4. Restaurants

Tokoro Japanese Restaurant

802 Fair Oaks Ave, South Pasadena, CA, 91030
  • (626) 403-2542
  • Store is closed

Tokoro Japanese Restaurant Menu

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  • Clara B.

    Loved our dinner, it was really special especially the Tokoro roll, wow.. and the crispy rice with cream cheese and spicy tuna... so yummy and the flavors were amazing... The service was excellent and our waiter was very helpful in suggesting the best dishes... I enjoyed the atmosphere, a really happy place and it's one of my friends favorite sushi places in Pasadena... so I had to come out and try it... I live downtown LA and the drive there was quick, only 15 minutes and after a day in the studio a girl needs a break.... We had plenty of Edamame and they continuously filled my green tea... Plenty of parking in the back and behind the pizza place as well... Looking forward to returning....

    (5)

  • B L.

    Lately I've been on a hunt for a decent ayce sushi place in la county. Tbh, there isn't much. I came across Tokoro after driving down Fair Oaks several times. It's very small and easy to miss. But it's right between papa johns and Gus' bbq. The first impression I got of this place was a really strong fish smell. Not smelly rotting fish, but just fishy. If that makes any sense. Immediately we were seated and handed a lunch menu as well as an ayce menu. Ayce lunch is $22 and it included nigri (2 pieces per order), tempural rolls, premium rolls, and some really basic rolls (ie. california rolls). There was no section for appetizers, which is a first I've ever seen.. But the waitress did offer miso soup after we told her we were going with the ayce option. Salmon Nigri- 2 pieces per order. Each had a decent, if not generous, amount of rice. Which is probably them trying to get us full. I was surprised this and the tuna nigri were the LAST plate to make it to the table. I don't see how it took so long. But the salmon itself was just ok. It wasn't the best salmon I had at an ayce place, but it wasn't gross. The quality wasn't all there. Tuna Nigri- on the other hand, the tuna nigri was gross. There was barely any taste that resembled tuna and there was a funky after taste to it. I didn't like it at all. I think I'd just stick to the salmon. Hako Roll- this one was my favorite! It was flavorful and looked like a lot of fun. There were pieces of tuna, salmon, avocado, and eel drizzled in a yummy sauce. I felt like the tuna and salmon on this was better than the nigri. Baked Lobster Roll- my 2nd favorite! The little lobster bits were crisp and delicious. It was sweet and flavorful. The only thing is that it just falls apart. The rolls weren't held nicely together. Rainbow Roll- meh.. the shrimp was egh. some pieces were dry-ish and some were moist. I think I liked the pieces with avocado on top. Philly Roll- not the best philly roll I've tried. There was something off about it. 911 Roll- I actually liked this roll. But no one else did so I was forced to eat the remainder of it. It's basically spicy tuna with avocado on top. It's not even spicy. Scallop Tempura Roll- mehh, I don't think I like the scallop. This roll was huge though. I also remember marking town the tuna tower, after reading a review about it and thought it sounded delicious. But I never received it. By the time I was home was when I realized we never got that order. Kind of mad about that because that was one dish I was excited to try. Service was decent. They come by every now and then asking how is everything... but no refills on water -___- During the middle of our meal, there was a strong burning smell coming from the kitchen. This place is ok, but I don't know if it would be my go to sushi place. Maybe if I'm craving ayce again I'll come here since its so close and cheaper than any other ayce place.

    (3)

  • Wendy G.

    Went with my cousin for sushi. We enjoyed their combo meal. I like raw fish versus my cousin does not. So we ordered a combo meal. It was perfect because half were California Sushi and the other half had the real sushi per chefs pick.

    (4)

  • Mari M.

    I love having lunch at this place, I always get great service and the food is the stuff I dream about. Fire roll and Japanese Burrito are awesome if you like a little kick to your sushi. I've tried many items on their menu and these by far my faves. I just can't get enough of this place !

    (5)

  • Sam F.

    Not sure why this restaurant isn't rated higher because I had a GREAT experience! I've been driving by this place on Fair Oaks for a long time and never noticed it was there. That was a big mistake because I've been missing out on some legit food! I ordered the Tempura Udon and my boyfriend got the Sushi B plate which came with Salmon, Tuna, Spicy Tuna and California Roll. They also gave him some free miso soup. My udon was awesome! Usually the broth is really salty but this broth was perfect and the noodles were well cooked. I liked how they put some enoki mushrooms in there as well as the traditional fish cake =D The tempura was pretty good too but the batter was a little thick for my taste; but definitely not bad! The waitress was a little hard to understand because she spoke kind of fast and we were sad that they didn't offer the lunch specials on the weekend! (whatttt?!) We parked in a nearby lot and just walked a block over since parking was hard to find.

    (4)

  • David H.

    I think "A-OK" describes Tokoro pretty well. It's a nice little Japanese restaurant in South Pasadena that will leave you satisfied, but probably not "wowed". Most everything I've had here is pretty good. The sashimi for me is just okay. Not the freshest I've ever had. The service has been quite good and the food comes fast. There's a parking lot off of Fair Oaks, which makes this a convenient place for us to drive to lunch. Plus it's relatively inexpensive. I'd say this is definitely a decent lunch place, but I probably wouldnt come here on an anniversary or first date. ;)

    (3)

  • Alex R.

    Waited 30 + minutes for my order and to top it off, the order was wrong. The servers looked confused and said the order was never input in their system. Servers never came by my table to ask if I needed anything. The sushi was plain and its quite pricey for their taste. I asked for a discount but refused. Never coming back. Gin Sushi in pasadena is BETTER!!!

    (1)

  • Scott T.

    I've really started to take a shine to this place (did I really just use the phrase "take a shine"? I'm not THAT old of a soul...). The soft shell crab rolls are my current favorite, but every so often I'll branch out and try new things. Sometimes that results in me feeling slightly hoodwinked (now I'm just hamming it up), like when they cut a bunch of tomatoes and it just happens to make it seem like there's a ton of tuna on there, and sometimes it results in me discovering new things, like the surprisingly tasty salmon teriyaki. They've got a tiny lot for a few cars down the block and they're open til 10pm, which is late by South Pas standards (and butting right up against this old soul's bedtime).

    (4)

  • Demetria S.

    We have never had a bad experience here. The food is fresh & delish & the service is spot on!!

    (5)

  • Sophia K.

    The beef teriyaki deluxe combo comes with so much food. In fact, all those deluxe combo dinners come with tons of food. It comes with tempura, california rolls, and beef dumplings PLUS miso soup and salad AND your entree itself. The tempura only came with one strip, which was a disappointment because there are six-pieces of tempura and only one is shrimp. Pish posh. My california rolls were lacking and made horribly. It was falling apart-- definitely not good structurally. Taste-wise it was fine, but not great. The beef teriyaki was tasty and exactly what I was expecting from beef teriyaki. Service was good. Except it was strange when an uniformed person brought our food out. She wasn't wearing all-black like the other servers. It was a little strange and a very minor complaint on my part. I didn't like the lack of uniformity. Plus what if she's the cashier and she handles all the money and she's bringing my food out with her dirty grubby hands.

    (3)

  • Ricky S.

    Not bad at all, one hour time limit waiters r fast and nice will come back if I'm in Pasadena

    (4)

  • Carol L.

    How does one get through these blazing temperatures? How about with some ICED GREEN TEA? It's so good here. And you get refills. Drink up! I also had some sushi pieces (all decent that night) and their new HALI HALI ROLL made with spicy tuna, asparagus, a mint leaf, avocado and gobo topped with halibut, jalapeno, lemon and ponzu sauce. It was spicy (at least for me), but a pretty good roll! You can find free parking in the area if you look around.

    (3)

  • Jamie D.

    My favorite Japanese restaurant here in South Pasadena... Very cozy, good food, fast service and friendly people... Highly recommended place.. I love the spidel tempura roll.. Super addicted to it ;-)

    (5)

  • Wayne L.

    Ordered the 12 Piece Sashimi Dinner, it appears that the Sashimi was frozen, defrosted because it was dry, wet and no freshness in the taste.

    (2)

  • Lauren P.

    I came here on a Tuesday night ready to eat! The atmosphere is very "diner" style, and I had never seen a diner-style sushi place before. They advertised a great happy hour deal- buy one beer/sake, get a second for 1 cent! Practically buy one get one free. The menu was very extensive and full of crazy/fun looking rolls and entrees. They even had a vegetarian section on their menu! I ordered the Veggie Combo that included a miso soup, vegetable tempura and a vegetable roll. The meal was huge! I could barely finish the whole thing. The vegetable roll had a bunch of fresh and crunchy veggies like broccoli, carrots, etc. The vegetable tempura was a little heavy on the tempura breading, but it was very tasty nonetheless. I tried unfiltered sake for the first time when I was there and it was DELICIOUS. I'll never go back to filtered sake (okay, maybe sometimes). The service was very quick and friendly. It was a little confusing though because we were helped by 3 different people at different times, so when we tried to get someones attention for help, we didn't know which person to go to. I would go back here next time I'm craving sushi in South Pasadena. I suggest you go too!

    (4)

  • Frenchy G.

    Third time this month... I do like there deluxe box for lunch ....everything u need on it , chicken tempura dumpling and rolls for 11$ Service ok ... Well nice lunch place .. Have to try for dinner now..

    (4)

  • Wesley W.

    You know, I'm really not sure why this place has such raving reviews. The sushi was pretty standard and boring. Nothing jumped out at me. A few of the rolls I ordered I could even call bad. The "red dragon" roll especially. It had a very overpowering taste of pure sesame. That's all I could taste. Unimpressive... The environment was pretty nice, though; Large place, nice decorations, friendly staff. But the lighting during the day was pretty dim and depressing. Overall, meh. That's my leaving word. Simply, meh.

    (3)

  • Deryck R.

    I was craving AYCE sushi, so I found this place on Yelp. After tax and tip it's about $30, which is a great deal for the amount of sushi that I devoured. The staff was super nice and friendly. The only reason why this isn't a 5 star review is because the service was slow. It took about 15 minutes to get our first round after ordering. If it was busy, I would have understood, but it wasn't. Overall, I would definitely go here again when I need AYCE sushi.

    (4)

  • Lilie N.

    It's been hard finding a good sushi spot in Pasadena. This place is a pretty cute, cozy and friendly place. Their sushi was actually pretty good. Decent sized portions and the quality was fresh. It was good enough to satisfy my sushi craving. We tried their "Sogar" drink, Soju + Red vinegar. Probably will NOT try that again. It was really sour and didn't really taste like an alcoholic beverage. (It's supposed to be healthy for you too). I really liked the cut of the fish for their sushi, very thick and fresh. Didn't really try any of their rolls, but they had a wide selection. I would recommend this place to my sushi lovers. We went late at night before they closed, so the service was fast and it was quiet and intimate. Not sure what it's like during regular hours.

    (4)

  • Kalia C.

    I freaking love this place. At one point in time, I was eating here once every 1.5 weeks. Now, it's probably about once every 3 weeks (which is nicer on my wallet), but it's still my favorite go-to sushi joint in Pasadena, for price, convenience, easy parking and casual atmosphere. My favorite part about Tokoro? Happy Drink: Buy 1 get 1 for 1¢. (I hope that never changes!) But the sushi is great (admittedly, it's not the most authentic sushi I've ever tasted, but it's pretty darn good), the non-sushi items are also great (Cold Soba Noodles w/ Tempura~!) the staff is friendly, AND I've never had to wait longer than 5 minutes to get seated. As of late, additional dining features include a free edamame appetizer and candy (or the occasional strawberries with whipped cream) for dessert on your way out. :)

    (5)

  • Ana W.

    I came here because I have been craving sushi for MONTHS (and never had any because of my fear of toxic spores poisoning the fish in the summer) and the relatively good reviews on yelp. Keep in mind that i LOVE sushi and there have been very few times I've been disappointed. Got the baby lobster roll, lunch special #3 (I think) and two green teas. Total was $34 including tip. Keep in mind I'm comparing this with other affordable sushi joints. BABY LOBSTER SPECIAL ROLL: too much mayonnaise. I love mayonnaise, but when it overpowers the rice and lobster, you can't help but make a face. You can easily fix this by wiping some off on your plate, but I stupidly did not. In my stubborn way of thinking, if I'm paying for the food, I shouldn't have to. LUNCH SPECIAL: Consisted of 6 sushi (salmon, albacore, yellowtail?) Sushi has been sitting there for a while. I didn't really mind that much that it wasn't super fresh, but it was dry and almost grainy. I could definitely taste that it has been a while. It was still okay though, it wasn't bad, just not great. Good thing I got it on a special. :) THE SUSHI RICE: Like I said before, I didn't really mind that much that the fish wasn't super fresh. I work with food/service so I know how hard it is for small businesses to keep things fresh and not go bankrupt. However, I did not expect the sticky rice to fall apart once I picked my little sushi up with my chopsticks. If it didn't fall apart when I picked the sushi up, it definitely fell apart in the soy sauce/ wasabi dip. Didn't see that coming. THE GREEN TEA: Diluted. Tasted almost like it came out of a tea bag. THE SERVICE: Amazing. The waitresses were super polite. They even handed everything to me with two hands, which I THINK is a form of politeness in Japan. I know it is in the Chinese culture. Also, legs straight, ankles together, and bent forward slightly as she handed me my bill. I'm wondering if that was intentional. THE AMBIANCE: Also amazing. Large white booths with cherry blossom screens as wall decor. Love the decor. THE VERDICT: I tried so so so so so so hard to like it. I cry because I did not. Therefore I made myself feel better with a GIANT ice cream sundae across the street at the soda fountain/ the pharmacy. Mmmm!

    (3)

  • Angelica M.

    Love this place! It's so delicious ! Every plate I've ordered it's good! The staff is very nice and attentive. I always get the deluxe chicken teriyaki with California rolls . It also comes with tempura, miso soup, salad and dumpling! Try it!

    (5)

  • Tiffany W.

    This restaurant has been in South Pasadena for as long as I've lived here and I've only visited it recently. They've just redecorated, creating a more open, inviting and clean appearance. The Sexy Roll, a seaweed and rice less roll is delicious. The cucumber is fresh and light. If you haven't tried this restaurant lately, you should.

    (4)

  • armen r.

    Love this place. The customer service is always great and filled with happy people just being happy and happy. The chef always looks at you from a distance and if he makes eye contact he smiles really big and is just happy. It's cute. I enjoy that. I've been going there for the past 3 years as my ladyfriend and I find this the spot to go to when we are craving sushi. I'm a big fan of the slices they give, as they don't cheap out on the fish. Not sure why it has 3.5 stars. Probably the negative reviews are from people who hate seeing happy people just being happy and happy.

    (5)

  • J W.

    It's ok. been here about 4 times, 2 times with big groups. Good chicken teriyaki. Good California rolls. Not amazing. Not horrible. Good place for a quick bite.

    (3)

  • Felixcia S.

    I'm having a lot of mixed feeling right now! Came here Saturday night and was amazing! Sat at the sushi bar and everything was so good: Came here last night and it was hysterically bad. Sat at a booth and this little Japanese girl with bad engrish came over and I pointed at the menu items and ordered our food. Miso,Yellowtail sashimi,white tuna carpaccio, sexy roll and BBQ short ribs. I mean clearly if I point at an item you know exactly what I'm asking for right? Wrong...we got 1 miso soup and when I asked for the other she said no only one. I was like what? Why? And she said no ONLY 1!.. I said ok. Never mind sheesh..the yellow tail came out and it was the right fish but wrong item. Complained and she brought over cream.. What?????? Quite odd. Got the short ribs and it was cold and not a la carte like I ordered. She left to call a manger and he came over and asked what's up with the ice cream? Dunno! Still waiting for my roll n salad ...changed our waitress. Everything came in 2 minutes correctly.Later they told us it was her first day. I'm still trying to figure out if they meant that it was her first day at work or first day in America ... Non the less food is amazing, just sit at the sush bar ;)

    (4)

  • Geoff L.

    I'm writing this review while sitting at the table. Why you ask? Because the service is slow. It's Sunday afternoon, restaurant 1/2 full and we've waited 20+ mins for our first 2 of 5 plates to arrive. Previous to that our menu was placed on the table and one fell on the dirty floor. The waitress just put it back in the table. The other 3 came out 15 mins later because the sushi chef is working solo. I previewed some food items from yelp pictures and saw a hero roll that was ordered without rice. I asked if I could order the same but the waiter wouldn't accommodate my request and insisted it couldn't be done. I ordered cold soba instead. It wasn't very good, the noodles tastes pasty and mushy and the sauce lacked flavor like it was some kind of off brand sauce or watered down. The guest in the next booth was seated and he sat in a puddle of water left behind from the previous guest. The waitresses are doing the bus work and I see them cleaning up tables and picking trash from under the table, and even sneezing in their hand and then refilling people's hot tea, wrapping their fingers so close to the rim of the cup. It's starting to make me think twice about ordering hot tea in cups without handles. (15 mins later) Our check came without them even asking if we wanted dessert. Which we wanted but forget it now.

    (2)

  • Shijie F.

    I'm disappointed with this place. Service was very slow and uneven (we waited on the last two orders for 15-20 more minutes). Food is a big meh. I thought L.A. should have better sushi than A.Z. Tokoro proved me wrong. Big time.

    (2)

  • Amanda V.

    Great vegetarian combo option--vegetable roll, cucumber roll, avocado roll, and miso soup for about $10. My boyfriend loves their tuna rolls and salmon rolls too. Did I mention they have great prices for Asian beer? Always a plus! Great for take-out too.

    (4)

  • Mike P.

