Izumi Japanese Restaurant

We were grubbin' like fools throughout December due to it being my birthday month. I signed up for tons of ibirthday club restaurants and Izumi Japanese Restaurant offered 50% off your entire bill (up to $20 max discount). We liked this coupon because there was no minimum purchase or party size required AND we wouldn't have to order within a certain price range to get the most *bang* for our buck.

Before driving to dinner, I visited the website which stated drink specials and half off selected rolls between 7-9pm. I called ahead to make a reservation, but should have taken note when the response was "we're so slow tonight." There was only one other patron there on a Monday night. We chose a corner booth and ordered a couple of rolls that caught our interest.

Hollywood roll at Izumi Japanese Restaurant in Poway, CA

Hollywood Roll ($10.95) - Shrimp Tempura Roll topped with Seared Tuna w/ Crab & Crunchy

slice of the Hollywood roll at Izumi Japanese Restaurant in Poway, CA

There was seared tuna on top, which was cooked a little too much for my taste. That factor plus the crunchy panko sprinkles and drab crab meat made it a bit dry overall for me.

Super Spider roll at Izumi Japanese Restaurant in Poway, CA

Super Spider Roll ($11.99) - Softshell Crab, Spicy Tuna, Avocado, Cucumber with Eel on the outside

slice of the Super Spider roll at Izumi Japanese Restaurant in Poway, CA

The topping of eel tasted as expected, covered with the typical sweet eel sauce. On the other hand, the spicy tuna inside was a bit on the watery side. I don't think I've ever tasted this anywhere else, or at least not to this degree! It made me question the freshness of everything, especially when combined with slow nights...

French Kiss Roll at Izumi Japanese Restaurant in Poway, CA

French Kiss Roll ($9.50) - Real Crab, Salmon, Tuna, Shrimp Tempura, Avocado, Cream Cheese

slice of the French Kiss Roll at Izumi Japanese Restaurant in Poway, CA

This was the best roll of the three, but by no means a winner. There were good sized chunks of fish in here although they didn't stay together too well. Dennis hates cream cheese but even I ended up pushing it out because it didn't seem to fit in.

Complimentary salad with your order at Izumi Japanese Restaurant in Poway, CA

We were also surprised to be served salad before receiving the rolls. Apparently it just comes with your meal. It was very basic with lettuce and some shredded carrots. The salad dressing tasted like thousand island to me though I could be wrong since I rarely eat creamy dressings.

Yellowtail + Salmon Kama at Izumi Japanese Restaurant in Poway, CA

Yellowtail + Salmon Kama ($9.95)

Usually we'd expect an appetizer like this to be served before the rolls as well but it came out last. Also, the pricing was crazy on this... for a single yellowtail or salmon kama, it was 7.95 but put both together and it was only 9.95! Luckily it was also the BEST part of our meal after all the mediocrity. There was plenty of fatty meat in both pieces and a decent saltiness to enhance the taste. We were already feeling stuffed from the rolls but we tried to eat as much of the "good" meat as possible.

orange slices at Izumi Japanese Restaurant in Poway, CA

For dessert, they brought out orance slices, which helped to clear our palates.

We were the last customers in the restaurant and the staff was already busy cleaning up the place 30 minutes before closing. After finishing, we tried to catch the eye of our waitress for a couple of minutes. She never seemed to look our way plus at one point she was completely out of sight (cleaning the kitchen?). Finally we caught the attention of the sushi chef and HE had to call her over to get our check. So thumbs down for the sparse service. And just 'meh' for the food in general except the kama.

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Izumi Japanese Restaurant
12245 Poway Rd
Poway CA 92064
(858) 391-3080

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Comments

Faye's picture
Submitted by Faye (not verified) on Fri, 01/09/2015 - 9:44am

Happy belated birthday! That IS a great deal at 50% entire bill! I read your Pearl review and thought their particular discount was mediocre since you had to spend at least $50. I am not sure if I've been to Izumi before. That's unfortunate the rolls weren't all that great but they seemed ok priced. I could not believe how awesome of a deal you got on the kamas!! I want to drive over there for lunch just to try this dish. Was it a special or is it always on the menu?

lynn's picture
Submitted by lynn on Wed, 01/14/2015 - 4:45pm

For Izumi, I would only go back for that kama, which is worth the price tag and can be shared between 3-4 people. Otherwise, I think I need some new recommendations on sushi in SD. I haven't found anything worth raving about lately :(

J.S. @ Sun Diego Eats's picture
Submitted by J.S. @ Sun Dieg... (not verified) on Fri, 01/09/2015 - 9:58am

So many mediocre sushi restaurants in SD :/ whenever I find a good spot I cling to it like crazy. And that kama was a really good deal! I've never had salmon kama, just hamachi.

lynn's picture
Submitted by lynn on Wed, 01/14/2015 - 6:06pm

I'm no expert but I enjoyed both kamas (can't remember the taste difference right now). I am unsure if I'm getting tired of sushi or if it's because I keep eating mediocre sushi lately. Hope this slump ends soon and we find a good spot that doesn't break the bank!

Mary's picture
Submitted by Mary (not verified) on Mon, 01/19/2015 - 12:41pm

Sadness about (most) of the food. Weird they would start cleaning up so early but I guess they know how it goes. It's not usually a good sign for a place to be so empty. But hey.... at least birthday coupon! I didn't know about this one either. It paid off for you to sign up for so many at least. I only pick and choose places to sign up at.

lynn's picture
Submitted by lynn on Mon, 01/19/2015 - 2:19pm

Maybe it was an "off" day but I'll let someone else find out for me! Hopefully they are busier during lunch or weekends. With all the time I spent signing up, at least I found a few goodies (post coming soon)!

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