Shimbashi

My mom is Japanese n a bit critical of cuisine at Japanese restaurants. Now days when you ask people about Japanese food they only know sushi, miso soup, tempura and teriyaki. Japanese cuisine is so much more than that. It has a finesse and understanding that's able to elevate the simplest ingredients to an elegance that turns into a work of art on your palate. It makes you appreciate the moment and feel gratitude for the experience. My mom began to reminisce of meals with her family when she was young as she perused Shimbashi's offerings of Kimpira Gobo, Green Otashi, Akadashi Miso, and Yaki Onigiri just to name a few. The servers spoke Japanese which made mom feel comfortable. And best of all? Everyone was super nice! The chefs behind the sushi bar were totally cool, and absolute craftsmen. Being Izakaya style the atmosphere is comfortable, unpretentious.

Updating my 5-star review from three years ago: still my favorite Japanese / sushi restaurant in San Diego after all these years. Great food, good cadence of updates to menu, fabulous selection of sake, and some of the best sunset views. And of course, great service!

Aundya Azarbarzin

Shimbashi Izakaya was such a treat! 🍣 Everything was fresh and delicious: 🍣 Assorted nigiri appetizer 🥢 Miso soup 🦞🍣 Lobster salmon roll 🐟 Halibut nigiri 🦀 California roll with real crab The shaded outdoor patio with ocean breeze is perfect, and inside feels like a traditional Japanese spot. Staff were amazing and so kind. Can’t wait to come back!

Sophie Amundsen

The area is beautiful, the place is nice, our waitress was great and attentive. I felt the prices were quite high given the portion sizes, but we have enjoyed everything we got. I loved the eggplant stir fry and the tempura - the veg selection in the tempura mix was so great! And, I had a veggie roll. One of the best veg rolls I have had in a long time! Loved it!

Alyssa Wolf

Food is amazing quality. It’s a little pricier but totally worth it. Parking is only validated for an hour. I loved the oyster shots and the rolls with wasabi! If you like wasabi it’s worth it!

LULU LIVE Art

So nice to try this Japanese restaurant out in Del Mar. This place has an amazing ocean view. It is really really popular. I have to say the service is extremely slow, that makes me almost give a 4 star, but I can tell they really need more staffs. The waitress is nice, she really tried hard to make everyone has service. But it is super slow…. We waited over 30 minutes to place our food order. Gladly the foods came to our table not too slow. And all the foods are very delicious. I love their menu, you can get almost anything that you want from a Japanese restaurant, even including sukiyaki hotpot and grilled beef tongue. I was craving for cold soba noodles, and I enjoyed my food. I just hope they can hire more staffs soon.

Yi-Hsiang Lai

A very decent Japanese restaurant. Their food was not only tasty but the garnishing looked great as well. Each dish was very delicate. We ordered several dishes and I liked the beef tongue the most. The service was very nice and the atmosphere was pleasant.

Victor Diaz

Extremely delicious Sushi. The environment was great. Wonderful service. Glad we found this spot as it will be our go to sushi place moving forward. And the sunset during dinner was to die for.

nattie m.

I was craving some sushi & found this spot awhile ago while I was in Del Mar. They have one heck of a happy hour menu. Some of the popular dishes are $5! I wanted to try some veggie items along with some fish / chicken dishes & they had a wide range of options. I got the veggie gyoza to start. Very good. The veggie inside was a bit bland but the actual wonton was delicious. Add some hot sauce and it was just fine! The chicken was perfectly cooked & tasted great. The yellowtail with jalapeño was fresh. Would definitely order this again when I come back! The seaweed salad & smashed cucumbers were SO GOOD. I cleared every plate here real quickly lol. I got mochi for dessert, you get 2 for $6. The strawberry & mango are so yummy. The mango was definitely my favorite! You really can't go wrong with a delicious spot with great prices & services. They also have a view of the beach from the outside seating! So it's all around a great spot for your next dinner :)

Sola Season

This is truly an excellent place for food and atmosphere. If you’re thinking of going on a romantic date, this is a great place to go. Also, the vegetarian and vegan options were endless!

