We've been here a few times. Service is always great. Tables are small and space is tight but the servers remove the empty plates pretty quickly to make room for the next course. It's been a few months since coming back here for dinner. We always order the "Nozawa Trust Me" for $46. We realized that their hand rolls are the best by far in comparison to all the new hand rolls bar we've been to. From the crispy and crunchy seaweed wrap to the warm rice with crab and toro. They always remind you to enjoy it while it's warm. Absolutely hands down best hand rolls. Everything else is always consistently fresh. 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

If you can find a seat at Sugarfish, I would say it's definitely worth it! I usually get the "trust me" set which leaves me pretty full, and the food is always on time and fresh. The only thing I hate is that there always seem to be a wait so if you want to be seated, I would recommend showing up 20ish minutes before they open. read more

Sugarfish never disappoints. The quality of the fish here is consistently top notch. I always get the "Trust Me". It's a great portion of food and I like how it is coursed out for you. The salmon is always a stand out. I like that their hand rolls come out with the seaweed slightly warm. You know it's fresh! However at this location, I experienced that their rice did not hold well together. Don't know if it was a fluke or a bad batch, but every piece of sushi rice crumbled as soon as you picked it up with chopsticks. I haven't found this to be the case at any other sugarfish I have been too. Great, speedy service and the ambiance of the restaurant is very sleek and modern. it can get pretty loud in there when it's busy. The location is a little hidden, but I think the courtyard area is super cute. You can see the Sugarfish sign from the street if you look hard enough! I was able to find parking on the street. read more

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Very good takeout selection, nicely packaged, and really fresh. I feel the quality is quite high and the pricing is very reasonable.

Solid 4 stars! Food was very good in quality, ambience is nice, modern and clean. Service was fast and efficient. Came here for lunch one day during DineLA restaurant week, and so we got the prix fix lunch menu with several of their signature items for $35. The fish was all sushi grade good quality and very fresh. Very simple but done well. Portion size is small tho. The toro hand roll was my favorite. Service was nice and efficient, bathrooms are clean. Nice peaceful environment, great place for a simple meal. read more

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I consider Sugarfish to be a quick sushi/omakase restaurant that's very casual and makes sushi easy for everyone. I think it's reasonably priced for the amount of food and quality you get. My husband and I did the "Don't Think, Just Eat" course. With 2 orders of this course, 1 sake, and 1 glass of wine, our meal came out to $177. Not terrible for 2 orders of sushi sets and alcohol (and no tip). The ambiance is very casual. You're seated pretty close to other guests. Parking is easy in the structure. They validate, so your parking rate is reduced. read more

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Came here on a Holiday Monday. Line was 20 deep by 10:45 AM. Got seated at 11:05 for our party of 4. Restaurant vibe is simple and elegant. Service was impeccable. Staff was courteous, professional, and very organized. Staff asked for any food allergies when we ordered food. Menu is simple but that's the beauty of this restaurant. Limit the options and focus on excellent ingredients and quality. Got 3 taster courses and a la carte veggie hand rolls for our youngest. Amazing food all around. Had 7 courses for our taster courses and was very full at the end. The price was surprisingly reasonable for the quality of sushi. Highly recommend. If you have a large party, you will likely be split up. Limited vegetarian options. Parked in structure across the street and received validation from restaurant. read more

This should and could have been a 5 star review, so close. Quality/Quantity - Trust Me Prefix - All good. Simple, but made well. Some of the sauces were too sweet though. The Nozawa Trust Me Prefix Meal - Same as above, but a few extra pieces of sushi, see menu and pictures. Bay Scallops Cut Roll - My daughter chose this, and it was really good. The mayo was the hit of this roll. Split Cut Roll with Lobster - Better than I expected. I don't usually order this, but again it was what my daughter wanted. Atmosphere - Very small local restaurant. So small that they put us (a party of 3) on a 2 person table; hence a star drop. It was just not comfortable. Then, the people walking behind me kicked my chair (an accident). And lastly, the waitress squeezed between our table and the table next to us. I thought she was going to end up sitting on our table. I moved my water and soy sauce for safety reasons. Open 7 days a week, from 11:30 or noon to 9 or 10pm. Service - Overall good, except for what I wrote about above. I like the fact that they bring out the dishes tapas style, one at a time. But of course, since the place is so small and the tables are so small, it makes sense to only bring out one dish at a time. Price - $123, which includes the 16% service charge but not a tip, but this is a no tip restaurant... Owner Comment - Congrats on your success since 2008 and your 14 locations. I'm also impressed that your locations are on opposite sides of the country. read more

