Mizu — Restaurant in San Diego

AVOID GOING HERE AT ALL COSTS! GOT SICK & WASTED MONEY. My family and I picked this restaurant for my brothers birthday dinner because it had good reviews and a high rating. However, DO NOT TRUST ANY GOOD REVIEWS ON THIS RESTAURANT. Though we made reservations, they were unnecessary​ because there was only one other family in the whole place. Should have walked out at first sight, looks like a dump. Trashy and unappealing​ atmosphere. Fake paper trees, part of the building is a trailer, shaky tables, etc. With hopeful optimism we ordered a s* ton of rolls, so let me tell you, we got a thorough​ taste of the whole menu. I'm pretty sure my dads chicken had pieces of raw fish on it for some reason like they were trying to get rid of it because it was old? The sauce it was in also smelled and resembled​ canned cat food. As far as the sushi goes, I have never had anything worse. The fish was not fresh, and it was obvious. Textural problems and tasted & smelled fishy. No creativity or exquisite​ flavors. One of the "salmon mango" rolls we got, contained no mango, it only had a drizzle of mango flavored syrup that tasted like an iced tea flavoring. Anything that was supposed to contain crab salad, ​instead just had big chunks of imitation crab. Some of the fish tasted rubbery and looked discolored. We even requested that some of our rolls be canceled​ so we didn't have to pay for anymore of this trash, but the waiter did not understand anything we were saying. Every one of us regretted eating what we did when we left. All of us came home feeling uneasy and many of us are sick to our stomachs. My mother is on the verge of throwing up and my dad said it was one of the worst meals he's ever had, and he eats anything. I WOULD NOT EAT HERE FOR FREE, and the bill sure wasn't cheap. Anyone who has had sushi more than once will know this place is terrible and would never in their right minds give it a good review! I do not know where this place gets its good reviews, but do not trust them. I'm just waiting on the diarrhea​ that I know is coming tonight or tomorrow. At least then I will be more settled knowing that this gunk is out of my system once and for all. WE ARE SICK AND WANT...

I've been going to this restaurant for over a decade now. The TLDR is that the food is excellent (I've only tried the sushi and desserts though) and the place is very casual, including (in a certain way) the servers.

My first time at this restaurant was in 2009 I think, and being a dumb college kid, I lit off a small spinning firework using the candle from my mochi ice cream (my friends told the waitress it was my birthday). The waitress sees the room full of smoke and comes to our table asking, "What was that?!" I said it was a firework I got from Mexico. Then, I kid you not, she asks me, "How much did you pay for it?" I told her it was only about a dollar. Then she said, "Next time, you light that outside!" and she walked away. Anyway, that was the start of my amazement with this restaurant and the waitress I now affectionately know as Ms. Mizu.

Others on here have noted that the waitress is a kick, but she's no-nonsense as well. My friend once said he was nervous about trying the ginger and apparently the waitress thought that was silly and proceeded to finger feed my friend a large chunk of the stuff. It was great.

So there probably is a bit of a cultural difference in mannerisms that Americans may not be used to, but they do care about you getting everything you need.

Like I said, the sushi is very fresh and the sashimi never disappoints, but their rolls are fantastic as well. And the price is solid.

This probably isn't the restaurant to visit to impress a client or whatever. Yup, the bathrooms are a bit better than public restrooms, and there's no AC in the summer (they just open the windows). If you go super late or you stay for a long time into the afternoon, you may need to pop into the kitchen to get the staff's attention. But all that is very in line with Mission Beach culture: focus on the highlights and make do with everything else. The waitress is a hoot though if you can get her attention focused on something...

No. Ok?

I actually don't enjoy writing bad reviews, believe it or not. But the utter unabashed exploitation of tourists on this corner (by this, and about 7-8 other restaurants) is simply W-R-O-N-G. They take your money, and then give you garbage-in-a-box in return. It's really sad.

About 16 or so of my hard-earned dollars LITERALLY thrown in the trash... inedible. I couldn't eat it. Very disappointing, especially after the lady who took my phone-in order guaranteed that "everything is good here".

No, it's not. It's gross; that's what it is.

I've lived in this neighborhood for almost a year, and this was my first time walking in here. A basic foodie can discern the level of quality immediately (but I'd already placed the phone order). The front doors are wide open with a bug-screen to keep bugs out, and all of the windows in the restaurant are open (too cheap to air condition their damn tourist-robbing establishment). Ok?

I don't eat sushi, but the sushi bar looked disgusting. And the guy behind the sushi counter... I know that weed is now legal in California... but really?

I don't like to always be "so extreme" and leave either 1 or 5 stars, and nothing in between, and I WANT to find something about my experience that warrants a second star.

But it's not there. It's just not. I'm not going to give you 2 stars JUST BECAUSE I didn't get sick.

Looking for delicious food? Try (#1) Che Calavera, Rubicon Deli or the Mission all down Mission Blvd. about a mile North. But save your money, time and taste buds and...