Top Japanese Restaurant in La Jolla
Nozomi Sushi La Jolla
4150 Regents Park Row UNIT 190, La Jolla, CA 92037, United States
I had the black garlic oil ramen which is great. The soup is not as salty as other Japanese restaurants. The environment is also great. The spicy edamame is delicious.
Blue Ocean Harumama
1250 Prospect St, La Jolla, CA 92037, United States
A little confused by the experience we had here tonight. Short and sweet version: Do not get the duck bao bao buns. Do get the sushi. Do get the garden party ramen. Expect slow service if you're a small table.Everything started well: We were seated quickly on arrival by the excellent hostesses. That's when things went a little off the rails. After we were seated, we waited for about 10–15 minutes to order drinks. We also ordered a round of the bao bao buns. I can't speak to the other types of bao bao buns they have available but I ordered duck and it was, unfortunately, very bad. The duck was very tough, almost like a jerky, and the tender layer of fat that normally surrounds the duck meat had become rubbery. This was very sad and it was the state of both of my bao bao buns.While the bao bao buns were not good, the sushi roll we ordered was fantastic. Fresh, light, perfectly balanced. It was everything sushi should be. We had the Marine Boy roll and I would recommend it to anyone. Their sushi chef is clearly very skilled.I also ordered the garden party vegan ramen. The broth on this ramen was stellar. It reminded me of my favorite paitan broth from home. It was very creamy and flavorful. The vegetables served with the ramen complemented the broth and the spinach noodles were very good. The only thing I was not happy with was the tofu. It was very bland. It surprised me because the broth was so flavorful and every other element was so delicious that the phoned-in tofu situation was unexpected. It tasted like they basically took the tofu directly out of the package, sliced it, and let the broth warm it without giving the tofu any love.The kitchen was very fast and overall their flavors were on point, so the primary sticking point was the service. Our table was often ignored for larger tables and at one point we did need to get up and request additional service. It seems like speed of service is based on your estimated bill.
Himitsu
1030 Torrey Pines Rd G, La Jolla, CA 92037, United States
Himitsu is a quaint restaurant in La Jolla Cove serving high-end sashimi and nigiri alongside a compact menu of small plates and rolls. My visits to Himitsu have provided a generous amount of excellent sushi, and a warm experience that has rivaled my sushi experiences in Tokyo. The space consists of an outdoor patio and a handful of sushi bar seats which you should hope to reserve when dining here. A strong social vibe pervades the small sushi bar, isolated in its own intimate solarium where one has the opportunity to know their chef and fellow diners.Behind the sushi bar is Chef Mitsu Aihara, formerly of Sushi-Ota. If you are fortunate enough to sit at the sushi bar and have Chef Mitsu attend to you personally, you MUST order the omakase, as Chef Mitsu delivers one of the best and most innovative omakase experiences in San Diego, proving to be similarly skilled to his mentor, Chef Ota. A friendly character with a natural ability to effortlessly create Instagram-able food porn, Chef Mitsu takes the time to know the diner he is serving and customizes the omakase experience for that person -- I noticed I was getting slightly different sushi than he was serving the couple next to me who were also doing omakase. The fish came out fast-and-furious and, two hours into it, I finally needed to tap out after being served an ultra-rich hand roll containing uni, melt-in-your-mouth otoro, and salmon roe, for what seemed like my 25th course in.Much of Himitsus fish is flown in overnight from Japan, though some of it is locally-caught as well. A few of my favorites that arent as popular at other sushi joints in San Diego included the buttery Black Throat Sea Perch and the naturally sweet Triggerfish, topped with its own white, sticky liver when served nigiri-style.As other reviews have noted, Chef Mitsu loves Japanese sardines, here served as both nigiri and sashimi, somewhat fatty and slippery in texture and with a clean but concentrated flavor of fish. This is a unique piece of sushi Ive not had elsewhere that reminded me of Red Boat 40°N, a favorite fish sauce in my household.Mid-way through my omakase, I was offered Shirako, which Chef Mitsu described as an appetizer, like eggs. Since Ive had Shirako before, I shot back, dont you mean sperm?, and so ended the ruse, as my fellow diners at the bar all soured their faces at once, and I enjoyed my cod sperm sacs, here served raw in a ponzu sauce -- its creamy white blobs sharing