4. Restaurants

Nama Sushi SF

227 King St, San Francisco, CA, 94107
  • (415) 495-2007
  • Store is closed

Nama Sushi SF Menu

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  • becca k.

    Nothing too stellar here. I went with a group of 7, and we ended up at the sushi bar (which really limited conversation, but perhaps pushing tables together was too much work for the staff). Being a veggie, I was happy to see several different (if regular and semi boring) veggie rolls. Shitake, pickled something, avocado... Decently priced, yes, but exciting when there are so many other non-veggie options? No. But then I see the "Ashley" roll, which has yam, asparagus, avocado, and cream cheese wrapped in soy paper... Um, ok. I'll try it, even though it's $9. Main reason? It's not fried like the other more substantial roll. 15 minutes later, my roll arrives, but the veggies are tempura-ed. Um. Huh?Whoa. And I tried the Wakame salad roll ($4- resonable). Both were ok, but nothing wonderful. The fried veggies themselves were pretty tasteless, and the seaweed "roll" (2 pieces like nigiri) was rice wrapped in nori with some overly vinegared wakame plopped on top. Meanwhile, but my small plate of 9 bite-sized pieces were bland and cost more than my friend's tuna bento box. Sadly, I'd rather just to go Whole Foods for my sushi down here in SOMA.

    (2)

  • Liz L.

    I'm not sure why the other reviews are so dismal. I quite enjoyed my dinner experience at Nama. They started us off with some miso soup, which was pretty standard-tasting. But the amaebi (sweet shrimp) we ordered was excellent - some of the best I've had. And the heads were fried to perfection. All the maki we ordered were also very tasty. The fish was fresh, the sushi cut well, and we had no problems with anything falling apart. I didn't have any major problems with the service, but perhaps they've worked through some of the kinks? At any rate, I choose food over service anyday, so we'll definitely be going back again. Edited: so we actually have never gone back again, and I'm not entirely sure why, but docked them one star to be more inline with my other reviews. (hey it can't be that awesome if I still haven't made it back there ...even though it's really close to where I live)

    (3)

  • Micaela O.

    I love there Teriyaki Chicken dinner meal, my husband and I go to dinner there at least once a month and they have always had great service.

    (4)

  • Glen E.

    Ate here last night and thought it was decent. I've come to love Sushi and I have definitely been to better places, but I would go here again. The service was prompt and friendly which is always a huge plus for me. I had the Maguro Sashimi, Miso Soup, and California roll topped with Salmon and nothing seemed to lack freshness or flavor.

    (3)

  • Felicia O.

    I really liked the many choices available at this little resurant. The service is a bit slow, and if your in a hurry, not the place to be. The enviorment is reall nice and relaxing. It is close if your at the park, or live near by. I'll go again.

    (3)

  • Sheeva G.

    Very good vegetarian sushi. Try the yam roll and the asparagus roll. Kind of expensive though.

    (4)

  • Carol M.

    Considering the number of really good sushi restaurants in town, I would skip this place. I give them points for trying to be creative with their rolls but the concoctions just didn't work and the fish didn't seem as fresh as other sushi places I've been too. We sat at the sushi bar, no effort was made by the sushi chefs to make even the smallest of eye contact, it was like we weren't even there. Although, the waitress was nice and attentive. I wouldn't go back.

    (1)

  • WP D.

    Great for sushi, not so good if you want an experience. Excellent sashimi and rolls. If I lived closer, I would tell people not to go here since I wouldn't want to wait for a table.

    (5)

  • laurent i.

    sushis are good and staff is friendly

    (3)

  • J T.

    Hella expensive for what it is.

    (2)

  • Ryan R.

    Good service. Unique rolls. Fresh fish and catch of the day. A little pricey but yummy.

    (4)

  • Marti L.

    The ramen here is a crime. I noticed the new ramen menu by the bar and thought to give it a try. Shame on me! My tonkatsu ramen broth was watered down like no other. It was water plus a hint of pork flavor MSG. The noodles were basically instant noodles and were mushy. The only thing decent was the pork and the ugly looking egg. I really didn't care to eat it at all and I didn't. Shame on you Nama! FOR SHAME!!!!!!

