Toshi Sushi

Those of you who know me (and/​or have read my reviews) know I don’t eat sushi — but my friends do!
Two of my cohorts and I stepped into Toshi, got seated immediately, ordered our food immediately, and then sat there.
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For a slice or two of sashimi and a spider roll, along with vegetables tempura for me. There were four tables being occupied and about three people at the sushi bar.
We also waited about 15 minutes for them to bring us our check after clearing the table.
Aside for the whole time thing, everything else was just as one would expect from a sushi place — nothing disgusting, nothing out of the ordinary.

My friends and I had a group of about 12 people and we definitely filled up a large portion of the restaurant, so make sure you get there early to save seats! The parking is a bit difficult, though, so be ready to park somewhere nearby.
The interior is fitting for a typical sushi restaurant and it was refreshing to see a sushi menu that wasn’t flooding with options. I have to say that this place was definitely worth the money (even though I had a 50% off deal). It was fresh. The options were actually different in that I wasn’t constantly getting shrimp tempura or avocado in every single thing. The baked rolls were definitely hot and tasty. Almost everything about this place is great for a sushi place.
My only concern was that the service was slow, but it might be a result of being slightly understaffed. Other than that, it was a great place to eat out and it was not too loud compared to other sushi places sometimes.

I came across Toshi Sushi because they are the sushi place that stays open latest in the College Area. When you’re having a sushi craving and it’s 9:30, most places are closed, they aren’t.
However…
They may as well have been. It was pouring with rain on the night I went there. Got there about 9:35… And got sent away. Apparently it had been a slow evening so they weren’t bothering to serve anyone else, despite still being lit up, their open sign still on, etc.
On a simple logic level, this strikes me as really dumb: Business has been bad tonight so let’s ensure it’s as bad as possible by turning away our only customers? That’d make sense if you’d closed up for the night, if you’d sent the staff home to avoid paying, if you’d not bought in perishable goods like fresh fish. But it makes no sense when you’re still open and staffed and still have the fish to sell.
Which leads me to a really disturbing question: What did they do with that unsold fish? They weren’t selling it to customers that night. All I can say is I’m really, really glad I wasn’t a hapless customer coming in the next day for now two day old fish.
They may or may not be OK. Alas, I didn’t get to find out because they couldn’t be bothered to serve their one paying customer of the night.

Been here once and that was the last time. Waited 30 min for a table while the horrifying bleach stench swept across the whole
Restaurant. Obviously there’s a reason why this place shut down.

Read this review with a little bias as I’m a bit of a regular, but I’ll keep it short.
The bar seating is nice and comfy, and there’s a lot of table seating too. Speed of service depends on the load that night, but c’mon; Sushi is pretty much art, you can’t rush it.
I really like asking the chefs to make me custom rolls and they deliver every time. Try the protein roll! It’s really different.

The sushi was very fresh and delicious, the drive is pretty far from where I am from but it is really worth the trip.
I used to really love sushi but then after too many sushi experience at different sushi places I left a pretty big hole in my wallet. Yes sushi are expensive but I really enjoy coming here and not leave feeling like I was really ripped off. The ambiance was wonderful and our server was great.

I came to this location for lunch. The traffic was extremely low (only 5 customers including myself) and was met with a complimentary plate of edamame — that was nice! But, it went downhill quickly. I had thought to get what most places offer — a sushi lunch special — because when I go to a sushi restaurant I want (*gasp*) SUSHI. They did not offer anything of that sort. They did have Bento boxes which included sushi that were served all day for *over* $ 12. In this location, this sort of place, I am not looking to spend $ 12 to $ 18 ON LUNCH!
I found a decent deal ($ 7.50) for a salmon teriyaki combo. From the time it was ordered, to the time it arrived was 25 minutes. I was hungry when I went in, this made me rather frustrated. I don’t quite know why it was so long with only 4 other customers in the store — two of which were not ordering anything. The overly salty miso soup they gave me as part of the meal, I slowly ate but was done with and still had 15 minutes of sitting there to go.
When the food finally arrived, the cut of salmon was small and overcooked. The teriyaki sauce was flavorless and very thin, which caused it to make a mess of my shirt just to try and taste the teriyaki. The salad was nothing special, the usual iceberg lettuce and sauce. The ONLY redeeming quality about my entire experience was the mixed tempura. The dipping sauce was also a tad flavorless, but the tempura was *really* good. Otherwise, the entire meal wasn’t worth the price. I did not choose to leave the tip because of the ridiculously long wait and overcooked fish.
I may go here again with friends, but not seek it out anytime in the near future.

