Service and quality THE best in north county without a doubt. Owners are fun and chef is legit!

Pretty nice neighborhood sushi restaurant located in Encinitas. The foods here are pretty delicious. My favorite one is their Wahoo fish - nigiri and sashimi, which I don't see it often in other places. The other items are nice too, sushi roll, beef tongue, tempura, all good. The wine here is so so, it's pretty cheap too. Hot sake is decent. The only thing is when we got there tonight, they are packed and only have two waiters serving. So it was super slow, we waited 1 hour for appetizers to come. But their food is too good, so I still give a 5 star. read more

See all

Food was great, Service was great. The Sushi Chefs were very good and entertaining. Some exciting unique dishes

If you know me, I'm not a fan of raw fish and I'll only eat rolls with an exception to poke once in a while. Why? I'm not familiar with what to order but if the person I'm dining with, wants to introduce me then I'm all in. This would be one of those times, where my friend insisted this place was authentic and her favorite because the fish is shipped from Japan daily and it's women owned whom also works behind the counter. I had amberjack for the first time and I just can't believe it! I think I'm hooked! I got shrimp tempura roll and the udon which is a must have, the broth was light and the udon is super fresh. If only I knew more about fish, I wouldn't mind coming back to be adventurous to try other items. read more

See all

Great spot! Food came out fast and was delicious. Awesome service and even better prices. Ambiance was nice too.

Really good sushi and sashimi! Fresh, clean, intimate setting and really nice staff and customers.

Great food and service. Sat outside on front patio. Nice sushi bar. Will be back! Friendly staff. read more

Legit sushi restaurant! Glad we found it. Staff is all Japanese and chef is considered a Sushi King by Eater

I honestly don't understand the positive reviews!! I ordered a few pieces of nigiri, cali roll, spicy tuna roll and a so called "dynamite roll". All of it was bad and we're not talking Michael Jackson bad. The nigiri is not fresh tasting and super small pieces. The Cali roll has one long piece of solid surimi that was taken right out of the package and not chopped. Spicy tuna had Tabasco sauce and a piece of carrot in it (I kid you not). And the dynamite roll was like a gigantic deep fried california roll with some type of ground, rubbery meat inside (ground cooked tuna or ground eel?). Whatever it was, the frankenstein creation was not good. Overall, the sushi quality and taste was like nothing in the reviews. This place was listed as a top 15 sushi place in SD - I bet to differ. I went to Kaito for the first time last year, but thought I'd give them another try after two of my favorite sushi restaurants had closed due to the pandemic, and since there are somehow 550 plus reviews averaging 4.5 stars ... just to make sure I wasn't having CO2 mask hallucinations at that time. Nope, one year later and just as bad. If you don't believe me, go up the street to Vons and pick up a Cali roll and salmon or tuna nigiri sushi and compare -- Vons sushi is far better which is sad. read more

Kaito Sushi - Tried to capture: piece of carrot in spicy tuna (WTF!), solid surimi and very little avocado in Cali roll, and gawd awful "dynamite roll" - Sushi Bars Near Me - Encinitas, California

LEGIT AUTHENTIC JAPANESE SUSHI We have a timeshare on the beach but we make the 20 minute drive to get sushi here at Kaito because it's THE BEST sushi in the area. And trust me we live next to Little Tokyo in LA and eat good sushi all the time so we know wassup Amberjack citrus sashimi w/ the black masago eggs and chopped jalapeño was a great starter dish. O-toro and maguro (fatty tuna blue fin tuna), halibut w/ yuzu (citrus), scallop w/ yuzu, buttery uni everything was FRESH and OISHI! Tempura Mixed veggie and shrimp was good too. Not too thick batter is crispy get this! Sake - kubata manju- is pricey at $120 but if you love sake get this it's sweet and perfect with the sushi. Arigato thank you! We will see you next year on our next vacation. Covi read more

