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Category: Sushi Bars [Edit]
Neighborhood: La Mesaplease visit us at http://www.banbusushi.com and find out about our amazing deals and happy hour specials
Mon-Thu. 11:00 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.
Mon-Thu. 5:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Fri. 11:00 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.
Fri. 5:00 p.m. - 11:00 p.m.
Sat. 11:00 a.m. - 11:00 p.m.
Sun. 11:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m.
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Word is, this place had a total turn-around in quality and service, so my hubby and I decided to go try it out again for my birthday dinner.
Wow. I was very impressed. We went in on a Tuesday night around 7, it was the perfect crowd, good staff was working, and the food was really tasty.
The freshness of our protein roll was just off the charts, such crisp cucumber and rich avocado that was perfectly ripe, stuffed with multiple kinds of fish. As simple as a spicy tuna roll is, husband and I agreed this was the best we had, great texture with no stringy fat. We also tried the Volcano, which was super rich so I understood why the portion size was so small. Pair that with some perfect-temperature miso soup, edamame, and hot sake and you have yourself (IMHO) the perfect meal.
Oh, thanks for the free birthday Mochi! YUM!
I will keep this one pretty simple. The atmosphere is great but everything else fell way short of… Read more »
Made it back over here last weekend, had a great meal with the girlfriend. All my food was excellent and the girlfriend enjoyed everything sans nori. Our server was excellent (reminded us of our of our friends, HI JORDAN!).
Bonus: Just got a 30% off coupon in the mail. BOOYAH!
Eh.... I've been here 3 times and have had *very* mixed experiences.
Me & the girlfriend at lunch: 5…
Read more »
Sadly, Banbu has been a little hit or miss lately. They have a couple of new servers who seem like they worked slinging burgers at McDonald's who have no idea what they're doing. Service has been slow, the quality of food is not what it was and the kitchen can't seem to make the food the way it's ordered.
I still like the place, especially for East County, and hope it's just the recession that has them in a slight slump.
My favorite sushi in East County. Always fresh, nice atmosphere. Sit at the sushi bar and enjoy a… Read more »
Great place to go summer or winter! There is a warmed patio and fire ring to sit at for drinks or dinner. Great place to meet up with friends or dine with a colleague. Lunch is a steal! The best lunch in town with so many courses for about $10.00 The relaxing and stylish atmosphere is a plus, and they must only hire the very best! From the management to waiters it is all top notch service. The food is delicisous and if you are vegetarian or don't like sushi there is still great choices.
I had my first date with my dude here and I almost blew him off because he said the words "sushi" and "La Mesa" in the same sentence. But as I sometimes am, I was wrong about there not being good sushi anywhere in East County. There is, and it's at Banbu.
Banbu has become one of my favorite sushi spots around town. The space is beautiful - there's indoor and outdoor seating, as well as a sushi bar - and the sushi chefs are awesome!
Order the sushi burrito (so weird, yet so amazing!) and the Baja Sur, Banbu (jalapenos!) and Crush rolls. I also love the Crunchy roll - shrimp could potentially kill my man, but I order it anyway because it's that delicious.
I have to say, Banbu needs to work on a happy hour or some specials because it's never cheap coming here. But really, isn't good sushi worth it?
I live right by this place, I think it's a great concept and glad that there's finally a good sushi place in east county. It's perfect if you don't feel like driving out to Mission Valley, Hillcrest, etc to have good sushi. But overall I'm not a huge banbu fan, most of their rolls have tempura in them, and I like the more fresh lighter feeling rolls. The only rolls on the menu that match what I like here are $13-$15. And I always seem to have mixed luck with their dishes, sometimes they're great, sometimes they're just ok. I love getting the eel hand rolls, one time it was totally stuffed and fresh & yummy, another it was small and bland. I read a few of the other reviews on here, and seems other people are having the same hit or miss luck too. My friend & I went here when they first opened, we asked the waiter if they had toro & he said no... kinda strange and I haven't asked again since. Anyways, Some of my favorites are the salsa roll, volcano roll and protein roll, these are the ones around $13+. Had the shrimp one time with a dinner combo plate or something... gross, fishy tasting and threw it away. Overall really nice environment, ok food, ok service, and they get busy. Their lunch specials are good and the portions are huge, good variety and it comes w/a small roll but it's just a california roll. The convenience is my favorite thing about this place. Love when they mail out coupons. Would give a 3.5 if I could.
