SUGARFISH by sushi nozawa

SUGARFISH isn’t just sushi—it’s a minimalist love letter to fish, rice, and precision. No frills, no dragon rolls drowned in sauce—just clean, honest, ridiculously fresh cuts that make you rethink everything you thought you knew about sushi. I went with the Trust Me box (pro move), and from the very first bite of tuna sashimi, it was game over. The warm rice melts in your mouth. The albacore? Silky. The toro? Criminal. Every piece lands with that quiet confidence only chefs who really know their craft can pull off. Service is efficient and respectful—they don’t oversell or interrupt, they just let the fish do the talking. And it speaks volumes. ⚠️ Warning: After SUGARFISH, grocery store sushi will feel like a betrayal. Minimalist decor, quick pacing, and consistent execution. Perfect for date nights, solo indulgence, or anyone who believes sushi is a lifestyle, not a trend.

Sugarfish is always a solid choice. They don't take reservations so there is always a bit of a wait but the Pasadena location is great because there is a nice courtyard you can wait in! We did take out today and their take out box is so cute too! Fresh sushi and they have a little sauce guide on the box. There is a paid parking garage right behind the restaurant but you can find free street parking on green street or cordova if you're willing to walk a little

We came to Sugarfish Pasadena to celebrate my daughter's birthday since she had been wanting to visit after trying the LA location. When we arrived, they told us the wait would be 30 minutes, but we were pleasantly surprised to be seated in just 15 minutes. From the moment we sat down, the service was amazing. Our waitress Kat, server Paul, and the entire team were attentive from start to finish. They promptly brought out waters and took our orders with care. We all decided to go for the omakase and ordered: 1. TRUST ME ($30) 2. THE NOZAWA TRUST ME ($39) 3. DON'T THINK. JUST EAT. ($59) Everything was absolutely delicious! The Tuna Sashimi with ponzu and chives was a highlight, as were the Albacore Sushi with ponzu and chives, Salmon Sushi with toasted sesame, and the rich Toro Hand Roll. Other standout pieces included the Lobster Sushi, the melt-in-your-mouth Toro and flavorful Eel, Japanese Yellowtail Sushi with lemon, Chutoro Sushi, New Zealand Sea Bream Sushi with citrus salt, Hirame Sushi with yuzu ponzu, and the Blue and Dungeness Crab Hand Rolls. Each bite was incredibly fresh and flavorful. The restaurant was cute, very clean, and the restroom was well-kept, which added to the overall great experience. The service truly elevated our time there, and the attention to detail made our celebration even more special. If you're looking for top-notch sushi and impeccable service, I definitely recommend Sugarfish Pasadena. My Personal Rating : 4.72 Food 4.8/5 Service 4.8/5 Price 4.6/5 Ambiance 4.6/5 Cleanliness 4.8/5

For the price I'm paying, I was thoroughly disappointed. This place is consistently getting raved as a go to premium sushi spot but I honestly can't see why people, who have had good sushi would consider coming here to eat after trying once. First, due to it being hyped up for being a good spot, the wait time, if you missed the opening for the day, is long, as it is a small restaurant with an omakase dining style. You cannot make any reservations ahead of time, so if you really wanted to try this place out, either wait roughly an hour or two, or order to go. I believe this place would rather consider itself as a rendition of sushi, as it breaks a few conventional norms. The sushi rice is overly warm, to the point it was separating from itself. If I picked up a nigiri, I don't expect the piece to disintegrate when grabbing it. The service was mid at best, given their positioning in the market. I would never expect for an omakase style set course, to have servers come up and ask, can you finish the last piece up, so that they can just take the now empty dish up. This gave a feeling of, I'm being rushed to eat and go. Also, as shown in the pictures, I somewhat expected some form of plating, or at least nicer looking plates, given the price tag. Everything was just a generic white square/rectangle plate, it really degraded the experience. Overall, after finally trying this place once, I can now say I am pretty reluctant to come again on my own accord. For the price you're paying here, you can get better quality of handwork and sushi with little price variance.

The sushi here is always amazing- " like butter", it melts in your mouth. Wonderful tastes, which are well presented and friendly and attentive service. You can enjoy a meal that will leave you satisfied and not stuffed and groggy. I wish the seating wasn't so close together, bit I like space. Thank you for your wonderful food and service. Will be back soon.

I love Sugarfish! It’s one of my favorite restaurants and the food always tastes so fresh!

This is real sushi. High quality fish that is buttery, fresh, & melts in your mouth. My friend treated me here for my birthday lunch, & she said the sushi at sugarfish is like a "party in your mouth". The experience lived up to her high praise. We ordered the "Trust me", which is like a set menu of dishes. And it was reasonably priced $35. The sauces served with some of the sashimi were perfect. The seaweed of the hand rolls had the right amount of crisp & salt to it. I left satisfied & full. Delicious. The restaurant is a bit small. We didn't have reservations. So, we opted to eat at the bar rather than wait 30 minutes for a table. Since it was my first visit, the server at the bar explained the menu, & how he recommends eating the dishes. Highly recommend if you love sushi.

