Sushi Ota

Sushi Ota's Omakase ($120 pre-tax) is San Diego's finest. Yes, sushi can be pricey, but believe me, this one earns every penny.When you get served a variety of sushi, sashimi, and nigiri, you usually drown them in soy sauce and fake wasabi because they're typically not that fresh. Despite their different appearances, they all end up tasting the same.Not in this case. Every single piece of seafood was an experience, with subtle flavors you could actually distinguish. The wasabi was freshly made, and you barely needed the soy sauce because you wanted to savor every delicate nuance.I've had my share of sushi places outside of Japan, and this omakase experience easily tops my list.The one thing it could improve on is the dessert. I had the black sesame ice cream, and it was, well, whelming (I know it's not a word, shush!).But I went to Sushi Ota for the sushi, and after experiencing the omakase, I can confidently say I'll be back for more. Next time, I might try the matcha ice cream, which my dining companion said was delicious.

First, I'd suggest coming early as I think it gets crowded easily. We arrived around 5-5:30, and the place was already pretty filled. Parking isn't the worst but also not plentiful. We ordered a combo and a couple of a la carte rolls, including my go-to spider roll. Everything was delicious, and the server was very polite and prompt. I'm not sure this place stood out for me, but I'd say it was good and met all my expectations for a solid sushi place.

This place has one of the worst customer services I've ever been to. We walk into the restaurant asking for 3 seats with a high chair, the receptionist (Rika) immediately said we don't have highchairs, with an pretentious undertone to her responses. She proceeded to ask if we have reservations, to which we replied "no", then she said that we have a spot for you but you only have one hour. WTF. It is as if her goal is to deter customers with children from dinning, then she has successfully done so. We just walk out. I usually don't write negative reviews on Yelp, but holysh*t this restaurant deserves one. Thanks Rika for your poor customer service. If there is an option to rate this place a "0 star", I would.

My husband and I recently celebrated our anniversary at Sushi Ota, and it was an unforgettable experience. We secured reservations for the opening time, and despite it being busy, the service was impeccable.We started with some nigiri, and the quality of the fish was the best we've ever had. The miso soup was delightful, and the seaweed salad was fresh and flavorful. To top it all off, we enjoyed Wagyu nigiri, which was an extraordinary end to our meal.It was a great night out, and we're already thinking of making this a yearly tradition. I had visited once before with my dad, so it was special to introduce my husband, who spent some time growing up in Japan with his military family, to such exquisite sushi.Highly recommend Sushi Ota for any special occasion or if you simply want to enjoy top-notch sushi in San Diego!

Wow! it's been 10 years since the last time we visited Sushi Ota. This hole-in-the-wall place is still excellent. We had a reservation for when they opened for dinner. Parking in the lot is narrow, so we parked our big rental minivan around the corner on the street. Service was attentive and friendly.We ordered udon soups ($8.50) for the kids which they devoured. Mushroom salad ($9) was really tasty. 2 pieces of amaebi (sweet shrimp, $26) was perfectly fresh and served with the heads still twitching. You've been warned! They'll deep fry them for you later. We got 5 pieces of salmon belly sashimi ($47.50). Pieces were generously sized and extremely fresh. We ordered two pieces of yellowtail belly nigiri ($9.50) and 5 pieces of regular salmon ($20). Fresh wasabi ($3.50) is a must! We also got a California roll with real snow crab ($15) and a Rainbow roll ($21). The Rainbow roll had some items you don't normally see, such as octopus. All wonderfully fresh and delicious.We finished the meal with Yuzu ice cream ($5). It was a small portion, seemed more like sorbet than ice cream, but was quite tasty. We loved it!

I've had Sushi Ota bookmarked for a while now because of the amazing reviews and let me just say it didn't disappoint. Now it's not the best sushi I've ever had but for San Diego and for the price point ($$$) it was worth it. The service was a solid 10/10, and the ambiance I'd probably give 8/10 but still a very nice space. Now onto the food, I highly recommend getting the Tokusen Nigiri plate. It comes with 9 pieces of nigiri and 4 tuna rolls (see pic below) and it's only $37! Also ordered uni nigiri & chicken karaage on the side with a nice bottle of sake. Total bill came out to $220 which isn't the worst. Would I go again? Absolutely!

I really enjoyed my birthday dinner here! It's also a great date night spot. You will need to make a reservation in order to get a table, because this place gets busy. If the parking in front is full, you can find an additional lot in the back. The restaurant is a cute hole in the wall with a modern vibe.Their sashimi cuts are some of the best I've had in San Diego. I highly recommend the 7 pieces nigiri combo because it's a really good deal. It comes with miso soup and we also substituted real snow crab into the california roll for +$5, which was delicious. My favorites were the eel, whitefish, and salmon. The octopus and shrimp were a bit chewy, but I didn't mind since it came with the whole combo.We also ordered salmon belly nigiri. When you order 2 pc nigiri, the pieces they give you are huge! It felt like I was eating 2 pieces of nigiri with 2 sashimi on the side. Although the specialty rolls were tasty, I think you'd be better off ordering more sashimi and nigiri here. I've had better and cheaper rolls elsewhere.We told our server it was my birthday and they were nice enough to bring out a small scoop of matcha ice cream on the house. Overall, I would come here again for a cute date night.

Good sushi but there's better spots out there. Fish is fresh but lacking in preparation like yuzu dressing or wasn't seared. Uni and blue fin nigiri was my favorite.

This is a small restaurant and you need to make reservations in advance.The service was very quick. The sushi was a good quality with good prices. I will be back for sure They do have a parking lot in front so it was easy to park

**Sushi Ota - A Disappointing Experience**I visited Sushi Ota, encouraged by its impressive 4.5-star rating, but unfortunately, I left underwhelmed. Given the high price point, I expected top-notch quality, but the fish didn't meet my expectations. Both the specialty and general rolls were poorly constructed and the presentation was sloppy.On the bright side, the miso soup and salad were quite tasty, and the service was kind and attentive. However, for anyone considering dining here, be prepared to spend over $200 for a sushi experience that, in my opinion, doesn't justify the cost. I wouldn't recommend it for those looking for high-quality sushi at this price point.