About Soichi
There are sushi restaurants that serve omakase, and then there is Soichi. The distinction matters. Located on Adams Avenue in the University Heights neighborhood — far from the tourist corridors of downtown, deliberately off the obvious path — Chef Soichi Kadoya operates a 14-seat counter that earned its Michelin star not through ambition or marketing, but through the kind of quiet, unwavering excellence that the Guide was invented to find.
Kadoya's approach is strict in the best sense. The eight-course omakase runs $135 per person and does not deviate from the principles of Edomae sushi: pristine fish, precisely seasoned rice, the chef's own judgment about what arrives and when. There are no nontraditional rolls, no concessions to trend. What you receive is what Kadoya believes is worth serving on that specific evening, sourced from the same suppliers he has trusted for years and prepared with a technique forged over two decades in San Diego kitchens, including his foundational years at the legendary Ota Sushi.
The intimacy of the space amplifies everything. Fourteen seats means that conversation with Kadoya is not an option but an inevitability — and he is a generous host, forthcoming about his sourcing and his reasoning, happy to explain why a particular cut of yellowtail from one fisherman is superior to another. Regulars return not just for the fish but for the education, which comes without ceremony and without condescension.
Reservations release on the first of each month at noon PST for the following month and fill within minutes. Groups are capped at six. The restaurant is closed Monday and Tuesday. These constraints are not obstacles — they are what make a seat at Soichi worth planning around.