Led once again by veteran restaurateur Sami Ladeki, Roppongi reopens in its longtime home with a renewed identity that blends its celebrated legacy of Asian-fusion cuisine with a dramatic, art-driven redesign that positions the restaurant as one of San Diego’s most striking new dining rooms. Ladeki, who has shaped San Diego dining since the late 1980s, says the new Roppongi is designed to honor everything guests loved about the original while elevating the experience for a new generation.
The menu features the nostalgic signatures that helped make Roppongi famous, including the beloved Crab Stack, sizzling Hot Rock, Mongolian Shrimp, towering Onion Rings, and the decadent Tahitian Bananas dessert, all returning alongside sushi artistry, wok-fired dishes and seasonal plates reflective of Ladeki’s long-standing culinary point of view. A refreshed bar program showcases craft cocktails, Asian spirits, and an expanded wine and sake list.
“Roppongi is more than a restaurant,” Ladeki said in the reopening announcement. “It is a celebration of living well, where cuisine, design, and hospitality meet to create moments that linger long after the meal ends.”
That theme of immersion is embedded into every inch of the new space. Working with acclaimed interior designer Stephanie Parisi - his longtime collaborator on projects including Hotel Parisi and Roppongi Palm Desert - Ladeki has transformed the restaurant into a sculptural environment where art, architecture and dining are inseparable. Guests enter through a gold-brushed curved wall that sets the tone for a room defined by bending planes, bronzed screens, and softly arched ceilings.
That theme of immersion is embedded into every inch of the new space. Working with acclaimed interior designer Stephanie Parisi - his longtime collaborator on projects including Hotel Parisi and Roppongi Palm Desert - Ladeki has transformed the restaurant into a sculptural environment where art, architecture and dining are inseparable. Guests enter through a gold-brushed curved wall that sets the tone for a room defined by bending planes, bronzed screens, and softly arched ceilings.
A leathered quartzite bar anchors the restaurant with organic elegance, while custom furniture and handcrafted oval tables reinforce the nature-inspired aesthetic. The original fireplace remains, now framed by museum-quality Buddha replicas, offering a visual connection to the past. Overhead, luminous ceiling sculptures by Milan artist Mirei Monticello cast a warm glow that shifts throughout the evening.
For longtime San Diegans, Roppongi’s revival brings back a piece of culinary history that shaped La Jolla’s once-bustling dining scene in the late ’90s and early 2000s. For new visitors, it offers a destination that feels both timeless and contemporary, equal parts fine dining, social lounge, and artistic statement. The restaurant’s iconic happy hour, once considered one of the best in the county, also returns with 50 percent off tapas and drink specials daily from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m., served exclusively on the patio. Dinner service runs from 5 to 10pm, and the bar and lounge will remain open until midnight.
For longtime San Diegans, Roppongi’s revival brings back a piece of culinary history that shaped La Jolla’s once-bustling dining scene in the late ’90s and early 2000s. For new visitors, it offers a destination that feels both timeless and contemporary, equal parts fine dining, social lounge, and artistic statement. The restaurant’s iconic happy hour, once considered one of the best in the county, also returns with 50 percent off tapas and drink specials daily from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m., served exclusively on the patio. Dinner service runs from 5 to 10pm, and the bar and lounge will remain open until midnight.
With its redesigned space, revived menu and blend of nostalgia and modern hospitality, Roppongi is poised to reclaim its place as a cornerstone of La Jolla dining. For many, its return is not simply a reopening but a homecoming—one that restores a defining chapter in the neighborhood’s culinary identity.
Roppongi is now open at 875 Prospect Street, Suite 102, in San Diego's La Jolla. For more information, visit roppongiusa.net/restaurant-and-lounge.
Roppongi is now open at 875 Prospect Street, Suite 102, in San Diego's La Jolla. For more information, visit roppongiusa.net/restaurant-and-lounge.
Originally published on December 4, 2025.
