Fast casual and very Americanized with emphasis on quantity over quality. The nonspecific and vague name kinda tells all - rice "things". Homemade taste at ginormous portions for $10-13. Parking is a pain as it's a small shared lot. I can see the appeal of the place; however, it's personally not for me. read more

No matter how much of a "neighborhood place" this is, I will never give them my business again. First off - the chubby Asian girl at the register is rude AF! It was my first time and I was asking questions bc obviously I have never had it before...and she was rude and short, and looked completely annoyed that I was asking any questions at all! Girl, chill!! Secondly, they don't take any credit cards with the chip. LIKE WHAT??? Get with the time and technology, and if anything - put a sign up! Like no chip, no swiping of cards with a chip, none of that. What kind of business is this?? Then the girl had the audacity to tell me to go to the liquor store and use their atm....umm what? Me accrue ATM fees bc you don't take a card with a chip? No. So ridiculous. Go somewhere that has better customer service and that actually has their shit together. read more

This business has redeemed itself after a temporary fail when it changed ownership in late 2019.

I used to always order spicy tuna bowl but after tasting the mushy shit I was served today, I won't go back! I called to ask what happened and the manager just said sorry, they are using new company!? So I'm done. Won't return...they've gone downhill! Don't eat here. Fish isn't fresh and customer service is poor! read more

Worse service ever!!!! Tonight, my kids and I watched the owner kick mom and daughter out of the restaurant, just because they were seating in two separate small tables. He "ordered" the mom to seat in the same table as her daughter. His attitude towards the two ladies made my 8 year old daughter cry. The owner said that it was his restaurant and he could do whatever he wanted. Unbelievable!!! I had friends getting food poisoning from this place, I got it myself many years ago, and decided to stop going there. I made a mistake going back tonight. But I'll never get inside that place again!!!! read more

I work nearby and try to make it here once a week. I also come with my wife for dinner once in a while and make the drive from Culver City. Great Japanese food on the cheap with ample portions. Just follow the unwritten house seating rules and you won't have any problems with the owner. 1 or 2 people sit at a 2 chair table, 3 people sit at a 3 chair table. Easy! Update January 2020: Went here last week to find things have changed. Prices way up and portions down: $12something for 2 items and drink, plus $.25 for an extra dressing. Place was redecorated which I know the old man would never do, so looked on yelp to see what happened. Mom and dad retired and now the kids took over, with surfboards on the walls lol. Gone are the days of the old man in pink polo shirt and Rolex shooing people away, but also gone are the awesome $8 lunch plates. The bright side is the lunch crowd was way down, and will continue to decline as I probably won't be back. For better Terriyaki go to 3 Brothers on Western. read more

Our last couple visits have been great... really helpful staff, everyone is polite and make a quick visit for carryout or dine in great. read more

Rice Things - Japanese Near Me - Redondo Beach, California

We discovered Rice Things two weeks before we moved out of the South Bay. Before we left, we probably ate there like five or six times. For bang for your buck, Rice Things is hard to beat. Depending on what you order, a three item combo plus rice and salad costs around $9. There's a lot to choose from and the portions are generous. Yeah, this place isn't fancy or gourmet but it's tasty and FREAKING cheap. The owner does give you a 15 minute warning to get the hell out before they close for the night. I've never been to a non-bar establishment that does that but it's their business and that's their prerogative. Otherwise, they've always been friendly and I've never had a problem with the service. If we still lived closer, we'd probably be eating there now. read more

I used to love this place but their quality and service have gone way down. Lettuce was wilted and yellow, chicken was stingy and flavorless, and fish wasn't fresh at all. Will definitely need to find a better alternative in the area. read more

I like this Japanese hole in a strip mall set up. If it weren't obvious, the menu contains dishes that all contain rice in some way or another, which primarily consists of sushi, rolls, and rice bowl combos. It's set up kinda of like a fast food chain. There is not a sushi bar present - you just order, take a number, leave with your food or dine in at a table. I ordered the poke bowl (comes with bowl of miso soup) and a spicy albacore cut roll. My dining companion went with the salmon/avocado cut roll and shrimp tempura. The fish was consistently fresh from one dish to another. The salmon and poke were fantastic. The spicy albacore could have been a little bit better. I would have rather had avocado in the albacore roll rather than cucumbers, though I'm sure they'd be willing to substitute if I ordered this again. read more

