The Yasai By Rakiraki

Amazing ramen! I got the miso broth with chicken (pictured), which was outstanding. My Asian friend, who claims to be a "noodle expert" and I have reason to doubt her, said the spicy miso with pork was delicious. I was sweating from one spoonful of the spicy, but I'm definitely not an expert.They're located at the far end of India St, way past the popular Little Italy section, which I actually prefer. There was no wait to get in, the service was great, and the food was served quickly. Oh, and they have a VEGAN MENU!!I'll be back to this gem very soon!

We found this Japanese vegan cuisine restaurant in San Diego & fell in love! The inside decor was very modern & well-thought out, & the staff was beyond welcoming & attentive. We almost ordered the entire menu because everything sounded so good, but finally narrowed it down to a few things. We ordered:Misoshiru: essentially miso soup -- very yummy! Stuffed Jalapeño Tempura: farm fresh jalapeño stuffed with Tofutti vegan cream cheese, scasoned impossible meat, topped with spicy Japanese mayo, custom eel sauce, diced green onionNeon Gravestones:Inside - spicy tuna, panko shrimp, & cucumbersTop - an assortment of fermented bell peppers, fermented jalapeños, eggplant, avocado, finished with a spicy ponzu & green onions Stressed Out: Inside - smoked tofu, cream cheese, avocado Top - drizzled in a sweet shoyu & spicy aioli, & pickled, & smoked jalapeños Vegan Bao Buns: miso shiitake mushrooms, sun dried tomatoes, chimichurri mayo, eel sauce, pickled red onions, & cilantro SO DANG GOOD!

If you were looking for a proper vegan sushi restaurant, this is the place to visit. Located in Little Italy is The Yasai Vegan Izakaya and it was worth every dollar. It was between Amakari roll and Stressed Out roll. I ordered the stressed out roll not because I was feeling any particular kind of way. The waiter highly suggested the roll and it sounded delicious. It was nice, no actually, it was lovely. It was warm and wickedly delightful. There was avocado, no-cream cheese, and smoked tofu in the inside. On top was a spicy aioli pickled smoked jalapeño and sweet shoyu drizzled. Sushi is great on any day ending in "Y"! I would absolutely order that again! I also have my eyes on the Amakari roll next time and to try one of their signature ramen dishes. The feel of the place was nice overall. Tip:Street parking

I stumbled upon Yasai late at night for some sushi. However, when I heard that most of the selection were vegan, I was a little skeptical. It ended up being an amazing experience where the service was great and the food is even better. The caterpillar roll looked like the dragon roll and I thoroughly enjoyed it. They also partner with RakiRaki for ramen or some amazing chicken karage.

My only complaint is that I've lived in San Diego my whole life and just barely checked this spot out. It's perfect whether you are vegan or not. I personally am not but I enjoyed the Believer roll and the Vegan Bao Buns so much! I'd come back again and again just to order those two menu items again.

SO GOOD.During my research for San Diego, I saw that they do sushi really well. GF loves sushi so I asked her to pick a place out. I'm vegetarian so I am limited to the sweet potato, cucumber, avocado, etc bullshit rolls but I knew she would find something she could enjoy.Much to my surprise, she picked out a VEGAN place! I couldn't believe that this existed. For my seafood eating friends, it is my understanding that they also have a regular menu so everyone can get something they like.We were seated immediately without a reservation. I did have a reservation at another location with a similar name. I don't know if they are owned by the same people but it is very confusing. The other place is much further away from downtown SD and that was not going to work. They have all of your japanese favorites in vegan form: gyoza, tempura, bao buns, karaage. We ordered the gyoza which were HUGE and absolutely piping hot. We had to wait a good 5 minutes minimum to even be able to eat this without burning the shit out of our mouths. The wrapping was incredible and the filling was even better. It was a great start to the meal.We shared two rolls. I can't say with completely certainty what we ordered but upon review of their menu, I believe that it was the lucky jade (avocado, vegan cream cheese, asparagus, cucumber) and queen dragon rolls (no shrimp tempura, avocado, no crab, cucumber). Besides the fact that they were absolute works of art, they tasted amazing. The texture was next level. Everything about the meal was fantastic. I love that they have soju as well.

If your taste is for a Japanese Restaurant with a California accent, this is the spot. Every dish we ordered was well presented and favor was very good. Proportions were good as well. Service was good considering how busy the restaurant was. The two hostesses were amazing sweet and worked very hard. Both young ladies had to greet, seat, take orders, and process the bills. I give them high praise for working so hard and keeping such a pleasant demeanor. Time from ordering was fair with the sushi taking a bit longer than usual from other Japanese restaurants I've visited. Prices are fair but maybe a bit on the higher side. Ambiance is where the 4 star rating comes from. We were sat at a big table which would accommodate a party of 10. But even though we had reservations, we were sat at this table to share with another party of 4. Space / Exiting on one side of the table is limited due to walls so when the other party needed to leave, one must stop eating to either scoot up or stand up for them to leave. Lastly, being in the flight path of SD Airport where planes are only maybe 100 feet above you is a bit unnerving. Lastly, would I go there again !? Honestly, yes I definitely would but insist on another table unless I had a party of 10 !

Little Italy doesn't have to just be Italian food. In fact it doesn't even have to just be about the meats! This vegan restaurant has some unbelievable flavors and textures. I can tell you as someone who is not a vegan, I thoroughly enjoyed their food. They have some sushi rolls that could totally fool you, as well as some delicious ramen that will knock your socks off! And believe it or not, they also serve food that is not vegan at that location as well. With a cool chic interior, this trendy eats is the place to be. There's plenty of room for seating for at least a dozen people so don't be shy to bring some friends. The service is very prompt. Parking can be a little difficult due to the location, so you may need to make a few laps around the neighborhood to find a good spot. Or you can cough up some money and hit a local pay for parking lot.

Solid vegan food option in SD. We had reservations which is highly recommended. The place is cute- trendy but not super fancy. We were seated right away after arriving on time. Our service was lacking. A few things never came out and we got tired of having to flag down our server to make a request. Our server seemed unhappy at any simple request and rarely checked on us. Food was good. A few things like the mushroom bao buns stole the show. Vegetable gyoza were good but too oily. Edamame was enjoyed by all. Stressed out roll was yummy. Little Italy was ok. The eye of the veggie was not very good, I think the radish was overpowering the other flavors. Everyone seemed to like their ramen. I tried the tomato and it was good but nothing amazing. I enjoyed the pumpkin slices and other veggies but felt the broth needed a flavor punch?

Awesome vegan vegetarian Japanese restaurant.We loved the bao buns, so delicious.Also loved the smoked jalapeño flavors of the Stressed Out roll, was a hit on our table. The vegetables & tempura in the caterpillar roll's with spicy & sweet aioli was good too.