- Restaurants |
- Nightlife |
- Shopping |
- Movies |
- All
Robata-ya Oton
Category: Restaurants Japanese Japanese [Edit]
5447 Kearny Villa RdSte D
(between Clairemont Mesa Blvd & Monel Ave)
San Diego, CA 92123
Neighbourhood: Kearny Mesa
(858) 277-3989
- Hours:
Mon-Wed 11:30 am - 11 pm
Thu-Fri 11:30 am - 12 am
Sat 5:30 pm - 12 am
Sun 5:30 pm - 10 pm
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Attire:
- Casual
- Price Range:
-
$$$
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take Away:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Beer & Wine Only
- Noise Level:
- Quiet
- Has TV:
- No
- Caters:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- No
113 reviews for Robata-ya Oton
Review Highlights
-
"I love Okan, and this place, is their sister restaurant." In 18 reviews -
"FEAST ON THIS: Beef Tongue, Pork Belly, Soba Soup." In 7 reviews -
"Now you are able to try some sample sake there." In 23 reviews
Loading...
113 reviews in English
-
Review from Amy H.
San Diego, CA
5/6/2012 1 Check-in Here
I love their premium pork cutlet and sweet potato tempura!
Last time I tried their shabu shabu pot and it was really good too. Good for sharing! -
Review from Margie S.
San Diego, CA
Would we go back? HELL YES!
Robata-ya Oton and Wa Dining Okan are sisters with complicated names. Both these restaurants are among the best in SD when it comes to Japanese food. If you want a complete Japanese food experience, Robata is your spot.
Robata offers the full array of Japanese cuisine from nabemono to sushi to agemono to robatayaki to nimono to noodles/rice dishes. They also have a wide variety of sake and shochu as well. The food here is a bit more sophisticated than your typical izakaya and so are the prices =P
This place is great for large groups if you care for some privacy since they have the traditional tatami room set up throughout the restaurant. It's also great because you can order up lots of dishes for the group to try. We probably had a good 15 dishes with our group last night plus shochu amounted to only $60/pp.
Among the things you MUST TRY when there are the miso black cod, skirt steak, agedashi tofu and the chino hills tempura. The strawberry dessert is to DIE for.
Can't wait for our next visit.
See pictures and more reviews at http://www.facebook.co... -
Review from A Y.
San Diego, CA
4/2/2012
It's claim of sisterhood to Okan drew us here. Little did we know this is the ugly stepsister. Our faith and respect in Okan lent us high expectations and we ordered with confidence. Sashimi, grilled mackerel, robata items, and so on. Disappointments followed.
Sashimi is puny and thin. Its freshness highly questionable. Grilled mackerel lacked the crispy edges common to grilled items, and embodied the limp wet texture of a microwaved meal. Other dishes were over salted or under cooked.
We left feeling deceived and robbed. If you're considering this place, please visit Wa Dining Okan first. It's similar fare, except Okan executes its dishes with fine precision and grace while Robata falters miserably. -
Review from Yutaka M.
San Diego, CA
3/31/2012
I like "Robataya OTON" a lot!
If you wanna eat real Japanese food, you should go to "Robataya OTON"! There are some Japanese people eating there!!! Recently, I have seen more many Americans there tho :)
Seriously!!! Some of Japanese business men love to go there after work tho! :) I am sure they miss real Japanese food! On the other hand, I feel that this place is not for poor students... because it's pricy!!! Damn! :( And also please DO NOT be upset about their tiny food! LOL You can have "OTON's lunch. It cost around $7.00. It means, hungry students still can survive! :) Oh, if you do not drink Alcohols, you can save more moeny tho... but please have some their special sakes from Japan! VERY SPECIAL with Japanese food!!!
I recommend you to try these items-
Appetizer:
- Jikasei Shiokara (Salted Raw Squid Homemade Style)
-Gyu-Tataki (Lightly Seared Beef Slices with Ponzu Sauce)
Sashimi:
-Moriawase (Assorted Sashimi Combination)
Nimono (Simmered Dish):
-Nikujyaga (Braised Potato, Onion and Pork in Broth)
Nabemono (Hot Pot Dish):
-Sukiyaki(Western Japanese Style)
Drinks(Sake):
-Hakkaisan (Tokubetsu Junmai)
- Nanbu Bijin (Tokubetsu Junmai)
-Junmai Nigorisake Sayuri (Junmai)
I am very picky about Japanese food. I always prefer to go to Japanese restaurants which are owned by Japanese make real Japanese tastes, NOT TOO Americanized Japanese food. This place is one of them! :)
"Robata-ya Oton" and "Wa Dining OKAN" are owned by the same owner. Robata-ya Oton" is for big groups because this place has some individual rooms. "Wa Dining OKAN" is a very small restaurant, so it's good for small groups.
Food : 5 Stars
Service : 5 Stars
Price : 4.5 Stars
Robata-ya Oton Menu:
English
http://www.otonus.com/...
Japanese
http://www.otonus.com/... -
Review from Brandy C.
3/7/2012 11 photos
Before you come here, I need to give you a warning!!!!!
This place is OVER-RATED AND OVER-PRICE!!!!!!!!
My friends and I made reservation at 9:30pm for late dinner; however, it took us a long time to get a seat.
Before we came here, we already expected to have 3 dollar signs dinner here! I think this made our expectations high! We ordered 2 hot pots and some skews!!! The skews were pretty good, but not impressive. Hot pot was not outstanding! That's why I said its over rated!!!! With such experience, I think it's a little too pricey!
