Kaito Sushi

My husband asked the sushi chef if they serve takoyaki. The chef laughed and told my husband that he looked like a takoyaki. We won’t be going back.

My new fav sush spot in the country. Perfection on the palate and great chefs and staff.

Great quality of fish here, probably one of the best in North County. However, this will not be a 5-​star restaurant to me because of the service.
I previously reviewed about our sushi chef’s strange attitude. Well, after chatting a little with him this time, I learned that he was actually a friendly person with sarcasm and a little quirkiness. But still, I think as a sushi chef, if you want people to feel welcomed to your restaurant, you still gotta at least keep your quirkiness and sarcasm in check. Also, there were pretty much only 2 servers on the floor for the entire crowd of 30+ people. I had to ask the couple next to me for the menu after they’re done. It took them a while for everything. I understand you come here and shouldn’t rush but enjoy your dinner, and I’m never that type to rush through dinner, but there’s still a basic expectation. Honestly, if this was in Kearny Mesa or downtown SD, I don’t think I’ll ever come back.
Having said that, the quality of sashimi is amazing here! The uni I had was from Santa Barbara, the 4 pieces of kanpachi I had were from japan (it’s my favorite, I couldn’t stop eating!). I didn’t ask where they sourced the mirugai but it was amazing. Forget about the hot food. It’s subpar. Just come for the sashimi.

Kazu is a great chef. He is funny and his fish is fresh and delicious! We grabbed two of the last three sushi bar seats and got to chat w the chef. The place is full! We had sashimi, seaweed salad, Ono sushi, and topped off by the sashimi cucumber wrapped roll. SO DELICIOUS! Pricy, but worth it :) definitely will come back.

Eh, this place was fine, but nothing special. It seems to have a solid cadre of devotees, but I’m not one of them. The fish was definitely fresh, but it wasn’t cut particularly skillfully, nor generously. In fact, my maguro was literally falling apart when I got it, which (especially considering the price) surprised me.
The only thing that didn’t taste fresh was the monkfish liver – yuck! Probably the second worst monkfish liver I’ve had.
The service was a little slow, the décor was a little boring, and everything was a little overpriced. That said, it was fine. But I certainly wouldn’t go out of my way to eat here again.

decent place, but overpriced.
sushi chef tried hard to upsell us, a little annoying as we caved in and regretted it.
i know alot of better sushi places with more consistency and less cost, so i’ll be going there next time.

Omakase is pricey but most of the time worth every penny. We usually start with some salmon and toro then get all the chef’s specials. Not somewhere you can go frequently unless you have $$$ but definitely a great place to get your sushi fix esp if you want it very very fresh.

Best traditional sushi in north county by far. Kazu is always amazing and the fish is unreal! Highly recommended

Tiny place. Good quality sushi. It’s pricey but worth it.

Kaito was an amazing dining experience. Both the service and quality of food was fantastic. The sushi here is very well prepared and the flavors are subtle yet robust. There are unique plays on acid and herbs such as cilantro that really make the rolls at Kaito stand out among the many sushi restaurants in San Diego.
We ordered a roll with jalapeños toward the end of our meal (red tide, delicious) and very shortly after the server came to top off our waters.
⁵⁄₅ will definitely dine here again. On a Saturday night, the ambiance was great for a date.

We went here because it had 4.5 stars.
I guess we were a little disappointed that they don’t serve real crab as an option. So if you order a rainbow roll, while the fish on top was fresh, inside was the fake crab… not even chopped on top. They also don’t have spicy mayo at all fyi.

Thank you Unilocalers! We trusted the reviews, went in late at 8 p.m. and for chef’s choice at the counter.
The experience was very enjoyable, the chefs fed us sashimi courses first, saba, maguro and giant clam. That little Japanese saba was excellent and was even better when the bones came back fried whole! The next courses were river eel, scallop in two ways, toro and uni.
We were at the bar with 3 other couples until 9:30pm, all seemed to be regulars and all chose omakase. The vibe was relaxed, I can see why other reviewers had issue with the service. The chefs are personalities and overall the place is a bit laid back if you are used to more on point places in LA or other cities.
We thoroughly enjoyed the meal and will be back!

