Kotobuki is one of those hidden gems tucked away in a quiet shopping center on Clairemont Mesa Blvd. I've had the opportunity to dine here twice - and both times have been fantastic. Recently, my friend Jenne joined me, and she spent many years living in Japan and was delighted when her Bento box arrived on the table! The food here is authentic and made with love. You can really taste the quality and the freshness of the ingredients. Each dish in the bento was perfect - my favorite piece was the small grilled mackerel. It tastes like buttery heaven! Out of this world delicious! I've also had the spicy hamachi roll and it's a wonderful appetizer. Can't wait to come back! read more

Kotobuki - Japanese Near Me - San Diego, California

See all

Chirashi bowl I tried were decent. The raw fish tasted decent, but the taste & texture of the bed of rice didn't blend well with my chirashi. Tastes more home-made/DIY if you know what I mean. Hardly the best chirashi I've tried (and I've tried plenty), but the chirashi bowls are affordable & portioned generously. [[HIGHLIGHT]]Attentive service and restaurant wasn't overpacked, so it's a nice place for a relaxing meal if you just want to be fed and not necessarily looking a place for a special occasion.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] read more

Met up with a friend for dinner during the week, and the place was empty. Despite this, Kotobuki surprised us with delicious sushi, sashimi, and tempura. The menu offers no-frills, good quality and reasonably priced Japanese food. Ambiance is minimal as it's a small space, but clean and welcoming. Parking is easy, which is a premium in SD! I would definitely go back to Kotobuki again. read more

i really loved it here. like so much. it's an underrated place i feel and might be overlooked but if you are debating on coming here debate no further it's worth it. the price is very reasonable especially compared to other places near by. the lady that worked there was so friendly and kind that i would go back just for her alone. the sushi was very very very good. some of the freshest yellow tail i've had and the salmon was very good too. i had the sashimi bowl which comes with miso hamachi sushi and salmon avocado along with green tea which is refillable and all of it was so fresh and well done i absolutely am coming back here. if there would be something that they could change to maybe get more people in then it would be the tables and chairs and making it more of a hipper place but to be honest it didn't bother me one bit because the music and food was so good read more

Kotobuki - hamachi sushi and salmon avocado - Japanese Near Me - San Diego, California

See all

Nice little japanese restaurant tucked away in the corner of this strip mall. Legit Japanese food run by a husband and wife, the sushi chef used to work for many popular sushi restaurants including sushi Ota. I got the bento $18 came with miso soup, tofu salad, tempura, sashimi, and grilled fish. Everything i got was expertly prepared, fresh and tasty. I really liked the tofu salad, the tofu was so soft and the dressing was so absolutely amazing! The tempura was crunchy and light and the sashimi was very fresh. I also got an order of Toro for $10 and an order of negitoro which are both insanely cheap! The toro was melt in your mouth delicious i wanted to order more because it was so cheap but i was already full from my meal. Next time im gonna come back just for sushi. They dont have the largest selection of sushi just the basics but thats all you really need. They usually bring in toro as a special. Its located in the corner of the strip mall tucked behind the donut shop, so theres lots of parking. Service is attentive and friendly, prices for nigiri and sashimi are cheap for what you get and not usually crowded. read more

This is a lovely, peaceful restaurant with authentic & delicious Japanese food at a very reasonable price. Perfect for a little date night or a casual dinner. We came a little after they opened on a Saturday night & were seated right away. The server was sweet & attentive, refilling our water & hot tea throughout the dinner. We ordered the salmon & spicy tuna rice bowl as well as the sashimi rice bowl, & an otoro nigiri. Everything came out promptly & was presented beautifully. The dishes here are delicious & among the more affordable out of all the Japanese places we've been to. We had a lovely experience & would recommend entirely! read more

See all

Well....i gotta say, I was a bit worried when I first got here on a Tuesday around 6. It was pretty empty granted the place is pretty small. Only 1 waitress working. Took a lil bit to even get our drinks....but once she got to us" we ordered miso soup, salmon sashimi, nigiri salmon, salmon crunchy roll, rainbow roll, soft shell crab roll, hamachi jalapeno......ALL were Soooii stinkin good. Our waitress checked on us often. The portions don't seem as big as other places but definitely makes up in flavor. Prices are very reasonable and My family and I are very satisfied and will be coming back. Yummy yummy Didn't get to take any pics...we came hungry and scarfed it all down way to fast read more