Anyways, this place is well decorated! -
Review from Debbie O.
3/6/2012
Came here for a birthday party of 16 people and boy was it crowded. The fact that you have to literally walk on top of your dining table to sit down was the first sign this was not going to be an ordinary dining experience. We sat in the tatami rooms, where you have to remove your shoes, because it was the only way they were going to get 16 of us sitting together. Four tables were put together, therefore there was no way to get around the table to sit on the other side. You HAVE to walk on and over your table to sit down. First of all, if I had known 15 others were going to be staring at my feet that night I definitely would have gotten a pedicure. Secondly, I wanted to drink a lot of beer, but there was just no way I was going to risk falling over our table while walking out to the bathroom. Enough about that; you get the point.
Other than the strange sitting experience, the food was quite delicious. The 16 of us got three shabu shabu pots, lots of grilled goodies including chicken thigh, chicken gizzard, chicken heart, beef short rib, beef tongue, etc, and lots of beer. Everything was flavorful without being too salty. I find that a lot of these Japanese grill BBQ places are way too salty because they want you to keep drinking beer. This place is very tasty but not so much where you have to sip beer after every bite. The chicken thigh is by far the most tender. The beef short rib is also perfectly cooked and a tiny bit red at just the right place. So tender and juicy. All of the meat was really good.
The shabu shabu was also very yummy. I like the generous portion of udon noodles at the end. The chicken was so tender; I believe they only used dark meat. The seafood was very fresh and both broths were flavorful. The service was impeccable. I love their devices so all you have to do is press a button and immediately a server is ready. Overall, this is a very expensive restaurant, but it's definitely worth it every now and then. The food is authentic, fresh, and high quality. Will definitely be back. -
Review from Karen C.
Diamond Bar, CA
3/15/2012
So I basically went here because my boyfriend needed to film at a Japanese restaurant and I was willing to pay for the setting... which is essentially what you do when you come to Oton.
Don't get me wrong, it's not that the food is bad but it is that it is way over-rated here. They use some amazingly, high-quality ingredients but we paid $70 (incl tip) for grilled squid and 2 servings (more like, 4 servings) of sukiyaki since you can't get separate hot-pots... the minimum order is 2... and it's $25/person. Sukiyaki is a bunch of vegetables, mushrooms, and thinly sliced beef... and the sauce is literally 4 ingredients: sake, soy sauce, mirin, and sugar. When I make this ish at home, it tastes the same for half the price. Plus the tiny bowl of rice wasn't even free at the end.
I will say, this COULD be a great place for parties and large groups. The concept is there but the space is lacking. They have traditional style Japanese dining rooms where you have a low-set table and bamboo sliding doors: pretty cool but we didn't get a room so our total bill was not worth our time. I will say I went home and collapsed because of how full I was and my insistence of finishing everything. There are a ton of other authentic Japanese restaurants around SD that are just as good, if not better, for much cheaper. -
Review from Yuko M.
San Diego, CA
4/22/2012
I am a Japanese who grew up in Japan, and believe me. This is THE BEST izakaya in SD!!! Their foods are super delish! and they created complete Japanese-Izakaya atmosphere. I felt that I was in Japan. You must experience the deliriousness and real Japanese culture there!
-
Review from Alan C.
Carlsbad, CA
Sunday: 50% off Hot Pots
Monday: 50% Shabu Shabu AND Sukiyaki.
Went on a Monday with my family and ordered both their shabu shabu and sukiyaki. Please make reservations, seating is extremely limited. The place has a homey cozy feel to it, very enjoyable.
Shabu shabu is delicious, high quality kombu broth and top notch beef. The beef is super tender despite being on the thicker side. Vegetables were fresh and sweet as well.
Sukiyaki is just mediocre, I prefer the cleaner taste of shabu shabu, especially since sukiyaki is actually more expesnive.
Hamachi Sashimi: Fresh, sweet taste to it, however a tad on the fishy side due to the dark meat included. However, very fatty and enjoyable on the whole.
Hamachi Kama: Very tender, and fresh. Order it if you like kama.
Yakitori: doesn't have that yakitori taste to it. Needs a bit more charcoaly taste to it.
Chicken Meatball: dry and tough....total dissapointment.
Chicken: wasn't dry, but wasn't juicy either. Flavor was on the bland side.
Service is extremely excellent. They are very courteous and prompt.
Overall it was a cool experience, and would come back for their shabu shabu. -
Review from Nik S.
San Diego, CA
3/9/2012
Three words: Grilled Yellowtail Cheek
Do it. Thank me later. (Order a bowl of rice, too.)
May even be a 5 star place, but that will require a revisit and re-evaluation. Yeah, I'm hardcore like that. -
Review from Valerie L.
San Diego, CA
$$$- Three money signs!! This place must be expensive! Haha. No it's really not! Some items are expensive, like the hot pots. But they have 50% off their hot pots on Sundays!
This is a very authentic Japanese restaurant! Be prepared to be whisked away to Japan! They have separate rooms where you take off your shoes and sit Japanese style . Make reservations! This place is small. If you're with a large party or eating hot pot, reservations for a room is a must, because the bar area is very small.
Yelpers commented on the bad service, but I only had good service here. Come here for unique Japanese dishes and hot pot!
Recommendations:
Beef Tongue
Grilled Pork Belly -- Delicious!
Matsutake rice -- Matsutake mushrooms are rare to find at a restaurant in San Diego. It's a seasonal item so it's not on the menu.