Danger - owner change. The old Japanese guy is gone. Kids run the place. The food sucks now. No more sushi. The Tuna rolls were full of gristle. read more

Very disappointed on the whole change from Original Rice Things to now South Bay Rice things. The originality is not there any more. The taste is just plain and simple, no more Ring thing. The Calamari Squid isn't the same. Looks like Costco salad with quickest to it to make look good but doesn't taste the same. Hope you can bring the Old cooks back or Bring the whole menu from the original days read more

Rice Things - Not the same fried Calamari Squid from rice things - Japanese Near Me - Redondo Beach, California

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Rice Things is a great deal for your buck! The quality of food is great for the price and the quantity is satisfying for someone who eats a lot. read more

I rarely write reviews, especially negative ones, but after the experience I had last week, I had to express my opinion of this place. I have been a regular here for the past 5 years. I come here every week to order either the Chicken Curry Plate, or a 3 item combo with gyoza, regular tuna roll, and a spicy tuna roll. As a creature of habit, these are the only two things I order. Last week I ordered my usual 3 item combo and sat down and waited for my food. I realize the quality of the fish will vary from day to day. The place is cheap, so even though I don't expect much, sometimes you get lucky and the quality is decent. This time however, the tuna looked noticeably GRAY. "Whatever its cheap", I thought. I took a bite of the spicy tuna and it tasted slightly bitter as i started chewing. Odd. Then that bitter flavor intensified to a point where I had to spit it out. I tried the regular tuna...SAME BITTER TASTE. At this point, I had to bring the plate back, it was just inedible. When I went to ask the owner (who btw recognizes me because i DO come here EVERY WEEK) he just looked at me blankly. His expression was "what do you want me to do about it". He kept saying there was nothing wrong with it. He has never had a complaint. I told him, I come here every week, I order the same things...yet today, the sushi is bad. He did not offer me anything. So i got fed up and asked him "You can either give me a refund, or you can lose my business FOREVER." He responds with "Okay...that's okay with me. I don't give refunds". So there you have it. I will never ever go to rice things again and they have treated me so bad I had to write a negative review. I DO feel bad for the other workers there, as they were apologizing to me as I was storming out. read more

When I first heard of this place, I was like eh, looks like cheap quality sushi and food. Well this place isn't that great for sushi, but it's the cheapest place for lunch for me. A 2 item combo is 5 dollars and there's a list for additional 50 cents, 1 dollar or 1.50 for sushi rolls and many other items. If I was on my diet mode, I would get the 2 item combo with salmon filet and California roll. It's basically a slice of grilled salmon with some sauce. It's not that bad of a dish for the price. The california roll is not that bad either, not that it's anything special in the first place. Another thing I would get here is the calamari salad. The dressing they use is just so good, and the calamaris are not that crisp due to the dressing but it goes pretty well together with the salad. If I wasn't on my diet, I would get a 3 item combo with chicken katsu, salmon crunch roll, and something else. The chicken katsu was just as crisp as L&L Hawaiian BBQ. They dont give as much as L&L but i think the quantity is pretty decent for the price. The salmon crunch roll is basically tempura salmon in the sushi roll. It's good, but nothing special. I only like this place because it gives me a satisfying japanese lunch for the best value. read more

They are true masters of the rice bowl. There's a legend that said that the head chef of this joint trained for 11 years in the village hidden in the rice fields. There he endured the strict training regime, under the bowl master chef Tachibana. Day after day, he trained and mastered scooping techniques under the rice bowl master. Every time he scooped a bowl that was not affordable enough, or not tasty enough, his hands were beaten and asked to scoop again. This continued for 11 years until he finally master the art of scooping the perfect rice bowl. It was once said, he challenged an Iron Chef to a food battle because the Iron Chef insulted his wife's honor. The Iron Chef was a formidable opponent. He brought the finest Kobe Beef and Kurobata pork. However our rice bowl chef prevailed, despite the challenge of an Iron Chef with the finest ingredients, the Rice Things chef was able to capture the true essence of the rice bowl that took the judges back to their days as starving college students looking for a budget meal, and won the battle. This spirit lives on in Rice Things, where the true essence of a rice bowl is captured. read more

I stopped by this evening to have dinner and ordered a 2 item combo. Half way through my meal I found what appeared to look like a fly. After inspecting it I concluded that it was a fly. I brought it up to the owners attention and all he said was "do you want a new order". This place is not sanitary! Don't eat here! read more

