Robataya Oton

I have been thinking to try this restaurant out for a long time. And finally I made a phone call to book a reservation on Saturday night. It was so cool to sit in a private room, feeling like in Asia! We ordered two servings of sukiyaki, it was pretty authentic and delicious. The portion is good for two people, we order an appetizer and one udon noodle to put into the hotpot. The meat is a little bit too thick to my taste but all the others are nice. We might be back to try their uni items.

Authentic, delicious & intimate! We did my husband's birthday dinner here with a small group of friends. The service was fantastic and the food was delicious!! I grew up in Japan and this restaurant took me back. We weren't disappointed with a single item on the menu (and we ordered almost everything on the menu). Also, highly recommend the strawberry sake - even my non drinker friend enjoyed it. It's a small intimate setting so I recommend reservations. 5 STARS!

If you are looking for truly authentic heartwarming and delicious Japanese food, then look no further. This place will remind you of home. The quality for both the hot dishes and the sushi was absolutely amazing. It’s hard to find a restaurant that does everything well- and this place does. The Unagi Gohan is deliciously sweet and the rice is smothered with the rich unagi flavor and is served with green tea that can be poured at the end. They also serve some pickles that help increase the acidity and counterbalance the sweetness of the Uunagi. If you pair this dish with other hot options like the Makarel or Tamago, it’s become a combination of pure umami. In the words of Arnold Schwarzzeneger: I’ll be back !

This place was such a pleasant experience, the atmosphere was really nice. I felt like I was in Japan with the interior design. This place really cares about creating a nice clean atmosphere for their customers. Customer service was the best I could ask for, hostesses were kind and very helpful. The food was good and came out fast, we got the sukiyaki with udon noodles. Can't wait to try everything else on their menu. 10/10 would recommend to try this place instead of a regular chain.

Wow. My wife and I have traveled through Japan extensively and have eaten so many different types of food there. It's taken us 5 years since coming back to find a restaurant that was as good as the ones in Japan. Otons Chef understands flavors and balances them perfectly. The nabiyaki udon was amazing. The chirashi was amazing. The vanilla and sweet potato dessert was amazing. It's hard to find amazing and you can find it here at Robataya Oton. Thank you so much. See you again.

The best Japanese experience ever! The ingredients were so fresh and the food was made to the perfection. It’s definitely a must go place. I thought that it was expensive but my friend who has been to other Japanese places thought that it was reasonable. We tried the hotpot, fried chicken and sea food, jellyfish sashimi, and salmon sushi which were all so tasty!!

Very good traditional food at very reasonable prices. My wife ordered the Sukiyaki and it was amazing. I had the beef intestines and it had good flavor but texture was a bit tough for my taste. The Green Tea Tiramisu and Japanese pudding were both amazing! A nice refreshment after dinner but not too sweet. Limited parking in the area.

Took me back to Japan instantly. The little alcove rooms where we got to sit no shoes, the friendly and amazing service from the three person troupe, down to the amazing food. If you want to step out of San Diego for a few hours and enjoy a really wonderful slice of Japanese dining, this is it.

Found this restaurant online and look forward to trying before it. We love the sukiyaki! Second time having this! We tried the unagi gohen this time!

WOW. This is literally some of the best Japanese food I've had in a long time. The atmosphere is spot on for Kyoto. All of the dishes we had were incredible! Special shout out to the sashimi as well as the Kama!!! I thought our bull would be close to 300 but we paid a TOTAL of 120 for great, high quality Sushi. Not to mention how friendly the staff are! Takumi is a head chef and is such a joy to talk to! Sit salt the sushi bar to say hi and Absolutely trust all of the chef's choice options on the menu because Takumi will hook you up!! Can't wait to come back!

