Noda Restaurant

It’s my second time in this sushi restaurant. The service started out slow on a busy Friday night but it quickly improved. We loved the seaweed salad, grilled shishito peppers and soft shell crab appetizer. The sashimi, salmon lover roll and Cynthia roll were fresh and nicely prepared. I asked for grilled salmon without teriyaki sauce and it came out nice. The dinner was satisfying.

Visiting Cali & trying new food. Came to dine in & they looked at me like I was crazy. I asked if I could order & the lady said “To go?”…Ha! I don’t spend where I’m not welcomed

Nice people but last call is 8:45pm on a Saturday... so 8:15pm during the week? Like most places... shrinkflation. Prices go up, portions shrink. But consistent food and nice people.

Above average Japanese restaurant. Don’t judge it by its modest exterior, the food, service, and interior are good.

Solid Pasadena sushi spot. Great sushi and very friendly.

The food is pretty good here but for the money I'd rather go somewhere else. If you come here you'll enjoy the food but you won't get as much here as you would at some other places.

OMG! Hands down to the chefs and sweet waitress who make our first time experience in this restaurant, we are going to come back for sure!

Two people dinner was 120 IN TOTAL?!?! Wth… food was ok but price def not affordable. they should not be charging that much😒😒

First time, recommended by friends in this neighborhood. Doesn't seem like much from the outside, but the inside is a quaint Japanese decor space. Very cozy with booths on both sides and a row of tables down the middle. The best thing we had was the yellowtail collar! A must! Other sushi tried: salmon, octopus, yellowtail, eel. The best of those was the octopus. Then tried their SOS sushi roll which was tasty, if you like the baked sushi rolls. Very understated but great service, great prices and good quality sushi!

The food quality was very friendly. Friendly service and prices are fair. Parking can be tough.

I absolutely LOVE Noda! My family and I have been going there for years, and I've brought so many friends to this cute little restaurant. The sushi chef and servers are all so kind and sweet! My favorites are the SOS roll and Barbara roll- I get these every time and everyone's who's tried them has agreed they're delicious! The unagi donburi is also really good. I should have written this review long ago- it's such a great hidden gem restaurant in Pasadena!

Noda Sushi is on a busy street full of places to eat. There aren't many casual sushi spots on this side of pasadena except for Sugarfish (but I wouldn't call that casual lol or I hope one day I can call that a casual sushi spot haha $$). It's pretty easy to get a table on Friday nights. My main squeeze called to try to make a reservation and the lady said it wasn't necessary for 2 ppl at 7pm on a Friday . The lighting can be a bit dark, and the ambiance was a little too quiet in my opinion. the selection of unbaked rolls is pretty limited. We got the dragon roll and lemon salmon roll. Both were good but wished there were more options. The fish to rice ratios are generous so I'm giving it a 4 instead of a 3. the service is friendly + attentive. Overall, I would only stop by if I was in the area but there are better options like Sushigah, sushi enya and sushi Roku for non AYCE options a mile away

Been to many sushi restaurants only Noda produces highest quality food. The chef skills are impeccable. Things I like about Noda. 1. Quality 2. Priced for common people 3. Always expect top quality sushi and sashimi.

First time here today. It was SO GOOD!!!!!!!!! I had the Lunch special with Teriyaki chicken and Salmon. OMGGGGG. I highly recommend.

I have been going to Noda for the last 10 years and the sushi/sashimi is always of excellent quality and generous big pieces and not much rice like other restaurants do. Everything they have on the menu is delicious and they give good service. I highly recommend it!

Unfortunately prices have skyrocketed and portions have shrunk. But decent sushi and there's always an available table. Note they close very early. Last call is around 8:15 pm.

I love this place. This sushi is so fresh and the atmosphere is so chill. Mr. and Mrs. Kim have owned and operated a sushi restaurant for the last 25 years plus they are experts. So what are you waiting for? Go have some sushi it's delish

All the sushi rolls we had were great. The rainbow roll with spicy tuna was particularly delicious. Loved the shishito pepper appetizer too. I saw other reviews complaining about the service but I don't know what they're talking about. The waitress was very nice, and the food came out in a perfectly reasonable amount of time. Sushi is generally expensive, but for Pasadena this is reasonably priced. The ambiance was cozy

The food quality here is not good. The salmon tasted old. The katsu was way overdone and dry and a very small portion. The Agadeshi tofu was good. The tempura was good; I liked how crispy the batter was. However, the shrimp tempura tasted old. The green tea was meh, but free refills. The miso soup was also meh. The waitress was nice, though. Some regulars came in and had good rapport with her.

