TLDR: an okay experience, but would probably not come back again. PARKING: There is NO signage for the restaurant that you could visibly see from the outside, so if you're scratching your head when your Maps tells you that you have arrived, don't feel too bad. They're super close to the Galleria and inside the same building as Olive Garden. They have a designated parking lot that they share with the rest of the building and they do free 2 hour validation. One entrance is on Orange and Broadway and another is on Orange. My boyfriend and I came here to do their week day special that's an omakase tasting menu that's $75/person. Usually when I think of omakase, I think of a unique dining experience that's not just good food, but also superb service. Here, it seemed like we were any other patron and the ambience was very casual. So if you're looking for the whole package, I would probably advise you to do omakase elsewhere. The food itself was good, but not OMG AMAZING. One thing that irked me a lot was that my rice would fall apart almost instantaneously once you even tried picking it up. I never had this problem before doing omakase, so it was quite annoying. I understand that it's not a full omakase meal and it's cheaper, but the way we saw it was that we could have taken our $150+ to another sushi restaurant, ordered a la carte, and enjoyed it way more. That's just my two cents. Overall, I doubt we'll be coming back. read more

I have to say I'm pretty impressed with the quality of the fish as well as the technique from the chefs. This sushi bar does Omakase which means chef's choice, just leave it up to them they know what they're doing. As you'll be able to see in all my photos that I have taken that the quality of the fish is absolutely wonderful and also looks amazing. This Omakase sushi bar is different than most Omakase sushi bars that I've been to because they give two pieces on one plate instead of one which is different in my opinion. This sushi bar reminded me of an izakaya but with an Omakase experience. If you're ever in the mood for sushi and you want to leave it up to the chef then I highly recommend you try out the sushi bar here in Glendale California and you won't be disappointed with the quality. read more

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Superb food. It's just good, dude. If you have some cash burning a hole in your pocket or eating is your hobby, Omakase is worth the price. Lovely people. In the middle of Glendale. Pricey. Casual. read more

Yeah, you know. This is the best sushi in the Valley. Consistently great food and service. One reason: they make the blue crab hand roll at your table. That way, the nori doesn't have time to get soggy. This is the way it needs to be done. read more

One of the worst restaurant experiences ever!!! A group of my colleagues (all attorneys and doctors) decide to meet for lunch at Sasabune, like we have done for 5+ years now. Everyone got there before I did ordered drinks and started to eat. I walked in and pulled a chair and sat at the end of the table. As one of the waiters approaches the table to bring utencils, I let her know that I was only stopping by for a few minutes an was not going to be eating. A few minutes later, I see two waiters bringing a new table and adding it to the end of our table (opposite of where I was seated). I tell them "Oh thanks but you don't have to go through the trouble, I will not be eating so don't worry about adding to our table of 8." Seeing that they went ahead and added the table, I walked over and sat. As I sat there, I hear a loud voice from behind the sushi counter (tall Asian chef/owner) raise his voice and say "If you aren't eating, you need to leave." I was unsure if I heard correctly and as one of my friends asked "What?" the same person proceeded to repeat his statement. He then decided to leave the back of the counter and approached our table and got within 2 feet of my friend's face only to repeat himself a third time in a rude, disrespectful and combative manner. My friend asked him why he was being so rude and disrespectful, especially given the fact that everyone at the table is a regular customer of the restaurant. As I proceeded to tell him that I was trying to save his employees from doing extra work since I was not going to eat, he stuck his hand in my face (literally within 2 inches of making contact) in order to shut me up. This is when as a group, we decided to pay the bill and leave this place for the last time. This place either needs to get rid of this obnoxious disrespectful imbecile who puts customers down, disrespects them and pushes them to the point of an actual physical altercation OR risk losing all of its customers and closing down. read more

There are two lunch specials at Sasabune. For $20, you get a bowl of (1) miso soup, (2) seaweed salad, (3) 5 pieces of sushi and, (4) blue crab handroll. For $25, you get a bowl of (1) miso soup, (2) seaweed salad, (3) 3 pieces of sushi, and (4) donburi of tuna albacore or salmon, and (4) blue crab handroll. We opted for this one and it was a surprisingly filling amount of food. We left stuffed, which is unusual when eating sushi. Compared to Sugarfish, the rice is better. Still warm, and less aggressively seasoned. I found the salmon sushi with a thin piece of kelp adorning it to be heavenly and I loved the wakame and goma wakame seaweed salads plus pickled cucumber. The bluecrab handroll was hefty and packed with more crab, but the nori was not freshly toasted so there was chew. The service was less than precise. After we were seated, we were ignored for a awhile until we ordered and after that the waitress was a bit indifferent. read more

