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I keep coming back to Station Sushi in Solana Beach because it rocks! I've tried so many places around San Diego county. Off the top of my head: Ono Sushi, Sushi Ota, Eda-Mami, Zensei Sushi, Sushi Deli, Benihana, Tadashi Sushi, Kabuki Sushi, Sushiya, Harney Sushi, Masuo's, etc., etc. None ever seem to be as satisfying as Station.
They have a great happy hour which includes the "monkey stick," one of my faves from the joint. Everything I've had has been awesome with great presentation and flavors.
One thing I make a point to do at each sushi place I try is to see how the restaurant treats their California rolls, which people perceive as the lowest common denominator. I have this theory that if the California rolls are worth ordering on their own, then everything else will be fantastic. Station Sushi is the only sushi joint I've been to that passes this test.
Oh yeah, I LOVE that they serve genmaicha as their standard house green tea. It's my favorite and pairs perfectly with sushi.
simply average...
i came in with strong hopes and expectations as i was stoked to hear that they were known for their infamous PROTEIN roll... i'm no health guru but i do know that protein is good for you and i have been tryin to get into shape and get a certain type of figure, so i've been on a major PROTEIN BINGE or so you speak.
it was aright. $14.50 was a bit bogus...
service was just whatever. im sry but it's owned by koreans! :( and ummm, i'm korean... koreans shouldn't own sushi restaurants. period.
plenty of free parkin in the back...
I left my heart at Station Sushi. A place that combines amazing sushi rolls that I can't get anywhere else with loud European techno music and outdoor seating is a place that is made specifically for me.
Please please please open a location in San Francisco. That would make my day. Thanks.
oh, p.s. their green tea with matcha powder is also the best thing ever.
This place is horrible! We were going to belly up for a concert and my husband really wanted to try this place. We walked in..no one greeted us ,even though there were only a few other people seated. We seated our selves only to be serviced by a dirty looking wait staff and loud annoying music blaring in my ear.
The food was OK , that is why I am giving this place the 1 star.
The topper of the evening, an employee chilling near the kitchen had their dog with them! At one point the dog was walking around the restaurant. I am sorry but i think that is kind of gross. I don't mind dogs, I have seen them out side at restaurants not near the kitchen or walking around a food establishment. This place is horrible. Don't waist your money.
By far my favorite sushi restaurant in San Diego! The atmosphere rocks, the sushi rolls have always been delicious... you can't go wrong here. Add a bottle of cold sake and you're set!
fish quality is very average. too many rolls are fried. service is usually dogshit. music is too loud and just generally terrible in selection, and the seating is unbearably crowded. for a bunch of fried rolls with average fish, the place is overpriced. ogata in encinitas has equal quality fish, many unfried options, and is about half the price.
i'd give it one star, but the food isn't bad... it's just not great. it's the other stuff that weighs down the restaurant.
I LOVE STATION SUSHI!! very laid back atmosphere, ridiculously good prices... and their SUSI is AMAZING : )
my girlfriend and I go here at least once a week!!
I love Sushi Station! I keep going back because the sushi is awesome and the music may be loud but its actually good music. I find myself savoring the sushi and dancing in my seat every time. I always sit at the bar and the chefs are all really friendly and generous. This is the place I'll go after a hard day at work, with friends, and even with visitors. It rocks, so go check it out and enjoy.
Very fresh and affordable. Nothing fancy but comfortable. Sushi & roll very fresh. Grilled hamachi kama big and fresh. Beef and chicken teriyaki very good. We were lucky to eat where to locals go.
3 1/2 -4ish stars. Pretty good, not completely outstanding. I would definitely go again, but not travel out of my way - then again, I've been having trouble finding really great sushi in San Diego, so maybe I would!
Anyway, we had: almond tempura, Monkey Stick, Saba nigiri, and one of their specialty rolls with salmon, asparagus, and some other crazy business. This is definitely not a traditional sushi place, but in my opinion, rolls have their place alongside the nigiri. Sometimes I just want cream cheese, avocado and eel jammed into some rice, ya know?
Overall, the meal was tasty! Almond tempura was unique and flavorful, but the shrimp had a slightly odd texture. Monkey Stick was pretty dang good; can't go wrong with mayo-sauce and tempura fried seaweed! Saba was okay; again, this is a roll place already!
Everything mentioned in the other reviews about the ambiance was true except the service: the waiter was fine, but it was noisy and there were flies. Of course, we were sitting on the outdoor patio on a blistering summer day so I forgive nature's intrusion. Overall: recommended for some rolltacular indulgence.