This place has phenomenal sushi! The fish is so fresh and sweet. The downside is that the place is crowded and the price is on the higher side. Still it is worth for special occasions or just simply the desire for excellence. Just look how the pieces of fish fully cover the rice. Oh and the rice is also perfectly cooked and seasoned. Exactly like out of the book, the rice should simply fall apart and release flavor once it is on your mouth, not sticking to each other. We definitely want to visit this place again next time we go to LA.

We've been here a few times. Service is always great. Tables are small and space is tight but the servers remove the empty plates pretty quickly to make room for the next course. It's been a few months since coming back here for dinner. We always order the "Nozawa Trust Me" for $46. We realized that their hand rolls are the best by far in comparison to all the new hand rolls bar we've been to. From the crispy and crunchy seaweed wrap to the warm rice with crab and toro. They always remind you to enjoy it while it's warm. Absolutely hands down best hand rolls. Everything else is always consistently fresh.

If you want consistently good quality sushi, sugar fish is perfect for you! The downside I'm beginning to recognize is that... it's so consistent that it's literally the same things every time lol. Is that a bad thing? No, but it's starting to lose its appeal to me in that way. The Good Stuff: +_service: the servers are always very friendly and they never rush you to finish or close out the bill. +_quality sushi: as I had mentioned, it's consistently good. Hardly ever any deviations unless they ran out of something but in that case they normally let you know ahead of time so there are no surprises. The meh: +_No reservations, walk in only: unless you're ordering take out or you're the first party to arrive when they open, there's usually a wait. This time we went on a Monday at 5:15pm and the wait was estimated to be around 1 hour. It took closer to 45 mins for us to be seated. +_Space: maybe it's because I've always sat at the tail end of the booths but this time I was sat between two tables and WOW I felt squished. Anytime anyone got up, it was an inch by inch type of pace to make sure no one is knocking anything over. I can't imagine being more heavy set or bringing my grandma. I was already feeling uncomfortable like I was boxed in since I had opted to sit on the booth side. I think sugar fish was something my friends and I loved frequenting, especially as college students or someone on a budget, but since I've explore other sushi spots I would say that it's a great place to introduce someone to sushi that delivers quality consistently but not a place to be exposed to a wider range of types of sushi that's available.

I've been hearing about sugarfish for a while and finally got to give this place a try. Came here right around 5pm on a weekday and we were able to find a table right away. However, around 6pm and onward, place started getting packed so I recommend coming here early if you can since you can't make reservations. Since this was my first time, I chose to go with their pre-selected set menu "Don't Think, Just Eat". I really liked this set because I didn't have to pick and choose which ones to try and just ate whatever they gave me. I knew this place was legit when I tasted their ginger and wasabi. Ginger tasted very fresh, authentic, and it didn't have that artificial aftertaste. It tasted like real ginger lol. Wasabi was solid too and I could tell they definitely made their own wasabi. I know sushi restaurants have to freeze their fish before serving to kill all the parasites which is unfortunate because quality really drops by freezing the fish, but this place does a great job of reviving that taste and quality back to life. It felt like I was eating fresh catch in all aspect of taste, texture, and quality. Highly recommend this place and I will definitely be coming back!

The food remains a 10/10 but I have to comment on the service. Our server was great but the support staff and main contact at the door would benefit from a refresh in hospitality. The energy was "You are a nuisance, so tell me what you need and go away".

We came to Sugarfish Pasadena to celebrate my daughter's birthday since she had been wanting to visit after trying the LA location. When we arrived, they told us the wait would be 30 minutes, but we were pleasantly surprised to be seated in just 15 minutes. From the moment we sat down, the service was amazing. Our waitress Kat, server Paul, and the entire team were attentive from start to finish. They promptly brought out waters and took our orders with care. We all decided to go for the omakase and ordered: 1. TRUST ME ($30) 2. THE NOZAWA TRUST ME ($39) 3. DON'T THINK. JUST EAT. ($59) Everything was absolutely delicious! The Tuna Sashimi with ponzu and chives was a highlight, as were the Albacore Sushi with ponzu and chives, Salmon Sushi with toasted sesame, and the rich Toro Hand Roll. Other standout pieces included the Lobster Sushi, the melt-in-your-mouth Toro and flavorful Eel, Japanese Yellowtail Sushi with lemon, Chutoro Sushi, New Zealand Sea Bream Sushi with citrus salt, Hirame Sushi with yuzu ponzu, and the Blue and Dungeness Crab Hand Rolls. Each bite was incredibly fresh and flavorful. The restaurant was cute, very clean, and the restroom was well-kept, which added to the overall great experience. The service truly elevated our time there, and the attention to detail made our celebration even more special. If you're looking for top-notch sushi and impeccable service, I definitely recommend Sugarfish Pasadena. My Personal Rating : 4.72 Food 4.8/5 Service 4.8/5 Price 4.6/5 Ambiance 4.6/5 Cleanliness 4.8/5

Quality definitely gone down since I last came here a few years ago. The fish wasn't as fresh and it just didn't have that umami flavor that it used to have. I went with the Nozawa Trust me and it was a good amount of food however the satisfaction wasn't there. I don't think it is worth the wait either. The rice was falling apart and just not skillfully made. No one should be picking up loose rice with chopsticks at a sushi restaurant such as this one.

