Trust Me FTW! Don't doubt the chef, get one of the prefix menus and some beer or sake and just enjoy. The tuna first course was so soft and delicate, in a great sauce. Every piece of fish was cold on top of warm rice making a flavor explosion in your mouth. You are definitely paying for quality over quantity here, and it's worth the wait (they don't take reservations). read more

finally getting to this review... there's so much contradiction on this page! I thought the customer service was way better than the food. I've been here three times. the first: the gf and i came for dine LA and i thought it was fantastic. I came on a saturday night i think. so of course there's going to be a wait. I expected it. i'm not a patient person but for some reason it was bearable. Sam the manager and I forgot the host's name... got me water as i waited and i just sat outside next to the fire pit chillin. I think about 40ish mins later we were sat at the bar. so we beat the quoted time i think. anyways. two dine la's: edamame which was typical, salmon sashimi, soaked in their signature ponzu sauce. was pretty good. I liked the flavor of the ponzu but would rather have had it differently. the pieces of salmon were too diced up for my taste. albacore sushi: lightly drizzled with the ponzu and sprinkeld with green onions. someone brought up the point that fish should usually be firm and this was almost mushy... but i didn't mind. it tasted great with the ponzu and green onions. salmon sushi: sprinkled with sesame seeds... which was a nice touch. it wasn't as heavy and fatty as some other places can get. it was a light portion, seemed very delicately cut. I wasn't a fan of the lack of flavor the salmon seemed to have. but it was great with their wasabi... their wasabi is so good.... their house made soy sauce i feel is a bit light on flavor but the wasabi totally makes up for it. yellowtail: I remember it had a pretty firm texture and had a slightly fishy taste like yellowtail should have. it was served plain and was delish with the wasabi. sweet shrimp: oh my lord. the first time i had it, i was in love. had no idea what the sauce on it was but when i tasted it it was amazing. the sweet, tangy flavor of yuzu filled my mouth and perfectly complimented the shrimp... oh man... I didn't know i wasn't supposed to add extra sauce but soy sauce gave it a little more depth and i thought it was interesting... large scallop: i wasn't too big a fan of this one. it was drizzled with the ponzu sauce. looking back at the pictures i think it might have also been the yuzu ponzu... but i dont remember... sorry i'm a disappointment toro hand roll: i thought it was good. can't remember too much the flavor profile bu the seaweed was super crunchy and good. unlike any seaweed ive ever had. it was definitely a new experiencen blue crab hand roll: it was good. huge ocean flavor pretty crabby flavor... but also a sweet aftertaste that mixed very well with the soy sauce and wasabi. 10/10 would stuff in mouth again. CONS: I don't like being rushed. the way the rice is warm, if you don't eat it quick enough, the rice obviously will heat up the fish. which is not pleasant. I do like how the warm rice kind of changes how it tastes and I think it's interesting but I like savoring the experience without having to worry about the texture and temperature changing. Additionally, if you don't eat the rolls fast enough the rice soaks into the seaweed and makes it soggy. meh. my second experience, I was stopping in for a light snack since i was in the area. got the nozawa shrimp and that was pretty good. the roasted sesame seeds worked so well... The snapper I don't recall it standing out... eh I also ordered the sweet shrimp but it was taking a while so i decided to cancel it. they were in the process of making it or someone forgot to put the order in or something i dont remember exactly what happened. i wasn't too disappointed onto my birthday! Came in for lunch. got there a bit early and seated immediately aftre they opened, sam was back and he apologized that I wasn't able to get the sweet shrimp that day. I got my free trust me. tuna sashimi wasn't anything special. I think i'd prefer to sub it out for something else next time. I've been eyeing the oysters... anyways everything was pretty much the same. only new thing was the halibut and... my mind must have wandered or something because i don't recall it too well. oops. someone probably was trying to talk to me. eh. my server said well theres no bill to pay for so... wheneve ryou're ready. and i was leaving and sam stopped me. said he felt bad that I didn't get my sweet shrimp the other day so he gave it to me on the house. made my birthday a little more special. love this place, can trust them to treat me well whenever i go. I'll be by when my craving for sushi comes up. read more

