Robataya Oton, the little Japan of San Diego

Shoes off when dining in the private seating areas of Robataya Oton

Neighborhood: Kearny Mesa, just a couple of blocks off-Convoy Street

Price: $$$ (Depends on how much fresh sushi you order!)

Vibe: This dark little restaurant, with private wooden booths gives us all the feels for an authentic Japanese dining experience

If you’ve read this blog before, you know how much I love Convoy Street (Kearny Mesa) and all that this area of town has to offer. We are SO lucky to have such an eclectic selection of wonderful Asian restaurants right here in San Diego. If you haven’t explored this part of town yet, please get out there and try something new next time you dine out. P.S. my blog offers a ton of our favorite offerings at different restaurants along Convoy Street. Just search “Kearny Mesa” here to see some of my suggestions.

Back to this fabulous little restaurant that is Robataya Oton! Located in a little strip mall off Kearny Villa Road, just bordering the 163 freeway. You must make reservations because the restaurant is small, with only a few private dining booths and some seats at the sushi bar. As customary when visiting someone’s home in Japan, you take your shoes off before climbing into one of the private booths, and immediately you feel a little more relaxed in this charming dining spot.

Our view of the sushi bar from our private booth

The owner and chef, Takumi Sakurai, prides himself on choosing only the finest local ingredients and actually sources some of the seafood selections straight from Japan! This is ever-so-evident when we start getting our dishes delivered. I’m a little embarrassed by how many orders of the yellowtail belly nigiri and fresh Hamachi carpaccio we ordered, so I won’t exhaust you with the details. The sushi here is so unbelievably fresh that it literally melts in your mouth. We were so into our eating experience that I failed to get a picture of the Hamachi carpaccio, except for one last piece, oops!

Yellowtail belly nigiri

The only picture I got of the Hamachi carpaccio — a testament to how delicious it was.

We also ordered the chicken karaage, lightly battered and deep-fried and seasoned to perfection. This was a delicious crunchy bite, and yes, we ordered this twice because the first order went so fast.

Chicken Karaage

Tara Saikayo

Though the image above doesn’t quite do it justice, I also must recommend the Tara Saikyo — an appetizer of black cod cooked and caramelized in a delicious Saikyo miso marinade. I could have eaten 10 of these!

Our fixens for Shabu Shabu

The grand finale of this eating adventure of course had to be one of the hot pot options on the menu. I love a good hot pot, and while we typically order the Chanko Nabe (with miso base and pork — incredible!), this time we opted for the Shabu Shabu - just to try something different. It was a great selection of Premium thin sliced beef and vegetables, mushrooms, and tofu cooked in Japanese "Dashi" soup stock. The Shabu was a fun change, but the dashi soup stock didn’t have that knock-you-down flavor I was hoping for. It’s served with sesame sauce and ponzu sauce, and we found that adding some to our individual bowls and using it for a dipping sauce was a needed addition to the Shabu Shabu.

Shabu Shabu

Robatay Oton is a truly special restaurant in the off-Convoy area. A great way to taste a variety of Japanese offerings in a place that feels like home.

Robataya Oton

5447 Kearny Villa Rd.

San Diego, CA. 92123