I'll preface this by saying I genuinely hope Shio listens to customer feedback because I would love to see this business succeed. I'm a La Jolla neighbor and have also visited Shio's other location. The food is good don't get me wrong but there is a delicate balance with pricing, and I think they missed the mark here.
La Jolla Shores and the Village are HAPPENING during the summer, but once tourist season ends, foot traffic especially in the Shores can be brutal. I've lived here long enough to watch businesses come and go because they couldn't survive the off-season. I would love to see Shio introduce lunch specials, happy hour, or honestly the best would be for them to just do more approachable dinner pricing so locals can make this a regular spot.
At the current prices, I could realistically come once every two or three weeks. Meanwhile, I order takeout from other sushi restaurants (quality ones not cheap) once or twice a week and dine in almost every weekend. I would love for Shio to become that neighborhood place for me, especially because it's so close!
The pricing that surprised me most was $17 for a simple maki roll and $28-$32 for specialty rolls. I'm a sushi connoisseur and understand what quality sushi costs, but these prices feel far too high even compared with established, upscale Japanese restaurants nearby.
For comparison, at the time of writing:
* Himitsu's maki rolls are $10
* Blue Ocean's maki rolls $8
* Shiku Sushi's maki rolls $9
* Akari Sushi's maki rolls $9
* Sushi Nekosan maki rolls $10
Edamame at these restaurants generally falls between $5 and $7 as well. With nearby maki rolls averaging approximately $8-$10, Shio charging $17 for six small pieces is a very significant jump. Specialty rolls priced at $28-$32 also make it difficult for this to become a regular takeout or neighborhood dinner option
A typical dinner for two here could easily reach the $250-$300 range, which feels excessive for what should also be an approachable neighborhood sushi restaurant. I'm including a photo of the menu in hopes that management will compare its pricing with nearby restaurants and consider making some adjustments.
With that said, the restaurant itself is beautiful. I absolutely love the outdoor area, and pretty outdoor sushi options are surprisingly hard to find. The restaurant is still new and perfecting its menu, but everything we tried was genuinely a 10/10:
* Edamame
* Crispy Spicy Maguro--their take on crispy spicy tuna. TRY IT! Trust me, it's so good ETS
* Ahi de La Playa
* Nigiri: Kinmedai, tuna, yellowtail, halibut and kanpachi
* Yellowtail hand roll
I would also love to see some yummy Japanese-inspired mocktails added to the menu. Uchi and Nobu both have amazing mocktail selections, and more people are choosing not to drink alcohol nowadays, so I think they would be a great addition
Overall, the food was excellent, the restaurant is beautiful, and there is so much potential here. I'm rooting for Shio I just hope the pricing becomes more neighborhood-friendly so locals can support it consistently throughout the year read more