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Chiba Japanese
Categories: Restaurants Japanese Restaurants Sushi Bars Japanese, Sushi Bars [Edit]
10435 San Diego Mission Rd(between I-15 & Rancho Mission Rd)
San Diego, CA 92108
(619) 584-1836
- Hours:
Mon-Fri 11 am - 9:30 pm
Sat 11:30 am - 8:30 pm
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Wi-Fi:
- Paid
- Good For:
- Lunch, Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Beer & Wine Only
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Casual
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Caters:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
233 reviews for Chiba Japanese
Review Highlights
"Highly recommend the pizza roll."
(in 37 reviews)
"Oh, the service is really fast too."
(in 3 reviews)
"...their bento dishes, fried seafood mix, katsu bowl, and..."
(in 6 reviews)
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233 reviews in English
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Review from Maria G.
San Diego, CA
2/7/2012
Want inexpensive sushi with quick and friendly service? Chiba is your place. It sure is mine. My favorite dish, which is delicious, is the spicy crab roll. At least once before, I've gotten this roll for under $5 because it was one of the specials.
Since I'm a student on a super low budget, I go to Chiba to cure my sushi craving! -
Review from Deborah L.
San Diego, CA
1/29/2012
Came here for lunch today on a double date. A little disappointed, as the food did not meet up to my expectations after reading the Yelp reviews. Don't get me wrong-the food wasn't terrible. It was just...meh, A-OK. Definitely 3 stars.
We ordered a lot of food, but what I would recommend ordering is the soft shell crab roll. $4.95 for 5 pieces. They were big pieces too!
I also recommend the teriyaki chicken in the bento box. Hearty pieces with the perfect amount of teriyaki sauce. Bf said the fried seafood in the bento box is tasty as well. I was a little disappointed though when I found my mushy orange slices laying on top of the soggy lettuce bathing in its sauce on the top left corner of the box....
Next, I want to point out that I'm a HUGE tea drinker when I eat sushi. I almost always order green tea, so I can easily differentiate the quality of green teas. The tea here needs some work. Very standard with none of the authentic green tea flavor in it.
However, I have to agree with the other yelpers that the price here is very affordable. The soft shell crab roll, a 10 piece roll (I forgot the name..it's not very memorable...kinda like how my sushi experience was today...), and bento box came out to $27.
This is one of the few places opened for sushi on a Sunday lunch. Props to Chiba for that! I must've spent 30 minutes trying to yelp a 4 star sushi joint open at this time. I probably won't be scheduling sushi outings on Sunday lunches anymore. And if I do, I won't be returning back here for mediocre food, sorry. -
Review from Lesley C.
San Diego, CA
1/26/2012 1 photo
I've been coming to Chiba for years. The staff has always been super nice and accommodating. The prices have always been very reasonable and dam right cheap! And the sushi has always been fresh and delicious!
This visit we had edamame, miso, a lemon roll, rainbow roll, salmon sashimi and a white tuna, regular tuna, and mackerel nigiri. The salmon literally melted ion my mouth. Incredible.
The only reason I am not giving it 5 stars is because last night when we went, I noticed just how many of the specialty rolls had cream cheese or were deep fried. I would like more of a variety. I think it's time for them to mix things up a little. Event eh specials that were sushi were deep fried rolls.
If you haven't been here before and you live in the area, I totally suggest you check it out. Take out or dine in it's a great deal with some great food. -
Review from Michele M.
San Diego, CA
2/2/2012
It's one of those inexpensive but decent sushi places - you get what you pay for. I always get their dynamite special which is a little different than most places since they serve it with nori so that you can basically make your own mini hand rolls (minus the rice).
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Review from Nida K.
1/20/2012
CHEAP. CHEAP. CHEAP. It doesn't get any cheaper than this.
