Robataya Oton

Reviews

• AG

  A G

  1 day ago
  5.0
  Delicious; has some types of fish that I had never had before: barracuda, fat greenling, & fat tip fusilier, all well seasoned and delicious. Portion size is small, so savor every bite! We were pleasantly surprised how good the shrimp tempura was. We ordered that only because my kiddo was hungry & it would be fast. Consider sitting at the counter vs a booth unless it's winter & you want to cook at your table. Be aware nigiri is single portion, not 2 pieces per order.
• TS

  Tatiana Stroup

  Jul 3, 2026
  4.0
  Had dinner here this evening with my mom. The food was very tasty. We loved the spicy smoked salmon udon, could have eaten 3 more bowls. The crudo was also delicious. The miso glaze fish appetizer with ginger was also very flavorful yet delicate. I felt the salmon sampler was left a bit wanting. Overall, I would come back for the hot dishes and not the raw. A touch on the expensive side but the fish is imported from Japan so incurs extra cost. We did unfortunately wait 25 minutes before our food or drink order was taken but the waitress was very nice, apologetic and brought us some sake on the house. Once our order was placed the food did come very quickly. Staff was super friendly. Traditional Japanese seating for the table portion of the restaurant. I look forward to coming back and give a second chance.
• BF

  Bogy Fit

  Jul 2, 2026
  1.0
  Well, we really wanted to like this place. But have to agree with the other reviews. The facts 1. Fish quality is below average. Ordered the $110 assorted sashimi. Slightly smelled and tasted fishy. Blue fish is supposed to soft and nit crunchy 2. Service was very slow. Took 10mins for drink order and other 10mins to get drinks including waters. After dinner we waited another 15mins and no server. Ended up having to leave and go to the front to pay 3. Ambience was decent. Older inside and very average. Summary, over priced and under staffed, poor quality fish.
• AN

  Adrien Neema

  Jun 25, 2026
  5.0
  We had an amazing first time here and was a little taste of Japan here in San Diego. 4 of us seated in a booth, no shoes as is customary, immediately greeted with a rundown of the menu and history of the restaurant. Night started off with beers and sake, delicious appetizers including the karaage, takowasa, and fresh cucumber salad which is always my favorite. Proceeded the main course with uni udon for the table and sushi for everyone. I opted for the special flight including the exclusive Fuju Sockeye Salmon and White Premium Salmon, accompanied by the Amber Jack and Toro. The night ended with Kenji the owner starting up the karaoke machine and all of us having an absolute blast drinking sake, beers, and singing our favorite songs. The couple in the booth next to us joined in and we kept it going past closing time. A casual dinner with friends turned into an unexpected night and experience that is rare to find in San Diego. Highly recommend going here and we'll definitely be back!
• JS

  Justin Schwartz

  Jun 7, 2026
  2.0
  My wife and I went here with an open mind after reading recent reviews, but we left disappointed. After having Robataya Oton on our ‘want to go’ list for years, we saw that management has changed and the prices are much higher. Atmosphere Good. The booths were nice and it felt like a slice of Japan, taking off my shoes. Food We got the soft shell crab, the chirashi bowl, and the creamy uni udon. The crab was good but a little small. The udon was full of uni but the broth was a little light on flavor. The chirashi was lacking, unfortunately. There were 8 pieces of thinly-sliced fish, and although it was explained to us that the fish is from Japan, it’s really hard to justify the price here. A typical chirashi bowl should have much more than most similar-tasting fish, like tamago, ebi, etc. this was just fish, rice, ginger, wasabi. It feels minimal, and not in an elevated way. More in a way that I feel like we were ripped off. The fish is good but it’s not THAT good. Drinks My wife got one of the plum wines and the cup was maybe half-filled and had a lot of ice. Seemed like another instance of the restaurant skimping on portions. Overall My wife and I like to think that we’re reasonably diners. I had hoped other reviewers were exaggerating the high price of menu items, but it’s true. Sadly, the restaurant was pretty empty when we were there on a Saturday night. If they don’t change their prices or portions, it’s only a matter of time before this once-great (from what I’ve heard) restaurant closes. I do hope management can turn things around. Note: we did not see any hot pot or sukiyaki on the menu. This restaurant has drastically reduced their menu offerings in the last few months, apparently, because reviews mentioned different dishes than what we saw. This is largely a sushi restaurant now.