Best Japanese Speciality Restaurants in South Pasadena

Authentic upscale japanese restaurant, chef is incredibly friendly and kind. Would love to visit again!

Katsuya-Hollywood definitely deserves the 5 stars! The food, the service, and ambiance was amazing. My friends and I loved it. Luis, our server, was part of the highlight of our visit. He was so friendly and welcoming and made sure my group was always well cared for. He answered all of our questions about the menu and even directed us to some of his favorites. Everything he recommended tasted superb and the drinks were incredible (their Yuzu Paloma and Katsuya Fresh are among my favorite). To say that we enjoyed our experience l is an understatement. We loved it! And will definitely be back soon.

Wonderful food and great staff! I would definitely go back again.

Always amazing to dine with Toku Unagi. 100% quality with excellent service!!! We will be back soon !!

I took my mom here for her birthday who is half Japanese and she had a wonderful time! We all really enjoyed experiencing flavors that were unique and fun to share with each other. We all ordered the omakase and ordered the almonds and chinmi separately. Maybe the only ding in the experience was the servers mispronounced omakase, which was weird considering it's a high-end Japanese restaurant. They don't put the emphasis on "ma", rather they make it sound like kamikaze which is off-putting at the ordering stage. I loved the Grilled California Holstein Beef Strip the most. It was so simple to look at, but the flavor of the beef with the salt crystals was divine. Loved the fresh seaweed shot with grapes! This made all of us say Wow! The omakase came with a mackerel sushi roll which wasn't on the menu, but it was a flavor bomb. The steamed rice was beautiful with the pork jowl. I could eat that rice on its own though! The miso soup was super tasty! I would skip the shiitake tempura but it's part of the omakase. Too oily, don't eat the whole thing. The new katsu with wagyu beef is a huge amount of food. My mom ate 1/4 of it and had to take the rest home, but my boyfriend ate the whole thing! The cocktails were fantastic, along with the sake pairings throughout our meal. The bartender was stellar. Loved the Yuzu Reviver (vodka) and the Old Fashioned. We left feeling full and satisfied, but not stuffed. It was all delicious! Expect a 2 1/2 hour delectable experience! Enjoy!