Tomiko Restaurant & Bar

So I live 2 min. From tomiko I have been once before but a long time ago. read reviews and not so great heard the happy hour was good and wanted some good local sushi so checked it out for myself again to to tonight.
Didn’t blow my my mind. wasn’t horrible but probably won’t return. Went for happy hour (the only way) not tons on happy hour menu mostly just some very basic rolls otherwise for any decent rolls your paying $ 13 – 22. we just made the best and ordered 3 of the $ 6 rolls on happy hour. They were all ok but didn’t really satisfy my delicious sushi craving! Not a lot of fish in them just generic rolls with rice, avacado, cream cheese ect…
Oh and the vibe is dull. It’s pretty empty and our server was new and knew nothing about anything on the menu and not sure she ever even had sushi. The drinks were good and our bill was only 40 for 3 drinks beer saki, miaTia and 3 basic rolls. The view and building have so much potential if it were be taking over and cleaned up its a prime spot! jusy needs some work. Windows and carpet are filthy and light fixtures are outdated. Again wasn’t horrible worth a shot of your own but hope hope hope tomiko starts listening to reviews and gets with the program ASAP before they are out of business!

This review is based on my lounge experience only. I hate to let the secret out, but they deserve a good Unilocal.
This is my new spot for those evenings that I want to chill out, have a drink, enjoy the view, and not have people on top of me. The bar area was dead on a Saturday night, which was fine by me. The drink menu has a little bit of everything: sake, wine by the bottle or glass, beer, and craft cocktails. We ordered some fun martinis and they were delicious. Next we ordered a bottle of red wine, which was priced at $ 19 and tasted good! I was pumped! Our waitress/​bartender was pleasant as well. It was a great experience, and I will definitely be going back. Oh yeah, and they have a late night happy hour menu that starts at 8pm, 7 days a week!

This restaurant is located on top of a hill overlooking the railroad tracks and beach in Encinitas. We were seated at a table right next to the window and the view was beautiful!
Since we came in on a Tuesday night, it was pretty empty, so service was great and the waiters were very attentive. The timing of the food was perfect, there was enough time in between ordering, appetizers, and entrees.
I ordered grilled Japanese shishito peppers to start and they were amazing. Seasoned perfectly and not too spicy. Then for the main course, I got the seared ahi salad. The presentation was beautiful and the portion was sizable. The seared tuna was good, but a little slimy for my taste. But otherwise I was very impressed by the dish!
I had a great experience here and would definitely come back again. The space is beautiful with a sushi bar in the center facing the ocean. This would be perfect for a party as well.

I am updating my rating to three stars (but they deserve one) because I want them to stay open. I am hoping that they read the reviews, if not then this is a wasted effort and they might as well shut down.
The reason that I want them to stay open is the fabulous view and a great location, I figure that they can fix the bad menu, small portions, staff and management issues. If i was not so selfish I would give them a 1 star rating because the full menu is very limited, the waitstaff is mediocre and the management is just plain awful.
Happy hour is your best bet here. I would really go there for just cocktails and a view and eat elsewhere.
If you must eat then avoid the overpriced dinner items because the portions are small, the food is mediocre and the arrogant lady running this restaurant is clueless.
The sushi rolls here are much smaller than most restaurants and the slices of fish have been trimmed as thin as humanly possible. You would expect a roll that cost over $ 20 to contain a decent amount of fish. Nope.
For some reason Tomiko refuses to listen to customers and reviews. The décor is in serious need of an upgrade. Washing the windows would certainly be a good place to start.
Hopefully they will read and respond to this review, if not then I wasted my time and I might as well give them a 1 star review. Only time will tell.

I had a super great time here. Very spacious environment and the atmosphere was great. I forgot what exactly I had, but I knew that the food here was delicious.

