An inventive menu and fun atmosphere are tragically let down by average food and terrible service. Visiting on a slow sunday afternoon we seated ourselves on their nice patio. The menu gave us a good impression by not taking itself too seariously. In addition to your standard sushi fare, they feature some interesting dishes like fried chicken and asian meatloaf and mashed potatoes. I might have looked forward to returning to see what asian meatloaf was all about, had I not been completely turned off by the remainder of our experience. Arriving to take our order without introduction, asking if we were ready, or any other common courtesy, the waitress simply asked, "what do you want to eat?" Once we made up our minds my wife ordered a chicken teriyaki bento box and asked to have only veggie tempura, but no shrimp. I ordered an assortment of 4 rolls. Our meals arrived after an unusually long wait and we were both served bento boxes, both with shrimp. After taking both of our dishes away and trying to figure out what had gone wrong they brought back my wife's bento box (shrimp included), which by this time had grown cold, stating that they would make seperate veggie tempura. My rolls arrived shortly after. My rolls were good to average, as were my wife's rice and cucumber salad. The tempura was good, but the chicken teriyaki was not overly flavorful and slightly overcooked. No one ever came back to ask how our meals were or whether we were satisfied. Additionally we were given such a hassle about how their system works when we tried to pay with an AMEX gift card that we ended up just putting it on a credit card. We won't be back, and I wouldn't advise anyone to visit either. Poor service ruined anything else that they might have done right. read more

Hidden Jem in Coronado. Had dinner with my wife and loved all the recommendations from chef Tony. They also have daily specials including half off wine on Tuesday. Can't wait to return for another date night. read more

One of the five best places for sushi I've been in a life of eating sushi. The chef's sampler sashimi is 35 for the small (which is huge) and comes with three pieces of five kinds of fish. This is premium sushi and the chef is very involved in the menu. They have a lot of seasonal fish from far-flung lands, including Fiji albacore. I hate albacore not from Fiji and when I order a sushi combination, it's the piece of Nigiri I always give to a friend or leave on the plate. I discovered that albacore from Fiji, however, is wonderful. The prices are peculiar. Booze is the bargain here, with six or seven specialty cocktails including a terrific old-fashioned for 8.50. That's unheard of except at Happy Hour and very rarely is there a specialty cocktail offered at a discount. It's usually wine, beer and well-drinks, though in NYC, you see fewer well-drinks on a fine dining or upscale happy hour. The sake flights range between 10 and 14. Mine was the "seaside" or something and I didn't like two of the sakes but so what, that's how you find new things you like. You experiment and sometimes it works out and other times it doesn't. The specialty rolls are extremely innovative and I nearly tried the "Grand" and the "Saiko" but I really don't like tempura crunches in sushi roll so went for the sashimi. That wasn't cheap but worth every penny. Regular rolls (tuna, salmon, eel etc) are not expensive and the nigiri is in line with mid-level sushi restaurants, except with better fish than you find in a non-premium roll. With Yelp check-in, you get a 1 dollar hot sake. The patio is coveted and you do have to wait for that on some days (other days, they take reservations). The servers are out of this world. There is a pretty young woman with some pink in her blonde ringlets and she's efficient and cool. My friend is not a drinker (diet Coke with lemon always) and a regular here during the summer. I told her server I am a lush and wanted recommendations on drinks and she said we would get along well. The appetizers are innovative and tempting, though I didn't have any. Impressive on all counts. read more

Made reservations for today, received a confirmation email, went to the restaurant, note on the door said they were closed. They get 2 stars instead of one because the manager took it like a champ when I b^tched him out. read more

Wow. So glad there is a real sushi place in Coronado, especially at the "other" end of the Island. Arrived with a friend during happy hour. We stayed longer than happy hour, but were still rewarded with the discount. The total bill for a bottle of wine, eggplant appetizer, and 3 sushi rolls was $40. The service was friendly and attentive. I'm allergic to shellfish, she's allergic to wheat. Our waitress double checked with the kitchen, who prepared the eggplant separate from the other appetizers to make sure that there was no contact with wheat flour. The eggplant was light and not heavy or greasy. The sushi was perfect-- more fish than rice, and very fresh. They also make sure to keep a supply of wheat-free soy sauce on hand. I can't wait to go back and sample some of the other appetizers and sushi. I would give them six stars if they served tempura kabocha. read more

