Sami Ladeki has long been one of San Diego’s best-known restaurateurs, particularly in La Jolla where he lives part time and where he opened his first Sammy’s Woodfired Pizza restaurant 37 years ago.
And the one question Ladeki said he heard the most from his fellow La Jollans in recent years was: “When are you going to bring back Roppongi?”
Ladeki opened the elegant Asian fusion-themed Roppongi Restaurant & Lounge in 1998 on the ground floor of a La Jolla office building on Prospect Street at Fay Avenue. Roppongi was a locals favorite right up until Ladeki closed its doors in 2015, due to an impending rent hike that would’ve made the 6,000-square-foot location too expensive to operate.
Now it’s back, and in the same location it occupied for 17 years. Ladeki has renovated the space, which sat empty for a decade, with new décor, a new central bar and a new street entrance.
San Diego restaurateur Sami Ladeki, who owns Roppongi in La Jolla and more than a dozen Sammy’s and Toasted Gastrobrunch restaurants in California and Nevada. (Eduardo Contreras / U-T File)
And the best news for locals? Sixty percent of the dishes on the new Roppongi menu are guest favorites from the original menu, made with the same recipes overseen by Ladeki Restaurant Group’s longtime executive chef Alfie Szeprethy.
Needless to say, manyof the new Roppongi’s top-selling dishes are time-tested favorites from the original menu. Ladeki said the top-sellers now are Polynesian crab stack, Mongolian duck quesadilla, Kalua pork spring rolls, kung pao calamari, Japanese hot rock appetizer, ahi poke and BBQ lamb chops.
The Polynesian crab stack appetizer at Roppongi Restaurant & Lounge in La Jolla. (James Tran)
In an interview Monday evening at Roppongi, Ladeki said he’s been happy at the community’s response to the return of Roppongi, which reopened Dec. 30.
“Roppongi has always been about more than food,” he said. “It’s about energy, creativity and connection — a place where great design, great cuisine and great company come together. After hearing for years how much people missed it, reopening Roppongi in La Jolla feels incredibly meaningful and we’re excited to welcome guests back.”
Ladeki said the 250-seat indoor-outdoor restaurant is always packed on Friday and Saturday nights, with many of his old regulars now returning on a weekly basis. Business is also growing on weeknights. This week, he introduced Monday and Wednesday night dining specials to help boost midweek visits.
The Japanese Hot Rock tapas dish at Roppongi Restaurant & Lounge in La Jolla. (James Tran)
From 5-9 p.m. Mondays, diners can order the $30 Roppongi Ritual experience, which includes spicy edamame with two pieces of nigiri, a choice of three entrées and a Ritual cocktail with Roku gin, grapefruit and lemon juices and shiso leaf. And from 5-9 p.m. Wednesdays, Roppongi offers the Rendezvous, a $129 prix-fixe, three-course dinner for two that includes sake pairings. Dishes include crispy lobster with chili garlic aioli, the Roppongi sushi roll and Mongolian shrimp with mango salsa and pineapple egg-fried rice.
The Mongolian duck quesadilla at Roppongi Restaurant & Lounge in La Jolla. (James Tran)
Born in Lebanon, Ladeki moved as a young man to Germany, where he found work in restaurant kitchens. In 1968, he immigrated to the U.S., settling in New Orleans where he worked as a restaurant busboy before getting drafted into the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War. He ended up serving stateside, working in Army culinary services, which prepared him for eventual jobs as restaurant captains and food and beverage directors at high-end hotels in Las Vegas and beyond.
In 1989, he spent $300,000 to open his first Sammy’s location at 702 Pearl St. in La Jolla. Its unique wood-grilled pizza concept made it an immediate success. Today, Ladeki owns seven Sammy’s locations in California, including five in San Diego County, and three in Las Vegas, where he and his wife of 30 years live six months of each year. In 2019, he also launched the Toasted Gastrobrunch concept, which has locations in Oceanside and Del Mar, as well as two in Las Vegas.
In 2014, Ladeki was named “Restaurateur of the Year” by the California Restaurant Association.
Ladeki’s style of doing business is hands-on. He visits all of his restaurant locations on a regular basis, tasting the food, talking to staff and observing the service and guest experience. Asked about the prospect of retiring, Ladeki said he has no hobbies, loves the restaurant business and he takes pride in providing a supportive working environment for his employees.
Depending on the economy, changing tastes, rising rents and other factors, Ladeki said the number and locations of his restaurants will change over time. But one restaurant that he promises is not going anywhere is Roppongi. Ladeki said his landlord gave him a great deal on the rent, and he’s happy to have brought back a restaurant that was so beloved in his hometown.
“This restaurant,” he said,” is here to stay.”
Roppongi Restaurant & Lounge
Hours: 5-9 p.m. Sundays-Thursdays; 5-10 p.m. Fridays-Saturdays (happy hours, 3-5:30 p.m.)
Where: 875 Prospect St., La Jolla
Online: roppongilajolla.com