Yummmy, the food was delicious! Our whole experience was great. The staff was very helpful even asking me if I was cold from the door being opened from where I was sitting at the bar. The chef overheard my husband and I having a question about the menu and he helped answer our questions. His recommendations on the menu did not disappoint. I felt like we were in Japan all over again, the ambiance looked very cool and we totally like the set up with the private rooms. We will definitely be going back! Highly recommend :)

Robataya Oton has an interesting reservation only policy and interior layout. The unique seating arrangements made the dining experience fun but the food wasn't the most memorable. Reservations are mandatory and each party gets their own room. We had to remove our shoes off before sitting down. Besides the normal menu, they also had handwritten specials. Strangely the appetizers didn't come out prior to the entrees but anything raw or cold had priority. =ORDERED= *Uni Crispy Rice: one of their specials. The rice base had the slightest crunch and was topped with baked uni, salmon roe and shiso. This dish needed a creamy binder as it was very bland and dry. The uni itself was crumbly and tasteless. *Uni Udon: very watery. The udon should have been drained better because it diluted the sauce. There was the slightest of uni flavor but it was more creamy than anything. The udon texture was excellent but I was expecting more seafood flavor. *Scallop Cutlet: another special. The scallops could have used more seasoning but the batter was thin and crunchy. Light, tasty appetizer. *Poke Donburi: a mixture of tuna, salmon, uni and roe atop of rice. The included miso had lots of green onion and soft tofu. The fish were all pre marinated and were on the saltier side. Everything was tender albeit the quality wasn't outstanding for the price. *Dango: came with sweet soy glaze and had a satisfying chew. Nothing blew me away food wise and the prices were higher across the board compared to other restaurants. The private rooms made the experience resemble that of Japan but the food was underwhelming.

I have been here before, and hadn't been back in a while. The tatami seating here is very themed and on point. We ordered the Roasted Green Tea to start which is such a comforting beverage on a cold day. Unlimited refills. We proceeded to order some of the Specials they wrote on their white board. This was a bad call. I would not recommend ordering these. Stick with the menu (appetizers). Small plates is what this restaurant does best, along with the sashimi. From the specials, we ordered Crispy Rice (which is rectangles of fried rice cakes?). We also ordered the Baked Uni Bowl. This is really, really bad. Uni doesn't taste great baked. They are very good about scooping you the largest bowl of rice. This was the case when I ordered the Unagi bowl. Tiniest piece of Unagi (yummy though), large bowl of rice. We ordered a Carpaccio appetizer along with intestines that came fried in a black iron pan. Both were delicious. We also got this raw octopus app, which was just OK. We wanted to get the Beef Tongue Curry (but turns out they didn't have beef tongue, and instead had chicken). We were let down to see that they charged the same price as beef tongue even though it was chicken...seems wrong in principle? We ordered the 10pc Sashimi, which had pretty good fatty cuts. Overall, it felt like we didn't eat that much if we didn't eat all the rice. Pro tip: stick to the apps on the menu + sashimi + avoid all bowls/rice dishes.

I am not the sushi connoisseur. With that being said, I fell like I paid $120 for 2 people and a kid and had a better experience elsewhere in the past. This isn't a bad experience. It was rather a good experience. But few things kinda fell short. Like A5 wagyu sushi. I had a better experience before with A5 wagyu sushi in a different restaurant, and even the caviar on the top didn't rock my world. Not sure soy sauce does justice on A5 wagyu.... Kara-age was a bit bland flavor, and feels like it could have used a bit more prep. Kisu tempura was not as crispy as I would have liked and it was leaking oil around it a little bit. Salmon had very very fishy smell. Ice cream tempura had hint of grainy texture which felt out of place. Saikyo yaki was great along with assorted temaki. No complaints on that. And total of $120. Well. Not completely satisfied.

I have been thinking to try this restaurant out for a long time. And finally I made a phone call to book a reservation on Saturday night. It was so cool to sit in a private room, feeling like in Asia! We ordered two servings of sukiyaki, it was pretty authentic and delicious. The portion is good for two people, we order an appetizer and one udon noodle to put into the hotpot. The meat is a little bit too thick to my taste but all the others are nice. We might be back to try their uni items.

Made a reservation about a week in advance for 4 and they were able to fit us in at 5:45pm on a Saturday. They do take your credit card to reserve the spot, but won't charge it unless you are a no show. You must make a reservation, last time we tried to walk in at opening and they turned us away! There is a parking lot, but it was pretty filled both times I came. We sat in one of those low booths that we had to take our shoes off for, it was fun but did make it a bit difficult to get in and out when using the bathroom haha. Two of us got the sukiyaki ($29 pp) and there is a minimum of 2 orders. The broth was super flavorful and there was a good amount of meat (it didn't look like a ton raw, but after cooked it was a lot!). I also got an egg (+$1) and we got udon (+$5) for the end like they recommended, but kind of wished it was in the beginning because I like to eat my sukiyaki with udon. The other two people got nabeyaki udon ($20) which they said was good. In my opinion, it looked and tasted just ok. I think the sukiyaki was definitely the way to go! Overall, service was polot, a tad slower, but we didn't mind because it gave us all time to catch up. Food was good!