Where else in La Mesa can you get good sushi? I didn't think I would hear to many answers. On with the review!!!
I love Banbu Sushi. Like every restaurant it has it's ups and downs, goods and bads. This place has em. It's worth trying though. Just come here at least once.
Starting with the Goods:
1. The Sushi! It's fresh, it's delicious, there's a ton of variety and choices to make. My favs are the protein roll (no rice and great after a long week of working out) the rainbow, the dragon and the salsa roll. But there are a ton of rolls and sashimi.
2. The service. The waiters have always been nice and have left you alone just enough to have a little privacy. BUT sitting at the sushi bar is where its at. I like Sean. He is a great chef and makes excellent sushi. Ask to sit by him. Also the waitress "tee" she is super nice but chill.
3. Atmosphere-its trendy and modern and shows the games and has decent music.
4. Outside seating. Fire pit where you can sit around and have a drink or at the tables by the heaters if you need them.
5. Discounts and specials. If you sign up for their email club, they will send you specials and offers. We have received 30% off our bill or 10$ off our bill or on Mon or Thurs nights football season 2.50 beers.
OK along with the goods come the bads:
1. Atmosphere. Although trendy and modern, its a little loud and often see 20-30's groups of people there to get a little food and alotta drink. But there are some older guys that occasionally come through and hit on you right in front of their wives. Just don't go the bar alone.
The tables are a little too close together. Sometimes I feel like I'm involved in someones conversation and just want to lean a few inches over and say "yeah why would she ever think of going out with a loser like that?" But don't worry I wont do that.
2. Price-yeah pricey, but what good sushi isn't? Usually for 2 of us with 2 rolls each and 1 drink walk out with about 50-60 dollars worth of a bill. But it adds up especially when you eat there once a week.
Overall I love it. I enjoy the food, I enjoy the trendiness because it feels like I'm leaving real life and getting away for an hour or so. The service is good and I have not had a bad experience yet. Like I always say...Just give it a try...
Sushi is fresh.
Rolls are tasty.
Bowls are giant.
Spot is real hip.
Fire pit is cool.
Servers are cute.
Portions are fair.
Don't go on the regular if you're price conscience.
This is a great place for special occasions.
Been here with a HUGE group and had a great time.
Chaldeans opening up a Sushi restaurant in La Mesa was the smartest business decision of the year.
"When the squid is fresh...then you know the rest of the seafood in the kitchen is fresh"
That's my Dads motto about a sushi place.
And the squid is fresh at Banbu Sushi!!!
And everything else we ate was top notch!!!!!!!!!
So, I randomly hit this place up for lunch time the other day. And here is what I took from it....
Lets start with there not really being anyone planted up front hosting for a lunch hour..that is sorta strange
For La Mesa..I suppose it is ok, its nothing to shout about. I got the lunch special with the Teriyaki Salmon plate which came with all the regular accompaniments of edamami, miso, salad...and a very very anemic at best California roll!
Well I would have to say the teriyaki was to much for the Salmon, when I buy something that is teriyaki whatever, I don't really want to taste solely teriyaki...if I did I would just stay at home and eat the sauce all by itself.
The Salmon had lost much of its flavor due to OT (over teriyaki)IMO! The miso is ok...but how are you gonna mess that just add water packet up. I am still not sure I am up to judging sushi...as I don't know what proper sushi is supposed to be? I have ate sushi in a couple states and countries..and have been to places recommended by Japanese friends, but still don't know if I am calibrated for said sushi judgment.
That being said the little four piece sushi side that came with my meal seemed like it came out of a package at Costco...(suspect? right down the street)
The service was fine as my buddy and I ended up taking a bar seat..
So to the folks at Banbu ,I would say they are either catering to the people in La Mesa who expect over saturated food..I think I would have the same teriyaki experience at places the likes of yoshinoya or something?
