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    Uncle Tetsu

    4.5 (315 reviews)
    Closed • 11:00 am - 9:00 pm
    Updated 3 months ago

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    UNCLE TETSU ATMOSPHERE

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    Recommended Reviews - Uncle Tetsu

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    Angela C.

    I don't make it out this way often, but when I do, this cheesecake is the whole reason. Light, delicate, exactly what you want from a Japanese cheesecake. They had cookies out front this time too, so I got the taro cheesecake and matcha cookies, both good, but the cheesecake wins every time. Prices are fair: regular cheesecake is $14, mini cheese pies are about $5, and they've got new basket cheesecakes for $24 that are extra rich.

    Pinay M.

    I love this place! I think we've tried almost everything on the menu. The Oreo cheesecake, ube cheesecake, mousse au chocolat, and burnt basque but my favorite is their original fluffy cheesecake. It's pretty similar to French soufflé. It's very fluffy, and has a light and airy texture, it's very soft and delicious! They are cashless and only accept card payments or Apple Pay.

    Oreo
    Justin C.

    Uncle Tetsu serves delicious authentic Japanese cheesecakes. We tried the original milk and Oreo flavors. The texture is consistent and fluffy and you can taste the quality. The cakes are not large but we were able to cut them comfortably into 8 piece slices to serve our group. I really liked the Oreo flavor cheesecake and would definitely get it again. Looking forward to trying some of their other flavors like the Ube cheesecake.

    Outside the store with my cheesecake purchase.
    Vince B.

    This is a review for my visit back in March of this year. I was coming out of the Vinh Hoa Hong after buying some winter herbal essentials when I chanced upon this small shop with a big red sign and a cute Japanese drawing of a bespectacled balding man. A "Now Open" banner invitingly waves at me together with the aroma of freshly baked cheesecake. How could I resist? I allowed my desires take over and ordered a Burnt Basque, took it back to my car and ate a small slice. Beneath that gorgeous burnt exterior lies a creamy, custard-like interior that's almost impossibly rich and decadent. This indulgent dessert will pair perfectly with whatever I'm having for dinner" I thought. If you love cheesecake, you gotta try how the Japanese make theirs, it will make a fan out of you!

    Cookies
    David Z.

    Came here to get a cheesecake and a cookie. The inside is very small and has no seating. You order at the counter and get your food immediately. Love their airy cheesecakes. Always a treat.

    Very affordable
    Susie T.

    This place is very small inside and had no chairs. Quick service and simple. I wanted to try the pandan coconut and im glad I got it! The fluffiest and softest cake ever! Its like a souffle not a cheesecake. For me, I much prefer an American original cheesecake made with Philadelphia cream cheese. This pandan coconut cake was one of the best cakes I've had! Its semi sweet leaning towards bland side but with the shaved coconut, it added the sweetness it needed! A marvelous cake!!! Also for a slice its only 11-16g of carbs. Worth 14$. I also got the ube cookies. This was a bit too sweet for me. I only took a bite of that. I can never have too much of sweets. My sugar will spike so high. Since I don't take insulin or medications for my diabetes bc I've kept it under control through water fasting/exercise/0 carb life style, this cake is of the lesser evil and I appreciate it! I could have eaten the entire cake! But self control! Hehe Will be coming again next month. I can only cheat once every two weeks and next week im at my third home and love, vegas! so I have to save my cheat days for that! Lol! I'll be back to uncle tetsu for sure!

    Ube Cheesecake
    Diana L.

    Small but clean. I've only gotten desserts to take home. They have always been fresh and moist. The ube is yum! Fast service, cute custom bags.

    bag
    Anthony D.

    Stopped by Uncle Tetsu to pick up a box of Original fluffy Cheese Cake. This tiny bakery serves airy, soufflé-like Japanese cheesecakes in flavors like pandan coconut, burnt Basque, and black sesame, plus treats like ube cookies and cheese tarts. Their desserts are soft, lightly sweet, and delicious. The shop is small and mostly grab-and-go, but the quick service and standout flavors make it worth stopping by.

    black sesame cheesecake, Burnt Basque Cheesecake
    Sharon H.