Fresh, great variety, and pretty delicious, but chef Kazou or Kazu needs to tone down his attitude/​judgement a tad. We had omakase which was great, then he asked us what we want next and we asked for «hamachi», he rolled his eyes becuz it was too common. Good fish is good fish regardless if it is common or not. Then he asked what we don’t like and when we said «tuna» again he rolled his eyes. Don’t ask for our preference if you’re going to judge geeeez. We love their omakase, would strongly recommend getting that. Would be better if the chef didn’t judge us for asking for «common» fish like hamachi. He’s energetic when it is stuff that he wants to make/​serve.

Tokyo sushi meets the beach. These guys are laid back yet deliver mind blowing fish. Dishes have layers of flavors that will make you crave this every day.

If I go down to El Camino Real to eat sushi, I would rather go to Blue Fin Sushi Bar than Sushi Kaito.
Their sushi was tasty but pretty expensive. Even they open the restaurant at inland, sashimi was fresh. Actually, Sushi Kaito was the best sushi place in North San Diego before I found Blue Fin Sushi.
I gave them 4 stars, it depends on preference, but I prefer small rice (We Japanese call it, «Shari») to big Shari. So especially, I ordered «Makimono», it was less «Neta”(it means sashimi) and too much rice for me. And again, I would say their sushi is still more expensive than their quality.

I have eat many many Japanese Sushi in America, first time to feel that five star feeling in my life, thanks again… Sushi Chef Yoeigi San

I read many good reviews, and a few bad ones about this place prior to going. We figured we should give this place a shot. My friend who also has tried Ota with me said she liked this place better than Ota (this is a big claim). We sat at the bar like many people suggested and we only ordered sushi cause well that’s what this place is known for, right? I base most my decisions off of their uni and my boyfriend bases his decisions off of the blue fin toro. I thought the uni came no where close to Ota’s uni (actually, the ones I’ve had at the farmer’s market are better). The toro was okay for the price since Ota’s is probably double the price for toro. I must say that they had scallops which I have not had at Ota and it was delicious! I’m salivating as I talk about it.
Overall, I think it is decent for the price since the prices are in the single digits and thats why I give it a 4 star. Ota is definitely pricier than this but it is still my go to place to take people for sushi when they come visit me in SD!

Best! I haven’t tried ALL the sushi places near SD, but this is so far my favorite. I’d drive longer and enjoy every bite of sushi, money, & time at Kaito. Why? Because they give the thickest & freshest cut of fish. Plus, I feel they are more affordable compared to other high end Japanese restaurants.
Something to keep in mind in order to enjoy your meal to the fullest:
1. Go early. Best when they open and during weekdays. Their fish run out fast. Plus, you may have the chef fully to yourself!
2. Seat at the bar. So pleasant. I prefer Kazu (?)san.
3. The nigiri I liked the least were uni & anago.

Came here on a Saturday at around 6pm thinking it wouldn’t be crowded but we were told it would be an hour wait! My friend had suggested the place but I had never been. I was up for going somewhere else but a patron in line in front of us said it was worth the wait. Sure why not I thought, I wasn’t in a hurry and not that hungry yet.
I’m glad I stayed! This place is not cheap by any means and I would not be able to afford to come on a regular basis but the sushi is legit. The sushi chefs are cheery and personable but more importantly the experience of the sushi itself echos the beauty of fresh simplicity. Best toro I’ve had in a long time. I had to stop the conversation I was having with my friend to enjoy it fully. No joke=)

Kaito Sushi is pretty freaking delicious.
We found out about Kaito sushi through an Eater article titled «Updating the 38 Essential San Diego Restaurants, July ’14». The short and sweet description on the article was «Kaito Sushi inspires devotion and reverence from sushi purists who delight in owner Kazuo Morita’s dedication to the freshest seafood and time-​honored technique.»
Yeap. It doesn’t take much more convincing to drive north to Encinitas to try this place. We looked at the menu — and decided to get the chef’s tasting menu. We dictated the price range and left everything else to the sushi chef. Trust me, we were NOT at all disappointed. I think I died and went to heaven on their Sea Urchin (Uni). It was unbelievably fresh! We also got an appetizer special — sashimi ceviche. YUM!