Poor service and very rude. After an hour of waiting for our food, we decided to say something to our waitress. Instead of simply apologizing, she argued with us about how long we had been there and claimed "that's just sushi," referring to how long it takes. I have been to many sushi restaurant and have never waited an hour for a rainbow roll. The food was decent, but definitely not worth the high prices and long wait. read more

Came for lunch . . . only one word : mediocre Ok, given the prices for lunch, location on Coronado island . . . really, expected more. Tried three rolls . . . tuna, california and grand roll. None of these where " WoW ", that is a good roll . . . the grand roll a good taste mix . . . but again - nothing to write home about. This I hope they do better, most any sushi place in San Diego does as well if not better . . . with their ideas into their rolls / taste and effort. read more

Read a couple of "good not great" comments, and i couldn't agree more. This place has great potential, it's just not reaching it. It is in a great location in Coronado, the restaurant is modern with a decent number of indoor and patio tables and a bar counter. They have a great happy hour menu and an awesome selection, not too many options but just enough. Looking over the menu item creations my appetite grew with anticipation and I had great hopes for Saiko. Once the food arrived I was really disappointed. Very creative items just poor execution. Fish was fresh, portions were decent but the flavors were just not there. Hopefully the owners will take of the reviews into consideration and make some changes to better their business :) read more

We had sushi here while visiting on vacation. Great location! Delicious sushi! I was pleased that we made a reservation as they got super busy shortly after we arrived. We sat on the patio and had a terrific time.. I didn't take any pictures, since I left my phone at our resort (while on vacation I tried to be phone free) but, every roll was delicious and somewhat unique. My only complaint is that our waiter wasn't very attentive, our glasses were often empty and needing a refill, but in his defense, it was super busy. I'll definitely return anytime I visit Coronado. read more

Saiko Sushi was very good. The service was good and the selections were also good. Our waiter was nice and gave us good suggestions based on what we were looking for. The restaurant is small with limited seating available. We had to eat outside under the heat lamp. They did turn it off when we requested because it got to warm to sit directly under. Also no outside table lighting near the door, the lights were broken she said. Also the heat lamps only had one selection on and off. A table light or candle lights would have been nicer than sitting in partial darkness. Our bill was $60 for CA roll, miso soup, rice, 2 orders pot stickers, endamane beans, veggie tempura, 2 sodas and 2 apple juices. Not bad for pricy Coronado Island. I'd wished they had a bigger sushi roll selection. The food quality and freshness were excellent. read more

Love this place. Highly recommend. Great fresh sushi. Also love the Carmel corn cheesecake - what a delicious surprise!!!

Let me start off by saying I'm from Palm Springs,stumbled upon this gem while exploring Coronado. Not only loved the food and reasonable prices,I was in love with the atmosphere ! Very calm and relaxing! Our server Forest was one of the best I've had in a very long time! He was very helpful with choosing our dinner! He recommended the teriyaki smoked chicken with devil sauce(which was to die for) literally melted in my mouth. The Moscow mules were strong! Also served in a copper cup,which is the right way! Overall we had a great experience and will be back when we visit Coronado again:) Thanks Forrest! 5 starts on service :) read more

It's good sushi to fix a craving if in town. It's not the best but nonetheless it's tasty and fresh. I wish they sold half rolls that way we could have sampled more of their menu versus only getting two full rolls. Ashley provided great and genuine service. The restaurant is clean and the sushi is obviously made to order. Beer selection good and they seemed to have a good variety of wine. The restrooms are very clean, as well. read more

[ December, 2012 ] The sushi was a bit warm and mealy for my tastes, but service was decent. Dessert was fun. read more

The location is GREAT, the patio tables with the view of San Diego was awesome! The servers are excellent: friendly and attentive. Unfortunately, the food is average. There were seven of us and we ordered so many items I cannot recall, we shared, family style. The miso soup and the Saiko miso soups were both too salty. I could not taste anything but salt. The rest of the food was very average. The best item we had was the edamame, regular and Saiko, how sad! read more

Short and sweet: great service and the Thai coconut curry is delicious! I literally slurped up every drop from my bowl! Will definitely be back soon! read more

Little to no fish on both our rolls. Although they were tasty, it's sad to pay for fish when there is hardly any fish. Two stars because first orders were messed up. We ordered fried gyoza and they came out steamed. Then the waitresses did say they had read fresh wasabi but it was just the regular mixture. And lastly, the spicy scallop hand roll had no "spicy" to it :( Overall not bad experience for a happy hour but probably wouldn't come back because of the errors and because we love sushi :/ sorry! read more