Went here for dinner last week. Ordered sushi & calamari appt. Sushi was fine but thin cut compaired to most places we go. The Calimari was cut into thin strips & at the thinest point it was tough to chew.(not worth the price for sure). I ordered their marinated Cod dinner. Never seen or hear of a white fish being marinated so thought it would be interesting. WRONG ! Tasted old, & smelled old as well. After checking with a seafood cook I know. He said some places will mask older seafood with cream sauce, blacked or marinade to hide taste/​smell. «Just a heads up for you seafood Unilocalpers». I will go back one more time and this time sit at sushi bar. No on dinners for me.again.

My boyfriend and I have been here twice and had good experiences both times. The first time we came we were looking for somewhere special to have a drink. Tomiko is set on the hill overlooking Moonlight beach and Encinitas Blvd so its a gorgeous atmosphere. We happened to stumble in on a night where Happy Hour went all night (Apparently they have 2 random all-​night happy hours a month) so we had some yummy tempura and delicious cocktails. The servers are all very nice and attentive.
The second time we came was just a week ago for Valentines Day. We had a reservation and were seated at a window seat like we wanted. We sat for about half an hour with nobody coming to check on us, and at first we thought they were just busy since it was Valentines night, but then we asked the guy bringing water around if we had a server. Apparently nobody had been assigned to us, and everybody was very apologetic and helpful. The manager herself came over and apologized and got us a couple drinks on the house. Our waiter was very nice and attentive from that point on. We’ve had him as a server twice and he remembered us. We weren’t upset and were very impressed at how everybody handled the situation.
It wasn’t overly crowded considering it was Valentines Day night, and we had a pleasant experience. They even had a special menu for Valentines with super cute names for all the meals– lady and the tramp, love bites, love actually, etc. We had some good udon and rolls! We’re hoping they get ginger ice cream in again– it’s our favorite, and one of the reasons we tried tomiko in the first place!
Come here for nice service and a great view!

Awesome sunset view from a hill over Encinitas Blvd and Moonlight beach.
The bar looks like a great place for happy hour and the open restaurant with high ceilings makes for great atmosphere.
The building needs some repair. Specifically, duct tape on the steps isn’t cool. And the bathrooms remind me of a 1980s gas station. They need to be gutted and updated.
The gyoza were a great starter. For dinner we tried the Saki marinated Black Cod. The taste was right, but the texture was off because it was overcooked. Nobu in Solana Beach had this style nailed every time. I’ll miss that place. We also had the «Three’s Company» bento box. It was OK, but I wouldn’t order it again.
I’ll come back for drinks at sunset. Maybe if I stick to sushi and aps next time I’ll be happier. Maybe there’s a reason their sushi prices are so high.

I bought a groupon for this place like 5 months ago, and finally went in last night to use it. It was only good for like another 5 days, so it was about time I finally used it.
The location is great. Its on a cliff in Encinitas pretty close (1 block maybe?) to the beach. It was right around 5 when we were there so my Dad asked for a table near the window and the view was just amazing.
My Dad and I both got the «combination dinner» we didn’t try any of the sushi because it all looked extremely overpriced.
The food was just kind of mehh to me, maybe the sushi is better? May have to go back to try it.
The service was great though, and the ambiance was nice.

Spicy calamari is excellent. Great happy hour deals. I’ll be back for sure.

My visit to Tomiko was unplanned. After visiting a group of friends in Carlsbad for a couple of hours, I was invited to go with them to partake of a Groupon deal that they had secured. It didn’t take much coaxing, of course, and so off we were.
Tomiko sits atop a cliff, sporting gorgeous views of the ocean, albeit from a slight distance. A garage is available for parking, and we had no problems finding a space. We popped in around 8pm on a Saturday night and the restuarant was a virtual graveyard. Maybe we had missed the rush, which was a good thing.
We decided to sit at the bar. Besides being extremely polite and helpful with the menu, the sushi chefs were very good sports — they managed to put up with the annoying humor of our entourage. And, to their credit, they managed to dish out some of their own comedy, too, making for a lovely lighthearted evening.
I decided to try a couple of rolls:
* The Dragon Roll
* Philly Roll
* DFR Roll (spicy tuna, avocado, seared albacore)
All of the rolls were good. No overwhelming fishy taste (always a plus). Were they magnificient? No, just average. But, to be honest, I don’t consider myself much of a sushi connoisseur, so I may be out in left field with my piddly assesment.
All in all, Tomiko is a respectable option in North County for either sushi or an Asian fusion-​type cuisine. If you do decide to go, I would recommend sitting at the bar. Chitchatting with the chefs is just too much fun to pass up.

