Takaramono Sushi is easily one of the best sushi spots we've been to in San Diego. It's a bit more…read moreelevated than your typical sushi restaurant, and you won't find an overwhelming list of traditional rolls here, which I really appreciate. The menu is thoughtfully curated, with just a handful of rolls and more of an emphasis on sashimi and nigiri, which is exactly what we love. The restaurant itself is smaller and intimate, which added to the experience, and having convenient parking was a plus. Service was quick and attentive, and our waiter was incredibly helpful with recommendations throughout the meal. We started with the cucumber salad and seaweed salad, both fresh, light, and refreshing. The A5 Wagyu is an absolute MUST, truly one of the highlights of the night. It was unbelievably good and practically melted in your mouth. We also ordered the Hamachi, La Jolla Roll, and Pearl Roll, and every single one was exceptional. I honestly couldn't choose a favorite! I'm so glad we decided to try Takaramono. Everything felt fresh, beautifully prepared, and thoughtfully done from start to finish. Definitely a place we'll be coming back to. So, so good!

This was my fourth visit to Takaramono Sushi and it has been consistently excellent in terms of the…read morequality of the fish and the attentive and accommodating sushi chefs. It is located in a rather strange location with a small, very awkward parking lot on the NW corner of Pearl Street and La Jolla Blvd. kitty corner from the Baskin Robbins. However, it is very walkable from anywhere in the beach area or downtown La Jolla. Food is excellent and sushi chefs are very accommodating. For example, we ordered spicy tuna, hamachi and salmon hand rolls with avocado which were not on the menu and they were excellent. We had several orders of sashimi and nigiri and all were very fresh and delicious. We also ordered the La Jolla Roll, which is a rainbow roll with premium sashimi (salmon and bluefin toro and scallops...) on top of a California Roll with real snow crap instead of "krab". I also appreciate that they use real seaweeds for their garnishes and offer both "real" wasabi with mashed up green horseradish along with the more familiar pressed "soy sauce wasabi". Good sake selection, but no draft beers--only 12 oz bottles of light Japanese beers. Noise levels at the sushi bar are a bit overwhelming, particularly when they use butane torches to sear the fish and meat dishes. Service could also be more attentive. We waited about 15 minutes for our bill even though it was not busy. Food makes up for these minor deficits though. Overall a great spot. Highly recommended.

Came here for lunch. Got the chirashi (my go-to for wanting fish variety + filling rice for…read morecheaper than individual nigiri... just build it in muh mouth!) which was fantastic. Wife got a buncha safe salmon nigiri and the hamachi toastadas -- everything was super tasty. Attentive service and cute decor inside, what's not to like?

I can't give them a 5, but that might just be because I haven't tried most of their sushi items. I…read morelove this place! Bar seating is amazing and the chef talks with you, makes recommendations and it's just a wonderful experience. I did mostly hot dishes and they were good. I would make a reservation for the bar and I'd skip the miso soup, but otherwise probably the most satisfying meal I've had in San Diego so far. Scallop appetizer: this would be the dish I ask for as my last meal 10/10 perfection! Miso soup: 7/10 not a lot of tofu or wakabe Tempura crab: 7/10 with the lemon and salt addition is 9/10 Blu fin nigiri: 8/10 I've had better at one other place in San Diego so I can't say it's the best but it is good Yellow tail nigiri:10/10 I cannot say enough good things about this Wagyu nigiri: 8/10 flavorful but just not my jam

Service and food were exceptional. We are from Redlands, CA and prices were comparable, impressed…read moreit was not overpriced. Character sticky buns were cute and tasty too. View seating from the window was gorgeous as well. Highly recommend and will be back.

My best friend and I share birthdays and this year our friend group came to visit me in my hometown…read moreto celebrate our birthday. My friends had really wanted to have a cute experience and have delicious food, so when I suggested Blue Ocean/Harumama they were all in. I've been to the Harumama in Little Italy but thought that the La Jolla location would be a better option because of the views. They don't offer reservations, but the Saturday we came they had plenty of seating. You can request to be sat by the window but the wait time was almost an hour and half long. Our server was great, super sweet and really wanted to make sure we had a good time. For food, we ordered karraage, takoyaki and garlic edamame to start. The karraage was so tender and crispy and the flavor of the chicken was great. This was my first time having takoyaki and it was pretty good and the garlic edamame was perfect it had so much garlic I was really happy. For sushi, we ordered a regular spicy tuna roll, Chef's Special Roll (shrimp tempura, krab, avocado and topped with spicy tuna) and the dynamite roll (deep fried California roll with baked langoustine on top). My friend on his own got the ramen and we ordered a the pork and cow buns. The service was great food came out so quickly and our water was always topped off. The sushi was so fresh, I just wish the spicy tuna was a little more spicy. I definitely want to come back, the views are gorgeous and I feel like this would be a cute date night or a fun place to go with your girlfriends to celebrate a birthday.