I do think its a good location...but they are definitely trying to hard or something, which is a fail for a restaurant in my worthless opinion....I think you should create a taste for your restaurant, not allow it to be made for the customers alone. I mean this with all due respect, restaurants try to hard to please the masses instead of doing what would be original.
The prices are a bit steep for fast food quality food...especially for the lunch time. It is a nicely laid out restaurant, the build seems nice..and is very clean and chill..nice for a date I suppose, but there are much better places for Japanese food...
Pricey? Yeah, it is.
Yummy? Oh. My. Word. YES.
When you think of La Mesa (Lame Sa to some who live here), you don't think of great sushi places. Banbu is trying to change that, and they're doing a fine job of attempting.
We came here for a friend's birthday and had a great time ordering different sushi rolls. I was very, very excited to see the Monky Roll on the menu - I had had a similar roll at Sushi Ito and had not been able to find it anywhere else. I was so pleased with the result - it was sweet and savory and so so yummy. I also got the spicy tuna roll, which was good, but not A-Maze-Ing like the Monky.
Banbu has a fun vibe to it, a large patio seating area, and a fun fire pit outside to warm yourself while you wait for a table.
Yes, it is a bit on the pricey side - my spicy tuna roll was 6.50 and the Monky was 11 or 12. Not a place I would go to every time I am craving sushi; however, it is nice to know that if I want a nice night out with friends or my fiance, I don't have to drive all the way to downtown to find a place.
Yummy yummy yummy in my tummy!!!! Sssooooooo fresh and so clean :) this was my first time here but it will not be my last! My dad and I decided to go here on a whim and we started with the himachi jalapeño and a mixed cucumber salad with seaweed, octopus, imitation crab and shrimp. The salad was a little bland but still very fresh. The jalapeño himachi...ummmm 10 more orders please!!! This was so delicious I only wish they had a bigger order than just 2 pieces :(
We then proceeded to split the baja norte and the protein roll! Both fabulous!!! Gorgeous presentation, everything tasted super fresh, the service was good, very attentive bussers!!!! Definitely come try it! Next time I'd like to sit outside! It was gorgeous out :)
I really never expected to have good sushi in La Mesa!!!
I'm not saying is the best sushi I've ever had, but it pretty good. The place is clean & hip, these last one, was something I've never expected in La Mesa; the portion are good; the food was fresh.
So it's a place I would return, of course if I'm in the area.
IF YOU WANT THE BEST SUSHI IN THE EAST COUNTY OF SAN DIEGO, THIS IS YOUR SPOT...
I love the vibe and atmosphere here! It's very casual but nice at the same time! Their sushi is so good and the fish is very fresh! Plus the Sushi is made the way I like it, fresh and spicy!
It's actually kind of shocking that this place is over on the East County because when you are in the restaurant, you feel like you are eating at a place downtown! When I visit my parents, you will for sure catch me here!
I give Banbu Sushi 5 stars because of their courage to open a fabulous sushi place in east county San Diego. While most would say that there's not as much of a consumer market for it out here, they're obviously wrong! It's just been that we've had to travel out to Hillcrest and Downtown for good sushi and ambiance. Banbu Sushi is phenomenal. Their menu is creative, the drinks are good, the prices are reasonable, the ambiance is great (outdoor fire pit, and lots of outdoor seating for our warm summer nights), plus their 30% coupon has gotten a lot of my friends to give it a try. We've made it our resident sushi spot.
I love this place and I go back all the time. The problem is the service is inconsistent one day I will get awesome service and another I wont get water refills or even someone to take my order for a long time.
The food is awesome (a little pricey) I would have to say the after-burner fried is the best, but every time I order it I have to explain it.... it should be on the menu so its not so confusing. ;)
But all in all, I love the atmosphere and place looks awesome.
If you want great service, the server Danielle has always been great. I always look for her, because I know I will get my water filled and my food in a timely manner, especially since I am usually on my lunch break.
This place is a rip off. I paid close to $16.00 with tax (not including the tip) for one take out order of special rolls. They were sliced thinly and I had asked for the "protein roll" to be wrapped in rice instead of a cucumber. The guy said, "sure we can do that, do you want rice and then wrapped in seaweed or soy paper?" "I replied seaweed and rice" and I ended up with a soy paper wrapped roll. No rice at all anywhere.
