Our lunch date here was great the other day! We arrived a little after opening and were pleasantly surprised to find out it was happy hour. A quick tip on the menu design, though: it's a bright pink layout with items grouped together by price going across. The way the items are framed inside a bubble makes it look like a sampler where you get everything listed for that price. It's just a design choice, but I'd definitely recommend updating it to avoid confusion! As for the food, I assumed the Brussels sprouts would be halved, crispy, and tossed in sauce. Instead, they were served whole, boiled or steamed, and then gently stir-fried in a lot of sauce. They turned out pretty mushy, which isn't how I usually prefer them. I love Brussels sprouts, but I definitely prefer the crispy version, so I wouldn't order these again. On the bright side, we absolutely enjoyed our sushi rolls! Each roll came with 10-12 pieces, which is fantastic value. I've been hunting for a new go-to sushi spot, so this was a great find. The service was also really good. Our server refilled our waters frequently and checked in often to see if we needed anything else. My only other critique is the entrance. It feels a bit uninviting and actually looks closed when you walk up. We stood outside looking a little silly before realizing you just can't see inside because the windows are completely blacked out. It's also a bit dark on the inside, and there were a few annoying gnats flying around. Overall, great sushi and service, and with a few minor adjustments, this place could be even better! read more

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I would not choose this place for sushi over other options in la mesa. Ordered here for the first time and did an in store pick up. Sushi did not seem fresh at all. The fish on top of the speciality rolls was warm when it should have been cold. I'm concerned this may actually make me sick in a few hours. Fried rice was also so mushy. Basically $100 spent and wasted. read more

Karen was so helpful and made our dinner very special. I asked her to take away menus and felt bad asking for another menu, but she knew the rolls by heart, her product knowledge was very impressive. I ordered a strawberry margarita and it was incredible, it tasted like a Sandia lolipop. I came with my sister and my cousin and we had a girls dinner date, the music was great and we had a fun night full of laughter. We come here all the time and are never disappointed, good food, vibes, and amazing service. read more

Tappi Sushi & Grill - Strawberry margarita, couldn't help drinking before the pic! So yummy :) - Japanese Near Me - La Mesa, California

Fiod waa very fresh and flavorful. It was actually pretty delicious. A little in the pricey side. Not many people in the restaurant for a weekend lunch. The staggering was friendly and service was quick. read more

Overall, not bad, Portions are a bit small for the price, Service was good, the ambiance was nice. Food quality was good but not great. Fine for a quick bite but not a special event. read more

Yummy Clean Fast Friendly Chef is great Go here for some good sushi and more! My favorite is the lemon drop read more

Seated right away, and Leya provided great service and was so engaging in helping us decide on what we wanted to order. The food was so tasty and came out hot. Happy hour menu was more than we expected. We loved that they had World Cup soccer on and that it didn't overwhelm us. We will be back - thank you Leya for making it a great evening all the way around. read more

The food is gone!!! That's just left over broth and sauce lol....and I'll also be taking that home. The service is amazing and the food is so flavorful. It's our favorite spot for ramen. Black garlic pork chasiu ramen is the best and the spicy garlic edamame. We've been coming here for 6 years! To many more years Tappi read more

Tappi Sushi & Grill - Black garlic pork chasiu ramen is the best and the spicy garlic edamame. - Japanese Near Me - La Mesa, California

My wife picked up Bento Box for me. Was 25 dollars. Worst meal I have had all year. Hot wilted soggy salad when should be fresh. My tempora was soggy and wet when should be light and crispy.. California roll was warm and falling apart. Don't waste your time or money on this place. Quality and taste is poor... read more

The servers are disrespectful and not welcoming at all. Definitely don't recommend this place. They are rude and don't know any mannerism. This has happened MULTIPLE times. My family and I come from a different city and tried to give the benefit of the doubt but the servers have zero respect. read more

