Choi's — Restaurant in San Diego

A Culinary Masterpiece: An Unforgettable Evening with Chef Jiwoo Choi From the moment my girlfriend, Kassandra, and I stepped into the Choi’s in downtown San Diego, we knew we were about to experience something truly special. What followed was an extraordinary seven-course tasting menu crafted by the incredibly talented Chef Jiwoo Choi, a chef whose passion for food is evident in every detail of his dishes. Chef Choi created the menu around several questions sent via email before the date. He truly took his time to understand his customers and who they were. The dinner was designed around my girlfriend, for whom the night was centered around for Valentines Day. The customer service was impeccable from the start. The hostess greeted us warmly, immediately making us feel at home, and the entire staff was attentive yet unobtrusive throughout the evening. We were sat at an oval table exclusively to ourselves with candles and wonderful ambiance. Included was a little note card that read “A Dinner Written By You” . Wow. Our server was Chef Choi himself. He was incredibly knowledgeable about the ingredients, offering insightful explanations of each dish, telling the story of the meal, and even sharing about the inspiration behind his creations. The entire team worked seamlessly together, ensuring that every moment of our dining experience felt effortless and elegant. Now, onto the food—a true work of art. Each course was not just a meal but a beautifully presented masterpiece that engaged all the senses. Chef Choi has a remarkable ability to balance flavors, textures, and aromas in a way that leaves a lasting impression. Every dish had a story, each bite revealing new layers of complexity and creativity. Some standout dishes included: A delicate amuse-bouche that set the tone for the evening, bursting with fresh, vibrant flavors. Inspired by Kimchi, a sauce enveloped the bits of tofu with a fried rice cake. A The main course was an Australian Wagyu with fingerling potatoes in a chile con carne sauce based from my girlfriend’s childhood. The wagyu melted in our mouths. Potatoes so crispy and delicious you forgot what other potatoes tasted like. A sauce so savory, bursting with tomatillo, garlic, and other flavors. Perfectly balanced as all things should be. The unexpected dish that left me in so much shock was the Greek wedding soup. A cold dish that is better experienced than explained. If I could eat that everyday for the rest of my life it would never be enough. Nothing I could say would live up to the incredible flavors. I ate mine and half my girlfriend’s portion. Finally, a dessert course that was as stunning as it was delicious, showcasing unexpected flavor combinations that worked in perfect harmony. A hot desert, a play on sticky rice. Cardamon, sugar, a small stone fruit with rich notes of raisin and plum. The second dessert was unexpected and intended for my likes (which I found to be such a class act). A ferment plum wine reduction that he infused into a frozen dish (somewhere in the realm of sorbet meets gelato) with a crème brûlée top. Amazing, outstanding. Chef Choi himself took the time to visit our table, a gesture that truly elevated the experience. He shared his inspiration for the menu, spoke about the ingredients, and genuinely wanted to ensure that we were enjoying ourselves. This level of dedication and personal touch is rare and speaks volumes about his commitment to his craft and his guests. He even orchestrated a surprise set of roses for my girlfriend and played it off like I planned it. By the end of the evening, Kassandra and I were completely in awe. The attention to detail, the passion behind every dish, and the warmth of the staff made this one of the best dining experiences we’ve ever had. Chef Jiwoo Choi and his team went above and beyond, creating an evening we will never forget. Five stars are...

