50 Best Japanese Restaurants in San Diego

“Fantastic food quality. Purist food.“

“Great chefs, great staff, great food, great sake… what’s not to like when everything was great!?!?“

“Love the sushi here it’s the only place I get sushi from. Well worth the price, plate feels loaded. The flavor just melts away and brings me back to Hawaii (my happy place). The staff are always so polite and doesn’t take long to get your order. There is tables inside and outside, it’s really nice and the vibes are always great. Thank you for having the best sushi in town!!!“

“this is clearly one of my favorite Japanese markets in San Diego is not that big but I has enough stuff to make you happy in the dinner place is really good the ramen is amazing and I love you decoration because it makes you feel like you're in Japan looking at the samples you should totally go here will never regret it. prices are there regular has another Asian market but when you think about these being products that you don't get every where it is kind of cheap.“

“The food is SO good. The chef was super friendly and nice. We can’t wait to go back. 😄“

“Upset...this place had quality sushi, great prices, and awesome service! I am not happy I don't have a sushi place near me thay checks these boxes and more.

Down at SDSU on move in day and after the move in we wanted something fresh and light that would not put us to sleep on our 2 hour ride home. We found this place with a basic search...glad this popped up.

Walked in to this low key location, greeted right away and seated. There were quite a few people here already, but a couple open tables. Server was attentive, gave suggestions. We chose 4 different rolls, nothing basic, large sashimi plate, even some chicken and rice. We all had drinks, they brought us appetizers. The server continues to check on us verified our food was good, drinks were filled, etc. Spent about 45 minutes here... Time for the bill...for 4 of us...barely at $100!

This will be our go to for our SDSU trips when visiting“

“Dare you to find a better dining experience in San Diego. Best Omikase in San Diego County, regardless of what stars and mentions others may have. Incredible, knowledgeable staff; they know food, sake and wine. Food and service are spectacular. True artists delivering the best Omikase!“

“Fresh, one of a kind, and outstanding service! I went here a couple weeks ago with to my father and we love it! Definitely on the pricey side but it’s worth it if you’re looking for quality and experiencing a bit of the culture! Professional establishment that deserves more praise!“

“This Brazilian temaki food truck is an absolute gem! The quality of the ingredients is outstanding—fresh fish, perfectly seasoned rice, and the seaweed is always crisp. Each bite is packed with flavor, and you can tell they put real care into making every temaki.

What really sets them apart is the price. For the quality you're getting, it's a great deal—affordable without compromising on taste. If you're craving a taste of Brazil with a unique twist, this is the spot to hit! Highly recommend.“

“We dined at their SM North Edsa branch. Good food. 👌 Crews were accommodating. 💯“

“The sushi is amazing...baked salmon roll and Philly rolls are my go to!“

“We had a great time here tonight. The restaurant staffs and the sushi chef were friendly and the omakase dinner course portion was generous and super delicious. :)“

“Kumi Café is one of those hidden gems you find and just keep coming back to. My husband and I have been here multiple times, and every visit is just as good — if not better — than the last.

The service is always amazing. The staff is kind, fast, and really on top of things without ever making you feel rushed. They create the kind of experience that makes you feel genuinely taken care of.

Today, we had the Korean short rib, the bento box with gyoza and a California roll, and the tuna poke bowl. Everything was fresh, flavorful, and perfectly balanced. I normally don’t even like California rolls, but theirs are so good — fresh, not too mayo-heavy, and the rice is just right. My husband said his poke bowl was refreshing and delicious, and I couldn’t stop stealing bites.

We’ve also tried the sashimi and the chicken katsu curry on past visits, and both are incredible. The sashimi is super fresh and generous, and the curry — especially the chicken katsu version — is rich, comforting, and packed with flavor. Definitely one of our favorites on the menu.

The place has a chill, modern vibe — clean and simple, but welcoming. It’s become one of our go-to spots when we want something that hits the spot without breaking the bank.“

“Absolutely incredible! We have dined in with Chef Nghi and have ordered their Epic board for take out and every time it has been nothing short of incredible. We’ve tried just about all the high-end sushi spots in San Diego and we’re always left impressed by chef Nghi! Not only is their fish so fresh and their rolls fun and creative but the service is top notch! I highly recommend Ju-ichi!“

“Luke is an amazing multitasker❤ made us feel very welcome.“

“Stumbled upon this spot when we were craving sushi. Our servers were incredibly hospitable and the atmosphere made it one of the most memorable nights my partner and I had during our trip to San Diego. It's been over a month and I still think about our dinner experience here. Highly recommend 👌“

“I had a salad which was perfect except the chicken I ordered with it was excessively salty. Nobody seemed to apologize or even try to make things right. I tried one piece of chicken and it felt like I was eating a salt pack. I tried another in case I just happened to get the saltiest piece, but each of the pieces of chicken were very salty. After I told the waitress, I ordered it next with a side of shrimp. It was kind of disappointing because they give you a few baby shrimp and some of the pieces were also pretty salty, but I didn’t want to call them out on it. My daughter had the curry udon. The taste was great, but because they put the beef on top of it, it was quite oily. The salmon onigiri was fantastic and well worth the price. It was my favorite savory item we ordered.

