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Shogun Kobe Restaurant
Categories: Restaurants Japanese Restaurants Sushi Bars Restaurants Steakhouses Japanese, Sushi Bars, Steakhouses [Edit]
5451 Kearny Villa Rd(between Clairemont Mesa Blvd & Monel Ave)
San Diego, CA 92123
Neighbourhood: Kearny Mesa
(858) 560-7399
- Hours:
Mon-Thu 11:30 am - 9:30 pm
Fri 11:30 am - 10 pm
Sat 12 pm - 10 pm
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take Away:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Casual
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Caters:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
279 reviews for Shogun Kobe Restaurant
Review Highlights
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"Has to be the best fried rice out there, hands down." In 75 reviews -
"I like filet mignon and calamari steaks." In 21 reviews -
"Great grinds in a Benihana atmosphere." In 51 reviews
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279 reviews in English
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Review from Angelo F.
After a couple happy hours and 4 or 5 celebrations here, I probably should review this place...
Do I come here for the food? Nope! Is the food good? Yes! But I don't crave it unfortunately.
Shogun's is a social restaurant best for celebrations and/or get together's. It's all about the experience here and that's where I think this restaurant exceeds in.
The Bar: The Happy Hour here is decent. I've been able to catch HH probably once the last few times I've been here. What I like is that the bar has a TV so I'm able to catch any of the games happening after work and they do a good job of advertising the specialty drinks for the day. Most of the advertised drinks are considered foofoo but as long as it tastes good and there's some kick to it, I'm all for it!
In the Teppan Room there are a good number of metal griddles enough to seat up to 10-12 people. There are 2 private tables in the back which is sectioned off for private parties or larger parties. Call days ahead of time if you plan on going there with a large group.
The chef come to your table with their carts loaded with your food orders. If you're there for a special occasion, let the chef know! Also let the chef know if there's any first timers to the restaurant. Depending on your group and the occasion, the chef is the center of attention for the next 20-30 minutes. They like to have fun! They like to play tricks! They like to be social with your group!
I only order one dish here whenever I come to Shogun's and it's the Shogun Special. Each specialty order comes with Clear Onion Soup, Salad with Ginger Dressing, Grilled Shrimp Appetizer, Hibachi Mix Vegetables, Two Signature Dipping Sauces, Ice Cream or Hot Green Tea, and Fried Rice for $2 Extra.
(If you order this dish, be sure to get the scallops since shrimp already comes with it as an appetizer.)
I always ask for my steak seared or rare since the meat is cut in cubes. Plus, I like my steaks bloody. The food, I believe, is above average but also keep in mind, these $30-$40 entrees include the show, appetizers and dessert.
You also have the option to order sushi from the sushi bar.
All in all, this is a great social place to be with friends and family. Expect to pay more than usual but if you have this expectation, then it won't be a problem.
Tip: If you enjoy the show from the chef, be sure to tip them. Its always a nice gesture! -
Review from Katherine Y.
San Diego, CA
5/7/2012
This place is a little expensive in my opinion, especially because you can get sushi at pretty affordable prices. Nothing amazing, although I didn't try anything besides the rolls.
One thing they have over other hole-in-the-wall sushi places is that the venue is pretty nice. I've been to some pretty cramped sushi joints and this place offers much more leg room. I went on Easter last year and I assume it gets pretty busy as it is a nicer place to dine. -
Review from Carol S.
San Diego, CA
Best place to eat and drink before going out!
All the girls are super nice here and they're fun to hang out with before a night out. This place works as a family restaurant, but come nights on the weekends it's a whole different crowd.
The bartenders are cool. I love getting drinks here because they'll make you anything. The Royal Hawaiian is pretty cool because it comes in a Pineapple, but it's a girly drink so I wouldn't recommend it for men.
The Teppan side always gets me full. I have to share with someone or I end up bringing half of my meal home. It's always fun to watch the chefs cook in front of you. If you haven't been here, it''s definitely a great experience.
As for the Sushi..I LOVE IT! The Shogun Roll and the Super Mexican Roll are my favorites. All the sushi chefs are really nice and they will give you the best recommendations if you don't know what to get. The Uni is on point and the Oyster Shooters are bomb! If you're looking for a chef to have fun with all night on this side, it would be Abraham.