    I love Tokoro! Great fresh food and fabulous service. Tokoro is one of my favorite places to eat in South Pasadena.

    (5)

  • Alisa T.

    This place is probably the closest sushi from my work. Sometimes you just get that nagging craving for CA rolls anbd chicken teriyaki, well I got that twice. My first visit was with my co worker, we dined in for lunch. I ordered the lunch deluxe, which comes with chicken teriyaki, tempura, salad, two gyozas, miso soup and CA rolls (4). Talk about a feast for lunch at about $11-$12. It was way too much for me, I had to take the rest in a to go box. The chicken teriyaki was OK, it wasn't all that great. I've had better at Kabuki. I tried to give them a 2nd chance another day, I did carry out. I still wasn't moved by their food. The service is good, but the food is just not cutting it for me.

    (3)

  • Allison Y.

    My sister and I went for lunch since Ai was closed and we had a Japanese food craving. We both ordered a beef teriyaki combo, well aware that the lunch special was not available during the weekend. Therefore, we assumed that by saying "beef teriyaki combo" we would be getting the dinner special. No big deal, right? I have NEVER been so confused in my life. After the waitress took our order, she came out and asked us, "kalbi or bulgogi?" We replied, "normal beef teriyaki?" and she asked us the same question. We assumed they'd throw some teriyaki sauce on the kalbi, so we didn't think much of it. The other waiter brought us our kalbi plate, that consisted of the marinated meat (without teriyaki sauce) and a bowl of rice. We waited for the rest of our combo (tempura, soup, salad, and california rolls) but it didn't come. We saw another table getting a bento box and asked the waiter if that's what combos are supposed to look like. He replied yes and we told him we had ordered a combo and didn't think that we got that. He sent our waitress back out and she asked us what was wrong. We told her that we ordered a combo. In her broken English, she went "Combo (points to our plates), yes combo." And when we asked her about the tempura she went, "only on weekdays. This is dinner." My sister and I looked at each other, very confused and wondered why everyone else in the restaurant was getting combos except us. Then, the waitress took our food away and then brought it back to our table 2 minutes later saying they were remaking our food and the kalbi plates would be free. When she dropped off the plates, she had swapped mine for my sister's. Instead of bringing a new bento box, they just brought us the tempura and California rolls on a separate plate. We never got our soup or salad. The beef tempura combo was already expensive, at $14.95 each, but we got charged $15.95 for the kalbi combo. $40 for a lunch we didn't order is a rip off. Service was also slow since our waitress disappeared after the big debacle. Our water was never refilled. I don't like being mean, but if you can't properly communicate with your customers, perhaps you shouldn't be a waitress. The waiter was really nice, but it doesn't make up for the fact that we had a horrible experience and will never be going back. We went to this "Japanese" restaurant to eat JAPANESE food, NOT KOREAN FOOD.

    (1)

  • Donna A.

    Went for lunch for the first time. The food and service was good. The sushi rolls we ordered as so yummy. The grilled salmon was good. The big screen TVs were showing professional bowing and we asked to change the channel and they were more then willing to put on basketball for us.

    (4)

  • Sharon S.

    We like Tokoro a lot for its spicy tuna salad and its sushi. I have only had good service here and I like the fact that they don't play sports on their screens anymore. We see families and dates here. Great iced green tea. Been going here for half a dozen years or more. Really yummy.

    (3)

  • James Y.

    We pretty much go here because it's one of the only restaurants that serves Japanese type food that is open late. Not the place if you want authentic Japanese.

    (3)

  • Fishscandi L.

    First time at Tokoro and I was very pleased with this place. My sister and I could not figure out what to eat yesterday but we knew we wanted something light. My sister lives in South Pasadena, and had always passed up this place. You really cant see it that well especially with Guss BBQ sign and crowds of people usually in the way. Anyhow we found great parking on the street entered Tokoro and was seated less than 10 min. This place has nice decor pleasant ambience, flat screen TVs to watch Sports and great service. Now for the food: we ordered the philly roll and let me tell you, this was the best god-damn roll I've had in my life. Fresh salmon, warm soft rice, avocado, and my favorite; cream cheese. This roll is a MUST! We also got the Spider-Man roll with soft crab, fresh tuna, avocado and some special sauce. BOMB! we got a sake and beer perfect pairing with these rolls. Food came out less than 15min. All in all I will be back sooner than later. Thank you Tokoro for the amazing service. 100%

    (5)

  • Claire S.

    Stopped by here during a hangover from hell. I usually avoid sushi places the morning after like the plague, but some friends were hungry, so this is where I ended up. I ended up going with one of the baked rolls (I believe it was topped with salmon), fearing for the worst, but was pleasantly surprised. I got about 6-8 pieces for $11-ish, and it was delicious! I'd probably get the Dynamite Roll next time. I'm definitely a fan!

    (4)

  • Nathanael J.

    The all you can eat option is absolutely amazing, you end up getting like $80 worth of sushi per person for $25 and the sushi is as good as it gets for that price. Would never go here if they didn't have the all you can eat lunch though, otherwise the prices are prohibitive and I'd rather just go down to Little Tokyo for the REAL good stuff.

    (4)

  • Dayae K.

    SERVICE WAS AMAZING!! My friends and I met for some drinks after dinner. They have a special or happy hour deal (not sure which) but if you buy 1 alcoholic drink, the second one is just a cent!! So we got 2 sapporo beers and 2 hot sakes for about $14 total. Then being the fatasses that we are, we eventually ordered 2 rolls... even though we were full. We ordered shrimp tempura roll and an albacore roll. The rolls were okay... nothing spectacular but good for what it is in the area. While we were eating and having a good time catching up, one of my friends ate an albacore that had bones in it. He bit it pretty hard and bled a little bit. We immediately notified one of the waiters and he was so apologetic and made sure that it was a mistake that rarely happens. So as nice as the waiter was already, he decided to take the albacore out of our bill. We were, of course, pretty happy that we had less to pay haha As my friends and I were wrapping up our time here (to go to another place TO EAT T__T) the same waiter came back to our table with some free dessert! We were so grateful and happy that we got a free roll and free dessert! The food would have been just 3 stars, but the impeccable service makes this place deserve 4!!

    (4)

  • John C.

    I grew up in this town from age 3 to high school graduation. Never did I ever think that a sushi place -- or any restaurant for that matter -- would ever occupy this space on Fair Oaks. If I remember correctly, back in the late 80s this space was an independent video store. A few weeks ago on a Sunday I dragged my wife and 3 year old to visit my father who still lives in good old South Pas. Went out to the cell phone store on Fair Oaks to get my dad a new cell phone, then walked down here to Tokoro for lunch. On this one Sunday, there were only a few people in for lunch. It's one of those Korean-owned places where they make really "creative" rolls with lots of sauces and mixtures of fish. I feel like the general population likes this style of "sushi"... But I don't. I'm not even Japanese but I'm just as arrogant in disapproving of bastardized versions of sushi. Real Japanese places do not dump sauces and try to build crazy rolls with stupid names like "Me So Horny Roll" or "Orgasm Express". Thank heavens this place didn't use those names... I just wanted to give you examples of the stupidity that these type of bastardized sushi places can have. Anyhow, if you like this style of sushi, great. As for me, I'm not a fan. I think that if you've ever been to an exceptional sushi place, then you'd probably not like this place. Rather than sauces, names and crazy combos of fish... They should just concentrate on the fundamentals of sushi preparation and quality.

    (2)

  • Davide M.

    We came by coincidence. We had the teriyaki chicken deluxe and the shrimp tempura roll. Both very good choices. Good service and nice place. My girlfriend loved it. We'll come back in our next visit to LA

    (4)

  • Jiffy I.

    Tasty sushi in the neighborhood. Recommend the Black Tiger roll and Sexy Roll for the specialty rolls. And the service was quite good.

    (3)

  • Adam D.

    "it's nearby" This is not a phrase you want attributed to your business. "well it's close" is also not how you want to be known. "it's close. we can go there, it'll do......".....bad stuff people. We've been to Tokoro now 4-5 times. It's probably worthy of. C rating if you were to grade that way. The sushi is seriously mediocre. This is where I will begin to sound like a "concerned parent" douche. I'm a concerned parent. Sure....... But I'm not a PTA ....."everyone's a winner" type parent. Think of me more as George Carlin with an 11 year old. I have my own opinions I obviously as I'm writing a review here! ) and sometimes you come in 5th and lose. That's a good thing, it builds character. I'm not the biggest fan of today's parents but I digress. I'm also not the biggest fan of the sushi this joint serves so back to Tokoro. Having said all of that my kid and I went in there one evening and it was like "buy one beer get the second for a penny" hour. There was a table sitting there of 20 something kids of literally all races and creeds ( I really love the difference between my former cities of Philly and NYC and LA. For this I will give 5 stars. Totally a cool mixed group of kids ). The downside was all of them, ladies included, spoke like teamsters. Seriously. One would have gotten a graduates degree in cursing that evening. Coupled with the very mediocre sushi it was just a bit of a train wreck of a meal. The questions "dad what's a f*****g c**t" was not what I had planned on answering that evening!!! Grey sushi + teamster mixed race youth gang = 2 stars!!! Hip hop hop-ray y'all!!! MOWO!!

    (2)

  • Jaimie W.

    When we came in the waitresses and waiters did not welcome us with the usual Japanese greeting. So that was a bit of a bummer. The atmosphere was a typical Japanese design with paper lanterns. So I yelped this restuarant yo read recommendations on what to order and ended up with these selections (split between a party of 3): Philadelphia Roll is eh. I asked the waitress which one she would recommend between the LA roll and the Philadelphia one and she recommended the latter. A bit disappointing but I guess you get what you pay for (it's the cheapest on the menu for the premium roll). The red dragon roll consists of spicy tuna topped with eel and avocado. It is spicy and flavorful with a hint of sweetness from the teriyaki sauce. I would give it a mediocre rating. Order it if you'd like a spicy kick in your sushi. The shrimp tempura roll took FOREVER to come. Their excuse for that is because it was fried...thumbs down. But my negative mood polarized once I tasted it. Out of the two orders earlier, this one is the best. I would give it a 9/10. The service wasn't great. The waitress did not understand me when I asked if the tea was complimentry, which it wasn't, so a thumbs down for that. The food took forever to be served. The table next to us got their food way before we did, even though we ordered first, but even they were complaining that their orders were taking a while. They didn't have the order three premium rolls and get one free deal anymore. So basically the meal wasn't satisfying and quite costly for the small portions. Overall, it did not meet my expectations of good service. Average quality regarding the food and the portions aren't filling.

    (2)

  • Snake M.

    I love living in a town where everything I need is within walking distance of my hermit hole. Whether it be band aids and toilet paper from Rite Aid, A rad video store, or a fish burrito. All my bases are covered. And add to that list a sushi joint that serves fresh, delicious food and l never need to leave my little town. The world outside the walls is littered with hipsters, fixed gear bikes, and bad fashion choices. Those three things make it hard to want to travel over the bridge to the town I grew up in and no longer recognize. Unless it's to buy weed (I used to) or go to Fusion Burger. I'm off on a tangent, sorry, meds haven't kicked in yet and I have the attention span of a walnut. Back to Tokoro. My lovely girlfriend and I were joined by my totally hetero friend Kyle and his soon to be Bride. Both of these women are very loving and patient when it comes to Kyle and I. Because when we get together it's bananas. It was going to be just me and my lady but Kyle is a hermit similar to me that lives on a hill and he has a hot tub, so to get him to come out took some light coaxing. All I said was sushi and I could hear him drool all over his phone. The four of us arrived at Tokoro around 9pm. The place wasn't super busy but had a good sized crowd, we got a table right away. The waiter was very friendly and wasn't put off by Kyle and I. We had to be on our best behavior for the sake of our girlfriend's sanity. The menu had a bunch of new stuff on top of all the rad stuff they already serve. I hadn't eaten much since breakfast in anticipation of eating several pounds of fish meats. Looking at the menu was overwhelming at first. I broke into a cold sweat!!!! What the hell was I going to get? It all looked so good. I had tried the lobster roll there two different times and the second time was kinda meh. So I passed on that this time. We ended up with yellow tail sashimi (my fave) a couple of rainbow rolls, The Tummy Rocker ( I think that's what it was called) , and a couple orders of the Bora Bora. I think we got a few other rolls but by the time I was able to register the food in front of me, the plates were empty, I went hog wild. Everything was delicious. I think the Bora Bora is new and super delicious. Kyle got a big beer, the ladies had hot tea, I had a diet coke that came with a lot of ice in a big cup. All drinks were promptly refilled and we didn't even have to ask! The whole meal was awesome. Great place for a double date. It's kinda cozy and not that loud even though they had a big tv with a game on. Some kinda sportsball tournament, I was too busy chewing to pay attention to that nonsense. I was full, satisfied, and had a great time. I'll continue to come here. I heard the sushi joint down the street isn't anything to write home about. So I won't bother because I've been to Tokoro about five times and I leave satisfied each time. As I write this I noticed a negative review over to the right of my screen. One star? Wow you must have this place confused with someplace else. I won't point them out but that review is bullshit. And as I type this at 7 am I'm craving more sushi. I'm not a drinker but I hear they have an awesome happy hour. If I ever jump, fall, or get thrown off the wagon I'll head over there for 20 beers and a bunch of rolls.

    (4)

  • Allen P.

    The idea here is to just order the basic 6 pc sushi rolls. It's basically huge pieces of fish stuffed into a roll. We ordered two rolls. One yellow tail and one salmon. 12 pcs. Couldn't finish it between 2 people. It was like 2 lbs of fish. I don't care for all the crazy rolls they have. If you like spicy mayo and imitation crab deep fried with sweet sauce on top, then maybe you'll be into this place. But for people that live close by and just want some sushi, the 6 pc is the best bang for the buck. I wouldn't go out of my way to come here.The Udon is good.

    (3)

  • Tiffany M.

    I love this place! Food is excellent, reasonably priced and the staff is delightful. I highly reccimend the Hali Hali roll.

    (5)

  • Cindy Z.

    A decent sushi place in South Pasadena. I've been there about 3 times and it has yet to dissapoint! It's a little difficult to find parking in the tiny, cramped parking lot so I recommend parking on a residential street close by.

    (4)

  • Sal H.

    Been here a handful of times. Food is good too. Buy 1 beer get 1 for a penny! My kinda place! I always say every Penny counts!

    (3)

  • Jessica A.

    This is a great place. Def love the food and the service. Its a great place to come for lunch or Friday night dinner with your girlfriends. I've tried something different each time I have gone and they have yet to let me down, its just the best. I will def continue to come here and tell friends as well!

    (4)

  • Michael S.

    Decent place for sushi, but the real draw is their all you can eat menu. Quick and friendly service are added bonuses. Plus, they serve you edamame and miso soup right after you are seated.

    (3)

  • Jose C.

    Long time customer- will NEVER GO BACK. They have this lunch special that I always get. In the past the waitress suggested I get half an order of a particular appetizer that I always order. Ordered it as half order ever since. Well today my waiter said I could not order half an order. "Not allowed" he said. He brought the manager and he said he has been here 5 years and he doesn't allow this. He demanded the name of the waitress who suggested this. I never do this but I cancelled my lunch and said to them that if they treat long time customers like this I would never return. They did not seem one bit concerned. STAY AWAY from this mediocre place. What a shame. Not a way to run a business. Your customer is your lifeline.

    (1)

  • John T.

    I've been here numerous times, and I love it. I've basically only gotten the sushi, so I can't speak to cooked dinners. But the sushi is awesome, especially for the price. The service isn't going to make you warm and fuzzy, and the bathroom could be remodeled, but the sushi makes me very forgiving of those problems. I've been to other more expensive sushi places and have found that the sushi at Tokoro is just as good, if not better.

    (5)

  • Alice S.

    Tokoro, you have disappointed me beyond anything I have ever experienced. I could taste the ice melting in your uni and I did not receive one of my dishes after asking twice. You then took roughly 30 minutes to get me my check when I was beyond ready to leave. I'm sorry Tokoro, but we shall never meet!

    (2)

  • Karen P.

    I wound up here accidentally and I'm so glad! First off, the pictures and the website do not do the place justice. Like at *ALL*. It's really pretty inside, with clean lines, white booths and lots of pink and black. Pretty cherry-blossom paintings and a really attractive sushi bar. I'd have loved to sit there, but I was with 3 others - 3 of my kids, in fact, and my older daughter is too shy to sit there. But trust me, the younger ones (6 and 9) are well versed in sitting at the bar! :) We ordered a TON of food! It was costly, sure, tell me of a "cheap" sushi place, right? But it wasn't THAT much more, considering the location. We had: 1 negihama roll (the yellow tail, lemon and scallion cut roll) 1 dinner chirashi - perfectly sized sashimi, by the way! They also give you "candy" with it - that's what my husband calls the octopus salad. Gosh, I love that stuff. Could eat it ALL day, no kidding! 1 children's meal, which was massive, yummy and shareable between the Littles (they chose chicken teriyaki). 1 of the baked rolls, and I'm sorry I don't remember which. My older daughter had that and I didn't have any. I know there was cooked salmon in it, and I know she liked it a lot. I had uni - of course (if you know me at all, you know I love uni like I love oxygen!) and it was sweet and delicious - though a little smaller than the place I usually go to. I also had the masago - hard for that to be done wrong, but it was good! I also ordered a cucumber cut roll and a basic tuna cut roll - my Little's favorites. All was delicious, beautifully presented, but it all arrived oddly. But that's ok, not a huge issue for me at all. The staff was great - kind, patient and steady with our needs. I would absolutely head back there! When we were there, the kids asked me if I was going to review it and I said that I would - they decided 10 out 10 stars! ;) Mmmm...I really need some uni again...and soon...