    (1)

  • Adele Z.

    This place is about a 14 second walk from work, so I come pretty often. Tried the Nama roll today and it was probably the best one I've had. I've also tried a collection of the other ones... caterpillar, godzilla, etc. I always get the tofu udon, it's decent and satisfies my eternal soup craving. A little bit overpriced for the quantity & quality of food, but it comes fast enough and the servers are friendly. Good for a quick lunch on weekdays, wouldn't seek this place out on weekends.

    (3)

  • Carrie S.

    So so service and sushi. It works if you are looking for a place to hang out while waiting for the train.

    (3)

  • Nancy Z.

    Food is decent, but it's not cheap. Place is cheesy, playing top 40 music. But, considering it is few blocks from my apt, it is not a bad option when u r craving some sushi/ramen/bibimbaps. Sushi is okay, although I would stick to their rolls rather than opting for their nigiris. Spicy ramen is great! Big bowl, ramen is al dente...yumm!

    (3)

  • Erica T.

    My table being the second table in the restaurant the service was really REALLY slow. Random servers walking around yet no attention to us.... finally, I gave a glare and then the host calls a waitress over and as he told her that we are ready to order, I hear her say " I know"... WOW, really?! Ended up getting Rainbow roll and Oyakodon.... Rainbow roll ($12.00): It was better than Safeway sushi, but it wasn't better than other sushi places I have been to. Co-worker pointed out that the avocado wasn't even ripe.. it had a crunchy texture to it. Miso Soup: SALTY! SALTY SALTY! Oyakodon: the worse I have ever had. There was nothing that wanted me to point out that made me like this dish. It wasn't sweet, wasn't salty... just bland. I put my miso soup into the Oyakodon just to make it more flavorful. It didn't work so I ended up asking for hot sauce... just all bad.

    (1)

  • Ed U.

    Abort! Abort!...Abandon the ramen, I repeat...abandon the ramen! Two years later, I think the owners should still consider renaming this place Obama Sushi even if his popularity has plummeted to a lower than 50% approval rating. But it looks like they don't need much help as tables were filled with young Asians living in the nearby condo buildings. They have apparently discovered the place as an alternative to Panera to tap their iPhones and Droids. Maybe that's why the owners decided to add ramen to their menu. It doesn't appear to be a full-fledged commitment since it's not on the printed menu but rather a neon sign in front and a blacklight board next to the hostess stand. I can see why they're hesitating. The ramen is the blandest thing I've tasted since my mom put Campbell's Cream of Mushroom soup over broccoli at Thanksgiving during the Mesozoic era. Where was the seasoning? Jamie W. and I both had an $8.95 bowl, each of us picking a different option. He went for the jugular and ordered the Tam-Tam Miso, which looked promising with a peppery red broth (see photo). No such luck. He had to pour half-a-bottle of the soy sauce to get any flavor started. I went for the milder Tonkotsu ramen (see photo). Big mistake. It was so tasteless I felt like I was eating pork pieces swimming in lukewarm water. It was a disappointing dining experience saved somewhat by a $5 order of the Negihama Maki (hamaichi with green onion). Thank Buddha for that relative blessing. RAMEN - 2 stars...the Grand Master of Tampopo would keel over in disgust after spitting out the broth at the cook AMBIANCE - 2.5 stars...still sleeker than "I Luv Sushi and Teriyaki" SERVICE - 2.5 stars...fleet of foot TOTAL - 2 stars...owners need to rethink their non-sushi menu

    (2)

  • Erika S.

    Sushi and Korean food? I am always weary of places that serve cross cuisines unless it's a fusion. It just seem to all over the place. I'd rather they concentrate on their sushi quality which needs some touch up. The waitress that served us was rude. Not thrilled. I used to like this place when I lived at the Beacon, sadly, there aren't a lot of places that keep their integrity after being open for a while. :(

    (2)

  • D B.