Overall, I would say that this is a great place for family, dates, parties, or even eating by yourself or just coming in for HAPPY HOUR! If you are coming with a bigger party, I would suggest making a reservation, especially if it's on the Teppan side and weekends. It gets a little crazy there sometimes!Listed in: Good for Groups
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Review from Elysse P.
4/25/2012 1 Check-in Here
Benihana's rip. And just as overpriced if you ask me. Ordered the NY steak & lobster tail combo and was stuffed by the end of my meal but did not feel that it was worth the $100 bucks that was spent on the meal... The presentation wasn't the best I've ever seen. Our waiter wasn't really trying hard to be entertaining... he kind of looked tired and just kept awkwardly saying "eyyyy..." in a monotonous voice. Wtf. If we are going to pay this much for a meal we better get a damn good enthusiastic chef... And at the VERY least a chef that knows how to cook! Yes you can flip your spatula but damn you make some supppperrrrrr salty fried rice............. :(
Anyway, the the Cadillac Patron added a nice touch to my meal. If I didn't order one of those I definitely would have left unhappy... but Shogun you can thank that Patron for giving you a somewhat satisfied customer.
Seriously though... lobster tails are bomb anywhere.... even when cooked at home. And there are a million other places to get an amazing steak. What SHOULD separate Shogun from the rest is an impeccable service and again, entertainment. BUT as I mentioned before (but I will mention it again because this is imperative that you know this), the entertainment/service is mediocre as mediocre gets. If not worse.
Go. Somewhere. Else.Listed in: Beautiful day in San Diego :)
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Review from Janice L.
Lakeside, CA
5/22/2012
My husband I come here often for Sushi. The sushi is fresh the service is friendly, most of all the prices are good. Not like most small sushi bars. Plenty of room.
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Review from Jennifer G.
San Diego, CA
5/15/2012
Came here for a graduation celebration and had a great time. We had two small children with us and they had a blast. Of course, I think the chef at your table makes a huge difference and we were lucky to get a great one. Everyone was very nice and service was great.
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Review from Madison O.
San Diego, CA
4/15/2012
This was not a good experience.
First of all, make reservations if you have a large group. The hostess was very unpleasant. We had been waiting on 2 people, but she would not let us be seated without them present. She said if they came late, they would not be able to order anything besides appetizers?!
Once we were seated, we waited FOREVER for our waitress to accompany us. After asking her many times while choking, she finally came to give us water and take our orders. By the way, the prices here are RIDICULOUS! For a New York Strip Steak, it is $20. That might not seem like a lot, but the portions are tiny.
Once the chef started using his knife to flip all our food, I finally knew this place was a bust. If you have never been to one of these Teppanyaki style restaurants, this may be a complete pleasure. Personally, I have been to several of these restaurants and they are wonderful. Here, the chef would not talk and looked angry. He started 2 fires, not impressive, and that's basically all he did! I had asked him for medium rare meat, and when i got my steak, it was red as a beet! My appetizers were also gross. The shrimp tempura was COLD and the vegetables didn't taste cooked. The calamari was the best thing I had at this Restaurant. BTW, WHAT IS UP WITH ALL THE SALT? :( don't go here if you are looking to eat healthy.
Anyway, they ended up giving my friend a cake for his birthday .Red Velvet :) Sadly, i discovered they used whipped cream instead of frosting. Still, the cake was good and they sang a song for him. When we got our check, i was SHOCKED by the total. For 2 appetizers, soup, gross salad, vegetables, and a small steak it was 42 dollars!!!!!!!!!
Overall, the service was poor, food was bland, the chef was not impressive, and the place did NOT look authentic. Fortunately, the birthday boy made things a little less awkward.
I do not recommend this to a friend. -
Review from Nida K.
Sorry Shogun, neither your food or chef really impressed me.
I came here for lunch with my big bro to catch up since I haven't seen him in a while. I ordered the filet mignon and shrimp with fried rice. As you know, it's community seating and they wait for your table to fill up before taking your orders. After that the chef comes out of the kitchen with everything he needs and cooks everything in front of you. I don't really like getting things cooked in front of me because often times you end up smelling like food after.