Pretty views of the ocean! All the tables are arranged so that you can easily stare out the windows and ogle the outdoors.
Pricey! If main dishes are all around $ 20 each, I’d rather eat at a restaurant like Cucina Urbana, where the exceptional service and all the other factors like ambiance, décor, etc. are pretty noteworthy.
Like another reviewer said, Tomiko looks a little outdated inside. It’s lacking in ambiance and feeling like you’re at an especially nice restaurant.
I came here with a Groupon, so I was able to save a huge amount of money, but looking at the regular prices I’m not sure I would necessarily come back here without any deals. But other reviewers have mentioned that the happy hour is really great and that should make prices more reasonable.
The food itself was pretty good. I think I’m just bummed out about the sad décor and ambiance because that does take away from the experience.
Here are the prices for things we ordered:
Appetizers…
Oysters (Comes with 4) $ 11.25
Dynamite Special $ 11.50
Entrees…
Combination Bento Box — $ 19
Tomiko Ahi Special — $ 23.25
Grilled Salmon — $ 23.25

First of all, this review only for the Happy «HAPPY» Hour only.
I have decided to give this Restaurant a try on the Happy Hour before we buy the coupon online. The location is quite a distance from where I live so I do not want to waste my time driving if the food are not good.
If you do not live in this area, and this is your first visit, do not trust what your GPS or mapquest tells you because they don’t! tell you where exactly the location is. This Restaurant located in the same premises with the Best Western Hotel/​Inn on your left if you just got off the I-​5. So you just have to make a U-​Turn at the light and go up the Hill, and you will see the Resto on the right.
The ambiance are nicely décor, and the tables by the windows with a very nice view especially in a clear days is a plus.
The staff are very nice, kind, attentive and friendly… our waiter that day was so helpful. His name is Jorge and because we came 10 minutes before the Happy Hour ends, and we kept on asking him bunch of questions. and he had to explain to us in less than 5 minutes. he forgot to put our last order. But its ok,… not totally his fault.
We ordered almost everything that he suggested and everything are delicious. The view help a little bit,.
We almost finish with our plate of Nigiri when we noticed, there is another thing we order that has not come yet. We asked Jorge and he said. that was not in the order due to all the Q & A about the menu earlier… but he will put an order and we still be charged with the Happy Hour price… KUDOS!!! Even with the full price we were still going to order anyway. So that is a BIG PLUS… thanks to the Manager for the approval.
What an enjoyable evening we had… and we sure will be back to use the coupon for real Diner.

If you want some serious fish in your mouth, get your a$$ on over here people because this place is popping with fresh seafood. Walk on over to that sushi bar and sit yourself right in front of the sushi chef named James, he’s the soul of the sushi roll, the magician tactition of the sashimi plate, this guy has skills and he’s one cool dude to boot.
If you breathe fire and crave flavor like me, take a walk on the wild side and order the chili calamari. This place has some of the best calamari I’ve had since I killed the Kraken off the edge of the Flying Dutchman trying to sink the Black Pearl for the Dead Man’s Chest (Who doesn’t love Pirates of the Caribbean, right?), seriously though this stuff is F.R.E.S.H. and know whats even cooler than cool? They have tentacles rather than the little O’s of squid which is way better! It’s like how nobody has ever seen a piece of fish in the shape of a square without it being processed to look that way (ahem, McDonalds).
Explore your surroundings and head on over to Tomiko, you’re bound to run in to a celebrity or something… or just me.

