A' Float Sushi

(626) 792-9779

87 E Colorado Blvd
Pasadena, CA 91105 34.1459 -118.1485

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Neighborhood: South Pasadena

Price:

$$

Last updated 8.23.10

Category:

Restaurants

Payment Methods:

American Express, Visa, Discover, MasterCard

Restaurant Special Features:

Late Night Dining

Cuisine:

Japanese, Sushi

Editor's Tips

What People Are Saying About A' Float Sushi

Featured Review

Contributor

Contributor

In Short – Japanese paper lanterns dangle from and illuminate a black ceiling, while geisha-embroidered cloths hang from walls of the long dining room. The hook, though, is the sushi bar--surrounded by a mini-moat with floating sushi-laden boats. Patrons reach for the dishes as they circle the bar, picking spicy crab meat tempura rolls, salmon avocado rolls with chili paste or simple California rolls. Each dish is monitored by the chefs and removed after an hour.

Editor's Tips

Know Before You Go:
Try to stick with sushi and rolls from the selection that drifts by. The chefs generally prefer to not prepare special orders, especially when the restaurant is busy.
ambiance
100.0% positive
  1. “Floating boats are fun!”
  2. “it is a nice location with great prices.”
  3. “The sushi isn't the very best, but along with the fun environment and the very helpful staff, you look beyond it.”
  4. “It's a really fun place to take people who've never had the pleasure of picking delicious sushi dishes off of cool little boats floating around a table moat.”
  5. “It gets packed in the evening and is a great atmosphere.”
  6. “Great fun and good food at a good price -- what more could you want?”
  7. “Wonderful atmosphere, loved the decorations in Afloat!”
  8. “It's a great place for a fun first date or a Saturday afternoon.”
dessert
100.0% positive
  1. “The banana tempura dessert and green tea ice cream are both delicious.”
drinks
80.0% positive
  1. “The waitresses and waiters are very polite and I like how the chefs stand in the middle of the bar and cooks whatever you tell them you want!”
  2. “The sushi floating around the bar in small boats is a great theme.”
  3. “Sit at the bar and watch all that beautiful sushi float right past you.”
  4. “The banana tempura dessert and green tea ice cream are both delicious.”
  5. “couple times I've gone, the service was a little slow to get drinks, but the pros heavily outweigh the cons.”
food quality
97.77999877929688% positive
  1. “would really rocommend you to eat at this restaurant if youre looking for a delicious meal but not that expensive either.”
  2. “Yes, fresh o-toro and uni can be sublime when prepared by a master chef.”
  3. “My 2 kids loved the idea of this restaurant of picking your favorite dishes off the floating ships.”
  4. “float sushi makes the best sushi i ever had!”
  5. “Gimmick aside, the sushi is pretty good.”
  6. “Very inexpensively sushi with a fresh taste always.”
  7. “My two children loved the sushi floating on the boats!”
  8. “This is a good date spot and great sushi dining experience in Old Town Pasadena.”
  9. “highly recommend the honey walnut shrimp tempura roll!”
  10. “would recommend the eel rice.”
  11. “the other food in this restaurant is also very incredible.”
  12. “Sit at the bar and watch all that beautiful sushi float right past you.”
  13. “OK service (plates came out at wildly different times); chicken teriyaki was not great (very grisly, should have ordered the white meat);”
  14. “We love the sushi here and are always amazed at how many empty plates we have stacked up by the end!”
  15. “You can watch the chefs prepare the sushi and take what you like off the boat.”
  16. “It's a really fun place to take people who've never had the pleasure of picking delicious sushi dishes off of cool little boats floating around a table moat.”
  17. “love my experiences with a'float sushi.”
  18. “Their shrimp walnut roll is great.”
  19. “The food was great but unfortunatley I didn't notice until I was done eating that the sushi chef used the same dish cloth to clean the inside of the sink as he did the counter top where he made the Sushi!”
  20. “But sometimes, sushi is just rice 'n fresh fish 'n veggies and that's plenty good enough.”
  21. “The food is good and you get a variety.”
  22. “Because you can get a great meal at a fast food pace!”
  23. “The sushi chefs are wonderful and bust out huge, fresh, mouth watering slabs of sushi every time.”
  24. “The sushi is always fresh, and the Chefs (although not Japanese) are great at sushi making.”
  25. “The sushi floating around the bar in small boats is a great theme.”
  26. “The sushi was surprisingly good!”
  27. “We both agreed this was the best sushi we have tasted in a long time, ever since we left New Jersey.”
  28. “float sushi is the best japanese restaurant around in the L.A. County!”
  29. “You dont even have to order sushi!”
  30. “It has great service and a variety choice of food to choose from.”