I thought everything was pretty bland. The fried rice, the steak, and the shrimp... all bland. The chef seemed kinda blah. He didn't seem very in to what he doing. For the price we paid, $15-$20 for lunch doesn't seem worth it. I would've rather gone down the street and ate AYCE Korean BBQ for $16. That's one thing worth smelling like food after! -
Review from Stella T.
San Diego, CA
2/1/2012
This place gets really busy during dinner time, any day. I rang and made reservations for 3 people, we arrived a little late and they held onto our reservation thank god! If you happen to be late, call them up. One of the hostesses said they would hold it for another 15mins. If you're coming to this place realize that you WILL be sharing a table with total strangers, but who really cares? Hibachi experience is meant to be that way. It's concept is to entertain while you eat. After you receive your drinks and place your order, the "acting" chef will do some fumbling around with his utensils and cook the rice first (fried rice only) steamed white rice they bring straight out to you.
The only negative note I have about our chef on that night was when he chopped the vegetables, they were not evenly done and so some tasted cooked while the others were under cooked and the onions were too large.
I enjoyed coming here, but will probably only come back on special occasions such as my birthday and everybody else for that matter at every other table around us, to which I hid my self away from receiving a happy birthday chant in Japanese from the waitresses. I swear to god every 10mins that bloody tambourine started they began singing, with the birthday people wearing a silly red hat and free ice cream. I would prefer to get a free beer thanks, this isn't McDonalds.
Speaking of drinks, when I ordered my Geisha, I never received it and instead they gave me a Sumo with Geisha drink (sigh oh well!) got to keep the Sumo, but the first Sumo cup had a leak and took quite some time for my waitress to replace it! while I sat there eating my large onions and under cooked veggies.
Tried the plum sake, was very smooth ;) after dinner the waitress came back and told me she would give me a Sumo/ Geisha that was dry to take home, she never returned, so I took my 'fixed' sumo cup I had with me home, got some looks from the hostesses but they never said anything. -
Review from Bernie M.
2/6/2012 1 Check-in Here
This review is for the teppanyaki side of the restaurant. They also have a sushi section.
I highly recommend making reservations for this place, especially if you are in a smaller party. Larger parties get seated quicker because they need a full table in order to sit you. If you are with a smaller party, expect to be seated with strangers for your dinner show. We ended up waiting over an hour for a table with no reservations and for a party of 4.
Overall, the dining experience here is fun for first-timers. If you've ever been to Benihana, this place has a similar format. Also, whether you have fun or not really depends on the cook you get. If they can put on a good show, you'll have fun and not realize it is taking forever for your food to cook.
I don't recommend this place if you are very hungry. You will end up waiting in line for a long time and on top of that, your food takes longer to get to you since it is prepared in front of you. Most dinner meals come with soup and salad but it doesn't do much for a very hungry stomach. The food is overall bland and pretty pricey. You're paying for the show mostly. -
Review from Jazmine Q.
Chula Vista, CA
3/2/2012
Came here for the sushi happy hour...
Nice place, good service and great food! Came in around 3:30p and barely any people at the time so it was nice and quiet. Really enjoyed the Las Vegas sushi, my favorite by far! -
Review from Sarah V.
1/13/2012
Damn, San Diego. You're all over these restaurants. Don't really feel like I'm contributing when there's over 200 reviews for this place.
But why not....
Go and ask for Alan. Funniest hibachi chef there. We sat with a table of duds. Thankfully we brought the personality. Alan helped, a lot. We got a show, and a stand up act.
Sushi is tasty. I'm not a connoisseur, but you can't fight good. You know when you know.
It wasn't what I expected from the outside. But like any book, the cover isn't always a good indicator as to what's on the inside.
There is a sushi bar, and a cute outdoor zen garden area.
I can't complain about the service. We ordered a bottle of wine, and the waitress was patient and helpful. Very friendly. The hostess could have smiled more, but it was the end of the night. I guess they passed out all of their smiles for the day.
There's also a bar inside. When you're waiting for a table, get drunk at the bar! Make use of your stagnate time if you must wait. -
Review from C C.
San Diego, CA
2/27/2012
I was impressed by the Teppanyaki. The atmosphere is authentic. More importantly the food is amazing. Ordered the lobster tail/ NY steak Shogun dinner and NY steak. Both came with equally amazing fried rice and vegetables.
