Let me start by saying my family & I are frequent visitors to Rice & Nori in South Pasadena. This was our first time visiting this location on Hill. We ordered, the food was good but the only reason I am leaving this review is what happened in the dining area. A young lady who works at the front register area comes out and appears to check the trash by pulling it out, proceeds to throw up in it (yes the trash in the dining area where family's are dining at the same time) and then right after I would assume she would go to the restroom to take a moment to refresh herself and gain her composure but no, she then goes to the the front of the restaurant where there is another trashcan by the front door, I'm thinking to myself ok, she's checking the trash can this time...but no!! She throws up in this one as well!!! All while a man who looks like a manager is talking to another employee who is working the register, they clearly see her throwing up in the dining area and just keep on with their conversation like nothing is happening. Even after alll of that, after she has now thrown up back to back in the dining area she still does not go to the restroom. She washes her hands in the employee kitchen area and sits down in the dining area right after. I was utterly grossed out from seeing all this while eating dinner, I hope the employee did not have a virus because she was handling the trays and so on that were passed to us before we ate. I will never return to this location again. read more

Huge comfy space that looked more like a cafe than a place for onigiri and musubi. No wonder why it's pretty busy as people could dine and chill. Besides, for the portion, the price was quite competitive. Everything's freshly made to order, but the serving time was pretty rapid. We got the salmon, tuna, and spicy scallops. All got flavorful, perfectly cooked rice wrapped in seaweed. The salmon was our top pick among all, but we did wish the protein stuffing ratio to rice to be higher. Probably would mean paying bit extra, but would certainly be worth. read more

Rice & Nori - Salmon Tuna Spicy Scallop - Japanese Near Me - Pasadena, California

I liked it. Simple interior with a few tables for seating. There's also a few tables in front for outdoor seating. I like their rice balls/onigiris and hand rolls. I'd say you'll want to order at least 3 rice balls or 5 hand rolls if you want to make a meal out of it. Anything less kinda feels more like a snack. Can definitely recommend the spicy tuna mayo rice ball and spam & egg musubi. Will be coming back to try more. Service was good. Friendly staff. There's street parking or a small lot behind the building. read more

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Parking so much better at this location than the other one I went to before (south pasadena?) pricing is still the same and place still as small Food did not disappoint again. Service was fast. Can't complain now that it is closer to my workplace! read more

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Love Rice and Nori ! This location has a lot more indoor seating and more airy. There are a few seats outside . The service is quick and attentive . The food is fresh and delicious as always . I think they have a better snack selection at this location than the one in La Canada. read more

Rice & Nori - Japanese Near Me - Pasadena, California

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Small place selling onigiri, hand rolls, and more. Their onigiris are nice and soft - the rice is so warm and buttery! I've tried the salmon yuzu miso onigiri and it's fantastic. A little salty at first, but it's great. The miso eggplant one was a little disappointing because there wasn't much filling but might just be a one off. It definitely tasted more bland than the salmon yuzu miso but probably cuz the filling was disproportionate to the rice. I also had some cucumber salad and that thing was absolutely not worth the $5 so I'll stick to the onigiris and maybe try hand rolls next time. It was like half a cucumber or maybe one of those small Persian cucumbers drowned in soy sauce so it was really salty and then maybe some vinegar and chili oil. read more

Rice & Nori - Salmon yuzu miso onigiri - Japanese Near Me - Pasadena, California

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Rice and Nori is pretty good. It is a good amount of rice and stuffing. The service is great. Explained all their popular items. I got a total of 5. I enjoyed all of them. The beef one is really filling. The one I liked the least was the spicy tuna. I thought it was gonna be poke style tuna but it was like tuna melt tuna. The vibe is casual so really easy to come for lunch. Parking is okay with street parking. Overall: Will return for onigiri. read more

Rice & Nori - Spicy tuna. Avocado bacon. Beef. Mushroom. Shrimp. - Japanese Near Me - Pasadena, California

I've been wanting to try rice and Nori and the opportunity presented itself last week. I have really been getting into hand lately, especially with the new Kazunori that just opened up in Pasadena. I decided to try this place as well so I can compare the handles. Overall, the hand rolls were good and the price is affordable. I chose the 300 set which comes with sashimi and edamame as well and it came out to $23 after taxes. It's a good affordable light lunch or dinner when you're craving something seafood, but not too heavy. Also important to know that there is plenty of free parking located on union and when I went there, there was nobody else so there was no wait time! read more