Definitely one of my favorite sushi bars in San Diego! I must say I was disappointed w/ some of the reviews. But it is true that this is not quiet nor romantic; if that is the type of dining scene you are looking for, you will not find it here. It caters to a young boisterous clientele with the ambiance being surfer grunge, which I think is fitting for its location in in Solana Beach... so it's super casual. In the evening hours, the music can get pretty loud. And yes, when it is pretty busy, the service can get painfully slow.
So if you are in a mellow mood for serious quiet conversation with someone eating sushi, this may not be the place. But if none of the above bothers you; then you must try my ulimate favorite roll of their menu... "Protein Roll"! It has no rice and is enormous... and is unbelievably delicious!!
One of my favorite spots. Heads up: it's always very crowded but also very hip. Not your typical sushi joint. It boasts a more rowdy young crowd, blasts hip hop hits, and offers a more unique and diverse tasty menu. And people don't look at you like a cretin when you ask for a sake bomb.
The best part about Station is that the quality and creativity of their sushi menu far outshines others. Although its quite pricey, it has always been worth it. Their mixed sashimi is delicious and actually cheaper than most sushi joints, especially considering the quality. The Monkey Stick roll with spicy tuna, crab, avo, albacore, tempura is good. The Psychedelic Orange Crush is one of the most unusual I've seen, which has salmon, asparagus, avo, gobo root, orange, flying fish egg...and is strangely good.
Finally, the main reason I love Station Sushi is for their Fluffy Mama roll, which is a must. I even managed to get a couple of my friends who refused to eat sushi turned on to the Fluffy Mama. It's a giant delight of real snow crab roll with toro / buttery tuna and green onion on top. Similiarly amazing, but a little more simple, is the Negi-Toro handroll which just has toro and green onion.
In any case, check this place out. There might be a bit of a wait, but you can always just have a drink and chill on their patio on the 101 and hang out and people watch as you wait. And the wait is way beyond worth it!
It's party sushi at it's best. This isnt the place to head to if your looking for a romantic, best sushi of your life dinner. More of a fun, lets have sake shots, and eat some yummy sushi kinda spot. Always packed, with a youthful crowd, and loud music jamming. Good place to pregame....
My favorite is the Mary Juana Roll....yummmm
Great Happy Hour a bit pricey but the sake makes you drunk super fast.
Awesome sushi with a variety of different options. Prices are reasonable. Monkey Stick and The Matrix are really good. Only problem is parking and it's odd location. Good service and food. Check it out if you are in the area.
Oh. My. God. All I have to say is order the Stuffed Mushroom appetizer. Can't even describe how good it is. Well, I'll try. It's these huge mushrooms stuffed with crab and deep fried. I've been a couple of times and just ordered 2 of these and that's it.
The legendary Protein Roll deserves its awesome reputation. It's - well- all fish. A huge fish roll, about 1 1/2 inches high. So good. I know I've ordered other things here, all of which have been great, but these are definitely 2 stand outs.
This place gets BUSY, and has random hours. If there's a wait, walk down to Pizza Port and grab a beer.
Parking can be a pain, so be prepared.
Super packed with people who don't know good sushi. The rolls etc are fine, crazy things put together (monkey stick?) but if you want good quality raw fish look elsewhere. Prices are good and it is crowded at peak times but the staff is fast and turnover is pretty quick, have a beer and kick it for a few
I would give this a 5 stars except that it was a bit pricey in my opinion. The sushi is creative and DELICIOUS.
I stopped in for lunch and ordered a miso soup (so-so) and the Mary-Juana Ocean Roll (which had crab, tuna, smoked & fresh salmon - YUM). The roll was only 6 pieces but they were HUGE pieces (I would actually prefer smaller bite size pieces).
Most of the rolls range between $11-16, and when I can go to Ichiban in PB for rolls under $10, it's hard for me to justify coming here - BUT, I WILL be back when I'm in the area.
Breakdown:
Still the best sushi around
Waiter service is OK
Wait was normal
The Bottom Line:
No matter how weird the service can be at times, the delicious sushi makes up for it. If you visit with some friends and condensate the whole time, you tend not to worry too much about the waiter only dropping off your food and never acknowledging you again.
All of you people who are used to eating at Panda Express and Chins that come to this place expecting Benni Hanna's with sushi, don't write crappy reviews. Just visit a place more your style.
