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Categories: Sushi Bars, Japanese [Edit]
Neighborhood: Lemon GroveMon-Sat. 11:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.
Mon-Sat. 5:00 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.
Sun. 11:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.
Sun. 5:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
The decor is like any traditional Japanese Sushi places. Dim, with minimal decorations. There is a sushi bar where the regulars orders in front of the sushi chef. The top is lined with hand written specials that the chef has for the day.
I heard Japanese from the chef as well as from the waitresses so another good sign of real Japanese food. The price is considered to be average.
I ordered the Jalapeno Hamachi Salad which came with fresh Hamachi that melts in your mouth. Generous slices that are not paper-thin -- I counted about 10 or so for my salad. The combination of the jalapenos, mayo + siracha hot sauce with iceberg lettuce was not a real winner. The jalapenos and the mayo + siracha hot sauce did not complement the dish at all. The salad was already flavored with a standard light miso/ soy sauce which was already very flavorful -- don't want to take away from the taste of the Hamachi itself. Considering the price, I was expecting a better "bed of greens" instead of cheap iceberg lettuce, but I guess Japanese restaurants love to use iceberg lettuce for some reason. I can vouch that the Hamachi (baby yellowtail) was very fresh tho.
I also ordered the chicken terriyaki bento box which came with chicken terriyaki, steamed rice, small salad, miso soup and 6 pieces of mixed tempura. Amazing for the lunch special price-- only $6.95. The steamed rice was soft and fluffy, and the chicken was very tender and flavorful. Sad that the salad in the bento box is actually very similar to my Hamachi Salad minus the Hamachi of course. The mixed tempura was fresh, delicious and battered perfectly. Sweet potato happened to be my favorite. There were about 6 piece of tempura which consisted of : shrimp, broccoli, carrot, zucchini, onion and sweet potato. Crispy and stayed crispy during the meal. Although this is a fried dish, I did not feel that is was overly oily. The tempura dipping sauce could be in a bigger bowl because I find it hard to dip the large vegetables in such a small bowl.
Waitress were very attentive and accommodating to our requests. Will come back for their rolls and sashimi next time.
BEWARE -- They charge $1.00 for green tea per person.
Dragon roll = DROOLING JENN
The staff is SUPER friendly and the fish is fresh. The miso soup had a very nice consistency. Not too thick, not too watery - with just the right amount of seaweed and tofu. The teriyaki chicken was so tender - it was almost like it melted in your mouth. The teriyaki sauce wasn't overly sweet or thick - so it was nice. The dragon roll made me drool. Literally!! It's a BIG roll basically melts in your mouth! A little too much rice for my fancy - but a very nice balance of flavors! Then there was the jalapeno himachi salad. For $10.95, I could have done without it,
Overall. I'll be back - but I was VERY intrigued by the restaurant next door - Bull Weevils (or something like that.) It's home of the 1/2lb steer burger...... maybe I'll go there tomorrow!
No fancy review today. I think I put myself overboard with the red velvet cupcake I just shoved down my throat. No, it wasn't from Sushi-Time.....but I thought I'd give some explanation for my bland review. ha ha. Food Coma. ZZzzzZZzZZZZZZZzzzzzz
I have been going to Sushi time for 4 years now and it has always been good. They have friendly/knowledgable staff and quality sushi. They have some of the freshest cuts of nigiri that you will find. Not many places have fresh albacore nigiri, but Sushi Time does. They also have many speciality rolls to choose from.
Highly recommended!
I took the bf here for his bday a couple of months back. It was a fairly decent size restaurant with minimal lighting. There were candles at each table which I found took up much more space than we had for our food. We went on a Friday night and it seemed to be quite empty with a few couples eating here and there and a handful of people eating at the bar. Behind the bar, there are signs of all the different rolls they have and their prices. They also hand you a menu too =] The waitres we had were very inexperienced because she had to ask another waitress about our order. It wasn't a big deal though.
I'm not quite sure what we ordered...but it was a bento box which came with a salad, miso soup, veggie tempura, rice, chicken teriyaki... and I'm not sure what else. We also ordered a pizza roll and philly roll. Those three orders were enough for us to share and to put us in a food coma. The bento portions were very large and very fresh as well as the rolls. Total? About $35.
Would come back again if in the neighborhood.
I've been here two times now and both times I have had great service and top quality sushi and rolls.
The staff is friendly and attentive and they get the order right.
Try the "Don't try this roll, roll" is is yummy.
I just wishes they had karaoke on the weekends. That would be awesome.
The food is good, fresh and pretty cheap. The service is good and the employees are very, very friendly.