    (4)

  • Amelia J.

    This place was chosen by my boyfriend when our usual sushi spot was packed and we were hungry. It was actually recommended to us by his brother's girlfriends who is below this review. This place was not good. In my honest opinion i did not like it. i was really disappointed when i ordered the dragon roll and thought it would be like a regular dragon roll with the usual on it like the seaweed and regular sauce. Boy, was i wrong. i did not like the soy paper. The thousand islands sauce threw me off since i dont like thousand islands sauce. It's definitely pricy for the poor quality of sushi that they serve. I did however like that they have complimentary edamame and miso soup. That was probably the best part of my entire meal.

    (2)

  • Lori N.

    Tokoro is great for vegans and vegetarians! You can get the vegetable roll combo with veggie rolls, cucumber rolls, and avocado rolls (yum) plus miso soup or the veggie rolls with vegetable tempura - both are awesome! Vegetable rolls at other places don't hold a candle to Tokoro.

    (5)

  • Rayell O.

    Don't come here. Worst service. i went with 3 others. mine didnt come out until 30 min... for SASHIMI?! wtf. you just have to slice that shit. when my food came everyone was done eating and waiting for me. it was horrible. they didnt even come to pick up our check. we waived them down and the gave us a sign that they'd come but after 15 minutes of this crap we just left cash and walked out.

    (1)

  • Clementine P.

    The first few times I ate here I was really impressed, but, after tonight, I'm not sure if I'll return again. The waiters are usually great but they all but ignored us tonight. Yes, it was a busy Friday night, but they didn't check on us even ONE time and forgot one of my rolls. I had to finally flag a waitress down to receive it along with our check. My worst experience though was my to-go order. I brought home a salmon roll and was absolutely disgusted to find bone fragments and tough sinew and ligaments in the fish - it was completely inedible. I gave it to my cat and he couldn't even eat it - he threw up the little that he did consume. What the hell kind of salmon cuts did they use in that roll? YUCK! I think this experience has turned me off of sushi all together - I'll just stick to the veggie rolls from now on. I have eaten a lot of sushi at places all over L.A. and have never experienced something as gross as this. I would have returned it if I had been in the restaurant but I couldn't do anything about it at home. A total waste of money. You've been warned!

    (2)

  • Eric S.

    I've probably been to Tokoro over a dozen times and I don't think I've ever left feeling unsatisfied. Their lunch all-you-can-eat is a good price point if you stuff yourself with nigiri. Their speciality rolls are pretty standard, but i would definitely recommend getting thier spicy tuna crunch roll. It's filled with spicy tuna, crispy crunch noodles, fresh tomatoes and eel sauce. Awesome. Tokoro has a nice interior and is very welcoming. The staff can be slow at times, but i don't blame them too much because it's often busy whenever I go. Overall, Tokoro is a good place to stop by if you don't want to leave the Pasadena area.

    (4)

  • Sarah K.

    $3.50 for avocado rolls? now that's more like it. nice mouth-sized pieces with fluffy rice and large sweet and creamy pieces of avocado. best avocado rolls for the price. also ordered the tempura udon ($8.95). udon broth was sweet but well balanced. tempura batter was light and dipping sauce was good. i would come back for the avocado rolls and tempura udon. i don't recommend the fish. it's touch and go, depending on what's fresh. service is always nice and very accommodating.

    (3)

  • Robert F.

    I've been here about 10 times and I'd definitely come back. It's a small place that seats about 40 people or so and they have booths and a sushi bar. The sushi is pretty good and seems fresh. The 'dinner plates' are well portioned and you can get full of just that. If you are looking to do just sushi I would suggest some of their BAKED ROLLS: the Sunkist Roll, Dynamite Roll and Baby Lobster Roll are bomb, they all melt in your mouth and are super tasty. The pros about this place are: *Friendly waiters *Fairly priced sushi *Good portions *They have espn or big games playing I was told that its Korean-owned and everyone working their is Korean, not that it matters, but some people love to complain about shit like that. Koreans can make some pretty damn good sushi :)

    (4)

  • Cynthia S.

    How does this place have so many stars??? Went here for lunch.... There was 2 other tables besides us.... Atmosphere seemed to be pretty mellow and quiet... Got a booth sat down... Got menus and were pleased that it had pictures... Waitress came to take our order, didn't really much about the menu (is this why they put up pictures) Got the free edamame, which was like a count of 10... We asked for another order and they said they charge for it... "I'ts fine, we'll take one"... Order our food, and wait.... They bring it out and place it in the middle of table without saying whats what, we asked which one is which (since id looked nothing like the picture) She didn't know... She takes it back to the chef and asks.... Popcorn Lobster was good... and that's pretty much it,.. We didn't have any plats, so we ask her for one... She brings it after 5 min. Still no sign of the edamame... We were almost done with the food and she asked, did you guys still want the edamame, YES!!! we did..... waited 10 min and then it came out (with the check). VERY disappointed in this joint since its so close to work. The food was JUST OK! Nothing special to go back to....

    (2)

  • Sarah H.

    How do you know when a Japanese restaurant isn't Japanese-owned? - If they are open for business on Mondays Should've known better. We went last night and got seated right away at a booth. I ordered the fish katsu dinner and hubby got the chirashi. The food actually was ok, chirashi portion I thought was on the smaller side. The sushi chef needs to sharpen his knife. The sashimi was not cut all the way so each one was hanging onto another.... never fun taking apart sashimi with a wooden chopstick. If I may, I'd recommend a small change on the bento box food placement. Having worked in a sushi restaurant I know I'm overly picky when it comes to these things. Put the tempura sauce in a small bowl not in the bento box (it's too small) and place the gyoza in one of the small compartments so it's not touching the rolls. The decor is minimal, could use an update. It definitely spoils the experience when you can understand Korean and know what they are saying. oh well. I don't know why some of them aren't wearing uniforms and wear street clothes. It'd be nice to know who works there. The ladies bathroom definitely needs work. The soap dispenser was broken and the broken piece was just laid on the sink. Also, please place the togo food bag at the end of the table, not in the center where it's dirty...

    (3)

  • Jasmine P.

    Tokoro definitely fixes by Sushi craving. I work very close by so I'm here almost every week. Very good sushi.

    (4)

  • Ashley L.

    I go here at least once a week. Very fresh sushi. Love it!

    (5)

  • Jonathan R.

    Has great service. Good was delicious, the beef teriyaki was a little tough and chewy, but the chicken katsu was awesome! Great, local South Pasadena restaurant!

    (4)

  • Ellen G.

    I thought this was a nice little spot. the fish was fresh and there were some interesting rolls. The service was attentive and the place is charming. However, I can't say that the place stuck out as being more than a good neighborhood spot. But then I'm probably hard to impress.

    (3)

  • Rin S.

    My fiance and I LOVE this place. We come here often and are always greeted warmly with prompt service. The food is delicious and always fresh. The crazy boy is a must have!!! We brought our vegetarian friends here and there was also plenty of choices on the menu for them to enjoy a delightful dinner with us. Check it out! :)

    (5)

  • Audrey L.

    One of my favorite sushi places in Pasadena. My brother introduced our family to this wonder sushi restaurant a few years ago and now this is the ONLY place my family and I go to for sushi nights. They have a wide variety of sushi,sushi rolls, and rice dishes. The also offer an ALL-YOU-CAN-EATmenu for a VERY decent price. The sushi is fresh and the customer service is awesome too! ENJOY! =)

    (5)

  • Honggyu B.

    I love this place. Great sushi.

    (5)

  • Allen C.

    Terryaki Sdeluxe combo is great. Haven't tried their other Sushi. Nice Staff. Nice decor, nothing fancy. Very fair prices. Recommend.

    (5)

  • Ash S.

    this place is close enough to where we live that we have tried it a few times already! the food quality is consistently very good! they do have a "AYCE" special for lunch but the service, speed and hospitality goes down the chute once you order a couple of times! i say don't offer AYCE if you really don't mean it. we just had dinner there tonight - my wife picked the place, it was a pleasant dinner, the only thing it seems that all the servers serve all the tables randomly and they are not busy! they need to be introduced to the waiter/waitress station concept!

    (4)

  • Howard C.

    My wife's one-word review, food only? "Horrible." I was going to go with "uninspired," but two hours after dinner and I'm wondering what my morning might look like tomorrow, I'd have to say "frightened" fits the bill. On the bright side, we liked the atmosphere, the service was good and the prices fine. But for horror, I'll try a Hitchcock retrospective next time instead. We sampled a bunch of things, most of them acceptable, but man, the beef teriyaki was something that had us both concerned. I was really really hungry, so I was prepared to eat anything, I wasn't going to send it back, and the bbq sauce masked the flavor of the meat. But we're talking gray in color, rubbery texture, and I'm just really sorry I touched the thing, whatever it was, much less ate it. If we found out later that it was cat instead of beef, I swear it wouldn't surprise me. Men's room was disgusting too, which wouldn't bother me in and of itself, but when the rest room is that gross, it makes me worry about the kitchen. And tonight, I'm worried.

    (1)

  • Monte L.

    Recommendation: Chicken udon, soba, great specials on beer and all you can eat sushi deals. Will not leave on an empty stomach. Friendly service.

    (3)

  • Danie M.

    One of my favorite sushi places! Try the Tummy Rocker, great flavors and always fresh. Check out the happy hour Mon-Thur all day bogo on beer and sake!

    (5)

  • Jenny L.

    Delicious sushi with affordable prices! Lunch special bento boxes for $10! Recommendations: sunkist roll, albacore delight, white dragon, love roll, and baked scallop roll. Service: Usually not crowded so the service is good. Sushi comes out pretty fast and the waiters are nice. Atmosphere: cozy, dimmed lighting, quiet, and well decorated.

    (5)

  • Marla B.

    I come to tokoro about once a week when I'm in town. While the place is usually pretty full around dinner time, it's never longer than a 5 minuet wait to get a table and there is never a wait for lunch. The service is speedy. I can't come here without getting the tuna tower! Some of my other favorite rolls are mexican, red rock and sexy roll. Prices are average for sushi - about $7-13 per roll.

    (4)

  • Frank M.

    The food is very good and the pricing is reasonable. The staff is friendly and the restaurant is clean. There's another Japanese restaurant across the street, the Ai Restaurant. The Ai Restaurant has been there for 20+ years, but the food at Tokoro is much better. I stop by every month or so for their salmon teriyaki combo special. A few years ago they had a salmon teriyaki lunch combo at a very reasonable price and I stopped by for that a couple of times a week. If Tokoro ever revives that lunch special I'll switch my rating to five stars!

    (4)

  • Ryan C.

    I'm actually giving this place 3.5 stars.The bento box was pretty good for $9.95 except for the beef being overcooked.It also had four california rolls and two gyozas.The service was better than ai for sure.The one thing that I didn't like was they don't refill your rice for free!

    (3)

  • Eric C.

    Lunch AYCE is probably not the best idea during the work week, but oh well! The price for AYCE sushi? $21.95 The price for hot tea you drink with your AYCE sushi? $1.50 Rules for AYCE? 1 hour time limit, pay menu price for any uneaten food, even rice, etc. *Warning: this review is a tad lengthy. If you wish, just scroll through the items that you think you would order* I went with two other friends (@Brandon G. & Kats), just about three hours ago (please forgive me for any typos or incoherent sentences, my belly is still full of rice and fish). We ordered the following: 1) EDAMAME - fresh, plump, not too salty: 3.5 stars 2) MISO SOUP (1) - Brandon G. had it, I didn't try it. 3) TOFU SALAD, LARGE (1) - over dressed and the tofu wasn't the silky kind I was hoping for, it was a little drier and a tad crumbly: 2 stars 4) SALMON SUSHI (5 orders which is 10 pieces) - standard, good sized pieces of fish for AYCE: 4 stars 5) SEARED SPICY ALBACORE (4 orders) - this might have been the surprise of the meal. the ponzu type sauce over it with green onions and a dot of sriracha. Good stuff, the only gripe is that the fish was a little mushy: 4.5 stars 6) SCALLOP SUSHI (2 orders) - this was not good. the pieces of scallop were okay, but the way they constructed it was its downfall. they made it similar to the way uni is presented sushi style, where the seaweed is wrapped around the rice almost like a cylinder then the scallops were placed on top. But, the seaweed was very soft which made it impossible to bite through, and the scallops were tossed in this concoction of sesame oil, masago and what looked to be furikake? Whatever it was, I didn't like it: 1 star 7) SEARED SPICY TUNA (1 orders) - almost identical to the seared spicy albacore, but the tuna have very little taste, especially with the flavorful sauce and sriracha: 3 stars 8) RED SNAPPER SUSHI (1 order) - this was another bust. lets just say i felt like i was wasting perfectly good stomach space by ingesting these two pieces of sushi. the texture of this is like trying to eat the stringy part of a koosh-ball. this was a tie with the scallop sushi: 1 star 9) TEMPURA SCALLOP ROLL (1) - this was tasty, and I liked how the breaded and fried scallops gave the roll a crunch. again, you can't go wrong with the unagi sauce: 3.5 stars 10) TUNA TOWER (1) - this is basically a tower of the following: rice at the bottom, a layer of avocado, mayo imitation crab, large cubes of tuna, crunchy onion strings, all covered in a generous amount of the unagi sauce. It was very good and fun to eat, but again, some pieces of tuna had tough strands of sinew which was hard to ignore: 4 stars 11) RAINBOW ROLL (1) - the thing about this roll is that the experience is weighted heavily on the quality of the fish that is draped atop the cali roll. I found some of the pieces of fish to be tough and a little gummy (the yellow tail and the red snapper to be exact): 2.5 stars 12) DRAGON ROLL (1) - one of my favorite types! This was what I was expecting, sweetness, savory sauce over eel topped california rolls. Kats put it best, "this is my version of comfort food". It didn't wow me, but it was solid: 4 stars. 13) SPICY ALBACORE HAND ROLL (2) - Brandon G. polished off both of these. 14) SALMON HAND ROLL (1) - a generous amount of salmon, with a cucumber spear for crunch and a sliver of avocado (this was a nice touch) however, surprisingly enough, the scraps they used for this had some tough ligaments in it which made it a bit unpleasant to eat: 2 stars We were definitely full when we left... and I'm still full now... so we definitely ate our money's worth. I might come back again, but for $30 including tea, tax and tip.. its a little too expensive for me to partake more than once every blue moon. The fish quality issues is hard to overlook, therefore I give this place 3 stars, but with that said, I rank it 3 stars compared to places like Morio's in HI, or Sugar Fish in DTLA. In all, the portion sizes and the fact that the food comes out relatively quickly after you order it gives it a boost in rating. It's more like 3.5 stars. This is a place more people need to try, especially in an area that is lacking good Japanese restaurants.

    (3)

  • HourLy L.

    This may be my new go to sushi place! Yay: -Hako Roll: This roll has my two favorite things combined: dragon roll and rainbow roll. Well, the rainbow roll has other fish in it as well, but this is my perfect roll! -Love Roll: This roll was sooo good! The only thing I didn't like was the raw onions because I don't like raw onions. -Tempura Ice Cream: I got the green tea flavor and I made sure to squish all of it into my stomach even thought it was hard to breathe after. haha I couldn't stop eating it. Nay: -White Dragon Roll: I didn't really like the texture of this or that the cream cheese was warm, but I guess it had to be because it's a baked roll. Definitely already craving to go back to this place!

    (4)

  • Susan W.

    This is good place for all you can eat sushi. I like salmon and tamago sushi, but alboare was not really fresh and tempura was not hot when it was served. And, I got little embarrssed because I was not feel welcomed by server. She didn't smile and was inattentive when I ordered food.

    (3)

  • Claudia S.

    The Unagi Sashimi and baked baby lobster roll was good. BUT they were served on chipped plates. This is the second time I get food served at this restaurant on chipped plates. That is disappointing and the plates need to be THROWN AWAY.

    (3)

  • Liana P.

    This is a great place. Everything here is pretty good. I haven't had a bad meal here. I love the spicy salmon salad and the tower. YUMMMMMY

    (4)

  • Andrea W.

    Sushi is sometimes over sauced depending on the roll. They have all you can eat which is a great deal. Overall decent sushi.

    (3)

  • Working M.

    I'm not a sushi fan...but I must say this place has pretty good dinners. They offer a good variety of items inside your box and it's pretty tasty. I used to eat at Ai's and this place is just as good (if not better cause we like the potsticker and ca roll with our dinner). Have been here a couple of times and they are pretty consistent. The service is very good and they are attentive. I'm glad we found another good Japanese rest in the Pasadena area.

    (4)

  • Michael I.

    Simply the best spicy tuna rolls I have ever had in my life. Followed only by their baby lobster rolls. I am a regular here and Its by far the best sushi place I have ever been to.

    (5)

  • Reverend lisa P.

    I am a once a week fan of Tokoro Restaurant. I come on Sundays to watch football and gorge myself on the freshest sushi in town. ! I have to say that all of the sushi chefs are very talented, but JASON is by far my favorite. You must ask him to create something just for you, his sushi rolls are super and delicious. Jason is very patient with answering questions, I always leave knowing a little more about sushi and the Japanese culture. The entire staff is friendly and take the time to make you feel welcomed. That is very important to me. This is my weekend highlight. Oh and did I mention that the food is good too ! LOL !

    (5)

  • Jace R.

    I went to Tokoro for dinner tonight and I really enjoyed it. I had both the salmon tempura roll and the crazy boy roll--both were delicious. The decor of the restaurant needs a little work and the service left more to be desired, but I would definitely recommend this place and return again.

