Japon Bistro

Excellent service and excellent food. Japon Bistro conducts Sake Pairing during the year you don't want to miss. more

Japon Bistro, yes - with an "O", is located in the heart of Pasadena off of Colorado near Lake. Pasadena... more

Japon Bistro, yes - with an "O", is located in the heart of Pasadena off of Colorado near Lake. Pasadena features a one of most diverse collection ... more

The Sake Pairing events give an opportunity to taste different types of high quality sake along with the food being served. It is something you really don't want to miss and bring along some of your friends. I guarantee you will have fun...as long as the sake keeps flowing! Pros: Great fun, meet new people, delicious food, Excellent Sake! Cons: Too small? more

I'm not really into seafood but went here with some friends who really enjoy sushi. We ordered quite a bit of food and drinks and the check was very reasonable ($200) for a dinner party of four. Everything was good and I surprised myself by tasting everything. I especially liked the drunken rock shrimp. The waiters were very helpful and offered suggestions which were great. Pros: Good quality food Cons: Floors are slippery and bathrooms are in need of updating more

I went to Japon Bistro for lunch with co-workers last week. I was surprised at how good the food was. I had never been there before but my co-workers have. Most of our are Japanese, but I didn't bother to ask the person from Japan if it was authentic, so I have no input there. I had the Shokado Bento (premium lunch box) which was delish, and several others ordered the cooked fish (black cod, yellowtail collar, & sea bass) and the all loved it. My Bento Box had a little bit of everything, sashimi, katsu, etc and everything was perfect. The sashimi was fresh and of good quality. The owner came over to say hello to my co-workers which I thought was nice. We had a great time. We were in and out within our one hour lunch and very satisfied. I'm taking my family back there for dinner on Friday evening, so I'm a soon to be repeat customer. I'll have to try to sushi when I'm on my own tab so I can comment on that next. Overall, very happy. Good place for couples on date, small groups, etc. Lunch was priced between $10-$15 which I thought was more than reasonable given the quality. Pros: Quick delivery at lunch, high quality food, good variety Cons: Smaller restaurant so prob crowded on weekends or prime time more

It's quite good. Not fantastic, but a good local Japanese restaurant. The service was great, very friendly.... more

It's quite good. Not fantastic, but a good local Japanese restaurant. The service was great, very friendly. Looking at it from the outside, ba... more

Who the heck voted Japon Bistro as the Best Sushi in Los Angeles??? Where's Go 55? Where's Sushi Gen? and Sasabune is number 3? how about Matsuhisa? There are so many great sushi restaurants and Japon Bistro rates towards the bottom. Their fish is simply not up to snuff and it's way overpriced for what you get. A fast food sushi join is better. The guy who wrote that this place is just like Japan must be insane. Are you nuts??? Have you even been to Japan? Next time, go to Japon Bistro and see how many Japanese people actually dine there -- no one I saw was Japanese. Go to any good sushi restaurant and you will see true sushi aficionados, including real ""Japanese"" people. This goes to show you that this rating system and the vote is completely bogus and all of the review are FAKE!!!! I don't usually write this but I'm angry these so called ""independent"" reviewers are misleading others. I am a great fan of food and Japon Bistro is not only below average, it is dishonest in the way it conducts its business -- I would agree with one reviewer who believes that this rating was rigged. Japon Bistro simply cannot be on top sushi restaurant list in Los Angeles or anywhere -- if it were true, Los Angeles is in serious trouble. Thank god for real sushi houses. Pros: It's in Pasadena Cons: Dishonest reviwers more

I went to this place because it had a huge sign outside saying it was voted as one of best in Pasadena by City Search -- now I am wondering who voted. Sushi --not fresh at all. I've had better from the deli section at Ralphs; tempura, terrible, do they understand the concept of tempura? it was greasy and dry. Service was average. They tried to come up with ""creative"" dishes that just fall flat on its face. Nothing to write home about. After spending $100 for two, I can say that don't go to this place. It's not for people who really understand sushi and good food. I would stick to Sushi of Naples which has better sushi (not the Best) but heck of a lot better than this place. Oh stay away from Zono Sushi on lake too. Pros: Nothing Cons: Food, food, food, food, price. more

Preface: Pros: Quality, Authenticity, Sake, Friendly Staff Cons: Smallish place, Certain Sake only available during short periods more

We have been dining here every week for almost a year now, and we love this place. You can have a Japanese dinner on the more traditional side or you can experiment with their more contemporary dishes, which are also very tasty. The service here is wonderful and friendly. The sushi is always fresh - we love the yellowtail, tuna and Spanish Mackerel. Extensive choice of sake... try the Jozen - and for dessert, you must try their black sesame ice cream... an aboluste treat! more