    Now I know when to go here. My first visits were during the lunch hour and early afternoon, but this past time I showed up a little after 6 pm. Nearly all of the seats were empty, but let me tell you the scene was jammin'. The radio or whatever straight-up went from Vicki Sue Robinson "Turn the Beat Around" to R.E.M. "Shiny Happy People" to smooth reggae. By the time Blues Traveler kicked in, I'd been lost in the groove. Even the country song that came on seemed to fit the ensemble. And then guess what? Taylor Dayne "Tell It to My Heart". Really, the only thing I wasn't feeling was the Al Green cover. Why wasn't it the man himself? Oddly enough, that's when someone waiting for his takeout finally started bob-n-sway'ing in his seat. I took all this as my cue to finish my meal and leave. As for the food, you know this is one of the Korean-owned sushi places when you open the menu and the first thing is an insert listing 9 kinds of "Bi Bim Bob" [sic]. Or you could just hear the workers' conversations in Korean. Unique and spunky items abound. Among the sushi rolls are our beloved teams: "Giant Roll" and "49er Roll" (but where's the "Shark Roll"?). If you aren't the "Doooon't stop! Beliieeeevin'!" or "Who's got it better than us? Nooooobody!" type, you can simply get "Baseball Roll" or "Football Roll". Or you know what? If you're not a Giants or Niners fan, get outta here on the "Amtrak Roll". You could also get YOUR roll. That's right - a bunch of them are people's names, like "Katie Roll", "Craig Roll", "Leroy Roll", etc.. The assortment of course extends with even more names of things like monsters, professions, states, and explosives. There are also kids' menu and party platter selections. An item I ordered arrived in a small box, complete with a lid on it. I also got a shoyu boat that looked very much like a soap dish. It had the ridges in it, too, the ones that make your soap bar not slide around. I don't know if the servers were overenthusiastic or what, but they kept coming by to collect little things I was no longer using. You know when you tear open the chopstick sleeve and set aside the part of the paper you just detached? Someone came just to take that. Another person swooped by only to claim the lid of my box. I guess I wasn't planning on covering the box back when I was done eating, that is to say, when the Al Green impostor drove me out. FYI: Contrary to what's listed, the business hours mostly aren't straight through from opening to closing. There's a brief siesta between phases of lunch and dinner. Check the photo I posted or read below to see when Nama is open. It may be a little confusing. Mon - Sat: 11:30 am - 3:00 pm Mon - Thu, Sun: 5:00 pm - 9:30 pm Fri & Sat: 5:00 pm - 10:00 pm

    (3)

  • Sherry L.

    This is one of my neighborhood favorites. There aren't that many restaurants to get take out or a quick sit-down dinner within a short walk of my apartment. Nama definitely pulls through when I need a sushi fix. The quality is pretty good and prices are reasonable. It's not super amazing melts in your mouth sushi, but I've never had a bad experience. I usually get the chirashi. The dinner entrees such as chicken nanban or beef stir fry are pretty good too. I also like the tuna poke salad and some of their special rolls.

    (3)

  • Erin A.

    YUM!

    (4)

  • James A.

    Get Ponzu on everything. Just delicious.

    (5)

  • Chloe F.

    This is my favorite neighborhood sushi place (actually, favorite neighborhood restaurant). Friendly service and normal wait times for food. Sushi is not cheap but also not expensive, and the fish is always fresh. Great for bringing groups where everyone wants something different (they have bibimbap and ramen along with usual Japanese fare). Ask for a surprise and they'll bring you something good :)

    (5)

  • Rocco B.

    Good lunch spot. Average prices. Never tried dinner. The bento boxes are a good value, and if you're feeling like you're in the mood for a little deep fried goodness, I'd recommend the spicy chicken bento. I usually get that and a Rock'in Roll--eel and avacado. Their sushi is fine. Nothing amazing and nothing terrible. At lunch we usually have a lot of luck for big groups with no reservation. That's probably why my work crew visits them so frequently.

    (4)

  • Louie M.

    Well. If you live around here and are in dire need of some Japanese food, by all means. And I might say go somewhere else, but...there really aren't that many choices at all in this section of town, so you're sort of shit out of luck. It's not that the food here is bad, it's just really nothing special. I'm not too high on it though because for the quality of food, it's pricey. One time I ate here and my stomach didn't feel too great afterward, but that was just once. Anyways - this isn't the type of place you'll go out of your way to eat at. 3 stars!

