16. SUSHI OTA
San Diego, CA
17. SAWA SUSHI
Sunnyvale, CA
18. NOBUO AT TEETER HOUSE
Phoenix, AZ
19. MORIMOTO
Philadelphia, PA
20. ASANEBO
Studio City, CA

16

Photo Courtesy of: Sushi Ota

Sushi Ota
San Diego, CA

4529 MISSION BAY DR.
858-270-5670
WWW.SUSHIOTA.COM

All the key indicia that you are within the confines of one of California's top sushi places are present here. The first is the location in a dreary strip mall, directly across the street from gas stations and taco stands. The second - "super-fresh, high-quality fish, including tuna, sea urchin and a number of other varieties that come from local waters," doled out in "preparations that range from classic to contemporary" - is responsible for the third: a line of people waiting for a table that usually extends out the door. Reviewers weren't as enamored with the service (one complained that they put a one-hour time limit on his meal), but if you "sit at the counter and put yourself in the chef's hands," you will enjoy what one reviewer described as "easily the best sushi between Los Angeles and the Mexican border."