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The meal is always amazing but I wish they just had a waitlist where you don't have to sign up in person. It's almost impossible to get in there if you have anything else to do that evening. We usually end up going to Dan, the Chinese restaurant nearby because they are so welcoming and their food is amazing too. read more

Placed an order to go and was able to enjoy Sugarfish without the wait. Presentation was great and quality was not compromised. I just love this place! read more

I sat at the bar, and found the bar tender to not be the best representative of the business. He was a bit gruff and to the point, and clearly had zero interest in setting me up for success. That said, the food was fucking delicious. I was really ennamoured with the restaurants balance of extremely fresh fish, with hot rice. Not something I've had in the past, and I can see why it might rub some people the wrong way, but I loved how the heat of the rice brought the fish closer to room temp, which really highlighted the textures and flavor. Food is really good, atmosphere is dark and not particularly noteworthy - service could definitely improve. But that said, if I lived close, I'd be a frequent visitor. read more

Their takeout box will always remind me of the early aughts when Paris Hilton was looking for a new bff and telling us what's hot, when celebs were still spotted at (defunct) Kitson. When we had great pop bops on the radio.... The best rolls is still the crab roll and the nigiri is still on point not too fishy or fatty. The most affordable omakase read more

Been wanting to come here for so long after seeing so many of its infamous to-go box sets. My party of 3 were seated right away on a weekday evening. It's small and dim inside, with a wooden interior design. We all got the Dinner Menu $35 for Dine LA restaurant week, which comes with an Edamame starter, salmon sashimi, 2pc albacore, 2pc salmon, toro hand roll, 2pc yellowtail, 2pc scallop, and a blue and Dungeness crab hand roll + Edamame starter: slightly seasoned, always a good way to start sushi (8/10) + Salmon Sashimi: sitting on a pool of ponzu, very light (8.8/10) + 2pc Albacore Sushi: surprisingly tender! One of the best albacores I've had. Albacore sat on a bed of ponzu-soaked rice (9.5/10) + 2pc Salmon Sushi: more tender than I expected, barely had to chew (9.8/10) + Toro Hand Roll: was new to the warm rice + cold toro combo, my party loved this but I prefer the nigiri (8.3/10) + 2pc Yellowtail Sushi: very light, definitely dip in wasabi w soy sauce (8/10) + 2pc Hokkaido Sea Scallops Sushi: usually don't go for scallop, but this was very soft and also sat on a bed of ponzu-soaked rice (9/10) + Blue and Dungeness Crab Hand Roll: more filled with crab than the hand roll with toro, the crab was mixed w some Mayo-like sauce, so slightly sweet (9/10) Overall, I can see the hype around sugarfish in terms of fish quality. Portions are a bit small, but enough to be satisfied. Wait staff was very attentive and replaced our dish with the next right away! Don't forget to check-in at least twice to get your free birthday set. read more

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5 for our waiter - don't recall his name but he was so kind and upbeat and on his game. 5 for the food. Sugarfish is always consistent. Fish is always fresh. 4 for everything else. This is one of the smaller locations I've been to in the LA area so the wait time was longer than expected. We waited over an hour for a table for 3 - it was around 4p on a Saturday. The host wasn't the nicest. They acted like a party of 3 was such an inconvenience to them. I probably wouldn't come back to this location just because of the long wait. I'll stick to the Sugarfish location we usually go to. read more

Came here on my son's birthday. They don't take reservations, and when we arrived we were told the wait would be at least an hour. We chose take-out instead, but during our 30-minute wait, five tables stayed empty the entire time, which made the "one-hour wait" explanation hard to understand. Even for take-out, we were charged a 16% fee, and we had to wait outside in the rain. The staff member who helped us was also quite unfriendly. Overall, a very disappointing experience, definitely not coming back. read more

