Came in for dinner and had the best experience! Our server Antonia recommended the sashimi and the…read moresteak skewers which were delicious! The music, service, and ambience were amazing! Will be coming back!

Sago was the BEST experience!! Our server Lamar was amazing, he recommended we try a bunch of…read moredishes and eat them family style so we did. They spaced the timing of the dishes coming out perfectly and everything was delicious (i'm still dreaming about the chicken with caviar). The atmosphere was fun and lively and I loved how they had a live DJ. If you want amazing food/drinks and to feel like you're on a tropical vacation, book your reservation at Sago IMMEDIATELY!!

Kids loved it and so did we! Came here for my 12yo son's birthday and they can't wait to come back!read more

I love coming to this location, the food and service is always great. Our server Joseph was…read moreattentive and kind. I recommend trying the cow character buns and churros!

This place was so great! They have seating along the bar and tables along the walls of the…read morerestaurant. There's a chill yet elegant vibe to this place so feel free to dress up or be a bit more casual. In the evening, the lights dim and give it a romantic feel. The service was great and the food was DELICIOUS! If you're sober living, no problem! They have really good canned mocktails but trust, they're no ordinary canned drinks. They taste really good!! We ordered: miso soup and chicken gyozas as appetizers and the 5 hand roll set, Emo Brown Roll and blue crab hand roll for the meal. We had some of the sweet and spicy sauce left over from the gyozas and I used it on my spicy tuna roll and it was such a delicious combo! Overall, HIGHLY RECOMMEND! The executive chef Sebastian was also super down to earth and really cool! The Emo Brown Podcast brought us to this location and we will def be back and bring our family and friends to check it out.

Arrived at 6:30 solo on a Tuesday evening and was seated immediately at the bar. There was a big…read morescreen TV playing the World Cup and they had a special World Cup menu with special food and drinks. The place has a large central bar with a few tables around the periphery as well as a few outside on the sidewalk. The decor is clean and modern and the place has a vibey feel. Not exactly sure how to rate this place. If rating it as a bar primarily that also has decent sushi, I'd give it five stars. If rating it as a sushi bar I'd give it three stars. All of the sushi that I had (nigiri, cut rolls and hand rolls) were good but nothing special. If you're looking for a great sushi experience, this is likely not the place. They have a small selection of Japanese and local craft beers as well as bottled and tap sake. I originally characterized the service as slow and inattentive. But looking at it from the perspective of a bar, it was casual and friendly in the slow way you'd expect for hanging out in a bar and socializing or watching sports.

for nearly two years, Scout, my orange, husky-looking mut and I have been driving by their…read morenow-shuttered Encinitas location four times a week after playdates at Power Lines Dog Park. every time we do, I think "we gotta back there for another visit." pretty sure CHIKO has aged out of my draft queue. now that I've finally gotten around to finishing the review, they've been closed for months. in the draft, I suggested CHIKO might not be a destination restaurant, but if you happen to be in the neighborhood, it's definitely a place worth stopping by for eats. if you wait long enough, like I did, the nearest ones are in the DC area and probably not worth a cross-country trip. sad.

Post-mortem... I was sad to hear that CHIKO permanently closed their doors at the end of last year…read more It's rare for an East Coast based Asian chain restaurant to migrate to California, but that was what CHIKO did. As noted by its name, this place served a fusion of Chinese and Korean cuisines. Their Encinitas location took over what used to be a roadside diner along N Coast Hwy 101. The seating capacity was less than 40 people which included a few high-top counter spots. At my last visit, I came for a late dinner before their closing time. A large menu was posted on the wall behind the service counter that listed about two dozen food offerings. The items seemed to be comfort food like pot stickers, spring rolls, fried rice, and chicken wings but flavored with unique combinations of seasonings and spices. I started my meal with the Marinated Beef Tri-Tip Skewers which came as a set of three and a Chinese mustard for dipping. The meat was very tender and well-seasoned. I also ordered the Cumin Lamb Stir Fry which the cashier said was medium spicy. After tasting a couple of bites of the noodles from the serving bowl, I agreed that the heat level was moderate, even for my palate. I thought the portion size should have been more for the price. That was my main criticism for both items, otherwise the food was solid for an Asian fusion eatery.

