Great food, service, and very entertaining. The San Marcos location is close for us and have been several times. Each visit was great.

We're frequent diners at SG, specifically for family gatherings for a celebration. Service has been superior during all the visits. We enjoy Saturday or Sunday lunches because it's less crowded creating a relaxing yet enjoyable atmosphere. The food has always been very good, and our family typically gets the combination meals, mainly the various steaks and shrimp variations. We celebrated my niece and nephew's birthdays. Our teppanyaki chef was Angel. He is by far the best preparer and enjoyable chef experienced. Very happy and made everyone laugh. He also displayed new creativity with the food, at least 3. He was the best and deserves recognition not only by us, but the manager of the location. Well done, Angel. You deserve a RAISE!!! read more

Amazing experience, everyone was so welcoming for my moms birthday and we got a whole table to ourselves read more

Shogun - Sushi Bars Near Me - San Marcos, California

A better, more intimate alternative to Benihana. Faster service, food is as good or better and the chefs are more entertaining.

Excellent food and service! From the tasty Caliente roll and edamame to the delicious filet mignon and sesame chicken- everything was amazing. They have also added noodles and additional veggies to the dinner plates! So good!!! A great place for family and special events! read more

Easy parking and convenient location. Our cook Arnel was great! He prepared our food being mindful of our dietary restrictions. Thank you, Arnel! Our server, Alexa, was very detail oriented in noting our special requests and made sure our orders were correct. Thank you, Alexa! We enjoyed our experience here at this Shogun location and would happily return if we are in the area. Cheers! read more

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My favorite meal when I want to treat myself is the Shogun special. It is always a good experience.

Oh how I love shoguns! This place is definitely a favorite and will ALWAYS be. They are consistently always on top of it. Food and service is always spectacular. Colin our server is always super friendly and extremely attentive. He is an amazing server. Antonio was our chef and he was fantastic! Put on a great show and the food tasted delicious! Charm one of the managers is always soo friendly and remembers me every time I go there. Always making me and my guests feel welcomed! So make your reservation today and enjoy a wonderful restaurant that's perfect for date night or a night out with the kids! read more

Shogun - Sushi Bars Near Me - San Marcos, California

Just had the amazing experience of having Angel as our hibachi chef. He was as entertaining as he was welcoming and fun. Such a great first experience. I'm glad I got him for my first . read more

Shogun - The Genji (lobster, scallops, shrimp, calamari steak, veggies, and rice) - Sushi Bars Near Me - San Marcos, California

We went here for my mom's birthday this past weekend. We were welcomed with smiles by Charm and her staff when we walked in. Got to our table and we had Arnel as our chef. He was very entertaining and the food was cooked/grilled to our requests. And like the other staff, he too had a smile on his face during his live cooking. Every now and then, Charm and her staff members would check in to see if we needed anything. The place was also very well maintained, you can tell they pay attention to the details when they clean up. And as we were walking out, every staff, even the chefs at other tables, said their goodbyes to us with a smile. Overall, our dining experience was amazing! read more

We made reservations for 6pm on 2/15 and showed up at 6pm. We then waited until almost 7pm to get seated. What was really concerning to me was that as people continued to show up and put their names in they were told "it would only be a short wait" which was misleading. The food was good but the whole experience was overall lacking since when I make reservations I expect to be seated close to the time I made reservations for. read more

Went to dinner last night for my birthday and it was a total disappointment. I debated between Benihana and shogun but last year I went to Benihana. Infact they send me a nice coupon for my birthday but I still chose Shogun because it was closer to me. The service was poor, the food was just ok. Calamari you can't even eat without the breading falling off. Service sucks! It's not like it's cheap there. Ordered ribeye and I feel like I could have stayed home and cook it myself. Then you go to those places for the show( the cook doing all kinds of tricks) nothing! And I expected more from them. Coz they used to be good. I'm not going to lie the last dining experience we had there wasn't exactly as good either but I wanted to give them a chance. But at least the last time they gave good service even though the food wasn't that spectacular. It was my birthday, they even asked what we're celebrating. Literally, we asked for the check the lady came with it and just slide a small plate on the table. They used to sing or flicker the lights or something. NOTHING! A total disappointment. I wish I can give a NO STAR! Definitely will not be going back there and I wouldn't recommend to anybody I know. read more