Pros -Intimate, traditional tatami-lined booths make for a fun dining experience - Since it's located in the opposite direction of the main Convoy strip of restaurants, the wait time is okay - They also take reservations! Cons - Food was just okay and portion sizes were on the smaller side. My partner enjoyed the beef tongue curry and I agree that it is one of the better dishes on the menu. The uni udon was NOT it... I understand that I'm not going to get a lot of uni, but the cream sauce was extremely diluted by the udon water and was flavorless. - Service wasn't the best that day, and we had to crawl around our booth and stick our hand out to flag our server for the bill/more water.

Robataya Oton offers a traditional Japanese ambiance with somewhat average food. We tried to walk-in once and they said it was reservation only, which made me want to dine-in even more. I was really looking forward to an experience that kind of takes you back to Japan but I was disappointed. I called for reservations and was asked to put a credit card down. You can cancel and modify but there's a $25/person charge if it's within 24 hours of your reservation. This kind of reservation system is usually seen in high-end restaurants or restaurants with highly sought after reservations so I was a bit surprised by it all. Our table was somewhat isolated and you're asked to remove your shoes to step into the booth. I thought we would be sitting cross-legged on tatami mats but it was just a regular booth with cold tiles for the floor. Make sure you wear socks...I made the mistake of wearing slides and so I had to sit there with my bare feet touching the ground. Our server was nice, she mentioned a couple of their specials and emphasized how some seafood items were in season. We shared most of the food but individually ordered some nigiri. Karaage: Maybe had like 6-8 pieces. None of them were crispy but they were juicy. Definitely had way better karaage at other restaurants. Calamari: Even as an appetizer, the portion size was so small. Shockingly small. Flavor was decent though but definitely not worth it for the amount you get. Saba Shio: Lightly salted and grilled Mackerel. I'm a huge fan of grilled fish and I think this was the best thing we had. Lots of tiny bones though so be careful. Nigiri: A5 Wagyu comes with a pickled jalapeño on the top. I enjoyed the seared flavor and the meat was really tender. The Uni, however, tasted off. None of us knew how to explain it but it just didn't taste right. Texture was smooth and buttery. I really wanted to enjoy the experience here but the food was average and we paid a hefty price for it all. For the amount of money spent, I should feel full, satisfied, and content with the meal but unfortunately, we left disappointed.

We made a reservation over the phone. Came here for a date night and loved how cute the restaurant was with private rooms with seating close to the floor and short tables. It felt like an authentic experience. The food was delicious and there was a great variety to choose from though the fish quality isn't up to par with other Japanese restaurants we have tried. The staff was attentive and provided excellent service overall.

Food quality & prep & presentation were good, HOWEVER, service was horrible, NO napkins given unless ask, napkins used are gross bathroom paper towel dispenser type, NO sushi Shrimp or Avocado or CA Rolls or typical rolls offered, NO low sodium soy sauce at all & NO gluten-free soy sauce at all for those who want or need them. Ask for lemons for salads or fish, server gives you 1-2 tiny lemon wedges, ask for more, they don't come back unless reminded 1-2 x. Our 1st server barely understands or speaks English & Owner not very nice or welcoming to his own guests with questions. Yes, GLUTEN-free diners should STAY AWAY or bring needed sauce with them. Sad. Yes, most top Japanese restaurants in SD & LA & SF stock low-sodium soy sauce & gluten-free sauce as well, NOT Robataya Oton. Himitsu in LJ even serves gluten-free Tempura & soft shell crabs & most apps.

