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Categories: Sushi Bars, Japanese, Chinese
4529 Mission Bay DrMon. 5:30 p.m. - 10:30 p.m.
Tue-Fri. 11:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Tue-Fri. 5:30 p.m. - 10:30 p.m.
Sat-Sun. 5:00 p.m. - 10:30 p.m.
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Fantastic authentic sushi! I typicaly go during lunch hour so getting a table has never been an issue...does anything else really need to be said about the quality of the fish they serve?
Other items worth mentioning: the hot tea, miso soup, the killer seaweed salad.
I'll be back again and again.
People thought this was:
I've had sushi. I've had good sushi, I've had bad sushi. I've had fresh sushi, I've had old sushi. I've had expensive sushi, I've had grocery-store sushi. But I'd never had sushi like this.
The sashimi? Ridiculous. Everything is so fresh, so tender, so melt-in-your-mouth good, that I can't wait to get back here again (er...when I have enough cash to spare). The ambiance? Wonderful. No overbearing music, no loud crowds...just you and your tastebuds going to town on some fine fish. The service? Wow. We sat at the bar (request it if you can), where one of the sushi chefs, Take, took extraordinary care of us.
Bonus for sitting at the bar? You get to see everything being made, so you can point to a plate and say, "oooh, that looks good! I want one of those," at which point your chef will whip another one up for you. Dangerous for your wallet, but so satisfying.
Unquestionably the best sushi I've experienced so far, and worth the expensive price tag (expect to drop at least $100 a person). Given, we didn't order any rolls...those might be cheaper overall, since there's more filler per order.
What can I say that hasn't been said. While I've never been to the place up in Encinitas which I hear is on par with Ota, I'm going to call this the best in San Diego, most likely Orange County, and when taking price into consideration, better than those trendy, 400 dollar a person places in LA. Now, that isn't to say Ota is cheap. I came here with my girlfriend and we spent about 175 including tip. Expensive, aboslutely. But what we got for that was unbelievable. Toro, Salmon belly, the best octupus I've ever had (NOT rubbery), uni that can only be described as seafood whipped cream, golden eye snapper, amber jack, tuna, oysters flown in that morning from Osaka, best scallop hand roll of my life...the list goes on, I can't even remember. The sushi chef was just picking things for us. Probably a top 2 dining experience, period. I know it gets said a bunch...but this place will make even non-sushi eaters love sushi. The stuff doesn't even taste like "fish". It's unbelievable. God bless you Sushi Ota.
Just a tip......Sit at the sushi bar, it makes all the difference in the world
I usually get nervous when I am invited to a restaurant in a mini strip mall. But, this is California, and that is usually where the best food is located. Sushi Ota definitely fit that bill. The food was very good and the service was good, too. Sadly, I can't eat fish, but I had the steak teryaki and was fantastic. The only downside is if it gets a little busy, it is kinda cramped for space in there.
One of the best if not the best sushi in San Diego. You have to make a reservation to get a table quickly. You don't get the best looking restaurant but the food makes up for it.
mmm. sushi.. sushi... sushi... i can repeat that for my menu daily... I love sushi.. and sitting at the bar at Sushi Ota makes it that much sweeter... the fish is fresh.. the chef is creating your meal in front of you.. so yes. SIT at the SUSHI BAR, and order away.. cheer on sake next time if we are sitting together...
I can still have picture in my mind of a fatty tuna sushi.. although i am not a big rice eater, i like some of my fish to have rice in/on them.. especially uni... yummm. UNI.. i love eating it.. so sweet and accompany with onion and cilantro salad is a perfect match... I make this at home when i can.. sometime all week long.. hehee...
the place is tight so reserve and be on time... you will not regret the meal...So YES. sushi ota is a place to go.. and if even if you are new at eating sushi... pay for the bill and ask us to join you... we will help you become a sushi lover too...
Excellent sushi. We had reservations and our friend was a little hesitant on taking us here since he had never been himself. Everyone recommended it to us, so we went anyway. The place is quite small and in this random building. If I didn't go with a local, I don't think I would have found it.
The service was fine. Beers and saki were brought out first. The saki was chilled the way I like it, and we toasted to our weekend in San Diego.
We ordered the medium toro [fatty tuna], hamachi [yellowtail], and tuna rolls with jalapeno.