The service here is really excellent. I come here regularly just because the service is so spot on 100% of the time. Prepare to wait 30-45 minutes during dinner service for a table, or even a place at the bar. I assume that the chef who designed all the sushi served here is talented. The fish is fresh and the sushi is good but I think the prices are high for the level of sushi served here. It might be the fact that it seems like a chef designed everything and that the cooks are not sushi chefs but the difference is obvious when a cook makes the sushi versus a proper sushi chef makes the sushi. The high end prices you pay do not reflect the mid-level sushi you get. ...but do not misunderstand me, the sushi is good, it just isn't as high end as the prices. I am not a sushi snob or anything but I have definitely had grab and go strip mall sushi, date night sushi, and special occasion sushi. I would say that this is date night sushi bordering on special occasion sushi prices BUT with special occasion stellar service. I know fish this fresh is expensive but either Sugarfish needs to up their sushi to the next level, or lower the prices a bit to match the level of sushi served there. read more

I've heard so many great things about Sugarfish and I was so excited to hear that they just opened one in Pasadena!! I was thrilled to get to try it last night and it was such a great experience. I didn't know how the menu worked so our server explained everything to us. My friend and I both decided on the regular Trust Me for $32. I love the simplistic nature of each dish as it really just highlights the fresh tastes of the fish. My favorites were the hand rolls though and now I want to go to Kazunori!! The menu is pretty pricey but I feel it is totally worth it for the quality of food that you are getting. Our bill was $80 for 2 people without alcohol. They also include gratuity in the bill for you. I am definitely addicted and will be back!! One thing to mention is they do not seat you until your entire party is there. The restaurant is very small so be ready to get acquainted to your table neighbors. :) Parking: structure behind the restaurant, $2 with validation. read more

This is a fairly new Sugarfish, i believe it opened in the last year or so. I couldn't really figure out the parking situation, so i parked across the street in the shopping center. The big PLUS for this location is that its next to Philz Coffee, so you can get your coffee in the morning and then head right to sugarfish. I came right before opening on Friday afternoon, and i was surprised to see a line form already. The food is the same exact quality as all other Sugarfish, so i'd highly recommend this one. read more

What can i say? Best sushi I've ever had! Went here last night with friends who've been to other sugar fish restaurants many times before. We had a long wait... Its a pretty small dining room but worth it completely. We had the trust me. A great sample plate of several types of sushi. All very "basic" Just fresher than fresh fish over warm rice or fish and rice rolled. Nothing fried, no fussy sauces. The fish is like butter...nothing chewy. Great place young or old.. Dont even need teeth! We will definitely be back next time were in the vicinity. Cant wait til they come to our area in northern California.. Walnut Creek please!! read more

Cons: sushi rice is a little hard and keeps on dropping. Pros: the raw fish is fresh and the staff is friendly in general. read more

SUGARFISH | Pasadena - Japanese Near Me - Pasadena, California

SugarFish is always amazing. Staff and management at this location are the best. The warm rice takes the sushi & handrolls to the next level. You should definitely eat at the restaurant if it's your first time trying SugarFish. Although, delivery through Postmates is also good if you really don't feel like waiting for a table. Warning: ordering through Postmates is pricey and you'll miss out on the warm rice. Get the Trust Me and you won't be disappointed. Maybe add a lobster hand roll if you're really hungry. Don't come if you're picky and have special requests, they call it "Trust Me" for a reason. read more

A solid chain. You know what you're gonna get (fresh fish, reasonable pricing, full belly). The pacing of the food can be haphazard (usually too fast at first, and then too slow if you ask them to slow down). read more

