Matsuri Restaurant — Restaurant in Pasadena

We wanted to find a local spot that had some decent Japanese dishes and Matsuri is definitely one of those old school traditional Japanese restaurants we'll come back to try other dishes. Very much on the Japanese comfort food level.

We ordered the Tonkatsu Dinner Set, Japanese Eggplant with Miso, Salmon Skin Salad, Cold Tofu, and some side orders of sushi.

The tonkatsu meat they used was about half an inch, moist and tender. The oil they used wasn't overly burnt so it kept the tonkatsu crispy and golden. The sides of coleslaw and macaroni salad or simple and not over powering.

The Japanese Eggplant with Miso was flavored and cooked just right. Not overly soft while keeping the light char on the outside. The flavoring wasn't overly salty and had hints of white miso to keep the flavors flowing nice and smooth.

The Salmon Skin Salad was abundant. It tasted great with the ponzu based dressing and the little bits of bonito shavings and salmon skin to top the dish off.

The Cold Tofu was cooled in ice water perfectly awaiting a hot summer day with all of the right condiments like ginger, green onion and bonito flakes to flavor it properly with shoyu.

The fish used in the Toro, Hamachi and Salmon were solid. The only thing we would ask to have improved is the sushi rice they used. Both of us agreed it lacked the osu + sugar that we normally see in sushi rice.

Again, a spot to visit if you're looking for Japanese...

I had high hopes for Matsuri based on the ambiance and some early reviews, but unfortunately, the experience did not live up to expectations.

First off, the service was unusually slow even though the restaurant was only half full. It took nearly 20 minutes just to get water, and even longer to place our order. When we finally did, the staff seemed rushed and inattentive, forgetting part of our order entirely.

As for the food — it was underwhelming at best. The sushi rice was mushy and warm, and the fish didn’t taste particularly fresh. The “signature rolls” were drowning in sauces, likely to mask the lack of quality. We also ordered a hot dish that came out lukewarm and lacked seasoning.

On top of that, the prices were way too high for the quality. I don’t mind paying premium for exceptional food, but this wasn’t it.

The only saving grace was the interior — the space itself is beautifully designed, and the lighting gives it a nice vibe. But sadly, ambiance alone doesn’t justify a poor dining experience.

I won’t be returning, and I wouldn’t recommend it unless the management makes serious improvements to food quality and...

I tried to go to this Japanese restaurant operated by Japaneses to get some real Japanese taste since I miss the Japanese home food. But it was a big disappointment. The staff was ultra slow. I was standing waiting to be seated for about 20 minutes in order to be seated at the table next to my waiting place. The senior waitress is more experienced in service and language while the younger waiter's service and English level are really disappointing. My Japanese is even better than his English, I bet.

The Pork Shogayaki is completely not the same way I have been eating for years in Japan. I don't know which custom they are following for that. The most important ginger sauce is missing. Pork slices are over grilled that they are dry like pieces of woods. Salad is close to industrially made standard. The most annoying point is that the miso soup is served way before the main dish. So when I finished the dinner with the soup, the soup is already ice cold. I don't understand why they don't serve both items together.

If I had a lot of money and if I didn't know how to spend, very probably I...