Literally amazing food the rolls are incredibly unique and taste so fresh, the dirty blonde roll is my favorite forsure. Also love the vibe and overall aesthetic. The only thing keeping it from a perfect 5 stars is the service is sooo slow and inattentive and I wish the inside tables actually had backs instead of high top stools. If you don't care about slow service though you absolutely need to eat from here it's seriously a La Jolla hidden gem. read more

the circumstances that brought us back to this place again are for another day, but let's just say it 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. read more

Came here because Himitsu had a 2 hour wait and I am glad because this place did not disappoint. Staff were friendly and there were plenty of seating. I ordered so many things and was satisfied with everything I had ordered. Don't forget to read their specials like I did because I had to order more after I had seen the board with specials It was nice eating outdoors with my little family enjoying the nice weather. I am definitely coming back here read more

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Sushi Nekosan is a hidden gem. San Diego does have good sushi all around but this is in the top 10. Fresh, consistent, and unique sushi. Crispy rice has been trendy for the last couple years, typically comes with tuna, and most places give you a couple pieces, but Nekosan gives you a whole roll with seared albacore and yellowtail, no words will do it justice, the twist is perfection. Yelexico, Nekosan, flaming ahi are also go-to rolls. They have a good amount of outdoor seating but it is a smaller place. Service is a hit or miss, they get busy, so expect a wait. read more

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My mom and I came here for lunch and it's was some of the best sushi we have had. The cucumber wrapped roll was amazing, usually cucumber rolls we both take half the cucumber off because it is so thick and overpowering but here it's so thin you don't need to do that. They have a cute little outside seating area that was perfect for the day. Plus all of the workers were very nice and welcoming. We will definitely be back when we are in the area. read more

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Great sushi and ambiance. Our service was a bit slow but still 5 stars overall! Crispy rice roll was my favorite out of these read more

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The most exceptionally fast service and most amazing food anywhere in La Jolla. I sat outside with a party of 3 our order was taken very quickly, food came out within 5-10 minutes. The food was extremely fresh and tasted amazing. When done with our meal our plates were cleared and the check was brought within minutes. Highly recommend this place! And the fried soft shell crab! read more

Great service and great food. I'm vegetarian and really appreciated the vegan options. The Sweetie Pie rolls were my favorite. read more

Sushi Nekosan - Sweetie Pie - Sushi Bars Near Me - San Diego, California

I've come here plenty of times and not once have I had good service. The food is great, consistent and good quality. The ambience is okay, nice outdoor seating, indoors is okay, they have the ac cranked at the absolute highest. The overarching problem is how unbelievably slow the service is. It shouldn't take over an hour for what was supposed to be a quick lunch, especially considering they only had 3 tables other than us and what looked like a full staff. It'd be one thing if it was a one off, but it's happened every time I've come. read more

Sushi Nekosan - The Nekosan Roll - Sushi Bars Near Me - San Diego, California

Nice sushi restaurant in La Jolla with a large outdoor patio infront and a few tables inside. It was a cold day and we requested to be seated inside. Glad we did because it was fun to see the sushi chefs and staff at work. Everyone seemed happy working there and our waitress was very nice. I ordered the shrimp tempura roll and really liked it. Nice and light tempura batter too. My friend ordered other specialty sushi rolls. They were all beautiful but I forgot to take pictures! We ordered the shishito peppers appetizers. It came in a very flavorful sauce. The garlic edamame was also good. Parking was a nightmare. It took me about 20 minutes to find parking 4 blocks away. read more

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Parking is rough in La Jolla but we got lucky. We got a few vegan rolls. Service was a bit slow but it was still good. All of the rolls were tasty and beautiful but they did fall apart a bit. read more

Sushi Nekosan - Green Monster, Bea-U-Tofu, El TJ - Sushi Bars Near Me - San Diego, California

It is my partner's birthday and we both had a wonderful time here. It is so welcoming and attentive. Both Erin and Oksana were truly wonderful. They took their time getting to know us and suggesting options based on us and not just to upsell. The ambiance is so Cali in the best way. I feel so good that we chose this spot. Will be back on our next trip to San Diego. Thank you for having us. read more

