I really enjoyed CinKuni! We'd heard it was a Japanese-Italian fusion restaurant, which sounded super interesting, so we went to check it out on a recent visit to San Diego. Right away, we loved the warm vibes, cute murals on the walls, wood paneling, and bright lighting. Staff was amazing. The gentleman who filled our water glasses was like a stealth ninja waiter -- if you even so much as took a sip of water, he was suddenly at your elbow ready to top up your glass again, lol. The other staff was equally efficient, maybe not the most warm and effusively friendly, but definitely polite and super knowledgeable with great recommendations for food and drink. We also enjoyed the "Radio Bingo," which takes place on Thursdays and added a lot of fun to the experience. (We weren't expecting it, just got lucky to be there when they were doing it.) The bingo host is funny and has an epic theatrical game-show voice. The food was very good. I had the Vegan Crunchy Roll, with hearts of palm, avocado, and tempura veggies. It was also surprisingly filling. My friend had the Naomi Osaka Roll and enjoyed it. One slight disappointment was that the menu seemed to be split between Japanese offerings like sushi rolls, and Italian offerings like pasta/pizza. So it was more like two cuisine options under one roof, rather than truly a fusion between Japanese and Italian where a little bit of both cuisines are apparent in each dish. I would've loved something interesting like a Japanese-inspired pasta or something. Even so, I would go back, especially for the warm and inviting environment. read more

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I thoroughly enjoyed this place! Went last night with a best friend of mine who I haven't seen since last year and ultimately chose this place based on the fact that the menu is as multifaceted as it is. We like how we had the option to order pizza, pasta, sushi, or ramen all at one spot. The overall feel of the place is super casual and I loved the big mural on the wall and the openness of the space. We also had the cutest and sweetest server who checked in on us regularly and made me feel like she was just a friend checking in every now and then. Wish I caught her name! As far as what we ordered, my best friend had their cadillac margarita and I enjoyed my Tokyo mule for drinks. Both were refreshing and my bestie said his margarita was super strong. Lol For food, we were pleasantly surprised to be offered free bread which was a freshly toasted cream cheese roll essentially. We also had the yellowtail carpaccio, Umami Formaggio pizza, San Diego roll, and a Master Roshi roll (if I'm remembering that correctly). All the food was delicious. The sushi rolls were standard and a good size as well. I personally don't love when my sushi rolls are too large as it doesn't feel like the fish to rice ratio is right, plus I don't like having to take two bites or having to overstuff my mouth - but their portion size was great for me. We really loved the umami pizza though! The flavor was different for your standard pizza, and it was a nice and refreshing change. I think I would definitely come back just to make sure I get a good try of everything else too, since I wasn't able to try any of the noodle options like their gnocchi or ramen. One thing to note is looking through the photos here on Yelp, the menu photos haven't been updated (which I'm kicking myself for now as I should have snapped a photo to be able to add) so the menu is a lot smaller and slightly different than what you are able to refer to here. For now at least. And that's the same with food. Reading through past reviews, I guess they are transitioning through new management so I don't have any past experiences to compare to but I still think this spot is worth visiting! read more

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Super interesting concept, mixture of Italian, which Japanese food. So you can come here and order sushi and pasta. We ordered a lot of sushi and everything was great, and we had calamari to start with. Everything was delicious and fresh and can't wait to come back. read more

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This place was a fun spot. I came by around 7 PM on a Friday. They had karaoke going, which was kind of painful to sit through, but we grabbed a table outside in the back. It was pretty warm inside, so the breeze outside made it much more comfortable. Plenty of open seating, too. Our server was fantastic. I found the spot through the Walkabout app--it's a subscription where you get perks at different places around town. I got a complimentary drink, some edamame, and a shot as part of the deal. We ordered the Sanji roll, but it was drowned in sauce, which made it hard to actually taste the fish. The meatballs were great in my opinion, though my friend thought they were a bit too salty. The edamame were solid. We were charged $2 more than the price listed on the menu for the sake, but the Snow sake was great. Staff was super friendly, but the service was on the slow side. We waited about 20 minutes for the edamame and our drinks to come out, and we had to ask for plates when the meatballs arrived. Friendly vibe overall, but the delays added up. All in all, it's a cool spot with a laid-back feel, fun events, and a good variety of food. Worth checking out. Oh, and dog friendly. read more