The food is amazing!!!! And Mr.Kim is an amazing personality and chef. He even gives little dishes to try??

I live in Huntington Beach and hands down the best sushi! I never ventured off to other things on the menu. So no clue what other things taste like. The miso is great. I never rate a restaurant on service when it comes to stars. Sometimes a server is just having a not so hot day. Setting is nice a casual

Excellent service. Great fresh food. The Sushi Chef made the best little surprise dishes. Salmon Kama +++ Yellow tail +++ Halibut +++ Hand rolls +++ Will definitely return in the future.

This seems to be a fairly popular local spot , for folks living nearby. It was more convenient for me & why I bothered to stop here rather than driving farther towards old town where there's more choices for Japanese restaurants. There was only one waitress for about 5 parties dining that evening & the wait was long . I've only had the tempura udon at $21.00 for a bowl . It was meh , underwhelming. The broth had tiny pieces of broccoli , but no slices of fish cake or a boiled egg . It was scant and not particularly appealing. The tempura on the side was good , but only had one thin 1/2 shrimp and no broccoli, yam or onions . It's was scant and small . Overall the udon bowl was average and I'd never return to order this item.

stopping by for a quick lunch before a meeting in pasadena...easy parking and finding fairly empty on a weekday afternoon...korean drama playing on the tv above the sushi bar...typical low-key sushi and sashimi, and serving bentos and sauced up rolls with other menu items to select from...taking a 2-item lunch special...picking from the standard selection of sesame chicken and tonkatsu with no upgrade $21.95...requesting a diet coke and provided a can for $2.75...miso soup delivered first and it was a bit bland...bowl of rice arriving with a standard bento tray...cucumber slices, salad and wedge of watermelon in the 3 smaller compartments...sesame chicken and tonkatsu in the main compartments...chicken was battered lightly and drizzled with some sauce...pork was battered heavier and fried dark brown with sauce helping soften the hard fried outer...food was typical and standard and price came out to roughly $32 total after tax and tip...

Staff is great, food is great, location is great, and it's clean! My favorite is the Cynthia roll, must get! The salmon and spicy tuna hand rolls are plump and tasty! Mr Kim is very detailed and the quality of the food is just how the price should be. Don't to-go the food, just dine in! It'll be a very good experience!

If I could give a zero I would. From the beginning our server was dismissive; one of our rolls was forgotten about and instead of acknowledging it we were met with a very abrasive "it's coming!". 10 minutes went by and then our server dropped the roll down with an attitude. I asked to speak with the manager and she kept asking me why and I expressed that I would be more comfortable talking with a manager. 10 MORE minutes pass and I wasn't informed if the manager was coming and I was ignored by our server. Finally she dropped our bill down without acknowledging that I had asked for the manager. I reiterated that I asked her for the manager and she snapped and said "she's busy!" I expressed my understanding but why wasn't I informed 10 minutes prior. That was when my server walked away as I was mid sentence. More time passes, and finally another server asks us if we had an issue, I again reiterate the disrespect we experienced and our food being late. This server did not have an attitude but kept insisting that there was "nothing they could do". She then asks my entire table if they "felt the same". It wasn't until my male friend spoke that they immediately tried to resolve our issue. This issue could've been avoided had our server been more considerate and had a kinder tone.

Very good. The sushi is very fresh and what I love about the restaurant is that they don't give you too much rice on the nigiri sushi. Some places like to compensate on the rice so that they can serve you a thin slice of fish. What they do here is they have a small piece of rice, simply rolled into a ball and they are generous with the slice of fish. Sides were pretty good. Tempura was battered well. It was a thin layer so the batter wasn't overpowering. My fiancée got the udon and the broth was solid. It's a small quaint little place and I'm pleased to have found another go-to spot in Pasadena.

We had a delicious Spicy Tuna Roll and California Roll! Definitely recommend for you to come try!