The best part was dessert. We had strawberry and mango shaved ice. It was enormous and they use fresh fruit. I think they make their own flavored sauces too. It comes with whipped cream which adds a nice touch.

I also tried the 3 mochi sticks. It was not what I expected. I got it to go, and the three skewers of mochi were very puny soggy and wet. They packed the sauces on the side. It was not very appetizing for the price that you pay. You can get better mochi in the Japanese markets.

Overall, I think it’s a really great place to go for a beverage and dessert. The shop is very cute and beautifully decorated. It is like stepping into Japan and savoring the beauty of the cherry blossom season. It’s definitely worth trying as an overall experience.“

“Some of the best Japanese food in San Diego. I wish I had known about them sooner.“

“The girls night roll was good, had an interesting combination of flavors and it was well presented.
The bento box was surprisingly big and flavourful✨
Chicken karaage was small but on point. The servers were pretty friendly and the seating is comfortable“

“Covid-19 take out can be a hit or miss with food tasting like it's container. This place did not disappoint. I ordered the Vegan Ramen for a late lunch. Inside the restaurant is following proper protocol and is very clean. I have always ordered Vegan Ramen anywhere I visit outside of California, and have ordered all over San Diego. This by far is the BEST Vegan Ramen out there. The coconut milk, chili and miso broth is well balanced and buttery, the noodles and added ingredients are well proportioned, the tofu is not at all mushy or greasy..The noodles are fresh and delicious. for a couple dollars more you can add more noodles.. Definitely a stop for some comfort food!“

“If you are lucky in life, you occasionally get to have a real dining experience. Something that defies expectations, challenges the norms, sets the bar at an unattainable level. That often comes with high-end restaurants with renowned chefs. When it happens in a tiny, unassuming neighborhood establishment, it makes me giddy. I just had one of the best meals of my life hosted by Hiro the chef and only employee at Hanaya Sushi. In fact it was just he and I in the restaurant on a Wednesday early evening. He served me a beautiful presentation, delicious beyond any words that I possess. It was truly edible art. Hiro was amazingly talented in his food preparation, a real culinary artisan. On top of that, he was funny, kind, humble, grateful and entertaining. When it was all done, he sent me home with an awesome little goodie bag. What's clearly evident to me, that while my treatment seemed so special and personable, I know he takes care of everyone with the same effort and respect. He doesn't really want a crowd, even though he deserves one. He is happy taking care of one customer at a time and giving them all he has, grateful for the living it provides for himself. We need more Hiros in this world. I've eaten at a lot of good places and have been happy to provide reviews for the ones that really stand out. But I've never written a dining review quite like this. I'm so grateful for this very personal experience and I'm actually sad I don't live in the area so that I can enjoy Hiro and Hanaya Sushi on a regular basis. This will be a dinner I'll never forget and I hope to make it back one day. Thank you Hiro!“

“Great place. True European feel.“

“As a long-time fan of Japanese curry, I was thrilled to finally visit a Curry House CoCo Ichibanya – my first time at this particular chain, though I'm no stranger to the style, having frequented a beloved (and now sadly closed) Curry House in Westwood pre-pandemic. I was so happy to find the menus quite similar, with all my old favorites present and accounted for!
We started with the Garlic Cheese Naan, which was absolutely delicious fresh and hot, though it did lose a bit of its magic as it cooled – so definitely enjoy it quickly! It was also my boyfriend's very first foray into Japanese curry, and I'm happy to report he absolutely loved it. He opted for the spicy teriyaki fried chicken, while I indulged in my classic chicken cutlet. Both dishes were just as rich and flavorful as I remembered, hitting all the right notes of comforting deliciousness.
My only minor disappointment was that they were out of iced coffee, which would have been a perfect complement. Nevertheless, the overall experience was fantastic, and I'm already planning my next visit to have my old favorite, the keema curry! I'll definitely be back when I'm in San Diego.“

“Excellent Sushi Spot in Carmel Mountain!
This place is tucked next to Home Depot in Carmel Mountain, and it’s a real gem. We went in the afternoon, and it wasn’t too crowded, which made for a relaxed lunch. The food was excellent — we tried the Chicken Katsu combo, which was perfectly cooked and flavorful. The sushi rolls — Dewy, Grass, and Friday — were all outstanding, fresh, and beautifully presented.

