Decided to stop by my local sushi place but decided to actually get sushi. I normally go with the Bulgogi Beef Deluxe. Absolutely love that this place gives you everything you get at a place like Benihana (and more!) for less just without a performance. I ordered the NEW tornado shrimp appetizer (8/10) which was a crispy shrimp wrapped in potato as opposed to tempura. I also had the Spider-Man Roll pictured below (9/10) the fish was fresh and delicious and the whole roll felt balanced not rice or crab heavy so A+ ratios and what a great presentation. Affordable as well for a huge bento box, an appetizer, and a huge sushi roll. The service is lightning fast I was seated instantly for a 5:30 dinner and order was ready to be taken almost instantly as well. The great part about my experience was a shared waiting system it seemed like the whole wait staff of 4-5 waiters were helping clean and refill drinks. The ambiance is great if you decide to go in the evening. I went around sunset so it was very bright. The ambiance inside is nice hardwood floors and dimmer lighting a good spot for a casual date or just a regular dinner. I had a great experience as always at Tokoro and will continue coming back. I highly recommend you try. read more

Tokoro sushi - Tornado Shrimp - Japanese Near Me - South Pasadena, California

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Tokoro sushi essay Family own Restaurant that has been the community for years. From the moment that you walk in, you feel welcome and appreciate it.. Their whole team is amazing., helpful and caring. This time we order food and I wish I would've taken pictures, but I was hungry and I ate most of it before I remember. I ordered the rainbow carpaccio and the beef carpaccio and garlic edamame. Everything was delicious.. it's a must try Restaurant when you're in Pasadena read more

Tokoro sushi - Beef carpaccio - Japanese Near Me - South Pasadena, California

If you're looking for an affordable place in the Pasadena area to get decent sushi, Tokoro is a great place to go. There is plenty of street parking which is great. It's a cute little place with friendly and attentive service and quick service. My favorite was probably the spicy tuna crispy rice. It was flavorful and came in pretty big pieces, and also had a flood eel sauce that I loved! Overall, this was a decent spot and I'd definitely come back here again! read more

Tokoro sushi - Japanese Near Me - South Pasadena, California

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Service here is blazingly fast. Prices have gone up but so has everything else. Fish is unfailingly fresh. Attentive servers , beautiful presentation on a Tuesday lunch. Sports on a tv but not obtrusive. R&B music. A perfectly fine way to come down off a crown rep read more

Tokoro sushi - Combo c w soft shell crab - Japanese Near Me - South Pasadena, California

I've been hear so many times and they keep getting better and better. They upgraded their menu so the presentation is better and have new menu items. I had the bora bora roll and the Hawaiian roll. Hubby had the tummy rocker and the fantastic. Everything is always so fresh and delicious. They work quickly to make sure you aren't waiting long. They're always friendly and accommodating. Keep it up Tokoro! We enjoy coming here! read more

Tokoro sushi - Bora Bora - Japanese Near Me - South Pasadena, California

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The food is amazing!, the Tokoro roll is delicious and a must try! The service is fast and very friendly! They have a fun birthday celebration with a paper gold crown and desert! read more

Very mediocre sushi. I was in the area, so thought I would give it a try and noted that there are a lot of positive reviews. However, there are so many better options. Would not recommend. read more

Haven't tried Tokoro but lots of good reviews got some delivered. Fairly extensive sushi menu and the prices were reasonable, good deal considering the excellent quality of the food. The sesame chicken/ karaage comes with 2 sauces both tasty. The salmon skin salad was a generously portion. The Trust Me sushi roll also very good, fancy plating and the shrimp roll was well made. Overall good Japanese restaurant and looking forward to trying the other menu items. read more

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I'm sitting here writing this review and all I can think about is their salmon! They offer many options here. The mixed tempura was delicious! As well as the fries calamari rings. We ordered a couple rolls to share but unfortunately cannot remember the names. All I can say is that the rolls and fish are fresh, the service is great and this might just be my new favorite sushi restaurant. Salmon is my favorite and their salmon was melt in your mouth fresh! Don't forget to add a red bean vanilla fish-shaped ice cream to end with! They add whipped cream and a cherry on top! Perfect way to end a nice meal. read more

