This is our go to place for sushi. Not sure why there are negative reviews but we always sit at the sushi bar and are served really fresh sushi. The seared salmon is soooo good! The chef is so accommodating and friendly. Staff is always great and the food servings are generous. The quality of the food is really good. Never been disappointed and we come at least once a month. read more

Quiet little sushi spot on Lake and California....not too big but very intimate. I am not a big sushi eater, but I love the rolls....they taste very fresh and there's a great variety to choose from, doest make me feel limited to just eating the raw stuff. It's right in the heart of Lake Ave, so your kinda at where the shops end....but there are coffee shops and dessert places right across the street, great for date night!! read more

I have no idea what the people giving this place bad reviews are THINKING. Noda is BY FAR the most amazing sushi I have ever consumed, and I have had sushi from Paris, the East Coast, West Coast, tons of places in LA, Arizona, you name it. @Lean T., if you got take-out, don't blame the restaurant for a gnat in your food! Clean your room and do your dishes. Maybe if you're looking for a $5 gorge-yourself-on-california-rolls Americanized "sushi" restaurant then this isn't the place for you. But if you want the best sushi of your life, go to Noda and ignore the haters -- they're probably being paid off by competitors anyway. Noda redefined sushi for me, and their service is amazing and friendly. The owner works at the bar every night, talks to the patrons, and occasionally has a sake with customers (the wall behind the bar is lined with patrons' individual cups with their names on them!) Don't get me wrong, it's not a drinking establishment by any stretch; I'm just making the point that he's a wonderful, friendly guy. But the service pales in comparison to the incredible food. You have never had sushi until you've had Noda. Their fish is the freshest I've ever eaten, they never use fake "krab", and they always get the finest cuts of meat available. Their rice is perfect and never clammy or mushy. Noda has utterly spoiled me for sushi forever. I highly recommend the Hamachi (Yellowtail), Philadelpha Roll, Spicy Crab Sushi, and their Bluefin Tuna is SUPERB if you get a chance to have it; it is only seasonally available. But for $8, it completely blows any $50 steak out of the water. And this is coming from a guy whose favorite food is steak. Long story short: LOVE IT!!! Deserves 10 stars not 3.5!! read more

Yummy sushi and sesame chicken:) I ordered the dragon roll, shrimp tempura roll, rainbow roll and spicy tuna hand roll. The hand roll was sooooo good and I really liked the shrimp. The sesame chicken was super flavorful and not greasy. I will be back once I save up some more $$$:) read more

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depending on how charmed you are by the overall feel, this restaurant can simply be lack luster or a flaming pile of ass. i'd say this is Noda good place. i saw 2 digits before i got to the decimal on the price of my spicy scallop roll and wanted to pass, but was convinced to try it - because, if it was more expensive, it had to be good. :| ...OR it could just be a more expensive plate of crappy sushi. the roll lacked the spicy in the spicy scallop and the scallop, lacked moisture. it was more like jerky on rice. the restaurant complimented the food with equally lousy service and hurried us through our order and dinner because we arrived a half hour before closing. i'm putting my official stamp of disapproval on Noda, sorry. read more

Such a good unknown sushi place. They moved locations and sadly i find their new one in pasadena to be less full since its on a busy street thats hard to park onto when you see it. The sushi here is always fresh and tasty. The pricing is average not super cheap like i like it but worth the $$$ in my opinion. One of the best deals is the bento box for lunch/dinner, its cool because you can get some sushi and something cooked. Recommend: Bento Box- California roll and Sesame Chicken Its the best sesame chicken i have ever eaten, its crunchy but flavorful unlike most semi fried foods. also the California Roll has Masago on it which makes it taste so much better (idk y most places wont serve it that way) if your ever in the area try it, you wont regret it =) read more

I am writing this because I had a problem with my take out order. I called in and left my name and number but no one called me back to address the issue. Although it may not seem like a big problem, it was. I received my almost $80 take order and took it home, expecting it to be all there. What was missing was key. There was no pickled ginger to go with any of the sushi, the sashimi or the rolls. This is KEY to my enjoyment of sushi and so my meal was pretty much a bust. It was okay food but nothing to write home about in the first place. But no ginger was a disaster as far as I was concerned. I would have been happy if someone had called me back and spoken to me about it. The person I spoke with offered to give me "double" ginger on my next visit. I hardly call that compensation for what was essentially a totally botched order. They should have called me back. They should have been more careful with the take out. Disappointed in the food quality overall as well, but would never have written this if I had received a phone call from the manager. read more

