Michelin Star Sushi Restaurant in San Diego - Soichi Sushi

Last year, one of San Diego's Japanese sushi restaurants received a Michelin Star from the Michelin Guide, making it one of the few restaurants to be able to do so in San Diego. This restaurant is Soichi (pronounced "so-ee-chee") Sushi near Mission Valley of San Diego. This accomplishment has made booking a reservation at Soichi quite difficult, often booking out around a month in advance. In fact, according to Fox 5 San Diego, Soichi was voted best sushi spot in the United States by Yelp receiving a five star rating making it the only sushi restaurant on Yelp to maintain five stars (I am not sure if this has changed since).

When I went, I did in fact book a month in advance and I actually had to stalk down the reservation website like a hawk to make sure I got a spot upon the reservations opening up again.

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One reason it is so difficult to book a spot at Soichi does not even have to do with the Michelin Star and the merit that comes with it, but instead, it has to do with the size and intimate setting of Soichi. Soichi is a predominantly omakase sushi spot. Omakase is a style of dining originating in Japanese culture that basically means that you let the chef decide what to make for you. And in doing so, they make each dish or item right in front of you and put it in front of your to taste, one course at a time. They will choose the freshest catch of the day and pair the fish perfectly with seasonal ingredients that bring out its beauty. Omakase varies significantly from restaurant to restaurant, with the most affordable being offered for as low as 50 dollars and the most luxurious offerings being hundreds and even thousands of dollars. But regardless of the price, this is an entire experience and is undoubtedly very time consuming and intimate. Therefore, seating is often very limited, especially for those looking to receive the full omakase experience of dining right in front of the chef. Soichi is no different. The restaurant itself is already quite small and hidden, but the seating in front of the chef is no more than 8 seats total. There are a few tables on the side, but overall, the restaurant likely can not seat more than 20 people at a time.

san diego union tribune

Now, on top of the small area and limited seating, this new accomplishment and the merit that comes with it definitely does not help with your luck of booking a reservation. But I believe some of the hype has died down over time so it should not be nearly as difficult to get a reservation now. Although, Michelin Star restaurants usually do stand the test of time. That is unless the reviews of the place are consistently negative.

Before Soichi, Addison Restaurant was really the only Michelin Star restaurant that San Diego had to offer, so this was a big day for us San Diegans! So of course, naturally, I had to give it a try myself to see what all the hype was.

First of all, the service was quite good and the environment and atmosphere were very peaceful and calming. We, unfortunately, got seating near the edge so we could not really get in on a lot of the action, but it was a great experience nonetheless. They served a piece of shrimp and when the shrimp came out, parts of its body were still moving (even though it was decapitated), I'm assuming due to the nerves that are still active, which made for quite an invigorating experience that also proves just how fresh their shrimp is, definitely the first time I've seen something like this. But rest assured, it was not to be eaten this way. They ended up asking us how we would like that part of the shrimp to be cooked and we chose fried. When it came out fried, it was quite delicious!

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One of our first courses featured an oyster. Now, prior to this, I was absolutely not into oysters, I was too afraid to eat them because of the texture and smell. But omakase is omakase and its the type of situation where you just have to trust the chef, so of course, I gave it a try and it absolutely changed my mind about oysters. I have since had oyster a few more times, most of which was also positive, but I have to say, none of the oysters I have had since that first time has even come close to the oyster I had at Soichi. This oyster was mindblowing and I am so glad they featured it as one of the courses.

I am actually unsure of how omakase really works in terms of the logistics. What I mean is, are the courses they choose to serve different on a day by day basis? Or is it different week to week? Season to season? I am sure each restaurant is a little different about this so I would be interested to learn more about that.

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Overall, is Soichi worth it? I got the nigiri omakase for 95 dollars which included four tasting dishes and twelve pieces of sushi and my friend got the highest priced omakase for 135 dollars which included eight courses of the chef's selection. 95 dollars is undoubtedly a lot to pay for food, but you are kind of looking at that type of pricing for most omakase spots so it is not over priced at all. The nigiri omakase really did fill me up and everything was extremely delicious and high quality. Everything was super fresh and there was not a single thing I did not enjoy in the meal. The most expensive option definitely comes with the most things but I wouldn't say the difference is really that significant. We were both very full at the end, and as our courses came out, I didn't notice a major difference in what I received compared to what she received, so I would definitely say save the extra dollars and just get the nigiri omakase, you really aren't missing much.

They also have an even more affordable option which is their petite omakase for 48 dollars which includes three tasting dishes and six pieces of sushi. Now this is definitely a major downgrade and I would not really recommend it unless you are already kind of full for some reason or you are a very small eater.

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I thought Soichi was great, but I wouldn't really say it was worth the price to be honest. The quality is definitely there, but compared to Sushi Blossom in New York City, whose premium omakase (most expensive) is priced at 125 dollars and is much more creative and interesting, I would easily choose Sushi Blossom any day. Read my article on Sushi Blossom to learn more about this mindblowing experience: https://original.newsbreak.com/@dinh-lee-561226/2751803087034-high-quality-sushi-omakase-in-nyc-sushi-blossoms?s=influencer

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