Conner was very professional and friendly. This location is one of the best! Fresh fish. Delicious sauce.. The Toro cut roll is perfect read more

SUGARFISH | Pasadena - Japanese Near Me - Pasadena, California

I love Sugarfish! I've actually only ever been to this location but I've always had good experiences here. My last visit was on a Sunday around lunchtime and thankfully did not have to wait. Usually prime dinner time I've had to wait a bit for a table. I usually park in the South Lake parking lot and walk over since it's free. I will usually either get the Trust Me and add a few a of their limited availability sushi options like Pink Lobster or Albacore Belly and it hits every time. The sushi is always so fresh. My favorite staples are the tuna sashimi and yellowtail but their special menu has always been really good too. This location is also clean and inviting. My friend who has been to other locs says that this one is more spacious which I guess I take for granted. I would also say for the quality and quantity it's reasonably priced and I love that they just do a standard service charge versus tip. read more

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I been here since 2020 during covid times when it was cool to get the box togo. Nostalgia here is superb the ambiance is great and the outdoor area outside this place is so nice to enjoy a coffee at philz. Great food and service as well! read more

I'm so glad that I don't have to drive far to go to Sugarfish. One a month, I tried to make it out there and it never disappoints. Freddy my server was great and very attentive. Always bringing me extra ginger when I'm done eating it all. I also love the setting of this area, now with the Christmas decorations up it's even prettier. read more

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My husband and I just finished having dinner at Sugarfish and we had a lovely time. From the moment we arrived, Evelina, the hostess, was warm, attentive, and wonderfully communicative. She set such a gracious tone for the evening. Our server Frankie was equally professional. Knowledgeable, friendly, and clearly invested in us having a great experience. Everything we ordered was buttery, pristine, and high quality. My personal favorite was the yellowtail sushi, which was delicate and perfectly balanced. My husband especially loved the scallops and the unagi. The space felt clean, calm, and quietly polished, with that signature Sugarfish simplicity. Professional, seamless, and genuinely enjoyable. We will absolutely be back soon. read more

Outstanding meal and service. Highly recommend visiting and having one of the recommendations. Stopped by on a Monday night while in town and had no wait, for one of the best meals I've had read more

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CHRIS with the glasses needs a talking to. He is talking to coworkers about schedules loudly in front of customers while working at the bar, having personal conversations and casually cursing to coworkers in front of customers, not listening to orders, and not being attentive to patrons. I understand workplace banter during a slower dining time, and he knows he's getting gratuity either way, but there is a time and a place. I come here very often for the last ~10 years and this is the first time I've seen this type of behavior from any of the staff and there didn't seem to be a supervisor around. Overall unprofessional and immature and not creating a comfortable dining environment. read more

Who would've thought that there's much better sushi outside of Las Vegas? Haha jokes, but really, this place is amazing. I feel like my eyes have been opened to ~good~ sushi. I got The Nozawa Trust Me, and it was so delicious, worth the price, and it was honestly the perfect amount of food for me. The edamame was first, and it was very good! I thought it was perfectly salty. Next was the Tuna Sashimi, and it was also good! It was very cutely diced, but it was a good sized dish. Afterwards were the Albacore and Salmon Sushi -- the Albacore Sushi was hands down my favorite food of this visit. The first bite made me rethink what good sushi actually is haha. The Salmon Sushi was good also; I thought that the toasted sesame was interesting. Next was the Toro Hand Roll, and I thought it was okay. I don't normally order hand rolls, but this was pleasant with the rice being very warm still. The next plate included Bluefin Otoro Sushi, New Zealand Sea Bream Sushi, Bluefin Otoro Sushi, and Japanese Yellowtail Sushi. Of them all, I really enjoyed the Yellowtail, and I was a bit thrown off guard by what I think was the Bluefin Otoro (it wasn't bad, I just thought it was initially spicy then it wasn't then sour then it wasn't -- just an interesting experience that put me through the motions). Ending off was the Blue and Dungeness Crab Hand Roll. Again, I thought it was okay. The thing with me and these hand rolls today is that I felt that there wasn't much flavor distinguishing the fish from everything else; the thing that separated the parts do the hand roll was just the temperature and texture. The service was excellent! They were very attentive to when we needed water refills, needed new napkins, or had empty dishes. Though the restaurant is relatively small, it is beautiful and classy and is in a cute location in Pasadena. This experience was very eye opening in my world of sushi, and I look forward to when I can come back again and try more items. read more