Do yourself a favor and take your money elsewhere. Getting there about 7:30 pm on Friday night servers we're standing around told us to choose a table, all the tables were filthy and when they did start cleaning tables they didn't start with the one we were standing in front of they started with an empty table. Next came the waitress who did not know the names of food and drinks on the menu and could not find it on her ordering machine ( she needs training ). After the food was finally ordered it came out but they said the kitchen forgot to make 1 bento box about 10 minutes later at 8:34 pm we finally got the other bento box, the chicken was extremely dry, the tempura was supposed to be a shrimp and vegetable mix the veggies came out but I only received a tail of battered shrimp with no shrimp attached. Meanwhile the staff was giggling acting completely unprofessional and the server offered to remake it which at that point I said I don't want anything coming out of that kitchen. We asked to speak with the manager and was told there was not a manager there to speak with. The server came over, we attempted to explain this terrible service then she started getting an attitude with my wife. Another waitress came over and started making a list of excuses of why everything went like this and said she was sorry. I explained don't be sorry, the initial server needs to be trained, the kitchen staff needs to be trained and act in a professional way and informed her that the shrimp tail wherever that came from was a disgusting display and the entire experience was terrible. This is not the way a business should run. read more

Service is not good. Not inviting, no smiles. Restaurant smells like an old, wet, towel. The chicken teriyaki bowl is bland. Never again! Yikes. read more

after walking out of a restaurant i normally go to I decided to come into tappi instead and was remained how the service is good and they all friendly. Unlike the other restaurant I just walked out of changing my mind . The food is really good here too so paying a tad bit more money for sushi and worth it . Let lessons be learned. read more

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Horrendous, the amount of gnats flying around and in our food was disgusting. Once I told them about this and showed them the evidence, management was kind enough to stay behind the bar not bothering to come and speak with us. They graciously comp one roll. Crazy to think how little you must care to handle this situation like this. Definitely never coming back. read more

Tappi Sushi & Grill - Yummy! - Japanese Near Me - La Mesa, California

Great food, atmosphere and service! This is our go to sushi spot. When we have company from out of town, even they want to be sure to stop for sushi! read more

my family of 7 ate here the other day and every one of us left happy! the restaurant is beautiful and had cool fish themed lights on the ceiling. there was a full bar, and a happy hour menu. i ordered the vegetarian green machine roll and vegetable fried rice and as the very kind and stylish waitress brought out our food we were all surprised at how beautifully presented it all was. the plates alone made me feel fancy! and for debatably the most important part- the food was delicious! as a vegetarian it can be hard to find anything other than an avocado cucumber roll but they have a specialty vegetarian roll called the green machine and it was very tasty! next time i order it, i would probably order it so the seaweed is on the outside- but that's just my personal preference. the fried rice was shaped, and everyone knows shaped rice tastes better! i loved the portion sizes and i will be finishing off the rest of my leftovers today. thank you tappi sushi for an amazing experience for me and my whole giant family! read more

Tappi Sushi & Grill - Japanese Near Me - La Mesa, California

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Was in the neighborhood and got really hungry out of the blue. Stopped in for a quick lunch before my appointment and they were able to accommodate by preparing my food quickly, scarfing it down, and paying the bill. Their sushi rice was really good and prepared the correct way which sometimes is hard to find around San Diego. Welcoming and attentive customer service. No complaints out of me. For sure will return with a large party to sample many different rolls. read more

Tappi Sushi & Grill - Samurai roll - Japanese Near Me - La Mesa, California

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We got take out. 3 rolls (2 specialty rolls) and one spicy Tuna. The spicy tuna roll was very fishy...I couldn't even eat it. It tasted like the tuna or whatever they had put inside was sitting out for a while. The specialty rolls were not what I expected especially for the price you pay. Very small rolls and the fish was not fresh and very fishy. The worst part about our order was the All in One Fried rice. It comes with steak, chicken and shrimp. The portion of the rice was so sadly small.... I literally counted the protein pieces in the rice because of how small it was. No joke, there was only ONE shrimp cut in half to make it look like two pieces of shrimp in there, I counted 5 pieces of steak bite and 6 pieces of the driest chicken I have tasted. The fried rice was super oily and had absolutely no flavor. I am sooo disappointed in this place and I hope they do better especially for the price that people pay. This is the first time we had take from this place. My husband and I would go eat at this restaurant but it has been a while and it was always good. This is our last time ordering from there.... read more