I wanted to like Toshi. I really did. But unfortunately the food and service were really lackluster and the Unilocal reviews really missed the mark on this one.
We ordered a good variety from the menu:
— Sexy Roll
— Spicy Hamachi Maki (was supposed to be hand roll but they brought maki instead)
— Nacho Sushi
— Sashimi Dinner Plate
— Teriyaki Dinner Plate
— Hamachi Collar
The food was really «meh». Fish didn’t taste the freshest and the specialty rolls were extremely overcomplicated. The Nacho Sushi was like Poke but under-​seasoned and the collar needed to be more crisp.
With that said, we didn’t order that much food but the service was SO freaking slow! It took over an hour to get our food! Sure our servers were nice but it doesn’t take the place for the ridiculous wait. I had ordered a spicy hamachi handroll but they brought maki instead. Thing is, we had waited so long for anything that I was way too hungry to send it back.
Parking lot is also tiny so be prepared for street parking.
We spent well over 2 hours here (75% of the time waiting for our food), food was below average and overpriced… sadly, I would not recommend it.

Top 10 Reasons NOT to Eat at Toshi:
1. Waited over an hour for take-​out (ordered 4 rolls)
2. Was not told of even a potential for a disgustingly long wait
3. Was told it would be another 15 minutes when I inquired after 15 min
4. Was told I would be called when it was ready after I asked how much longer
5. They did not ask for my phone number (which makes #4 even more interesting)
6. Food should be prepared when order is received (as I waited others that came in got food right away)
7. Sat in car waiting to be «called» when sushi was ready
8. Sat in car with a 10 month old waiting for sushi
9. Sat in car with groceries waiting for sushi
10. Went home and waited to be called… did I mention it took over an hour? (exact wait time 1 hour and 11 minutes)
My Tip to Toshi: Don’t offer Take-​Out if you can’t prepare it in an appropriate time frame…2 thumbs down! AND another tip… give a discount as to acknowledge a job poorly done and then you could actually keep a customer (especially one who loves contributing to local restaurants!)

I went here with the Unilocal $ 50 for $ 25 thing. Boring vegetarian options. In an area I never go to.
I got the vegetable roll and gyoza, and they were okay but nothing special. Service was slow. I wouldn’t return, even with a coupon.

This place is TERRIBLE!!! I’ve been here many times and have always had adequate service, AT BEST! The sushi is ok, the poke is very good though.
I was in there for 2 hours and I still hadn’t received my order. After 2 other tables hot up and left, they finally brought me the wrong order.
As someone who has been there many times, I was greatly disappointed and will never go back.

The sushi chefs are drinking, and no one is getting served!!!
Look, I don’t usually do reviews on restaurants… but this place was by far one of the worst sushi bars I have been to… and I have been to a lot of them: p
So there we where… after driving down to meet my parents, my Dad was nice enough to take us out to a sushi bar around the corner from his house…
We walked in and wanted to sit at the sushi bar, the bar was almost full except for three seats open at the end… there where three of of us so this worked out perfect… the waitress came over to help us (she was very nice, no complaints there) and we ordered drinks, and looking at the specials. There where three sushi chefs working behind the bar and the place was not that busy as the bar area was emptying out and it was just the three of us (except for one guy waiting for a to-​go bag and having an appetizer) so this would work out perfect… we will order lots of food catch up with my Dad, order a couple of more drinks, get to know the chefs, drop a big tip, and we would go home happy.
This…did not happen :(
As we waited for one of the three sushi chefs to come over and take our order. we waited… and waited… and I am not making this up, for around 25 min we sat there staring at them, and no one would take our order. Now I would totally understand if they where swamped and working there a$$ off, they weren’t.
The head sushi chef (i think he was the head guy, what do I know) went into the back after downing a beer, and the other two staid about as far away from us as you can get without making any eye contact with us or even the slightest concern that we might want to order something, but they did have time to hang out behind the bar and down a couple of beers as well and joke around with a waitress that was going home. The drinking doesn’t bother me, nor the talking to the girl going home… what does bother me is the three people at the end of the bar staring at them waiting for service.
We ended up paying the bill and left for another sushi bar a little farther away, and we actually had one of the best nights out… so I guess it all worked out for the best… so thank’s Toshi Sushi… thanks to you we have a new hang out to go to :)

