Matsuri definitely is an authentic Japanese restaurant. However, the food is not as flavorful as I had hoped. The good: Organic hot green tea was delicious. Tempura batter was flavorful and super crunchy- they are made to order so you know its fresh! The bad: The sashimi that came with the lunch bento was horrible. The three slices of tuna screamed DON"T EAT ME as i lifted it to my mouth and smelled the fishiness that only comes from unfresh fish. I had one slice and almost spat it out. It seems lunch bentos get the left overs sashimi that should be either cooked or dumped but definitely not served. read more

I almost wanted to give Matsuri three stars instead of four. I think their service warrants a two-star deduction, but I'm feeling generous today. The food here is pretty good-they have your usual rolls, some special rolls, non-sushi items, various noodle dishes, and of course, sashimi and nigiri. I've eaten here about three times, and each time, the quality of the fish has been pretty good. The service is a whole other story. I noticed the first time I came here that there's a lady waitress (a little on the older side) who rushes around looking panicked, and doesn't seat customers for a long time even though there are open tables. Yesterday, we walked into the restaurant, saw that it was about 1/3 full with MANY open tables. We stood in the doorway area for a full 5 minutes before someone even acknowledged we were waiting to be seated. The lady looked busy, but she could have seated us at least. Once you sit down at your table, prepare to wait some more. The guy waiter seemed a lot more attentive. I hesitate to come here again because of the lack of decent service. Other than that though, the food itself is good, so I guess that's what's most important. read more

Everything was fine. Service, adequate. Food, adequate. Prices, high for what you get. We had salmon and tuna sashimi, kara age, miso black cod, miso eggplant, ika tempura, green chili tempura. Also had a small bottle of sake. Bill was $90, which I thought was a bit high, considering. Not sure it's worth returning, given it was nearly 100 bucks. read more

BEST place in town! Sit a bar and AG & Jyun will bring the best out!!!! Oysters are amazing!!! read more

Matsuri - Sushi Bars Near Me - Pasadena, California

I would recommend the sashimi dinner, chirashi, and nabeyaki udon as entrees to order. Both the sashimi dinner and chirashi starts off with miso soup, and the sashimi dinner also comes with a side of rice. Yummy appetizers to split with friends includes the black cod or soft shell crab. Their tempura is also great because it's nice and light and not caked on heavy like other places. On a cold night, the nabeyaki udon is my favorite, which comes in a stone pot and includes a variety of mushrooms, fish cake, greens, an egg, and shrimp tempura. read more

Matsuri - Sashimi dinner - Sushi Bars Near Me - Pasadena, California

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Matsuri is my sushi bar home away from home. I don't want to sound like every other review and say they have the freshest fish or the most authentic Japanese cuisine, but they do. What this place may lack in table service, they more than make up for at the sushi bar. The fishermen brothers, AG and Jun are at the heart of this family owned and run restaurant making every time a visit with old friends. And, the quality of food is tip top, wether you order off the menu or try something new like shisohot or salmon with lemon and sea salt or live uni (if John hasn't gotten there first). read more

Don't be fooled by this unassuming sushi restaurant on Green. This place serves fresh and good quality sushi and by far the best Takoyaki I have ever had! If I'm in Pasadena, I would come here for my sushi fixes. Stay away from Old Town for sushi. None of the places there serves as good of quality sushi as Matsuri. By the way, I thought it was kinda neat that they roll the drums after they greet you at the door and before seating you. So Japanese! read more

Second time I've had lunch here, and very happy with the sushi-- freshest I've had so far in Pasadena. Both times, I've sat at the sushi bar and ordered a la carte along with suggestions from the sushi chef about which items were freshest. The sushi chef was very friendly and helpful. Plus freshest-tasting uni I've had in a long long time. Sushi bar seating was mostly empty (I assume b/c of all the torrential rains this week), but people were still constantly shuffling in and out of the restaurant despite the horrid weather. Lunch for one cost me about $45 (miso soup, hot tea + assorted a la carte sushi & sashimi). I'd eat here more regularly if I could afford to. read more

