If you’re thinking about visiting Ming’s Rotating Sushi and Bar, prepare yourself for a whirling adventure. Though you might just miss it nestled between businesses in the Bonita Point shopping center, once you step inside the restaurant, you’re transported into a bright world of whirring delivery cars, a buzzing conveyor belt, and the low hum of diners enjoying their sushi rolls, ramen, and light bites. There’s a warmth to the restaurant that makes it feel as if you’re dining with an old friend—if that friend had a sushi carousel in their home.
One of the reasons for that warmth is restaurant owner, Cici Chen. Cici and her husband Ming, the restaurant’s namesake, opened their rotating sushi bar after a lifetime of family restaurant experience. This is their first in Chula Vista, though, where they’ve lived for nearly 20 years. The goal? To create a welcoming restaurant with the playful sense of wonder of the rotating sushi experience.
“You’ll see the bright colors–orange and pink–we wanted everything to be very colorful and welcoming for the whole family. When we opened, it was fun to see the kids get so excited.”
It took 16 months of renovations for the restaurant to be ready for its debut, but when they finally opened their doors this past February—they were met with a roaring welcome.
“At the beginning, we were really, really busy. We ran out of food every night, and we had to turn off the open sign before 8pm two times.” The customers, she says, were kind and welcoming. “We are thankful to this community, and to our customers, for coming here and eating with us and experiencing something fun.”
Cici and Ming have been intentional about every single step of their restaurant, right down to the bathrooms. Head to the back and you will find thoughtfully designed Japanese restroom amenities complete with automatic toilets with heated seats, offering a small moment of luxury. “We were very thoughtful about the details. We really wanted our customers to have a great time and experience something new for them.”
There’s a robot, affectionately referred to as “Diva,” that delivers drinks and accompaniments like Ginger and Wasabi to tables. When you are ready to eat, you can choose from a variety of rotating options—like “Ming’s Special” that includes mango—and simply stack up the plates as you finish.
For menu items, you can place an order from the table kiosk, then sit back and relax. In a few minutes, a small electric car glides along the track to deliver your order straight to your table, ready to eat. The LED screen on the car displays light up messages letting you know your food is ready, then flashes “Mission Completed” just before zooming back to the kitchen for its next food delivery journey.
The whole experience is a novel technological adventure. While common in Japan, revolving sushi is brand new in Chula Vista. Cici says it’s fun to watch both younger and older generations delighted by the cars and robots—it’s all together an entertaining experience for everyone involved.
Thankful for Community
When it comes to community, Cici knows how to make others feel welcomed and celebrated. Her staff is made up of a handful of college students from Southwestern, SDSU, and UCSD—all local. One of her staff members, Ole, is an artist. In his down time, he sketched a picture of every single staff member at Ming’s (featured on page x), and continues to add to it as new staff join the team—a nod to the familial energy of their crew. Some days he even makes fun sketches on the balloons in the restaurant and gives them away to lucky customers or children who enjoy them.
Every day, Cici is thankful for her team and for all of the customers who come into the restaurant to eat. She is grateful to get to know more people in the community, and she is thankful for the opportunity to take on this new challenge.
What’s in a Name
Just as the details of the restaurant were intentionally thought through, the name of the restaurant has significant meaning, too. Ming’s Rotating Sushi and Bar is named for Cici’s husband, Ming. The Chinese name “Ming” means “bright” or “clear.” In Chinese culture, it is connected with the sun and moon (as you can see in their logo) and signifies ideas of hope and possibility for the future. That’s why they want their restaurant to be full of bright welcoming colors—this chapter in their lives is marked by that very sense of hope and possibility.
After decades of hard work in family restaurants, Ming wanted to round out the final chapters of his career with something new, to challenge himself. Ming and Cici dreamed up their rotating sushi and bar in the hopes that they might rise to the challenge, and that their restaurant might become known as a place for everyone in the community to have great sushi and great experiences. They have a dream that the whole community knows their name, and that Ming’s will become “the place to go.”
A Place To Be Together
So next time you and your family are looking for a fun place to eat out, you can’t go wrong with a family centered environment full of gratitude for being part of this wonderful Chula Vista community. Mings isn’t just a place to eat—its a place where joy, family, and community come together over sushi and everyone has a great time.
“We're thankful to this community, and to our customers, for coming here and eating with us and experiencing something fun.”
-Cici Chen, Restaurant Owner