Rice & Nori - Blue crab, yellowtail, and salmon rolls with salmon sashimi! - Japanese Near Me - Pasadena, California

Newer location than the one in South Pasadena, took over a burrito place. Parking lot in back and street parking on Union. The onigiri were very good, I got the krab salad and tuna salad. The rice was excellent and plenty of filling. They also have egg and spam musubis, also very good. A good place for lunch and pretty cheap compared to most places these days. read more

Rice & Nori - musubi and onigiri tuna/krab - Japanese Near Me - Pasadena, California

Rice and Nori is located at 105 North Hill Avenue Suite #102 Pasadena, California 91106. This is a great location with a number of small eating establishments and offices. I love that you walk into the restaurant through the patio area along Hill Avenue. I walked by a number of tables before I got to the ordering counter. I was greeted by a friendly 'hello and how can I help you?' I explained that I needed some help with the menu as I had read what they offered online but had some questions. After listening to some suggestions, I came up with an order. I decided on a box of three hand rolls with sides. I also knew that I wanted to try the sushi balls that were on the menu. I knew that I wanted the yellowtail sashimi and the lobster ball. He double checked my order and told me that it would be a few minutes. As soon as I ordered the lobster ball he let the chef know so he could start on my order, as follows: Bacon Avocado ball Baked Lobster shrimp hand roll Yellowtail sashimi Salmon yuzu hand roll I sat down at one of the tables as others lined up to put in their orders. I could tell from the orders that there were some people that were regular customers as well as some new clients standing in line. It was nice to know that I was not the only one with questions about the items on the menu. There were staff members taking out some items and making sure tables were cleared and sanitized properly. It was a busy time of day, people picking up as well as people ordering. A number of the tables were filled with customers. The patio also had a number of tables with umbrellas. After about 10 minutes my order was ready and I was on my way. Once home I unpacked the items that had been carefully packed by the staff member. Everything looked really good. Some of the items still had the fresh aroma of the kitchen. I was happy to see that all the condiments including wasabi were packed with my order. There was even some salted edamame in a small container. My favorites were the bacon avocado ball and the Yellowtail Sashimi. The Lobster Ball was also a hit with me. It was all very good. While I walked. I noticed there was plenty of parking alongside the building as well as side streets in the area. With this location just off the 210 freeway. It is also close to Pasadena City College, about three blocks away. I will definitely be back and look forward to trying some of the other sushi, sashimi, ball & hand roll options. read more

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Convenient, fast, high quality, good size, good ratio of filling to rice, and a filling meal. read more

Rice & Nori - Umeboshi, salmon yuzu, ikura mentaiko - Japanese Near Me - Pasadena, California

This has quickly and easily become one of my favorite hand roll spots! There is one-way street parking as well as a parking lot/garage (2 levels). This is a order-first and find a table kind of spot. Menu is very simple and easy to understand. I've gotten their 5 roll special and it comes with 3 regular hand rolls and 2 premium. I always get: - salmon hand roll - spicy tuna hand roll - yellowtail hand roll - lobster shrimp hand roll - baked snow crab hand roll It also comes with edamame and sashimi and I usually get the salmon or yellowtail. Can't go wrong with either! I've tried their different lemonades as well, a mint cucumber one as well as pineapple yuzu and it was delicious! Plenty of tables inside but also good for takeout. I love that they provide a tray to pour the soy sauce in. I also love that wasabi and ginger are included too. Service is friendly and chill! I will definitely be a regular here. read more

Great spot. My daughter dragged me here to try the rice balls and I'm not mad about it. The prices are comparable to Japanese eateries. The place is nice & the service is good. Try the pineapple yonzu drink. It's delicious! read more

We go here at least twice a month, the handrolls are tasty and filling. And then the onigiri is delicious, especially the lobster/crab one. Cherry on top is the prices are very reasonable. Great spot for a quick bite and/or a date night/lunch. read more

It was ok for a small snack! I don't know how to feel about it! I got the California nori so I haven't tried the other options. They were slow at making it but inside looks new and clean. read more

Overall pretty good and the price is reasonable. I found the rice of the spam musubi to be somewhat bland, but the flavors of the nori fillings were on point. Very clean and simple decor inside as well. Def a good spot of a lil date read more

