Ai Japanese Restaurant

From South Pas Wiki

The AI Restaurant has been a successful Japanese eatery in South Pasadena for over twenty five years. Originally, only occupying half of its current space; it was South Pasadena's first Japanese Restaurant. Prior to its opening, the closes Japanese restaurant was Yama in Alhambra.

The food at AI is not specularly fantastic but it above average. The recipes are designed for an typical American palate; offering such classic combos such as beef teriyaki and tempura. Other good traditional Japanese dishes served here include tonkatsu (deep fried panko bread pork), ten-don (deep fried tempura shrimp with a classic sweet sauce), tempura udon. At the extreme end, they have the "AI Boat" which has teriyaki, a collection of sushi, and tempura. It is a lot of food and should be shared with between two. The food from the kitchen is consistent and very rarely has a bad dish come out of it.

The sushi bar at AI is again, not great but has very tasty morsels. Go there for the traditional sushi such as toro, yellowtail, etc and you will be happy with your selection. The sushi is on par with what you can get to go up at Bristol Farms.

Service can be uneven at times so be warned, you might get a surly server.

AI has been an extremely popular because it offers good food at a relatively decent price. Therefore, the waits on a Friday and Saturday night can be as long as hour! If you are a local, it might just be better to call in and order and pick it up with out having to wait.

Is AI a destination restaurant? No but neither are Sushi of Naples (on Green Street), Yama (on Main Street in Alhambra), or Masa (on Colorado in Pasadena). All three offer good solid Japanese food that will please most palates.