  31. “The fish is decent for the price.”
  32. “This place has a great variety of sushi and the best part is is that it doesn't cost much.”
  33. “went here for a nice lunch and walked out grossed out with the food and the management.”
  34. “The sushi is very good and the service is above average.”
  35. “It's a PERFECT restaurant to go to after a little strolling in Old Town and being seated quickly and enjoying a great meal.”
  36. “And my two little children really liked the FRUIT TART dish on the boats.”
  37. “The sushi isn't the very best, but along with the fun environment and the very helpful staff, you look beyond it.”
  38. “The banana tempura dessert and green tea ice cream are both delicious.”
  39. “The food is pretty good, though.”
  40. “Great fun and good food at a good price -- what more could you want?”
  41. “The portions are great per dish because you can try a lot of different kinds of sushi without going broke, and for what they give you (and the great quality of the food they give), it's very reasonably priced.”
  42. “My experience with A-float sushi has always been EXCELLENT every time.”
  43. “Pretty good sushi place with lots of veggie options, especially the Enoki (mushroom) sushi (you can tell them to fry it in oil rather than b.”
  44. “The special dishes are good.”
  45. “The fish is very fresh--some of the best tuna I've seen--and we love the spicy crab roll.”
menu variety
80.0% positive
  1. “Pretty good sushi place with lots of veggie options, especially the Enoki (mushroom) sushi (you can tell them to fry it in oil rather than b.”
  2. “It has great service and a variety choice of food to choose from.”
  3. “At no other restaurant can a diner witness all of the menu items he does NOT want, displayed before him in slow succession.”
  4. “The food is good and you get a variety.”
  5. “This place has a great variety of sushi and the best part is is that it doesn't cost much.”
overall
100.0% positive
  1. “It's a great place for a fun first date or a Saturday afternoon.”
  2. “great place to eat!”
  3. “This was a great Japanese restaurant experience.”
  4. “float sushi is the best japanese restaurant around in the L.A. County!”
  5. “Pretty good sushi place with lots of veggie options, especially the Enoki (mushroom) sushi (you can tell them to fry it in oil rather than b.”
service
79.16999816894531% positive
  1. “The sushi is very good and the service is above average.”
  2. “the service was awesome and prompt.”
  3. “The waitresses and waiters are very polite and I like how the chefs stand in the middle of the bar and cooks whatever you tell them you want!”
  4. “Servers are always friendly and efficient.”
  5. “The sushi isn't the very best, but along with the fun environment and the very helpful staff, you look beyond it.”
  6. “The staff is great, but can be a little slow at times.”
  7. “couple times I've gone, the service was a little slow to get drinks, but the pros heavily outweigh the cons.”
  8. “the waiters and waitresses are very polite; they are also very effecient.”
  9. “It's a really fun place to take people who've never had the pleasure of picking delicious sushi dishes off of cool little boats floating around a table moat.”
  10. “It has great service and a variety choice of food to choose from.”
  11. “Food was wonderful and the waitresses were polite and fast too.”
  12. “OK service (plates came out at wildly different times); chicken teriyaki was not great (very grisly, should have ordered the white meat);”
value
77.77999877929688% positive
  1. “Great fun and good food at a good price -- what more could you want?”
  2. “The portions are great per dish because you can try a lot of different kinds of sushi without going broke, and for what they give you (and the great quality of the food they give), it's very reasonably priced.”
  3. “Nothing was really expensive or overpriced.”
  4. “Afloat Sushi is a casual restaurant so if you're not looking for some high class expensive jap restuarant, Afloat is definitely the place to try.”
  5. “would really rocommend you to eat at this restaurant if youre looking for a delicious meal but not that expensive either.”
  6. “The sushi chefs are wonderful and bust out huge, fresh, mouth watering slabs of sushi every time.”
  7. “it is a nice location with great prices.”
  8. “The prices are reasonable.”
  9. “The fish is decent for the price.”
wait time
50.0% positive
  1. “The staff is great, but can be a little slow at times.”
  2. “At no other restaurant can a diner witness all of the menu items he does NOT want, displayed before him in slow succession.”
  3. “couple times I've gone, the service was a little slow to get drinks, but the pros heavily outweigh the cons.”
  4. “We both agreed this was the best sushi we have tasted in a long time, ever since we left New Jersey.”
  5. “enjoy this style of dining for a quick lunch and I was not disappointed.”
2 Star Rating: Below Average

