I have been to Valentino's once before because friends invited me and there was nothing else open. The prices were high, and the food i ordered (kobi sliders) were nothing to write about.
But on my second visit, this place was a disaster.
Came in for happy hour at around 6:40 (there is absolutely no parking outside, I had to park at the park across the street) we ordered at 6:45 which is before the end of happy hour at 7. We didn't receive our food until 7:30. This was a party of two and no more than 5 sushi rolls.
Not only did they forgot one of my sushi rolls, but they also tried to charge full price as opposed to happy hour prices. The waitress never asked to see how we were doing, or top off our drinks. The place was busy when we first arrived but had cleared out shortly after we ordered our food.
Do yourself a favor and go to Sushiya at Otay Ranch or any sushi places far far away from this stinkhole.
Came to place to try out the sushi and all I can say was aloha roll and jalapeño poppers are really good! Service sucked a bit well actually  our waiter sucked but the hostess that sat us was really fast and may I add really hot! Couldn't stop staring at her every time I saw her. Other then the sushi and the hot hostess i had a good time
Review Source:This place is less than a mile for my house- already earned 3 stars for proximity so parking is really a non-issue. Happy hour almost every day of the week? Add another star from 2-7 PM. Happy hour food menu items that is affordable AND tasty?- you're speaking my language.
Went on a Thursday (it was Thirsty Thursday,afterall and I was indeed Thirsty). 1/2 off margaritas and martinis- ordered a Bellini Martini which was divine. Love the outdoor seating area. Ordered a ton of food- dumplings, sushi, sliders, wings, and something else. All tasty, arrived promptly and by super friendly staff. Since it's so close to my house, I'll totally be headed back. Cheers!
One of my favorite sushi & martini spot in Eastlake. Try the tamarindo martini...it will change your life. They have a lot of great specials that happen during the week & their happy hour is great!
Place is fun but bar gets pretty packed during dinner time, so be prepared to wait a little.
Food is good...garlic edamame, their rice, all their sushi rolls. I like this spot. Great for happy hours, girl dinners or a date night.
The only decent sushi place in Chula Vista. With that said it's all downhill. Like someone else mentioned drinks take forever to be served. The food comes out before the bar gets around to making your drink. Also lacking is a sake and nigori selection. Â While the wine list is rather large the quality wine is not impressive.
Valentino's does get busy and on Friday and Saturday with at least a 30 minute wait. Better to pull up a chair at the bar, if you can find one. Even there your drink will take a while.
The rolls are nothing unique. You will get the same sushi here as you will anywhere else, and the quality of the fish is fair. Â
I really wanted to like this place but after several experiences I leave disappointed. The service needs to improve and they need a new sushi chef to spice things up. Think out of the box!
This place has an extra long wine list, with only a few actual bottles of wine onsite. Â We had to go over and pick from their selection of cheap wines because they carried nothing we asked for (we were selecting from their menu).
Also it smells like booze and throw up, not appetizing at all. Â The server kept messing up our orders, I'm not being rude when I say I think there was a serious language barrier there. Â He was also difficult to find when we got the wrong plate and wanted to ask for the right one. Â
The location is awkward with very little parking.
WAY Overpriced.
Aside from that, the food was actually good when we finally got what we ordered, and it was pleasing to the eyes.
I don't often travel down to Eastlake but I did when an old friend of mine dragged me out. Â Tamarindo martini??? Â Huh, what? Â Enough said. Â I showed up and was blown away! Â I wasn't expecting Valentino's to be a Japanese/Sushi Fusion place either...really good food. Â So good, we went back just recently and did it all over again. Â Valentino's =WIN.
Review Source:It took me almost three years to finally eat at Valentino's after moving to SD when it's been down the street from me all along. Given the name of the restaurant, I would have never guessed they served sushi and other Japanese food.
We decided to bike here for their happy hour on a Friday afternoon and I'm so glad we did because street parking is a pain. It was pretty busy so it was nice to be seated in their covered patio. After two tamarindo margaritas (yum - made just the way I like it), sake, and beers, we were feeling pretty nice. The three sushi rolls we ordered were surprisingly really good - the fish tasted fresh too. Â The Aloha roll was my favorite!
The only downside was the long strand of hair I found in my tempura (eww) but the bartender came out, apologized and gave us drinks on the house, while we waited for another tempura. Kudos to him for good customer service - it was nice of him and he made my tamarindo margarita really good.
I'd definitely come back for their happy hour again and maybe even for a late night drink since they're open till 1am.
