My daughter and I had the opportunity to attend the soft opening of OTO tonight, and WOW -- what an incredible experience! The food was absolutely over-the-top amazing. Every dish was delicious, beautifully presented, and exceeded our expectations. The staff was just as impressive -- warm, attentive, welcoming, and genuinely made us feel special throughout the evening. You would never know this was a soft opening because everything felt so polished and well done. Such a wonderful night with my daughter, and we both left talking about how much we loved it. OTO is definitely going to be a new favorite. I can't wait to come back and try more of the menu. Highly recommend! read more

Oto Sushi Encinitas - Shrimp tempura - Japanese Near Me - Encinitas, California

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Our experience at Oto was spectacular. The ambiance is very welcoming, the service is above and beyond, and the food is amazing. Definitely get the sushi rolls and nigiri - each nigiri is specially paired with its own unique sauces. Super fun. read more

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We had such a great experience at Oto's soft opening. As with any new restaurant, have a little patience while they get up and running because the food is absolutely worth the wait. The service was very attentive, and everything we tried was delicious. We ordered the Koji Marinated Wagyu, Chef's 7 Selection Nigiri, Hamachi Crudo, Oto Salad, Snow Crab Nigiri, and Apollo Roll. Everything was fresh, beautifully prepared, and full of flavor. Such a great addition to the area. We're excited to come back and try more of the menu. Bonus for anyone who is gluten-free: they have a fully gluten-free kitchen! At the time of writing this, the kitchen was also completely nut-free. read more

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I went after they had been open for six days. I'll start with the positives. (1) the decor and ambiance are very appealing. I don't recall if there was music playing which tells me it wasn't overpowering. It was easy to maintain a conversation without having to yell. (2). The food was superb. We had a sunumono salad, some steelhead sushi and a salmon society roll. They were all fresh and absolutely delish. Now on to the needs improvement. These are all minor and will definitely improve with some time and experience. (1). The service was a bit slow. (2) no alcohol, yet. (3) they ran out of soy sauce dishes. I saw that more had been washed and put out but our server never brought us another. (4) our mocktails were not brought out until we had finished our entire meal. Overall this felt a little pricey and a bit too Los Angeles for Leucadia. read more

We attended the soft opening at Oto and everything is in place for this to become one of Encinita's favorite sushi spot - just like Oto Laguna is for the Laguna community. Oto excels at immersive hospitality. From the moment the smiling hosts greet you, you feel welcomed and appreciated as a customer. Every server has a kind word or a helpful suggestion. Even as they were working out the kinks of their first night, everyone was clearly doing their best and had a great attitude. The food at Oto is extraordinary. We had the salmon Society roll, which hit all the right notes of spicy, umami, and savory. The addition of tiny shards of crispy salmon skin make it very special. We also had two robatayaki (grilled skewers): miso cod and eggplant. Both were flavor bombs and I highly recommend them. The miso cod had delicious charred edges, and the addition of tiny segments of orange put the dish over the top. We could've eaten a giant plate of the eggplant too. Another favorite dish is the goma-ae, which is room temperature cooked spinach in an addictive miso sesame dressing. Trust me, it's amazing - but you really can't go wrong with almost anything on the menu. We are regulars at the spot in Laguna and we've tried many menu items and have never been disappointed. read more

Oto Sushi Encinitas - Salmon society roll - Japanese Near Me - Encinitas, California

Oto Sushi is one of the best sushi spots in North County San Diego. The fish is incredibly fresh, the food is consistently excellent, and everything is beautifully prepared. We've been a huge fans of the Laguna Beach location and super excited to have this location now open in Encinitas. Great atmosphere, attentive and friendly service, and a menu with plenty of options whether you want traditional sushi or something more creative. We've had a fantastic experience every time and will definitely keep coming back. A great addition to Encinitas and highly recommended! read more

Oto Sushi Encinitas - Akari Cove and Laguna Heat rolls - Japanese Near Me - Encinitas, California

We had the BEST experience at OTO Sushi in Leucadia!! Nate was absolutely amazing and truly made our night. He was so friendly, attentive, accommodating, and went above and beyond to make sure we had the best experience. Everything we ordered was delicious, and Nate had great recommendations and made the entire dinner so much fun. You can tell he genuinely cares about his guests and making sure everyone has an amazing time. We will absolutely be back!! Couldn't recommend OTO Sushi enough, and definitely ask for Nate -- he is phenomenal!! read more

Our server Nate was fantastic ! We came in without a reservation for happy hour on a busy Saturday and the hostess said no problem we'll seat you at the sushi bar. Perfect place for the 3 of us Cole was also very helpful in navigating the men u& took care of us as well as Nate. We tried several of the happy hour specials and some off the regular menu. Everything was fresh and delicious. We live down the street & r already looking forward to our next time. Welcome to the beautiful neighborhood! We love supporting the community we live in ! read more

Oto Sushi Encinitas - Tuna poke bowl the chef's special - Japanese Near Me - Encinitas, California

Sushi was fresh, unique, and delicious! Staff was all very friendly and welcoming. We'll be regulars here! read more

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My boyfriend and I visited here on their 8th day open and our experience was absolutely superb from start to finish. We were greeted as soon as we walked through the door and quickly sat at the bar. We were immediately waited on and wait staff remained attentive the entire time we were there. They were well acquainted with the menu, made excellent recommendations and checked in on us frequently. Everything came out incredibly quickly even though the restaurant was full and busy. The food was nothing short of incredible and we both agreed, it was the freshest sushi we've had in all of San Diego, and maybe even California. We both agreed Oto compared to Michelin star and Omakase experiences we've had previously in terms of the taste and quality it delivered. This is without a doubt our new favorite restaurant and the best spot in North County! Our only note is that the air conditioner above the bar dripped condensation and onto our food/plates. We brought it to the attention to our server - all new spots have to iron out some kinks of a new opening. Our server notified management and they went above and beyond and discounted our check, although we would've happily still paid full price. Given their attention to detail, I'm sure that issue has been remedied since! read more