The medium toro is sooooo freakin' good. It's just as good as the high toro, but cheaper in price. We got 4 orders of it because it was so good. The yellowtail is well cut and just melts in your mouth. And the tuna roll with jalapeno is awesome. The jalapeno gave it the most perfect kick, and the roll just falls apart. They are also not huge rolls, which I hate. It was perfectly cut and rolled.
I can't wait to come back.
People thought this was:
this place would have gotten five stars from me if they didn't seat my party thirty minutes after our reservation. AND if it wasn't my birthday. being from LA, i didn't know there were so few EXCELLENT sushi restaurants in San Diego. nonetheless, when we were finally seated, they apologized and tried to win my good graces back with edamame and calamari on the house.
nevertheless, this loud, crowded, sushi joint had some outstanding fish. I can usually judge how good a place is by their uni, and their uni was quite good. i ordered a few other nigiri pieces, and all were delicious. my friend who doesn't eat fish, said their teriyaki was good, and the other two dining companions enjoyed the food as well.
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Holy Hamachi, 424 reviews with an average rating of 4 1/2 stars! OK, I needed to try Sushi Ota and see if this place cuts the karashi.
Sushi Ota is located in a tiny mini mall next to a 7-11 and could easily go unnoticed if not for the huge line in front of Sushi Ota. I took everyone's advice and made reservations and luckily was able to snake a good parking spot. Having reservations allowed us to be seated right away, even though we arrived a tad early.
When trying new sushi places, I always try the maguro and hamachi to test its freshness and Sushi Ota passed with flying colors, especially the hamachi. I also tried the entrée of sea bass and when I first looked at it, I thought it was going to be dried out, but I was pleasantly surprised, not dry, but with delicious flavor and seasoning. I ordered it with fried rice and that was good, although a bit greasy. Service was really good and I was impressed watching the sushi chefs. They seemed to approach their craft with precision and dedication at providing really good sushi with nice presentation.
San Diego does indeed have a top-flight sushi place.
People thought this was:
I usually stay away from fusion rolls, but this time I had a few drinks before and went for it: The Diego Roll.
I was impressed with the freshness. I didn't need soy sauce at all. When I'm not really impressed with the food - soy sauce comes handy... Just like A1; when my steak is mediocre - says OzZ "oh! where's A1?!"
I could distinctly taste each ingredient. Carefully tweaked. Serrano peppers had a tiny bite (they are so hot sometimes we're even scared of the name) and huge flavor.
Finished it with a protein bomb of Quail eggs over roe. Then one egg, in warm sake (I don't think it's gross :D) gulp! Oh yes! Come to daddy! ;-)
*Service was prompt. Thumbs up for that while they were slammed.
*And yes, reservation is strongly recommended!!!
*Decor is humble. Honestly, if it doesn't bring up safety issues I'm down with any decor (excludes upside down chairs).
*The place isn't so huge you can't really expect so much privacy or having mellow and quiet conversations. I don't think they ever have a slow night at that restaurant considering the amazing stuff they pump out. So, I don't know if it would be my choice of a romantic night.
And, you should definitely check it out to be the best judge. And, yes you should reserve a table in advance (I know I said that already). :)
I would give this SD Sushi Spot a score of slightly less than 5 stars due to its price (And they always ask for your ID every time you order an alc. bev.). The quality of fresh fish, however, deserves all 5! The service is a bit pushy, but considering the fact that its very difficult to get a reservation (even on a mid week day) i guess its ok. BUT refusing to give you extra serving of ginger and asking you to pay for a minor request, is a poor practice.
Suggestions: Order sushi dinner combos (more reasonably $ed), make a reservation in advance, and have your ID handy!
OH MY GOD. I knew I was saving a 5 star sushi review for something amazing... but this sushi is out of this world. My meal here has positively ruined every sushi experience I'll have in the future.
I had Ota "A" and I'm tempted to never order anything else again, as my meal was so good. I had never thought I'd say that I love seaweed. The idea of paying for something that threatens to strangle me everytime I paddle out at Blacks was completely beyond me before eating here. When I first noticed the little green pile on my plate I decided to eat it first to get it over with, and before I knew it I was wondering why they served me so little. The fish was fresh and beautifully prepared. The cooked portion of my combo was amazing; for once I don't have words for it.