See all

By far the best Sushi in North County, and one of the best Sushi restaurants in San Diego. Service is awesome and the sushi chefs are amazing. Food is consistently amazing. I don't understand some of the negative reviews. I am very much a sushi snob. I have been coming here for years and service has always been great and the sushi has always been fresh. I have never had bad suchi here. If you want the real sushi prepared by real Japanese chefs, then this is the place. If you want cheap, low quality and quick sushi, prepared by non Japanese "chefs" then this is not the place. read more

Great local sushi place. I've been here a couple of times and am consistently impressed by the quality of the fish and sushi, and for super reasonable prices. The food is fresh and well prepared, and they have a ton of options for everyone! I love their combination plates and omakase options, which allow you to try a variety of fish. Their rolls are great as well. I love eel and their caterpillar roll is great. Their soft shell crab roll is amazing and has a cucumber wrapper. For appetizers, my favorite is the agedashi tofu - lightly fried and in a delicious broth. A must try in Encinitas and my favorite spot! read more

See all

It was fine. Nothing outstanding and nothing awful. Just a typical, strip mall sushi place. Typical for the area.

Came here after reading good reviews. Outside tent is convenient and provided comfort during this pandemic. The tent area can serve food from both Kaito Sushi and Pho-ever, which is very nice. We may come to a day that they didn't have many choices, out of orders on many of my choices. 4 stars for future improvement on menu offerings. read more

Kaito Sushi - Toro, hamachi, uni sushi market price - Sushi Bars Near Me - Encinitas, California

See all

We love this place! Excellent food, fresh sushi, great service and entertaining sushi chef!!

Still probably the best sushi in San Diego. I love their toro and salmon sashimi. The toro in particular is so fresh, flavorful, fatty and tender. It's spectacular. Miso soup is warm and cozy and perfect with flavor as usual. So simple but they do it right. Certainly best miso soup I can think of. Also really enjoy the DFR and Rainbow rolls. Protocols during COVID are great. Lots of outdoor seating spaced far apart. Felt really safe and clean, and service was good as usual. Easy to get a restaurant last minute on a Saturday. read more

They were able to accommodate us on a Friday night as a walk in and sit at the sushi bar. Our chef was awesome and BUSY but was able to take care of everyone. Great sushi and looked even more appetizing as he prepared it. Will be there anytime we are in the neighborhood! read more

Excellent unique food very well prepared and presented. Tiny little secret restaurant in Encinitas.

It is abundantly clear that the owner of this restaurant, Ryan, who was also our server has no interest in welcoming new guests to Kaito. Our table observed him serve other guests throughout the night with various hugs while he paid ample attention to them. The treatment we received while being served by him was embarrassing at best. He offered no introduction, no welcome in, not even a 'hello' before he demanded our order. He proceeded to carry himself with a pious attitude, abrasive tone, condescending glares and snappy responses to questions. If his objective was to ensure we would not return to nor recommend this place then he certainly achieved that. This restaurant is not welcoming to new, first time visitors. If you are considering coming here and do not personally know the owner -- forget it! Because you'll surely be forgotten about and looked over if he is the one to serve you. Save your money and go anywhere else. read more

This is the best sushi in North county! You do not come here for service or ambiance, you come here for high quality fish. Uni and blue fin tuna is always amazing and very fresh. Although the rolls are good, nigiri and sashimi are where this place shines. The fish quality here is as good as any sushi place in San Diego. The menu is not large and not at all innovative, but if you want great quality fish and great quality standard sushi, you can't beat Kaito. Their uni is expensive, but it's always amazing quality! read more

If I could give this place zero stars, I would. My family and I went to dinner with some neighbors tonight. The saki was good, the food was good as well. However, I will never go back. My 1 1/2 year old daughter starting crying during dinner. I quickly picked her up, tried to sooth her. She cried again as I put her back in the booth. Within minutes, the owner of the restaurant walked over and asked us to leave because my child was crying. HE ASKED US TO LEAVE. I have never felt more belittled, insulted, and hurt as a mother. The audacity of the owner, is absolutely beyond me. I would highly suggest that anyone with children - or a soul - find another establishment for sushi. read more