The rolls here start at under $4. The quality isn't the best, but if you're here for a decent meal for a good price, you've come to the right place. I like getting the combo bentos. You can pick from a list of entrees and another list of side items. My usual order is the Ginger chicken with the Fried Seafood Mix. I love the Fried Seafood Mix, that fried batter is so good with tartar sauce! As for the sushi, the tempura shrimp roll is a classic. My all-time favorite roll here is definitely the Pizza roll. It takes a little longer to cook since it's baked with spicy mayo, but the wait is so worth it. The Pizza roll sounds kinda weird, but it's easily one of my favorite rolls of all time. The food comes out pretty quickly so it's good to come here if you're somewhat short on time.
Parking can be a pain. The parking lot is way too small for how much business that little plaza gets. -
Review from Sylvia P.
San Bernardino, CA
1/12/2012
SCORE!
Tried this place for the first time based on the YELP reviews and was great!
Service: Sweet, Quick, and delightfully helpful.
Food: Very good. LoL I usually judge sushi places based on their ginger, I feel like places that use the pink ginger have less quality fish but, Chiba surprised me. Good quality fish, good portions and nice house rolls.
Atmosphere was nice, the place is small so i'm sure it gets packed. Good music too. A MUST TRY! -
Review from Kari K.
San Diego, CA
1/21/2012 4 photos
Cheapest, pretty good sushi there is!
Their daily specials (which you can get for dinner) are $5.95 and include lots of stuff. Special A one week was a chicken teriaki with veggies, rice, maki california roll, salad, assorted veggies on the side. Yum!
Sushi: ridiculously cheap. You can get out of there under $10 bucks if need be.
Philly roll delish, tempura shrimp roll delish!
Appetizers: Fried gyoza is great in the side sauce they provide $3.95
Egg rolls are also tasty! $1.95
Also, sake bombing there is extra fun!
We order large beers and hot sake and drop the sake into the beer. So good!
Try to go before the rush because the parking lot can get pretty full because it shares a lot with Mcgreggor's pub and is near the Charger stadium (avoid on game days) -
Review from Chad-Ivan M.
San Diego, CA
1/1/2012
First timer for me.
The hostess was really friendly and very prompt. The food was excellent. I ordered the special Chiba bento box and everything was delicious. The wait for the food and the service was really great. The best part is the price. Really fair prices and the portions are more than enough.
I will definitely drop by again even though it's way out of the way for me. -
Review from Jaime S.
San Diego, CA
1/31/2012
Pretty good sushi though i think it's a bit overpriced for some of the eel rolls, but otherwise a good neighborhood sushi restaurant. I order to go from here once in a while....I usually get a spicy tuna roll which is basic, and then a more complex roll which I can't remember the name of. It always tastes good, but in my opinion it's not cheap...compared to other places. I haven't been during happy hour if they have one though.
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Review from P E.
San Diego, CA
This place has great sushi rolls, the fish tastes fresh. Prices are great too!!!
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Review from Kim C.
San Diego, CA
12/13/2011 1 photo
Ordered this place for take out one rainy afternoon, took only a quick 15 minutes. Good location next to the stadium area.
-Crunchy Roll - CA roll with cream cheese and little bits of crunchy flakes. Good size. Taste was okay, had better though.
-Chiba Bento - salmon, sesame chicken, fried shrimp and fish, rice, California Maki, salad and garnished with a piece of tamagoyaki and naruto. Seems like a lot.. But many of the items were meh. The sesame chicken only came with two pieces and one tiny mushroom. The salmon was overcooked and the sauce was overly sticky/thick. The California makis were pretty much inedible as well.
-Chicken Katsu Don - fried chicken meat with egg, onion, ginger. pretty average. I've never really been a huge fan of this dish because the breading and rice always gets soggy. My brother likes it though.
Whole meal came out to be ~23$, but the actual food was mediocre. Come here for some decent priced japanese food, but don't expect anything spectacular. Maybe I'll come here again to try the other rolls though. -
Review from lena c.
San Diego, CA
12/24/2011
My boyfriend and I ( we`re sushi lovers!! ) were chiba virgins ! Our friends kept talking about this place, every single time we bring up the topic of sushi restaurant. So yesterday we decided to go there!