    The black sesame cheesecake had an odd taste. Good black sesame flavor and fluffy texture but somehow the mixture between cheese and black sesame made it taste strange. The basque cheesecake was on the sweeter end but still really good. Everyone preferred the basque cheesecake over the black sesame cheesecake.

    Tim T.

    Awesome San Diego got an Uncle Tetsu - they have amazing fluffy Japanese cheesecakes in a variety of flavors like pandan-coconut, ube, strawberry, chocolate, coffee, cookies and cream, and more, and special burnt basque cheesecakes (in normal and cookies and cream flavors) that have caramelized tops and custard centers flavored like vanilla or lemon. Moreover, they sell smaller Hokkaido specialty cheese tarts - double-baked crusts with cheese mousse inside - in original, chocolate, matcha and ube flavors as well as cookies in matcha, ube and ube crumble flavors. Prompt and attentive service, especially if you order ahead on the site or app, and cozy interior where you can purchase a variety of beverages (designed for just pick up, and there is a convenient parking spot out front where you can park to pick up the goods). Most highly recommended!

    Three G.

    My partner and I have been on a pandan hunt for MONTHS. When we saw there was a bakery nearby where we were staying in SD, we had to stop by! We got the pandan cheesecake for $14. It didn't taste like cheesecake to me, it was more spongy like a flour cake. It was also topped with coconut flakes, which aren't my favorite but this place still hit the spot.

    Rohith V.

    Quick service and a no-frills bakery setup. They're known for their light and airy Japanese-style cheesecakes, and they absolutely live up to the hype. Very different from your classic American cream cheese-heavy cheesecake -- these are incredibly soft, fluffy, and almost feel like you're cutting into a warm soufflé. Such an easy, delicious treat. Highly recommend this place!

    The new tarts that are smaller than the old style.

    You know I have always come here and loved this place (always got the tarts) However recently, or idk if I came on an odd day or two, but they have made the tarts much smaller now and still charge the same price. Kind of disappointing to be honest

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    Page 1 of 8

    Ask the Community - Uncle Tetsu

    I'm allergic to peanut, tree nuts, and sesame. Do any of your items contain these ingredients?

    How long do they last? Is it smart to buy ahead two days?

    I had them the day after and they were not as fresh. The third day was meh. It’s definitely better the day off.

    Does it jiggle?!?

    Not really...I think that may be when it's fresh from the oven but these have settled.

    Can you order ahead for pick up?

    Yes !! But they do have it ready already and you can pick what you want

    Can we order large orders pre sliced?

    I dont think they preslice but i have ordered 10 cakes at 1 time no problem.

    Will this location sell cheese tarts in the future too?

    Yes! We will be bringing our other flavors and cheese tarts to this location.

    View All 7 Questions

    Azuki Sushi

    Azuki Sushi

    4.4(3.6k reviews)
    6.5 mi•Banker's Hill
    •$$$
    Takes reservations
    Vegan friendly

    Finally got a reservation at Azuki and it did not disappoint…read more Dining atmosphere: We were seated outside and it felt pretty intimate. There were a decent amount of tables outside, while inside seemed to be a bit louder. Service quality: Our server was amazing! I didn't catch her name but she recommended several dishes to us that absolutely blew us away. Must-try dishes: My personal favorites were the tuna three ways, kobe roll, and nigiris. Quite possibly some of my favorite scallop & unagi nigiris I've had in SD. Cost-effectiveness: I will say that dinner came with a larger price tag, so it may not be somewhere to go for a casual dinner but it's definitely worth it for a girl dinner, date night, or a treat to yourself. Seriously, SO worth it.