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The food and service was amazing here! The Kuni Yaki pizza was so good and highly recommend! Will be returning! read more

CinKuni - Italian Near Me - San Diego, California

Wow! It's been a while since I've been to a place where every single item ordered was perfection. Highly recommend this place! read more

CinKuni - Sailor moon flight - Italian Near Me - San Diego, California

Sailor moon flight and gnocchi. Yum cool place nice people cool vibe. Service Thanks for the great night

So, my offspring picked two places for me to choose from for their birthday dinner, and the notion of Italian/Japanese fusion was too interesting to pass up. While I was intrigued by the wood fired pizzas, some of which have Japanese ingredients, I opted for the polpette, yellowtail carpaccio, the Sanji roll, and the Shinkansen roll, all of which were delightful. The polpette (meatballs in a ponzu marinara) were nice and big, but ponzu kind of gets lost in a marinara sauce, so good meatballs and marinara, but I wasn't getting the fusion of flavors. The carpaccio was more Japanese ingredients terms of flavor, but they're a little challenging to gracefully eat with chopsticks. The Sanji roll was on point. Nice and spicy, and the flavors really complimented each other. The Shinkansen features fried artichoke, buuuut I couldn't taste it. I wasn't terribly surprised by this, as artichoke has a very mild flavor, and it got lost with the heavy sauces and other flavors. I wouldn't order it again, but I also wouldn't turn down a piece if someone else did. My permanent date had the San Diego roll, which was nice. My offspring elected to try the Gnocchi Urbino, and in this case, they had a winner because the shiitake mushrooms hold up nicely in a Gorgonzola cream sauce with pancetta. Since we were there, we were treated to the limoncello cake, which was a refreshing and light dessert, perfect for finishing off your meal. I will definitely be returning, if only to try more of their offerings. They've also got some evening events which would be pretty fun for a date. read more

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A few weeks ago was the second time I had CinKuni. I had a pick up order and was surprised at how much sushi I had gotten. They were super quick and the rolls were delicious! read more

CinKuni - sushi - Italian Near Me - San Diego, California

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We had a great time at the Wednesday night music bingo happy hour! They do happy hour all day on Wednesdays, and it's a great time with affordable prices and delicious drinks/food. We had an attentive server who offered us Hard Kombucha samplers and free cream cheese bread. This place has a homey vibe and id recommend to anyone! read more

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poke nachos are solid! great staff, clean, love the ambiance and how they're playing the game on a projector! will definitely be back for the sushi tacos read more

CinKuni - poke nachos are solid! - Italian Near Me - San Diego, California

As a long time Yelp reader, my experience was negative enough to prompt me to write my first review. We came to the Saturday night comedy show, so we were seated in the back patio and placed our drink and food order before the show. After receiving our drinks, an hour and a half passed. Our food never came out, and we did not see our server until after the show ended. He never came to check on us, to check on whether we wanted more drinks, to check on whether our food came out right. Instead, the next time we saw him, he was walking around in a giant cat costume handing out stickers. We pulled him aside and asked him about our food order, and he looked both surprised and annoyed. He gave us an excuse that there were system issues, so our order never went in. He never bothered to remember that we ordered food and never bothered to check on us. I asked to speak to a manager about our issue. At first, I wanted to give them some benefit of the doubt, so I asked whether service in the back patio was completely shut down while the show was going. We had not seen a single server in the back through the entirety of the show. The manager (and the cat) responded that people generally come in to the main dining room to get food/drink, which no one (including the cat) ever told us. I couldn't help but think that they expected me to physically get up and pick up my food from the kitchen or even check that it was being made. It was clearly apparent that it was more important for our server to hand out stickers in a cat costume than to make sure customers had their food and drinks. And in true comedy show fashion, the punchline of the review: I learned that the cat was the owner of the restaurant. They did offer 60% off our two drinks, though I would have rather just paid the full price and gone about my night. At the least the comedy show was five stars, and we would love to continue supporting local comedy, but we will not be returning to Cinkuni. read more

Great environment Great service Great ass food Highly recommended with many option to choose from all being so delicious! read more