both the texture and taste of the fried belly parts of whole belly fried clams, but without the deep-fried batter.Other sushi Ive had here has included Otoro, Chutoro, Marinated Blue Fin Akami, Local Spiny Lobster, Salmon Belly, Hamachi Belly, Uni, Stripejack, Raw Squid, Seared Squid with Shiso and Eel Sauce, Needlefish, Octopus, Razor Clam, Albacore, Ocean Eel, Kelp-Marinated Halibut, and Wagyu Beef. All have been served fresh and, at minimum, have met my expectations. Additionally, Ive ordered the Salmon Jalapeño, similar to Nobus famous Hamachi Jalapeño, but Himitsus choice to use candy-striped salmon meat leads to a more dramatic presentation despite a slight loss of richness.Im admittedly a bit of a sushi snob, but I dont need to gorge myself at spendy outlets like Tadokoro, Kaito, or Ota to be satisfied. However, due to the overall dependability of these restaurants, their sourcing of supremely high-quality seafood, and the mouth-watering plates of sashimi served, I am often willing to spend a little extra. Himitsu is such a place Ill open my wallet up for, and should be considered to be in the apex tier of sushi restaurants in San Diego.
Sushi Mori La Jolla
2161 Avenida De La Playa, La Jolla, CA 92037, United States
* Korean owned Japanese restaurant. Good effort at authentic Japanese food, but mediocre at best *Stopped by while visiting La Jolla beach and decided to give it a try. We were greeted by staff who carried a strong Korean accent and spoke Korean to each other. This appears to be a family run business.You cant go wrong with fresh fish on rice and their fish was decent. However, they use Korean rice rather than sushi rice - a similar variant of rice but the difference is noticeable. Variety on specials is limited. Their attempt at ramen fell quite short. The noodles were soggy and the broth was lacking. Rarely will you find a place that can do both sushi and ramen well at the same location and Sushi Mori is no exception.Overall, they made a good effort to provide Japanese food to the area but their ambition to bring both hot and cold dishes worked against them. Still, if youre in the area and had a craving for sushi, not a bad place to stop amidst the surrounding Italian restaurants.
Top other services in La Jolla:
Trader Joes
8657 Villa La Jolla Dr, La Jolla, CA 92037, United States
***UPDATED** R E V I E WTHIS IS A FANTASTIC TRADER JOES. I would say that in my experience this is the best trader Joes in San diego. However I go to a lot of them and I have gone to a lot of them and they are all good for different reasons.This location is consistent, and they were the best and greatest leader during covid with masking and ensuring safety. I really respect that and other locations did well but this one was the best run store in town in that regardTrader Joes is amazing and I respect their model. They have a fair markup and high quality. You can go back and ask for a replacement or what have you. They have a basic no nonsense approach.I really appreciate the power Trader Joes gives me to buy portions that work well for one person or many and the more I get to know the products the more I see that theres a real appreciation for healthy quality food as well as many shorter term prepared and frozen foods that may not be as healthy but that will be delicious.The service here is good, trader Joes sells massive amounts of local flowers around the country and I feel like they have a fair markup. They certainly earn that.I really appreciate being able to purchase my groceries from Trader Joes and I get basically everything from Trader joes, generally.Trader Joes offers the important food staples and usually an organic or non-organic version. Lately I have been using the lotions and more of the home products. I have also gathered input and they seem to be well respected products.Some products have bad oils so you really have to distinguish the unhealthy but delicious items from the nutritious and often delicious basic foods.I just feel like they have products that really fit the bill and whenever I find out a new thing that I want they seem to have it its very well thought out.Im going to have to recommend this Trader Joes and of course Trader Joes, in general, is an outstanding chain. This is a great Trader Joes and there are many all over San Diego.I recommend them all, however small or would have you, including Pacific Beach, and Encinitas, definitely.ORIGINAL REVIEW.Always nice people working there. Trader Joes has a lot of products that arent offered elsewhere that are good quality. Obviously they have all of their own Brands, but Trader Joes is a very good staple for living. Also they have a great beer selection and desserts and treats if you need to bring anything to a party or a potluck. Etc. A wide variety of delicious and often healthy items.