    We ordered the largest plate of SHASHIMI to share, along with some other rools and appetizers, for…read more3 people. A note: Previously, this restaurant had been my favorite in San Diego and one of my favorite sushi restaurants overall. I made reservations a month out and was looking forward to this meal, bringing my daughter for her first time. We ordered and it seemed to take forever, and three other groups who arrived after us got their meals. Ok. We are patient. Then our meal came. For $130, we were supposed to get a certain number of pieces of fish. The first thing we notices is the deep fried small barramundi fish in the center, which I guess was supposed to be 8 pieces of fish since it was cut in 8 tiny pieces. We had ordered this piece as an appetizer in the past. It is ok, but it is not shashimi! Other pieces were cut small so it brought up the count I guess. We don't normally complain, as we generally never return is such a thing happens, but my mellow wife complained and we got two additional orders of yellowtail, slices very thin so you could almost wee thru them. The kind you get at all you can eat buffets. This is all the chef's fault, thinking we were schmucks perhaps or maybe he ran out of fish. To the Maitre D's and the waitresses benefit, they tried with the extra fish and a free dessert, and we tipped well, as we always do, but we will never return and we will let the many people who we referred over the years know. If you want sushi the quality of a buffet, go to Aduki.

    Photos
    Azuki Sushi
    Azuki Sushi
    Azuki Sushi

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    Hatsuzakura - Salmon Onigiri

    Hatsuzakura

    4.4(609 reviews)
    4.3 mi•University Heights
    •$$

    Decent service food was smaller than expected but overall very delicious would come againread more

    WOW!! This place is legit! Happened to be in this area and was looking for great place to get some…read moreomurice and stumbled into this little gem of a place!! First, street parking only but don't let that deter you from coming coz every inch or foot that you spend walking to this place is all worth it. Secondly, love the ambiance. Reminds me a lot of those ikazaya pubs in Japan but a little more chic and modern. They have bar seating of about 10 and 6-8 tables inside. But they also have outdoor seating. So I came at exactly 11 am and I was the second guest and they sat me at the bar. By 11:30 am, the entire resto was full, not granting it was a Saturday morning but people prolly got smart to come here early before the lunch crowd gets bigger. So for the food, I had to order their Hayachi Omurice and Chef Soichi's Chicken karage and both were BOMB! 11/10 each! Love the flavor of the rice and nice touch of thin slices of meat and the egg was perfectly made. I just wished there were heapings of those egg. The sauce was slightly tangy but love the flavor. The other star of my meal was the karage. Prolly the Top 2 karage I've had. I liked how they sliced in lengthwise and there not too much coating. And it wasn't oily and very juicy inside. Well seasoned and it came with lemon wedges and kewpie mayo. All I did was sprinkle some Nanami Togarashi for an added umami flavor. Overall, this should be on your top 10 restos in San Diego. Service was excellent, the servers were all friendly and always smiles!! Kudos to you guys!! I'll be back for sure!!

    Photos
    Hatsuzakura - Interior view from front to back

    Interior view from front to back

    Hatsuzakura - Hayashi Omurice

    Hayashi Omurice

    Hatsuzakura - Ichigo Daifuku - Original and Matcha flavored

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    Ichigo Daifuku - Original and Matcha flavored

    Yakitori Taisho - Pork belly

    Yakitori Taisho

    4.4(571 reviews)
    1.6 mi•Clairemont
    •$$

    This was one of the great yakitori places I've been. The ingredients are fresh, and each skewer was…read moregrilled well without relying on an overly heavy or sweet sauce. The seasoning complemented the food instead of masking the natural flavors. Surprisingly, one of the highlights was the simple grilled tofu. It's an easy dish but they executed it perfectly. Crispy on the outside while inside is warm, silky, and tender. Sometimes the simplest dishes say the most about a kitchen's attention to detail, and this was one of them. Overall, the quality of the food and well preparation really stood out. I'll definitely be back to try more of the menu.