The volcanoe was fun to watch. -
Review from Jesus S.
San Diego, CA
4/16/2012
Went here this past saturday for a friends bday and it was awesome!! I liked everything about the place we had a party of about 20 and we all where pretty satisfied with what we ordered. I ordered the teriyaki steak and a shogun roll. The shogun roll was delicious. I recommend it to anyone thats a sushi lover. The fried rice that was served with my perfectly cooked steak was scrumptious. I give this restaurant four stars because the sevice was great and food was delicious. The price could have been a little cheaper but i guess its ok because they cook in front of you like benihannas.
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Review from Petricia W.
Los Angeles, CA
12/28/2011 1 Check-in Here
My coworker raved about this place so we (me + other curious coworkers) decided to check it out during lunch on a weekday. It was pretty crowded, but we didn't have to wait for a long time. We got seated at the teppanyaki room.
Our chef did.. okay. I wasn't too impressed. He seemed a bit amateurish, so they're not getting a bonus star for the performance. Their food was good, although not outstanding, except for the fried rice. Now, the fried rice, is worth the extra $2+! -
Review from Jennae H.
2/28/2012 1 Check-in Here
Not impressed.. it was the most UNhappy Happy Hour I've experienced in awhile. The sushi bar was pretty vacant, aside from one other table, and the customer service was painfully slow. The food was mediocre (what the hell is going on with their salad "dressing"?!) and the staff don't take the initiative. No me gusta!
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Review from Lena K.
San Diego, CA
3/26/2012
Not bad, not bad at all. Really can't say it was amazing but will be back to give it another try.
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Review from Ryan B.
Oceanside, CA
1/14/2012
I've been going to this place fairly regularly since I was a kid. My experience has been pretty consistent over the past twenty odd years. Now that I'm 'all grown up', I can review from the business side.
First the caveats. I strongly suggest you make reservations, this place gets jam packed. The atmosphere is fun and loud so this is best for large groups of friends and not intimate dates. Biggest con is parking, during peak hours (between 5 and 8) it's dangerously small and hard to maneuver with a dead end in the back.
But once you are seated prepare for a good time. Most of the chefs are corny and funny, but quality of their cooking has been consistent. Always good. I tend to go towards seafood and chicken here, and all veggies should taste as good as theirs. This is the perfect Friday night place, a fun relaxing and tasty way to start your weekend. -
Review from Krystal M.
San Diego, CA
1/25/2012
Fun environment, entertaining, and great food!
The one negative about this place is you have to sit with other people at your table.
With your choice of rice, I highly recommend getting the fried rice -
Review from Nicole M.
Poway, CA
3/23/2012
First time here and I really enjoyed myself. Our chef was very personable and he definitely entertained us. Nothing extravagent but it was just nice. Veggies were very good with the sauce that they give for veggies. I got the teriyaki beef plate...it was very very good. Hubby got filet mignon and scallops and said it was good but nothing special. My son wanted the teryaki chicken...I tried it and it was plain. Also got California rolls for my son...typical and nothing special. We got an order of the crunchy roll, SOOOO good! It was the first time I've had a crunchy roll and, I don't know if they're the same everywhere, but it was just amazing. We don't ever go out to eat sushi but I've been craving that ever since!
It's a bit pricey in my opinion...but I think you pay for the personal chef as well. For that order, it was about $86. It's a bit much just to go out and eat but, since we went out for someone's birthday, the occasion made it worth it. -
Review from Rob M.
San Diego, CA
11/5/2011
This review is for the sushi bar as we didn't attend the Beni-Hana style puppet show where you pay for the chef to fling pieces of overpriced steak towards you and you pretend it tastes good.
As a general rule, at any restaurant where your food costs more than $20 per head, you should have a basic expectation to be treated nicely.
We ended up here by accident, as we were going to get some steaks at the Butcher Shop but we failed to make a reservation and it was going to be a really long wait. We saw this place and had always been meaning to try it.
We walked in and were at first impressed as the place is beautiful inside, but the being impressed thing was short lived.
We were asked if we had a reservation (No) so the girl asked if we wanted to eat to the left (sushi) or to the right (bbq). I said let's try the barbeque and she said, "well, that's all booked up."
