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More like Sushi Factory

Sushi Deli 3 has unique sushi at a great price — if you can slow their roll.

A row of rolls, Sushi Deli 3
A row of rolls, Sushi Deli 3
Place

Sushi Deli 3

7986 Armour Street, San Diego

Main dining room, Sushi Deli 3

Sushi Deli operates three casual sushi restaurants with locations in Gaslamp, Hillcrest, and Kearny Mesa. I ventured to the last on the list, known as Sushi Deli 3, and found myself in an odd industrial pocket between the 163 and Convoy Street.

Prompt arrival when the doors opened at 5:00 p.m. was rewarded with a short wait in a sizable line. I was seated in the main dining room with small and rigid tables, loud and unforgiving music, and loads of temporary and unattractive signage. A recent renovation added an indoor/outdoor seating area and bar at the back of the building, which looked much more inviting.

The service was friendly, albeit rushed, from the start. The Crazy Milk happy hour special, which included a large Sapporo and small nigori (cloudy or unfiltered) sake ($4.50), was delivered at blazing speed. The server lingered with ticket in hand hoping for the complete food order. Sticking to the appetizer and stalling on the main course slowed the pace a bit.

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Garlic edamame and fried calamari starters, Sushi Deli 3

The garlic edamame ($2.99) was savory, salty, and all-around crave worthy. I transformed its leftover garlic sauce into a condiment for the large portion of fried calamari ($4.99). It put the spicy mayo and ranch dressing served with the dish to shame.

The size of the rolls in relation to the cost is impressive. The Island Breeze ($6.99) combined shrimp tempura, salmon, masago (roe), cucumber, cilantro, and fresh jalapeño slices on the inside, and was capped with avocado, surimi (imitation crab), green onion, spicy mayo, and mango sauce on the outside. Sweetness was balanced nicely with spice, and the tempura batter, cucumber, and fresh jalapeño satisfied with a crunchy texture.

The Motion in the Ocean ($9.99) was generously dusted with tempura flakes and contained yellowtail, shrimp tempura, spicy tuna, avocado, jalapeno, and sweet and spicy sauces. The amount of fried tempura flakes included on both the in- and outside of the roll was overwhelming and the richness of the avocado further complicated the issue. I reached for extra ginger to clear my palate before each bite.

True to its name, the Fire Fire ($6.50) included spicy salmon, jalapeño, spicy sauce, habanero masago, and wasabi mayo, with its only cooling qualities being surimi and cucumber. The heat was well balanced due to the combination of peppers and horseradish, but I would have preferred to swap the surimi with a slice of fresh, mild fish such as snapper.

The Ceviche roll ($5.99) was the standout in both taste and originality, and included red snapper, shrimp, and cilantro topped with seaweed salad, lemon juice, and spicy sauce. The seaweed salad, cilantro, and lemon juice were refreshing and enhanced the natural flavors of the seafood.

This isn’t the best sushi in the city, but the recipes are creative, the quality of the fish and rice is good, and the price is definitely right.

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A row of rolls, Sushi Deli 3
A row of rolls, Sushi Deli 3
Place

Sushi Deli 3

7986 Armour Street, San Diego

Main dining room, Sushi Deli 3

Sushi Deli operates three casual sushi restaurants with locations in Gaslamp, Hillcrest, and Kearny Mesa. I ventured to the last on the list, known as Sushi Deli 3, and found myself in an odd industrial pocket between the 163 and Convoy Street.

Prompt arrival when the doors opened at 5:00 p.m. was rewarded with a short wait in a sizable line. I was seated in the main dining room with small and rigid tables, loud and unforgiving music, and loads of temporary and unattractive signage. A recent renovation added an indoor/outdoor seating area and bar at the back of the building, which looked much more inviting.

The service was friendly, albeit rushed, from the start. The Crazy Milk happy hour special, which included a large Sapporo and small nigori (cloudy or unfiltered) sake ($4.50), was delivered at blazing speed. The server lingered with ticket in hand hoping for the complete food order. Sticking to the appetizer and stalling on the main course slowed the pace a bit.

Sponsored
Sponsored
Garlic edamame and fried calamari starters, Sushi Deli 3

The garlic edamame ($2.99) was savory, salty, and all-around crave worthy. I transformed its leftover garlic sauce into a condiment for the large portion of fried calamari ($4.99). It put the spicy mayo and ranch dressing served with the dish to shame.

The size of the rolls in relation to the cost is impressive. The Island Breeze ($6.99) combined shrimp tempura, salmon, masago (roe), cucumber, cilantro, and fresh jalapeño slices on the inside, and was capped with avocado, surimi (imitation crab), green onion, spicy mayo, and mango sauce on the outside. Sweetness was balanced nicely with spice, and the tempura batter, cucumber, and fresh jalapeño satisfied with a crunchy texture.

The Motion in the Ocean ($9.99) was generously dusted with tempura flakes and contained yellowtail, shrimp tempura, spicy tuna, avocado, jalapeno, and sweet and spicy sauces. The amount of fried tempura flakes included on both the in- and outside of the roll was overwhelming and the richness of the avocado further complicated the issue. I reached for extra ginger to clear my palate before each bite.

True to its name, the Fire Fire ($6.50) included spicy salmon, jalapeño, spicy sauce, habanero masago, and wasabi mayo, with its only cooling qualities being surimi and cucumber. The heat was well balanced due to the combination of peppers and horseradish, but I would have preferred to swap the surimi with a slice of fresh, mild fish such as snapper.

The Ceviche roll ($5.99) was the standout in both taste and originality, and included red snapper, shrimp, and cilantro topped with seaweed salad, lemon juice, and spicy sauce. The seaweed salad, cilantro, and lemon juice were refreshing and enhanced the natural flavors of the seafood.

This isn’t the best sushi in the city, but the recipes are creative, the quality of the fish and rice is good, and the price is definitely right.

Comments
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4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
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