Chopstix

Katsudon.  Pretty good! 
This reminded me of when I used to come here with my mom,
back in high school maybe?

Mabodon with tonkatsu.

This yakisoba made us very sad. :-(

Rating: One thumb down (Miko), one sideways (Jenne)

Date: 1/6/13

Time in: 5:52 PM
Time out: 6:50 PM

Servers' recommendations: Tonkatsu

What we ordered: Mabo don with tonkatsu, katsudon, yakisoba

Number in our party: 2

Notes (general comments in black; Miko's comments in blue; Jenne's comments in orange): 

• The service was fine, but we wished they wouldn't keep switching servers on us -- they asked us the same questions right after each other. 
• Our main server was quite handsome.
• I have to admit that I had my mind made up about the rating before this visit -- I'd gone here with a friend before, and I had been terribly unimpressed.  They brag about how great their noodles are ("You have never tried Japanese food until you have tried our noodles!"), but the udon tasted like the instant packs you can get at the Japanese market.  Plus, the shiitake was bitter and awful!
• ...And the mabodon was not much better.  I didn't even eat it all, and I always try my best to finish my rice.  The sauce was too sweet, and there was way too much of it for the amount of rice in the bowl.  The mabodon you can get in the prepared food section of Nijiya is way tastier and a little cheaper.
• I'm going to sound like a snot here -- I'm not a great cook, but my katsudon is better.  It's not a hard dish to make, so even if Chopstix makes it okay, I wouldn't come here for it.
• This restaurant has been here forever and used to be one of the few non-sushi Japanese restaurants around, so I still have a fondness for it, but for real you can get better versions of everything they have, somewhere else on Convoy.
• I liked the mabodon the way I like Rice-A-Roni.  It tastes good, but you don't necessarily feel good about liking it.
• I liked my katsudon, but Miko is right that hers is way better!
• Yikes, the yakisoba.  It sure is difficult to find good yakisoba in San Diego, and Chopstix's was especially bad.  The noodles were the wrong kind and overcooked; there wasn't enough cabbage in it; the seasoning was bland and tasted artificial...  ALL WRONG!
• The restaurant has almost-but-not-quite X factor.  It might be a good place to bring kids, since there's a lot of selection and the food is bland.

RESTAURANT INFORMATION 

Address: 4633 Convoy St  

Phone number: 858.569.9171
Website: http://chopstix.menutoeat.com

Accepts credit cards? Yes 

Parking: A tiny lot shared with failed businesses. They have pretty good parking now, but if there were any other restaurants open in the same plaza, trying to find a space would be horrendous. 

Ideal group size: Any

Available vegetarian options: Many

Noise level: 3