Sushi USA

How could anyone write a review of this place on January 3^rd 2011 when it closed last year?

I will not go again… just not good…

i’m sorry but i should have known. i should have retreated back to the car when I saw only 1 table sitting in this restaurant on a friday night.
the dishes that we ordered was not worthy of my time to write about (yes, it’s that bad)
okay fine. i’ll mention this. since the downfall started w/​this dish :
Spicy Scallop Roll was so fishy that even my dog will know it was not fresh.
I spoke to the korean lady who apparently was the only sushi chef there. she said they’ve own this restaurant for 9 yrs.
wow, i dunno how this restaurant can be up and running for this long if they continued to serve such bad quality fish. As i sat there for the night, i saw a few people coming in, picking up their To Go orders.
we ordered three rolls. but apparently she was too busy talking to her friend that she didn’t make our 3^rd roll. I decided to tell her that i want to cancel the order. To my surprise, she just seemed she didn’t care enough if we were there. i think she’s okay w/​losing customers. And when I told her that the scallops aren’t fresh, she just sorta apologized and acted like whatever.
friendly service? i think not. she doesn’t even know how to treat customers, in my opinion. She wasn’t attentive to us and we’re the only people sitting at the sushi bar — it’s not like the place was packed.
At other places, i would think they would sincerely apologize for the long wait for our 3^rd roll and compensated us for the not fresh scallops. Here at Sushi USA. NOTHING.
sorry but i will not come here again. i didn’t even feel welcomed, I honestly felt like she had the mentality of «whatever. i’ll just lose a customer, oh well. »

I may not be the sushi connoisseur others are but I do know when something seems fishy about the food i’m eating. This place definitely falls under that category.
What we ordered: Spicy Scallop Roll, Albacore Roll, and a Rainbow Roll. What we ended up getting? Spicy Scallop Roll, 10 minutes to eat that roll, and then a rainbow roll. We ended up cancelling the albacore roll.
It started with the Spicy Scallop Roll. I don’t like things that are too fishy tasting. Those dried cuttlefish snacks for example make me want to yak. So when we got the spicy scallop roll, the scallops had no «spice» for the spicy aspect and the scallops were VERY bad. So bad to the point where if I ate more than one piece, I’d have seen the first piece right away coming up. My lady and I went and even she couldn’t eat it. It gave her a stomach ache after eating 3 pieces. We told the sushi chef about it and her excuse was, «Oh different companies have different quality». Okay… thanks? We weren’t expecting a discount or anything but we wanted her to at least acknowledge the fact that the scallops were bad.
After sitting there for 10 minutes, she finally started making the rainbow roll. I can understand she was busy making to-​go orders but dude, we’re right there! A couple people came in for to go orders after we ordered, and their orders were processed first. Okay wtf.
This ironically worked out for the better though. After we split the rainbow roll (which was also the worse rainbow roll I’ve eaten with luke warm fish, brown avocado on the inside, and mushy rice) the sushi chef was talking to someone else who came in. She was actually talking to her for a good 15 minutes. We then proceeded to interrupt the conversation and said we were going to cancel the last roll.
All I can say is what the heck. CRAPPY service, even worse food. The highlight of the food for the night was the french fries at the McD’s across the street. I’m sorry Sushi USA. When it comes to sushi, I now know how bad it can get because of you.
I guess I should have known to abort when we walk in and see only 2 people in the restaurant.

Friendly service, fair prices, great food.
They will be moving within the next 2 weeks — the woman there is taking down phone numbers to inform customers of where when it is decided!

Got take out once. I was worried – it’s next to a Denny’s. But actually it was ok. Big portions, tasted pretty fresh. Not the neatest rolls etc. I’ve ever seen, but if I’m getting take-​out in a box, I really only care about how it tastes, not how it looks. Actually they have a drive-​thru window! My first drive-​through sushi ever.
I would go there again for a quick lunch or something.

Okay for sushi. Nice people, clean restaraunt.

I was so disappointed. I have wanted to try this place for a long time since reading the reviews on here. We went on date night and it sucked. It was a very slow night. There was only one other couple there. One lady was the hostess, waitress and sushi chef. We like to get the specialty rolls. The menu is very limited and has no descriptions of the 4 or 5 specialty rolls they do have. We did get free edamame, no free fruit or crab like everyone on Unilocal raves about. All of our sushi should have been called the mayonnaise roll. We got four different rolls and they all were oozing with mayo. Do yourself a favor and drive one more block to Sushihana (
) You’ll save money and it’s yummy.

what a lovely sushi restaurant. the outside of the restaurant is a little strange as it used be a Taco Bell, but they did a great job of morphing the interior atmosphere. a lovely and hardworking asian couple run the restaurant together.
edamame and fresh fruit are complimentary every time i come to have dinner here which is always a nice surprise.
the sushi is fresh and yum!
definitely a great spot for the Rancho Penasquitos area!

Taste: 2
Value: 3.5
Service: 2.5
I’ve been here a couple of times and I don’t feel that quality of food has improved much over the years. The owners are also the sushi chefs. They do the best they can, but the quality that comes out just isn’t that good. The rolls don’t always stay together and the seaweed is often soggy and chewy instead of crisp and fresh. It was pretty empty tonight and the service also suffers now that there is one bus boy that cleans up after you, runs the food, and also seats and takes your drink orders.
My advice would be to retake some sushi making classes or hire a new sushi chef.