I've been here a couple of times only out of convenience. Â Each time I've gone, I've been dissappointed with their service. Â Yes, they DO have a pretty good happy hour. Â $5 drink specials (margaritas, martinis, etc.). Â They're food items on their happy hour menu is pretty good. Â Fried oysters, sushi. Â But, their food is really JUST OK! Â Not at all impressed with their sushi rolls. Â
Also, you should probably order a few drinks at once, because you may never see your waitress or waiter again! Â You'll have to flag someone, anyone down just to get service at your table.
I think the reason why this place is so popular is because there's very limited places to go for happy hour.
The name don't match what is served, but despite that, the food was good. This place serves some good tasting sushi. Â Pricing can add up, but between 2pm and 8pm they have a great happy hour menu. I recommend the Aloha roll, the Rainbow roll and the panko scallops. I also had what they called asain wings, it was good tasting, but to me was just wings with the asain sweet chilli sauce. They get pretty busy, so don't go into this place thinking you will be in and out of there fast. The vibe in this place is nice, great place to eat and have some drinks with friends, family or just your loved one.
Review Source:Love this place. Lived in the nearby apartments for several months and frequented this establishment. Â Food is consistent, original, and tasty! Love the happy hour price menu as well. Â This place gets very busy, so staff can get stretched. A little patience and friendliness goes a along way. This place feels like our own little 'Cheers.' Â Ruby is a wonderful waitress, Manobu offers great sushi delights. Â Owner is always working and helping everywhere. Good people here. Parking is a problem, but we work around it. Just wish we could get a taxi out here so we could imbibe and not worry about getting home! Â Going again tonight!
Review Source:I went for happy hour on a Tuesday, they had yummy 1/2 price Martinis, I think mine was called The Paradise. Â They also had a great appetizer HH menu, $5-$8. Â We had the Crunchy Roll and Philadelphia Roll, both really good. Â Our server was really nice, attentive, but not in the buggy kind of way. Â I will definitely be going back!
Review Source:Horrible service, very unorganized and slow :( I keep wanting to support our local restaurants but this one....I can't even explain. Â We (four) were there for dinner, we ordered appetizers, drinks and four entrees. It took the waiter approximately 15 minutes to bring water and drinks which he got wrong. It took approximately 45 minutes to get two entrees and another 30 minutes to get the rest (after I asked twice). Â I can honestly say that the only good thing about this place is the Alejandro Roll. Â The rest (Rib eye, Surf & Turf Roll, Eel Roll and fried oysters) was bad. Â Oh! yeah our appetizers got to the table after hour main courses :(
Review Source:Valentino's, I LOVE YOUR HAPPY HOUR MENU! Â I wish it was offered throughout the entire day, every night and all week! Â Fantastic variety here you guys!! Â Truthfully I think I've tried about everything on your menu and I can't say anything bad about any one of them. Â Everything you serve is delicious. Â My typical favorites here are the chicken sliders, asian chicken wings, fish and fries (deee-lishhh!!!), scallop appetizers (OMG!!), jalapeno poppers, and all your sushis on the happy hour menu are fantastic. Â Also gotta try their Crispy Papa roll, T-N-T and their green tea creme brulee. Â I come here way too often and definitely will be coming back!! Â I recommend you guys to everyone, everytime!
Review Source:I normally try to come during happy hour otherwise some of their entrees and drinks can be a little pricey. I typically order a tamarindo martini (never a disappointment), garlic edemame (delish), and kobe sliders with spicy may on the side (THE BEST)! The owner is a great guy-- very friendly.
Review Source:My wife and I came here for a late dinner date this past Wednesday night.
First off, there is absolutely no parking around this place. It's located in the corner of an apartment complex, so once everyone that lives in the area arrives home from work, the spaces vanish. We had to park like a block away.
The restaurant wasn't busy and there was plenty of staff around, however, it took us  more than five minutes to be seated.
I ordered a beer and my wife had a water. The waiter was prompt in dropping the drinks off and taking our order. We decided to have a few appetizers instead of entrees.
It took a little while before our food was dropped off. The hostess brought out all our plates at once and then took off. We never saw our server again and no one came by to check up on us or ask if we needed anything. I finished my beer and my wife was out of water, so after waiting a few minutes I went to the bar and got her another water.
We finished our dinner and waited on the check -- it never arrived. I was tempted to just walk out of the place, since we had waited nearly 25 minutes after our dinner to have our plates cleared and our check dropped off. Not a single person asked us if we wanted dessert or refills on our drinks.
I walked up to the bar and asked the bartender to close our table out. I left $5 on a $60 tab just so he knew I didn't forget. I don't go out and pay the extra price to have to get up and walk over and refill my own water -- that's like Taco Bell.