I had their chirashi sushi, which I find is a good test for the quality of the fish offered at any sushi place. What I was give was some of the best I've tasted. Firm, fresh, positively delicious. They had fatty tuna on the menu as special the night I went, but I didn't have the cash to try it out. Not a fan of the drum as I enter, but with food as good as they offer, I don't think I care! read more

Amazing sushi. Very innovative menu and very fast service. Freshest sushi in Pasadena area. My husband and I go here every week. I reccomend: Aji sashimi- because the deep fry the head and body after you are done eating the sushi part, and it is YUMMY Takoyaki- delicious octopus balls Shiso hot- better than spicy tuna on crispy rice because it is on top of a deep fried shiso leaf with yummy eel sauce. Any sushi You will not be dissapointed! read more

Love this restaurant! Small mom and pop place, servers are friendly, also great food! Sushi is always fresh, kitchen foods are delicious. I just love this place! read more

It's been pretty difficult to find Japanese owned sushi restaurants in the area, but Matsuri has definitely become a go to place for us when we have our sushi cravings. We used to go to Little Tokyo for our sushi fix but having a toddler has made that pretty impossible. Matsuri has really great service and offers a good variety of Japanese dishes aside from their sushi. Their food has always been very fresh. Many times they do run out of certain fishes/items on their menu. I really like their veggie tempura (light thin batter), spicy tuna and yellowtail roll, fried squid. The prices are a little on the higher side but well worth it. All the dishes are more of the petite side, smaller portions--even the combination boxes are on the smaller side but definitely still filling. the cooked fishes are delicate and so flavorful. One of my favorite places in the area. They do take reservations and get pretty busy at times. read more

Best sushi in San Gabriel Valley. By far!! (Yelp won't let me post this without writing a certain amount of word which is incredibly annoying because the pictures speak 1000 words, so I'm writing until it accepts my picture posts.) read more

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We ordered a salmon and sashimi dinner, salmon nigiri and hamachi Kama. It was packed nicely and tasted so fresh! The service was great and it was ready promptly. I really enjoyed my meal from this wonderful restaurant and was glad to support a local business! We will order again soon! read more

GOOD SUSHI/SASHIMI - SMALL JAPANESE FAMILY OWNED RESTAURANT! This place is not cheap/all-you-can-eat sushi. Sushi should not be cheap. It is small, there are times you have to wait, but it is well worth it. I recommend you look on the board for the specials or live items. They often have live sweet shrimp. Personally I go for sushi/sashimi, but they also have other items for those who like the less traditional sushi meal. In that category I recommend the Shiso-hot (their twist on the spicy tuna cracker), tuna tower (tuna guacamole), tempura, or skewers ( when they have it.....) Expect a longer meal, expect to pay more -- totally worth it! See you there tomorrow read more

Love this place. My only problem is with it's size. Very small resturant, but the food more than makes up for the lack of ambiance. We've eaten there only a few times (it's far from our home) but it is my favorite place so far. We have never had a bad experience with the food. My husband LOVES the Chicken Teriyaki. Which is a big deal, because he is very picky and hardly ever gives out a compliment when it comes to food! The Miso is very tasty. And the vegetable Tempura is to die for!!! Being a vegetarian, I find my diet limited in resturants, but that vegetable Tempura was so wonderful I didn't care about my limited options. Flaky and crisp and absolutely perfect every time!!! read more

Love it here. I totally liked their super friendly Japanese workers. Very thoughtful gestures for families with small children. They brought kids fork & spoon and bowls for my 2 year old son without being asked! My husband had a Chirashi. He LOVED it. My Udon was just OK, but fulfilled my cravings for Udon. We're definately going to be a regular! read more

Tasty yellow tail sushi. Friendly staff and very very fast service.

