Ai Japanese Restaurant

The menus say one price while you are charged a higher price. That’s really shady and unkind to pull on customers. At the very least give them a verbal heads up about this.

Yum-Yum 'n Dem-Sum!! Had the Beef Teriyaki 'Tempura', friend had the 'Sushi Special' and both were served by the vivacious 'Karen' (she's bringing class and elegance back to that most historic name). Didn't think the portions would fill me up but they certainly did. This place has been around for just over 40 years and still going strong due to the fine cooking & preparation skills of Fumito (or Fumi for short) brings fresh seafood, fish, produce, and various other tasty items every day. Great meals at a modesty fair price! Right next to the 'Ol Rialto Theater in South Pasadena.

I decided to try this place on a whim. I just picked it via Google search. Here is my take… Pros: There is ample parking in the back. Parking is shared with other restaurants next to it. Wait staff was nice. The sushi chef came by my table to say hi. The ambiance is pretty nice. I had the green beans in garlic sauce appetizer and it was really good. Cons: I hate to say it, but the nigiri sushi was some of the worst I have had in my life. It was cut very thick and sloppy. Pieces were inconsistent. It was fresh. It won’t get you sick, but the presentation is bad as though there is little care taken. Sushi is an art. This was not art. When I ordered, the waiter did say they do not have a sushi menu, but they are happy to make it. Maybe that was a red flag, I dunno. So maybe this is a great place if you want combination plates with teriyaki and tempura, etc. Maybe even their specialty rolls are good. Not sure. I wanted traditional sushi though. This is just not the place for it. Hope this