San Sai Japanese Grill - Hawthorne - Japanese restaurant in Hawthorne - 5354 Rosecrans Ave, USA

Great Japanese inspired food and Hawaiian food. They give large portion. Every upgrade to large combo seems worth it. Salmon grill was very good. Dumpling soup was quite Americanized but it’s still delicious. Sushi comes in a really large bite! I somehow got the idea from the Japanese words written in the restaurant that this would be pretty authentic. They’re actually very delicious and flavorful but a bit far from being authentic.

Chicken teriyaki is the only reliable staple at this Sam Sai. I really try to enjoy and give my local San Sai a chance, but margins must be tight at this location: no fountain drinks, only soy sauce packets when dining in (they use to have soy sauce bottles) and stinginess with chopsticks when dining in and pickup orders (4-5 orders of sushi and 2 chopsticks, 2 ramen and 1 sushi and a single pair of chopsticks), recyclable soup containers leak within 5 minutes of having hot liquids on them. This is the only location that I'm aware of that has tonkatsu ramen: I would not recommend ordering it due to weak flavored broth and too-soft noodles. The staff is always super helpful (like recommending not to order the ramen for takeout) and seems to work hard, the sushi and ramen quality leave much to be desired.

I've ordered from here a few times and every time I've ordered chicken katsu, the chicken is gray/ brown or even clear in some areas. Soaked with way too much oil and overcooked time and a time and again. Using poor quality meat, not a chicken breast. I choked down a spicy tuna roll to find the cucumber at the bottom discolored and sour, pictures were submitted.

It tastes good but I think they use MSG . I got a little sick after having ramen. I am allergic to MSG my body reacts immediately. MSG is very bad for the body. What does MSG do to your body? In many countries MSG goes by the name “China salt”. Beside its flavor enhancing effects, MSG has been associated with various forms of toxicity MSG has been linked with obesity, metabolic disorders, Chinese Restaurant Syndrome, neurotoxic effects and detrimental effects on the reproductive organs.

I dont eat sushi like that because I cant stand the taste, but this place is really good to me. Great atmosphere and outstanding customer service.

Food was alright, better presentation. Their prices went up compared to a menu picture posted on here already.

I had the miso soup, spicy tuna roll and chicken with yokisoba noodles and all were excellent! I was most impressed with how fast this was ready. Very tasty and filling!

Everything was amazing, super nice staff and very clean, the food was wonderful Everything was cooked perfectly. Love it