I came here with high hopes that it would be delicious because I thought I heard about it being good... I left this restaurant hungry because I lost my appetite during my meal. My date and I ordered the lobster 8 piece roll, crab 8 piece roll, and unagi rolls. There's nothing special about their menu. It's very boring. Not even a California roll? No avocado on the menu. No sauces on the sushi. Nothing special--just seaweed wrapped around rice with fish inside. The seaweed is hard and tastes like plastic. Such a let down because sushi is my favorite food in the world. My date and I were pretty bummed with our dinner and never would recommend it to anyone. We are puzzled with how this place has so much hype. The atmo read more

Another AWESOME sugarfish location. Really like the way that they did the decor here. It's very modern and versatile. The food was amazing just like their other locations. Really friendly service, and somehow we avoided a huge wait (came when they opened at noon on a Sunday). read more

Quality was amazing, melt in your mouth goodness. I was worried about the Trust Me tasting menu not being enough food, but it was more than satisfying. Ginger was pleasantly sweet and great between bites. Everything had such a delicacy to it. The wait for seating was long but there's some cool locations in the area to walk to. Be prepared to wait and to enjoy the amazing sushi! Service was perfect too. read more

Food is delicious, service is awesome, wait time is blah. But you will be rewarded for your endurance if you stick out the long wait - take a stroll through the cozy streets of Pasadena while waiting; love the this city! Best sushi we have ever had and - likely - will ever have! I had the Trust Me and my husband got the Trust Me Lite (sushi newbie). Every bite melts in your mouth! Even my husband is excited to come back - that's a first for sushi. I was told Sugarfish was "it" - now I'm a believer! read more

Ok, I know people LOVE this place. I didn't love it. It was good. The fish tasted fresh, but it lacked flavor. Maybe I am too filipino to the core, I needed some buttery flavor with my yellow tail. Or a bit more soy in my poke. I liked the warm rice, but it fell apart as I was picking it up with my fingers. The portions are also very small. After spending 40 bucks for a few bites, I was disappointed. The 40 included sake too. :) I really like to taste my seafood. Take a bite, swish it around, chew slowly.... That wasn't worth the time here. We left and went to Paul Martins for dinner afterward. Maybe I am just a fatty. lol! read more

This place is amazing. Tucked on Lake Av in a little square with Philz coffee, Sunlife, Lemonade, Soulcycle, it's in a great little nook of Pasadena. I always go for the Trust Me's and then depending on how I'm feeling after decide on some other items on the menu. The gym I go to happens to be across the street and let's just say it's hard to focus on the treadmill when I'm thinking of the blue crab hand rolls (actually I like to think of it as a great source of motivation). You can do pick up and it's still bomb but nothing compares to the perfect warmth of the rice that you get as you're served plate after plate when you dine in. Can't wait for my birthday to come so I can get the Trust Me courtesy of Sugarfish. OH and they're in New York now too so I get my Sugarfish fix even when I'm not home on the west coast read more

I tried SUGARFISH and Kazunori on the same day! I prefer the hand rolls much more to the nigiri. I had the trust me at SUGARFISH. Cold edamame was weird Tuna app was good. Salmon nigiri was a bit chewy and felt slimy in my mouth. Yellowtail nigiri was good but heavy on the sauce. Hand rolls were A+ just like at Kazunori. Overall I think save yourself time and have nigiri at another sushi place but definitely try the hand rolls. read more

My favourite place ever - however I'm super disappointed that they removed the waiting list online.. It was way more convenient.

Visited sugarfish last Saturday for lunch! Walked in around noon and luckily, there was absolutely no wait. Ordered the trust me, everything was extremely fresh, sushi almost melted in my mouth. This location is smaller than the others but that's probably the only con! Check it out.... Trust me ;) read more

SUGARFISH | Pasadena - Japanese Near Me - Pasadena, California

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It's about time I wrote a review for my favorite sushi restaurant, ever! I'm writing one for the Pasadena location because this location was the one I went to most recently, but I would say it's my favorite location currently because there was no wait when I went! (A little before dinnertime, around 5 ish) If I could eat here everyday I so would. Every time I get the Trust Me which comes with a tuna appetizer, edamame, albacore, salmon, snapper, yellowtail, and halibut. They're all SO melt in your mouth delicious and seasoned so well that you don't need soy sauce. The hand rolls are also amazing (blue crab and toro) If you want, you can ask for them to do cut rolls instead of hand rolls (which is apparently a little more) It sucks that all locations are bit of a drive for me, but so worth it. PLEASE COME TO THE OC!!! KTHNXXX!! read more