Let me preface this review by saying that I am not related to Chef Choi, although after eating here, I wish I was because it'd be pretty cool having someone who devised this menu for family parties. Anyway...I made reservations here to celebrate my 26th "coming to America" anniversary. I'm usually in my feels around this time especially since I haven't been back to Korea in all that time, and I seek out Korean food every year for this anniversary so I can get a taste of home. From making reservations online, this restaurant set itself apart by sending directions to parking and making it so easy for us to find the secure parking garage. When we arrived, we were led to our table which had the cutest handwritten place card on it. They also bring out a bag stand for folks with purses which is a super nice touch. They also brought us out welcomre soju cocktails which I unfortunately couldn't have more than a teeny taste of as I'm pregnant, but my husband was delighted. He said it tasted like a lemon sour candy. They did have a couple of nonalcoholic drinks though, and I enjoyed my Suwon Spritz thoroughly. Food-wise, we ordered the chili shrimp, pork mandu, Korean crispy chicken, and the bossam. The chili shrimp were absolutely delicious and had a nice kick to them. The mandu were pretty standard, so if you like fried things, this is a safe option. The Korean crispy chicken came out first, and it was actually a pretty huge portion. Neither of us were sure how the yuzu avocado mash would pair with it, but it paired surprisingly well. The bossam was cooked to perfection and I loved the added touch of them being fried on the outside for texture. I somehow also had room for dessert after all this and we had the hotteok which was sooo yummy.

Now yes, there are other Korean restaurants up near Convoy and there are cheaper Korean restaurants, BUT as anyone who's tried cooking Korean food knows, it takes a lot of prep work and attention to detail. This is a modern Korean restaurant as well, so you won't get the same experience as you get at other Korean restaurants with the banchan and all that, but speaking as someone who is very picky about Korean food, I really enjoyed this upscale take on it, and it's about time there was a Korean restaurant that filled that upscale niche. I will definitely come here again and I'd love to bring friends here (if I had any lol). This is also just a me thing, but I can't remember having a meal this enjoyable since I've been pregnant because I've had some major appetite issues, and this place gave me some much-needed enjoyment from my food for the first time in 5 months.

Epilogue: I ended up forgetting my jacket on the way out and they called me to let me know and we were able to turn around and retrieve it. Phenomenal customer service!...

TLDR: really wanted to love this place but left feeling disappointed both food and service. Don't think I'll return.

Came here to celebrate my husband's birthday on a Saturday night. Put in a special note hoping they could do a little bit surprise in the end. The general manager acknowledged beforehand via message and hostess upon arrival gave us a handwritten card with his name on it. Unfortunately it all went downhill from here. We had a two hour dining experience - did not even get one "happy birthday". Mind you both tables next to us got complimentary welcome drinks, a free dessert with candle, and a flower. We saw multiple times of their "routine" thinking we would get in the end. Nothing. Our waiter asked if we wanted any dessert, we were too full so passed but I thought at least we would get a little note with a flower. Nothing. He gave us the checks and sent us home. What a weird and disappointing experience. For that only, I would not return. Plus the food is way overpriced and mediocre for how much we are paying and we tried a lot of items on the menu - most of them are underwhelming.

Food: nothing mind blown. mostly are bland/could use more salt. The only one we both thoroughly enjoyed is the bao buns (5/5). Both beef and mushroom are good but I prefer the mushroom. The bao is slightly crispy outside but soft inside. The stuffing had a good flavor and very balanced with kimchi and other fixings.

Cucumber kimchi (2/5) had a nice sauce but the cucumber itself had no flavor at all. We both feel like by calling it kimchi is very misleading and it needed more time. On the other hand the bean sprout kimchi (4/5) were well seasoned and we both liked. Octopus (3/5) texture was great but again under seasoned. Same with tuna crispy rice (3/5). It had good amount of toppings but I found myself constantly looking for more seasoning.

We were very excited for the shiitake fettuccine (1/5) as it was highly recommended in a lot yelp reviews. First of all, our entrees took forever to come out. Secondly it tasted over lemony and we didn't even see one piece of mushroom nor did we taste any. Overall we couldn't finish it and it was a huge letdown. Also more salt needed please especially given the rich sauce and lemony taste.

Galbi hot stone bowl (4/5) was the only dish we finished. Had decent amount of galbi which was tender and flavorful. Also enjoyed amount of vegetables in it - lotus root and mushroom. Is it worth $38? Probably not.

Overall as mentioned earlier, would not return or recommend this place, given the poor service and mediocre...