Worst fucking service ever! You get the three stars -- the service was one of the worst experiences in my life, but the food was delicious. Screw this place.
I prefer the more authentic tasting Japanese food, but this is a good spot to go if you love cali rolls and such. I really liked their Tamarindo Martini though!
As a local, this place is cool as long as u go during happy hour. But parking is so bad. There's only 20 spots in front of it and they're usually taken... Street parking not really any better.
Sushi? It seem like there is a total misunderstanding to Owners/investors when he/she decide to open a "Sushi" Restaurant. Am not your best advisor/foodie personal when it comes to sushi, needless to say, am a huge fan of this phenomenal meal I have come across 4years ago.
Okay, lets break it down, The bar deserves a 5 star across the board. Their house drink a.k.a. ttamarindo martinis is a winner! what a genius idea to get buzzed and enjoy the night.
The sushi rolls were nothing less than a two start. Nothing especial, taste and freshness were delivered. Now, if your a fan of salmon fish and grilled, please skip sushi and order their grilled salmon. "Amazing"
Bad services, super slow and very unorganized. Which can be fixed and repaired with the right management and time. Its still new. Â The worse part of it all was "THE PARKING" Â wow it took me and the wifey a good 20mins driving up and down the street trying to find a spot to park.
First and foremost, I wasn't expecting much especially from the negative reviews I've read. However, the wifey dragged me here for happy hour as this place is literally 3 minutes away from where we live. To my surprise, this place was actually the business!
We went on Monday, which was Mojito Monday...the strawberry mojito was bodacious. We also got the Mango and peach which were delicious as well, but that strawberry mojito is where it's at. For food, we got the Jalapeno poppers, fried oysters, aloha roll, ahi tuna wonton stacks and the Banana Tempura split...all of which I highly recommend.
Our waiter there was nothing less than amazing. Jose not only took our orders, but he made everyone's mojito. If you give this guy some trouble, while he really is the only one doing work, than you are a dick.
The prices are fair for happy hour, but I would never come here off happy hour as the price per roll was about $14.00. Also be warned that parking might suck.
Friday Happy Hour until 7PM. Â Italian name, run by Latino's, serving up Japanese food. Â Don't let the name fool you into a Spaghetti mood. Â
They have the biggest variety of alcohol I have ever seen in CV !!!! Seriously extensive tequila and vodka portfolio ! Tequila in a machine gun bottle, check, Effen Black cherry vidka, check. Â Blue Moon on tap & Blue Moon Seasonals in the bottle, check. Â
Vibrant as east Chula Vista gets across the street from Calvary Christian School & Church. Â Watch out for the DUI patrol at last call, cuz there ain't nothin' else open around these parts after 1AM. Â
Mushroom soup is a must have. Â Lava cake was not hot, but dormant. Â There was no ooooozing chocolate. Â Great for late night dining.
I live right up the street from Valentino's and, while I enjoy my visits most of the time, every once in a while it just seems like they are having an off night. Same with the dishes overall, there are some mind-shatteringly delicious options (like the Baby Rock Roll) and then there is the stuff that will leave you wishing that you ordered something else. I can honestly say that this place gets better the more you visit it and you start figuring out what's great versus what's, for lack of a better term, blah.
I'd recommend this place to anyone looking for a relaxing atmosphere with, for the most part, great food. My wife and I will eat here again (and again and again).
This is the only place that is open until 1am in Otay Ranch. It has a great ambiance and great for just chilling and hanging out with friends for happy hour. They have fun martinis, some of which may be a bit too sweet. Ask for a Washington Apple. It's not on the menu but it's the best martini I've had from here. The manager is pretty nice but a bit awkward if you ask me. He did allow us to order from Jordan's menu and delivered the food to us. Ponzu sauce on the side is great for potstickers and spring rolls.
The service may be a bit slow, even when it's not super busy. Sushis are very fake and not recommended. Poor beer selection. Another disappointment of mine was that they didn't have the Lakers channel so I had to miss the game.
Warning: Parking is usually very difficult. Best bet is to try to find parking on Eastlake Parkway facing west.
This place is so convenient!! I practically live 7mins away in the otay ranch area.. When my friends and I can't make a decision as to where we want to eat and grab a few drinks, Valentino's is the spot! The vibe is pretty chill and the atmosphere is great!
Happy hour is the ONLY time I choose to go, because during summer time I wanted to grab dinner with a girlfriend, thinking it ended at 7 (we came in at 605pm) and came to find out happy hour was over 5 mins before we were seated. Because we were seated I didn't want to be rude so we decided to stay. Our bill turned out pretty pricey and I only got one drink and entree! (Usually I get 3-4 on happy hour and the price is still decent!!) I left hungry and still wanted more to drink which never usually happens!