Rice & Nori - Japanese Near Me - Pasadena, California

I love this place, this will definitely be a spot I hit up when I'm in Pasadena. Unfortunately, I can't eat fish or anything like it so I was worried I wouldn't find anything I could eat. Thankfully, they had beef and chicken options!! I was so happy to find they had these options, I've always wanted to try an onigiri but noticed it was mostly seafood. The beef suyaki was incredibly flavorful and tender. I will be coming back for more. The staff was nice and it was pretty clean inside! read more

Rice & Nori is always a solid choice. The food is delicious and reasonably priced. I got the spam Musubi without egg and the spicy tuna hand roll. Service was excellent and the ambience was nice and clean. read more

Rice & Nori - Japanese Near Me - Pasadena, California

As per another reviewer, I'm so glad that they opened this location which is a few blocks away as oppose to a few miles away in South Pasadena. The location is very close to the city college in between a couple of other restaurants. I hope they get enough business to stay here for this stretch of restaurants have been changing over the years. I usually order the 3 or 5 handroll set but lately have been ordering various onigiris from the sukiyaki, kombu, and umeboshi. All have been really good. The people working the counter are always pretty friendly. The place a few tables to sit inside with a few outside as well for eating. read more

This was a great pick me up for lunch very quick service. Was very happy to see vegetarian options on the menu with their eggplant Onigiri, as well as their sour plum, which is a unique taste, but I love it. read more

Rice & Nori - Eggplant Onigiri Sour Plum Onigiri Salmon Yuzu Onigiri Tuna Spicy Mayo Onigiri - Japanese Near Me - Pasadena, California

I love it here! I'm so happy it's very close to me. They always have the fresh selection of sushi and very affordable for a weekday lunch. The staff is always friendly and quick to serve the food. read more

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First of all, I'd like to say I LOVE RICE AND NORI! I often go to the locations at South Pasadena or La Canada but I recently heard from a friend that they opened a new location at Hill. Food at all these locations are amazing, personally I get the yuzu salmon rice balls. However the customer service and parking here is substantially better. The lines are much shorter compared to those at South Pasadena. The workers here are surprising a lot more mature and welcoming when compared to the La Canada location, even with a bunch of teenage employees. Recently, a young employee helped me at the register and actually helped me with the gluten free options on the menu instead of simply giving me a list of allergies like the other locations. The store is relativity clean and tidy as well. read more

Usually come here and order and have no issues, until today! I went and ordered two salmon yuzu rice balls and asked for extra ginger like I always do. The guy who appeared to be new gave me my total and I waited. When my food was finished he asked if I needed a bag and I said no, but asked for the ginger because he seemed to had forgotten. He then gives me one (their ginger cups are tiny) and I asked him for another. He then proceeds to tell me that I can only have one and that additional is an extra charge. I told him that when I ordered I specifically told him that I wanted extra ginger, so if it was extra that would have been the time to say that. I told him that I've never had an issue with receiving extra ginger. He then tells me it's a new policy. I told him no problem, I'd like a refund for my food, I don't want it. He stood there looking puzzled. I said if I can't get what I ordered I don't want anything. Then the chef guy handed me another ginger. I should not have had to stand there and go back and forth about that TINY ginger cup! Businesses can charge for what they want to charge for but understand that customers can refuse to pay for the extras. I personally think it's absurd to charge extra for those tiny cups and that just me! Also, paying $4 and change for literally just rice is crazy! I was disappointed in the salmon to rice ratio. Guess I'll be retiring Rice & Nori for myself. read more

Rice & Nori - Lots of rice. Little salmon. - Japanese Near Me - Pasadena, California

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Very delicious will definitely go again all staff was very friendly and helpful I loved the seaweed salad wish the portion was a little bigger but everything else was great thank you read more

Cute little shop selling onigiri and handrolls. The onigiri are fat and delicious, and the staff are attentive and welcoming. The onigiri here are slightly more expensive than what you get at a Japanese grocery store like Mitsuwa, but the size and taste make these worth it. Plus, they sell Boss coffee! read more

Rice & Nori - Boss coffee - Japanese Near Me - Pasadena, California

I use to drive all the way to South Pasadena so happy this location opened, my wife and I always get the 5 hand roll set, I recommended you try the yellowtail and Negi Toro my absolute favorite. The service is always 10/10, super friendly staff always servicing with a smile and happy to answer any and all questions. This location(similar to the others) has multiple tables available and super clean environment. Welcome to our community, thank you for the experience and food read more