I came here recently as a party of 5 for my birthday dinner and it was so much fun! They were incredibly generous in carding me (I'm nowhere near my 21st birthday) but it was a flattering story I got to share with friends after. We got combo plates with chicken/beef/shrimp and it was so much food that we even had a bit to take home. Of course we loved the show from the chef and with our angle, got to watch it again as we were finishing up. read more

It's the same as Benihana. Or maybe Benihana is the same as Shogun. Plenty of negative reviews, mostly because of poor service. I've had atrocious service at Benihana many times but luckily, our chef and waiter at Shogun were both great. The food was good and exactly what we expected. The menu is similar to that at Benihana. Or vice versaz. You get the idea. You won't leave hungry, either. Prices are high but you're paying for the show, dontcha know. Great place for a celebration. Like at that other place. Plenty of free parking. read more

Shogun - Teriyaki steak, veggies, shrmp, and fried rice. No complaints. - Sushi Bars Near Me - San Marcos, California

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My girlfriend and I have been here for lunch more than 10 times, quality and service is consistently most excellent

Today this place gets a fourth star. I normally don't care for Shogun that much but our chef today, Arnel, was spot on with his performance, doing whatever it is that he does. There were no kids at our grill so he kept it fast and furious. Everyone had the usual stuff, teriyaki this and shrimp that. I had eaten grilled steak and chicken already this week and had my fill of my signature grilled shrimp as well. I was eyeballing the Tofu Delight; a deep fried then lightly sautéed tofu with three choices of sauce, spicy, miso, or teriyaki. Arnel and I talking and we agreed none of them sounded appetizing. Arnel suggested maybe the garlic butter might go well. I went for it and it tasted awesome. All of our party tried a sample of mine along with the shishito peppers. Everyone agreed the tofu and peppers were both excellent. I will probably get this dish again in the future. We also had some appetizers. The baked muscles were excellent. The garlic edamame was decent as was the ok calamari. If you eat here, get the tofu with garlic butter. It's just a bit crunchy and super flavorful. Oh and a shout out to Sebastian, the bartender. Super nice guy, but didn't know how to make an Aperol Spritz. Yeah, look that one up, you won't know either. Dicks read more

Shogun - The menu cover - Sushi Bars Near Me - San Marcos, California

Fun casual hibachi in San Marcos. We've never had to make reservations and have always been seated pretty quickly in a party of 2-5. There is a small sushi bar with maybe 5 seats if that's all you want to come for, an actual bar with a few more seats, or you can be seated for a hibachi meal. I enjoy the more laid back atmosphere than the other hibachi place that shall not be named. I think the tables need some refinishing and maybe some of the tableware upgraded. Every chef we have had has been funny and engaging, and 10/10 for the food. I usually get the lemon chicken and tried the salmon for the first time today which is a new favorite. You get a large amount of food and I always have leftovers. read more

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Chef Angel was in excellent spirits and had great jokes. And did I mention skills? The food was delicious and the support staff was clearly there to make sure we had a good time. read more

Great food as always! Lunch portions are a good size and price. Juan was our chef, and he was excellent read more

Shogun - Filet mignon and shrimp with chicken fried rice - Sushi Bars Near Me - San Marcos, California

It used to be a fun place but now they don't honor their complimentary dinner coupon. They wouldn't seat us til all 13 were there. They upcharged on alcohol. The food has gone downhill. read more

I don't get the swing in the reviews. Either 4-5 stars and praise or 1-2 stars with nothing but misery. This Shogun is fine. I find it funny that some of the negative reviews are repeat offenders. Like you hated it the first time, why did you go back? Just so you can leave another negative review? I've been here a good half a dozen times or more and enjoy it. I take that family once or twice per year. Yes it is expensive, but you leave stuffed or have leftovers to take home, and it is a fun experience. My kids are in high school and college now and enjoy it just as much as when they were little. I give it a solid 4 stars. My only negatives to say are: 1. I always leave smelly, but what are you gonna do? There are 5-10 grills going on at the same time. You are going to leave smelling like the restaurant. 2. Seating. There are 4 of us and for some reason they always want to seat us 4 across directly facing the chef. Why? We have to ask to be put 2 on the corner and 2 facing the chef so we can actually talk to each other. read more

Fun atmosphere good food went for a party it accommodated all. Service was great and entertaining.