Premium short ribs -- Served medium rare. It's very tender! -
Review from Stella W.
San Diego, CA
2/5/2012
Holy jeebus the rice cakes in the chicken meatball nabe MADE MY LIFE.
Make reservations, come with 1-2 friends, and order some delicious hot pot and grilled dishes. Also, I think they use REAL WASABI because I can actually taste the fresh horseradish and it's really good. Sorry for all the capital letters but this place is really great. -
Review from James S.
San Diego, CA
1/8/2012
I won't claim this place is a "hidden gem" or like "being in Japan" since I find those types of terminology to be overused. As for taking off your shoe's while eating thing, I'm asian so I always eat with shoes off at home.
However, I honestly love this place. I've never stayed in Japan for longer than a layover, but I'm sure that this type of place would not seem out of the ordinary for a Japanese restaurant in a major city. I've traveled over China, Taiwan, Indonesia, and other asian countries and while restaurants in the US can attempt to mimic a restaurant in asia the feel simply won't be the same. That aside, my review is based on the food, cleanliness, and service.
First, the service.
Reservations: It's true this place gets packed weekend nights, so be prepared to make a reservation and still wait a bit. The dining area will basically fit 40 people. They will seat you as soon as possible so just be polite. Japanese culture is heavily influenced by politeness and patience, which internationally, the world has found Americans lacking. For those who said the service here was horrible or complained about the lack of ability to communicate, please take their comments with a grain of salt. I've never had difficulty communicating with the waitresses regarding a order, an explanation of a food item, or any other request. Simply speak normally and repeat something if they ask. Another bonus is that there is a call waitress button in your booth, so feel free to use that instead of waving a waitress down.
Cleanliness:
Is way above par. This place is kept spotless and the bathroom, as people have noted, definitely reflects the emphasis on cleanliness. Even the dishes you are served are extremely clean. Overall, 5 stars for the cleanliness.
Food: What's a Robota? - a type of grill used in Japanese hibachi restaurant for cooking food in front of the customers; also, food cooked in this manner.
Not surprisingly, their best dishes are NOT sushi/sashimi. Just because this is a japanese restaurant that serves sushi/sashimi doesn't mean it's the only thing on the menu you have to order. Don't get me wrong, their fish is very fresh, delicious, and many times cut in special ways that most sushi chef's in the US are not trained to do, but their grilled/fried dishes are what keep me coming back. My favorites on the menu:
Deep Fried Chicken Soft Bones
Karubi Steak
Kisu (White Fish tempura)
Beef Tongue
Steamed Mushroom Rice
Black Cod with Miso
Generally, these are my favorites and I'm happy with these. Other suggestions are the chicken gizzard/hearts, their hot pots if you are hungry, and their cold vegetable dishes.
On a related note, this place can get VERY expensive for those with large appetites. If you don't like small portions, I definitely suggest getting a bowl of rice to eat with everything or alternatively, if you have 4 or more people consider getting the minimum of 2 orders of hot pot to share, it will definitely fill you up.
I'll leave you with the last words of wisdom when coming here: Be open when you come here to not just Japanese food, but Japanese culture. For us asians, our culture revolves around food, creating new food, and trying new things. If you can get over the fact you are eating tongues, bones, gizzards, and other parts of animals that americans will generally throw away, you will enjoy the food and experience here a whole lot more. -
Review from Thomas L.
Carlsbad, CA
4/12/2012
Nice ambiance. Pricey and hardly any food for the money. I can pick clean everything on the plate from the time the waitress enters the room to when she sets it down on the table. If you are looking to wet your tongue, sure, it'll do. If you are hungry, I suggest you eat first before you go.
-
Review from Sunny D.
3/28/2012
how on earth could I have missed this place when I was living in SD?!
omg. omg. you have to go!
I'm going to have a difficult time describing this one ...
It's beyond adorable here, the decor feels real and the staff is 100% attentive and sweet. Make sure to make reservations for one of the 'cubby's' (I'm not too sure what they call them). The cubby's are little private rooms that have stairs and require you to remove your shoes before you enter -- I said it before but I'm telling you again -- CUTE.
As for food if you are lost on what to order have the waitress lead the way (exactly what we did) and she did a fabulous job.
The reason I fell in love with this place isn't because it's fancy schmancy or has the glitz and the glam (it has neither of these - but its not run down either, the decor is to the point and not forced) - I guess it has to do with the fact that it seems so secretive and on the outside you would have never expected to walk into such a restaurant. Truly I felt I might have been walking along Japantown in some really cool city and then just decided to at random pick a restaurant, then felt really lucky that it was so great.
Robata-ya Oton is that! The 'cool-I-stumbled-across-fun-restaurant', except no stumbling here can occur bc lets face it Kearny Mesa is not that hip city and no one is walking around Kearny Mesa at random.
Another unique thing about this place is that they have a little peep through on the door (or so I think) so right before you are to open the door they open it for you, makes the authentic feeling even feel more real. So sweet!
Anyway, make the reservations and go. You'll feel so cool for introducing your friends to it.
***More importantly, if you have a first date take her here! You will for suuuure seem original and NOT give her another boring yawn inducing, I'll order wine and pasta date. She'll love it :) -
Review from Aj H.
San Diego, CA
1/3/2012 1 Check-in Here
The waitress didn't speak much English. I wanted to sit in the rooms but none available so we opted to sit in the bar section. We were seated to the closest seats (our backs facing the cold, drafty entrance that was just 3 feet away...