Went to Rice and Nori for the first time. Good food, great service. I was craving some hand rolls and it hit the spot. Good little vibe going inside. read more

Rice & Nori - 5 hand roll set. Comes with Edamame and sashimi. Good stuff (Sapporo sold separately.) - Japanese Near Me - Pasadena, California

Service was prompt and onigiri's were made fresh to order! Very casual spot and they provide cleaning wipes too. I'm pregnant so I can't have any raw fish. Thankfully, I could order the spam Musubi, sukiyaki, konbu shiitake, and miso yuzu salmon onigiri! It was so good. Honestly reminds me of the quality and flavors of time I lived in Japan! read more

Rice & Nori - Top to bottom: miso yuzu salmon, kombu shiitake, sukiyaki onigiri - Japanese Near Me - Pasadena, California

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I absolutely love Rice and Nori, so stoked they have another location in Pasadena now! Can't recommend this place enough! I would definitely recommend the Salmon Yuzu onigiri it's one of my favs read more

Rice & Nori - Register and drinks/snacks area. - Japanese Near Me - Pasadena, California

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I like a lot of their onigiri, and have tried almost all of them by now. Sometimes it feels like you get cheated, and the ratio is off (too much rice), which is the only reason for the 4 stars. If you love rice though, you probably won't mind. It's a bit pricey for what you get on that front though, so for me if you knocked off 1 or 2 dollars it would be worth 5 stars. Atmosphere is cozy, feels like a place you could study/work if you wanted to, and the staff is very friendly and good at giving recommendations. read more

both the handroll and onigiri were great, reasonably priced. they also had handrolls sets of 3 and 4 and a good amount of fish options. easy parking nearby too read more

10/10 experience. The place was lively and super clean. The workers were so so kind & welcoming. I definitely recommend this place if you are looking for something delicious and affordable! read more

Rice & Nori - Japanese Near Me - Pasadena, California

Hi! My mom and I went here for lunch on the first day of our trip, being extremely tired and hungry from our flight, and let me tell you, this place hit the spot. Me and my mom ordered a chicken teriyaki which was incredible, spicy salmon, spicy tuna, and miso eggplant. Salty and crunchy, these were perfect! read more

I love the food I cannot stress that enough it's good when you go to the actual restaurant instead of ordering cause they actually put effort into your food. I just ordered my food through Uber Eats and it's horrible. Full of rice not enough beef, and once I ordered like two eel sauce cups and 1 spicy mayo order on the side and I got none. Anyways it's ALWAYS something online. It just sucks knowing you cannot actually order your food here and get what you PAID for/expect. Anyways I highly recommend you actually go to this spot rather than order it's so upsetting. read more

Very quick service and great prices! The food looks small but just one onigiri is enough to get me full. Better than the location in Little Tokyo, I visited when there was no line and got my food immediately. Highly recommend the classic spam & egg. read more

Rice & Nori - Spam & Salmon Onigiri - Japanese Near Me - Pasadena, California

Sooo excited there's a Rice n Nori in Pasadena now. My spam musubi and salmon onigiri were absolutely delicious, fresh, and a great price. Quick, friendly service. Also, they use eco friendly packaging. The containers and bags were all paper, so I also feel like a better person while getting my riceball fix, lol. Free parking!! Highly recommend! read more

We got the baked crab, yellowtail, and lobster hand roll and they were amazing should have gotten more. We also got sweet and spicy bacon avocado( my fiancé loves this one) , salmon yuzu( this one was ok for us) and spicy lobster shrimp onigiri ( this one has the most flavor to us) read more

The food was good, and the man who cooked the food was nice and helpful. The ambience was pleasant. I might order delivery next time.

The food was so fresh and flavorful. I ordered the tuna with spicey mayo and my niece has the spicey tuna roll... we were very pleased had to order some more. read more

I usually go to the one in LA but this was such a nice surprise seeing it here in Pasadena. It's more closer to my place and parking isn't a nightmare like the first location. It was clean and quiet, I like the aesthetic and the staff are friendly. There's plenty of chairs inside and there's outdoor seating too. They answered my questions and recommended me some hand rolls and they were super delicious. I got the scallop, toro and the yellow tail hand roll set. The 3 set comes with sashimi and edamame and it was all really good. It's a good deal and I got full from it. They have onigiris too and I like the spicy avocado one and the yuzu salmon onigiri. I'll come back to this place again whenever I'm in the area and it's super local to PCC!! read more

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