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    Wa Dining OKAN

    4.3 (1.5k reviews)
    ModerateJapanese
    Closed 11:00 am - 2:00 pm, 5:00 PM - 10:00 PM
    Updated 1 month ago

    Order Wa Dining OKAN Takeout or Delivery

    Wa Dining OKAN Photos

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    WA DINING OKAN ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Moderate noise
    Outdoor seating

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    Reviews With Photos

    Amy C.

    Saturday, 3-28-2026: My son & his friend were anxious to share their favorite Japanese restaurant with me. They raved of its authenticity and delicious, complex flavors. [[HIGHLIGHT]]The interior was dark and very compact.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] [[HIGHLIGHT]]They did have a bigger area outdoors for dining.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] [[HIGHLIGHT]]My son explained it was a traditional Japanese design.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] Their menu is extensive and there are specials pinned to the walls. Our server came by and was shy & sweet. I chose the Chicken Soba. I cannot recall what my son had (it was a delicious curry dish). Our food came out rather quickly. They order a delicious beef appetizer, it was seasoned well and the beef was so tender. My dish was very tasty & the chicken was tender, too. The noodles were so filling that I had to take the remainder home. I really enjoyed it. Our server was friendly and attentive. I can see why this eatery is a favorite of my son & his friend. Looking forward to returning!

    Fried Baby Octopus
    Laura J.

    We got the agedashi tofu and the deep fried baby octopus to share. Love both of these sides, the tofu was extremely soft and flavorful and the octopus was crunchy, chewy, and just so flavorful. I got the Nabeyaki Udon, it was delicious, hearty, and filling. It really hit the spot on a cold cloudy day. The broth was light and clear and the udon was bouncy and chewy. I also loved all the ingredients, the chicken was tender and the shrimp tempera were light and crunchy.

    sukiyaki
    Sharon H.

    The sukiyaki is really yummy! Broth is sweet, not oily, and served over a cute fire pit. I like that they serve the beef raw so you can choose how cooked you want the beef to be! Service is average. The workers aren't super friendly but not the most rude either. [[HIGHLIGHT]]ambiance is a small shop and great to come with friends, might be tight for families[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]]

    Girl bye the only uni was the garnish for that price I was expecting more
    Josie N.

    [[HIGHLIGHT]]This place is so cute I felt like I was in Japan![[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] The food was tasty but the portions kind of small for how much they are charging. The uni creamy pasta only had two pieces of uni like be so foreal?

    Kai V.

    The mentai udon from here is sooooooo good, best one I've ever had !!! Everything is very flavorful and great quality. The staff were very friendly and kind. [[HIGHLIGHT]]The restaurant is on the smaller size but gives a very comfy vibe and sitting at the bar was fun.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] I will def be coming back here :)

    Tin-Trung P.

    I thought this was a nice little izakaya tucked away near the bottom of Convoy. I liked their lunch specials and ended up getting a fried chicken plate. It was delicious! I know it's so simple, but I love how they just dressed the salad with something like a ponzu vinaigrette. It just hit so good. The service was also really good! [[HIGHLIGHT]]It felt like a pretty casual spot, and I can see why customers always come back.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] In terms of affordable and authentic feeling Japanese restaurants. This place ranks pretty up there!

    Okonomiyaki
    Kaylee N.

    Delicious food! [[HIGHLIGHT]]Definitely a very homey spot, and I could tell it was a favorite for many locals there.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] My favorite dish was the mentai butter udon. [[HIGHLIGHT]]The service was quick, and it was crowded when we got there on a Sunday night.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] [[HIGHLIGHT]]There is outdoor and indoor seating.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] The menu was very extensive, so we got the opportunity to try many new things.

    Ai H.

