4. Restaurants

Tomoyama Sushi

6949 El Camino Real,Ste 201B, Carlsbad, CA, 92009
  • (760) 930-0215
  • Store is closed

Tomoyama Sushi Menu

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Visit below restaurant in Carlsbad for healthy meals suggestion.

Cinnabon ( 2525 El Camino Real )

Visit below restaurant in Carlsbad for healthy meals suggestion.

Cinnabon ( 2525 El Camino Real )

  • Fun C.

    Food was prepared fresh, quickly, and professionally. We came in prior to a movie and shared a few rolls and some beer. I'll be back to check it out again and try more menu items. Courteous service and reasonable prices too.

    (5)

  • Don B.

    Tomoyama makes some decent sushi. Fresh enough fish, tasty rice, good cuts, interesting rolls, extensive selection, and despite the shopping mall location (I guess that's par for the course in this neck of the woods) it has a pretty decent interior. Short and sweet? Sure. The wow factor wasn't really there. But for totally tasty sushi, if you're in the area, Yomoyama delivers. Well, I don't think they'll actually deliver to your home, but in the proverbial sense, they deliver on quality and flavor... but you'll pay for it. I mean, you have to pay. Of course. It's not free. But again, in the proverbial sense, you get what you pay for, for the most part, and it isn't cheap.

    (4)

  • Caleb T.

    This dive is all over the place... My better half and I see coupons for Tomoyama all the time in the local booklets, never took advantage of them, but had the chance to come on an extended family outing. First thing to note is a nicely lit, intimate atmosphere; small place with good seating and a sushi bar. Then you sit down. We did have a large group with a lot of orders, but when the waiter has to come back a few times to get just the drink orders straight, that's the first warning sign. When you order something on the appetizer menu, actually pointing to physical evidence of the contrary, and he gives a quizzical look in return, stating they don't serve such a dish, that's the second warning sign. When they never give you drink refills even after asking them 4+ times, then that's the hat trick. DAMN IT, GERMANY! That appetizer that Tomoyama doesn't serve, but is on the menu anyway? That's the fried oysters, and I can understand why anyone would disavow their existence. Now, some of you may think that such a dish sounds nasty; others, like me, are curious if they found a way to make it work and be tasty. We should have listened to everyone else. It consists of a raw oyster, seasoned battered, deep fried, and served with, something that was not entirely unlike, tarter sauce, this disgusting, unappealing, and abhorrent aberration of both man and nature seems more like a child's mashed up science experiment than a coherent and edible dish. Simply put, they are fucking gross. After that, we ordered a vast array of nigiri, sushi rolls, and sashimi. Starting with the salmon sashimi, which is typically my favorite dish going out for sushi, I found this one a little chewy and bland, not the buttery, melt in your mouth I want. The tuna belly was chilled well, but definitely subpar as it also didn't melt properly and lacked any flavor. Then came along the nigiri and rolls. The biggest flaw among all of these was the massive lacking of technique; nothing seemed rolled or packed properly. The larger rolls, instead of being firm, couldn't support themselves under their own weight, and you could watch them slowly dissolve on to the plate as the seaweed broke apart. Smaller rolls were skimpy, sad to look at and disappointing to taste. Let's take each in turn: California Roll: M'eh, small and unappealing to look at, but the taste was kinda alright. Caterpillar Roll: Avocado was a bit dark, even before the sweet soy sauce. Whole roll was a mushy in consistency. New York Steak Roll: Steak was dry and overcooked, the California Roll it was mixed in didn't do it justice. I suggest a much thicker cut, seared rare to medium rare, thin sliced, and placed right on top of the rice in the roll before mixing in anything else. Hot Night Roll: Spicy tuna with no heat defeats the purpose of this roll; essentially leaving it a slightly soggy, shrimp tempura burrito. And, the Super Mexican Roll: Again, no heat, not even from the fresh jalapeño, flavor was alright as some of the crab's sweetness got through, but it didn't have the spicy compliment I was hoping for. Before you decide to come here, hop on their site and take a look at the menu. If you look at their special rolls, you may note that a vast number of them are just California Rolls with one or two more ingredients placed on top. I'm not kidding, put Tuna on a California Roll and now it's Hawaiian. Salmon on it instead, now you're in Washington. Stuff it with steak and you're in New York now, baby! I will give them credit for some of the names, the majority of them seem to follow the simple recipe of: [Name of an Ingredient] Roll - California Roll w/[The Ingredient Named] And readers, doesn't that sound delicious? No? Well, that's not surprising when the California Rolls they make kinda suck. Hmm, I wonder if they just make a couple thousand of them every morning and pop them in the fridge to be ready for what everyone orders throughout the day...

    (2)

  • Patrick Z.

    I just moved into the new house and this sushi spot is walking distance across the street. I've been twice and enjoyed myself both times. First time we stopped by our friends and their two kids went with the wife and I (6 people total). We made it just in time for happy hour (which ends at 5:30 7 days a week). For the six of us to eat and have a few beers, the bill came to ~$80. Pretty damn good considering everyone was full when we walked out. I'm kind of like a garbage disposal when it comes to sushi and I let everyone else pick what rolls to order. Because of that I'm not really sure what any of the names of the rolls were. We had rolls with tuna, salmon and a few california-based rolls. All of them were tasty. I always order some sashimi when trying out a new place for the first time to judge them. I went salmon sashimi. Good stuff. I'd give it a 7+ out of 10. For the price, totally worth it. The second time I stopped by to order a few rolls to go and a beer to enjoy while I waited and watched the NBA finals on one of their two large TVs behind the sushi bar. They were pretty busy and it took a while for them to get my order to me. Because they were so busy, they sent over an order of edemame. Pretty nice of them. After about 10 more minutes, the chef said, "Sorry, sorry it's taking so long. It's coming right up." and handed me a small tapa-sized plate of salmon kama. It was a great gesture to acknowledge that they were running behind. The food was super fresh and tasty once they got it out to me. I can't wait to head back this weekend to have another great experience. I love that I have a quality sushi joint that's walkable to the house. I hear the sake menu is awesome. I'll have to sample some of that next time.

    (4)

  • Linda L.

    Edaname: Good Miso Soup: Good Sushi: Super Mexican: Awesome. Beer: Always good. Atmosphere: Pleasant Company: Eh. I could have had better. Probably can't guarantee your time with the company you're with, but the food is great!

    (5)

  • Angela C.

    One of my favorite sushi restaurants. It is fairly close to where I live and it is my family's go to sushi joint. The servers, sushi chefs and owner are all so kind. Great service. I always sit at the sushi bar. All the rolls are unique and delicious. The sashimi sampler platter is amazing, great quality and they give you generous portions. The quality of the fish is so fresh. There really isn't anywhere else around that compares to their quality of fish. It is slightly more pricey than your average joint however, you get what you pay for.

    (5)

  • Alora T.

    Wasn't really sure where to go when I entered, but there weren't too many people and the California roll and miso soup were absolutely fantastic. Salmon teriyaki a little bland, but 2 item combo very filling despite looking a little sparse on the tray. Very good atmosphere and decorations...would definitely come again!

    (4)

  • Sandy H.

    RESTAURANT The restaurant is a nice sushi joint next to the La Costa Cineopolis. They serve the standard Americanized Japanese faire. Teriyaki plates, sushi, sake and the like. Let's dive into the details shall we...? Staff/Service: The staff are Korean and very pleasant. They don't seemed too organized as I had to ask for items such as Sriracha no less than five (5) times. That's never excusable. I've ordered 8 pieces of nigiri and 3 rolls. While we received most all rolls except for one. The last one came 30 minutes later and so we had to send it back. Poor service. 1 out of 5 stars. Cleanliness: Restaurant was clean and I was consider up to standard. 4 out of 5. Beer: Standard issue Japanese and Korean beers in bottles. Sake as well. Food Selection: Menu has 4 solid pages of selections. You should be able to find something that appeals to you. Food taste: The food was fresh and clean. The sake was the standard hot sake. Beer was great. . Food presentation: Standard clean plating on white plates. The two (2) plates we received were both chipped. The health department might take up issue in terms of infection control. . Atmosphere/ambiance: The atmosphere was nice. The establishment had appropriate ceiling height (low) for a sushi restaurant and cool lighting. The chandeliers' were cool. Noise level was just right for a full restaurant. Ease of access: Parking was sufficient and restaurant was easy to spot. ADA: Those with wheelchairs may find it difficult to ,ale their way into the place. The left door of the double door was locked. Not sure if that is allowed during business hours. Fun factor: It's a fun place with good energy. Most folks will like the joint. All in all would I come back: I would give it a second chance due to the quality of the sushi. Disclaimer: I have no affiliation with This restaurant and try to maintain the integrity of this review with this claim.

    (2)

  • Luz M.

    I went here in September with my family. We had three small babies and they were very accommodating, giving us plenty of space despite their busy dinner crowd. We had A LOT of food. Everything we ate was delicious. I really remember the Super Mexican Roll as the best. I would come back here in a heartbeat. Nice staff and great food.

    (5)

  • Dawn D.

    Upon entering we were pleased with the ambience; nice lighting and a low ceiling- conducive to seducing your olfactory sense. The servers seemed a bit chaotic, we were asked twice immediately after sitting if we wanted to get a drink order in, which we did so that was fine. It's better to have over attentive service when you're thirsty for a sake and a beer. We placed our order for a couple of rolls and some sashimi and asked for sriracha 5 times. The sriracha finally arrived 15 minutes after the food was dropped. The roll which we were super excited to try, the steak roll, was forgotten or so we thought. We brought this to their attention when we asked for it to be removed from our bill when we were checking out. The two women proceeded to quarrel with us and bicker in Korean saying we didn't order that roll, during this bickering at our table between the two servers - ironically our steak roll was dropped 35 minutes after it was ordered. All in all, the food was tasty. Service was more than underwhelming. A fine spot to grab a buzz and a bite before a movie, but would not opt for this spot otherwise. Was fortunate to be there with my best-friend and thankfully our glasses were full of Sapporo the whole time.

    (2)

  • Ron Q.

    I've come here a few times previously and am surprised I haven't reviewed them yet. They have a couple of great coupons in one of the weekly mailer magazines that's a great deal. They offer some very affordable lunch specials as well including two sushi rolls, soup and salad for around $11 - $12. We've always had good luck with food quality. Service has been up and down though, some days better than others for sure. They've renovated over the years and overall the location is inviting and appealing. On this visit we were celebrating a birthday. I had the seafood yakisoba. Noodles were cooked and flavored well. It had a pretty good variety of seafood, however, much of is was a bit tough and overcooked. Another member of my party had the sashimi combo A. It came with 6 pieces of sushi and a cali roll. Looked good and fresh. They also offer a "birthday" cake which was a cake covered green tea ice cream with chocolate sauce and whipped cream. Really goood! Overall, this visit matched up pretty much as previously. Keep on Yelp'n!

    (4)

  • Katie B.

    Terrible service. Waited way too long for simple rolls. The sushi was alright. I still cleared my plates (Cali roll and eel roll) you can't really screw up those kinds of rolls, while my girlfriend had to send one of hers back (albacore and garlic). We eat ALOT of sushi and try many different places. We definitely won't be coming back here again. Disappointing.

    (1)

  • Chad C.

    Tomoyama has been a favorite sushi spot of mine for years for business lunches; usually four people can get in and out within an hour (especially if you sit at the sushi bar). Usually start off with miso soup and the agedashi tofu for appetizers. The sashimi here is also quite enjoyable; just ask for what is freshest. Their signature rolls are also good choices for lunch: Hot Night Roll - Must try !! Shrimp tempura, topped with spicy tuna with cucumber Lobster Volcano Roll - Excellent presentation !! Baked lobster on a California roll, the presentation is really cool as it looks like a small volcano. Yay ! I'm a fan !

    (4)

  • Lanya G.

    Mediocre sushi. This was my second time here and it was a lot worse from the first. Fish was not fresh, I ordered the Caliente roll which consisted of baked lobster on albacore spicy tuna, the roll was completely falling apart and smelled fishy and tasted horrible. Everyone in my dining party tried it and nobody liked it. My spicy tuna hand roll was just 2 cuts of salmon and siracha drenched on top, and the albacore tuna from my other roll was soaking in this vinegar juice, almost as to preserve it or hide the fact the fish was not fresh. Besides the food being bad, the service was so slow. The table next to us got up and left they got so fed up with waiting. They are clearly understaffed and the only 2 servers are running around like chickens with their heads cut off, hire more help! Some other reviews mentioned this as americanized sushi and I would totally agree. With a lot of the rolls being baked or fried in tempura and covered in sauce. Not a fan.

    (2)

  • Zorba T.

    Inviting Clean Great service The Suchi bar rocks Owner andy and wine are hard working and great with people Owner always gives welcome and parting shots a great saki Best saki selection in town The food is brilliantly and beautifully prepared so pretty you don't want to eat it The head chef Tony is the best in San Diego Creative a master once you go enough he nows and remembers you I love this place Absolutely the best I've ever had

    (5)

  • Alicia R.

    The sushi was very good. Large servings! Even for nigiri style lovers , very personable joint. The owner is present and friendly. They make you anything any style ! Definitely going back!!!!

    (4)

  • Chris A.

    Okay, went back after staying away a year. The sushi was much better this time--maybe not up to Sushi-Ota in down near Mission Bay, but at least as good as Harney in Oceanside. I still see the sushi chefs out taking their smoke breaks every time I walk by (see previous peeve admission), and it's still pretty noisy, but we had better fish and the table wasn't sticky this time. I really want to like this place (it's across the street), so we'll give it another try soon.

    (3)

  • Luke C.

    Great food... Super high quality fish!! Miso was a little cold and device a little slow but the excellent food made up for it!!

    (4)

  • Erica C.

    First off - one of the sushi chefs, Tony, is the man. He's talented, creative, friendly and he makes custom creations for his regulars. If you sit at the bar with him you should ask him to whip up one of his speciality roles. The food is delicious and the fish is fresh. This place is also affordable for the great quality of sushi. Honestly, most of the rolls we got were off of the menu made by Tony and they were all delicious! My favorite was one of the custom rolls that was basically an outer ball of avocado filled with albacore. The spicy tuna & shrimp tempura roll was also delicious as was the eel roll. This is my new go-to sushi spot in Carlsbad. I can't wait to come back!

    (5)

  • Tim W.

    We wanted to go to this place before we went to a movie next door at Cinepolis but it wasn't to be. We stood at the front for a while before someone showed up and then got seated. But wait, no menus......I guess menus are extra? So we waited several minutes before someone came to our table again and once they did, they asked us if we were ready to order?????? Clueless.....We left and ate at Cinepolis. The staff at this place is beyond slow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! CUSTOMER BEWARE

    (1)

  • valerie m.

    I've heard about this fun place from a friend but had yet to get up there. Before a movie at cinepolis next door, I popped in and realized they didn't open for lunch until 11:30. We had a noon movie to catch but the manager told me to come back at 11:15 and he'd open for us. So kind. Great fast service. Lots of sake to choose from which I love. Reasonable prices. Specialty rolls 12-15$ like most other places. Great creative combos that not everyone is making. Nice and clean and friendly chefs. Tv's to watch sports. A little dark with a decent size sushi bar and tables. Convenient parking too.

    (4)

  • Jeremy S.

    This is the best sushi restaurant in San Diego county. I actually eat here all the time and have never had any complaints. Pretty much every roll here is good, my favorite is the carlsbad roll... Try it, it will change your life! Sit at the sushi bar on a Friday or Saturday night and it is actually quite entertaining. The service and food are both impeccable. I have been to tokyo several times and this rivals their sushi in all aspects. In my mind, there are two prime sushi places to eat in San Diego county; Sushi Ota in PB and Tomoyama in Carlsbad.

    (5)

  • Evy F.

    Fist time in the restaurant which it was amazing! We will be back as the food and service was amazing!

    (5)

  • David W.

    First time here and we weren't sure if we should go with its 3 star rating. We eat sushi/sashimi at least 3 times a week usually at Blue Ocean in Carlsbad. We live in Cbad so we really wanted to like this place especially since it is right next door to one of my favorite movie theaters Cinepolis. Long story short, the atmosphere was clean, warm, inviting, and pleasing to the eye. The food was fantastic. We had spicy edamame (hold the garlic) which was delicious, the Carlsbad roll which was a home run, the cucumber roll (healthy and delicious), and my daughter had the kids teriyaki (nicely portioned, and attractively plated). We will definitely be back. Hope the experience is consistently awesome like this one was.

    (5)

  • arlene f.

    Our first time here heading to cinapolis for a movie next door. The seaweed salad taster is a nice addition to the typical prelim dish of ginger and wasabi. We ate at the sushi bar and it felt so authentic with the chefs speaking Japanese. The fish was fresh and rolls packed lots of flavor!! Nice end to our meal when the owner poured sake shots. The bottle came out and the chefs hovered like bees to honey!! Shared a bonding moment with all of them. Hi!!!!

    (5)

  • Lindell N.

    There's people on here that complained about how chaotic the service was when they came in on a busy night. Well what do you expect when you're trying to serve in a busy restaurant? ! A lady complained about not getting Sirracha after asking 5x...damm lady if you wanted it that bad just bring your own! A chick complained that it's mediocre sushi when get this she ordered a "Caliente" sushi...you must not know anything about sushi...just about all sushi restaurant has to cater to the American palette. How about you try some simple yellow tail, lady! Onto to this wonderful place...if its not busy and you're just with a friend or a date please sit at the bar and have a conversation with the chefs! They're pretty funny and if you're nice enough they might treat you to a sake or they're own special sushi on the house. At least that's what happened to me. If you want a so called mediocre sushi get the "Pizza" sushi...just get it!!! I'm not into Kirin or Sapporo but I was more than delighted to know that they serve Orion from Okinawa. I was stationed in Okinawa and it instantly became a favorite of mine. The place can sit large groups, its kid friendly, there's a big TV at the sushi bar to catch up on sports and plenty of parking out front. The staff was awesome and the food was amazing!!! Thank you Chefs for the wonderful treat and I'll see you soon!

    (5)

  • Alexandra C.

    Much better this time! Fish is fresh and filling! Well prepared and in a timely manner. Well done.

    (4)

  • J S.

    Ambiance is cool. The service was slow but very friendly. Sushi is decent but the rice fell apart when grabbing rolled sushi. I've never had rice fall apart from my chop sticks before ( and I am Japanese!!) the staff is not Japanese but hay, the price was well worth it during happy hour. It's just not going to be a place I recommend or go out of my way to eat there.

    (3)

  • Angelique H.

    My favorite sushi place! Happy hour prices are amazing. I love the carlsbad roll. The sashimi is so good. I don't go anywhere else if I don't have to.