Sushi flavors were fresh and amazing! Shishito peppers were garlicy and delicious! Mint infused water was so refreshing. The miso soup was served extra hot with seaweed and tofu just the way I like it. Lots of outdoor seating to enjoy the sea breeze. read more

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food & service was great! the price was just not great, but it is located in la jolla so that was going to happen. it's a cute restaurant with a lot of cat art! i did enjoy all the specialty rolls. my favorite was the ultimate hamachi. it had spicy yellowtail, shrimp tempura, avocado, cucumber and sprouts, topped with yellowtail, fresh lemon, jalapeño ponzu, cilantro, spicy mayo, jalapeños, soy glaze siracha and tobiko. just an excellent combination! i'd say i'd come again, but my wallet can't take it. i did have a nice time here with my friend. read more

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10/10 place! I basically want residence here! Try everything you cannot go wrong! I am there almost everyday froday. Amazing service and amazing food!! read more

Sushi Nekosan - A little obsessed with this place, go try the all the rolls and thank me later! But the crispy rice roll is heaven - Sushi Bars Near Me - San Diego, California

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My mom and I had the most delicious dinner tonight. The food was incredible, but the service was somehow even better. Ariana was warm, professional, and attentive, making us feel truly cared for from start to finish. The ambiance was amazing, and overall it was a 12/10 experience and we will definitely be back! read more

Love the patio seat with fresh air, showing my friend around SD neighborhood, she was from Cambodia and Visited U.S. Sushi isn't perfect compared to places I went in Irvine, Newport Beach or Vegas but it's good enough to chill. The presentation looks pretty. We enjoyed good timing out there. read more

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The two stars are for the service, which was perfectly fine. I was greeted in a timely fashion (there was only one other table on a weekend afternoon), and my drink came right out after I placed my order. But for the life of me, I really don't understand why my single sushi roll took so long. With only one other table, 20 minutes for one roll is entirely too long. Not to mention it was overpriced (the whole menu is) and it really wasn't that good. And that restaurant fee... I get that a lot of restaurants have been doing that, and they need to cut it out. It's really tacky and can be enough to convince someone not to return. I won't be back. read more

Very underwhelming food, but this could be because of what I ordered. I chose to order a salmon poke bowl ("the upstream") off their lunch menu. I do not recommend getting traditional sushi or a poke bowl at this restaurant as it is known for its vegan options. The salmon in my poke bowl was very bland and didn't taste fresh; it was not marinated well if at all. The bowl had a weird mix of ingredients and no real sauce so all in all it was completely flavorless. The edamame starter we ordered was average as well. The only reasonably good item was my sister's vegan role - the Christina crispy. That was well made albeit too salty for our taste. Service was friendly and we enjoyed sitting outdoors. Restaurant staff were accommodating and helpful. However the food is not good and overpriced - I'd recommend going to a different sushi restaurant for a better experience. read more

Great food Poor Service ! Plus they charge a 1% fee on top of your check for high cost. I won't be going back ! read more

Very very good sushi. Big portions. Indoor and outdoor seating with heaters outside. Great service too. Everything was quality. Will return. read more

Sushi Nekosan - Baja Lemon Cilantro Roll, Dirty Blonde Roll - Sushi Bars Near Me - San Diego, California

One of my fav sushi restaurants in San Diego. The fish is fresh and rolls not only taste good, but look good. They use floral arrangements to make the presentation pretty Seating is limited but worth the way. The staff is very friendly read more

So, Nekosan "business employee" Steve H. quickly responded to my 1-star review, blaming both DoorDash AND me for cancelling the order. I call BS. According to DoorDash, Nekosan cancelled the order because "the store is currently experiencing high demand." (See attached photo of the cancellation email I received from DoorDash 45 minutes after Nekosan confirmed my order.) Long story short, Nekosan clearly made the decision to cancel our graduation celebration order, leaving us high and dry and scrambling for a new restaurant to fulfill our order (which we didn't receive until 9PM). Again, NEVER going to order from Sushi Nekosan again. Now, back to my original review... # # # # # Sushi Nekosan let us down last night. Ordered more than $350 of sushi, kama, etc. on DoorDash last night for a UCSD graduation party. Order was confirmed by Nekosan at 7:01PM. At 7:45PM -- about the time the food was supposed to be delivered -- Nekosan CANCELLED the order. What?!? Super not cool -- ended up placing an order with Din Tai Fung and got our food at around 9PM, by which time we were STARVING. NEVER going to order from Sushi Nekosan again. It's a shame since we've been longtime customers, hanging in despite the gradual decline in their fish quality over the years. Photo is of our empty kitchen counter, waiting for the Nekosan order that never arrived. :( read more

