Ai Japanese Restaurant and Bar

Prices are getting very steep. Good food, but it is getting harder and harder to justify.

If there was a ZERO, that would be generous. They took our order and that’s when the night mare started. The food took a long to get to our table. We could have gone out and come back to our table with plenty of time to spare. Tempura had too much dough, chicken was way over cook, it was almost like jerky. The worst part was the rice was under cooked, it was crunchy — the owner said that’s all they have! How could they continue to serve under cook rice? You have to ask multiple time for water refills. On top of all this, they never serve us the Miso soup that was suppose to be included with the dinner.

Let me start that the elderly hostess was not there when we showed up. With that said, we were seated immediately. Service was good and the food even better. Miso soup was actually really hearty with lots of wakame and full of bonito dashi goodness. The tempura was not as lacy as other restaurants but was delicious and abundant. How many places give 3 pieces of shrimp with their combo meals. All ingredients were fresh. I definitely will come back here again.

I use to come here for lunch for 10 years when I worked in So. Pas. Since moving to the neighborhood, I’ve stopped by a few times for lunch/​dinner and every time, the service sucks! The bartender never acknowledges anyone when they walk in and it took the waiter 10 minutes to finally bring a menu. 10 minutes later and no one even came over to take my order… and the bartender is just standing around talking to the mean old bitter lady host. Got up and walked out… sad that they prob didn’t even notice. Never coming back!

The service is worst. I was standing no one come to ask us even they walk back and for in front of us. until my boyfriend walk to talk to them then they point the seat for us to go. After we got the seat we was waiting another 15 min no one come to us so we decided to walk away. This is the first time ever. I wonder how they run businesses ??? The place is nice but the service is like shit.

Love Joe! Love the salmon. My only complaint is I need rice to be served at the bar. Byor!

It’s been years since I was last here. Loved everything, food, service, and atmosphere! Hurray for good sushi.

They have a pretty sweet happy hour plus their regular menu is great and affordable as well. On the happy hour my favorites are the spicy tuna taco, tuna poke, and the shrimp tempura. The tuna poke is a generous portion for $ 5 and has a good flavor. The shrimp tempura is made with jumbo shrimp which is awesome and the batter is light and fluffy. The only weird thing is that if you sit at the bar they can’t serve you rice but if you sit at the little table next to the bar or outside you can still enjoy happy hour prices.

The most authentic Japanese food in South Pasadena! I love how the atmosphere is so calm and the interior of Ai is so beautiful, very open! I always get the tempura udon but everything is very tasty and authentic! One of the few Japanese restaurants still owned and run by a Japanese family.

I went with a Co worker. We spoiled ourselves with the sushi dinner. We added some Hamachi and Sake. The freshest most awesome sushi ever.
A couple of spicy tuna cut rolls and the miso soup just knocked it out of the park.
You have to check out this hidden gem that locals love.
If your lucky, they might have some Toro. Melted in my mouth. OMG!

I love this place, every time here they already know, what we going to order. The Beef teriyaki and tempura is my favorite… should try it. Fumi you are the best…

Since good Japanese is hard to find between Pasadena and Little Tokyo, I enjoy Ai. This restaurant has been in business for many years and you can tell that the community loves eating here. The atmosphere is really nice and the servers are very attentive. I am a little bummed to get a tea bag in my tea cup, but what can you do. I am not a seafood fan so I can’t comment on the taste or quality, but I love, love the noodle and rice dishes. In fact, the Sukiyaki is pretty damn good so I am super happy about that. The sake is good and my friends and I like coming here for a nice meal.

Joe is the best bartender in South Pasadena very attentive he remembers my poison each time.
Fumiko is very welcoming and the best sushi chef in South Pasadena.
They also have one of the best happy hour around town.

One of the best sushi joints in South Pasadena. This place has opened for at least one decade and never changed their policy nor food style. I understand that there’s a few miscommunication problems occur between the server and customer but they are really nice :) We always come here for lunch time and the food definitely hit the spot.

Spent over $ 50 ordering sashimi and a bottle of sake.
Owner still wanted to charge me $ 2 for ginger (apparently a standard charge if you don’t order a few rolls).
Salmon sashimi was cut with the skin still on. Very fishy tasting. Rice was dry and overcooked.
Overpriced and not high quality.

