Kawaii Sushi — Restaurant in San Diego

It's back to indoor dining, but decided to do lunch take out. The inside is very colorful with cute characters on the wall. They also sell hand crafted face masks and have a huge inventory of Lee Kum Kee soy sauce bottle for sale. This place is also owned by a Vietnamese family. (This is the third Japanese restaurant in Grantville that I've been to that's Vietnamese owned).

The on-line menu does not show lunch specials. When we arrived, I saw the banner and poster. Make sure you ask for lunch specials if ordering take out on the [phone. There's a $9.95 two item special and a $7.99 two hour special.

Baked cali roll (6pc) $5 - Baked rolls take about 20 minutes but since it was slow, it was ready when we got there in 15 minutes. Note that these are tiny pieces of 6.

Shrimp tempura roll $8.95 - This was nothing special. I was expecting crunchy roll and didn't specify so it's basically just coated panko.

Mixed tempura, 2 shrimp, veggie $6.95 - Can't go wrong with tempura but the breading seems a bit chewy like it was left out not freshly made.

Kawaii lunch special $9.95 - Came with 4 pieces of garlic chicken wings, one cup rice, salad, miso soup, and edamame. This is worth the money and the garlic chicken wings was very tasty.

Chicken Katsu curry rice $8.95 - Having more spice would make this better otherwise the flavors are mediocre.

Overall, the food here is neither great or bad. I would come back for the lunch specials only because it's a great price for...

I ate here recently, the service was slow, but one of their chefs had to urgently leave, so they were behind. But, the servers were unbelievably kind and thanked us for our patience. They did their best and were constantly on the move to serve their customers. Since they just opened, it's always best to be empathetic that they are absolutely trying their best, despite the circumstances. Their miso soup was good, and so was their sushi. Their tuna was a beautiful red. It looked incredibly fresh without looking like it was laoded with food dye. Their salmon was also good. Unfortunately, I had ordered a roll with tempura on the inside. While the rest of the roll was good, the tempura was cold, stale, and made with bread crumbs. Bread crumbs on tempura is fine on its own, but when it's in a roll, it creates a rough texture that doesn't blend in with the rest of the roll, especially when it's cold. This would be the reason that I took away a star. Minus the distasteful shrimp tempura, the atmosphere, service, and food were all wonderful, and I highly...

Kawaii is an outstanding sushi restaurant with a clean, welcoming atmosphere and top-notch service. The prices are affordable, making it a great spot for quality sushi without overspending. The food is fresh and delicious—my favorites are the Crunchy Roll and Triple Fish Roll, both packed with flavor and beautifully prepared. The miso soup is also a must-try, warm and comforting with just the right balance of flavors.

One of the highlights of my visit was the excellent service from Jasmine. She was incredibly friendly, professional, and attentive, making sure everything was perfect throughout the meal. Her warm attitude and knowledge of the menu made the experience even better. If you’re looking for a great sushi spot with delicious food and exceptional service, Kawaii is the...