Is it taboo to be at Tabu? Absolutely not! Tabu is one of those places you will want to come back to again and again. If you love sushi, come to Tabu Sushi. They have several locations in San Diego, and I am dining at the Rancho San Diego location. It is located in a mini mall with other businesses. They have a giant TV for those that are TV addicted. Then the traditional Sushi Chef behind the counter preparing all the sushi goodness. Also, you can order teriyaki shrimp, chicken, or beef if you want something different. There are also Bento boxes located up with Tempura, California rolls, your protein of choice, rice, and either Onion Soup or Miso. I usually order the Bento Box for the variety that they offer. The food is superb as well as the service. The ambiance is pleasant and inviting. When are you going to Tabu? read more

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I've been to Tabu Sushi a couple of times and always enjoy the freshness of their sushi and the great flavor. The staff is friendly, and sitting at the sushi bar is always a fun experience. They recently remodeled the restaurant, and it now has a bright, modern look that makes dining there nice. I have a few favorite rolls, but my absolute favorite is the Rudy Roll. I did notice the restaurant's rating dropped after the COVID pandemic, but honestly, we've gone back a couple of times and the food is still just as delicious as ever. The rolls are a bit pricey, but the quality was good when we visited, and overall, everything tasted great. read more

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!!! KITCHEN NIGHTMARES PLEASE HELP !!! Here is the short version, but my full experience is below: When we came to the restraunt the floors were sticky. Pork Gyozas for appetizers... COLD, SLIMY, and most likely store bought. We took one bite and sent it back. Then the Yellowtail roll tasted fishy. Our group ordered two Tonkotsu Ramens and they were completely different in broth color. flavor, and portion size. Not only that, the egg was MICROWAVED. Service was nice though. LONG VERSION: When we arrived at the restaurant it looked rundown. We walk in and all of our shoes were sticking to the ground, peeling up from the floor below with every step. I went to the restroom to wash up -- it stunk and the soap dispenser was a workout to use. Other than that, I thought it would still be an enjoyable evening, UNTIL we looked at the menu. The menu was filled with imitation crab, and not a lot of fresh sushi. We started the evening off by getting gyozas. The server asked us how we would like them cooked -- deep fried, pan fried, or steamed. I immediately thought to myself that sounds a lot like the cooking options on the back of a Trader Joe's gyoza package. We wanted pan-fried gyoza. When they came out, it was plated very nicely and I thought they would be good, but I was wrong. Immediately as I bit into it, I SPIT IT OUT. The gyoza was COLD, SLIMY, and was certainly NOT COOKED in a pan. We sent the appetizer back and the server comped the dish. The first dish that came out was a Yellow Tail sushi roll. The yellowtail tasted fishy and was so underwhelming. Lastly we ordered two Tokotsu Ramen bowls. The first thing we noticed was that the portion sizes were completely different, as you see in the images. THEN the sauces were a completely different color and flavor. The eggs were MICROWAVED! One was nearly overflowing with broth and the other dish had very little. It's like we ordered two different Ramen bowls. At the end we asked if they had gone in the right order, and in fact they did. We ended up having leftovers so we asked for a box to go. AND GUESS WHAT?! At a restaurant that sells Ramen, they had to-go bowls, but with NO LIDS. Do they expect me to have it sloshing around in my car?! So they had to go to their STORAGE UNIT and said they would be back in 5 minutes. We ended up leaving. At the end of the day we were unsatisfied and will never come back. Service was nice... !!! KITCHEN NIGHTMARES PLEASE HELP THEM !!! read more

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I was really disappointed by my experience. While sitting at the sushi bar, I watched the chef eating while preparing sushi. At one point, he started talking and bits of food came out of his mouth onto the prep area, and he didn't seem to notice. Watching that completely ruined my appetite and made me lose confidence in the cleanliness of the food preparation. I understand people need to eat, but doing so while actively preparing customers' food is not something I expect from a sushi restaurant. Unfortunately, this experience was enough that I don't plan on returning. read more