I am somewhat of a sushi snob, and I have to say that this is fresh! The service was wonderful, and the atmosphere was inviting. What I liked most about this place was that it can appeal to different palates. My mother doesn't like raw fish, but she has a great variety of cooked rolls to choose from. My sister (a hospitality management major) was thrilled to find carpaccio's and tar tars on the menu, my husband has simple tastes and loved the sashimi, and my father and I loved the more outlandish dishes. Pros: Great service, food, and atmosphere Cons: Can get crowded on weekends, parking issues more

I just want to reply to the morons who gave this restaurant anything less than 5 stars. if you knew anything about sushi you wouldn't have made your dumb comments about the chef's cutting the fish and the food and everything overall. why don't you idiots go eat at benihana instead it'll suit you more. idiots more

First of all, 22 of the 27 five star reviews are written by people who joined the day of the review and has ONLY written a review for Japan Bistro. Granted, there are still those 5 people who gave 5 stars and seem to have legit accounts, but come on! It's bordering on blatant and whoever is doing it should be ashamed! As far as my own experience, this restaurant was nothing special. The fish were fresh but whoever is buying must have taken some bad classes on choice of fish or is too trusting with his fishmonger. The chefs have average cutting skills and it really shows in the texture. Different fish requires different amount of time after cleaning to 'gather' flavor, which the chefs neglect. Customer service is great but can be slow at times. The place is clean and had nice lighting. Overall, this place is nice without all the hype. The hype will just over exaggerate the expectations people have and will ultimately let people down. Not a great way to win repeating customers to the establishment. Pros: slightly better than average service and ambience Cons: both the chef and person who buys the fish unfortunately lack experience and good technique more

Ate at Japon Bistro April 2008 and had a fresh and delicious meal. We mostly selected the speciality items off the fresh menu, Kampachi, Spanish mackerel, premium California roll made with fresh crab, ankimo and more. The waiter was attentive and knowledgeable - kept our water and tea glasses fill and answered all questions. The ambiance of the restaurant was welcoming and friendly. We lingered for several hours and were not bothered. We met the owner when we were leaving who asked about our meal and seemed genuinely interested. My friend had a beer - and even with that the entire bill was only $68 - which was really a pleasant surprise. High value for the money and a lovely evening. Pros: Great food and very fresh Cons: Filthy bathroom more

My husband and I LOVE Japon Bistro - it is our favorite Friday night treat! The sushi is not only incredibly fresh but it is delicious. You must have the SEA BREAM if you go, it is out of this world. All of the rolls are amazing - the target roll and lobster roll are a few favorites. Sometimes service can be a bit slow, so don't plan on rushing through your meal to make a movie or event. The wait staff is so friendly and attentive, too. Pros: fresh sushi Cons: sometimes slow service more

we tried this place on a whim, venturing away from our usual hollywood/ westside haunts. to say we were pleasantly surprised is a HUGE understatement. the fish is selected based on freshness; specials change regularly based on the best fish available. there is no overselling - everything is great, but the waiters are well-informed and make honest recommendations designed to satisfy the customer (not to run up a check). each time we've been there we've been awed (literally) by the fresh fish and the unique offerings. (have you ever had live sea urchin? haven't seen that at roku!). the sake is plentiful, the atmosphere is pleasant and the food is great. if you are taking an out of town guest to dinner where they'll see celebrities, this isn't it. if you want the best sushi you've had in eons, this is for you. Pros: amazingly fresh sushi, friendly atmosphere Cons: pasadena parking can be a pain more

We were blown away by this restaurant last night. The sushi was spectacular as was the service. Everything was top notch. The only place I've had sushi as good cost about 250 dollars a person. Our dinner last night was complete with 2 ""overflowing"" glasses of sake (which would be equivalent to 2 glasses EACH in most other places) and we ate a TON of sushi and left a 25% tip...and paid about 100 bucks! The waiter was knowledgable, reccomending things to me I would not have otherwise tried and LOVED. The staff was friendly. There was food on the menu that would've sufficed if people came in who were not sushi lovers. Overall the experience was very positive and we will be back. If I had any negative comment it would be that the restaurant atmosphere is so-so...but that's the only thing I could say that isn't a rave review and even that was not bad. In short, GO GO GO to Japon Bistro!!! more

My girlfriend and I have been frequent patrons of Japon Bistro for over 1 year now. The sushi is spectacular and is one of the major reasons why I commute from my home in Orange County to the Pasadena area. I have dined at sushi restaurants all across Southern California, from Los Angeles to San Diego, and I must say Japon Bistro is at the top of my list. While the sushi is incredibly fresh, the variety of dishes and fish they serve is what sets Japon Bistro apart from other sushi restaurants. In addition, the sake menu is the best I have experienced at any restaurant, sushi or otherwise. I like to think of myself as a ""sake connoisseur,"" and I highly recommend others to experience the fabulous tastes their sake menu has to offer. Finally, the service at Japon Bistro is first class. The staff is always very welcoming and I feel they make every effort to ensure my dining experience is pleasurable. Pros: sushi, sake, service, ambiance. more