    (4)

  • tawny w.

    My default sushi craving fix. I pretty much crave sushi at leasttttt once a week and since Tokoro is so conveniently close to me, it's become my quick fix for yummy rolls. The two rolls that are a must have: Mountain roll- cali roll wrapped with raw salmon and topped with spicy tuna, drizzled with spicy mayo and eel sauce... take some time to wipe that drool off yo face. BSCR- Baked Scallop on California Roll. yup. that's what the B.S.C.R. stands for. It's exactly what it promises. I've tried this roll from numerous restaurants and I can confidently say that Tokoro's is one of the best i've tried so far. Personally, i think it's all in the sauce. Tokoro's is a mayo and eel sauce that is not too thin and not too thick. Topped off with a sprinkle of green onions and masago. For those unfortunate few who do not like mayo (sad face) don't worry, the BSCR is not drenched in it, just drizzled with the right amount. The service was friendly and prompt and the prices are reasonable. I wouldn't recommend getting sashimi though, i ordered that once and it wasn't as fresh as i would have preferred. I would stick with their premium rolls :)

    (4)

  • Candy L.

    This place has the best Chirashi for a decent price and the rolls are off the top! You can never go wrong with anything on the menu!

    (5)

  • Jessicat J.

    They have a great variety for vegetarians! I absolutely love their vegetarian roll combo. Buy a drink, get another one for a penny, Monday-Thursday! The staff are attentive and very friendly.

    (5)

  • John P.

    Great sushi. I like that the rolls here differ so much from what you see at most sushi places. The spicy tuna is great. My favorite is the Japanese burrito appetizer. Any of the rolls are great though, highly recommended!

    (5)

  • Ernest T.

    Go here for the beer and the sake...buy one get one for a penny... The crowd is ok, and some of the servers are cool while other one suck, so hope you get lucky. They play the sound for the laker game...and the food is ok. prices are average. They have all you can eat at certain times during the day. Overall, if you wanna get drunk off beer and sake, this is the place to go...

    (3)

  • joyce w.

    Mmmm....pretty standard rolls, bento boxes, and udon. Nothing to write home about. Everything was pretty average. Edamame was soggy, but it was free, so not complaining. They charge for hot tea (1.50 each) I got the hot soba, and my friend got the salmon teriyaki bento box. It was a good amount of food, both of us were stuffed afterwards, but it wasn't something I'd crave again. I'd probably drive down to Alhambra or even Little Tokyo to get better Japanese food.

    (2)

  • Matt C.

    Ok this is by far one of the best sushi places I have ben to, and I used to not be big on sushi untill I came here! Spider crunch roll is AMAZING! And my favorite part of this place is that you can buy a beer for around $5 and every beer after that is 1 cent! Yes! 1 cent!! How can you beat that? Ok I'm going to stop now, just come to tokoro!

    (5)

  • Gwen P.

    Let's just face it - you don't go to Asian restaurants in Pasadena. Unless you're talking about Phoenix in South Pas, there really is no excuse for you not to drive East to Arcadia, or South to Alhambra. It was a Sunday night and most everything was closed. We were circling around trying to find Ai Sushi and found it to be closed. On our way there we noticed Tokoro's "OPEN" sign and kept it in our minds just in case. As we pulled a U, we decided to take the dangerous leap of trying Pasadena Sushi and give this place a chance. The place is pretty small with some cool booths and a sushi bar. We were seated immediataly, it was not very busy at the moment. The menu was pretty typical - dinner sets and rolls, but we saw some cool Soy Paper wrapped rolls and decided to try one of those. After 2 miso soups, we tried one of their Tuna plates on the Specials menu, a Soy Paper wrapped roll and another roll - all of it was actually very good, surprisingly good. We came back a second time - this time trying the Sashimi plate and a bunch of other rolls. It was again suprisingly great! Lesson learned, don't judge all restaurant by the ethnic distribution of its neighborhood - but be wary if its an Asian restaurant in Pasadena, you might still be in danger.

    (4)

  • clare b.

    Tokoro has the BEST sushi rolls. Lots of variety. My favorites are the 911 roll and the Mexican roll. Everything always tastes fresh and service is fast. My go-to sushi place!

    (5)

  • Loren T.

    Awesome hole-in-the-wall sushi joint! My boyfriend and I went to Tokoro last night (Friday) for the first time for a late night dinner date. We arrive around 9pm (we made a reservation to be safe but it looked like the wait wouldn't have been more than 5 - 10 minutes). We were seated promptly, given our drinks and free edamame in a timely manner and ordered. We filled out an order form of the sushi we wanted and the quantity and our waitress verified everything before she left. We ordered tuna, shrimp and freshwater eel rolls a la carte, a rainbow roll and a fried shrimp tempura roll. WOW. They were all really good. The a la carte rolls came out first (there are 2 with an order), then the shrimp tempura. By the end of that roll I was pretty full but made room for the rainbow roll which didn't disappoint! I'm not a big sushi eater, but Tokoro definitely satisfied my desires! The staff was great. The food was prepared well and came out with good timing. And it was delicious!

    (5)

  • Martin G.

    The fresh rolls were amazing. We had the Spicy Crunch Tuna Roll, 911 roll and Mayflower. My wife had Chicken Teriyaki Deluxe combination plate. Fresh, tasty and delicious. Service was definitely five stars! Food five stars! We will be returning!

    (5)

  • Adam P.

    Not bad typical sushi spot.

    (4)

  • candace r.

    Tokoro is great for their occasional happy hour specials...during the week they have "buy a beer, get a second one for a penny" which is great because it makes a difference in the bill. Another thing I like about this place is that they are generous with the amount of fish they put on top of the special rolls....so you don't have to order as many. Some of their rolls are a little bit pricey, but it's worth it for the amount of fish you get in return. The staff isn't too friendly which is a disappointment considering the food is great. The sushi chefs don't interact with you at the sushi bar, and the wait staff don't take interest in you whatsoever. It happens. I'll still come here once in awhile.

    (4)

  • Angelo L.

    I went with very low expectations, as I've found that most restaurants in South Pas are not very good (there are a few exceptions). But, as luck would have it, I was pleasantly surprised. We ordered two baked rolls (caterpillar, red rock), a spicy yellow tail sashimi special, as well as misc sushi (tuna, shrimp, yellow tail, seared marbled tuna, tamago, albacore). The fish was fresh and good. The atmosphere was comfortable and welcoming. It was plenty for two at a modest price of around $60.

    (4)

  • Paula C.

    Decent prices, food is good, except went on Monday air conditioner not working, too hot in there and they had the door and flies we're flying all over the food.

    (3)

  • hellokittynme ..

    Review in progress...

    (5)

  • N T.

    While I am a huge sushi enthusiast, I'm not that big on authenticity. Bring on the brown rice,soy paper and please add avocado. Ive been here a handful of times and place is right up my alley (try the sushi burrito; kinda like a hand roll with rice, tempura shrimp, spicy tuna, avocado, cute in soy paper) I think it is fresh, fast and delicious. Great lunch spot.

    (4)

  • S T.

    First and definitely last time here. We wanted AI sushi, but it was closed so we found this place on the gps. The service was incredibly slow. We ordered the combo plates which came with salad, soup, and rice. The food came out without our rice! So the waiter comes to tell us that they ran out of rice and it will take 10 minutes to make! What??? How does a restaurant run oug of rice before 7 pm? The soup was too salty and the salad dressing tasted like BBQ pork sauce. The beef teriyaki was so dry and the tempura sauce had no flavor.

    (2)

  • Heather L.

    We have never had anything but an amazing meal here. From food to service, it has always been fresh, flavorful, fast, and with a smile. They have so many rolls to choose from, and all of them have been fresh and flavorful. Their spicy tuna salad is always a hit. For lunch you can choose the AYCE, and there is a wide selection especially if you bring your appetite! At dinner, we always order something from their specials menu. It is a great place that is convenient to the area. You also get free edamame and miso with your meal!

    (5)

  • Cindy G.

    We tried this place last night because we are new to South Pasadena and needed a sushi spot away from the Old Town strip and come on, everyone's reviews was talking about "buy 3 premium rolls, get 1 free". We had the following: LA Roll: really good. Fresh raw salom and spicy tuna. Energy Roll: so flavorful and the tempura shrimp was very crispy and the eel sauce was not overboard like other sushi places Shrimp Tempura Roll: good, crispy and had a good sauce Scallop Tempura Roll: the scallops were okay to me but my BF likes everything deep fried so he loved it. They also give you free edamame. Ours was a little over cooked but that's how I like them so that was perfect. The only reason I'm giving 4 out of 5 is because they charge for hot green tea and they don't come around to refill it. I know people charge for hot tea (like americans) but I'm asian and every place I've ever been (sushi, dim sum, japanese, chinese, vietnamese, thai) never charges for hot tea! Let alone $1.50 each! I should have gotten a soda! Its not soda people, it's HOT WATER! Like that cold water that you give away for free with ice and lemon!

    (4)

  • Jerod Y.

    We tried Tokoro tonight for the first time. It was okay. My friend tried the Yellowtail Collar which was baked and had a lot of good flavor. It was good size portion of a meal when you order rice to go with it. I tried the delux dinner Salmon (I ordered the terriyaki sauce on the side cause I didn't want it drenched in sauce). I did like the charcoal taste on the fish and the meal overall was okay. I felt overall the place kind of catered to more of special sushi rolls instead of a more simplified/traditional sushi establishment. I'm not sure if I personally would come back again, but that's my personal taste. If you like special rolls then perhaps you should try it.

    (3)

  • Xinyi W.

    The buy 3 premium rolls get one free is done. I went there last Saturday,that's what they told me. Their food is not bad, however, to me it's not authentic, too americanized. And they sliced my soft crab roll way too thin this time. I probably will go back if I want some americanized japanese food.

    (3)

  • Selena W.

    Not a bad place. Great deals. Buy 4 rolls get one free. Buy one alcoholic drink get the second one for 1 cent. all you can eat for 20 bucks. sushi quality isn't great but the majority of it isn't bad at all. Most definitely would recommend anyone to at least try it once :]

    (3)

  • Michelle A.

    This is a great, neighborhood sushi place, don't expect fancy ambiance--it is just that, a local, tasty sushi place. Prices are reasonable & staff is very friendly. The most important thing here is the sushi is always 'consistent' and things taste the same each & every time unlike a lot of sushi places. Parking can be tight (street), it depends on the time of day/day of the week you are going there --- I have had their sushi while dining there (mostly this way) and have done carry-out a few times and the best part is - I find the sushi take-out just as delicious as if you were in the restaurant -- a feat that is hard to accomplish by many sushi places ---

    (4)

  • Alex W.

    This place is just adorable! The staff is attentive and patient (they dealt with my fussy aunt's requests with ease), and the sushi is delicious. Not only do they have remarkable lunchtime specials, their regular prices are reasonable, and their offerings varied enough that I've never gotten bored. My guilty pleasure is their Fair Oaks roll; delicious! Their baby lobster roll is scrumptious, too. (It's really hard to screw up lobster for me, but other places do!) The ambience is lovely -- it's not the ritziest of places, but everyone is squared away in very comfortable and surprisingly private booths, and the decor is chic and understated. I keep coming back here mostly for the service. The quality of the sushi itself is pretty much what you'd expect from a small place, but I was just so impressed with the staff's friendliness and promptness that I knew I was going to become a regular. BTW -- come here for birthdays. The manager/owner brings out an amazingly delicious mochi-type desert and will even sing happy birthday with you (despite not knowing the birthday person's name =D). Last time we celebrated a birthday here, he even included a trick candle which gave everyone a little laugh. Overall, just a nice, nice place.

    (4)

  • Forrest D.

    As I stated before, we come here quite often. One of the problems on the Eastside is that there is a severe lack of quality sushi, so rating them is a difficult proposition for me. Within the San Gabriel valley this is as close to a 5 star sushi house as there is, yet up next to the top tier sushi places downtown and on the Westside it still isn't quite up to the high levels they set but maybe that's not a fair comparison. Last time I rated this place a 3 star, yet I feel compelled to give them four stars for a few reasons. We always feel at home here, Tony (one of the sushi chefs) and his brother always welcome us and certainly part of that is that we come here on a regular basis yet that has to play into my review. Any restaurant that takes care of their customers gets high marks in my book and we always feel important here. Todays visit we were given compimentary Salmon collar which I had never had and which was absolutely delicious. The fish is always quite good, I've only rarely not been happy with a sashimi order here maybe one or two orders out of the dozens and dozens of times we've been here. That's a pretty good ratio. So let me say that compared to A Float Sushi, Sushi on Naples, Sushi Roku, Obi or Kabuki and any other local sushi houses this one towers above them all, maybe only Yoshido is in the same league. Tokoro won't make you forget Katsu-Ya or Sushi Gen but you won't be disappointed either and the prices are right. So here's my new rating: On the Eastside this is a five star house, overall in the city of LA it's probably about 3.5 stars so I'll split the difference and call it a solid four. Food - A Ambience - B+ Service - A Value - A

    (3)

  • Nostalgia J.

    Remarkably unremarkable sushi joint. The decor is simple and comfortable if you get a booth. I could certainly do with out all the TVs. The music is always one-hit-wonder covers! Good for a laugh. I've given them lots of chances, and over all -not too impressed, but never too let down either. Everything always, well, I should say, usually, tastes nice and fresh. They have all the good standards from the kitchen and the sushi bar, plus a whole bunch of frilly fusion rolls, moderately priced, but on the small side, so we never get out cheap. My standard at any sushi bar is a spicy tuna hand roll. I like them just under 4 alarm with some crispy sprouts and julienned cucumber. Tokoro's spicy tuna is inconsistent, ranging from pleasantly piquant to 5 alarm fire, usually with some disappointingly limp cucumber thrown in. We return time and time again because it is sushi within walking distance, otherwise, I'd probably pass. Service is relaxed and friendly...maybe a little too relaxed since the waitress forgot to bring our appetizer and we had to tell her to take it off the bill. For me, If I'm not leaving South Pas, it breaks down like this: Ai is mediocre and RUDE AS HELL Maki Yaki, friendly, mediocre and dirty Tokoro, acceptable. Tokoro it is. They do have some specials, like 2 for one house beers and 4 for 3 specialty rolls.

    (3)

  • J. Francisco A.

    You know there are lots of sushi places around Pasadena but one of the most overlooked is often Tokoro. If you're looking to eat somewhere before you venture out to old town you might want to check out this place. They have the standard seating in, booths, tables or at the sushi bar. They do accommodate large groups as was evident by the large graduation party that was there having a good time. I like this place because they are ok with me asking them to make something extra spicy or with whatever request you make. The ambiance doesn't try to intimidate those that are not familiar with sushi and I love the halibut sashimi that they make here. They have beer, wine and saki, I never knew saki could be so good until I started coming here. Monday-Thursday they have a buy one beer get the second beer for .01 cents. This is worth mentioning over and over in these economic times.

    (4)

  • Paul D.

    As I previously said, I used to came here every week, but once Gus's re-opened next door, I've been going there and will sporadically coming here. Well I went last Friday and again last night and was greeted warmly (by name) by my 3 usual staff members - yes, that means I go there often. So let's talk about the good stuff: Specials Specials Specials! They have all you can eat lunch specials for $20 going on Mon-Fri.11 AM - 3 PM. Also on Mon-Thurs - Buy 1 beer, get a 2nd for 1 penny! Two large Sapporos for $6.01! Finally 3 premiums rolls will get you a 4th one free. I'm not big on the premium rolls, as I usually get sushi, but if you're a fan of those, then not a bad deal.

    (5)

  • Victor D.

    One of my favorite spots for sushi! Can get a little busy sometimes and slow service as a result but is expected from a place that servers great food. Can't beat (wait for it).....Monday through Thursday buy any beer and get a second one for 1 penny!

    (5)

  • Joe C.

    We go to to tokoro once a week. The hosts and servers are great. Try the Tuna Tower or Sexy Roll (not the best name). During the week a second sake or beer is only a penny!! Friendliest Japanese restaurant in SoPas!

    (5)

  • D R.

    This place is perfect for those of us that live in the vicinity. Great Sushi and Bento boxes. Nice staff and an overall chill experience. I've been going there for years now and haven't gotten tired of it. Prices are reasonable too.

    (4)

  • Yong L.

    I visited this place last week with my friend at 9:10pm. We ordered several sushi, one roll, and bottles of beer. The food was OK, not too great but not too bad. However, I give this place 5 stars because of their service that made us feel very comfortable. After eating and talking, we realized that the close time was already over at 10:00pm and we were the only customer in the restaurant. But, the server did not push us to leave, instead, he gave us one complimentary bottle of beer and told us to take our time. Of course, we left right after finishing the last beer. It was good and comfortable experience at Tokoro.

    (5)

  • Nicole C.

    We were randomly in the South Pasadena area one evening and were like, oh, ok, we could have dinner in the city...so we stopped by Tokoro, as we had never been... Walking in, we found it fairly crowded and there were a few people ahead of us. Quite surprising to us because the restaurant was decently large - a wait for a restaurant in South Pasadena?! Strange! So we skipped the wait and just headed straight to the sushi bar. Coming in, we didn't have high expectations and were just hoping for (at the minimum) very normal, average Japanese food...and that's what we got. We had their salmon combination plate, an order of spicy tuna rolls and a Dragon Roll. The salmon was a bit on the dry side and I didn't find it to be particularly flavorful. The salad dressing was good, though. The spicy tuna roll was good, not amazing and the same with the Dragon Roll. Prices were fair for the non-specialty rolls but I thought $10ish for a "specialty" roll was a little high for a non-fancy Japanese restaurant in South Pasadena. Same with the pricing for the combination plate. Well, now we know what Tokoro is like...probably won't be returning but we found the dining experience to be decent, not horrible and not exceptional.