    This place is sooo close to our apartment. Surprised it took us this long to visit this spot. Super…read moresmall restaurant, but the vibe is good. Make a rez if you get a chance or just go right when they open at 5 to snag a bar seat. Warning- you may be asked to be finished before a certain, which wasn't a problem for us at all and we didn't feel rushed which is a plus. Love that you get to see the chefs cook (grill) in front you at the bar. Their menu is simple which I say is always a good thing. Unfortunately there were a couple of skewers I wasn't fond of- like the beef tongue. Listen, I've had beef tongue prepared in a variety of ways including yakitori style, but this one just wasn't up to par... The tongue still tasted like tongue. I know that sounds weird, but it's like they didn't clean it very well- which in turn made it taste & smell like part of the cow still and I am not down with that. Also, the chicken thigh wasn't as cooked as I thought it would be... Maybe it's suppose to be prepared that way? IDK. That was also a no for me. The highlights were everything else! It's cute that they keep the bone in when you order the chicken wing. It's butterflied on the skewer, different. Loved all the pork items we got as well as the beef skewers. Their takoyaki [$7.50] was super good too! Skewers range from $3.75 to $7.00 each with 3-4 pcs a skewer. Everyone that helped us was friendly! Big parking lot and the restaurant was nicely kept. The ice cream dessert topped us off in such a good way. We'll be back to try more skewers and more of their menu.

    Photos
    Yakitori Taisho - Legit

    Legit

    Yakitori Taisho - Scallop and Squid Legs

    Scallop and Squid Legs

    Yakitori Taisho - Sake bombs!

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    Sake bombs!

    Little Sakana All You Can Eat Sushi - Baked Scallop Roll - @rayz

    Little Sakana All You Can Eat Sushi

    4.3(2.8k reviews)
    6.3 mi•Mira Mesa
    •$$$

    I never get tired of going to this restaurant, I'm a sushi fan and as a former sushiman I'm…read moreextremely picky about eating sushi, especially temakis. Rice, the main ingredient of cooking is always on point but today it overcame, probably because it is very hot, the contrast of today's air conditioning was excellent, anyway. The best temaki in San Diego because it still arrives at your table crispy. A restaurant that surprises me every day that passes because it is a restaurant with the age group of younger waiters in SD but with better service than many restaurants in La Jolla. For those who really understand modern (non-traditional) Japanese cuisine, without a doubt the best. By the way, today the yellow tail was melting in the mouth. Anyway,,, thank you Little Sakana Crew,,, you are to be congratulated.

    My go-to casual date night spot! I love Little Sakana's fish quality, and often opt for their…read moreall-you-can-eat option over à la carte. If you want to add sashimi to your all-you-can-eat experience, there is an extra charge. My favorite rolls are the lemon roll and the UFC roll. Ask about their secret menu! They often have things like salmon belly nigiri and yellowtail belly nigiri. For a two-person AYCE experience, with tax and tip, it's around $90-95. The wait is pretty long on weekends, and you can join their waitlist from a QR code at the host stand while you walk around other businesses in the plaza! Heads up, the restaurant is pretty loud, as they often blast their "Happy Birthday" audio over speakers multiple times. Recently, I've ordered catering for their large platter (base $150). Super great deal considering the amount of rolls they give you and the freshness. Pretty simple to order catering off their website as well!

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    Little Sakana All You Can Eat Sushi
    Little Sakana All You Can Eat Sushi - Yellowtail, Salmon, Ikura

    Yellowtail, Salmon, Ikura

    Little Sakana All You Can Eat Sushi - Get on the waitlist using the QR code

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    Get on the waitlist using the QR code

    Cui-daore - Sanji's Tuna Roll

    Cui-daore

    4.6(83 reviews)
    5.1 mi

    Such a cute, intimate sushi spot! The sushi was delicious, especially the Citrus Hamachi Roll -…read morefresh buttery hamachi with bright, refreshing citrus flavors that made every bite so good. The yuzu ice cream was the perfect way to finish the meal. The service was excellent, with such friendly staff, and the restaurant was clean and inviting. A wonderful experience overall. Definitely recommend!