This was my first time at the Pasadena location. What I appreciate about Sugarfish is that ambiance, service and quality is quite consistent across the their locations, at least the ones I have visited. Timing of plates was good, staff was friendly and professional. We ordered the Trust me and Trust Me Lite tonight. There was no hirame tonight, but it was replaced with scallop which was a good substitution. One thing on this particular night was the rice was packed too loosely? It was really falling apart on every piece we ate and our chopstick skills are pretty decent. Even picking up with your fingers would crumble a bit. Besides that, the pieces tasted delicious and it's a great place to get some high quality sushi that you know won't miss.

Dine in or take out, it doesn't matter on price because they will automatically charge you 16% in tip either way! Also, they will not take to go orders over the phone unless you are physically there to place one. Besides this crazy rule, the food is excellent. This place is about quality over quantity. The sushi is amazing and fresh and there is always a line to get a table no matter what time of the day it is! The portions are small so remember that you're paying for quality. Even their green tea is amazing. They will even offer you to go cup if you ask. All in all, it is worth it but I wish they serve you a bit more considering the prices

The best sushi restaurant in town. Celebrating our daughter's birthday, we had a great time & Paul was absolutely amazing, hardworking, energetic, knowledgeable and very kind excellent service. The ambiance is cozy dimmed lights and service is more than excellent 10 star service. Sushi was like melting in my mouth, so much flavor and quality is so great.

I had high expectations for this sushi spot, and it did not disappoint. They do not take reservations. You have to get there in person and leave your name and phone number. We arrived on Friday at 2 pm, and the expected wait was 30 minutes for two people. In reality, it was about 25 minutes. There are shops nearby to kill time and chairs in the courtyards to chill and wait. I ordered the "Trust Me" which was a perfect portion for me. It doesn't look like a lot of food, but because they serve it at a very slow pace, I was satisfyingly full at the end of the meal. Edamame Tuna Sashimi - ponzu and chives Albacore Sushi - ponzu and chives, 2-pc Salmon Sushi - toasted sesame, 2-pc Toro Hand Roll Japanese Yellowtail* Sushi - lemon, 1-pc Hirame* Sushi - yuzu ponzu, 1-pc Blue & Dungeness Crab Hand Roll My favorite was the Dungeness Crab handroll. The flavor is incredible. The seaweed was still crunchy. I loved that the rice was served warm in the nigiri and just melts in my mouth! So good! My son had "The Nozawa Trust Me" which had everything in "Trust Me" with 4 extra pieces of nigiri. If you're still hungry, you can order anything in a la carte menu. I think this place sets it apart from other sushi spot is that each dish is made from the chef's table directly to our table while it's still warm and fresh! Friendly and attentive staff. It was a great dining experience.

Despite the wait, this is still my favorite spot. The service is amazing. The food is amazing. The price is very reasonable for good quality sushi.

If you can find a seat at Sugarfish, I would say it's definitely worth it! I usually get the "trust me" set which leaves me pretty full, and the food is always on time and fresh. The only thing I hate is that there always seem to be a wait so if you want to be seated, I would recommend showing up 20ish minutes before they open.

Who would've thought that there's much better sushi outside of Las Vegas? Haha jokes, but really, this place is amazing. I feel like my eyes have been opened to ~good~ sushi. I got The Nozawa Trust Me, and it was so delicious, worth the price, and it was honestly the perfect amount of food for me. The edamame was first, and it was very good! I thought it was perfectly salty. Next was the Tuna Sashimi, and it was also good! It was very cutely diced, but it was a good sized dish. Afterwards were the Albacore and Salmon Sushi -- the Albacore Sushi was hands down my favorite food of this visit. The first bite made me rethink what good sushi actually is haha. The Salmon Sushi was good also; I thought that the toasted sesame was interesting. Next was the Toro Hand Roll, and I thought it was okay. I don't normally order hand rolls, but this was pleasant with the rice being very warm still. The next plate included Bluefin Otoro Sushi, New Zealand Sea Bream Sushi, Bluefin Otoro Sushi, and Japanese Yellowtail Sushi. Of them all, I really enjoyed the Yellowtail, and I was a bit thrown off guard by what I think was the Bluefin Otoro (it wasn't bad, I just thought it was initially spicy then it wasn't then sour then it wasn't -- just an interesting experience that put me through the motions). Ending off was the Blue and Dungeness Crab Hand Roll. Again, I thought it was okay. The thing with me and these hand rolls today is that I felt that there wasn't much flavor distinguishing the fish from everything else; the thing that separated the parts do the hand roll was just the temperature and texture. The service was excellent! They were very attentive to when we needed water refills, needed new napkins, or had empty dishes. Though the restaurant is relatively small, it is beautiful and classy and is in a cute location in Pasadena. This experience was very eye opening in my world of sushi, and I look forward to when I can come back again and try more items.

Good food and great service. Not that much seating and some of it is awkward. We got a corner section and I had a clear view of the other person sitting on the other side who was also in the awkward corner section. We ordered the trust me, which was pretty filling. Although it was good I didn't like how the sashimi and some of the nigiri was drenched in salty soy sauce but it was still good.

