooks/chefs there so now the quality of food has changed. I want my money back, but I thought it's better to make a review here so a lot of people would be aware . Ambiance, what can you expect for a small place like this? Too crowded for the money they ask for your food, you can go somewhere else and have a great dining experience. I wouldn't want to even give it a star, but I had to. That's how bad this place has become.

I got the takoyaki, it came with 6 for $6! It is your traditional takoyaki, nothing more and nothing less! I wasn't able to get an entree at this time since I had already eaten but I still wanted to try something from here! Will update my review when I have the chance to try something more. Keep in mind the space is very tight, I tried walking to the cash register near the display but it's always hard to get to it, there's plenty of seating but the area gets packed because the food is good!!

It been a few years since I had a meal from here. I decided to come here today wanting a rice bowl and mixed tempura. Sad to say, it's not as good as I remember it. I ordered a pork cutlet bowl with a side of tempura. The pork cutlet was tough to chew and the tempura portion was very small for the price. Pretty disappointing. Despite the quality of the food, the food came out fast and the staff were nice.

Decent food and decent prices right in front of Mitsuwa Marketplace. Fast service as well. The food is nothing to really to write home about, but it's a great place to grab a bite if one is hungry! Food came out in less than 5 minutes. The tables are promptly cleaned and there's plenty of seating to go around. One thing for improvement - Udon was cooked well but for the tempura, it's best to leave it on the side so it stays crunchy. It gets all soggy when placed in the udon soup, absorbing all the liquid.

I didn't order the pork katsu curry because the display showed the pork katsu to be very small (so I ordered the chicken katsu instead, since the katsu was much larger), but when it came out, the pork katsu was huge! So I recommend to go ahead and get the pork katsu curry! Not sure if they do chicken katsu curry (the display and menu didn't have it, but maybe you can request it if you prefer chicken or don't eat pork). Service is fast and the food hits the spot. I like that I can do my groceries and grab something to eat all in one place! More efficient grocery shopping days :)

Located inside Mitsuwa marketplace. Walk in and they are on your left. They have a small display case that shows you the items available. Order at register and they call your number when ready. Been here a few times, sets are priced around $15. Staff is not friendly. Most recent visit: My number was called, walked up to get food only to find someone else had taken it. Staff gave me the runaround, said it was done and picked up. Went back and forth with the kitchen. Lady walked around to see who had it, ultimately they made another, which was burnt. Found out the number after mine never picked up their food, sat there even after closing. I wonder if they put two and two together that they were the ones who most likely took the food.

I used to love going there as it was affordable but this place is no longer "affordable" anymore considering there's no service and long wait for the food to be ready. I used to love to go there because it was affordable and even in the grocery store sells delicious bento is jacking up their prices! It used to be with $5-$6 you can get a good size bento's box but now... it went up to $10 & more!!!

Service and Food = 0* Disappointed with the overall experience at this Musashiya. The service was subpar, and the prices were unreasonably high for the quality provided. Unfortunately, cannot recommend due to the combination of poor service and high prices.

Musashiya is my favorite place to get curry in SD! Great selection of comfort food and decently priced. Seating can be a little difficult to find because the area is small. Would highly recommend, I always stop by when I am in the area!

Whenever I come to Mitsuwa for food, I usually bolt right over to Santouka. This time I was craving something lighter and thought I'd give this place a shot! The tempura soba (#3) was pretty good! I wished they put the tempura on the side because it started to fall apart in my soup. The tempura consisted of 2 fried shrimp, yam, and 2 green beans. Overall I did enjoy it and the broth was good! I also ordered a mini katsu don on the side and that was not so good. The dashi sauce was extremely salty and the the katsu was extremely soggy. It was p disappointing, and my friend who got the mini oyakodon said the sauce was too salty too. Maybe it was a bad day? The gyudon my friend got looked better though!

we love their food!! we come here on a regular basis! tempura and curry is my go to!

I love stopping here for soba or udon before shopping at Mitsuwa Marketplace. Its counter service style but the attendant is typically there and volunteers to clean up after you. The food is not the absolute best quality or most authentic but it's fast food you can have before/after you gather all your Japanese grocery items several feet away.

Food is not bad but it came cold! Cold udon?!? I asked for hot and it wasn't even refreshingly cold, it was just "lukecold" - yechh... apparently quality has declined as prices have risen. 2 stars since it looks good?

I discovered one of my favorite dishes here at Musashiya! It's the Niku with Udon. It is so flavorful and delicious, I can't believe I had never tried it before until recently. Also, this place has one of the best, crispiest, shrimp tempura. We also like getting the cold soba paired with the shrimp tempura. This most recent time though, they didn't have any udon so I was super bummed. I decided to try something new, the katsudon but it wasn't very flavorful. I'll definitely be sticking to the Niku Udon. It has beef slices in it, almost as if the beef from gyudon got plopped into the udon. It says plain broth but there's nothing plain about it. It was rich, dark, and full of flavor. Overall, they seem to excel at the noodles (soba/udon) and less of the rice dishes. Gyudon I had was also lacking flavor. Come at off hours to get a table. Go into the market to try different drinks!