I ate my sad little sushi at work and then had to hit the cafeteria for some rice and soup because I was still hungry. If I had ordered what it would take to be satiated at Banbu it would have cost $50.00.
I like their location and honestly the people I talked to were friendly. But, you've got to get my order right and not rip me off in order for me to return. Really now.
My girlfriend and I have been to Banbu Sushi a dozen times now and since it's the only decent Sushi place in La Mesa it's become our regular Sushi haunt. The food is pretty tasty, we love the Banbu Roll, the Crunchy Roll and the Spicy Tuna Roll and 90% of the time the rolls come out great. The drinks are not too bad either, as long as you don't get something a bit complicated like a Mojito, which we've tried a few times but they can never get it right.
But it's a nice place, well decorated and the atmosphere is pretty cool most of the time. It will be nice in the summer when we can get to eat outside on the patio.
1st trip was a lunch on the weekend...IT WAS GREAT so much food hubby got the sushi lunch special which comes with soup, salad, edamae +++ me i had my regular spicy tuna roll with soy paper (they didn't even make me feel bad for asking for it, huge props in my book)
our next trip week night grab a bite dinner. Seriously the best most flavorful gyoza I have ever had. Plus we sat next to the cutest couple ever (first date for sure) and he had never had saki before...hhhaaaa I am sure she had her way with him later
third trip. Friday night with friends, hubby got some girant sashimi platter. It WAS BEAUTIFUL served in a blue bowl. once again everything super fresh, sushi chefs very friendly and fun. YOU MUST HAVE THE leechnut martini, seriously delicious, actually dangerously delicious.
Had another on the way out sittin around there outdoor firepit.
This place is great, very low on deuchbaggerlyness and the quality thus far consistent I highly recommended it...
My husband and I went here late on election night, after spending the evening at Urgent Care. Nothing washes down some Valium better than sushi!
This was our first visit here. We were craving sushi, but it was late and we didn't know if we could make it to our other favorite joints. Thank goodness Banbu is open late.
I loved the decor inside and out. Super cool. I didn't like being seated at a table right next to another couple, when there were plenty of other tables available. It was freezing inside (bad thing), but I did enjoy the music and the tvs.
Colin our waiter was was great. He was attentive and quick. And, um, attractive and had a sexy voice. Ha ha.
We ordered 4 rolls (California Special, Canadian, Crunchy and Banbu) all were good. We also had Edamame (not the best I've had) and Miso Soup (decent). We were friggin' hungry. The Iced Tea was excellent and came in a giant glass. I like that.
This place has a cool, trendy feel to it. I didn't want to give it a super high rating, because I've only been here once and I wouldn't make a special trip here. I will review again if/when I come back.
Went for lunch with a couple of friends. Had the lunch special. Spicy tuna roll with 3 pieces of nigiri sushi. Also comes with soup, salad and edamame. Fresh and tasty. Staff was great and service was fast. We split a salsa roll which we all liked but surprisingly wasn't very spicy. Gonna go back next week.
I took my mom out to lunch since she works in the vicinity and I just happened to be in the area. She absolutely adores the sushi here so I thought to try it for myself.
I had the Salmon Teriyaki Lunch Special and Pizza Roll. And boy were they good! The service was a-okay but at least the food came out in a timely manner.
Banbu Sushi Bar and Grill gave us a $10 gift card after our hefty meal. I don't know if you need to spend a certain amount to get the gift card. I would just be extra nice to whoever is serving you and I'm sure you would get hooked up accordingly.
In spite of a somewhat inauspicious beginning (do lesbians ALWAYS get seated next to the bathroom?), it turned out to be a four star dinner. The service wasn't fantastic, but there was nothing really wrong with it. My cosmo was good, and the sushi was awesome.
Spicy tuna rolls were nice and simple and tasted very fresh. The afterburner roll was great - tempura shrimp and cucumber, with spicy crab and jalapenos on top. A little unorthodox, but it worked. Lisa raved about her protein roll, but I'll let her write her own review...
