James Place

We have been there several times and absolutely love it. The Food is superb, The Service was very good very friendly and the ambiance calm and interior modern comfortable. We will get our Friends to join us next time, which will be in very near future.
And guess what, you can have a regular conversation without loud Music.
Love it !!!

We have eaten here twice. First time everything was great; service, food, timing. Second visit was a dismal disappointment. We told our waiter that we had theater tickets and since we were there 2 hours early, he said not to worry. The service was horrible; really long wait for food. Two of our 4 dinners (veggie stir fry) came to the table barely warm. Sent back and came back just a bit warmer. Not acceptable! My husband’s burger was just fair. Our dessert never made it to the table. We had to rush out to make curtain time, leaving the men to pay. Really such a bitter disappointment after such a great first experience.

Not a big fan of this place. It’s great if you are going to the LaJolla Playhouse but I would go out of my way to eat here. Nice bar crowd and Happy Hour. That’s the deal here and I would recommend going for it.

I’ve come here quite a few times before and after shows at La Jolla Playhouse. They have a pretty good happy hour, however I wish it ended a little later so I could take advantage before an 8PM show. The food here is always great (this is what keeps me coming back) but the service is awful. Every time I come here, the wait staff is rude and inattentive. I’ve seen many bartenders ignoring patrons, instead checking their phones during a shift. It takes an average of 30 minutes to get one sushi roll (so if you come here before a show, make sure you have plenty of time), and probably that long to get the check. I don’t know if all the staff is just that busy, or they just don’t care. That being said, the food is great and it’s convenient, which is why I put up with the bad service.

Love the food, drinks and service. Good place to hit up after work. Plus it’s pretty much the only place open past 3 in the summer, so when you want to grab some grub and have a drink on Friday evenings, this is it. The fact that it’s great really helps!!!

Another opening another restaurant on the campus of UC San Diego catering primarily to the patrons of the three adjacent theatres governed by the La Jolla Playhouse. At 21:00 on a Sunday evening, James Place only had about two tables of diners. That said, I waited 10 minutes to get seated! The bartender, Abdul said, «I’ll be right with you» after completing his evening chores. I asked him for their closing time. He responded and left me standing at the maître d’ station without seating me. 15 minutes later, I self seated myself at the bar receiving extremely lukewarm service from Abdul.
The Protein Specialty Roll ordered was decent in texture, taste and freshness. The sushi roll contains no rice and was filled with spicy tuna, albacore, shrimp, spicy scallops, snow crab and avocado wrapped with soy paper. The pseudo-​sushi chef took about 15 minutes producing the roll and his station had plenty of cross contamination by utilizing the same wash cloth to clean his station, wipe his sushi knives, etc. Other James Place workers were comfortably seated at the bar, chatting with other employees in plain view for all to see.
I did complain to the manager about the lack of service but it still took him 12 minutes to speak with me, insincerely apologizing. No further action took place. If James Place was to survive as a high-​end, Asian fusion restaurant, may I suggest hiring a new manager as well as an entirely new staff. The «I don’t care» attitude in the restaurant business is simply not tolerated!

Love coming here. It’s located right next to the La Jolla Playhouse. I have had some of the appetizers and the different sushi, 808 is really good. Every time we have been here, we have had Emily as our bartender. She is amazing and such a delight. This place is worth the visit.

Came in on a Thursday with a large group. Surprisingly not too busy and we were seated at the corner. This place has floor to ceiling windows so it feels really serene– almost like you’re eating outdoors.
Parking valet is free– just keep an eye out for the signs!
Food came out pretty promptly and service was very attentive. Prices are a little steep, but portions are adequate and food is pretty good! I had the short rib Udon and though it was slightly on the salty side, it was delicious — no skimping in the meat either! Was enough to bring home for a second meal!

We went to James Place for dinner before our play and were only one of a few couples there. Service, while attentive, was not reliable, as we asked for our food all at once but it came over 10 minutes so we had to wait until every had their plates.
Don’t bother with the sushi. It tastes old and fishy and portions are small. But the entrees are outstanding. The Sea Bass was one of the best I have tasted. Our friend got the shrimp and lobster fried rice and loved it and the other person got the beet salad and said it was delicious. She also got the shrimp and crab leg appetizer but it was very small for the price. Unfortunately I got sushi for my dinner so ended up eating half of my husband’s sea bass.
The wine is very overpriced and the bar drinks not so special, but I would come back for an entrée before a play, but would not come outside of that.