    So happy to have discovered this place, because the mentai butter udon was absolutely delicious. We came here with a large party on a Friday night and got seated right away. The creamy uni udon was alright in my opinion. After a few bites, it was too creamy and not as enjoyable. [[HIGHLIGHT]]The place also gets busy but thankfully the plaza has stores you can walk around while waiting[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]]

    Rice Beef Burger
    Vivian

    [[HIGHLIGHT]]It's easy to miss Wa Dining Okan since it's tucked away and almost hidden by bushes in a busy plaza surrounded by a supermarket and other restaurants.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] We were rushing to find somewhere for dinner since everything nearby was starting to close. I was a little confused about their hours because Apple Maps and Yelp listed different closing times, and their Facebook mentioned last call at 9:30. We decided to try our luck and walked in hoping they would still seat us. Luckily they did, although we had an awkward start. Signs say to wait at the entrance to be seated, so we stood there for a few minutes. An employee even noticed us waiting but didn't say anything. Eventually another employee came out and seated us. Once seated, things improved. We were given menus for food and drinks. [[HIGHLIGHT]]The restaurant was still pretty busy around 9:00 PM. There's bar seating, outdoor tables for larger groups, and smaller tables inside.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] The menu is fairly large and includes pictures for each dish, which I personally appreciated. Wa Dining Okan focuses on Japanese comfort-style dishes with a mix of skewers, rice plates, udon noodles, and small bites. After looking through the menu we ordered the chicken skin skewers, rice beef burger, carbonara udon, and butter mentai udon. Service moved quickly from there. Water was brought out and the food arrived slowly in batches. The chicken skin skewers were a little on the salty side but still good. They were brushed with a sweet soy sauce that helped balance the saltiness. I would probably order them again. The rice beef burger was definitely confusing. I imagined something like crispy rice buns with beef in between, but it was more like pressed rice with seaweed with Japanese BBQ beef, lettuce, and a sauce that tasted similar to In-N-Out spread. It wasn't bad, but the execution could be better. By the time the rest of the food came out, the seaweed had absorbed moisture from the steam of the rice and didn't add much texture. It was also $10.50 which didn't feel very reasonable for what it was. Butter Mentai Udon is a dish that features thick udon noodles tossed in a buttery sauce mixed with mentai, which is seasoned cod roe. The roe adds a slightly briny seafood flavor and a bit of richness to the dish. This one also had a nice peppery kick that helped balance the buttery sauce. I didn't get to try much of it since it was my sister's order, but the sauce tasted balanced and the udon noodles were perfectly cooked with that chewy texture udon should have. The carbonara udon was on par with other versions I've had before. It had a creamy sauce that thins out once you mix in the egg yolk. I also liked the bacon they used here. It was thin but not so thin that it disappeared in the sauce. Overall I think this is a solid place to dine, but nothing completely wowed me or blew my socks off.

    Beef tongue
    Liz B.

    [[HIGHLIGHT]]A cozy and authentic izakaya with amazing udon and rice dishes![[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] The creamy mentai udon was rich and filled with umami flavor, and the udon had a great chew. The sauce was very creamy and clung to the noodles. My friend order the salmon ikura kamameshi, which was seasoned perfectly and had a good amount of salmon and roe. (Pro tip: I added some of the sauce from my creamy mentai udon to the rice and it created a rich and flavorful risotto-like bite!) We also split a beef tongue appetizer, which was tasty but I don't think I would order it again considering the portion and price. [[HIGHLIGHT]]Service was great, and there is bar and table seating for your meal.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]]

    Kama Eel
    Jasmine H.

    Still as delicious as my last review, but delicious enough that I wanted to add my new pictures. Staff was still very friendly with quick service, and [[HIGHLIGHT]]the inside of the restaurant still has that homey, Japanese bar feeling.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] Make sure to check the walls for off menu items! Will be coming back :)

    Inside
    Daniela A.

    I have been wanting to come here for so long! As someone who lived in Japan for 3 years, I was looking for authentic Japanese food, not sushi or romen but the authentic dished and I found that here! The inside was small but inviting with plenty if room. I walked in and was immediately seated at the bar and handed two menus. A food menu and a drink menu. I took a look and decided to stick to water. For food I ordered the Tako Kara (fried octopus), the Tan Shio (grilled beef tongue) and the Creamy Mentai Udon. The Tako Kara was fried perfectly and paired so well with the lemon, it honestly tasted as good as the ones I had in Japan before. The Tan Shio was cooked perfectly and well seasoned. I added some lemon juice on it but it honestly didn't need it because it was so good! And the Creamy Mentai Udon was amazing! It was exactly what I was hoping it would be. Creamy, delicious, well balanced with a bit of heat. My first bite of it really just relaxed my shoulders and made me feel so nice because it was so hot and this cold weather really did call for some warm noodles! Over all it was a great meal. This had got to be one of the best Japanese restaurants in San Diego!