It's been a while since I've been back to sugarfish and it used to be one be one of my go to spots for affordable and high quality sushi however over the years I see how the quality, craftsmanship, and affordability has gone down. We came on a Sunday night at 8pm and waiting around 45 minutes to get seated. It was my friend's first time here as well as my first time recommending him what. I thought was really good quality sushi for the price. I got the Trust me and my friend got the Trust me lite. Although the fish is still super buttery and good it definitely does not compare to the quality of better sushi restaurants in the area. I was really dissatisfied/disappointed at how the nigiri/rice falls apart with the slightest touch. The fish quality was also just okay and you can clearly taste that the fish has been frozen which is a bit disappointing. In addition to the sushi, the service has also gone down hill. My friend and I had gotten seated and it took us forever to get the next items on the omakase. They also forgot to give me half my items at first which I can understand since it was around closing but as a place that prides itself on omakase with a mandatory 16% gratuity and having experienced amazing service from them before I was definitely let down. Our server was still really kind though! They had also failed to let me know that they had run out of hirame for the night and will be replacing it with scallop which would have been nice to know before hand. However to make up for it they did give us blue fin tuna which is usually on the other menu. Overall, it was just an okay experience.

Got the trust me set menu for $35/person which was a good amount of food for me personally. Sat at the bar and service was good. The waiters clearly explained the menu options, what was substituted for the evening and what fishes/menu items weren't available. The dishes came at a good pace and our empty dishes were cleared pretty quickly. My favorites were the blue and dungeness crab hand roll b/c you can taste the crab very well and the scallop for the texture and the sauce that came with it. But the rest of the sushi/food was just alright. I assume the sushi that was served was nigiri and if that's the case, it did not look like nigiri which really bothered me for some reason. The fish was a thinner slice than usual and the rice was not packed. It was just a pile of rice so I was not able to eat the nigiri as a whole piece of sushi. The albacore and yellowtail also didn't have much flavor. 10 min wait on a monday evening at 7PM for party of 2, free parking after 6PM (i'm pretty sure) in the lot that's south across the street. Overall good experience but I feel like the fish and sushi quality is alright and it feels kinda overhyped. I'll probably go elsewhere that's more affordable and w/ a greater variety of sushi.

I love Sugarfish! I've actually only ever been to this location but I've always had good experiences here. My last visit was on a Sunday around lunchtime and thankfully did not have to wait. Usually prime dinner time I've had to wait a bit for a table. I usually park in the South Lake parking lot and walk over since it's free. I will usually either get the Trust Me and add a few a of their limited availability sushi options like Pink Lobster or Albacore Belly and it hits every time. The sushi is always so fresh. My favorite staples are the tuna sashimi and yellowtail but their special menu has always been really good too. This location is also clean and inviting. My friend who has been to other locs says that this one is more spacious which I guess I take for granted. I would also say for the quality and quantity it's reasonably priced and I love that they just do a standard service charge versus tip.

We came this afternoon (Wednesday) at around 3 PM and our party of 4 was able to be seated right away. The ambiance was nice and comforting. I think it would be a nice place to come for a date night. We came in knowing what we were going to order so as soon as we sat, our server brought us water and we were able to get our order started. - - Don't think, Just Eat (5/5): We got 2 orders of this and shared. It came with edamame, 1 sashimi, 2 handrolls and 7 nigiri. Each and every single piece that went into my mouth was heavenly and basically melted. The quality of the fish was exceptional and it was some of the freshest fish I've ever had. My personal favorites were the Blue Fin Otoro, Tuna Sashimi, and Toro. I think my least favorite would be the Pink Lobster just because the texture was a little slimier than I would've liked. The price was $59 per order and an automatic 16% gratuity was added but it was very worth it. Once again the fish here was so unbelievably fresh and the service was great! I know it doesn't sound or look like a lot of food, but by the end of my meal, I was full and satisfied. I think one critique I have would be for the servers to maybe enunciate when telling us what fish they were serving us. I felt that it was a little bit hard to hear them either because they were mumbling or because they were wearing a mask. My mom and sister came before and were raving about this place and I have to say, it did not disappoint. It exceeded my already high expectations and I can't wait to come again.

I ordered the "Dont think just eat" set and I would definitely recommend it if it is ur first time here. It has alot of variety and it gives you the chance to try things you might not normally eat. Overall my favorite was the salmon, unagi and the hand-roll. The location is small so expect a 40-50 minute wait on the weekends.

Im a sugarfish girl through and through- and this is my fave location. From the dedicated for SFish parking lot to gorgeous courtyard, it's a win. The servers and staff are so fun, sweet, patient and charming. And believe me, my mom is not an easy client to please. 10/10.

I sat at the bar, and found the bar tender to not be the best representative of the business. He was a bit gruff and to the point, and clearly had zero interest in setting me up for success. That said, the food was fucking delicious. I was really ennamoured with the restaurants balance of extremely fresh fish, with hot rice. Not something I've had in the past, and I can see why it might rub some people the wrong way, but I loved how the heat of the rice brought the fish closer to room temp, which really highlighted the textures and flavor. Food is really good, atmosphere is dark and not particularly noteworthy - service could definitely improve. But that said, if I lived close, I'd be a frequent visitor.