    (5)

  • Ninjette L.

    All 3 stars go to the sushi makers. It's so good my husband and I frequent this place a lot. It's our go to for a quick break. The food we order is very good. I love the jalapeno roll and the spicy tuna tempura roll. The price is also reasonable for lunch. HOWEVER, the service is pretty poor. There are 1-2 really good servers and one that can ruin your meal. She seems so miserable and rude it makes us not want to come back. Overall though the place is alright.

    (3)

  • Laura D.

    Went to dinner here before checking out a movie next door. It was a busy evening. The waitstaff looked over stressed and overwhelmed. It didn't look like their was a hostess working so the waitstaff sat people. It made it chaotic because the staff didn't know who should be seated first. I didn't see any manager trying to help either. The wait to get seated wasn't too bad overall though. The wait for the food was lengthy, waited over an hour for sashimi. I asked the waiter to make sure the hand rolls not have rice in them and he said rice does not come in hand rolls but I was not shocked when the rolls arrived with rice inside. We ordered a bottle of saki and after we are paying the bill, the waiter tries to put the bottle on the table. Negative stars

    (1)

  • Andre L.

    Been here several times now and it is fresh, high quality sushi. Consistently very good and their spicy yellowtail is the best I have had.

    (4)

  • E B.

    Just had a great lunch w/my wife. We each had lunch specials - Sushi/Sashimi combo & sushi combo. The fish was very fresh and tasted great. They also have ginger at the table, so I could have as much as I wanted. That's important, I always go through a bunch of it. Definitely recommend. Good food, friendly staff and very nice interior.

    (5)

  • Nancy C.

    Pleasure to eat at this sushi place. All the rolls are great, my favorite it is Carlsbad Rolls. Restaurant was full, both bar and tables still service were excellent

    (5)

  • Tuan V.

    Food was mediocre. Miso soup tasted like it came out of a package. Make sure you order everything at the beginning or getting a waiter/waitress is nearly impossible. After all the waiting, we were still going to order dessert until it took 15mins to wait for the menu. That's when we decided to get the check and get dessert elsewhere.

    (2)

  • T P.

    We are traveling from out of state and asked a random passerby a good restaurant for locals. What a superb find! So glad we came here! Reasonably priced and selection large. I was impressed with the freshness of the sushi and generous portion sizes. The "Super Mexican Roll" is amazing. Will return again when in the area!

    (4)

  • Scott T.

    lunch is probably not the time to eat here if you're going to write a review. the menu is geared towards affordability and getting diners in and out quickly. my mom, the wife unit and i shared a HAMACHI KAMA (yellowtail collar), a RED DRAGON ROLL and a lunch special that included SASHIMI (tuna, salmon and hamachi), a spicy tuna roll, salad and MISO. was neither disappointed or impressed -- probably closer to just OK than A-OK. except the HAMACHI KAMA, everything seemed skimpy. will have to get back there for dinner and give TOMOYAMA a real try.

    (3)

  • Sarah V.

    This is our go-to local sushi spot. We enjoy the food very much but after our visit two nights ago, I felt the need to leave a review. It was our fourth visit in a row which we waited over 30 minutes for our food. Waiting that long with two hungry preschoolers is like slow torture. They only had two servers there for happy hour which is always packed. I was so disappointed and tried to speak to the owner but he was so busy trying to make up the slack for his servers it was useless to flag him down. Although we really like the food here, we can't sit through another 30 minute wait when we either have the kids or are headed to a movie. Four times in a row makes it pretty clear that it's not just "an off night" anymore. Please staff more servers/chefs during busy times and we'll be back! Otherwise, we can't risk it.

    (4)

  • Rebecca E.

    What the hell was I thinking? I should have read the reviews, I should've listened to my friends! WHYYYYYYYYYY? Seriously though, awful. The WORST sushi OF MY LIFE. I took a bite of my eel hand roll and immediately wanted to throw up! It had definitely passed it's expiration date and was just putrid. The garlic albacore roll? Well, that made me actually throw up. I asked the waitress if anything was spicy on anything that I ordered. She rolled her eyes and said *giggle* noo of course not. Well guess how my third roll was? Spicy! Thankfully the male waiter saw that I was going to throw up and took two of the rolls off of my tab. DO NOT GO HERE. THE SUSHI IS OLD - BAD TURN OVER. YOU WILL GET SICK!

    (1)

  • Sherri M.

    Sushi was pretty good overall-nigiri salmon was "so-so", but the rolls were really amazing. SERVICE needs improvement. Server was complacent, not interactive much. Decent joint. Came hee because of movies next door ;-)

    (3)

  • Nicole S.

    This was my first time experiencing this restaurant. My friend and I decided to walk and place an order for take out. It was a busy Saturday night and the restaurant was full. The hostess seemed very confused about the request for a take out order. She could not answer our questions easily and it took a while to get our order moving. We asked how long it would be and she said 30-40 minutes. We thought this quite off since both of us are sushi aficionados and never has taken this long to prepare. We walked next door to La Costa Roasting and had delicious coffee and listened to live music while we waited. After 30 minutes or so we go to check our orders. We actually ended up waiting close to 55 minutes for our sushi. The hostess was not apologetic and when asked if we could have a very common dipping sauce, Sriracha, she did not know what this was. She seemed lost and we were made to feel very uncomfortable. As far as the sushi, we had the Carlsbad roll, Hot night, and the baby lobster roll. The sushi was tasty but on the high side for pricing. It certainly was not worth waiting close to an hour for and dealing with a hostess that just didn't have a clue.

    (2)

  • Jason s.

    Been here multiple times - sushi chefs are very friendly but the fish quality is mediocre at best. I'm sure they this place is the same owner as Yamariki in the new vons center and its a shame that this great area has a couple really crappy sushi places. They need to go - I will make the drive over to the many other quality places north county has.

    (1)

  • Zula L.

    I say 3 stars BUT according to my kid 4 stars! We like to take out platter of sushi and rolls. Perfect appetizers for guests when you're having a party at your house! Not high in sushi place but comfortable going back when we need one. Casual local Japanese restaurant.

    (4)

  • Ari A.

    This place is delicious, I love coming in to have sushi and saki. Fast service and friendly chefs. Love sitting at the sushi bar, I've even made up my own rolls here, and have never been disappointed :)

    (5)

  • Mathias R.

    Food is ok, but service deserves 0 stars. 3 times in a row we've been here, not once have they come over to take order or see if we needed anything.

    (1)

  • Tom H.

    Love this place! Great food and friendly, fast service. Met owner tonight, Andy, and he was really outgoing. Treated me to premium saki as well as extra sushi.

    (5)

  • Dana J.

    Wow, the service here is a little touch and go. Our waiter forgot to bring our drinks and when it was finally noticed by the lady who brought our food, we all were then accidentally brought diet sodas before being brought the correct ones. I was extremely disappointed in the ramen. I hate that crap that comes out of a package and you can find it at a dollar-store. I grew up in the midwest, and I expect crappy ramen back there, but here in Cali? Come on people, you charge more than Teri Cafe for a bowl of your sloppy ramen! It's almost $10 and I am pretty sure it was meatless as well. I dunno, does that little thing that looks like a radish but isn't count? At least the sushi was decent, but I don't plan on coming back here unless I want to get some sushi that's better quality than the Cinepolis next door before I go to a movie.

    (2)

  • Billy B.

    Not bad, but pretty middle of the road. ON THE WALL IN THE RESTROOM "WRITE A POSITIVE COMMENT ON YELP AND GET A FREE DESERT". Pros: open at 11:30, lunch specials with 2 rolls, soup and salad for $12-. Cons: middle of the road flavors, sat at the sushi bar and turns out the chef was pretty unhappy we ordered the lunch special. didn't realize it goes through the waitress or he said he'd charge us full price. Whatever.... It was lunch so they didn't look very happy, never a smile. I've seen it packed at night so they must do something right or maybe good for sake. LAST ISSUE: about 30lbs of defrosted salmon was on top of the cold case when I came in and when I left an hour later (kinda slow service). remind me not to order the salmon.......

    (3)

  • Sean O.

    What a great place! We had a great experience from the time we walked in to the time we walked out. Food was fresh an overall delicious. Our sushi chef was one of the best really made some great sushi for us. The owner came over and greeted us and also gave us a delicious treat. I have to say this is going to be one of my go to spots.

    (4)

  • Sarah T.

    My go-to sushi place. This place made me fall in love with sushi and i haven't been anywhere else nearly as delicious. The carlsbad roll is by far my favorite

    (5)

  • Rachel S.

    Appalling. Simply appalling, from the service to the food. I will not be coming back here again. We were out celebrating and this happened to be my sister's favorite sushi place...until today. For starters, getting the attention of the wait staff to order a drink took ten minutes. For a drink order. If that was not bad enough, the appetizers were subpar. The fried calamari was surprising as it was cut into strips and not throughly cooked through. I felt like I was eating a mozzarella stick as the thickness was as such. To make matters worse, the fish in the sushi tasted old and the over usage of Bonito flakes on the Crunchy roll I ordered suggested that they were hiding something. That and there were multiple hairs found in my sister's dish. Both of them. That is incredibly unsanitary. Though they were incredibly apologetic, and gave a free dessert, along with comping the Tuna Sashimi, I will not be back. There are better places with better food and sushi for the same price.

    (1)

  • Jerry R.

    Nice looking restaurant with good service. We got the octopus & cucumber salad, baked scallop roll, salmon skin roll and red caterpillar roll. Fish seems fresh and overall was pretty tasty. The salmon skin was a little too burnt for my taste but my wife liked it. Overall good sushi but wasn't blown away by this place.

    (4)

  • Jonathan M.

    Well, I ordered take-out from here quite often when I needed some sushi. The fish is not always fresh, or flavorful. The service is sometimes excellent and sometimes not so wonderful. This last time I had to sit in the waiting area 10 minutes after ordering 20 minutes before I arrived. 30 minutes for 1 entree is enough to knock two stars off the rating. -1 Somewhat palatable fish (you need soy sauce with that?) -2 for slow order completion.

    (2)

  • Mark M.

    Glad I'm not the only one who felt that the service was pretty bad. Totally ignored for over 20 minutes and this was after sitting at the sushi bar, mind you. Left my sheet on the bar and even notified the staff that my sheet has been sitting there for over 20 minutes and shockingly, I was still ignored. Been here 4 times, will not be coming back. Been charged for items that I did not order and was given grief when I challenged the error the server made. Even the people sitting next to me were charged for a glass of wine that they didn't order. CAREFULLY CHECK YOUR BILL BEFORE PAYING. Seems a bit shady since this has happened several times now. Server couldn't even refill my water or tea, either. I can understand if they were extremely busy, but this has not been the case. Save your money and go somewhere else, but if you want sushi and you're in the La Costa area, the sushi is not bad....but it is NOT top notch. Not as fresh as can be and the unprofessional service from both the servers and the sushi chefs behind the bar are really poor. This will be my last trip here. I've tried 4 times and have given up.

    (2)

  • Liz H.

    I decided to try a new restaurant in my neighborhood tonight. The atmosphere was comfortable and cozy. We ordered two rolls, Mexican and the eel roll. Both were very good. I love spicy food and the Mexican roll had a nice kick. We had miso soup, chicken katsu and I ordered the vegetable yakisoba. The chicken Katsu was served with white rice and a side sauce. The chicken was perfect, breaded in a crunchy texture and the chicken was tender. I really enjoyed the vegetable yakisoba. The vegetables were tasty and there was a decent amount in the dish. Our miso soup was serve lukewarm which was surprising. It did taste good, but I should have sent it back, I chose not to send it back because it was late in the evening and I didn't want to wait. If the soup would have been served hot I would have definitely given 4 stars. The servers were friendly and we received our food in a decent time. We will be visiting again.

    (3)

  • Danielle D.

    The sushi is just meh. The service is awful. There are WAY better places in the area for sushi.

    (2)

  • Sacha S.

    I've been eating sushi here once a week for two years. I always get the same thing and it is always fresh. It's pretty rare with sushi to be this consistent. I haven't tried the cooked food but my wife said it was nothing to write home about. I'm really happy with their sushi. I hope that they keep up the good work!

    (4)

  • Kasey L.

    One of my favorites in the area!! The fish is fresh and there are some creative rolls (Carlsbad is great!). The service has always been fantastic for me, some of the waitresses have even remembered my drink order. The great specials are icing on the cake. Highly recommend it!

    (5)

  • SUSAN H.

    This place is really lacking in customer service. Slow and rude.

    (1)

  • Danielle G.

    Love this place due to the location. They offer a discount if you purchase Cinepolis movie tickets which is right next door! Sushi and a movie in style. What could be better? Fish is fresh and the hamachi melts in your mouth. Service of wait staff could be a bit more expedient. Still enjoyable!

    (3)

  • Josh D.

    Really this review should be 2.5 stars. The food overall was just okay. The kimchi wasn't bad, but it wasn't good. It was plain. The miso soup was decent, but lacked an outstanding flavor. I liked the gyoza but didn't care for the dipping sauce. The sushi roll we ordered was okay. Overall I wasn't impressed with the food or service at Tomoyama. We gave it a try because it was near the theatre but we won't be back.

    (3)

  • Larry P.

    #Eatearly before the #drunks come in, and by that I mean the woman who get #increasingloud has they get drunker It was so bad, service wise, we walked out without being served Change your favorite restaurant every 6 weeks or so is a smart thing to do

    (2)

  • David S.

    Went for happy hour sushi last night with the family. 40% off all sushi from 3:30 to 5:30. The Firecracker Roll was the best. The sushi was good, although the service was a bit slow. Well worth the wait, however, for the price.

    (4)

  • Katie B.

    My friend and I came here for dinner. We ordered 2 miso soups, an agedashi tofu, green mussels and the TNT roll. Do yourself a favor and do not order the appetizers here. The miso soup wasn't great, the agedashi tofu was borderline bad and the green mussels were ok. It's pretty pricey for food that's not that great. The TNT roll was really good which is the reason they're getting 3 stars instead of 2. If I ever feel like coming back here I will make sure to get only rolls and nothing else because I don't have confidence in the rest of their menu. Service was not great but not bad.

    (3)

  • GT W.

    I don't know what is up with all the 1-2 star reviews of this place, but we have gone here now 4-5 times and always left satisfied. Great variety, Uni is on the menu, very casual with sushi quality that is good not amazing, but gets the job done. Everything came out quickly, tasted great. Service was good, perhaps checking on us a bit too much. Owner gave us some free sake.

    (4)

  • Pete B.

    We usually really like Tomoyama as the food is very good. Tonight though, our server was less than helpful and seemed annoyed that we were here. We had two of our favorite rolls again tonight: the Super Mexican and the Carlsbad. The lobster volcano is a good choice as well. The rolls are large and have good flavor. Price is reasonable for the size of the rolls. They have a nice selection of sake too. I would rate 4 stars if the service had been anything near friendly but it ruined the experience. The sushi chefs are good and have always been pleasant in the past and the owner/manager is a nice guy. A note to the servers at Tomoyama: if you don't want to be friendly and help your guests, maybe a change of careers is in order?

    (3)

  • Lanai M.

    You'll pay a lot of money for garbage. I love sushi, so I know it's expected to pay a bit more than an Italian or any other type of food restaurant (except fresh sea food). However, the extra expense should be reflected on the quality of the food. Definitely not the case at this place. The sushi rolls were mushy, falling apart as if done in a rush and the exact opposite of fresh. I feel sick and hope that I actually don't get sick from this. Paid $70 for 5 rolls and an upset stomach.......

    (1)

  • Karin S.

    Sushi is good and the staff is nice, but the takeout takes forever. Way longer than they tell you. I arrived 45 min after placing order, which I was told would be ready in 20minutes, and my food wasn't ready. The lady next to me waited an hour for hers. Kind of misses the point of takeout. Mexican roll is great!

    (3)

  • Alicia L.

    I order the yellowtail, spicy tuna roll, and spicy yellowtail roll. None of my orders tasted fresh. The yellowtail had a rubbery texture to it. I came during happy hour where some things are 40% off. For dessert I ordered green tea ice cream. It came with whipped cream and a cherry. The ice cream was greener than I'm use to having and tasted more sweet than like green tea. I'm new to the area and just came here without any idea on the reviews. I don't recommend and won't be back.

    (2)

  • Nicholas and Heather H.

    My wife and I went here a little after lunchtime on a Saturday. I'll keep it simple; - When the greeter showed our table, she literally ran ahead of us and dropped the menus and didn't say a word. We actually had to take a moment to figure out which table was ours. - Despite the place being dead it took like 3-4 minutes for her to even come back to our table and ask our beverages. Another few minutes waiting to see her again to ask for a pencil to fill out the order card. - When we asked what was in specific rolls she was very simplistic, like saying "salmon". Well, duh. But what else?? - We ordered pretty standard rolls and few of their specials. It didn't taste fresh. - I ordered a Philadelphia roll. It came with thick slabs of salmon on top, tons of cream cheese and asparagus. I've never had a Philly roll with asparagus but this is apparently a thing?? When asking the waitress about it she got defensive saying the ingredients are posted. Uhh. Okay. I won't be returning here.

    (1)

  • Caren O.

    Time honored traditions made fast food. This is the first sushi place I've been to where the sushi comes out super quick - like I Dream of Jenny blink - instant sushi!...crunchy roll had flakes dumped on top (which is honestly a waste) and egg rolls taste borderline freezer burned. I could only eat one of each - just can't stomach the taste especially when I'm used to food being made with care. Take the comment with a grain of salt or a flake but it's just my opinion - I had better Japanese cuisine in Oklahoma (Samurai's in Lawton OK flew in their fish from HI...and they took the time to care, check on our table, to quickly fix issues - my food is at the edge of the table untouched and no one in 20 minutes have even bothered to check on us or ask what's wrong and we are in the booth right next to the register). When she asked me if I wanted a box I told her no, and the food was not good. She said something to another waitress and just walked off to later come back and say no charge an take the plates away. I hate wasting food, and while I appreciate not being charged for food that I seriously couldn't eat, I wish she or a manager would have come by the table and offered solutions instead of silence. Sadly, I have no plans to return. On a side note, I did love the woven wallpaper - it would be a versatile understated lux for any room.

    (1)

  • Greg D.

    Not great all around. Their albacore is almost definitely canned tuna as it was all minced up in the rolls. They tasted somewhat fishy. The rolls were poorly packed as well. Service was mediocre at best. The only positive was the happy hour 40% off pricing.

    (2)

  • Gabe H.