The mediocre reviews here are surprising. This is a great neighborhood spot with generous cuts of high quality fish. Service can be slow if they're busy, but it's not for lack of trying. We've ordered take out a few times and dined in once; it's been consistent each time. Fair prices, too. Just solid all-around. Sometimes, I wonder if US customers just can't appreciate simple, high quality sushi. After Komasa closed, we've searched all over for a good replacement, and Noda + Noshi are the best we've found in terms of quality and value.

Great service. Very welcoming. We had the salmon teriyaki and the rainbow roll. Much better than expected!

Fresh tasty sushi sold here! As you walk in you are greeted and seated right away! The decor inside is very nice and inviting. Server came right away and took our order. She was very polite and nice. On the menu you will find great sushi roll options. Price is high like $15.00 for a tuna roll. But the freshness of the fish was good. My sister got the lunch box. She got the California roll and tempura with a salad. That was a great deal only 14.00. I will come back and definitely try other sushi options since I'm all about taste!

Whoever thinks this spot is good, lives under a rock. Seriously. I came here on Friday night with my boyfriend who is from Japan. Worst sushi / Japanese restaurant I have been to in my life! SERIOUSLY. The rice was OLD - like hard, turning a different color rice. That was basically the killer. The service was bizarre too. Very aggressive, rude women - slamming cups on the table, not providing soy sauce dishes, etc. The sushi chef saw the look of disgust on my face wheN I had to go to another table to get proper dishes for my meal and said "Sorry! Sorry!" to me (I ignored him). VERY OVERPRICED! $10 for a Spicy Tuna cut roll? HAHAHAHA Okay... I couldn't even eat my $8 "Blue Crab"hand roll because the rice was disgusting. The sushi pieces had BALL OF RICE with NO WASABI under the fish. Seriously was stunned hahaha never seen this before. For $55 (including tax and a super small tip because it was awful and we will never ever ever be back): - 1 large Kirin beer - 1 hot tea - 2 pieces salmon sushi, 2 pieces albacore sushi - 1 blue hand roll - 1 2-item dinner bento (which was $18!!! lol included a frozen gyoza lol) The only redeeming thing about this place was the tempura and the albacore fish was tasty (sans rice), hence 2 stars and not 1 star.

Would love to give them 3 1/2 Stars. Dropped by yesterday for some dinner with a friend who was in town. The service is awesome. Waitress and the chefs were very nice. They gave us extra sashimi and even gave us an extra plate for free. That was pretty awesome. I had the chicken teriyaki dinner plate with California rolls. It was good. Not great but good. We also ordered the shrimp tempura crunch roll which was really good. Prices are a little on the high side for the quality you get.

Fast & attentive service. Ordered the Lake Ave Roll with langostino and crab. A delightful mid day snack with just the right crisp.

So good. The fish was fresh and service fast. We had sashimi combo a, sushi- ikura, salmon, halibut, tuna. All was delicious.

I really like this place. My husband and I ate here last night after having Boba. Great service, very fast, and the sushi chefs even gave us extra sushi. Our waitress accommodated my request for salad instead of rice. We will be back, thanks!!!

Neighborhood gem! Great spot on South Lake with quality sushi and good service. Went in on a Friday night and there was ample seating. It's small, quaint and walking distance from my home. It's also out of the hustle and bustle of old town (added bonus). They have their own parking lot as well. The prices are in line with every other place in Pasadena. Definitely my new go to spot for my sushi fix!

Cozy sushi spot on busy Lake Ave. Service is quick and fast, and the food is good! I like sitting at the bar and watching the food being skillfully prepared. It's like art in motion. Anyway, I can't get enough of the salmon teriyaki bento box with brown rice, served with miso soup and salad. It's a lot of food, enough for lunch and plenty of leftovers for dinner. The spicy scallop roll is good too. And the avocado crab salad.

Standard sushi/Japanese place with great quality fish and quiet atmosphere. Their menu is very familiar if you've been to a lot of sushi places--different types of rolls, dinner combos with salads/meats/rice, and pretty extensive sushi menu. The restaurant itself is pretty dark and quiet, good for dinner and conversation. Although I found it to be a little pricey when I first went, the quality of the fish is very good and makes up for the cost. Plus, if you live nearby, they sent a lot of coupons in the mail which can make dinner a pretty good deal.