OMG, We hard the hardest time looking for the place -___- We had our GPS on to find the location and we end up passing the place about three times... The sign they have was a little to small... That is the only reason ! LOL
Anyways, the sushi was pretty good ! We order like four or five dishes of sushi: Pizza roll, smoked salmon, dynamite, sushi taro ( i think that's what its called ) and I forgot the last one. hahah I kinda upset on the smoked salmon because it wasn't the taste I was expecting but other then that.. there sushi was very yummy! I fell in love with the pizza and dynamite roll ( even thought I am not a HUGE fan of scallops)
The service was wonderful! Our waitress reminded me too much of my boyfriends sister. I mean They look alike ! LOL Anyways, she was friendly and nice (:
I would come back to this place and try more of their other special sushi!!
OH YEAH.. the prices for the sushi is reasonable ! My boyfriend and I have to set a spending limit on our sushi because our eyes our bigger then our tummys! LOL Only spent 35 dollars and had some left overs... Also left the place with our tummy sticking out (: -
Review from alyssa d.
San Diego, CA
12/1/2011
PIZZA ROLL & THE SEAFOOD DELIGHT.
Just thinking about those 2 things make me drool.
This place is rather small so I sit outside, if the weather permits me. The parking can get a little hectic...but the food totally makes up for it! -
Review from Nicole B.
11/2/2011
I absolutely love the sushi here!
This place offers very good sushi for a very good price. Not expensive at all.
I love the spicy tuna and Las Vegas rolls!!
You can dine in or order to go.
I love that there is indoor and outdoor seating.
The staff is friendly and you're food comes out as soon as its ready.
Can get pretty crowded at dinner time. -
Review from Honey V.
Irvine, CA
10/6/2011
Definitely exceeded my expectations! I typically steer clear of the Mission Gorge area for fine dining, but the food there was legit.
I ordered the Dynamite Roll, loooved it! It was fried and had cream cheese, need I say more?? They even customized the roll for me since I don't eat shrimp. We also had seaweed salad which was very appetizing, but don't know how you would go wrong with seaweed salad. My partner in crime had the Lemon Roll and said that Chiba is definitely her favorite place for that specialty!
They definitely made a regular out of me. -
Review from Lindsey L.
San Diego, CA
1/7/2012
Little place in a little center. I had to try the lunch special. Chicken terayaki with vegetables and rice. The only thing I didnt like was the green plastic "separator". It didnt need it. The food was good. Don't eat to fast or else you'll have a little stomach ache. Dont ask me why but it happened to me. I guess I was too hungry and ate fast. It wasnt the food. Try them out. They are not expensive neither. I saw they had fresh sushi. At least it looked fresh. I guess I'll try that next time when I have more time.
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Review from Bradley B.
San Diego, CA
11/23/2011
CHIIIIBAAA! Love coming to this place, great food, great prices, and great service! The food always comes out hot, in time, and they never let your drink go on empty, they touch the table often to make sure you're perfectly comfortable, they having inside, outside and seating against their sushi bar
It's located in a little shopping center so the parking can get hectic, I'm pretty sure there's a bar in the center so if you go on game night parking can be tough, and there's a tanning place next door if you wanna get your tan on.
You can come here and get an appetizer, enough food for two, and drinks, and you're not gonna break $40. Awesome! I haven't even had another chance to visit the other Chiba here in San Diego, because all my sushi needs are satisfied here, would definitely recommend over Harney's or Bamboo sushi, anyday! Definitely a place I try and go at least bi-weekly if not weekly. Can I mention the prices again, rolls from 5-10 bucks and a little more for high end rolls. So so good. Definitely make this your new favorite sushi spot! -
Review from Escondido C.
Escondido, CA
11/22/2011
Went there for lunch...
Positives: great prices, fast service
Negatives: curry noodle soup was bland. Sushi pretty tasteless. The "crab roll" should have said "imitation crab" roll.
