Yoshida Sushi Bar

02/13/10

A true Sushi Master

by Eliot Bissey

Yoshida-san is the real deal, and so is his sushi.

He does the very important "little extras" that many people might not even notice, but connoisseurs of sushi will definitely appreciate. For example, he marinates his Ikura to remove the excessive saltiness which can overpower the tastebuds (order "Ikura with quail egg, please!", and mix up some wasabi and regular [not low-sodium] soy sauce, and pour A LITTLE BIT of this mixture over the top of the sushi, and be awed by his insanely high standard!!!).

The subtle freshness of the Ikura (salmon eggs) will reveal itself, where other sushi chefs / restaurants don't go this extra mile, and their Ikura will be crudely salty.

Another great example is the "melts in your mouth like butter ALBACORE" that he serves, where he and his chefs remove the membrane between the layers of albacore flesh by hand for every order, resulting in superlative texture.

His Toro is the best, and once, on my birthday, I had Kobe beef from Japan that was 20 times more intensely flavored than anything we can find here that is so-called Kobe beef.

Plus, he is a truly wonderful guy, with a great sense of humor.

Empty your cup of tea, your preconceptions of what great sushi is, and treat yourself to a fresh cup of tea.

You might just end of loving it as much as I do.

• Pros: Old School Sushi Master from Japan
• Cons: none

09/07/08

you should find it

by ayame

If you'll seat table, you should find her!!!

I went there with my friends and family on Tuesday dinner time. We usually go Monday or Thursday night but table service is not good at all, especially tall lady ( idon't know her name). Her english was poor and sometimes wrong plate comes wrong amount. But foods are delicious and my boys love Yoshida. On that evening was sooooo crowdy and we were waiting almost 45min. to seat our table. But a waitress who name yako( i don't know spelling) was very very nice to us. She takes care of us very fully and care about my litle son to have kid's plate, tools, and drink. I have never got like this service in this restaurant, no other waitress care about those small things. since that night, we love to go yoshida. You should go there on Tuesday, because she works on that night. may be other waitress is very nice, but she is the best waitress in Yoshida I swear!!!!!

• Pros: good food. good service
• Cons: long line. parking. poor service(sometimes)

01/19/08

Mediocre Sushi, Bad Service

by bomblak

We decided to try this place out based on the Citysearch reviews. After trying out multiple pieces of nigiri sushi (yellowtail, tuna, toro, salmon, monkfish liver and more), we came away disappointed. The cut of fish had much to be desired, with some pieces being overly chewy and with stringy portions (which at better restaurants, the sushi chef cuts away or uses a better cut). Yoshida has mediocre sushi, and I'm not sure what the fuss is all about?

Perhaps it's because it's landlocked in San Marino and there isn't much else around, but it's still pretty mediocre. My SO and I went on a Saturday night and granted, the place was packed, but it's still no excuse for bad service (I had to ask for my bill three times amongst other problems throughout the night). I'd recommend going to any of the superior sushi restaurants in West L.A. (Mori, Zo, Urasawa, Sasabune, Nozawa, Gen, TheHump and others).

I also find it shocking to see such childish behavior on Citysearch with certain "clientele" of Yoshida's (sc2007, sksw) posting attack reviews on someone earlier who posted a negative review of the restaurant (notice how both of those 2 "reviewers" have reviewed just *1* restaurant (Yoshida), LOL). Pretty sad and amateurish. Everyone has an opinion, hopefully the collective result of all those opinions will help people looking for information make good choices.

• Pros: Convenient for San Marino
• Cons: Mediocre Sushi, Bad Service, Crowded

09/22/07

SUSHI (LIKE BUTTER BABY)

by sc2007

THIS IS THE BEST SUSHI IN ALL OF LOS ANGELES BY FAR. FOR THAT LAST COMMENT FROM EXILEKISS, YOU MUST NOT HAVE SAT WITH THE OWNER YOSHIDA. BECAUSE I HAVE BEEN GOING TO YOSHIDAS FOR THE PAST 5 YEARS NOT ONE COMPLAINT. HATE TO SAY THAT YOU MUST NOT NOW GOOD SUSHI IF IT WAS FORCED DOWN YOUR THROAT. THE SUSHI AT YOSHIDA'S IS TOP NOTCH. THE ALBACOR MELTS IN YOUR MOUTH,THE SWEET SHRIMP IS AWESOME, PHILI ROLL IS TO DIE FOR AND THE AMBIANCE OF EATING WITH THE OWNER (YOSHIDA) CAN NOT BE COMPARED TO THOSE NOT SO GOOD SUSHI BARS, LIKE (A-FLOAT,KABUKI,AI SUSHI). AND FOR THE PRICE WE PAY FOR GOOD SUSHI, IT COMES WITH THE TERRITORY. GOOD SUSHI IS WORTH PAYING.

• Pros: AWSOME SUSHI
• Cons: PARKING

07/22/07

Best Sushi anywhere!

by sksw

I am laughing at the review that this is the "worst sushi" anywhere. Ha! Not even close. He must own Sushi Roku? ;) I have eaten at some of the top sushi restaurants in L.A. and this is fantastic! You cannot find sushi that is fresher than here. I have been a loyal customer of Yoshi's (owner/sushi chef) for over 17 years. We have followed him from where he started, Kabuki in Pasadena, to his first restaurant in Pasadena and now San Marino. Let me be clear, he has some of the best fresh fish anywhere! His albacore tuna melts in your mouth. The halibut is delicious! You have never eaten a better tiger shrimp roll in your life! Our kids love Yoshida, too. It is their favorite restaurant after In-N-Out! Yoshida makes other sushi restaurants painful to eat at. My husband and I have unfortunately been invited to other sushi restaurants, like Sushi Roku, Pasadena and Matsuhisa in Beverly Hills and they all paled in comparison to Yoshida. We had some sushi at Sushi Roku and my five year old daughter literally said, "it smells like a skunk!" when they placed an order of salmon sashimi in front of us! At Matsuhisa, we tried their version of a spider roll (tempura soft shell crab) and it was three times as much$ as Yoshi's, and half a crab that tasted mealy and like old fish. Now quite honestly, the waitresses at Yoshida can be discombobulated at times, but they are all Japanese with English as their second language and working their tails off to wait on a packed restaurant. They do not sit around and ignore you. The place is PACKED at night and justifiably so. We always get the same thing: albacore and halibut sashimi, tiger roll, jack's special and sometimes the MJ special #10 spicy. The only bad part about Yoshida is that it has grown increasingly popular and it is so crowded. Best bet is to go right when it opens at 11:30am for lunch or 6 pm for dinner. Really, if you don't go, it is better for his regulars, then we don't have to wait! :)

• Pros:  Yoshi is the best! Low-key place with fresh sushi
• Cons: crowded -