*Disclaimer: Listed in this article are the list of Japanese restaurants I found within a year of my stay in San Diego, and does not necessarily take into account all the Japanese restaurants in San Diego.
As a Japanese citizen who grew up in Tokyo for 18 years, finding my go-to Japanese restaurants was first of my priorities when I got to San Diego for college. Growing up in a place where food cravings were easily satisfied by 24-hour operating convenient stores that stood at the corner of every block, I knew I had to find the places where I could satisfy the endless cravings for my homeland food. And when I say homeland food, I don't mean the popular California rolls and bowls of chicken cooked in overly sweet teriyaki sauce. I mean, actual authentic Japanese food.
We Japanese eat some of the weirdest/exotic things (It's not weird to us really, but it can gross out a lot of people). I went through some ups and downs in different places that I tried, and here's what I found in my first year in San Diego:
1. Izakaya Masa
In a quiet neighborhood on the outskirts of Hillcrest around 6 p.m., you can spot Izakaya Masa with a crowd outside, putting their names down on the list posted up. The restaurant gives off an authentic vibe with Japanese posters and lanterns. The word "Izakaya" (bar-restaurant) is perfect for this place as it only opens at night. Like Izakaya restaurants in Japan, it's open until very late (until 1 a.m. every day). It serves the traditional Japanese appetizers meant to accompany alcoholic beverages. And that's what I love about this place: the authentic appetizers. My favorites are definitely the spicy jellyfish, the gyoza (pan-fried pork dumplings) and the cold udon noodles. The authenticity and the overall representation of the Japanese izakaya is definitely one to count in San Diego! Make sure you make a reservation beforehand if you are not the one to wait around much.
2. Mitsuwa Marketplace
This place is not necessarily a restaurant, but a Japanese market place with two shops in a small food-court area: Santouka, a ramen shop originally from Hokkaido (northern Japan) and Musashiya, a Japanese cuisine with a variety of selection on Japanese food. I definitely recommend both places, especially Santouka if you're looking for a satisfying bowl of ramen. You can get a set of ramen and a side of donburi (rice bowl dish) of your choice for $14-16 depending on the size of your ramen, and they will make you full. I must say, the ramen I had here is probably one of the best ramen I had in San Diego. Musashiya is also great in its authenticity and variety in its menu. You can find anything from udon noodles, donburi, curry, soba noodles, to set menus, and from what I've tried they taste like home (I definitely recommend pork cutlet curry). And you can't forget, they have a cute crepe shop in the market as well, if you need a little something for dessert!
3. Ichizen Sushi & Japanese Cuisine
If I were to point out a primary difference between restaurants in Japan and restaurants in America, it would be the difference in the customer service standards. Ichizen Sushi & Japanese Cuisine reminds me of the superb customer service that I didn't appreciate enough of while I was in Japan. I found this nice, quiet restaurant to be super affordable compared to other Japanese restaurants. It is located in Poway, which is rather up north, but I couldn't leave this place off my list because of how much I enjoyed not only the food there but also the experience I had at the place. The menu provides a wide selection, particularly sushi (They actually have makizushi, which is thin rolls of simple sushi wrapped in seaweed! Not many places have this in my opinion because of the craze for rolls, and not many people will understand the excitement I had when I saw that), and the ramen they have is great in quality if you consider their price. If you want to enjoy a quiet getaway up north with Japanese cuisine, or if you just find yourself in the northern area for any reason, this is your place.
4. Rakiraki Ramen & Tsukemen
You might have heard this place as some would call this the best ramen place in San Diego. You can find this restaurant, always crowded, in the midst of Convoy (the Asian food heaven!). They have a wide variety of selection on ramen and tsukemen (dipping noodles), and my go-to is always Shoyu-Tonkotsu Ramen. The variety of the toppings are satisfying, and you won't be able to stop yourself from drinking the broth. The food can be a bit pricy but they are certainly worth the hype. And you can't forget, they even have a Ramen burger, a burger with cooked ramen noodles as the patty (You can turn anything into a burger nowadays). They can be short-staffed and the restaurant does not take reservations, so if you want to be seated right away I recommend going late at night or past lunch time!
Hungry yet? Well, you won't regret going.