This place is a hidden gem that I discovered back during my UCSD days. To this day, I still think it is one of the best sushi I've ever had in SoCal. Omakase is the way to go when dining here. The fish is extremely fresh and great quality. The sushi chefs (especially chef Kazu) are very interactive and fun to talk to. Here are some of my favorites: -Red snapper topped with yuzu, rock salt, and lemon -Anago (salt-water eel), comes with the spine deep fried -Amberjack -Beef tongue -Uni -Maguro tuna and toro... basically you can't go wrong with any of the tuna here -Salmon (melts in your mouth like butter!) The only downside is that there can be a bit of a wait time in between the sushi orders. Parking is easy peasy. read more

See all

Wow! Two thumbs up! Delicious! Authentic style nigiri & sashimi! Service is quick & friendly! They killed it!!

Overall kind of disappointing- sushi chefs not really paying attention, forgetting orders I have been going here since it opened- not really the quality and service what I expected from a $150 plus meal. read more

I always enjoy this place. A simple sushi bar with a few tables but lots of buzz from the chefs. Prompt and polite service. Very tasty food. I always ask for there suggestions and take those for the most part. You can't lose. read more

Finally some authentic Japanese food! My husband and I had thought the food was amazing, and excellent and friendly service!

Honestly mediocre. I wasn't impressed. Everyone was going next door to Pho because of the colder weather. Glows: The ambiance is nice. LOVE the decor The salmon and tuna I had were fresh. Grows: Kind of expensive for what you get The udon wasn't filling Taste wasn't up to the stars yelp stated The sushi wasn't wrapped tightly and fell apart EXTREMELY SLOW SERVICE. Just a suggestion but thank the customers as we leave. read more

Kaito Sushi - Restaurant - Sushi Bars Near Me - Encinitas, California

I was really excited to try this place out. I got to the pho place all the time. Met a friend for dinner and drinks after work on a Friday night. From the time I sat down, to the time they closed, I felt attitude from the server and I felt rushed the entire time I was there. After sitting down, the server came to get our order. Of course, we were talking entirely too much to review the menu. I hurried and ordered some wine, then wanted to look at the menu before ordering food. She came back around, and we ordered some food. I ordered some sashimi, and he ordered some appetizers and sushi. The food is really good. We sat and talked, and I felt after we got our food, I had to chase the server down for more wine before we noticed we were the last people there. I did not realize they closed so early. I would have appreciated it more if they could have politely reminded me of when they closed, instead of feeling rushed and given attitude the entire time I was there. Moral of story. Good food. Bad service. read more

It is our go to sushi restaurant for sure. Great food and friendly service always. Gyoza and miso soup perfect and sushi always top notch.

Had pass , won't be coming back. Sushi was the worst I've ever had. They won't go out of the way to accomidate any requests. The seaweed salad was decent. The rolls were very bland and when my other party asked for some sauce they gave her what appeared to be taco sauce. Jeeze if I wanted rolled tacos I would have went to Alberto's. It was like mexian sushi or something. So we then tried a fried roll and that tasted like a flauta. I was like WTF . she wanted siracha mayo and they said they don't have mayo and handed her siracha? Guess if your a regular you may get special treatment but as outsiders looks like they want to keep you out.ohh well now I know where not to go. read more

I really like the atmosphere here. Decor, music, noise level are all great. You can have a conversation here but there is still a good energy here. Service was friendly. Was able to be seated here right away on a Friday night. Menu is just ok. I love specialty rolls, but it was hard to find one that didn't have tempura or spicy fish in it. I went with Caterpillar, which was delicious, but not inventive or exciting. Nick had the rainbow roll, which tasted fresh but didn't have any complex flavor. Easy parking. read more