CinKuni - Italian Near Me - San Diego, California

CinKuni is a fun and unique Asian Italian fusion spot in North Park that blends creative flavors with a bold ambiance. The menu is packed with variety, including sushi rolls, sashimi, miso-infused pastas, creamy risottos, and wood-fired pizzas. There is definitely something for everyone, especially if you're into unexpected flavor pairings. The vibe is eclectic and artistic, with a cozy interior and a colorful back patio. Seating is tight and it gets busy, which adds to the energy but can feel a bit cramped. Service was friendly and attentive. Parking is tough, as is typical for North Park, and the prices are on the higher side for what you get. It is worth visiting once to enjoy the concept and atmosphere, but it probably will not make my regular rotation. read more

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Sushi is amazing! Came from Tik Tok best decision to come in to try them out. Anddd the best apple desert. read more

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Love this place :) amazing food and staff! I will definitely be back and recommend for others to try as well

Came back after 3 weeks and brought company to try the delicious food here. I will be back soon. read more

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I would say that this place is a must try. I love the ramen and we definitely light all the appetizers that we tried. The Ramen was different with flavorful Italian sausage and bacon. If you want something a little bit different, try this place. read more

When my sister and I were in San Diego, we went to this interesting restaurant. We have never been to a place that has Italian and Japanese food. We had to try this place. The service was awesome! The places seems like one of those places that you come to hang out at night with a group of friends, play a game, have some drinks and have some food. They have some games you can play. The art work on the walls is awesome. The menu is interesting and everything sounds good. I ordered the Alla Bolognese. I ordered it because the menu said it is served with fresh pappardelle pasta. Pappardelle pasta is my #1 favorite so I ignored everything else on the menu. That's why I took a picture of the menus so I can look at it later. Lol! The bolognese sauce was delicious but I was bummed because the noodles were sliced lasagna noodles. If they didn't want me to know it was lasagna, the noodles with the crimped edges should have been left out but they were mixed in. Maybe they ran out of pappardelle? If so, I wish they would have told me because then I would have ordered something different. I would totally come back here in the future to try something else though because they have so many things I would love to try. read more

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Loved the ambience so welcoming too the appetizers and sushi is delish!!! Def would come here again!! The service was quick surprisingly since they only had a server more people should def come! read more

Incredible food and service! Super comfortable space for our baby as well highly recommend getting Godzilla ramen

First time coming here for a family member's birthday party they were quick to see us. Food took a little bit longer than I thought. It would like 20 minute 25 minutes. It all looked really fresh though I ordered the Vegeta roll (vegan) it was really good. A little spicy it was perfect. Definitely will be coming back here again to try the other vegetarian options read more

CinKuni - Vegeta - Italian Near Me - San Diego, California

Didn't really have high expectations, but thought it was worth a try. I'm always a little skeptical when it comes when a restaurant has too much of a different types of cuisines. I didn't try the Italian, but didn't think the sushi was too fresh. I usually don't leave a sushi behind, but in this case it wasn't worth it. read more

CinKuni - Italian Near Me - San Diego, California

My husband and I have walked past this place a ton of times and always wanted to try it! Finally gave in today and it did not disappoint! Got some sushi and pizza that was awesome. Our server was a sweet heart and very attentive. We will be back! read more

My first time coming here after seeing it advertised on TikTok for a dragon ball z event. I have to say it was an amazing experience! Everyone was sweet and food was amazing. We will definitely be back. read more

Family owned spot with AMAZING customer service. I would definitely recommend it to anyone in San Diego! Also you have an amazing son for trying to let people know about your amazing business read more

Omg the service is the best here and the food ufffff left my plate clean. Such a nice and cozy place. Miriam was amazing, made us feel very welcoming. read more

I debated between 3 and 4 stars because I feel like overall, this place is a 3.5, but I rounded up. We came here for HH on a Wednesday and we were surprised to see that there was a dj up at the front of the restaurant which was cool. There was a man who came around and asked us if it was too loud, which was appreciated. What we got: - Dragon roll: one of the table's favorites - Spicy tuna poppers: we got 2 orders of this because we liked it a lot. It had a good kick to it! We mixed the spicy mayo type sauce with the eel sauce? and that was really good. - Panzerotti (spicy tuna): the general consensus was that this was a little too much dough and because it was fried and paired with the spicy mayo, it has that heavy feeling to it. I took the leftover home and paired it with the Thai chili sauce, which actually helped. - Teriyaki pizza: The pizza was good! The flavors worked well. Overall, a really solid pizza. - Ramen: I didn't try it, but my friends did and they were not a fan of the broth. I think they only took 4 bites and left it behind. Also, the AC was not working and it got really hot. I had a friend who went a few days later and said the same thing. read more

