Kyoto Sushi — Restaurant in San Diego

Hands down, 5 stars. Ordered the lunch special with Salmon, a roll, Miso, salad and rice. Just outstanding across the board. The owner has his own recipe for Miso which is worth the visit. Let me just list the things I loved about this place:

1. Not pretentious, very simple and warm layout to the restaurant. Easy to see a seat or a place to sit you'll like.

2. The Owner and his staff are super-personable, friendly and engaging. They are also highly courteous and professional.

3. The food: this is the first salmon I've had in a year (cooked salmon with glaze) that was done correctly and tasted correct. I've had salmon in 10 different restaurants in the last 8 months and they've all sucked. Kyoto nailed it 100%. The cooked salmon again made it worth the trip. The rice was exactly as it should be as was the role I had with the meal (I think it was also a salmon role). Rice clumped perfectly and easy to eat with chopsticks. Food preparation was prompt and the owner engaged with patrons throughout the restaurant.

4. Components: everything I had was 100% fresh. Every vegetable was crisp and all of the fish WAS NOT frozen or bought the week before. And yes, I can tell when components and ingredients are not as they should be. Kyoto was spot on 100%.

5. Parking. Super easy. Newly paved lot, very clean and highly accessible.

I picked this restaurant out randomly as I was in the area to go to a guitar store. This was kind of like hitting the lotto for sushi. The culinary capability of this place should not be under-estimated. It's plain exterior that is typical of most sushi places should not deter anyone from trying the fare. The owner and his staff are absolute professionals...

This is a real gem in this area. We were visiting Mission Beach from LA, and my son, who was celebrating his bday, asked for sushi. I yelped and googled, and somehow we landed in this resto. I am so thankful we did! The owners, Mike and Maria, are the ones serving their customers, chatting with everyone and making sure everyone is having an amazing time. We were able to dine in, and enjoy our food immensely.

My son ordered the Brown Dragon Roll; I ordered the Salmon Skin Handroll, and Salmon Roll; my husband got the salmon teriyaki bento box. We also got fried calamari, fresh seaweed salad, and the miso soup that came with the Bento Box. Everything was served fresh, quick, and with a smile. Customer service was superb, as they really want you to enjoy your meal.

I really loved the quality of each food item, as I tasted all of them. The taste was excellent, and you know that Mike, the owner, really knows and loves what he's doing. When he found out it was my son's birthday, he brought out fried oreos for free! Complete with a lit up candle and a happy birthday song greeting from everyone. My son loved his fried oreo so much, bec it is lighter in batter and not as sweet as those found in state/county fairs, that he ordered a second one!

All in all, we had a wonderful lunch and a fantastic experience at this restaurant. Please give it a try, if you haven't already. Thank you, Mike and Maria! We will come back if we ever return...

I’ve been going here for years. Before the Covid I was a regular customer and spent a lot of money here. It was my go to for Sushi. I finally went back a few months ago and it was great. I even left a $50 dollar tip because I felt so bad that they struggled so much through the Pandemic. Yesterday I went back and Mike said he had not seen me for two years, and the wife pretended she didn’t even remember me. Come on guys, I was here a few months ago a left a $50 dollar tip. I may have made a mistake in ordering yesterday, but that is besides the point. I don’t appreciate eating and paying for something I don’t even like. It was fried gyoza for crying out loud! How much does that cost you in the end? Basic hospitality dictates I get the benefit of the doubt and order what I like. Instead of being told to eat it because it was made already. I consider Mike and his wife good people and friends, but this was totally unacceptable and against all rules of customer service. Especially since I’ve been a customer for years. Mike, you are a great guy and I consider you a friend whose work ethic I admire, but this was bad by any standard. Not only a terrible way to treat a customer, but friend as well. I worked in the restaurant business for years and would never treat a guest this way. Mike, I expect way...