    (3)

  • Ray R.

    I liked it. We went in on Tuesday. It wasnt too business soo we got the VIP treatment. Great bunch of guys behind the bar. Ate a little of everything. But one thing I remember is the Niner roll? I think thats what its called. Great place location and service bar none - solid!

    (4)

  • R C.

    Came in with a Magical Mike! It's fast, clean, reasonably priced, & cool. Miso is fab & tasty. Very compact place & clean. Not too shabby or overpriced like other places in the area. Not too shabby at all especially for that area.

    (4)

  • Stephanie Y.

    If you're craving sushi, this place is probably not the best to go to. But they have great udon noodles. The cold, gloomy SF weather always makes me crave a bowl of noodle soup. I usually get the nabeyaki udon with has chicken and tempura shrimp. I wish they would stop putting the shrimp in the bowl too. When it's all soggy, it's not good anymore. The bowls here are also really big, so good luck finishing it.

    (3)

  • Peter S.

    Good sushi and reasonably priced.

    (4)

  • Todd A.

    I come her quite a lot with my wife and daughters. The sushi is excellent and staff is outstanding. A SOMA favorite.

    (4)

  • Jennifer S. P.

    Tofu Udon and Chicken Udon soups were great. I didn't try their sushi but the soups were just what I was craving at the time. Prices seemed decent for the area so I would definitely recommend it.

    (3)

  • Christine B.

    I tried this place for the first time last night and it was actually really good! I've never seen such diversity on roll choices in a long time! I love their specialty rolls, they get really creative and if you're craving some odd combination, they probably have it! I'm not a sashimi fan, so I can't comment on it. Nor am I someone who really takes into the account of the "freshness" of the fish. I'm more of a person who enjoys exotic cooked/partially raw rolls. But I didn't get food poisoning so I'm a happy camper. I also got a tempura udon! Very generous serving. The prices seem pretty standard for the city, I was maybe expecting a little bigger of a roll, but it was still good.

    (4)

  • Valerie L.

    Pros: Japanese and Korean food but not in a weird or awkward way where the food is all fusion-y and tasteless. You can have brown rice in your Bibimbap! Major plus! Veggie sushi can be made vegan (not really a big deal but sometimes Japanese restaurants get all weird about not adding egg to their Futomaki). Both Korean and Japanese beers on the menu. Perfect if you want to share half a Sapporo and half a Hite with your "date." For fish eaters, this place has tons of options and fairly large portions. The portions were fairly large for the veggie sushi too. Nice waiter, good service! Cons: It's SOMA so I always feel like things have to be a little more expensive for the clueless out-of-towners. I have a feeling that hard-core sushi eaters (like I used to be) might be a little disappointed w/some of the fish. Doesn't seem like the most authentic place. I'd go here again for sure. It's close by to the boy I like and the food was good! I'd like to see more veggie and vegan options (perhaps like the menu at Tsunami...?) For beer and some veggie rolls, it was great! Also, at 9ish on a Friday night it wasn't crowded.

    (4)

  • Katy R.

    Here is what I love about Nama: * Quality, consistent food * Good prices * Fresh fish * Inventive sushi rolls * Attentive service * Never a wait for dinner I'm not a sushi connoisseur, but I like my sushi to be fresh and tasty, and Nama achieves both of those things perfectly. There are fun rolls you can get that have sauce on top, or are baked or fried, and I like them, but I also like to get just a Rainbow Roll because the fish on top is so fresh it melts in your mouth. I can't speak for the lunch rush, but I've NEVER had to wait for a table at dinner, which is a rarity in San Francisco. And the prices aren't dirt cheap, but they are good prices and you feel like you get a good amount of food. It's casual and comfortable, we often get the same server who is very attentive, and even brought us complimentary tea to start the meal last time we were there-- a nice touch.

    (5)

  • Shoua K.