    What a great little find here. I was craving sushi for lunch today. I rushed here concerned that I wouldn't have time to eat before a meeting. To my surprise I was seated served and received my check in under 30 minutes. That of course was my choice pace. I was not rushed by the staff, merely promptly served. They had a great variety of lunch specials that included rolls soup and salad. I opted for just water since I wanted to watch my budget and didn't really need a soda Overall I give them 4 stars and definitely see myself returning.

    (4)

  • Richard B.

    Well I'm amazed at some of the negative comments here on Yelp...I have never had a disappointing experience here. I have invited many friends to dine during the 40% off Happy Hour (330-530) and they leave wanting to return and recommend to their friends. They provide an excellent variety of sushi and dinner choices, though I favor the Carlsbad Roll( which is on the back of the menu second from the bottom).... everyone who tries it raves about it. Ask for Sam the sushi chef who will provide excellent service and variety. Last there on 5/19/14 with two friends who appreciated my recommendation.

    (5)

  • Cindy K.

    Delicious sushi!! Soo good, especially the firecracker! The sushi is served fresh and the other entrees are also super tasty.

    (5)

  • Paul G.

    We've been there twice and we've had great service and sushi each time. Yesterday we went during their lunch specials and I got the best deal on sushi I've ever had. 6 pieces of nigiri, 8 pieces of spicy tuna roll, miso soup, and a small salad for $11.95! And the fish was tender and flavorful. My wife and I are gonna make a habit of hitting up this place before a Cineopolis movie next door for a long time!

    (4)

  • Teresa A.

    Great deal on happy hour, from 3 to 5, with 40% off most items. Excellent location in the La Costa shopping center near Cinepolis. Fresh fish and quick and friendly service. Casual and family-friendly...not a fancy place by any means. TV at the bar is tuned to sports. I skip the appetizers, except miso sometimes, and go straight for the rolls. My favorite rolls are the Albacore Special (albacore on spicy tuna roll topped with delicious fried and marinated onion strings) and Tomoyama Roll (which is very messy, beware).

    (4)

  • Leslie V.

    We love this place!! We almost always sit at the sushi bar and the sushi chefs are really nice. The service is very good but they do get busy! Sometimes every single seat in the restaurant is filled and the servers are running! Have patience though because the food is wonderful! Try the hamachi - it's like butter! Oh, I left my brand new designer sunglasses behind last time and guess what?!?! They had them for me when I went back two weeks later! Great people! Tremendous food! 5 stars!!

    (5)

  • Daenerys S.

    Soggy sushi. Soggy shrimp tempura roll topped with old shrimp. Over ripe avocado inside soggy rice. Bad music playing. Lunch special 2 for 11 dollar rolls is good- but when the sushi tastes like it came from the grocery store, is it really!? Bathroom was not pristine. Decor is nice but the terrible Katy Perry top 40 in the background is enough to ruin anyone's vibe. I would have ordered more Saki before going next door to Cinepolis but the server never asked if I wanted more and never came back by to check when we lingered. Whoops. So much for an up-sale!

    (1)

  • Stephanie C.

    The food was ok. We stopped in because we had time to kill before our movie. The items we ordered were their signature special rolls which looked amazing in the picture but did not taste so amazing. One was the pizza roll. It seemed over cooked the fish was very dry without flavor.

    (3)

  • Blair K.

    They have a really great happy hour, but very different. Most places have alcohol on the happy hour menus but this place just has food but a great deal. 40% off the entire bill except sashimi and alcohol. The food is pretty good. However I ordered a spider roll that was loosely wrapped and near impossible to eat without it falling all over the place. Service was good, but I think our server was new or something. She charged us for 3 beers when we ordered 1. She forgot my miso soup that came with the chicken. When I asked her about it she told me it doesn't come with it. It wasn't a big deal so I didn't care to make a fuss, so anyways we saw her looking over the menu and she came back to the table and gave me the soup. Pros: Like I said before, the happy hour is awesome. You even get 40% off all rolls and sushi. I thought the sushi and the rolls (with the exception of the spider roll) were great along with the hot food. Service was pretty good and accommodating. Cons: Their special of night was uni sushi. We ordered that and our server told us that they are all out. I told our server that they should take it off the board then. She never did which Made me think they just didn't want to sell it to us because they would have to honor the happy hour price. Overall: I would definitely go back, especially for their happy hour.

    (4)

  • Magdalena S.

    We've been going to Tomoyama regularly for the past couple of years. It is a great place for Happy Hour, or dinner before Cinepolis. The owner, Andy, is always there to make you feel welcome! We love to sit at the sushi bar and share some sake with the sushi chefs. They are a fun crew! Sushi rolls are fun, fresh and delicious! I think that they have some sort of special, if you show them your movie tickets.

    (4)

  • Kerilyn L.

    The sushi bar is the best spot to eat here. Ask to sit nedt to sushi chef Matthew. He is super creative.

    (4)

  • Alicia W.

    Sushi is ok..not the best but not bad. Service on the other hand? Bad. Communication seems to be a big problem. The little paper and pencil they give you usually helps that.. Not this time. I checked the 1 roll I wanted and my friend checked the 2 rolls he wanted. One of his was a deep fried Philadelphia roll.. Server comes over and reads the three rolls out loud..( from what we could understand) I ask if the Philadelphia roll is made with smoked salmon or fresh salmon..he says fresh, I say cool. 3 rolls come out, we start eating. A fourth roll comes out and we immediately say they must have the wrong table because we only ordered 3. Come to find out, it was the 1 that I actually ordered. So what were we eating?? Server comes back with the little paper and points out the 3 rolls that we checked..and then points to the 1 that HE wrote in HIS handwriting and checked. It's the Philadelphia roll that I asked him about. When I told him I didn't order it, I was only asking because we ordered a deep-fried Philadelphia roll...first he argues with me that I ordered it, then says if we didn't want it why did we eat it? I said well..because you put it on our table and we assumed it was 1 of the 3 we ordered. So he got mad and stormed off! No longer enjoying our meal and almost full, we ask for a togo box..(but sushi togo wasn't the plan so it ended up in the trash) And of course he CHARGED me for it! Grrr

    (2)

  • Jessica T.

    The sushi is great....service well not so much. Would've loved to order more but our table was never asked if there was anything else we could be helped out with. We where given our checks with attitude. The sushi chefs on the other where great hospitable and nice, wait staff on the other hand needs improvement.

    (3)

  • Tom G.

    I ate here a couple nights ago. The service is very friendly. In fact, the owner came by with a big ole bottle of sake and poured shots for everyone at the table. I think that is cool when the owners of places make the effort to make sure you are welcome and having a good time. The reason for 3 stars, nothing was phenomenal about it. I will go back, but nothing to rave about.

    (3)

  • Ceasar C.

    Great food. Service is just "ok" we enjoy this neighborhood sushi joint. A little pricey but worth it. When it's really busy the wait staff gets a little overwhelmed and loses sight of you. When it's not busy it's a great spot.

    (4)

  • Chris M.

    After many years, last week's visit to Tomoyama will be our last. The quality has gradually gone downhill and now it's not even worth the half-off prices at Happy Hour. All of their sushi is soggy. Not crisp and fresh like quality sushi houses. If you look at the menu, you'll notice all of the specialty rolls are just California rolls with different toppings. And speaking of toppings... they drown the sushi. We believe it's to hide how average the roll is. When we go to Blue Fin, the rolls are large and the toppings accentuate the flavor. Not so here. We'll pay a few dollars more for the quality.

    (2)

  • Julue G.

    Came in w my hubby. Immediately greeted and sat at sushi bar. I got carlsbad roll- delic!!! Hubby got uni which can be tricky, and he said it was "so flavorful". Love a local sushi spot. Carmel road Pinot was yummy too!!

    (5)

  • Lauren R.

    The service was not good. We had to explain to our waitress three times our orders. Then she left the table and came back and asked again. After a different person had to come and make sure of our order. However the food came very fast which was awesome!

    (3)

  • Mama T.

    We have been going here for years, and after their recent renovation and manager swap, its not worth ever going back. Its bright and garish, and seating is tighter than it was before. Not to mention that their food AND sushi was mediocre, it that. My son ordered a Caterpillar roll, and it came without the avocado and no sauce. We asked for the roll correctly, and it never came back. So disappointed. Go down to Rock & Roll Sushi or just get sushi from the vons next door... thats 100% better.

    (2)

  • Angie O.

    I am adjusting to the sticker shock (for sushi in particular) living in this area compared to Oceanside, but this place wasn't priced too badly... I'm still glad I came armed with a coupon for 20% off the entire bill. They do have a happy hour until 5:30pm and a very generous percentage off for take out. I thought the sushi was fantastic, very fresh fish and big rolls. But I had to dock a star because I was not impressed with the appetizers. I tried the calamari, which I thought was over-battered, chewy and it was served with tarter sauce. Tarter sauce?! Really?? My roommate tried the cucumber salad, which lacked flavor. Plus the menu said the salad comes with octopus on it, which was not true. I agree with another Yelper who said this is a very Americanized sushi place. Service was a little slow, but friendly. There was a debate on, and when I asked if they could turn off the house music so we could listen (you could hear the debate and the music), I was told no, just sit closer to the TV... Whatever, they did turn on closed captioning. Meh.

    (2)

  • Robert M.

    I like to think I'm pretty picky when it comes to giving out 5 stars (especially when it comes to a sushi restaurant) so I'm trying really hard to think of a reason to not give Tomoyama 5 stars and I just can't think of anything! We came here for a buddies birthday and they took awesome care of us! The service was stupendous - our server was on top of everything - bringing out more drinks and food right on time. Right as we were done with one roll the next one was ready for us. All of the special house rolls were unreal - I don't know how the chefs make these especially while drinking with everyone at the bar every couple minutes! That's what makes this place super fun (but also really smart of them to get the patrons more drunk so they order more)! Towards the end of our meal the owner even came out and gave us all free shots of some high end Saki. He then proceeded to go around the restaurant and give it to other parties as well! As for prices - it's not cheap - but even for non-happy hour sushi, prices are an amazing value, comparatively. I'll happily come back here anytime someone suggests it!

    (5)

  • Chris T.

    We've been coming here for the past 4-5 years. There happy hour is unbeatable. 40% off. And the rolls are huge and sushi very fresh. The owner and employees are very friendly and the remodel they did looks great. I am super picky with my sushi and have been to most of the local ones in cbad and Encinitas. This is one of my favorites.

    (5)

  • Maria S.

    This is the best sushi ever! It has so many yummy things to chose from! Our family loves the lobster volcano!

    (5)

  • salvador p.

    Mediocre at best. I had lunch here with 3 other people. Ordered the spicy ramen, I've had instant ramen better than theirs. We'll basically their's is prepared like instant ramen - they used instant noodles and add hot/spicy broth. The rolls were messy because the rice quality and preparation were sub-par. Rolls lacked flavor and the fish quality is not very good. Service was good.

    (2)

  • Kim D.

    No recommended. Bad service

    (1)

  • Chrissie B.

    I've been hearing about the great sushi at Tomoyama for months and finally made it to see what all the praise was about. Now I understand after a great dinner of sushi and Carlsbad roll. Our sushi chef Matt was very knowledgeable and friendly. The food was outstanding. This is the type of restaurant that I can go to weekly for my sushi fix.

    (5)

  • Darius P.

    Delicious, quality sushi made by genuine, friendly chefs! These guys are great! Always a fun time, love the friendly up-beat atmosphere. Amazing what you get for your money here!

    (5)

  • Steven K.

    Tomoyama has many reviews but in truth, they must be by sushi eaters and not sushi purists. At best, to be polite, I would say average, in reality, not even average. Service was slow, sushi cuts were blah, selection was too large to possibly be fresh

    (2)

  • Brianne H.

    Bad service. Some items were decent while others were absolutely terrible (crab roll, garlic albacore roll). Service was cold and mostly absent. They seemed inconvenienced even when we asked for water. I do not recommend this place at all!

    (1)

  • D. H. M. M.

    Hm. So..where to start..the oyster shooter was 'different'. Was looking forward to it until it was served. What th??!! That was an abnormally large steroidal oyster in an oversized 'goblet' ie: margarita glass- not the way an oyster shooter is meant to be served. Mmm...no. (0) The spicy pork lunch was mediocre at best. The pork was overcooked and dry and the portions were small. (1) The teriyaki chicken tasted like reheated chicken drizzled with teriyaki sauce and the shrimp tempura tasted mostly of batter and didn't appear like the proper type of panko was used. (0) Customer service provided was most unenthusiastic. (0)

    (1)

  • Tram P.

    I normally go here because it's close by my house and convenient. Decent sushi, not fabulous but average. Some of the waiters are hard to understand and have to check on questions that I have but overall its, OK...

    (3)

  • Frederick H.

    Had lunch here; the combo lunches were a good value; the fish was good, the jalapeno roll I had as an add-on was only so-so. Feel like it's not quite as good as it used to be.

    (3)

  • Jennifer S.

    New chef seems to have settled in. Excellent food, decor, and overall experience tonight!

    (5)

  • Kenzie S.

    We just ate there to celebrate and it was a horrible experience! My Mom sat at her table for 10 minutes before she waved someone down to get a drink. The waiter we started with didn't pay much attention to us and on top of that, I had a hair rolled into my sushi AND on my sashimi... Not impressed at all.

    (1)

  • KaLeigh R.

    This was the second time I'd ever tried sushi and I was not disappointed. We had a group of 6 people and all tried a large variety of options from the menu and were all happy! Would definitely recommend.

    (4)

  • Diana W.

    Food was good although I know now I'm not in love with baked sushi, the service was horrible if I return its for the extensive menu

    (3)

  • Marianne D.

    I read the reviews before and altogether avoided getting anything raw here, it definitely takes a special sushi place to get raw sushi to perfection. Onto my sampling experience.. The awesome roll was pretty awesome on my tastebuds, I'm a fan! But the service could definitely be better. I felt that my elder waitress was grumpy n giving me the cold shoulder which is definitely not how I wanted to feel... Hopefully she cheers up a bit so I can come back n enjoy my food!

    (3)

  • Heidi R.

    Ask what is gluten free and get the blankets stare ever. That with the driest fish in town equals not wanting to send anyone here.

    (1)

  • Katie B.

    Phenomenal! Just ate here for the first time, and the miso soup was out of this world. Ordered the sesame chicken because I'm pregnant and can't have the sushi. The entree was ridiculous--in a good way. Everything was fresh and prepared to perfection. This is within walking distance of my home, so I anticipate becoming a regular. Just wish I would have discovered it sooner! P.S. My husband said the sushi was rockin! Looking forward to a sushi date night after the baby is born.

    (5)

  • Alice T.

    Good happy hour deals and lunch specials. I came for lunch and got two rolls (California roll and Rainbow roll), a salad, and miso soup- all for $11.95. I also noticed that they have an all-you-can-eat meal (at your table) for $24.50. But unfortunately, with cheap prices comes cheap food. The quality of the fish just wasn't very fresh. Even the most beginner of sushi eaters can tell- the salmon sashimi was limp and a pasty pink. Service was more awkward than bad. One lady yelled at some of the people waiting by the door to "COME IN!", in a not-so-nice tone. And when my co-worker asked for a take-out container for her soup, the lady laughed. Well, that was fun.

    (3)

  • Joy H.

    I got one of the lunch bento boxes- fish katsu for 8.95. The box comes with your fish/meat of choice, salad, rice, tempura (6 pieces?), miso soup and California rolls. The food was great...well, I haven't actually tried the katsu yet because I was so full from the tempura and cali rolls that I took the katsu home! Ambiance was nice and conversational. It did take awhile to get served after placing the order, and again awhile after the miso came before the rest of the food showed up. I was quite disappointed that the tea wasn't included...I thought that was a no-brainer!

    (4)

  • T-Bone S.

    Great late lunch happy hour... 40% off. Food is good and ambiance is nice. T-N-T roll is dy-no-mite.

    (5)

  • Stefanie S.

    This is me and my boyfriends favorite restaurant. The fish is always so fresh and the staff are always great. Highly recommend this place!

    (5)

  • Christine L.

    Good Sushi, good staff, great happy hour (3:30 -5:30 I believe). I definitely have favorite and not so preferable staff members, but have always had a good experience overall.

    (4)

  • Sharon V.

    It's been awhile since I've been here but a few nights ago, my girlfriend and I went here for dinner after work. This restaurant is tucked in the same shopping center as the UltraStar Cinemas, the Carlsbad Library and Vons. I forget this place exists because of the location. This doesn't mean this place is short of business because it's usually found pretty packed and you're at times waiting 10-30 minutes for a table. This particular visit, we beat the crowd and didn't have a wait. We ended up ordering the following: Edamame $3.50 Miso Soup $1.50 Yellowtail Sushi $4.95 California Roll $4.95 Unagi $5.95 Spider Roll $10.50 Glass of La Crema and a bottle of Sapporo. The total came to $41.77 because of the 30% off of sushi! What a deal! I've never had stellar service here - so expect that basics. You will have to ask for items; water, plates, refills etc but for the price, you can't beat it. Also, this is one of the better sushi joints in the area so it's just one of those things...

    (4)

  • Jeff A.

    Just left the restaurant, four adults and four kids. It took more than 20 minutes for our drink orders to come. We waited over an hour for food that never came. Three out of four kids did receive their food and not until we told them that we were leaving did the other kid meal come and it was very spicy. Even with all the complaining the bill came was not discounted at all! Everyone I know that lives in the area will know not to eat here.

    (1)

  • Paul L.

    I went during happy hour. There weren't any waitresses waiting at the front. Either it's boring to be in the front or they're short on people in the back. Waited about 10 seconds before I was greeted and taken to the bar. Sushi chef needs to do a better job at customer service. He did not greet with a smile or even a hello, I had to be the one to greet him. I ordered rainbow row and spicy tuna hand roll. He rushed them. Spicy tuna hand roll only had sliced cucumbers and spicy tuna that seemed more like it was colored with red food coloring than actual sriracha sauce (because that's what most spicy tuna is made of, tuna + sauce). Rainbow roll was the worst I've seen. It's literally california roll topped with different kinds of fish. Thing is, the sushi chef didn't even attempt to cut thoroughly, so I had to separate them with my chopsticks (try it yourself). Fish did not taste fresh either. Even though being there during happy hour saved me 40%, I would have given a 3-star if it was 60% off, since the customer service from the sushi chef and fish itself tasted like it should be 60% off. The waitress customer service was okay but not great. I won't be back.

    (2)

  • Curt L.

    I thought the fish was very fresh here. Stopped here for a quick lunch as we were in the area.... and enjoyed it. We had no service issues. I felt it was "authentic".................if full shelves of sake bottles is an indicator. Look for the Sumo guy/doll on the second from the top shelf. He is straddling the Kirin bottle. Was comped a octopus salad. Always nice to get item gratis. Sushi bars tend to do those things (Hint to American restaurants) Am amuse bouche Japanese style???