If you are looking for a good omakase type style Japanese Restaurant, then Robataya Oton is an excellent choice. The Chef is from Tokyo, Japan and brings the taste from the Land of the Rising Sun into each dish. The restaurant has counter seating, booth seating, and tatami type seating. Unfortunately, the tatami seating is semi private because of a thinly vailed drape between the tables. Thus, 4 stars due to ambiance. You can hear easily the table next to you. Service is excellent ! The Servers are friendly, polite, and welcoming. In traditional Japanese way, you are given a sealed hand cleaning cloth before you eat. Each dish was presented nicely as well as delicious in flavor. If you are looking for an American style Japanese Restaurant with Teriyaki dishes, this is not the place. But, if you are looking for authentic Japanese cuisine then Oton will reward your palate.

We walked in around 7:30pm on Thursday and were seated right away. I ordered curry. Since I was craving it for so long, my expectations were high. They didn't disappoint me, this curry reminded me of a curry rice I used to get at Soba restaurant. The difference between regular curry and this type of curry is the taste of broth. I love this type of curry that I can taste broth, more depth in taste. We were very satisfied with all the food we got. Since I'm pregnant, I couldn't try sushi, I'd love to try their sushi someday !

definitely 200% coming back to dis place kinda splurged lmao but go off ig got the octopus, beef tongue, nabeyaki udon, and uni don. wayyyy too much food for me but ngl was worth, now ik what i wna get nxt time !! also was crazy, the nabeyaki udon soup tasted like it had some sort of tea taste, but it went along w the udon sooo frickin well that and the octopus were my faves u can't go wrong w any of the food here it's sooo worth absolutely delish im getting the omakase nxt time service was good, i loved that u have to take ur shoes off when u go inside to the booths, it's so frickin cute i felt like i traveled to japan lol

Robataya Oton is a hidden gem that I definitely have overlooked during the times I dined at their neighboring restaurant, but I finally got the chance to stop in and try their food. - PARKING - The lot is fairly limited, with a few spots blocked off for nearby businesses that don't allow patrons of restaurants to use their spaces. There's a few spots in the back alley where it connects to Denny's. - SERVICE - We were greeted warmly and led to our private booth. You're asked to remove your shoes, and the booth has cushions to sit on. There's a space so your legs can go under the table, but my boyfriend and I just opted to sit cross-legged as it was more comfortable for us that way. The floor is tiled, so if you're tall enough you'd be touching a hard surface on the ground. The waitress was very attentive throughout our meal service, and gave us suggestions on what to eat. The food came fairly quick considering multiple items were delivered at once, which is great since I enjoy having a spread of food. - FOOD - Tsukune Kushi: Chicken Meatball with a Quail Egg for dipping. The sweet and savory sauce on the meatball was very tasty, and the meat itself was pretty juicy. I enjoyed the extra depth of flavor from the egg! Ham Cutlet: Kurobuta Ham deep fried with potato salad in the middle. This wasn't my favorite item, but my boyfriend actually liked it a lot! Personal preference for this one! Kisu Tempura: Fried fish with a green tea salt on the side. Nicely fried, very light and crisp outside! Unagi Gohan: This was my favorite of the night - a mixed rice bowl with barbecued Unagi. You eat until you're ready to change up the flavor, and then you pour in the dashi broth for a new experience! Nabeyaki Udon: Super clean dashi broth, and I loved all the unique ingredients added into this dish! I love Udon, and this definitely warmed me up. Nigiri: We had a variety of nigiri, but I believe my favorite was the O Toro or the Scallop with Ikura. - OVERALL - A hidden gem tucked away in the corner of Kearny Mesa. Amazing service, really sweet owners! I hope their business continues to do well - I will be back for special occasions!

Always enjoy dining in this small Japanese restaurant as I feel like eating in Japan. The menu seems to have shrunken a bit but still good enough for most of the customers. We ordered Monk fish liver, toro sushi, scallop sushi, deep fried soft shell crab, hamachi carpaccio, egg roll with spicy roe, gyutan curry rice, etc.. Most of the dishes were delicious except the curry rice was too salty, too much curry sauce but not much gyutan. Service is always excellent and friendly, while prices have gone up quite a lot.