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Service was good but food was not worth the price point. Went for lunch and I think for the duration of lunch it was just two parties. Overpriced and maybe it is to make up for lack of customers? Server was nice and Ambiance was chill though. read more

Enjoyed sampling a few orders of sushi here with friends last night, as the quality of the seafood we ordered was excellent as well as the preparation skills of the sushi chefs. However, the experience was marred by inconsistently made piece of sushi rice where the lovely seafood is rested on top. At times, it's a firm hand molded block of sushi rice, while at times, it was a gooey chunk that just easily fell apart at the slightest squeeze by my chopsticks. In addition, once you've had amazingly prepared sushi rice from n/naka, where it's cooked in rice vinegar with a dash of sugar that makes it fragrant and mildly sweet in flavor, and then when you encounter such rice at such a high end place, it's a complete disappointment, and that ruins much of your dining experience. Serve and ambiance here was very good. read more

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An upscale sushi restaurant in Glendale, not far from the mall. We had two omakase. Fish part from the nigiri was superb! Fresh and thick slices. Wow! It's a bit pricy place. Good. Friendly service. read more

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The hype is real. The food: impeccably delicious, original, fresh. The ambiance: calm and so enjoyable. The service: A+. You won't be disappointed! read more

I have had this bookmarked for awhile and decided to take my best friend for his bday since our bdays are days apart. We arrived and for whatever reason, Open table didnt have our reservations. No problem, it wasnt busy and the hostess seated us at the sushi bar where we were ready for our omakase. Ambience is quiet, nice, very traditional even though its in the parts os Americana, Glendale. The sushi chef explained every piece of nigiri and whether to use soy sauce or not. We started off with an appetizer and sashimi and probably had about 10 to 12 pieces of nigiri and ended with a blue crab handroll. No california roll here *phew* as i love traditional sushi. Even their disposable napkin had the traditional "Trust me" imprinted on it. Food was great, waitress kept our drinks filled and it was an awesome experience. Pricy for the quality? No, it wasnt. It was quality worth the price. The sushi ched was very attentive and was passionate of his inventions. I would come back and it was a pleasant experience. Bonus- youre right next to the Americana and Glendale Galleria if you want to walk it off. Thumbs up to you! Dont know why Yelpers said its gone down...quality is still good. P.S. the butterfish was pretty amazing read more

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My third or fourth time for omakase here, always a 5 star experience. The main sushi chef really cares about his food and it really translates into the sushi that he makes. He said he gets fish every morning from the fish market, which makes sense why the fish is so good! read more

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Been here 4 times in 4 years. Quality and service is consistent. Omakase is mind blowing every time. Never a disappointment.

Very fresh fish served on warm well seasoned sushi rice. That's the two stars. The rest of the dinning experience was not a good one. Had Omakase, thinking that it's a set price with set number of sushi pieces. The chef never ask at any point during dinner if we had enough. The three of us keep eating, also order take out for my son who didn't make it to dinner. When the bill came, the amount was double what we expected to pay. The eleven pieces of take out that I ordered was doubled when we open it. Never feel this taken by an establishment after dining!!! read more

Sasabune Glendale - Sushi Bars Near Me - Glendale, California

I thought this place was ok. I have had such fantastic sushi recently that I really had to take away a star here. The sushi is really good and rice was made perfectly but the price is steep. I am a huge sugarfish fan and I think you get way more there for the same price tag. I got a Donburi salmon special $28 that comes with miso soup, 3 assorted sushi , salmon Donburi and a blue crab roll. The fish is fresh and I especially enjoyed the tuna and albacore since the sauces were on point. The blue crab roll was a miss since the seaweed was chewy and made it all taste mushy. The Donburi bowl is mostly rice with some salmon on top. Wish I picked tuna because salmon rather bland. Overall I'm glad I tried it but in no hurry to come back anytime soon. read more

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I have been a Sasabune disciple since the small House days on Sawetelle. . . Ahh how I long for the days, gosh 30 Years ago easy .The food here is always sublime, hands down. But I must say, trying to visit the Glendale branch has been super super difficult. I now have been turned away 5 times as a single diner requesting the sushi bar. Not like oh in 30 Minutes or can you be done in 30 minutes. Just plain , no sorry. It would not be so bad if the place was hoping busy, this is usually when the place is empty. . . I have given up. Better luck to you all. YMMV read more