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Excellent food. Eat here weekly. Not sure what they added bright LED lamps overhead, but the sushi is always good. read more

I visited Tokoro Sushi yesterday with my cousin while we were walking around South Pasadena and searching for a good sushi spot. We decided to stop in, and it ended up being a great choice. We ordered the OMG Sushi, the Sashimi Jalapeño, and shared a lunch-special beef bulgogi. The sashimi was fresh and delightful, definitely something I'd love to have again and the OMG Sushi hit the spot. Everything was flavorful and satisfying, and it took care of our sushi craving perfectly. It was around two in the afternoon, so the restaurant wasn't particularly busy, but the service was still attentive. The venue was clean and welcoming, and it had that comfortable, reliable feel of a neighborhood go-to sushi place. If I'm in the area again, I'd definitely return. read more

Clean and friendly neighborhood place. However, the quality of food is only mediocre. Miso soup was rather bland and tasteless with nonexistent tofu or seaweed. The rolls were so loosely put together that they fell apart easily. Tamago didn't have the right texture (not fluffy at all yet overly sweetened) and doesn't even taste like it's made from real eggs. read more

OMG, the sushi pieces were so small, not even a mouthful! For the same price. Won't go back

I visited Tokoro for the first time today - really great service and delicious food!! I have zero complaints. I would absolutely come back whenever I'm in the area. I also had the green tea ice cream. Everything was 10/10! read more

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One of my favorite sushi spots in the area!! Super friendly staff. Delicious rolls! Cute simple interior inside! read more

Tokoro sushi - Trust Me Roll - Japanese Near Me - South Pasadena, California

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The food is okay. Not the best sushi. I've had better. The california roll (base roll for most rolls) is decently sized. So that was something good. Definitely good on the seared pepper salmon but could be better. I've had better as well. Service is good though. Staff were nice and friendly. I have to wave some of them down occasionally, but it was understandable because it was towards closing time. Grateful for staff to not shoo us away even though they were closed. We didn't realize it until we look at the time and the restaurant was quiet. read more

This sushi spot is awesome! Came across this sushi restaurant because my wife wanted to eat sushi and randomly found this cozy sushi spot in South Pasadena. Food, ambiance, service was great. Its not ayce but the price is reasonable and quality is up there. Would recommend and definitely coming back soon. read more

Tokoro sushi - All of Sushi B - Japanese Near Me - South Pasadena, California

It was a busy Sunday night but the vibe was still chill inside. Some baseball highlights were playing on TV. Lovely friendly service and hospitality. A local family favorite with affordable prices and portions. A big menu for ample selections. Fresh seafood with thicker cuts of sashimi! Thank you for a delicious dinner and we'll be back. read more

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I have been ordering the MINKY ROLL for the past several months, but certainly disappointed last night as it no longer had the soft delicious center of a CA roll with Salmon, it just had a piece of Salmon, avocado and onion, which wasn't enough flavor for this one beloved Roll. I will no longer be frequenting this restaurant to order this roll. What would a restaurant want to change the quality of its food when so many loved it the way it was prepared in the past? read more

My family and I's favorite sushi spot for 8 years!! We'll continue to give business forever we love it here. Always great service and great fresh food. My go to rolls are the sexy roll and the Sunkist roll, sooooo delicious. My parents go to is the Mexican roll. read more

Tokoro sushi - Mexican Roll Sexy Roll - Japanese Near Me - South Pasadena, California

Service was fast, food was good, restaurant was clean, and menu was clear and not too complicated. I do wish they had an AYCE option but I understand it's not their business model. read more

Tokoro sushi - Edimame, Philadelphia Roll, California Roll, Spicy Tuna Roll - Japanese Near Me - South Pasadena, California

