Amazing Japan 7-11 quality experience; rice is hot and fish is cold, very authentic. Love it :)read more

* KazuNori is known for having some of the best hand rolls. We usually go to the Downtown location,…read morebut this was our first time trying the Pasadena location. * The first big plus is parking. Parking is free with validation, while the Downtown location charges around $10 just for parking -- that's almost the price of two hand rolls lol. * The interior here feels cleaner, brighter, and more spacious compared to the Downtown location. * The quality of the hand rolls can depend a little on who makes them, especially when it comes to getting the right amount of rice. The person who served us knew exactly how to make them, and everything came out as expected. * Each hand roll is around $6-$7, so it's definitely not cheap. But it's hard to find hand rolls this fresh anywhere else, especially with nori that stays perfectly crispy. * The fish and rice were also perfectly seasoned. * We ended up really enjoying this location. If you want to try high-quality hand rolls, KazuNori is definitely worth checking out.

I finally got to try this place after failed attempts to get in line in the past and the food did…read morenot disappoint! My friend and I shared the following dishes: -Carlos Jewel Box: My favorite dish here. I just loved the variety. Sashimi and fried seafood on a bed of fluffy and seasoned rice. Also a nice umami kick from the ikura. The sashimi was tasty and standard, but I really enjoyed the fried seafood bites. The tempura batter was great and the seafood was nice and plump. -Tendon Combo with Cold Udon: Same notes for the tempura here, the batter was great and the tempura here is on another level. I also liked the half boiled egg and breaking the yolk into the rice, so delicious! The cold udon dipping noodles were also tasty and refreshing. Great for hot weather. I enjoyed the texture of the noodles. The value of each set was pretty good for what it was and the food was good quality. This restaurant is located in a cute alleyway with good outdoor ambiance. I enjoyed dining outdoors. The service here was great and the servers were kind. There's usually a wait to eat here. You put your name in on the tablet located at the restaurant and sometimes they have a waitlist available on the Yelp app to enter in. Overall, a great spot and I would definitely come back for good Japanese Food/Tempura.

We actually stumbled upon this place by accident. We were heading to the Mexican restaurant nearby,…read moreonly to find out it was under construction. This place looked really popular, with a lot of people coming in and out, so we decided to give it a try. The girl seating people when we arrived wasn't particularly friendly, she seemed like she was just going through the motions. Inside looked really busy, so we decided to sit outside. Even with the crazy heat, there was plenty of shade where we were sitting, so it was actually bearable. There was a QR code near the entry way that I had scanned but the young lady ended up bringing us menus, which was helpful. I ordered the shrimp and vegetable tempura bowl with wheat noodles, but actually wanted the Undo noodles but I let it go. My mom ordered the all-vegetable tempura bowl. We also added a piece of chicken breast tempura to each of our meals for some extra protein. The tempura was different from what I'm used to. The batter was very light and flaky, but it was delicious! We both really enjoyed the vegetables. My favorites were definitely the zucchini and pumpkin. Overall, the service ended up being decent as well. Now here's the part I feel bad about mentioning. About 40-60 minutes after we left, my stomach started cramping really badly, and I ended up in the restroom. No need to go into details--it was horrible. I asked my mom how she was feeling, and she was completely fine. We pretty much ate the same meal, with the main difference being that I had the shrimp tempura and she didn't. So naturally, I wondered if maybe I had gotten a bad piece of shrimp. Of course, I can't say for certain that the shrimp was the cause. I'm not going to write this place off as a bad restaurant because of my experience. It could have simply been an unfortunate one-off situation. The place was clearly popular, and by the time we were getting ready to leave, there was actually a line of people waiting to eat. Overall, I think this is probably a good spot and we genuinely enjoyed the food while we were there. Unfortunately, after the way I felt later that day, I just don't know if I'll personally be coming back anytime soon.

Great customer service, calm and relaxing place, and the food was delicious. Employees were nice…read moreand welcoming.

I had to update my review. I've been back a multiple times since my one-star review, and they've…read moremade some great improvements. No more waiting for your entire party to arrive before being seated, when the restaurant is empty. The fish is fresh, and they offer more exotic selections instead of just the usual yellowtail, salmon, and tuna. The staff is super friendly and accommodating, and the quality of the fish has been consistently excellent. I'm happy to give my local sushi spot five stars. Thanks for listening to your customers and making these improvements!

I've been coming to Aikan back when it was called Aburi every so often when I wanted to eat a lot…read moreof sushi all at once with their AYCE format. My last trip on Sunday was a good time, and Gita did a heck of a job getting my food out as fast as I could eat them (even though I came in at 8:35pm and asked for 40 pieces of sushi in 2 rounds lol) Their food and service still remains a good reason for me to come back from time to time.

Natari give a really good example of what good service is, great food and awesome service.read more

Food was great! I ordered the salmon don and chicken was great! Phin was also cool! The service was…read moreamazing and will definitely be back:

Ordered: - Hakata set with Tonkatsu ramen (5/5): Came with a…read morespicy tuna don, karaage, and tsukemono. The karaage had a solid fry, and wasn't greasy at all while being both crunchy and juicy. The sauce was a creamy and spicy and paired well with the chicken. The tonkotsu ramen was delicious although a bit on the sweeter side - the egg was very well marinated and the chashu generous and flavorful. - Tokyo set with tuna don (5/5): Also came with soba noodles, miso soup, and tsukemono. The tuna don had a generous portion of tuna and rice. It tasted fresh and was a simple and well executed dish that satisfies your cravings. The soba noodles were a surprise to me. I didn't expect the soba noodles to be in a sauce with a string sesame oil consistency and taste. It was refreshing yet a bit heavier as a result. I also love the variety of fish provided with it. Overall (5/5): Disclaimer - we came here late April. But this is a gem in Pasadena that we wished we visited sooner! The lunch deals have very generous portions for the price and we were super stuffed after. We also were quite impressed with the execution of the tsukemono which looked like canned vegetables mixed with mushrooms that were pickled together for an unexpectedly rich flavor. The vibes of the establishment are modern and tasteful, and we really liked how spacious it was. Service was also solid. Overall we hope to be back to further explore the menu!