Sushi Nekosan - Sad, empty kitchen counter, waiting for the Nekosan order that never arrived. - Sushi Bars Near Me - San Diego, California

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We ordered at 2:45 PM and waited 1.5 hours for our sushi, despite the restaurant not being busy. The servers never checked on us or provided updated wait times. Keep in mind this restaurant adds a 5% surcharge to the bill, which was not verbally communicated. This is on top of the expected tip which were all options more than 20%. The sushi itself was mediocre and does not justify the price, which was about 30% higher than competitors. I've had much better sushi elsewhere, with far superior service and atmosphere. read more

Horrible experience, they took about 80 minutes to bring the food. When the food finally came out, it was VERY BAD, paying 30 dollars for a sushi that is worse than a gas station sushi. The seafood is bad even though we are in front of the sea, if it is fresh do not know how it is so bad! Do not recommend at all, if you are near that go to the place next door, they have better food. Best thing there is the Diet Coke read more

Sushi Nekosan - Sushi Bars Near Me - San Diego, California

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Sushi is inventive but the flavors are okay. We ordered 4 rolls, shumai, and karrage. Everything was good not great. We eat a lot of sushi so we have high expectations. The place is small but has an energetic vibe. read more

Sushi Nekosan - Food - Sushi Bars Near Me - San Diego, California

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I have been coming to sushi Nekosan for about a decade so let me tell you how disappointing my last visit was. The prices have been ridiculously expensive, $30 for a crispy rice roll is insane especially considering that there are so many other higher end sushi spots in San Diego that provide better quality and service for that price. This place just isn't worth it anymore which sucks and they include a 5% surcharge. Your prices are already outrageous for what it is and to include an additional charge to expect the customers to pay for your employees health care is next level greed. You should be paying your employees fair wages not us. I advise whoever is reading this to save your money and go somewhere else because it just ain't what it used to be. It sucks I really used to love this place and make sure everyone knew it was a staple but my friends family and I will no longer be coming here and would much rather spend that type of money at somewhere else. Sad stuff man read more

Absolutely fell in love with this place fresh ingredients fresh fish just couldn't get enough sitting at the bar was my most favorite place ever it's so beautiful when you get to eat and see the food bieng made in front of you read more

So creative and so delicious! A must go restaurant in La Jolla. The crispy rice sushi roll was just one of our many favorites! Make sure you get the spicy garlic oil for your edamame too;) read more

Vegan sushi? Count me in! I had one of their vegan sushi rolls and their veggie pot stickers. I was so excited to see that on the menu. The rolls were delicious not just avocado cream cheese like you'd see at other places! The pot stickers were phenomenal I could have had 3 more bowls! We sat outside and the servers turned on the heaters so it was perfect. read more

Sushi Nekosan - Sushi Bars Near Me - San Diego, California

Really pricey for what you get. Sushi was really mid. The sushi was good but for that price point it is not worth at all. Sushi was luke warm when served and tasted normal. Edamame was pretty good tho. Overall if you are trying to spend a lot of money then go right ahead, service and ambiance was great. Bury food overall was not worth the time and money read more

I've passed by Nekosan many times in the evening and there's always a ton of people waiting. I decided to check out the hype and dodge the crowd by . I ordered a king salmon sashimi, Ed not Ed, and yelexico. The king salmon sashimi was fresh and fatty. Between the two rolls, I liked the Ed not Ed more. It had more burst of flavors mostly from the sauce. The yellowtail roll was also good. The interior was quite small but there are more tables out on the front outdoor patio/deck. Overall, I'm glad I got to experience this place without having to wait. read more