Ordered take out and got 3 rolls $50. After a 5 minute drive home it was all lukewarm. Didn't seem all to fresh but wasn't the worst. Average or below average. Definitely better spots for the price. read more

Tabu Sushi Bar and Grill - Sushi Bars Near Me - El Cajon, California

Me and my boyfriend went here to have some sushi. And they didn't disappoint. We ordered the lemon cilantro roll, salsa roll, salt and pepper wings and the banana tempura. Everything was really good. The service was also great. The server was honest on her opinions and realistic when she told us that the rolls would come out first. Which as a server, I really appreciated. The place was clean and had a great atmosphere. read more

Tabu Sushi Bar and Grill - Banana tempura - Sushi Bars Near Me - El Cajon, California

Our go to for sushi in rancho San Diego. The food is good, the service is always great and everyone is always very nice. The restaurant is cute, I'd recommend it for a casual date night. The sushi bar is always busy. I usually keep it simple with salmon hand rolls with miso soup. A go to staple for me. I highly recommend. read more

Tabu Shishi is hands down one of my favorite spots! The sushi is always incredibly fresh, beautifully presented, and full of flavor. Staff are very friendly. read more

Finally tried this place and it didn't disappoint. Food was good and service was great. Cute place, clean and the servers are attentive.

We had a quick lunch decided to get tabu sushi we got a chicken teriyaki bento box, which included 4 ca rolls tempura veggies rice, chicken teriyaki , and mushrooms. We also got a kid's teriyaki plate witch included broccoli ,rice and chicken. The Ca roll plate was absolutely delicious.all the rice we got was so soft and good everything was made professionally. The service was great the people were nice and had conversations with us. I do recommend. read more

The food was absolutely amazing and fresh! Our hostess was so friendly and provided quick service. The bathrooms were very clean, and the entire staff was helpful and welcoming. A wonderful experience overall! read more

I love Tabu. Everything I've gotten is amazing. This time I got a Crunchyroll with cream cheese in it. It was so delicious. I got two of. Service is great and I love the ambience of the place. Nice and clean. read more

Best sushi in San Diego. It's always fresh and clean. The service is top notch. Everyone is helpful and friendly. I highly recommend it.

What went well? EVERYTHING! Friendly atmosphere, large menu, and great staff. Tony, the amazing sushi chief. He has years of experience and it shows every time. His creations are absolutely delicious. And as they say, you eat first with your eyes...then he scores big before you take your first bite! I forgot to mention the ambiance which is intimate and the vibe is warm and friendly. If you haven't visited Tabu you are missing out. read more

Great food and good service. I go here every time I get to Rancho San Dieg to visit the Heritage Museum or to shop.

I'm a BIG sushi lover and I was impressed by how delicious the food was here!! Everything was delicious from the sushi rolls to the miso soup. Order the lemon cilantro rolls!!! They were mind blowing good! Place is kind of small but there were people in and out. It's clean and plenty of parking. No loud music thankfully! They were showing a basketball game. People were eating, chatting, watching the game and drinking their saki. Very friendly service. Very good vibe. Plenty of parking. I will be BACK!! read more

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This sushi is WOW! Firstly, parking is a pretty easy situation. The location is located in a shop plaza with other restaurants and shops. The restaurant itself is casual enough for families, groups, reunions, dates, etc. Everything is spectacular as far as the service provided, the ambiance is super friendly and pretty casual. The chef (Itamae) is extremely friendly, kind and hands-down provides the BEST omakase and n town! Tabu even serves wasabi made on the house, super fresh and unique which is custom for them since you don't always experience this in sushi locations, some yet not all. The uni oyster is OUT of this world! The salmon, tuna, scallop, hamachi ...it is all epic! All the sushi tasted even better paired with sake. YUM! So so good, must try! read more

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Sushi is average, sushi rolls rating maybe between 4-6 in quality and taste. The place is Convenient, there's not that many sushi places around to compete with. So I'll take it. Services is bland, and the ambience is ok too. read more