I am rating this based on my happy hour experience. They have categories of appetizers, rolls, and alcohol that are under $ 6, under $ 5, and under $ 4. We got a crunchy roll, chunky monkey, and a batman roll. Also had the agedashi tofu and spicy calamari. It was all pretty good. Chunky monkey was my favorite; it had plenty of fish. The crunchy roll was deep fried on the outside. It was alright. that was probably my least favorite. Batman roll was unagi with cream cheese. Also not bad, although in the future I think I prefer it without cream cheese.
Agedashi tofu had a nice shell and was tender on the inside. Spicy calamari was delicious! They had just a few beers on tap, but in particular the Oceanside Strong was damn good. It was also only $ 2.75 during happy hour. They also had Stone and a selection of Japanese beers. Good stuff.
This place has a classy, modern ambiance, and was quite nice. I think the happy hour deal is a steal. Not sure I would come here and pay normal prices though.
Service was great. Our server was extremely nice.

Sigh, what a disappointment. We came here Sunday evening for Sundowners/​Happy Hour as we wanted to try a new place other than the Beach House (although, no one can beat that view if you’re lucky enough to get on the patio). Everyone dishing about the view had us sold but I don’t know — it was decent but I don’t think it was all that (at least from the bar). Guess I’m spoiled by being on the actual beach and hearing the waves. We didn’t even stay to watch the sun set.
The restaurant itself seemed promising and I found a sparkling sake which I adored — but other than that it was a huge waste of money. The service was friendly but a bit slow which perhaps could be overlooked if the food wasn’t so, um, awful. We weren’t going to eat there but then I got so excited about sushi surrounding me I wanted to sample it. The man had the special «Sliders» and although they looked promising he spent more time spitting out gristle than enjoying it. The tempura vegetables (side dish with the sliders) left something to be desired as well. He also ordered a spicy salmon roll which he abandoned after one bite.
I ordered a spicy tuna hand roll and a philly roll which I felt were safe items. The hand roll was simple but good. The philly roll was just — ugh, not good. It was cubed chunks of salmon and just… I don’t know, awful. His salmon was at least cut in a more typical fashion and more edible than mine. I’m never one to leave sushi behind but after struggling through for pieces each I just couldn’t take anymore. The server kept trying to get us to take the leftovers stating «You know you’ll be hungry again in like 30 mins!» but all I could think was that I was still hungry in that moment but merely couldn’t stomach any more.
At least we can say we tried something new yet I can’t say I agree that I’m thankful even for that.

Tomiko has always carried gluten-​free soy sauce, and now designates GF dishes on their menu (their signature salad dressing is GF, too!)
love, love, love.

Yep this one is a winner! I got invited by some friends to venture out to Encinitas to try some good sushi! So worth the drive! The place is clean and the service was excellent. The view was nice as well. We made it in time for the happy hour 5:00 — 6:30 :)
What I ordered:
*Cool Spicy Cucumbers petite cucumbers in a sweet spicy ginger, garlic, seasame oil, sake sauce. Served chilled (They were spiced and chilled perfectly)
*Vegas Roll
*Green Crunch Roll
*Spicy Salmon Hand Roll
*Happy Hour Chardonney ;)
North County You Rock with having Tomiko Sushi!

I don’t know why I haven’t been to Tomiko much because it’s pretty awesome. Beautiful view, attentive wait staff and delicious sushi.
Wonderful happy hour specials. Quality sushi rolls for $ 5 or $ 6. Hard to beat that deal.

I have come here about once a year or so, whenever I am in the area. This was actually the FIRST sushi restaurant that I had ever been to, thanks to a friend who dragged me here against my will when I was a sushi pup. I remember that day very fondly, as I became a fiend for life. Back then this place may have been a 5 star kind of place, but after you become a sushi freak, then the place has to be incredible to be a five star kind of place.
I was here for happy hour last week, and it was ok. The happy hour prices are pretty good, but very limited. You won’t be able to sample the «good stuff», but then again you won’t drop too much cash either. We ordered mostly off the happy hour menu, and I was not as impressed as I was when I first came here.
While the view is nice (impress a date type view), the service was just «eh» that day. While I would come again with my friends for happy hour, I would rather spend my «high end» sushi dollars at a few other places if I am looking for a dinner spot.