This instance and parking are the only reason as to why I have 4 stars. Parking is really bad becuase if you don't find any in the front (which is usually a miracle if you do) then you have to find parkin in the neighborhood. Other than that, I still am a regular and make sure I only go during happy hour to grab a few drinks with friends!
A good local place around our house for when we don't feel like driving too far to get a bite to eat. Â The food is pretty good but if there were better options around, I probably would choose other places. Â
The menu is huge and that makes it difficult to choose what to eat and usually means that not everything will be good. Â I've found this is true for Valentino's as well. Â Nevertheless, some of the special sushi rolls are good and the appetizers are all decent, at least the ones I've tried. Â
The prices are very high for a neighborhood eatery.
Meh. The sushi is nothing amazing. It has too much rice. The rice is what you taste the most. We had 4 different rolls and I wouldn't order them again.
What I did enjoy was the garlic edamame, tamarind martini, and ahi wonton appetizer. The ahi wonton is similar to the ahi tostada at Romesco. I like Romesco's rendition better but Valentino's is tasty and I would order it again.
There are definitely cheaper and better spots to eat sushi.
Still don't know why people make a fuss about this place. The food is horrible. Their sushi tastes like its a week old. They have candy dishes where everyone (kids) shove their hands in and rub all the candy. I love this because I find it so difficult to catch a cold or the flu.
And their drinks aren't that good. Sure after 4 or 5 they taste good. But if I had 4 or 5 drinks and ate McDonalds I'd talk about their gourmet food.
Save your money, head over to Karina's or Via Lago.
By far the best happy hour in Eastlake. I'm a big time fan!
Every night and everyday is happy hour. It's almost impossible to come here when it's not a happy hour.... Everything on their happy hour menu is tasty.
I highly recommend the jalapeno poppers. they are awesome!
The Kobe Beef sliders are freaking delicious.
The ahi tuna stack is the Japanese version of a tostada... delish!
Some of the rolls are OK... but those are the ones on the happy hour...
all of their drinks are strong and tasty.
honestly... check it out... for the price and the food quality.. it's awesome.
They also play pretty cool music.. the other week I was there, it was a mix of dubstep, trance, and Christmas music. LOL
Okay, so I wrote my first review not even a year ago and it has now definitely dropped to a 1 star mainly because of their SERVICE...
It is ABYSMALLY SLOW and ridiculously RUDE!
The server FORGOT to put in out second order, which was just another roll. After waiting 20 minutes I asked if he HAD actually forgotten to put in the order, which would have been fine had he been honest and my boyfriend and I could have left... But instead he LIED and we ended up WAITING for 35 minutes for our SINGLE roll.
Give me a BREAK. Valentinos could be SO good if they hired the RIGHT people... But until then they'll remain mediocre at BEST and that is an entire SHAME.
Also, I was so pissed off by the end of our meal I actually left no monetary tip but instead wrote "GOOD SERVICE DESERVES A TIP, AND YOU SIR DESERVE NOTHING... PLEASE SHOW THIS TO YOUR MANAGER"
Came here with a friend, it was still happy hour prices which was great!
Food was ok, and I liked the different types of soy sauce they had. Â Had 2 of their martinis and they were ok as well. Â
I will come here if I'm in the area, but I don't think I would pay full price for anything here
I've enjoyed many evenings at Valentino's with the girls. Â Happy hour used to end at 7:00 but now ends at 6:00 p.m. Â Bummer on the change but you still can't beat the $6 top-shelf liquor martinis during happy hour, regularly priced at $11. Â Their version of a dirty martini, the Blue Velvedere, is a stiff mix of Belvedere vodka (shocker!), olive juice and blue cheese olives. Â Pretty perfect, if you ask me. Â Since they always seem to get the dirty martini right, I rarely order anything else. Â I have, however, tried their Tamarindo Martini which is pretty interesting, though I don't care for sugary drinks, so I admit that I'm probably not the best judge - and, thus, call it "interesting" instead of good.
The food is fine, not great. Â I have tried several sushi rolls and thought they were all OK, but nothing I can't live without. Â The Ahi Wonton Stack is awesome though. Â It's basically three fried wontons, stacked with ahi tuna, avocado, seaweed and a creamy aioli dressing. Â If I was to go there and only have one choice of food, that would be it. Â Fresh and tasty!
Place is clean, atmosphere is casual and service has always been good. Â Servers are all nice enough and touch base to let you know how much longer it will be until your order is on your table. Â Parking is not too bad. Â Even if you do park a block away, it's a nice residential area - no complaints there! Â I would go back for drinks and the Ahi Wonton Stack.