I made reservations here to celebrate my husbands birthday. Parking was pretty easy - it's in the same parking structure where Islands is located. You can enter through broadway ave or orange street. It's 2 hour free parking with validation. The restaurant is located right next to CPK. As we enter the restaurant, it looked pretty empty since we came here on a weekday for dinner. I'm sure it's pretty packed here on a weekend! When we got the menu, we knew exactly what we wanted to order "Omakase". The waitress would then ask you if you have any allergies or if you would like to substitute any fish that you may not like. Some highlights of our favorite dishes/nigiri were: Albacore Sashimi, Uni Nigiri from Santa Barbara, blue crab hand roll, toro nigiri, snapper nigiri. Overall all the dishes were amazing. I'm just not a big fan for some of the nigiri that were torched that gives it a Smokey flavor. I think price wise it's pretty reasonable $136 for the highest tier of their Omakase! I would definitely come back again and try their lunch menu. The lowest lunch set price starts at $28 which is a pretty good deal for a high end sushi restaurant. read more

Sasabune Glendale - Omakase Dinner - Sushi Bars Near Me - Glendale, California

The service here was amazing. Sushi was ok, and the portions were too small for the price. Mediocre if you ask me! High-end prices for small portions. Prepare to break the bank!! Also, the blue crab hand roll looks more like a taco prepared at the table. SMH! read more

Quality Fish! Some may think this place is overpriced...but you know it's authentic when there is a sign at the entry of the restaurant that says they do not serve rolls nor tempura. For the quality and freshness they offer here, it is actually not considered expensive. Each dish/item is made with such detail and focus. Parking is also very convenient. (turn into the parking structure from Broadway and they validate for 2 hours). The one downside for first timers is that this place can be difficult to find...it's on the 2nd floor of a business building and right next to CPK. read more

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I went to Sasabune for the first time the other day because of all the good reviews. My go to is Sushi Gen in little Tokyo but they're closed on Mondays and I decided to go here since it's closer to where I live. I was going back and forth about reviewing since the staff are so nice but feel compelled to. As people have mentioned it's not a restaurant you go to for the ambience yet it's clean and it's nice that there is a parking garage they validate. The host/waiter and waitress were very kind and attentive. When I got there, it was early enough so no wait as there was only one other table eating. I'm not sure if I went on an off night but the sushi was pretty bad except for the uni. I felt sick soon after I left and for the high price I expected super fresh high quality fish and seafood. As I mentioned the uni was good and I'd hope so for $25 for two pieces. While I did like how the sushi is prepared ~ nori on the outside and warm rice the tekka maki (tuna) didn't taste fresh and the crab roll was even worse. Was so fishy. Crab does usually have a slight fish taste but did not taste good. The salmon skin roll was ok but by the time that came out I did not have an appetite. Not sure how the rice is prepared but maybe they add an ingredient that didn't agree with me. I also ordered a miso soup which tasted like the instant kind, didn't taste as authentic of a broth and no tofu in it for $4.50. The green tea was ok. My total was $68 and with tip $80. It was definitely not worth it and I regret eating and spending my money there. I didn't feel comfortable giving them this feedback while there because I was sat right by the sushi bar and kitchen and with no other customers it felt a bit awkward for me to have all eyes from the chefs and wait staff on me. read more

Let's swim to the chase, shall we? This was my very first Omakase, an experience I've dreamt of since I watched "Jiro Dreams of Sushi" on Netflix. My boyfriend and I were led to the bar and was seated right in front of the chef. We were given hot towels to clean our hands and were served the first two sets right away. I normally don't eat sashimi, but I really enjoyed the cuts we had. It was a great opening and really didn't know what we were going to have, which was very exciting! We did have a special request since we can't eat crustaceans and such. Specifically, we were limited to fish with scales. The course started so well that we wondered how it will progress, but it did! Surprisingly the experience only got better from the start, ending with some really fatty fish. We loved our time and experience here and my boyfriend is still dreaming about one of the fish #13 below! How would you go back to eating sushi and not do Omakase? I have no idea... Special course Omakase (based on our request of just fish): 1. Albacore Sashimi 2. Baby Tuna Sashimi 3. Tuna 4. Toro*** 5. Yellowtail 6. Red snapper*** 7. Kanpachi*** 8. Ono*** 9. Bonito*** 10. Halibut 11. Salmon 12. Spanish Mackerel 13. Butter Fish*** 14. Halibut Fin*** 15. Toro Roll *** sushi we enjoyed the most and would come back for. It's mostly fish we normally don't order, but they're so good! We loved how we were able to make special request and make substitutions. Parking was also fairly easy and can be validated, which is a big plus! Definitely recommending! read more