First visit to this place yesterday--was very much looking forward to making this a regular spot of mine....was very (very) disappointing. First comment when I walk in: put your bag below the table (sat at the sushi bar). Told him I had a small bottle of water inside my bag. Then, he hands me a cup of ice to put my water in...(?) I asked: can I get some of 'your' water?? Then, the sushi chefs were both rude: the old guy was only paying attention to the older white man sitting next to me--I have tattoos and neither were at all interested in helping me out. Felt like they couldn't wait for me to leave. In the end: I told the guy who greeted me that the food was pretty decent, but he was rude and disrespectful, and I don't plan on coming back. read more

I have been going to this place since I first arrived Pasadena and have not had a negative experience there yet. The service is swift and food is quite good for the price. Chirashi bowl is a good deal for the price and definitely one of the best in Pasadena at the $20 price point. For an area with so many food options, I appreciate that Matsuri keeps its own character: clean, prompt, and providing great customer service. As an example, the first time I went, the staff was getting ready to close for lunch. Instead of kicking me out, they served me while they were having their own lunch and apologized profusely for not providing better service (note: the service was still better than most restaurants I have been to during normal hours). read more

This place is awesome!! It says a lot that I'm giving it 5 stars even though my husband and I had to wait 20 or 30 minutes before we were seated (of course, busy-ness is a good sign). The sushi is very authentic. I lived in Japan for a year, in a fishing town, so I have a pretty good idea what good sushi should taste like. This is it! I had a sushi combo (comes with miso soup, 8 pieces of nigiri, and a California roll) and everything was superb... very fresh. The nigiri was especially good... and no chewy octopus nigiri in the combo either, which was a huge bonus for me. (I'm sure you can order that separately if you like it.) Best sushi in Pasadena. read more

I was staying at the nearby DusitD2 Hotel and, in the mood for Japanese food, happened to find my way into Matsuri. What a fortunate find. I ordered Chirashi which included their wonderful, spicy poke, and a wide variety of sashimi with shiso, daikon and tamago, over sushi rice. They used a furikake that I am not familiar with, but which added great flavor. The unagi was crispy crusted and still moist. I asked about the music and the host brought me the CD, purchased in Japan, for me to take notes. Service was warm and welcoming. The fish was immaculately prepared, and I only wish I travel more often to Pasadena read more

A nice neighborhood sushi place serving quality sushi. Their sushis are good: my fav is the mackerel (they put a very thing slice of ginger on). They also have no fuss rolls with mostly fish and none of the other stuff you find out there. read more

It was very good. You can tell the sushi is very fresh. BUT it is a bit pricey. Hanabi sushi on s lake, Aka. Half off sushi, is cheaper with decent sushi. We go there more often only because it's cheaper. read more

YUM YUM YUM YUM YUM YUMMYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!! I loved this place. Japanese run restaurant.. GOsh so hard to find lately. SErvice is decent, location is great for me... I live within a mile distance. Parking is awesome! Thanks for existing! read more

This place will definitely be on my go to sushi place in Pasadena. Parking is at the back of the building. The blufin tuna, live sweet shrimp, Hamachi, and Uni was all fresh. I also tried the live soft shell crab, and their hot item called Shiso Hot. Everything was delicious and the service was good. I gave it a 5 star because of their quality and price. read more

The food in this place is authentic as it can get. The sushi is always A+ fresh and consistant. I don't know how they keep the prices so generous and never market price on certain items as live shrimp, B.F. Tuna and others. Ill be back again next week. read more