OK, fail. The hostess is the first person you see when you enter a restaurant. Her (his) job is to enhance your dining experience, and NOT to gleefully tell the patrons to go fuck themselves. If I want "neener neener neener" to be part of my dining experience I'll go be miserable in New York.
We almost walked out but we were already there and we're always up for some sushi so we headed on to the sushi bar. The was a big sign saying it was happy hour, so we decided to be happy and get our fish on.
We ordered some stuff and it didn't really suck. Wasn't fantastic, but it didn't smell funny or anything. The gyoza tasted awful but all the sushi and sashimi we had was OK.
If the waiter had once smiled at us or done his job and refilled an iced tea or said "hey do you guys want more fish?" the place would at least merit a three star. However, when I asked for more sashimi he seemed annoyed. Far be it for me to ask a waiter to bring me some food.
For being happy hour, we ended up spending more than we thought we would, but instead of holding signs up in the park crying about Wall Street, my wife and I have jobs; for good food and service we're willing to pay up but that's not what we got here.
There's probably more sushi places in San Diego than Burger Kings so you can certainly find much better Japanese places to eat at than Shogun. Now, if you want a dancing clown to fling shrimps at you, that may be a different story..... -
Review from Jeff S.
12/12/2011
This a great place to eat when you're with a bunch of friends. I went here for a friend's Birthday and had a blast. The atmosphere is pretty neat and decorative. The food is pretty good and the chef's are extremely entertaining. They prepare the food right there in front of you with the usual fancy flare and acrobatics that you would expect at a place like Benihana.
I ordered the New York Steak and one of the alcoholic beverages (can't remember which one but you keep the little mug) and overall it was pretty good. Originally the chef mixed up my order with the person next to me, but we quickly remedied it, and they were virtually the same order anyway.
The meal was a little on the pricey side(especially if you level in a decent tip for the chef), but nothing too extreme for the occasional outing with friends. Definitely a great experience if you are craving a change from the standard sit-down dining. -
Review from Tran N.
San Diego, CA
11/23/2011 1 Check-in Here
MEEEEEEEEHHH, but I have not experienced better but 2 1/2 stars.
Okay, so its a restaurant you go with a large group/ family atmosphere, you get a show with your food... sounds pretty cool well only if the food was as great. For my first experience I actually liked it but our 2nd visit was so so. 2nd times the charm aint it ? Well we got there a little early and the restaurant still have not yet "opened" but we were seated inside anyways. We were there Sunday morning, FYI they are open sunday, so the information on yelp is WRONG, but I'm not sure of the hours they are open on sunday.
Well anyways, we were seated with another group and let me tell you it was awkward, as awkward as an awkward turtle. We were there to celebrate my nephews birthday but since our party was only 5 we had to share. Okay thats not really a big deal but they should have told us beforehand kinda like, "I'm very sorry but we are short on chefs, so we have to put you with another group to not have anyone wait". All the hostess told me was "This way, and can you sit onto the further right" NOTHING about sharing with another party. SMH.
Our chef Kevin was pretty cool, funny and made the experience not so "Awkward" gave him some props for that. Besides that I don't understand whats the "wow" factor about this restaurant. The portions are TINY for their price. THEY ALL TASTE the same, no unique flavoring or anything and the fried rice SUCK. (excuse my language) The fried rice is pretty much mix with soy sauce, butter and thats it ! ( okay onion also) BUT whats so great about it ? that cost us 3 dollar upgrade. SMH. And the steak was overcook and chewy, I wanted medium rare.
I much rather NOT have the show, and pay the same money elsewhere for excellent service and better food.
Oh yeah the server brought us our sushi, with no small plates or soy sauce bowl umm how are we suppose to eat this? -
Review from Trang L.
11/4/2011
I like this place! I came here with my parents for my birthday celebration and they've never been to a teppenyaki restaurant so it was a good experience for them.
The staff were very nice and welcoming as well as very helpful to my parents. My parents were quite timid until they notice that our teppenyaki chef was Vietnamese and it was all smiles from there. The interaction with my parents gave me a sigh of relief because they were more comfortable. The chef was also good because he was multi-tasking the interaction with my parents and non-vietnamese patrons at the same table. He was really nice, friendly, very funny and of course.. he made the food very good.