The waitresses are very sweet and attentive, and the service is incredibly fast for such a large restaurant! This place reminds me of a little-known sushi restaurant back home in Morro Bay called Harada's. The fish is excellent, and all dishes are well worth the money for quality alone. Add in great service and there's no question.
This place simply makes for a glorious meal for any sushi lover.
People thought this was:
Been livin in San Diego now for 10+ yrs. Of all the sushi places I've been to 'Sushi Ota' is easily one of, if not the best sushi in Diego.
What my party had:
Miso Seabass- tender meat, flavored beautifully. This dish took me back a bit, I couldn't help but close my eyes to truly absorb all the flavor going on. I couldn't allow my other senses to distract what i was experiencing. I've always liked seabass but this restaurant confirmed my love for this fish.
Halibut- fresh clean taste
Salmon belly- delicious, flavor is just straight up awesome.
Toro- like butter, it's as if it was MADE to melt in your mouth!
Yellowtail belly- like butter
Uni- fresh, creamy, o so good!
Hamachi Kama- crispy outside, flaky inside, very good stuff
If anyone is looking for good sushi, ur not going to find it here. But if ur looking for excellent, consistent, and awesome sushi. Look no further, bc you've found the pot of gold and the rainbow ends at 'Sushi Ota'!
Holy S**t! I work in Torrance (with huge Japanese population) and I thought I was constantly being spoiled by good Japanese restaurants. But I found my favorite sushi restaurant, down south in San Diego!
Here are recommendations from the locals. Always make a reservation and asked to be seated at the sushi counter. And let the sushi chef give you what's fresh and good. It's called "Omakase" menu. Once you had enough, please make sure to tell the chef "no more" or else he'll keep on giving you more food! And you'll not be happy when you receive your bill.
We ate to our hearts content and came out to about $100 per person without heavy drinking. Expensive but was well worth it. I was awed by the freshness of the fish. You hardly need any soy sauce (shoyu) to eat them. They were that good!
Only complaint was wasabi lacked the kick! I liked more kick with mine.
People thought this was:
I am not terribly adventurous when it comes to sushi, but my friend is and both of us love this place. She had eaten here several times before (the staff know her by name) and she took me here during a recent business trip.
The place itself is rather unassuming (next door to a 7-11 in a strip mall)...but don't let the surroundings fool you...the food is tasty. We waited about a half an hour or so on a Sunday night so we could sit at the counter and was glad we did. It was great to watch the men make the sushi and made the dinner more than a meal...it was an experience.
We both loved our sushi and I will be back again next time I'm in town.
The only good choice in San Diego.
Expensive...the quality can be better.
I have loved this place for years! Fresh, wonderfully prepared sushi, yet recently I found a bone in my spicy yellowtail. When I showed the waitress she curtly replied: "Sorry." When I saw our bill the item had not been comped. Hmph. This, I did not like, so I asked our waitress to take it off due to the BONE, she had the nerve to bicker with me because we ate the rest of it! What the heck?! Screw you guys I'm going back to SF for some GOOD sushi. Bastards
People thought this was:
First of all, you have to make a reservation and show up at the designated time.
Second, the place is too young urban professional for my tastes.
However, I think it is a great place for a first date to impress a girl.
The sushi was good and probably the best in Pacific Beach.
I ordered some good sake, vegetable tempura, mixed sushi plate, and soft shell crab roll.
The sake selection was pretty decent and bottle I purchase went down in its entirety.
The Vegetable Tempura was a great appetizer to split. It had two yams, two mushroom halves, two green beans, and an onion. Clearly, one piece of onion is enough.
The Mixed Sushi Plate was a good deal.
Included Toro, Yellowtail, Salmon, Squid, Surf Clam, Sea Urchin, Eel, a misc. white fish, and some Maki pieces made up of "Japanese yam" is how the waitress described it. The "Uni" or the gonadal portion of the sea urchin was very fresh, well prepared and delightful. The taste is a combination of sweet, briny, and creamy. BEWARE, It can be very off-putting to non-adventurous eaters.
The flavors of the Soft Shell Crab Roll were delicious. However, the pieces were the size of drink coasters, which makes eating sushi in one bite a little more difficult.