Excellent Place to have sushi and drinks because the ambiance is fantastic. Service is great and staff very friendly. Of course the food is amazing and because is an excellent place, the downside is that a lot of people go and you have to wait at times up to an hour to be seated but is well worth it.

Parking: Street parking available Ambience: Fairly small and busy restaurant with no reservations available, it's just first come first serve Service: Standard! My only grievance was that after the meal, you can sign up to get emailed a discount or promo or something--I don't quite remember what the offer entailed, but even during our meal before we got the receipt, the people at the tables surrounding us were telling the waiters they'd never received such an email despite signing up last time. When we signed up, the server assured us he'd get it taken care of, but alas, still no email :/ Taste: Wow. Just wow. Hands down some of the most fresh and tasty sushi I've ever had. We got the Trust Me set (edamame, tuna sashimi, albacore sushi, salmon sushi, toro hand roll, Japanese yellowtail, New Zealand sea bream, Hirame sushi, and blue and dungeness crab hand roll for $35), of which 2 of the options were just alright (forgot which ones though), but everything else was absolutely divine :') Each option comes out one by one, so it's not a quick meal by any meals, but it definitely gives you time to truly appreciate each of the flavors. Would highly recommend!

Nothing has changed in terms of Sugarfish's absolutely delicious sushi. Niko was a very sweet hostess and made me feel very cared for. Paul, the assistant manager, was very personable and polished. It's a great atmosphere for a small space. It made my birthday dinner very special.

I was introduced to this place for their iconic takeout boxes from people I watch on YouTube/other various social media. I was half expecting the food to not be great, I guess I am convinced that when it comes to restaurants like SUGARFISH, food taste usually takes a tumble at the cost of being posh/chic. I was wrong, not only was this place fairly swanky and appealing, the food tasted fantastic as well! It was so good, it actually made some fish I tend to not prefer delicious (sea bream, not a big fan of it previously, but I am now if any place will prepare it the way SUGARFISH does). The box was excellent, and lovely to look at while I ate. I would've saved it and taken it back with me on the plane if I had enough luggage room. I was originally going to pick this up and eat it back in bed in my hotel room while I watched YouTube, but there's a nice little center area outside of this establishment to enjoy this meal, and it was too inviting and I was too hungry to wait to drive back. I kind of prefer it instead of dining in. The restaurant itself is on the slightly smaller side, and seemed chaotic from how packed it was. Multiple families with tons of kids were there, did not seem like it was worth it at that specific moment to dine in. I'd love to visit again, and this time I will try to bring it back into the hotel room and eat it in bed while watching YouTube!

If I could give more stars I would. I went there, not liking sushi and due to the freshness of the food and the stellar staff. I have been going back at least twice a week and it is my favorite place. It is so fresh and clean that I do not want to chance eating sushi anywhere else. The staff is very friendly and accommodating and this will be in my rotation of places I eat thank you to everybody who makes us feel welcome and special.

If you like pretentious attitude mixed with a "no soup for you" mentality then this is the place for you. What used to be a welcoming vibe has gone cold on service. Walking into a restaurant with 4 open seats at the sushi bar warrants a 10min waitlist when no one is waiting to be seated at 2pm I hope they enjoyed their open seats and magical waitlist as I walked across the street to eat lunch with better ambiance. To be fair they have the best rice game in town, but not that good.

Pretty solid spot that's is a bit confusing on what it's trying to be and what people think it is. The aesthetic and location are very high end, and even at 2pm on a weekday we had a 25 min wait for a table. The fish is high quality and the menu definitely has an air of pretentiousness with a focus on high quality raw fish (i.e., no rolls or crazy amount of additional ingredients). But at its heart, this is a very efficient in-n-out of sushi. The food is high quality, but the menu is lacking. It is kind of omakase, but it's not as it's a pre-set menu. It looks super high-end but with reasonable approachable prices. The hype is probably a bit high for this cheaper take on high end sushi. It's not to say we didn't enjoy it, it's just trying to make sense of the experience was odd. The main takeaway I settled on was that, it's a high quality sushi place where in exchange for not many options, the customer gets a good "omakase-esqe" experience at a very reasonable price. Would I wait more than an hour for this spot? Probably not. Would I be really happy with the experience though? Yes.

Sugarfish operates on a first-come, first-served basis, so join the waitlist immediately and occupy yourself by walking around the area or with a drink while waiting. It took us about 2 hours on a Saturday night. The restaurant's intimate setting can only accommodate around 10 parties at a time, making it less ideal for larger groups. We opted for the Trust Me set menu. Highlights were the Tuna Sashimi, Salmon Sushi, and Toro Handroll. While the rice tended to fall apart easily, possibly due to insufficient rice vinegar or inadequate resting time after cooking, the sashimi quality was exceptional. It had a wonderfully buttery texture, complemented by the light ponzu sauce and chive garnish. There is a bathroom available, but its cleanliness doesn't quite match the restaurant's otherwise nice ambiance. Additionally, the dim, intimate lighting may not be ideal for capturing photos.

