Sushi Ichi

It’s just decent.
I’m not trying to be mean by giving it a two star but I just can’t rate it any higher.
I think their overall is just not as good as the other Japanese restaurants around. They are very nice and I very much appreciate small Japanese restaurants, but it’s a very competitive business and their food for their prices is average at best.
Ordered:
1 house salad: a good size salad but had nothing special to it. Very boring.
2 shishto pepper: was not very flavorful.
3 sushi plate: the fish was not very fresh, it’s definitely not worth $ 30.
4 grilled yellow tail collar: pretty good. Again, can get this dish at most Japanese restaurant and have it turn out pretty good.
5 halibut & albacore sushi: good presentation and flavor, but fish texture was too soft so I’m suspicious.

almost can’t find this place. very low key. daily special were excellent. the baby squid were sold out after we got our order. tender. very typical Japanese boutique restaurant. all staffs are Japanese. small sushi bar. service was great. interior deco was very average. very small inside. not too cheap. and always call for reservation on the weekends.

Great service
Small and cozy
Fish is always really fresh. Especially oyster and uni!
A bit pricey but the food is really fresh
Parking can be difficult sometimes as its in a small plaza.
Usually don’t need a reservation!

Can I get an amen? This place is as good as it gets. I did the omakse (chef’s choice) and it was the most elaborate and delicious meal I’ve had in a long time.

One of the best simple sushi spots in Pasadena. The fish is very fresh and the uni is amazing.

I used to really like this place, but I was here recently and the fish quality wasn’t as good as I last remembered. Even the monk fish liver (ankimo) was prepared oddly, it was served with a whole thick slice of red onion. I think it’d be easier to eat if it was cut up a little or in silvers as most places prepare it.
The fish didn’t taste very fresh either, but I remembered it used to be better a few years back. Not sure what happened but something did that night I went. Service was great and the sushi is better than average, but maybe I had high expectations from my last visit and I was let down by my most recent one.

Pricey — 270 post tax and tip for omakase for two. Almost the same price for nobu at this rate. I’ve come to the conclusion that Sushi will never be as good as it is in Japan. While Sushi Ichi serves a variety of fish such as black throat seaperch and needlefish; it didnt quite packed the same flavor or umami as you would get in Japan.
With that being said — Service is amazing and a there’s a variety of fish that blends in all the flavors you would want in sushi. I am sad we didnt sample their salmon but you should always order Toro when you get the chance!

Decent sushi. Some pieces were really good and others were so-​so. The yellowtail, uni, and ikura were good. Some salmon sashimi pieces tasted fishy. Sushi Gen is probably better for lunch, but this place is much closer without the super long wait.

This is a true hidden gem in Pasadena. Oddly enough I’ve never seen this place busy during lunch time. Hopefully they have a better turn around during dinner. I come here mostly for the kumamoto oysters, wow!!! The chefs special Ichi Plate is also an amazing assortment of sashimi and whatnots. Don’t come here expecting rolls drenched in sauces, instead you’ll leave your palate thanking you.

TERRIBLE SERVICE. The server completely ignored my friend for her orders and messed up the timing of the food being served. I had to eventually cancel part of my order because it had taken so long that the check came. The sashimi took longer than usual to prepare and the bad attitudes didn’t help.
WOULD NOT COME AGAIN.

I thought this place was pretty good. I don’t understand either the 5-​star or 1 and 2-​star reviews. it was a solid sushi place, simple décor and a bit small, but the rolls and sashimi were good and the service was very good. it’s a little cramped so not really the place for a romantic date or to have a private conversation, but there are other places to go if that’s what you’re looking for.
maybe a tad more expensive than it needs to be, but overall A-​OK, just like the 3-​stars say :)

I’ve frequented Sushi Ichi numerous times and have always found it peculiar that this place is normally quite empty for sushi that is pretty good, and now I know why.
The sushi bar which seats no more than 5 people has always been open and available for reservations even when you call in just 15 minutes prior. To seem like an established sushi bar, they do not take «walk-​ins». So we’ve found that you just need to step outside, call in to make a reservation, and you will be seated within minutes of stepping in the door.
We must admit, the sushi here is good and we prefer omakase style. As you know, good quality sushi is never cheap, and for 2 people, the least we have ever spent here is $ 160, usually more and esp. when we bring friends.
As it turns out, we were rejected with our last attempt to make a reservation and were told it was because we «do not spend enough». What’s creepy is that they have our phone number on file, and appear to make detailed notes of spending habits, preferences, etc. With the few clientele they have, I can see how they are able to keep tabs on all their customers. In addition, I had previously requested not to be served mackerel (since it is pretty standard for the sushi chef to ask if there is anything you do not like so that it can be excluded from the omakase). My only request was to not have mackerel. We were told that we were too picky and, for this reason, we were also no longer welcome at the sushi bar.
In summary, if you do not want to be ridiculed and patronized for how much you eat/​spend as a regular at this sushi bar, I’d suggest you go elsewhere. If you do plan to go here, be prepared to shell out A LOT of money because you will be scrutinized and frowned upon for spending anything less than «$ 100 per person» — we were told in those exact words. I’m presuming others have been shunned and ridiculed for not spending enough, and as such, this place is pretty vacant because they’re leaving their seats open for big ballers.
Filing a report with the Better Business Bureau following this review.