This is my new favorite Sushi spot. (Keep in mind that all of the other food sounds amazing and this review is strictly on Sushi and Ambiance.) A couple of months ago was my third time eating here. The ambiance is beautiful and the service is always great! We always sit at the sushi bar. Really refreshing rolls. Enjoyed everything! They have a great happy hour that we keep meaning to get to! Can’t wait to go back!

A relatively hidden restaurant in the theater district of UCSD. Great ambiance if you’re looking for a place to impress a guest if you’re on campus at dinnertime.
I had a mixed experience with the service — slow, but friendly and well-​intended. I asked for the market price of uni nigiri, and my waiter didn’t know off the top of his head, and told me that he’d ask his boss. He proceeded to go around the restaurant asking where his boss is, but unfortunately his boss had stepped out, so he came back with regular updates. In the end, he finally found the price on the computer! Maybe he was new, making that a pretty forgivable mistake, but I’ll admit that it was pretty disruptive to the flow of the meal. (FYI the answer was $ 12 lol)
That aside, the sushi itself was enjoyable! The uni was delicious, then I had the TNT roll which was also yummy. It wasn’t mind-​blowingly great, but it was also surprisingly impressive. However, not only did they skimp on the ginger and the wasabi, but the ginger didn’t taste very fresh.
In line with the fact that most places on campus that accept Triton Cash have higher prices than places that don’t, James Place is beautiful albeit pricey, especially for a restaurant located on the UCSD campus. The cocktails are about $ 10 – 14 each, but do use higher shelf alcohol (e.g. Grey Goose vodka) to give you more bang for your buck. I was deterred from getting any entrees (other than the burgers, everything was $ 20+), but the sushi roll prices are comparable to many places in the city.
My visit here was a bit of a splurge so while I won’t be back soon, it’s definitely enjoyable food in a fantastic atmosphere if I’m nearby at dinnertime. My advice is to sit directly in front of the sushi chef if you’re here for sushi and want to avoid risking an extremely slow service. Sometime I’ll have to try their happy hour!

We had a great meal with wonderful music from Joshua Taylor, the setting and ambience was very nice.
the major caveat was the service: I thought we were in a training zone at one of the dining academies: the ordered martini took 15 minutes: were they growing the olives? the staff had no idea who was playing the liver music at the restaurant, we ordered edamame: it never showed up. the food came in clusters, not evenly paced. so… they are a work in progress: but still recommended? from the other reviews: I suggest a UCSD course on service !

I have to say service can make or break a restaurant experience, in this case the latter of the two. First we were the only customers there for the whole time we were their, so I thought we might get some special attention, I was mistaken. We had to ask for water refills, our waitress never came by to see if we were enjoying the meal, and we were told we had to sit outside for happy hour menu. I understand rules are rules but really found it odd they would still apply with an empty restaurant. Now on to the food, first the jalapeño poppers, presented beautifully as sushi pieces deepfried with a cream cheese and crab filling. Nice spicy sauce but served luke warm, I thought it should be served hot as it was deep fried. The sushi we did order was above average, nice fish, presentation was impeccable, and nice flavor with the sauces. Probably won’t go back as the service left a bad taste.

Nice quiet secluded & Tasty. Super happy hour, and everyone Super happy. You can feel the atmosphere promotes the aesthetic tastes of all of our senses. Love coming there, love getting here, love staying here. Just nice to enjoy everything that James and his staff have to offer. This place is hard to beat. And a great place to meet :-)

Overall I was impressed! Even though James Place is on UCSD’s campus, you’ll find a very different vibe compared to the Price Center. (The crowds that came in were clearly much older than your average college student.)
Anyway, I ordered off the happy hour menu the stuffed shiitake mushrooms and Asian wings. At $ 7 the mushrooms weren’t a very good value. (Please see the picture.) Yes, they were stuffed with crab and other fillers, but four little pieces come out to $ 1.75 each! They were tasty, but completely overpriced for happy hour.
In comparison the Asian wings were a much better value. I would definitely get these again. Too often find I find that most wings are too saucy without having any texture. These had an excellent crunch with an amazing sweet sauce.
All in all, James Place is a really nice place! Hopefully next time I’ll be back to try their regular menu. Ohh… they have ramen!