Completely blown away by Sugarfish! The quality of the fish, the taste and texture of the rice, the simplicity of the omakase-style menu, and the friendly service was all incredibly worth it! It's a pretty cozy date night place too. I waited over an hour on a busy Saturday night (there are no reservations) but the food was so delicious I would go back and wait again! I especially loved the crab and lobster hand rolls, but everything was excellent. We did one NOZAWA Trust Me and one DON'T THINK. JUST EAT. TRUST ME and I would say sticking to the Nozawa for dinner might be a better option. The "Don't Think" received the lobster hand roll and a few different upgraded pieces scattered throughout the courses but only two extra pieces of grilled eel sushi as the last course, so I would say the portion size does not change much, but I personally think the Nozawa was just as good! A no-tipping restaurant (however there is a service fee charged) with amazing food and service - definitely 5 stars for me!

Loved my experience at Sugarfish. I came here with my friend since we wanted sushi and to try something new. We both ordered the Nozawa Trust Me, as well as some salmon sashimi and two orders of the Hokkaido Sea Scallops. Everything tasted fresh and was complimented well by the chef's choice of ponzu, yuzu, or citrus salt. My favorite nigiri were the Hokkaido Sea Scallops, Japanese Yellowtail, and Hirame. I loved the Toro and Blue & Dungeness Crab Hand Rolls as well. I love how the rice they use is perfectly seasoned, soft, and warm. The ambiance of this restaurant is very cozy, modern, and relaxing. The seating seems to kind of limited, but we were able to be seated right away. The staff was very friendly, personable, and attentive. Overall, a great experience and I can't wait to go back!

Love this sugarfish location with the large windows and great layout. It's inside a cute plaza so the outside view is nice. Good amount of bar and table seating. They dont allow outside drinks so they put my friend's and my boba drinks in the fridge while we ate. The waiter was super friendly and allowed us to make adjustments to their trust me set menu. We were able to switch out the shrimp sushi for albacore. There is a large parking lot on shoppers ln and cordova nearby with 90 min free parking which is convenient. Overall great experience!

We have been going to SUGARFISH for some time now at multiple locations. The Pasadena location feels a little smaller than other locations and it usually has a wait unless you go during the off hours. The reason why we keep coming back - the food is consistent and it's usually good. It's pretty traditional in that there's not too much done with the sushi. It may not be the best sushi we've had, but it is good and we know what we are getting every time. We are usually more than satisfied with our meals. We often get one of the Trust Me Sets or my favorite - the "Don't Think, Just Eat' set. We just enjoy to not think about what we want too much and just enjoy the food. Every now and then, we'll order some of the specials so it's always worth a look to see what they have for that day. Something that I think of that's signature to SUGARFISH is that they use warm rice with their sushi and rolls. It's different and we do enjoy the warm rice at their establishments, though their may be varying opinions on rice temperature in sushi. We haven't had any bad experiences here at SUGARFISH - Pasadena so we will continue to come back.

sugarfish never misses! we usually do the Trust Me ($30pp) omakase set & it comes with edamame, nigiri, & handrolls (8 items). pretty good value for the freshness and flavor of each item. service was attentive and professional. the service here was consistent to the one in MDR that my SO and i previously dined at. the servers are kind and bring out your items as you finish each one. the ambiance is usually calm, sultry, and cozy as the lights are typically dimmed and each table is lit with a small tea light candle. perfect for a date night :--) a go-to spot for me and my SO

I absolutely love Sugarfish. The quality has almost always been consistent. And it's delicious as always. There's street parking and a parking garage in the back. Depending on how busy it is, you may have to wait a bit to get seated. They don't allow outside drinks but they will assist with storing it in the kitchen while you're there. The service from the staff is usually attentive and will usually clear your plates quickly and hand you the next one in queue. Even though I love this place, I'm knocking it by a star bc during my most recent visit, the tuna sashimi wasn't of the quality I was so used to. Otherwise, I def recommend stopping by a Sugarfish at least twice a year so you can grab a free Trust Me set on your birthday!

Wow! This is a long overdue review. We used to frequent this restaurant during Covid era and to be honest have never eaten inside the restaurant, well because Covid era. The outside looks clean and minimalist which I actually prefer. Anyhoo on to the food...always fresh and delicious. Literally melt in your mouth delicious. The service during Covid was impeccable, social distancing, mask and gloves so I felt safe picking up our food. Needless to say it's time I pay a visit again real soon. Highly recommended!

The space is smaller than I expected, but clean. This seems to work out very well since the number of tables are more limited. Staff seem very efficient as a result. When we arrived we were told the system(presumably the ticket systme to kitchen) was down and that there could be a delay. This was not apparent to us at all. After ordering, our first dishes came out within 5 minutes. I ordered the "don't make me think" since it was my first time and a workday lunch. This is one of the prix fixe style items that changes each day (I think).The portions are appropriate and good amounts for one meal. Really good variety, of what I remember there was lobster, salmon, ootoro, toro, and albacore. Everything was delicious the rice comes out warm, the proteins come out at room temperature and still fresh. There is not the same bite of of refrigerated seafood. The one thing that was off-putting is a prominently written statement that they are a no tipping establishment, but list a 16% fee. It seems contradictory, the reason I love no tipping is because I do not have to think about it and just pay what is listed. Regardless of the function of the fee, I would much rather just pay a higher menu price than see a listed fee. Another weird thing is that I was not given a receipt to sign, nor was a digital signature requested. Not sure why, ut I did get a customer receipt. I would still come back despite the fee listing, its a minor peeve compared to my good experience at Sugarfish.