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always a great experience, especially if eating at the bar. i had the pleasure of introducing sugarfish to a friend for the first time as their first sushi experience as well. it went over great and they absolutely loved it as well. i can't wait to go back again. read more

I don't eat sushi, but I have many friends I go with and they absolutely love it. Even the to go looks beautiful and I hear very filling.

BEST. SUSHI. EVER. I am a sushi hound. I have been eating sushi for 30 years. I've had Nobu in NYC, I've eaten it in Boston, Portland, ME, Brooklyn, Los Angeles and every where in between. The Pasadena location of SUGARFISH knocks it out of the park. Professional yet friendly waitstaff (shout out to Anthony, our fave), kitchen is ON it, ALL ways. Fish is SUPER fresh, rice is slightly warm, delicate, and perfect really. Try the crap handroll, it will rock your world. Warm rice, cold crab, crisp seaweed. Perfection. read more

Date night for my boyfriend and I. It was our very first time here. After reading so many Yelp reviews and friends raving about this place. Why not try it? We were supposed to go to Sushi Gen prior to an event, but was worried we were going to be late. Instead, we remember that sugar fish just opened in Pasadena. When we arrived the wit was 30-35 minutes. The wait didn't feel that long. When it was our turn, we got seated. The tables were slightly small to get in between. The seatings were comfortable! Service: awesome! The servers checked on us very often. Atmosphere: intimate, but comfortable enough where the lights did not cause me to have a headache. Food: BOMB! This is the best sushi we have ever had. Rice melts in your mouth, fresh, and on point. I love the way the food doesn't come out all at once. They separated a variety at a time on different plate. That way you are able to enjoy it in portions. We were definitely full! No sauce needed. We ordered the $42.00 platter, which is the Nozawa. Originally, we were supposed to share it. Either the guy or my boyfriend had a misunderstanding and we each had our own platter. We laughed, after receiving our second plate of sushi. That's okay though, we enjoyed it. By the time we received the toro roll, we were so full! 16% gratuitous no matter what. Thank you for your service, and selection! read more

Took my niece out for dinner tonight. The staff was amazing and very informative of the items that were served. Our waitress Bianca was nothing but awesome! I think we found our new favorite spot! read more

SUGARFISH | Pasadena - Japanese Near Me - Pasadena, California

Does not accept reservations and will validate for the parking structure across shoppers ln. The parking structure is connected to The Counter. There was plenty of parking at 7:30pm on a Thursday. No wait time once we arrived as well. There was a small wait by the time we left though. Ordered the Trust Me; it was $32 before tax/service. They will charge you a service fee and you will not need to tip. The service charge is taxable so be aware of that. The fish is good. The rice is a bit warm and threw me off at first; however, I ended up enjoying it a lot. Some of the pieces will come pre-sauced and they will let you know which ones did. I wish they would have provided a brush so I could brush the soy sauce over my fish, but I didn't ask if that was a possibility. I had some trouble with fish not sticking to the rice and ended up in my sauce bowl. If you would like to get an omakase type dinner on the fly, this is the spot and the price is incredibly reasonable. read more

I've gotten takeout from this location 5-6 times over the last year, and both the quality and quantity of the fish seem to diminish each time I go.. The sushi pieces are cut razor thin and are just generally small compared to nigiri you would get from other sushi restaurants, and the amount of fish in the rolls is the diameter of a dime. In addition to the small portions, the quality is horrible - everything is very fishy and doesn't taste fresh at all. To top it all off, you pay a 16% additional "fee", even for takeout. I will be going to other "high-end" sushi restaurants in the area, like Sushi Roku and Kaviar Sushi, in the future. At least they serve quality fish to justify the higher price tag. read more

Sooooo good! Love the don't think just eat! Everything was so fresh and so good! I'll be back for sure!