I am horrified about my experience here. The Selection is very limited to start with. We ordered the tempura appetizer which was very greasy and sad. We also ordered the tempura roll, squid sushi and the uni. Well the tempura roll wasn’t good, also practically dripping in grease and my boyfriend didn’t like it so didn’t want to eat it. The uni (which was waxen and clearly old stock) was inedible. Now usually, when food is bad you can return it and they will take it off the bill. But when we suggested they take the $ 8 or so for the uni off… the owner actually called the police. Who in turn were very nice and understood our issue… but they called the frigging police! I don’t see this place being open much longer with this kind of attitude. I have never ! Now it looks like we’ll be taking them to court over this bullshit.
Unbelievable!

If you’re in the mood for casual dining but have done it with IHOP, Denny’s, Carrows, and their cousins so often that rolling in their hay again would be the culinary equivalent to a backhand slap to the genitals, consider Ai Japanese Restaurant and Bar.
Not only is the place’s name self-​explanatory (as in, yes, you can get totally wasted at the full bar, and there is Japanese food on the menu), but brace (buttbrace?) yourself to be surprised by the incredible bargains. This place is so cheap – cheap money-​wise, not food-​wise or hussy wise) and the eats here are authentic Japanese and done well, despite the Walmart prices.
Yoshinoya, this place is NOT!
You, your date, and the third partner in your threesome can definitely fill up here for a bill that will be no bigger than one from Sizzler or Applebee’s, and you can avoid the scrunched brows of disdain from people when you say, «I ate at Ai’s,» where as confessing to Sizzler or Applebee’s might result in some unfair «you must love The Olive Garden» mockery.
People can be such bullies!
(the key is to just be prettier than they are)
Service is friendly and prompt, and many can speak to you in Japanese if you can or care to do so. I love speaking in Japanese, it’s so reliable and efficient.
Or, maybe I don’t actually speak Japanese, and I’m thinking about cars (this reminds me that I need to review some immaculately engineered, high performance Blonde German restaurants soon).
Anywhore…
There is plenty of variety on the menu, whether you like sashimi or rolls (training-​wheel sushi, some would say), or avoid raw fish altogether and just want some fried gyoza or tempura or something else that’s fried.
Yes, most of the cooked items are fried, but not all of them (you can get most «fried» items steamed, if you ask). Your heart might thank you for abstinence from batter and breading, but your stomach and tongue might be brats for a while.
Oh well. Treat them to a taste of something else that’s delicious on the menu. Like ice cream!
Parking is fast and willing (… too easy), like most restaurants in Pasadena.
It’s such a break coming here compared to Downtown, West Hollywood, and other congested parts of the city.
Ai Japanese Restaurant is yet another refreshing palm tree in the Oasis that is SouthPas. Visit here whenever you want a respite from the hustle and bustle of Hollywood or Los Feliz or Poseurlake and just want to eat your sushi and make your porn video in peace.

Not sure if there’s been a change in management and/​or ownership, but Ai doesn’t seem to be the same. I guess I got spoiled with the great food and service in the past, but that all seems to be in the past.
The addition of the bar didn’t help our dining experience either. The bartender seemed to continuous brag about himself. Blah, blah, this, blah, blah, that… Enough already, just serve these people their drinks.
I had order the tonkatsu and tempura combination dinner, however everything tasted like it had been fried in old oil. There wasn’t much flavor in the tempura and my tonkatsu was over cooked. It was hard throughout, not a crunchy panko outside with a moist pork inside.

I stopped here on a Friday morning just before the lunch crowd rolled in. This is a family operated restaurant that has been in South Pas for years. The owners are Japanese, which is rare for sushi restaurants in recent years.
Service was impeccable. I felt so welcomed here. Fish was fresh. We had a great experience here.

I’ve dined at Ai for many years. It’s one of my mothers favorite restaurants in south Pasadena. The food is simply prepared to highlight it’s freshness, and the ambiance is calm and quiet.
We usually start with and order or two of the delicious vegetable tempura for the table. It takes a while to get there so we order it with our drinks.
My mothers all time favorite is the Sea bass dinner. It’s not in the menu but is almost always available as a special. The fish is light and fluffy, simply broiled with a bit of sauce. Another family favorite is the Scallop Appetizer, which is also a special and can be ordered as a dinner.
On the main menu are all the usual items you would see at a Japanese restaurant. The chicken cutlet and pork Katsu are especially tasty. The sashimi and sushi rolls are super fresh. Everything I’ve tried on the menu has been good.
Now about the service: it’s gotten better! The cranky older waiters have been replaced by sweet natured young waitresses. I still wouldn’t call this place «family friendly» and I wouldn’t take a toddler here. My school-​age kids are usually pretty well behaved, but Ai is just so quiet and serene that a normal child’s loud goofiness is out of place. The restaurant always seems to be filled with older couples, and I think this is a perfect place for a quiet, simply prepared, dinner for two.