I loved this sushi restaurant! It's a hidden gem for sure - it was pretty quiet for a Saturday night but it might've been because it was rainy today. I ordered a rainbow roll and my boyfriend ordered a dragon roll. Both were phenomenal - taste and presentation wise!! Seriously - check out of the pictures (also my boyfriend took a bite out of the dragon roll already by the time the picture was taken so it looks a bit unbalanced). Also, the salmon tasted so good and fresh!! It was also pretty affordable for both rolls. Our host was both kind and timely. I highly recommend anyone who lives around here to give this place a try. I'm not even from San Diego, but I can't wait to come back to have sushi here again. It might be my favorite place read more

See all

This is an unassuming and small restaurant located in a strip mall with lots of parking. The bento box was great. The box consisted of salad with tofu, tempura, sashimi and mackerel. It came with a side of rice and miso soup. My first bite was the tofu which was amazingly soft and fresh. It's the best tofu I've eaten. The tempura was perfectly fried. The sashimi was fresh, but wasn't melt in your mouth type of fish (which you find in higher end sushi establishments). The mackerel was was meaty, but didn't have the distinct and robust flavor that it's known for. It was still good though. Service was quick and friendly during lunch hour and the ambiance was casual and clean. read more

Kotobuki - Japanese Near Me - San Diego, California

Acting on a friend's recommendation we stopped in here for lunch today. Just amazing! This spot will go into our regular rotation. I ordered the bento and my husband had the sushi bowl. We both left very happy. read more

disrespectful I've never been to a restaurant that simply can't seat us because we have 7 people. I thought maybe it was because they did not have a big table, so I asked if we could split into two tables. The female lady said no, they don't split tables. I cannot wrap my head around the logic. My family and I were speechless standing there. It was an awkward silence, with no apologies or any other explanation. [[HIGHLIGHT]]They were not busy either, all empty tables except for 2.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] I realized that the restaurant was closing at 2 p.m., we arrived at 12:45 p.m. If the reason was because they were closing soon, they would be more reasonable than they simply cannot take parties more than 6 people. I really would give this place a 0 if I could. read more

We arrived at 6:00pm on a Saturday and waited for a few mins to be seated. We saw there was only one table unoccupied (thank goodness). There was only one server tending the entire restaurant. Prior to seating us, she informed us that there had been an excessive amount of takeout orders and that it would probably take awhile for our food. I asked approximately how long? She said probably 30. We said that was fine. The food came out exactly 30 mins upon placing our order. I applaud the accuracy. HA. Their menu seems pretty limited, sushi-wise. It didn't have our top sushi items sushi as uni, sweet shrimp, salmon belly, etc... they pretty much had just mainly tuna, yellowtail, and salmon. We ordered the Sashimi Bowl and Sashimi Combo; so we could try both since they seemed exactly the same. The difference is that the sashimi bowl comes with sushi rice, versus the combo, which comes with plain white rice. The fish was quality; I was surprised that the tuna was toro (fatty tuna). It was melt in your mouth. I left still hungry but that was expected. The hubby gives it 3 stars...but that's because he doesn't understand sushi is pricey and appreciate its delicacy; he said it shouldn't take 30 mins to cut up some fish and put it on a plate/bowl. LOL. I give it between 3.5-4 stars. read more

Kotobuki - Japanese Near Me - San Diego, California

See all

Sushi was amazing! Very fresh. We were seated promptly and service was great. Loved the Hamachi Jalapeño roll a lot. Definitely will be back :) read more

Found a hidden gem. Simple and basic with regards to the fish they have, but the quality is high and the value is great. Sushi rice was so much better than many places I've been, certainly more authentic than many other Japanese restaurants these days. Service was great, attentive and friendly. read more

Pros: I love how fresh and delicious the food is here. The tables are set up spaciously so you don't feel overcrowded. Parking isn't an issue either since it's in a strip mall. Con: There's only one waitress, so getting her attention or your food takes a little longer. It's worth the wait, though. read more

The food was okay. Normal Japanese food. However, it did not have the same tempura vegetables like in the picture. I was given potatoes, carrots , & broccoli. The service was good and it was really quiet. read more

Kotobuki - Japanese Near Me - San Diego, California

See all

Quality of fish is really good! We got the rice bowls, one yellowtail roll, and tempura, which was more than filling for two. I think the rice was a bit too much but otherwise a good meal. Good for take out. Prices are fair for sushi. read more

Kotobuki - Spicy tuna & salmon rice bowl + tempura - Japanese Near Me - San Diego, California

See all

No nonsense place. Food is solid and tables are far apart. Service is great. Parking is easy and usually there is no wait. read more

[[HIGHLIGHT]]Would not seat more than 6 people and refused to let us split tables despite the restaurant being empty[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]]