Came in yesterday evening and my husband wanted beef curry with extra beef. Probably the driest beef we have ever seen he wasn't even able to eat it. We paid an extra $4 for extra dry beef. What a disappointment, we usually get decent food but this time was enough for us to probably not come back.

First time coming over here and what a disappointment. Ordered tempura udon. For the price, i expected more. I could've done better eating the instant udon soup. And the tempura, batter and the vegetable (squash, sweet potato) were raw and not fully cook.

garb. if u have trypophobia don't get the katsu bowl. pork or chicken but chicken specifically. i felt bad because the guy who took our order seemed nice but yikes. don't eat here. mitsuwa is nice but Musashiya just didn't hit today, shout out to the chef.

When you order to go, you don't get miso soup or potato salad anymore, but it still costs EIGHTEEN DOLLARS, for HALF the food. RIP OFF!!!!! OH, and the service person didn't even warn me! This used to be my absolute favorite restaurant, But they took away the lean pork cutlet and only have one that's very fatty - you have to actually cut away parts of the meat to make it edible. :( All the changes they have made are ruining this restaurant and the cost is only going up for worse food.

I enjoyed a solo lunch here at this restaurant inside Mitsuwa Market. It was a weekday lunch hour, and while the restaurant was busy, I had no trouble finding a table. You order and pay at the counter, and they call your order number to return and pick up your order. I had the Katsu Curry, and I think it was about $15 with a minimal upcharge for miso soup, which was a fair price. My meal was well prepared and delicious. The Mitsuwa parking lot is bustling, but, with people constantly going in and out, I had no problem finding a convenient parking space. I'm not sure I would drive here just to eat, as there are plenty of comparably priced Japanese restaurants with a nicer dining experience. But especially if I were shopping at Mitsuwa, I'd be likely to eat here again. There's also a Japanese noodle shop that shares the dining area at Mitsuwa that I'd like to try sometime.

We came last week during a rainy Saturday wanting a good bowl of tempura and katsu. The mixed tempura bowl was so disappointing. It looked nothing like the sample. The breading was completely different, and it lacked the crunchiness of what a Japanese tempura should be. Katsudon was equally disappointing because, as other Yelpers mentioned, the breading of the katsu falls apart from the meat. It was not as satisfying when you bite into it because the "crispiness" is not one with the meat pieces, and again, there were no crisp to it. You ended up eating meat and then having to scoop up the crispy part separately. Both meals came with miso soup, which was nice. I have to say that the least disappointing item we got was the Takoyaki. Overall, the portion and price were decent, the flavor was ok, and there were no crunch factors in their fried food. The service was quick. I think we waited less than 10 minutes before our number was called. This is located inside the Mitsuwa marketplace, so the ambiance is what you'd expect in a food court. They have water cups and water available when you eat there, but of course, you can also get drinks in Mitsuwa Marketplace and enjoy it with the food at the food court.

I felt this place was decent but the portions were pretty small. The price matched how much quantity was given but doesn't really fill you up! I wish the tempura was given separate from the udon since it gets soggy REALLY fast. This place also needs more seating since you aren't allowed to move tables around.

Been stopping by for soba and tempura combo for years. Quality of food and care from rotten green onion, over cooked noodle and tempura batter like fish and chips batter is too awful to return. It's a shame I would often go out of the way just to eat here.

Neat spot inside the Mitsuwa Marketplace! It was really hot the day I came, so we ordered the cold Kitsune noodles (one Udon and one Soba w/ Tempura). It was so delicious! The prices are also reasonable. Perfect place to eat when also wanting to shop for Japanese snacks and groceries :)

I got the Tendon rice bowl and it cost $13.50. Seriously?! Oh and there was a small miso bowl too. Not coming back. This is a total rip-off

Gave me the wrong type of noodle, and forgot half my order. Very disappointing experience. Customer service was good but that's about it. Portions are smaller when you take it to go even though it's the same price.

Visited this restaurant while shopping at Nijiya market during my visit in San Diego. Are older the Japanese curry rice with hamburger steak. I really enjoyed this dish as it was very well cooked. It's one of my favorite Japanese dishes in fact. The curry was very flavorful with a hint of hotness in spice. The thickness of the curry was great. Not too thick, not too watery and just perfect. The hamburger steak was excellent. It is Japanese style in which they put egg and Panko to make the hamburger meat patty tender. I really enjoyed the hamburger steak. I will definitely come back in here again. By the way, the other dishes looked excellent as well.