Mona Loves to Eat

My favorite spot for authentic Japanese food. Service needs some improvement. Foods are always tasty.

steve moses

This place is a sushi Center of Excellence. From the top drawer ingredients to the expert preparation and ]thoughtful presentation to the classic Japanese Sushi restaurant atmosphere, everything is authentic. The care that goes into each piece of sushi is extraordinary. A first rate culinary experiance.

Judy Richards Cappello

My mom is Japanese n a bit critical of cuisine at Japanese restaurants. Now days when you ask people about Japanese food they only know sushi, miso soup, tempura and teriyaki. Japanese cuisine is so much more than that. It has a finesse and understanding that's able to elevate the simplest ingredients to an elegance that turns into a work of art on your palate. It makes you appreciate the moment and feel gratitude for the experience. My mom began to reminisce of meals with her family when she was young as she perused Shimbashi's offerings of Kimpira Gobo, Green Otashi, Akadashi Miso, and Yaki Onigiri just to name a few. The servers spoke Japanese which made mom feel comfortable. And best of all? Everyone was super nice! The chefs behind the sushi bar were totally cool, and absolute craftsmen. Being Izakaya style the atmosphere is comfortable, unpretentious.

Jonathan Pan

Updating my 5-star review from three years ago: still my favorite Japanese / sushi restaurant in San Diego after all these years. Great food, good cadence of updates to menu, fabulous selection of sake, and some of the best sunset views. And of course, great service!

Very fresh fish. It was a group family event, so we all had Bento boxes from which we had several choices to choose from. More than ample quantity. The menu looked very interesting. Service was great. Patio overlooks the ocean in the distance. Decent selection of Sake. I would definitely return!

I’ve been coming to this place for 10 years now, the food tastes fresh and never disappoints. The ocean view at night is an added bonus, inside and outdoor seating as well as a bar. Atmosphere is great and service is helpful in case you have any questions.

We went there for my daughter's birthday The best seafood and also we ate chicken which was very delicious The waiter was extremely nice and respectful

Very friendly, attentive staff, Wonderful views, and delicious food. I stopped in early Saturday while my fiance was getting her hair done. First visit, and will definitely be coming back.

Shaun Hughes

Very fresh fish. It was a group family event, so we all had Bento boxes from which we had several choices to choose from. More than ample quantity. The menu looked very interesting. Service was great. Patio overlooks the ocean in the distance. Decent selection of Sake. I would definitely return!

Max K

I’ve been coming to this place for 10 years now, the food tastes fresh and never disappoints. The ocean view at night is an added bonus, inside and outdoor seating as well as a bar. Atmosphere is great and service is helpful in case you have any questions.

Cody Berbey

Very friendly, attentive staff, Wonderful views, and delicious food. I stopped in early Saturday while my fiance was getting her hair done. First visit, and will definitely be coming back.

I stopped by some Shimbashi Izakaya for a beer and sushi after work today. Parking was super easy as it was mid week, and I easily got a table. During summer and weekends, it’s almost impossible to find parking and makes it harder to get to the restaurant. The sushi was really delicious, and tasted very fresh, they also had ice cold beer. The sushi rolls were OK. There’s some good prices from 5 to 6 PM for happy hour, and have a large selection of sushi and appetizers and rolls to choose from.

Darryl Gordon

I stopped by some Shimbashi Izakaya for a beer and sushi after work today. Parking was super easy as it was mid week, and I easily got a table. During summer and weekends, it’s almost impossible to find parking and makes it harder to get to the restaurant. The sushi was really delicious, and tasted very fresh, they also had ice cold beer. The sushi rolls were OK. There’s some good prices from 5 to 6 PM for happy hour, and have a large selection of sushi and appetizers and rolls to choose from.

