Top Japanese Restaurant in Solana Beach
Samurai Japanese Restaurant
979 Lomas Santa Fe Dr, Solana Beach, CA 92075, United States
We tried the restaurant yesterday, admittedly with takeoutOn the positive side the food was made quickly.Overall the food had some significant flaws and I would not recommend:1. The sushi rolls were both dried out, The dark dragon was OK. The spicy red dragon was terrible, to the point I worried that it had gone bad. It tasted bitter. Both characterized by no flavors2. The ginger pork tasted OK but is was surprisingly overcooked for a Japanese restaurant and therefore very dry.3. The tofu dish was averageThe salads that came wit the entrees had lived a very long day and the sauce had precipitated. The kelp/miso soup was pretty good.The gyosa was uninspired, no flavor in the dumplings, or the sauce.The vegetable tempura was reasonable.
Top other services in Solana Beach:
Vino Carta Solana Beach
437 Hwy 101 Suite 107, Solana Beach, CA 92075, United States
Deeply disappointing. Service bad: it is a sharing plates (tapas like) menu with many entries in 4 pieces, but they will not make it five (and add the corresponding charge) even as we had 5 people at the table. Plus slow, unresponsive. Dishes were not changed at all. We had to insist on changing wine glasses when we moved from white to red. There was no bill. The waiter approached us with the credit card machine without giving us a chance to see a bill. After some negotiations the bull was produced but only on the screen of the machine used to charge credit cards. UghThen there is the food. Mediocre. Toast with tomato, uber salty. Same problem with the cheesy creamy zucchini noodle (whatever that was). The patatas bravas is a modern take on the concept where instead of potatoes you get a bread like cube of some mysterious ingredient (surely potatoes, or potato starch makes it into the mix) topped with a spicy sauce with a flavor dominated by tomato paste (fresh from farm??). The clams in green sauce were basically in lemon juice. Rice did not fare better. There seems to be no attention to balancing flavors, and one overpowers the rest making it every dish unpalatable… except the desert, a nice slice of light and fluffy cheesecake that however was accompanied by a ca-tasting preserved sliced strawberries.Great selection of wine, as it is also a wine store. The corking fee is low if you buy form the store, but the store prices are not so good.$85/per person (before tip)
Sindis Snack Shack
150 S Acacia Ave, Solana Beach, CA 92075, United States
This is a great spot. First off, I love Station Sushi. It is one of my favorite sushi places in all of SoCal. As I can piece it all together, Sindi was a prime influencer in the growth of Station on the Beach. Sindi's Snack Shack is a twist on Station's menu, and it offers something that nothing else in the area does, deliciously.I had the kimchi fried rice with pork. It was phenomenal. The only drawback I felt from this dish, was that I would love to be offered some sweet oyster/eel sauce drizzled over the top. Fried rice with duck sauce is one of my go-to's the morning after a “hard-night”, and since I was there on a Saturday morning, well then you can guess the rest… the kimchi fried rice was so good, & that was all I could smell when I walked into the shack, so I really didn't take the time to study the menu before ordering. I said to the young girl behind the counter, “What is that smell?” And, when she told me the dish, I forgot I wasn't even that crazy about Kimchi. This is coming from a guy who lived in Korea for almost 4-months. I got to know the difference between the good stuff and the bad. This was just phenomenal. It had just enough kimchi to give it a little kick and crunch, and that authentic far eastern taste. They dropped a fried egg on top, and it was money! It might be the Boston in me that wants the sweetness, but I would take this dish every day even without the gravy.As I was waiting for my fried rice I checked out the rest of the menu, and it will definitely bring me back again. I especially want to try the Spam Masubi (Think Nagiri, but with Spam). Now, before you go writing off my reviews, because I like Spam, think about how Sindi pulled off the great “kimchi miracle of 2021” with me ? Like most people, I don't go out looking for Spam either. But, after I left Korea, I lived in Japan for another four months. This dish was a common treat there. This is not your mother's canned Spam on Wonder bread with mayonnaise. This is thinking a bit outside the culinary box, with a gentle, sushi touch. Delicious ?The shack was very intimate yet easy-going. There is a nice view down to Fletcher Cove, and there are stools and counter like seating out on the front porch to eat right there. To me this screams casual Southern California-just off the beach dining. There is plenty of parking considering the location. Once you find the first time, it will stand out to you every time you go into the area. Boston Irish gives this ????? Go see Sindi, she knocked it out of the ballpark again!!