We had an amazing meal here!! We tried the sashimi combination, salmon and toro nigiri and a spicy tuna and Philadelphia roll and everything was amazing! Very fresh and tasty fish on its own and also delicious in the rolls too. The inside is very nicely decorated in a simple but clean and calming way. The food came out very quickly and our server was very nice and friendly - will definitely be coming back again soon!! read more

See all

Nice ambiance. Good place to talk not too loud. Food was ok. I got bento box. Mackerel and salad were good. Miso soup had nice smokiness from katsuo read more

Kotobuki - Japanese Near Me - San Diego, California

Sushi spot is solid. A sashimi bowl with miso soup ran me $25 after tax and tip. Pricey for sure. But hey. Inflation and the fact sushi type food isn't cheap anyway. Great presentation for take out. Packaged neatly and the food came out in under 10 minutes. read more

Small place with not a lot of seating, max 6 at a table, only one worker, small menu, but pretty good fish. I got the sashimi bowl, and although portions of fish are small and I did not leave full, it was pretty good. read more

See all

Years ago, I forgot to write about my Yelp experience at Kotobuki. A couple of months ago, I ordered takeaway during my lunch hour. Upon opening my bag, I saw the characteristic blue napkins given with my chopsticks and realized I have enjoyed Kotobuki before. The royal blue napkins definitely represent the meaning of the restaurant's name, "happy event". Aside from semantics, customer service was polite and the food was delicious. I ordered a bento box which simple presentation provided a satisfying meal. I am not usually a fan of tofu, but Kotobuki's tofu tastes homemade and smooth. Eating the tofu with a dash of soy sauce is all that was needed. The Saba was a salty delight in contrast to the delicate tofu. The crunchy tempura added another dimension to my bento box. Lastly (but I enjoyed first) was the tuna and salmon sashimi. Luckily, I ordered a side of hamachi sashimi to complete my (re)experience of this quality restaurant. If I am working in the area again, I will have to revisit! read more

See all

Wow!! Just amazing. You can taste the high quality of the fish, tempura is light and crunchy, and the tofu salad was one of the best I've ever had! This cute little spot is our new favorite place for Japanese food. Yellowtail jalapeño sashimi: 9/10 Pretty thick cuts of fish Bento box: 10/10 Will be getting this again!!!! Plz get this Toro: 10/10 Melts in your mouth My bf had three sushi rolls (his ratings): Crunchy roll: 8/10 Hamachi jalapeño roll: 7/10 Caterpillar roll: 10/10 Service was great! There was only one server, but she did a great job checking up on us. The food came out quick. Cant wait to come back read more

See all

What i ordered | Philadelphia roll ($8.5) Soft shell crab roll ($9.50) Miso soup ($1.50) Taste | the roll was good and portion of the rolls was a decent size. i requested that the cucumber be replaced with avocado for .50 more, which wasn't too bad. miso soup was alright for the price. Service | our server was very nice and helped us which our adjustment requests to the rolls This place a little pricy for rolls, but would like to come back for their bento boxes. read more

I wanted to try so many things on the menu but decided to order the salmon and spicy tuna bowl ($16), two things I love!! the salmon tasted fresh and the spicy tuna was a nicer texture than what I'm used to at other places (but it wasn't spicy to me). our orders came with miso soup too the environment was really nice/comfortable, there weren't many customers eating in (maybe bc we came on a tuesday night?) and the tables are very spaced out parking: in a plaza with many spots, I didn't have any trouble on a weeknight seating: 5-6 tables + bar seating read more

See all

quiet place with good service and delicious food. it reminds me of Japanese hone style cooking. while there arent a lot of seats it definitely builds toward the intimate atmosphere at this place, even with the limited menu. i especially liked the mackerel, as it was so savory and melting in my mouth i would have gladly ordered more! read more

Kotobuki - udon with miso mackerel - Japanese Near Me - San Diego, California

Quality of the fish was very good, quiet and intimate setting. Very fair prices. My only complaint is it just tasted bland, it's hard to explain what was missing. I've eaten at sushi ota and really enjoyed it, so I don't know, I feel like my standards with sushi are fairly high but not completely unreasonable. Maybe your experience will be better. read more