    (4)

  • Tracy H.

    Great little sushi restaurant in La Costa. The fish was fresh and tasty and the service was good. Really cute decor and would be a great place to take a date for dinner if that's your thing. We had everything... sashimi, sushi, rolls, tempura. It was alllllll good.

    (4)

  • A H.

    FALSE ADVERTISINGS!!!! DINERS BE AWARE!!!! After reading the reviews, I would say my thoughts about this place have been written by others below. This place has plenty of bad reviews. This place is a SCAM, FALSE ADVERTISING to lure customers in. Reading fellow reviews about not getting 50% off and misprint info on a banner. I'm in a restaurant business and the number one rule for failure is cheating on customers. Friends invited me to try out this place since they recently moved to carlsbad. They suggested to do "all you can eat", so I checked the restaurant website for the items offered for all you can eat. The items listed were decent so I agreed on the suggestion. I ordered Sea Urchin, the wait staff wasn't sure if it was included, she came back and told me they changed the menu and no longer have it available for buffet. I was upset since the website clearly listed that item (see picture) but decided to let it go. Then I ordered Salmon Roe and the staff said it's not on the menu so they don't serve that either, this time I pulled up their website and showed it to the staff and told her I wouldn't have ordered all you can eat buffet if I was aware that these items were not going to be served. Moreover, they have pictures of both items on their menu but the items were not listed (see picture). I insisted she speaks to the owner to resolve the issue, she went to make a phone call and came back "OWNER RESPONSE WAS THEY WERE TRYING TO CONTACT A WEB DESIGNER TO UPDATE THE WEBSITE, HOWEVER THE MENU HAS CHANGED AND THEY NO LONGER HONORED THAT". What kind of a response was that, it's very unprofessional and I couldn't believe it came from the owner. Aside from cheating, the foods are below average!! I live in Downtown SD and have tried many other places in and out of DTown, there are far better sushi places than Tomoyama. Not expecting greatness but it's below standard. They use awfully low quality frozen fish and the recipes are lacking originality. Since we ordered all you can eat they gave an excessive about of rice (1 1/2 inch thick) on baked scallop that barely had any scallops. I felt cheated as a customer, It doesn't bother me if the place is owned or ran by non-japanese, yet as a chef/owner you must learn to create uniqueness in your dishes. One star is simply for service only. WE HAD EXCELLENT SERVICE THAT DAY, I don't blame the staff for the owner's false information. The staff was trying to do their best to satisfy our needs even though the owner doesn't really seem to care. A piece of advise from fellow restauranteur, YOU WOULD NEVER GAIN IF YOU CHEAT and if this is how you run your business, you'll lose a large amount of past, present and potential customers.

    (1)

  • Seth M.

    Ehhh. We've had better. Considering the fact that we were almost the only customers in there, our food was barely even warm. Also, the waitress didn't really have much personality, or it's like she didn't really care to be there. So overall we weren't impressed and won't be going there again. Love Boat Sushi is MUCH MUCH better.

    (1)

  • Scudder M.

    I used to love this place and have reviewed it positively before....but.....wow! I really had a bad experience here tonight and it went so far that I had to respectfully explain to the owner that I could never come back. Our waitress was unhelpful, apathetic and would not serve the items listed on the menu, saying that it had changed but they never changed the menu. Granted, the food is good but I cannot abide by servers: A) questioning my alcohol consumption (1 beer and 1 small sake for 2 people) B) Saying our server is going home and then having her come back C) Not getting enough chopsticks and soy sauce bowls D) getting chastised for ordering more that 3 times when we never turned in a second order sheet E) Not being served the dishes we ordered They said that most of the "all you can eat" places have gone out of business and that is why they no longer offer some of the items listed on their "all you can eat" menu. I told both my servers (?) and the owner that I was going to write a negative review here and on foursquare, Facebook and Twitter but they didn't seem to care. Don't be surprised if this place is gone in a few months cause I think they are circling the drain. Sorry....I am usually a positive guy.....

    (1)

  • Frank Lee Wong Z.

    This place is okay. I got there 15 minutes before they opened. There was 5 other people waiting. Got seated. Ordered food. 30 minutes later it was ready. It was decent. Rather go to hooked on sushi. Decent lunch specials, just nothing tasted special. Just normal bento box.

    (3)

  • Kat A.

    If there was a negative 1 star for this place, THAT would be my rating. First off, as an unofficial food critic, their appetizer "Green Mussel" is very salty. I have tasted better at Shoen Sushi in Escondido. Second, the Ahi was served on old radish. My mother found this out because she is a radish freak. Third, my house roll I ordered "Mountain roll" DO NOT ORDER THAT. Absolutely sucks, sauced up and salty like crazy. I felt sick after eating this. Fourth, the service was very bad. The waitresses never checked on our table, nor did she refill our cups. Yet I see her walk to all other tables around me asking how the other people were doing. She did not even say thank you after we paid, left tip. As we walked out the door, she did not say a word. What kind of service and place is this?? I am a sushi fanatic. I am half korean half japanese. I know good food when I taste it and I sure as hell know what great service is. This place was the worst sushi restaurant I have ever been to in my life. And I love sushi! I was very, very disappointed.

    (1)

  • Will K.

    My wife and I have eaten at Tomoyamas many times and we have always left with happy tummies. It's not overly expensive for a sushi joint, the fish is fresh and it has all of the basics you expect. The baby lobster roll is the best thing on the menu imo. One thing I will advise, if you are there for sushi then eat at the bar. We have only eaten at a table once and the service was horrible and really soured our opinion of Tomoyama.

    (4)

  • Eric S.

    nothing that exciting. really busy. only sushi place around and no all-you-can-eat.

    (3)

  • Ryan H.

    i came here and it happened to be happy hour SO........ i uhm, ate a little more than i should have. i ended not up not comatose full BUT.... too full. and i realized i ate so much and so quickly that actually i do not really know what anything tasted like. i REALLY wanted to love love love this place, like it was a hot smooth porn star. instead i just kinda LIKED it... but i am giving it the benefit of the doubt and raising my 3-stars up to 4-starts b/c the service was so so nice and sweet. i got here at about 5:28. i did not know they had a happy hour but it said it ended at 5:30, and during up until then everything was 50% off. okay that meant i could eat 200% more! the waiter was a tall lanky goodlooking asian guy who said it's okay, he would let us (group of 6) order happy hour, which i thought was very nice b/c seriously i've been to happy hour places where they charge you more for water once happy hour ended. i ordered a bento box with sashimi and beff teriyaki and it was only $7.50. that's crazy cheap! i actually was entirely full after that but the table had ordered 21 rolls. literally... 21 rolls. so of course i figured i kinda have to partake in that right?..... things were TASTY but i think the problem was everything we ordered. essentially it was all a variation on a california roll, with something different slathered on top. so although i picked here there everywhere, in the end it just felt like i ate a ton of california rolls made with surimi and rice! i was rice full. i'd rather be sushi and fish full. BUT..... i'm going to give this place the benefit of the doubt b/c the waiters were very very nice. they were vibrant, lively, doing all the could to keep our party of 6 happy. i think the owner came by. i don't think he was japanese, maybe this si more korean sushi?........ but i dunno! but again, he was very nice, you could tell he cared about our dining experience and the business. and i liked that they had a chopstick cabinet up front where regulars could keep their chopsticks for each visit. i saw a blonde family come in and they had their own personal chopsticks which i thought was cool. i'd have to go back here (which i will) to get a real, slow, full taste! i liked what i had, but if i'm putting it in my mouth i wanna love it! i think definitely good enough to try again though, and we went here b/c my it is my bro's fave restaurant and he knows sushi so i figure it must be good!

    (4)

  • Adam S.

    Tomoyama was pretty good. I had the spicy chicken Teriyaki which was actually really good but didn't really taste like Teriyaki. The Miso soup was pretty standard and I like the salad they served. Will have to try the sushi at some point but felt like cooked food this time. Atmosphere is nice and there was a good amount of people inside so the business must be doing pretty well. Worth a look but not the best place I have been to.

    (3)

  • Desi V.

    went for lunch and enjoyed it. The fish was fresh tasting and the lunch specials were a great price. =)

    (3)

  • Kathalyn N.

    I love this place! My sister and I had an awesome dinner! I've been here before for the All You Can Eat, and I have never been wowed by the selection. I went with my sister and for the first time ever, ordered from the regular menu. I was totally surprised at how much I enjoyed every roll we got! We received complimentary edamame. #162 Albacore Special Roll for $11.50 was so good! And BIG! $142 Yellowtail Scallion Roll for $11.95--equally bomb. #161 Caliente Roll for $11.95--Delish! I also ordered salmon sashimi, and it was good--and way bigger than I expected. My sister and I were so stuffed! We both agreed that we would have been fine with 2 rolls, but I didn't regret getting to try all 3. The service was a little slow. We waited for refills, and I had to walk over to our waitress and ask her for water. Normally, I wouldn't have been so forgiving, but I think the sushi cast a magic spell on me or something. The regular menu is DEFINITELY the way to go here. I know how enticing All You Can Eat can be--but the selection is lacking, and with so many delicious special rolls, you just can't go wrong here.

    (4)

  • M P.

    After eating here a few times, from now on, I will only eat at the bar and never again all you can eat. Yellow tail , salmon, albacore sushi were very fresh. King crab hand roll was delicious. In the past, we did all you can eat and the rolls had so much extra rice in them and way less fish. I would have to take the rice out and they don't like that. Even the sushi, the fish was cut really thin and the rice was very heavy. I don't recommend the all you can eat deal. Not worth it. So today, we ate at the bar and the quality was so so much better. The yellow tail sushi was a thick cut of fish and just a right amount of rice. Will be coming back and only eat at the counter. Service is good. side note, the owner is Korean, not Japanese. But they do a good job.

    (4)

  • Zildheam D.

    Ok, I dont know what is happening to my favorite sushi restaurant but my last experience here knocked them down one star. My roll was mushy and came to me looking a hot mess. I also noticed the service was rushed and the happy hour is no longer as good as it used to be, I think its down to thirty percent now.

    (3)

  • Avi G.

    Perfectly adequate sushi, some above average fish and presentation. Came in for its proximity to Cineopolis. Looks like take out is big with this place. Was nice to watch some olympic beach volleyball while we dined.

    (3)

  • Jessica S.

    My boyfriend and I come to Tomoyama about once a week. It's our favorite sushi spot. We always sit at the sushi bar and have gotten to know most of the sushi chefs and the owner, Andy. Our favorites are the albacore nigiri (comes seared with a ginger sauce and the fish just melts in your mouth!), lemon roll, washington roll, and TNT roll. Fish is really fresh and very flavorfull. The sushi chefs are fun and will drink with you! Owner Andy will come around will a GIANT bottle of sake and pour shots for people at the sushi bar. It's a really fun atmosphere with excellent food.

    (5)

  • Courtney K.

    Have liked this sushi place for a couple years now....the one complaint would be the lack of greeting and service when they get busy. We had to wait quite a while last time we were in there. The sushi itself is awesome. I especially like the halibut.

    (4)

  • Aloha B.

    This place is next to the Cinepolis in Carlsbad. It is deceiving on the outside (personal opinion) b/c it's one of those places where I didn't think it would be really cute on the inside. I was pleasently surprised when I walked through the front doors. The service is prompt and the food is great. I love the happy hour they have going on as well. Word of advice - get there as early as you can when happy hour starts b/c it gets busy very quickly.

    (5)

  • M. F.

    If you want a local sushi place that is affordable priced then this is the place. The cooked food is decent. I enjoy their seaweed salad. Their sushi range from simple to "holy cow how do I fit this in my mouth" size. The decor is questionable but forgiving. The service is hit and miss at time. They have forgetten something a few times that we were there. Sushi is ok and tasty. Don't expect the seafood to be "fresh." If you want that, you need to go to Seattle and visit this place shiros.com . The only sushi place that I can say with confidence the best sushi I ever had.

    (3)

  • Alex T.

    Place is a korean owned sushi restaurant...but i think that's good thing. everything is pretty pricey but the sashimi is huge(and i am not exaggerating....they are freaking HUGE)!! i ordered the 15 piece sashimi for $19~ and could only finish 10 pieces!!! We also ordered yakisoba and it was pretty bland. meh...not getting that again. there were some korean dishes on the menu, but I know where to get good korean food so why would i here? can't wait for NYC! Service was good. Waitress/er were attentive to our needs. Nothing outta the ordinary. However, we were hooked up with free edamame and miso soup! yummoz!!! Probably would come back for their HAPPY HOUR! (Mon-Thur 330-530p) Everything is 50% off!

    (3)

  • Eileen K.

    My husband and I went to check out their happy hour deal. The service was great, everyone was very friendly and the atmosphere was fun and inviting. Literally almost the whole menu was 50% off, which was awesome. We started off with three of their specialty rolls. When they came they were HUGE! Which at first was exciting, then we realized we couldn't fit them in our mouths, they fell apart and were almost entirely consistent of rice (and we had ordered "light rice"). The sauces on them were good, but I could only taste the sauce and the rice and really wouldn't have noticed if there was any fish in there or not. We wanted to give them the benefit of the doubt and ordered a house roll, it also had an excessive amount of rice on it, but was much easier to take off the extra rice on the house rolls. Once we did that the rolls were tasty and the fish was a decent size now that we could taste it. We'd try it again, but stick to the house rolls and take the extra rice off.

    (3)

  • Alex F.

    Not a fan, sushi used 2 b better. Hard 2 communicate sometimes with the servers.

    (1)

  • Kc S.

    My neighbor loves to surprise me with a Carlsbad roll from here and it is always so good! We mostly get takeout from here and it's usually a yellowtail scallion roll and spicy tuna and it's always good. We have been here prior to seeing a movie, and while it's usually pretty crowded, we have never had issues with service that other reviewers have. Not my favorite sushi place, but it's good sushi at a good price.

    (3)

  • Tamara A.

    We have been to several sushi spots in North County SD. I absolutely love this place. Always clean, everyone extremely friendly! The service is fast. Happy hour prices are excellent! We eat like kings for less than $50!! And the food tastes great! It's close to the movie theater and is a great cheap date nite to couple dinner with a movie!! I've had numerous bad experiences at Shogun...DON'T go there! Their management is terrible! Drive the few miles more over to Tomoyama!

    (5)

  • Chris W.

    We checked out Tomoyama because it was in the same strip mall as the Luxury Theaters. It's a great little place with a good sized sushi bar. The fish was extremely fresh. We had the Carlsbad roll (super flavorful and huge portion) and the spicy tuna roll which is finely chopped and spicy. We'll be back, heck we might even make this our local favorite : )

    (4)

  • Sharon A.

    We love Andy and Christine the owners, they are warm sweet people! Sushi is always fresh and prepared artfully! This place is kid friendly and offers a few kids meal items. They operate at their pace, so you need to relax if they are busy! If you have a movie to catch -plan enough time ahead!!!! They have a few TV'S if you are trying to see scores for a game. The sushi bar is fun if you are kidless and social! Love the Palm springs roll & lemon roll! Seaweed or poke salad is great! So refreshing! Also the monkey roll was yummy! Moshi for desert! Good beer and wine and sake selection. The spicy ramen is good when you are feeling under the weather.

    (5)

  • K F.

    I went there with my friend because it is the closest Japanese restaurant and walking distance from my house. But well, it was not that good... We both had beef teriyaki lunch combo. Miso soup: I would call miso flavored hot water... THE WORST MISO SOUP EVER!! I am a Japanese and make miso soup at least 3 times a week. If I ever served that, my family would be so ashamed of me... Plate Combo: It came with tempura, fried shrimp, california roll, rice, salad, and beef teriyaki with veges. Volume was good and beef teriyaki was not too sweet or too sou saucy. My daughter ate a lot actually, so it was a good thing. Service: You can tell they want MONEY!! We were kinda slow eaters. You know, enjoying conversations and having fun (and holding my super energetic daughter...). One of waiters put our check when we finished 2/3 of our meal. Then, they came to check if the bill was ready 3 to 4 times!! It was so awkward and distracting to our conversation. We had to leave before finishing our meal... I actually wanted to try their all you can eat sushi, but I do not know if that is a good idea if I have to get that kind of service again...

    (2)

  • Honey P.

    50% off almost everything on the menu Happy Hour (3:30-5:30) SUPER FAN! The food wasn't stupidifyingly amazing, but it wasn't bad at all. For $35 we got- Fried Oysters Fried Soft Shell Crab Seafood Udon (generous amount of seafood) Oh Happy Day roll New York Strip roll Smoked Salmon Nigiri Bean Curd Nigiri Egg Nigiri Side of rice and 1 soda WOW right? Forget paying 12 bucks for just fried oyster's at Kings, now I know where and when* to go for a cheap seafood/sushi fix!

    (4)

  • Andrew M.

    Went here on Saturday night with my wife and 2 friends, all of whom really liked this place when they had been there before. We got there at 830pm, an hour before closing time. The service was absolutely awfull. Our server was rushing us to order, wouldn't let us keep a menu to order more, didn't come back to refill our water or tea until the end of the meal, and at 9:25 began clearing our table even though the food had only arrived 20 minutes earlier and we were still eating. She dropped the check and came back 30 seconds later to pick it up and was quite visibly annoyed when we didn't have our credit cards out. When we did pay she dropped the cards back off and stood there waiting for us to fill out the receipts (it was 940 at this point, 10 minutes after they'd closed. If the food was exceptional I could overlook the bad service, but it was mediocre at best...sushi was slightly better than what you'd get at whole foods, and the rolls tasted alright but they all seemed to have a lot of mayonnaise in them. Price was decent but you get what you pay for. Definitely won't be going back.

    (1)

  • John C.

    Very small portions, very big price - won't eat here again...

    (1)

  • Andrea B.

    I have had a few good experiences here in the past. They have good selection and good quality seafood. It's not too pricy either. Unfortunately the last time I went I had the most neglectful service I've ever received anywhere. We were seated at about 425, but our order was not taken until 450, leaving no time left to order anything else before happy hour ended. The waitress also did not bring water for everyone who asked for it, twice, so I drank the bottle of water I had in my purse. After that our waitress basically forgot we were there, and others brought us our food when it was ready. No one asked if we enjoyed it. I also had to ask for the check 3 times before I got it from an older woman who I presumed to be of a higher position than our oblivious waitress. It sucks that I've been put off to this restaurant because it's a convenient location and it's cheap good sushi. But I can not endure the quality of their service ever again.

    (2)

  • Jen A.

    My husband and I always go here for sushi, it's just around the corner and the service has always been great....and the food, so yummy!

    (4)

  • ChocoXOXO S.