Oh boy, this is the «worst» sushi restaurant that I have ever been to my entire life! I’m very surprised that I would feel this way after seeing 100s of great reviews and the 4 star rating. How do you serve salmon sashimi that’s veiny with a $ 12 (4pcs) price tag? (I regret not asking the sushi chef to try his own salmon) This order of salmon was the thinnest sliced and VEINIEST sashimi I’ve ever had! Imagine eating a piece of salmon with strands of floss. that’s impossible to break apart… that’s exactly how it felt! Their daikon that came with the order were rotten and soggy. daikon that I usually have are fresh and crunchy, not at this place! We also ordered some masago, uni, and ikura sushi which were just as bad and only half filled with ingredients. Very stingy with their portions. We spent $ 176.00 for dinner and left hungry. WILL NEVER COME BACK!!!
Notes:
–18% gratuity is added for 6 or more (adds gratuity after tax)
–beware they will rush you even when the restaurant closes in 30mins (they don’t care about business or customer service and want to go home early)
–must make a reservation of 6 or more (no matter the day of the week)
–very slow service (only 1 chef)

Really nice people, fresh sushi, but the prices are insane. Just had omakase here tonight, for two people with a tiny bottle of $ 20 sake to share, the bill was $ 325, before tip! That’s almost $ 150 a person for omakase. That is crazy. It really was fresh and the food interesting, but I can get amazing Omakase at Kimagure for half that price. That’s approaching Urasawa prices, or at least getting in the range. I’d rather save up for that!
I really wanted to like you, Ichi, but that’s incredibly expensive for what we got. I didn’t ask prices, but I was not expecting to drop almost $ 400 for dinner.
Sadly, we will not return. That is just too much money for the experience we had. This is the second time we are here. I remember it wasn’t cheap, but it wasn’t insane last time.
Wow. That’s all I’ve got.

If you’re giving this jewel of a place bad reviews because you consider yourself a sushi connoisseur with your wonderful knowledge of what makes a perfect california roll, give me a break.
This place is a blessing to Los Angeles. To everyone who mysteriously got ‘rude service’ from Sushi Ichi, I wonder HOW because every single visit of mine I get the most awesome, accommodating and sweet people trying their best to give us the best food and five star service.
If you get a chance, experience the heavenly glow of the Master’s sea bream in your mouth. That thing is like the fruit of knowledge to sushi muggles

Don’t get me wrong — sushi lover. I would eat sushi every day if I could. Been to Japan and I go as often as I can here on the west coast.
That said, this place is not great. We ate a bunch of sashimi and these are my impressions:
The edamame was good.
The octopus was VERY sour. It was COVERED in lemon. We asked the waitress about it and she just said, «That’s how we do it.» It was essentially unpalatable.
The eel (both fresh and salt water) was okay, but nothing special and nothing offensive considering it is cooked.
The uni was very tangy — tasted like it was at the end of its life. Uni is our favorite, but it is really hit or miss many places. It was not so good here.
There are much better sushi places in the area… In fact, I should go to one now!

Sushi Ichi is like coming home. We love this place!
It’s wonderful to go to a place where you can feel completely relaxed and enjoy the food and company.
It’s been said that Meryl Streep comes here when she’s in town.
Yeah…that’s my kind of place.
Low key and excellent.

Pretty small place, I could understand why it would get full pretty easily.
However, the customer service was amazing! The waitress attending me was very attentive & informative when I asked any question. I even left a tip, a rarity.
I ordered the sushi lunch which included 4 California Rolls and 5 sashimi (?) pieces. It was my first time trying anything other than a California Roll, and I have to say it was pretty pleasant. Now, I’ve read previous reviews talking about how Sushi Ichi offers high quality sushi. Since im not really familiar with the delicacy, I wouldn’t know. But the California Roll was definitely better than any I’ve tried.
I will be back!

Wow! This place was A-​Mazing! We walk in to a quaint, semi-​dark romantic intimate setting with just enough tables but not too many. We are greeted with smiles and seated right away. Our green teas and waters come very fast and they offer us some great specials. We ordered edamame and miso soup to start followed by a seaweed salad. The miso soup and green tea are as good as it gets. Not too hot that we can’t drink it pretty soon. My water was never half empty and our teas were refilled promptly. As we at the edamame they emptied the shells 4 – 5 times. I’ve never been to a places that took away the shells before we were done. Our servers were great!
We ordered salmon, tuna, albacore and a special amber jack sushi… The spicy tuna roll was on point, and all the rolls we got were out of this world. This place was great and firing on all cylinders. I couldn’t have been happier with our experience and I look forward to returning again. Also the sweet shrimp may have been the best we ever had. What a great way to end the night with my love. Arigato!

Every once a while, I have to go to Mr. Ichi.
It’s a very small family owned restaurant ran by a Sushi chef that used to work at a big name sushi restaurant in Old Town Pasadena. I was told that when the owner of the Sushi place asked him to reduce the quality for more profit (sounds like Mr. Crab from Spongebob), Mr. Ichi decided it’s time to leave and open his own place.
My favorite items here are Seabream (thinking about it makes me weak), monk fish liver, and grilled yellow tail collar. We often find ourselves order the same dishes over and over again on the same table.
The service has always been excellent.
Average dinner for 3 is about $ 220. We always come right after 5pm so we will have our table right the way.
Worthy the try!

Sea bream Sea bream. Sea bream. Sea bream. Sea bream. Sea bream. Sea bream. Sea bream. Sea bream. Sea bream. Sea bream. Sea bream.