I went there for lunch today on the advice of fellow Yelpers. Unfortunately for me, it didn't stack up. I ordered the chicken teriyaki bento box for $10. Service was pleasant and quick, and in the bento box was rice, four pieces of California roll, three pieces of mixed tempura, a small chicken breast (technically it was half a breast, but that's fine), and pickled cucumbers. The chicken breast was dry even though there was plenty of sauce on it (it's possible to cook moist chicken breast). The California roll was wet (inexcusable). Two of the three pieces of tempura were soggy (also inexcusable). Maybe tempura and chicken breast aren't this restaurant's strong suit. Or maybe lunch isn't. Whatever reason, I'm not sure I'm coming back anytime soon. read more

Wandered over to this restaurant mainly due to the fact it was close to our hotel. A pleasant surprise! Friendly staff, cold Japanese beer, and great sushi! I had the small sashimi platter (15 pc) and the rest of my group had the Rey and Crown roll. All were delicious! Staff was friendly, and did their best. Even at a peak time. A must visit if you are in the mood for sushi. read more

This is really more of a 4 reaching for 5. Great food and a good view. Sit outside to take advantage of the nice weather and view of the SD bay. I went there for lunch (had a $10 salmon Bento box and it was great) with my sister and came back for a dinner date the same day -- it's good. Here's what we had for dinner: Starters: The Saiko edamame is slightly better than your typical garlic edamame. The baby bok choi is grilled and has a great sauce, it's a must. Sushi: I recommend the following rolls and in this order: Crown Roll, Rey Roll, and Hasha roll. They are all very fresh and tasty. The rolls are generous in size so depending on your appetite you could be very satisfied with just one roll for yourself and splitting the baby bok choi. Drinks: They have a good beer selection and a couple of Sakis. They have cucumber water too. Enjoy! read more

My fiancée and i decided to go to coronado for lunch and decided on sushi. In retrospect, after looking at other yelpers photos, i think we may have ordered the wrong rolls for the flavor we were looking for. While the rolls were very well put together, and the fish very fresh, they were lacking creativity and flavor. The rolls we chose were part of their lunch special which seemed like a pretty good deal; next time we wont go with the deal and will just get the rolls that sound good - yes, we will give this place a whirl again. The positive is that the outdoor seating is really nice, the restaurant clean, & the service was nice. One more thought- the saiko edamame was not worth it. read more

Saiko Sushi - OK rolls - was hoping for a little more flavor. - Sushi Bars Near Me - Coronado, California

With 4 sushi chefs we had to wait over 20 minutes to get our 3 cut rolls when we asked why is taking so long we were told since we ordered our sushi roll with soy paper it kind of throw them off... WHAT?? Are you serious ? Wow! So we ordered a regular cut rolls .. Guest what? It took about the same time .. So I am not sure how experience the chefs are .. Also the lighting is too dark and is really hard to read the menu.. The two stars is for the employees which they were very nice . So if you are looking for cut rolls only I guess this is the place to go and you are willing to wait for a while to get your food. read more

Visited Saiko due to other positive Yelp reviews. I wasn't disappointed! First of all, ask the bartender (Dave, I think?) to make you a drink off the menu. He has a lot of really fun and delicious concoctions. For example, he let me sample his homemade bitters and a lavender infusion, and made me a custom tequila cocktail with beet extract. Sounds weird but it was surprisingly delicious. For sushi, I had a roll with mango, goat cheese, macadamia nuts, shrimp, and eel. Sounds like a dream, and it was. All the flavors were subtly combined to create the perfect bite. I also tried a spicy tuna roll which was different than a traditional spicy tuna in that it wasn't mixed with creamy spicy mayo (at least that's how these rolls are made on the east coast where I am from.) it was more just fresh fish with spices and herbs. Not what i expected but very good nonetheless. Lastly, I visited the restaurant alone and felt very welcomed and enjoyed myself. The company at the bar was lovely and the bartender took time to give me suggestions of other places to visit in San Diego during my stay. He also knows a lot about fish and alcohol. And gets really excited about both topics. It was a little chilly out by the time I arrived so I sat at the bar, but the outdoor seating looked lovely. read more

We ordered the Grand roll, the Admiral roll, and the Crown roll with a couple miso soups. The rolls were good, but I couldn't taste the goat cheese or mango in my roll. The miso soup was really salty...I think maybe we got the bottom of the batch that was just extra concentrated. The servers were nice, but it took a really long time to get our food. Overall, it was an ok experience. read more