    (2)

  • Eve P.

    Okay, so I go to Tokoro at least once a week, here's why. I decided to try this place after my neighbor had suggested it (he goes there for the All You Can Eat special time. I found the place quaint with it's cute decor. The food was very fresh and the staff very accommodating. The reason I keep coming back is for the Udon noodle. In the past, I would usually go to Little Tokyo for Udon, but Tokoro's is SOOO much better. Try it! Anyway, my family and I loved it so much and we became so well know, we are now a part of their "Tokoro Family" picture scene on the wall! Yay! Give it a try, you'll love it. If anything, go for the food.

    (5)

  • Joyce Y.

    Pretty good sushi/rolls - nothing compared to westside sushi eateries. But it's not bad for sgv. We ordered: tempura roll (hubby loves this) LA roll - spicy tuna with salmon on top unagi hand roll - expensive, $7.25, for just one hand roll! tuna roll - ok albacore nigiri and halibut nigiri - good but lacking flavor, esp. the halibut. They give you edamame as appetizer for free - we asked for more and thought they'd charge us so we changed our mind. But then, they came over and gave us a little bit more edamame. For 2 of us, the bill came out about $50. A little bit expensive for just ok sushi. Hubby comes here some times with his co-workers during lunch. He said for lunch, they usually have a $25 all you can eat special? Valid before 3 pm, on weekdays, I think.

    (3)

  • Brandon G.

    "AYCE at Tojoro" on a text message was all it took. Yes, it was spelled wrong but I got the message loud and clear. All you can eat was being offered and it was just down the street from our house. Sweet sassy molassy. Upon further investigation, we discovered some limitations to this plentiful bounty but it was completely do-able. M-F and only during lunch. The service is great and the waitress actually encourages patrons to partake of the all you can eat special which includes all of the appetizer and salad selections found on the regular menu including sushi, hand rolls and the specialty rolls. It does however, exclude sashimi. Try the tuna tower, you won't be disappointed. This place is not for the sushi-elite but if you're into all you can eat sushi places, this is as good as it gets. The first time we came here, I felt bad for ordering so much because each roll comes out looking like a work of art and we ate them faster than they could make them. No worries though, we made sure to give them a nice tip.

    (4)

  • Christopher A.

    I have seen God... or the Buddha... or at least St. Sushi of South Pas. This is a good solid sushi bar... until middays Monday thru Friday. Then it becomes Nir-frickin-vana for fish feeders. Under 20 bucks... all you can eat... hello, highway (Fair Oaks) robbery. My daughter had one roll... a baby lobster thing... that retailed right there on the menu at 10 bucks plus. We gorged... we thrilled... we gorged some more. Nice sushi chef... nice food... ridiculously nice price. No, you can't stuff yourself with toro, fool, but gimme a break. Get in here before they come to their senses.

    (5)

  • Shannon G.

    I am very particular with my sushi restaurants and Tokoro is my favorite right now. 3 premium rolls and you get the 4th free! 2 beers for the price of one! That is the perf dinner for two to three people.. Besides the above awesome deal, there is the freshness factor. This is (of course) a must when it comes to sushi, and Tokoro hits it every time I've been there. The only complaint I would have is the service is not that prompt on checking in with the tables.

    (4)

  • Joy T.

    This is a Korean-run sushi place; the waiters, waitresses, and the sushi-men treat their customers differently. When customers who are White and/or non-Asian walk in or out, the entire staff very enthusiastically shouts out the typical Japanese greeting phrase sushi lovers have gotten used to. Interestingly, when Asian customers walk in or out, the welcoming or thank you shout is a lot less enthusiastic or even ignored sometimes. It was interesting to observe this more than just a few times. It seems the restaurant folks are confused about who they are, and it is apparent these folks prefer customers from certain backgrounds. Food is just as good or bad as any other Korean sushi restaurant. Nothing special about the place.

    (3)

  • Eliza S.

    we ran away from the terrible service at Ai... and glad we decided to stop by here instead of Gus's BBQ. sushi is always a better choice than bbq everyone was very friendly rolls were delicious - we ordered anything that was spicy :) food did take some time to be served - such as the seaweed salad came with the rolls (usually served the salad before meal?) but it was all still good free edamame to start was a nice addition too

    (4)

  • febe f.

    This is one of my favorite local sushi places. They use to have a buy 3 get 1 free roll...but that deal is over now. Still worth it to go. The staff is always nice and the food is always consistent .

    (4)

  • Mark Y.

    The waiter gave himself an extra dollar tip. He just added it on to my credit card charge. I gave the guy more than 15% on our lunch bill, and he still added an extra dollar for himself. Luckily, I checked my credit card statement. I tried contacting the manager, but the staff keep telling me that he is not available. I just hope that the manager is not in on this scheme. Everybody, check your credit card statements for any extra tips these people are giving themselves. I used to come here quite often for lunch since it's so close to my office. I know it's only a dollar, but I am very offended that they would do such a thing. They've lost a customer for life.

    (1)

  • Sean L.

    Come here to eat California rolls and all the exquisite rolls you can only find in America. They've got some interesting ones here and it's also buy 3 get 1 free. Cheap alcohol (Buy 1 get 1 free!)also make it a winner. Not the most authentic sushi place, but it satisfies the craving if you want rolls. I believe they are Korean owned/operated.

    (3)

  • Julie L.

    Yummy!! The sashimi were fresh and lots of selections for rolls. So happy to have found another good sushi place around the area=)

    (5)

  • George P.

    It has been a couple of days since my visit to Tokoro in South Pasadena. We weren't very hungry so we jumped in the car since it was way to hot to stay home. Finally ended up here and at first glance. Yes! Cool Looking Spot sandwiched between Gus's BBQ and Mama's Pizza. Our Order Ice Waters Small Saborro Edamame Bulgogi Combo with CA Roll, Salad, Miso, Rice Sunkist Roll(CA Rolls topped with Baked Salmon) Green Tea Ice Cream Pros 1) Edamame was great. In fact, we we fighting over them like hyenas' on the Serengeti. 2) Bulgogi for a sushi place was gooood! I loved it! 3) Green Tea Ice Cream-Great, not as sweet as expected but this should have just been my entire meal. 4) Miso Soup was good. Not salty, in fact I ordered another one cause my copilot was snagging my bowl. Cons 1) After our food was served my original server did not return for refills or to top off our waters. When they did return, our refill consisted of luke warm tap water...no lemon. Its hot as hell and these DF's didn't put ice in the tap water. Strike ONE! 2) The CA rolls were made from what I can tell imitation crab meat mixed with mayonnaise. Very little avocado and cucumber in the rolls. However, the strong taste of Mann-o-naise was ever present even after my meal. I felt like Andy Dufrain from Shawshank Redemption. The Sisters' sure did have their way with me! STRIKE TWO! 3) When I said, "WE would like an order of Green Tea Ice Cream Please!". That means that we as in my sleazy date and I, each, would like one scoop of Green Tea Ice Cream. So, our server brings 1 scoop of Green Tea Ice Cream with 2 plastic Spoons. Forgive me if I sound like a douche, but I don't share Ice Cream Scoops with anybody. Ice Cream (Like Vagina) is best served one per customer. Unless, I just had sex with you, I am not sharing my ice cream. Next, I looked like a 90 year old trying to eat my ice cream with a flimsy plastic spoon. Imagine how i looked trying to scrape off a spoonful of Ice cold GT Ice Cream with a limp spoon. Apparently, I didn't have the viagra that prevented "Limp Spoon Dick" for my dessert. To top it off, they add chocolate syrup and whipped cream. WHAT THE F ARE YOU DOING!!!!!!! I am skipping my usual fat ass Coldstone's Founder's Favorite and trying to have a healthy alternative...Green Tea Ice Cream. This whole thing was worthy of a strike but the Ice cream was good soo BALL ONE! 4) Service Don't expect good service here. Its been 3 days and I feel like my usual "Son-in-Law Self" when I have dinner at my Mother-in Laws house. We were greeted warmly, but right as I sat down, I politely smiled at one of the Sushi Chef's. Its the kind of smile that says, I am really trying way too hard to take in Japanese food and enjoy the Culture. His blank stare was weird. Sort of like I interned his relatives in Central California in the 40's. I wasn't even born then and to top it off, its open season on Mexicanos and we are not at war with Mexico! Can't we just get along? Next, I hate having to ask for refills and especially get that look like I am bothering you. Since our server never came back, the manager finally gave us our bill. Very affordable but not at the expense of the quality of food or service. As we left, we said our "Thank You"......no response. My mother-in-law finally has competition for the worse service provider in my world. STRIKE 3 AND I OUTTA HERE. Overall, I am stuck between a 2 and 3 star rating. Could have been great but they just failed. There are other places that I can go for better sushi and trying to lure me with buy one and get one for a penny screams "This place is a shit hole but if you drink enough, you won't be able to tell". Finally, I am offered when a menu has the words "Premium" rolls. That implies that everything else is shit. I will not be returning for any reason. I have already scheduled a session with my psychologist to deal with my limp spoon dick issue. Thanks alot.....My mother-in-law is smiling!

    (2)

  • Sandy P.

    Close to home and great service.. not the best, but none the less very expectable...

    (3)

  • Heriberto S.

    Just dropped into this place because the sis and I had a craving for a new sushi place, WE SCORED!!!!. I loved this place. Easy on the eyes, not to uppity, and not too run down, just right. The service was great and our food was brought out promptly. As soon as we arrived we were given our edamame and we placed our drink order. We were told about the 2 menus, 1 for everything they have, and their all you can eat sushi menu. About $23 bucks for all you can eat, and we did just that!. The sushi was very fresh and very tasty. I would definitely give them a huge thumbs up. :)

    (5)

  • Angie H.

    Close by, Ayce sushi, pretty decent sushi, buy one sake/beer get the other for a penny during their "happy hour", and nice service?? i think yes!

    (4)

  • Charlene C.

    3.7/5 This place doesn't look like much from the outside but when I walked into this establishment, I was pleasantly surprised at how cute this place was.. well... I wasn't really expecting much. My friend really wanted a volcano roll (which was not on the menu), but after describing the roll to the waitress, the chef was able to recreate a pretty good imitation! I opted to get ... oh dang, I forgot the name, but basically it was a california roll wrapped with salmon and topped with SPICY TUNA.. and I normally love the spice, but this was super spicy!! I had to drink of water to calm my tastebuds.. haha.. Anyhow the service was so-so, and it seems like this place is known for their all-you-can-eat service, but make sure you read all the "rules" since there is a list of 4 rules one must abide by or risk getting charged more.. I've had better sushi, but I must say this place isn't too shabby if you have a craving for sushi and want to keep it South Pasadena local.. I know, the 3.7 is a bit much, but I think it's a good way to describe this place... :)

    (3)

  • Stephanie C.

    We generally find this a nice local sushi restaurant for the family. Consistency, however is a problem. Sometimes the sush is wonderfully fresh and good, other, not so much. The rolls are creative and a sure-bet. Salmon and tuna tend to be good and tasty most, but not all of the time. Service, too, is inconsistent---but trends toward good. As you can image, not a "cheap-eat" place. Dinner for four, with soft drinks for kids and a beer for mom and dad will likely be around $80.

    (3)

  • Jessica Y.

    Oh my gosh, I crave their Mountain Rolls!! My husband and I used to go here at least once a week when we lived in South Pasadena. All of their sushi is fresh and tasty, and their rolls are out of this world. My husband likes the basic spicy tuna and spicy yellowtail, and I love the salmon sashimi. But our favorite by far is the Mountain Roll. We've now moved about 40 minutes away, and have yet to find a sushi place we love as much as this one. Now, on the way home after work, one of us ends up going about 30 minutes out of our way to bring home rolls whenever we're craving delicious sushi.

    (5)

  • Mike B.

    Very good sushi! Favorites are baked lobster roll and popcorn lobster roll. The best thing is mon-Thursday is happy drink, buy one drink get the second for s penny!! Love coming here.

    (5)

  • Christine C.

    Wow! Have not been here in a LOOOONNNNNGGGGG time and it has changed. The sushi and service was fabulous! Way to go, I am so excited to have this place back with an A game. New decor, new lighting, and the place was packed! YES!!!

    (5)

  • Iain M.

    Revised - The buy one get one for a penny is the best beer special in the area! So this is apparently my new japanese food restaurant in South Pasadena. My wife and I have been going here regularly for several years (when I'm hungover, I have this incredible craving for chicken teriyaki). We used to get our food from Ai, but we got tired of walking out of there smelling like tempura, and the other japanese place on Glenarm that we loved for their udon closed for a bit, so we moved to Tokoro. I'm not a huge fan of sushi, but I'm trying and their sushi is better than some other places that I've been to where you can't even bite through the tuna. They don't give as much rice as I would like with my sushi, but maybe that's just me. The service is good, but it is hard to get their attention once you've been served. It's decently priced, especially if you don't drink too much. The chicken teriyaki is decent, but it can come out a bit overcooked at times. We like the tempura udon. The noodles are perfectly toothsome. Normally the place is slow. It can get busy on weekend nights with local families coming in. Almost never a wait, which is either a good or a bad thing depending on how you interpret it.

    (4)

  • Marla B.

    I live down the street and come here about once a week. It's just slightly overpriced but worth it. The tuna tower and sexy roll are to die for. Everything here is really tasty and their happy hour drink specials are great

    (5)

  • Joyce Y.

    Got treated here for an "all you can eat" lunch. Kinda pricey, $24 for all you can eat lunch, NOT including drinks. Large selection of rolls, great service, although we were the only ones eating in there on a saturday. You get ONE HOUR to chow down and order as much sushi and rolls that your belly can handle. I gotta say, the rolls were yum-o! Popcorn lobster was delish! Good place for a casual Japanese dining experience. You don't have to order the "all you can eat" either, you can order a la carte off their regular menu.

    (4)

  • Dave T.

    Been here a handful of times...agedashi tofu's pretty good, not all gelatinous like some other local places. Veggie rolls are pretty basic but pretty consistent. Service can be a bit hit or miss sometimes...but overall, pretty good.

    (4)

  • Bob T.

    My wife and I loved this restaurant when we lived in South Pasadena. And now that we've moved away, we still make the trip to this friendly Japanese restaurant on Fair Oaks. The food is excellent, especially the spicy tuna, and the Japanese burrito appetizer is great. The service is outstanding and you are always made to feel welcome. Don't let the construction on Fair Oaks Avenue keep you from visiting this place. There is parking available around the corner from the restaurant.

    (5)

  • L. M.

    Pretty much my favorite South Pasadena sushi hang out. Sexy Rolls Rock!!!!!

    (4)

  • Carrie V.

    We decided to give Tokoro another chance after a long hiatus. It seems to be under new management for the umpteenth time in 5 years, but in this case it's a good thing. The restaurant looks nicer on the inside. Sometimes when we go in, the fish smell is overwhelming, like they need to clean something out. Usually, though, it's fine. I always order the side salad and an avocado roll with soy paper. It's the best avocado roll I've had anywhere. My husband orders sushi every time. He loves their Philadelphia roll and the Crazy Girl roll. The service here is good. Sometimes they don't come with the check very quickly, but they always take your orders promptly and deliver the food in a timely manner. Maybe they are loath to bring the check because they never want us to leave? This place is back on our regular rotation of restaurants. It's usually easy to get a table, but on Friday and Saturday nights it gets busy.

    (3)

  • andriana b.

    i like this place. it's pretty decent and close to home. I like the LA roll with avocado and cucumber.. anything w spicy tuna is good there. the fish is fresh and the veggies are perfect, also good rice (which is a biggie). They are open till 10pm with "all you can eat specials" and buy one beer get the 2nd for 1 cent specials, which is rad. i dig it.

    (3)

  • David K.

    When you are in the mood for sushi, but dont want to fuss with the trendy sushi bars or the expense, Tokoro is the place to go. The sushi is delicious and fresh and the service is friendly. The restaurant is casual and is the type of place where you can go if you just want to relax, eat some good sushi and drink a couple of beers. They have TVs to show sport games too.

    (4)

  • Chris S.

    I'm a big fan of Japanese food and I love going to this place. I'm a SoPas local and I go here at least once a month. The sushi is always fresh and the staff is very friendly. I'm an "a la cart" person, so I get the Salmon or Roe usually and it's always exquisite. Also, Fish Katsu is hard to find in general and they did it right! My only gripe is it's a little pricey, but the food is worth the price.

    (4)

  • Lisa K.

    I do not like the "A-Ge tofu" appetizer here. The sushi is alright/good. The cooked food is so-so. It is a bit dark inside + cold. I used to eat here a lot until I found a place I like better: Crazy Sushi in Alhambra.

    (3)

  • Macelle A.

    Boo! This place made both my husband and I sick. Regarding their special "Crunchy Roll" - where's the crunch? The sushi is not fresh. Tuna is all around bad. No wonder this place is like a morgue.

    (1)

  • Brenda R.

    fresh seafood, awesome service. needs to have more locations

    (4)

  • Steven W.

