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    Bistro Kaz

    4.3 (413 reviews)
    ModerateItalian, Japanese
    Closed 11:30 am - 2:00 pm, 5:00 PM - 9:00 PM
    Updated over 3 months ago

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    BISTRO KAZ ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Intimate
    Moderate noise
    Outdoor seating

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    390550. Small Clam Chowder
    Leanne C.

    Celebrated a birthday last month on a Thursday afternoon and we were the only guests there. This place is a Japanese-Italian fusion place that's quite small! I got the Vongole and I wish it had more flavor to it. I also tried the truffle mushroom pizza and it was rich in flavor which was nice. I did not try the spaghetti or paella so I can't speak for how they thought it tasted. Overall service was good. Parking can be difficult since it's a busy area.

    Creamy 50321791. Salmon Cream with Salmon Roe
    Deborah L.

    Bistro Kaz is truly a hidden gem in the San Diego area. I visit at least two times (at the minimum!) whenever I'm in town. This unique Italian-Japanese fusion restaurant consistently impresses with its fresh, high-quality ingredients. My must-order dishes are the cold cod and salmon roe pasta and the unagi pizza. If you're a fan of squid sashimi, then the pasta is an absolute must-try! I don't think I've had anything like it before. They also offer a lunch special on weekdays that includes your choice of entrée, salad, soup, and a drink for a reasonable price.

    50321787. Cold Cod Roe and Squid Pasta Lunch Combo
    Richard H.

    Located on convoy street, along with a lot of great Asian restaurants. This is an amazing Japanese fusion restaurant, featuring some of the best dishes. Their Cold Cod Roe and Squid Pasta Lunch Combo is the best that I have ever had! Pasta dish(of your choice), soup, salad and drink for $26!

    Salad of the day
    Fiona N.

    We passed today and decided to ditch the dim sum place next door for this restaurant! It was the best decision!!! We had Japanese style Italian food in Japan before and loved it and gave this place a shot. Man, they didn't disappoint. We ordered the lunch special which came with a salad, soup, and choose and entree and drink. You can upgrade your salad, soup and drinks for few bucks extra. Everything was yummy! But if u want more meat, do not order their pasta, they are mostly of veggies. My salmon pasta had a good amount of fish. But they do have other Japanese dishes. My son had the Japanese meat loaf. The size was small for a teenager so he left still hungry. For me, the pasta was too much for me. The lunch combo was $24 and I paid an extra dollar for hot green tea. IMO, not too bad these days. This will definitely be my go to place for lunch! The server was very patient and efficient. The place was clean and cozy.

    Savannah F.

    Kind of like a hole in the wall. Been here for many years and I hope they continue to stay. The store front is quite small and easy to miss compared to the neighboring stores. Inside is also quaint. I really like the atmosphere and vibe of this place. Rarely do I like fusion, but this place does it well. Italian and Japanese. It's not commonly seen here and I'm glad they have good portion sizes still after so many years Food is consistent. Service is the same as it has been. We usually see the same lady. Food is also delicious

    Diana C.

    A quiet little spot with orders made to order. It's a nice date night spot. The dishes fuse Japanese and Italian flavors. The guys really enjoyed the curry dishes. My pasta was good - but I was expecting bigger pieces of seafood.

    50324002. Cod Roe, Salmon Roe Butter Soy Sauce Flavor Pasta
    Sherilyn K.

    We first visited and ordered the hamburger steak with demi-glace sauce and the Seafood Doria, and we were immediately impressed. Every part of the experience--from the food and service to the cozy atmosphere--was exceptional. In fact, we enjoyed it so much that we came back just a week later for dinner to try the cream crab croquettes, unagi pizza, okonomiyaki, and cod roe soy butter pasta. The unagi pizza and Seafood Doria were definite favorites, and I can't wait to come back and try even more of the menu!

    Curry
    Cindy N.

    This restaurant is small and quaint. There was only one other customer while we were there, so we were seated immediately. I came with two friends. I ordered the corn soup and the creamy uni pasta. I enjoyed what I ordered. My friends ordered a curry & rice dish and the squid ink pasta. I enjoyed the curry, but there's definitely better Japanese curry out there. The squid ink pasta was SO terrible. I don't understand how that's the most popular dish here. It was extremely plain, flavorless, and stains your mouth. My friends asked for Parmesan cheese to add to the squid ink pasta to improve the taste. I've never had squid ink pasta so maybe that's how it's supposed to taste? Oh well!

    50324011. Pescatora
    Coco N.

    Looks like a nice cozy family style restaurant. Really generous portions for the price and they taste great! Really friendly server and gave a good recommendation on the mentaiko pasta. She also recommended an unagi pizza, which I will try next time.

