The Bistro at the Strand, La Jolla CA

I have mixed feelings with Bistro. First of all, there's nothing wrong with the taste of the food itself, in fact, it's pretty nice. The problem is.there's a lot of problems. The sushi is not real sushi, and NO one puts cream cheese in sushi. Sure it works but it's the equivalent of pineapple on pizza to Italian. Second, seaweed salad is not making a normal salad with different types of seaweed. It doesn't work and I'll never order it again. Third, I ordered a short rib donburi bowl. I was going to dine in, but there was only the option to take out so I brought it home. It was good tasting, but it was frustrating to eat it. They put the short rib in a bowl, so it was hard enough to cut it, and it was impossible to cut it. I put enough pressure to dig a hole in the bowl but the rib's still connected. I'm so glad there wasn't the option to dine it because I'll surely make a fool of myself in public to cut that rib. I wish they only cut it with a scissor before packing it or something because there's no way to eat it normally with a knife.

Wait time is way too long (3 hours). Cashier was rude. Also the short ribs are burnt and oily as hell. The sushi is way too thick and so it just tastes like rice, none of the fish.

I waited 3 hours and spent $35 just to get the most unsatisfactory meal I’ve ever had.

Mid. Honestly man: the foods' decent, the area looks nice, the price ain't the hottest thing.

But what really doesn't strike a good cord with me is the fact that the food can take horrendously long to be prepared.

I ordered a Cali sushi there. THE THING TOON TWO HOURS MAN. LIKE BROOOOO

Terrible. Have to pay $5 for a to-go box plus the cost of the meal and the wait was over an hour long. The rice in the donburi bowl was hard and the sushi was flavorless. Tastes like something you could make at home for cheaper and tastier. Over priced and not worth it.

I give it 2 stars for the location of the place, 4 stars for the waiters since they try their best. 1 star for the menu and prices. The name of the "restaurant" is misleading and should be changed, with the name, "the Bistro", you would imagine a nice variety of steaks. Instead you are presented with a menu mostly comprised of Asian cuisine, there are exceedingly more variety of sushi platters then there are for steaks (as if this school doesn't already serve enough Asian food on campus). I ordered a steak from the Entree menu, the wait was horrible, approximately, 55mins of wait time, not including the time it took to be seated. We were starving, I had hoped the wait would be worth it but when I received my plate (and it was a big plate) 90%of my plate was smashed potatoes, 5% asparagus, and 5% was my steak, the size of a hockey puck with little to no thickness. It was ridiculous, a big pile of smash potatoes with asparagus is what I was mostly paying for. When I got the bill I was surprised to see that my Entree was $20, $20 for a plate of potatoes and asparagus. I complained at the checkout and was told that the prices were determined by the weight of each plate. Well that explains why I mostly got potatoes and barely any steak, just another example of how this school just loves to rob students.

This place is my favored. I visit many restaurants but here I keep coming back again and again. The crew is very warm and the cuisine they offer is so fresh and tasty. I am always happy to have a decent meal in this restaurant. I highly recommend this place.

The ramen was bland and watery, and the toppings were questionable. We expected more from the price points.