Might go back, but probably won't. -
Review from Jeff G.
Santee, CA
10/1/2011 1 Check-in Here
Very crowded place on a Friday night and rightly so!
I had a combo of garlic chicken and California Maki Sushi rolls which came with bean sprouts, cabbage, salad and white rice. My wife had the Pizza Roll which came highly recommended and Philadelphia roll. The food was excellent all around.
Drawbacks: small, crowded, outdoor tables are a little bit tacky. Very noisy table of twenty-somethings behind us and then the most obnoxious girl of the group decided to stand near our table and SMOKE!
Pluses: Although it was crowded we got seated in about five minutes and the waitress apologized "for the wait." Food was excellent. Service was great. Price was desirable.
Now I'm hungry again.... -
Review from Jennifer W.
Murrieta, CA
8/27/2011
I was craving sushi so I had to turn to Yelp to find a good, but also cheap place and it led me here.
This place is pretty small, there is seating outside and inside. Since there were not tables open my boyfriend and I opted to sit at the bar. The fish looked delicious! I wanted to try something new, so I went to try Nigiri. Yes, I have never had it before but I am so glad I tried it here. I got the Albacore and it was delicious! They served pretty big pieces of fish and they had some sort of sauce on it but I loved everything about it! I also ordered a regular tuna roll which I enjoyed. My boyfriend go the spicy crab roll and spicy tuna. The spicy tuna was good but I found the spicy crab roll to be a bit spicy. Servers are friendly and the drinks are cheap! .95 cent fountain drinks, iced green tea, basically everything besides alcohol. Oh an they're refillable!Listed in: Yummy
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Review from Glenn R.
Bonita, CA
9/22/2011 1 Check-in Here
Take this place for what it is: a small neighborhood sushi joint. It the kind that you frequent if you live close. It's not going to be flashy like some high priced sushi places in San Diego, but it has a lot good things about it.
Their regular rolls are extremely cheap and done right, their staff is friendly, they cater to your special orders, they're pretty quick about getting your order out, and the atmosphere is that of a cozy neighborhood joint.
Like I said, keep it simple here. Their spicy hamachi roll is worth ordering but I come here for the Pizza Roll: Salmon inside, special mayo on top with a little salmon (i think....) and then baked. Pretty much a baked salmon roll.
This isn't fancy sushi, but they know what kind of restaurant they are, and they fill their roll very well. (get it? roll? I'm such a dork) -
Review from Thao L.
San Diego, CA
12/19/2011
Overall the sushi was pretty good i came here for the pizza roll but discovered something even more amazing... Sushi poppers! A must try. You will not be disappointed.
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Review from J M.
Rancho Cucamonga, CA
1/20/2012
My wife and I come here every time we visit San Diego. The prices are great and the sushi is just right. We usually get the dragon and the tempura shrimp roll as one of the choices we make when we visit. HIghly recommended.
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Review from Roel B.
San Diego, CA
9/29/2011 1 Check-in Here
Another fantastic "hole in the wall" establishment. The interior is rather small and parking can be hard to find, but it's all well worth the trouble. The food is consistently good here, with excellent prices. I love their combo bentos and special rolls, and every so often, I flip my diet the "bird" and order the veggie tempura and delicious chicken katsu.
This is an excellent place to go to if you just want a tasty meal without all the pretentiousness of the flashier sushi places around town. What you get here is simple, down-to-earth, cheap, and like I mentioned before, consistent, something that's often overlooked. I first went here with some coworkers in '05 and even though I no longer work in the area, I still make it a point to dine here with them often when I need a good, inexpensive sushi fix.
Added note: it gets super crowded at lunch on weekdays. Then at night, the majority of the parking gets filled up by the MacGregors sports bar next door. But they are open on Sundays...well, at least it was the last time I went. It may differ when the Chargers are playing nearby, so call ahead to be sure. -
Review from Carrie c.