    I would have to say Sushi and Sashimi are at the top of my list for favorite foods, so when i get a chance to experience the food at a place I never tried I jump on the opportunity. My friends who live in South Pasadena had invited us over to watch a movie. They had placed an order for Chinese carry out, but I am not a big fan of all the msg and sodium. I asked if there was a good sushi place in the neighborhood. and they strongly recommended Tokoro, so i decided to give them a shot. Granted I live in downtown LA, so little Tokyo is around the corner and my favorite place Octopus is within walking distance. You really have to impress me to surpass the selections and quality i am accustomed to. Since i don't think Sushi travels well, I opted to eat at the restaurant. The exterior and interior of the place is nice, so I was already expecting the food to be good. The menu is huge and has a vast selection of rolls with the baked option for those afraid to eat raw fish.All around the selections are reasonably priced. The service was above average as well and the comfort and noise levels were also pleasing. The sashimi salad had a decent amount of sashimi piled high and the taste/texture were welcomed to my picky expectations. I would definitely recommend this place if you live in the area, but for me I am spoiled living in downtown and all of the quality selections I have around me.

    (4)

  • Kirhan C.

    Great, affordable sushi in south pas. Its higher quality than maki yaki but bigger portions and cheaper than ai. They used to have a 25% off special on sushi in the afternoon- too bad they dont have it anymore

    (4)

  • Nathan M.

    I've had better. But then again, I've had worse. The service here is friendly, however it's nigh impossible to flag them down. It seems to be a common problem, from a few friends I've talked to, and from a similar minded review here. I had the sushi combo B, which was a selection of the chefs' sushi picks, and a roll selection - California or spicy tuna. Everything tasted fresh, and presentation was OK, but I think I'll make the trip downtown next time I want sushi.

    (3)

  • Rodney J.

    The food is good and the service though a little slow is friendly.

    (4)

  • Anita R.

    The sushi is always fresh and beautifully prepared. I call ahead and pick up orders to bring home when I stop in after getting off the Goldline at Mission Station. I have eaten in the restaurant as well, and always have a good experience. The rolls are delicious and there is a wonderful variety - my favorite is the Rainbow roll - the tempura is perfect and the combination order with shrimp and vegies is perfect for two people to share. The prices are very good for what you get. Absolutely no complaints I love sushi and I love this place!

    (5)

  • Dan k.

    I've been to Tokoro for the AYCE lunch buffet 4 times in the past month. I'm always on the hunt for an excellent AYCE sushi place and this place is one of the few I know of in the area.... I'm going to qualify my remarks before I get into them by saying that I don't dine out often and I'm generally not motivated to write reviews unless I have some criticisms and negative things to point out....(if I were completely in love with a place either I wouldn't want to let the secret out, or I'd figure they're already so popular they don't need my help....etc.). Thus, the following is going to emphasize what I'd like to see improve. First of all, my first visit was possibly my best....I really enjoyed almost everything I ordered. My favorite sushi item by far is salmon nigiri sushi. On my second visit, the salmon was tough and chewy. I only had one 2 piece order (fortunately I also love Albacore and their albacore is decent or else I wouldn't have ever even come back....). The "chewy" salmon I'm referring to also looked a lot different than what I'd been served the previous week. The 3rd time I came in, I just saw what the salmon looked like (through the glass at the sushi bar) and never have ordered it again. Again, this is a pretty significant drawback- not being able to enjoy my favorite kind of fish at a sushi place.....(Since I still plan on going back, I'm wondering if the salmon sushi will ever be worth ordering again. They have a VERY repressive list of disclaimers warning that you'll be charged extra for any un-eaten food....thus the prospect of ordering something and ending up not liking/wanting it is DOWNRIGHT STRESSFUL!!!). I've had some excellent albacore and seared albacore here. The pieces of sushi can be enormous. This is of course great if/when ordering a la carte, but on every single visit it's been abundantly apparent that they're up to "the usual AYCE sushi restaurant TRICKS;" Namely: trying to get the customer overly filled up on excessively large RICE portions (and or SURIMI)!! (or maybe they figure that if they simply give you a nigiri order where the fish is 4 times the normal size, that will help insure that you wont order any more....) The last time I was there, I ordered a lot of nigiri, plus a couple of rolls (including a shrimp tempura roll). They brought out everything but the nigiri first (which really upset me....). I never want to fill up on "cooked" food (or other "filler" items) before I even have a single bite of actual sushi. I ended up having to explain to the waitress that I wanted my nigiri asap and continued to sit and wait for it while my tempura roll got cold. (I'd also ordered one of the few items on the ayce menu that was a roll with unagi, and the thing was heavily laden with rice and surimi with extremely chintzy thin slices of unagi that weren't even worth it....) When my nigiri finally arrived, the pieces were ridiculously enormous - so much so that it was unpleasant and really un-sushi-like.....just an eighth pound or so of fish (per piece) on top of a piece of rice so huge and densely-packed that I was literally OFFENDED. This was anything but "delicate." I'm talking about albacore that was about 2-3 times the size it should be; haphazardly sliced and stringy enough that I was reaching in my mouth and pulling shit out when trying to eat every piece. The next time I go in I will speak up and complain if they try to repeat such nonsense with the excessive rice portions again. Either that or plainly inform them that under the circumstances I will NOT eat (all the rice, etc.) AND I won't pay extra for un-eaten food either!!! I believe that the sushi chefs at Tokoro are capable of turning out quality sushi (etc.) if/when they want to, but when it comes to AYCE it seems to be the same 'ol same 'ol "competitive challenge" between the restaurant and the customer.... (I wonder where one has to go to have a fine AYCE sushi dining experience without having to endure the shameless methods of trying to deprive the customer of the "good stuff" whilst filling them up with CRAP???) Thus, while I'm still planning on returning (and am hoping for am improved dining experience), I'm also apprehensive and I've learned that one can't be too careful in ordering. One false move and one is likely to find themselves with having to finish off the worlds largest (and most forgettable) "california roll" just in order to enjoy the privilege of having (so-called) ayce sushi.... Apparently at $21.95 per person for lunch (m-f) they're still not able to make money without trying to "cheat" (bamboozle???) the customer....

    (2)

  • Min T.

    I wasn't sure about this place at first because of the scaffolding surrounding the building but was pleasantly surprised by the open space of the interior. I chose the sushi and roll combo B which included 8 pieces of sushi and your choice of either california or spicy tuna roll. I chose the spicy tuna which wasn't terribly spicy. As I lifted each piece of fish off the sushi to dip in my chunky wasabi and soy sauce combo (yes, I like chunks of wasabi instead of silky smooth wasabi infused soy sauce), I noticed the lack of wasabi on the actual tiny thumb sized portion of rice. Hmm. This wasn't a terribly great sign. A good sushi master will put a dab of wasabi on the sushi (with the exception of certain types like unagi, etc). While I didn't need more rice, I did find it odd the rice bit was so small. Maybe it was to make the fish look larger. Which only the salmon was good. The tuna was the brightest red, a sign I take to mean it was poor quality and dyed. The red snapper was chewy. And there wasn't enough ponzu sauce on the other white fish. Other thing to note, the iced green tea turned out to be barley tea in a green glass. Very...unusual. But I did enjoy the free edaname and freebie strawberries at the end. I'd go back but only if there was absolutely nothing else in the area to try. Fortunately, there are tons of places to eat around there including my beloved Wild Thyme across the street.

    (2)

  • Judith W.

    we ate at tokoro last night for the first time. i'm upset that i didnt dine here sooner. food was fresh and delicious. we filled up on premium rolls and tempura. * i recommend the dynamite roll. * i would rate 5 stars but i didn't have any sashimi. MON - THURS buy one alcoholic beverage 2nd is a penny! * order 3 premium rolls and the 4th is free

    (4)

  • Jason G.

    Squid, Yellow tail roll, and green tea. father: shrimp tempura sister: I didn't pay attention. My sister claimed that this place had the best green tea she's ever had. It was okay. Has brown rice in it. Tastes a lot better then the stuff you get in the tea bags, they use actual leafs. My father liked the tempura, but then who doesn't like fried things. He's not a sushi type person. Something about eating raw foods. My sister got some sushi thing, which i don't remember and a roll. I tried neither. I got Squid sushi, like always, and a yellow tail roll. I'm not gonna bash the yellow tail, because i forgot that i don't like yellow tail. But the squid was great. I had no trouble chewing it at all. All in all, it was just average. The reason why i only gave it two stars instead of 3, was the vomit my sister tripped over at the entrance.

    (2)

  • Dalia H.

    We were looking for a sushi place not too far from our house. I remembered seeing this place on my way to the golden arches. Well, I must say I was pleased. The parking is right around the corner, upon entering we were seated right away. They have specials posted on the walls, one that caught my eye was buy one beer or sake, get the second one for one cent, this special is only offered Monday thru Thursday. The service was fast, friendly, and the place was clean. I ordered a combo, udon with spicy tuna. It wasn't bad at all. I will come back here again.

    (4)

  • Pippa Q.

    Every sushi place I have been to, my girlfriend has taken me. She loves the stuff and has tried so many east of downtown. Me, I like it all, so I may not be the best reviewer. Sushi, King Taco, it's all good. I know what I like and what I don't like. This place I like. The sushi always seems to change at so many places. The thing to do is to try different things at different places. I know many have gripped about the service. If it's too slow for me, guess what? I ask. Ambiance? Looks good to me. Never seeing a real Tokyo sushi place, I'd have to say it's nice. Been to little Tokyo at one of "the best" places. This one was just as good. Yes, they tend to be slow, but I see it as them not wanting to bother you. That is a pet peeve of mine. The obsessive asking "hows everything?" It's the food I like. I do like Sushi of Naples too. I have never been a person who will wait in a long line nor drive very far for food. Hey, it's only food. How good can it be? I taste better at my fire station on a regular basis. I like this place, because my girlfriend really likes it also. Like I said, I'm easy. Close to home and I always leave here happy. Advice if things are not like you want them: ask. Trust me, they will give it to you. I'm not a sushi snob nor a finicky eater. If it's going to be all about the money and dollar amounts, go to Home Town Buffet. Update. Well, we went here last night for my girlfriend's birthday. Everything was great and everyone loved it all. The service was there, BUT, as I said, I had to ask. Small price for a great time.

    (4)

  • Diana H.

    We came here for dinner last night after my mom suggested we try it. It's a pretty nice place and has free parking in the back. It looks clean and the wait staff is very friendly and attentive. We ordered a "Happy Drink" which is buy one beer and get one for 1cent! Best deal around, if you ask me! It's only during the weekdays though. I had a spicy tuna hand roll, spicy scallop hand roll, and veggie tempura, SUPER FAB! All the food we had there was great and came out freshly made. Delicious!! They will def. be seeing me again!

    (4)

  • T C.

    Decent. Not the best, but definitely hit the spot. Worth a trip.

    (3)

  • Madeline M.

    After having found this place on Yelp (as is becoming the habit for me), I was pleasantly surprised. I really love the specials that Paul D. mentioned in his review. We had the Dragon Roll, the Hawaiian Roll, the Philadelphia Roll, and a fourth one, as there was a buy three, get one free deal. We were pretty pleased with the price, as my friend and I split the $32 bill (before tip), and we were both really full after! The servings were generous. We both agreed the rolls were fantastic, and since my friend often comes down here from the Bay Area on business, he declared he would make this place one of his stops more often. I can't wait to come back and try more of their nice menu!

    (5)

  • Lillian H.

    6/28/2007 Review - Ate here with my co-workers couple of times since it was walking distance for lunch. Sushi isn't all that bad. Food on the other hand, omg, my chicken was burned...and I mean burned dry. Service was friendly, but trying to get their attention is next to impossible. 11/17/2007 Review - OK, so they've changed the menu. Yeah every thing's pretty much still the same, just a few things have been added, or taken away. And yes the chicken is still always over cooked. So that's why I decided to start eating something else. Recently I order the lunch "udon" which was very good. Yeah when the waiter brings it to me, the bowl looks small...and I'm thinking, "yeah, I'm not going to be getting full from this", but nope, I was wrong. I actually got very full. So yeah, for me, it's a bit expensive, just because it's lunch. But then again I'm cheap. I'm so used to go up the street to the subway and spending like 3 bucks for lunch... unlike this place where I would spend up to 10 bucks. But it's nice for a change here and there...and on top of that, it's still within walking distances - And away from the crowd, which their all up in Pasadena.

    (2)

  • andrew c.

    this place is a definite favorite. service is great, sushi is fresh and quality, prices are good and never had to wait long for seating. the manager always comes over to chat and see how the food was. check it out.

    (4)

  • Kevin L.

    I used to love this place. My friends and I came regularly for the decent sushi and the great price. Many years passed and I found myself in Tokoro again. I was rather disappointed at the quality of the fish, and the fishy smell emanating from the back of the restaurant. Portions are not as big as they used to be, and the prices have gone up a bit too. I'd eat here again if I had to, but I probably wouldn't make it a point to suggest it.

    (3)

  • ORANGEN P.

    I like it here! When you enter the restaurant, the sushi makers (sorry if they have a specific name) and servers greet you, it's not that loud and enthusiastic, but hey, it's nice enough that they do greet. The place is a bit small, but I like their choice of tables and chairs. I also like it here, because it wasn't just one person serving us, it was also the manager serving us as well. Therefore we got our sushi quick status. I enjoy their sushi here and especially pairing it with a few sake bombs.

    (3)

  • Veronika N.

    What happened to this place?!!! The taste has gone downhill in the last few months!!! This used to be my favorite sushi place in South Pasadena, the meat tasted fresh and all the rolls had a very delicate feel to them. Now the rice inside the rolls is just a melty blah and the meat doesn't have that firm, fresh taste. I've asked the waitress whether they've changed owners but she said no. The chefs are different though! We gave this place another try after we've noticed that the sushi rolls don't taste the same anymore, but we came out disappointed. We won't come back anymore and now are in a search for a new sushi place.

    (2)

  • Eve G.

    I gave this place a try after being desperately hungry and finding it on Yelp. South Pasadena doesn't have much of a variety of sushi restaurants. I figured it would be worth it since it would save me from a hunger induced coma. The place was pretty busy when we walked in, as it was $20 all-you-can-eat sushi hour(s). I ordered the Energy Roll, side salad, miso. Had to pass on the Albacore; I was so stuffed. The roll was tastey, small though. No complimentary side of ginger and wasabi that I'm used to at other restaurants that charge the same or less. They are an extra charge of a dollar, I believe? (bummer) I noticed a guy across from me with a whole plate of tuna sushi and he seemed pretty happy with it. I would say their quality is good, but they should really consider free ginger/wasabi. Energy Roll was $10.95 (yikes) Boyfriend ordered the Bulgogi dinner entre, thinking it would be considerably larger than the lunch special. NOT AT ALL. That kid eats a lot and we were both disappointed by the portion size for the price. Niko Niko in Burbank is awesome, both sushi and beef dinners. Don't come here expecting to get full on a dime with some awesome food. It's decent for those who want sushi and have money burning a hole in their wallet. Certainly not for those looking for a 'great deal'.

    (3)

  • Anonymous A.

    We love Tokoro! It is our favorite little local sushi restaurant. My favorite dish is the baby lobster roll--It is amazing. The udon and shrimp tempura are also delicious. Tokoro also has the best little starter salad--the ginger dressing on it is the best I've ever had. Servers here are polite and attentive.

    (5)

  • John B.

    korean owned sushi restaurant so you can get korean kalbi with a dragon roll. not korean bbq like you grill yourself, just as a dish. good selection of combos and decent portions. the specialty rolls are done very well here although they are like 10 dollars each. ouch. still good though. good sized restaurant with a rather small bar, definately a good date place.

    (4)

  • Megan H.

    Service was awesome and friendly. Great sushi for a great price.

    (4)

  • JENNIFER L.

    tuna tower!!!! fire roll!!!!!! m-thurs happy drinks!!!! i should have my private booth im here so much. if i had 1 word to describe tokoros it would have to be......DELICIOUS!!!!!

    (5)

  • shannon l.

    EVERYTHING was EXCELLENT!!! service, food, esp. Tony had a great personality and he entertained me and my friends throughout the dinner..we enjoyed their sushi, sahimi and their special rolls (channel 4 roll). Their fish was very fresh , and also one of my friend couldn't eat raw fish....they had teriyaki's, noodles, all VARIETY of foods...Their happy hour drink is the BOOOOMB!! the prices are unbelievable~~My friends and i were very satisfied and willing to visit SOOOOON~!!!

    (5)

  • Joie P.

    As far as good japanese food in South Pasadena, we didn't have it. We had to go a ways to get good sushi and so when Tokoro opened I was excited. But I wasn't sure if it would be a decent sushi restaurant with reasonable prices. Now, months and months later, I can say that I frequent this place. The people that work there even know us by name. Good job guys.

    (3)

  • john k.

    Came by tonite. Something was different. Something was up! The food was good. I think they have a new sushi chef. The presentation is very good. Lots of speciality roles. Makes one feel special. Service very good. Everything came out within 5 minutes. Even the 2nd order. Wish the portion was a bit bigger. But overall much improved. I guess I will come back soon. The dynamite roll is excellent.

    (4)

  • Max M.

    surprisingly good sushi and attentive staff. a pleasant little place to grab a bite.

    (5)

  • Juan P.

    decent place for sushi. (always try the fish w/o the sauce (hides inferior sashimi) i liked their sashimi salad. its similar to ai, but without the wait and smell. plus you can get a papa johns to go (right next door) if you are still hungry

    (3)

  • Rya L.

    i suggest you skip this place go further south on fair oaks and you'll hit a japanese joint called Ai next to the Rialto Theatre...this one is much better. i remember going to Tokoro when it first opened and it was way overpriced for the quality and quantity that we received. i also found a hair inside one of the rolls. eeeek.

    (2)

  • Brenda G.