--
Recently I took another trip down to Station Sushi with my wife and some friends because we were really in need of a sushi fix. We got there around 8pm and did not have to wait long to seating. It was somewhat cold out and I didn't have a jacket, but that didn't affect my time at all. I read some other reviews that the service was bad and while I agree it is pretty shady at best, his isn't a gourmet restaurant but a hole in the wall sushi joint with great food. The guy who was serving us probably got stoned before he showed up to work in his saggy Dickies pants and billabong shirt, but hey, who cares right? As long as "bro" brings over my food I am good.
The food came fairly fast and because we had multiple orders they put it all on one large plate which was fine with me. It helped save room, unlike in the past where there was 10 plates and no room to eat. The food was great and if they would have had a Venus fly trap outside I am sure I wouldn't have to flick flies off of the table all night. I don't blame station sushi for that, we were outside.
One thing I found hilarious was the bathroom. I went into the back, down a hallway behind the kitchen past a hanging sheet to the second door on the left. If only the girls restroom was past the sheet, I would have went from zero to pervert in less than 3 seconds. Luckily I found the door with the little stick guy on it and went inside. I thought it was funny how people didn't graffiti on the wall with pen, but instead carved the paint off of the wood to write their names. I instantly got a flash back to an old Dane Cook joke about people carving their names into the wall when they, well.. You know.
I had:
Gyoza Dumplings $6.00
The sauce was a little spicy but these dumplings are the best I have ever had, I wish there was more than 6 for $6. Thank you Bailey for pointing out you can probably get the same ones from Costco in a bag for the same price at 50QTY.
Real California Roll w/Soy wrap $9.00
This roll was OK, more for my wife. I have to say it did taste a little better with REAL crab instead of imitation.
Crunchy Shrimp Roll $9.50
Yuuuuuuuummmmmyyy.
Slippery when wet $13.50
This was interesting with eel and avo on the top and, god knows in the inside. I loved the taste and the sauce. I would have ordered two!
This is my new favorite Sushi place, it is a shame its a 30 minute drive from my house! I am… Read more »
Love this place! GREAT sushi and not expensive at all! The ambience is awesome - very chill, the servers are great and always ready to take a sake shot with you! :)
It is small, and if you get there later than 6 there will be a wait. It's so worth it anyways.
What happened to this place? I've been going to station for about 5 years and suddenly everything seems different and wrong. Did the owner sell?
We used to hit Station once a week and recently we had 5 month lay-off from visits and upon going tonight we discovered different staff, different quality meat and different sushi chefs. WTF?
Monkey Stick was loose, light on tempura and overall just felt flat. The normally yummy 911 had no flavor. Nothing really cooking with the unagi, the fluffy mama or any of the old favorites.
Even the normally intrusive and loud music was missing.
Everything was different and not in a good way. It was so bad we talked on the drive home that we may not return ever again. How does that happen when your second favorite sushi spot (after Sushi Ota) falls totally out of favor?
This place is a joke. I've tried to give it a chance. More than once.
More than one factor makes for a good restaurant. The factors that I use are quality of food, quality of service. Another one that I realized is important, but difficult to measure, is the integrity of the staff.
I ordered the Beef Teriyaki bowl and vegetable tempura. My order was taking a while and I asked the waitress for a status. She said it would be coming right out. It's taking a while because the beef was frozen. What?! I should have just cancelled the order right then, but I figured I would give them another chance. It was ok, but not good enough for an $11 teriyaki bowl. I have to say that the sushi rolls that my friends ordered were tasty.
The service was ok. The waitress seemed to try and it was fairly busy. But no water or soda refills. No drive bys to ask if everything (including the re-heated beef teriyaki) was ok. I have low expectations for service from the past visits, and this visit didn't surpass my expectations (unfortunately).
Which brings us to integrity. At dinner, I gave a thank you card to my friend that included two Chargers tickets that were sealed inside. He accidentally left the card on the table when we left. He went back in and saw that the table was cleared and asked for the card. The staff asked them to wait and they would check. They came back with just the two Chargers tickets. Hmmm... the card was sealed. Way to go Station Sushi staff. Thanks for opening the card, taking the tickets out, and throwing the card away. You guys are a piece of work. At least your conscience got to you and you gave the tickets back when they were asked for.
You will never get another dime from me again. Three strikes and your OUT!
Quantity over quality. Huge rolls made of ridiculous amounts of rice or 'krab', drowning in sauce.
