CinKuni

After a day at the San Diego Zoo our group of 6 adults and 2 teens we were looking for a place for dinner. We were able to get on the waitlist at CinKuni through Yelp and they had a table waiting for us when we arrived. The staff was very patient to explain what the heck Japanese/ Italian fusion looks like. We ordered a lot of different dishes ranging from ramen, pizza, sushi and bolognese. They had lots of vegetarian options for my dad, which we appreciated. The food was tasty. My daughter loved her tonkotsu ramen, the teriyaki chicken pizza was unusual, but it worked. This was a fun place to have some unique food. They have comedy nights, karaoke, story telling and other events throughout the week, so check it out.

I debated between 3 and 4 stars because I feel like overall, this place is a 3.5, but I rounded up. We came here for HH on a Wednesday and we were surprised to see that there was a dj up at the front of the restaurant which was cool. There was a man who came around and asked us if it was too loud, which was appreciated. What we got:- Dragon roll: one of the table's favorites- Spicy tuna poppers: we got 2 orders of this because we liked it a lot. It had a good kick to it! We mixed the spicy mayo type sauce with the eel sauce? and that was really good.- Panzerotti (spicy tuna): the general consensus was that this was a little too much dough and because it was fried and paired with the spicy mayo, it has that heavy feeling to it. I took the leftover home and paired it with the Thai chili sauce, which actually helped.- Teriyaki pizza: The pizza was good! The flavors worked well. Overall, a really solid pizza.- Ramen: I didn't try it, but my friends did and they were not a fan of the broth. I think they only took 4 bites and left it behind. Also, the AC was not working and it got really hot. I had a friend who went a few days later and said the same thing.

I've been wanting to try Cinkuni for a while now. Japanese/Italian fusion. You have my attention. Cinkuni is located in the space that was formerly occupied by Tiger Tiger. The format of the restaurant remains the same, but the decor is different. The art work is done by the same guy who painted Sushi Deli 3 (I believe).On to the food. We ordered 3 rolls. The Master Roshi, Sanji and the Pokemon. All the rolls were delicious. Perfect rice to fish ratio. They were fresh and the presentation was nice. We also ordered two pizzas. Their Margharita and Cheese pizzas. Pizza cooked in a wood fired pizza oven always tastes better. That slight char on the crust makes all the difference. My kids loved the pizzas. The Tonkotsu was another hit. The broth was so flavorful. The bowl was filled with plenty of ramen and chashu-porchetta pork. The grilled bokchoy really added a different flavor profile to the dish, nice touch! The fried calamari was a crowd pleaser. We had to order another one. The calamari was tender and the batter had a good crunch to it. The jalapeño Poppers are just delicious. They are exactly like the ones at Sushi Deli. The 5 spice wings are on point. On the other side of the spectrum, the Chicken Katsu plate was lacking. My son is a Chicken Katsu connoisseur and he thought the chicken was dry and overcooked. For $18, they only gave him two pieces and a small handful of fries.Unfortunately, service was Meh. We never received soy sauce or tiny plates. I don't know if it's me, but the servers seemed bored or not in the mood.Overall, my family really enjoyed eating at CinKuni. The food was great, minus the chicken katsu. The ambiance is nice and the menu had something for all of my picky kids.

Tried this place for the first time last night and it was really good! We got the Mediterranean tempura, paparadelle conking, and the Rachele pizza. All three dishes were soooo good. Loved the cream cheese stuffed in the squash blossom for the tempura. The miso in the pizza also made it taste super savory. I took one star away because initially we went there for sushi but apparently the chef called out that day so none of the sushi was available unfortunately. We would definately come back again though based on how good the Italian food was though.

The food here is delicious and unique! We also took a hand roll sushi class and it was an amazing deal and such a fun and delicious experience. Kuniko was a wonderful teacher and I'd highly recommend a class or just dining!

We passed by and saw that it was Italian and Japanese fusion and were intrigued.We had the margherita pizza, the pappardelle, and the ramen.The pizza had a nice soft crust and was solid.The pappardelle was good but the truffle cream sauce was a bit overpowering after a few bites. Still good though!The ramen was kind of odd. The broth was phenomenal but a few things inside it made it too much like the addition of the braised beef and the Italian sausage. The fusion there wasn't the best.Our waitress was quick and attentive.Parking kind of is hard so take into account 5-10 for that potentially as it's street parking.

Came for the Thursday special - $10 rolls, $6 hot sake, $8 sake bomb special at 6:15pm and there was plenty of seating. Love that they feature all local SD beer and cider. This is the place you come to when you can't decide what you want to eat. You won't be disappointed with all the options. One waitress working and once we got seated, we got water, and then that was about it for 10 minutes. Understandable since she was the only one there but it was one of those moments where they ignored everyone. Another waiter showed up and that helped get things going.Rolls were good, nothing super special about them but we will be back for them. Hopefully they'll have a few more servers during HH the next time.

I still really enjoy most of the food here, but I feel like the ambience leaves something to be desired. I made a reservation here for my family for my mom's birthday and they gave ZERO attention to her. I don't even expect a free dessert or anything. I do expect that staff read the reservation notes and when we arrive, ask whose birthday it is and tell them happy birthday. It was a nice meal nevertheless, but I wouldn't come here again for a special occasion with a bigger party.

This is the second time I've come here with friends and it's always been consistently good. It wasn't busy on a Saturday evening and we were seated right away. Service was quick and efficient. The gnocchi was cooked well and the sauce complimented the dish nicely. Ambiance of the restaurant is cool and there's enough seating for small or large parties. Parking is difficult in this area so it's best to come early!

Wow! Yes, you should dine here!We just moved in a block away & I suggested CinKuni (did some google map research before we moved in & it peaked my interest) to my sister for her birthday dinner.Each of our dishes were fantastic. My mom kept repeating "This is SO GOOD!" every time she took a bit of her fried rice paella. My sister kept telling us how much she enjoyed each part of her ramen.Max was an obviously experienced server with marvelous suggestions for us as first time guests.We got there early, around 5:15pm and were the only ones there for a bit, more tables filled up around 6pm. Perfect time for great happy hour drinks & food!There's plenty of indoor and outdoor seating, with attractive, comfortable decor. Love the mural!This will easily become our regular dinner spot! We spent our meal talking about the dishes we want to try next.