High priced, poor portion, poor presentation, nice waitress. I don't know what I expected out of a Japanese place called Valentinos. 12 bucks for vegetable rice or noodles. WHAT.The tables were cramped together. This place reeks of poor management and poor direction. I couldn't find anything on the menu that seemed reasonably priced for what it was. My 14 dollar burger was worth 7 bucks at best. My sister was disappointed with her salad, got a new plate, and it took FOREVER to get to us. We finished our meals and had it boxed to-go before she it get plate. I don't usually want to complain about places, but avoid this place. Wait till they go out of business and reincarnate into a decent restaraunt.
The staff was cool. I blame the management.
First off, parking was difficult to find. Had to park a block away near residential area. Wasn't too bad of a walk.
anyway, the vibe of this place is very chill. Very loud setting, plays good music, and somewhat small restaurant. Main reason for coming in was for their Happy Hour; 2-7pm everyday. ordered the aloha roll, jalapeño poppers and crispy chicken sliders. All was GOOD! Totally recommend the aloha roll!
Overall, great service, great food, great happy hour!
If your website states you close at 1:30am, it means you close at 1:30am, right? Show up at 11, and they tell me they close whenever business is slow. Â REALLY?
Also, tried their "famous" tamarind martinis... I ordered a second one, and the second glass was smaller... And the same price! Â
Completely unprofessional, horrible restaurant etiquette!
Don't bother.
First time ever was for their Happy Hour. They have a really fair HH for drinks but as far as sushi goes, they're basically the same price as Sushiya or any other local sushi spots in Chula Vista.
I would recommend the Mango Spice martini over their popular Tamarind martini! It tastes like a liquid CHAMANGO! delicious :)
Also I would recommend the Lychee sake offered! Not too sweet and I was definitely feeling floozy after a few shots.
Mondays they have MOJITO MONDAYS! $5.50 Mojitos all day! All different flavors are included and I would definitely recommend the Strawberry Mojito! Its so refreshing!
Definitely going to come back for a great HH in the neighborhood!
Only downside is.. PARKING IS HORRIBLE! Find parking in one of the residential areas, across the street or down the hill! Because it would be a miracle to find parking in front of the restaurant.
Pros:
-Sushi is pretty good
-Great Happy Hour menu
-Nicely decorated
Cons:
-Wait is ridiculously LONG
-Space is really small
-They play the music WAY TOO LOUD-you have to scream at the person across the table from you so they can hear you.
-Staff is not attentive- drinks were never refilled/ nor were we checked on
-During our last visit our group had 4 adults and 3 infants- and they charged us gratuity! That's absurd!!!
Clearly the cons outweigh the pros & there are too many sushi spots in San Diego that have the same pros minus the cons for me to settle with dinning at Valentino's. Â Every single time I've gone there the service has been subpar & the group of people I've gone with have always left feeling like we were unwanted patrons. (1 x with a group of ladies for a bachelorette party, 1x with another couple minus our kids & this last time when we were charged the added gratuity). Â I WILL NOT BE BACK.
I'm fairly new to this area of San Diego and since I am employed out here I figured I should start exploring. Â Well, I've already been to this place twice now and it's AWESOME. Â I love their specialty martinis, especially this ginger pear one.
I am normally a whiskey rocks and brown ale type of guy, but a lot of the specialty martinis sounded awesome and most of the ones that my friends and i tried were definitely good. Â It helps when you use fresh ingredients and high quality spirits.
I believe Tuesdays are their half off nights... correct me if I'm wrong though.
Great ambiance, although I feel like their bar is way too crowded with way too many types of booze... it does however make for a great game of recognition though.
A gal pal of mine ended up ordering some appetizers, and the food seemed pretty good, can't say that I had any though.
I highly recommend this place... don't know how they are on a busier night, but on a chill weekday night, it's a wonderful place to wind down.
This place is horrible.
Went one night to meet my sister and her friend, was not greeted and was not asked to order. The waitress finally came with my sister and her friends sushi, after they waited for half an hour, and when she come did, she didn't even acknowledge my presents, i had to stop her while she was walking away to order wine. They were out of the wine i originally wanted, so I got their syrah.
I tried my sisters and her friends sushi, and it was alright. Nothing too great. I've paid cheaper for better sushi and more generous servings of wine.
I'm not coming back, unless it's happy hour. Maybe i'll give them a second shot if i have a whole day to waste. It took another half an hour to get the check, I had to ask.
The waiters and waitresses don't pay attention to the patio, sit inside, but you won't be able to hear anyone at your table.
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