Kokoro Restaurant — Restaurant in San Diego

Food: 10/5 Service and Setting: 4/5 Value: 3.5/5

Kokoro restaurant has truly stolen my kokoro (heart) with the honesty and quality of their food. Located in an unassuming, honesty run down plaza, Kokoro’s entrance leaves very little expectation. Parking is easy. Their window treatments make them look like they are closed, but don’t let that fool you. The interior is clean, Japanese inspired, with no gimmicks. Natural wood is the theme and makes the small restaurant feel cozy. Service is very kind. Though slow at times, the servers are all very attentive and detailed. You don’t need a reservation for lunch but I would definitely make one for dinner, particularly on the weekend. The magic is in the food, especially their dinner. Chef Akio Ishito is truly a gem and I am so honored to have been able to try and enjoy his food (he is alive, I realize that this sounds like he isn’t oops).

“Omakase” Sushi Course: 100/5 I won’t mince my work. PHENOMENAL. SPECTACULAR. AMAZING. Chef Akio Ishito definitely has the sushi rizz as he gingerly formed the rice and expertly sliced his fish. Bangers on top of bangers on top of bangers, I was basically walking from side to side. All of the pieces of sushi had a unique charm, ample amounts of wasabi underneath, and years of experience ingrained into them. Cuttlefish, toro, uni, toro, this insane shiso hand roll, anago, are just a few standouts. The chef would explain to us what he was serving each time and we would be given hot dishes in between (these were also bangers). Before they serve dessert, the servers will ask if you want to order anything else to make sure sweets do not come out prematurely. The ending with panna cotta and tea was a great way to round out the meal. For the first time, I truly want to come back and support the food and art at this restaurant and I hope that all of you do as well.

Mackerel Battera: 5/5 A form of sushi not often served, Battera is a pressed sushi with more densely packed rice with marinated radish on top. Imagine like a Spam musubi. This dish in particular tasted “special” and I knew that Kokoro was doing something right. It tastes like sushi but something is different, come try it!

Lunch Unagi Bowl: 4/5 The unagi bowl comes with eel, egg, inure, shrimp, and Kanpyo rice. All of the ingredients are very fresh and expertly prepared. We all have had the experience of ordering an unagi bowl and having it literally just be a piece of fish over rice. I felt that this was lovingly and thoughtfully crafted. The only downside was that the portion is a bit small and pricey, but the quality is definitely there. The miso soup the meal comes with is also a bit elevated and has a “gourmet” taste for a lack of better words.

Sushi Lunch: 4.5/5 What Kokoro does better than any other sushi restaurant I have eaten at is their rice. Perfectly seasoned, perfected formed, and perfectly cooked, it truly is a masterclass in its preparation and is the ultimate vehicle for toppings. All of the sushi was phenomenal in its quality, freshens, and preparation. Even the American friendly cooked shrimp was prepared with respect and was a step above other sushi restaurants’ preparations. A bit plain Jane, but perfect for a simple lunch.

Shrimp and Vegetable Tempura: 2.5/5 A bit shocking, but the tempura was not that good. A bit too oily and not very crispy, a definite low point. Better than all you can eat, but definitely not worth the price they are charging. Good thing they keep things traditional and not add tempura into their rolls.

Housemade Panna Cotta: 4.5/5 Rich, creamy, and tastes almost exactly like White Rabbit candy. This Panna Cotta is pretty sweet, not as sweet as most American desserts, but much sweeter than most Asian ones. With a warm cup of tea, the...

Delightful, and at a good price! I got the omakase- though their website says that you need to reserve 3 days in advance to get the omakase, I called 15 minutes before I went in and they still offered me the omakase… VERY accommodating! Every course was incredible, and the attention paid to every detail in each dish was remarkable. The sashimi course was fantastic, the smaller dishes (like the squid tempura after the wagyu course) were all just as lovely as the bigger courses like the wagyu! The course with the cuttlefish was INSANELY good. For dessert, I asked the server what he recommended- he suggested choosing the house-made panna cotta, and he was absolutely right! They served it with a very fresh green tea- not like the stuff you get out of a tea bag, but the kind that is actually fresh and the leaves are still green. I loved it! The sake was also wonderful and very very reasonably priced. The chef was amazing and very attentive. The servers were awesome, both were super friendly and knowledgable and cool. My omakase lasted 2 hours, and it was one of the most satisfying omakases I’ve ever had! And it was hands down, the best priced! I’ve had some far more expensive omakases that weren’t nearly as well executed. The omakase was amazing, and I can’t recommend it enough, but this spot is also a fantastic place for lunch or a casual dinner. It is unpretentious and delicious, making it perfect for any casual weeknight. Highly recommend! Will be sending everyone that I know here, both for great Japanese food or sushi, and for omakase! Would be great for a date night or even dinner with colleagues. So delicious, so versatile, and such...

Worst dining experience in recent memory.

The food is decent, traditionally Japanese casual sushi spot without a lot of frills or hideous western rolls. But the service is god-awful. Three of their five tables were seated, including us. Two to six of the 8 counter seats were filled during our dinner. We couldn't flag down the server to save our lives in a restaurant with no more than 12 customers.

We spent over 2.5 hours sitting in the restaurant waiting for food. Our order? Three chawan mushis, but only two were served after a 45 minute wait. (Chawan mushi takes 10 minutes to cook.) We placed two nigiri orders which took 45 minutes each too. Their excuse? "There's only one chef." Must be the slowest sushi chef in the West. He didn't steam the chawan mushis. That was done by the back-house staff. The second half of our order took so long we had it packed for takeout.

The best part? Our server BLAMED US for the delay, as they incorrectly assumed we reserved their omakase, which we explicitly stated we did not want.

Also, our party of three all speak fluent Japanese although only one looks Asian. Every time we'd speak to the server in Japanese, she would respond to the Asian in Japanese but to us non-Asian-looking customers in English. This is a racist pet peeve for fluent speakers whenever we're discriminated against in Japan. Good times!

A very generous 2 stars for the food. Don't go if you're mixed race Japanese and don't go unless you have at least 3 hours of spare time to wait for...