Absolutely delicious and the chef knows what's in season and can suggest things if you ask. Plus the staff is so friendly, they make you feel right at home. So happy this place is in our neighborhood. read more

What a great place...such nice, friendly people, excellent sushi. The rolls are fantastic. Love it!

mmmm.... foood coma. .... it was well priced. good and fresh. uhm.... they gave me a free roll because it is my birthday. tried going to Matsuri first, but those assholes were closed. This place was nice though. Calm and inviting atmosphere. sushi chefs were funny. read more

Sushi is good. Definitely fresh. However, it's big prices for small portions. The staff was friendly and really great, but we spent $70 on sushi and weren't even full. read more

The Sushi here is Fresh and tasty! It is not the best sushi i have ever had but it is good and walking distance from my casa makes it that much better. There are no deals here for sake bombing. Overall pretty good not amazing. read more

Great sushi. Great atmosphere! Great blend of the traditional and the innovative. Tons of regulars because we know good fish when we eat it! Don't underestimate this Noda and Mr. Kim! read more

Noda is our favorite sushi place in all of LA. We have tried many, many different sushi places and always come back to Noda for the quality of the fish and the amazing service. The chef and staff at Noda have become like family to us. This is a semi undiscovered gem where Pasadena locals who are "in the know" come for their weekly sushi fix. Expensive but worth the money. We are so glad we found Noda but it has totally spoiled us and now every other sushi place we go to is a disappointment. The rolls are all great- our favorites are the Salmon Lover, Barbara, and Spicy Salmon Avocado. Sashimi is all incredibly high quality. We love Mr. Kim and ALL the amazing people who work here. Hesitating to post this review because I don't want our hidden gem to become too popular but feel this place should be recognized for what it is!! read more

Noda is a Korean-owned neighborhood sushi joint, slightly overpriced with a penchant for fancy fusion rolls. A California roll is like $6.50, and a Philadelphia roll is around $10. That's over the top, I think. They have sushi combo options for dinner in the $17-20 range, and bento boxes at lunch for about $10-12. On the weekends the sushi bar is a lively place to be with sake shots with the chefs and such. On weekdays you're prone to be kicked out by 9 pm (or 2 pm for lunch), and sometimes you feel rushed. On weekends, same thing, mostly because the place can get crowded. The service is excellent, and the sushi is solid. Nice, fat, fresh pieces of fish. In the south Lake area, I recommend Sushi of Naples over Noda, but Noda is perfectly lovely. read more

Excellent. The sushi is SO fresh. The owner gets fresh fish every morning so you know its going to be good. Prices are reasonable as well. People can go to places like Todai to eat sushi but the quality is a cut above at Noda. I dont even go to Todai anymore. read more

The sushi and sashimi are fresh, yet they have the smallest amount of rice in the sushi. The udon is a little bit expensive. They serve hot green tea, which is good. read more

I really enjoyed the service and my lunch. Ordered the albacore sushi, spicy tuna on soy paper, and the dragon roll. Also loved the miso soup. read more

Great sushi restaurant in the Lake Street District. The sushi was good, and the waitresses were very warm and hospitable. As the evening progresses, the place becomes lively and the staff engages in friendly conversation, making you feel at home and catered to. read more

this place is super fresh and tasty the bluefin just melts in your mouth i love you mr kim BLUE FIN!BLUE FIN!BLUE FIN!BLUE FIN!BLUE FIN!BLUE FIN! read more

Most shocking restaurant experience EVER. My friends and I were notified through the waitress to keep it down, instructed by her boss when we were having a fun, friendly conversation. Food ok, neighborhood sushi bar that I visit often spending a generous amount of $, although this would be the last time. Not sure if the boss got irritated by the volume or the foreign language (French) which in both cases would be unacceptable for a customer and highly unprofessional. So unless you want to act like you are in a museum or a silent auction do not go there. read more

Over priced. And there is a very weird and rude waitress who offends you and thinks she's a comedian. Will not return. read more

When I crave sushi that I know is solid tasting and fresh...I come here. There's nothing super special about the menu or any fancy, schmancy rolls...the fish is always fresh and served a little larger than the normal sushi joints. The service is excellent and the chefs are always fun. read more

When I want quality sushi without paying too much this is where I go! The atmosphere is pretty good although nothing exceptional, but the sushi is fresh and the rice moistl! I'll often call in an order and pick it up on my way home when I'm having a hankering for sushi. The sushi chefs and staff have been there a long time too, so it's nice to go to a place that's small and they welcome you because they know you :) read more