Shiku
1277 Prospect St, La Jolla, CA 92037, United States
As we were walking down the street of La Jolla, we walked by this place in route to another sushi place called Blue Ocean. Right away Shiku looked appealing but we already had plans on going to Blue Ocean. Well we get to Blue Ocean and it seemed a bit too fancy and had a 45 minute wait. So we said screw it and went to Shiku and my god did we make the right choice. Hands down the best sushi and hospitality I’ve ever experienced at a restaurant. The owner worked that night and was extremely pleasant to talk to. He told us a bit about his Japanese culture talked about how Master Chefs make their sushi. Made us feel really special! Highly recommend and I can guarantee you’ll be satisfied. We’ll be bringing our friends next time.
Blue Ocean Sushi & Grill
4313 La Jolla Village Dr Suite 2265, San Diego, CA 92122, United States
I recently dined at Blue Ocean Sushi, and it was an exceptional experience from start to finish. Located conveniently in the heart of the La Jolla in UTC mall close by to The end of Macy’s, the restaurant offers a modern and inviting ambiance that sets the perfect tone for a delightful meal.The menu at Blue Ocean Sushi is extensive and diverse, featuring a wide range of traditional and contemporary sushi options. Each dish and even the sashimi—were beautifully presented and tasted even better than they looked. The fish was incredibly fresh, and the rice was perfectly seasoned.One of the highlights of our meal were the Amberjack Carpaccio and the Tuna Harmony appetizers. We ordered 4 different types of sashimi: Seabass, Amberjack, Salmon, and Bluefin Tuna. Each piece of sashimi was sliced with precision, generously cut, and melted in our mouths, reflecting the high quality of ingredients and the skill of the chefs.The service at Blue Ocean Sushi was impeccable. The staff was attentive, knowledgeable, and genuinely friendly, making us feel welcome and well taken care of throughout our meal. They were quick to offer recommendations and ensure that our dining experience was nothing short of excellent.Overall, Blue Ocean Sushi exceeded our expectations in every way. Whether you’re a sushi aficionado or a newcomer to Japanese cuisine, this restaurant offers something for everyone. I highly recommend Blue Ocean Sushi for its outstanding food, exceptional service, and inviting atmosphere. It’s a must-visit for anyone looking to enjoy high-quality sushi in a comfortable and stylish setting.I docked one star only because I could tell our server needed to be trained more and we waited awhile for more fresh wasabi which kept us waiting to eat our sashimi for 15 minutes to get a server’s attention and the restaurant was not busy, 15 minutes is a long time…. Other than that the service was excellent and I will come back. This might be my new favorite sushi restaurant.
