SoCal Sushi — Restaurant in San Diego

Update/Edit: I would like to thank SoCal Sushi for setting the example for restaurants dealing with a negative experience on the customer end. They provided me a way to get in contact and they listened; they did not deny or make excuses. I spoke with the management and their responses were genuine, honest, and demonstrated professionalism. No business can be free from mistakes; it just matters how a mistake or issue is handled. I really appreciate their willingness to learn from this experience and I wish them all the best in the future.

Original Review: I don’t give this review lightly. I tried to find an email for an owner or manager so I could talk over this issue with someone rather than hashing it out like this, but I couldn’t find one. I felt bad even giving such a low rating given how great the sushi was, but this place will make me self-conscious go out as a solo female diner for a while.

I ate here for dinner on a Wednesday evening and had a great meal. The sushi was fresh and fantastic. I was thinking this would be a great place to bring my parents when they’re in town next time. I was just getting ready to leave after being seated at approximately 7:09 (based on their call to inform me I could be seated at exactly 7:08). I was then told to leave by the waitress after I paid as I tried to finish my drink. It was 8 pm exactly when I checked my phone in the parking lot.

The waitress had dropped off the check while I was still actively eating, but I thought maybe she was just trying to save a trip and not actually trying to rush me. I initially thought “oops, time must have gotten away from me, and I overstayed the 90 minute limit, my bad.” They have a small dining room, so having this limit makes perfect sense. However, I was only trying to finish my beverage before leaving. I paid for it, and it’s not like you can put a beer in a to-go cup. Again it was a weeknight, not a Friday or Saturday. I had to leave my drink a little less than half full on the table.

As I got to the parking lot, I realized my stay had been much shorter. I was immediately confused and embarrassed. She had asked me to leave in front of all the other guests. I even felt bad for “overstaying my welcome”, but it had only been approximately 50 minutes. I ate a little slow, but only because I really enjoyed the sushi and wanted to savor it. I don’t eat out much, and I wanted to make the most of my special “splurge” meal, as my bill totaled about 70 dollars. It was supposed to be a special treat. But I felt singled out as a solo female diner. I fought back tears as I got in my car. I felt terrible yet I did nothing wrong.

If the dining time limit was different for the bar area, I genuinely would have understood. Again, it’s a small restaurant. But the signs clearly state 90 minutes is the permitted time. I had no intention on even staying more than 60. I never want to be that person. The waitress singled me out even though I was just one woman at the end of the bar. Needless to say, I can’t recommend this place. The sushi chefs are wonderful, but don’t expect to be treated fairly if you’re alone as a woman.

If you want to try the sushi I don’t blame you, it’s wonderful, but go with a group who can...

Updating my review after our second time here.

Came here for the second time the other day, I think it’s my new favorite sushi in San Diego. Everything was so good. I believe my wife ordered the Lava Lava roll, garlic edamame, and a miso soup. I ordered the Omakase and a spicy tuna roll. I was still a little hungry at the end, then I found out they had Spanish mackerel in stock which is one of my favorite neta for Nigiri. I believe the omakase included a Japanese flounder, seabream(or black snapper, I forget), chutorro sashimi and bluefin nigiri if I recall correctly. It was incredible though and I’m currently getting very hungry remembering it. I loved every piece. They were all a little different in texture and flavor profile but all worked really well together. I closed my meal with the Spanish Mackerel. It was a little slow to arrive because it turns out they weren’t planning to serve it yet and it still had to be filleted. It was well worth the slight wait though as it tasted incredible. If you go here ask if they have Spanish Mackerel, and try the seabream(or maybe it was black snapper, I forget, but either of those will be amazing I’m sure😂) also the garlic edamame was the best flavored I’ve had in a few months. Order that too!

Service was also great even though every table was full.

(Original review) This place was great! Server was nice, not super attentive, but in no way bad. I noticed she checked on the other tables almost twice as much as us, but sometimes I prefer that😂. Awesome specials options. I got the Sashimi Omakase, it’s shown in the picture I normally prefer Nigiri for the mix of vinegar and rice with the fish. But the Sashimi was so fresh and flavorful it easily stood on its own. The combo of fish tasted really great together and individually. My wife and daughter also got garlic edamame, miso, and some generic rolls. They were all really good. The prices were really good especially considering the amazing quality and flavors. We will for sure go back soon! Can’t wait to try some nigiri, and maybe some noodles or some...

I found SoCal Sushi randomly when I was looking for sushi restaurants in my area. At the time, they didn't have many reviews, but the reviews they did have were very good. We visited on a Friday night and when we arrived there was about a 30 minute wait at the door. This wasn't a big deal as there are a couple good bars in the area where you can get a quick beer and come back. Once we were seated we ordered chicken karaage and an Avatar Roll, Baja Roll, and Tipsy Tuna Roll. The chicken karaage appetizer took a little bit longer than expected to come out and when it did we were a bit disappointed with the flavor. It was just a bit bland and after having better karaage at places like Menya Ultra and HiroNori. It just didn't meet those standards. After we finished the karaage it took a bit longer to get our sushi. It seemed like they were backed up and the wait took long enough for us to feel like the experience had been tarnished by the appetizer and all of the delays. However, when we finally got our sushi we very surprised with how delicious it was, with great flavors and very fresh fish. The Tipsy Tuna Roll was our favorite. It's not often where a restaurant experience goes from negative to positive with only the food correcting the experience. If they can figure out how to improve their chicken karaage as well as the speed of their kitchen I would say this is a five-star restaurant. Other than that it was a great meal and we are looking forward to...