MJ Roll n Teriyaki

I don’t know how this place is getting such high reviews. This was one of the worst restaurant experiences I have ever had. The food was bland, dry and tasted like it had been sitting around for hours. The service was terrible. If you want to enjoy your food, do not come here.

Love this place! The food is excellent and the service is great. Nice little family run hole in the wall place.

High quality Japanese food at mom and pop shop prices!
Definitely recommend this restaurant. Owners are lovely as well!

We were invited to my friend’s b– day party (Saturday’s lunch) but we didn’t really enjoyed foods that she prepared for her party. Because my hudsband has some diatary restrictions. (He has high blood pressure) — he needed low sodium food.
We Unilocalped then found this place!!!
Thanks, Unilocal.:)
We asked the lady in the front if they could make no sauce — salmon teriyaki and no dressing — salad. She said yes! She recommended water instead miso soup. We did.
We also ordered tempura udon, california roll and spicy tuna roll for my boys (they didn’t eat b-​day food either) and me.
We were provided soooo beautiful teriyaki and flavorful rolls. My hubby ate all his food and then tried some spicy tuna roll. Two thumbs UP !!!
They did not add much mayo in spicy tuna, which is good for my hubby (he does not like oily ingredients)
Kids loved tempura udon and california roll. They shared 2 shrimp tempura and i enjoyed veggie tempura. Yam tempura was YUMMY, YUMMY, YUMMY
He is a half Japanese (his mom is from Kyoto) so he knows what real Japanese food is. He even told their food reminded him of his mother’ food. Kind of soul food :)))
I appreciate their efforts to provide quality food and accommodation.
Because we were so hungry (it was almost 3pm) i couldn’t take pictures.
Definitely,
Yes ! We will be coming back.
Thanks MJ for your hard work. You guys deserve 5 stars (if i could give them 10 stars, i would) :)

I am shocked by the high ratings for this place. I live nearby and ordered takeout a little while back. Nothing flashy… just spicy tuna rolls. My order was beyond inedible. Rolls were tasteless and not the right temperature… calling them «luke warm» would be a compliment. I was super hungry & still ended throwing out my meal.
If I have a bad experience, I try to give the place the benefit of the doubt… maybe I would go back, if someone dragged me.

Great mom and pop quick stop for lunch in Pasadena! For the price you pay, there’s nothing I can complain about this place. Highly recommended when you want a healthy lunch option with exceptional customer service!

Stopped by here on the way to Coachella, and had a delicious Salmon Teriyaki plate. My friends had Chicken Teriyaki and a Red Dragon roll, which were also good. The best part of this place is the service. I felt like my mom was serving me dinner-​very sweet, accommodating, and helpful!

If you’re looking for a healthy alternative to fast food, MJ’s might be the ticket. Chicken is breast meat and they’re light on the sauce but give you extra in a cup. I had their Combo special with nice side of salad and lightly battered tempura. Service is great but parking can be tricky in this little strip mall.

I really can’t say enough nice about things about this place. Let me stick to the basics. I grew up in Monterey park, attended brightwood elementary from 1980 – 1988. I know what good Japanese food tastes like. Used to eat at Yamas Japanese restaurant in Alhambra on Main when I was growing up. My moms husband is full Japanese (last name Teraoka), my son Noël is ¹⁄₃ Japanese, I knew Japanese as second language before ever learning Spanish.
It’s taken me a long time to find quality Japanese food in this type of fast food environment .
The chef is trained in Japan. His amazing wife and daughters help him run the business.
This is a family owned business that takes pride in their quality of food and they DO NOT OVERCHARGE.
I have never been disappointed in anything I’ve ordered and the presentation is always fantastic.
Worth the wait every time. Even though I have a son in his terrible twos I still wait for this amazing food while he screams in the car and I try to distract him. Yes folks the food is that worth it!
On the occasion that I have attempted to bring hi. Inside to wait he ended up breaking one of the girls Disney snow globes so I won’ t make that mistake again!
Overall 5 stars but if I could give 10 stars I would.
Thank you for keeping the prices low and the quality high!!!
Excellent job!
From a very satisfied and gratefully hungry customer!