Haven't been here in a very long time because they were messing up. But now I see, they changed up. Mostly hibachi & a few tables without. Still serving sushi, but they got rid of the ramen. It hurt my soul. Staff are friendly and attentive. Competitive prices. Came here for a birthday party & was not disappointed by the chef's performance. If you're doing low carb like myself, I ordered the dish that were on skewers with the shishito peppers & the sashimi plate. Both were delicious! They didn't have any soda, so water with lemon it was. The chicken fried rice was tasty, the sushi looked beautiful & the chicken yakisoba was a huge portion. The kids got mochi ice cream but they only had 3 flavors. Sadness. They seem to have a better staff & could hold 6 people at the hibachi table, so I'd come again. read more

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A fun experience and the food was fresh and perfectly prepared!! The chefs were very entertaining

I'm unsure what happened here recently because it used to be just an average teppan experience. Today it seemed like they must have had a ton of improvements in their food and preparation. We had the same cook as before, still, whatever he's learned since we were there last is a huge upgrade in taste and presentation. I think his name was Antonio. He was spectacular!! Everything was delicious and perfect!! read more

My first time in! My friends and I had a reso at another restaurant and were informed the patty before had exceeded their two hours and that they were finishing dessert. Anyways, we got tired of waiting and wanted something different anyways. So we were able to get a reso here right away. The lobby is a bit small to wait and my friends were at the bar. It seemed like there was only one bartender so he was a bit busy. We wanted to pay for our drinks before we went to our table, but the bartender seemed to say there was a delay and we could pay at the table later. So we moved over to the table. My friend and I split a roll and steak and shrimp combo. The sushi didn't seem seared enough so we had the waitress sear it some more for us. Soy sauce didn't seem to be offered so I thought that was different. But, the roll had Eel Sauce on it I believe. The food tasted freshly and delicious. The chef-Sal-was fun and able to handle a table full of ladies! They sang and brought out a cake for my friend. I'm the plate was a little bit on the grill so the Carmel melted perfectly so that was a sweet surprise! read more

Shogun - Steak and Shrimp Dinner Combo - Sushi Bars Near Me - San Marcos, California

Delicious food and excellent service. Our chef, Angel, was so nice and funny! Everything was smooth and the wait to get our food wasn't bad at all! read more

Took my kid there for a Birthday. Overall pretty good experience. Food was good but very pricey!!

This place continues to struggle. At one time pre-pandemic, I was taking my family here once a week. Things have really backslid. Now I'm here maybe once every 3-4 months. In particular, I have observed the following issues: 1. Staff training seems lacking. Your waiter will come take a drink order with a 50/50 chance of getting it right, then come back and largely disappear. Some of this may be due to how cheap people are today as they aren't tipping like they used to, however, I tip incredibly well so long as the service warrants it. Waiters need to be more attentive and focus on keeping drinks filled without customers having to hunt them down or ask. 2. The tables in this place are ALWAYS sticky. It sounds nit picky, but I don't want to stick to the table when resting against it. Ownership should look at re-laminating (or similar process) the tables. 3. There rarely seems to be a Sushi chef around and if there is one, they are only there after certain hours. Higher more chefs and get the food out quicker. 4. There never seems to be enough waiters, hire more waiters because no one should have to wait on you guys. 5. The hostesses seem to prefer reservations over walk-ins. I have been here multiple times only to be turned away. THIS IS RIDICULOUS. FIX IT. WALK-INS should be allowed to eat here with a wait. Hire someone with better management skills to schedule things better. People don't care to "understand" why they can't eat at a public restaurant. LASTLY, I ate at a Shogun's up in Pasadena and it was a night and day experience from this one. The one in Kearny Mesa is also better than this one. I would recommend spending some serious time analyzing things to bring this once excellent location back to its former glory. read more