Food 3/5: all the sushi tasted very mid for the price. You would think if you go to an above avg sushi place maybe you can get some good qual but no... The texture was very soggy, not fresh, no taste, just no. Service 4/5: just avg workers. Also had to wait 1.5 hrs on a sat night, no. Ambiance 3/5: seats are so close to others, very tight, cramped, just not worth your money, time, or your tastebuds to be there. I highly do not recommend this place, we ended up spending around $180 there.

Known for their nicely presented takeout boxes, I had to try dining in this time. There are multiple locations. The wait on a Monday night was an hour for dinner. They do not take reservation and only do walk-ins. The restaurant itself was small and tight. We got The Nozawa Trust Me ($46), which comes with edamame, tuna sashimi, nigiris, and hand rolls. Their fish is so fresh and melts in your mouth! I loved the New Zealand sea bream, yellowtail, and bluefin otoro. Unfortunately, they switched out hirame with scallop that night. I like the fish to rice ratio and how full you get after eating this set. It's a good price for the amount of food. They're a "no tipping" restaurant but they'll automatically charge you 16% regardless of dine in or takeout. That's the only downside, but tasty sushi!

Came with a party of 2 on a Monday evening and we were seated right away. I decided to go with the Trust Me Lite ($25) as I have a smaller appetite, and it ended up being the perfect amount of food! The Trust Me Lite came with edamame, tuna sashimi, 4 nigiri (albacore, sesame topped salmon, yellowtail, shrimp), and a toro (fatty tuna) hand roll. My favorites would have to be the albacore and yellowtail nigiri. The tables are a bit close together, as I'm guessing they don't expect guests to stay for extended periods of time, but I enjoyed the overall ambiance & experience. I believe they validate parking, but we decided to just park in the lot behind Mendocino Farms down the street. Would recommend coming here if you enjoy sushi and are looking for a slight splurge!

This place is generally my go to if I'm not up for full blown omakase. It scratches the itch for high quality fish and it's a great value. It's a lovely place and the ambiance is good for solo, dates, friends, you name it. I've done all varieties of evenings and even afternoons here. Worth the wait and the service is alway fast, efficient and friendly. Probably the sushi place I eat at most often, honestly. I do love me some sushi.

The menu has smaller font with super dark ambience. I had to turn on the light on my phone to be able to see (and im not the only one in the restaurant doing so). It's a cozy tight place with a lot of small table. We were seated under the speaker which was loud. This is not an ideal place for an intimate date night but an excellent place for "not interested but obligated date" spot. Food was reasonable for the set menu.

Since when did sushi Nozawa become a holding table restaurant? As long as I can remember well over 10 years, I'd have to say never have I ever seen tables slowly turn at a Sugarfish restaurant This is a pain taking review because I love the food at this restaurant. I love that it's always consistent and the servers are always amazing. But when you have hostess Friday night about 730 in the evening and there is a chair available at the bar you offer that chair to the single person That is what I was always happened and it has never failed. If there is a seat available at it's immediately offered to you. But this hostess decided to mark me down as a rotation for over two hours And the reason there was a two hour wait is because it took her the hostess an average of 10 minutes to turn the table after a party has left both table and sushi bar Never have I ever walked Out of Sugarfish without having dinner until tonight because the hostess was absolutely horrible Management needs to teach her the courtesy of Sugarfish sushi Nozawa tradition is there is no holding tables and it's first come first serve when all your party is there I was a party of 1 It says so on their webpage

Beautiful, high quality fish is served here! It just melts in your mouth with pure deliciousness! Stopped in for a late lunch today, it was my first time here and I was pleasantly surprised with the meal. Both myself and my wife ordered the Trust Me Lite. It's a perfect lunch meal and the presentation adds to the amazing taste! The 4 course meal started with Edamame lightly salted and very fresh, served cold. Then they bring the Tuna Sashimi with ponzu and chives. The fish was so tender and fresh it made me excited for the rest of the meal. Next comes the sushi, Albacore with ponzu, Salmon with toasted sesame and Nozawa-style shrimp. All 3 were delicious with a warmed rice underneath. Lastly the Toro Hand Roll!!! Wow! The flavor combination of the Toro, fresh seaweed and the warm rice was spot on! No need to add anything to it. Well done Sugarfish! It's a medium size place. It has a big window with a beautiful view of the courtyard. Sleek modern woodwork on the walls and ceiling. Nice feel. Parking is easy with the garage across the street, they validate parking. You can also park for free at the public outdoor lot a half a block away. The reason I gave 4 stars and not 5 was that one employees there was a total vibe killer. She was cussing multiple times while having loud personal conversations. She might have been the manager, not sure. But she ruined the kind/calm Pasadena vibe with her trashy demeanor.