Who is James? And is his last name really Place? After visiting his restaurant, the mystery remains. Either way, he presents an interesting restaurant on a college campus that clearly isn’t targeted at college students.
Upon entering the Place place for their happy hour, we were given the option of either sitting at the bar or at a bar table. Opting for more space, I chose a table despite the fact that the chairs had but vestigial backs. It was if the furniture designers couldn’t decide if they wanted chairs or stools. Thankfully, they weren’t as uncomfortable as they initially appeared.
I ordered both the footlong fire dog and the short rib sliders from the happy hour menu. The hot dog arrived as a hot mess. The meat and bread were good (footlongs and buns always go well together), but the footlong’s «fire» sauce ended up all over the place in a sort of gastronomic bukkake. The sliders, on the other hand, slid very well. Tender meat and excellent sauce wrapped in a good bun.
Lastly, I also ordered the strawberry sriracha margarita, which serves as a highlight of the meal. An excellent blend of sweet and spicy. Kind of like yours truly.
Summary: James might not get first Place, but he performs quite well nonetheless.

We have experienced big Mike’s sushi for 12 years he’s the best there is! This is a place to come and visit and experience the mastery of sushi creation.
Everywhere big Mike make sushi Scott and I tracked him down and follow him.

Back again. This time we had the ahi tacos, which they forgot to put an ahi in! They did take them off our bill as well as our drinks which was very customer friendly. They also made another order later in the evening but we had just ordered another large roll and thanked them but turned it down, the lucky boys seated next to us, got the yummy tacos with ahi! They were really good and would have been better with more than greens and avocado.
WE tried the Salmon Fiesta roll which was so good. Topped with salmon.
We ordered the lemon roll again which is toped with salmon and hamachi and lemon slices and is one of the best cleaner rolls to try. There is avo, cucumber and I believe crab inside. The list of specialty HH rolls are great and only $ 8. On SDSU campus by the Theatre, great space and friendly staff. Will of course be back for more soon!

I was so excited when this place opened… better yet, when UCSD partnered with James’ Place so Tritoncash can be used here!
I reserved online party of 4, 6 pm on a Saturday night for my mom’s birthday.
What we ordered:
1) appetizer: Kobe beef sliders ($ 9 for two)
2) appetizer: mini ahi poke tacos ($ 9 for three)
3) speciality rolls: Don Juan roll ($ 13)
4) specialty rolls: Orange dragon roll ($ 13)
5) sandwiches/​chips: soft shell crab sandwich ($ 15)
6) salad/​soup: spicy seafood salad ($ 13)
7) ramen/​noodles: Tonkotsu ramen ($ 8)
8) entrée: spanish seafood paella ($ 28)
9) entrée: braised short ribs ($ 29)
10) dessert: chocolate lava cake ($ 7)
It was pretty packed when we came around 6 pm, since the show was about to start right at La Jolla Playhouse. It took a while for the server to help us, but food came out quickly.
Service:
–our waiter’s service was not very good (not noticing we needed refills on water, left and sometimes never came back to help us unless we had a dish…) but Rachel is very nice and constantly came to check up on us.
–he also didn’t ask us if we wanted dessert. Though they knew it was someone’s birthday and the birthday girl gets a free one, but shouldn’t they still ask everyone out of courtesy?
Pros:
–mini ahi poke tacos are amazing. Definitely fresh, and delicious! Must get.
–spanish seafood paella was filled with lots of seafood! Worth the price!
–crab sandwich was better than what we expected. Fried but not too oily and definitely bite after bite became more addicting.
–tonkatsu is decently priced and huge bowl! Could split between two people for taste. Not too salty either… GOOD!
Cons:
–disappointed with the rolls. Nothing was wrapped tight and kept falling apart.
–chocolate lava cake inside was cooked so quickly it was like eating dry brownie with an ice cream scoop.
–food quickly cooled. Order of food came oddly, so while we were eating entrees, our appetizers came out too.
–braised short ribs was also a disappointment. Tasted like something I could slow cook myself, and was way too salty. Presentation was also not very delightful.
Tips/​observations:
–happy hour deals are good but we unfortunately couldn’t get it unless we sat at the bar. So sit at the bar next time!
–since they recently opened, they don’t have «soup of the day» yet… so only miso soup.
–there is no set dessert menu, but there is green tea crème brûlée here!
Finally, I noticed that we got charged for a beet salad we never ordered. A little bummed out about the experience here, but I am willing to give this place a second chance during happy hour.

You could not go to a better sushi restaurant. The atmosphere was elegant and beautiful. Very rich and creative. Sushi masters Big like and Anthony give the pallet a culinary delight! I guarantee you, you cannot have better sushi anywhere in the world.
Go now before it becomes too busy. I guarantee you in less than a month it will be full with the wait to sit at the bar.