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just so everyone knows, this was the absolute BEST place my girlfriend and I just discovered. the service, 10/10, the food 11/10, the place/vibes 12/10, and they even gave us roses JUST BECAUSE???? as you can see, we destroyed the food as evidence by the before and after of our plates. we aren't even dessert people, and we still ordered dessert because we knew we wouldn't be disappointed. surprise! we weren't disappointed. beyond satisfied. could not recommend this place more! p.s. they host events too?!? read more

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I ordered a 300ml bottle of their shittiest sake and they charged me $40 for it. I was going to forgive their carb fusion bs but absolutely fct these guys read more

Had a quatro formagio pizza with miso, the shinkansen and the ghidorah. Was good, will be back.

Wow I was not expecting this! I hear fusion and I get turned off. Yet this isn't. It's a menu split . Had amazing sushi and this crazy gnocchi in a bread bowl that's really really good. Also they have the sakw the demon slayer at a reasonable price. Friendly waitress was amazing. I'll be back! Also a good space. read more

CinKuni - Gnocchi!! Lighting ain't great for the shot! - Italian Near Me - San Diego, California

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I had a delicious meal at CinKuni. The gnocchi urbino is fantastic. Nice, melty gnocchi in a cheesy cream sauce, served in on a "plate" of pizza bread. For me, this dish landed somewhere between elevated spaghetti bread and an ultra-rich calzone (I love both). At first glance, I wasn't sure what made the dish Asian-Italian fusion; once I dug in, I was delighted by the surprising umami bursts of shiitake against the crisped pizza dough, and really liked all the textures in this dish. After recently emerging from a wood-fired oven, the dish was piping hot, but I did find myself still dodging pinier bites of raw rosemary. The interior is very open, highlighting an awesome custom mural along the wall, but also means it got pretty loud as the restaurant filled up. This restaurant is located off the busy El Cajon Blvd, so street parking may get pretty limited, but the search is definitely worth enjoying CinKuni's unique fusion menu. I was surprised to find pasta and sushi on the same menu! My service was attentive and I was thankful for the advice on what to order, as the gnocchi was a great introduction to CinKuni. Overall, the menu had a variety of Italian-focused, Japanese-focused, and finally Italian-Japanese fusion flavors (porchetta in the ramen!). read more

CinKuni - Gnocchi Urbino! - Italian Near Me - San Diego, California

Came here with a group of friends and had a good time. The interior is very cute, well decorated, and vibey. The service is on point as well, the servers were very good at refilling the water. In terms of the food, I thought it was aight!! I thought there wasn't even enough dishes that were fusion given the japanese italian concept. The sushi, pasta, and ramen all tasted very standard to me. read more

Order caprese salad: a simple salad topped w the tastiest balsamic dressing Fresh, fresh cheese and tasty sliced tomatoes. A very simple dish, and with great ingredients, and the largest basil leaves I would definite eat here again Dressing was made in house! Cinkuni host activities! read more

The food is awesome & the staff is super friendly. Great atmosphere, they have a monthly market where you can buy hand crafted items: jewelry, crochet stuff, cups , candles, pens, lemonade, coffee, press on nails, gems for your teeth all kinds of different stuff. They also have an even calendar where you can paint and sip or even karaoke & more. I recommend this place read more

Not a bad place to get some good sushi on a Friday night. Sometimes they have events on certain nights, such as karaoke, which is always a fun time. Parking can be very hard to find; there is a parking lot behind the restaurant, but I don't know if that is for customers or for staff only. read more

Great place for a date! Maybe just not with him! We had the Raman and the mater roll and a rainbow roll. Can't speak about the Italian food but Asian is good! read more

CinKuni - Godzilla Ramen - Italian Near Me - San Diego, California

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CinKuni's our new favorite spot in the neighborhood! We usually get the Italian appetizers and entrées, but tonight we tried the Japanese dishes for the first time, and they did not disappoint. We tried the Godzilla Ramen bowl and the Master Roshi sushi and California rolls--we're stuffed! Such great flavor and portion sizes. read more

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I loved this fusion while my date didn't enjoy it as much as me. Fish was great, I liked the fusion dishes so much, my date enjoyed the more traditional dishes much more. You gotta try it read more