Asako Sushi

Took my mom here for her first sushi experience, and then brought my hubby back to celebrate our anniversary. Both times it was absolutely delicious. Everything is fresh and artistic, and the staff (particularly the owner) is very warm and friendly. My husband, who travels to Japan every now and then, said the sake isn’t the best he’s ever had but is still very good. He loved the sushi, though, and we had a great time. Both of us prefer very traditional, simple Japanese cuisine — no towering, sauced-​up, «cooked» creations with racy names for us. While Asako does offer some fancier rolls, our favorites are the simplest sushi and sashimi where the fish flavors and textures are allowed to shine, and that’s what you’ll find here. We’ll be going back when the craving strikes again.

Not sure what the hype is about, have been there twice on a weekend night and it was completly empty, and the last time I went just last week ended up sick for the next 24 hours. I felt it was due to the fish sitting out for so long :/​owner was clearly drunk when I got there which was another turn off for us!

OMG this place is such a great place. If you love sushi you must try this place. Tell them to you give off the menu sushi is an amazing sushi experience. The staff is so friendly. This our second time here me and my wife will be coming here again this our new favorite spot

Excellent sushi!!! Nice environment and the service was great. I will not hesitate to come here again.

I had a late class and needed dinner at 10 pm. This was the only place open. It was horrible! I should have known. The minute I walked in the door it smelled fishy. I gave them a try anyway and the fish had astringent fishy smell. And I only had a few bites and I was done. It tasted horrible.
Never again!

The best sushi in the Santa Clarita Valley.
Actually owned by someone from Japan. The food is outstanding and authentic ! The owner is amazing & so sweet! Great sushi chefs too. As good as Nobu… fresh, and rolls that look like art. I felt like I was somewhere else and will only come here for sushi

Been here before and loved it so decided to come back today for dinner.
I love that every time we come we are greeted by the owner.
Fresh food and always yummy!

I don’t do many Unilocal reviews but this place is a gem! The food delicious and asako is awesome !!! Absolutely will return again soon!!!

Wow… this place was very different and was cool. The owner… didn’t get her name but sure it is in one of the reviews was super sweet and recommended we get the Sake and share it, she charged us $ 10 and it was a good portion for that and she said she has charged the same price for 5 years.
She recommended the Asako Special that we shared and it was really good. So definitely will be back.

This place is awful! The worst service ever! The lady there is so rude and makes everything uncomfortable. The sushi chef was actually pretty cool tho. I feel so bad for him that he has to put up with her every day. It took 30 mins to get are saki bottles and we were sitting at the bar. Worst thing tho is she put 2 items on my bill that I never got.

OMG you HAVE to try this place! Excellent service and the food was absolutely incredible! I don’t say that lightly, especially when it comes to sushi. Quality, fresh ingredients, and different sauces to go with each plate. Had a great time with my friends, I will definitely go here again!

This was my first time here and now is my favorite sushi house. They have the best service and a great chef trained in old school Japanese sushi culinary art. Try the heaven drink and cold sake. Reasonable prices and comfortable atmosphere. You wont be disappointed.

I was looking on Unilocal too see if there was any good sushi places around and seeing all the great reviews about this place is what made me want to try it out. Came here with my girlfriend and as soon as we walked in immediately we were greeted by the lovely owner Asako who was so kind and made us laugh alot so it was a good start .
She sat us down and asked what kind of sushi we were looking for and as we did she recommended us various items and so we tried the Tempura California Roll to start and i can honestly say its probably one of the best California Rolls ive tried. We also tried 3 other kinds, which i dont remember the names of them, but were also very delicious and VERY FRESH! Everything about this place was phenomenal from the service to the ambiance and of course the delicious food! Definetly my sushi spot for now on, im soooo glad i tried this place out! If your looking for great authentic japenese sushi you cant go wrong with this place HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! Thanks Asako for an amazing experience!

I never review restaurants I usually sit back and let the rest of you do all the rating work for me. But today I felt like I needed to say «I have found my new favorite sushi place in Santa Clarita!»
Asako is small and tucked into a shopping center right by the Boot barn. I didn’t think this unassuming little place would make me sit back and evaluate my SCV sushi decisions. What else have I been missing.
Everything is top quality and the service is top notch. I can’t wait to come back and try more of this menu.
When you go please try the sashimi combo Omokase «chefs choice» he picked the best fish for us and it was amazing. The Salmon was prepared with the chefs touch and it was melt in your mouth. the bluefin tuna was to die for. He definitely knows how to bring out the natural flavor of the fish while adding pops of equally delicious flare.