Parking is a little funky due to the construction, but that should resolve soon. Atmosphere a touch on the trendy side for my taste, but not nearly at the I'm-too-sexy-for-this-fish levels that Ono has attained recently. Sushi prices are a little high, but worth it for the quality, I think.
My only real complaint was the menu itself. I'm only 35, but the 6 point font combined with the requisite dim lighting had me squinting like my grandma on a bad day. Don't try to cram it all on one page next time, guys - the menu will still be just as fashionable if it's 4 pages instead of 3.
We'll be back. Glad to have good raw fish in the new neighborhood...and maybe next time we'll sit with the cool kids by the fire pit.
My sister had a gift certificate here and treated us to lunch today and although I was initially disturbed at the distance going to La Mesa(coming from Rancho Bernardo and La Mesa not a first choice to dine at), it was well worth it! Great first time experience. Service was excellent. We even had a new guy who was training but he was very attentive. Strawberry mojitos for lunch was also a plus. I tried the crab tostadas (on wonton chips and not tortillas) and it was loaded with spicy (imitation) crab, topped with shrimp and avocado. I really enjoyed this meal/appetizer. Pretty filling despite the deceiving size. My sisters both ordered their lunch meals which came with each of their own edamame, a side salad, a soup (choiuce of miso or onion. Go for the onion - yumm!), 4 CA rolls, rice, and choice of entree roughly all for $10. Loads of food! My sister let me try her chicken, but it was kind of plain. Mushrooms were good though. The udon soup was a tad salty but I really enjoyed the fish cake, mushrooms, and spinach. The rolls were decent, but plentiful. All in all, the prices are really good and the food is enjoyable. Great ambiance as well. And their bathrooms are nice, clean, and all automated (sinks and paper towels). Pretty innovative drinks and apps worth checking out!
Not the best Sushi in town, but certainly very good. I find the non-sushi dishes to be the best I've ever had in San Diego. I highly recommend the teriyaki chicken rice bowl or dinner plate.
The pricing is very competitive, and the atmosphere is great. The outdoor dinning is perfect for a dinner date.
I was not impressed with this place, despite the cool interior and nice patio. We decided to give Banbu a try b/c it is so close to our house and we enjoy a nice sushi dinner once a month or so.
We ordered a few different specialty rolls, miso soup, and salad. Our rolls came out quickly, but they were very loosely rolled and feel apart right away. Also, the fish just didn't taste fresh, and with sushi, you can't hide lack of freshness! We had almost completed our rolls before the salad and soup came out...shouldn't they be served BEFORE the rolls?
Our waitress was not very attentive and we only saw her about 2 times. All in all, I was not impressed and would rather spend my money some place else (Ebisu Sushi in Hillcrest!!). I personally think this place tries to make up for lack of quality with hip decor, a nice patio, and loud music.
Waitstaff was very attentative when I dropped by today for lunch... I like that they're really close to the trolley station and were very quick about getting the food out to me in general.
I just had the miso soup, seaweed salad, hamachi (2pcs), and a dirty martini - and it came to around $23....
....sure, the belvedere was around $10 of that... but I don't know... *shrug*
I'm kind of indifferent to the place. Everyone was nice enough - but I'm gonna have to drop by again sometime to feel really grounded enough to give them any more stars than this.... :)
I went here for lunch today. A friend gave me a gift certificate or I probably would never have thought to try it. I am very rarely out in this neighborhood but if I was driving through town, I wouldn't hesitate to stop for lunch if in the sushi mood.
They are also planning on having live Jazz soon, so that can be nice on those warmer La Mesa nights.
We had the crispy tempura, which was good. I usually expect more crispies but that is just a personal thing. Otherwise I liked it.
The second roll a Baja Norte. A spicy yellow tail with jalapeno. It was aight.
And lastly the Baked Scallop roll. I've had better. But I wouldn't turn it away either.
So all in all, considering we only had to cover about $10 for lunch with the certificate. It was totally worth it. The service was really good and I like the overall ambience of the location with the outside patio.