Sooo...I spent about $50 for a sashimi combination consisting of 6 measly half inch SQUARE cut pieces of fish, garlic + pepper shrimp, and two drinks. When I looked at the sushi, it made me wonder if I was actually in a Japanese restaurant. Homestyle Hawaiian gave me quadruple amount of fish from their ahi poke side dish than here! The garlic+pepper shrimp was overcooked and tough. -
Review from Richard M.
Riverside, CA
10/20/2011 1 Check-in Here
This is authentic Japanese food. And the service was great. We had
chicken skin chips
beef tongue
chicken heart
chicken oyster
seaweed salad
squid in salt
raw octopus
japanese pickles
beer/sake/beer/more sake, and beer and sake(lots)
Love this type of dining experience, its just fun and delicious. We were the only non Japanese in the entire place. That must tell you something (authentic) and tasty. -
Review from Audrey N.
Los Angeles, CA
10/4/2011
The decor and food here transported me to another place. There are private rooms for larger parties with the traditional low tables and cushions that would be wonderful to book and take friends to. Would recommend you make reservation even to eat at the bar since it filled up quite quickly on a Sunday night. The chatter of conversation and hustle and bustle made it such a cozy place to enjoy the delicious dinner.
Staff were attentive and made sure to explain to us how to eat everything and made sure the heat wasn't too high
Their Monday 1/2 off Shabu & Sunday 1/2 off Sukiyaki & Shabu blew me away. Best little known steal in San Diego. And even knowing that, I'd still pay full price for everything!Listed in: San Diego: a local's food…
-
Review from Sara J.
West Hollywood, CA
3/20/2012
I've always thought that one limitation of Yelp was that the reviewer isn't forced to specify what aspects of an establishment she is rating (e.g., food quality, service, ambiance, etc.). For Oton, it doesn't matter: easily the best Japanese restaurant in San Diego, perhaps California.
Five stars. -
Review from Marc T.
8/23/2011 1 Check-in Here
For our 3rd anniversary, Janette brought me here. She heard about this place from our friend My, and after having a good experience at Wa Dining Okan, we decided to hit this place up. Also, they were having an Yebisu Beer Festival so we wanted to check it out. Note that this place is a Japanese grill, so don't expect it to be heaping amounts of food, especially with the level of quality. Tip: Order rice
Assorted appetizers - ankimo, seared duck breast, fried anchovies... Ankimo was best. The liver was almost buttery and did not have an overwhelming iron-y taste that I've experienced with monk fish liver. The seared duck breast was good, but over cooked IMO (I prefer how the french make it medium rare). The fried anchovies were slightly salty but not overwhelming.
Gyu tataki - perfectly seared beef. This was very rare... so if you don't like rare beef, be warned! Out of all the Japanese grill style restaurants, this place had it down! One of the best tatakis/raw meats I've had... I'd compare it to Morimoto's beef carpacio.
Beef skewers - perfectly medium, yet still juicy. This went well with the side of sea salt that was provided. The pieces were extremely tender (though not as tender as the tataki, given that it was cooked more thoroughly).
Eel skewers - Fried eel cooked perfect! The Eel was juicy and probably somewhere between medium rare/medium. It went well with egg n pickles sauce (almost a Japanese Thousand Island)
Eel and Cucumber - Another AMAZING dish. This one is definitely worth it and had the most food. Lots of eel (when compared to what we ordered). Very refreshing with the cucumber contrast.
Yam cake - definitely not what I expected. The yam that I'm used to is usually starchy/potato-y. This one was more gelatinous. Nevertheless, it was very good.
Assorted miso sashimi - It was not assorted... They only gave us octopus!!!! Yet the octopus was so fresh and the miso was such a great compliment that while I was disappointed with the order, I was not disappointed with the flavor.
You'll like this place if you like Wa Dining Okan (they are under the same franchise). The only major difference is that this is primarily a griller while Okan has more plates/bowls. Food gets 4 stars, but the place is pricey for the amount of food you get when compared to similar options further north (OC, LA) Still, the food here is fresh and the ingredients are very good quality. I would definitely come back here. -
Review from Mark P.
FEAST ON THIS: Beef Tongue, Pork Belly, Soba Soup
Domo arigato Mr. Robata-Ya-Oton... No not the song, YES a very AUTHENTIC Japanese restaurant located in a small corner of Kearny Mesa.
- Looks like a big bar when you walk in.
- They have tables for larger groups where you take off shoes and sit Japanese style!!!
- You order and watch the chefs go to work right in front of you. Yakitori, sashimi, soup, seared (insert food here).
- The menu is backwards (to us Americans).
- Chicken SKIN!!!!!! was pretty tasteful. Prepared a different way then it's Filipino counterpart, but nevertheless exceptional.
- Beef tongue was quite tender with a bit of a salty taste. Not bad in my books, but then again I'm a salt fan!!!
- My delightful company ordered a sort of pork belly prepared in broth. Really tender and it definitely soaked up the flavor of the delicious broth!!
- Our ending dish was a Soba / Ramen type of soup. Nothing to special, but the texture of the noddles were nice!
Definitely a unique experience. You can really appreciate the culinary artistry here, watching the chefs prepare each dish with quality ingredients. It is really more of a quality versus quantity type of cuisine experience. I'd definitely come back, but next time with a big group!! -
Review from Thai T.