Service is shall we say . . . interesting.
alright alright, I'm giving them the 4 stars. Yummy sushi, very yummy. I can't say jack about their sashimi since I'm really not a connoisseur of it - in fact I've only tried it once.
Monkey stick is yummy, so is the crunchy roll, tuna rolls, good sake bombs, i'm not the biggest fan of their plum wine, its sweet and almondy like all the other plum wines i've tried, but it had this weird bitter flavor too. meh.
Tonight there was *no* wait, we were seated immediately, our waitress was just fine, we were actually the ones taking too long. It's a nice spot. :)
The sushi was good, Tuna rolls were as they should be, the crunchy roll was nummy. no muss no fuss… Read more »
I have been here a handful of times. I have to say I don't remember anything negative or particularly positive about the food, it was fine.
The service however is downright abominable. My boyfriend has a saga of a three-hour Station Sushi marathon (thankfully I was not in attendance) where the storyline evolves from long wait to forgotten and mis-delivered food to rude waitresses and on and on.
At my last visit we got there early so no wait, survived an average meal, then waited for at least 45 minutes to get our check while the line piled up outside the door. We felt bad for the hungry prisoners in purgatory as we tried to flag her down for what seemed like an eternity.
The only reason this place is still in business is the location. Then again, their reputation doesn't seem to precede them as they seem to do just fine, especially on the weekends.
I had my first bite of Toro here and I've never had better. I don't live in San Diego now, but I will definitely make this a lunch on my next visit.
Not only is the sushi nearly perfect at Station Sushi, but the place is just fantastically located a block from the ocean, so it's a great lunchtime stop before or after a beach walk, shopping, etc.
Once a weekly lunch spot for me, I always recommend Station Sushi to people who are headed to the area for the first time. Everyone thanks me for the suggestion when they return!
Station Sushi is excellent. From the excellent sushi to the surfer cliental to the art on the walls by muah. Extremely well done all around. I'm a big fan of the food. All the chef's are excellent and the vibe is right on. Check the food, the drinks from Rafa and the art from yours truly. I'm bias...yes...but I promise you won't be disappointed.
OH MY GOD.
I see some mixed reviews about this place, but it looks like they are mostly about the service, not the food. Since I had no such problems, this place definitely gets 5 stars from me -- I would give it 10 if I could. The sushi was hands down, the best I have ever had. Good enough to say that even if the service WAS bad, they spit in my face, made me strip and dance on the sushi bar, and eat my sushi while wearing nothing but a diaper, I would still come back.
We started with edimame, and there were enough of those precious little beans to feed 4 people, easily. For maybe the first time, there were some left at the end of the meal (I usually never let that happen).
I ordered the spicy tuna roll, and the yellowtail roll, and my friend ordered the Monkey Stick. We ordered drinks, which came immediately, I should add.
Food order comes (within 12 - 15 minutes)...this is perhaps the most beautiful arrangement of fish, rice, and seaweed that I have ever seen.
Laid out on a cute little Japanese wooden board were my rolls. An amazingly large amount of fresh fish in each, perfectly balanced with just the right amount of rice, and each piece complemented by a crunchy little wedge of cucumber. My friend's roll was on a separate plate, because it too, was huge.
Did I get in a car accident on the way over here, die, and land in Heaven?
Spicy Tuna: Amazing.
Yellowtail: Amazing
Monkey Stick: Amazing -- and I never go for shredded crab, but this was perfect -- not even a HINT of a taste of mayo (why is that so hard for so many places to get right?!).
I rarely venture up to north county, but this could be the beginning of a new era.
I do not know anyone who doesn't love this place. I think it helps if you go with someone who has been here so you know what to order... even though everything is amazing. What's really fun though is getting your sushi to go and eating it down at the beach! Yeah the wait is long and the service is wack, but the food makes up for it. I haven't had a lot of the regular food items, but the sushi is what you come here for. They do make a decent seaweed salad though. I suggest: Monkey Stick (if you like it fried), 911 (if you like spicy), rainbow roll (if you like raw fish and are hungry), and the salmon nigiri just because it is really big. Portion sizes here make it worth the price. Go during happy hour! Go with you buddies for a fun night out!
Never again will I be a customer here. The service is horrible, the food is disgusting, the bathrooms are not clean and the servers were wearing shorts so short, I could see more than I wanted.