Mom and pa shop which seriously operate by mom and pa!
These are the store which you could run in and out and get a decent meal and not too bad of quality at all.
If you are looking for delicate sushi you are at the wrong place but if you do feel like for some rolls you can come right in!
The amount generously given and they are not shy about giving you the sauce either!
Come if you want a little rice comfort food or come if you wanna get your rolls fix!

My son and I enjoyed the MJ Special salmon teriyaki plate. The salad had fresh veggies and great dressing. Very nice and courteous staff. This is a five star place for us. We will come back for sure.

First timers to this establishment.
Ordered a chicken and beef MJ special. Fresh delicious salad, rice, veggie tempura. The beef and chicken had good flavor. Each side included a sauce that enhanced the flavoring and overall eating experience.
Will definitely be adding this spot to our go to spot for healthy but tasty meals!
We called in our order and the staff member at the register was very kind and sweet.

Cute mom and pop store. It’s more like a fast food place but it does take a while to get the food since they prepare it fresh. Decent rolls (I got the green dragon roll and the spicy tuna roll). The green dragon roll came with miso soup. We got lots of food here for a very good price. My fiancé ordered the chicken and beef teriyaki combo and shrimp tempura roll. I will say it was extremely dry and very bland. And just by looking at it, it didn’t look appetizing. Three stars for the food (my food), but four stars for the service. The lady that served us was soooo sweet. I hate giving small restaurants low scores but it’s for the food!

Lunch on Saturday, 10÷2÷15 (first time visiting)
It’s a bit difficult to spot this restaurant so be sure to look out for it. They have a small parking lot and a few 3-​minute parking spots if you want to order to go. The ambiance is very casual. Interior decorations are bright and welcoming. The furniture is causal dining. Just walk right in and place your order at the cashier. The menu is on the left wall. Find a place to sit down afterwards.
It was empty when we arrived so there were plenty of tables. The female owner came to greet us and started a small conversation while we waited for the rest of our party to arrive. The male owner is the chef in the kitchen. We greeted him on our way out.
The menu is small and simple. They have teriyaki combos in chicken, beef, and salmon. I decided on beef because I’m not into the leaner white meat chicken. We also tried the MJ Special Roll. The food took a while but it’s because they make the food to order. I expected the food to be more flavorful considering it’s teriyaki but it was a bit bland, not enough sauce. The beef was a bit tough or overcooked. The rice was good, can’t go wrong with that. It also came with vegetable tempura. It was lightly battered served with homemade dipping sauce. The MJ Special Roll was freshly made. It’s spicy tuna, avocado, and other items wrapped with cucumber. Their drinks are bottled located in the fridge to the left of the cashier.
I haven’t gotten a chance to try other items on the simple menu so I’ll have to come back again. From what I’ve tried, the teriyaki item wasn’t that great. The tempura was delicious. Service is on the slow side so order ahead if you know what you want.

