Top Japanese Restaurant in San Marcos
Umami Japanese Restaurant
251 N City Dr #122, San Marcos, CA 92078, United States
Umami Japanese Restaurant in San Marcos offers delicious food and a pleasant atmosphere. The food was very good, and the ambiance was enjoyable. I had a great experience dining there and would recommend it to others looking for tasty Japanese cuisine in the area!
Ramen Mik
157 N Twin Oaks Valley Rd UNIT 132, San Marcos, CA 92069, United States
Food:Ramen Mik recently opened March 2022 and has garnered a spot for ramen in the North county San Diego area. The menu is simple yet delicious. There are four or five choices for ramen which keeps it nice and simple. The traditional appetizers such as edamame, gyoza and a non-traditional item that we tried which were the garlic fries with aioli. The fries were delicious and crispy.We tried the traditional ramen and the spicy ramen which were very nice and steaming. The egg was left in a brine that was delicious!. Honestly, it was a very pleasant surprise.Ambiance:The ambiance was slightly lacking. The furniture is Spartan yet simple. I am curious to know if this is a conscious choice for a zen-like feeling. That being said, it was clean and comfortable with simple tables, e.g.4 tops and 2 tops. If I were to make a recommendation it would be to put some art up in the traditional Japanese fashion. Additionally, the noise was a bit loud and tinny due to the lack of acoustic panels in the ceiling which made the music nearly shrill. The temperature of the restaurant was very nice and cool, perfect for partaking in a steaming bowl of ramen.Service:Our server was an amazing person named Erica. She was very attentive and always was smiling. She greeted us with two glasses in a bottle of chilled water which was a nice touch. Every few minutes she would check on us to make sure our food was to our satisfaction.Type: of customers:This restaurant is strategically open near the Cal State San Marcos University, smart move... Additionally, this is for the locals who are interested in some Japanese ramen in the Hokkaido style.Take away:This is a delicious alternative to standard faire. The music is a little bit loud and tinny, but that may be just my preference. The energy in the restaurant is nice and busy and cozy.Give it a shot Im pretty sure youll enjoy.
Shogun Restaurant
695 S Rancho Santa Fe Rd, San Marcos, CA 92078, United States
Food huge disappointment on flavor. The ingredients in the fried rice were minced sooo small and bland.. the rice cooked this way is a highlight of coming here otherwise we can just go anywhere. Double veggies.. since when are red peppers Japanese? You do cheep short cuts to not provide a quality Japanese flavor and experience with 30$ price tag. I STRONGLY recommend people go elsewhere. No wonder restaurant was empty.
Love Boat Sushi
121 S Las Posas Rd Ste 122, San Marcos, CA 92078, United States
Food: Pretty good sushi, but especially for the price. Its not low price so much as it is that Love Boat started out somewhat pricey and then didnt seem to increase their prices as much as other places from inflation so now its at a price that beats other places.Their French Kiss sushi item is shockingly good, but the portion size for the price is a little disconcerting. I usually get sushi with eel/unagi in it when I get sushi, and this place makes sure to cook the eel perfectly in my opinion. Their miso soup is honestly some of the best Ive ever had in North County, beating out more expensive places. Its not too salty, with a mild, warming taste that feels wonderful to drink.My wife prefers the salmon teriyaki/mixed tempura bento when we come here, and shes pretty picky with teriyaki salmon so thats definitely a good sign. The portions that come with the dinner bento are quite large as well, and she usually has to share with me just to be able to finish it.Only reason I give the Food 4 stars is their best items are rather high price for the small portions you get.Service: Service indoors is great, but it can be hard to get their attention when youre sitting in their outdoor dining area. They seem to have a lot of wait staff but its very busy so I dont consider it a huge issue.Atmosphere: inside is a well lit cozy eating area with lots of sandy colored wood for decorations. I love the way the inside looks in the evening, but I might be biased because I dont like to eat outdoors at restaurants as much.Take out is a little difficult, especially if youre doing pickup. If you dont use a food delivery app, you have to call and their ETA for when it will be ready can be a mixed bag. I once was told 15 minutes and ended up waiting almost an hour, but its usually not that bad.