Wowza ! This place is my new favorite place. The food is fresh and absolutely delicious. They definitely have a unique menu . I loved everything I ate . The service was fantastic and the ambiance is very nice ! I'll be back here again !! read more

Tabu Sushi Bar and Grill - Sushi Bars Near Me - El Cajon, California

Met up with an old friend here and it didn't disappoint. I would equate the quality on par with sushi deli which may or may not resonate well with people. However, no one has ever been upset about getting decent sushi at a decent price sans a line out the door--so for that, Tabu is a-ok. read more

Been coming here for about a decade. The sushi is always good. Sometimes you hit an off day where it's not high-quality you can taste. I've ventured out from sushi to get yakisoba and chicken fried rice. I am extremely disappointed in the chicken fried rice. As you can see per the photo, they put no care into curating this simple dish. it is extremely burnt you can even taste "burnt" - that's all I can describe about this simple dish. The sushi Masters are amazing but the cooks in the back have no care for what they are presenting. It leaves something to be missed. read more

Tabu Sushi Bar and Grill - Sushi Bars Near Me - El Cajon, California

Got very sick eating here , they had flies and bugs all over the restaurant which seems to be an issue they're working on. I don't even know how this place is open. It was horrible read more

Tabu Sushi Bar and Grill - Flies bugs - Sushi Bars Near Me - El Cajon, California

Tabu is definitely my most frequently visited sushi restaurants. It's location is convenient, the food is excellent and consistent, and I find that the restaurant is clean and tidy, but the most exemplary part of the restaurant is the staff. The young lady who served us in my most recent visit (I believe her name was liana or eliana) was a wonderful hostess who contributed immensely to our dining experience and made us feel as though we were longtime friends. As a result, I feel as though I will visit this restaurant more often than I already do as good service should be rewarded! read more

The freshest fish and we are sushi snobs. We tried so many variations here and not one was sub par. We live in Oceanside but we are more than willing to drive for our next sushi date. Also the chef Tony was like no other chef. He asked what we typically liked and made us a spread of sushi, sashimi and rolls to match our taste. So impressed. read more

I got 2 shrimp fried rice and in the container they were literally less than half filled. i'm not even exaggerating. i went down and asked the girl who was at the front and said is this how much you guys usually put? she just gave me a blank face. some old chaldean guy i believe he was the cook was walking past and goes to the girl working there in Chaldean "what does she want" him thinking i don't understand what he's saying and she explained and he goes "well that's how much the bowl of rice comes with" i said no because i've gotten from here multiple times and it's never been this empty and he started making up some bullshit like they changed the containers like how does that even correlate because the other times i've gotten it it's been the same container. he kept arguing with me and was not even offering to fix it or anything so i just asked for my refund. that old cooks tone was so disrespectful shit talking in Chaldean thinking i don't understand what he's saying. I really don't recommend this place read more

The place has a gaudy decor of metallic wallpaper and garish light fixtures which kind of deters from the dining experience, but the food isn't bad (however the quality does seem to have declined over the years). The Santee Roll we ordered this time was good, but the Lemon Cilantro Roll was better. The teriyaki chicken is always a good option, as are the Bento Boxes. The sushi burrito is a personal favorite and comes with a delicious dipping sauce. The Sexy Roll, Crunchy Roll & Habibi Rolls are also tasty if you like tempura. read more

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Amazing! love it the rancho roll is literally the perfect meal! The service was great! i was greeted immediately when i walked in, i was given water and a menu as soon as i was seated , great ambiance! read more

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great spot for sushi when you're inland! the spicy garlic edamame was a good touch of spice, with generous sauce over the edamame. sushi roll sizes were actually pretty large, well balanced and not too much rice. it's a little pricier than what I'm used to but for the portion size it's worth it. the mochi ice cream desserts are the perfect way to end the meal! ps - came here with a baby and they'll offer a bowl of white rice with avocado for baby to munch on, complimentary! they also have kids meals if they're big enough. read more