    Service is good. A little pricey for what it is. Food is good - great (depending on what you get). We came for dinner, water and hot tea was given right away. We got a few sushi rolls, salad, and miso soup. The food arrived at a reasonable time and our waitress was friendly. I will definitely come back again because it's three blocks from where I live and I like the sushi rolls there.

    (4)

  • Diana V.

    Nama is good for a quick bowl of udon or ramen. I like their Tempura Udon. Fresh noodles + crispy tempura = tasty goodness. I've only been there for a late night bite, just before they close at 9:30 PM, and have yet to have their sushi.

    (3)

  • Carnley P.

    I have to give them 4 stars for serving their Large hot sake in a full sized tea pot. As in, Huge! Totally unexpected. Sushi was good. Sushi chef was entertaining. It's 2 blocks away, so chances are we'll be back.

    (4)

  • James G.

    I've been on a sushi binge the last month or two and have been trying new sushi places around town. Since I live in SOMA, I've tried Tsunami and now I decided to give Nama a shot. It was kind of disappointing. We sat down and got our menus which were cheap and plastic with white out on some prices on almost every single page. If you're changing that many of your items prices, just print a new menu. It's more frustrating to a customer to see that you've just raised your prices on a bunch of stuff but are too cheap to print a new menu. Then, the prices. $4.50 for a handful of edamame that was kind of cold. The sushi itself was OK but nothing to rave about. The dishware was also whack - we didn't get a dish for putting our soy sauce/wasabi in but a plate that had a little area on it for dipping. Kind of impractical, really. The water cups were also cheap plastic. Not really the kind of dining material I want to use when my bill was almost $80 for two people. The rice on the two rolls we ordered was prepared poorly, sticking to the plate and falling apart after trying to pick it up with chopsticks. One last thing: they were playing *terrible* music the entire time! I'm not sure if it's the garbage high school kids are listening to these days or what, but I didn't even recognize most of the terrible music they had playing. Just one bad song after the next at a volume that was too high to ignore. Suffice to say, I won't be going back.

    (2)

  • Christopher B.

    The sushi was gross/tasted old. The servers forgot 3 of our orders (out of 12) and tried to charge us for them. When we told them that we hadn't received the stuff they were charging us for they took the receipt without an apology, fixed it, and returned it. What a bunch of clowns.

    (1)

  • Hayden P.

    Not the best but pretty good. All we had was sashimi and it tasted pretty fresh. It's conveniently located near the ATT Park so if you want sushi, Japanese food, etc. it's in walking distance toward the Cal Train. I'd go back.

    (4)

  • Mabel B.

    This place is awesome! And I'm not much of a fan for Japanese food lately. I like coming here because the food is pretty good for a decent price. I usually get the combo with chicken teriyaki and california roll. Coming back next time for my sushi fix.

    (4)

  • Jennifer L.

    like michael c wrote, this sushi is certainly not an ideal place to go. however, it's close to where i live, and it is easy to get to. one of my friends works for the giants so we came here for lunch one day. sushi is kind of expensive for how anticlimactic it was, but i didn't really have high expectations anyway. service was great, sushi was good, but nothing special. i can see myself coming here again just because of its proximity to things i love. ohhhh i also like that it was really clean :) and bright.

    (3)

  • Taci O.

    I usually go to restaurants based on the reviews they have. One thing I don't understand is Why this place doesn't have 5 stars? I've been coming here for over a year and haven't been disappointed ... The service is great and the food amazing!

    (5)

  • Michelle L.

    For the price really feel this place could do better. My sushi was okay, I had a couple of specialty rolls and a seaweed salad. The fish was fresh enough, but my dining companion had a regular green salad that was drowned in dressing and his teriyaki chicken was disappointing. I might have been able to give four stars for the sushi, but the service was terrible. It was the slowest sushi experience of my life! I sat for nearly 20 minutes before the server came by, so I was very thirsty for awhile. By default, in any dining establishment, Someone should be coming to take a drink order within 5 minutes of seating. I'm amazed at how many good quality places overlook this very basic requirement of running a restaurant. I would bump them down to two stars for the service, but see below about the sake. Our food all came out at different times. My friend had his teriyaki chicken 10 minutes before his salad and rice came out. I got my sushi 10 minutes after his chicken... all around it was amateur hour on the service side. There's no real parking around here, the only parking meters in the area have a 30 minute limit. That said, I do love that they have Nigori (unfiltered) sake by the glass, half-carafe and carafe. A third star for that little plus.

