Osawa
Sushi restaurant · Downtown ·
Sushi and Japanese small plates with fresh fish & shabu-shabu
Sushi and Japanese small plates with fresh fish & shabu-shabu
"Although the temperatures haven’t quite cooled enough to fully lean into autumnal dining, I’m still looking forward to soup season. With soup season, of course, comes hot pot season. Osawa executes excellent sushi too, but I personally love sidling up to the bar for an extravagant hot pot experience, complete with an assortment of vegetables and mushrooms; thinly sliced proteins like Kurobuta pork loin, marbled ribeye, salmon, and wagyu; cubes of tofu; and a creamy sesame sauce that pairs with everything. The spread also comes with udon noodles and rice, and you can choose from a variety of soup bases like simple kombu or a milky and rich pork bone broth. There are only a handful of seats specifically for shabu shabu, so it’s recommended to call and reserve in advance. The best part is that once you’re through with your hot pot set, you can also tack on an order of ikura sushi or chicken karaage." - Eater Staff
"One of the busiest restaurants in Pasadena, Osawa does it all—shabu shabu, sushi, and sukiyaki—and all of it is pretty great. Despite the huge menu, we usually order the sushi combination special, which includes a blue crab handroll alongside 12 pieces of extremely high-quality fish. If you’re not going all-in on the sushi, try to get a seat at the shabu shabu counter, because then you can order off both the shabu menu and a la carte sushi menu." - brant cox, sylvio martins, andrew ryce
"Opened in 2013, Osawa is Pasadena’s go-to for dependable yet refined Japanese cooking that includes sushi, shabu-shabu, and more. Late restaurant reviewer Jonathan Gold found chef Norio Yoshikawa’s food reasonably priced and executed at a level far beyond typical izakaya fare. Menu items are in constant rotation, but rest assured that the ingredients used are as good as it gets and the cooking amply precise." - Mona Holmes
"Though Osawa has an expansive menu of sushi and other Japanese fare, the shabu-shabu is one of the best reasons to belly up the counter at this Pasadena restaurant. Prices are fairly high, with ribeye servings starting in the low $30s and going all the way up to an $110 portion of Japanese wagyu." - Matthew Kang
"Nearby are staple spots like Bone Kettle and Osawa, though Agnes and the more recent Bar Chelou are both in the vicinity as well." - Farley Elliott