Food was a bit expensive but we had some dishes that we enjoyed! Walked in on Father's Day weekend and booked a reso for 7:30 about 2 hours in advance (we got lucky) My friend and I really enjoyed the beef tongue steak and the handroll special (it had uni and tuna, beef (?) in it yum! 5/5) We also got the sashimi salad and the uni udon. My friend really enjoyed his sashimi salad so I'm going to assume it was good too! Unfortunately can't give a rating in this one. My uni udon, unfortunately, came quite some time after we finished eating all our other dishes (my friend completely finished his salad and he was eating it slowly since my dish wasn't coming out). It didn't bother me since we were chatting and also drinking beers (I also wasn't hungry) but if I was hungry, I think I would've been in a bit of a mood. Totally get that I could've waived them down to ask about the udon, but I was also enjoying my time and wasn't in any rush. Definitely wish they checked up on us though, since it wasn't that busy by the time we started eating. Udon I'd give a 3.5/5. I didn't really taste much if it and couldve gone without this dish. Would I go back? Yeah! I'd give it another try. Still had a great time and enjoyed some good dishes!

I have been here several times, and I have to consider this place one of my hidden gems. I feel like they are never too busy, but they offer an experience that no other place seems to do. A large bulk of the customers here are Japanese, and it makes sense because it offers a very unique experience (you take off your shoes, get to use a bathroom with a bidet, etc.) I don't have any pictures of my previous experiences here, but I generally get sukiyaki and I have found that to be the most solid thing. A lot of people seem to get sushi, and the times I have tried it, I have not absolutely blown away. However, the izakaya/small drink-accompanying foods are quite good. Beef tongue and takowasa I had today were delicious! Today, I have the crab hot pot. While this may seem like an attractive option, because it is one that you are allowed to order a single portion of, I didn't think it was as flavorful as the other soup bases that I have had here. This is definitely somewhere to go if you want to impress somebody with your cultural acumen because it's an experience you really can't get at too many other places. I'm not sure why they aren't super busy, but I will take that as an advantage in booking it.

Felt like I was in Japan somewhere. Had to try this place that I saw on Instagram and didn't disappoint! Food & service were all great! Will definitely come back again!

Made a reservation on Wednesday 10/25 via phone for Saturday 10/28 to celebrate my friend's birthday and they said we had no reservation when we came in. We came in at 5:30pm when they open. We asked for the reservation at 5:30pm on Wednesday! They said they still couldn't take us and argued with my friend. Really bad service and disappointing as I really wanted to try this place and it's my third time attempting to do so. Choose another restaurant I guess..

My friend and I decided to look through Yelp for a place to eat dinner that neither of us had tried yet. We ended up both looking at Robataya Oton and agreed we should try it out!! I have passed this restaurant over a dozen times walking to Kogi and I honestly did not know it existed!! It wasn't too bad of a wait on a Friday night and we were seated at the bar. The concept here is cool as they have other seating in which you remove your shoes before getting seated. We explored the menu and decided to order a few items to share. We got chicken karaage, uni udon, and gyutan (beef tongue) curry. The food came out quickly and we quickly got to eating. The chicken karaage was nice and crispy and the perfect way to start off our meal. The udon was flavorful and perfectly cooked. The gyutan curry was also great and had such a great balance of flavors. I really enjoyed each dish and am glad we got 3 different things to try. I will definitely be back here if I'm craving good Japanese food!!

I am so happy that it serves sukiyaki here. It serves two , much meat with high quality. The horumen was also flavorful. Will definitely come back again.

Average - quality of food and overall experience does not live up to the high price point. Pros: - Intimate and authentic setting (shoes off, type of seating) - Our server was friendly and attentive - The ebi (shrimp) tempura and the toro was pretty good - The chirashi bowl was a little small pretty good ($38) - Fresh wasabi! Meh: - Hard to find parking (same lot as Kogi) - The sushi omakase was pretty average for the price ($45 for 8 pieces), only 2 pieces out of 8 I thought was really good - The mentaiko udon was watery/soupy and I was hoping for something more creamy and flavorful - Bill came out to $150 for two people and we still left hungry

Delicious food!! Fresh seafood and it came out very fast! love the traditional Japanese seiza seating brought me back to Japan. The service was great all around! All staff was very attentive and courteous, would definitely come back again!