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Tappi has a great selection. Many many rolls to chose from and all very tasty from what I've tried. They also have a full bar. I enjoyed the insanity roll and the shrimp poppers. My friend got the ceviche which was super fresh and made to order. They have plum wine flavored mochi which was excellent. Located in a shopping center with a large parking lot. read more

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I loved coming to this place. The ambiance was very soothing . Mostly darkish and very quiet . I got the crunchy roll and it was delicious. The miso soup lacked flavor even when I added lime & It only had 2 pieces of tofu . The edamame was also . I think my favorite part was the waitress being very kind & the place being dark & not overstimulating read more

This was really good sushi and affordable! The staff was also very nice I'd recommend Tappi read more

Mediocre. Ordered a 3 item bento; Chicken Teriyaki, Gyoza, and Shumai. The chicken was dry and tough, tried soaking it in soy sauce and it wouldn't absorb any of it. The Shumai was probably the strangest experience I've had eating pork. It was cold and tasteless, like the chicken, I left most of it on the plate. Gyoza are really hard to mess up and it was sadly the highlight of my meal besides the side salad. The miso soup was ok. The booth I chose wobbled every time I moved/sat up and the cushion would pop out of it's frame which became annoying in conjunction with the fact that it was so dark inside. I was sat next to the windows and had slight trouble reading my menu. If you can, I recommend sitting outside on the patio, away from the TV screens and the general dark "dive bar" interior. My rating is based off of 3 separate visits. One takeout of the Kake Udon; which I honestly did like and would try again. The other two visits were dine in and left me disappointed. One at peak dinner hours and the most recent experience during lunch hours. The wait staff were very accommodating and friendly but the food doesn't seem to match the same quality or consistency. read more

The worst sushi I've ever eaten. The sushi rice was soggy, the fish was past its prime. It left an unpleasant aftertaste. I ordered nigiri sushi and two rolls, none of it was good. Never going back. read more

my husband and I went there for happy hour today(4/22/24) at around 6:30 pm or so Happy hours all day on Mondays and Tuesdays. We were very disappointed and the quality of the sushi, but most importantly we were very disappointed in the lack of knowledge that waitress had the happy hour drink menu My husband asked her a question about a specific item on the happy hour drink menu, and her answer was " I don't know" She did not even bother to ask or anything. So I just ordered the mango margarita it really just tasted like spicy water I didn't have much standards for the sushi that was about to come out and soon as I saw the waitress bring out the sushi, my husband and I were saying to each other that we should've left as soon as the waitress said "I don't know " to our first question about the happy hour menu. Lesson learned read more

I go to this place at least once a month and they have always had good quality food and very fast service

I've been attending Tappi Sushi for about 6+ years it's been one of my favorite spots ever since I started living in La Mesa YESTERDAY FOOD WAS HORRIBLE my bill came up to be MORE then 100dlls I've order a baked sushi it came out COLD my CALAMARI looked it was left over from a past order The ramen had NOTHING BIT BURNED beef out edamame were cold too I don't know if it was because the cooks were so into the game that was going on on TV that they never pay attention on how the food was coming out I will NOT BE coming back read more

I had high hopes for this place after reading some reviews but I was IMMEDIATELY DISAPPOINTED!!! My table ordered two appetizers (oysters and mixed tempura), 3 specialty rolls (Bye-Bye Roll, Protein Roll, and Dynamite Scallop Roll) and the All In One Fried Rice. The total bill was over $100. On the menu, it specified that I would get 2 pieces of shrimp tempura and 3 pieces of vegetables. What I ended up getting was ONE piece of shrimp tempura and 3 veggies. I ordered a miso soup but sent it back after first taste. The fried rice had absolutely no flavor. The chicken was dry, the beef was hard and chewy and there were only three small pieces of shrimp on the entire plate. The frozen fried rice from Costco has more flavor than this restaurant. Don't waste your time. Save your money and go to the Thai restaurant next door. read more

Tappi Sushi & Grill - Japanese Near Me - La Mesa, California

The food was great, not much to complain about. However, the service was very poor. Our waiter didn't check up on us despite there only being 3 tables seated in the restaurant. Both waiters were sitting behind the bar on the phone and we had to wait 15+ minutes to get the check and even then, we weren't able to pay and leave due to an "issue with the card system". Overall, the food was good, but I wouldn't recommend due to the service. They could've let us know prior to seating that their card service was down. read more