The sushi is delicious! Yes, it's pricy but You can taste the quality and freshness. That's something other sushi places lack. Oh, and all the cooks shout out "thank you!" As you're leaving their restaurant:) read more

I can't believe this place doesn't have better reviews. I've been going there for at least 8 years. They know me, my name, and my order. The quality is unbeatable; it's always fresh. The staff is super friendly and inviting. Hands down best sushi in town!! read more

Been coming to this spot for awhile now , sushi is always consistent , amazing service , very cozy place , parking sometimes can be difficult but it's worth it read more

Noda Restaurant - Bombbbbbb - Sushi Bars Near Me - Pasadena, California

So, have been to this restaurant before and the food is okay, but more expensive than it needs to be. But what I experienced this weekend was apalling! I went ahead of my partner and when I walked in the place was barely half full. One booth, no one at the sushi bar, and a bunch of smaller tables. I motioned that there would be two and pointed to the booth. The waiter nodded. Then the manager walked up and asked how many? I said two and she put a reserved sign on the table at that moment. She said the booth was reserved and we could sit at the sushi bar, or at one of the really, really small tables. I was stunned and said if those were my options I would leave. So, I got up and left. Never again, I will never go there again. read more

If you enjoy having your sushi chef pick his nose while preparing sushi, this is the place. I used to go to this restaurant maybe twice a week before it became NODA. I took a friend when it first opened and gasped when I saw what the sushi chef was doing. We left and I haven't been back since. read more

I'm not impressed at all by this restaurant. I came here with my boyfriend for lunch. He's a meat eater and I'm a vegan, so I cannot always go to vegan only restaurants. I told the woman that I was vegan and ordered a cucumber roll and a vegetable udon soup dish, which she assured me was veggies only. The soup was just ok and as I ate through the udon, I noticed something odd that kind of looked like a thick radish. I called the waitress over to ask her what the item was, and she said fish cakes. Ok, it's not the end of the world, but I was frickin grossed out and pissed. She apologized but when my boyfriend asked her to take the dish off of the bill, she said no. Hence the one star. You screwed up my order, had me eat something that I haven't eaten in 9 years, the least you can do is take the $10 off the bill. Never again. read more

i loved that they actually had nama hotate...the whole fresh sashimi scallops. so delicious. the rest of the food was okay. not bad but not the best. overall, a nice place for a good meal. read more

Sushi is good. The rolls are smaller then most places. I was here with some friends, we ordered the large "sushi plate" the server said that it comes with sea urchin, and if that was ok. Well, I didn't get sea urchin. So, I don't know why she asked. They have crispy rice with spicy tuna. Which is a deep fried rice square with tuna tartar (I don't know what the Japanese name for it is) on top. It's is delicious. Everything else was ok. The place is very quiet and mellow. It's good for a small group to have a mid week meal. read more

The sushi and sashimi at Noda has become one of my favorite. I have never had a bad fish here. I had to redo my review because I felt like I didn't give Noda enough credit. I am always pleased when I dine here or do take out. read more

The people here were nice but the value is horrible for dinner. Two of us with not much food spent $80 with tip. The sushi quality was that of a fast food venue but for the price I would expect an OK meal. Even the small and very simple rolls, like spicy tuna, will set you back more than $12. Unfortunately I am going to have to pass on visiting this one again. read more

Friendly staff, just wasn't wowed over by the quality of the food. Bit pricey as well.

Very nice experience. Service was very friendly, our server (RV, not the travel trailer type) had a great energy and was very accommodating. I had the Chirashi, which was fresh and delicious. read more

Very good, fresh sushi. Portions are big. I agree with most of the reviews here about the quality of the food and the friendliness of the staff. My only complaint was that the cooked fish was a bit fishy. read more

I love sushi and I'm very particular with my sushi restaurants. I have had toro sashimi at other places but nothing like this place, REALLY IM NOT KIDDING! I don't eat much rolls or sushi, I'm more of a sashimi type of girl but their rolls were also good and their yellow tail collar was cooked to perfection. Customer service was great too for an Asian restaurant in the San gabriel valley. read more

Excellent service, Kimberly was very attentive and sweet even though the place got very busy. Good food and four of us were good sharing the huge boat dinner! Will certainly return . read more

I do like the sushi here, it's quick and convenient, not next to busy places. I love ordering their steamed gyoza. They have things on the menu I don't always feel bad in other sushi places, like this mussels dish they have. And I do like the small quaint location. When I order my pick up, it takes abt 15 min. Staff are friendly. Just tad expensive but I still come here. read more