The décor inside this little place is nicer than the outsides leads one to believe.
The service is terribly slow when it comes to ordering. However once you order your food it comes pretty quick. The rolls tasted okay but they didnt really taste like what I would expect of sushi, nor were they cut or shaped like what I would expect. Basically I got a big BLOB of rice with something in the middle. Hmmmm. I won’t be back here again.

OK. so what in the world is going on when Wonderful Sushi, where the sushi is akin to the half price, day old, pre-​made sushi at the grocery store, gets 4 and 5 stars and Sushi USA, where the sushi is fresh and the service is great, gets 2 and 3 stars?
I’ve been to Sushi USA a few times now and the sushi is always fresh, tasty and the service always excellent. Now, maybe that’s because I always bring my super cute 2 ½ year old with me and we tip really well, but I dont’ think so.
The building isn’t the prettiest and the décor could be better, but I don’t go there for the décor… I go there for the food, service and value.
I’ve been through the drive-​thru a time or two as well and though it’s weird ordering sushi through a drive-​thru lane, but why not? If you can get home quickly to enjoy some fresh sushi, what more could you ask for?
Sushi USA is a good solid choice for sushi in the Rancho PQ area.

I have eaten here twice and didn’t have an enjoyable experience either time. I am a vegetarian, so that might had made some difference, perhaps they are better at the other dishes.
When people ask me for a good local sushi place, I have never recommended this place.

we went with a bunch of friends, one of them loves this place. I Unilocaled it and saw the not so great reviews and was a little nervous. I have to say overall, the sushi was good. some of it i liked better than others, but overall good. The lobster roll was awesome, and i will definately go back for that. I’ve had better sushi, but i’ve had much worse.
I did like the salad they had in the beginning, good. The only problem that i had was not being able to understand the server at all.

Tried this spot on the way to National City and i have to say this place means well. To begn with, you get a few things that most sushi places will charge you a few bucks for. One thing though, the edamame was cold, usually it’s been served hot/​warm. Anyhow, the place i a old Taco Bell, but they have changed it enough to look somewhat different, the outside does look a bit off, but the inside is really nice, large open spaces, you can do from a party of 2 to around 12.
So i tried the Spicy Tuna Roll & one of their specials (Dynamite), which i have to say was really good, a mixture of crab & scallops baked, yea, who knew. Also tried their Philadelphia Roll, which was okay, but i think it needed some more work, i do admit that the rolls need to be somewhat better made, but they are fine as they are, the prices are not bad too.
Well when in the Area, try it out for yourself, I know there are a few reviews on here saying no no no, but then again, make it your choice, and i am sure it’s not the best sushi in San Diego, i know everyone raves that this or any other place is the best, but come on, be honest, it maybe good and all, but THE BEST…
Hope you enjoy if you try, by the way, they have a drive-​thru, what a trip, maybe if your rushing…

Still my favorite in San Diego but I am beginning to sense some cracks in the foundation.
They remain unchallenged for plate quantity. In fact they are still the only sushi bar that gives free fruit and soybeans when you sit down.
Their fish quality in also perfect.
The service has slowed and I never see the same staff twice. I think there’s lots of turnover, thus the weakening service.
Overall, an great experience… but they could be dethroned.

Not a fan. Definitely not a fan. Not fresh. Not tasty. Slow and very poor service. Fruit cups came out with flies (yes, plural) on it. Edamame was cold and soggy. Rolls all had a wierd aftertaste. Just seemed unclean — the floors, the walls, the windows. I need a hospital-​sterile feeling when I’m eating raw food. And the fact that it’s just a gutted Taco Bell is icing on the cake (or should I say, flies on the fruit). Sorry, but a drive thru does not make this place cute. Will NOT go back.
(Seems like there’s some fakies on here of the negative variety — but they are still true! Ha!)

rancho penasquitos sucks as much as mira mesa and I was practically dragged here by friends who lived in poway, which is just as shitty in my opinion.
The sushi was good, if sashimi is fresh then theres really nothing that could go wrong, assuming that the chef has proper knife skills, and he did.
My friends ordered a bunch of rolls, as usual, and they were just drenched in sauces. It was fine, I have no complaints except for the fact that I was in pq.
I hate pq as much as I hate mira mesa. Why is it called pq and not rp?

For starters when you sit down you are greeted with fresh mixture of fruit (sometimes rare Japanese type), edamame, and crab salad all served before you order. I have been coming here for years and the owners are always there. the sashimi combo is very good. the owner made us a special roll tonight when I asked her what it was she said «no name roll» it had tuna shrimp and lobster it was great. this place is great on the wallet very inexpensive and I have never left here disappointed. I will post photos of the feast.
«you try, you like»

Love this Place!
Reasons: Excellent, inexpensive and great quality Sushimi.
I love that this is a family business where husband and wife take care of their repeat customers. I always get great extras with no charge for my meal like the fruit, and the crab salad YUMMY! I know this is part of their program which to me means they really care about their customers. Even though they don’t really have a formal kids menu which is a big one for me since my daughter is 4 they will serve sticky rice and shrimp tempura; I still love this place!
I know this place may be sound weird because of the name and drive thru but don’t be misled ! I am not a big fan of their rolls. At this place get sushimi best deal in town 9.99 special