    The portions are awesome! They could be wrapped a little tighter but if your good with chopsticks you're fine. The happy hour is great! Buy a beer or sake and get the second one for 1 penny (mon-thurs ALL DAY)!!! This place has good sushi and a good happy hour. It isn't anything amazing but it'll satisfy your craving for sushi and beer. Glad I gave this place a try. Will definitely be a frequent guest here :)

    (4)

  • DrewsMom p.

    Love love Tokoro. Gets super busy Friday night. But totally worth the wait. Try the tuna tower. Yum!!

    (5)

  • Linh V.

    Probably one of my favorite sushi restaurants in the Pasadena/South Pasadena area. Sad that there is no more all you can eat, but that's okay, I couldn't eat that much anyways. Parking: They have a small parking lot behind Domino's. Other than that it's street parking. Cleanliness: This restaurant is clean for a Japanese place. Booths and floors are always clean before I sit. Service: The service can be slow, but the staff is so nice & friendly. They always have a smile on their face even when it's crazy busy. Food: The food comes out pretty quickly. Tons of sushi rolls options! Personally, I like anything spicy. The last time I went I ordered the Mountain Roll and the LA roll. The Mountain Roll was really big. Authentic sushi is suppose to be small and fit in your mouth, but nevertheless it was still good. My boyfriend ordered Chicken Katsu. The waiter brought it to our table and dropped one piece of chicken and said he'll bring another one to make up for it ... but he never did. LOL, but the chicken was really burnt and dark. Overall, I like this place. Great sushi & good service!

    (4)

  • Rishi P.

    I think I found my new favorite sushi spot! There's a lot in the area but there were three things that stood out about this new place we were recommended too: 1. The restaurant itself has a hip ambiance. Right when we walked in we like the decor, setup and feel of the place. Felt like a place you could be comfortable in. 2. The menu selection is HUGE. So many things to choose from and they have their daily specials in front that aren't on the menu. Gives you the urge to come back to try all of their different sushi rolls and menu items. I specifically got the Salmon Teriyaki and the "shut up" roll. Warning though, the shut up roll is VERY SPICY. But I loved it. 3. Service was on point. I've seen some of the other reviews and take those into account, but we had amazing service. They even messed up on a sushi order and immediately brought us the right roll. The staff was super nice and the waiter saw I was sweating so much from the "shut up" roll that he took the initiative to bring over more napkins. Love it. DEFINITELY will be coming back again and hope to get the same experience.

    (5)

  • Michael L.

    Food is still good. No more All You Can Eat lunch special. Ordered less than I normally order and ended up spending more. Shrimp tempura is great. Albacore Delight is good. Love Roll is good. The Baby Lobster Roll is tasty too.

    (3)

  • Lynda C.

    Everything was very tasty. We were a party of 7, celebrating a birthday. After the table was cleared, our server appeared with an ice cream dessert shaped like a fish!

    (4)

  • Margie D.

    Clean, quick, friendly and delicious. What more can I say that many Yelpers before me haven't already said. Give this place a try; you'll like it. Great Happy Hour specials, too. Our faves: Jalapeño Teck, Mexican Roll, Sexy Roll, Shrimp Shumai, Shrimp & Veg Tempura

    (4)

  • April K.

    Fantastic for the price. Good spicy tuna, good fresh nigiri sushi (yellowtail, albacore, tuna), and they usually have some great specials on their special board (snow crab cut roll? Don't mind if I do!) I was not a fan of their version of spicy tuna on crispy rice. They call it the "Red Rock Roll." If you're craving spicy tuna on crispy rice I'd suggest going somewhere else... Their version has cream cheese and it's just too much in my opinion. Otherwise, this is a great choice when you want an affordable sushi meal.

    (4)

  • Michael M.

    We came in for the all you can eat deal and we ate like kings!! Spectacular Scottish salmon sashimi .... soooo mellowing. It literally made you chill.

    (5)

  • Jenn T.

    I came here wanting some cool sushi. This place had great reviews on yelp! There is an extensive sushi menu here, with lots of rolls, baked, fresh, etc. We ordered a few, one was the soft shell crab and the other was an eel roll. Both were really good, fresh and yummy. There was also lots of other things to choose from at this japanese restaurant, noodles, rice dishes/teriyaki chicken, unagi bowls too that all looked pretty good. The service here was good too, very fast and attentive. The parking is street so sometimes may be difficult to find. I can see this place getting pretty crowded but thank god it wasnt too crowded when I came here.

    (4)

  • Lloyd B.

    This is as good as it gets for all you can eat sushi. The variety of rolls is amazing and the nigiri sushi is fresh as well. I'm also a fan of the lightly battered shrimp tempura. It kinda feels like you're under the gun of a game show though. There's only so much time and how much sushi can I eat anyway? You have an hour to eat and everything is made to order so be sure to do a little planning ahead of time. That way you can order most of your meal all at once instead of waiting for stuff to be made later. Of all the rolls you can choose from, my favorites are the LA roll, Hero roll, lobster roll, and spicy tuna hand roll. The albacore sushi and white tuna sushi are generously sliced over small balls of rice, which is great so you don't get stuffed from all the carbs. ;) Akko and Jolee are the super friendly waitresses every time I'm there. AYCE sushi...$22, not bad. There's also plenty of parking behind the restaurant. This place doesn't measure up to Sushi Gen or Sushi Go 55 but for the price and quality, it's a good stop off in Pasadena. Come hungry!

    (4)

  • Chenille V.

    GREAT sushi restaurant! You can't beat $22.95 QUALITY "all you can eat" sushi for lunch on a weekday! The popcorn lobster roll & the Mexican roll are my favorites! The server drew the cutest picture for my son today. I love this place!

    (5)

  • Jerome V.

    Korean-owned Japanese - fill in the blanks. For what it's worth, it's got a pretty worthwhile Happy Hour - everyone at work used to come here all the time. Service is decent - nothing worth writing home about. Average across the board.

    (3)

  • Harout K.

    We just love coming here. The quality is good and variety is available. if you like "traditional" sushi and/or "americanized" sushi this is the place for you. It has a healthy balance of both.

    (4)

  • Kyu K.

    I was here for lunch today and ordered the Sashimi Lunch Special. Overall it was okay but I felt like the sashimi wasn't uber fresh. Just mediocre. My coworkers enjoyed their food: Original 1, 3, Beef Teriyaki Box, Veggie Tempura Dish. I probably won't return as the freshness of the sushi is questionable for me.

    (2)

  • Jen S.

    Well, if first impressions count for anything, Tokoro gets a big fail. When you enter a restaurant you generally want to feel welcomed, but when I showed up to meet a friend for lunch I was told they do not open for lunch until 11:30, it was 11:19! There was no inviting to wait in the waiting area. I guess they didn't want anyone to hear their secret plans to take over the world. To add insults to injury, when I re-enter at 11:30, after another couple enter at 11:28, there is no "irashimasae!" I guess telling me they are not open at 11:30 is a substitute for welcoming someone. Great first impressions! I was really looking forward to the meal. As for their menu, it is a typical Americanized sushi restaurant: lots of rolls, apps, noodles (udon and soba), and the usual nigiri/sashimi options. There is an AYCE for lunch, $21.95 ($23.95 on weekends) that doesn't include premium sushi or sashimi. I opted for the chicken katsu bento box while my friend went for the bulgolgi bento. They both came with a side of rice and miso soup. The bento included a small salad, an order of tempura, half a california roll and two gyoza. My friend's bulgogi was a little dry but it did taste good. My chicken was crispy on the outside and moist inside, but rather flavorless since there wasn't any kind of sauce. The gyoza was fried in a deep fryer since the entrie gyoza was fried. The salad, california roll were just average. The best thing in my bento was the tempura, it wasn't too oily, lots of vegetables and included one shrimp. The service, well, after the first impression, the rest of the service did not disappoint. My green tea was refilled only once, other than that the waitresses basically ignored us. Average to below average food and failing service means next time we are headed next door to Gus's for pulled pork!

    (1)

  • Brad S.

    The first sushi establishment we visited when we moved from NorCal...land of great sushi, so my expectations are pretty high. To my surprise this place is hard to beat, great food (order anything-awesome), excellent service and the cost won't break the wallet. Seriously; I've ordered almost everything on the menu just to see what they can't do. After a few dozen visits within two year this place has not disappointed.

    (5)

  • Jackson Y.

    Been in South Pas for more than half my life. And just until recently, I decided to actually try this place out. Definitely not the best South Pasadenian. But it's not necessarily a bad thing. Because with age comes wisdom and a more defined palette. I am able to extinguish the MEH sushi and the MMm I want some more sushi. Not saying this joint is bad or anything. But this place is definitely not the best place to have sushi. Prices are pretty high, portions are minimal. And it seems that they really emphasize on selling their sushi rolls, which in my books, is not really sushi. It's just rice with a whole bunch of fake crab, left over bits of tuna or salmon, smothered with mayo and that teriyaki-like sace. But you can't blame them for doing so. This is afterall...South Pas. And to most South Pasadenians, sushi is exactly what they sell here. Overall, between the service and the food. The experience was pleasant. The price was a bit high. I could have gone to other places a few miles south for more satisfying experience.

    (3)

  • Celia S.

    I usually order sushi to take home. I decided to get an order of tempura shrimp with the California roll and spicy tuna roll. It was a lot of food! When I arrived to pick it up and there was some confusion about where my order was. They told me it would be 5 more minutes. While I was waiting, I couldn't help but notice that there were a couple of styro boxes on a counter in the kitchen doorway. 5 or six minutes later they 'found' them and brought out the boxes. I tried to open the boxes to see it the shrimp was still warm, but couldn't untie the bag. So as I left, I told one of the waitresses to let the counter people know that they should not make people wait for hot food, THAT IS READY!! It took me 5 minutes to get home, and the shrimp was tepid, and gross. Plus, the 'sauce' was flavorless. The sushi is very decent. But don't make a delivery wait, when its HOT, or supposed to be. Tempura should be hot and crispy I will just stick to the sushi next time. Also, there is no real menu to view online. I asked about some things that were pictured, in the viewers photos, but couldn't get answers that made me want to order anything else.

    (3)

  • Jennifer H.

    Dinner Review Only The boyfriend craved for sushi, so he remembered I mentioned this sushi place where they have AYCE. I guess I should have remembered they only do AYCE during lunch time, not during dinner. That's alright, that didn't stop us from eating sushi. Took a look at their dinner menu, $16.96 for a sashimi meal? Yes, please! We both thought that would not be enough for us two to share, so we got a single roll of Hero Albacore roll, $10.50. Boy we were surprised when the chef handed us our meal. Sashimi Dinner (HUGE pieces) yelp.com/user_local_phot… - chef's choices of 12 pieces and a bowl of rice Hero Albacore roll (combination of it was delicious, did not really need the soy sauce) yelp.com/user_local_phot… - Spicy tuna top with albacore and ponzu sauce Total bill came out to be $30 including tip. He liked every bit of the food. Will be coming back for their dinner again. :D

    (4)

  • manoela w.

    I've had amazing sushi, so I can safely say this is mediocre sushi. I'm giving it 3 stars because they have some nice drink specials and really cheap sake during happy hour so it's a fun place to go to for that. But be careful what you order. The dynamite roll, for example, was quite disappointing.

    (3)

  • The M.

    Great food. Savory taste with limited/no saltiness. fantastic time at a local place. Plus buy one beer get one for 1 cent during the week!

    (4)

  • J C.

    I love this place! Food is good, affordable and the service is good too. It's become a habit because it's so close to my house. Matter of fact, I'm heading there now!

    (4)

  • John K.

    Good food, great prices. A bunch of new sushi spots are popping up all over town, but tokoro still hits the spot when we need a quick sushi fix or some good soba or udon.

    (4)

  • Frank B.

    Popcorn Shrimp roll is what keeps me coming back! I typically avoid Make rolls but they have some creatives experimenting with flavors in the kitchen. The Nigiri is delicious as well but those specialty rolls. Happy hour has buy one sake or beer get the second for a penny!!!

    (4)

  • Mgeli K.

    The food is quick and decently priced. And it's pretty great when you walk in and greeted from the sushi chefs.

    (4)

  • Renee L.

    LOCATION: Corner of Hope and Fair Oaks (located next to Papa John's) PARKING: street parking and a small private lot. AMBIANCE: Avg noise. Good for groups and families. DRESS CODE: Casual MENU OPTIONS: Japanese, Sushi, Happy Hour (all day, M-Th) HAPPY HOUR: buy one beer or hot sake and get the 2nd for 1cent. ORDERED: - udon (not as flavorful as other places) - tofu salad (tofu was a bit too firm, but the salad was a good portion) SERVICE: Fair. Not as attentive as we had hoped. Waiter appeared to be annoyed when we asked for more napkins. PRICE: Avg price $15pp OVERALL EXPERIENCE: not a fan of the quality of food. Have had better. Food: 2/5 stars Service: 2/5 stars Venue: 4/5

    (3)

  • Stanley W.

    I like the quality of their ayce lunch. Too bad no limited premium items like sweet shrimp, uni, ikura and others. Otherwise for th ayce price it's pretty good quality as good as Midori but without the premium items but the good thing is that it's a 12 minute drive for me. Stay hungry my friends.

    (4)

  • Christina R.

    So good. This is my first time and I will definitely be back. Casual and everyone is super nice!

    (5)

  • Kathy T.

    Their quality of fish is fresh soft melts in your mouth. Parking is easy. The service and good quick it's never too busy so it's a nice immediate seating.Food promptly comes 5-7mins after ordering. It's never a disappointing visit to Tokoro love this gem.

    (4)

  • v m.

    Best sushi place ever! Come here with the husband often. He likes the eel and I like the baked rolls, so good. Tried other sushi places but we always come running back. Interior is nice and comfortable and staff is attentive. It's a must try.

    (5)

  • Kathy C.

    Just ordered take-out from here. Had the Sashimi lunch. Aside from sashimi, it comes with white rice and miso soup. I'm trying to have less sodium so I asked to substitute the soup for a house salad. So they gladly did. The sashimi taste REALLY fresh and salad had yummy light dressing. White rice was perfect. Love this place.

    (5)

  • Nare N.

    It was my first time with them and I ended up find hair in my food. It was disguising and I got sick after. Never going back. Would not recommend. Horrible service! And when I asked for a refund they said they're going to refund only 2 dollars when I paid 13 dollars for my food.

    (1)

  • Jack B.

    I don't understand the people who gave Tokoro 5-stars. Nothing stands out here. The only explanation is that since there aren't many sushi restaurants in the area, some people haven't experienced enough. The service here can vary. On few occasions, at least one order was wrong or not prepared. On other occasions, we waited over 10 minutes after being seated to get some water and get our order taken. Updated November, 2014, service is terrible! It's not a big place, and so if a customer enters and gets seated, come back in a minute or two with some water... and then, follow-up again to see if they're ready to order. Why do we have to flag waiters down to order??? And then, after we've gotten our food, check on the customer to see if there's anything we'd need... hurtin! In terms of food, I would warn against ordering cold soba noodles. It's over-priced and the sauce is sooooo bland that I had to add regular soy sauce into it. I would also warn against ordering any rolls that have sweet sauce in it. For example, shrimp tempura roll. The sauce is terrible. It seemed like soy sauce with sugar and starch. Finally, I would warn against chicken teriyaki. The chicken doesn't seem like real chicken and if you ask them to cook it well, they'll burn it.

    (1)

  • Alison G.

    Love this place! The rolls are delicious and the service is great. My husband and I go here very often and always leave happy!

    (4)

  • Jon P.

    Tokoro has a great lunch bento box, and consistently good rolls. If you like new-school rolls and good Teriyaki, this place is a good fit.

    (4)

  • Kirstie B.

    Consistently good food, friendly staff, pleasant ambience. Not amazing life changing food, but will fulfill your sushi craving.

    (4)

  • Denise S.

    Delicious. Friendly service. I come here whenever I visit this city. Parking is right behind Papa Johns for those who don't like curbside parking.

    (5)

  • Olivia R.

    Good sushi. Good price on beer. Good service. Overall it's a decent place. Definitely will come back. To have some more tuna!

    (3)

  • Elizabeth B.

    I am probably one of the biggest sushi snobs you will meet so I'm pretty hard to please and naturally assume that every "restaurant" that also serves "sushi" is horrible. (Should only be served at sushi bar with no rolls, no noodles and no teriyaki.) I also think that my home town of South Pasadena is abundantly lacking in good food. But, Tokoro is around the block from my house and I love sushi so.... Went a few weeks ago because we had gone to the Farmer's Market early and no place near the Farmer's Market opened until 530pm and and we were hungry so we went back up to Fair Oaks. Sat at the bar and ordered omakase. I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised. Good quality fish, fast polite service and good prices. Best of all, who doesn't love Happy Hour beers buy one get one for a penny! Good for you Tokoro. We like you.

    (4)

  • Lacy R.

    sushi is always fresh and tastes great - however, the last few times I've been in here the service was horrendous. It's a small restaurant - and they had 4 servers on the floor. This should not be an issue. I've worked in a restaurant the same size; and there were only 2 servers on the floor and we were fine. - and it was a sushi restaurant..lol.. I guess there was a complication; because some girl who wasn't even supposed to be taking care of us took our order on this roll; and forgot to put it in to the sushi chefs. Nonetheless - we literally sat there for 40 mins waiting on this ONE roll. - which wasn't even really worth the wait. it was 13 bucks worth of "meh" They do have a pretty snazzy happy hour - but it's only mon-thurs. "buy one get the 2nd for 1 cent" (sake or beers) sounds kind'a like BevMo!'s wine sale! haha. just please don't get that big beer..the "Orion" or whatever it's called. It's like the Japanese equivalent to Coors Light (which I think is the worst beer ever created) I just wanted to try something new - and wish I would'a stuck to Kirin or Sapporo

    (3)

  • Joleen Q.