    My friend and I went for dinner around 6pm on a Friday. Parking was easy at this time. There were a…read morefew other groups inside, but it wasn't packed. Service: We were welcomed as soon as we arrived. Everyone was very nice and very attentive. We ordered 4 items: orange ginza roll, una don, inari and the annin dofu dessert Orange ginza: oh yeah!! I usually hesitate getting citrusy rolls because they end up tasting the same as any other place or the citrus part over powers everything, but this was unique and the flavors balanced each other out. Tempura was also nice and crispy. Also love that they used lemon zest(?). Would order again. Una don: Their sauce for this is SO good and the unagi was cooked perfectly. Would order again. Inari set. I LOVE tofu and you don't see inaris in SD. We were very happy with this. Would order again. Annin dofu - this one was unique. Very almond heavy (not a bad thing). This is the only item I wouldn't get again. The tofu was tasty but I think a lot was going on with this dessert. There was a lot of texture, flavors, and color Not sure if this is normal for this dessert lots going on. there were mochi bits, tofu, matcha sauce, granola, raisins, dried strawberries(?). Fun to look at and try but kind of a lot going on. Overall: Would definitely come back. I do hope they get more employees though because I can see this place getting packed and needing more staff!

    Photos
    Cui-daore - Inside seating

    Inside seating

    Cui-daore - Tuna Poke bowl

    Tuna Poke bowl

    Cui-daore - Sea Dragon roll. Seaweed salad.

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    Sea Dragon roll. Seaweed salad.

    Izakaya Masa - Ochazuke

    Izakaya Masa

    4.2(1.5k reviews)
    5.1 mi•Mission Hills
    •$$

    I've been coming here since probably 2016-2017, and it used to be the best unknown place for…read moreauthentic Japanese food, like if you close your eyes tight and eat your food. You feel like you're in Tokyo. Alas, right before COVID social media blew it up and now there is always a line and a wait, I'm sure the business is happy but I miss my local late night after work izikaya. None the less. I still frequent as much as possible. The wait is the biggest deterrent if I'm hungry hungry. I'd suggest, especially if a party bigger than 2, showing up early to put your name on the list. The decor- classic traditional izikaya, if you've been to Japan, you know. Beer, sake, and tons of options for small plates and sushi to share, and of course some amazing ramen. Service- we've always had great service here, the staff is Japanese so for those looking for the "American" style service, may be a bit off putting. No large smiles and how is your day, it's more what would you like to eat and let me get it for you. The food, the food always brings me back. Jelly fish salad- always a must to start Negi Hama - we ordered 2 this time to share cause it was so good Hamachi Kama- because duh, it was perfectly cooked and tasted AMAZING!! Player 2 got the Hakata ramen and I got the Shoyu. I always go back and forth, honestly you can't go wrong with either. If you like the thicker more rich broth though I'd say stick with the Hakata. Eel donburi- we are big backs and like to eat, don't skip on this one. It is amazing All and all, if you enjoy authentic Japanese food, served unabashedly in a Japanese setting, this is the place for you.

    Absolutely enjoyed this restaurant! It is located in a small plaza with limited parking. We came…read morearound 9 and waited about 20 mins before we were able to get a table. We ordered drinks first. Their green tea was soooo delicious! I also enjoyed their alcohol options. Each dish is sooo delicious and definitely worth the money! A must get here is definitely the tuna carpaccio!! it's soooooo good! We ended ordering it twice. There were still a good amount of people when we finished. A lot of people catching up. Vibes were great!

    Photos
    Izakaya Masa
    Izakaya Masa - Green tea mochi

    Green tea mochi

    Izakaya Masa - Green tea mochi

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    Green tea mochi

    Uncle Tetsu - bakeries - Updated September 2026

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