We were trying to go to Benihana for my birthday but they were booked so we went here instead. Basically there is no other explanation of Shogun other than a discount Benihana. The main difference (and this is big in a negative way) is the fact that you can't get a table without the show unless you sit at the bar! And what's worse is that regardless of your party size, you will not get a private show and this ruins things for everyone. They will lump other people with your group whether you want that or not, but I doubt anyone wants it. We were fine with doing the show as it was my birthday, but I could not help but feel sorry for this couple that was seated at our table next to me who were on a date! Completely different vibes and what should have been an intimate experience for them was the complete opposite for them. For both our sakes we should have been given different tables/shows. As far as the show itself it is the exact same as Benihana, same tricks, same food served only worse quality and about the same price. It is sue-ably similar. The fact that you can't get a table that doesn't include the show here is the key difference between Shoguns and Benihana. I would have rather have had the option of a private show with tips being encouraged, but instead you can't tip and it makes me think the chefs are not being treated fairly. The food was extremely bland and forgettable, I mean even going to Stir Fresh is a better option. I would say avoid this place for your wallet and your stomach's sake alone. read more

Tried Shogun for the first time last Friday. We usually go to Benihana's but friends in San Marcos recommended we eat here. The rating is low but we tried it anyway and were pleasantly surprised. I called the same day and was able to make reservations for an hour later. They had so many drink options. I started with the Casa Lychee which was yummy and strong. Our cook was Sal who had some tricks up his sleeve and had us laughing while he expertly prepared our food. I ordered the steak yakisoba. My daughters got the Genji and the Seafood combination. Husband ordered the chicken and shrimp. The salads were super fresh and the soups were good. They have a mushroom/onion soup or a miso soup with seaweed and tofu. They have similar dipping sauces to Benihana. The red one was delicious but the other one was kind of thick and tasted mayonnaise based (I prefer the Benihana sauces). We went all out and ended up spending over $250 for our family of four. Our meal didn't come with dessert which was sad because I always have room for dessert. We had 3 to-go boxes of food. Serving sizes are definitely large. I'd come here again. read more

Wasn't a very traditional hibachi, the food was amazing more or less. The service was very friendly but slow. Also very pricey for a chain restaurant read more

Shogun - Sushi Bars Near Me - San Marcos, California

I had a very disappointing experience at Shogun in San Marcos. Despite having a reservation, we waited 1hr 30 minutes before a server even acknowledged us. The service was incredibly slow and unorganized. read more

Ambiance was HORRIBLE. The place is shopworn to the nth degree. It's also dirty. Service was awful: the hibachi chef could not have done a more sloppy and careless job. He - literally - dumped the various sauces in little dishes, is such a sloppy way that sauce was dripping down the sides of the cup. He seemed to think that the way to impress was to do everything as fast as possible, resulting in the steak being cut in pieces that were either too small or too large. He practically threw the food at us. It was as if he was taking pride on how lousy a job he could do. The food was mediocre at best. The steaks were of poor quality, the food was badly cooked - too long or too short a time. This place is a dump. One of the worst dining experiences I've had. read more

We use to go here often and the food/cooks were good. Now the quality of the food is poor and the cooks are sloppy, Seems like the service is no longer the same. We will not be returning. Also calamari is gross. read more

Food, Service and Chef Arnel are ABSOLUTELY above a 5 STAR. Your experience will definitely be a memory you won't soon forget

The show is cool to see for one time and for kids. The chicken and meat is ok, but nothing special. The salad is very basic for a bland sauce and the noodle was the same. Service was pretty good though. They sang happy birthday in Japanese for my little daughter with a free slice of cake. read more

Worst experience. Over charged by $286 and it STILL hasn't been refunded. Horrible service. Had to wait an hour to be seated WITH a reservation. Never got our salads, and when I said something to the server she didn't even apologize or try to make it right. Everyone (except the hostess and the bartender) has the worst attitudes. There are way better places for hibachi. read more

I like this place because they had a lot of parking and the hostess and manager were very accommodating. Our chef was Duke really nice laid back young man who performed well for my son's birthday party. I don't want to end with this so I'm going to say it now the only negative was the sushi. It was alright. Now the grilled food was the most delicious scrumptious juiciest ever! The steaks were tender the scallops were juicy the shrimp were seasoned perfectly and my favorite was the calamari steak was divine. My son loved the fried rice I guess when he saw how it was made it added to him wanting to try it. It was a wonderful quick culinary show and our party of six was done in about an hour and a half the lunch portions was just as filling if I was having dinner somewhere else. We will definitely go back. read more

Shogun - Sushi Bars Near Me - San Marcos, California

The service was amazing! The food was Delicious!! lobster and steak made to perfection!! I'm definitely coming back.