05/09/12

Not impressed

by humantiger1

Flies.

Not a good sign in a place with uncovered food floating around for who knows how long.

5 Star Rating: Highly Recommended

11/24/09

Favorite sushi place EVER!

by dangergirlred

In the first few days I moved to California, some friends took us to A'float Sushi and I was instantly hooked. It's a really fun place to take people who've never had the pleasure of picking delicious sushi dishes off of cool little boats floating around a table moat... As well as revisit the place again and again. The portions are great per dish because you can try a lot of different kinds of sushi without going broke, and for what they give you (and the great quality of the food they give), it's very reasonably priced. And if there's something you want that isn't in one of the boats, just let the chef or the waitress know and they'll bring it out to you. A couple times I've gone, the service was a little slow to get drinks, but the pros heavily outweigh the cons.

  • Pros: Delicious sushi, unique atmosphere, friendly staff
  • Cons: Sometimes the service can be a little slow.
5 Star Rating: Highly Recommended

06/21/09

5 star restaurant. Excellent.

by suzannadanica

I loved my experice at this restaurant the first time I went to A float. My family and I were greeted instantly by the waitress and seated. We went early (5:00) so it wasn't too crowded. My 2 kids loved the idea of this restaurant of picking your favorite dishes off the floating ships. I tried almost about everything with my husband. We both agreed this was the best sushi we have tasted in a long time, ever since we left New Jersey. There's just so much variety and the prices are reasonably priced, unlike another sushi restaurant I went to a couple weeks ago, which charged $5 for a small bowl of miso soup!! The waitresses/waiters were all really kind and patient that we had stayed for 2 hours. Most other busy places would just give us the check. As time passed, and it was 7:00, the place got crowded. I could see why this restaurant had such good buisness. It was because it was really worth the wait.

  • Pros: FOOD, atmosphere, service
  • Cons: None
4 Star Rating: Recommended

06/01/09

Floats my Boat

by gabriel213

This is one of my favorite places to go when im in a rush. I can literally be in and out of there in 30 min. This is a great spot if you are going to shop at the local retailers, or gunna go out to one of the local clubs. Because you can get a great meal at a fast food pace! The sushi is always fresh, and the Chefs (although not Japanese) are great at sushi making.

  • Pros: Healthy food, at a fast food pace.
4 Star Rating: Recommended

09/01/08

a great place to eat!

by johnnyBLK

Wonderful atmosphere, loved the decorations in Afloat! I went there for lunch and was seated promptly at the sushi bar.

Food was wonderful and the waitresses were polite and fast too.

It's a PERFECT restaurant to go to after a little strolling in Old Town and being seated quickly and enjoying a great meal.

The Details on A' Float Sushi

Place Categories:

  • best afloat sushi
  • great sushi place
  • great other food
  • terrific japanese restaurant
  • great staff
  • great sushi chefs
  • great prices
  • very polite waitresses
  • great sushi dining experience
  • great meal
  • very polite waiters
  • loved little children
  • always friendly servers
  • favorite sushi dishes
  • very fresh fish
  • nice lunch
  • great date spot
  • overpriced nothing
  • like boat
  • recommend eel rice
  • loved decorations
  • good plenty
  • prompt service
  • great atmosphere
  • cheaper everything
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