Dinner on a Saturday night…read more My friend lives in La Jolla and suggested trying Akari since it was under newer management from previous years. Everything was great - the service, decor and most importantly, the sushi. I ordered the protein roll, a Philadelphia roll and a beer. Everything tasted fresh and given that we're a beach city, I liked how the protein roll came on a dish in the shape of a shell (see photo). I was happy that they had my Ichiban beer, as not all places serve it, but they only have it the large size and normally I order the regular size. They had comfy booths to sit in and a beautiful mural on the wall, which added to the ambiance. I felt like the restaurant was clean - a very important factor when eating raw fish! I don't get to downtown La Jolla very often, but I will definitely go back here again when in the area. Parking can be a little bit tricky, but we came in the early evening to avoid the later dinner weekend crowd. So we drove around for a bit and finally found a spot. The restaurant is definitely worth the effort!

GOOD SUSHI IN LA JOLLA (4.3 stars)…read more - FOOD: pretty good; very fresh fish - PRICE: fair - SERVICE: excellent - AMBIANCE: quaint sushi restaurant (which I like; nice and quiet and chill) I knew something about the execution was familiar. I didn't know it until after eating there and reading a review that this is the sister location of So Cal Sushi (in Normal Heights) and after comparing the menus it made sense! What stood out to me when I knew nothing about this restaurant was that spicy tuna is in majority of their speciality rolls and after tasting it I had thought 'this seems familiar' - sometimes spicy tuna (in anything) can be overdone, played out, or not really cared for. Same thought when I first ate at the sister restaurant in Normal Heights when they first opened years ago - too much of it. But overall execution of the meal was good. :: ORDER :: MISO SOUP ($3.95) - served with wakame, negi, and tofu. average/typical. KURODAI ($9.25) - they have rotation fish list and saw an offering of Kurodai and had to try it. First of all, my favorite is Nodoguro but they didn't have that and was told closest to that was Kurodai. Honestly, I thought differently - didn't really come close to Nodoguro but Kurodai is also a nice cut of fish. The texture was somewhat firm and the taste was light and clean in flavor with a little subtle ending taste of faint sweetness. The fish was extremely fresh and you can taste it immediately. HIGHLY RECOMMEND CITRUS BLISS ROLL ($21.95) - spicy tuna, krab, and cucumber. Topped with salmon, avocado, spicy mayo, crunchies, and unagi sauce. I loved how they make the rolls - not too much rice nor dense packing, very tender and soft roll, easy to consume and eat more without feeling full, and the perfect amount of cut rolls per serving. You can taste the spicy, little bit of creamy, and a good amount of citrus... and if you dunk the roll in soy sauce you get the salty. It is a good roll if you like spicy and citrus - for me I like citrus more than spicy. The roll was good I ate everything, BUT I do feel there could be some improvements. I know people love spicy but when it comes to raw fish - that needs to shine in the sushi. yes tuna is basic but overkilling the flavor to make it spicy isn't for everyone (as it's in nearly every speciality roll). I would recommend lowering the spicy in the tuna because it already has spicy mayo included + it allows the customer to control their spicy level. The sriracha takes over the taste and when eating sushi the spicy for me should come from the wasabi (not soaking good quality fish in a sriracha bath). I wish they also offered their rolls with regular tuna instead of spicy tuna. I will def be back! Overall great place. Until the next bite...