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Good food and great service. Not that much seating and some of it is awkward. We got a corner section and I had a clear view of the other person sitting on the other side who was also in the awkward corner section. We ordered the trust me, which was pretty filling. Although it was good I didn't like how the sashimi and some of the nigiri was drenched in salty soy sauce but it was still good. read more

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It's been a while since I've been back to sugarfish and it used to be one be one of my go to spots for affordable and high quality sushi however over the years I see how the quality, craftsmanship, and affordability has gone down. We came on a Sunday night at 8pm and waiting around 45 minutes to get seated. It was my friend's first time here as well as my first time recommending him what. I thought was really good quality sushi for the price. I got the Trust me and my friend got the Trust me lite. Although the fish is still super buttery and good it definitely does not compare to the quality of better sushi restaurants in the area. I was really dissatisfied/disappointed at how the nigiri/rice falls apart with the slightest touch. The fish quality was also just okay and you can clearly taste that the fish has been frozen which is a bit disappointing. In addition to the sushi, the service has also gone down hill. My friend and I had gotten seated and it took us forever to get the next items on the omakase. They also forgot to give me half my items at first which I can understand since it was around closing but as a place that prides itself on omakase with a mandatory 16% gratuity and having experienced amazing service from them before I was definitely let down. Our server was still really kind though! They had also failed to let me know that they had run out of hirame for the night and will be replacing it with scallop which would have been nice to know before hand. However to make up for it they did give us blue fin tuna which is usually on the other menu. Overall, it was just an okay experience. read more

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Got the trust me set menu for $35/person which was a good amount of food for me personally. Sat at the bar and service was good. The waiters clearly explained the menu options, what was substituted for the evening and what fishes/menu items weren't available. The dishes came at a good pace and our empty dishes were cleared pretty quickly. My favorites were the blue and dungeness crab hand roll b/c you can taste the crab very well and the scallop for the texture and the sauce that came with it. But the rest of the sushi/food was just alright. I assume the sushi that was served was nigiri and if that's the case, it did not look like nigiri which really bothered me for some reason. The fish was a thinner slice than usual and the rice was not packed. It was just a pile of rice so I was not able to eat the nigiri as a whole piece of sushi. The albacore and yellowtail also didn't have much flavor. 10 min wait on a monday evening at 7PM for party of 2, free parking after 6PM (i'm pretty sure) in the lot that's south across the street. Overall good experience but I feel like the fish and sushi quality is alright and it feels kinda overhyped. I'll probably go elsewhere that's more affordable and w/ a greater variety of sushi. read more

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the scallops were so memorable and the toro tasting was great. very consistent, great service, great quality and not pricey. read more

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Arrived at 4:30 p.m. and about 60% of the restaurant was empty. The hostess said there would be a 30 minute wait because they didn't have enough servers. That's not the customer's problem. If there are plenty of open tables, people shouldn't have to wait half an hour to sit down. Completely unacceptable experience. That said, the food is always amazing, which makes the poor service even more disappointing. read more

SUGARFISH | Pasadena - Japanese Near Me - Pasadena, California

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We came this afternoon (Wednesday) at around 3 PM and our party of 4 was able to be seated right away. The ambiance was nice and comforting. I think it would be a nice place to come for a date night. We came in knowing what we were going to order so as soon as we sat, our server brought us water and we were able to get our order started. - - Don't think, Just Eat (5/5): We got 2 orders of this and shared. It came with edamame, 1 sashimi, 2 handrolls and 7 nigiri. Each and every single piece that went into my mouth was heavenly and basically melted. The quality of the fish was exceptional and it was some of the freshest fish I've ever had. My personal favorites were the Blue Fin Otoro, Tuna Sashimi, and Toro. I think my least favorite would be the Pink Lobster just because the texture was a little slimier than I would've liked. The price was $59 per order and an automatic 16% gratuity was added but it was very worth it. Once again the fish here was so unbelievably fresh and the service was great! I know it doesn't sound or look like a lot of food, but by the end of my meal, I was full and satisfied. I think one critique I have would be for the servers to maybe enunciate when telling us what fish they were serving us. I felt that it was a little bit hard to hear them either because they were mumbling or because they were wearing a mask. My mom and sister came before and were raving about this place and I have to say, it did not disappoint. It exceeded my already high expectations and I can't wait to come again. read more

