Top Japanese Restaurant in Poway
Ichizen Sushi and Japanese Cuisine
13307 Poway Rd, Poway, CA 92064, United States
I love it when I can try out a small business in Poway and actually like the food. Please continue to support your local small business!I actually never knew this place existed. It's wedged between Five Guys and Little Ceasars. What attracted me was the oversized big banner that referenced 19% off entire bill.I ordered for pick up: Tonkotsu ramen ($11.48), shrimp tempura udon ($10.98), and a lunch bento box that came with rice, salad, miso soup, 2 piece CA rolls, 4 tempura, 2 gyoza, a small drink and a protein ($9.98). I got chicken teriyaki.They packaged the bag very tightly and neat. I was afraid of the udon and ramen broth spilling but they put a small piece of card board at the bottom of the bag for support.The udon and ramen noodles where kept separately in a container and the broth was still super hot. Both broths were good but udon tasted like what you can make from the store. The tonkotsu broth was yummy and creamy. The ramen was tasty and had texture and chewy. I would order the ramen again but the udon.The bento box was well worth the price. I wish the chicken had more teriyaki drizzle because it was a bit dry. Can't go wrong with tempura and they gave a huge container of sauce to dip. It was all veggie but the udon came with one shrimp tempura. I was also surprised that the lunch bento prince was offered on a weekend.Please don't forget to tip more since 19% discount was given.
Tong Sake House
12320A Poway Rd, Poway, CA 92064, United States
Overall: Part of me is unsure how I feel about this place. Service was a little slow (poor girl, only one server for 6 tables and take out), ambience was nice, and food was good (but it didnt taste like regular Japanese food). +1 pointsFood: +0.5 starsOyster Jalapeno Udon: Weirdly enough, I liked the jalapeno add to it. There was no oyster taste and the little random ones on top is weird.Ahi Tuna Poke Bowl: It was a large portion but it had random slices of dill pickles...weirdTonkatsu Ramen: The brother was whiter than other broths. It was flavorful but something was...offMiso Ramen: The broth was a lot sweeter, didnt taste like traditional misoPlum Wine: It was pretty good :) but my friend didnt like itService/Staff: Getting water or the bill took a long time. Almost considering paying cash to leave. I felt bad because there was only one server for taking out and handling 6 tables and walk-ins. +0.5 pointsPrice: The price was not bad. It was pretty normal. 12 bucks for ramen +1 points
Kai Sushi Restaurant
13425 Poway Rd, Poway, CA 92064, United States
Ive been wanting to come here for a long time and there are such good reviews... but, my husband and I werent impressed with the lunch we were served. We started with an order of spring rolls (3 in an order) that were bland and greasy. I ordered seafood udon and all the seafood in the soup was overcooked and rubbery, and the shrimp werent even deveined. The stock was made of either pork or beef, which isnt appropriate for a Japanese seafood soup. It also tasted like it had sugar in it. My husband got a miso ramen soup that was pretty boring, and the roll he got as a side was 99% krab and cream cheese and was squishy. He didnt eat it. We did get the salmon roll that was very fresh and good portion, but as long as the fish is good, its hard to mess up a simple fish/rice roll.Overall, Id hoped for more traditional Japanese food, but it was another fusion restaurant with a menu full of expensive, complicated rolls that rely heavily on spicy sauce and krab. Lunch was $50+tip for our 2 soups, 3 spring rolls, and 2 salmon rolls (we didnt order drinks). Dont think we will be going back.
AI Sushi & Teriyaki
12205 Scripps Poway Pkwy #106, Poway, CA 92064, United States
I have to say this is my favorite neighborhood Japanese restaurant near Scripps Ranch. The restaurant is pretty tiny, so we didn't give a lot of expectations. But it is AMAZING! All the sushi rolls that we ordered are so yummy! I love my Yum Yum Roll, super crunchy and also creamy at the same time. My husband loves his Hot Lip Roll, it is a little spicy, it is just the taste he likes because there're so many places that mark spicy but not spicy at all. We also got a Volcano Roll for free because they have promotions from Sunday to Thursday which is get two rolls, and get the third one for free. The Volcano Roll is also amazing, it is baked, rice less and there's a big piece of fish meat in the middle of every piece. Anyways, you should try it for sure if you are on keto diet. The service is so good, I feel maybe the server is new, but she is very sweet and patient. We will come back here a lot in the future.
