Japon Bistro

I'm not really into seafood but went here with some friends who really enjoy sushi. We ordered quite a bit of food and drinks and the check was very reasonable ($200) for a dinner party of four. Everything was good and I surprised myself by tasting everything. I especially liked the drunken rock shrimp. The waiters were very helpful and offered suggestions which were great.

I went to Japon Bistro for lunch with co-workers last week. I was surprised at how good the food was. I had never been there before but my co-workers have. Most of our are Japanese, but I didn't bother to ask the person from Japan if it was authentic, so I have no input there. I had the Shokado Bento (premium lunch box) which was delish, and several others ordered the cooked fish (black cod, yellowtail collar, & sea bass) and the all loved it. My Bento Box had a little bit of everything, sashimi, katsu, etc and everything was perfect. The sashimi was fresh and of good quality. The owner came over to say hello to my co-workers which I thought was nice. We had a great time. We were in and out within our one hour lunch and very satisfied. I'm taking my family back there for dinner on Friday evening, so I'm a soon to be repeat customer. I'll have to try to sushi when I'm on my own tab so I can comment on that next. Overall, very happy. Good place for couples on date, small groups, etc. Lunch was priced between $10-$15 which I thought was more than reasonable given the quality.

Who the heck voted Japon Bistro as the Best Sushi in Los Angeles??? Where's Go 55? Where's Sushi Gen? and Sasabune is number 3? how about Matsuhisa? There are so many great sushi restaurants and Japon Bistro rates towards the bottom. Their fish is simply not up to snuff and it's way overpriced for what you get. A fast food sushi join is better. The guy who wrote that this place is just like Japan must be insane. Are you nuts??? Have you even been to Japan? Next time, go to Japon Bistro and see how many Japanese people actually dine there -- no one I saw was Japanese. Go to any good sushi restaurant and you will see true sushi aficionados, including real "Japanese" people. This goes to show you that this rating system and the vote is completely bogus and all of the review are FAKE!!!! I don't usually write this but I'm angry these so called "independent" reviewers are misleading others. I am a great fan of food and Japon Bistro is not only below average, it is dishonest in the way it conducts its business -- I would agree with one reviewer who believes that this rating was rigged. Japon Bistro simply cannot be on top sushi restaurant list in Los Angeles or anywhere -- if it were true, Los Angeles is in serious trouble. Thank god for real sushi houses.

Preface:
While I am not a sushi expert I do know good seafood. I am a trained chef, and have traveled extensively searching out great foods. During my time I have had the chance to sample foods, including sushi, from around the world. I can still enjoy your average American sushi but have come to view it as separate from its Japanese counterpart. Invariably when someone says they are taking me to an ?authentic? sushi restaurant I am left with something that is in some way Americanized. When I was invited to Japon Bistro on my last trip to L.A. I was expecting more of the same.

Upon hearing about the location of the place my trepidation was fueled further. It?s on Colorado Blvd which is a ?trendy? area, and in my experience trendy often means bad. My fears were put to rest upon arrival. It is a bit down the road from the more touristy places.

We started with Edamame. It had the right salt content and satisfied as much as Edamame can. The sake was spectacular. First of all the selection here is greater than any I have seen in a restaurant outside of Japan. Of particular note is the great selection of short shelf life Namazake. (If you have never had unpasteurized sake you must try it) The sampler included 4 different types and the flavors complemented each course perfectly. Each was very unique in its taste.

For the main course we had a wide variety of foods including many types of Nigiri-zushi, mussel, and 1 or 2 rolls. The freshness was simply stunning, what makes this even more amazing is that it was Sunday; I wonder what its like on a Wednesday or Thursday when the fish markets are open. The fish was amazingly clean in taste and prepared absolutely perfectly. Of particular note is the cold-smoked salmon. The flavor is stunning and borders on the best smoked salmon I have ever had. It combines a mild hint of apple and smoke while still maintaining the purity of the salmon.

Overall an amazing place and a must stop for me on every visit

I went to this place because it had a huge sign outside saying it was voted as one of best in Pasadena by City Search -- now I am wondering who voted. Sushi --not fresh at all. I've had better from the deli section at Ralphs; tempura, terrible, do they understand the concept of tempura? it was greasy and dry. Service was average. They tried to come up with "creative" dishes that just fall flat on its face. Nothing to write home about. After spending $100 for two, I can say that don't go to this place. It's not for people who really understand sushi and good food. I would stick to Sushi of Naples which has better sushi (not the Best) but heck of a lot better than this place. Oh stay away from Zono Sushi on lake too.