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This was my first time at the Pasadena location. What I appreciate about Sugarfish is that ambiance, service and quality is quite consistent across the their locations, at least the ones I have visited. Timing of plates was good, staff was friendly and professional. We ordered the Trust me and Trust Me Lite tonight. There was no hirame tonight, but it was replaced with scallop which was a good substitution. One thing on this particular night was the rice was packed too loosely? It was really falling apart on every piece we ate and our chopstick skills are pretty decent. Even picking up with your fingers would crumble a bit. Besides that, the pieces tasted delicious and it's a great place to get some high quality sushi that you know won't miss. read more

I was introduced to this place for their iconic takeout boxes from people I watch on YouTube/other various social media. I was half expecting the food to not be great, I guess I am convinced that when it comes to restaurants like SUGARFISH, food taste usually takes a tumble at the cost of being posh/chic. I was wrong, not only was this place fairly swanky and appealing, the food tasted fantastic as well! It was so good, it actually made some fish I tend to not prefer delicious (sea bream, not a big fan of it previously, but I am now if any place will prepare it the way SUGARFISH does). The box was excellent, and lovely to look at while I ate. I would've saved it and taken it back with me on the plane if I had enough luggage room. I was originally going to pick this up and eat it back in bed in my hotel room while I watched YouTube, but there's a nice little center area outside of this establishment to enjoy this meal, and it was too inviting and I was too hungry to wait to drive back. I kind of prefer it instead of dining in. The restaurant itself is on the slightly smaller side, and seemed chaotic from how packed it was. Multiple families with tons of kids were there, did not seem like it was worth it at that specific moment to dine in. I'd love to visit again, and this time I will try to bring it back into the hotel room and eat it in bed while watching YouTube! read more

SUGARFISH | Pasadena - Don't Think, Just Eat + Toro Tataki Bento - Japanese Near Me - Pasadena, California

This place is excellent. By way of background I lived in Japan for 12 years with my Japanese wife, experienced all sorts and levels of sushi, and became a sushi snob. We moved back to the US over 20 years ago and I'm always up for new American sushi places. Sugarfish is the best sushi I've had in the US bar none, including sushi from high-end New York City restaurants. read more

Sooo good! Love the ambiance! Cute date spot but be prepared to be able to hear the conversations of the people sitting next to you. Come early! Otherwise there will be a wait. The sushi quality is so fresh and the rice is seasoned perfectly! Parking I believe they validate, however I've never had problems with street parking. read more

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SUGARFISH is one of my favorite sushi place. My daughter introduced me to this amazing delicious fresh fish omakase style restaurant. Every time I'm here the service is excellent. The place is clean and cozy. Good job read more

I always recommend sugarfish for celebrations. Food, service and ambience are unbeatable. The fish and rice taste fresh. read more

SUGARFISH | Pasadena - A celebration of birthdays with LA realtors. - Japanese Near Me - Pasadena, California

Loved my experience at Sugarfish. I came here with my friend since we wanted sushi and to try something new. We both ordered the Nozawa Trust Me, as well as some salmon sashimi and two orders of the Hokkaido Sea Scallops. Everything tasted fresh and was complimented well by the chef's choice of ponzu, yuzu, or citrus salt. My favorite nigiri were the Hokkaido Sea Scallops, Japanese Yellowtail, and Hirame. I loved the Toro and Blue & Dungeness Crab Hand Rolls as well. I love how the rice they use is perfectly seasoned, soft, and warm. The ambiance of this restaurant is very cozy, modern, and relaxing. The seating seems to kind of limited, but we were able to be seated right away. The staff was very friendly, personable, and attentive. Overall, a great experience and I can't wait to go back! read more