I came from Seattle to eat at Robataya Oton because of chef/owner Takumi. I was not disappointed. He was the chef at a sushi restaurant in Seattle and when he moved to San Diego, my family was very sad. The restaurant is really quaint and we ate at the sushi bar, which was great to be able to catch up with Chef Takumi. We had the omakase dinner and we were blown away. Such creativity in the dishes and the fish was so fresh. We had a delicious duck, which was a nice surprise. And the Uni was the freshest, sweetest uni I've ever had. I wish I lived in San Diego to be able to come here more often. Nice job, Takumi!

Very delicious, high quality, and authentic Japanese cuisine in San Diego. Their service was spectacular and paid close attention to us the entire meal. Their tables usually require a reservation. Even though we did not have a reservation, we were able to sit at the booths. Really enjoyed this small spot and highly recommend!

This place is so cute! We ordered the Unagi Bowl with Eel, the Gyutan Beef Tongue Curry and the Chicken Karaage and left satisfied with everything. We came on a Thursday night with no reservations, so we got bar seating instead of the private booths I was seeing all over TikTok, but I'll take it! From other reviews I'm seeing it's hard to get seated with no reservations, so for sure plan ahead :) The service was very good, everyone was very kind! Will for sure be back to try different items on the menu

Wowza, I guess it's about time to update the review to a more recent visit. We were still cautious about indoor dining and wanting some Japanese style grill meats we decided to come here. Must make a reservations this place is small and the seating option is tatami ish style. We arrived and realized they don't do yakitori anymore. I was really hoping for some chicken skin and some grilled meats. So it was a bit of a bummer. On the bright side they did have izakaya dishes so we stuck with those for a bit. We started out with the beef tongue and it was so good that at our end of the meal we ordered another one. It was tender and not over cooked at all. Juicy and the right amount of salt. Perfect. I have to confessed I was so obsessed with the food that I missed quite a few pictures of the dishes that came out. Another dish that we enjoyed immensely was the Uni Udon. Wow, just wow. The noodles were nice and soft with the perfect chew to every bit and the uni, Yup you can see it and you can taste it, so it was definitely not an afterthought were some places just give you a little. One thing you have to skip is their Toro at $32 dollars that was the worst Toro we had in awhile. It was not a great cut. Chewy and had the white stingy thing left behind. I ate one and a half and I was done. We have about 12 dishes and it was all great besides the Toro, so not bad odds at all. Service was impeccable at all times. I love the private ish seatings. I say private-ish because our room was only separate by a curtain whereas the other ones was more separated with a thin type wall/divider. Fun place to go to. Recommend. :)

Love the food variety and seating booths here, it's a proper izakaya menu. We enjoyed it so much we came twice in one week. Called ahead to reserve a table cuz it's a small spot but had no issues getting one at prime dinner time on a weekday. We LOVE the nabe most but it's a lot of food for 2 if you get other dishes. Maybe best to come with 3-4 people. The uni udon is a popular dish but I wouldn't get it again. Uni was very fresh but it's overall a bit undersalted, watery and bland.

Service was great! Suzie was very attentive and polite! The ambiance was fun with 7 people in our group. The sukiyaki was very good but the rest of the food was so so! We tried different appetizers but only the hamachi we thought was good. Price is a bit much for each appetizer when it can barely serve 2 people. I would not recommend their poke. It left a very bad taste in my mouth!!

I came here with a few friends right before the holidays, and this was a cute and cozy spot to chat and hang out. The only thing is that I wish it was open a later so that we wouldn't feel as rushed throughout the meal. I had made a reservation over the phone and I arrived early but even before we were seated, the waitress told us that we would need to hurry to finish the meal because there was a reservation right after us. We were checked on multiple times throughout the meal, and after we paid the bill, saw that there was no reservation after us but the dining room actually closes promptly at 9pm. Even the owner came by to remind us to leave right around 9pm... As for the dishes, the 3 of us ordered the hand roll trio (on their specials menu), the sukiyaki hot pot (2 orders to share), and a few other small dishes to share. We enjoyed everything but the hot pot cooked down very quickly and became a bit too salty; it would have been nice if we were offered some additional water or unsalted broth in order to water it down a bit. Other than that, I might consider coming back to try some other things but be sure to make an earlier reservation since this restaurant seems to close earlier in comparison to other Asian restaurants in the area.