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I really wanted to love this restaurant. Though I think the seafood is quite good in quality, there were a lot of flaws in the preparing process. The salmon roe was drenched in so much of its marinating sauce that it took over the sushi roll. The uni was giant but served very cold and lacked flavor. I ordered my sushi to be served without wasabi under the fish but that was ignored. The silver lining of my experience was that the cut rolls I ordered were decent. I'm so sad to say I won't be back. read more

Sasabune Glendale - Outside. - Sushi Bars Near Me - Glendale, California

I don't understand the hype about this place. I ordered the 9 piece and 11 piece Omakase, as they no longer had the 8 or 10 piece options. I had to remove abt half of the rice on each piece of sushi. Also, one of the items, which I thought was scallop but not sure after I ate it bc it was so thinly sliced, all I tasted was rice. They no longer offer the 20% off a la carte items either. One of my friends who highly recommended the place only tried their a la carte sushi items so maybe that was the issue? Or, maybe the take-out option affected the quality? Either way, I've had better sushi for about half the price. I just considered it as a ~$130 donation. read more

The original and still the best. The standard all other omakase in LA should be compared to.

5 star sushi. It's as fresh as it gets. They have both Santa Barbara and Japanese uni. Try both!

Sassabune never disappoints. The fish is always fresh and the service top notch. Always try the omakase. The chef knows his stuff and each piece of delicious sushi is well crafted and seasoned. Follow the instructions that the servers give and enjoy some mouth watering sushi. My favorite is the Toro and the Tuna sushi. Also, as they say in the signs out outside, this is NOT the place for spicy tuna rolls or California rolls. None of that fake stuff. Enjoy sushi the way all Japanese do. Fresh and simple. Five stars ! read more

Sat at sushi bar for lunch and was told chefs choice only. I assumed it was a set omakase but was never told my options in terms of amount amd cost. The chef just started serving me a bunch of nigiris + one tuna albacore sashimi plate (which I could've lived without)...bill came out to be about $120 where I was just charged for each individual sushi I was served. The lunch service felt more like a $60 or $80 Omakase. I was like this was so mediocre for the price. Felt like a rip off. If the experience and sushi was better....I would be fine with paying that price but it was far from it. 3 star at best. Will not be coming back and not recommended. Go follow @jiimmyeatsushi on Instagram if you are a sushi addict! read more

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Went here to try the Japanese omakase and they didn't disappoint. I highly suggest this so you can have a taste of their best ones, it's worth every single dollar. They're so good that we ended up reordering some favorites like the baby tuna sashimi and uni sushi. The blue crab hand roll was the best but we're too full to order seconds. Everything's clean and sanitized and staff wore mask the entire time. read more

If your looking for a great local sushi spot that has quality fish and isn't completely booked all the time, this is it. The quality of the fish is on par with a lot of high rated restaurants. The only fault about this place during the lockdown is that the restaurant is upstairs and the patio seating is outside downstairs so the servers have a long way to travel, but that should be resolved very soon. I ordered just about every sushi a la carte they had not run out of and it was all super fresh and delicious. The servers are very professional and knowledgable. The small, concise menu allows to to deliver fantastic quality with every dish. My favorite pieces of sushi i had were the albacore, and the golden eye snapper. Oh yeah, and the oysters, some of the best I've ever had! Cant wait to return! read more

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I rated this 5 stars a few months ago, when the old chef was working. Quality has downgraded severely, and feels like there is no love put in it anymore: 1.) Eel/Butterfish always undercooked (and has an unpleasant smoke taste) 2.) Tuna didn't taste fresh. 3.) Seaweed salad tasted like alcohol, soggy cucumbers. 4.) Waitresses seem rude (although unintentional) The list goes on... hurts to see this place go down. read more

Order the $120/ person Omakasa on Valentine's Day lunch with my wife. Fish: 5 - great quality Sushi rice: 2 - not fresh and falls apart from the fish Service: 2. They have only 1 chef serving 30+ people, the lunch took us more than 2 hours... we could have finished everything within 20-30 Considering the price, I think overall is 3 star! Would not recommend. read more

Amazing authentic sushi place, up there with the best sushi I've ever had. Extremely expensive though.