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Consistently solid. I've been to this location 20-30 times over the years, which probably says the most. It's a place I keep coming back to because the experience is reliably good. Food: Solid across the board. You know what you're getting, and it's consistently executed. Nothing experimental -- just dependable, well-prepared food that delivers. Value: For the price, the ROI is strong. I almost always leave feeling like I got good value, which is a big reason this remains in regular rotation for me. Seating & vibe: When it's just two of us, we usually sit at the bar, which works well. If we're four, there's a specific table we try to get that gives us enough space and feels comfortable. The plaza itself is lively and adds to the overall experience. The only real downside (and not entirely their fault): It gets crowded. You should expect a wait unless you arrive early and line up. This isn't a reservation-type place, so planning ahead helps. Overall: A consistently strong 4+ star experience for me. Solid food, good value, and a lively setting keep this as a regular spot despite occasional crowds. read more

Always long wait. If the sushi is really good I don't mind the wait. Never in my life I thought I'd found a fish bone in my sushi in a nice sushi restaurant. I told the waiter about a fish bone in my sushi, he calmly gave me another piece of sushi. I'm telling you this must have happened pretty often for him to have that calm and automatic response. Then a few months later, I ate at this restaurant again totally forgetting about finding fish bone in my sushi and well guess what. Another fish bone stuck in between my teeth. This sushi restaurant is really not up to par. read more

The fish was fresh and at times sweet. They were able to handle two different orders of omakase. We all got our food at the same time. I was pleased with the vibe and the minimalist features of the restaurant. The staff was very welcoming and engaging...May be it was Pasadena but overall very pleased and will most likely to return...just don't know when. Almost forgot...the Sapporo reserve was awesome as I four perfect pair with all the fish and seafood. read more

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Parking: Street parking available Ambience: Fairly small and busy restaurant with no reservations available, it's just first come first serve Service: Standard! My only grievance was that after the meal, you can sign up to get emailed a discount or promo or something--I don't quite remember what the offer entailed, but even during our meal before we got the receipt, the people at the tables surrounding us were telling the waiters they'd never received such an email despite signing up last time. When we signed up, the server assured us he'd get it taken care of, but alas, still no email :/ Taste: Wow. Just wow. Hands down some of the most fresh and tasty sushi I've ever had. We got the Trust Me set (edamame, tuna sashimi, albacore sushi, salmon sushi, toro hand roll, Japanese yellowtail, New Zealand sea bream, Hirame sushi, and blue and dungeness crab hand roll for $35), of which 2 of the options were just alright (forgot which ones though), but everything else was absolutely divine :') Each option comes out one by one, so it's not a quick meal by any meals, but it definitely gives you time to truly appreciate each of the flavors. Would highly recommend! read more

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Fantastic spot. On point every time. But thing is you don't ever real have to order. Just do the Trust Me and you're good. Service is always friendly as well. read more

Nice and cozy location, outstanding quality, and great service. The sushi was surreal -- I can't remember stopping mid-bite just surprised by the amazing flavor of the sushi. Highly recommend and planning on returning! read more

Sugarfish Pasadena is one of my all-time favorite spots. We even went the day after our wedding--it's *that* good. The "Trust Me" tasting menu is always consistent and perfectly curated. From the warm edamame to the fresh tuna sashimi in ponzu (I could drink the sauce!) to the melt-in-your-mouth salmon sushi and hand rolls, every bite is incredible. Service is fast and efficient, and the experience is seamless--you just sit back and enjoy. It's a small space with no reservations, so the wait can be long, but worth it. While you wait, you can grab a drink at Mercado nearby or stroll around Pasadena. The to-go boxes are also great, with instructions on how to eat each piece. Pro tip: ask about their birthday reward program--it's worth it if you're a regular (but note, they now require dine-in for redemption). Always a delicious and reliable experience. read more

SUGARFISH | Pasadena - To-Go Trust Me - Japanese Near Me - Pasadena, California

I absolutely love Sugarfish. The quality has almost always been consistent. And it's delicious as always. There's street parking and a parking garage in the back. Depending on how busy it is, you may have to wait a bit to get seated. They don't allow outside drinks but they will assist with storing it in the kitchen while you're there. The service from the staff is usually attentive and will usually clear your plates quickly and hand you the next one in queue. Even though I love this place, I'm knocking it by a star bc during my most recent visit, the tuna sashimi wasn't of the quality I was so used to. Otherwise, I def recommend stopping by a Sugarfish at least twice a year so you can grab a free Trust Me set on your birthday! read more