Pretty solid spot that's is a bit confusing on what it's trying to be and what people think it is. The aesthetic and location are very high end, and even at 2pm on a weekday we had a 25 min wait for a table. The fish is high quality and the menu definitely has an air of pretentiousness with a focus on high quality raw fish (i.e., no rolls or crazy amount of additional ingredients). But at its heart, this is a very efficient in-n-out of sushi. The food is high quality, but the menu is lacking. It is kind of omakase, but it's not as it's a pre-set menu. It looks super high-end but with reasonable approachable prices. The hype is probably a bit high for this cheaper take on high end sushi. It's not to say we didn't enjoy it, it's just trying to make sense of the experience was odd. The main takeaway I settled on was that, it's a high quality sushi place where in exchange for not many options, the customer gets a good "omakase-esqe" experience at a very reasonable price. Would I wait more than an hour for this spot? Probably not. Would I be really happy with the experience though? Yes. read more

This review is long overdue. My wife and I have been coming to Sugarfish Pasadena for years now. It is next door to our other favorite restaurant, Uovo! We absolutely love dining at both restaurants. We were big fans of Sushi Nozawa in Studio City back in the and have loved Chef Nozawa's creations ever since our first visit. Though we really miss Chef Nozawa, his legacy lives on in Sugarfish. The quality of the sushi is always fresh and delicious and the service is awesome. We will be coming here for many years to come. read more

Love this sugarfish location with the large windows and great layout. It's inside a cute plaza so the outside view is nice. Good amount of bar and table seating. They dont allow outside drinks so they put my friend's and my boba drinks in the fridge while we ate. The waiter was super friendly and allowed us to make adjustments to their trust me set menu. We were able to switch out the shrimp sushi for albacore. There is a large parking lot on shoppers ln and cordova nearby with 90 min free parking which is convenient. Overall great experience! read more

SUGARFISH | Pasadena - trust me lite - Japanese Near Me - Pasadena, California

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Service was great, ambiance was chill but other than that this place is a one and done for me. No desire to come back because there was nothing that stood out about the food. Rice was not great. Everything tasted the same for the most part. Like nothing. The top dish I would say was the tuna sashimi. Yellowtail was alright until I added the left over sauce from the tuna sashimi. A little too pricey for below average sushi but hey, you might like it. Service: 5/5 Ambiance: 5/5 Food: 1/5 read more

The location in LA was a bit too far to reach, so this one was the nearest option. Their nigiri and sashimi are literally melt-in-your-mouth good. If I could, I would order their boxes every week. I truly like their sushi. read more

SUGARFISH | Pasadena - Japanese Near Me - Pasadena, California

I ordered the "Dont think just eat" set and I would definitely recommend it if it is ur first time here. It has alot of variety and it gives you the chance to try things you might not normally eat. Overall my favorite was the salmon, unagi and the hand-roll. The location is small so expect a 40-50 minute wait on the weekends. read more

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Been to this location quite a few times, and each time is a great experience ordering the Trust Me's. Sushi is always fresh and flavors don't disappoint. The dining experience can be intimate (tight) as there is little space in between each table. Servers will bring out each dish individually, sort of omakase style. We've switched over to take out since the pandemic. The to go packaging is very impressive, everything is organized and labeled. I actually prefer take out since you can get all the dishes at the same time and eat at your own pace. Also, if you order their Trust Me's on two separate visits per year, you can redeem a free order on your birthday. Take outs count too, just make sure you ask for your order to be added to your rewards. read more

SUGARFISH | Pasadena - The "Trust Me" - Japanese Near Me - Pasadena, California

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

We were able to snag a table for two upon arrival when they opened on a Saturday for lunch. I liked that their menu was pretty compact and focused. The interior was clean and the staff were nice. I wasn't impressed with the quality of fish. We had the middle tier set out of the 3 sets. The fish tasted bland and sterile. It was generally okay. I couldn't taste any of the flavors from the different cuts of fish, and the texture was acceptable. The only thing that I did enjoy was their Sapporo premium beer. Otherwise, I wasn't a fan of their food and will seek out other places for sushi in the future. read more