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Came as a party of 2, sat down outside and waited 15 minutes for our server to come to us and deliver menus. Then another 15 minutes went by before he came back. Then once we ordered, 45 minutes for appetizers, another 45 minutes for mains. Another 30 minutes to add two maki rolls. Wild. Everything was decent, 7/10 quality, prices are high as it's in La Jolla, but the slow service isn't worth it. Waiters seem pissed off, none of them were smiling, vibes really weird. Go down the street to himitsu instead. read more

Love this place! I don't eat fish and always feel like I have plenty of options. My friends and family who eat fish also rave about the variety and how high quality & fresh it is. Highly recommend as a place to get dinner with a friend or a date night! read more

Oh my word. The vegan rolls here are out of this world! My girlfriend who's not vegan loved them more than her non-vegan roll. I personally loved the el tj roll because it has pico de gallo and a bit of a Mexican flavor! So unique. We both loved the sweetie pie. So lemony & delicious! The ingredients are local and from a farmers market which we're a sucker for! The vegan rainbow roll was very refreshing and of course delicious. Christina's crispy was also very unique, saucy and yummy! The rolls came out very fast and we were grateful since we were super hungry! The chefs were very thoughtful and made one our rolls just GORGEOUS when it took a little longer than usual to make! We are so excited to come back soon! read more

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Most sushi restaurants aren't vegan friendly and only have the simple cucumber or avocado roll as the best option. Sushi Nekosan took vegan friendly to the extreme with 13 vegan rolls and even more vegan options to choose from!!!! I wish I could've tried them all. Our favorite was the Christina's Crispy. The torched miso mayo really made the roll special. The whole bite - crunchy outside, soft rice on the inside, the torched miso mayo, and flavorful garnishes made each bite memorable. The other two vegan rolls we tried were both great with their own unique flavor profiles. Will definitely be making a trip back to this restaurant in the future! read more

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Great food, terrible service. 4 stars because the food is that good. My lady is vegan and I am not, but I actually order off the vegan menu when we come here because their sweetie pie roll and christinas crispy roll are both so good. Been here at least 10 times this year, it's our go-to sushi spot. Unfortunately, the service is not good. They will take your order and then ignore you the rest of the night, aside from delivering your food. I was here with a group last night, and we ordered a lot of sushi. We wanted to add several more rolls once we finished the first series of rolls, but we couldn't for the life of us get someone to check on our table so we could order more. After waiting over 45 minutes we just went inside, asked for the check, and left. Love the food, consistently frustrated by the service read more

They made us wait 2 hours till we got a table, but when my mom was counting money to see if we had enough, they said they had a table how convenient? Then they charged us 76$ for edamame, oyster, one miso soup and a Salmon colar. And furthermore, the portions were really small we still felt hungry. read more

The service was good. The shrimp shumai was ok. Cream cheese wonton were good. I think the sushi was just ok. I eat sushi weekly and it wasn't my favorite. read more

I want to start by saying I love this place and intend on returning but my last experience here was beyond disappointing. I've been vegan for over 12 years, and this restaurant genuinely has a fantastic vegan menu, which is why this experience was so disappointing. The last time I dined here, I brought a group specifically to show them how great this place is. We ordered several rolls from the vegan menu and began eating as they arrived, but it quickly became obvious that what we were served was not vegan. We called the server over to confirm, and she said she would go check. Then she disappeared for nearly half an hour and never came back to update us. It became very clear that she knew there had been a mistake and was avoiding our table instead of addressing it. This was a major issue, but we were actually prepared to let it go and continue ordering more food and stayed if the situation had been handled with even a minimal level of accountability. Instead, we were completely ignored. We eventually had to flag down another server just to get assistance, and by that point the entire experience had soured to the point where we no longer felt comfortable ordering anything else and simply asked for the check. Only then did our original server return very quickly and admit that we had been given the wrong rolls. What makes this even more concerning is that this wasn't a small mistake. Serving non-vegan food to a table that explicitly ordered from a vegan menu is serious, and in our case could have been dangerous. My brother has a severe fish allergy, and had he eaten this, it could have sent him into anaphylactic shock. The mistake itself was bad enough, but the complete lack of urgency, communication, and accountability made it far worse. I truly like this place, which is why this experience was so frustrating, but the level of service we received was frankly offensive read more