Overall, a decent way to spend a $100 on dinner.
No question, this is the best Sushi Restaurant in USA.
Uni is incredible. Don't miss it when you go to San Diego.
I cannot stress enough... MAKE A RESERVATION!! If you don't, chances are you will wait until after nine in the evening to be seated. But, it'll be worth your wait. This place is the *BOMB*!!
We have been searching ever since we moved to Carlsbad (a couple of months ago) for sushi like this and, we've finally found it!! Sooo good!!
The mixed green salad rocks and has the most incredibly wonderful ginger dressing I've ever tasted! Too, the tempura kicked butt!! Their miso soup was sooo good -- I wanted to order another bowl, but didn't want to fill up on soup! They have the freshest yellowtail, it melted in my mouth, just delicious, delicious, delicious!! Their salmon is amazing too. But... they have this roll called (damn, I can't remember what it's called), but it's the one that has spicy tuna and cilantro on the inside with sliced seranno chili peppers sprinkled on top (just remember that, if you can :)). OMG!! Incredible!! I have been craving that roll since we left Ota last Sunday night!! I am sooo hooked!
Service is amazingly fast for as busy as the place is, in fact, we were impressed by just how fast our meal came to us. Too, everyone that worked there was super friendly. A big plus when it comes to dinning out -- fast, friendly service!!
Let me tell you, I made sure to make a reservation for this coming Friday night!! I am not taking any chances here. I'm serious about getting my hands on that roll again. ;-)
Yum!!!
People thought this was:
Ota-San, Hai!! I'm no sushi expert, but I eat it often.
This is hands down the best sushi I have ever had. It's a totally unassuming place, in a strip mall. Ota, the owner is a perfectionist and has his hands in every part of the place to make sure its perfect.
It's always busy, for a reason. So make a reservation, and still may wait. If you're adventurous try to sit at the sushi bar and ask the chef to make you something original. Their creations are pleasing to the eye as well as the taste buds.
Each time when I go down to San Diego to hang out with one of my buddy we would try and go here if we feel like eating sushi. My buddy introduce to this place and I was hook when I first try it. The sushi is super fresh and it just melt in your mouth. You can order anything on the menu or any special fish they have for that day and you won't regret ordering it. Just a FYI, this place isn't cheap and it might look ghetto from the outside but they are normally a waiting list that can be hr's esspecially on weekend. Normally my buddy would tell them just send all of your fresh fish out and this is our amount we are going pay a person such as maybe $120 each person but somehow I was pretty drunk and I was so hungry that I keep eating and eating and when the bill came it was like $500 or $600 for 3 people. I felt bad the next day but i didn't remember anything so I am only telling you the story that he and my ex told me LOL
I miss eating sushi that fresh. I haven't good sushi even since NYC :(
People thought this was:
this place sets the bar very high for san diego sushi places.... so high that i can't enjoy my regular old inexpensive sushi joints the same way anymore :(
they have great quality food that appears to be super fresh and heavenly. i love the special bento meals. as a broke college student, this place can take all my money and it would be worth it. :) it is so good. soooo good.
I can recall a day when I was really sad and sat down at the sushi bar for some lunch. I single-handedly spent $70 on myself. While that may not sound like that much to you, keep in mind the fact that I'm a college student.
Anyway, looking back in retrospect, I almost wonder whether 'being sad' was just an excuse to eat my heart out at one of my favorite restaurants in San Diego (emphasizing a point). Eating at Sushi Ota has become quite an occasion for me whenever I go because it's definitely not everyday that I get to eat here, but if I could, boy, would I.
If you're a fan of sushi and sashimi, you have come to the right place. I'm a harsh sushi critic and I will say this: by far the best place for sushi and sashimi and San Diego. Sushi on the Rock? Yeah, NO. FYI, it does make a difference that all the sushi chefs at Ota are Japanese, have at least a few years of experience as a sushi chef, and have been trained by the head chef, Ota san.
Parking here, however, sort of sucks (that's an understatement depending on what day and time you go) and if you want a table, make sure to make reservations in advance... even on a weekday/weeknight. If you want to sit at the sushi bar, and in front of the head chef, Ota-san, I would make that reservation at least two days in advance.