I've been coming to this place for years. Even after moving two hours away, I still make it a point to stop by whenever I'm in town. Unfortunately, I have to say I'm extremely disappointed with the customer service lately. Over the past year, each visit has felt worse than the last. Tonight, there were four of us. We ordered food and throughout the evening, every time we requested something -- even something as simple as a water refill -- we were met with attitude or silence from our waitress. Toward the end of our visit, the waitress seemed visibly bothered because she didn't see a tip added to the card. We had actually left her $30 in cash, but before knowing that, she went back to a group of other waitresses and began chatting instead of checking on us. When I asked for a to-go box, she didn't respond -- she just walked away without saying a word. At that point, I expressed my frustration because the level of service we received was unacceptable. It's really disappointing to see the customer service decline so much at a place I've supported for years. I hope management takes this feedback seriously and works on improving the experience for loyal customers. read more

This is by far the saddest sushi restaurant I have ever eaten at! My favorite is a Rainbow Roll and normally the rice is wrapped in a "rainbow" of multiple fish. The roll they served me had a combination of either 1 or 2 pieces of fish on each roll and the rolls were the smallest I have ever seen! The Shasimi I also ordered were also the smallest I have ever seen and one of the pieces of white fish looked and smelled old and did not even want to eat it and made me nervous for what I did eat. We sat along the wall (half of a booth) and after those people next to us left the server cleaned the table and left the seating filled with food bits, we pointed that out to our server and she never came back to clean it up. We will not be going back to Tappi ever again! read more

The servers were really nice and attentive to my table. The cooks were also very good with the way they prepared our food love the atmosphere of the restaurant. read more

Upon entering we were seated quickly. Staff seemed bored. I wouldn't say they were friendly nor were they rude; just underwhelmed. The venue was not packed but was busy for a staff of six. We ordered the garlic fried chicken, tonkatsu ramen and two rolls: the Barcelona roll and the Kamikaze roll. I also ordered a pomegranate paloma. The food came out quickly. Not much of a wait. Garlic fried chicken: extremely crunchy but over done. The chicken was dry and skin slightly burnt. Tonkatsu ramen: pork was juicy but broth was extremely salty. The Barcelona and Kamikaze rolls were very delicious. Well made. We then ordered the king crab sashimi, scorpion king roll and the mango cheese cake. The king crab sashimi was a complete joke. $25 for crab pieces mashed together on spoon. The crab quality was terrible. Very dry and stale, not fresh at all. It was served so different and weird from what I am use to (sliced); it felt like they gave us the end pieces in a spoon. The Scorpion King was missing a couple of it's ingredients and it was very obvious. There was no kick to it since they forgot the jalapeños. The quality of the fish was very poor, the jalapeños would have masked it. The mango cheesecake was a complete insult lmao $4 for a slice of cheesecake smaller than the spoon it is served with. We ordered the cheesecake to share but we both ended up with 1 1/2 bites each. Service through out our dining experience was okay. We were checked up on twice but not once was our water glasses refilled. Our server seemed a bit rushed when taking our order. Usually I will try to revisit a place to give it a second chance but I think I will skip on this place. I'm read more

Tappi Sushi & Grill - Garlic fried chicken - Japanese Near Me - La Mesa, California

Overall really good sushi, nice staff, and really close to my house. My favorite is their sin city roll and the rock shrimp. The only reason I give it a 4 stars is because their sushi sometimes is a hit or miss. Sometimes it tastes fresh and sometimes it's a bit fishy. Also one time I ordered a chicken teriyaki roll to go and when I got home and the roll was so fried to the point where it was burnt like a pure black color kind of burnt. Which that experience itself traumatized me for a while but I decided to give them a try again recently and it was bomb!! read more

Tappi Sushi & Grill - Japanese Near Me - La Mesa, California

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If you are looking for quality, don't come here, they use the cheapest ingredients. The sashimi is literally right from the freezer and doesn't taste fresh. And any good sushi bar that will survive with all the options available these days, should never use "krab"...fake crab is not sushi and they use it in every roll. First time and last time here. Glad I got here during happy hour, those are good deals. Lunch somehow was still $38 for 3 items read more