San Diego, CA
2/8/2012 1 Check-in Here
Nice food, good environment, My Yakitori bowl was delish, and the "take ya shoes off" tables are kinda cool. The Chicken in the bowl was grilled perfectly, as was the Gizzards and the quail eggs, with ample sauce. They also have a Sashimi bowl that looked very nice as well. I only went at lunch so their menu was very limited. I would like to go during Dinner to see what they also have to offer then. An Edit will be pending.
-
Review from keiske I.
Irvine, CA
6/25/2011
This place doesn't remind me of JP,whatsoever. However, I would understand why people would say that. You go in there and the 1st thing you do is taking off your shoes and you sit down. Who cares! I do that at home all the time. I realize SD food magazine give high remarks about this, but its all because (1) marketing (2) food presentation (3) a different setting to your conventional store (4)taking off your shoes (5) a fancy mancy japan toilet that cleans your toot while you sit . Whoop pee doo BIG DEAL!
Personally, Ive been there 3 times within a year.
Anyways.
Why is there monthly special menus?
The real reason is they keep changing head chefs and kitchen staff. Seriously. Curious??? Ask the manager.
Pros:
-Service and staff very friendly
-Booth allows privacy and intimacy
-Food menu isn't all sushi. So you get a chance to appreciate other Japanese dishes.
Negs*
-small food portion for $$$
-Nabe/ Sukiyaki is something around $30-$50....my father makes it better and its a lot cheaper and its easy to make.
-Pricey $$$
-Food quality is ma-ma...=/
Overall, the service and staff are terrific. I'm just fed up with reviewers saying it reminds them about JP. Hell no it doesn't! JP is JP. Food magazines & reviewers have their heads in the cloud and forgotten the quality of food here. Its not that superb. Most of the time, you either get shoppai= salty) or (suppai=sour) taste when they deliver the food.
I'm just telling the truth as it is.
My review don't mean $hit until you go experience yourself at Oton.
Good luck and let me know how it goes. -
Review from David B.
San Diego, CA
3/29/2012
This place is AMAZING. I have been to Wa Okan as well, and it is also very good, but Robataya is just over the top. Having lived in Japan I can tell you that they do everything right. Nothing we had was short of awesome. The Sukiyaki was perfect, the chicken wings with Salt was out of this world. The service was some of the best I have ever had, they left nothing to chance. I will be back
-
Review from Jey T.
San Diego, CA
1/14/2012
First time at Robataya Oton tonight. WOW! A bit small but amazing atmosphere! The grilled yellowtail cheek is to die for ($9) and the roasted duck with wasabi sauce is an amazing blend of sweetness and spice. The Monk Fish Liver is so rich and creamy! Love it!
-
Review from Sam B.
La Mesa, CA
9/2/2011
We loved this place. The staff was extremely friendly and attentive. The decor is very cute and the lighting is perfect. You just feel very comfortable when dining here.
The food was very good as well. It was well executed. We will return there for sure. -
Review from Isabella B.
Chula Vista, CA
7/6/2011
Robata-ya Oton is my most favorite Japanese restaurant to go to in SD. To me, Japanese food is a lot more than just teriyaki chicken and california rolls. My experiences sum this place up as an izakaya that also tries to replicate the intimate environment of home. If at all possible, reserve a booth! It also says a lot when you see a lot of Japanese people eating there, and a majority of their customers hear about it through word of mouth.
The place itself is easily missed from Kearny Villa Road. Not only that, but the parking situation isn't the best either; some parking spaces are 1hr max and others aren't valid for restaurants. However, you are greeted with warm smiles from the staff as you walk in the door and take you to your seat.
I HIGHLY recommend the booths, as dining there is an experience in itself, being sequestered from the hustle and bustle of the waitstaff and other customers. You are asked to take off your shoes, but thankfully you can sit as opposed to kneeling. Your shoes are taken away and you use their slippers should you need to walk around and take a break or go to the restroom. Speaking of the restroom...
...I love the restroom! Very clean and decorations are quite lovely. The accessories on the side remind me of the ones you find in clubs, only you don't have to pay for them. The toilet is also a wonder itself because you can wash and dry your bum after going. It does slightly tickle.
Menu from what I recall has both regular and seasonal items of different types, just like its sister restaurant Okan. Of course it offers different items than Okan, but the overall menus for both restaurants are very similar in terms of its offerings. Oton has more of a variety of things in some sections like tempura and grilled fish. Unlike Okan, they have nabemono (hearty soups) of several kinds. Because of their nabemono, the option to reserve a booth and overall better selection of its "appetizers" that make me pick this over Okan as my favorite Japanese restaurant.
From all the times I have come here, I did note that the service was a bit slow, sometimes it would take more than 10 minutes for the next round of food to come in. They also failed to note that while green tea was free, the oolong tea wasn't. However, all the times I did come in the restaurant was also full, yet the waiters were very nice and tried to attend to you the best then can. Also says a lot when all your staff is Japanese.
The nabemono is easily the best food that they have. Last time I had shio chanko, full of shrimp, clams, chicken, meatballs, shittake and enoki mushrooms, aburaage, tofu and Chinese cabbage. I also suggest adding rice and egg to the leftover broth to make it a wonderful closing dish and get your carbs in. The waiters would regularly come in to see how the nabemono is doing and serve it when its ready.
Whenever I go here I would get a nabemono as well as various "tapas". Favorites include agedashi tofu (fried yet SOFT and COLD tofu, amazing!), grilled beef tongue (tough yet tender) and fish tempura (doesn't feel too greasy). I'll have to try more appetizers and one day venture into their grilled fish.