I was really eager to try this spot, but so disappointed in the end. My boyfriend & I ordered shrimp tempura, soft shell crab maki, sashimi, fried chicken appetizer, & cold sake. The shrimp tempura was very mediocre; nothing special & the choices of dipping sauce was soy sauce & a spicy sweet chili sauce, weird. A true Japanese sushi restaurant would never serve that choice! Maybe soy sauce, but never the other one! Everything had nothing special about it, it's not terrible.. but not worth trying at all. Chicken lacked flavor, tasted like it wasn't marinated correctly. Just battered & then marinated while being cooked so the flavor didn't really come out. Sashimi was whatever. Nothing was good except the sake. The waiter said the sake was thousands of years old so it would be VERY delicious.. Still mediocre. I really know Asian food & this place cheated how sushi should be. Japanese people are very meticulous, so this place... I probably won't try again. Sorry! read more

Saiko Sushi - Sashimi! - Sushi Bars Near Me - Coronado, California

Very fresh and flavorful sushi, solid service and excellent views. Were offered cucumber water on what seemed like a warm winter day for us East Coasters. A neat touch. The view of San Diego skyline over lunch took the experience up a notch. The spicy tuna roll was the best I have tasted. The roll was stuffed with tartar-ed tuna with a hint of heat and cucumber strips for crunch. The different types of texture worked harmoniously together. The crown roll was topped with crispy shallots which added texture and taste to the crab, tuna and tempura shrimp in the roll. I also got a taste of the spicy yellowtail roll, which was pretty remarkable as well. Overall an excellent lunch during our short stay in San Diego. Highly recommend if you make it over to Coronado. read more

I love Saiko Sushi :) They have so many varieties of fresh sushi and the last time I was there, the chef put together a special salmon tasting of farm-raised Japanese salmon, wild salmon from here in the States, and a smoked version of that same wild salmon. It was incredibly cool. They also have some really good and nicely balanced oyster shooters here. Good beer selection with some craft options. Oh. And did I mention that they have some inventive and delicious fusiony rolls? There is one that has a fish sauce vinaigrette on it that BLOWS YOUR MIND. Try it out! read more

We had a few of the specialty rolls. My favorite was the Crown roll. I did get the house salad with a ginger based dressing and didn't love it. The service was super attentive and all the staff was friendly and actually seemed to enjoy helping each other out (refreshing). We sat outside where there was an outdoor heater. I would go back if I lived in the area. read more

Saiko Sushi - Sushi Bars Near Me - Coronado, California

This place has a killer view if you sit outside, you can see the San Diego skyline! Love this cute area of bars and restaurants at the end of Orange Ave. We had a cool waiter with a British accent and he paid plenty of attention to us! Thanks to Yelpers, we asked for the New Zealand salmon and it was like butta! It wasn't cut very well which requires a very experienced hand, but who cares, it tasted great. We also got a bunch of different rolls, the one with Macadamia nuts on it was odd, but tasty. I think it was a good experience overall for being in Coronado. read more

For some reason, I always imagined that San Diego, being right on the Pacific Ocean, would have out-of-this-world amazing sushi. After all, when I lived in Ohio, we had OK sushi. In DC, there's some pretty good (albeit expensive) sushi. But San Diego, it must have the best of the be best, right? My wife and I came here for lunch while visiting Coronado for the day. The food tasted pretty good, and the lunch specials seemed fairly priced. The downside is that my sushi rolls were not at all beautiful. They also took a lot longer to come out than I would have expected. I suspect that the chef is new and still learning trade. Like I said, it tasted OK, but presentation is huge when it comes to this stuff, and the presentation of my dish was a mess. It's always a gamble when you walk into a sushi restaurant and one or more of the chefs behind the sushi bar isn't Japanese. But like I said, I had this pre-conceived notion that everyone in San Diego must make sushi all the time and know how to make awesome rolls... I guess that was more fantasy than reality. read more

We had a wonderful time! We were out of town visitors and were in the mood for sushi. What a treat! The service was excellent, the food was amazing! The Saiko Edamame is really good! We also tried the sashimi salad, the crown roll, the bao duck appetizer, and eel sauce ice cream. It was all extremely good! Would highly recommend! read more

I'm always disappointed each time I go. I feel they cut corners with the grade of fish they use. The yellow tail I had was the worst yellow tail sashimi I've ever had in my life and for the price it was it should have been spectacular. They don't have much of a selection either just very basic. Their tobiko tasted like it came out of a caviar jar that was bought at a grocery store. I'm giving two stars on account of their great covid protocol, they are very clean and go above and beyond when it comes to keeping customers safe so I will give them that. But the sushi is extremely lousy. read more