This is the best place ever!!! I will never eat sushi from anywhere else ever again!!! Seriously...this place is good and you should definitely try it. I recommend the crunchy rolls (thanks to my fellow yelpers and my waiter) and also the banbu rolls . My husband doesn't like raw sushi and if that's not your thing or if you don't feel like eating sushi fan raw or not then try the chicken teriyaki lunch special or dinner entree, you get a lot of food for a very good price. We also have a baby boy and he was only about 9 months old the first time we went (about 3 months ago), so it's very kid friendly they had a high chair already for us and everything. Our waiter was super nice and we told him it was our first time there at the end of the meal he came over with a gift certificate for $15 to come back again and we did the next weekend!!! Just writing about it makes me want to go, it's just soooo delish!!!
Also, great place for a casual business meeting.
Their website is pretty cute too, You can see the menu with prices online!
Banbu sushi...you get an A+ for your attention to details in your decor. You almost forget that this place use to be the old Grossmont Trolley Theater. Very chic and well decorated, the atmosphere was pleasing. The fire pit was a nice touch, it gives a sense of elegance that is needed for this location.
The food was ok. Not bad, but not anything I would rave to my friends about, I save the raving for Sushi Time. I had the Crunchy Roll (yum!), The Crush Roll (yum), Rainbow Roll (I've had better), Agedashi Tofu (yum!) and Cold Tofu (yum!). I will give them some credit, they do have some very interesting infused rolls. For an appetizer they have a Sushi Burrito, and they have a Baja Norte, Baja Sur, and a Chimichanga Roll. Not your typical run of the mill stuff. It's like Sushi meets the Taco Shop.
The servers are very reminiscent of when I go to an Indian Restaurant. They are very awkward, they seem almost nervous or timid if you will. Our server had 6 drinks on his tray and he looked like he was struggling a bit. It's almost as if they took the staff of the old movie theater and was like "So you've never worked in a restaurant but since we took the place of your old job, here you go... go serve". The buss boy wasn't any better, he didn't know how to stack more than 4 small plates together without having to go back. They were trying and I guess that's all I can ask.
The price is a bit pricey (for 7 people our bill came out to about $178) but hey, what are you going to do about it?
Friendly, timely, excellent rolled, aesthetically pleasing sushi. one more star would be applied if there's were more vegetarian options, but that's how it goes. if i had more disposable income i'd come here all the time. great location, right next to the trolley.
The place has a good atmosphere and ok fish. This would be a place to come to enjoy the rolls since if you are a traditionalist the fish won't impress. I would only come back for the rolls.
Still gets a solid three stars from me. Our group of five came in on a busy Friday night. Was thankful that we had made reservations. No one else in my group had eaten there so it was nice for me to get opinions from a group of first timers.
There is no one that works at this place that is above the age of 30 so if you are looking for experienced servers this is not your joint. Also two of our party arrived first and were not even taken to the table by the hostess, she motioned where the table was and they sat themselves. Isn't that kind of what the hostess does?
Sushi rolls still are just so-so. The appetizers were good but nothing really spectacular. As far as the entrees go the chicken katsu was a bit dry but my friend really did enjoy is beef teriyaki dish.
Overall I guess I would visit the place again out of sheer convenience but other than that aside from the decor there is nothing out of the ordinary for me here. Makes me also question where all these 5 star ratings are coming from? Hmmm could this be the manger/owners ploy to boost the ratings.
Note - The music is WAY too loud inside. I am all for eating with some noise but this was a bit overwhelming.
Also, there is some allure to this place I guess because it is "different" then anything else in East County and that is why it serves mediocre food but still draws a crowd.
This was an average sushi spot. We went on a Sat evening and were a party of four. We sat out on the… Read more »
I am a sushi novice, more or less. Overall, this place was pretty good. Service was good, definitely. I was not crazy about the menu selections, but food tasted great. Price was ok - not a bargain, definitely. It is in our neighborhood and I know several people who really like the place...so I will be back.
We asked about a kids menu. They do not have one - tho, I honestly did not expect a sushi restaurant to have one. They did suggest an entre or two that I think my kids will eat.
May be it's because I just got off an airplane from a week of foodgasmic culinary delights in San Fran, or may be it's the fact that I've only eaten a peach the entire day and have forever ago past the point of hunger, but I was just not that impressed.