    390490. Squid Ink
    Malia P.

    Get their pizza, seafood doria, ceviche and croquette. Avoid chicken liver pate, we love chicken liver but I spat this one out. The squid ink pasta is good, but if you work at a hair salon or know what vivid hair dye smells like avoid this too.

    Crab creamy tomato sauce pasta
    Carolyn W.

    Great interior and atmosphere. It's a small dining area and small bar but ambiance is 5 stars!! One waitress is juggling it all plus the bar so dont expect super fast service but still good. Food portions were big and the pasta is light which makes sense for Japanese-Italian fusion. Friendly and classy comfy place and couple regulars frequent the spot. We tried: Unagi pizza - great for sharing or as an entree Crab with tomato creamy sauce pasta - great pasta and flavor Meat bologonese - lighter taste than normal bolognese but still good.

    Truffle pizza
    Ashley C.

    I stumbled upon this restaurant while doing some research on beli for Japanese-Italian fusion spots, and I instantly knew that it would be right up my alley. I loveeee Japanese-Italian fusion food. To start, the restaurant was so cute. Although it had limited seating, it was extremely cozy and mellow. After some heavy contemplation, we decided on the truffle pizza and creamy sea urchin pasta. The truffle pizza came out first and it was SO good to say the least. It tasted very creamy and buttery, but it was definitely on the heavier side. I wish they added corn to it--I feel like that could be a nice addition. Shortly after, we were then served with the pasta. First, it looked soooo appetizing. The plating was phenomenal! The pasta itself was very creamy but not greasy at all. It also did not taste overlyyy fishy. Instead, the seaweed paired very well with the urchin & roe. Overall, I had a great experience at Bistro Kaz! The service was also lovely. The only downfall is that it is on the pricier side, so I definitely recommend to bring friends to share & split!

    50324006. Crab and Scallop Pepperoncino Pasta
    Yuhan K.

    I love the Japanese Italian fusion pastas that they serve here. I think it is such a great blend of Italian and Japanese flavors that complement each other. I have always went with their seafood varieties so I cannot speak on their other menu items but the cold cod roe pasta and the crab meat and scallop pepperoncino pasta are very good and they do not skimp on the ingredients. The server has always been friendly every time I have been there and I love the small space and interior of the restaurant. It has a certain charm to it that feels very cozy. If possible I would highly recommend going for their lunch menu as they include a house salad, a soup, and cold roasted barley tea or orange juice. It is such a great value that does not compromise on the quality of the food.

    Eggplant curry

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    Great food. No so great service. The waiter needs an attitude adjustment. Pork Belly was good.

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    Azuki Sushi

    Azuki Sushi

    4.4(3.6k reviews)
    5.9 miBanker's Hill
    $$$
    Takes reservations
    Vegan friendly

    I am only giving three stars because of our waitress - she was great. Other than that, the food…read morewas meh. The veggies in my mixed tempura were not ripe so the veggies I had were raw/crunchy - when they should be soft and tender to consume. This is basically a date night place or where Influencers go to hang out. Definitely not going back because you also have to pay for parking. Spend your hard earned dining dollars on a mom and pop shop where parking is free instead!

    My husband brought me here as a surprise bday dinner. We had our 5 year old in tow who ended up…read moreknocking out right after we ordered. We ordered a bunch (see photos). Cant remember what they're all called but they were all good and would 20/10 order them again. Ambiance was also wonderful! But what made this place even better was the staff. We were promptly sat down upon arriving. Servers frequently checked on us and were all so nice. But what really stood out was their empathy. Like i said, my son knocked out. He's 5. He woke up as we were leaving. by the time we figured out what was really upsetting him (he wanted to stay there and eat and wanted the table we were on), we have gotten out of our table and obviously the table was then cleaned for the next guests. So basically my lil one cried, took him to the bathroom bec unfortunately we dont get everything we want just bec we cry. So we went into the bathroom for him to cry his feelings out and be ready to get out. Was he loud? Absolutely. Was i embarrassed? Yes. But it was a lesson he needed to learn and i didnt want my discomfort to hinder that. (Mind you the bathroom was in the middle of the stairs lol midway the lower and the upper floor). So was i ashamed to get out? Yes. But the staff, so empathetic. So nice about it. Told me i didnt need to apologize and that they get it. And that made me feel better as a mama who walked out of there carrying a 5 year old out their door. No judgy stares. Just smiles and understanding eyes. So july 18 2026, 4-5pm staff, you are all so amazing and we truly appreciate it. We hope to be back again when in the area.