This place has unbelievably delicious sushi! Once you try this place, I don't think you would want to go any other place. The quality of the fish is top notch. You can taste the freshness. Also, the rice is super delicious! I just enjoy every bite of it, the fish melts in your mouth. This place has exceptional service as well. I have never really waited longer than 30 minutes. read more

This is our go-to sushi place. They are known for their high quality fresh ingredients used to make simple sushi and sashimi. The staff goes out of their way to please you. They remember frequent customers and treat them like family. Their whole staff is very nice. The wait can get to 2 hours sometimes, especially on Friday and Saturdays, but if you come around 6-6:30, it should be under an hour. Their manager Sam is the nicest guy who goes out of his way to accommodate us every time. Everything on the menu is great. But their blue crab roll is to die for. read more

Went here after a super long day- definitely needed to treat myself. I gotta say, the sushi here is so good, it is comforting for the soul. My meal here just hit the spot and I left feeling refreshed and not overstuffed. I loved the ambiance too. It was really nice and stylish but also warm and inviting at the same time. I had the Trust Me as most people do and if I'm being honest, it left me wanting more although I did feel like it was enough food. I was rather hungry, so maybe I would go for the Nozawa next time I come hungry. I love that they open with the tuna sashimi salad! It's a simple salad, but I gotta say I love the flavor that green onion brings and it was a great starter dish. As for the nigiri, my favorite fish was the yellowtail. I could've eaten five plates of that easily. Yumm. The rest were really good too, but it's the flavor of the rice that makes you want to keep eating more. The rice did keep falling apart though which was unfortunate because it's so yummy. They should really try to work on that consistency or figure out a way to make the rice stay in one piece! Overall, would definitely come back here, but would probably pre-eat to feel full. Or go get boba after like I did last time! read more

My boyfriend and I came here on a Saturday around 6:30pm and it was pretty packed. The wait for two people was about 1.5 hours, but they take your name and number to text you when your table is about ready. The service is excellent, it's a small restaurant so you're never skipped or missed. It's fairly clean, it's a trendy, casual or fancy joint (dimly lit, perfect for dates). My boyfriend got the Trust Me and I got the Trust Me Lite, both great omakase sets, we shared the daily special that came with the Trust Me, it was sweet shrimp perfect to top off our meal. The edamame is really good. A small part of our meal but it made such a big difference. We added an extra order of unagi and it was great! It is a little pricey here but you get what you pay for and it's worth every penny. read more

I was extremely dissatisfied by the amount of food you get. I can't say it's overpriced because it's what you expect to pay somewhere else but the portions are skimping. It's like someone is trying to save a buck but costing the customer more for less. The tip was automatically added to the bill which was fine because the service was decent. Poor portions is my critique. I'll never go back read more

Great food, very fast service. The sushi is AMAZING! Sugar fish is great for fancy events as well as more casual events.

Food is delicious, ordering system is complete garbage. I do think this review warrants a one star because I want them to address this ASAP. It's quite simple to be honest, get the estimated wait time for pick up integrated into the online ordering system. I also cannot call to cancel my order (I have to send an email). I understand your business is probably overloaded with takeout orders due to covid, but this is a terrific reason to get your online ordering systems straight. To save many of you time, average wait time for take out is 2 hours. So plan accordingly. I'll change my review to 5 stars if this problem gets fixed. read more

First of all, don't expect to have friendly service here. Some of the waiters are kind of pretentious and snobby. We also felt like they were rushing us. However, the sushi was really delicious, although there was not so much difference between the different types. In addition, the rice sometimes did not stick together. The place was too dark for me. It is important to take into account that there is no dessert. The layout of seating is weird and cramped. Luckily we went when there was no wait. It was a cool one time experience. They tell you how to eat your sushi! Wtf. Calm down. They need new sauces too. They in no way are the best. Attitudes like the ones the staff had is laughable. We are not in Paris! The parking is very hard so we took an Uber. In conclusion, it's like an in'n'out of sushi. read more

wow. modern setting. small but comfortable. had the trust me by nozawa sampler. buttery fishes delicious crab hand roll. all so delicious with tasty warm sushi rice. paired with some unfiltered sake. fantastic experience. read more