11/18/2011
Really great sushi....super friendly staff! I was pleasantly surprised by the high quality of food and service. I sat outside because it was warm enough to and because the inside seems cramped at lunch. The sample photos of food on the front windows are very, very faded...not too appetizing. I'd say, take new photos...brighten up the inside of the restaurant and I'll change my rating to 5 stars.
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Review from Cyi K.
San Mateo, CA
1/13/2012
I've been to a million sushi places, and this by far is not only good BUT their prices are the cheapest I've found. Even their beers and saki prices are inexpensive. Most places only offer these low prices during happy hour. Not Chiba - they keep their prices low all the time.
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Review from Lam N.
San Diego, CA
1/11/2012
Chibas sushi is one of the jewel sushi destinations in the area. Their teriyaki bowl is one of the best I have tried. It has indoor or outdoor seating. Dine-in or take out is also available. The prices are great for the quality you are getting. The employees are very friendly and are always smiling. Parking can take a while during lunch and dinner hours, but its not so bad around non peak hours. The sushi is made fresh and all the ingredients are fresh. A great place to bring your girlfriend/boyfriend to get lunch. Friendly staff, great food, and good prices. Chiba's gets two thumbs up from me!
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Review from Tiffany V.
San Diego, CA
6/14/2011
I used to frequent Chiba a lot during my college years mostly because it's really cheap. Over time, as my taste buds matured and my wallets got (somewhat) fatter, I realized that Chiba really wasn't worth the drive from RB.
Pros :
- Food here is very reasonably priced.
Cons:
- It's really small, almost claustrophobia inducing small. It's literally a hole in the wall.
- Sometimes there's a long wait for a table, and I can honestly say that the food here isn't worth the wait.
- While it's cheap, taste wise it's only average. It's not "OMG this is amazing, I can't believe it only costs $_". I can't say that anything I've ordered at Chiba has really stood out on it's own.
- They're not consistent with the quality of food served. Some days are a lot better than others.
- The fish they use isn't the FRESHEST, but I guess you get what you pay for, right?
- Parking can be a pain at times.
- Service is hit/miss. Some of the waitresses are really friendly and check up on you, others aren't as attentive (even on days when it's not as busy).
Summary: Go to Chiba if you're looking for cheap sushi. Don't expect to be WOWED by anything you're served. -
Review from Gabriella J.
San Diego, CA
This is definitely a place for cheap eats and NOT a place to impress a date. Very chill and laid back. Has vh1 on the two vizio TVs they had.
I got the udon, which was decent. Not exactly WOW-worthy, but good enough to eat when you're hungry.
Waited a good five minutes before I had to ask myself for the bill.
Also, if you're using a card, they charge you $.50 for anything below $10.00 -
Review from Ant A.
San Diego, CA
8/10/2011 1 Check-in Here
Chiba has a wide variety of lunch combo and bento selections. The ginger beef was pretty tasty and the fried seafood mix was quite good. Others in my party tried a few of the sushi rolls. The lemon roll was good and fresh tasting.
Probably the best thing about Chiba is that the price for lunch specials is completely reasonable. You can easily enjoy a combo or bento for $6-10. -
Review from Jenn T.
San Diego, CA
8/3/2011
I came here for lunch with a coworker, per his suggestion. We must have just beat the lunch rush because when we first rolled in, it was dead but by the time we left it was packed.
We sat at the bar and had super-quick service. My coworker and I both ordered the Chiba Special Bento which had a variety of items - CA roll, sushi, tempura fish, soup, rice, etc. though I'm not sure it was worth $12. It was good, but nothing special. I wouldn't make a special trip to eat here again. -
Review from Jennifer H.
Huntington Beach, CA
5/28/2011 4 photos
Chiba Japanese is one of the most reasonably pried sushi joints around. Here are my ratings on the food we ordered.
spicy scallop roll = delicious, just a bit spicy
octopus nigiri= very chewy and a bit tasteless
kamikaze roll= good, a bit lemony
rainbow roll= not aesthetically pleasing but ok
Philadelphia roll= good, average
Overall, everything was decent and the place is dirt cheap! Our bill came out to 48 dollars without tax. Pretty awesome considering all the food we got. Also, the nigiri plate is 12.95 and you get a ton of nigiri plus a side of california rolls.