Recommend: YES! For a casual meal anytime.
PROS: Quality of the food, taste of the food, price of the food, and the nicest lady (Merriam) EVER!
CONS: Very small shop, not many tables, parking can be a challenge at lunchtime, all food is served in styrofoam «to go» boxes even if you are eating there. BUT… All that said, I would not let it stop you from trying this place.
If I lived closer I think I might eat here weekly!
My son and I came here to grab lunch the day he moved to Pasadena. We chose to eat at the restaurant as there was not yet a place to sit and eat at his place ;)
The food is top notch for this type of shop. I don’t expect a high level of quality ingredients for this price, but they use them! The owner chef makes the teriyaki sauce (all sauces) from scratch and uses less salt and sugar to keep it healthier but still tasty!
The miso soup is full of seaweed, green onions, and tiny soft bits of tofu. It was excellent!
The salad is mixed greens with tomato, cucumber, spiralized beet and daikon, and radish. The dressing is light and delicious with just enough sesame oil to give a great taste. Again, this is a healthy salad :)
The tempura consisted of a slice of winter squash, some zucchini, sweet potato, and broccoli! A homemade sauce is served with this as well.
I was shocked at the TWO pieces of salmon for the price! Again, a very good value and taste. They were crisp on the outside and very flavorful.
Finally, the rice. I usually order brown rice, but did not notice the sign offering it, so I got white rice. I tasted it just to see how it was. Well! I wound up eating the entire serving! There is only one other place I have eaten where there white rice was delicious, and that was in Oregon at another «hole in the wall.»
This place offers a great value and is definitely worth trying. I can’t wait to go back :)

I was always under the impression that teriyaki was boring. This place is so amazing, they have turned me into a huge teriyaki fan. The service is great and the food taste super fresh. The cashier was very kind talking to my young daughter and just being an overall gem. The food was amazing. I got the chicken and salmon teriyaki. Can’t wait to comeback to try the dragon roll!

I stopped by just now because I needed food and this was highly rated. I originally came for the rolls, I ended up getting a salmon and chicken plate.
I really like the dressing for the salad and chicken. It’s a bit on the lighter side but I’m not a heavy sauce person.
Their fish and chicken is good, it’s not over cooked and tastes clean. I’d come back here, esp for the little stamp card they gave me for a free roll.
Price is right and with friendly staff I wouldn’t mind coming back weekly

Came here for a Wednesday night take-​out dinner. Small menu, food made to order. Very helpful staff. Watermelon slices while you wait
Food was excellent and the portions were satisfying. Will be back again!

I’ve been wanting to try this place out for a really long time because of the pictures and great reviews. I finally stopped in one day for a casual Saturday lunch with family.
The outside of the shop isn’t too noticeable, even if someone was walking around the plaza, they can miss it. Look for the «Grand Opening» banner outside which helps it stand out. The inside is the opposite, it’s screaming banana yellow, and the place is really small and can only house a handful of small tables. It was slow that day, so the woman at the counter was really nice and was eager to serve us. All three of us ordered the chicken teriyaki, but I subbed my rice for more salad.
Our meals came with miso soup, a scoop of rice, white meat chicken teriyaki, a side of tempura, and a mixed green salad with sesame dressing. Salad had little dressing or was low salt, so it had little flavor. The miso soup followed suit, didn’t pack as much flavor. I was kind of torn with these two dishes, because it would’ve been nice if they had more flavor but I liked the fact that they were low salt foods. The tempura was in the fryer a little longer than usual, so that could be interpreted as extra crispy or kind of hard. The chicken was okay, A little on the dry side.
Really torn about this place, because it’s the lighter fare of the area, so I would definitely order here if I wasn’t feeling up to a burger or Mexican food. But my experience was, okay. I think if I ate here again, it’s because I wanted something healthier And I would order it to go.

I wanted to love this place after reading the reviews of how fresh the fish is. The good: I got the MJ Special (bento box) with teriyaki chicken and it was excellent. I took it to go and the presentation even in a To-​go box was impressive. The chicken was cooked perfectly and the teriyaki sauce is definitely home made, which is a good thing! The woman working there is completely sweet and you can tell she values her customers.
The not so good: My experience with the sushi is exactly the opposite of fresh. I have eaten a lot of cheap sushi in my life so I’m no snob and definitely not picky, but my spicy tuna roll was far from fresh and actually very fishy and dirty tasting. Like it was raised in a dirty pond or something. I don’t know. I only ate one piece and I’m one who never refuses food. So that was really sad because spicy tuna is my favorite thing ever.
Overall, I will definitely go back for the bento box and will try some other things as well but probably not fish.