Izakaya Jin — Restaurant in Port Hueneme

Fantastic and intimate setting for authentic Japanese tapas, mains, and sushi. We visited while staying in Ventura due to a wildfire evacuation and were craving some Japanese food, only to be disappointed by most offerings in the area. But as soon as we saw the menu and the 'now hiring' sign posted in both Englishh and Japanese, we knew we were in for a treat.

This restaunt is an Izakaya, a type of restaurant often found in Japan where plates and mains are served in a comfortable bar like restraunt, perfect for a drink and bento box at the bar, or a family night out where dishes are shared around the table. Keep in mind that this is a Japanese restaurant opposed to a standalone sushi bar, and the wide range of offerings, many of which are hard or impossible to find in the area, make this a very unique and compelling addition for anyone who likes great Japanese food.

They have a happy hour from 5:00 - 6:30 every night featuring some afforable plates, and the edamame and fried pork gyoza hit the spot, well cooked and generous portions for the price. But the real star of the night for us was the sushi. We were impressed by the attention to detail and quality of ingredients, such as how the red dragon roll was topped with bluefin tuna instead of the cheaper fish used at most other restraunts. The quality of ingredients was a running theme. I had the Tsufu Don, which came topped with a great spread of fish, all incredibly fresh. Uni was deep gold and sweet, tuna was fresh and tender, and ikura was wonderfully seasoned and rich. The salmon avocado and Mama Mia rolls were fantastic, too, with perfectly cooked rice and great presentation. It's been a long time since I've seen salmon so fresh that it's still vibrantly orange.

Service was wonderful too, and we were welcomed into the restraunt, making us feel right at home. We left satisfied, already thinking about returning before we left. We feel this is probably the best Japanese restraunt between Carp and Thousand Oaks, and you won't be disappointed if you give it a try for yourself, especially while its easy to get in before...

(June 2024) Very authentic & very delicious! Extremely generous portion on the eel tomago donburi, perfect for sharing, & the poached egg was perfectly cooked. The sashimi & tuna roll was very fresh & delicious. The fry on the squid legs were perfect, a light & crispy batter, the slightly spicy dipping sauce was also great. Izakaya Jin even has a happy hour from 5-6:30pm (I believe Tuesday to Saturday? I wish I got a picture of the Happy Hour Menu). The owner was very friendly; it took a little bit of extra time before getting our dessert (the yuzu & matcha cheesecake set), so he offered us hot tea while we waited. The cheesecakes w/ the honey & fruit were so good & beautifully presented. There were so many items we wanted to try, can’t wait to come back. So lucky to have this restaurant so close to us!

• UPDATE * (August 2024) Back 2 months later & bummed about some of the menu changes that I had come back specifically for. Changes to the interior so atmosphere is not quite the same either, but the food I ordered was still very good so will be back to keep trying things out bit by bit. Had the takoyaki, mackerel carpaccio special, black cod. I came on Saturday at 5PM, they were completely full by about 5:30/ 5:45pm. Owner was very warm & friendly. Added the menu...

The food was actually really amazing especially the yuzu cheesecake. My issue is that the discrimination was so obvious and apparent and make me incredibly uncomfortable with the staff. Despite it being busy each person made sure to check on every table 3-4 times before even acknowledging my presence the entirety of my visit. Also, each time someone left as i was seated they would get a “thank you” in Japanese and English. When I got up to leave i got neither. And to make it worse throughout the duration of my visit i watched them stare me in the eyes on several occasion as i sat there waiting for service and they still refused to even check on me, even when the food in front of me was gone, still nothing. Terrible experience and if you are a black person i would recommend you steer clear of this place. It’s really upsetting being that my time in Japan was nothing like this at all, my entire 3 years there I never once had a negative experience being a black person but here i...