Solana Beach Farmers Market
444 S Cedros Ave #295, Solana Beach, CA 92075, United States
08-06-23Bonjour Yogurt:$6 each, 4 for $20, I bought 4: 2 mango, blueberry and coffee. Creamy delicious!Shaya Brims: (see pics)Visors ranging from $28 to $48 made by Sabina Sood. Very soft and easy to clean.Apronista by Barbara Cervantes:She has been making the apron for 5 yrs, but started selling them 3 yrs ago. It takes her 4 to 5 hrs to make one. You can order the color you like: half sized $20, regular $45. I am getting the one in the pic. Love the color!Food:East African Cuisine made by Ali:-Sombusa $4 ea, full of delightful spices-Saffron Chicken with 2 sides $20, very tasty!Sushi:Got Rainbow Roll $13, fresh and yummy!Entertainment:-Man playing a guitar, pleasant to the ears and relaxing.Note:Easy parking
The Habit Burger Grill
909 Lomas Santa Fe Dr, Solana Beach, CA 92075, United States
A friend of mine ruined In N Out for me by telling me to order a plain double. It was gross. It was that moment when the whole flame grilled aspect of places really set in. I went form 2-3 days a week In N Out eater to maybe 2 times a year (those animal style fries well done). I've been a Habit man for years and despite my 6.3 mile drive here from work (thank god for online ordering) I decided to try the rest of the menu.I hate the parking in this lot, sure it's newly painted, but it's cramped and people drive around scared here. The location is on the small side despite it's large corner presence. The kitchen is always cranking, but also small. The staff is great. The manager is a tornado, touching every aspect of this place and you can see how it's a bit of a well oiled machine.The burger patties are excellent, cheese on the melty side, lettuce too thinly chopped, fresh tomatoes, briney pickles, sauces are on the bland side, but the real downfall here is their fall apart buns. Even with the Japanese burger eating method they do not hold up. Look that one up people it's a game changer if the burger is sturdy.That Golden fried chicken is perfectly cooked, but not brined, the window for overcooking it is much smaller than on the grill, which is better than most. I no longer get the combo's here because $2 for fries, $2 for a drink. That makes a $6.50 sandwich a $10.50 combo. Not with their weak sauces. It doesn't have a fast food feel, it's clean, it's fresh, but for me I get a double char, no lettuce, extra tomato, santa Barbara style and I'm good. The char grilled chicken sandwiches are very good and I'm not opposed to the Albacore tuna fillet either. Their chicken salads all use freshly grilled chicken, that warmth really sets it apart from some places where they chop pre-cooked on there, but again those sauces need bite. There is a reason you should get everything on sourdough or just Santa Barbara style. The portabello sandwich needs work. I think the tri-tip is ok. Onion rings are legit, fries are good, sweet potato fries are good, fried green beans, nah, give me Chinese style green beans anyday.Habit has sort of done everything that In N Out doesn't/hasn't, and there is a reason they too have become successful.
Lomas Sante Fe Plaza
905 Lomas Santa Fe Dr, Solana Beach, CA 92075, United States
Well appointed, clean shopping center with both national and local stores, and some restaurants including: TJ Maxx, Vons grocery store and Samurai Japanese restaurant. Landscapeing is beautifully done and well tended to.
Vons
931 Lomas Santa Fe Dr, Solana Beach, CA 92075, United States
I visited Vons, Solano Beach, CA on 5/19/23 at 11:10. The cashier was Jeanne. As the cashier was ringing my items, I was helping put them in my cart. At one point I turned around and the woman behind me in line had moved up so close to me that she could have rested her chin on my shoulder. Her husband was behind their cart and she was in front so I couldnt make her move back because the husband had the cart right up against her as she was up against me. Jeanne saw this and did nothing. I normally use a credit card to pay for groceries, but I felt compelled to pay cash because the woman who was an inch away from me was staring over my shoulder so it wasnt safe to use a credit card because she would be able to see it.This is unacceptable customer service. I run a library. If a customer is behaving badly toward another customer, the library staff steps in to protect the innocent customer.Who knows if this woman at Vons was just rude or whether she and her husband pull this on everyone to try to get credit card information. It should not have been my responsibility to deal with this rude/criminal behavior. Shame on Jeanne for not protecting her customer. She could have at least called security over if she didnt want to deal with it herself. Making me feel uncomfortable by unchecked criminal behavior is not acceptable. I wont be giving my business to this store again.
Station Sushi
125 N Hwy 101, Solana Beach, CA 92075, United States
Not a traditional Japanese restaurant good service with the roles were not what I usually like too much crab filling but the raw salmon was tasty