This review for my takeout experience only. I parked in the lot across the street (free for the first 90 mins if you can find a space), but there's also street parking and a hourly fee based parking structure nextdoor if you need to find additional parking. Sugarfish is found within a little plaza surrounded by other restaurants and shops like Lemonade, Philz Coffee, Soul Cycle, etc. I ordered a to go set menu & it was ready within 10 minutes. It was delicious with some edamame, sashimi, sushi, and two cut rolls. I appreciated the different sauces and sides they provided separate from the order. I would definitely order this/something new the next time I visit. Service was patient, kind, and quick. They opened the door for me as I left since I had my hands full. Thank you! I'll be back soon. read more

This was my first time at Sugarfish and it was amazing! We had the option to wait for a table or be seated at the bar and decided on bar seating. My partner and I ordered one of the "Trust me, Just Eat!" and then picked our favorites a la carte. First they brought out the edamame. Edamame is one of my favorite snacks and I eat it all the time, but the first piece I ate here immediately told me this was going to be an incredible culinary experience. The salt flavor was subtle and delicious, as though the edamame had been slow cooked in a salt brine. It was so good! And then our sashimi started coming out. Everything was incredible! I'm not usually a huge salmon fan and the salmon and sesame seed sushi was so good! The rice is warm and the fish just melts in your mouth! We also got a few specialty sushi as part of our order and the Anago and Lobster hand roll were so good, we ordered extra a la carte! I am ruined for sushi anywhere else! Great food, friendly ambience on great service. We will definitely be back. read more

The food remains a 10/10 but I have to comment on the service. Our server was great but the support staff and main contact at the door would benefit from a refresh in hospitality. The energy was "You are a nuisance, so tell me what you need and go away". read more

Sugarfish is my go to sushi spot even though it's a chain. This location is at the Commons in Pasadena and parking is easy here with a parking lot and parking structure directly adjacent or behind the restaurant. The set menus make it easy to order so without even looking at the menu my choice is the Nozawa Trust Me. Unfortunately lately they have had to replace the Hirame with something else and tonight was no different other than it was the hirame and sea bream that they were out of. The scallop is a great replacement though. Sushi is so fresh served with warm rice that you need to eat it right away and it just melts in your mouth. Each bite is soooo good. Downside is that they don't take reservations and they won't seat your party until you are all there. This location is pretty busy though we waited an hour and half but there lots of places you can walk around to while you wait or just sit in the courtyard. It's worth the wait just need to plan accordingly or go right when they open. read more

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Host continously lied to me about the wait time. Made my young daughter wait 45 min before we left, kept insisting we were "almost" ready.

Sugarfish never disappoints whenever I am craving sushi and do not want to decide on what to order. Their set menus are perfect for indecisive people like me and are great for to go order if you want to have a picnic somewhere! There can be quite a wait, which is a downside, hoewever I never find it to be a problem - you just add your name and number to the waitlist - because you can just roam around the area while you wait. Not to mention, philz coffee is right next door. My go to order is the Nozawa Trust Me and it is the perfect amount of food, maybe even too much sometimes. The fish are melt in your mouth goodness and the fresh, warm sweet rice is such a perfect combo. I always take friends and family who visit here and they always love it! read more

SUGARFISH | Pasadena - Japanese Near Me - Pasadena, California

6 stars... It's one of the fresh tasting sushi I've had!!... Ordered the Nozawa trust me set menu... everything was up to par... Quality and treating your taste buds come with a price... place is worth every penny!!... Overall, for the quality of the fish, this place charges a reasonable price... Staff was nice and friendly, with no issues Parking all around, a parking structure on the back, street parking in the front, or a parking lot 1 block away.... Small place, so you can have a wait time of 1 to 1 1/2 hours depending on the day and time, so be patient and believe me, worth the wait.... Definitely going back!! When you go, Enjoy... read more