Yakumi Sushi SD
13132 Poway Rd, Poway, CA 92064, United States
The sushi was ok. The AYCE is worth it, if thats your jam. Service was good. Beer is ICE cold. Super disappointed in the Katsu chicken. I order this every time I go to a new Japanese restaurant. This staple should be a no brainer, like pancakes and eggs at a diner, but it was not great. Ill stay away from any bento or bowls here and stick with just sushi.
Sushi Lounge Poway
12622 Poway Rd, Poway, CA 92064, United States
Food was ok service was so slow we waited 20 min.s for our check. No one offered refills on the water or any of the drinks. Portions were so out of wack. We both ordered the same thing and 1 plate was over flowing and the other was so sparse it was laughable. The bathroom was disgusting specially being a Japanese restaurant and knowing the emphasis on cleanliness in Japanese culture being half Japanese myself this was atrocious at best. Dirty grimy disgusting bathrooms floors were sticky walls were gross. The tables were barely wiped down . Yuck will not be returning here
Sushi Roka Bar & Grill
13425 Poway Rd, Poway, CA 92064, United States
Located next door to Fed Ex in same plaza as Brigantine. Plenty of parking.Came for lunch on a Tuesday. Not only do they have lunch specials until 2:30, but they have Happy Hour all day Monday to Wednesday! What a steal on prices.We got the salmon teriyaki bento box that came with miso soup, rice, 4 piece CA roll, ginger salad, and mixed tempura. The mixed tempera was the same size as my entree mixed tempura! Had I known that, I wouldn't have ordered the entree.Also got two rolls, the crunchy shrimp roll and chili mango roll. I prefer my crunchy roll to have more tempura flakes. I'm a sucker for rolls with mango. The chili ponzu gave a tiny kick and the mango was sliced really thin giving you a slight sweet and tart refreshing taste.I've had better Takoyaki where there's more octopus. This one had a lot of the doughy wheat flour and one full chunk of octopus. I like mine chopped up in many pieces to have it evenly distributed in every bite. Otherwise, each bite consist of all dough and one bite with the octopus like in this case.All in all, it got crazy busy during lunch. Great quality food, quick service, loved the options. Nice size dining and bar seating. I will need to come back and sit at the bar to have some amberjack sashimi and nigiri.
Top other services in Poway:
Idego Coffee
13303 Poway Rd, Poway, CA 92064, United States
The coffee was good. But Id encourage everyone else to get their coffee to go until they up their game on creating an inviting space.I enjoyed the Mayan iced, it was really delicious. It was just the right amount of sweetness with a tiny bit of spice. It was also inexpensive relatively. Loved it! Makes me want to go back just to try another drink.There was free wifi and chairs, but it wasnt cozy coffee shop vibes. No cute stickers or paraphernalia that you could get that made you feel like you belonged to a place.The decor away from the coffee bar left a lot to be desired and the map painting needed another coat of paint. In general, the weight of the room felt off, and it was empty almost the whole morning I was there. Private can be nice, but not in this case. It felt like a hotel lobby or even like a yogurt shop, where you just want to get out. Everyone else who stopped in got their coffee to go. Thankfully, it wasnt a jaring space, or else I would have left. Just plain and I felt stuck-to-wall.There were also a couple outdoor tables that looked shared with the burger joint and I did see an open outlet near one of the counters/walls for those hoping to keep their laptop charged. The bathroom was clean.The service was quick and polite. Not friendly or conversational, but definitely not rude. It was good.For more like this, follow @sdcoffeetour
Poke Stage
14077 Stowe Dr STE 106, Poway, CA 92064, United States
Good vibe and food. Located in a pleasant area with lots of industry. Meaning: lunch is very busy. So go before noon or after 2-ish if you want solitude. Every other week, one of the large local companies has Friday off, so if youre in sync you can catch a break in regard long lines. Now the food: choice of about half dozen proteins, 5 or so sauces, and very large selection of toppings, biggest Ive seen at any other local spot. Sizes: 2, 3, or 4 proteins and of course white and brown rice and lettuce. My experience has been the bowls are fresh and delicious. You can add available soy sauce and Sriracha. Fountain and bottled drinks available as is indoor and outdoor seating. The outdoor seating is cool, shaded and serene, but shared with other restaurants so can get a bit littered. Note they are opening another location on Bernardo Center in Rancho Bernardo. Ill be checking that out soon.