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Love Sugarfish people were visiting from out of state. We spent the day at the Huntington library and I thought this would be a great place to have sushi. Everyone loved it! read more

I had the chance to try Sugarfish for the first time during a trip to LA, and I'm so glad I did! We went with the "Don't Think. Just Eat" set, which includes a sashimi appetizer, seven pieces of nigiri, and two hand rolls. The meal started with complimentary edamame, which was nice. Every bite was delicious, and you can tell it's high quality. For the price and quality of the food, it's definitely worth it. Note - it is a no-tipping restaurant, but they do automatically add a 16% charge, whether you're dining in or getting takeout. I can't wait to come back for more! read more

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+Parking: Street parking, but read ALL of the signs like you're in LA! Public parking I think is behind the restaurant. They ask about parking validation, but not 100% sure. Didn't need to validate. + Atmosphere: Nice ambiance with an open window & I like the design. The whole 16% automatic/no tipping mad the attitudes of the waitresses/waiters just non-existent. Front host smiled a few times & another waitress. Overall, seemed like no one was happy. Not sure if they were understaffed or what happened. Maybe it was a bad day or the holidays, but ya'll just opened & had to wait an hour to be seated. The host did ask us if it was okay to wait, which we said was okay & went to go shop around. We did put our name down to reserve w/ Minipass & they text you to come back, which is good. On top of that, no smiles, & everyone was forgetful of some topics. How do you forget the menu or to tell first timers how the menu works. Otoro was a separate item. +Sushi: "The Nozawa Trust me" (lunch) ~$39 1. Edamama - decently cooked & slighty salted 2. Tuna Shashimi Appetizer - Ponzu & chives. Tuna cuts were decent! 3-4. Albacore & salmon sushi - Fish cuts were delicious, rice kept falling apart. 5. Toro handroll - pretty good fish ratio. Rice was okay & Nori wasn't crunchy. 6-9. Japanese yellowtail sushi - w/ lemon was delicious, Chutoro sushi - was the best part. Only had 1 Hirame* sushi, which was also a delicious fish. 1 New Zealand Sea Bream Sushi - also a good cut 10. I didn't eat the blue & dungeness crab handroll, but my friend said it was good! Maybe I'll try eel or scallop next time! 11. Bluefin Otoro ($14/ 2 pcs)- Delicious cut & would recommend. 1st time ordering the trust me options. The fish was good, but the rice kept falling apart & falling into the rice. The waitress kept reminding us about the crispiness of the nori, but the nori was not crispy. A little disappointed in the handrolls. Dinner seems to be about the same amount. Note: They have a 15 for 15 Anniversary Menu! They won't tell you what's on the menu either. This is similar to the Don't Think. Just Eat. Trust Me., which our neighboring table got & it looked pretty good! I would be giving a 2-star review were it not for the fish being the main ingredient & 2 out of 5 staff having decent attitudes. Our main waitress & the host were 2:5 that smiled, which made the experience better. I was here once before the pandemic for happy hour & remember the rice wasn't that good either, but the fish was good! Unfortunately, they don't have many shashimi items, and can't say much about sushi from Pasadena, so 3 stars even for $$$. read more

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Bar service always delivers, good sushi for a fair price. Many people line up before they open, but generally if you are a small party you can be sat at open without having to wait read more

Customer service was good but in my opinion this place is overhyped. In my opinion the sushi here tastes fishy and not fresh. Good sushi should not taste fishy, in my opinion. But 10/10 customer service read more