For appetizers, we had the chicken karaage, which was crispy on the outside and juicy inside — a perfect start to the meal. Overall, great quality food, generous portions, and definitely worth the money.“

“Hakamaru is my absolute favorite sushi restaurant outside of Japan. The fish is fresh daily, the specials are amazing, food quality is always great, staff and service are excellent.*Shout-out to Stelle!!* I highly recommend the tempura veggie and shrimp combo, as well as the udon, and any nigiri orders. Do not sleep on this restaurant. 10/10.“

“Owner is from Hawaii. Great service and great taste. Spicy Miso Broth hit thr spot. definitely will be back when I'm in town for work. 🤙🤙🤙“

“Every time I fly in to San Diego, I go directly here!! I frequently drive from Del Mar just for THIS place!
Phenomenal TOP GRADE SUSHI. Not cheep but just right on price… especially for the HIGH QUALITY!!!
Pictured is the sushi & sashimi lunch special!!! Worth the drive!!!“

“good food, friendly staff and atented“

“Best sushi in San Diego at reasonable prices! Delicioso!!!“

“Great spot for sushi, the food was good, the vibes were there although they could have a better music selection, the servers were super sweet and personable, I would definitely go back especially that the prices are very reasonable and the quality is there.“

“Eaten here numerous times. Excellent quality food, and service. Equivalent to San Francisco Bay Area Japanese restaurants..which are outstanding.“

“Everyone who works there is friendly With excellent customer service food was delicious 🤤“

“Came in just under an hour to close (sorry!), but they were very nice and accommodating. The fish was fresh. The portions were HUGE. Ordered three rolls and some sashimi. The salmon belly was great. Couldn’t finish all the rolls but I desperately wanted to!“

“This place is absolutely delicious! We had sushi, miso soup, and veggie tempura. We highly recommend the Crispy Crunch roll. we went here early in the week and our daughter asked to go back to this place for her birthday since we all loved it so much. the restaurant was clean and the decor was cool- very nice sushi restaurant! All ingredients were fresh and filling.“

“👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍🤗👍👍👍“

“FABULOUS LUNCH ! Hey I have never been inside a Japanese restaurant in my life. On the other hand my wife has traveled to Japan many times for her work and loves Japanese food...her fav is Chicken Yakitori. NOTE ! I saw a video a few days ago of Chicken Katsu Curry posted by my mate Jack...one of my best friends on Yelp. It looked so delicious that I had to have it. TODAY ! My wife and I were down in La Jolla taking care of business. I had previously looked up URBN Sushi and knew they served Chicken Katsu Curry and Chicken Yakitori. After a slow 10 minute drive due to roadworks...we arrived here at around 2pm. A friendly server named Henry greeted us with a big smile when we entered. Glasses of iced water came out quick followed by COMPLIMENTARY bowls of Miso soup and Edamame Beans. My wife ordered a Chicken Yakitori Starter and I had to have the Chicken Katsu Curry of course. A few more customers trickled in while we waited for our lunch order to arrive. WHOO HOO ! My wife's Chicken Yakitori Starter...2 skewers arrived first followed soon after by my beautiful looking Chicken Katsu Curry. TOTALLY DELICIOUS ! There is a first time for everything and now I know I love this dish. MORE ! My wife loved her Chicken Yakitori skewers but needed more food so a Vegetable Tempura Starter came out within a few minutes. And I pinched a few pieces...so delicious. THE MENU IS HUGE ! We were more than happy with our first lunch visit but there is so much more to try on the menu. TOP SERVICE ! Our server Henry was great the whole time answering all my questions about items on the menu. WE LOVED IT !“

“Amazing omakase, friendly and knowledgeable staff“

“Amazing sushi and noodles at Ayu Sushi & Noodles in Pacific Highlands Ranch in Carmel Valley. We loved everything, the tempura udon, the yume, sachi, and anata rolls, the bluefin crudo, and the salmon hand rolls. Great selection of species on the menu, next time will need to get more nigiri and sashimi. Great service, friendly and quick. We sat on the dog friendly patio. Recommend!“

“The service, prices, and atmosphere were all great. The woman at the cash register was so kind and offered us table service since we had our dog and baby. She made the experience special. My husband got the bento C and he really liked everything. Unfortunately, I got the sushi lunch and didn’t love it. Typically I love ahi nigiri, but I found theirs chewy. All the other fish were good.“

“A very nice Japanese Yakiniku style restaurant (beef, vegetables, chicken or others that you grill on the table).

