Kotori Japanese Food Calexico — Restaurant in Calexico

Sincerely, it was bad. And this coming from a long time fan of the restaurant. I used to go to the one in El Centro several years back. I liked it so much that I would program my lunch time just right so I could enjoy some teriyaki heaven. Then all the restaurants in El Centro closed. I went to the one in Imperial, the service was bad and the food, well, it wasn't the same. I stopped going for some time until today that I gave myself the treat of going to the restaurant in Calexico. I used to pay a bit less than 10 dollars for the regular sized bowl. Now, I paid almost 10 dollars for the smallest thing and that wasn't even what I had asked for. They took about 20 minutes to have my food ready, the restaurant looked clean but a bit cramped. The chairs and the table looked as if they were going to fall apart, they were not sturdy. The bathroom was ok and clean. The cashier looked as if he wished he was somewhere else. I worked in customer service for almost 15 years, I know it gets annoying and very trying but we have to realize it's not the customer's fault that you're not having a good day and it's because of the customer that you have a job to begin with. Anyway, when they gave me my food. The container was too small and the flavor was simply not there. Not even the jalapenos had any bite to it. I couldn't even taste the teriyaki sauce. The chicken was well cooked and the rice was OK but then again, no flavor. And if I asked for a chipotle sauce it would be 50 cents at least extra. Needless to say, I will not go back there. I am sorely disappointed that they decreased so much in food quality and service, they still provide less than stellar customer service and hiked their prices as if it was going out of style. I no longer recommend this restaurant. Try something else. Good thing there are now plenty of choices in the...

Had a really bad experience with kotori in calexico. For once i have called numerous times to order ahead but no one picks up the phone. I walked in and ordered a simple calexico roll to go, this was at 12:30 with 52 seconds. I sat down and waited. Minutes pass and I see people who got there after me getting their food. At 12:54 I ask them if my roll is ready. The waitress gets my receipt and goes and asks the cooks about my roll. From what I was able to grasp, they had not given him my order at all. I told her if I can just get my money back and she said she doesn’t have change and that the manager had gone to get change so either way I had to wait. While still waiting I saw the manager walk in with the money bag. I went to him, showed him my receipt and asked for my money back. He went and asked the cook and came back to me and said it’s almost done. I said no thanks I just want my money back. He whispered under his breath, “puta madre”. At that moment the girl came up with my roll to which I told her no I’m just gonna get my money back. I got my money and left. I waited 30 MINUTES for a simple calexico roll to go. Very very bad service! Never going...

I decided to visit this location after craving sushi, I hadn’t been here in a couple of years and wasn’t sure if ownership had changed. Upon entering, I immediately noticed a strong sewage-like odor, which was unfortunately off-putting and made me a bit nauseous at first. While you do get somewhat used to it after sitting for a while, it definitely affected the overall dining experience and would likely keep me from returning unless it’s addressed.

Service-wise, we stood for a bit before realizing dine-in guests are seated and do not order at the register, but once we were settled, our food arrived within about 30 minutes, which was nice. There were only a few other tables and a couple of takeout orders at the time.

The food itself was good! My partner had a teriyaki bowl that came with soup and four pieces of sushi, and I ordered a breaded roll. The portions were generous and well-priced for what we got.

Overall, the food and service were solid, but the odor and overall ambiance took away from the experience. If those issues were improved, this location could definitely have much...