    Tomoyama is deeeeeelicious. Sushi is always fresh and delightful. A personal fave would have to be the Baby Lobster Roll - so tasty. If you reside in the Carlsbad area, look out for the coupons that come in the mail. Tomoyama's prices are already good, but the coupons in the mail can make your meal even more enjoyable when you're using a 20% coupon for dinner. Happy Hour prices are fantastic and the lunch deals are great, too! Definitely a place worth checking out. I cannot believe it took me several months of living in the area before I discovered Tomoyama. Until my next visit... :)

    (5)

  • Allen S.

    *January 14 *CORRECTION: I am incredibly disappointed in their new Happy Hour Menu.....Most of their Special Roll include imitation crab; I am not a fan! I still like the place but what made them most appealing was their quality and affordability. I hope they revise their happy hour menu to what it was once before. Great selection for a great price! *Before January 2012: All I have to say is HAPPY HOUR!!!!! If you love Happy Hour and you love sushi...this is where you want to go. This place has Happy Hour everyday and it is great.....the best deal is Monday - Saturday from 3:30pm to 5:30pm; it's 50% off most of the menu. I have been here several times over the past year and I am always happy when I leave. My belly is full and my wallet is not empty. I am a big fan of their tuna, yellow tail, and unagi. I had their Yellow Tail Scallion Roll, Carlsbad Roll, Seared Garlic Albacore, Caterpillar Roll, Tomoyama Special Roll. All great choices depending on what type of fish and spice you in the mood for at the time. If you are in the mood for sushi and need a solid place to go. I RECOMMEND trying Tomoyama.

    (3)

  • DJ C.

    I don't know what the negative reviewers are blabbing about - this place is legit. Amazing tuna melts in your mouth, super fresh and good. I always sit at the bar so I don't know what the service is like at the tables. Get some good dialogue going with the chefs and they'll surprise you with specials that aren't on the menu. They have creative dishes that aren't over the top. I always order what I know is good and I'm always craving sushi when I go, so it's always a win/win.

    (4)

  • Todd S.

    Sushi is fantastic. Owner brought out a great sake to share. Atmosphere was wonderful. Kids had great meals and were welcome.

    (5)

  • Bob F.

    While the food was very good the kitchen was horrible. My bento plate came out cold and without the California roll. It was supposed to be coming. Sent the bento back. Came back only warm, not hot. Then we waited and waited. I was done with the part of the bento I had long before my wife's rolls arrived. Finally her rolls came. But we had to remind them about the California roll. Is this any way to run a restaurant? I think not.

    (2)

  • Arica J.

    Usually I would give this place a five star, but last Saturday we went there for their usual all you can eat special which is amazing!!! $25 for three rounds of all you can eat sushi, rolls and specialty rolls including miso soup and edamame. My favorite roll is the baby lobster roll, soooooo good! Anyhow, the service this day was not good. Very slow. We had to keep calling our waitress over to fill drinks and take our order. Finally it tool so long to get the bill, I left and waited outside while my husband paid. Usually a meal that takes us an hour to eat, took almost two! I will be back, but was otherwise unimpressed with our last visit.

    (4)

  • Parris B.

    I was surprised to step into this restaurant and see all the people dining inside (Saturday night). When I pass by, it never seemed like someone was exiting or entering the place. We sat at the crowded sushi bar. I was literally touching shoulders with the person next to me and my wife on the other side, and I'm not paunchy. I felt like I was on a Southwest Airlines flight. In addition, the stewardess kept reaching over my head to take plates from the sushi chef to bring to people at the tables. Kinda like an overhead bin. Service was average, but the staff was friendly. One funny thing, the waitress accidentally served the guy that I was rubbing elbows with (a regular customer) a Kirin Light, instead of a plain Kirin. She apologized, and jokingly said that he need to lose weight. I almost lost some rice through my nose. The lobster roll was fantastic and lit on fire underneath. The missus enjoyed her yellowtail and it was a good time. We had a coupon for 20% off and left with a 40 buck pre-tip bill. The place is average, but good enough for a return visit.

    (2)

  • Eddie H.

    I get take out from here about once a week and I've been really happy each time. I haven't experienced the dining room yet, but their take out is pretty fast (usually about 10 minutes) and I was impressed with the variety and quality. The tempura that comes with the bento is always crispy and well done and the don katsu is excellent. Last time they put the katsu sauce on the side which is great for me since I don't like it slathered in sauce. For $9 it's a great lunch option when I can't get out of the office.

    (4)

  • Krista I.

    My husband and I are regulars here. The table service can sometimes be sketchy, but the sushi bar is topnotch. The fish is always fresh and the rice is well seasoned and flavorful. No gluey rice here! They have great Happy Hour specials and you can always find a coupon.

    (5)

  • Rebecca H.

    This is an excellent place to perfect the "expectant diner" look. You know, the look that you give to (or, in this case, project at) waitstaff when you need them to bring you your food, refill your water glass, and perhaps even bring you the check. I had the opportunity to work on this look today. While mine is usually pretty effective (especially when coupled with the "check please" hand signal), the clever servers at Tomoyama resisted my best efforts and managed to avoid eye contact even when they were within a few feet of our table - truly remarkable! Craptastic service aside, the food was decent and the prices were reasonable. I doubt I'll go back because I'd rather eat somewhere where I'm not invisible - but maybe that's just me.

    (2)

  • Roon B.

    Went for a little mid-day date with my man and we were excited to try a new sushi place. When we walked in, I loved the little place right away. As they seated us, we asked to be at the bar, but the waitress assured us that a table would be much faster. I thought that was a little strange as we were not at all in a hurry and had not requested a speedy dinner. Next we ordered beers. Yum! They came fast and with frosty glasses. Bonus! We happened to be there at their sushi Happy Hour, 50% off rolls. When I ordered a sashimi salad, the waitress was very reluctant to write down my order, insisting it would take a very long time and that she would have to charge me extra for the jalapenos I'd like added to the salad. (Again with the speed...are a lot of people in a hurry to get out of there?) We did not order the salad. Instead we ordered 3 different rolls. All had awesome flavor. Excellent. However, the rolls were VERY loosely wrapped and fell apart the second we went to grab them with our chopsticks. Not only that, each piece was HUGE. Like, not cut small enough to eat in 1 bite, let alone 3 large bites. I still wanted some sort of salad and ordered a simple house salad, figuring they could quickly put one together...often in sushi restaurants this is the responsibility of the servers. It never came. AND I was charged for it. Boo. So...needless to say, it wasn't the worst experience, some flavors were very good and the atmosphere is easy going, but with so many choices in this area for sushi, we will not be going back to Tomoyama.

    (2)

  • Jenelle Z.

    The happy hour at Tomoyama cannot be beat! This is my favorite place to visit with my boyfriend and our friends on a Saturday evening. Food and service are usually best at the sushi bar. The lemon roll is one of my favorites and you will fall in love with the Hamachi!!! YUM!!

    (5)

  • Adam M.

    Nothing good, nothing bad... run of the mill average. Sushi did take a little while to come out, but other than that... whatever. IF i was craving sushi, I would go here if it was right in front of me.

    (3)

  • Celeste P.

    We love this place! Great value, good quality. Poki salad and lemon roll are the best, we hardly order anything else!!!

    (5)

  • Kris B.

    I ate dinner here with my girlfriend before seeing a movie at Cinepolis. We sat at the sushi bar and shared tuna sashimi, a spicy tuna roll, a spicy tuna hand-roll, and a specialty roll (cannot remember which one). The food was excellent and cheaper than other sushi restaurants that I have been to. The waitresses were friendly. When we were almost finished, the owner came over and introduced himself and offered us some free sake shots. He also offered us some edamame in a spicy sesame sauce which was very good. I was surprised to see that this place only had 3 stars on Yelp, so I felt compelled to write a review. I highly recommend this place, especially before catching a movie at Cinepolis.

    (5)

  • chris m.

    Came here for my cousin's birthday before seeing a movie on Saturday night. I really wanted sushi, but they are one of the restaurants where the "good" rolls are just too expensive to enjoy. I'm sure their sushi is delicious, but I was not up to paying $12-15 for a roll. I opted for the chicken yakisoba and a simple California roll instead, so I could get more for my money. The yakisoba was good, though I felt the taste was a little mild. Could definitely use a little bit more sauce or spice; not sure exactly what was missing. The California Roll was pretty much like any other; crab surimi, cucumber and avocado. It's not quite "sushi", IMO, but it did the trick. I do not live near the restaurant, so I don't anticipate going very often, but I would definitely go back, if in the area. The restaurant was pretty quiet during what should normally be dinner time, but I think that might have to do with the fact the Cinepolis opened next door & has a full-service restaurant themselves. I do hope that Tomoyama does stay in business, because I would like to try their Happy Hour sometime.

    (3)

  • Jeremy F.

    Decent food. Service was good as well. Nothing special but can't say that I wouldn't go back sometime when time I see a movie at the theater next door

    (3)

  • Dana C.

    LOVE this sushi place. We come here probably once or twice a month. The sushi is fresh and reasonably priced. They also have an all you can eat for around $26 which is totally worth it. There is rarely a wait and I think most nights from 3-9 they have some sort of deal. Last time we went it was 30% of all rolls. Definitely highly recommended!

    (5)

  • S J.

    I went there for lunch last week and I would give this restaurant an "ok" rating overall. I didn't get a warm feeling right off the bat because one of my colleagues asked the hostess when we sat down if we could have separate checks (I admit there were 5 of us). The hostess immediately got this irritated look on her face and made a big deal about it saying their cash registers couldn't handle doing this. It wasn't a big deal in itself but it was her attitude that didn't sit right with me. The lunch special (1 regular roll and 1 specialty roll) is a good deal for $11.95. You can even choose the rainbow roll as your specialty roll. The California roll I got was so-so. The specialty roll was better. I forgot the name of it but it had shrimp. I've had a lot better at restaurants that have real Japanese sushi chefs and where the true Japanese graciousness and customer service shines through. Someone said they are Japanese because they heard them speaking the language. I am half Japanese and lived and studied in Japan for a few years. I'm not sure what language the restaurant employees were speaking but it was definitely not Japanese!

    (2)

  • Andrew P.

    They obviously spent all their loot dressing up the interior. The place definitely looks the business of a sushi joint. However, the food was sub par at best. I seemed like everything was based off of a california roll with different toppings to jazz it up. The wait staff were VERY attentive and I have nothing but praise for them, but the food was below average not to mention the price they were asking for the rolls (Thank god for the stimulus check). I guess the price of the rolls is to pay back the loans to make the place gorgeous. Additionally, $10 for a seaweed salad??? Are you serious??? Come on, it is seaweed for god's sakes. Wow... That is insane. The Miso soup was also really bland and had like 3 shavings of tofu in it. WEAK!!! As far as sushi joints in North County SD go, I am still on the hunt because this place clearly does not fit the bill. Way overpriced for Supermarket style sushi (not trying to knock supermarket sushi BTW)

    (1)

  • jasmine z.

    We had dinner on Friday night. We would like to try some real Japanese food. We ordered spicy ramen and fried pork with rice. the ramen was just some instant ramen from supermarket. it tasted horrible. Soap was not warm enough. fried pork was not crispy. Do not order anything than Sushi here. We ordered a lot but still hungry. their service was bad either. they let us wait for a long time to be seated and get check. I will not come back here again.

    (1)

  • Younix L.

    Soft squishy sushi (not like the nice fresh stuff), and REALLY TERRIBLE staff. These people served our food to the neighboring table, then two different waitresses gave us a terrible unapologetic attitude, as if it was our fault, when we politely stated (an hour after ordering) that we hadn't gotten our sushi yet... And once they finally brought the food out, it was falling apart and drenched with cheap corn syrup filled teriyaki sauce as if a drunken waitress had made the rolls!

    (1)

  • Sully M.

    Great lunch deals on sushi. Not ask that impressive for dinner though, the prices seem to double at dinner.

    (3)

  • Chelsea U.

    The food is really good my favorites are the salmon roll, the baby lobster roll, and the bscr. The owners are super nice and so is the staff. This place is a great place to bring friends or family.

    (5)

  • Lea T.

    Great sushi. Friendly staff. Kids enjoyed their meals.

    (5)

  • Nancy L.

    Returned here after good first experience though I had read the bad service reviews in the meantime. The older waitress warned us that they were closing soon - no problem, we weren't intending to linger, but then she kept reiterating this at different times. The food came quickly as the loud group doing sake bombs with the chefs was winding down. Got low priced eel roll and most expensive specialty roll - about $5 & $15 respectively. The $5 one was pretty generous, and the $15 was fancily presented in a pool of striated sauce which turned out to taste fishy. One of the layers was red leaf lettuce - not conducive to helping the rounds hold together, and suggestive of filler in what I would assume is their best roll. Hostage Gastronome Jr.'s bento box looked beautiful, but the heaping portion of beef teriyaki turned out to be draped over a mound of cooked vegetables, and the spicy pork was hot to the point of inedibility (as if the cook hadn't tasted it or didn't care). We asked for more rice to cut down on the intensity, and the younger, nicer waitress brought a bowl. Later, our bill and already-run credit card came back with the rice re-calculated into it, but without any mention made of the addition. Too bad they just lost a customer over $1.50... I didn't bother to tell them this since I sensed that this is the way they intended to run their business, and being in a good location near the movie theater, they probably felt it was working out fine. I wasn't really that surprised that they charged for rice that they were about to throw away since they'd already displayed an ungenerousity of spirit by not bringing an extra miso or salad for those whose dinners didn't come with it. I always think this is a nice touch in other restaurants - a very inexpensive way of delighting the customer by showing they care about one's dining experience. Another thing, there were plenty of unoccupied servers at the end of the night, but no one was bothering to pick up the napkins and chopstick papers littering the floor. Why have a nice wood floor if you're going to leave garbage on it? It was as if they considered this space an open air market stall. Don't they see that in the U.S. even food courts and McDonald's are constantly swept? I daringly left a small tip, but no one chased after me to get more. The food is basically good - when I ordered the all-you-can-eat after they'd first opened, they didn't palm off any nasty, sub-quality stuff. The owner drank some free shots with us, but this still left a bad taste in HG's mouth (didn't even notice the reusing of glasses!) probably because of the price. He was never eager to return, and now I never will. I despair of them learning to change, but wouldn't it be great to have some Yelp calling cards to leave on the table so that establishments could be aware that they're about to get some feedback?

    (1)

  • rachel w.

    The food here was decent. I had the teriyaki beef which tasted really good, but the quality of the meat wasn't great (it was pretty fatty). The portions were a little smaller than I expected and the miso soup was sub-par. All in all, it was just "ok".

    (2)

  • Sammy B.

    I have officially been completely scarred to never come back here again. First time I went here, I LOVED it. Went with a group of 11 over summer, all the rolls were fresh and delicious. I continually went back throughout the summer, and was never particularly disappointed. I will admit that the happy hour prices are amazing - I've eaten here for cheaper than in-and-out - but you truly do get what you pay for, which is a bad thing in this case. First of all, I've gotten food poisoning from this restaurant. I ordered a spicy tuna roll, miso soup, and albacore nigiri that night, and was sick all night and the next day. Second of all, this restaurant has almost zero respect for teenagers. I am a paying customer like everyone else in the restaurant, but when I come in for happy hour, I am seated next to the kitchen, get the worst SERVICE, get unfresh and improperly made sushi, and overall feel like they disregard my presence completely. However, most of these things were not enough to dissuade me from coming back, until I had the most terrible service I've ever had in a restaurant. I came in with three friends on a Thursday night for happy hour, only to wait a very long time to have any attention paid to us. After placing our order, we waited around 20 minutes just for the miso, and then another 10 for rolls. The roll I ordered (mexican roll) was too gross looking to even think about eating. Usually this roll is great, but this one was dried out, cracked on the sides as though it had been squished, and two of the pieces were a different kind of roll!! I asked politely for a new one, and the hostess complained and then proceeded to bring me a different one after a long amount of time, which was almost as dry and was made so incredibly spicy that I wasn't able to finish it. The worst part of this experience was that after all that, I asked nicely to put my portion of the check onto a debit card, and the waitress stalled for even LONGER (making our total time here over 2 hours) and then handed me a calculator asking me to calculate my own check. I was not only annoyed, but somewhat insulted that I was paying to do the job of the waitress in addition to being a guest. Never coming back here again

    (1)

  • Ford S.

    Enjoyed the dinner at Tomoyama. Very good food, good service, casual atmosphere, two TV's going for the Monday night football crowd. ( No sound coming from the TV's, so you could keep up if you had to ). My sushi sensitive daughter rated it at a 3.5, but she has been everywhere. Factoring in price, conveinience, the friendly atmosphere, I gave it a 4. Go and enjoy!

    (4)

  • Erica G.

    Went for dinner and sat at a high top near the sushi bar. Manager greeted us and was very nice. Server was attentive. When we asked if they made an appetizer not listed on the menu, she didn't think so, so she asked the manager. He came to our table to ask us to describe it. They didn't have it, but he appeared a few minutes later with something he thought would be comparable... on the house! It was delicious, not even sure what it was! Sushi was good. Nice atmosphere.

    (4)

  • Matt N.

    Despite all the negative reviews, I'm a pretty huge fan of Tomoyama. I've been to a lot of sushi places, and have been disappointed by some, but I have found nothing wrong with the quality of atmosphere of this place. I really enjoy all their rolls, and their all you can eat deal has given my dad and I an opportunity to try out a lot of different rolls that we probably would not have tried elsewhere. My favorite is their tiger roll, consisting of shrimp tempura on the inside and shrimp on top! Yum. Their salmon sushi is is also quite excellent, along with everything else. I give Tomoyama 5 stars, it is certainly one of the places I miss being in upstate New York where good sushi is few and far between.

    (5)

  • Fumi M.

    Close proximity to the office, my colleagues frequent Tomoyama for sushi. So I decided to give it a try myself last Friday during lunch. However, when I discovered that the establishment serves all-you-can-eat sushi, I decided to try out their Korean style ramen instead. Freeze dried "ramen" noodles, are you kidding me? And you charge how much for this bowl of instant nastiness? At least the waitress was honest when I asked her point blank after the fact. It's unfortunate people open restaurants simply to make money rather than preserving cultures and beauty of their food.

    (1)

  • Michael M.

    Absolutely a amazing place, sat down with my friend Bryon and had a amazing dinner prepared Matthew. I would highly recommend the TNT and Hot Night Rolls, the Otoro was extremely fresh. I was treated with lots of love and respect, having been in the food and restaurant business for for over 18 years it was truly refreshing and over all an amazing experience. I will definitely be back again. and I will recommend this restaurant to all my friends. I speak on authority, I am a Chef and I love Sushi, this is my new dining spot.

