Best Sushi place in Pasadena! My husband has gone to Japan and says only this place comes close to being as good as what you get in Japan. The staff is friendly and they give us coupons and gift cards all the time. They even gave us an origami Christmas ornament for Christmas. We are regulars and have always been treated well. (That is why we are regulars). Delicious FRESH food that can be hard to find in other Sushi restaurants! I definitely recommend this place! read more

I work just around the corner from Oba, so it's a great standby place. The sushi is good, but nothing I'd drive out of town for. If you're in the area, it'll do for sushi. read more

Not a bad option for sushi in my neighborhood. Average prices and average rolls except for the Sakana Roll which I really enjoyed. Did not like the sauce on top of the Paradise Roll so I won't be ordering that again. This place gets packed during dinner time so make reservations. read more

Good selection of rolls and the sushi is generally good. Nice Thai menu as well, the Gangster Noodles are really good!

This place is simply the best. Their quality is amazing and each dish is flavorful and unique. It's consistently great every time we go and it's become my go to when I'm craving Japanese food! read more

Omg so delicious! The sushi is so amazing fresh and so tasty. There's nothing basic about this spot they also have Thai food I've tried the pad kemow and it was also very tasty. read more

very friendly staff and very quick service. The ambiance is very strange. It reminds me of a jail cell or something that is a bit too minimal. There is absolutely zero warmth or characteristics to this place. It just looks like what is it... an eatery in a strip mall. we had: Agadashi Tofu- the dashi broth lacked flavor and the tofu wasn't all that great. Seared Albacore Sashimi- fresh however I have had better at other places Sushi Roll- forgot the name but it was the last one on the menu with soy paper. lots of fresh fish inside, however it was rolled incorrectly. Shishito Peppers- great and large portions, however the bonito flakes on top tasted like paper. Lacked taste. Karrage Chicken- actually one of the better dishes. About 6-7 pieces and they were fried pretty great. Mixed Tempura- nothing special. Again, the dipping sauce lacked flavor. Overall, the food in reality was a 2, however I gave this place a 3 for the service and the proximity of my home. The portions are indeed large however it doesn't make up for the bland sauces, the bland decor and even the bland wasabi (how can this be!) read more

Pros: Tasty food. Really nice friendly service! Large menu...so lots to pick from. Parking is easy. I've been here a few times and it's been consistently good all around. Cons: Happy Hour is really short...only from 5:30 - 7pm. Location is not that great and takes away any chance of a good vibe. This place is inside a small strip mall so it can be hard to spot too. read more

Nice spot, good food and friendly service. The Izakaya portion of the menu is very nice and perfect for sharing and trying different dishes with friends. The order: Fried Tofu: I closed my eyes and woke up in Japan, this dish had it all and was a home run for all my senses. Cucumber Salad: simple salad, not vinegary. Richie Rich Roll: YUM! spicy full of flavor and very fresh and delicious. I was very pleased with all the menu selections and thought the prices were just about perfect. Great spot - give it a shot! read more

If you don't feel like driving to the Westside for izakaya, this place is decent enough. Good array of choices. Came here for dinner but from what I've heard and read, Happy Hour is the way to do it. Entrees are a pricey compared to other places where you could get the same thing for less and tastes better. read more

I've been here for lunch a couple of times and for dinner once. It's certainly not bad, but does not really deserve a rave review either. I really enjoyed the chirashi when I had it - the fish pieces were generous and fresh, and the bowl was intricately designed (as if I were in a much pricier establishment). I like their lunch specials also - they give you a lot of bang for your buck. When I came here for dinner, the bf wanted rolls, so we ordered a few of them. They weren't bad, but neither were they special. read more

The San Gabriel Valley is heavily fortified with East Asian cuisine. You can find many Chinese and Vietnamese Restaurants for miles. There are even Korean restaurants sprinkled here and there. What you don't find, is a decent Japanese restaurant, specifically Izakaya. Unless you want to cross the divide and go downtown (Little Tokoyo or further west), this is probably your best bet. read more

Happy hour is good here. I came here for just happy hour one day. I've passed by this place several times but I didn't have time to stop by. The happy hour menu is really good. Plenty of items to choose from. I mainly ordered from the izakaya menu and ordered just a couple of dishes from the sushi bar. The food was good but I have had better at other places like this. The sushi was just ok. Service was good. I would suggest to come by during happy hour to check this place out. The prices on the regular menu are a bit pricey in my opinion. I might come back next time to try out the sushi bar more extensively. read more