My favorite sushi place just opened up a second in North Park. The sushi is just as amazing. I had blue fin, saiko salmon, albacore and eel- all super yummy! It's a nice addition to north park. Now we have stellar quality sushi in the hood and don't have to make the drive to Coronado or other spots like Shino or Hane or wait forever for a reservation at sushi ota. read more

Saiko Sushi - Albacore and eel nigiri. Delicious! - Sushi Bars Near Me - Coronado, California

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Came here for a late night dinner after traveling. When you get sushi in CA you expect fresh, quality fish and Saiko serves just that. Our waiter was very personable and took care of all our needs. Fish was fresh and melted in your mouth. Great sushi spot! read more

Whoa buddy! My wife and I just went here for a sushi fix tonight. It was our first time on Coronado Island (wow...what kind of job do I need to get to afford a life there?!) and I decided to make the trip to Saiko for a lovely dinner-for-two thanks to the glowing Yelp reviews. This place did not disappoint one bit. We got miso soups to start, split an Ace roll, and ordered a maki roll each. I decided to live it up and added on a salmon nigiri to my order and the guy said "I'm going to hook you up with some different salmon you probably haven't had before but trust me...you're going to like it." LIKE IT? I FRIGGIN' LOVED IT! If you're a salmon fan, you absolutely must ask for the Saikou salmon (Nigiri or Sashimi). It was explained to me that these particular salmon come from the mountains of New Zealand and live 2000 feet above sea level. You know the part in Lord of the Rings where Gollum snatches up a fish and bites into it? Yeah...that's one of these little babies. It's so delicious with a buttery aftertaste that lingers for a little while even after you're done eating; definitely one of the best pieces of salmon I've ever tasted. The Sapporo on draft was perfect, the outdoor seating was lovely, the staff was friendly, and the food was delicious. Definitely a 5 star experience. If you're in the mood for sushi, don't even think about going anywhere else. read more

This place is really really great and I took my wife here two weeks in a row, including the day before Valentine's Day (missing the crowds and Valentine's food prices). The service is beyond excellent and worked with us really expertly and really patiently with our abundant food allergies. The cucumber water is a great twist for free ice water - loved that. Nice and fresh tasting. We ordered these guys, which were great for gluten, soy, egg, etc allergies... Rama Roll Royal Roll They're mostly fish, avocado and rice with a little added pizazz but the fish is so fresh and tasty here they're so so good. Get a reservation on the weekends or get there early. They can get busy! read more

Outstanding place for sushi and bento boxes! Their fish is always fresh and service is amazing. We eat here almost every day for lunch and have their fish bento box--the fish is perfectly done and not your typical teriyaki salmon. It changes daily; could be delicious flakey Opa or ahi grilled to perfection! Their chicken teriyaki bento is also served with chicken breast and not scrap dark meat. The owners are also magnificent who takes great pride in serving fresh high-end Japanese cuisine! Can't say enough good things about Saiko! Highly highly recommend! read more

I'm so pleased that there is finally fresh, delicious sushi available in Coronado! We've been to Saiko (pronounced "psycho") twice in July - once with a group, and once on a date. Both times we had excellent service and outstanding food. If you like garlic, you must try the Saiko Edamame, which seems to be smothered in it. Once you eat it, all other edamame will pale in comparison. You can't go wrong with any of the rolls, and I also highly recommend trying the toro (tuna belly) if they have it. Don't be intimidated. Just try it. It is so flavorful, with a great texture. Kudos to our very friendly, very helpful waiter, Forrest, who even made me his own special sweet chili sauce to accompany my spicy tuna roll. Overall, the cool but easygoing ambience, the high-quality food, and the top-notch service, make this my new favorite restaurant this summer. read more

Love love love coming here! Are you kidding me!!?! The best staff and the friendliest people I've ever had the chance to dine in to! I appreciate the good ole vintage sake, laughs and amazing food especially the Kabuto fish head (chef kisses) c/o the manager who was super attentive to our needs and very accommodating to my allergic dietary restrictions. Will for sure be coming back ALL THE TIME! Now found a new fav spot in San Diego! Thank you to Karla, K and the sushi chefs! read more

Manager did not want our business We were willing to sit outside (storm rolling in). We were willing for one of us to sit at the bar and the other stand. The hostess was sweet. The manager was surprisingly rude! They lost local customers who were looking for our next go-to spot.... And our friends. read more