    (5)

  • Wendy S.

    You're kidding me, right? The place looks nice, the staff speaks Japanese, and the food is 'pretty', but what the heck? I was hungry is the only reason I ended up staying and eating, and hoped that it would get better! This restaurant is run by non-Japanese that try to pass off their sushi as 'authentic', but it's just another Americanized eye-catcher. The fancy stuff was covered with too much sweet sauces and were actually too big to eat in one bite. The TWO things I did appreciate was the hamachi because it was very fresh and the beer because it was nice and cold, but I wouldn't recommend this place to any friends of mine... sorry.

    (1)

  • Landon M.

    Overall great sushi place. Their lunch specials are amazing! The sushi is always good but the service can be a little hit or miss.

    (4)

  • H S.

    This is my favorite sushi place I've been a returning customer for this place for about 3 years now and it's due to the food, customer service and pretty much the awesome happy hour (very solid prices- half off sushi and try the teriyaki beef and the sesami chicken is to die for) I'm not much of a raw fish person like sashimi, so their dishes provide a good and yummy variety for people like me (spicy tuna tempura roll). Parking is adequate and service is pretty quick. They always come by to fill water and get the job done.

    (4)

  • Christina D.

    We went last night for a friend's birthday. We called a week in advance to make a reservation for 15, which they took. When we arrived, they were surprised, yet we were written in their little book. After 1/2 hour and the coercion of some guests, they FINALLY sat us. They were less than nice about the entire situation and did NOTHING to remedy the situation. In addition, the food was delivered in a SLOW manner. So slow that we had to take part of our meal to go because our party was done eating. They basically forgot us.... a table of 15... how is this even possible! Our bill was over $400... no visit from the manager or owner... no discount or even "chef special" for the aggravation and poor service. The sushi, loosely rolled and less than stellar. In an area that has a sushi restaurant on every corner, choose somewhere else. I will NEVER go back to this restaurant... EVER... it was a huge disappointment... if I could give them NO STARS I would! Ugh...

    (1)

  • Holly I.

    Best neighborhood sushi happy hour. We love the food. I just wish the service was a bit better. They always forget something.

    (4)

  • Annie H.

    went for a lunch date with the bf, and it was pretty darn good. but the main reason to come is the lunch special. 1 house roll + 1 special roll = $10.95 and the rolls are huge! I have also tried the lunch bento box spicy sesame chicken :: served with miso, salad, seamed rice, mixed tempura, and 4 pieces of cali roll =$8.95. the staff was super nice and very chatty as well. i will mention that it took a while for our check to come, but once we got their attention they were right on it :) i will be back here for more lunch dates and also to try other items, and also on a day where i dont have to work so that i can partake in a little sake - it - to me.

    (4)

  • David H.

    Eating at the bar during Happy Hour and watching sports is my favorite!

    (4)

  • RL D.

    This place is average - not great. My husband and I have been here a few times before movies at the theatre next door and this last time we were both seriously disappointed. I ordered a mexican roll, a spicy yellowtail roll and and crunchy tuna roll. The yellowtail roll tasted as if it had been sitting out for a while and the tuna just tasted a little "off." If you have sushi alot, you know what I mean by this. I couldn't finish it as I was afraid. The same goes for the crunchy roll, which was weird because it had been fried so you would think that taste would have been masked. I couldn't finish that one either. The mexican roll was actually very good - even though it is made with imitation crab. I don't normally go for that but the flavors worked. Oh, another thing that I think is gross is that the tuna is ground up and is not in strips - why do they do that? It really messes up the consistency and makes the whole experience icky. Maybe other rolls are better - but I had two different types of tuna rolls and they couldn't seem to get those right. My husband had the chicken yakisoba and said it wasn't bad. The service we had was great - they were quick and we were out of there in time for our movie. The wine was actually pretty good. Party atmosphere and big screen tvs made it tolerable for my husband. Probably won't go back.

    (3)

  • Charles D.

    This place is delicious and reasonably priced.

    (4)

  • Teresa W.

    Let's put it this way: I wouldn't come here if I owned a car and had the liberty of driving someplace else. One of the first ways I judge a restaurant is by how quickly they get you your water. I've come here a few times and they consistently manage to take 10+ minutes to either (a) recognize we haven't been serviced or (b) say that someone ELSE will take care of it. What?? Even when I've managed to avoid busy hours, the wait staff seems more preoccupied with wiping down tables than with taking care of their customers. The one redeeming quality about this place is that they have a "sushi buffet" option. You pay a flat fee and get to order as much as you want from a fixed menu. I have yet to try it, but the price seems fairly agreeable. If you must come here, the best advice I can give you is to sit at the bar. At least the sushi chefs are attentive, even though the most they can do you is lend you a sympathetic eye.

    (2)

  • Dave N.

    FULL ON FOOD POISONING!!! stopped by on the way Hm from work last night. ordered 1 California roll and got the worst case of FOOD POISONING I'VE EVER HAD. We used to love this place. never again! and for eating sushi (one of my favorite foods). quit possibly the last time I do that...negative 5 star!!!

    (1)

  • Simeon Z.

    If you haven't tried Tomoyama, you owe it to yourself to do so. The sushi chefs are top notch.....and if you get "Tony", you're in for a treat. Stellar sushi chef and great personality! As far as the food, I personally find it to be very good. The fish is always extremely fresh and the menu is extensive, though more limited if you order "all you can eat." My fav: The Carlsbad Roll! The Baby Lobster roll is great too if you like a baked roll. The owner, Andy, is making a strong effort with enticing lunch specials and discounted menu items. Be sure to put this place on your "must try" list. You won't regret it.

    (4)

  • Frank J.

    I got hooked to this place for the Happy Hour....Loved the 50% off..I became a FAN after trying out the variety of Sakes. The quality of Sakes Tomoyama has surpasses many 'Sake Bars' near by. The owner recommended the 'Sharaku'....WOW!!! The flavor was amazing! I normally get 'Onigoroshi'...since that is what I am used to...but this Sake blew onigoroshi out of the water. There are so many more Sake selection...I cannot wait to try them all. Reminded me of my travel to Japan and Korea trying out the local Sakes/Soju's. Been there about 8 times...cannot wait to get some more sushi, rolls, udon. Don't forget to ask about the 'Fresh fish' of the day....if you offer some Sake to the sushiman, they might get you the 'good' cut!

    (5)

  • L S.

    I always have great food and great service here. Andy, the owner, knows his saki. The fish is fresh and the rolls are great. Try the Lemon Roll.

    (5)

  • Ryan B.

    We go because the kids like the soy beans and rice, but the food is mediocre. Service is spotty. Has been okay to bad. They are very nice and lately have been offering pretty good deals, but I cannot say that this place is great. It is convenient and comfortable inside and the sushi is good enough for sushi lovers, but do not think that this is a special date night destination. This is more of a place that you'd take the kids and not expect exceptional service.

    (3)

  • Amanda B.

    I went here for lunch thinking it would be sub-par but I was wrong! Tomoyama is right next to the movie theatre and the Carlsbad Library so I thought that the location was why they were so darn busy, but it was probably the prices.. We ordered the lunch special: $10.95 for all this: 1 specialty roll, one regular roll, miso soup, warm salted edamame and a side asian sald! We were stuffed when we left. The service was immediate and our rolls came out a couple minutes after our soup and salad. If anything it was too fast!! The rolls themselves were odd-- asparagus in the philly roll? What? But overall, satisfying. They don't list or have pictures of what comes in all the rolls (you know how everywhere puts a couple different things in each one) so be prepared to ask! Lunch is from open- 3pm AND Happy Hour is 3pm- 5pm. There is also a kid's menu and party trays. The bathrooms are super nice!! I would have given them 5 stars except 1. the roll ingredients weren't my fav and 2. there was a slight sewage smell when we first wallked in BUT it was pouring rain.

    (4)

  • Michael C.

    Decent sushi, sucky service Been here 5-6 times, and the service has been sub-par about 1/2 the time. From waiting to be seated and being ignored for 5 minutes, then being told that there was a wait, even though we could see open seats, to parts of a combo lunch not being brought out until everyone else in our party was done, and fighting with the waitress over not paying for it. Go to any of the other good sushi places within 10 minutes: Sushi Huku and Sushi Station in San Marcos, or Mr. Sushi in Encinitas.

    (2)

  • Tauna H.

    Not the best sushi, but for the price can't it wasn't bad. The servers need to be better educated on the food and some need customer service classes

    (3)

  • Jade Z.

    slow service. wait for water, wait to order, wait for your food, wait for your check, wait the longest for them to take the check. ugh. sushi's alright... meh. not too good. Korean owned, they have Korean ramen. not fresh, tasted like spicy top ramen, but they but a little fish cake on top.

    (2)

  • Melanie M.

    I like this place. My husband likes this place. My kids like this place, and have actually consumed something other than CA roll, on numerous occasions. (I had to trick them though!) We have been there about 6 times, have never had to wait for a table, everyone is always very friendly and the Saki is cold and good. The prices are reasonable, and the Community Guide provides a 20% coupon for dinner (does not include All you can eat). Not sure what people are complaining about. Granted its not "Nobu" but is certainly takes care of that sushi craving way better than other places locally, without taking a big bite out of your wallet. My husband likes that they have personal chopstick storage available for whomever is interested. Did I mention that Sake is good??? Yessssss! Yum!

    (4)

  • Lawrence G.

    The food was pretty good. The problem with this place is that the staff is as dumb as a box of rocks. Bringing your appetite is fine, but bring you patience as well.

    (2)

  • Sherryl M.

    This is a great place with wonderful Sashimi!!!

    (4)

  • Mei G.

    We got off to a rocky start with disorganized seating and service. Several parties arrived at once. Meanwhile, many tables had not been bussed. It sort of looked like the zombie apocalypse where there was a big mess, mass confusion, but the place was empty. Once we were finally seated and the staff trained, the sushi was excellent. Go ahead and get the All You Can Eat special. It's less expensive that way.

    (4)

  • Roger H.

    We've gone to Tomoyama since it opened a year ago, weekly. The staff is cheery, welcoming and warm. The owner, Andy is a great, attentive and fun host. The sushi chefs, Daniel especially, are quick, friendly and talented. Sake selection is expansive. This is a far better place than others in No Cty- we don't hesitate to recommend it.

    (4)

  • carolyn S.

    Not only is this one of my favorite sushi places, it's one of my favorite restaurants overall. At least as a family place! I have not had a SINGLE thing that I didn't like, however I really have only ordered from the sushi menu. My kids always have noodles, and they are great. Andy, the owner, I believe, is always coming around offering Tequila (I know...weird) or complimentary miso or even a roasted salmon dish...yes, complimentary. That certainly made up for the one or two times that the service has been sub-par. I don't think that we have ever been without one of their 20% off coupons, either, which certainly makes it all the better! It's like a free roll!

    (5)

  • Teekva L.

    Tomoyama is getting better. We enjoy the all-you-can-eat. Miso soup is pretty good. Sushi is good, not great. Eel is now good (used to be BAD). Very family friendly. Service is prompt and friendly. Rainbow roll consistently good. Tuna sushi/sashimi almost always good and fresh. They always have good quality avocado. Love the hot night roll. This is a very good sushi restaurant we frequent a few times per month. Not the most premium in San Diego but very dependable for decent sushi. Coupons frequent in N. County SD mail.

    (4)

  • Maria A.

    I frequent this shopping center a lot and always walk by this place thinking it's "just another sushi place". But i was proven wrong the other day when i went with my friend! We went for dinner and i was starving! I started out with edamame and some sake and beer. We ordered two rolls too. If my memory serves me correctly, it was roll #151 that blew my socks off! It was HUGE and DELICIOUS! It had baked spicy tuna and salmon. It was really really good. It wasn't too big where i looked like a ratard eating it, but it was filling! (and this wasn't the sake talkin ;) ) They have great combo plates for lunch and dinner too, if you are really hungry. I think you really get your money worth here and i appreciate that. The waitress was okay. She forgot one of our rolls, but we weren't in a rush and it was brought to us in a timely manner. It is really cute inside and looks like it would be great for lunch! Ill be returning.

    (4)

  • Arnette R.

    Well it's really hard for me to give this place a 4 star because I've only been here twice and basically ordered the same thing. I ordered the sushi combo with spicy tuna roll. Combo A has 4 pieces of nigiri and B has 6. If you eat in, you get a tiny bowl of edamame and salad. The prices are cheap compared to what I paid for the same combo at Mr. Sushi down the road in Encinitas. I think it's 8.95 for A and 10.95 for B. So pretty good and the fish seemed to be good. I'll have to try more and edit my review later. The owners and staff are Asian which is a good sign. The first time I ate, I ate at the bar and one of the chefs is really entertaining. There's a happy hour between 4 and 5 but I think it changed. I thought it was 4-6 and when I went to eat in it was 3-5. So I don't know. They also have an all you can eat menu for $22 for lunch and $24 for dinner. There's coupons out there too. Anyways I'll definitely be back and it doesn't hurt that it's across the street from my house. Beside the Ultrastar movie theatre and library. *Edit: I went back a few weeks ago and I found that I didn't find the fish to be all that fresh anymore. I've only gone 4 times. First 2 times seemed really good, the last 2 were bad. If I were to come back I might only come to eat the cooked foods. I have found a great new sushi spot if you're looking for fresh fish. Not cheap but worth it if you like real good sushi.

    (2)

  • Ryan B.

    One of the better sushi joints in the area. I got the all you can eat deal, definately expensive but most sushi joints are. In the end, if you eat a lot which I do, the all you can eat deal is probably the best option. The sushi is not gormet but also not buffet garbage either. Lively decor and atmosphere, service was quite good despite the fact that it was crowded. Good selections of drinks too. I'd recommend it to anyone.

    (4)

  • Richard B.

    Always fresh and predictable though a bit pricey for shopping center fare, even with the theater construction discount. Andy is a great host and always stops by to say hi to the patrons. Hamachi is outstanding as are most of the sushi offerings. Custom rolls are a bit overdone.

    (4)

  • aytunc a.

    This is a gem of a sushi place, i love the food and the service, you cannot ask for more

    (5)

  • Vamshi J.

    I have been here twice for lunch. They have a lunch menu now, if I remember right they didn't have one when they opened a few months ago. Anyway, this is one true japanese reataurant. The sushi lunch combo was priced at $10.95 which includes a soup, edamame (am a sucker for free edamame, I know am paying for it, just not separately), two sushi rolls of your choice. I had the salmon skin sushi and their avacado roll. I haven't tried their sake yet, maybe next time. The first time I went there, their edamame appreared so fresh, but the last time I went, it seemed like it was frozen for a while and lacked the freshness. I am a newbie to the sushi circuit and am still acquiring a taste for it, but I should say their sushi is pretty good. My friend ordered a Udon and he liked his dish too. Overall, we leave the place happy and full and the $ damage was worth it. $15 a head. Make yourself a nice wasabi paste, dip your sushi and enjoy the thrust.

    (5)

  • K W.

    The good: the sushi is fresh and excellent. They have a lot of selection and a good value if you go there for happy hour. The bad: happy hour between 3-5 pm so it's difficult to get there in time after work.

    (4)

  • Kim S.

    It was our first night in Carlsbad. We had driven from SLO to Carlsbad with one stop in the middle for lunch and we were all tired at 7pm. We did a quick search on Yelp for food and this place had gotten pretty good reviews so we went. It's right by the movie theatre which might explain why it was so busy at 7pm. But once we settled in and ate, we realised it was pretty darned good. My hubs had the Philly roll, salmon and tuna. I had the spicy pork dinner. (I am on and off sushi eating) The sushi was pretty good. We really enjoyed it. The spicy pork was suitably spicy and just enough for someone who was really hungry. It came with rice, salad and miso soup. Our son had rice and edamame and the nice thing was that the waitress made sure our son had a spoon. Not a normal spoon - a Spiderman spoon. Kind of a nice touch. There were quite a few families there and out of towners. It was kind of like a comfortable dinner party atmosphere.

    (4)

  • Josh G.

    Wow! Very impressed! Will come again.

    (5)

  • Tim M.

    The Happy Hour is great. My girlfriend and I had 6 large, tasty rolls and two excellent hand rolls for a total of $37! You can't beat that.

    (4)

  • Marie H.

    We've only had take-out from this place so far but we've enjoyed everything that we've had. My favorite thing has got to be their mountain roll - scallops, crab, shrimp, wrapped in lettuce without any rice, so yummy! It's been packed every time my husband goes to pick up our food, so that's a good sign - I'd hate to lose another local restaurant!

    (5)

  • Lawrence K.

    I will agree that the service can be either great or fair but the owner and manager are great people and if you tell them what's wrong they will fix it. We go all the time and the sushi is usually very good. The all you can eat is great if you're hungry. The shots of sake that come around are awesome. The owner will sometimes bring us free sake or shots.

    (4)

  • Elle B.

    The sashimi and sushi nigiri here is good, although not one of the best I've ever had. The vegetable tempura and chicken yakisoba we had was good too, but nothing exceptional. It's a decent sushi place to go to in a nice area. The service is not the most attentive. Also, while we were there for dinner (3 hours before closing time) they began cleaning and the smell of bleach while eating sort of ruined the experience.

    (3)

  • Amy H.

    This my new sushi spot in San Diego! It's fantastic! Try the scallop sushi with a shizo leaf, spider handroll, and hamachi (yellow tail) sushi. The fish is fresh and the sushi chefs know their fish!

    (5)

  • KJ M.

    Delicious sushi, friendly service. The Master is a great host and wants to make his customers happy. We had a large group and had good service. I was here a few years ago and much better than before.

    (4)

  • Natalia P.

    Had a food poisoning from them on thursday, still trying to recover. Food was definitely not fresh! Sesame chicken looked GREENISH color when they brought it, was as hard as a rock tasted a bit stale. The dragon roll had the most awful tasting sauce on it and something spoiled inside Im sure.... cause that's how that tasted... Needless to say, after spending over $30 on the food and then throwing it all up, I am NEVER going back there...

    (1)

  • phyllis s.

    Went tonight at happy hour. Service was poor. Food was brought out before we asked for it. The manager was surly and the waitress did not understand english. They have a huge turnover and are not pleasant. The food was fresh and good but we will not return. Food and love go hand in hand.

    (2)

  • Lise N.

    Excellent Sushi! I tried the all you can eat, and recommend the seared albacore. Also, the All you can Eat includes the urchin (if you care for that sort of thing). Owner brought out a bottle of Sake and shared with everyone. Definitely, the best sushi I have tried in the area.

    (5)

  • Taylor R.

