Ichifuji Sushi — Restaurant in San Diego

Ichifuji Sushi. Let's get started.

Maybe it was because I was here on a date, but I had a hard time determining what kind of vibe to dress for. It's SD, so obviously you can get away with fashion murder if you want, but I still struggled, especially since it was due to rain that night and was chilly and breezy as a result. If you too are apprehensive about how to dress, think "cozy wealthy" and you'll be solid. A woman at the table next to me on the patio (which is covered and has good heaters) was wearing a caramel leather cropped puffer jacket, for reference.

Parking was slightly harder than I expected, considering how small each seating is, so you'd think the attached lot would be sufficient, but that would be an overly optimistic thought. There are lots for other businesses and street parking immediately surrounding it, though, so you'll probably be fine.

Food was very good, with very respectable presentation for each course, and some nice standouts. Many of the items had been sourced directly from Japan, although I also learned that apparently San Diego has shrimp farms. Who knew? This place has great chefs with excellent prior experience, and even our waiter had been a sushi chef before, so they have obviously gone to great lengths to try and source quality ingredients and hire knowledgeable staff.

The one thing I would say is missing is that the courses felt slightly perfunctory. They certainly adhered to the idea of what a tasting menu is, but I wanted to see it go even further. Not in a gimmicky way, of course, but I felt like I couldn't get a sense of the chefs' personality or unique perspective based on the tasting menu. There were delicious components, but the courses were maybe slightly lacking in soul. If you want something fairly traditional, with excellent ingredients, Ichifuji Sushi will absolutely hit the mark for you. For me, however, I'd love to see more perspective. A good experience (and a great date, for those wondering), but probably not a restaurant I'd...

We came Ichifuji Sushi for dinner last night with my family to celebrate my birthday . (In the Patio table)

The price was $524 for 3 people( not including tips).

the food was delicious, very fresh, I think it was worth the price, but my husband and my son disagreed with me.

The amount enough for me, but not enough for my son and husband. ( they had to eat some snacks after we get home)

But the service is very disappointed. In the beginning was ok, but after half way of the dinner , we had waiting for little white to get next dish , there was even a 20 minutes interval in between. My husband almost fall in asleep, my son was complaining about the slow service. It made me feel anxious.

In the end of the dinner, two chef came to the patio say hello to the next table , they are talking, laughing and taking pictures together, then they ignored our table, I didn’t understand why. ( I remember last year my friend and I were here for dinner, everything is great, especially the two chef came to our table say hello and thanks to support theirs business etc. I had such a beautiful memories, that’s why I decided bring my family to celebrate my birthday here) But unfortunately, the experience was not as good as the last time.

Btw, during 2 and half hours dinner time , I didn’t receive any birthday treats even a simple “ happy birthday “ word.

Disappointed experience, wouldn’t...

I have been to Ichifuji 3 times now since they opened and on all 3 separate occasions, the food has been equally phenomenal. (The pictures are from multiple different occasions) Both chef Masamoto and Hiroshi are the friendliest and most professional craftsman in their trade. Every dish is a work of art and prepared to the highest level of skill.

I've been to sushi restaurants across the world, to Japan, LA, San Francisco, New York, Seattle, Sweden, you name it. From Michelin restaurants to secret underground joints and I can say absolutely that Ichifuji Fuji is my go to. The environment that the staff creates for the guests, the quality of the food, the vibe of the restaurant, and the price for quality, just makes me want to come back again and again. I'll be back as soon as possible and hopefully there will still be seats available. I imagine this place will blow up soon and I hope I can still get in...