The Lodge at Torrey Pines
11480 N Torrey Pines Rd, La Jolla, CA 92037, United States
I want this to be a fair review and please note this is a review for The Lodge as a wedding venue. For the positive, the Lodge is a really beautiful place with its wood furniture, luxe cottage/getaway feel and beautifully maintained grounds (golf course) with ocean views. Service staff are great as well as you could expect from a 5 star resort.However, there were a few bumps in our experience as a couple holding our wedding here.1) The team was VERY slow to respond to emails during the months leading up to our wedding ( I would almost call it unresponsive). Literally, I would wait 2 to 4 weeks for a response with no reply, then follow up with a phone call and/or another email to try to contact them about the same questions/issues. So usually it would take me a total of about 4+ weeks to get a response to any issue or question. I do understand if it is more than a few months out from an event, they have other events coming up sooner which they need to prioritize and I have no problem with this. However, it was a highly unpleasant experience for us and I imagine for any other couple trying to plan their wedding. It felt like we were constantly chasing them to get any response, like pulling teeth.By six weeks out from our wedding, we had STILL not received a banquet event order with details for our wedding and it was stated in our contract with them that this would be provided by 6 weeks out. We actually did not receive the final event order until about 3 or 4 DAYS before our wedding. This was highly stressful for obvious reasons as well as the fact that we were planning a destination wedding (travelling to Socal from Vancouver, Canada). By the time the order was sent to us, we were already in SoCal the weekend before our wedding (thus staying in hotels, with friends and family also arriving from out of town), and it was very overwhelming that close to the wedding to have to still be trying to finalize details. Again, I understand that the hotel has other events they cater to, but literally the week of the wedding was pushing it and I feel they could have been more considerate of this point and the clients experience.2) We wanted to hold our wedding here because we loved the look of the property and grounds. There were wedding photos on their website with couples standing on the cliff overlooking the ocean, and we really wanted photos with this particular backdrop. I believe we had also mentioned this to our contact and no one told us it would be an issue, for a year from the time we signed the contract with them until our wedding date. Literally on the day of our wedding, we were told that we would not be able to go to this location we wanted to for photos because there was a change in management? It was disappointing to say the least. One of the biggest selling points to us was this particular view. Secondly, they should probably remove the wedding photos showing this view from their website promoting their venue for weddings, if couples are no longer even allowed out there.3) We were told by others who had held their weddings there that we could probably get a room upgrade and I was somewhat disappointed they did not offer us a nicer room considering we spent so much money there.Overall, the Lodge is a lovely place to stay. I would reconsider holding your wedding there unless you can somehow guarantee faster response times throughout your planning process, and if you dont mind that you cannot take any photos in a place they, a) advertise as a location to be used for wedding portraits at the venue and, b) is obviously a core selling point in the aesthetics of this place that it makes no sense you are not even allowed to go there on your wedding day. The service is five star if you are on site. Especially considering that this place is pretty costly (spent about 25K there on the wedding for just 20 people), response times and some aspects of how the wedding was handled were definitely not five-star.
Warwicks
7812 Girard Ave, La Jolla, CA 92037, United States
? Black and Brown Folx Beware! ?Though the (rude) owner would disagree, I can state with confidence that my partner was racially profiled by the staff at Warwick's today.After appreciating a clock located at the front of the store and returning it to its location, my partner and I noticed that she was being constantly watched by the staff, whispering to one another. She was repeatedly asked if she “needed anything,” which would have been fine the first or second time. She was asked four times, once asked specifically if she “needed help with the clock.” Mind you, we hadn't been near that area for at least 10 minutes.By this point, we were uncomfortable. I held all the items I intended to buy in open view as my partner looked around the back for stationary. The staff continually watched her and eventually brought the owner, who accused her of stealing the clock, claiming that it was gone (it wasn't).My partner, very upset by this point, offered to show her bag, which the owner looked through. After her fruitless inspection, she did not apologize, instead leaving my partner distraught at what she had just experienced.It wasn't until five minutes later that my partner was approached by the owner and thanked for “being so calm about the whole thing.” My partner let the owner know that the whole interaction made her feel profiled as one of the few people of color in the store. To which, the owner replied, “But we have POC on staff,” as though that eliminates any possibility of wrongdoing. She never gave a genuine apology for the mistake they had made, instead stating, “I'm sorry IF we made you feel bad.” You did, Nancy. There are no if's.All in all, I wish that the staff at Warwick's would take some time to think through how they were in the wrong. Looking at some of the other reviews, we've realized that we're not alone in our experience and wanted to share our story in case someone else ever goes through something similar. This is on you, Warwick's. Your move.