Kaiba Japanese Ramen, Sushi & Grill - Pasadena — Restaurant in Pasadena

It deserves 4 stars, but the day I went, their deep fryer was out of order-no fried food was available. That meant no tempura, no fried calamari, no soft-shell crab, no "Heart Attack" (yes, that's the name of a dish). So I'm giving it 3 stars this time. I hope I get a chance to eat there again.

It's a very typical American-style Japanese restaurant, in both food and atmosphere. Most of the rolls are large 8-piece rolls. I had the Caterpillar Roll, a typical roll found in Southern California-you'll never see it in Japan. I think most Japanese people wouldn't even call things like the California Roll or Philadelphia Roll "sushi." I guess only Americans think this is a Japanese restaurant. To Japanese people, it probably feels more like an American bar-especially with the three giant TVs on the wall playing different sports games.

"Sashimi" means raw fresh fish in Japanese, but they even put pre-cooked freshwater eel in that category.

Let's talk about the food:

Sashimi: Fatty Salmon ★★★★★ Very fresh.

Sashimi: Fatty Yellowtail ★★★★★ The best yellowtail I've ever had-even compared to real Japanese restaurants. It's not only fresh, but also very soft. If yellowtail isn't fatty enough, it gets tough-but this one was the softest yellowtail I've ever had.

Freshwater Eel ★★★☆☆ Industrial pre-cooked eel, 100% imported from China. Always the same flavor, always the same taste.

Salmon Collar ★★★☆☆ It's not just the collar-it's more like the whole front of the shirt. Anyway, the portion is very American.

Caterpillar Roll ★★★★☆ Fresh avocado, good presentation.

Seaweed Salad ★★★☆☆ Also industrial pre-made, 100% imported from China. Always the same texture and flavor.

Edamame ★★★★★ Warm edamame with garlic and spice. A nice try.

Service was a bit slow and chaotic-probably too many customers.

Good point: the beer cup was frozen, and they replaced it with a new one for each refill.

By the way, parking is very crowded, and you're only allowed to park for one hour. My friend had to move his car in the middle...

Kaiba is a revelation! Really good quality ramen and sushi for relatively low prices. I believe that Kaiba has the power to reunite a divided household.

My wife has loved sushi since college and I just haven't been able to develop a taste for it. After years of not being able to enjoy a good sushi restaurant together we finally found the answer. Kaiba!

We recently had our first dining experience at Kaiba. Coincidentally, we were having dinner with my wife's best friend from college and the friend's twin sister who had flown in from Seattle for the weekend. A party of four works great for sharing multiple sushi rolls, soups and sides.

We arrived after 7pm on a Sunday evening and the place was packed with a wait. The staff were great! The host offered to seat us after just a couple of minutes if someone didn't show up on time for their reservation. Thanks a lot Rachel for not showing up, we really enjoyed your reservation. All the staff we interacted with were energetic, attentive and efficient. I recommend that you make a reservation for yourself when you plan to visit Kaiba. We can't all count on Rachel to make a reservation for us without knowing it.

I experienced true "food joy" eating my Tonkatsu Ramen as my wife and her friends feasted on a variety of their favorite sushi rolls and sides. I recommend the $2 draft beer and the $1 warm sake. Great deals for what you get.

The house once divided over sushi has now been united by Kaiba Japanese Restaurant.

Fun Facts: -There are three Kaiba locations in Southern California

-The menu is accessible via QR code scan with your phone.

-They don't appear to have a website but they do have business page on Facebook.

-If you are not comfortable with chopsticks you can ask for a fork and they will bring you a metal one on a napkin.

-Plenty of free parking in the lot behind the restaurant.

So, do yourself a favor and give this terrific Asian Fusion...

Left totally unfulfilled :/ Unagi was 90% slimy skin and pretty much no flesh-their online/Google maps unagi pics are FALSE. Yellowtail had no flavor. Spicy ponzu was vinegar soy and tobacco-like (why-?) and ponzu sauce was missing what makes it so lovely.

Take-out staff is also clueless. When calling to order the guy didn’t know the menu, couldn’t help when I asked about a specific, common roll - if they had it. Fumbled on for a while before handing the phone to another person and when I asked if they had this roll, describing its 3 ingredients, she’s like..um noooo…I mean we have a - and then she describes the exact three ingredient dish I just asked about🤦‍♀️

After eating I totally didn’t feel that satisfied feeling after decent sushi. It was $26 for 2 rolls so I decided to call and ask for some discount. Enter clueless staff answering phone again! Me: can I speak to mgr I’d like a discount. Him: can I help? Me: tell him. Click, he transfers me to another person. Her: can I help? I explain it a 2nd time. Her: ok, hold on! Me thinking-what the... Mgr: can I help? Me: explain a 3rd time!

Manager was cool and did refund my whole order right away which was very generous since I was just looking for a discount. I so appreciated that and kinda makes you want to return but why go again when it’s just not good?

And all sushi buyers KNOW what they’re doing when they’re ordering unagi (eel). If it’s mostly skin they’re just trying to save money vs serve a good dish and cultivate a...