I took my son to the new OTO Sushi on Friday night around 4:45-5:00. The restaurant wasn't particularly busy--maybe half full, with only about four people sitting at the sushi bar. Since they're still in their soft-opening period, I expected some rough edges. What I didn't expect were failures with the absolute fundamentals of sushi. We ordered yellowtail, bluefin tuna, koji-marinated Wagyu, oysters, and two hamachi hand rolls from the happy-hour menu. The bluefin tuna simply never arrived. The first major problem was the sushi rice. It was terrible--poorly seasoned and completely lacking the balance good sushi rice needs. That's Sushi 101. The rice isn't some minor component of sushi; it's one of the most important parts. And this is where I have a bigger problem with the experience: the chefs behind that sushi bar know what properly seasoned sushi rice is supposed to taste like. They know what crisp nori feels like. These aren't obscure technical details. Yet that rice was still served to us. If you're opening a serious sushi restaurant--especially during a soft opening--the owner or head chef should be tasting the rice throughout service and making sure every person behind that bar is putting out food that meets the standard. The koji-marinated Wagyu was okay. And "okay" is unfortunately about the nicest thing I can say about the food we had. My son ordered the three oysters from the happy-hour menu and thought they were terrible. Then came the hamachi hand rolls, and this was the part that really bothered me. The restaurant makes a point of saying that its sushi is seasoned or brushed appropriately and that soy sauce or tamari shouldn't really be necessary. I actually respect that philosophy--when the execution backs it up. These hand rolls didn't. The nori was limp and soggy. Not slightly soft. Soggy. The rice was still poorly seasoned, and the entire hand roll tasted like something that had been sitting around instead of something freshly made at a sushi bar. A trained sushi chef knows immediately when nori has gone soft. You can feel it when you pick it up. You can see it. You know what you're handing across the counter. That's why I don't consider this simply a soft-opening mistake. Someone made that hand roll, handled that soggy nori, wrapped it, looked at it, and served it anyway. The same thing applies to the rice. Somebody cooked it. Somebody seasoned it. Somebody handled it throughout service. Multiple people behind that bar had opportunities to recognize that it wasn't right, and it still went out to the customer. To me, that shows a lack of pride in the product. I can forgive a missed order. I can forgive slow service. I can forgive some confusion during a soft opening. What I have a much harder time forgiving is a professional sushi chef knowingly sending out food that doesn't meet basic sushi standards. Rice, nori, fish, and timing are the fundamentals. If the people preparing the food recognize those fundamentals and serve an inferior product anyway, that tells me far more about a restaurant than an ambitious dish that simply didn't work. OTO may do well as a stylish neighborhood spot for cocktails, happy hour, and a night out. But if you're going primarily because you really appreciate sushi and care about properly seasoned rice, crisp nori, and precise execution, this was nowhere near where it needs to be. Soft opening or not, sushi rice and fresh, crisp nori aren't advanced-level details. They're the starting point. And the chefs behind the sushi bar should know better. read more

Love this place! We had been to their Laguna location and were so excited to hear they were opening in Encinitas. It's some of the best sushi we've had in San Diego. Love the ambiance, love the food, and service was top notch. Also appreciate that most of the menu is gluten free. Highly recommend! read more

We attended the soft opening and my wife still liked me at the end, this place is fantastic! Jackie was cool too!

Leaving honest review here... happened in on their soft F&F opening and they happily seated me and 2 buddies at the bar. They warned us it was only their 3rd night open and understandably their full menu was not available nor alcohol (yet). The food was very very good! Surprising for such a new establishment! Service was good despite lots of training going on. Will 100% go again. Great ambiance for nice small group dinner or date night! Happy to have another nearby sushi restaurant in Leucadia! read more

Our dinner at Oto was incredible, largely thanks to our phenomenal server, Katelyn. She was warm, attentive, and gave perfect sushi/menu recommendations that we would have otherwise missed. Her timing was flawless--drinks were always full, and plates arrived at the exact right pace without us ever feeling rushed. If you want a five-star dining experience, ask for Katelyn's section! read more

This place is such a gem. The service was great. The vibe of the interior is so cool. The food was delicious a 10/10. We will be back for sure ! read more

Great food and atmosphere, highly recommend the scorch and nikko rolls! Silas was our server and he was fun, attentive, and gave great recommendations! We will definitely be back. read more

Enjoyed soft opening. Service was excellent. Rolls are really good and large. Plan on returning and just working our way thru the menu. WELCOME TO LEUCADIA!! read more

We can't wait to go back again! Excellent service, beautiful interior, and delicious, fresh food with unique flavor combos. Jackie was our waitress and she was informative and easy-going, but also attentive (perfect combo). She recommended the Nikko Groove roll with salmon addition and it was the best sushi roll I've ever had- I will be getting that and the cucumber starter every visit. The only thing is definitely steer clear from is the cauliflower starter- it was battered and deep fried, so very heavy, and there are simply too many other options to try to make it "worth it." read more

The food and service were outstanding at the soft opening Friday evening. Keala, our host, made us feel comfortable & welcomed. We will definitely be back. read more

Kaitlyn (our waitress) was fantastic and the food was delicious and fresh! Veggie roll was amazing !

Oto Suhsi was fantastic, the service was amazing Keala took us to our table and our waiter Brittany was informative about the food. The food was delicious, definitely coming back soon! read more

The sushi is fresh, delicious and creative. The atmosphere was chic but at the same time relaxed and fun. Our server Dakota was friendly, knowledgeable and attentive. read more