I forgot to get some masago the other day at Zion and after our dessert at Up2You Cafe, we wanted to beat the afternoon traffic...
which we did. Because of that, our planned stop at Zion was nixed. Kyoto is in Sweetwater Plaza strip mall. Across the street is another strip mall (one with Hanaoka, the bowling alley and a fitness center). Don't expect the size or selection of Nijiya or Mitsuwa. This is a very small mom and pop store with various food and snack items for those times when you don't want to drive up to the Convoy area.
There's a small area in the front with candy, crackers, snacks, nori, sauces and seasonings, noodles, and canned goods.
In the back, you can also buy a small selection of fresh fish (not shown), vegetables (both loose and packaged), and refrigerated and frozen items (where I retried the fish roe after asking where it was. The answer? Door #1).
Sometimes near the front counter, you can get packaged sushifor a reasonable price. It's usually gone by the afternoon. The owners (an older Japanese couple) are usually there, or sometimes their son (who is older than me).
Below, Pho Mai Cali used to be a Hawaiian place and before that, one of the original Da Kine's.
Here are the three items I got at Kyoto:
which I later used for my Deconstructed Krab Wraps, an amazing gourmet recipe, I must say. Indeed, worthy of being in Bon Appetit or one of those frou frou mags. Haw haw. The sriracha was $2.99, the masago less than $4 and the nori, $1.99.
For those who might still remember, there used to be another tiny Japanese market in Chula Vista. It was near Hogetsu (off Third and Oxford St.) and it was called Hiro Shoten, which closed in the early 90's.
Kyoto Gift & Food
1737 Sweetwater Rd., Suite A
National City, CA 91950
(619) 477-3605
They do not have a website but here are the mostly positive reviews on yelp.
Kyoto fills my Japanese craving needs if I don't feel like driving all the way up to Nijiya or Mitsuwa.
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