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Chop Shop

Rest assured, no cars are dismantled at this Mission Beach teriyaki spot.

Compared to the bar- and nightclub-saturated stretches at both ends of Mission Boulevard, the northern sections of Mission Beach are heavily residential, with apartment patios running right up to the sidewalks along the busy thoroughfare. There’s some room for restaus, however, and the Chop Shop teriyaki grill is the relatively new kid in town. Bright, red paint and a bold graphic of a meat cleaver make the shop pop out from the surrounding buildings and the anonymity of the surrounding blocks.

While there isn’t much to look at save passing cars and pedestrians, the patio at Chop Shop lends the place some credibility as a hangout spot on nice evenings. I liked that the only seating outside was along the railing, as though the restaurant wanted to force guests to engage with the passing world instead of just bending over a table. Sometimes, a mandatory chill-out is just the right thing.

Teriyaki dishes compose most of the simple menu. “Plates” have teriyaki, rice, and side dishes. “Bowls” are just teriyaki over rice and a little bit cheaper. Yakisoba sitr-fry and fried rice dishes have the same options for protein as the teriyaki dishes (chicken, beef, shrimp, tofu, and veggies). Other, random dishes like ahi tuna sliders ($12) and edamame hummus ($5) round out the menu.

I tried a chicken teriyaki plate with rice, salad (drenched in a pungent, miso-flavored dressing), and fried gyoza on the side for $11.50 and received a huge plate of food. I ate it all, like a boss, but it was a lot of food for the money, mostly because it had a high ratio of meat to sides. I could have had quinoa or fried rice instead of the big scoops of plain, white rice, but I think the contrast between the sweet, salty glaze that smothered the chicken and the palate cleansing starchiness of the rice was spot on.

http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2013/apr/08/43380/

Teriyaki’s not a complicated art and the Chop Shop doesn’t try to make it more so. It’s a commendable alternative to burritos or pizza, and it’s definitely a shade more health conscious than either one.

3852 Mission Boulevard
858-230-6522
Open daily 11-9

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Compared to the bar- and nightclub-saturated stretches at both ends of Mission Boulevard, the northern sections of Mission Beach are heavily residential, with apartment patios running right up to the sidewalks along the busy thoroughfare. There’s some room for restaus, however, and the Chop Shop teriyaki grill is the relatively new kid in town. Bright, red paint and a bold graphic of a meat cleaver make the shop pop out from the surrounding buildings and the anonymity of the surrounding blocks.

While there isn’t much to look at save passing cars and pedestrians, the patio at Chop Shop lends the place some credibility as a hangout spot on nice evenings. I liked that the only seating outside was along the railing, as though the restaurant wanted to force guests to engage with the passing world instead of just bending over a table. Sometimes, a mandatory chill-out is just the right thing.

Teriyaki dishes compose most of the simple menu. “Plates” have teriyaki, rice, and side dishes. “Bowls” are just teriyaki over rice and a little bit cheaper. Yakisoba sitr-fry and fried rice dishes have the same options for protein as the teriyaki dishes (chicken, beef, shrimp, tofu, and veggies). Other, random dishes like ahi tuna sliders ($12) and edamame hummus ($5) round out the menu.

I tried a chicken teriyaki plate with rice, salad (drenched in a pungent, miso-flavored dressing), and fried gyoza on the side for $11.50 and received a huge plate of food. I ate it all, like a boss, but it was a lot of food for the money, mostly because it had a high ratio of meat to sides. I could have had quinoa or fried rice instead of the big scoops of plain, white rice, but I think the contrast between the sweet, salty glaze that smothered the chicken and the palate cleansing starchiness of the rice was spot on.

http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2013/apr/08/43380/

Teriyaki’s not a complicated art and the Chop Shop doesn’t try to make it more so. It’s a commendable alternative to burritos or pizza, and it’s definitely a shade more health conscious than either one.

3852 Mission Boulevard
858-230-6522
Open daily 11-9

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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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