    Curry udon and goboten udon
    Brooke T.

    [[HIGHLIGHT]]Very cozy spot. Locals come by and chat up the restaurant staff and seem to all know each other.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] [[HIGHLIGHT]]The place feels very authentic, but I feel like I may have ordered the wrong thing.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] The goboten udon just didn't taste like much and I got bored of eating it after a while. The curry udon had a more interesting flavor but I only tried a few bites of it. Overall, I prefer marugame udon, but maybe I just go the wrong item.

    Yaki Udon

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    Page 1 of 39

    Wa Dining OKAN Reviews in Other Languages

    Ask the Community - Wa Dining OKAN

    Reservation ? Do they have sushi also

    Unfortunately, no reservations. Only wait-list when you get there.

    Is it all you can eat sushi?

    No they do not have all you can eat!

    What's recommended for a single person take out?

    The bento box! I love it!

    Do you accept reservations?

    They don't but you are able to put yourself on the waitlist through Yelp. And I recommend you do that a few hours before you plan to dine because it'll save you so much time!

    Hi, Do you have private dining room for party of 6?

    No they don't. It very small inside with maybe maybe 4-6 tables and bar table. It can fit 6 it will be quite snug. No private room for sure.

    Is the sushi only available on the dinner menu?

    Do you offer gluten free options?

    Are they dining indoor and outdoors during the current dining shutdown?

    They do both

    Do they offer take out?

    Yes they do. They are also offering dine-in now (mask and reservation required).

    View All 11 Questions

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    4.4
    (3.6k reviews)
    5.8 mi
    $$$
    Takes reservations
    Vegan friendly

    I am only giving three stars because of our waitress - she was great. Other than that, the food…read morewas meh. The veggies in my mixed tempura were not ripe so the veggies I had were raw/crunchy - when they should be soft and tender to consume. This is basically a date night place or where Influencers go to hang out. Definitely not going back because you also have to pay for parking. Spend your hard earned dining dollars on a mom and pop shop where parking is free instead!

    Came here for my birthday celebration back in April when my parents were visiting. It was honestly…read moreperfect! I loved everything from here and cannot wait to go back. It's a small place so highly recommend putting a reservation down. I started with the Katana Collins, which was very light and refreshing. For appetizers, we got Garlic Edamame and Miyazaki Wagyu Dumplings, which just melted in our mouths. We got a few things between the 4 of us and we all loved our food. I ended up getting the Bluefin Four Ways and it was TO DIE FOR! I didn't even know you could get toro 4 different ways and I honestly enjoyed every way. I also really enjoyed the Unagi (Eel) Nigiri as it was perfectly cooked and such good quality fish. The dessert they brought out for my birthday was very cute and light. I thought it was exactly what we needed after the delicious meal we had. I honestly don't think you could go wrong with anything you get from here. This is definitely my new fave fancy sushi place!

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    Sushi Ota

    Sushi Ota

    4.4
    (4.8k reviews)
    3.7 mi
    $$$

    This is one of the OG sushi spots in San Diego, and I've been coming here on and off for decades…read more It had been quite a few years since my last visit, though. With so many new sushi restaurants opening around town, it's a little out of the way for us, and honestly, I had almost forgotten about it. I'm so glad we decided to come back because it's every bit as good as I remembered. I made a reservation for the sushi bar, which is always my favorite place to sit at a traditional sushi restaurant. Instead of ordering my usual rolls, I decided to splurge on the Chef's Choice nigiri. I also asked the chef to serve each piece one at a time rather than bringing everything out at once. I love taking my time, enjoying each bite, and watching the chefs work, which is another reason I prefer sitting at the counter. The Chef's Choice was absolutely worth it. Every piece was incredibly fresh and beautifully prepared. My favorite was the aged toro, which had been aged for three months. It had such a rich, buttery flavor and completely melted in my mouth. My husband ordered a few specialty rolls, and he was very happy with both the quality and the generous portions. I also upgraded my regular miso soup to the clam miso soup, and I'm so glad I did. The broth was delicate and flavorful without being overly salty, and the clams added a wonderful sweetness. Even though I was already pretty full, I couldn't resist ordering three pieces of tempura after seeing them come out for another customer. I rarely order tempura in the U.S. because it's often heavily battered, when authentic Japanese tempura should be light, crisp, and delicate. If you've ever been to a dedicated tempura restaurant in Japan, you know exactly what I mean. This tempura was surprisingly close to what you'd find in Japan--light, airy, and perfectly crispy without feeling greasy. For dessert, we shared the green tea Basque cheesecake. It leaned a little on the dry side, but I still really enjoyed it because the matcha flavor was rich, bold, and not overly sweet. We also had a chance to chat with Akira-san behind the sushi bar, which made the evening even more enjoyable. The hospitality and attention to detail really reminded me why I've always loved this place. With so many trendy and expensive sushi restaurants in San Diego these days, this restaurant continues to stand the test of time. The quality of the fish is outstanding, the atmosphere is authentic, and I honestly think the prices are very reasonable for what you get. It's a classic for a reason, and I'll definitely be making the drive back more often.