Personally, I LOVED the freshness and flavor present in everything my group ordered for take-out:…read moreteriyaki chicken, avocado-eel rolls, protein rolls, salmon sashimi, miso soup, and Philly rolls. I waited an extra 15min past the estimated pick-up time for the order and the restaurant wasn't that busy at the time for the wait to make sense, but beauty takes time I suppose. The staff appeared friendly and the interior of the restaurant was very laid-back and casual. This would be a fun spot to go for a relaxed sushi dinner.

On our most recent visit, we had Josie as a server and she was INCREDIBLE! She was very friendly,…read morefast, and made great suggestions on the menu. Food was amazing as always and wait time on a Saturday night was exceptional for such a great meal. We'll be back! Thank you Josie!

Amazing service. They took us in very close to closing time and we felt like family…read more We showed up just before closing after a concert at belly up; instead of turning us away the chef made us two spectacular sushi rolls. Will be going back on our next trip to Solana Beach.

The food was absolutely excellent. The service was pretty bad. The staff were not trained to be…read moreattentive, they walked past or near our table and would not make eye contact or look our way so that they didn't have to help us. We got our first bite of food about 45 minutes after we arrived, they gave us 1 free edamame since it took so long. we had 4 alcoholic beverages (between all of us) plus food (not huge eaters) and the total bill with tip was $290. Yikes! I wanna love this place as a local as I'm into the laid-back beach vibe and I'm not overly demanding, but this service experience was a little over the top.

There are a handful of trendy, Western-style sushi spots in North County, but I was craving…read moresomething more "traditional," and Blue Fin definitely hit the spot. The lunch nigiri sets are a good value and tasted super fresh. We also ordered the hamachi kama which was delicious (it takes a bit longer to cook, so it came out about halfway through the meal). Service was friendly and attentive; everything felt relaxed. Would come back to try more of their specials and the rest of the menu.

This restaurant is a hidden gem in Encinitas! I hesitate to write this review because I don't want…read moremore people to find it! The service is always top notch and the food is great quality. We are greeted with a smile everytime we walk in and they have come to know us as regulars. Also, when you sit at the sushi bar, whatever the sesame dessert is that they give you is one of the best bites of food I have had in a long time!

High quality sushi at a low-key spot! We visited during early dinner without a reservation and was…read morelucky to get seated right away! It looks like most of the other tables were reserved for reservations. The decor is modern and very clean and chic. They also had a high chair and was accommodating with our baby. Food was incredible and the quality of the fish is evident throughout. We started with the mixed shrimp and vegetable tempura - light crispy batter, really good. The sashimi champaloo came with 12 pieces of sashimi, salmon, tuna, yellowtail, and the fish of the day was albacore. For rolls, we got the Luna Lemon, Maru's Sushi Toro, and Hamachi Hiro. The rolls were a good size and I loved how each had a fun twist (but at the same time not TOO crazy with their combinations like some other sushi places). You can tell it was designed with intention and each roll had a nice balance. The Luna Lemon roll was great with spicy tuna inside, salmon outside, and the soy dressing and shallot oil put it over the top. The Maru's Sushi - Toro roll looked so good in the photos so I knew we had to order it. The negitoro was delicious and did not disappoint. The Hamachi Hiro roll was hearty and loved the combination of yellowtail outside the shrimp tempura in the inside. We were blown away by how fast the service is. The staff was friendly and on top of everything, and the food came out REALLY fast. For example, when we ordered an extra roll at the end, it came out in maybe 3 minutes and we were shocked. Highly recommend!

We ordered takeout, and the food was packaged well!…read more We ordered the: -Sashimi champloo ($31.95): This had twelve pieces of prime cuts of salmon, tuna, yellowtail, and chef's choice. Every piece was delicious! -Chirashi bowl ($30.95): I really enjoyed the sushi rice in this bowl since not every restaurant does quality sushi rice. The sashimi was pretty good, but quality wise the sashimi champloo was definitely superior. -Salmon mango roll ($9.50): This had spicy salmon, mango, and ume furikake. This was quite tasty, and definitely had a kick to it. -Maru Maru roll ($9.50): This had imitation crab meat, shrimp tempura, and avocado. A basic roll but still good. -Chicken katsu curry don ($16.95): This was disappointing because the portion was quite small for the price. I do like how the curry was packaged separately. All in all, Hakumaru has quality sashimi and rolls, but could work on portion size for chicken katsu curry don.