Expect to drop a bill per person.FYI I'm japanese and I know my j food. Overpriced for average quality and small portion size. Sushi is not worth it. Way better options out there in sd - average sushi peices and horribly small and lacking any presentation. Their sukiyaki and nabe was disappointing. Meat portion small and quality average. I am not a cheap person. But this just felt like they are out here for a profit. Only nice thing is the rooms. If quality was higher maybe I wouldn't have complained about portion size, but AVERAGE food at high price leaves it very unsatisfactory.

Staff were really nice. Food were perfectly cooked and well seasoned. My nephews loved the Tako Wasa, Nabeyaki Udon and Uni Udon. Also loved the individual Japanese style rooms.

3.5 stars. I really really wanted to like this place more and was so looking forward to it because I love japanese food and culture. First, the pros: Food (4/5) The food tasted good, it wasn't blow me away remind me exactly of japan persay but its better than your average joint in SD. We got the omakase ($50), crab hotpot, tsukune, fried ham cutlet and sake. We were kinda disappointed by the limited menu, was looking forward to yakitori and grill squid. It also kinda sucks how if you want hotpot, you have to place at least two orders and each order is like $30....I'd rather go to AYCE hotpot at that price yikes. Ambiance (5/5) It so cool in here! They have private booths where you put your shoes outside so feels very traditional. They also blast the a/c in here so bring a jacket. Service (5/5) They hella check up on you like a LOT. And they're really nice. I almost feel bad for giving them this rating but feedback is feedback. And here were the cons Parking (3/5) For a place that isn't in the heart of convoy, parking is still ridiculousy hard to find. The lot is so small as they share this with a kbbq joint next door. Wait (2/5) Call ahead to make a reservation like a week in advance. I saw on yelp you can call same day, not true anymore- we called right when they opened and already no availability had to wait a week... Price (2/5) This was the biggest reason I left the restaurant feeling unsatisfied to be honest. Now I'm not cheap either, I will splurge every so often for high quality meals. The bill was very very high for not a lot of food...I mean it was good but not $160 worth great for two people. We weren't even full. For way cheaper, we can get reasonably stuffed at Yakyudori! If I wanted to pay $160, I would've gone to a nice steakhouse naw mean? Its been a long time since I felt jipped by a restaurant, this is sooo overpriced.

Woah, I was born and raised in SD for 27+ years and never knew this hidden gem existed. The food is phenomenal but the people are even more incredible. We made a last minute decision to eat here and even though they were at capacity with space, they did everything they could to accommodate a party of 4. Get the seafood tempura. Wow. It was crispy, clean, and buttering. Their mackerel was also out of this world. I'll definitely be going back again soon. Takumi and Lina were some of the best hosts, and they definitely deserve a shout out! Thanks so much for this phenomenal experience!

The food here was great and had a variety of options to choose from. The eel rice was sweet and savory. The waitress was friendly and the food came quickly. You get your own little private room to enjoy your food. Would come here again.

This is my favorite restaurant. The first time I went I remember walking in and the aura of the facility was completely unique and minimalistic and I had never seen anything like it. Walking in you don't see your table. What you see is a corridor of woodwork with door openings covered by small curtains and small steps up into each doorway... shoes set next to the side of the steps. I was advised to remove my shoes and enter one of the curtain covered door openings and found myself in a totally secluded little space with a hot plate. My waitress crawled in and educated me on the culture of the business, the menu and I was in love. Authentic Japanese, offered in an authentic Japanese facility. There is no place better to me to take a special friend or date for a fun and intimate and fulfilling ramen, agadashi tofu, takoyaki, the best hot plate searing offerings you can think of.

Came here on a whim without looking up the place. Was not prepared to take off my shoes nor have one of the most satisfying Japanese meals I've had in the contiguous states. As is with most things worthwhile in San Diego: parking is VERY limited. Fast service. Clean. Delicious!

Rude service. They barely checked up on us and water was left unfilled the whole time.