Service is wonderful. Quality of the fish is fantastic. I especially love the table-side service of fresh hand rolls so the nori stays crispy. The ambiance is nice but a bit dated. Overall I recommend. read more

If you go to this place don't expect to find California rolls or tempura or any large variety of sushi. They only have one kind of sushi; omakase. I would not return to this place in the future read more

Amazing service! Very friendly and efficient. Run by Japanese people. 日本語を話せます。High quality sushi and sashimi, very authentic. Take out only now with 20% discount! Will go back when there's table service again!! read more

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Above and beyond food and service. I celebrated my birthday with a takeout chirashi bowl, and the fish (and rice) was out of this world delicious - best in LA and among the best I've had ever. Melts in your mouth, jumped in right from the ocean fresh. The staff made my day with their bright smiles, special birthday touches, and attention to detail. You also must try their matcha cake. I wish I remembered to call them that night to thank them! 100% recommend. read more

Sasabune Glendale - Deluxe Chirashi Bowl Special - Sushi Bars Near Me - Glendale, California

Really delicious sushi. Ordered pick up during covid-19. It is on the 3rd floor of the plaza. No problem ordering or picking up. Staff was super sweet and left us a nice note with our order. Everything was so fresh and yummy. Really brightened our day. We had 2 to-go chefs choice specials and it was very filling. Thanks so much! We will be returning. read more

Sasabune Glendale - Sweet note inside our Togo order - Sushi Bars Near Me - Glendale, California

We came here on Christmas Eve (this place was one of the only places open for sushi this day). There were only a total of three parties that were waiting for doors to be open at 5:30. Interior: it's a relatively small place at a corner unit inside of the business building on P3. Its somewhat hard to find from the outside. Service 0/5: that evening, there were two chefs and 2 waitresses. The service was HORRENDOUSLY slow. Our omakase which included a sashimi sampler, a baked mussels and raw oyster appetizer, 10 nigiri pieces, and a blue crab hand roll took 2 hours from start to finish. At half way through, we were still hungry and for some reason the chefs were no where to be seen behind the sushi bar. By then there were at least 6 customers all sitting there waiting to be served. The waitresses were somewhat rude as well. They served us miso soup without any spoons. When we wanted to order a butter fish rice bowl for my 93 yr old grandmother, they gave us a hard time and said "it is only for children". So. I ordered a bowl for my 1.5 yr old and gave it to my grandmother. When each sushi arrived, they were just placed on the table. Sometimes they explained what the pieces were, sometimes not. More than half of the pieces, I have no clue what I ate. Food: 2.75/5. The fish quality was good, I won't deny that. However, the rice was WAY too warm for the nigiri and way too wet. The rice almost fell apart when picked up with chopsticks. Price: $80 per omakase isn't cheap. We left hungry and tired because the service was crap. You can definitely spend your money better elsewhere. Overall: 2.5/5 rounded down. I wanted to give this a 3/5, but thinking back at the crappy service plus hot/wet sushi rice really knocked it down a star. Will not be coming back. Would look elsewhere for sushi or change cuisines if other sushi restaurants are closed. read more

MIND BLOWN!!!! You seriously have not had sushi the right way until you try Chef Noriko's daily hand picked sushi!! It melts in your mouth and it's perfection!!! My favorites were the albacore, tuna, yellowtail, and red snapper!! The rice is warm, perfect softness and just melts in your mouth!! I cannot have sushi anywhere else after tasting the freshness of this place!!! This is a 20 out of 10 and surpasses any place again is truly an expert in his art!!! read more

Sasabune Glendale - Sushi Bars Near Me - Glendale, California

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UNDER NEW MANAGEMENT. NEW SUSHI CHEF(S) isn't good. New sushi chef/owner served bad/spoiled (fishy) fish. We got food poisoning after eating here. We're filing complaints with the department of health. I've been going to Sasabune in Glendale since they opened. Hiroki the original sushi chef/owner was amazing and kind (search his name and read his reviews). The new owner/sushi is ill-tempered and unreasonable--what's worse is that he's serving spoiled sushi... NEW Sushi Sasabune--let me count the ways I dislike this sushi bar: 1) New sushi chef served spoiled pieces of fish; 2) new sushi chef doesn't seem to care about his craft, the freshness of his fish or his patrons; 3) their servers could be more attentive, better servers and better able to communicate; 4) new sushi chef's rice was way too hot (it should be warm not hot); 5) new sushi chef serves more rice and skimps on the fish. This new sushi chef/owner needs help and an attitude adjustment. I wouldn't trust much that he or his staff prepares. There are other sushi restaurants that deserve your patronage. This is not one of them. read more