Café Japengo - San Diego, CA: Café Japengo is a fine dining restaurant located in the picturesque La Jolla neighborhood in San Diego, California. This restaurant is renowned for its sushi and Pacific Rim cuisine. In fact, it is said that Café Japengo is “THE” place to have sushi in San Diego.

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A part of Hyatt Regency La Jolla, Café Japengo is situated in Aventine, a popular landmark in San Diego. This restaurant has been recognized as one of the best restaurants in San Diego for seven consecutive years by the San Diego Magazine. Café Japengo exudes a retro ambience with its marbled walls and black-iron sculptures. A full service bar offers a variety of wines, sakes and cocktails.

We were at Café Japengo for a late lunch. To our surprise, we were about the only people there at that time. We were handed the menu soon after we had settled in. The menu offered a good selection of innovative dishes to choose from. A Lunch Crunch Menu, a gourmet alternative to fast food, was available for those in a hurry. Traditional Japanese dishes were also available. The Tootsie roll is a house specialty.


We ordered our standard tuna, yellow tail and salmon sashimi. The yellow tail and salmon were fresh and tasty, the tuna though tasted left over from the weekend. It was a Monday so it is very possible that was the case.

We also had a number of rolls as both of us were famished. The spicy salmon was delectable; the soft shell crab was good as well. The shrimp tempura was a huge let down.

While I can say the sushi was good, I find it hard to believe it is the best sushi in San Diego, but then again, I have not tried many other places in the area. So, maybe this is the best in town.

Service was good, but then we were about the only people there.

Overall, Café Japengo was a good experience. However, for the amount it cost me, I expected more. Our rating for Café Japengo is Between Bombastic and Not.

What I liked: The ambience

What I didn’t like: Some of the dishes were very average

Rating: Between Bombastic and Not

Address and Telephone Number:
Café Japengo
8960 University Center Lane
San Diego, CA 92122
Phone: (858) 450-3355
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