Honestly one of the best sushi meals I have ever been served. Had a yellowtail sashimi order and a stuffed jalapeño roll. Both were near perfection. Sat at the counter and they also offered me a seared salmon. I will always order this going forward. An excellent addition to my sushi wish list!! Finally had a breaded anchovy. I don't love breaded items but was surprised how much I enjoyed this item. Highly recommend this very casual sushi restaurant /counter when in pasadena.

Over priced food. Service was okay, but does not justify the price. I have never been charged at an Asian restaurant for a bowl of rice.

I love Noda, I've followed them since they were back in monrovia years ago but clearly their pasadena location is so much nicer & the food is as good as ever. Staff is always great, friendly and personable. They get the job done, the chefs are consistent which I appreciate- some sushi chefs take it upon themselves to "spice up" their rolls which can make a favorite a "miss". I'm glad that everyone's on the same page & that my favorites haven't changed over the years. I'm not as well versed on their sushi rolls here as I would normally be because their bento boxes have always been my favorite and I can't seem to get anything else. Their sesame chicken is so good! The best I've ever had in a bento box. Crunchy & flavorful I can't ever get a different protein. Also why this may sounds simple, their California rolls are the best I've ever had and that's saying a lot! The secret is they add masago (fish eggs) around the roll- something as simple as this has kept me coming back time after time for that amazing California roll :)

I like the Noda Boat, its a Great deal for 3-4. It's a lot of food if you get some rolls too.

Got lunch to go from here today. Very quick and prompt service. Didn't have to wait at all to be seated. My lunch was a salmon teriyaki and California roll lunch special. Cost $13.95...a bit pricy. The food was very good and didn't leave me hungry. I would go here again, but not for lunch. Seems like a better dinner spot for me :-)

Wow. I didn't think a sushi restaurant like this could exist in SoCal. This place is what I would imagine sushi being like if I were in the Midwest. Seriously disappointed by the food here may be an understatement. We were walking down the street and thought we should pop in for a quick bite. Expectations were not high - we just wanted something to eat. Got a Tonkatsu bento, 3 sushi rolls, an appetizer, and a beer. I did not check yelp prior to entering. The rolls were ugly, uneven, and had mushy rice that wasn't even seasoned. The dynamite roll was most shocking. It had frozen shrimp and frozen peas stir fried and poured on top of a California roll. Our bill came to $90 before tip, so this wasn't even a cheap meal. Really regret coming here and feel ripped off. Grocery store sushi is better than this.

Read B.K's review about the chirashi. I just had the exact experience, so it's obviously not a one-off bad experience . I also ordered scallop sushi. My order on DoorDash was $50. I threw away the entire order. I don't mess around with Sushi. I'm just not risking it. I figured I'd try a new place. Sadly, not again. There are far too many better sushi place's nearby. I think I'll make a little pasta for lunch.

I absolutely love this place! The sushi are delicious, freshest fish, and nice yuzu or shiso twists on some of the sushi. The halibut, Spanish mackerel and jumbo scallop sushi are among my favorites. The whole crew is also super friendly. Highly recommend

First time here and I absolutely love this place! cute ambiance. The food is delicious but my favorite thing about it is the staff. Really has a genuine mom & pop vibe. Our waitress Jenny was so sweet & so funny & helped us celebrate my friend's birthday! Had a great time here.

After trying nearly a dozen sushi joints in the area, I finally found one that I look forward to returning to. I love the sashimi plate. Both times I've been there the chef has been generous with portions and the fish has been melt-in-your-mouth good. The staff is attentive and friendly, the location clean and cozy. Parking on the street is free after 6pm. Bonus perk, this part of south lake is very walkable at night, perfect for walking off the sake and asahi buzz..

This place has really good sushi ! I'm not a sushi person so I let my friend pick out what we ordered, one of them being a lobster roll. Surprise .... It was good. Plus that they had my favorite beer; Kirin Ichiban Light ! Yay ! The staff is really nice and there was no wait. I enjoyed myself didn't feel like I had to rush either. Casual and relaxed is the vibe I get here. I like when a place gives me that feeling. I highly recommend this place.