This is a great place if you want a nice dinner and entertainment! -
Review from Jester J.
San Diego, CA
11/10/2011 2 Check-ins Here
Teppanyaki restaurants are always entertaining. The fried rice is usually good, depending on who is cooking it for you. My girlfriend loves this place, because she is so entertained by the cook. As for me it wasn't my first time watching a teppanyaki chef go to work.
Lunch prices aren't that bad here as well. I would highly recommend the scallops if you like seafood. Service is good and the atmosphere can be lively at times, especially if its someones birthday. -
Review from Kozue Y.
San Diego, CA
11/10/2011
My best friend took me here for dinner and it was my first time actually going to a teppanyaki place in San Diego. We got there a little later than our reservation time but they were still able to seat us right away which was amazing! The atmosphere of the place (at least the teppanyaki area) was great but it throws it off when your chef is a little more quiet and reserved and the chef right across you is doing crazy things and talking like a mad man.
The food was great and of course it came with more than enough so most of us would have to take some home. We both got the terriyaki steak and it wasn't too saucey so it was delicious! The fried rice was really good as well even though you have to pay an extra 2 dollars to get it.
For special occasions like birthdays and anniversaries, the staff sings for you and with me being Japanese I thought I could figure out the song they were singing but I couldn't. So my best friend asked one of the staff member what they were saying and she told us straight up that she didn't know. haha. I thought that was really funny and she also told us that they taught them a really long song that they couldnt memorize so they just say something really fast and hope no one catches it. haha
Overall this place is good for big groups and parties and maybe dates but on a regular occasion I wouldn't come here. -
Review from Brandon M.
San Diego, CA
11/7/2011
Awesome fun at this teppanyaki restaurant. The fried rice is totally worth the upgrade, and the chefs are hilarious. Just hope that you get a chef that can do all of the tricks and not just drum using his utensils! Although a little pricey, the show and quality of food more than makes up for the price. The atmosphere is great as well as there is a Japanese garden you can walk through depending on which entry way you use.
The last time I visited was for a surprise birthday party set up by my friend's girlfriend with about 30 of us dining. They were extremely accommodating and made sure everyone was taken care of. The only part they almost failed at was that the surprise was almost ruined by the hostess who corrected my friend's girlfriend when she said her name, party of 2!
I haven't had a chance to visit the sushi bar at all. -
Review from Erica P.
1/4/2012
When two of my best friends, Laura and Vince, got engaged last week, we decided to celebrate over sushi at one of our favorite places - Shogun. Our group of six comes here for sushi happy hour regularly and we knew it was the perfect place. Or, we thought it was.
Although there were tables available, we waited nearly half an hour for the sushi lounge. While they had a list going, the servers seemed confused and kept seating people out of order - a table for four (that could easily have handled six) was broken down to seat two couples - who came in after us. Finally Chun P. had to step up when they went to seat another group ahead of us and pointed out that another table that could accommodate six was completely open.
While the sushi lounge was half empty and being handled by two servers, only one of them seemed to have a handle on things. Our server took our beverage order and didn't return for a full fifteen minutes - with hot tea that was now cooler than tap water. Meanwhile, another table that she was serving had been waiting to place an order even longer and one of them walked up to the register with a sushi order slip in hand and gave it to her. When the person walked away, she just threw it on the register and left it - and went and did something else. When she came back we asked for a slip and she just grabbed the slip off the register, tossed it at us and was off again. It was the slip for the order that she never placed - for the other couple by us! We flagged down another server, "Chuck" and told him about the situation - he input the other couple's order and gave us a clean slip to place our order.
Our order was pretty basic, two bento boxes, a variety of rolls and a request for refills on the beverages. A few rolls came out at different times, which is normal, but the hot food and beverage refills were no-shows. After nearly an hour I went out to the hostess stand to complain - and our server walked by with the bento boxes, dropped them on the table and left. Yep. You guessed it. The food was cold. It had probably been sitting in the kitchen for a half an hour. By this point, we were all pretty miffed. My friend Curtiss got up asked for the manager and brought him over.