I enjoyed eating at Matsuri since they opened. Very southern cal style sushi restaurant and I think the quality is quite good. I order the omakase (chef's special) from time to time. The price is not cheap but I think you get what you paid for. The service is quite good and parking is easy. I usually just stick with the sushi menu, as it is a sushi restaurant and would not expect a lot of different things for the cooked menu. Don't listen to the die hard fans and believe everything is good. If you want to have the best for the visit you should sit at the sushi bar and order the sushi one by one, and also talk to the chef and find out what's good (as a reference). The minimum charge for cr card is a little odd (but $20 can easily be reach for such a restaurant) because the cr card company do not allow that. You can actually complaint about that but since I never have such a problem with them I do not know if they very strict on this so called policy. read more

I was excited to find this place. I like the smaller independent Japanese spots more than the modern decor places with their trendy rolls. This place reminded me of the smaller places in the Sawtelle area. The food was simple, fresh and delicious. I ordered the fried oysters as an appetizer and one of their combination lunches- beef teriyaki and sashimi. The combination came with miso, rice, a shredded green salad and macaroni salad. The sashimi was salmon, tuna and red snapper - all of which were cut well and fresh. The beef terriyaki was made with ribeye and the meat had a bit of thickness which I enjoyed. The macaroni salad was creamy which is just the way I like it. The service was good. I'll definitely be back to try the rest of the menu. read more

Our favorite family-style, family-run Japanese restaurant in Pasadena, complete with drums. We come here regularly for lunch (good deal) and frequently for dinner. Tucked away on Green and S Wilson, so a bit far from the madding crowd. read more

My friend and I ate here last week and even thought it was 25 mins before closing they happily sat us and we received superior service from a very nice gentleman. Once closuring time arrived all of the patrons still eating were not rushed or bothered to hurry up- we were told take our time, no problem. We were the last ones to leave- very nice crew. And the food is amazing!! And you get lots if it! Highly recommend! read more

You want AUTHENTIC Japanese food ACTUALLY OWNED BY JAPANESE, here you go!! Big selection including lots of different types of udon and soba, huge appetizer list, great selection of sushi. I have been here many times and brought my Dad here who is the worst critic of them all. He gave this 5 stars all the way and won't go to any other Japanese restaurant in the area. I inquired to the waitress once if they had abalone (which was not on the sushi menu). SCORE!!! Ohh so delicious sliced thin. Usually I start with the spinach with the sesame sauce. One of my favorites. Don't be put off by the fact that it's cold. If you love spinach, try it out. I could eat it all day. Then, I hit the Kakiage Udon or the Tempura Udon and they never disappoint. With croquettes taste IDENTICAL to Grammas (Is she back there cooking?!!) End the meal with some really good green tea or the new love of my life, Sesame Ice Cream!!! Nippon Heaven!! And on our first visits, the one with the abalone, We hooked the tip UP. The waitress RAN OUT AFTER US, asking if we made a mistake on the tip and that it was too much. Seriously?! SO AWESOME. LOVE this place. I'm a regular. That chick slurping noodles at the window table?! That's ME!! read more

we had lunch here. there are a variety of lunch specials. you can choose a teriyaki (chicken, beef, etc) and a sushi for a bento box with includes rice, miso soup. they have other lunch specials: chirashi sushi deluxe sashimi deluxe and rice options like tonkatsu w/rice...(and noodle ones too...udon)...i don't remember them all. i was excited to see hamburger!! I LOVE JAPANESE hamburger. yeah!! it came with two small patties topped with ketchup. tasty, tender, and juicy...it is served with a cabbage salad drizzled with ginger miso dressing and a bowl of rice. it also came with a small pasta/mac salad w/some cucumber mixed in. hubby had the chirashi deluxe. it was $13.50 and had a good variety of sashimi (10 pcs?). the chirashi rice had bits of dried seaweed for extra flavor. we also ordered a agedashi tofu with came with 6 small square pieces. i really wanted to order the... SHI-SO HOT!!! lol.. shiso with spicy tuna --- i love the name!! their spicy tuna was tasty as i had some on the chirashi. they have a plethora of options!!! i want to try the many izakaya dishes...and shi-so hot, of course. =) read more