I like Tokoro very much. I'd seen it for a long time but had not gone there but in recent weeks my wife and I have eaten late lunches there twice -- and both times the food was delicious. It 's pretty standard teriyaki and other Japanese meals and, of course, sushi which seems to be the speciality. I do like sushi and sashimi, I"ve seen the movie, and I've been to Japan a number of times, but I've always felt it's way too popular for what it is -- a piece of raw fish on some rice. I suspect for a lot of people, it's an "oh look at me, I'm so sophisticated because I love sushi" statement. I much prefer an actual meal. The food is presented very nicely even though it's a very casual place with booths, so no high falutin' pretensions here. Wait staff is very efficient if not the most friendly. I'd prefer slower, more relaxed service, personally than this over-efficiency and rushed service, but I like to relax while I eat so that's just me. My one complaint, and it may seem silly, but the entire meal both times was accompanied by the worst pop music I've ever heard, a combination of inanely aggressive rap and synthesized whiny pop so annoying that I wanted to plug my ears. Anything but that, pulleeze! It doesn't have to be Japanese music as in some older upscale Japanese restaurants or jazz or easy listening, but please stop treating customers as if they were callow teenagers with no taste. So one star off for giving me a headache with whiny electro-pop or whatever that was. We'll be back -- unless I can't stand the grating music again, but the food is quite good. read more

First timer at tokoro sushi, went with my mom and 2 nephews (kinda picky eaters) Food: -curry bowl: My nephew said it was a little spicier than what he has at home but he ate it! There wasn't enough sauce but we could have ask for more (the service was amazing) -udon: it was rich and yummy! Nephew loved it :) -both the 626 and the tuna poke bowl: they were... A LOT! Neither of us could finish ours and I got it with salad as my base. There is no half/half with the base, but the salad and fish and toppings was still so filling! The sauce was a bit intense but I naturally like things less doused so I think I'd ask for light sauce or somehow figure that out! But def worth it!! Would get it again Service: -amazing! My nephew even had questions about if it was a Japanese or Korean restaurant (litto curious guy) and servers were so kind and patient with them. They also checked in a good amount and spoke in Korean to my mom and it was nice!! Price: -reasonably priced and delicious! Overall: -worth it!! Will definitely be back for the poke bowl with less sauce and if my nephews are having a picky day- now i know where i can bring them! Heh! read more

This is usually our go-to sushi spot. The food rarely disappoints and the service is good. My favorites are the Sexy Roll, Hawaiian Roll, and the Red Rock. I would have given five stars, but I placed an online order this evening and asked that jalapeño be added to my yellowtail sashimi. The total came out to $86 and I added a tip of 15%. Immediately after placing the order, I received a call from the restaurant asking that I bring $1 cash if I wanted the jalapeño. I told them I would have the cash when I picked up the order. However, the more I thought about it, the more I found the whole thing odd. I had them take the $1 from the tip. I doubt that I will be back and will, instead, look for another restaurant. read more

My sons took me today to celebrate mother's day. It was our first time here. Two of us had the chicken and beef teriyaki bento boxes. One had sushi rolls and the other had bbq short ribs bento. Everything including the miso soup and the endanami was well prepared and delicious. The meat was tender and the service was great. The shrimp tempura sushi roll was awesome! read more

Seriously grossed out and shocked at this salmon roll that we got for pickup tonight. They seemed to have made it with the end fatty part, folded over WTF. This is like the end part of the salmon I buy from Trader Joe's that requires cooking. Supremely visually unappealing and questioning the quality in general. These salmon bits are what you cook + use for onigiri or topping on salad -- not sushi! In all the years I've gone here I've never had this happen with any of their dishes (nor at any sushi establishment in LA, NYC, Miami, Osaka, Tokyo and other places in the world). The rice is also old and hard. Not happy. Not even sure if this is edible...tried it and it was off. Gave an additional star for my husband's chicken + beef bento is always consistent (the only thing he gets lol). Note, the rice in the bento was fine, but the rice used in my roll was not (so does that mean they premade this / put in fridge?!?!?). Not sure if I can recover from this to be honest...sad. This was not just an "off night" or oversight. Seems like a deliberate use of scrap low quality salmon / not giving a F about the customer who gets it. read more

