How B.A.D. Do You Want Sushi?

Don’t let the name fool you.

B.A.D. Sushi actually stands for “Best And Delicious” Sushi, and now, with a third restaurant that recently opened in Pasadena, boasting a menu just as delightful as those of its sister locations in West L.A. and El Segundo, B.A.D. clearly represents a chain of sushi that is good.

Although the name “Bite Me! Pls” for a sushi roll sounds quirky, this spicy seafood roll can easily become your new favorite maki, with its mounds of garlic and creamy goma sauce mixed with ponzu sauce. Black flying fish eggs and fried onion bits cover this tempura-fried creation, combining brilliant presentation with aromatic flavor. Get bitten for $11.95.

Another roll that uses a lot of garlic is the “Eel Garlic Roll” for $11.95. With unagi and shrimp tempura rolled inside and avocado covering the outside, what makes this one special is its mixture of ponzu sauce with chunky garlic butter sauce.

Perhaps to some food snobs, a Tuna Tower may sound trite, but it is available here, and much like the Salmon Tower at Kushiyu of Tarzana, it stems from the same concept: alternately stacking deep-fried squares of wonton skin with chunks of raw fish mixed with tomatoes, green onion and avocado.

In my opinion, its namesake roll doesn’t do the restaurant justice—a bit too heavy and syrupy, and rather conventional as far as sushi rolls at casual joints go; so instead take a chance, perhaps, on the exotic-sounding and unusual Octopus Carpaccio, which melds flavors to the max with slices of jalapeno, cilantro, garlic and a special yuzu sauce.

With a smart logo and clever gimmick to match, B.A.D. Sushi locations may appear innocuous enough for even non-sushi lovers to brave; the menu certainly is fun and newbie-friendly, and the prices are reasonable for the most part.

To celebrate its grand opening, the Pasadena location is offering diners a discount of 25 percent off their dinner bill from 4:30 to 10 p.m. on weekdays, and all day on weekends, until the end of the year. At the Pasadena and El Segundo locations, a $9.95 lunch special menu is currently offered: choose from a Spicy Tuna Bowl to a Salmon Donburi, or even a Hand Roll Set (choice of three hand rolls).

How B.A.D. do you want sushi? Now you can indulge yourself at three locations:

B.A.D. Sushi

29 E. Holly Street, Pasadena

626-568-1500

B.A.D. Sushi

357 Main Street, El Segundo

310-648-8671

B.A.D. Sushi

11617 Santa Monica Blvd., West Los Angeles

310-479-4910