My mum absolutely loves the chirashi here. She says it's the best chirashi she's ever had in SoCal, and believe me, she's tried it at various Japanese restaurants. Her love for the chirashi here is what ensures that we will be here at least a couple times a year. And it seems like it's not only her; she's brought several people here to try the chirashi and they all say the same thing. And I bought the chirashi here for my friend for his birthday and he also enjoyed it. I don't like fish, especially raw fish, so I have never tried it, but I can definitely recommend it based on what everyone else says. To me, the food here is just okay. I always get the bento when I come, usually with tonkatsu and tempura (or maybe california roll), and everything is just okay. I've also tried their chicken teriyaki, and same story. Nothing ever tastes bad, but nothing is amazing either. I guess their specialty is their sushi, which obviously I have never tried. This restaurant used to be located on Foothill, which is how my mum first came to try it, as it was across the street from her work. They moved to Pasadena years ago, and we followed. The owner is a nice Korean lady who usually comes out to say hi to my mum since she's a regular. Service is okay, never too slow since the restaurant is never packed. And while the parking lot isn't very big (it's on the south side by the dry cleaners), parking shouldn't be an issue. Easy restaurant to go to and park, and you can always stroll around on Lake afterwards (or before) to see the shops in the area.

I came to Noda Sushi expecting more than what I received, but I left fairly disappointed in the food and my overall experience. My friend and I came during dinner. We got lucky that there was no wait. Yet, it still took the hostess a few minutes to seat us. By the time we sat down and asked for water, it took the waitress 15 minutes to come back and assist us. The worst part was that we waited more than 30 minutes to get our sushi rolls and the second one that came out wasn't what we ordered. We waited another 5-10 minutes for the correct roll to come out. Sushi rolls were just okay. I've certainly had better sushi, especially, for the price. Don't think I'll be going back.

This is hands down the best sushi I've ever had. Everything we ordered was amazing. We got the Cynthia Roll, Crunch Roll with spicy tuna, Lake Roll, and Crispy Rice. Everything was phenomenal. I've been coming here since I was 7 years old and it's always been outstanding. Looking forward to my next visit!

Sometimes Noda is perfect, especially for dining in - it can be a cozy little nook with good food. Other times... you order your favorite roll to-go, the dynamite roll, and it's topped with frozen peas and depressingly overcooked, tough, tiny scallops and shrimp, and super dry, no mayo at all. I hadn't experienced that until now, though I can see that other reviewers have complained of the same problem. I've never had such overcooked food from a restaurant. Maybe it depends on who is making them, because sometimes it's great. My other roll was fine, not exceptional. I was really looking forward to treating myself to sushi for the first time since the pandemic started, so it's particularly disappointing that it wasn't better. Sigh.

We only had the Sesame Fried Chicken and the Teri Chicken dinner plates. Portions very large for $14.95-$15.95 dinners and it was fine. We have had better but if you're on Lake Ave looking for Japanese food, then this small place will probably be fine.

Just tooling around Pasadena last Friday with my lady friend when we saw this little place and decided to give it a go. Tiny and cozy on the inside complete with singing drunken patrons, I knew right away this was my kind of fish joint. We sat at the bar and proceeded to order several rolls including the ordinary spicy tuna and Unagi which were simple and tasty. After a few different items off the mundane/standard sushi menu and a few shots of Soju, we were ready to try out some of the specialty plates offered at Noda. My favorite of these was the Dynamite Roll which consisted of a plate of California rolls covered in crab, roe, scallops and a amazing creamy sauce that tied the whole fishy thing together. On top of the great rolls offered here you have some the most friendly sushi chiefs I have ever been served by. These guys were so friendly and the other diners seemed to know everyone by name. This was the Cheers of Pasadena sushi joint. We also got some free sashimi for no real good reason. I gotta say even the small sample was enough to bring me back for more. Combine this with the affordable booze, delicious fish and a cozy, laid back attitude of this place and I say it's a must visit.

I was just exploring the restaurants close to my work place but found this spot closed a few times due to the short hours of lunch operation. Today I finally got to try it a I had a really really good chirashi bowl I didn't expect at a very honest price. Very traditional sushi style, plus some American style rolls I wouldn't worry to try. Good quality for a reasonable price, will come back for sure!