The prices for the sushi and sashimi are not bad. They're comparable to lots of other sushi restaurants in San Diego. The difference, I believe, is that when you go to Sushi Restaurant A, you eat lots of rolls and not much sushi because quite frankly, you don't need awesomely fresh fish for rolls; but when you go to Sushi Ota, you take advantage of the freshness of the fish and eat as much sushi and sashimi as possible. The salmon belly and yellowtail belly are to die for. Even hit-or-misses, such as the eel and sea urchin, are good here. If you're new to sushi, ask the chefs or servers for a few recommendations. Personally speaking, I LOVE their ama ebi (sweet shrimp), all of which is 'live' before being chopped up and served much to your taste buds' delight. This is considered special at other sushi restaurants. At Ota, this is standard.
That's what's so great about Sushi Ota: they take specialty and excellence in all of its forms and make it standard. They don't need a lavish restaurant in downtown La Jolla or Hillcrest to lure customers in. In all of its simplicity, if their fish could speak, they would speak louder than the decor, the ambiance, and even the service. Don't be the uncultured and waste your time, and money, by ordering a California roll and something from the kitchen. Go for the good stuff. Take a chance. I'm pretty sure you won't regret it.
Indeed, sushi was great...but you have to sit on the counter to get this great sushi/sashimi. Raw lobster was really something.
Unfortunately, if you sit on tables, most likely your sushi experience is so-so.
Another negative thing of this place is that it is so difficult to get appropriate reservation - what this means it that if your reservation time if not before 6PM, you will most likely will have to wait sometimes more than a half hour.
Jizake selection was limited unfortunately.
This is a great Japanese/sushi restaurant. The food is great. I highly recommend the Amaebi. Unlike other sushi restaurants that I have gone to, you have the option to have the shrimp baked or fried. Most restaurants serve Amaebi fried. However, the shrimp taste excellent when baked.
The sushi is noticeably fresh. As for the main entrée, I recommend the Beef Teriyaki. All entrées are served with soup, and a choice of either steamed or fried rice.
Staff are friendly -- although they are rushed (considering that the restaurant is always crowded). Also, I have always encountered a moderate to long wait.
When dining in, I have not expected any problems. However, when dining out, the staff tends to miss items that are ordered. For example, on two occasions, I was only given one Amaebi -- when an order is supposed to come with two. Also, on more than two occasions, they did not include rice.
Sushi prices range from about $4 to $25. Entrées range from about $10 to $16. Certainly, the sushi prices are a bit inflated. But there seems to be demand...
People thought this was:
awesomest sushi I've had in SD. The service was prompt. The food came out fast. And, the food was delicious.
Came by on a saturday at 5:30 (the place opens at 5:00) and it was already packed! The hostess asked us if we had reservations, but we didn't. I'd glad she was able to make room for us but asked if we could finish in about an hour (wasn't a problem for us).
On my way out, I noticed that they owned Hane Sushi too which is a lot closer to us. I hope their quality is just as good as this place.
Just...... Just go.
People thought this was:
I really wanted to give this place a good review, but based on the experience I had, it can't be done. I went with my best friend and her husband a few days ago. It was my BFF's birthday and she really wanted sushi. I had asked around about sushi places and I have heard raving reviews about Ota since I moved here. I never got the chance to go until now.
We went for lunch and we were seated pretty quickly, as it was not very busy. My friend went to the restroom, while her husband parked the car. I was at the table and the waitress came to take my drink order. My friend returned in time to order her drink as well. We didn't get water or chopsticks, even after all of us were seated. We placed our order and anxiously awaited our food's arrival.
The waitress brought a tray with several things we had ordered and two green salads. The salad was really fresh and tasty. My rolls were good. I don't eat the fish and seafood, so I got a veggie roll and Inari. They were above average. My friends liked the roll with cilantro, spicy tuna and serrano peppers the best. They also ordered the sea urchin and were excited to try it. Unfortunately, when my friend tried it she said it was so horribly bad, she couldn't believe her husband ate it! She is Korean and grew up there, so her standards for sea urchin are high, but not unreasonable. We live by the ocean, so why was this urchin so rank? She said it tasted 3 days old. It was the day after Labor day, so maybe it wasn't fresh, in which case, you should just not offer it if it's not going to be good. She was horrified, eating ginger and drinking her tea to get rid of the rancid flavor in her mouth.