Kaito is an awesome sushi spot located in an unsuspecting strip mall in east Encinitas. This place serves up some really solid fresh fish and omakase that will leave you wanting more each and every day. There are a couple of sushi spots in San Diego that are really good and I would say that Kaito ranks up there pretty high, even rivaling some of the spots in Tokyo... The sashimi is fresh, beer selection is awesome and the staff is as friendly as can be. Highly recommended... Legit- Fresh fish Great selection Friendly service Unique experience Japanese beer Omakase Flavoring Plenty of parking Toro belly, need I say more? Meh- VERY VERY small Long waits Not the most elegant location lol Can get pricey read more

See all

0 stars! Kaito has completely gone downhill. It used to be one of our favorites in North County but service and quality are absolutely poor ( not even below average). The scariest thing was we found scale and bone in our sushi. We felt disgusted after going there and being treated like trash by the male server. read more

Traditional Japanese sushi are not easy to find these days. This is a gem in North County. Quality you can taste with each bite. It's an intimate space but they were able to accommodate my party of 10 with plenty of safe space around us. Hope to visit the place every time we are in town from Chicago! read more

Kaito Sushi - Last piece in the omakase. Yummy - Sushi Bars Near Me - Encinitas, California

See all

So yummy so fresh so authentic. Great service and easy parking. Tight for big parties but great for families.

Since my last review, we've returned twice more since for omakase. During our visit 1 of 2, we ordered an oyako don, which was a generous portion and had great flavors. We also ordered chef's choice sashimi, uni nigiri, amberjack nigiri, all of it so fresh and delicious! A week later we returned for visit #2, and we worked with a female sushi chef. A first! She didn't disappoint. She took time and care with the food presentation and preparation. It was amazing. Everything from uni, amberjack, albacore, grilled mehikari! My favorite of the evening was negi toro handroll. It was my first time ordering this, and I'm going to order this every time!! The crunchy seaweed with the sushi rice and fresh negitoro. In heaven!!!! I can't wait to return again soon! Thank you Kaito! read more

Best sushi in north county. Everything is fresh and so delicious. Servers were awesome and provided great recommendations too. Love this place! read more

Wow! Finally found a reasonably priced sushi restaurant in Encinitas that has amazing sushi and dishes. It is a small restaurant so you should expect a wait on the weekends. Started with the shrimp shumai and tatsuta-age, which is a Japanese fried chicken. Both were great! The shumai come in bite sized pieces which I loved. Got the chicken katsu-don rice bowl which was incredible! The best chicken katsu I've ever had; perfectly cooked chicken with a tasty sauce. I also enjoyed the beginning-toro roll. Although the portion is small, the quality of the toro is great. Noticed a couple parties getting omakase at the bar. The plates looked delicious and I would definitely come back to try it! read more

Kaito Sushi - Tatsuta-age fried chicken and shrimp shumai: both very good - Sushi Bars Near Me - Encinitas, California

See all

I came here on a Friday night around 6:30pm and was seated right away. The place is a little smaller so I was surprised there wasn't a wait but right after I sat down the rush came in and the wait built up. For appetizers I ordered the tatsuta-age and shrimp shumai. They both came in a little bite-sized pieces and were very delicious! Thought it was kind of cool to see a chinese item as an appetizer as well. For sushi I ordered the caterpillar roll, dynamite roll, and negi toro. The quality was very good for the price. I was very pleasantly surprised since sushi quality is usually a toss up at these prices. I also had the chicken katsu-don which was one of the best chicken katsu dishes I've had. I'll definitely be back and the omakase looked really good as well so have to give it a try! read more

Kaito Sushi - Caterpillar roll - Sushi Bars Near Me - Encinitas, California

Still without a question my favorite sushi. We had such a great time last night and nearly cleaned out their socks. Always quality, fresh fish. Hands-down the best octopus I have had on the mainland. They only buy what they will sell, it does not get any fresher, unless it's still flapping. The staff are always extremely friendly and knowledgeable. They are the only that sell black Asahi, hard to find. read more