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I was impressed with Tokoro Sushi and totally understand why this spot is always busy! I wish I could remember the name of the roll I ordered because I thoroughly enjoyed it! I'd love to get it again the next time I go, so I really got to find the name lol. 10/10 -- the fish and other ingredients used are fresh, and it was evident with each bite I took! The rolls here are kind of hearty, so it took me a couple of bites to eat each one and I was super full at the end of my meal after just one order of a specialty roll. This is definitely a great spot for dates, celebrations or even a casual dinner with family and friends. Definitely worth checking out if you're around South Pasadena! read more

Tokoro sushi - a long sushi roll on a white plate - Japanese Near Me - South Pasadena, California

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The service was really nice but the food unfortunately was not. I ordered a shrimp tempura roll and a salmon roll. I asked to send the salmon roll back and instead got a meal off the kids menu. read more

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Pretty incredible. Very reasonably priced. Incredible flavors. Good staff. I'd come back here in a second. read more

This place is good! It's not AYCE, but has lunch & dinner selection with a happy hour special (BOGO beer/sake for $1) Food: good! I got the udon dinner special that included a tempura set and some basic sushi & nigiri. It was nice on a rainy day. Everything tasted fresh, however the tempura did taste a bit softer on the inside. Service: great! They accommodated a group of 12 people and were super nice and organized. There's no reservation, so we did have to wait for 20 mins but we were quickly seated and got our orders pretty quick. Gratuity was included for our large party. Ambiance: good! It's a small restaurant. It felt quite cozy especially when it was raining. read more

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Service was quick and efficient, beginning to end. We got gyoza and then 3 rolls: sunkist, red dragon and crazy boy. Solid choice for us as we were passing through. read more

Tokoro sushi - Top: crazy boy Bottom: sunkist - Japanese Near Me - South Pasadena, California

Great clean place, good fresh food, quick service and fast. Our family loves it. We go 2 times a month.

UPDATED REVIEW (4-2024) OVERALL EXPERIENCE: Quality of sushi is fresh! ORDERED: Typically order sushi, chirashi, dinner combos, hand rolls. My family would come here often pre-pandemic. I noticed that the sushi rice on their chirashi wasn't as flavorful as before (there used to be more furikake, which I feel set them apart from other restaurants). SERVICE: Service was great! PRICE: ~ $25+pp PARKING: street parking, small lot next to Gus' BBQ, or in the back (off Hope St.) Food: 4/5 stars Service: 4/5 stars Venue: 4/5 stars read more

I had been craving sushi for awhile and found that this spot was pretty close by. Browsed their menu and saw that they had a good amount of lunch specials so headed over here on a Friday around 1:30pm and there was no wait. Parking on Fair Oaks around here can be hit or miss on the street but we found a spot within close walking distance. Opening 3 (4.5/5): This was their lunch special that came with miso soup, 6 pcs of sushi and choice of premium roll. I ended up getting the Energy Roll which was not one of the set option so it was an additional $2 no biggie. The sushi was very fresh and the portion of fish was very generous. It also came with some kind of like crab or fish cake salad which I really enjoyed as well. Pork Katsu Box (4.5/5): Wow! Big portion of food. It came with miso soup and pork katsu, mixed tempura, 4 pcs CA roll, 2 fried gyozas, rice and salad. The fried items came out very fresh and crispy. My bf was able to finish it all but even he agreed it was a lot of food. The booth we got sat it were a little beat up and taped which the hostess apologized for being old. The service was a little bit slower than I would like but the waiter was nice and food was great so it was not a big deal. But I could see how if you come looking for a quick lunch, it's slower paced. This is probably going to be entering my regular rotation for lunch. They have a lot of different roll options that I want to try so will be back! read more

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i can't believe i haven't try this place! the price, quality and quantity of the food we ordered is done just right. service was great! attentive and courteous. this also would be a good place to celebrate birthdays or some special occasions with group of friends. this restaurant is also family friendly! high chairs available and there's a section of "Kid's Menu". tip: just mind u that there's ALWAYS a wait around dinner time. You need to write down your name in the list on a clipboard, which is by the front door. There's parking on the street but not always available; there's a parking lot behind the restaurant off Hope street just passed the little alley (Raymond Lane). read more