See all

Recommended to me by a co-worker. Had the poke salad, which was just okay; I wouldn't order it again. Spicy tuna crunch was really good, definitely would order that again. Takoyaki was good, not something you can find in many restaurants. Stuffed shishito peppers with spicy tuna was okay; I wouldn't order it again. Should have stuck to the standard shishito peppers. Spicy tuna roll was good. My boyfriend loved the volcano roll. And I thoroughly enjoyed the Midori roll and the Sakana roll. Service was excellent. I would come back again to try the many other things on the menu. read more

Um....i don't know what people are 'RAVING' about, but honestly they are on crack. My friend wanted to go bc she heard it was good from her co-workers (obviously not food connoisseurs). We ordered: +the miso cod-- just came with that. the miso cod. No veggies, no nothing. Just fish on a dish. The taste was decent, but the quality of the fish felt like it was defrosted from the freezer. +the spicy yellow tuna roll--all i can say is, it wasn't rolled like authentic Japanese hand roll. The fish was cut in square chunks and the sauce was just different that normal spicy sauce. It was unappetizing to say the least. +some kind of roll with all sorts of fish in it-all i can say is that the rice on the roll was too much, and it felt like it was slapped on there. People who give it 5 stars are people who obviously have not had real authentic good sushi and are clueless. There was a waiter who kept on coming up to us every 5 minutes asking if we need our tea filled. It was like we ordered the endless, bottomless cup of tea. Sheesh. read more

Came here on a date awhile ago and was happy that he's the one who picked the place after I'd said that I wanted sushi/Japanese food for dinner. (And he's from out of town!) I let him order for us, and remember enjoying pretty much every dish. Some favorites: -blue crab salad (mixed seaweed topped with blue crab, mustard dressing) -crispy rice spicy tuna (crispy sushi rice topped with spicy tuna and house sauce) -baked miso cod (black cod marinated in miso paste and baked)- one of my best I've had! -soft shell crab roll (soft shell crab, masago, avocado, cucumber, sprout) There's an extensive list of sushi-sashimi options (you can get 2 pieces, 5 pieces, or a roll), and some (like toro, and more unique fish like kamazu/barracuda, tobiuo/flying fish, iwashi/sardine, at market price) and also premium sake. I'm sure there were other dishes that I liked, but maybe my mind was on the person i was with. Service was great, and parking was easy. read more

I came for happy hour M-F 5:30-7pm, where you get 15% off izakaya (appetizer-sized dishes) and **BOTTLED** alcohol (cocktails do not get happy hour prices). The prices are pretty high and 15% off doesn't do much to help. * Lychee margarita (with soju) - I was enjoying it until I found out it didn't qualify for happy hour. * Kara-age - 7 average-sized pieces for $5. They had nice breading but the meat wasn't tender enough. (Equator in Old Town Pasadena has a good panko-crusted, tender, fried chicken for $5.50 during their Monday happy hour that is easily 5 times this one in terms of portion size.) * Whitefish with Yuzu and Masago - good flavors but the texture of the fish itself was too tough. * Soba - not a bad portion for $5. * Japanese sea bass sushi - really forgettable and expensive. Why the hell did I get this again? Also, Oba has the most uncomfortable chairs I've ever encountered in my life. Maybe they thought it wasn't enough to punish us with high prices, they had to add torture chairs. With so many better Japanese restaurants in the area for similar/lower prices, I won't be back. read more

The rating for this place is a puzzler to me. In fact, it kept me away for months after we moved in about a block away. We have always had fresh, high quality sushi here. In particular, the Black Sea bass, and wild caught salmon impressed us. I do concede the point that service is slow, but it has always been very friendly. I did not like the richie rich roll, but my husband did. The (non-suhi) appetizer plates have all been very good, too. We have only been there for dinner, so maybe the lunch rush gets the better of them, but that is just conjecture. My neighbor, who has lived here several years, says they have seen management come and go, but it is currently the best they have had. read more

My personal favorite sushi bar to go to. Everyone is super friendly & the service is great! The sushi is very good & their kitchen items are also delish! Although the food is good, I cannot say that it is the best of all sushi joints i've been to. Yes it's one of the best but it's not THE best. I'd say the real reason this place is my favorite is because of the service and the friendliness of their employees! And to me that makes all the difference in your dining experience. read more

Oba Sushi Thai Tapas - Tori sushi - Japanese Near Me - Pasadena, California

Lots of variety with some Thai favorites, delicious sushi rolls, and even sashimi. All are flavorful and done quite well. Great selection of beers, sake, and other spirits. Good service. Solid spot. read more

Nice place with nice people. This The place opened at 11:30am and at 11:35am it was already half full with "regulars". Would have given them 4 stars but they charge $2.75 extra if you want brown instead of white rice on your sushi roll. So now I will be paying $20 for my already expensive $16 roll. Hope it's worth it. read more