TEKIPOKE RAMEN & BOBA
1915 W San Marcos Blvd Suite 120, San Marcos, CA 92078, United States
Family owned and operated. Good people run this business and they put their effort into provide good food over making a buck.Teriyaki was grilled to order.For Poke, there is a mass assortment of sides. Avocado is FREE. If you pick shrimp, the shrimp is whole and not chopped up.Both teriyaki and poke bowls were generously portioned.Whole ingredients and fresh vegetables. The steamed vegetables in the teriyaki bowl wasnt over and still slightly crunchy.As a the cherry on top the service was friendly and the owner/family was very humble and hard working. The price was around $12 to $15 dollars which is typical for 2022.If you want a mom and pop quick sit down restaurant with fresh poke and hearty teriyaki this place deserves a visit. It made it on my list of places I would bring my friends and family and I give it a 5 star rating.
Umai Sushi
730 Nordahl Rd UNIT 108, San Marcos, CA 92069, United States
Had lunch w a good friend every Friday there for about a year. I still go there every now and then. I used to love this place, the servers were attentive, the food was delicious and the atmosphere was pleasant. I dont know if its the new management but this place isnt what it used to be.About 2 weeks ago, I met with the same friend, we had to inquire who our server was, that is not good. Everything went downhill from there, but made the best of it once our sushi was served but the experience was aggravating.Today, I had dinner there with my 7 yr old daughter. There were 3 obnoxious male guest dining across the room. I politely asked our server to tell them to turn it down a few notches and it was obvious I wasnt the only guest that was annoyed. I believe the server and the Owner were intimidated by these men. I walked over to the table and politely asked them myself to please lower their voices as I, like many others around me are trying to have an enjoyable evening with our family. Needless to say they were wasted and pathetic individuals. They finally left after another guest threatened to call the police. Guest that were barely seated were walking out. This was ridiculous, whats next??!! (2 stars for the sushi)
Sapporo Sushi
1640 San Elijo Rd Ste 103, San Marcos, CA 92078, United States
My wife and I went to Sapporo (in San Elijo) last night and OMG... hands down the best sushi Ive had in a long time. They had rolled out a new menu which featured an Omakase option ($80 - $100 depending on MP of fishes used, I assume) and it was worth every penny. We sat at the sushi bar the chef preparing our food was nice enough to explain everything after presented... Hokaido Scallop with Uni, Japanese Mackerel, Chu-Toro, Ama-Ebi, a couple types of Halibut & Yellowtail - every item better than the next.We also shared two rolls (YellowYolo and Chichibe) - both excellent as well! The sushi chef also gave us a couple little samples of other items (Dynamite and Otoro (the super-fatty part of Toro)) which were great also. My wife and I were joking that we thought the staff might have thought we were food critics or something... but Ill happily accept the extra freebies.The place is one of the pricier options around town (our bill was $180 for the Omakase, rolls, 2 beers, sake and some edamame). But... if you dont mind paying a few extra bucks and driving up the hill to San Elijo - its worth it.The two downsides (if Im being petty)... this is a pretty new location from what I can tell. Seems like they still have a few bugs to work out w the floor staff. They seem to do an everyone is responsible for every table approach - which is good in theory. But on both occasions Ive been there, it seems to manifest more like someone else is taking care of it so it can be a little slow to get a servers attention at times.And being super-petty... the restaurant is very bright. Theyd do better to dim the lights in the indoor seating area to give it a little bougier & more intimate feel.But neither the service or atmosphere items are enough to affect the overall 5-stars. The sushi itself overcomes any other shortcomings.:)
Top other services in San Marcos:
Eugenio Italian Ristorante
679 S Rancho Santa Fe Rd, San Marcos, CA 92078, United States
Eugeno Italian Restaurant in San Marcos, CA. Wow, what a wonderful find. This Italian restaurant is truly special. Appertizes, entrees, and deserts are all special recipes you do not normally find in a small, intimate neighborhood restaurant.We truly enjoyed the:Calamari ( fresh, tender, and plentiful )Special garlic bread ( made with a special bread that takes two days to rise )Lobster bisque ( a large bowl of savory bisque with floating croutons and cheese )Salmon capachio ( fresh and delightful)Veal pamagnano ( two huge cutlets in a wonderful meat sauce with pamagnano cheese with pesto rigatoni on the side. Veal comes with roasted potatoes and vegetables or a side of pasta.Lasagna (one of the best meat sauce recipes I have ever had)The desserts were wonderful. Creme brulee and tiramisu were fantastic. We took home plenty of everything for our next days lunch.Remember to make a reservation as seating is limited. ¹Dont hesitate to try Eugenios Italian Restaurant.Anna and Tim will take care of all your meal needs.
Hyuga Sushi
844 W San Marcos Blvd, San Marcos, CA 92078, United States
Hands down the best Japanese restaurant in San Marcos. Ran by a great Japanese dude whos into rock.