The waitress was MIA most of our meal. No water, no refills on tea and Sprite. My friend's husband never got a drink, his wife just gave him her water. We asked for more tea and more ginger, which took 10 minutes to get. Again, not busy. I don't think those waitresses had it together at all. Our bill was 90.00 and the experience was worth maybe 30.00. I am disappointed to write a less-than-positive review, but this is all derived from my personal experience. I may try it again, but I was sad that the reviews didn't live up to our expectations at all.
People thought this was:
I was originally drawn to Sushi Ota because of the hype, including its top food rating in the Zagat Survey for San Diego--a city which I love visiting. Unlike the pleasant surprise I received with also highly-rated Isabel's Cantina, I was disappointed by Sushi Ota.
The dishes that stood out were sweet shrimp served with deep-fried heads over a bowl of tangy orange-colored ponzu and the less-common sushi mantis shrimp--hybrid flavor of crab and shrimp. At that time, the presentation of the deep-fried heads seemed unique, but it seems to becoming more and more common nowadays (Sushi Sono's is better).
However, here comes the big issue I had with most of what I ate: the sushi tasted fresh, but somehow seemed rather flavorless.
While certainly reasonable in cost compared to similar places, I cannot say it is worth it if there is hardly any flavor in most of the sushi we ordered--at least a half-dozen different items. I have had sushi of higher and lower freshness, but never before with such a lack of flavor--either tasty or unpleasant.
Bottom line: I just do not understand the hype surrounding Sushi Ota :-\
I love to savor excellent sushi, and if need be, I will save my cravings (and money) to go out of my way to one of my two absolute favorites: Sushi Sono (Columbia, MD) and Sushi Yasuda (NYC).
People thought this was:
Good sushi and authentic Japanese food. I've been here twice and both times it's been okay--not great.
Reasons:
-parking sucks! there is a larger parking lot in the back though
-the 2nd (larger) room is ridiculously noisy--if you look at the wall decor it makes the acoustics terrible (it amplifies the noise). More suitable for a high school band rehearsal room
-everytime we get seated 10-15 minutes after our reservation time
-charge extra for edamame and their combinations could be better. I'd like to see a vegetarian sushi combo plate offered with miso soup and rice (if you don't eat meat you'll be paying big bucks to go here, ironic huh?)
would return because my boyfriend enjoys the food, but I would rather go somewhere else
Thank you to Steve M. for introduced this place. I don't think this place need another post, but oh well what the heck.
When I go to Ota, I mostly order sashimi and a few rolls. I haven't try anything else, cause every time I come here all I can think of it's how great their fishes are.
All the good phrases are already being used for this place. So no need to rewrite them. I think this is the best place for sushi's lovers in San Diego.
One of my customer recommended this one place in Downtown (not Nobu) that served sushi and also Kobe beef. Not sure if I'm going as far as $500 per person for a meal hhhhhmmmm
Simply put, the best uni that I've ever had. As a seasoned sushi eater from New York, I've had some incredible meals at some of the most prestigious restaurants. I've eaten at the following: Sugiyama, Nobu, Sushi of Gari, Kuruma Sushi, Blue Ribbon Sushi, Sushisay (now closed), Sushi Yasuda, Taka (now closed), Tsuki, Kanoyama, Mishima to name a few and Sushi Ota ranks in the top 4.
We arrived at Sushi Ota (photo included) after our driver from the hotel dropped me and my wife off. We started off with an order of King Crab California roll (photo included), a platter of chu-toro and a fresh order of Uni (photo included). The uni I believe is from the Santa Barbara or Catalina area (some of the best in America) and was super fresh. After polishing off the apps, I had the Chef's Special Sushi Deluxe platter (photo included) and my wife had the Chicken Teriyaki with vegetable fried rice. It was a huge portion ans every bit delicious. The chicken was not like the fast food craziness, it was so delicious that my wife nearly inhaled it!
Service wasn't anything bad or great, just regular. The restaurant is actually pretty austere and could easily be overlooked if you peeked into the window when they were closed. Finding it would be a tad difficult if someone didn't drive you there that already knew the area.