SUGARFISH | Pasadena - Japanese Near Me - Pasadena, California

It was my first time at Sugar Fish. The fish was fresh and tasty, but service was spotty. some of us were left to wait a long time before their next dish - that sometimes can be 1 or 2 sushi/sashimi pieces - and some of us would get 3 dishes served one after the other. Food wasn't nothing exceptional. Restaurant was super noisy too. read more

This was my first time at this location. The restaurant is smaller than the downtown on, but I thought the food was just as good! My mom and I got the Taste Me and my dad got the $37 Taste Me. Everything was so good and the fish was soooo fresh. Because the restaurant is so small, we got a two person table for three people. It was a cramped but once again, the food was what mattered. Just FYI: there is no tipping. They add a 16% service charge instead. Would definitely recommend coming here. It's by far better than any other sushi place in Pasadena for the price. Haven't been to the expensive one in Del Mar Station, so will have to see if this is better than that one. read more

DineLA here is not really worth it. We came for DineLA and ended up just ordering a Trust Me for lunch! Even our server (the guy with the glasses, couldn't remember his name ): ) recommended the trust me instead of the Dine LA one! There were three servers and all of them were really nice. Sam helped us take a picture of us and he was very nice and joking with us. Jeff was also very nice and asked us if we needed them to validate our parking for us! We almost forgot to ask them too! So nice. The guy with the glasses went on break so we didn't want to bother him to ask his name ): but he was very nice and noticed that we were really taking our time and asked if we wanted the chefs to slow it down for us. How nice, again! :) He also told us we didn't need soy sauce for our meal since most of it came with its own sauce. It's really small inside, the interior is so cute and woody and based around like taupe-y earth tones. Food: (we got Trust Me and also a bay scallop hand roll cut) Trust Me: -Organic Edamame: nice flavor, not too salty, isn't sandy or mushy! -Tuna Sashimi: it is chewy yet soft. Fishy aftertaste, but what can you expect from eating fish? It is yummy! Comes in a sauce that tastes like tangy soy sauce and also diced green onion. -Albacore Sushi: the albacore is really really soft! It tastes so good! The rice is warm and has a similar sauce to the tuna sashimi. The sauce on the rice makes the rice a bit on the salty side. It still tastes good though. -Salmon Sushi: the rice is warm and sweet. The salmon is soft and delicate. It tastes so good! Comes with sesame seeds on top. My favorite thing that I tried today! -Yellowtail Sushi: (on the left, more pink) more stiff feeling than the other fish, but still soft. No sauce on the rice. -Halibut Sushi: (on the right, more white) the sauce has a slight spiciness to it and is kind of salty, the fish is soft, but kind of string-y? Just a little bit.. -Toro Hand Roll: the rice is warm and fish is cold! Our server recommended us to eat it while the seaweed was still crisp, and yes you should definitely do that. This was good! No extra sauce on this roll. -Blue Crab Hand Roll: this was so good! I enjoyed this more than the toro hand roll. It is kind of creamy. Again, the rice was warm! -Bay Scallops Hand Roll Cut: the scallops are really buttery and soft. Would not get this again though, but I recommend trying this! Along with everything else on the menu haha read more

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So a lot of people have told me its just hype and not worth trying.... I call BS. The menu is simple, the presentation and concept is simple. Present high quality fish the way its suppose to be and let the fish speak for itself. Well also the warm sushi rice to, you can not not mention that last perfect touch. I ordered the omakase fully trusting the chefs choices and I was not disappointed once. Granted I could eat maybe 4 more orders on top but that's just cause I have a big appetite. The service was nice, waiters were a little scattered that night but long as I got my food I'm happy. I will be back for more since they ran on of uni that night. read more

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