Ai Japanese Restaurant

A staple of South Pasadena
Nice cuisine and fairly quiet atmosphere.
Sushi bar as well as booths

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 4

Service: 4

Pros:
Amazing atmosphere for dates, family, night intimate vibes
Great value for your money
Great tea and appetizers

Cons: the sushi, do not come for the sushi they may as well not even have it on the menu they are pretty poorly done, like others have said sushi is an art and its hard to trust sushi that looks like a mess....how do I know theres been care taken in the ingredients if the end result has no care?

Overall, yes this establishment is fine for all the standard entrees and its one of the best ambiances for good price in my opinion. But get any sushi somewhere else.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 3

Service: 4

I went here for the first time this last week. The restaurant itself has a fun atmosphere, but they had a bunch of chairs stacked at the front of the restaurant which took away from the ambiance. We ordered a few sushi rolls and a $23 dollar crab roll (which was breaded and I can’t eat breaded items). It was probably my mistake, but when I asked the server about the crab roll, she just said that yes it’s breaded and walked away.she really didn’t offer any solutions. Since it was probably my oversight, I gave it to my friend since I couldn’t eat it. The server was not friendly in the least bit. She came to our table one other time only, didn’t say thank you when she brought the bill and never smiled. Very unfriendly. There was an older woman that was very nice and smiled when we left. Our bill was $85 with tip for two people and I just don’t want to spend that kind of money and have unfriendly servers. I won’t be going back sadly. The bar looked fun and the sushi bar looked very cool. I think going and sitting at the sushi bar may be fun for some.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 5

Service: 2

Nice family oriented and good is satisfying 😌

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 4

Service: 3

Been in business for decades...there's a reason why!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Sushi is overpriced for 6 pieces, tastes like it has been sitting on the counter for a few hours. The katsudon was very good however, so maybe just don't get the sushi.

I'm in from out of state visiting my sister and an old friend. This has been our friend's go-to place for sushi for 30 years, and I can see why. This was a special occasion and Eric took great care of us. Great food and service.

Excellent food. Great personal service

Great value and portion. Nice atmosphere and courteous service. Beef Teriyaki & Sashimi Combo. Spicy Tuna and Yellowtail Rolls. Orion Beer

Ai is a well-priced family restaurant with comfortable booths and large portions. It’s great for occasions and regular outings too. Highly recommend.

What happened to this restaurant? All the potted bamboo plants in the front have died, so that's a hint. They haven't bothered to remove or replace them. It used to be so good and now it's completely gone down. I ordered vegetable & shrimp tempura, but everything was greasy and cold with no green vegetables (usually broccoli or string beans). I called and spoke to Jose and his reply was "you didn't get string beans and you're complaining". He then told me that I should have asked and he would have told me they didn't have any. I asked to speak to the manager and was told "he doesn't want to speak to you". I replied "What is wrong with you?" and he stated that I was rude. The number one rule, whenever you have a dissatisfied customer, is not to get in a verbal altercation with them. Then it turns into a street fight. THAT'S IT, I'M DONE WITH GIVING THIS PLACE MY BUSINESS!!!

Atmosphere: 1

Food: 1

Service: 1

Good place eat, staff is great. Ask Joe for a good drink.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 4

Service: 5

I was craving sushi found out. This place was a block and a half from my house.Highly recommend going there?

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 5

Service: 5

This place is for people that don’t really want to eat sushi. If you want tempura and teriyaki chicken, this is your place. Seems like a neighborhood establishment that people go back to because they’ve never had the real thing.

Sushi chef quite literally did not know what we were talking about when attempting to order basic nigiri sushi. It was a little awkward and embarrassing. When the sushi we were able to order arrived, it was awful.

You’re much better off at sushi stop.

Atmosphere: 2

Food: 1

Service: 3

Food was not good, felt bad for tossing it out. Service was fast and decent. Maybe they are known for the sushi but what I had was not it.

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 2

Service: 3