Himitsu

Restaurant name: Himitsu in La Jolla. The best sashimi & sushi I've had yet in SD, and will come back, but no where near the best I've had. Yes, need to try more restaurants... Service was very good. Seated a bit earlier than my reserved time. Amazed at how waiter memorized all the different types of fish! I ordered the 6 course omakase meal while my wife selected two appetizers and a roll. The highlights for the omakase: The uni and the fried shrimp head - super sweet & succulent. Toro was also very good. Overall, it was a decent meal. Everything tasted very freshh, but I hoped for more cooked items to go with the raw fish. The "lower lights": the grilled tuna rib (that looks like beef) was nothing special - felt like I could have had that anywhere. The dessert, unfortunately, was also weak. Sesame ice cream had minimal sesame flavor. The best dish of the meal I felt was the hamachi collar my wife ordered. Baked to perfection, super juicy, yet skin had a touch of crispiness. I will definitely come again since my daughter loves sushi & sashimi, but will order a la carte and mix more cooked items with the raw fish.

really tasty and quality sushi. easy to get reservation, sat outside. Miko took great care of us.

Food: 5/5 Service and Setting: 5/5 Value: 4/5 Here are some rules to know before going for omakase at the bar. 1. Do not take the plate down from the higher ledge. That is where you will get your sushi. Sushi is to be eaten in one bite, thus no need for a plate. 2. Do not put soy sauce on any sushi as the chef has preseasoned it. 3. Show respect to the chefs though they are serving you, you are being treated to their art. Himitsu is a gem of a restaurant that elegantly fuses traditional Japanese sushi culture with Californian chicness. Sitting inside the sushi bar, you can see the mastery of the craft through Chef Aihara as well as enjoy a warm space that oozes traditional Japanese motifs as well as the ruggedness of a competent kitchen. The sounds are like a symphony of knives hitting wood and the clanking of pots in the back. Outside, Himitsu offers a more casual and relaxed atmosphere allowing you to enjoy the ocean breeze while consuming some of the best sushi you will ever eat. Food may take a little longer to get out to you outside as the chef does seem to prioritize bar patrons. During my visit, the staff were all extremely knowledgeable, kind, and diligent. They were very proactive without being burdensome and know how to serve efficiently. If I could compare it to anything, it was like VIP treatment at a luxury store. Luckily for me, I sat next to a wonderful older Japanese couple that seemed to know the chef. For my meal, we all seemed to get the same food so I felt comforted knowing that I was receiving the real deal experience. The small conversations between guests and the chef are another wonderful aspect of eating at the bar. I selected the uni omakase as Himitsu offers 2 different types of omakase, the other being without uni. Generally the omakase is around $100, the one with uni being about $120-150. This changes depending on what the chef chooses to serve on that day. All of the sushi was incredibly fresh and fish that I typically thought would be fishy were so clean and savory. To even attempt to describe them would not be enough, but trust that you will have an incredible experience. All of the seared pieces of fish have an incredibly deep savory flavor. You will truly experience the real flavor of each individual fish here. The San Diego uni was sweet and bright while the Hokkaido uni had a deep briny savoriness. Though there were 2 in particular that I really did not enjoy, however, I found the discovery and experience to be fulfilling and glad that I did try them from a master chef. My last hand roll I requested from the chef contained salmon, tuna, and yellowtail belly with Hokkaido uni and I must say that it was life changing. The lovely couple sitting next to me even clapped seeing the creation. This was truly an experience that I will surely come back to again and encourage everyone reading this review to try as well! Special thank you to my best friend for gifting me this experience and my success in reviewing food!

My wife and I went for my Birthday and had the Omakase experience and Miguel and his staff did not disappoint. I've had plenty of sushi in my life and if you're looking for a dine in experience with some top quality sushi, friendly staff and a great selection of Sake then I recommend you add this location to your 'must try' list if you are wver in the area. I've included some photos of my omakase experience.

We decided to do the omakase. The majority of the dishes were all amazing. The fish was excellent. The lack of 5 stars for me was we also asked for a sake pairing and it wasn't really a pairing just a bunch of sake picked by the server with no guide on what goes with what. The other issue I personally had was raw baby squid. Not great, not something that should be served. The other down side was we had to order an extra roll as the $170 per person chefs choice wasn't enough food. The roll was outstanding though. Next time we go here we will order off the menu so we have better control of the meal.