Overall, a bit pricey and the service can be slow on busy days, but this place is one of the most authentic Japanese restaurants in SD. -
Review from Maria C.
Came here for the sake tasting special event. Reservations only. We were led to the sushi bar. This is a very interesting and cozy establishment. Sushi bar could hold enough for 8 people and there are private rooms for larger parties.
Ordered the following:
-Suijin Sake: Strong...
-Yumeakari Sake: Stronger...
-Soy Milk Sake: O sooo good and dangerous... I could have had more, but this bottle went for $38/bottle.
-Shashimi assortment Special (Mackerel, Tuna, Tuna Belly, Salmon, and Yellow Tail: My fave was the salmon. The Mack was way too fishy/salty for me. The Tuna was good, Tuna Belly was fatty and delish, and the Yellow Tail was also good. The pieces were big and it is to be expected to pay big bucks for fresh shashimi. It was the most $$$ of the meal. ($28)
-Gyu-tan Shio (Grilled Sliced Beef Tongue): Portion was small, but the tongue was thinly sliced and had a salty flavor. Probably a bit too salty for me, so had to rub it into my rice a bit to stabilize the flavor ($7).
-Karubi Steak (Grilled Premium Short Rib): Fatty but very moist, tender and flavorful. Delish with rice ($8).
Very authentic with the servers speaking Japanese. At times it was a bit difficult to understand what they were explaining to us. The sushi chef was funny and made his recommendations regarding the shashimi.
They have little rooms with curtains for larger parties. It appears that the patrons occupying the rooms were having a blast, so hope to get to experience that when I come with a larger party.
Be mindful that the portions are small and the prices are bit on the expensive side. Dinner came out to be about $70 with tip. -
Review from Alexander M.
San Diego, CA
3/20/2012
Went to this izakaya last night and was very impressed. I have a japanese wife and I lived in Japan for more than 2 years. This was like being in Japan again. I literally forgot I was still in San Diego. Pricing was above average but it was above average quality food. Atmosphere is perfect. Service was the best ive experienced since japan. This will now be my go to resturant for most special occations.
-
Review from Courtney S.
San Diego, CA
12/5/2011
So Yelpers, what would you consider worse?
1. Having one horrible experience at a restaurant and knowing never to return again?
ooooorr
2. Having the first AMAZING experience at a restaurant, then when you go back for a special occasion the next time to have the worse service and food in what feels like forever?
I probably would choose the first, because the second is infuriating and makes you want to take back every good thing I've ever mentioned about this place.
Thus is why I gave a one star - which claims "Eek! Methinks not."
The gist of the story for what matters for the foodies goes like this.
First time: Great service, immaculate preparation and delicious food. One of those experiences where you walk out with a much lighter pocket and a huge smile on your face.
Second time: One of the first reservations of the evening. Didn't get our first tapas dish until AN HOUR after we ordered it. We weren't drinking, which many of the other groups do (I've been in Japan, I know the deal). Doesn't help that we were starving by the time our food came. Some dishes we returned to get were a major disappointment. The worse has to be one of the fish dishes, which was tender and sweet the first time, became bitter almost rancid taste in my mouth the second time. Our waiters concentrated on the group of businessmen, I had to basically grab them to get anything, which took more than two times and came with attitude and the look in their eyes that read "I don't care, don't have time for you, not going to check on your food"
So very very horrible, I couldn't wait to get out of there.
Unfortunately even getting the bill had to be difficult! With one dish we never received not taken off yet. Needless to say they were unapologetic and we left this time with a little heavier pocket, as a former waitress I find that totally unacceptable and yes, there are times when no tips are deserved.
"So, Courtney," you say. "Where do we go now for the taste of home-cooked Japanese food?"
OKAN!!! I say, their sister restaurant! I call this the case of Cinderella. Oton being the nasty step sister, and Okan being the smaller, undermined hidden beauty. Like night and day. Just don't go on Sunday's, that's MY day and I rarely miss it. Thank you for treating me right Okan! -
Review from Kevin B.
2/1/2011
Finally I had a chance to visit Robata-ya Oton this past sunday. I must say, WOW!!!, what an experience. First off, please tell me where in San Diego would you go to a restaurant and have to take off your shoe. The last time I did that, I was in the motherland herself in the heart of Tokyo .I truly enjoyed the ambiance and was very nostalgic of my Japan visit.
The food was simply delicious. I highly recommend going on a sunday, when hot pots are 1/2 off. So for $20 - $30, you can engage in a gastronomical treat. Throw in a rainy night, and i swear i was off in a scene from blade runner.
We went way way overboard, so the bill just slightly elevated. In addition to the sukiyaki hot pot with its ample flavored and bustling to the brim with an assortment of mushrooms and chrysanthemum leaves, we had the skewered gizzard & heart, miso tofu with clams soup, yellow tail sashimi, calamari salad, a rice in a roe soup base, and to crown an exquisite dining experience, we tried the homemade green tea pudding. definitely a wonderful date night.
now for the cons. the restaurant is definitely not easy to see while driving, just know it is adjacent to the Denny's on the corner of kearny villa road and clairemont mesa blvd next to the 163 freeway. we made reservation, but had to wait an extra half hour. no fault of the restaurant, the place was slammed for a rainy sunday night. Without reservation, it would have been hard to get a table, the place is tiny. the second con is ordering soft drinks. I had a diet coke, and short of disneyland, i have never been charged $5 for diet coke in all my dinning experience and $4 for hot green tea.
