Okan Diner — Restaurant in San Diego

Food: 3.5/5 Service and Setting: 2.5/5 Value: 3/5

When I was younger, Okan Diner’s sister location, Wa Dining Okan, was a special treat. All these years later, the stars aligned and it was time for me to try their more casual concept. Located in a busy strip mall, parking is a bit tight but nothing too serious. It is a busy plaza so expect to wait around or park somewhere else. Going in, the restaurant had a design that embodies mid 2010 style. This sort of mix between modern and Japanese motifs with strangely dirty looking would checked all of the boxes. The restaurant felt a bit dingy and dirty but most people are coming here to eat and not enjoy a masterclass in interior design. We came right when they opened for their dinner hours and were seated right away. There were only 2 servers so service was kind, but it was very hard to ask for things as they only seemed to come out when bringing out food. It was just all pretty mid.

Geso Kara: 3/5 Geso Kara are deep fried squid legs in a crispy batter. The coating was very dark and had a distinct oily flavor. It was served on top of some greens. The squid itself was not overly tough but did have a good bite and chew. The squeeze of lemon and I believe ponzu sauce that it was served with helped cut the oil. The biggest negative of the dish was that it was very salty. Not inedible, but definitely detracted from the experience.

Karaage: 4/5 The Karaage was pretty good. More “traditional” karaage, from what I understand, has a softer coating with distinct blistering and a darker color. Okan Diner’s karaage seemed to be more gently fried and was more texturally similar to Taiwanese popcorn chicken. The flavors were strong and unique, I picked up on lemon, ginger, and sesame as the main points. The dipping sauce was also interesting and tasted like a cross between Japanese sesame and onion vinaigrettes with an extra kick of black pepper. For me, the texture could have been a bit crispier and the chicken pieces larger, but overall a solid dish to get.

Oroshi Hamburg: 2.5/5 To start off, know that oroshi means that the dish is served with grated daikon radish to give it a refreshing taste. The hamburg patty itself was fine and was not phenomenal, but was juicy and well seasoned. The true travesties were the salad and rice. The salad was totally wilted and I am sure that they put the greens in the serving bowl to “prep” them. The rice was the greatest disappointment. Overcooked, clumpy, and just sad, Okan Diner surely served me and my family yesterday’s rice that was not even respectfully stored and reheated. Rice is the heart of the dish and the lack of respect shown to it made me feel not respected as a customer. The corn that came out on the same plate as the steak was mushy and not very sweet at all. The miso soup was good. I enjoyed the fried tofu and it truly is really hard to mess up miso soup. Wit hall things said, I really liked their broccoli. It absorbed so much butter and caramelized just a bit to make it one of the tastiest bites I had.

Pudding: 4/5 This was a great way to end the meal. The pudding itself was not too sweet and had a luxurious silky texture. A bit eggy and milky, the pudding also gave me fresh tofu vibes. The brown sugar syrup they put on top makes it taste like Filipino Taho a bit. This was probably my favorite item...

Kamameshi, sushi, udon, ramen, yakitori, appetizers, dessert, and more!

What i'm really here for is the kamameshi, discovered this first at their sister restaurant Wa Dining Okan , and was super excited for an added location.

Kamameshi - if you have never tried, is a must. Its a clay/stone kettle with rice. I always opt for the pork belly, inside with the rice is little tonkatsu broth, green onions and i think pickled carrots. It comes with an egg that you crack/drop inside and mix up the rice and just enjoy. This would adequately serve 4 as an appetizer, or 2 if you are sharing with sides as a meal. I don't know where else to get this - and actually not worried to find a place as long as Okan has it...

Other things we have had, Sushi and hand rolls, chicken karaage and fries (kids love it), edamame, Pork/beef yakitori - everything is always tip top and this place is my go to for Japanese cuisine.

The servers are always friendly, however they can get busy so just be patient... The food always makes it worth it! Parking lot is not huge, but we have always found a spot. This location easily doubles their other location, so we have never had to wait more than 10 minutes.

Happy Hour M-TH - All Day, drink and...

I don’t want to review bomb cause stars matter when people search. My experience last night was terrible. Slow service I can deal with. But the food was absolutely terrible.

Katsu was unseasoned and overfried.

Hand roll was was a letdown as they use the same rice as their plates vs using seasoned sushi rice.

Grilled squid is overcooked at most places but a Japanese spot it should be done well as it is a normal dish. Ours was charred and overdone beyond repair.

Agedashi tofu had 0 crisp to the top which sucks because the contrast with the broth is a nice part of the dish.

If we didn’t order so much to start I would have paid for our first dish and left which I have never done before in my life. I hope this was a one time thing but to consistently screw up multiple dishes on a single night makes me think this is a new recurring problem. Best of luck to this restaurant but if this keeps up, they won’t last.

I...