I love SugarFish This place surprised me because they got us a table right away All other locations usually have waiting lists.. Super delicious and fresh !! Thank you Paul :)

This review for my takeout experience only. I parked in the lot across the street (free for the first 90 mins if you can find a space), but there's also street parking and a hourly fee based parking structure nextdoor if you need to find additional parking. Sugarfish is found within a little plaza surrounded by other restaurants and shops like Lemonade, Philz Coffee, Soul Cycle, etc. I ordered a to go set menu & it was ready within 10 minutes. It was delicious with some edamame, sashimi, sushi, and two cut rolls. I appreciated the different sauces and sides they provided separate from the order. I would definitely order this/something new the next time I visit. Service was patient, kind, and quick. They opened the door for me as I left since I had my hands full. Thank you! I'll be back soon.

I'm originally not from LA and I knew I had to pay a visit to this place when I was in area. I've heard a lot from social media that this sushi spot is "very LA" or "a very overhyped LA restaurant". And since I am a sushi fanatic - I was pretty excited to go. Walking in, we were immediately greeted and seated right away. We came during lunch time and it was moderately busy. The space is modern and intimate. Service was very professional and we were checked on throughout the meal to see how we were doing - so excellent service. We both did the "Trust Me" meal. The quality of the fish was magnificent and every bite was delicious. Every dish comes out in a timely manner; this is one of the biggest plusses that I took away from this restaurant. My biggest pet peeve is feeling rushed during a meal. For one person, this was $35 (not including the 16% tipping fee) and I was still hungry afterwards. Because of that, I would just recommend coming to Sugarfish if you're not absolutely starving and don't want to splurge. To give a little more background, this is coming from someone who is used to All You Can Eat sushi for the same price so I'm pretty used to leaving a sushi spot feeling like I got my moneys worth. It is no surprise that parking is a pain. My boyfriend and I parked at the parking garage that has Erewhon in it and then walked over to Sugarfish. The walk wasn't bad at all! In fact, it was really nice since the location is in a nice and safe area in Pasadena. Overall, the quality of their food is exquisite and I would definitely come back. My biggest tip is keeping in consideration their portions and the price that comes with it.

+Parking: Street parking, but read ALL of the signs like you're in LA! Public parking I think is behind the restaurant. They ask about parking validation, but not 100% sure. Didn't need to validate. + Atmosphere: Nice ambiance with an open window & I like the design. The whole 16% automatic/no tipping mad the attitudes of the waitresses/waiters just non-existent. Front host smiled a few times & another waitress. Overall, seemed like no one was happy. Not sure if they were understaffed or what happened. Maybe it was a bad day or the holidays, but ya'll just opened & had to wait an hour to be seated. The host did ask us if it was okay to wait, which we said was okay & went to go shop around. We did put our name down to reserve w/ Minipass & they text you to come back, which is good. On top of that, no smiles, & everyone was forgetful of some topics. How do you forget the menu or to tell first timers how the menu works. Otoro was a separate item. +Sushi: "The Nozawa Trust me" (lunch) ~$39 1. Edamama - decently cooked & slighty salted 2. Tuna Shashimi Appetizer - Ponzu & chives. Tuna cuts were decent! 3-4. Albacore & salmon sushi - Fish cuts were delicious, rice kept falling apart. 5. Toro handroll - pretty good fish ratio. Rice was okay & Nori wasn't crunchy. 6-9. Japanese yellowtail sushi - w/ lemon was delicious, Chutoro sushi - was the best part. Only had 1 Hirame* sushi, which was also a delicious fish. 1 New Zealand Sea Bream Sushi - also a good cut 10. I didn't eat the blue & dungeness crab handroll, but my friend said it was good! Maybe I'll try eel or scallop next time! 11. Bluefin Otoro ($14/ 2 pcs)- Delicious cut & would recommend. 1st time ordering the trust me options. The fish was good, but the rice kept falling apart & falling into the rice. The waitress kept reminding us about the crispiness of the nori, but the nori was not crispy. A little disappointed in the handrolls. Dinner seems to be about the same amount. Note: They have a 15 for 15 Anniversary Menu! They won't tell you what's on the menu either. This is similar to the Don't Think. Just Eat. Trust Me., which our neighboring table got & it looked pretty good! I would be giving a 2-star review were it not for the fish being the main ingredient & 2 out of 5 staff having decent attitudes. Our main waitress & the host were 2:5 that smiled, which made the experience better. I was here once before the pandemic for happy hour & remember the rice wasn't that good either, but the fish was good! Unfortunately, they don't have many shashimi items, and can't say much about sushi from Pasadena, so 3 stars even for $$$.

Hands down the BEST sushi I have ever had in my life. There was no fishy taste and the texture was just melt in your mouth. I had the trust me omakase and it was a good amount of food to make you feel satisfied. They don't take reservations so it's best to come at an off hour if you don't want to wait. The service was excellent. I really did enjoy sitting at the bar. I wish we could see more of the sushi being made in front of us like at other sushi spots. I recommend this place for anyone wanting good quality sushi at an affordable price.