It's a beautifully decorated space with lovely hooter-esq wait staff. And contrary to other yelper's experiences, our perfectly busted waitress was more than accommodating with service that left only one door open to room for complaint (she forgot Annelisa's drink, for which she was apologetic, and for which A was very forgiving).
But that's just extra details... 'cause when it comes down to it, my yelping is all about the food, and the food was too hit and miss to earn Banbu more stars. The stuffed mushroom is pretty good, but I much prefer Sushi on the Rock's or Surfside Sushi's versions. Very fresh fish, and the Baja (norte or sur) roll is unusual and very good. But for everything else, I'd definitely recommend SOTR or Station.
When i tried this place, I checked yelped and it had a 4 star rating. So, my cousin who just graduated was happy. She choose it and I agreed.
The decor and setting is in a fairly new shopping center, so I thought this is good...or so I thought.
Looked at the sushi chefs, which none were Japanese, I will get back to this later. I ordered the salmon teriyaki bento bowl and some mixed drink. The mixed drink was decent, considering even the waitress had admitted she had never placed an order for it. But the salmon teriyahi was just o.k, nothing to rave over and definitely you get what you paid for. The california rolls, it comes with are of standard fare, sorta like a bit better than costco.
The only thing that we ordered that I can recommend was the calamari, which was the best thing I think this place serves. We went with a large party, without any reservations, so that is why I give this place a 3 star rating. They sat us down fairly swiftly and were very nice about it. But I would be afraid to order sashimi from here for the price, my brother ordered the yellow tail tuna sashimi and said it was just o.k. No japanese folks what so ever working, not even the sushi chefs....
I'm no racist, but when it comes to ethnic food....there better be someone of that ethnicity prepping the food or at least in the kitchen, or can you really say it will have that authentic taste?
Not impressed at all. Went w/ my wife and daughter a couple weeks ago on Friday evening. Waiter was quite "blah" about the whole drinks and food service aspect of his job, although he LOVED flirting with his co-workers.
The rolls I ordered (wife doesn't like sushi) had an enormous amount of cream cheese in them. Guess I should have looked at the recipe a little better. The teryaki (sp?) chicken my wife ordered for her and my daughter was dry and tasteless, and had originally come w/ rice, even though our waiter was too hopped up on hormones to get it. We had to stop trying to wave him down and actually stood up to get his attention.
For almost 100 bucks (3 rolls, two beers and the chicken) we walked out of there with a bad taste in our mouths. I will not come back here until I see that the waiters, chefs, and decor has changed. They actually kept the OUTDOOR colums for their indoor arrangement. Oh, and one other thing. Invest in some curtains!!! The evening sun blinded about 1/3 of the tables there.
Not good. I will stick to Toshi up on El Cajon blvd.
My wife and I have been searching for a sushi place for years that we can frequent regularly, often settling for crap service or bland food. We caught this place on the way home from a football game at Qualcomm Stadium. The trolley stop drops right in front, which is a huge plus.
Appetizers were incredible, the rolls the wife had were fantastic, and the kids and I really enjoyed the yakisoba (if that is the Japanese noodle dish....might be another word).
All in all, this place was outstanding and we'll be back hopefully very often. Hopefully the crowds will stay smaller, but with the apartments/condos opening up nearby, the secret will get out sooner or later!
Hit or miss, sometime I get a roll that's amazing then experiment with another. One time I spit it back into the napkin, another I devoured and entire roll by myself in 5 minutes. I like the decor and the fact that it used to be the movie theater I went to in high school. The outdoor fire pit is a nice touch. Maybe once they finish the construction on the new apartments it'll be a nice hangout for other young professionals... I'll keep my fingers crossed.
Went back a few weeks ago and gave Banbu another try and had a wonderful beef teriyaki with vegetables and fried rice....everything was perfect!.......I will be back...Thanks Frank.
The service was fair to so-so. I got my food and then the waiter disappered. I ended having to get… Read more »
Neighborhood: La Mesa
Category: Japanese
Del Mar, CA
Category: Sushi Bars
El Cajon, CA
Category: Sushi Bars
Neighborhood: La Mesa
Category: Sushi Bars
Lakeside, CA
Category: Restaurants
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