Things got even worse. Curtiss pointed out to the manager that our food was cold, that we hadn't had any refills on beverages and that we were still at this point, waiting for another two rolls, which was Laura's entire dinner. The manager said that things looked 'fine' to him, and Curtiss reached into one of the bentos and handed him a cool piece of chicken and said, "feel it - the chicken is cold." And the manager looked at us, chicken in hand, and said, "well it's actually kinda warm. Our kitchen is in the back and it cools down when it gets walked over here, this is just how it is."
OH MY GOD. We've been coming to Shogun for years, and had never, ever been treated like this or served cold chicken and then lied to that it was 'warm.' Seriously! Own up to it!
Then the manager said, "I'll comp these two dinners but that's it" and started to walk away. We said we'd also like our water and beverages refilled and he just said, "fine." You guessed it. No refills. And after another 10 minutes, Laura's dinner finally showed up.
The quality of the food was great as usual (I'd give it at least 4***), but the service made it a nightmare. And while I recognize that one person may be having an off day, the Manager's response was deplorable. The other server, Chuck, was the only friendly person around, and we actually left some semblance of a tip because he was a nice guy who tried to help us on top of handling all of his own tables.
Birthdays, anniversaries, countless celebrations over the years have been spent here but won't be again. Shogun, you've lost a crowd of faithful customers. Hope it was worth the pride in lying to a group of people who know the difference between hot and cold chicken. -
Review from Alexander S.
San Diego, CA
3/12/2012
Had dinner with a group of nine. We all got our own table and chef...I ordered the steak and lobster combo both were very good. He put a bunch of butter on the lobster how can it not be good?
The chef did all kinds of cool tricks while preparing our food, entertained everyone at the table, was pretty funny also.
Everyone enjoyed their meal there, and that's hard to achieve with a group of nine. -
Review from Mae Kimberly Jane C.
Santee, CA
3/7/2012
I went here for my brother's birthday with my family, and it was my first time. I have always been looking for a place where chefs would cook in front of you. Perfect place! Our chef was very entertaining and quite a comedian, and I don't think he's even Japanese. Also, I would not forget the cute waitresses dressed in little Japanese kimonos, they sang Happy Birthday in Japanese to my brother and let him wear this funky looking hat hahaha. Well I would definitely recommend their fried rice and Filet Mignon and calamari steaks (medium well) and their Pineapple juice. Their crunchy roll has great texture (for those who love sushi!) So, if you are planning to try this place make sure you experience Hibatchi style ( when chefs cook it in front of you)
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Review from Escondido C.
Escondido, CA
12/27/2011
Went for lunch and had the filet and scallops. Excellent showmanship and great tasting food. The price was good too. Service was OK.
I will definitely go back. -
Review from Colleen C.
San Diego, CA
11/30/2011 2 Check-ins Here
Very fun place to eat. The food is always delish. Sometimes you get a great show, and sometimes the person falls flat. Luck of the draw I guess. I have never had a complaint about the food though.
Prices are kind of tough so we can't eat there except on very special occasions. My daughter just loves the place. Always a fun experience on kids birthdays. -
Review from Bonnie T.
San Diego, CA
3/2/2012
I've been going here for the sushi for the last few years every few weeks or so. I've tried other spots around San Diego. by far the best sushi is at Shogun. I haven't tried the regular resteraunt. It sure looks like fun. The atmosphere is great. The employees are so friendly and great service all the time.
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Review from Cypress A.
San Diego, CA
7/4/2011
From another Yelp review: Shogun is a very cheap knockoff of Benihana.
Shogun does not put chicken in their fried rice (like Benihana ALWAYS does), they do not offer shrimp with every dinner plate (like Benihana always does), their staff is not nearly as efficient, and their restaurant is not nearly as clean.
*****
^Posted by another Yelper in their review, and if you or a loved one work for a business's competition, at least be open about that when you trash the place.
Benihana is an all-American corporation. Shogun is a privately owned and more of a Japanese company, because the owner of Shogun, Bruce, is an old man from Kobe, Japan. Japanese fried rice is not made with meat- that's Chinese, chicken fried rice. I've worked at Shogun, and people come in here and demand things like this- Chinese food: Chicken fried rice, sweet and sour and peanut sauce... Shogun is not Chinese.
*****
To summarize:
I am a former employee of this Shogun, and I know it well. The food and teppan show is normally good, but of course it depends on the chef. Most of them are cool and love their jobs.