I'd give the place 4 and a half stars because of the price but can't get past the roaches I've seen in the restaurant. Didn't know they liked sushi too. My rule is if I don't have roaches in my kitchen, you shouldn't have them in yours if you want me to eat there regularly. Sorry...
Pretty freakin good sushi. I will say since the last time I ate here,(over a year ago) it looks as if they got their sh*t together. Glad I gave them another shot. I was horrified when they asked "How was dinner?" and my mom replied "very good, a lot better than last time." Thanks mom!
The food came out all at once, not a roll here, and a roll there (for two rolls). We ordered 4 rolls, and two Unagi. My mom's pretty anal on her unagi...and she was diggin it. Yummy and filling. The staff has always been nice, they have a ton of different rolls. Make sure you look up from your sushi menu and look above the sushi bar. They have rolls named after the people that work there (I'm assuming, but you know what they say about people who assume.) Good prices, not cheap but not too expensive. Oh and their green tea ice cream, don't freak when it looks like Sao Pao ball...it's delish!!! All in all, I'll be going again, especially since it's 5 min from my pad. Get your sushi on, at Sushi Time!
Sushi Time Anyone?! I've passed by this place a lot of times before finally getting a chance to try it out. Came here with my cousins and mom, and we ordered up some sushi, it's pretty good I must say. My cousins are regulars, and the service was good.
I would like to say this is a little best kept secret but obviously it is no secret if I am posting about it. I stumbled upon Sushi Time on recommendation from a friend. On the outside, it is in some seedy strip mall and the location on the outside is so uneventful I wouldn't have considered stopping in there at all.
If there is one thing about Sushi Time I dislike it's their decor and ambiance. Their deco and location hurt them which is sad cause if this joint was in North Park or Hillcrest it'd be bumpin'. I am usually a stickler for this kind of thing but there are times where I just want some good sushi and no matter how weak the decor is, I keep coming back here cause well, it's good sushi. Their roll menu is huge and the service has always been pleasant and consistent on the times we have gone. Their nigiri is well served, they don't skimp out on their cuts of fish (see my photos). A lot of people would say that this place is on the pricier side in comparison to other places. Truth is, it can be. I mean, why pay $5 for nigiri when you can get it for less elsewhere. The difference herein is that $2 nigiri tastes like $2 nigiri. I would rather drop the extra Washingtons on a better cut of fish, I dunno about you. If I want cheap, nasty tasting sushi I just get it from the grocery store.
Sometimes you just want to go out for a good meal, no over the top presentations, no having to wait for a table, no attitude. Sushi Time has always been one of those places for us. We go, we get seated, we eat. It isn't about the dining experience, it's more for a good, quiet meal.
I haven't really tried any of their "regular" menu items and don't really care to. The sushi is where it's at and well, why mess up a good thing. I like this place a lot and the food has always been consistent unlike other joints I used to frequent who were good and went downhill the minute they got really popular.
I will take my hidden, seedy strip mall sushi joint any day.
Sushi Time hired a lady I've dubbed the "Sushi Nazi". I don't know if it was all her doing, but the staff got a clue and the service has improved. Food seems to taste better when I don't want to stab my server with a chopstick...
I've been eating at Sushi Time since it opened, which was right when I moved to the Rolando area.… Read more »
came here over the weekend with my sis. the service was very quick (although the restaurant was empty), but i was not impressed by the sushi. it was decent, but the rolls weren't rolled very tightly and i've definitely had better, especially for the price. i had my staple, a tuna roll, and we also ordered a california roll and the snow crab roll, which were decent.
This was excellent sushi compounded by amazing, friendly, funny, service. The owner is hysterical, making jokes and is genuinely pleasant. The portions are HUGE - I ordered the 7 pc tuna sashimi and it must have been 1 lb of fish! Delicious! The avocado salad is to die for! If you like avocados, you will ascend quickly to heaven whilst eating this. It was not crowded at all on a Friday night, but yet there were still people there, which is a good sign. I think it's because the location is tucked away inside a strip mall, but that's cool cuz you tell me where you can find an amazing, reasonably priced sushi place on a weekend night that doesn't have an hour wait!!!!
I still love sushi time and do think it is the best sushi around, but the prices have gotten pretty pricey lately :(
I LOVE Sushi Time.
The staff is VERY nice and very helpful.
The prices are totally doable and the…
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Oh, sushi time! This was the first place I ever had tried Japanese food so it holds a special place in my heart because of it.
The outside of this place looks a bit questionable, but oh it's worth it.
I was taken here on an anniversary dinner. Inexpensive, but the ambiance and food was nice. The entire situation was pretty strange considering all of the Japanese culture and ways of eating it were brand new to me, so I probably made a fool of myself as my boyfriend attempted to make light of it.
The miso soup is fantastic here. No lie.