We were seated almost immediately, but then the waiter said, «Sorry we only have one chef right now. The orders will be slow». He wasn’t lying. About 40 minutes later, the first roll out of 2 I ordered came out. I ordered a Sexy Roll along with a Sushi Pizza and the along with sashimi. The only thing that saves this place from getting a 2 star was that I thought it was cool how the Sushi Pizza roll looked almost resembled an Okonomiyaki (aka Japanese Pancake). It’s a little bit inexcusable how they were understaffed. Looks like this is a regularity at this restaurant judging from the other reviews. I was lured in by the 4 star rating.

3 strikes and you’re out! Unfortunately we probably won’t be going back to Toshi. We do really love the food at Toshi and have been frequenting Toshi for about 7 years. It is the best sushi in the college area, and actually better than most in the SD area, but for some reason over the last year or two the service has gone way down hill.
Tonight was the last straw and we probably won’t be going back. This is the third time we have had a bad experience and unfortunately it will be our last visit to Toshi. The restaurant was not even full, but it took way over an hour to get our food.
When our son started fussing I took him up front to look at the fish tank, so I could calm him down. I started to notice that everyone at the bar was getting their food, but everyone else in the restaurant was waiting for extended periods. The waitresses were complaining to the sushi chefs, but they didn’t seem to care. I felt bad for the waitresses because they were doing everything they could. We ended up getting our food to go and left as soon as we could.
It’s unfortunate that Toshi has lost it’s customer service. There are limited options in the College Area and now there is one less.

This review is specifically for take-​out service.
I have yet to actually sit down and eat here.
I’ve come in here a few times to order sushi because I think this is probably one of the best places I’ve tried in San Diego.
My favorite is the Aztec roll.
The rolls could be a little bigger and are pricey [$ 10+] but they taste great so I won’t complain too much
Take out orders come with free edamame which is lovely.
Service is fast and friendly.
I’m a fan!

We first went here with a $ 50 for $ 25 coupon. It looks smaller than it is from the street. They have a small parking lot on the right side, with a serious dip. We went soon after they opened, and were seated right away. They fill up quick and there were people waiting by the time we left. Best to get there early.
The food is great! The servings are generous. My wife ordered a bento style dinner that included mixed sashimi (pic included) that was very good. I had a sexy roll, and various nigiri sushi orders. Everything was great!
I have have been to many sushi places, including in Japan. This is one of the few places in SoCal that I would go out of my way for. It’s just that much better that it’s within 5 miles for us.
Very friendly service as well. We’ll be going back.

Tried Toshi Sushi with a couple coworkers after buying the Unilocal deal. Verdict — cute place, really friendly service, and pretty good food. I never would have expected so from some random place, seemingly in the middle of nowhere on El Cajon.
There was a generous mound of complimentary edamame, not like at some places where even when you pay for it, sometimes you get like 10 pods in a weenie size bowl. They have a lot of unique rolls and daily specials at a fair price, though I have to say I wouldn’t go out of my way to come here. The main thing that impressed me about this place was the service we got. My coworker had ordered the sushi combo, but due to some misunderstanding they ended up bringing us a sashimi combo. These things are like $ 20 an order, and we told her it was fine, but our server totally took care of it and had the sushi chef make us a new one, and in a timely fashion. This earned some major bonus points in my book.
I’d say this place deserves a solid 3.5 stars. I’m not willing to give it a full 4, just because I’m not likely to come back since it’s kind of in the middle of nowhere, and nothing really stood out — just overall a decent place.

