EE NAMI Tonkatsu Izakaya

EE NAMI came highly recommended by a good friend...turns out my friend has excellent taste buds! Truly delicious tonkatsu!We ordered most of their tonkatsu items:-loin katsu $24-fillet katsu $26-deluxe katsu $28Definitely felt that loin was better than filet. Loin is fatter so you can get extra flavor for sure. Highly recommend that you eat quickly! Tonkatsu can get a bit soggy if you let it wait for too long.Surprisingly, from the deluxe katsu, the scallops were quite good!There is seating inside and outside, and staff is friendly. Parking in the plaza.I'll be back ASAP!

Love the service here. Once our waiter got us seated, he made sure we ALWAYS had everything we needed. The restaurant itself has an indoor and outdoor seating area as well as bar seating, but I would say my service was definitely better when I sat inside compared to when I sat outside the last time I came here. It's a pretty chill place, not too loud, but not dead silent either!In terms of food:Sashimi: 9/10 - wasabi was smooth and didn't feel store bought- fish was fresh Smoked quail eggs: 6.5/10- wasn't great, but wasn't bad either - some of the eggs were over smoked and were too hard, others had too much Smokey flavor compared to the othersBeef tongue: 10/10 Would come here again JUST for this. GET IT. You won't regret.- tongue is tender with a flavorful sauce - onions on top help bring freshness to the dishWhole fried garlic: 8/10- I mean, it's just whole fried garlic lol.- if you like garlic, get this and eat it with everything- just wish it was a little less fried.

A solid Tonkatsu place in San Diego with limited indoor seating and classic Tonkatsu sets. We ordered the Filet Tonkatsu sets and made it a combo with rice + miso soup and then added a side of curry sauce. We felt the price was a bit pricey at $23 for the Tonkatsu + 3.5 for rice and miso soup. The Tonkatsu itself was very average - not as juicy as others we've had in Hawaii or Japan. The cabbage dressing was very okay, but it's hard to compare to the bottomless cabbage with creamy dressing that we've come to expect. Overall we felt the food was 3/5 but the service made it a 4/5. Service was great and our server came by frequently to check on us. The ambiance was quiet yet still lively with folks toasting sake in the background - which added a lot of energy to our dinner :)

Found this place on yelp when we were in the area and wanted to dinner before heading back to the OC. Very small restaurant, glad they had outdoor seatings. They had consistency of people waiting outside. Both hubby and I got the original tonkatsu combo. I had to get the combo for some rice otherwise it's just the tonkatsu and cabbage. We also got the chicken Karagge which was juicy, flavor was good and batter was light.As for the tonkatsu, we've had better; it lacked flavor but the breading was perfect.Service here is great! Every staff checked up on us every few minutes. This place is 3.5 stars and we would consider coming here if we were in the area and want tonkatsu

To start, the interior makes you feel like you stepped into japan. Super friendly staff and everyone greets you with a smile and kindness. We came at a bit of an off time and was able to get seated after waiting about 10-15 minutes for a table for 2. This place does get popular and it seems the wait is much longer during the busy times. We sat at the bar and ordered the beef tongue (well done - pregnant wife) and the deluxe katsu. Beef tongue was marinated perfect with the chopped onions. Deluxe katsu came with the shrimp, pork, scallops = perfectly breaded and the crunch was great. this also comes with miso and rice. although a bit pricy but it is where you would find a delicious katsu meal. highly recommend.

Came here during lunch on a workday at around 11:45AM with some co-workers. It was not packed, so definitely recommend coming around this time, as it filled up pretty quickly at around 12:20PM. Service is absolutely spectacular, super quick and needs were met at all times. The first thing I noticed when stepping into the restaurant was how homely and cozy the feel is. I immediately felt like I was at home, and I was so comfortable just grabbing a seat and ordering. This place is definitely for the locals, people were saying hi to each other even if they were from different parties, and there lots of work groups, friend hangouts, and even solo goers. This place is definitely an all-rounder for people. I got the katsu curry. I thought it was super good, the katsu was delicious, and the breading was done just right -- wasn't too overwhelming. The curry was super yummy and filling, and the rice was perfect. I didn't get to try the tonkotsu sauce, but I definitely will my second time around. The portion sizes are perfect, and I definitely recommend this place for a chill, no-pressure experience.

Came here for lunch time so the menu was very limited. Everything i had was amazing especially for the price i paid. Service was fast and straightforward and food came out pretty quick. This place does fill up so do expect a wait, other than that i hope i can return soon!

They have the best Katzu here. We always get their katzu curry and loin katzu. The pork is super tender and juicy. The inside is super clean and aesthetic and the service is always great. They also have really great appetizer and sake. Highly recommend this place.

We had been to EE Nami in the past but visited for the sake tasting and had an incredible experience. The staff was attentive, the sake selection was great and the food was delicious! We started with the takowasa, sashimi, gyu nigiri and pork belly. All were great but my favorites were the gyu nigiri and the sashimi. The tonkatsu was crunchy, moist and light. No one else makes tonkatsu this good in San Diego. Lastly, they have the best cabbage salad. Highly recommend this spot!

Full disclosure, I still haven't dined in at EE Nami Tonkatsu Izakaya but since COVID, we've ordered Door dash from here whenever we are craving katsus and for the first time, I physically went to order takeout in the last visit.The place is quaint, with a few tables inside. Right around opening at 5:30pm, it was already about 2/3 full. I was able to place a to go order with the wait staff and was quoted about 15-20 minutes for the food to be ready. Of course, being an eager beaver I returned just shy of 15 minutes and my order was all set. My favorite is just the original pork loin katsu, I like getting the combo set to get rice and miso soup as well. The katsu is super juicy and the breading not overdone or too thick. Try their shrimp one as well, that one is pretty good and you probably need at least 3 instead of 2 shrimp.