So is the tempura anything :)
The waitresses are always polite and are fairly quick in getting your order together for you, but may scowl at you for asking for a fork. Other first-timers beware.
A good thing about sushi time is they do take outs. Side of rice, miso soup, and some tempura shrimp merits a great dinner-date-in.
My mouth is watering already....
Growing up in Japan, I've always been weary about trying new sushi places in fear of disappointment. I walked into Sushi Time, craving sushi and not wanting to drive too far from my house.
From my first visit I fell in love with it. Great cuts of fish and friendly service. I have recommended this place to everyone of my friends and it has become their go-to sushi destination.
Slimy edamame w/ a fishy flavor.
Veggie garnishes had brown, slimy bits.
Miso soup tasted like chlorinated pool water.
Fishy-tasting fish. Metallic-tasting fish.
Pale, limp fish lacking that nice, firm meatiness good sashimi has
Heavy, wet-greasy tempura.
Tempura oil carried other flavors and seemed as if it hadn't been freshened in a while.
Flat soda.
Sloppy presentation.
Prices and service unremarkable.
Terrible decor.
One of America's ugliest strip malls.
Not one Asian customer in the place.
Well, I guess the secret is out. This is our neighborhood go-to spot to celebrate that occasional spontaneous event: when we find ourselves not having to feed kids as they have all headed out the door with their pals for the evening or an overnight. We jump in the car, head a few blocks "down the hill" to our sushi place for great rolls and bento. Our area is NOT a dining destination, but it must be turning into one because our last kid-free night found us WAITING for a table (albeit, maybe 4 minutes).
Other reviewers pretty much nail it. And we knew we hit the sweet spot when we realized one weeknight we were the only non-asians in the place and recognized a large table of our neighbors nearby.
Here's a few tidbits: I swear the menu expands every few months; I know the roll selection does by the handwritten menu items posted above the sushi bar -- rolls concocted by creative patrons. Servings are enormous and I have to tell you, there are some pretty serious sushi & sashimi eaters that come here -- I mean I can't believe what some of these diners put away! Also, the beer and saki list gets longer, too. Nothing like a hot saki on a cold rainy night... a little miso soup, one of the warm rolls... hmmmm wonder when the next sleepover is.
Ambience is sort of Vegas-y... but the staff is friendly and attentive when it's not TOO busy. Just know your here for the food -- any time!
Sushi Time has the best saba I've ever tasted! The rest of the sushi pretty good. Sometimes they put too much of that red mayo on top of the Pizza Roll, but I just scrape it off.
They are pretty decent. They are probably one of the best in east county.
Rarely does Yelp, which I lovingly refer to as "my peeps", let me down. I gotta say though, Sushi Time was a huge disappointment. Quite simply, the location and interior are depressing, the prices border on ridiculous for what you get, and nearly everything I ordered was somewhere between ok and disgusting. Maybe I hit it on a bad night or something but I doubt I'll go back to find out. The only saving grace was the service which was top notch.
Sorry folks, Sushi Time just didn't do it for me.
Exxxxxcellent food/sushi, great service! The place is always empty, but i guess they get a lot of take out. LOVE THIS PLACE!
If there was ever a true hole in the wall sushi place that I would suggest to anyone without hesitation it would be Sushi Time. First time I went there I was amazed at the size of the sushi bar and also at the size of the sushi menu. I will say that I will suggest Sushi Time primarily for the sushi and the sashimi. Though their hot food is pretty good, the chicken katsu curry portions still left me wanting. It is some of the best, I've yet to try every roll (even though some of them make me wonder ) any place that makes a great rainbow is one to go to.
Shout-outs to Dan, Joe, and last but not least Alain.
Great Place to go either with a date or a group of friends.
Prices are reasonable and the food is outstanding, and its right around the corner from my house!
If I was writing this review 6 months ago, it'd be 5 stars. This used to be one of the best sushi places in all of SD county. It's now one of the worst. I used to be a regular there, but hadn't been there in a few months. I was there last week and the sushi was shockingly bad. Nearly all of the fish served was chewy (tako/octopus should be chewy, tuna, halibut and yellowtail should NOT); it was tough and almost difficult to eat. The rice was bad, too, picking it up was enough to cause it to fall apart.
This is one sushi place I will NEVER return to.
The staff was super super nice and always ready, even though there was only two of them. The prices are somewhat up there like 3 to 4 dollars more than what I am used to paying, but I think well worth it. We ordered the San Diego Roll, the Pizza Roll, the Ultimate Roll, the Eel Avocado Roll, the Sushi Time Special Roll, and the Fried Gyoza.