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    Azuki Sushi
    Azuki Sushi
    Azuki Sushi

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    Hatsuzakura - Salmon Onigiri

    Hatsuzakura

    4.4(607 reviews)
    3.7 miUniversity Heights
    $$

    Decent service food was smaller than expected but overall very delicious would come againread more

    WOW!! This place is legit! Happened to be in this area and was looking for great place to get some…read moreomurice and stumbled into this little gem of a place!! First, street parking only but don't let that deter you from coming coz every inch or foot that you spend walking to this place is all worth it. Secondly, love the ambiance. Reminds me a lot of those ikazaya pubs in Japan but a little more chic and modern. They have bar seating of about 10 and 6-8 tables inside. But they also have outdoor seating. So I came at exactly 11 am and I was the second guest and they sat me at the bar. By 11:30 am, the entire resto was full, not granting it was a Saturday morning but people prolly got smart to come here early before the lunch crowd gets bigger. So for the food, I had to order their Hayachi Omurice and Chef Soichi's Chicken karage and both were BOMB! 11/10 each! Love the flavor of the rice and nice touch of thin slices of meat and the egg was perfectly made. I just wished there were heapings of those egg. The sauce was slightly tangy but love the flavor. The other star of my meal was the karage. Prolly the Top 2 karage I've had. I liked how they sliced in lengthwise and there not too much coating. And it wasn't oily and very juicy inside. Well seasoned and it came with lemon wedges and kewpie mayo. All I did was sprinkle some Nanami Togarashi for an added umami flavor. Overall, this should be on your top 10 restos in San Diego. Service was excellent, the servers were all friendly and always smiles!! Kudos to you guys!! I'll be back for sure!!

    Photos
    Hatsuzakura - Interior view from front to back

    Interior view from front to back

    Hatsuzakura - Hayashi Omurice

    Hayashi Omurice

    Hatsuzakura - Ichigo Daifuku - Original and Matcha flavored

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    Ichigo Daifuku - Original and Matcha flavored

    Cui-daore - Sanji's Tuna Roll

    Cui-daore

    4.6(82 reviews)
    5.7 mi

    My friend and I went for dinner around 6pm on a Friday. Parking was easy at this time. There were a…read morefew other groups inside, but it wasn't packed. Service: We were welcomed as soon as we arrived. Everyone was very nice and very attentive. We ordered 4 items: orange ginza roll, una don, inari and the annin dofu dessert Orange ginza: oh yeah!! I usually hesitate getting citrusy rolls because they end up tasting the same as any other place or the citrus part over powers everything, but this was unique and the flavors balanced each other out. Tempura was also nice and crispy. Also love that they used lemon zest(?). Would order again. Una don: Their sauce for this is SO good and the unagi was cooked perfectly. Would order again. Inari set. I LOVE tofu and you don't see inaris in SD. We were very happy with this. Would order again. Annin dofu - this one was unique. Very almond heavy (not a bad thing). This is the only item I wouldn't get again. The tofu was tasty but I think a lot was going on with this dessert. There was a lot of texture, flavors, and color Not sure if this is normal for this dessert lots going on. there were mochi bits, tofu, matcha sauce, granola, raisins, dried strawberries(?). Fun to look at and try but kind of a lot going on. Overall: Would definitely come back. I do hope they get more employees though because I can see this place getting packed and needing more staff!

    I saw this business pop up briefly but quickly went under the radar - it wasn't until one of our…read morefriends wanted to grab dinner and this was an option that I was reminded by it. - PARKING - Small parking lot but it wasn't busy at all when we went. - SERVICE/ENVIRONMENT - Pretty small restaurant, with enough tables to seat up to 30 or so people? I wouldn't come with a group larger than 4! The staff were welcoming and noted that they were making more rice due to the fact they were busier than expected on a Wednesday night. We were still waiting for some friends so it wasn't a big deal! The server offered to comp a drink or an appetizer for the wait, but at the end it looked like they ended up not comping anything. - FOOD - We got a few rolls to share and they were all pretty good. One of our friends got a unagidon and seemed to enjoy it. We also got the yakitori to try and that was tasty as well. The menu isn't that big, but that's not surprising given their small shop. - OVERALL - A cute hidden gem - if I happen to be in the area I may come visit again, but otherwise will go to my usual Japanese spots.

    Photos
    Cui-daore - Inside seating

    Inside seating

    Cui-daore - Tuna Poke bowl

    Tuna Poke bowl

    Cui-daore - Sea Dragon roll. Seaweed salad.

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    Sea Dragon roll. Seaweed salad.

    Bistro Kaz - italian - Updated September 2026

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