    When: Weekday early dinner What: Ota B, Shrimp Tempura, O…read moreToro and Yellowtail Belly Experience: The food was simply delicious! Definitely a restaurant I would return for some good Japanese food. O Toro and Yellowtail Belly sushi were simply mouth watering. The way both fish just melts in your mouth and the proportion of rice to fish being just right makes a difference so that it gives you the perfect sushi experience. Shrimp Tempura was tasty. Not overly oily and a nice layer of tempura that wasn't thick. But the best is the shrimp! Definitely didn't taste like those frozen ones and the quality of the shrimp (size, texture, and tasty) was delicious. My son ate 2 out of 3 on his own - and he's very picky with shrimp tempura. Ota B was yummy! It was such a balanced meal of flavor, texture and variety. Even the rice itself was good, I kid you not! Definitely a good value to have if you're there. Our kids didn't want anything else but ended up eating two bowls of just udon. All because it was good udon. What can improve (hence the -1 star) is the service. The server wasn't friendly to begin with, probably because we have two young kids in a nice Japanese restaurant, and perhaps because we didn't order too much since we had a delayed lunch but had this place reserved for dinner already.

    Photos
    Interior space
    Interior space
    Tokusen nigiri
    Tokusen nigiri
    Double double tuna roll, Softshell Crab roll, Shrimp tempura roll

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    Double double tuna roll, Softshell Crab roll, Shrimp tempura roll
    EE NAMI Tonkatsu Izakaya

    EE NAMI Tonkatsu Izakaya

    4.5
    (754 reviews)
    2.5 mi
    $$

    We found Eenami Tonkatsu Izakaya on TikTok, and everything on the menu looked so good that my…read moreboyfriend and I actually changed our itinerary just to make it happen. We're from Las Vegas, and this is hands down the best izakaya we've had so far--even better than anything we've tried back home. The sushi was incredibly fresh and fatty, and my boyfriend was already wishing we'd ordered more. I had the wagyu tataki, and it literally melted in my mouth. We also loved the katsu it was perfectly crispy and so satisfying. Huge compliments to the chefs! Every dish was beautifully prepared and you can really tell they care about the quality of the food. The service was wonderful as well. We were seated right away, but by the time we left there was a huge line out the door, so definitely plan ahead if you want to avoid a long wait. We didn't catch our server's name, but she was blonde and took great care of us throughout our meal. Overall, 8/10--we'd absolutely come back the next time we're in San Diego!

    Given how pricy (starting at $26 per entree without soup or rice, 50 cebts charge per slice of…read morelemon) and limited in seating this place is, I am very surprised to to experience unfriendly service, cramped seating, and extremely useless time meat quality. The photo shows their pork loin to be made up of majority fat with less than 30% lean meat. All of the opaque white areas you see are indeed fat, not connective tissue. That is an excessive amount of fat for something labeled as pork loin and priced at $26. I hope this is informative for others who may be misled by their incorrect claim of "top meat quality."

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    Cui-daore

    Cui-daore

    4.6
    (79 reviews)
    5.8 mi

    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!

    wouldnt come here during summer. no ac. hotter inside than outside…read more very understaffed. 2 people running everything. poke bowl was okay. small portion.

    Photos
    Inside seating
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    Tuna Poke bowl
    Tuna Poke bowl
    Sea Dragon roll. Seaweed salad.

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    Sea Dragon roll. Seaweed salad.

    Wa Dining OKAN - japanese - Updated August 2026

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