Our favorite sushi restaurant in Pasadena or nearby. We have our favorites such as the yellowtail jalepenos and crispy rice tuna but the fries are to die for. Imagine McDonald's fries with a spicy mayo to dip them in. Yummy. Plus...everyone working is super friendly, remembers repeat customers and even our orders. I have a friend from Woodland hills who drives all the way to Pasadena for their sushi. read more

A costly mistake. $15 for Richie rich--I had high expectations but it was a major letdown. Bland and really nothing special. The dynamite roll was WAY too spicy. Order this only if that's what you're going for. Takoyaki and eggplant miso were very tasty though. Brought me back to Japan. Alas we are not much into small plates and we won't be repeat customers. read more

Always consistently delicious. Kunchi is the most caring and thoughtful owner. You can taste her passion for food in every dish they offer. Favorite Dishes: Pea Sprouts / Sakana Roll / Short Ribs / Tom Yum Cocktail / Great Sake selection read more

Best Jalapeño Yellowtail! Literally crave it every day! My friends and I truly can't get enough of the amazing service and free green tea refills--along with all of the tasty sashimi! read more

Disclaimer - This review is for delivery only! Haven't eaten the food, and I'm not about to because......... So we called the restaurant to order food, which Yelp says delivers. Restaurant says they don't deliver, but do through a third party vendor.? Go to the vendors site, and try to order. After about 15 minutes trying to figure out the site, we get to a confirm screen that has three separate charges which don't appear anywhere else. A "delivery fee" and a "convenience fee"??!! Too many good restaurant to put up with that crap. read more

tl;dr It's... pretty good, I guess? Look, I want to like this place. Me and a friend went in and had a great dinner. The location is nice--a little strip mall off Glenarm with its own parking lot; a nice size with pretty good decor--and the food was good, if slightly pricey. The staff was nice but a little slow at times, but they were very helpful in identifying which of the million types of sushi we should order. My avocado rolls were good (if inside-out, which threw me for a second); my friend ordered a combination of standard and special-menu sushi that I cannot hope to recall and liked all of it. We split a cheap carafe of sake, which I liked, and dessert was mochi--a slightly spicy kick to it. I had a good time for sure. ...But did I have a great time? Not really. Would I go back? ....I guess? Honestly, this place just didn't do it for me. It was fine--nothing at all objectionable, several good areas--but it just doesn't stick in my mind as one of the places I'd really love to go. So four stars, I guess--I can see how others would love it, but my personal reaction is weirdly tepid. read more

Food: pretty good. Not the best but not bad for Pasadena Service: not the best and it takes forever for the food to come out (example: 35 minutes for 4 pieces of sushi) Atmosphere: Very Pasadena - clean, nice lighting, bit trendy and hipster-y, cute and even romantic little place Price: overpriced for the quality of food and service Based on price/food quality ratio plus how long it took to get the food, "Meh. I've experienced better." Side note: VERY few Asian customers, which I usually take as not a very good sign at an Asian restaurant. read more

This is Thai owned Japanese restaurant; same owner as Rice Thai Tapas next door. You won't find authenticity in this place, just typical western styles sushi and rolls. Cold Soba: Surprisingly descent. Not the usual low grade supermarket freezer soba, albeit don't expect top quality imported Soba either. Miso Cod: descent but super small. Sashimi: Skip it! Really low quality cuts! Rolls: Mediocre and as memorable as what's served at all the other bland cookie cuter sushi imitation places in pasadena. Oh, do skip the lobster roll. Even though they advertise it as fresh catch of the day, it was clear they used frozen lobster. Atmosphere: Like Rice Thai Tapas next door, clean, contemporary decor. Service: Friendly but slow. Our waiter was MIA after taking our orders, though he did take the orders with smile. read more

I came here tonight, because it was highly recommended to me by a few people. Unfortunately, I was not prepared for coming in to place a "to go" order and have it take 45 minutes. I have never been to a sushi restaurant in which it took sooooo long to get food. The thing is the owner (I am assuming that's who she was) told me that they serve people by who comes in first...and I'd go with that logic, except I observed people who came in after me getting their food, so it bothered me enough to write a review. I think part of a restaurant experience is the customer service, there was no apology or anything....and after reading the reviews, I guess I am not alone. So, how was the sushi you may ask? It was okay. The rolls were on the small side and the sushi pieces were good enough quality (not bad, not great). Unfortunately, I won't be returning, there are plenty of other sushi restaurants in and around the area. read more

