Sushi Kisen

Sushi restaurants can be as expensive as a mortgage and as quiet as a library, but this casual Arcadia hotspot is a wonderfully refreshing change of pace. The setting is more like Tokyo’s Shibuya Crossing, a frenetic intersection of customers lined up at the door, servers scurrying about, and chefs working like they are on a tight deadline. Counter seating or a table farther back? Omakase or a la carte? It doesn’t matter. The rice for the nigiri is reliably generous and lush in texture, and fish flies in from Japan on Monday and on Thursday. For this reason, Friday is often packed, as regulars look to catch the freshest shipment. Efficient, fairly priced and friendly, Sushi Kisen meets all expectations in the most approachable of ways.