10/09/2019 update Always a good and tasty meal here. I like the stuffed jalapeño poppers that had cream cheese and crab but they were kind of on the tiny side. I know it's hard to find a decent size jalapeño but it would be nice if you can get a little more bang for your buck. The veggie spring rolls were quite delicious. I like the crunch on the outside of them as well. They make a great appetizer to be shared or if ones eating light one then enjoy the alone. The staffs friendly, the establishment is clean and the food taste fresh. read more

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I like the way Tappi Sushi & Grill is hidden away in the corner of a long, stretched out mall in Rancho San Diego. The windows are mostly shaded or covered with posters, so upon entering the restaurant, there is almost the feeling of walking into a clandestine Japanese bar. There is no real greeting at the door. The bartender might holler "sit anywhere", or a server who happens to be passing by might call out the same. To date, I have not found anything on the menu I love, but I keep looking. At first I thought I might become a regular at Tappi Sushi & Grill, but on my most recent visit, I experienced just a hint of some unexplained unpleasantness and exasperation by a staff member, so now my cautionary red flags have been raised on high as to potential future visits. To be continued.... read more

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Don't recommend the chicken teriyaki bowl. Stopped by for some take out around 8:30pm on a Sunday and they close at 9pm. Staff was nice and took my order promptly. Food was done pretty fast and when I got home 10min later was still nice and hot. I got a chicken teriyaki bowl and it was pretty underwhelming hence the 3 stars. Chicken was a bit dry and the teriyaki sauce flavor was very mediocre. I ate it but wouldn't eat it again. Might try this spot for sushi sometime in the future... they had a cool bar and nice selection of alcohol on the wall. read more

Tappi Sushi & Grill - Chicken teriyaki bowl take out. - Japanese Near Me - La Mesa, California

Hands down the best sushi in East County!! It stacks up to the best in SD. Here is a tip- ask for Erik. Make sure he is working! Erik makes the best chefs choice sushi!!! Give him to go ahead to make what he wants for you. Just tell him what you wont eat and he works his magic! If you like spicy or HOT sushi? Erik is the best at making chefs choice hot or spicy rolls/sushi! And if you truly like HOT let him know! It will be hot but full of flavor!! I do this EVERY-TIME I go in to eat!!! Tappi has a legit sushi grade seafood! read more

Best sushi place hands down. The rolls are great but omg honestly everything we've tried each time we've gone has been amazing. Our personal faves: sweet chili edamame or Brussels and the Tappi tostada. A lot of sake options. A good happy hour that still exists even amongst Covid. We've tried alottttt of sushi places in our time but this is our new favorite for sure! And it's quick! Definitely come here read more

Tappi Sushi & Grill - Grilled oysters & lemon drop roll - Japanese Near Me - La Mesa, California

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Wanted sushi last night but didn't want to go far from home. Checked Yelp and found Tappi. 4 stars and just 10 minutes away. BINGO Arrived at 7:30 or so -- not too busy at all. Sat at the sushi bar and ordered a draft Asahi and hot sake. The draft beer and sake selections are impressive. We next ordered garlic edamame and 6 oysters on the half shell. All super fresh and super tasty. So far so good. Service from waitstaff was great throughout -- very attentive. We placed an order for a salmon skin hand roll and that's where things started to go off the rails. When you sit at the sushi bar, you should get some amount of priority from the sushi chef. Instead, the chef prioritized the many orders he was getting from the tables. About 5 minutes after I ordered the hand roll, I ordered 2 trios of belly sushi (tuna/salmon/yellowtail). Then we waited. And waited. Maybe 15 minutes more went by before the hand roll arrived then 5 minutes more for the 2 trios. My wife loved her hand roll and the trios varied a bit. The salmon belly was amazing -- a 10 -- but the toro was not the best I've had. The yellowtail belly didn't taste any better than regular yellowtail. Somewhere in there the chef recommended their king salmon sushi and we gave it a try -- very good. I ordered more of the salmon belly sushi, then another round after that. Took about half an hour as our chef attended to the constant stream of orders from the tables. Our chef was super friendly and talented, but he was just overwhelmed with orders. We'll definitely return but next time we'll sit at a table. read more

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