    (3)

  • Greg C.

    Acceptable, affordable (for San Francisco at least) sushi. Don't come here expecting a wonderful meal, but it will suffice in a pinch. Fish quality varies, so hope you catch them on a good day.

    (3)

  • Josh K.

    It's a Korean operated sushi joint, and an expensive one at that. For the price, I'd rather be spending the same amount at Yo's (or more; I don't mind if it's there), or even Live Sushi Bistro a couple blocks down if I wanted rolls. To me, the quality of Live and Nama are about the same, except that one is run by Chinese people and the other by Korean people. I personally prefer Live Sushi as its prices are all-around a dollar or two lower for everything. Of course, like every other roll-type place, avoid the nigiri / chirashi / tekkadon / sashimi combos like the plague. You're just wasting money on the not-so-fresh fish, and more so here than at other places. An indication is that they charge a whopping $19 for their dinner-portion bento boxes. You know, the "choose one item from group A and one item from group B" type. Are they kidding? Instead I opted for the J.D. Roll and Max Roll. Nothing to write home about, unfortunately. The sole redeeming factor is that the tea here is delicious!

    (2)

  • Brian G.

    Now, I'm not a doctor, but I'm pretty certain that "Nama" means "Slow as heyyyyyy" in English. C'mon guys, you're located in SoMA. 90% of your patrons have places to get back to. When there are only 4 seated ordering a couple rolls and bibimbaps, you really shouldn't be taking OVER AN HOUR, right? I'll probably be back because the food isn't bad and there isn't much else around here (unless you want to get chancey at Bill's Kitchen) in the same vein. But I won't be back if I have anything to do afterward.

    (2)

  • Wilhelm Y.

    I can't remember the last time I went to dine out without a camera in my possession. I kid you not. On most days I don't leave the house without a camera of some sort, but there I was sitting inside Nama Sushi without any means to capture the presentation of my dinner selections. I felt so lost. I've walked past this restaurant very often situated at its location about a half block from AT&T Park. I came in on a whim. I, along with a big group of One Brick volunteers, had just finished a two hour shift which included repackaging bulk brown rice into one pound bags at the food bank. You'd think that eating rice would have probably been the last thing on my mind yet for some reason on this night I wanted rice for dinner. The restaurant has dim lighting at night, but it's hardly intimate especially considering that they had their big wall mounted television tuned to sports highlights on ESPN. There were two waitresses working on the night of my visit, and the service here was fun to watch as both waitresses work well as a team in taking orders and serving customers at each table. I really wanted sushi, but I also wanted a steamed rice dish so I did what most heavy eaters like myself would have done. I ordered both. I had a Kanpai Roll and the Chicken Nanban Donburi. I was slightly disappointed that I didn't see a brown rice option on the menu. I always prefer the texture and the nuttiness of brown rice as compared to its plain white counterpart. Miso soup and a green salad came with the donburi selection. The soup was very salty. In fact it was much too salty for me, and even though there were bits of tofu and seaweed settled on the bottom I couldn't eat it. The green salad was mostly chilled lettuce pieces drowned in a sweet and thick miso-based dressing. I actually liked the crisp, cold lettuce pieces and the dressing. So much that I nearly finished the salad before starting into the Kanpai Roll which had settled onto my table. The roll was wider than I'm used to and sliced thicker too. Within each circumference were two pieces of shrimp tempura, avocado, cucumber, crab salad, leaf lettuce and rice topped with a bright orange roe. Each slice was easily two bites but proving that I do have a big mouth I jammed each piece into my mouth without biting. I did take bites on the two end pieces as I would have certainly gagged by not doing so. The roll was very good in flavor and held together very well. Although the shrimp tempura was cold I enjoyed the roll. The Chicken Nanban Donburi came beautifully presented on a white square plate. This was chicken katsu cut into cubes and stir-fried with broccoli florets, shredded carrot, white onions and green onions in a teriyaki sauce and served over a bed of steamed rice. I probably wouldn't order this again. The panko crumb crust of the chicken katsu which was probably fried ahead of time anyway soaked up the overly sweet teriyaki sauce which made the crust a bit soggy. As with the green salad the chef is very heavy-handed with the sauces, and in this case there was far too much sauce on top of the rice dish. I didn't enjoy this selection as much as I would have liked. The service was friendly and fast though. I'd probably come back to try some other sushi roll. They took ten percent off of my total check because I paid in cash. That was a nice surprise too.