Rice Things - I found a fly in my food and the owner didn't even apologize. His response was "do you want a new order to go?". - Japanese Near Me - Redondo Beach, California

first off, there's now a 'B' in the window which is disturbing for a place where they're peddling raw fish. The food was cheap, as so many have said in their review, and if you come to terms with that and have no expectations you can't beat this place for the cost. I went with a sushi combination, getting duped into eating Cali rolls because they were included. Be prepared to get overwhelmed with the menu, they've got everything and a million ways you can order it. BUT. if you're looking for that pure sushi enjoyment, that delicious smooth flavor and texture of well cut fish sushi and well put together rolls, don't be fooled into thinking you're going to get it here. think, a few steps above the packaged stuff you get at the supermarket. read more

First time here looked it up on yelp and very satisfied.Easy to order very good on prices and i felt very welcome.I ordered the chicken sesame and gyoza very good with rice and salad under $7 bucks thats a deal anytime. Will be coming in here on a regular basis to add more feed. read more

Nice for something quick, boring, and nothing fancy. Simple dishes and rolls that caters to the dominately non-Aasian neighborhood. For the area, it is pretty good. Parking is a challenge as the lot is small. The dining area is small too. read more

Mediocre food? Terrible owner? These are just a few facts about Rice Things that y'all should be aware of. Let me save your money and time. I went into Rice Things with a hungry friend and sat down while he ordered, only to be confronted by what seemed like an unwelcoming, angry, old owner who evidently hates his life so much, he emits it onto his customers. In a nutshell, he asked if I was eating, and when I replied with a no, he arrogantly told me to sit outside. I left. Listen, this place sucks. I'm going to McDonald's. Maybe they'll let me sit down. read more

I have been coming to this place for years and it has pretty good food for the price. I love the two item special and always get fried gyoza and the salmon crunchy roll. Despite them saying they close at a certain time, they have turned me ( and many other people I know) away as much as 25 minutes before they close! The old man is very rude when it comes to coming in towards the end of the night. The ambiance is not very good either it's like you're eating in a discount grocery store. As much as I like the good they are horrible at customer service hence the 2 stars read more

I was first introduced to this place by a high school friend and thought it was good. I use to enjoy this place throughout the years. I use to get the 3 item combo with 3 of the following items chicken katsu, beef sukiyaki, vegetable tempura, Super California rolls. I've also had the calamari salad. The food is ok, nothing awesome. The portions are decent sized, they use to be bigger. Over the years the amount of rice, size of the sushi rolls have shrunk while the price keeps going up. I don't mind paying more because of inflation and costs going up but at least maintain the same sized portions. The owner is a jerk as other reviewers have noted so I don't want to repeat what they say. For the most part, most are true. I've witnessed him do many things over the years. One day I just thought to myself, do I really want to spend my hard earned money on mediocre food at a place with a jerk owner. The answer is no and that's why I discontinued eating here. If you need to eat in this area, I would go down the street to Blue Salt Fish Grill. If you want this style of food, I would just go to a Sushiboy. read more

Good ol' Rice Things. This is a small space that gets packed during lunch hour, which is when I visit. I would advise not to come here if you're expecting exceptional Japanese cuisine and definitely not if you are craving good sushi. If you however want to have decent Japanese food for a quick bite and bang for your buck, then by all means, Rice Things will satisfy your craving! They have great two and three item combinations that includes a fountain drink, but I always opt for Hawaiian Sun passion orange juice in the can, my favorite! The miso salad dressing is tasty, so tasty that I opt to get no rice and all salad with my combo plates. For the price, speedy service, and quantity of food, Rice Things is a go-to lunch spot. read more

Great value in terms of getting mediocre food at a bargain price! The place always seems to be filled with a younger high school crowd, especially during lunch hours. I can see where in my youth, I would have probably frequented this place every day after school. I've grown wiser and more discriminating in terms of what I'm willing to call a good meal. However, if you're on a budget and looking for a quick meal, this is your place. I ordered the Chicken Katsu and vegetable tempura combination as well as a side of miso soup. My findings: * The chicken katsu seemed to be a boneless thigh which they had pounded the heck out of to get it to be flat because the portion was very small as was it not very thick. I don't think the bread crumb they used was the traditional japanese panko because it seemed dark and overcooked verses the light and crispy appearance served at other Japanese eateries. * The tempura sauce for dipping the fried veggies was bland with very little taste. * The only redeeming item was the miso soup which included the traditional seaweed and tofu and didn't taste watered down like those served in some places. Tucked in a corner of a strip mall on Artesia Blvd., the parking is tight at times but there's plenty of parking in the surrounding neighborhood streets. They've got an ample selection of food. I'd say a good local eatery for the not so discriminating in taste! read more