We never got our apps, a soda water took 20 minutes, and when we told our waitress that the sushi roll was not what we expected and that we'd like to try something else, she responded with "you have to eat it. You ordered it."
Eat this!
Love the sushi here. The rolls are cut into huge portions, a little too big for my liking. We started asking them to make the pieces smaller . I prefer to sit at the sushi bar here, the guys are fun to watch. They are funny and will answer any question you have about what they are making or what are good rolls. They can play the music too loud sometimes, but it's a fun atmosphere. It is small, so there are usually waits during the normal dinner times on the weekends.
So my friend and I visited Station Sushi for lunch after one of our friends told us it was good.
NEVER AGAIN! We arrived and the server brought us out some waters very quickly, but she didnt come back for another 20 minutes or so. 2 tables were sat after us and they ordered before us.
Not much of a menu. About half the rolls are fried. I ordered gyoza and the 911 roll. Gyoza was obviously boiled and mushy and the fish on my roll was not fresh at all.... the roll didnt even look appetizing.
Just plain gross! and service sucked!
If it wasn't for the fact that their sushi is really yummy, I'd give it one star. It is so freaking loud in here it's ridiculous. And I am not an old fart with a stick in my a$$, I just like to be able to have a conversation and order my food without yelling when I go out to eat. Maybe if they actually played some decent music instead of teeny bopper club beats it wouldn't bug me so much.
The waitresses seem like they don't care at all about your satisfaction and the appetizers always come out at the end of the meal, which is contrary to what an appetizer should be....
Their ingredients are fresh, and they have a creative menu. I do always leave feeling like I got my money's worth as far as the food is concerned. I will say that with all the sauces and additions to their rolls, Station Sushi has found a way to make almost every roll unhealthy. But it is damn good.
Sadly the only sushi place by my work that can help me get over the wasabi habit. Now if I can only kick that crack habit. The service sucks but if your one of those white boys that drool over hot aisan waitresses here's your place.
The rainbow roll and dynamite roll are pretty decent. The eel had some kind of weird funkness about it like a hooker's panties. No good lunch specials, in my overall opinion I give it a meh.
I really love this place for sushi! I recommend eating outside because it can be hectic and noisy inside. The spicy shrooms are amazing and if you are into raw fish try the protein roll. Last time I went I wasn't impressed with the miso and if you are going with a group of people you might want to tell the waitstaff to split the bill ahead of time.
If you are going in a large group ( more than 5) go early or be prepared to wait a little for enough tables to open up.
Good sushi but the physical space is horrible. We used to go sit at the sushi bar right at 5:30 but now we have a kid we can't bother. Its got a following so the small space is way too crowded. I can't stand sitting on top of other people.
Cute little cottage. Little being the operative word. If you don't get here right when it opens then you'll be waiting for a while.
I made the mistake of arriving too late and had to wait for almost two hours. I was with some people who had their heart set on this place or I would have bailed. We were comped some cocktails because of some seating errors that they had made. But I can hardly comment on the sushi because by the time we were seated I was so freaking wasted that at that point whale vomit would have tasted good.
The teriyaki chicken that I took home though tasted great for breakfast.
Next time I'm going early and maybe not drinking so much.
Yummy yummy sushi. Place gets pretty crowded but worth waiting. Have the protein roll, it will last you all day. I only wish they didn't take a break in the afternoon cuz we like hanging out here. Servers are upbeat and friendly. With sushi, you have to go by recommendation and this place is worth the recommendation.
Their sushi is delicious and fresh. I ordered "The Matrix"-- crab, shrimp, avo, tuna and the "special sauce" which adds the perfect amount of spiciness. My friend is a little afraid of seafood so she asked for a very specific roll with extra this and none of that and the guy rolling the sushi only laughed at her for a second, then whipped it up in about 5 minutes. We sat at the bar so whenever we wanted any sushi, we could just ask but it was more difficult to get the attention of the servers. Our tab was $45 dollars for 3 rolls and edame-- a little on the high side but the sushi is so good that I can't complain. Plus, it's right by Fletcher Cove, so you can walk over to the park, sit and listen to the waves when you're done!
This place gets crowded, but it's worth the wait. I always order the Protein Roll - no rice, just fish yummy goodness
La Jolla, CA
Category: Sushi Bars
Solana Beach, CA
Category: Sushi Bars
Solana Beach, CA
Category: Sushi Bars
Neighborhood: Encinitas
Category: Japanese
Neighborhood: Del Mar
Category: Japanese
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