Rice & Nori (Little Tokyo | Pasadena)

My first time at Rice & Nori was at the location in Little Tokyo, and a week later, I am back at Rice & Nori but in Pasadena. The restaurant is pretty casual – you order at the counter, then find your own table. This is perfect if you’re looking to grab a quick bite! From the menu and reading other people’s reviews, I knew I had to try both the onigiri and hand roll set for my first visit.

I got the Salmon Yuzu Miso Onigiri and a 3 Hand Roll Set – salmon, bay scallop, and blue crab (premium) – with yellowtail sashimi and edamame. The 3 hand roll set comes with two regular hand rolls (spicy tuna, salmon, yellowtail green onion, bay scallop, or cucumber), a premium hand roll (negitoro, blue crab, unagi, baked snow crab, or baked lobster shrimp), sashimi (tuna, salmon, or yellowtail), and edamame. There is also a 5 hand roll set option, which allows you to choose two premium hand rolls. I was honestly pretty confused when I read the description of the hand roll set on the menu, but it all made sense once I placed my order.

The food is served on a tray, with soy sauce packets and a little plastic dish for your soy sauce. The ginger and wasabi and sauce for the sashimi comes in its own plastic container. I started with the hand rolls. The fish tasted good, although I do wish the rice was slightly warmer. The seaweed was a bit hard to chew, which is probably the main part I wasn’t a huge fan of. I did like how the set also comes with sashimi with seaweed salad under and edamame, which completed the meal.

By the time I finished my rolls, I was already almost full – but I still had my onigiri! The seaweed on the onigiri was much crispier, which I preferred. It was a lot of rice though, and in terms of fish to rice ratio, I definitely prefer the hand rolls more. Ordering a 3 hand roll set would have been enough for me, so if I wanted to have onigiri instead next time, I should just get a few of those without the hand roll set!

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At the Pasadena location, I liked the vibe and seating a lot more. It was a lot busier and felt nicer overall. This time, I only ordered the 3 hand roll set (but three of them!). As I was eating, I realized that I should have ordered two 5 hand roll sets instead – then I could have had an extra premium hand roll (but one less sashimi and edamame order)!

Here’s what I ordered (for three people):

My favorite regular rolls were the yellowtail green onion and bay scallop rolls. The seaweed was still not crispy, but it was good enough to satisfy my roll cravings. The unagi roll was delicious, and I’d want to try some of the other premium rolls next time too. For sashimi, I preferred the yellowtail or salmon sashimi.

Overall, I liked my meal at the Pasadena location more. Not only was it a better environment, but the rice was also warmer! So…who wants to grab a meal at Rice & Nori?