I gave one more star than my original plan just because of the wonderful service and bright smile given by Andréa. She noticed my family sitting at different tables because the place is small and was busy - but Andréa made an effort to get a table cleaned up that we could all sit at. Thank you Andréa! I was only going to do 2 stars however, because everything there is pretty average. The sushi was good and clean, it came out at a good pace. There was just nothing extraordinary to make this place really stand out. Also, one employee, the one to bring our food- had the worst attitude. When I asked for extra sauce on the side she gave me a bit*hy look and informed me it would be 50 cents - Which was no problem.. so I turned to my purse and my mom looking for spare change. She then angrily stormed away and never returned. I didn't see her smile once. In the service industry there isn't much room for your RBF, honey. (I think she might even be one of the owners which is pretty unfortunate). I ended up eating my sushi without my 50 cents extra sauce. Sad face. We had already paid or else we really would have tipped less. She was unpleasant. It wasn't a terrible experience. It wasn't the greatest ever either. We will probably be back. The food is good. Hopefully next time RBF is nicer. & Straight up props to Andréa; She gets a gold star in my book. read more

We have been waiting to try this place for so long. Heard so many good things. Tried it today and wasn't impressed at all. Menu is way too big and complicating. Anyhow, we ordered two 2 combo plates, tuna sushi, and tuna rolls. 2 combo plates were just ok. The sushi smelled way too fishy and tasted bad. So mush we didn't even eat the rest in fear we would get sick. Ate a few bites of our plate and bailed. Two thumbs down. Should have just went to Sansai read more

3 1/2 stars?! My belly screams "5!!" after each and every time I come. WHY? -relatively cheap/decent prices for huge portions -consistent taste and service I wouldn't plan a visit SPECIFICALLY here if I were just visiting, but as a local: definitely one of my favorite places to grab a bite. read more

Fantastic, fresh and not expensive!!!! Thanks for making sushi affordable!!! they accept special requests!!! read more

This used to be one of my favorite places to get cheap, good sushi. Unfortunately, not anymore - and that makes me sad. First of all, either their phone system sucks or their employees don't even know the menu, because it's sooo difficult to place an order over the phone without having to repeat myself at least twice. Second, at first glance, the prices seem great. BUT, what they don't tell you is that they charge for every little extra thing. For example, they offer a two item combo for $5.98 (or something like that - seems reasonable right?) Well, I like to get the Salmon Crunchy Roll, which they charge an extra $1.29 for (on top of the already $6). Then, if you want a small side of ponzu or miso dressing, they charge you a quarter for each (tablespoon) worth of a side. By the time I get out of there with my 'cheap' two item combo, it ends up costing over $10, and that's without a drink. Oh, and the weird thing is, if you eat there, they won't charge you for the sauces, but if you take out, they do - don't ask me why. Third, I'd give the overall customer service 1 star. They aren't friendly, they don't smile and if they make a mistake with the order, they give you an annoyed look and then talk in the back (you know, kind of like at the nail shop). Oh, and I've been going there for over 3 years now and do you think they would remember my name even once? Nope. I understand they have a lot of customers, but there are restaurant owners that make it a point to remember their repeat customers, and these owners don't. Lastly, another negative against them is that their gift certificates that used to be good for as long as you have them, are now only good for six months. That's just stingy if you ask me. The reason I didn't give them just one star is the food is still good, but not good enough for me to want to come back anymore. I'm sad cuz it really used to be one of my favorite places to go for lunch. read more

The worst service and overpriced food. If you want good japanese food, go to Yanagi across the street. I'm not too fond of Rice Things because of its cheap quality food, but my cousin wanted to go there today. I shared with my friend a plate, and they gave us one pair of chopsticks and a fork. I wanted to eat with chopsticks so i got to the front to ask, but no one paid attention to me. Fine, i'll just try to finish with the fork. I saw a server walk towards me after dropping off food for another table, so i waved at her n asked if i could get chopsticks, she totally ignored me as she walked right pass me, i kept looking at her. That was the rudest server ever. It turned me off so much. I already thought the food was subpar, but this just did it for me. i'm over you, Rice Things. Bye Felicia ! read more