Overall, i give Robata-ya Oton a 4 out 5 wooden spoons. I had a real good meal and loved the attempt recreation of a japanese eatery from japan. I can't wait to take friends here. don't take my spoons for it, try the place yourselves.
Bon appetit.
:) -
Review from Rachel C.
1/16/2011
I've definitely gone to my fair share of izakayas (though this is my first one in San Diego) and this place is really top notch. The restaurant doesn't really have tables, but instead they have private rooms and bar seating. The private rooms make this place great to go to with a group of people.
The service is extremely welcoming and warm. However, if you haven't been here before, they offer little direction on what should be ordered or even how you should order. For the adventurous type, this makes things interesting, but if you just want to order and get started, you might have to ask bunch of questions to the waitress before you can start ordering anything.
I don't want to dwell on exactly what I ordered and how delicious it was, but everything that we did order (which was a pretty wide selection) was delicious. The hot pot options are a little deceiving though. The menu states that you must order a minimum of two orders of the hot pot which means that you should just automatically double the price that is listed on the menu. Two orders is more than enough for a group of four people if some appetizers or small plates are ordered. I would definitely recommend the baby spanish mackerels and any of the sashimi. The opal eye fish was something that I had never seen on a menu before, but this sashimi was extremely fresh and sweet. I would order this all the time if they served it on the east coast!
Some might say that the pricing is high, but I think it's more the issue that at a place like this, it's very easy to over order, so just be aware of that and start out small and order as you go. That makes the price a lot more manageable.
Go here now! :) -
Review from Ethan L.
San Francisco, CA
5/28/2011
Had dinner here with the family after my bro's graduation. Other nearby Japanese restaurants were booked. Pleasant surprise, it turns out...
We sat at the shoeless table. The staff quietly takes away your shoes and hides them somewhere while you eat - I found that funny and interesting at the same time. Realized this when I got up to use the mens room, pulled the curtain aside, looked down, and saw feminine bamboo slippers instead. You only live once..
I was too scared to sit on their Japanese toilet, with the water hose and butt dryer. Not that I needed to or anything, will try next time. (Guess I'm more likely to cross dress than have water shooting up my butt, in this lifetime...)
Food was pricey (30/per person), pretty good though, with just a few items that missed.
What stood out the most though was their service - they really kicked ass. A team of lovely ladies, cute too, but very respectful, very kind and friendly. Why do I still live in America, why? haha... Well, she peeped in several times throughout the night to check on us, and also to snap a few photos with their slick camera. "Wall of Fame" I thought, or restaurant website... After we ate and got up to leave, they handed my bro a "congrats" greeting card with the family photo inserted. Wow.
I should've just proposed to our server right then and there. Mm. -
Review from Sang P.
5/8/2011
When I went here it felt like one of those fancy restaurants in Japan - obviously including service and food. The waitresses were really friendly and the food was extremely delicious. The food was definitely on the pricey side but I feel like it was worth it. The drinks were cheap - they are having their anniversary sale at the moment which meant that their food is much cheaper than usual - a good time to go. Try their shabu-shabu and tempura udon - the best of the best from everything we ordered. Highly recommended!
One complaint I had was: They do have a seasonal menu but it's quite pointless when they say they're out of most of it. Why even bother giving the menu? Well, their original menu is what I like the most so it doesn't bother me too much. -
Review from Denise E.
San Diego, CA
3/14/2011
YES. This hidden Japanese treasure in Kearny Villa is the place to go to for some amazing, authentic Japanese food! It's pricey, yes but you get what you pay for.
It kinda sucks how you HAVE to get 2 orders of their Sukiyaki dish...it's the required minimum. So go with a buddy who loves sukiyaki as much as you do!
We had the private booth reserved since it's pretty much where you eat besides the sushi bar. Their booths are very homely and dim, and it's literally a booth since there are mini stairs that lead into the place where you sit and eat. You take off your shoes and step inside and see a Japanese-style table and sitting arrangement with a flat electric stove.
The waitress greets you with a warm face and hands you a warm towel to clean your hands with. I love that! It's soothing and helps your mind "prepare" to enjoy the meal. (weird I know but hey it's true)
The portions are small. One of the appetizers we got was the miso marinated cod, which was absolutely DELICIOUS. It was a very small piece, but well worth the taste and flavor! Again, it's very small, so don't expect too much in terms of deliciousness for this particular dish. The experience of that was well worth the $8 though.
We also got the beef skirt, but it wasn't as great as the miso marinated cod. It was something I've tasted before, nothing out of the extraordinary.
The sukiyaki is the best I've had so far. The meat is tender, the flavor of the soup it boils in isn't too salty or too overpowering, and there is room for the other herbs and vegetables to spread their flavors out as well. They give you a fresh egg in a little bowl to scramble and dip your pieces of vegetables and meat and then eat, it was awesome. Not culture shock for me, since I've had it when I was a kid. :]
Definitely not the place you'd want to splurge on every weekend. Come here on special occasions, like anniversaries or birthdays. It's very expensive for what it is, but you pay for the quality and service they give you which is among the best I've experienced so far. 5 stars for everything but the price! :D -
Review from Anri T.
San Diego, CA
1/7/2011
The service is 5 stars. The food is 4 stars. The portion for the price is 3 stars.
Throughout the dinner, I felt like I was back in Tokyo. The interior was pretty. The restroom was awesomely neat and clean. Good service from friendly Japanese ladies. They had some unique food that I didn't expected at all.