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The place is nice and newly renovated. We came because our regular sushi place was closed for the new year. We got the mussels, lemon cilantro roll, da bomb dynamite roll and the twister. The mussels We not good at all and did not enjoy them at all plus it was $9 for 2 pieces! All the rolls were pretty good. The salmon had a little but of a fishy tast to it. The ginger was old you could tell right away. The service was fine but the waitress went missing when we were trying to get the check and waited a bit for that. Overall not bad but not our favorite sushi place. read more

Tabu Sushi Bar and Grill - Ginger - Sushi Bars Near Me - El Cajon, California

Always great Sushi made by great people in a fun little place. Been going here for many years. read more

Tabu Sushi Bar and Grill - Sushi chefs - Sushi Bars Near Me - El Cajon, California

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The service was on point and the food was just as good. I ordered the ramen and the vegetarian roll and it was delicious.

This sushi spot is a GEM. The sushi and sashimi are so so fresh and delicious. I usually order sashimi, uni and scallop nigiri to go. Perfect temperature, always fresh and the counter girls are fast and so nice always! This has been our go-to this summer for sushi. read more

The sushi at Tabu was okay! Would I return if I'm craving sushi? Probably not. The sushi did not taste fresh to me. The prices were reasonable though! Would recommend the fried octopus! Was not able to get a picture since we ate it fast! Haha The service at Tabu was definitely 1-2 star. Our waiter only came to us to take our order and bring us our check. However, the busboy constantly came to our table though to pick up our plates. We even had to ask him for our check since our waiter went MIA. Even then our waiter took forever to bring us back our cards. The restaurant was not even packed. read more

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Not a bad place by any means, but a bit pricey for what you get. The atmosphere is fun and light, and the theming is nice. Service was slow when we went but there were a ton of people there, so things got hectic. read more

Amazing food ppl are nice and welcoming. Definitely coming back and recommending this place

Picking up an order on 9-6-23 and the girl at the front counter taking orders and running my cc through is hacking up a lung... coughing and coughing... never covering her mouth... and I'm wondering when the F$!& is the manager because she is obviously sick and why is she allowed to stay at work coughing all over the place... oh did I mention she was coughing all over the prep area where they are making the sushi rolls... smh. read more

Been here a few times for lunch and will keep going back. Sit at the sushi bar and talk to the chef. He'll give you great suggestions and all are very tasty. You can tell the fish is fresh and he takes great pride in his work. Plus the prices are reasonable. read more

I give this place no stars. The moment we walked through the doors this teenager was just standing there, I wasn't sure if he worked there or if he was a customer but he looked like he was just hanging out. Then he took a minute to ask us "For how many?" We sat at the table and I asked for 2 waters, he only gave me one. My husband and I looked over the menu and decided what we were going to eat. The teenage boy-waiter didn't even look at us, he walked passed us numerous times in the span of 10mins. He took to long to ask us for our order. Not to mention one of the guys that was making sushi... he was drinking a beer while making the food. I think this restaurant is super unprofessional and would not recommend at all. read more

First of all, the drinks were disappointing. We thought they had a full bar but they didn't. The martinis weren't good. The lemon drop one was alright but the other two were foul. We ordered the Rancho roll... it was undercooked and doughy. The mango a go-go was garbage!! We were shocked to see canned mango and CANNED jalapeño on top! Wasn't even seared. You can see how disappointing is was by the photo. Absolutely absurd! They also seemed to rush us when we wanted to enjoy our drinks for a second. We will not be back. read more

Tabu Sushi Bar and Grill - Sushi Bars Near Me - El Cajon, California

Ordered salt and pepper chicken skewers. The dish was cold, it was not salt and pepper and wasn't even skewered. read more

Tabu Sushi Bar and Grill - Apparently this is skewered chicken. - Sushi Bars Near Me - El Cajon, California