My complaints about Shogun are that I wish it were cleaner, but one manager doesn't care and the other doesn't know what to do. You have to do more than wipe, scrub, and vacuum. The other is that they don't have much of a standard for servers and don't train well so some girls don't really know what they're doing. -
Review from Peggy A.
San Diego, CA
1/20/2012 1 photo
Although the concept of a hibachi chef cooking your food in front of you isn't new anymore, the experience is always fun. Shogun provides a very entertaining and charismatic atmosphere for their customers.
I highly recommend that you make reservations ahead of time, especially if you plan to come between 6-8:30pm on a weekend. Be wary that parking may not be the best either. There is a little bit of street parking, a small parking lot in front of the restaurant, and a small additional parking lot behind the establishment.
Upon entering the restaurant, your hostess will seat you around a Teppanyaki grill. This is, of course, if you didn't request to be seated at the sushi area of the restaurant.
About eight diners sit around the Teppanyaki grill (yes, you sit with other diners you don't know), and the chef cooks your order in front of you. He makes small jokes and attempt cheesy tricks with the spatula and the food he's about to cook for you. Depending on the group of people you're sitting with, they either laugh and cheer the chef on, or they lack the sense of humor to dork-out and go along with it. Our table seemed to be of the latter. But, the table next to us was having a blast laughing and taking pictures. Perhaps they had a few extra bottles of Sapporo more than us! On the other side of us, another table was celebrating a birthday. In any case, the environment was happy and enthusiastic. It can get a bit loud, but not so much so that you cannot hear your party. Just know this is not the place to choose for a quiet, romantic dinner with a date.
Now, about the food. The Teppan dinners (includes your choice of meat, salad, and jasmine rice or fried rice) are on average between $24-$29. I ordered the Calamari Steak & Hibachi Filet Mignon Teppan dinner. I said I wanted my steak to be cooked to medium rare (and so did the girl sitting next to me). When the chef was done, all the steaks were cooked to the same appearance. It turned out being medium well. There was no pink in the center at all. Overall the steak was mediocre. The calamari was cooked just right. Not rubbery at all, and still had a tender bite. The mixed vegetables were again somewhat mediocre. Although some dipping sauces were provided, there generally wasn't very much seasoning with the meats or the vegetables. Most of the food was just sprinkled with sesame seeds and squeezed with lemon. For such an animated dinner experience, I really wanted my taste buds to jump with joy, but it was just ok. The fried rice did taste a bit more exciting though. Probably because the chef added butter to it.
So, while the food was average/decent, but not outstanding, the overall environment was positive and simply fun. The unique Teppanyaki dining experience and charismatic atmosphere made up for the average tasting food. -
Review from Jocelyn B.
San Diego, CA
10/31/2011 1 Check-in Here
This is a fun place to go with a group of people, otherwise you might be seated with strangers.
I recommend coming for lunch, prices are much more reasonable and you get about the same thing that you would for dinner for half the price.
Should have taken an extra star off for the waitress we had....she was no where to be found the majority of the time. The place wasn't even crowded...boo on her!
Aside from that, I'd come back again. -
Review from Debbie D.
Poway, CA
2/22/2012
Make a reservation! Food was great. The sushi is good as well as the teppanyaki. The waitresses could be more attentive, but overall a fun experience for the whole family. Pretend it's your birthday....you'll get a song and a tacky hat.
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Review from Rachel B.
Fresno, CA
2/20/2012
Worst food of all time! Nothing more to say...
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Review from Risha K.
Anaheim, CA
2/18/2012
Tried this place a couple of weeks ago during happy hour. Very good price and very good sushi.
Bad service. They only had one person working at the sushi bar. But I'd still go back for the food. -
Review from Elainne P.
San Diego, CA
9/27/2011 1 photo
I always love coming here because it's a guaranteed fun time. My favorite chefs are Yasushi and Chito da Man! If you come here they're pretty nice about requesting chefs so we always try and make sure we have either of these guys cause they're both really fun and entertaining.
The food is pretty good here too. Always get fried rice because it's so yummy. I usually try to get a steak and scallops or shrimp so you get a taste of both meat and seafood. Never had the sushi here but my friends have and they like it. The tempura fried bananas are really good too! Not a lot of restaurants offer this dessert so I make sure to order it when I come here.