They have a good selection of different meat and meat quality. All was excellent, and you can really taste the difference between the different quality levels.

The staff were very friendly and professional, and provided excellent service.

I really liked the nice, cozy atmosphere, with individual booths and wood paneling.

Definitely a fun place to come to when you have that craving for tasty yakiniku bbq!“

“We love Chiba! We lived here 8 years ago and we’re back. I am glad to see the food is still as delicious as I remember! The food was fast and I recommend the sushi! Also, our waitress was great!“

“Curry: 4.5/5 This curry is very good. It is slightly sweet, savory, and has a depth to it. That being said, it stays within the parameters of a typical Japanese curry. The only thing that docked it from being perfect was that the texture was not perfectly smooth. There is this sort of floury grain to it that I associate with store-bought curries that took me slightly aback. I also sort of miss the flavor of having spiciness cooked in the sauce rather than just putting a powder on top. Oh, and more pickles!

Karaage: 4.5/5 The Curry Club does a phenomenal job at frying. The chicken was moist and crispy. I normally do not like karaage with my curry because it has that sort of karaage taste (ginger, soy, etc.) but this was recommended by my waitress and it was awesome.

Fried Again, great fried shrimp, almost no notes. It DOES have that slight mushy texture right between the coating and shrimp that I really detest, but I have accepted that is just part of the experience at this point. Solid choice if you want seafood.

This egg was shockingly good. It puts most of the ramen shops in San Diego to shame. Well marinated, perfectly gooey, a great balance between sweet and salty, the literal perfect egg. I’m not sure if it matched the curry, but I would just eat it as dessert to be honest.

Ambiance: The restaurant is casual but nice. I don’t see why you couldn’t make this a more special restaurant date.

Service: Service was very fast and kind. They “served” just the perfect amount.

Parking: The parking lot is a vast lot. Very easy, no pain.“

“We wanted to try this place for a long time but we only had several times drink at here before. Mingei is my favorite museum in SD and a restaurant at here, it is gonna be good! Plus their drinks are pretty nice as I remember. And yes, I’ll say here’s food is worthy to try. We ordered a Vietnamese pork meatball and a choripan burger, they are all fusion style food, which I like - A lot of different culture inspired cuisine. Meatball is flavorful and burger is juicy and tender. I would like more Vietnamese flavor in the meatball like fish sauce I guess, now I feel the Vietnamese flavor is not enough. The service is nice and the atmosphere is great. I’ll definitely recommend you come to try.“

“My lady and I had the absolute pleasure of attending the grand opening last week, and we’re still raving about it. From the moment we walked in, everything was flawless—the food was outstanding, the service impeccable, and the presentation elevated every dish to a work of art.

I’ve been to plenty of restaurant openings over the years, but I’ve never seen one executed with this level of precision, warmth, and attention to detail. They didn’t just meet expectations; they shattered them.

The menu is exceptional from start to finish—creative, delicious, and perfectly balanced. Considering the quality of ingredients, execution, and overall experience, the pricing is remarkably fair (honestly, almost a steal).

If you’re someone who appreciates thoughtful plating and a team that clearly goes above and beyond, this is your place.
Hands down one of the best dining experiences we’ve had in a long time. We’ll be back—often.“

“Food is amazing.
Rose lychee green tea is refreshing and my new favorite

I had the chicken pad Thai level 1 spice and it was great. Not too spicy. But it has a decent kick to it.

I definitely want to try the bbq honey pork next.“

“II have to say it was so bussy and the cashier did a fantastic job in making sure we got our order asap ..! congratulations the service was spectacular the place was spotless the atmosphere was so inviting and the food was out of this world good I RAQUEL HIGHLY RECOMEND IT👏 YOU WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED 👌 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟“

“Great food 😋 and friendly atmosphere 🥰.“

“Best Sushi, Omakase, and experience hands down.
These chefs are masters and the nicest guys who put everyone at ease and take your taste buds on an journey of pure joy and deliciousness.

Everything is sooo fresh and top quality. Each bite feels sacred, you can't help but close your eyes when enjoying the symphony of flavors.

I wish I could give more than 5 stars. My only advice: sit at the sushi bar and enjoy the ride :)“

“They missed the mark the last time I was here. The karaage was bland and soggy and the miso salmon was quite salty and tasted over cooked. The seaweed around the negitoro hzndroll tasted stale and was soggy. They have a great menu and the atmosphere. This is a really fun place to go with a group to share some dishes. Hope they can pay a bit more attention to the food coming out of the kitchen!“

“We had the most amazing meal there on Wednesday night! Everything was exceptional, especially the uni! The service was fantastic! We will be back!“