Sometimes, I want to give up on Unilocal.It used to be a resource, but now it’s harder than ever to figure out whether a restaurant is good. One person gives 5 stars, while the very next review gives 1.
Sushi is maybe the most difficult type of food to figure out. Does the person who says a restaurant is great love it because it has great Philly Cream Cheese rolls? Does the person who gives a 1, hate it for the same reason? Or maybe it’s the opposite: Someone gives a fully authentic Japanese sushi bar a 1 because they don’t have crazy, stupid, Americanized over-​the-​top (cooked fish) rolls, an all-​you-​can-​eat happy hour, and nightly karaōke.
You just can’t tell without a lot of research.
It was under this cloud of indecision that I finally decided to go to Asako Sushi.
It is a bit of a cliché to call a place a «hidden gem» — especially when they are on the busiest street in Santa Clarita — but that is what Asako Sushi is. Tucked in the back row of a little strip mall, the location is pretty nondescript. The interior is very old-​school, traditional Japanese, with paper parasol light fixtures hanging from the ceiling.
The owner Asako greets you very traditionally, and seats you. She is also your waitress and bus service, at least on slow nights.
The menu is simple, and uncomplicated. Very traditional. No crazy rolls. Asako’s service is efficient, polite, and occasionally, fun/​funny.
On the Thursday night we went, the sushi was top-​notch fresh. I had the Combo B, and my wife had a couple of the large rolls. We shared it all, and it was all pretty good. Unlike combos most other places, where a 10-​piece combo is 10 different types of fish, the 10-​piece Combo B is composed of 5 pairs of nigiri, so it is ideal for sharing. The chef’s special rainbow roll that accompanies it is also built in pairs of the top fish, so it is easy to share as well.
The red snapper was the best I have had anywhere. Our surprise green tea ice cream dessert was also delicious. I find that at a lot of sushi bars, the ice cream is frozen rock hard, flavorless (or over-​flavored), and kind of industrial. Asako’s green tea ice cream is subtle, light, and lightly frozen. I doubt it is house-​made, but it could be.
As others have noted here, Asako is very personable, maybe a little intense. It was our first visit, and she wanted to make sure we were treated right, and understood what we were getting. She complimented us on our chopstick skills, and was surprised that we mostly ordered raw fish, as that is apparently not common in Santa Clarita (!). She opened up to us immediately, and talked about her long-​time customers, her struggles in the restaurant business, etc. I can see how some people would find it off-​putting: TMI. Other people could find it charming. It’s personal treatment you don’t get anywhere else, but at the same time, if you just want to eat and go, you might react negatively. We had a lovely time during our two-​hour meal, and enjoyed getting to know her.
We were big fans of Maru sushi, and have been searching for something to replace it since it left town. We’ve had two good and one bad experiences at Kinza, so the jury is out. For now though, it seems like Asako could be our new go-​to place.
Now, what I’ve discovered when you mention Maru, is they appealed to both sides of the sushi coin: They had both the traditional, purist stuff, and the Americanized stuff, but they did BOTH very well. Heck, they even served the best filet mignon in SCV for a while. So, when someone says they liked Maru, you have to be careful. Which side did they like?
Asako is for fans of simple, purist, Japanese sushi. Let’s face it, a lot of the all-​you-​can-​eat, crazy roll places here in SCV are not Japanese. They are American, Korean, you name it. That doesn’t make them worse. It’s just not what you want if you are seeking Japanese sushi. Asako is from Osaka. She still goes to the downtown LA fish market and personally selects her fish. It’s as old-​school as you can get. She is more in the style (but not quite the level) of Sushi Nozawa, or Nobu Matsuhisa. She is NOT Kabuki, or Love, or Shogun. Her menus don’t have glossy pictures.
Asako told us an anecdote: Before moving to SCV, she had a sushi bar in Beverly Hills. At her current location, she regularly gets patrons who ask her for a fork and knife. They want to know when happy hour is, or what nights have all-​you-​can-​eat. That never happened at her previous location. Here in SCV, we are sushi newbies. Unfortunately, our taste for sushi has been developed under a false régime of non-​Japanese sushi. It’s like if you grew up eating only McDonald’s, could you truly appreciate a fine, grass-​fed, beef burger with truffles and aioli the first time you tasted it?
If you are looking for a uniquely Japanese food/​cultural experience in the SCV, give Asako a try. If you want a loud, fun, cheap place with deep-​fried tempura spicy cream-​cheese chicken rolls, all-​you-​can-​eat happy hour, stay away.

Another amazing delicious time at Asakos. This time had smoked Ono. Mouth watering wonderful treat. So good. I always leave happy when I go here. Great experience, great food and my favorites Asakosan and Andysan. They really do a phenomenal job. If you’re looking for quality sushi Japanese style… go here. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again… BEST SUSHI IN LA!!!

Ok so my birthday just passed and of course I celebrated at my favorite sushi joint. But the best part was my birthday gift from Asako herself. She had The members from «Three 6 Mafia» call in and wish me a very happy birthday. I was in total shock. I’m still in disbelief. I’ve loved Asako for her food and hospitality but she took my love for her to a whole new level. I am a loyal and faithful customer for the sushi and I will hold Asako in my heart forever.

SERIOUSLY the most excellent sushi around, and in the most random of places! So fortunate to have been introduced to this place by some friends that live local.
Asako is one of the best humans you’ll ever meet. sweet, friendly, hilarious, but most importantly very passionate about her work! She has truly dedicated her life to her business, and it shows in the quality of the sushi.
If you don’t know what to order, ask her or a sushi chef to recommend something. Trust me, they know what they’re doing!

The fish is so good, the dishes prepared so well, and Asako is so friendly that I had to come back to omakase for my birthday the second time I came here.
They make their own eel sauce. It’s the best I’ve ever had.
Asako is so informative on sushi, its preparation, and other great sushi restaurants in LA.
This is one of my favorite restaurants in the LA area.

Best sushi ever!
We come to eat and there is nothing like any other place, best of best all southern California sushi. Just try.
:)