2 words… Sexy Rolls!
Nope, I’m not talking about a dating website for plus sizes. It’s my favorite thing to order at Toshi. I couldn’t find the menu online, and I don’t recall exactly what was in it, but I would certainly have «the sex» again and again.
They got some other silly names for their rolls like «The Garbage» or «The Aztec» and I can attest to them being as fun to eat as they are to order. I was able to try them all with the Unilocal Deal. $ 50 of food for $ 25 was a major hookup that allowed me to actually leave a sushi place with leftovers for once.
Although a tad more expensive per item than other izakayas, I was certainly impressed with the food and service. The waitress was really sweet and the food was brought out fresh and in the blink of an eye.
It’s amongst my most highly recommended sushi spots around town. Get there and get your Sexy on… just remember to wear protection. (a napkin)

The Unilocal Deal brought us to Toshi Sushi. I probably would have never come here, since we are rarely in the area. Located on El Cajon Boulevard, it is easy to drive by this place & miss it.
First of all, I noted that they have a nice selection of sake which is a plus. We ended up ordering a bottle of the Red Rabbit blueberry sparkling sake. I really enjoyed it, since it was slightly sweet & bubbly.
We also ordered the following rolls…
*Baja Machi Roll– hamachi, avocado & cucumber topped w/​more hamachi, cilantro & lemon juice. Good, but they skimped on the hamachi.
*Aztec Roll-​Shrimp tempura, spicy crab, avocado topped w/​seared tuna & ponzu. Also good, but again they skimped on the tuna.
*Mushroom Special– tempura mushroom stuffed w/​spicy crab, scallop then baked. This was our favorite! It was really good.
*Unagi avocado roll– unagi, avocado topped w/​unagi & avocado. This was average.
**Overall, the sushi rolls were rolled small but were a long 10 pieces. I was disappointed that the raw fish that topped the rolls were cut really thin & small. Rolls good but not the best.
Service was friendly & fast. I do like the fact that they have a small parking lot adjacent to the restaurant (big plus since parking can be hard to find in the area).
Not bad, but I’ll most likely stick to my favorite Sushi places.

If I were to give a one word review, it would be – UNDERWHELMING.
Of course, knowing me, I have to yap about everything, so here it goes.
Ordered a Bento #B with CK Terriyaki, Gozoya and 14 pcs of sashimi ($ 18.50) with came with rice, miso soup and salad. The miso soup was unbearably salty and the salad was doused in so much creamy dressing that I did not even want t touch it. The chicken portion was large, but it was also doused in too much sauce and tasted like something you can get at Yoshinoya. The gozoya were oily and hardly even «pan-​fried». The 14pcs of sashimi was sort of a rip off because they give you more of the cheap stuff and small slices of actual raw fish. You seriously consider imitation crab meat as sashimi? Octopus you can pass, but not imitation crab meat where you can get a whole bag for $ 2.99. The actual raw fish were above average — meaning fresh, but not the best I have had. Small slices, plus the fillers made this Bento #B box NOT A DEAL at all.
Secondly, I ordered the «Garbage Roll» ($ 10.50) which consisted of many ingredient such as deep fried shrimp, lettuce, spicy crab, cream cheese, unagi, tuna, masago, gobo, avocado, cucumber, & sprouts. A roll which should have been cut up into 4 – 5 pieces was served as 6 pieces. Unless you stuff the whole roll in your mouth all at once, it is inevitable that the roll falls apart on you. Again, underwhelming. Mish mash of flavors.
Food takes a while to be served even though the place is not busy at all. Based on the Unilocal reviews and the declaration of «we guarantee fresh fish» on their menu, this place is a let down.
Prices on the menu reflect a sushi place that should be WAY ABOVE average, but it does not deliver.
Service was great. The waitress was friendly and nice and gave us plenty of time to decide on our food without being overbearing.
Offers AYCE with many rules and restrictions (see pictures). Since most of their nigiri and sashimi are overpriced, their AYCE lunch ($ 19) or dinner ($ 25) might be worth a try since I do believe that their fish is fairly fresh.