Sake, Elevated. Now Open in East Village.

San Diego’s first sake-forward bar, owned and curated by certified sake sommelier Ayaka Ito.

Ito has built every experience around three elements in harmony - sake, food, and glassware. Change the glass, and the same sake tastes different. Add the right dish, and something unexpected comes alive. Get all three right, and the result is something you can’t quite explain, but will never forget.

We call it tripling.

The food side of that magic is shaped in collaboration with Marie Chiba, owner of EUREKA!, Tokyo’s legendary sake bar, and one of the few people in the world to hold the title of Sake Samurai, one of the highest honors in sake culture. 

Her influence on how we think about food and sake runs through every dish on our menu.

Sake Bar Gaga has shaped a menu where sake, food, and glassware are chosen with that magic in mind.

Our goal is to share sake culture and connect people around the world through sake. 

GAGA is a Japanese tapas-style sake bar that San Diego has never seen before.

Our menu features 10 to 12 small plates that are designed to pair with the sake. Not as an afterthought. Not by tradition. But with scientific intention, understanding how umami compounds interact, how acidity shifts on the palate, how the shape of a glass changes what your nose perceives before you even take a sip.

Two ways to drink:

Sake Omakase — Order any dish and ask for its sake pairing. We've matched every plate to a sake that transforms alongside it. Trust us, and let the tripling happen.

Sake by the Glass — Prefer to explore on your own? Browse our curated selection and pour what calls to you.

There's no wrong way to experience GAGA — only your way.