    (3)

  • Terry L.

    Absolutely the worst Tonkatsu I have ever ever had. Overcooked or "re-cooked", meat pounded so thin that it was hardly visible. Like eating burnt shoe leather. This is one oft two local Japanese restaurants, and the sushi has been fine in the past. Not sure I will bother coming back again.

    (1)

  • Rob O.

    Service was a bit slow or they'd hit a bit higher. Good sushi, affordable, great staff.

    (4)

  • Hayley W.

    Meh. ... An uttering you don't want to say after you have eaten sushi. I am sure it is not going to make me sick, but the thought did cross my mind while I ate it. I got the sushi combo. $14 is a reasonable price for miso soup, maguro, sake, tai, unagi, hamachi, ebi, and a six piece california roll. The rundown: The maguro wasn't very good... (I am shaking my head while I write this)... I don't know what to say other than it just wasn't good. The sake was good, but a little loose. Tai is not my favorite anyway and it lived up to my expectations. The unagi was cooked well, but their sauce was so sweet - too sweet to eat with rice alone. The hamachi was delicious enough to order again. The ebi, unfortunately, was hard and rubbery. The california roll was good, but there were a couple of hard pieces of rice that makes you get that not-so-fresh vibe. Again, not something you want while eating sushi. I don't know. There was a line out the door. What am I missing?

    (2)

  • Jie Y.

    It's definitely not worth the price. It's not the worst Japanese food I had, but is a bad experience. Considering its service, atmosphere and food quality, it is clearly overpriced.

    (2)

  • Joe D.

    This place is pretty good but not great. I might have given in four stars but due to its location (proximity to AT&T Ballpark) its a bit pricy for the quality. If you're already in the area then go dine there, yet I wouldn't drive to it.... its not 'find a parking place' worthy. They do have one roll that I love, the Dream Role. Its very good and something different. Their dragon roll (which is my baseline of comparison) was just good. I eat here because I can walk there from home and thus save the expense of a cab or parking my car to go to Tataki... yet its not my favorite. If they are really busy service can be slow.

    (3)

  • Janet Y.

    wow. surprised that i haven't commented on this considering how many times i've been here. i'm a big fan of this place considering the limited selection in the area for good japanese at a decent price..or really just for any decent asian food in the area their ramen is 4/5 stars. i'm not a broth connoisseur but it definitely does the job i get the sashimi combination on off days i don't get the ramen and their fish is good. i've been here +5 times and i've never had a problem with the service...

    (4)

  • Sherman L.

    sashimi is fresh and the chef's specials are reasonably priced. good spot for casual sushi or takeout as it's certainly not authentic japanese. the interior feels poorly designed and the service is slow but the fish is fresh enough to make this a worthwhile stop if you live or work nearby.

    (3)

  • Brian W.

    Not a fan of sushi, I returned for the vegetarian bibimbap. It was bland.

    (2)

  • Mahsa K.

    C'mon fellow Yelpers, let's get this place up to four stars, they do deserve it. Their fish was so fresh and they were soo friendly, I don't have any complaints. Only one suggestion--offer free tea OR free edamame, that'd be a good swap out.

    (4)

  • Michael C.

    Yeah, I understand that this is not the most ideal Sushi place in the city. But it is the most convenient, in my opinion, for the area where I live. But I have to say that service has lost it's spark since my favorite waitress, Heesoo left. For a Japanese restaurant, the decor is really appealing to me. It's the right mix of brightness and spacing for each table. And if you want to try sitting at a bar on your own you can find the counter tucked to the left of the main door entrance. I still really like their quasi bento combo's that give you the choice of a Terriyaki dish with salad, miso soup, sashimi, tempura and rice. That always seems to fill me up. I used to come here weekly, but now I visit every other month if that now. I don't exactly miss it too much.