Such a cute little sushi spot in a beautiful part of La Jolla! The atmosphere is casual and…read morerelaxed, which makes it perfect for an easy lunch, but the food definitely doesn't feel casual when it arrives. Everything we had was incredibly fresh, the portions were generous, and the presentation was thoughtful. Honestly, that's half the fun of going out for sushi. You eat with your eyes first, and these dishes looked so pretty. The rolls were colorful, thoughtfully plated, and tasted just as good as they looked. Fresh fish, great portions, beautiful presentation, and a sunny La Jolla setting...pretty hard to complain about that.

the circumstances that brought us back to this place again are for another day, but let's just say…read moreit was our second sushi restaurant of the night and like last time currently this place was just OK. It has a nice atmosphere, especially outside although we sat at the sushi bar inside. My absolutely stunning date had a very good salmon skin hand roll and the albacore sushi was not the best, but not the worst. I was not a big fan of the mint in the water, but it wasn't OK touch The service at the sushi bar was friendly, but not overly attentive and we were very frustrated that it took four requests to finally get the check. There were plenty of people just standing around and somebody said can you close out this table and then nobody did anything about it.

We found this way after taking a night walk around La Jolla. They did not have dedicated parking…read morebut there tends to be enough people coming and going that you can usually find a spot somewhere close. The street with a few restaurants is closed off at least at night. We have come here a few times. We had the Crunch Shrimp Roll (amazing), the Salmon Avocado Roll (small for the price) and the Miso Cream Udon with Shrimp and Scallops (worth the trip). We also, after the first time, ordered a side of white rice. It is a pro move. After you finish the Miso Cream Udon add the rice and it will soak up all of the goodness. Do Not Leave Any Cream Behind. They were busy so it took a bit for them to take our order but we weren't in a hurry. There is cool art on the wall and one made of cut wood blocks that may just be held together by gravity. I was very tempted to remove a block but I don't want to get banned from this place as we want to come back : )

Came here for a quick bite to eat. A bit pricey. Service was okay. Food was good and also enjoyed…read moremy glass of wine. Nice scenery

I came with a party of 7 and it was all of our first time here. We were planning to have some light…read moreappetizers because we also wanted to have a heavy dinner afterwards. We wanted to catch the sunset at La Jolla cove and we noticed there was another Blue ocean there as well... FRIED CALAMARI: 10/10 perfectly crispy, calamari was cooked precisely and flavorful. It was hard to save our stomachs for dinner... SASHIMI SALAD: 10/10 Oh this was the STAR OF THE SHOW! All the fish were hand selected and fresh. What made the dish outstanding was the salad dressing... SURF AND TURF ROLL: 10/10 I mean who a pairing of Steak and shrimp tempura? It's a match made in heaven and was sent straight out of the Blue Ocean Kitchen... SERVICE: Excellent! The chef was also the owner and came out to greet all the customers. He personally made sure that everything was taken care of himself. What a very passionate and caring owner. All the staff there were also very friendly... One of our friends wanted to treat everyone so we joked around and said, "In that case, let's order an omakase box for each of us!" The chef also heard and he joined in on the joke and said are you sure? ok, Omakase boxes for everyone! We had a great time! The Ambiance, the food and the people there are very beautiful and joyous... ABOVE AND BEYOND BLUE OCEAN SUSHI AND GRILL!!!!!

Everything was great! They star some of their favorites on the menu, which I always appreciate and…read moredefinitely went off. We had a large group, so we shared a bunch of rolls and appetizers, which was the perfect way to try different things. Everything we had was really good. The staff was great as well. They didn't seem to have much of a cocktail menu, so we went with a bottle of wine instead. Overall, a great spot for a group and definitely worth checking out!

Loved the decor. A very cozy Asian place! Went with my family . Iam a vegetarian and my kids are…read morepicky but have meat! My eldest had a shrimp roll and youngest the vegetarian sushi! We had tofu and vegetable garlic noodle! Everything was delicious! The drinks especially the mango mojito and the mocktail version of it were fantastic! Absolutely recommend it!

This review is not about the food. We were unable to eat because they closed at 8:15 on a Saturday…read morerather than 9 PM as advertised on their website Inconsistent hours and rude staff. It's also worth noting that my original review was deleted... Likely by the restaurant pressuring yelp. It's a shame - so much for honest reviews.

Excellent food , great service . Sushi Ota has been a…read moreclassic Japanese restaurant in Mission Bay of San Diego . Reservation is a must even if you dine in a weekday . We ordered the OTO B set , one order of the Tokusen nigiri, 3 pc shrimp tempura and Matcha ice cream . To be continued...

Very good sushi in an unsuspecting spot near a 7-11 off the freeway. Service was solid and food…read morecame out very quickly. The o toro sashimi melts in your mouth. Worth every penny. Overall, this place is pricey like most sushi spots in San Diego. Ambiance is nice, it looks nothing like you'd expect from the outside.