Izakaya Restaurants near Pasadena, CA

“Conveniently located on the corner of E Green St & N Oak Knoll, this place is not hard to find. It was buzzing with activity when we went. If you're lucky you'll find parking right out on the curb in front of the locale. If not, there's parking just a few steps away behind a couple of buildings. Once you're checked in they seat you as soon as possible. They have a fair amount of employees whom are tirelessly working like busy little ants, in order to keep things flowing in a consistent manner.As far as the food goes, their appetizer choices are plenty. Their drinks are priced well. And their sushi is fresh and delicious. I didn't take any pictures of the food this time out as I usually do, but I will my next time out. If you like sushi and you haven't visited this place yet. Do yourself a favor and go.WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?! GO!!!!!“

“A next level dining experience. The ability to deliver dish after dish that could stand alone as signature dishes at nearly any other restaurant while combining the refinement and attention to detail that comes from years of experience in fine dining with a fun energetic atmosphere is truly special. I wish I could have tried even more. Well worth a trip. I will certainly be back again and again to share this experience with many friends.“

“My boyfriend and I got the omakase but to be honest it was not worth it, the food tasted great but you can get almost the exact same course by ordering the 10 piece nigiri from the menu for half of the price. The atmosphere is nice but not appropriate for a traditional omakase. Highly recommend, just save your money and skip out on the omakase.“

“Amazing selection and loved the service. Waitress was working hard waiting tables herself for the most part with some help from the back. Comes in 3 diff price tiers and we got the one with sashimi and boy was it worth it. No alcohol license right now but we still had a great time. Free parking for 2 hours and menu doesn't include beverages other than water or dessert! Ambience is sitting around other people, nothing secluded. If come again because the fish is“

“There is a master chef and a master mind behind the scenes in this small, unpretentious, well appointed Izakaya. If the layout seems a little odd the food and presentation more than makes up for it.The offerings are all unusual and tempting and if I were a full time resident in L.A. this would be my go to place for any worthy excuse.I loved every bite that I ordered and my only regret was finding the urchin risotto in the menu when I was already too full and satisfied. It will have to wait for the next time I am in L.A.But if you are a full time resident you have no excuse not to eat in this mini paradise.“

“Excellent authentic Japanese izakaya restaurant. The biggest saba (grilled mackerel) I've ever seen! Huuuuge. I had the katsu - excellent. My daughter had the BBQ beef skirt teriyaki and I tried a piece and it was delicious. Service was awesome too. The couple who I believe own/run the place were super nice and gracious. A big TV with NBA basketball on - what more could you ask for?“

“Japanese robots style,Raw cooked,fried, Skewers,tempura, Dim sum,basically the best of all Japanese worlds,& if you can’t get it here you can go next door to Their other restaurant Saki bar and they have amazing food also right next door!!! Crab fried rice w/garlic butter ca mon!!!!!“

“This place is the definition of a hidden gem. Unbelievably amazing ramen everything is just right with flavor and spice. Very laid back aesthetic and service was wonderful. I ordered and highly recommend the spicy tonkotsu it was probably the best I have had in Los Angeles. Outside of the amazing ramen they have so much more to offer. I cannot gush over this place enough. If I could I would give it 6 stars out of 5 just for havingSapporo and asahi on draft on top of everything else.“

“For the price, the sushi, sashimi, hand rolls and specialty rolls are very good. I wasn't impressed with the Chinese dishes. Many are mainland Chinese style where bones and bone fragments are normal in these dishes, making these hard to eat for someone not used to bite carefully and then spitting out bones in front of guests, etc. It may be acceptable in China and in front of Chinese guests.Parking: May have to park further away during busy meal times. I think it's owned by the same people running the Red 99 Grill bistro on the same block that also draws many customers. Shiki buffet also draws customers and parking close to the restaurant may be difficult during meal times.“

“Food was great.. lots of selection and rarely seen dishes in other yakitori spots. The beef tongue was excellent ??.. highly recommend. Service is great, chef's were fun and engaging. Getting a Reservation is tough, but that's understandable for a location like this. Give it a try if you have a chance.“

“Love that this place is quality $$ late night and attentive. Fish is sold high quality and market values for sushi; great for special occasions. Our servers offered wonderful recommendations -- get the Caterpillar ? Roll and Omakasi Sashimi (decadent and worth sharing for 2 if you're not as hungry as I was)! We also got kurasawa (sake) and soft shell crab ? to start! The sauce for the crab was flavorful.Vegetarian options: The Green Village (or something along those lines) veggie roll was delicious. Great tempura prep and nice texture.“

“I used it twice.On my first visit, the food was delicious. The Japanese woman's response was also good. However, when I visited the store for the second time,Perhaps because I was busy, I didn't have much food.The two images areThe first thing I ate was fried chicken.This is the second time I've had ginger grilled pork.Obviously the amount of rice is different.No matter when you visit, you can choose the amount of rice you want.I hope it remains constant.The female Hispanic staff offers hot tea after the meal.When I asked her to bring it,It was said in a very unpleasant way.I know, I'll bring you some tea.That was an annoying way to say it.For a moment, the expression on his face turned scary.I was surprised.This staff works in the wrong placeI thought there might be one.Why was this person hired?I do not understand.Attitudes that are not suitable for Japanese entertainmentwas.I felt really badI also paid less tip.Next time you visitI hope this woman doesn't exist.“

“Spur of the moment found ourselves here for a late Thursday lunch. Excellent service and extensive menu. We tried the sushi lunch and the seared saba over rice bowl. Both were spectacular. Very delicious. They came with small side dishes that were also tasty. We ordered eggplant and pineapple grilled skewers, too. The sushi selection was fairly diverse with large portions of fish, great rice and well thought out flavor preparations. The saba was particularly marinated with thinly sliced ginger. Wasabi appeared to be chunky and milder than most US Japanese places and possibly the freshest I’ve tasted in a long time.More American Japanese restaurants need to use fresh wasabi, as it is easy to source in California and fairly easy to prepare and serve; and it tastes much better than the pseudo-wasabi horseradish mix usually served.Osen is a great find and should be experienced for an exceptional, traditional, Japanese experience.Highly, highly suggest you dine here.Parking: Small lot with valet. $7 withvalidation.“

“One of the better yakitori restaurant around the LA area! I usually make reservation before heading over especially during the weekend because it gets packed. It's on the 3rd floor of the Alameda building next to X-lanes and above the Korean market. Service is usually on and off- some days you get great service and some day it takes 15 minutes before you get to place an order or even get water. Food is on the more expensive side but tastes delicious. The sautéed skirt steak with shishito peppers appetizer, however, was not worth and very salty. Parking is free with validation from the restaurants or market.“

“Japanese cuisine and pork belly skewer restaurantEverything is delicious.Kinmiya is also available, and skewers are not expensive and can be used at various gatherings.The staff was friendly and the store was nice.I will go again!The hand rolls and ramen were delicious.“

“We came randomly on a weekday night for karaoke. It was about $48/hr for just karaoke. The walls are not soundproof...like at all, so you can definitely be heard when people walk by. But hey, be loud and proud here. Overall it was pretty fun and does the job.“