Reasonable prices and delicious quality fish! If you are new to sushi, this is especially a great place to try out. It is simply delicious and gives you a good idea of what sushi is about without all the frills of modern sushi restaurants nowadays. The fish will literally MELT IN YOUR MOUTH! Any of the set menus are great and have a variety of fish. Nigiri, edamame, sashimi, and handrolls are included in all of them. I definitely recommend getting the regular TRUST ME to get the best value. Ask to switch out the hirame for the scallops if you can :) read more

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Be prepared to wait since they do not take reservations, but the wait is totally worth it! Great place to meet up with the girls or for a date night. My go to order is the Don't think. Just eat. Trust me. Bc is gives you a taste of almost everything. The fish is amazing, so fresh and melts in your mouth. Also don't be upset if they run out of anything, it's just that good. Parking is easy and they have a lot in the back and also validate for 90 mins. read more

If you asked 2014 me what I thought of Sugarfish I would have given them 5 stars without a second thought. I don't know if it's the restaurant that changed or my taste buds that changed but it simply was just not very good when my husband and I went last week. I always get the trust me but the fish quality was just not as good as it used to be... read more

Upon stepping foot inside the establishment the host reached for mine and my friends boba drinks and said that they're not allowed but that he could store them in their fridge for us to which we agreed because we really wanted to experience sugarfish but I didn't love that (but I guess I KINDA get it) Once we sat down we ordered the trust me the $30 one and the $39 one and honestly what can I say... sugarfish has ruined all other nigiri for me The soft warm rice and the melt in your mouth fish is all anyone could ever ask for in sushi 10/10 I should mention that this is not a good place to go to with a non raw fish loving friend or a friend that likes americanized rolls only.... (i.e. the crunch roll, california, etc). There's no eel sauce , no spicy mayo. It's raw fish (for the most part) with simple sauces , Wasabi, ginger, etc, think Kyoto and that's the vibe. Same for drinks just really simple plain unsweetened green tea They bring your dishes out in a certain order and each dish has instructions on how to eat it. Some have a special sauce , some don't. The quality of the fish is absolutely unmatched. It's sooooo delicious. I will return time and time again and HIGHLY RECOMMEND it to all sushi lovers. Also we got lucky. We went on a Saturday. Walked right in and were seated at the bar right away. Awesome location, there's plenty to do before and after on south Lake. Its a great place to walk around and see the sights. read more

What a delicious and elevated experience! My husband and I showed up ~10 minutes before opening on a Sunday and were able to get seated almost right away. Servers were attentive and very kind, and the vibes of the restaurant were very classy and welcoming. We did the Nozawa Trust Me and I LOVED everything we got--the tuna sashimi and sea bream nigiri were my absolute favorites. All the fish was so buttery and the rice was fresh and warm. :) A fun and delicious lunch, I don't know how any other sushi will compare!! read more

SUGARFISH | Pasadena - Tuna Sashimi - Japanese Near Me - Pasadena, California

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Sugarfish is hands down one of the best sushi spots in LA--no frills, just insanely fresh fish, perfectly seasoned rice, and a set menu that makes ordering effortless. I usually go for the Nozawa Trust Me or the Trust Me ($46 and $35, respectively), and every time, it's like a little sushi love letter to my taste buds. I've been here at least a dozen times, and the consistency is unreal. (Sorry took me so long to write this this review -__-l ) The service is warm and welcoming, and I love that gratuity is already included--no mental math required after a sushi-induced food coma. Parking is easy, too, with a structure right behind the restaurant and validation for a discount (because let's be real, LA parking is usually a nightmare). Now, the one catch--they don't take reservations. The wait can be long, especially during peak hours, so unless you enjoy staring longingly at other people's sushi while you wait, I highly recommend going right when they open. Trust me (pun intended), it's worth planning your day around this meal. read more

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

This place is generally my go to if I'm not up for full blown omakase. It scratches the itch for high quality fish and it's a great value. It's a lovely place and the ambiance is good for solo, dates, friends, you name it. I've done all varieties of evenings and even afternoons here. Worth the wait and the service is alway fast, efficient and friendly. Probably the sushi place I eat at most often, honestly. I do love me some sushi. read more