    I went here last night... it was good. My suggestion would be for them to make the rolls smaller. I know that's weird to say but it's really hard to eat and I feel like the rolls were not wrapped properly. There is a variety of rolls with pictures! Plus points for ginger that is not pink :) Next time I come, I will order more of the salmon sushi... delicious!

    (3)

  • Melissa L.

    Our family enjoys Japanese food/sushi, but we have varying levels of love. There's my son that can eat anything off of the menu and then there's my daughter who tends to like more generic rolls. So we discovered this place right after our move to the area and we have become regulars. Parking: street parking in front and behind Seating: we've been seated immediately, every time we have gone here Atmosphere: casual with tv's playing sports Service: Outstanding. This is why we keep coming back; they get to know you. Both of my teenagers know several of the servers. In fact, last night the server remembered my son's favorite. Drinks: Monday thru Thursday they run a special that buy a beer or hot sake and get the second one for a penny. Nice! My husband usually orders Sapporo beer while I order a bottle of Sake. Last night, I ordered Nigori Sake and the server told me about the new strawberry Nigori and brought my husband and I free samples. Just super friendly fantastic service. Food: I've tried a lot from the menu. The following are all good or standard: Gyoza Green Mussels BBQ Beef Bulgogi Chicken Katsu Spicy Tuna Roll California Roll Spicy Crunch Tuna Roll Rock & Roll Spider Tempura Roll However, I prefer sashimi (my family loves sushi with all the sauces). Had the Halibut sashimi last night and it was very good. Also, I'm a fan of the Jalapeno Yellowtail Sashimi appetizer. We'll continue going here...

    (4)

  • Margaret L.

    Tokoro has excellent servers and is a great local spot. The sushi chefs are very generous with the portions! The lunch specials are pretty awesome and will definitely fill you up. The Chirashi Bowl, and Pork Katsu Bento Box are two of my favorites here. They also have all day happy hour and an all you can eat option.

    (4)

  • David C.

    A non-descript, unpretentious Japanese restaurant in South Pasadena. While it's nothing amazing, it is so far very decent. Only been here twice. Had the BBQ Beef Bulgogi dinner combo that comes with soup, salad, tempura, beef gyoza, and California roll (though I substituted my four pieces of sushi for 3 extra beef dumplings). The food was good, though portions were a tad small for a dinner portion. Missus had the same combo but with the sushi and salmon teriyaki instead of bulgogi. She said it was good. Didn't rave. I liked the gyoza. The tempura was nicely done and not greasy, but they should always put two shrimp and not one, like they did. Maybe for a lunch combo (although I've always received 2 pieces of ebi with any bento box anywhere else in all my years). That is my only other real complaint. We got there 7 minutes after lunch ended and they made us order dinner at 3:07. C'mon, guys. Customer service? Leeway? The Bulgogi was very good, but the portion could've been more. FYI, they used to have AYCE sushi, but I guess that is ending on May 1st. They do have a great Happy Hour drink deal where if you buy a hot sake or beer, the second one is 1 penny. So that is a great drinking deal.

    (4)

  • Ron S.

    Tokoro is one of my top places to go to eat all you can eat sushi. They only have all you can sushi during lunch time. PRICE: $22.95 (pretty reasonable for all you can eat sushi) FOOD: I would always order the sashimi. I would usually order the salmon, tuna, white tuna, albacore, squid and scallops. Salmon has to be my favorite. The fish is really fresh. The only downsize is that they give you a lot of rice with the sashimi but thats pretty typical for an all you can eat. The rolls are really good also. I really enjoy the rainbow roll, sunkist, spider roll, and tempera roll. I would have to say that most of the crunch rolls are the same with different seafood in it. Overall I prefer the sashimi over the rolls. ATMOSPHERE: The atmosphere is really nice. There are tables and booths which makes it really comfy. During the day, its low-lit with sunlight and at night is pretty low-lit also, making it pretty romantic for a sushi place. Overall, the ambiance is really nice. It gets really busy during lunch. PARKING: They have parking in the back which is pretty limited space so if its crowded, park on the streets.

    (5)

  • Michele C.

    I've only gotten take out, but no complaints food was good... Sexy roll is delish... For those no rice eaters... Friendly staff, clean

    (5)

  • Bobby S.

    Love this place. I go here mainly for lunch breaks since it's right down the street from my office. They have time Warner so Dodgers games are shown whenever there is one. Their happy hour is insanely good (but one beer or hot sake, second for 1 cent), and it's all day Monday thru Thursday! Great sushi and other dishes. I usually sick to the lunch specials myself which are a good deal as well. Service is alright however. I usually have to wait a while for my check.

    (4)

  • Christy M.

    We tried this spot on a friend's recommendation. The service was good and the salad and tempura my husband ordered were tasty. I went to the restaurant for sushi and that was what made me rate this place three stars. The first roll I ordered was a mess. It was only marginally fresh. I worried I was going to be sick later, but luckily was not. When I turned to the second roll I ordered, it didn't look right and I wasn't willing to risk it. My husband ate it and rated it fine, nothing special. If you're going to a sushi restaurant for cooked food, this is your spot. But watch out for the raw fish.

    (3)

  • Denise M.

    I don't come here often, but when I do, it's delicious! Love coming here! I am a vegetarian and I ate a tofu salad and some avocado rolls. I found them to be really good and would gladly order them again. It would be cool if they had a bigger veg menu, but what the hell. I'll be back again soon, I hope.

    (5)

  • J W.

    My go to spot in Pasadena. Great service, good prices and the fish is fresh. Fair oaks roll is the business !!!

    (5)

  • Paola N.

    Tokoro is the sushi spot you go to when you're starving and don't want to drive far. And honestly, I'm not going back unless I am near hunger death. THE AMBIANCE: Sushi restaurant with booths and a bar area. THE FOOD: I sat at the bar and was given complimentary edamame and miso soup. The edamame was just regular cooked edamame. The miso soup was decent. I ordered the Sunkist Roll and the White Dragon Roll. Sunkist has imitation crab meat, avocado, cucumber, topped with baked salmon and mayo sauce. White dragon has imitation crab meat, cream cheese, avocado, topped with white fish and eel sauce. Its almost like a California roll with different fish. I didn't like the rolls. The way I would describe the sushi here is overly stuffed with imitation crab meat, a little bit of avocado, too much rice, and "ok" fish. I am glad I asked for the mayo sauce and eel sauce on the side because when the little dish of mayo came out, it looked nasty - whitish gray color, and the eel sauce had a weird consistency. Gag factor. The white fish was not good. If you want a DELICIOUS white fish baked roll go to Octopus in Burbank and order the Snow Cone roll. In other words, you come to Tokoro hungry, you feel full, but you don't enjoy QUALITY sushi. I eat sushi often so I have had my fair share of what quality sushi is. THE TIPS: I hadn't noticed until I left that there is a small parking lot down the block. The white and red sign says parking for Tokoro and Papa Johns only. If the lot is full, you have to find street parking.

    (1)

  • Marchelle L. S.

    THE BEST SALMON ever! Get the sashimi, seriously, it is like butter slices. I don't know how they do it, but it's wonderful. We love their assortment of rolls, food is always good and consistent and the guys at the sushi bar are terrific! Service is superb, It's busy, because it is good!

    (5)

  • Toni M.

    Our neighborhood japanese. Not authentic but good enough for a quick jap craving. Good location and attentive service. And I always love free Edamame!

    (3)

  • Larry W.

    Delicious sushi in Pasadena has been a Holy Grail for me. I don't think I'm that picky, but after trying numerous places and smiling through mediocrity, I found Tokoro. Nice decor even though they have the obligatory (and thoroughly unnecessary) big screen TV on the wall. It's all about the food. Delicious, hospitable food - starting with edamame. While my fiends and I have always had a great meal here, I'm writing to rave about their Sexy Roll! It's one of those non-rice rolls that's always hit or miss at most places. This one is a definite HIT! Spicy crab meat, shrimp, salmon and sprouts, all wrapped in thinly sliced, cold, crisp cucumber. Salmon slices you can see and shrimp chunks you actually bite into. Add a pinch of wasabi and a touch of soy and your mouth will thank you! So stop by when in the area or make the trip. You will not be sorry.

    (5)

  • Kim H.

    Why is this place so crowded on weekdays?! Well they have pretty kicking happy hour buy a beer and the next one is $1. So being in South Pasadena (family haven) must be a lot of parent's that need that drink vs good sushi. This place looks like it has a bunch of potential down to the Asian workers but that is where it ends. The simple miso soup...didn't taste quite right...they have smoked salmon as sashimi? Enough said...the fish is ok fresh but def not a 4. Take a walk or a short ride to other towns and even South Pasadena itself to find better high quality sushi. Sorry this place would be great if it had a bar area to chill, drink and eat some apps...but no bar...

    (3)

  • Paul Tiekoon K.

    OMG I went this place today for first time.. I just love this place.. food staff place. .. just loved it.. Try and won't disappointed...

    (5)

  • Kayla F.

    Found my new sushi place. Close by and decent food. They have a great variety of rolls too. I love the 911 and Mexican rolls. The service is good too. It can be pretty busy during peak times like lunch and dinner. They have some pretty kick ass happy hour too. Monday - Thursday all day buy a beer or sake and get the second for one cent. Pretty cool. I love this place. Will continue to come back.

    (5)

  • Russell L.

    Came here for my first time on a Saturday night. They were packed but found a spot for me and my girl at the sushi bar. Fast service, our food came quick and they were very attentive but not overbearing. The Boom Boom Pow Roll was to die for. Also had the Caterpillar Roll which was tasty. Overall, they are a good crew and they make great sushi. Happy customer - keep up the good work.

    (5)

  • Jenna L.

    We came here and were immediately greeted by an enthusiastic waiter. We were seated quickly since the restaurant was pretty empty. Customer service overall was fantastic. There is definitely an informal or "younger" atmosphere compared to most sushi places, but as a teenager, I like it. (However, "Omen" by Disclosure was playing over and over in the background. Love the song, but played too many times!) Once we ordered our food, the food came out in 10 min, which was so much faster than at Canoe House across the street. The sushi took a little longer, about 20 min. The food was okay, not the best food I've tasted in a while, but I did really like the udon noodles. Usually I order the salmon teriyaki deluxe bowl which I also recommend, but today my brother ordered it and it tasted eh. Overall would still continue to frequent this place because the food is pretty good.

    (4)

  • Tania C.

    I love eating here we eat here all the time I especially love the rolls there is a big variety of sushi

    (5)

  • John C.

    Much to my chagrin, I will say I will not be returning to Tokoro sushi anytime soon. My first visit was a total let down. To begin with the fish had absolutely no taste whatsoever, The only way to know what you were eating was by looking at it. It all tasted the same. I am a very seasoned sushi aficionado has I have been eating sushi since the early 80's so I know very well what I'm talking about. Secondly, the rice seemed to be water logged. As soon as you bit into a piece of sushi, water seemed to 'squish' out of the rice leaving only the taste of water in your mouth. Yuck ! Thirdly, the soy sauce is diluted with water making it extremely weak, hardly any taste of soy sauce at all. You could tell the soy sauce was diluted since soy sauce and water do not mix well at all you could plainly see droplets of water on the top of the soy sauce. I have experienced the same thing at other sushi restaurants that offer an 'all you can eat' menu so I was not totally surprised. Do you think the fact there were only three other people in the restaurant at the height of the lunch hour has anything to do with my review ?

    (1)

  • Jessica M.

    I've only ordered to go from here. I'm not usually a fan of togo sushi but this place delivers. They have fun rolls with great toppings like crispy fried onions and they are always careful to separate toppings so they don't get soggy etc. That's always a plus in my book. Fresh fish, fresh ingredients, and fast service! Awesome spot. Next time I'll have to join them in the restaurant. :)

    (3)

  • Sarah L.

    Came here for a work birthday lunch. I like the service since they're on top of it and very accommodating to our non sushi experienced co-workers. The spicy tuna is actually pretty spicy and my salmon was decent. It's just that I ate here literally 21 days ago and I can't remember if I would go or not. That usually means that I wouldn't come again. Sorry!

    (3)

  • Lauren P.

    Parking It was definitely tough to find a spot but we sure did it. They don't have their own structure but Gus's BBQ does. If you go to the end of the lot you'll see that the "Gus's BBQ Customers Only" disappears and I would recommend driving through it once or twice before braving the streets. Location The interior is a bit small and a little dark but still provides a nice atmosphere. Service There was a lot of friendly faces but the overall service was awful. Once we were seated it was almost like we no longer existed. No one stopped by to say hi, ask if we liked our food, if we wanted to order anything else nor were we offered our check without hunting down the staff. This might sound like an exaggeration but trust me it's not. Food The food wasn't bad and I didn't mind it. We ordered the dynamite roll for $11 and the baked green mussels for $7. I thought the roll could've used a little something, something. However, I would get and suggest the baked green mussels Overall I'll pass . . . For the service, parking, and food I think I can find somewhere else to spend my hard earned money. Tip Happy hour Monday-Thursday buy a beer or sake and get a second one for a penny.

    (2)

  • J. V.

    Excellent sushi and sashimi and the other food is just fine, too. The complimentary edamame is a nice touch. It can get noisy and crowded but the service is friendly and professional. Too bad their drink special applies only to beer & sake, as I prefer wine... If you're local it's worth checking out.

    (4)

  • Kyle T.

    I am always satisfied when I go to Tokoro. The sushi is fresh and their Baked Scallop Roll is to die for!

    (5)

  • Mary Jane C.

    Was back here for a repeat visit (of course).. it had been quite awhile since I was last here (a whole three months!). I brought new friends and a few old.. everyone loved it. The service was absolutely on par, we got EVERYTHING we ordered.. a group of 9 and we somehow devoured over 20 cut rolls, and probably at least 20 orders of nigiri (2 pieces each). Everyone left full, happy, and loved being introduced to this little gem. All the fish was fresh, the hot food piping hot.. and everything delicious. If you go one weekends, go early, they open at 12pm--by 1pm they start to get busy. And if you're looking for parking, try the parking lot behind them on Holly.

    (5)

  • Mel P.

    Food is great here no complaints on that. However, service can be inconsistent. . Even when calling in to order your food for carry-out you are most likely to be placed on hold for at least 15min and still not get helped. After arriving Tokoro and placed in an order to go, I was told it would be a 30 minute wait while still being left on hold over the phone. Even if you are very busy, there's no justification to be left on hold for that long with no update. For that reason I give it 3 -star. Tokoro needs to hire more employees for the weekend traffic or a hire a hostess.

    (3)

  • Beronica B.

    Come during all you can eat hours and bring friends because your going to want to try all of them. It's so worth it!

    (5)

  • Ren C.

    I love this place. Although it's 3rd on my list of sushi restaurants, it's still one of my "go to" for last minute dinner. Sushi's always fresh and the staff are friendly.

    (4)

  • Nanette T.

    Buy one beer get another (or saki) for 1 penny! SOLD! My friends and I have made this our meet up spot for a quick and cheap drink, and some pretty decent sushi! The staff is attentive and i secretly have a crush on one of the guys, I have yet to learn his name. Anyhow, this place is near gus BBQ and Canoe house, so you also have the option to browse around.

    (3)

  • RJ D.

    No more AYCE sushi! I've been here many times for the AYCE sushi. It was reasonable priced. For about $23, you could order as much rolls and nigiri sushi as you wanted. The fish in itself wasn't the best quality, but for AYCE it was okay. The mediocre fish quality was hidden by the sauces they would drench on the rolls. The nigiri was passable as seconds. Try a maguro, and see for yourself the quality and taste of their fish -- that's a item that can't be doused with sauces and things. The service was great when provided by certain waiters. Certain sushi chefs are too slow as well. Part of the reason for sitting at the sushi bar is being able to be serviced right away, but that's not always the case here. There have been changes the past 3-4 months -- somewhat bad changes. There are new sushi chefs. They have reduced the size of the sushi bar for a new sushi chef station. Now, the death blow is the lack of an AYCE sushi option. I wish the restaurant good luck with its choices, but for me, I'm going to look for another sushi restaurant.

    (1)

  • KeepitReal C.

    Tokoro is my favorite sushi spot in Pasadena. I used to go to Gin sushi but they changed their sushi chef so now it's more like sushit. Anyway,I recommend the baked lobster roll, with a side of seaweed salad. You really can't go wrong with any of their rolls though. If you're looking for a good sushi spot in Pasadena, this is it, you won't be disappointed there is never any wait usually. . Also their hot tea is amazing !

    (5)

  • Phil G.

    The sushi here is delightful. The food here is the best Japanese food in the area. The sushi is superb and the service is pleasant. I have ordered the sushi combination a and the sashi salad. The sushi was above average; but the salad was divine! I couldnt find a parking lot for this establishment and was forced to park on the street.

    (4)

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Map

Opening Hours

  • Mon :11:30 am - 10

Specialities

  • Takes Reservations : Yes
    Delivery : No
    Take-out : Yes
    Accepts Credit Cards : Yes
    Good For : Lunch
    Parking : Street
    Bike Parking : Yes
    Wheelchair Accessible : Yes
    Good for Kids : Yes
    Good for Groups : Yes
    Attire : Casual
    Ambience : Casual
    Noise Level : Average
    Alcohol : Beer & Wine Only
    Outdoor Seating : No
    Wi-Fi : No
    Has TV : Yes
    Waiter Service : Yes
    Caters : Yes

Tokoro Japanese Restaurant

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