Izakaya Masa - San Diego

Alright, folks, could this be my new favorite ramen spot? I'm seriously considering it. This ramen is reminiscent of what I had in Japan. The 'hakata ramen' especially had the ideal amount of oil in the broth, which is something that many places in San Diego tend to neglect. The noodles had the perfect chew as well. I'm really impressed and will definitely be coming back. By the way, I noticed that on a Tuesday night around 9 PM, the dining room was completely empty! My food arrived within just 5 minutes of ordering, and the staff were very friendly. This place easily gets a 10/10 from me!

The decor is quite plain, and the service can feel a bit unwelcoming, particularly the woman at the reception. While that might be acceptable, unfortunately, the food also lacks flavor. It has an authentic feel, but it’s not particularly impressive. There are definitely better izakayas to be found in San Diego.

I really enjoy Japanese cuisine, but this restaurant stands out from others I've visited.

We had an excellent meal here. The Gyoza was great and we all adored our sushi rolls. They were affordable and very well-made. The ramen was delicious. Pretty standard but well-made and would definitely come back for it. The only thing that was a bit off was the timing of the meal. We wanted to enjoy our appetizers and drinks before getting the meal ending ramen. The icing was more like dim sum. The wait it was about a half hour and there are a lot of great places to go have a drink to pass the time. Or you can just wait on the patio.

Really traditional restaurant! The food was amazing