I always like to sit at sushi bar when I go to Japanese restaurant. So as usual I asked for seating at sushi bar when I came here. The waitress told me that the bar is closed so, okay, I settled at table. After I ordered, 2 American came in, and guess what, she allowed them to sit at sushi bar. I am not mad yet till I asked the waitress the reason. She told me, sometimes customers don't listen but it's very difficult to say no blah blah blah. WTF you told me it's CLOSED. So my interpretation is... it's easy to say no to asian but hard to say no to American. Got it. Everything to go. Exactly 10% tips. And bye, I'll never come back again. This is just ridiculous. read more

Nothing on the menu looked that good to me, and it's a bit overpriced for what it is. The list of raw fish is very very short. I only tried a couple of types of sushi and looked at the food that others in my group ordered. I don't even feel like I need to go back to give this place more of a chance, it just had zero appeal to me. read more

We dined at Matsuri couple times for dinner and the experience was very pleasant. We had late dinner at around 8-ish and there were people waiting. The food was so yummy and the young waitress at night was excellent. She was very polite, personable, and very attentive to customers' need. Both time we brought our stroller without any problem. We would give 5 stars for the dinner experience. HOWEVER, what happened today made us do NOT want to go back. We had lunch at Matsuri today with friends. The young waitress was not there, instead, there were two middle-aged women serving. Once we entered, one of them told us not to bring the stroller in. Since we had our booster seat, we put the stroller aside and place our 9 months old in the booster seat. The waitress was inpatient and bossy. She was even trying to discipline my baby (who was loud, but that's normal for a 9 months old). The food was still good (I had the chirashi sushi) and the price was reasonable. At the end, my baby was falling asleep. I pulled the stroller back to our table and put him inside. He slept almost immediately. Since there were only 2-3 tables seated, and there was plenty of space, I thought that's ok to leave the stroller close to our table. But when we left, another waitress told us again no stroller next time. I was so mad. There is NO next time if stroller is not allowed. Baby needs stroller. That is discrimination as if you're telling people no wheelchair. Very disappointed experience. P.S. IMHO, it's unethical that they sell bluefin tuna, which is suggested to be "avoid" to eat due to decreased population and the method of fishing could threaten endangered species. Check this out: http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/cr/SeafoodWatch/web/sfw_factsheet.aspx?gid=69 read more

this is based on one item only, but that tells you how much i love it. the best nabeyaki udon is found right here. its served piping hot in a clay pot and warms the soul on a gloomy day. although they no longer serve chicken in it, the sweet shitake, chewy noodles, and golden broth comprise the essential noodle soup experience. this is my absolute favorite place for nabeyaki. i don't care for the sushi here. sure, its fresh, but they overcharge for it. you can find cheaper sushi elsewhere. they have some interesting appetizers: fried octopus meatballs, tempura shrimp covered in almond slivers...though these also come at a more-than-reasonable price. nonetheless, i still love the ambience that this place provides. read more

Came here and order the Chirashi and Spider Roll in lunch, both were average, the sushi isn't well made, can be fall apart quite easily. The rice quality is not there. The Chirashi was bit let down, i eat better Chirashi else where, the amount of sashimi are bit less and is $13. has way too much rice to fill out half of the boll. The green tea was good and is actual green color not brown. read more

Great customer service. Great food. Sushi taste very fresh. Parking on street is convenient.

My quick buzz prevented me from really tasting the food here but from what I can remember, everything was pretty good. My sister took us out to dinner and everyone pretty much stuck to what they ordered. I went light and ordered a seaweed salad to go along with the sashimi plate and a couple a la carte items. My mom and brother ordered their own combination plates. When we ordered the sake, we asked the waiter's recommendation and I thought he made a great suggestion (if I could only remember what it was). The total bill came out to a little over $200, so for a family of seven, that wasn't bad at all. They had great decor and the location was perfect (away from old-town traffic). read more