Best Japanese Restaurants in Carmel Valley

Fresh and delicious, outdoor partial ocean view, always a good place to enjoy Japanese meal.

Do Not Hesitate! We had just finished a 17 day trip in Japan a month previous. While visiting La Jolla for a just over a week we stumbled upon Shio on our first night in town. It was fabulous. Three days later we went back, again it was tremendous. Before leaving Shio that 2nd time we made another reservation for our last evening in town. Three visits in eight days pretty much signifies our thoughts on Shio.

Food was excellent! Didn’t order any of the ordinary sushi rolls because we wanted to try their specialty dishes which was a great choice! Their sauces and seasonings were so tasty. Ordered the OMG, Black. Cod Miso, Barrio Ceviche, Hamachi Crudo and the Octopus dish. Loved it all and will be coming back!

This place opened about 7 months ago, and it right across from the new Chef Fei restaurant which had a long line and glad we had reservations here. From the moment we walked in, we felt very welcomed. Sebastian greeted us warmly, got us seated, and shared so many great recommendations from the menu. For some reason, I wasn’t able to check in on Yelp or upload photos, but that didn’t take away from the experience at all. The service and decor were impeccable from start to finish. Everything we ordered came out fresh, beautifully presented, and full of flavor. We tried quite a few dishes, and my personal favorite was the baked snow crab wrapped in soy paper. We also had the Tomahawk short rib and Lobster Mentaiko pasta, both of which were incredibly impressive. We were a little surprised they didn’t have the miso black cod available, but to be fair, we did arrive about an hour before closing. Overall, it was a fantastic dining experience with great food, attentive service, excellent customer care, and beautiful decor. We’ll definitely be back!

Always a good experience to dine in we just had to bring my husband with our sons here for Father’s Day- my husband’s favorite place! Glad there was reservation available we went in without a wait. Fresh meats and sides as always!