Sushi Ota - San Diego, CA
     
Last Visit: April 2007       
      
  

OVERALL

San Diego is a great town for beaches and zoos, but it's not really known for great restaurants.  There are a few joints in La Jolla and downtown that are decent, but nothing too memorable - that is until I found Sushi Ota.  While I don't really respect user-review sites, it's not easy to get a high rating in every single site, and this restaurant sure deserves all of the kudos! 

FOOD

There are simply too many sushi restaurants in California, so sometimes it's almost too far many to pick from.  Not that many, though, have the same level of quality as Sushi Ota.  In all elements of sushi that makes it good - extreme freshness, selection of perfect cuts, and served in an artistic manner.  Sushi Ota excels in all these areas.

Not all fish are made (and served) equal, and so the first thing you must try is the deluxe sashimi platter.  First they serve a delicately made sashimi (good for max two people). complete with a fish head and spine, then they take the head and spine back to the kitchen and deep fry it.  Downright excellent.

You also have to have to sushi rolls - they looks great and taste even better.  They have the beauty and quality of those in found in decent restaurants in Japan, but they have a bit more variety than in typical restaurants in Japan.  We've tried other things, like udon, chawa-mushi (steamed eggs) and some appetizers, they are very good but nothing worth the premium you'd be paying.

SERVICE

The staff here moves and talks like they're still back in Japan.  The service is quite impeccable as the waitresses, just like in Japan, helps you through ordering, serves the dishes gracefully, and takes unnecessary items away very quickly.  Because business is so good (the place is full just about every night), they sometimes don't respond to your needs as quickly, but overall service is attentive and efficient.

AMBIENCE

You pretty much have to close your eyes before you enter this restaurant.  Not only that it's in an old and moldy shopping plaza, next to a laundromat and convenience store, it also has a cheap sign that doesn't attract you to go in.  Maybe they intentionally kept the place ugly on the outside to keep the mob away so that they only do three rounds a night.....  Once inside, the place is nice but uninspiring, probably the work of a chef who decided he could do interior design too.  The table area is a bit better - they at least attempted to make it look nice.

VALUE

If you do for quality and quality only, you'd love this place.  You pay American dollars for Japanese level of delicacy and attention to details.  If you need to fill your stomach regardless of how good the food is, this is NOT the place to be.  Maybe I'm comparing it with the Bay Area, where mid-range Japanese restaurants will give you Americanized portion, but the quantity in this place is meager.  I can probably do $100 worth of sashimi and sushi (think very, very light and loosely wrapped rolls) here by myself and STILL need to go to Extraordinary Desserts for a giant cake in order to feel that I've eaten.

BOTTOMLINE

It was a pleasant surprise for me to find this place - and to once again remind myself that sometimes other reviews are worth reading. Foot in mouth  From now on, this will be a must-do for me when I visit San Diego.  There are a lot of great sushi restaurants where I live, but frankly few can match the authenticity and quality of Sushi Ota.  If they are located downtown SD and hire a real interior designer, I'd give them FIVE stars!

BTW

The lines are SOOOO long that you have to make reservation - even if you go on a weeknight.  When there's convention in town, especially those with more Asians, this place overflows with guests who'll wait 2 hrs since they have nothing else to do.  Also, I would really advice against ordering items beside sashimi and sushi - unless you really have to do the teryaki to feel that you've had Japanese food.

 

login or register to post comments