    I hate to do this. I think the sushi at this place is killer. One of the best. When I came here the first time I thought this would be my new spot. I just got back from my second trip and had a good meal until the end. I paid the tab and left a 15% tip. Everyone else I was with had cash and I guess didn't leave the best tip. So the waitress FOLLOWED me out of the restaurant asking where the rest of her tip was. First of all I know tipping is a good restaurant habit but it should never be EXPECTED. Second of all I was the one person that did tip and don't appreciated getting harassed after dropping a ton of dough. My friends and I almost couldn't believe it. Super awkward way to end the visit. At least I know it won't happen again since I'm NEVER GOING BACK. Sucks for you Tomoyama since I live down the street. Have a nice life.

    (1)

  • Vaulte K.

    All-you-can-eat Sushi is a travesty that should sound warning bells... But I had my reasons. Mediocre with a capital M. I feel sorry for the fish that sacrificed their lives to end up such a plateful of abomination. Nevertheless, I have tasted worse in Carlsbad (check out Sansui at the Premium Outlet for an education in horrible, particularly their Tempura which has been fried in axle grease). The staff was helpful, though, which put a smile on my face but was quickly wiped off by the food.

    (2)

  • Joe F.

    My finance and I were looking for some sushi after moving into the area and was lucky to find Tomoyama Sushi. Sushi is probably our favorite food and really enjoyed the rolls we ordered (Philly, Ika, And Firecracker). The wait staff was very friendly and quick. All in all, we are fans and will be back!!

    (4)

  • Anna I.

    My girlfriend and I went for a happy hour before catching a movie at Cinepolis. The service was pretty fast, but that's where the good things ended. The rice on their rolls was so overcooked it was a mush. My girlfriend really likes crab, so we ordered several things with "crab". Unfortunately, 100% of it was cheap crab substitute. We were very unimpressed to put it mildly. Not going back, not recommending.

    (1)

  • Adam A.

    I am so glad we didn't pay attention to the previous reviews! We (My wife and 2 y/o son) arrived at 7pm to a warm greeting. The restaurant was about 50% full (sushi bar moreso), lot's of families and kids too. We were promptly greeted and ordered the all you can eat dinner for two and a beef teriyaki for our son. They brought out our drinks and edamame quickly which our son inhaled (literally) and our first rolls were out in five minutes (close) as well as his dinner too. The food was fresh, the sushi well proportioned (not skimpy at all), the choices abundant and even the owner came by to have a shot of saki with us! When we left, we complimented him and he was very gracious. We will return again and again! I also don't know why there are comments on Korean sushi restaurants when most 90% are Korean owned.

    (5)

  • Ryan L.

    A week ago i went there for the first time ever. First the edamame was cold. It took forever to get my water. The food was okay. they use way too much siracha aioli on a few of the dishes. Not enough tuna in the poke salad and its too spicy!!! Our waitress took forever to get us our bill and was rude and didnt understand why she was rude...The owner came to our table after someone complained and gave us some saki shots but the funny thing is he took the same glasses we had just drinken from and poured shots for the table next to us and they drank it...Very confusing. They also charged a few extra things on our bill. I will not be returning.

    (1)

  • Alissa K.

    I visit pretty regularly because it is nearby and I like the atmosphere. The staff is pretty slow but the sushi makes up for it. They have a wide variety of rolls and the food has always tasted fresh. They also regularly have coupons in the mail so it makes for a very inexpensive meal!

    (3)

  • Allie K.

    Great atmosphere, great service and great food. I had some pretty good sushi when I was in Hawaii and it just melted in my mouth. I have been looking for something like that back here and I think they did a pretty good job. The hostess seemed impatient to seat me while I was waiting for a friend, but once you got past her, it was good. Very personable and friendly folks. Will go back to again. Does not accept Discover credit cards.

    (3)

  • sara s.

    crappy quality of fish.. VERY mediocre sushi. the only good thing is that its right by a movie theatre. i bet the pizza place next door that had a line out the door is much better. with all the amazing sushi places in san diego.. i dont know why anyone would go here. crappy service too.. the waitresses are all in a rush

    (1)

  • Alicia S.

    We have been going here since they opened and we are always treated so wonderful. It is fun to go since we always meet new fun people. The food is always top quality and so is the service!!

    (5)

  • nala b.

    My bf and I love their specialty rolls. The ones we go for are very unique and delicious. their chicken teriyaki is a good deal too, it comes loaded with a variety of stuff. they just opened this past valentine's day so they are still working out some kinks. other than that, i highly recommend!

    (4)

  • Abe K.

    I have to say, when I go back in my mind of the 5 times I've been here since it's opened, I'm very pleasantly surprised. The first time I came was with the entire family and it was an excellent experience just after it opened. We watched a movie at the nearby Ultrastar and then came over for dinner. It was so new that we arrived at the prime rush time and there was only one other table being served and by the time we left, only one other table was in use. They served us with free edemame. I ordered all you can eat rolls, my wife had some a regular plate and we got the kids a plate to share. All of our food was very good. After dinner, they treated us to free ice cream that came out in fruit shapes and color and tasted just like it looked, great! My wife is not big on sushi, so the other times I've gone with the kids and been very pleased. I believe a couple of times, Jeff was my server as well and he was very helpful and always checked on me and the kids. I have nothing bad to say about this place, except that I've yet to find a kid's meal on the menu. Update 2/3/09 - We went back tonight and they have a Kid's Menu. There are 5 options. My kids split a Teriyak Beef plate, which included, oranges, rice, potstickers, salad and the Teriyaki Beef over a small amount of cabbage. They devoured this food, even my baby didn't get enough. I wonder if they read my review and added the kids menu. 8-) I doubt it but here's to hoping.

    (5)

  • David C.

    A true neighborhood sushi bar! Andy, the owner, is a class act. He is very attentive and engaged with his customers. Reminds me of the wonderful restaurants I've been to on the east coast where you get to know the owner personally and you feel comfortable and at home. Tony, the best sushi chef, makes great traditional sushi/sashimi and makes some amazing new creations. 1/2 off happy hour (weekdays 3:30-5:30) is unbeatable and the service is fine. I read a review that complained about the service and the wait for service, food, the bill. These people must not live in southern California where all servers act annoyed to have to do their job. The service at Tomoyama is fine, not exceptional, but fine and Andy, Tony, and the food make up the difference. This place even converted my wife, a non-sushi eater, into a sushi fanatic. Tony - Thanks for bringing good food, a good atmosphere, and good times for the locals here in Carlsbad, which is otherwise dominated by boring corporate chain restaurants that for some undetermined reason have lines outside of them.

    (5)

  • Tom R.

    I'm a Sushi addict and this is my favorite Sushi Place in the North Coast. The owner is a great guy and the rolls are super. Order wine and you'll need a Designated Driver as the pours are sizable.

    (5)

  • KEVIN T.

    i went when it first opened with my family and when we were seated it took 20 minutes for someone to come over to us. i thought this was maybe an aberition it being new. i decided to give it another try a month or two later. same result. worst customer service ever. i tried to talk to the manager / owner . he would not even talk to me. its to bad because the food was good and it is right down the street from my house. i will never give them anymore of my money. i gave them a second chance and they don't seem to put much of a thought to the customer.

    (1)

  • Jodi M.

    While we've been here more than once because the food is good I have to say I will not go back. We've had "not great" service before but "not great" has fallen to "beyond bad"!! We were there on a Saturday night before the rush. There were many empty tables and it was pretty quiet. The woman that ended up being our waitress went to sit us at a table with chairs and I asked if we could sit in one of the empty booths next to it since it's easier with small children. To which I received a dirty look and a curt "ok." Then she brought us menus and disappeared to set empty tables. She finally came back and we asked for an all-you-can-eat menu and ordered a children's teriyaki plate and before we could order drink she was gone. She came back and we were able to order drinks, which took they're time to come, and submit our food menu. The kids food came quickly and we asked for forks which didn't come until we asked for them a third time. The kids were long done with their food before the first of our all-you-can-eat order had presented itself to the table. We ordered some more drinks after flagging the waitress down (she was no doubt hiding from our table knowing how long we'd been waiting-over an hour at this point) but the drinks, again, took their time making their way to the table again. You know it's bad when you can even get a beer! How hard is it??? Pull it out of the fridge and pull off the cap!! By the time our FIRST order had completely come out it had been over TWO HOURS! There were only 4 adults eating and we hadn't ordered an immense amount of food and the place was near empty with 3 sushi chefs. At this point we weren't really able to order more food because our kids were long done with sitting there. They brought the bill promptly after but took a small eternity coming to pick it up (I was tempted to just walk out without paying). Then on my way out of the bathroom I heard the waiter saying "where's the card" wouldn't that have been the perfect end to the evening???? They must have found it because they had no problem charging the credit card the full amount. We didn't even get a complimentary beer. The owner tried to buy us off with a $3 scoop of ice cream as we were walking out the door...really??? after all of that?

    (1)

  • Pernille K.

    Had dinner with a girlfriend and the food was great! The Super Mexican roll was HUGE and delicious!

    (4)

  • Francesca F.

    They give you pretty good sized and tasty rolls and sushi, but nothing to write home about. They also lost my sushi paper. They said they would make a new one but added sushi I didn't order to it! Use cash as well, I used cash but my friend that used her card was charged twice! And they still haven't fixed it yet. They aren't speaking Japanese, it's Korean. Most Japanese places around here are Korean owned. That's why you see Korean food like kimchee, etc on the menu too.

    (2)

  • Juliana Y.

    Had a great time. Food was good and fresh. The place was really busy but they handled it well. We had the all you can eat special for 27 bucks. It was well worth it. The owner came around and took free saki shots with us and made sure everything was okay. I will go back again.

    (4)

  • Liz A.

    I went there today with my boyfriend for a rainy day lunch. The environment was great, as soon as we walked in the door there was a space heater on us, which on this chilly day was a relief. We where quickly sat at the sushi bad and served up some not too bad sake. We ordered two heavy rolls, there mexican rolls was large and in charge. Topped with avocado (that actually had taste) and a sweet sauce. It was the Lobster Volcano that was visually amazing. The creamy and delicious california roll topped with lobster and a creamy sause sits on a flaming plate. Seriously, take off any sweater or jacket you have on. We left a warm softly lit restaurant, full of great food, feeling great. Isn;t that what's important about a place?

    (4)

  • rachel c.

    POSITIVES: Decor was nice and inviting. NEGATIVES: Service was Horrible. Our server had a horrific demeanor, and did not particularly subscribe to good customer service -- we constantly felt rushed and we were pressured to eat rice or we would be charged extra (even though we ordered a la carte and had no plans to order additional sushi). For an all-you-can menu, the choices were decent but the quality of the fish was not up to par compared to other local places. In particular, the eel and mackerel were not very good. There are no small condiments accompanying the sushi (chili sauce or ponzu), so if you like your sushi with just rice and fish, then it's not a concern. Someone else in our party got a chef mixed sashimi. He said the salmon was good but was quite small in quantity compared to the price to other places. The yellow-tail had ice flakes on it, which is an amateur mistake for a sushi restaurant. Overall, mediocre food and poor service will need to improve significantly before I return. If you venture here, I would not expect too much for the money you spend. Try another sushi place in the local area (see other posts by me) before trying Tomoyama.

    (1)

  • Misty A.

    this restaurant had by far the worst customer service I have ever encountered. Went to dinner for my sister's birthday and after over 1 hour of not receiving our sushi, and noticing that people who sat down and ordered after us were getting their meals, we started to question the waitress. They were very rude and after having to question the waitress we asked to speak to the owner who then came to our table and was clearly drunk. After trying to talk rationally with the owner, he then begins to pour us shots of sake (without checking any of our ID's). we declined the 'free' liquor and told him to cancel the rest of our order that we had not yet received. He agreed with that and then 10 mins later the rest of our order was brought to the table...... Bill time came and nothing was discounted or taken off the bill (even the order I asked to get taken off and did not want any longer). We told the waitress that we were not going to pay for the full bill when our order took close to 2 hours to receive and we wanted to then again speak to the owner. We requested to speak to him several times regarding the bill and he would not talk to us. We paid for the full bill and left. We were treated very disrespectfully and devalued as customers. I will never return to this restaurant again.

    (1)

  • ed k.

    Best Sushi & Japanese food around, the waitresses are very nice & are there for you when you need something, the owner is very fun and make's the whole experience one you will enjoy, oh yeah and the food is great.

    (5)

  • Peaceful S.

    i used to drive an hour to go to my favorite sushi place in OC, so going to some sushi place in an area i was staying (i'm just visiting from out of town, but used to live in encinitas), i didn't expect a lot. the sushi chefs were very "business like" with an exception of one guy... they were not the type you would carry on a good conversation while enjoying your sushi. (i'm a bit biased because i am from japan!) the concept of sushi is not "bigger piece of sushi is better than the small one", it's all about the quality, which wasn't that bad. i could have given 3 stars IF the wait staff was more at tentative and friendly. they were just busy going back-n-forth from the sushi bar carrying plates of sushi to the tables. they should be looking to see if a refill is needed for your tea, etc... i'd say, this is a place to have a quick lunch during your work week.

    (2)

  • Brian P.

    I've been here three times now, and each time the Sushi has been good and consistent. If you are into more contemporary style sushi with the different types of rolls, then this place has it. It also scores well in my book with hefty pieces of sashimi, and fresh fish overall. That being said, the level of service is mediocre at best. The first two times I went, I sat at the bar so it was alright, this last time we sat at a booth, and they forgot about us. We finally flagged someone after 15 or so minutes to get our drink order and our meal order. When we were done eating, we had to flag them down again to get our check, and once again, get their attention when we wanted to pay.

    (3)

  • paul m.

    Had lunch here with co-workers and experienced unbelievably horrible service. They forgot to serve a rainbow roll, and still charged us for it even after we pointed it out. My "Sprite" was pure carbonated water. Our sushi plates did not come with any ginger. They took forever to give us our bill, and then I had to ask 3 times to give me my credit card back!! Wait staff here is not attentive at all. Food was mediocre. Will not eat here again.

    (1)

  • larry m.

    I had lunch at Tomoyama and went with the fish katsu bento combination which came with 5 pieces of fish, 4 pieces of california roll, rice, veggie and shrimp tempura, 2 pot stickers, a salad, miso soup and a small bowl of edamame. It was a lot of food for $8.95. The place was clean the service was fast and friendly (but there were only two other tables filled). Next time I'm going to try the sushi lunch combo.

    (4)

  • Lacey R.

    tomoyummmy!!

    (5)

  • Dianne R.

    I have been hearing about this place for a few weeks so decided to head over there for a quick bite. I sat at the bar and had nice service and delicious sushi. I enjoyed it and would recommend it to those people who are tired of paying $$$$$ for decent rolls. It is a welcome addition to this part of North County.

    (4)

  • Sharon B.

    I have been to Tomoyama several times. The sushi is good...except this last time. We ordered a couple of the baked rolls and they came out burned and hard (and they still served them to us). That is about it for the "good". More often than not the service is horrible. The last time my friends and I went the service was so slow that other tables around us turned over 4 and 5 times before we were even done. What should have been an hour and a half meal turned into nearly three!!! We kept having to ask for refills on our waters, ask when/where our food was. Several people who ordered after us received their food long before us. When we would inquire about our food, the server (and even Manager) would say ok and then move on to bussing another table or smoozing another customer. Sadly, this is not the first time this happened, but will definately be the last!!! We tried to give them the benefit of the doubt that the last time we were there they were just busy, but it wasn't even busy this time!

    (1)

  • Thomas S.

    First time visit New Year's Day. Really impressed at quality of sushi. Great atmosphere, owner at bar livening things up. Will definitely return.

    (4)

  • Denise C.

    One of my favorites, I'm literally here every week! The fish here is super fresh and they have a long list of fun specialty rolls. The staff is great, especially the sushi chefs. Sit at or near the sushi bar at dinner and expect it to be lively. Order a drink and the chefs might encourage a group shot from the whole bar. If you are not into the loud, lively atmosphere, you can opt for a booth and be far enough away to enjoy the delicious food. My top selections: Albacore Nigiri - to die for! You get two huge pieces of melt in your mouth albacore covered in a beautiful and zesty marinated onion medley that I could eat all day. Lemon roll - salmon and yellow tail on California with lemon slices Oh! No roll - ono, scallop, crab & cucumber Carlsbad roll - this is a big roll good for sharing. Salmon, tuna, albacore, crab, cucumber and crunch flakes all on top of shrimp tempura, gobo, masago and green onions. Salmon skin hand roll - I call this my sushi bacon. They fill the nori roll to the brim with perfectly warm/salty/crunchy/yummy salmon skin with cold crunchy cucumber and a lining of rice and i can't get enough of this simple but perfect combo.

    (5)

  • Jim E.

    Was hesitant to go after reading several reviews. Still a friend went 3 days ago & said it was great. So we went..... Got there about 6:45 thurs. eve. Waited to be seated (5 mins). That's fair as they we're busy. Got our drinks fast & sushi order shortly after. All good. Ordered three rolls. 1 average but the other two we're better than average "Carlsbad roll" & " Super Mex roll" . I will be back for sure. This place ether made a change in their operation or some Yelpers have miss judged this place. Seriously.

    (4)

  • Christine S.

    Good American style sushi, great service Like other reviewers have said, this is a good sushi place for a wide variety of sushi and rolls- has quite a few creative selections, along with the standards. If you really are a purist, then you'll have to drive 30 miles south to sushi ota. All you can eat options are good- $23 for lunch, $26 for dinner- you can easily get your money's worth. All the fish was fresh and prepared to order (not like some of those buffets!) Our servers were friendly and made sure we were well taken care of. Use coupons in the local flyers for !0% off lunch or 20% off dinner.

    (4)

  • Denis s.

    had happy hour there today. the edamame was sent back twice-something wrong with it. sushi was mediocre wine old ...have eaten there often over the years...disappointed

    (2)

  • Tiffany O.

    We were staying at La Costa near Tomoyama and one of the valets recommended it. We went, the food was great. After dinner and a few drinks, we asked for a cab to take us home. Apparently there are no cabs in Carlsbad so the restaurant owner gave us a ride back to our hotel. We were floored! Great sushi and a ride home. Nice!

    (5)

  • Beverly A.

    One of the only sushi places that was close to where I worked, so I came here a couple times. This place is clean, and the staff is friendly - I'll give it that. I went twice for lunch - one time was after 12 and it was crazy busy but we were out within the hour. Another time I went a little before noon and the service was on point.. obviously the lunch rush is a factor.. the lunch specials are pretty good and the deals are decent - but the rolls have more than average the amount of rice.. the Ramen (... wait for it.. was ABSOLUTELY HORRIBLE!!) Their ramen is slightly.. i mean SLIGHTLY a step up from top ramen, perhaps a Japanese branded top ramen straight out of the box. It was HORRIBLE! It's over priced ramen since the mild or spicy (the only two options you have) are both roughly $9.00, so don't waste your time or money trying it.. if you've had real ramen before, you WILL be disappointed - GUARANTEED! my coworker had the teriyaki chicken bento box and he said the chicken wasn't too great either.. I also had a hand roll which was pretty good.. not too much fish though and the pieces of fish were of average size. All in all, if i were in the area and were craving sushi - i might give this place a try - but i've had WAY better elsewhere.