The space is smaller than I expected, but clean. This seems to work out very well since the number of tables are more limited. Staff seem very efficient as a result. When we arrived we were told the system(presumably the ticket systme to kitchen) was down and that there could be a delay. This was not apparent to us at all. After ordering, our first dishes came out within 5 minutes. I ordered the "don't make me think" since it was my first time and a workday lunch. This is one of the prix fixe style items that changes each day (I think).The portions are appropriate and good amounts for one meal. Really good variety, of what I remember there was lobster, salmon, ootoro, toro, and albacore. Everything was delicious the rice comes out warm, the proteins come out at room temperature and still fresh. There is not the same bite of of refrigerated seafood. The one thing that was off-putting is a prominently written statement that they are a no tipping establishment, but list a 16% fee. It seems contradictory, the reason I love no tipping is because I do not have to think about it and just pay what is listed. Regardless of the function of the fee, I would much rather just pay a higher menu price than see a listed fee. Another weird thing is that I was not given a receipt to sign, nor was a digital signature requested. Not sure why, ut I did get a customer receipt. I would still come back despite the fee listing, its a minor peeve compared to my good experience at Sugarfish. read more

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Our "Go-To" sushi restaurant. Always consistently delicious. So much so, the first thing my wife wanted after being pregnant was their sushi. The service is always great and the ambiance is very Japanese Modern style. Definitely coming back and I recommend you do to. Love that there are no reservations as well. First come first serve! read more

Food 3/5: all the sushi tasted very mid for the price. You would think if you go to an above avg sushi place maybe you can get some good qual but no... The texture was very soggy, not fresh, no taste, just no. Service 4/5: just avg workers. Also had to wait 1.5 hrs on a sat night, no. Ambiance 3/5: seats are so close to others, very tight, cramped, just not worth your money, time, or your tastebuds to be there. I highly do not recommend this place, we ended up spending around $180 there. read more

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Came with a party of 2 on a Monday evening and we were seated right away. I decided to go with the Trust Me Lite ($25) as I have a smaller appetite, and it ended up being the perfect amount of food! The Trust Me Lite came with edamame, tuna sashimi, 4 nigiri (albacore, sesame topped salmon, yellowtail, shrimp), and a toro (fatty tuna) hand roll. My favorites would have to be the albacore and yellowtail nigiri. The tables are a bit close together, as I'm guessing they don't expect guests to stay for extended periods of time, but I enjoyed the overall ambiance & experience. I believe they validate parking, but we decided to just park in the lot behind Mendocino Farms down the street. Would recommend coming here if you enjoy sushi and are looking for a slight splurge! read more

SUGARFISH | Pasadena - Part of Trust Me Lite (from L to R: albacore, salmon topped with sesame seeds, yellowtail, shrimp) - Japanese Near Me - Pasadena, California

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you can never go wrong with sugarfish. decent price with high quality sushi & great customer service! we usually go to the calabasas location but now we're a lot closer to pasadena so wanted to give it a try. the restaurant is hard to spot when driving, but it's basically tucked into a little plaza courtyard. we parked on lake st & used Passport to pay for parking. like the calabasas location, it's quite small. this pasadena location had table seating or bar near the kitchen. menu: we felt a little indulgent this night so we got the highest tier set - the don't think. just eat. trust me which is $59/ person. absolutely fills you up! i love the variety & the staff always gets the timing right between each meal - long enough to savor the last bite of sushi & enjoy it but short enough where you don't feel like you're waiting a lifetime for the next dish to roll out. they also timed it where my party got our meals at the same time so we were able to enjoy & rave about the dish together, skipping the awkward moment when you wait for other people to get their food to be able to enjoy yours. i absolutely love everything we were served, but my personal favorite was the toro nigiri. fatty, fresh, melts in your mouth, what more can you ask for? i love this location & will be returning!! read more

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I've been hearing about sugarfish for a while and finally got to give this place a try. Came here right around 5pm on a weekday and we were able to find a table right away. However, around 6pm and onward, place started getting packed so I recommend coming here early if you can since you can't make reservations. Since this was my first time, I chose to go with their pre-selected set menu "Don't Think, Just Eat". I really liked this set because I didn't have to pick and choose which ones to try and just ate whatever they gave me. I knew this place was legit when I tasted their ginger and wasabi. Ginger tasted very fresh, authentic, and it didn't have that artificial aftertaste. It tasted like real ginger lol. Wasabi was solid too and I could tell they definitely made their own wasabi. I know sushi restaurants have to freeze their fish before serving to kill all the parasites which is unfortunate because quality really drops by freezing the fish, but this place does a great job of reviving that taste and quality back to life. It felt like I was eating fresh catch in all aspect of taste, texture, and quality. Highly recommend this place and I will definitely be coming back! read more

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