My fiance and I were visiting SD and were looking for an authentic sushi place and were not disappointed. The booths were in traditional Japanese fashion and shoes left outside the booth. We had an order of maguro sashimi (four pieces), hamachi sashimi (four pieces) and shabu shabu. The sushi was the best either of us has ever had and Ive had sushi everywhere. The shabu shabu came with perfectly cut thin slices of ribeye and veggies with a fantastic sesame sauce. I used the restroom and they even had one of those futuristic toilets. The only downsides I think were it was quite expensive (magura was $18 for four pieces, hamachi was $25 for four pieces and the shabu shabu was something like $58) and in the past when I have had shabu shabu, there is a bowl with noodles or udon to be eaten last and that never came. All in all, I will definitely come back when in the area

my new fave spot for japanese food in san diego!! my boyfriend and i made last minute reservations on a friday night and we loved every moment of our meal!! we both shared sweet shrimp nigiri and octopus, and then we shared the uni udon and chirashi bowl! all the staff were super friendly and attentive. this meal felt like such a warm hug and a home cooked meal and everything was super fresh. we left feeling very happy and would def come back :')

Ambiance: nice wooden booths that are very cozy and perfect for small groups. Service: great. They gave us a reservation at 5:45 and by 7:15 was politely asking us to leave. I understand, but is still a slight con to this restaurant. Food: Appetisers were pricey but amazing. The bowls were slightly overpriced and could be better. I would come back again!

Omg, the toro sushi was melt in your mouth, please excuse me for a moment while I make audible noises of delight, kinda good. Saba great portion, tasty but had a lot of bones. Luckily I wasn't on a date and with a friend so it's ok to pick out the bones from my mouth lol. The beef tongue was ok, it came on a hot skillet and I think i over cooked it. It was tasty, so was the wasabi salsa on the side, but I think the beef tongue I had a Wa Dining Okon was better and more tender. I wanted an authentic Japanese experience and felt that here. The private tatami rooms are a great cozy touch.. I was still hungry after all this lol and it was $61 with tip. My friend got the karaage and it looked yummy. Get the toro, it's bomb.

I love this place! it's been cold lately so we wanted to eat something hot. All staffs were so careful and nice. Food was super good! Tip: if you're not familiar with these types of places make sure to take off your shoes when sitting down.

After a 5-star dinner several weeks ago, we decided to take some family on New Year's Eve for a nice dinner. Upon arriving for our 7:15 reservations, we were promptly seated. After reviewing the menu and daily specials, we placed our orders. Shortly thereafter, our waitress came back to inform us that the Nigiri we had ordered was unavailable due to "we have no sushi rice" - which is highly unusual for a high-end izakaya and sushi bar type of restaurant. Also, when wanting to order three bowls of Miso Soup, we were told that they didn't have Miso soup (kind of a staple in any Japanese restaurant!). They had plenty of Gohan (rice) for our Unagi Gohan bowls (4), and I'd imagine they had a tub of Miso Paste sitting in a refrigerator somewhere that could have been used to make a bit of soup. Plenty of their dishes are served with a dashi-type stock, which surely would have sufficed. $768 for two dinners - well worth the quality of the product and selection of hard-to-find specialties, but somewhat disappointed with my New Year's Eve dinner.

Very good, highly recommended and will be back soon Great customer service, food was great!!...and nice place to eat

This place feels so authentic and it really feels like you're in Japan. One of my friends I went with is Japanese, and she also says that the restaurant is very purely Japanese. Every party has their own intimate seating section which is closed off from everyone else. It's really cozy and you're also encouraged to take your shoes off as you sit at the table, which made me feel more at home and comfortable. This restaurant has such an extensive menu as well- from sushi to katsu to hot pot to udon to yakitori to omelettes. Our group basically got something from each of those categories and the food was amazing. I am a big fan of takowasa and I always get it at every Japanese restaurant as an appetizer. This place definitely has the best takowasa I've had and I really wanted to order another one. I forgot the name of the pasta we got, but if you look in my photos, that one was sooooo good! Definitely a table favorite. The sashimi omakase was fresh and delicious too. I seriously loved everything we had here. I wish I remembered the names of the dishes, but I'm pretty positive that anything you order here will be good. Beer and cocktails are served here too! I would for sure come here again just to hang out and drink cozily with someone. It's perfect if you want that intimacy. The servers here are so nice too and very polite. I will be back without a doubt :)

This is one of my favorite place in San Diego! Cute date spot, with good authentic Japanese spot in San Diego. I love how everything tastes so yummy and presentable. The tables were semi-private too so you get the datesy vibe.

Finished every bite. Very good! I recommend the chicken balls!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! They are amazing!