    (2)

  • Nathan V.

    Worst service I've ever experienced. Food was average at best. Poor presentation. Unorganized and chaotic atmosphere. Disappointing.

    (1)

  • Nicole R.

    The owner, Andy is fun and does a good job when he is there. His hired servers are awful. Sushi chefs are fine. We've dined here 5-10 times over the years. But for the price it's not worth it. Service needs to be tightened. Servers are "ditsy" and more often than not one of our orders is extremely late or forgotten. The food is descent, yet inconsistent. The atmosphere is typically fun and family friendly. I see he is opening a second location in South Carlsbad near La Costa and RSF Road. Please focus on quality and better service then we will go back.

    (3)

  • Joseph Y.

    Taste: 3 Value: 4 Service: 3 Came here for a team lunch and had a lot of sushi. Though it was slow to get out of the kitchen, it did come consistently afterwards. The sushi was good, though a couple of their wraps were lose and fell apart after picking it up. I would recommend the "super mexican roll," "salmon roll," and the "TNT roll." The spider roll was a disappointment, and the other tempura fried rolls were mediocre. The service was pretty good to start, but waned as the meal went on. The waiters were trading off who would take care of us and neither seemed enthusiastic as time went on. Value was pretty good. We ate until we were stuffed and it was only about $22 per person.

    (3)

  • Matthew L.

    Not what it once was 3 years ago when they had all you can eat. That's gone. They do have many roll options and they taste fine but not the deal for the money it once was.

    (3)

  • Geoffrey P.

    Last two visits here have been really good. It is located in a strip mall, but the inside is nicely decorated and the service is nice. Food is very good and although I don't understand how the happy hour works, 40% off. Favorite: Rainbow Roll (Lots of great fish).

    (4)

  • Alan K.

    I do not know why this place is categorized as Korean, but it is definitely Japanese. You could hear the workers speaking all in Japanese, so that's a good sign for authentic Japanese food. This place is at the corner of a shopping center. When you first walk into it, it suddenly becomes quite dim inside. Please be aware that the lunch specials are available 7 days a week, so our meal, even though it was on a Sunday was relatively inexpensive. My expectations were exceeded. I didn't know whether this place could produce good sushi especially in Carlsbad, but it sure did. The sashimi that I ate was very tasty.

    (4)

  • Melissa M.

    Great happy hour 7 days a week! Tasty sushi. Service a little slow, but not bad. Had to ask for water refills. Will be back!

    (4)

  • Paula D.

    This place was just kind of average. I ordered jalapeno appetizer (fried with shrimp and cream cheese) and two hand rolls. The hand rolls were spicy Tuna and Garlic hamachi. The Jalapeno appetizer was dry and bland. I also ordered two hand rolls, one a garlic hamachi, the other a spicy tuna. They delivered the hand rolls and one was a standard roll. meh. I asked for the second as a hand roll and the waitress whisked them both away. The Tuna came back and the garlic hamachi arrived shortly after. I can't blame the waitresses as they were on top of everything Great service, Meh food

    (2)

  • Bailey B.

    The food is AMAZING but I've had so many times that the service has been ehhhh. The food is 100% worth it though, whether you're dining in, or taking out!

    (4)

  • Andy C.

    I'm such a princess when it comes to sushi, and I am always down for trying a new place, and I must say that this place is awesome. I came here today with my friend and we had dinner. This was amazing. we were seated in a booth and greeted with warm decor and wonderful host. We got seated at a booth and our server, Jeff, was amazing and super nice. and kind of really super cute too!!! We were greeted with warm edamame and a wonderful greeting and nice cold waters. YUM! hahaha He really helped us out on decideing what kind of rolls we wanted to eat with our meals. Usually, what my friend and I do is we each order a dinner dish and then we order a roll each with our meal. We came here today after seeing that there was a coupon in the Clipper Magazine and dined. I ordered the Sesame Chicken dish. It came with miso soup, salad, and rice. This dish really reminded me of a orange chicken dish but more crunchy. My friend ordered the Salmon Teriyaki. It was a really small piece of fish, but still delicious. The food came out on a hot plate and served on top of a cabbage dish. The sushi that we ordered was a caterpillar roll (something safe) and then we tried the TNT roll. The TNT roll was a spicy tuna roll with seared tuna on top of the roll. They were both really really delicious and great. The clipper magazine had a coupon and it was 20% off our entire meal for dinner. Our meal with the two different sushi rolls in total cost us about $40 but then with the coupon, we had a bill that totaled $30 and some odd cents. Being the awesome people we are, we added everything and tipped ad if the coupon weren't even there. Dinner was great, and I will totally be coming back here again and dining. I hope Jeff will be working there, so that he can be my server again!!!

    (3)

  • Diana L.

    Last 2 times I have been so disappointed. The service was awful and it seems like the food is going down hill. I had to send back the spicy chicken it was inedible. Ice tea was awful and diet coke was flat!

    (2)

  • Scott K.

    I have been to lots of Sushi places and I am a regular here. Bottom line the Sushi is really good.I agree the service could be better but is is by no means poor. You want good Sushi this is a good spot..

    (4)

  • Justin A.

    Typically, we go to Sushi House in Encinitas - but we are closer to Tomoyama and decided last night to give it a try. The Sushi bar is a bit crammed but I liked it right away. Nice ambiance and a great couple of Sushi chefs really made this place great for us. The sushi was fresh from the Salmon, Tuna, and Octopus and we even had some of the house special rolls. We tried the Lobster Volcano Roll and it was excellent! My wife and I will be returning to this restaurant for sure. I will be checking out there very reasonable happy hour next time! Pros: - Fresh Fish - Nice Ambiance - Entertaining Sushi Chefs - Pricing (reasonable) Cons: - Short Happy Hour - Cramped Sushi Bar - Parking is tight

    (5)

  • Lovely L.

    Great location. Good sushi. Good happy hour. Terrible service in the dining room the last 2 visits. The wait staff is not friendly. The girl who sat us didn't smile and didn't seem like she wanted to be there. As a result, we had to ask 2 different employees passing by for another beer and To order more sushi. Then yet another staff member came by to set our check down our check before our last roll arrived but none of them seemed too stoked to be there. Super disappointing!

    (3)

  • Jennifer M.

    This is where my husband and I find ourselves going for date nights. We're both sushi lovers and they have a wide variety of yummy dishes. We like the specials but our faves are caterpillar, super Mexican, with hot green teas! I hope they stay around for a loooong time!

    (4)

  • Greg S.

    Very fresh fish! Portions are reasonable for the price on sashimi. Bento options are very popular for lunch as are the sashimi combos. Service can sometimes be slow when busy.

    (5)

  • Celina M.

    Carlsbad roll and BSCR are our fave. Always consistent and awesome lunch specials and Happy Hour. Plus, Mateo is the man!

    (5)

  • Liz L.

    I seem to be cursed on Sundays with sushi. After a Friday and Saturday of drinking and eating like crap, Sunday afternoon rolls around and I want something delicious and relatively healthy. Enter my sushi craving...and never ending frustration that every single sushi place I go to isn't open for lunch on Sundays. But now I have Tomoyama!!!!!!! My husband and I went here for lunch yesterday and daaaaaamn gina, it was delish! and cheap! i got more than I could eat for $8 (bento box lunch special) and everything was tasty and fresh. The service was great and speedy, and the ambiance is even pretty cool. I'll admit the bento box ended up not being as healthy as I had hoped, what with the gyoza and tempura, but I couldn't resist it and ate it all. I am SO STOKED to find a sushi place open for lunch on Sunday. They advertise a pretty bangin' happy hour too, which I haven't had first hand but plan to pretty soon.

    (5)

  • Lindsey P.

    HAPPY HOUR = HECK YES! This review is on Happy Hour alone.... The service during happy hour (3:30-5:30 on weekdays) is what you would expect. Servers that are slightly, but apparently annoyed that you are close to the end of 50% off sushi hour and don't want to waste their time. Sushi is pretty straightforward and yummy! It is really fun to come here with a group and share sushi - sometimes you get a really attentive server, sometimes they are...not-so attentive! Good luck! I really do enjoy visiting this restaurant and have many times - I love having the break from work to have an order of sashimi and relax for a few! Will definitely return happily and recommend!!

    (4)

  • Blake R.

    I just moved up to the area and gave this place a try early on a friday night. Expectations were low going to a place in a strip mall, but we were plesantly surprised: -The sushi was very good -Great value -Friendly staff -Nice, casual environment once you're inside Parking is tough with the theater next door and we wish there was a patio. Overall great experience will be back for sure!

    (5)

  • J P.

    This is our favorite sushi spot- my wife and I love to sit at the bar - the chefs are great, the food is good, the service from the waitresses that bring your drinks and soup is ""ok"" - overall, we really like it. The owner is very nice and occasionally likes to come around and serve everyone at the bar a glass of very good cold saki... yummyness all around. We always leave happy! Well, since I wrote this a few months back the food is still awesome, but there seems to be a lot of turnover with the sushi chefs- if you sit at the bar, you might ask to avoid the middle station (where most sushi places put the guy in charge of making orders for the dining room as well as a couple customers at the bar) - hopefully they'll improve, but the last few times they haven't been as attentive as the old crew. The waitresses, on the other hand, they've actually gotten better... go figure!

    (4)

  • Brian M.

    Good food but okay service. At least the food made up for it. Good spicy tuna and Carlsbad roll were excellent! I was just really turned off by the customer service. The food took awhile to get to us and it took 15 minutes to get some water... But hey, if you're there to socialize and enjoy good food, this is the place!

    (4)

  • Eric K.

    The food is great! The service and atmosphere is very so-so. Its very hard to get a drink even at the sushi bar. It is also very rushed which is very counter intuitive for a sushi bar. I would go back but only for take out. If you want to go have a great adult time at dinner... go somewhere else.

    (3)

  • JöHnNy A.

    :-) I've been here a few times. and yes.. my first visit was underwhelming. But the last two times I was here I was impressed. They changed their menu... Added a lunch special that consisted of: Items from side A and order of items from side B. what I order is the Salmon skin roll from Side A and the Dragon roll from side B.. It cost me $10.57 or so... Yeah.. I know odd pricing..but it works. With those beautifully presented rolls, which are just as tasty as they look... you get miso soup, soy bean appetizer (edamame) and light salad.. yes.. ALL for $10.57... On side A there are about 8 items to choose from and about 10 from side B so you won't get bored... and let me tell ya, the portions are considerable. I'm impressed. They made a change and did something different. For all the nay sayers, come back and give them a second chance. My first visit was like a 1 or 2 star experience. Like you, I wasn't gonna return.. I had the same exact gripes.. big EMPTY place, with slow, and poor customer service. The sushi was just mediocre as well. My last two visits along with the new menu is a 4 star deal. Nice going Tomoyama.. you've managed to bring me back! 4 Woofs! If I get fat its YOUR fault.

    (4)

  • Rebecca N.

    This review is for the AYCE sushi. I've had better, There was too much rice in the rolls and most were Cali rolls with fish on top which means it's mostly filler...

    (2)

  • Kevin N.

    This is a hard review to post because their food and environment is great. The prices and specials are excellent. Unfortunately the service is not good. If I bring friends here I tell them that the food is good but don't expect much service. Just eat good food ,enjoy the sake, but don't expect to see a waiter very often. In my opinion it's worth it as long as you know what you are getting into,

    (4)

  • April M.

    Peter: Lois, I need $28,000 dollars. Lois: For what? Peter: I've decided I want to open a sushi restaurant. Lois: What do you know about sushi? Peter: I don't care about the sushi. I just want to yell at customers when they walk in the door. "IRASSHAIMASEEEE! HAJIMEMASHITEEEE!" Family Guy, I frickin' love you. Marry me. - - - If you're the type that has to order California rolls at every sushi restaurant because "IT'S LIKE OMG! THE BEST THING EVER!" and/or a fan of sushi rolls that are deep fried, coated in tempura bits and drenched in sauce, you'd probably think Tomoyama (YO MAMA!) is awesome. Tomoyama (YO MAMA!) is THE perfect example of your ubiquitous Americanized sushi joint. The fish at Tomoyama (YO MAMA!) was neither fresh nor good quality. The best thing I had at Tomoyama (YO MAMA!) was the edamame and a cup of hot green tea. I am NOT kidding. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised when a restaurant has a giant banner hanging outside advertising their daily special - 50% off your entire order before 6:30pm, 30% off after 6:30pm! Eh, my bad. Word to yo mama!

    (2)

  • C W.

    White House Roll is delicious!

    (4)

  • A P.

    Most places charge extra for real crab in a california or other roll. I've seen an average of about $4 extra. When I called here to order for takeout, and asked for real crab, I was told it was going to be "like $9 more." The girl sounded like she new it was too much, too. I said I was going to call back. I decided to go with it because others wanted something there (sounded good, was just ok) and called back. I got a different woman this time, who then told me real crab would be $12 extra. I told her I was just told it would be $9. She said no, it's market prices, it's $12. I told her I'd just called 5 minutes ago, and was told $9; she said she would check. several minutes later she told me it was $12.50. I was in an "F it" type of mood at this point and just said yes to the real crab on the one roll I was thinking about it for. When we went to pick it up, we were brought someone else's order and receipt. We had to wait another 20 minutes for our order to then come out, some 45 minutes after calling it in and being quoted 15-20 minutes. The sushi was just ok, nothing special. Will go elsewhere.

    (1)

  • Dave L.

    Overall an 'okay' and just average experience at Tomoyama last night. However, the fish was fresh, the tempura light and snappy, the beer was cold and the service luke warm. If you're like most people, a great night out for sushi is contingent on the personality of the hitami-san and wait staff and the hopefully pseudo-religious experience lubricated with a little beer and sake. The sushi chefs get a 4/5 star rating but the staff is lacking. Dining room service is almost always a challenge for the larger sushi bars and teppan yaki style establishments. While the food arrived in a timely manner and the waiter only forgot one sushi order, all-in-all, not as fun as grabbing sushi-to-go at the local grocery store and sitting in front of the TV watching my fave Iron Chef. Will I return? Perhaps next year after a beef, turkey and stuffing-ridden Thanksgiving week driving my craving for something a little lighter.

    (3)

  • Marcio B.

    Best happy hour specials on Sushi!

    (4)

  • Matt M.

    Great sushi,nice people and the best of all its walking distance to my house . The owner (Andy) is there all the time,super nice guy.He brings sake bottle to everyones table and drinks with you.great guy

    (5)

  • Jessica E.

    my husband used to eat here all the time when he lived in Carlsbad, and we were in the area over the weekend and tried it. some very cool rolls! i had the "monkey" which was perfect for me, i think that had snapper too which was quite a find for sushi joints in this price range around here, in my experience. we split the "white house" which is a creative take on a Philly, was really happy with that, buttery and melty! my boo got the "super Mexican" which was gargantuan but he really liked it. i'm not a fan of softshell crab, so i didn't try it. i would come back! sure the table service was a little slow, but our waitress was friendly and the manager asked if we were trying to make a movie in case we needed our order expedited which was above and beyond, and do you know how sucky of a job waiting tables is? i wish people would just maybe take that into account before thinking servers are just these object fixtures for them and not people who have to work really hard to make a living and put up with some really terrible things on a regular basis. oh yeah, the fried tofu was really good, and ponzu is ideal for dipping it in, in my opinion, not sure i understand complaints about sauces lol. anyway, we live in america so i would expect for us to have americanized sushi joints as well, and this one fits the bill with some generous servings, lovely plating, and creative flavor combos.

    (4)

  • Andrew S.

    Good sushi, but nothing amazing. Go during happy hour, at the discounted price the rolls are a steal. There are better places for a date, but if you live nearby and just want clean, reasonable sushi - its a great place to be

    (4)

  • Darren T.

    The food here is edible... barely. We were here with a party of 8 for a friend's bday on a Saturday evening. We had reservations, but had we not I doubt there would have been a wait. Bad sign already. Servers were really nice and were on top of things. I ordered the 3 item combo as I wanted to try a bit of everything. Other things I tried were the spicy chicken and the yellowtail roll. The 3 items I chose in my combo were salmon teriyaki, tempura, and a third item that was so bad I dont even remember what it was. Maybe beef donburi? Anyway, salmon was bland, overcooked and tasteless. The tempura was okay. The shrimp was slightly underdone for a tempura but I didn't mind too much. The last item i got was just bad. The rice is also overcooked and mushy. The spicy chicken was just a chicken stir fry with siracha. That's it. The yellowtail roll was bland. Fish lacked the sweetness (or any flavor at all for that matter). Edible? Yes. Good? NO! I'm assuming Carlsbad may be lacking in quality sushi restaurants with the 4 star reviews it's getting.

    (2)

  • Alice C.

    I don't understand how this restaurant can have a 3.5 star rating o.O I came here cause I was in the area so I thought I'd give it a try. I ordered the Agedashi Tofu, Gyoza, and the dragon roll. The dipping sauce for the tofu was so bad, it was just a lot of sesame oil mixed with soy sauce -_- which is not how the sauce is supposed to be. The tofu itself wasn't even hot and the tofu was too firm. Just when I thought I'd never have to taste the bad sauce again, the same sauce came out with the gyoza -_-. I asked the waitress for vingegar and they said they dont have any -.- which is so strange. Then I asked for teriyaki sauce cause I couldn't handle the sesame oil anymore. And it took a long time for them to get the teriyaki sauce. The gyoza were good but a little too oily. The sushi rice was too hard and the avocado wasn't fresh. The staff was nice but the food was was bad so I won't come back again.

    (2)

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Map

Opening Hours

  • Mon :11:30 am - 9:00pm

Specialities

  • Takes Reservations : Yes
    Delivery : Yes
    Take-out : Yes
    Accepts Credit Cards : Yes
    Good For : Lunch
    Parking : Private Lot
    Bike Parking : Yes
    Wheelchair Accessible : Yes
    Good for Kids : Yes
    Good for Groups : Yes
    Attire : Casual
    Ambience : Casual
    Noise Level : Average
    Alcohol : Beer & Wine Only
    Outdoor Seating : No
    Wi-Fi : Free
    Has TV : Yes
    Dogs Allowed : No
    Waiter Service : Yes
    Caters : No

Tomoyama Sushi

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