I've been eating here since it opened but I'm done. Ordered a Tekka Don bowl and got salmon. Told them I got the wrong thing and was told I didn't know what I ordered. Had to argue to get what I ordered and the owner was more concerned about who took my order than getting it right. Finally got my tuna and it looked like it was cut two days ago. Smelled bad and tasted bad. I told the owner who said too bad and he couldn't take it back. I told him to smell it but he said "hundreds of people ordered it and no one got sick or complained ". Really!? I'm done with this place and owners bad attitude. read more

SO good, SO quick, and they never get my order wrong. I always ask for extra Kastu sauce and they charge me which is annoying because at any restaurant extra sides of sauce or dressings are always free. Other than that this place always hits the spot. read more

Damn this place is HELLA cheap!! It's not bad either! It's all popular sushi..not authentic but it doesn't matter. It's good and quick and they have tons of options. This place is a crazy low maintenance sushi joint. It's also a fave for the local cops apparently. read more

Small strip mall in Redondo Beach, very busy for lunch. Take-out at lunch time was probably about 15 minutes wait. The lady in the front taking orders wasn't the friendliest, but the menu is vast. Got the 3 item combo which was about $8, but added some extra items like futo maki, tuna roll and sukiyaki, which ended up being slightly over $10. The futo maki was really good, but sukiyaki was dry. There were no enoki mushrooms or hakusai or eggs. Maybe I'll try the katsu next time. read more

Rice Things - Futo maki (with lots of kanpyo!) - Japanese Near Me - Redondo Beach, California

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Terrible awful horrible service!!!! Never again!!! I went in to order the 3 item lunch combo with a drink and they forgot to add the drink into my check. I only had a card and it was a $5 minimum so they refused to let me purchase a drink even though it was THEIR MISTAKE. No apology, I was only met with an attitude along with the cashier yelling at me that it was a 0.35cent additional charge. Seriously? This is NOT how you treat your customers. The food itself was forgettable. Take note rice things. Learn to treat your customers with respect and own up to YOUR mistakes. read more

I remember the old Rice Things we went to at least once a week. Food was not expensive and very good. George the owner and his wife were usually there. Loved that place. Just went last week and what a disappointment. I felt rather sad. New ownership, big changes. Not sure why this is mostly take out now with only 3 tables to sit at inside, and then piled up boxes of supplies all along the wall in the front where the tables are? I know there was no inside dining at one time, but that is not current. Most restaurants now have indoor dining. The ramen soups (2 kinds) were less than expected....mostly noodles, 1 piece of meat and corn(?)....overpriced for what was a rather small amount. Not sure I want to return. PS Take out is not the same as eating out. read more

For some fairly priced Japanese food, Rice and Things hits the spot! Everything is pretty much under $10 and their selection is vast! From combo terriyaki plates and salads to sashimi and soups, your sure to find what tickles your fancy. The place is graded an A so no worries. The only draw back is that during the week it gets pretty crowded during lunch so you may have trouble finding a seat and you may have to wait a while to get your food. read more

Good place for a quick stop! Salmon teriyaki was pretty good. The chicken katsu was a little too crispy, but it doesn't make me change my mind that the 2 item combo was a pretty good deal! The potato macaroni salad was really good too. Gave this place 3 stars because it's good, but average. Meal was about $9 read more

Terribly average fast food, exceedingly bad service!! I just returned from Rice Things and had to immediately jump on Yelp. I went for dinner there because the reviews were mixed and I wanted to decide for myself. I met a friend there and she arrived early and sat at a table. She said the owner kept staring and giving her dirty looks because she sat alone at the table and hadn't ordered anything. She had only waited at the table for 5 minutes before I arrived, but apparently the owner didn't like that. When we did order, they got it wrong and blamed it on us. The owner said, "Well, I wasn't the one who took your order," and walked away. The cashier argued with me about what I ordered, then asked to see my receipt. I think I know what I ordered! Eventually she gave me what I asked for, although begrudgingly. The food was not worth arguing for, and we won't be back. read more