I came here in August with my friend for a 1:00 PM lunch on a Saturday, first time here. The restaurant has both indoor and outdoor patio seating with a nice view. The patio was fairly busy. We were able to get the last table for 2 in the shade. The hostess/server, Kyoko sat us and took our drink order. She was very rushed, but still attentive, maybe understaffed? The poor women was running all over the place. We ordered a couple beers along with Sea Urchin, Yellowtail, Tuna, Salmon, Eel, Masago with Quail Eggs Nigiri, and a Fried Soft Shell Crab appetizer. All the sushi was fresh and presented well. The quality of the fish was very average as compared to other Del Mar competitors, but for the prices which was very reasonable it was good. Take note, my favorite part of the meal was the Soft Shell Crab appetizer...that was fantastic. I could of eaten a whole appetizer myself! I would definitely come back for lunch. Atmosphere: nice, great patio. Service: good. Food: good (I would come for lunch only)

I love the foods so much!!! But the waiter made me feel upset. Why I said that because 1. we’re waiting over 20 minutes and no one comes asking if we’re ready to order or don’t even have a cup of water. 2. In this 20 minutes 3 waiters passing by us and every one went to asking the 2 different table who was came in the store after than we were. 3. We have to calling the waiter come over to help us order food and I feel that’s rude. 4. For 1 hrs dinner only has 1 waiter come by ask how’s the food and adding water for us. I mean it is very nice to have “peaceful dinner” but some how we also need service too,right?(like order more food/drinks etc) If not what’s the reason we pay for the tips?

MCK

I came here in August with my friend for a 1:00 PM lunch on a Saturday, first time here. The restaurant has both indoor and outdoor patio seating with a nice view. The patio was fairly busy. We were able to get the last table for 2 in the shade. The hostess/server, Kyoko sat us and took our drink order. She was very rushed, but still attentive, maybe understaffed? The poor women was running all over the place. We ordered a couple beers along with Sea Urchin, Yellowtail, Tuna, Salmon, Eel, Masago with Quail Eggs Nigiri, and a Fried Soft Shell Crab appetizer. All the sushi was fresh and presented well. The quality of the fish was very average as compared to other Del Mar competitors, but for the prices which was very reasonable it was good. Take note, my favorite part of the meal was the Soft Shell Crab appetizer...that was fantastic. I could of eaten a whole appetizer myself! I would definitely come back for lunch. Atmosphere: nice, great patio. Service: good. Food: good (I would come for lunch only)

M Z

I love the foods so much!!! But the waiter made me feel upset. Why I said that because 1. we’re waiting over 20 minutes and no one comes asking if we’re ready to order or don’t even have a cup of water. 2. In this 20 minutes 3 waiters passing by us and every one went to asking the 2 different table who was came in the store after than we were. 3. We have to calling the waiter come over to help us order food and I feel that’s rude. 4. For 1 hrs dinner only has 1 waiter come by ask how’s the food and adding water for us. I mean it is very nice to have “peaceful dinner” but some how we also need service too,right?(like order more food/drinks etc) If not what’s the reason we pay for the tips?

In the words of my mom “I’m going to give them a very bad tip because I am very annoyed. I rarely ever do this” Food was good though, but service was slow and the servers weren’t attentive. P.S. I forgot to take a picture of my sushi before I ate it. So that’s the only photo you’re going to get of my sushi. Karage was good but not super special and was lacking a sauce. Beer was approximate the same as any asahi beer you’d get at any other place that serves asahi

Avery Lamp

In the words of my mom “I’m going to give them a very bad tip because I am very annoyed. I rarely ever do this” Food was good though, but service was slow and the servers weren’t attentive. P.S. I forgot to take a picture of my sushi before I ate it. So that’s the only photo you’re going to get of my sushi. Karage was good but not super special and was lacking a sauce. Beer was approximate the same as any asahi beer you’d get at any other place that serves asahi

Wanying Su

I love sushi, but a lady at this restaurant made me question how someone could be so rude. Very disappointed with how the seating was handled. We were told to reserve to sit where we wanted, so we later reserved an outdoor table, but were given one directly under the blazing sun. When we politely asked to move to a shaded table (which was empty at the time), we were told no because it was “for someone else.” Strange policy—shouldn’t guests who are already there be prioritized over people who might not even show up? This felt like very selective treatment and left us with a bad experience.