This is going to be my on a budget and I'm really craving sushi place from now on. -
Review from Mayra g.
San Diego, CA
1/1/2012
I LOVE THIS PLACE!!!!!! This place has a great selection on food try the corona roll is the BEST!!! specially when your out with your friends having a great time with saki bombs* I recommend it!!!
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Review from c l.
San Diego, CA
8/4/2011 10 Check-ins Here
I love salmon, however I don't like the cream cheese they put with the salmon sushi. So I didn't really care for this place couple years ago. I then came back and discovered their Salmon maki rolls, and I'm in love. I think it's a very good price, and the sushi are pretty good.
The Chiba chicken bento wasn't bad just the chicken pieces were cut a bit large and the flavor doesn't really get in the meat, if they could improve that, then it'd be perfect.
I've been to both of their restaurant and I'd say it's fairly consistent even the girls that work there on both restaurant are consistent with their oddly blue contact lens. Let's just say it looks a bit odd on Asian....services are good though, I'll just have to try not to stare......it's hard not to, cuz it's odd.....oddly blue...... -
Review from Chris N.
Boca Raton, FL
4/1/2011
Oh Chiba, you Japanese restaurant run by Vietnamese people, how you've done me wrong. Let me count the ways.
1) Gummy, overcooked, underseasoned sushi rice,
2) Low quality fish that has the hint of a freezer,
3) Folding tables placed practically in the parking lot (Seriously, if i reached out with my hand to the right, I could touch a car hood ornament.),
4) Bland Miso Soup, some with tofu and some mysteriously without,
5) General ghetto vibe, and
6) Unfriendly service. -
Review from Lorena G.
Oxnard, CA
6/15/2011
Yelpers,
I'm tanning next door to this restaurant and every time go here, Chiba is always busy....this tells me the food is good or great prices, lol.
Anyways, after tanning I walked in and ordered a "Crunchy Roll" to go.. and it was Delicious...
I didn't have to wait long - as I was waiting I noticed they have daily specials on a little board on the wall. They actually have great deals.
I will be back again...
Enjoy ;0) -
Review from Erik H.
San Diego, CA
8/8/2011
This place falls nicely into the category of: "Hole in the wall with great food."
If you're looking to impress a date with amazing ambiance, or the best sushi quality in all of San Diego, this is not your place.
But, if you want exceptional sushi, especially for the price, and a good location (It's near McGregor's Bar and Qualcomm Stadium), you simply can not beat Chiba.
Service staff is friendly, and I've never had to wait long to be served or for the server to follow up to check on drinks, etc. The sushi itself is average to above average in quality compared to other sushi places I've been. And, the best part is the price is very good compared to other places.
Two favorite rolls here are: Corona Roll, and Pizza Roll. If you have not tried these and like the descriptions you find on the menu, you can not go wrong! -
Review from teresa v.
San Diego, CA
10/7/2011
Overall, a great place to get your sushi fix on...as long as you aren't claustrophobic or have parking lot rage. But usually it means good things when a place is that crowded....and yes, it was definitely all very good and yummy. Fresh fish and generous sized rolls with a good rice to the good stuff ratio. Waitresses weren't super attentive but they were friendly and helpful once we had their attention. While I wouldn't go out of my way to eat here again, I would definitely come back if I happened to be in the area and craving good sushi (exactly what happened today).
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Review from Amanda H.
San Diego, CA
6/13/2011
good food good meat good god lets eat!
LOVE THIS PLACE!!! the little guy behind the counter is so cool he buys a round of shots every time we go there he doesnt speak engish but he is genuine and cooks a hell of a roll! -
Review from Sandi W.
San Diego, CA
9/18/2011
Fast cheap food.