Really good place to enjoy Japanese foods beyond the usual udon, ramen, and bento. We primarily came for the okonomoyaki, which was kind of doughy but looked impressive on the small griddles. The takoyaki was tasty. We also ordered a popcorn shrimp roll, which came generously under a bed of fried shrimp. The soft shell crab salad was tangy and spicy and was pretty tasty, too. We spilt the yakisoba, which was surprisingly light. It came with a small salad and miso soup. Service was good, restaurant was very clean. Prices are about expected, but better than driving far for decent Japanese food, right? I'll come back to review the raw stuff later! read more

This is honestly my FAVORITE sushi place! Not only do they sell sushi but they also have different variety of foods which is great . I recommend the crunchy roll, oba roll which a veggie roll with meat on top, oba fries has seasoning and there own hand made spicy mayo sauce and makes a good combination They have variety of options and the food is always fresh ! I'm giving them a five because well 1. The restaurant is clean and well maintained 2. Staff are very friendly and helpful always have a smile and always check up on how you are doing. 3. There is available parking But be advised to make sure to make a reservation on weekends because they do tend to get very busy and you don't want to be waiting to be seated. Pricing is decent and it's worth it. Really recommend for friends and families :) Enjoy ! read more

AMAZING. Simply amazing. Everything about this restaurant was amazing. The staff, the menu, the drinks, it was all to die for! The staff were very friendly and helpful. The menu had a very wide variety from sushi, hand rolls, specialty rolls, and izakaya food! They even have poke bowls here! My grandma and her friend both had alcoholic drinks (beer and sake), while they even had melon soda for me! The seafood was so fresh and delicious. And we even had to try the oba fries, which are a killer! If we ever return to Pasadena area, we will definitely be stopping back read more

See all

I've been to this place 3 different times and each time have throughly been satisfied with the sushi here. Not only that, but the atmosphere and the crew working here are very good. There has been a time when the place felt empty, as if my family and I were there all by ourselves. I haven't tried everything on the menu, but what I have tried has been great. read more

I have been going to OBA for awhile now and have tried quite a few of the dishes on their menu. Some are good, but others are excellent, I think you just have to know what to order. The fish is all very good quality and very fresh so any sushi you choose will be good. My favorite izakaya is the "Spicy tuna crispy rice", this is a must try if you like spicy tuna. The Richie Rich roll is my favorite specialty roll, but I don't remember exactly whats in it (it says on the menu). Besides the great food, they also have very friendly service. All of the servers there are so sweet and very attentive. Have been there a lot and intend on going back again and again! read more

First off let me start by saying I love sushi.... Loveeeeeeee Suhi! Ive been all over Pasadena grubbing late night at Wokcano and the like. Then I found Oba.....wow. First off Alfonso the sushi chef has crazy skills. With a quiet demeanor he goes about whipping up some great sushi. I sat down and just asked him to feed me. Now any good sushi chef will first give you his Tamago...egg... Its one of the hardest pieces to make and can be quite daunting. Alfonso whipped it out with no more than a peep and waited for me to try it....great. Long story short the food is great. The ambience is great and so is the staff and service. The owner Kunche has created a great little secret here in Pasadena. If you happen to drop by....and its in season... you have to try the sea urchin sashimi and the always awesome Sweet shrimp sashimi. Bon Apetit!!! read more

Great location and wonderful, friendly service. The food is good, but not great, and can be a bit pricey (although not unreasonable for Japanese food). The food is prepared well, if simply, and it's consistently good, if not mind-blowing. The atmosphere is very peaceful and ideal for a quiet dinner to hang out or catch up with a friend. It's open late too, which makes it my go-to option for a late dinner in a comfortable setting with good food. By the way, the bar area also has a number of TVs. It makes for a nice relaxing spot to have dinner, have a few drinks, and watch the game as well. read more

Higher priced than I would have liked. This place offers the choice of brown rice instead of white (for a fee of course). The sushi is fresh and the rolls are unique (in a good way). Parking is tight, avoid the rush hour. read more

this place needs more stars thn it has. My girlfriend and I come here when we are craving agood roll.. Richie Rich Roll! theres no roll like this anywhere else its perfect! this place is nice clean and quiet. its not crowded. great for drinks food and convos! the stafff are super nice and friendly! we spend a good. 70-90 bucks when we come its bit pricey but richie rich roll is a must! read more

Oba Sushi Thai Tapas - Date Night - Japanese Near Me - Pasadena, California

See all

Huge Oba fan. I've been going since it opened and have watched it grow in patronage over the years. I've spent my last 5 birthdays there, and obviously now Oba is a much anticipated tradition amongst myself and my friends. The service is great, and the employees are wonderful and attentive. Sometime the rolls seem a little small, but maybe it's because I never want it to end. read more