Came to Yakiya in Pasadena with my friend to celebrate her birthday and try their Dine LA menu. The…read moreDine LA menu was $78 per person, and after finishing the entire meal, I thought it was the perfect amount of food. I left satisfied without feeling overstuffed like I sometimes do at Chubby Cattle, but definitely wasn't hungry either. First piece of advice: make a reservation! This place gets busy, and I can see why. From the moment we checked in, the experience started off great. We were greeted at the front, our table was ready, and we were quickly introduced to our server, Jeffrey. I have to give Jeffrey a huge shout-out because he took our dining experience to another level. From his warm smile to his attentiveness and genuinely friendly personality, he was just an excellent human being. I would honestly come back just to chop it up with Jeffrey again. My water barely made it to half empty before he was already refilling it. More importantly, he paced every course perfectly so we never felt rushed or like dishes were piling up on the table. For drinks, I ordered the Imperial Palace made with Suntory Toki and yuzu, which was delicious and refreshing. My friend ordered the non-alcoholic yuzu lemonade, and that was really good too. Now for the food. The quality of the ingredients and meats here is no slouch. We started with the A5 Wagyu tartlet topped with caviar. This was one of those single bites where you immediately wish you had five more. So good. Next was the smoked ribeye tataki, which was another hit, followed by the chawanmushi with uni and okra. Everything was well balanced and beautifully presented. Then came the miso seabass, and I have to say it was right up there with Nobu's version. The fish was cooked perfectly and packed with flavor. For the main meat courses, we had USDA Prime ribeye, American Wagyu short ribs, and A5 Wagyu filet mignon. The Prime ribeye was incredibly flavorful and well seasoned, while the American Wagyu short ribs practically melted in your mouth. Pairing the meats with freshly grated wasabi made them even better. Another reason Jeffrey deserves recognition is that he actually cooked our meats for us. Even while taking care of multiple tables, every piece came out at a perfect medium rare. That level of attention and consistency was impressive. Jeffrey then prepared the bone marrow rice and cooked our A5 Wagyu filet mignon to pair with it. By this point in the meal, I was completely satisfied without feeling overly full, which is exactly what I want from a tasting-style experience. For dessert, we finished with the Miso Cappuccino ice cream. Since we were celebrating my friend's birthday, the restaurant added a really thoughtful personal touch to her dessert. They made a handwritten cracker with her name on it along with "Happy Birthday." It was a small detail, but it made the celebration feel much more personal and showed the level of attention Yakiya puts into the overall experience. The ambiance matches the food and service. Yakiya has a modern, elevated Japanese BBQ feel without being overly stuffy. The restaurant wasn't too loud, and the tables were spaced far enough apart that we could actually have a private conversation. For a birthday, date night, anniversary, or another special occasion, the setting works really well. Parking was surprisingly easy for Pasadena. They have a huge free parking lot, and we had no trouble finding a spot. Overall, the $78 Dine LA menu was a great introduction to Yakiya. The portions were just right, the meat quality was excellent, and every course felt thoughtfully put together. But what really made the night memorable was Jeffrey and all the little details the restaurant added to make my friend's birthday special. Great food can bring you into a restaurant, but service like this is what makes you want to come back. I'll definitely be returning with friends and family for future special occasions. And if I'm lucky, hopefully we'll get Jeffrey again!

I've dined at the Hacienda Heights multiple times before and wanted to check out the Pasadena…read morelocation. I was disappointed of the value of the "original" set especially since they no longer offer the bone marrow fried rice (it's on the lower tier one though). For $128 set and you only get 5 pieces of grilled meat and they count the starter drink as a course is disappointing. Yes there's meat in the starter courses but when the restaurant is focused on grilled meats, it's kinda sad you only get 5 pieces (unless you order more). The food quality is good but the value isnt there like it used to be. The biggest disappointment was the service though. We were never asked if we wanted to order drinks and was not asked if we wanted to add anything else at any point of our meal. Could we have asked? Yes. But there's a level of expectation from the service with a restaurant like this where they're promoting an exceptional dining experience. The courses felt rushed at some points and then other times there was a longer wait in between. It wasn't consistent. Knowing how it is at the other location, the hospitality level was not on par. Also separate from the dining experience - one of the bidet toilets in the womens restroom wasn't working, but there was no out of order sign and BOTH stalls had no toilet paper for quite some time until we had to ask a worker to restock it.

Everything about Tomikawa is amazing. I come here ALL the time and have brought all my friends. The…read moreservice is always great and the food is even better. We do AYCE and they get the food out so fast to us.

My girlfriend and I have been coming for years and have always had great experiences! The AYCE is…read morean amazing deal with a wide selection of sushi and appetizers. The quality is top notch and the service is very friendly. Some of our favorites are the Agedashi Tofu, Albacore Lover Roll, and the Seared Garlic Tuna sushi! at

We've gone here multiple times and the food and service is alway pretty quick. We got the Gyoza and…read moreBeef Teriyaki with rice and everything was delicious. The sauce was especially tasty! Would recommend to come by for a lunch so you can get something from the 12:00-4:00 discount menu.

Good food with very good prices. would come here again and recommend to my friends The service was…read moreamazing, and top tier.