Love the shrimp tempura udon. Ask for the shrimp on the side so it doesn't get soggy. You get TWO huge pieces. Great broth flavor. Simple yet so delicious. Curry is great. Comes with miso soup. The miso soup has a little tang to it. We thought it was a bad batch the first time we tried it but when we came back, it was the same taste. Guess that's how it's supposed to be.

Disappointed with the overall experience at this Musashiya,collecting money randomly, double charge tips! Really bad service! Won't be stop next time!

This place used to remind me of Japan! The tempura was among my favorite items. The last time I ordered it, it was not prepared in the normal fashion, but was breaded and fried in VERY nasty tasting OLD oil. Musashiya, change that oil and stop serving Gordon's fried shrimp. Also, the tonkatsu was mostly fat. Sorry to see you go, but I have to find another place to spend my money.

Don't recommend, food poisoned here 2 days ago eating the pork tonkatsu. I also ate that plus a soba beef plate.

I really don't understand the hate on all of these reviews. Have some empathy for food service workers during a time where many restaurants are severely understaffed (this one included). To have an expansive menu like Musashiya and to deliver quality consistently is something I appreciate a lot. I usually get the Katsu Curry or the Hamburg steak, both of which are delicious and comforting. Sometimes they'll be closed during hours they should be open, but running a shop is tough and the food is well worth coming back to try.

2.7.2020 Another place that I had frequent in the past but have never written a review. There are a few positives ... I ordered the katsu don on my most recent visit. I always liked the idea that you can add a mini set to your order and also love the fact that the portions are huge here. Another two plus is that you can pay with credit card and they have to go boxes. Next to Musashiya is Santouka which is cash only. I happen to not have any cash and was hungry, so Musashiya to the rescue. Since they offer different variety of food from udon, to don, to plates, and curry, it wouldn't come out as fast as ramen but still faster than a sit down restaurant. I always enjoyed this place. What will you have? Yumm!

I order the Katsudon and it was absolutely gross. The batter didn't even stick to the meat because the pork was either very old or improperly thawed. The meat was hard as hell and it's a shame to call this a Japanese restaurant. For $14.00 u should get something actually edible. People are getting so gypped here. I threw mine away and will never come here again. Get a burger across at In N Out. Don't waste ur money here.

Totemo oishi desu. A favorite dinner place. This beats other fancy pants restaurants in North Park, Downtown San Diego or Costa Mesa. You get the real vibe of how the eateries are in Japan. When we're craving Tokyo food, we go here. We've had the tempuras, gyoza, mapo tofu, curries and udon soups. One time, we took a road trip to OC for a handmade udon place. The wait in line was three hours. In the end, it was cafeteria food and the soup was cold. So before you go venturing to fad places being promoted by influencers on social media, try this place first. While it can never be Tokyo, it is as close and authentic as you can get without a plane ticket and you'll say oishi. Keep on slurping.

The food is overpriced and not good regardless of price. The Katsu pork ($16 combo) and Katsu chicken ($16 combo) are flavorless. I doubt the meat was seasoned or marinated. Tasted like boiled meat that got breaded and fried with a super greasy aftertaste. Very little effort or pride taken in the food. My stomach can tell.

Came here for lunch with my brother and his gf and I totally forgot Mitsuwa had a food court until recently! They're regulars here, but it was my first time trying out the food court and decided on cold sobs noodles with tempura! The food came out quickly and the portions were huge! The sauce to dip the noodles was really yummy and wasn't too salty! The tempura was extremely crispy and well seasoned. I really enjoyed the meal and will probably be back here again in the future! I definitely want to try out their udon tempura soup next time!

I love this place so much. I've gone at least once a week. My typical order is their chicken katsu set and always so delicious. Their tempura udon is perfection. Savory, not too salty. This is definitely comfort food type of meal. I love visiting this place whenever there's traffic. I'd rather be here than be stuck in traffic. Food here never disappoints. Must try!!

I like that it is simple, unpretentious place to eat. Menu is pretty straight forward. I had tempura udon today... very tasty!

While it is not the fanciest cafe in the world and being located inside a supermarket can seem a bit strange to some, what they offer in terms of their menu is a genuine taste of Japan without any sort of frills. I usually order either the Gyu Don or the Curry Udon when I visit. The curry udon is always well executed and the curry broth hits the spot every time. Their guy don is probably the best you can get in SD and their preparation of the meat with the quality rice they use is just perfect. Mitsuwa has changed a decent amount over the years with the subtractions of the book store and travel agency and additions of the Marion Crepes, but one thing that has stayed the same is the quality of their food which at least for me makes me nostalgic of my journeys to Japan.

I come to this resto quite a few times for lunch on weekdays but today was a huge disappointment. The shrimp tempura and vegie tempura were not crunchy at all. They were soft and cold. It seemed like they were fried ahead of time and someone covered it making them not fresh and soggy.