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The service has been hit or miss at this restaurant, and the food has definitely declined. What's annoying is when the servers don't take notes of the order and have to come back and ask you for confirmation and or just messes up the order read more

Food is perfect, especially for BARO BARO, strongly recommend! avocado, onion, caviar, asparagus, scallops, spicy tuna mixed together? No! The chef's art shows in here, a fresh fragrance and little bit spicy melt in your mouth, this perfect felling! Service is good , like all of the Japanese cuisine. Located in South Pasadena, it has parking in the rear, but not too much parking space, st can park too. Ac isn't strong, for cool food is ok. read more

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One of the sushi places we come to during office lunch time for take-outs or dine-ins. My go to is the oh! Baby roll aka baby lobster roll (not pictured because I was so hungry that I ate it right away lol) and my friend likes the Spider man roll or caterpillar roll. The other menu items are pretty good too. Since today was so hot, sushi was a great lunch choice for the office. We called in the order when they opened at 11:30 am and a very nice staff answered, took our take-out order and told us it'll take about 45 mins to prepare it. We drove around Old Town Pasadena until our order was ready. Took it back to our desk and demolished the whole thing. It was very yummy and enjoyable for a hot, summer day! The staff even offered us iced water too. Very friendly staff and quick take-out service! Definitely recommend to anyone living or working around the South Pasadena/Pasadena areas. Only downer is that the location is right next to other businesses especially a Korean restaurant and they have a small parking lot. So if it's super busy during lunch or dinner time, good luck finding parking on the street. read more

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The most delectable sushi restaurant in South Pasadena!!!!!! It has delicious Japanese and Korean cuisine on their double sided menu. It is Korean owned but is amazing Japanese and Korean food!!!!!!! We have gone here since we started dating. My husband and I are now married for a while. However, we do return here often!!! The servers are awesome and never mess up our orders!!!!! They give you free edamame which is very generous and amazing as all other sushi restaurants charge for edamame and sometimes it is a pricey appetizer!!!!! Also, they give you a lot of edamame, and it is definitely healthy and yummy too!!!!!!! The other bonuses are the very unique and creative sushi rolls. I love the Tuna Tower and Japanese burrito. My husband had the chicken katsu. Even though it was à la carte, it still came with delicious miso soup, generous serving of Japanese white rice and wonderful salad. I had a salmon teriyaki combo bento box with miso soup, salad with my request for extra salad dressing, a generous amount of Japanese white rice, a lot of mixed yummy tempura, 4 California rolls and 2 gyoza!!!!!!!!!!! Wow!!!!!! It is super terrific Japanese and Korean food with top notch friendly and courteous service every time!!!!!!!!!!! The only problem was that the teriyaki salmon was dry and overcooked!!!!!! The teriyaki sauce was great. This is why I cannot give Tokoro five stars. They need to improve on the cooking of the teriyaki salmon. I was just wanting to get my serving of omega 3 fatty acids. I really should have sent it back and ordered something else. I won't be ordering that fish in the future!!!!!!!! The ambiance is lively and usually there are multiple televisions with different sports on which my husband enjoys!!!!! There are also Japanese decorations which are lovely in this restaurant. You will enjoy this restaurant just stay away from the salmon teriyaki!!!!!!!!!!!!! However, I have had the Korean galbi bento box combo for lunch or dinner and it was outstanding. Galbi is a Korean meat if you have never had it. It is very delicious and has amazing seasonings!!!!!!!!!!!!! We have been to Koreatown in Los Angeles and the country of South Korea so we ate our way through South Korea. We have dined at other Korean restaurants as well in other cities. read more

The sushi was exactly what I was looking for! Great taste and texture! I recommend The Rainbow Roll. Excellent service and chill ambiance. read more

Tokoro sushi - Rainbow Roll - Japanese Near Me - South Pasadena, California