Overall I highly recommend this restaurant. Often mentioned as one of the top three sushi palaces in the U.S. (along with Sushi Yasuda in N.Y. and Makoto in D.C.).
A consistent provider of simple but fresh high end sashimi, particularly uni and toro. Price is reasonable, considering quality. Service is attentive, but can feel rushed during busy hours. Reservations highly recommended. Rolls were good, nothing outstanding. Daily specials can provide some nice surprises.
Hot menu items were ok. Udon not so good. Black Cod was great, but not a difficult dish to execute. Stick to the sashimi and sushi.
People thought this was:
The Sushi Episodes 9: Sashimi Boogaloo
This review is close to 3 years in the making since I've desperately wanted to try Sushi Ota since I first heard of it back in 2006. At long last, I finally got my wish a couple of weeks ago and, let me tell ya, this place is truly as great as they all say.
My wife is pregnant and not altogether fond of sushi anyhow so I was nervous bringing her here for lack of choice on her behalf. I needn't have worried! She ordered a beautiful chicken teriyaki dish which she found excellent.
As for me? Weeeeeellllll, if you've read my past Sushi Episodes, you know that my visits to Sushi bars are anything but pretty. It's more akin of Britney Spears at a Barber Shop, Winona Ryder on a Shopping Spree, or even Mickey Rourke at a dive bar. My eyes glaze over as I peruse the menu, sweat starts to form on my forehead as I place my order, and I basically go into orgasmic bliss as I take my first bite of sushi. Awwwwww yeeeeaahhhhhhhh.....
For this particular episode, actually, I decided to stick to rolls and sashimi. I ordered the Unagi (Eel) and Toro (Fatty Tuna Belly) Sashimi style. Both were succulent. I ordered the Soft Shell Crab Roll, always a favorite of mine. Lastly I ordered the Crunchy Salmon Roll which was on Special. The sashimi was succulent, more markedly fish butter than actual fish. The Crunchy Salmon Roll, large as it was for the $17, was absolutely amazing and I couldn't bear to leave a piece so I stuffed my face until I could stuff no more. The Soft Shell Crab was also beautiful but incidentally was probably the dish I liked "least" though that's really an inaccuracy since I devoured most of it as well. I washed it all down with a nice tall bottle of Kirin.
It was an epic sushi high if I say so myself. I definitely plan to come back to Sushi Ota next time I'm in the 858!
People thought this was:
Thank you Mr. Ota-San for preparing our meal last night, it was very delicious. It was very loud and I could not understand my friend when she said you were the owner.
Everyone was very friendly. Although very busy your employees made sure to come by several times and make sure we were taken care of. I could also tell you cared very much that people enjoy themselves in your establishment. And that you must really love what you do. I feel very honored to have had you prepare our meal. I will come back in the future =)
I have been going to Sushi Ota for over 15 years (oh I feel old) and it is still my favorite sushi spot in San Diego. Ota is almost always behind the sushi bar, which is a good sign. The specials are amazing and totally different from any sushi bar in town. I always start with the calamari salad and move onto the Toro and Maguro. From there, who knows. If I'm lucky and with the right people we get a special platter from Ota. I even like their seafood Dynamite (which usually is too mayonnaise for me at other places).
i apparently didn't review this place after eating here..
what i remember:
- heaven from the sea
- come early. it's small. fills up quickly.
- yum.
- decent service
definitely the best sushi in sd by far.
very pricey but well worth it.
Sweet mother of sushi! This is bar none the best sushi I've had in my life. Went there withtwo friends tonight and got the chefs choice. It just kept coming and coming. Absolutely fantastic. Toshi, our chef spoke very broken english, but his skill was such that communication was pleanty through his superb skill
At choosing, preparing, and serving amazing combinations.
As some have said before, reservations are a must. Other than that I just can't recommend the place enough.
Great sushi restaurant. The end.
Kirin beer is 1/2 off
Neighborhood: Pacific Beach
Happy Hour!
Neighborhood: Kearny Mesa
Neighborhood: Barrio Logan
Category: Caterers
Neighborhood: Clairemont
Category: Japanese
Neighborhood: Pacific Beach
Category: Sushi Bars
Neighborhood: La Jolla
Category: Sushi Bars
Neighborhood: Banker's Hill
Category: Sushi Bars
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