Now the San Diego Roll is good, but compared to Sushi Deli's it came up lacking. The Pizza Roll was amazing, but slathered in Dynamite Sauce (sweet mayo and something else) I could only eat 2. The Ultimate Roll is good, but not really ultimate, I thought it was oversold. The Eel Avocado could easily be the replacement for California Rolls as a Side Standard, cause we all know unagi is much better than imitation crab. The Sushi Time Special Roll was amazing-lating, the four of us had to order it again separately as to-gos. Just writing about it, forget it, I'm going to go there right now for lunch.
I am in shock. Never in a million years would I have thought the best, yes I said "best" sushi and sashimi in San Diego would be found in Lemon Grove....of ALL places. You might wonder why. Well, I grew up in Spring Valley, close to Lemon Grove, a little city within the suburbs of La Mesa. The Asian population here is close to....oh...about 1%. Whenever we need to grub on some good Chinese or Japanese or Korean food we gotta head over to Clairemont, or worse yet, LA. Yes we're that dedicated to eating some good food. BUT THEN. Today, my mom said she just HAD to take me to a sushi restaurant that was not only good, but close to our house. I was skeptical. So very skeptical. But we went. And I saw the place, and it was in a dark empty corner behind a CVS pharmacy. But then I tasted the food. And I was blown away.
Very, very fresh sashimi. Melt in your mouth selection of maguro (tuna), hamachi (yellowtail), and ama-ebi (sweet shrimp). So, so good. How they get this kind of fresh fish in Lemon Grove, away from the ocean and water of San Diego, tucked away in the inlands of SD, is beyond me. We ordered grilled/fried items on the menu that the Japanese typically eat with beer ("robata-yaki" items) like fried oyster and squid, grilled chicken (yakitori), and a seafood dynamite (fish and crab baked with mayo in a sinfully but so delicious dish). I have to say, the best seafood dynamite I have yet eaten is still Sushi Ota's. But the fried squid here (ika-geso) is absolutely great. Ama-ebi is sweet raw shrimp sashimi. And they serve it up with the shrimp heads, which they fry up and set on the side. The seafood miso nabe is a hot pot of miso soup with loads of fresh fish (salmon and yellowtail) and udon and napa cabbage. So good and I wish a place up in the Bay Area would make something like this good because it'd be a great thing to have on a cold night.
Honestly, San Diego is not known for having fantastic out of this world cant-get-anywhere-else kind of food. I know. I grew up here. Now I live in the Bay, close to SF where there are all sorts of culinary delights. I think my tastes have gone up a few notches, and esp since I live in San Mateo where there are 5 different sushi bars on any given block, I have a pretty trained tongue when it comes to Japanese food, esp sashimi. And this place really really rivals places I've been to even in the Bay. Good places like Yoshi's, Sushi Sam's, Sakae, and those dumb trendy places like Blowfish who call themselves sushi bars (gag). This place could give them a run for their money.
Ignore the cliche name. Look beyond the exterior. Inside, you will find a hidden gem of a restaurant that is clean, friendly, and the variety is honestly terrific. This place also has great great service to boot. After a few times they will remember your names. My brother lives down the street from Sushi Time and comes here at least three times a week for their lunchtime bento specials.
Yes Ota does have good sushi, but for those of you who dont live close to Ota's and are more in the East County....come and try Sushi Time...you'll be pleasantly surprised. It's one of those places that whenever I visit SD I'll be sure to come...and whenever friends are in SD I will recommend to them.
Ok so I am not a sushi guy the girlfriend drags me here so I guess I'll try it. The price was a bit high but the service was great and the food even better. Pizza rolls were really good. I will go again!
Fantastic spot! I work next door to this place and tried it with caution, and was pleasantly surprised. Rio is the man! I just had lunch there today and had to jump on here to spread the word. Very friendly and extremely authentic. Great job!
I have been going to Sushi Time since it opened.... I love sushi and it is right by my house.... What better than that.... There California Rolls are to die for... There Sashimi is da bomb and there Teriyaki Dinner Plates are the best. The service is absolutely wonderful. It is never crowded even on a Friday night which is just so wonderful. I love that you can call in your order and they have it ready when you arrive and no wait time.
VERY good sushi (we only eat sushi and sashimi, no rolls or main dishes). The portions of fish we received were the biggest we ever had. Fresh and delicious. We sat at the sushi bar, so didn't deal with the waitresses too much although when we did they very nice and helpful.
have been going here for a LONG time, and the only complaint that i have is it's inconsistent. i went once last year, and what i hope was a new sushi chef, gave me a cut of toro SO big that i had to send it back to be recut! like .5" thick, solid 2" x 3"! a deal for sure, but not quite edible. same with the wait staff, ranging from over-attentive and kinda needy, to straight out abandonment. but on average, this is one of my favorites. EXCELLENT hot dishes.
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