I'd like to come back if the check's not on me... -
Review from ruby w.
Los Angeles, CA
2/16/2011 9 photos
We "took advantage" of the Valentine's day pre-fix special that listed an impressive array of dishes such as Apricot Champagne, 5 tapas, Calamari or Spinach Eel Salad, Fillet Mignon Steak & Seafood, and Apple Compete Spring Roll dessert for $50 per couple. Sounds like a deal right? By the end of the night, I felt taken advantage of instead of the other way around. Portions are the smallest you can ever imagine. The "5 tapas" were literally 2 slices of random things places on a large plate. Toothpick can be used as skewers here so just imagine the size. One shrimp can be cut up into 4 pieces and called a portion. 1 spear of asparagus cut up with plum sauce is another one of your tapas.
The Apricot Champagne consisted of 2-3 sips. Not every 1/2 way full in a very narrow flute and with an apricot to take up space. No joke -- 2 fl oz max in there.
Our calamari salad came out awfully fast, almost immediately. I can see why. It was pre-made and the calamari was no longer crispy.
Apple compete spring roll. Nothing special. I could not even taste the apples with all the sauce going on. I think they ruined it with low grade chocolate sauce and medicinal tasting cherry syrup. Ack.
My favorite item of the night was the fillet Mignon steak which they slowly braised it until it was falling apart, yet you can still see it was slightly rare so it was very tender. The seafood was 2 jumbo scallop and 2 jumbo shrimp. Honestly, I can buy high grade shrimp and scallops and recreate that part at home at a fraction of the cost.
Additional items were ordered to call this a meal.
Yellow tail Kama ($9) -- outside was charred and inside had a more steamed feeling than a grilled taste. I prefer Salmon Kama because it has more fatty parts and taste better grilled.
Arborjack Sashimi ($12) -- thick cut. Very fresh tasting. Expensive.
Service was friendly and attentive. -
Review from Mark H.
Hermosa Beach, CA
2/21/2011
This place is a great little Robata restaurant. Ken got lucky to find such a great chef, Ishito-san here in San Diego. Ishito-san use to have an amazing Izakaya place in Little Tokyo, Los Angeles.
The whole steamed fish is amazing and a must try. They have sashimi, but no sushi and definitely no rolls. Ken has some pretty good Sake, Wine and Shochu selection to go with all the great small dished.
One of the best places in San Diego that I have found so far and is on my regular rotation of restaurants. So go in, sit at the bar, and tell Ishito-san Omakase. You won't regret it. -
Review from Caroline H.
San Diego, CA
4/25/2011
Really interesting, cool place. Felt as if we'd stumbled on a hidden gem, as we went here expecting an older noodle place that used to be here. They have amazing cool little booths which you can sit at cross legged, and all of the servers were charming. Sounds like you need res for booths but we sat at the "sushi" bar which was also good. Great miso, great Green Tea ice cream..and a whole load of odd dishes, which made me feel as if I was in old Japan. AWESOME. I'll be back!
The "sushi" beef was INCREDIBLE. -
Review from Kris L.
San Diego, CA
12/22/2010
OK, listen up, my hungry Yelpy-Gaijin friends. Let's just say you haven't had the coin to fly your sorry self over to the great islands of Japan and partake of its culinary wonders. And let's just say that your idea of a good Japanese restaurant is has little sushi boat conveyors going round and round or features discarded shrimp tails being expertly flipped into the shirtpocket of the staff. Well, my fake-crab-gulping friends, Robata-ya Oton will set you on the Righteous Path of Killer Authentic Japanese food.
As others have noted, to attain the Righteous Path of Such Deliciousness, one should probably make a reservation first - while sitting at the bar is nice, the real goods come from sitting in the booths with the cooktop and the wooden interiors. That is what they do in the hallowed halls of Kyoto, my friends, so don't miss out!
The next step to attainment of this Righteousness is to be adventurous in your ordering. Get the big ticket item out of the way first - the hot pots. It's something you can share easily with your friends while laying down a good food foundation for any sort of cold beer draughts, shoyu or sake you care to imbibe over the course of the evening. More on that later.
Then my Righteous friends, it's time to funk it up. You've got a wide palette at Robata-ya Oton, so don't wuss out. Pick a few small dish appetizers, one of which should be the grilled organs of a recently dispatched bovine or avian. Have some fresh sashimi. And no, maguro is not being funky, in case you were wondering. This isn't amateur hour. Besides, tuna's overfished. Go pure. Go hamachi. Go hirame. Or go uni my friends. Oh yeah. You know you should.
From there, there are steamed vegetable and seafood dishes, fried animal matter dishes and fresh salads, all prepared in authentic Kyoto style. Make sure you drink. A lot. Not enough to have a reasonable chance of returning in an undignified manner and at some ungodly hour, all this deliciousness. That would be the act of a novice.. But good drink goes with quality Japanese food and its accompanying dining experience like Paris Hilton goes with really unerotic sex tapes.
The staff at Robata-ya are all very friendly and well-trained, and they are more than happy to make recommendations as you seek to not only stay on the Path, but indeed, to master it! Let them be your guide. You won't go astray.
So with this review, I say until thee - Go forth to Robata-ya Oton! Be bold, be brave, and consume mass quantities. Only then shall you be One with the Path of Righteous Deliciousness. Oh, and stay thirsty, my friends. Merry Christmas ;-)