I'm a little conflicted about this weekday lunch visit. This is a very small (16 seat) restaurant in my neighborhood. They are closed Sunday & Monday. There are 2 people working there, a cook and one lady serving. As I was walking up a crowd of office type gentlemen were walking out with takeout orders. And I mean like 8 guys. As I stepped to the doorway there was a small crowd waiting to be seated. Most of those folks left after being told it would be 40 minutes for food. I decided to wait, and at 40 minutes I had a seat, my iced tea, miso soup, and edamame. The restaurant had clearly gotten overwhelmed on this first day of their week. The atmosphere is quiet and tables are well spaced. It might be a peaceful place for a meal but the server was literally running thru the restaurant trying to do everything. Iced tea was strong, tasty. Miso soup was quite good. Edamame was served warm and tasted fresh. The batter on the tempura was very light, too light, I thought. The shrimp were the freshest I've had, sweet and plump. If she had been less busy I would have liked some sweetener for my tea, a sprinkle of salt for my edamame. The dipping sauce for the tempura was bland. There were no condiments on the table, no soy sauce, salt, sugar, etc. And she was RUNNING trying to serve everyone. I felt bad even thinking of asking for extras. So, if you have a short lunch this is not your restaurant. I'm not sure about going back. read more

See all

I dream about this place! The fish was so fresh. Oh man, if I knew about this place while I worked nearby I would be here every lunch. The prices are expensive but the quality of the fish makes sense. We came for dinner on a Thursday and the place was dead. Which was great for me and the girls since we usually sit around, gossip and drink sake. The sake is good too. Service is quick and owner is great. The place is small but when we went there was no crowd. We spent way too long there, we practically closed the place down. The Sashimi bowls were a lot bigger than I thought. I love the rice they use it was very tasty. I got a roll thinking that the bowl wouldn't fill me up but it was a big bowl the photos are deceiving in a good way. Well, all in all, the girls and I had a great girl's night out here and we will be back again. read more

Great service and amazing sushi! We really enjoyed the negitoro small roll and the spicy tuna roll. Highly recommend! read more

Buttery salmon and salmon kama. Nice tempura. Limited seating. This is one of those ones I hesitate to review because I'm afraid it will become too crowded. read more

Kotobuki - Bento - Japanese Near Me - San Diego, California

See all

One of the best sushi places ever!!! I was shocked by the price of the fish, given the high quality. It's a small little restaurant, but one that should not be underestimated. The lady who took care of us was the only one working in the front and she was very kind. I honestly hope this place doesn't get too busy because I feel like it's my new hidden gem, but I'm also rooting for the owners and their success! read more

Kotobuki - Japanese Near Me - San Diego, California

See all

The search is over -- THIS is the best sushi in San Diego! The price is reasonable and the quality is EXCELLENT. I ordered the sashimi combo, Maguro toro sushi, and unagi sushi. Let's start with the rice -- you can always tell the quality of a sushi restaurant from its rice. And it was incredible! Perfect slight furikake seasoning and a mix of some roasted rice. So good. The fish was all fresh and delicious. I'm definitely coming back. read more

Excellent sushi. I will definitely come back here for more when I am down to San Diego area. This was a surprise as I was not expecting such a high quality sushi because of the main picture of the roll on this page. Food: 4.5/5 This place deserves more recognition. The quality of fish here is comparable to other more expensive sushi places. Despite the small portion, I felt I was getting amazing deal because of the quality of the food. Every sushi i had were spot on. Service: 5/5 The servers here are very genuine and friendly in Japanese style. The service was prompt and everything was just flawless. Overall, this is an amazing restaurant that strives to serve quality sushi at a reasonable price. There is no fancy decor or valet for your boat(lol). But they focus on the food and service which matter the most. If I lived near place, i would go here every week. read more

See all

We came here for a casual date night and loved it. The seating is limited due to social distancing but makes for a more intimate setting. We ordered a hamachi kama, dragon roll, spider roll, and sashimi bowl. We both had miso soups too. Everything was just perfect. I have zero critique and we're so excited to come back again. The kama was one of the best I have ever had, and I always order it when I see it on the menu at restaurants. The rolls were fresh and rice ratio was fantastic. We saw nearby tables enjoy tempura and it smelled so good, so we will have to try it next time. I highly recommend this place for a small party since it's difficult for them to accommodate large groups at this time. read more

See all

My friend and I decided to eat here for lunch. The restaurant is pretty small and there's only one server. We shared the sashimi plate, Hamachi Jalapeno roll and tempura. Fish tasted fresh. Everything was a reasonable price too. read more

See all

Authentic Japanese food. Excellent service and nice ambiance. . loved the bento box and tofu salad.

Outstanding sushi! Don't garlic ponzu sauce! Everything is super fresh and delicious. Great selection of beer to go with it. Ordered 3 rolls and couldn't decide which was our favorite. Affordable! read more