    (3)

  • Jen Y.

    No doubt, Nama does well simply because there are very limited choices for reasonably priced Japanese/sushi in this neighborhood. I've tried the ramen noodles...a mistake not to be repeated. The sushi rolls are ok if you select the basic stuff and don't set the bar too high. The quality has ranged from cleraly very fresh to "umm...am I going to regret this in 8 hours?" Nothing bad happened, but why risk it? The other cooked items like the teriyaki are good. The bento box is a pretty reasonable deal. The restaurant gets super crowded at lunch, but evenings are very quiet. Service has been ok at best.

    (1)

  • Y C.

    Day: Thursday Service: 0 start Food: 2.5 start Took 15+ min to order Took 20+ min to get water Took 30+ min to get the appetizer Took 35+ min to get the individual small plates Took 40+ min to get the entree Another guest who came later then us... got their entrees earlier than us. sigh... Food was okay with reasonable price.

    (1)

  • トモ T.

    There are good sushi chefs, bad sushi chefs, and ones at Nama who press their nigiri on the plate so hard that when I picked it up, the rice was in a half-cylindrical shape. I guess he was worried that nigiri would roll off the plate. That's only the start of their problems. The way sushi rice was prepared had some problems. It wasn't the right texture. Neta (fish) was pretty good for some items, but really bad for others. Stay away from their Saba. Maybe the best way to enjoy Nama is to stick with their creative fusion rolls, which they have pictures of on each table. This place is 100% Non-Japanese. Here is another tip on how to you could tell if a sushi bar is serious about their sushi. Look at the counter seats and see if they treat these seats as the best seats in the house. If you see menus or other junk stacked up on a counter seat (which was the case at Nama on the day I went), you know that they treat counter seats as over flow seating when the tables become full. So why did I eat here? Well, this area in SOMA really lacks any good sushi bars, so I needed to try Nama at least once. TIP: During the baseball season, be careful on the days Giants play a home game. You will not find parking and this place maybe packed.

    (2)

  • Dan S.

    Disclaimer: I live in Denver, so I'm no sushi expert and might be more easily impressed than you. I really enjoyed Nama. At the server's suggestion I ordered the spicy pork bento box (because it is fairly uncommon, she said) and the added sashimi. Also had their hot tea. The pork was nice - bit of a kick, flavorful, enjoyable. There were a few suspect (meaning fatty) pieces that I avoided. The rest of the bento accoutrement (salad, edamame and pickled something) was fine if familiar and average. The sashimi (2 pieces of salmon and tuna) was excellent. Buttery, fresh, lovely. The tea was boring, but Japanese-style roasted teas are not my thing. Our whole party of four enjoyed the food, commented on the large portions and would all return. Maybe they can open up a Nama in Denver...

    (4)

  • Greg B.

    SoMa doesn't have a lot to offer for sushi, so if you're considering Nama, it means you live here or are going to a ball game, so you'll either end up here or Tsunami down the street. At the end of the day, Nama is the cheaper option (but appropriately so) and a decent value. It's good neighborhood sushi, but not a destination. I wish it stayed open later, though; they close at 9;30, and sometimes even at 9:15 they've told me the sushi bar is closed.

    (3)

  • Shachi B.

    Ok, I'm going to let you in on the secret to getting good service from Nama: go there often during the Giant's offseason and you'll be treated well once spring rolls around again. I know, I know you shouldn't HAVE to jump through hoops to get good service, but they're a bit scatterbrained over there, so you have to meet them halfway I guess. The sushi is ok, nothing crazy to write home about, but it's fresh and reasonably priced. Definitely try their special rolls - they're a good deal for their prices. Skip the gyoza - they're kinda oily and I have never been served them hot. Afterwards, sneak down the street and snag some frozen yogurt - you'll be pleased you did!

    (2)

  • Yuchi C.

    When I first got the sushi combination ($18/12 pieces of sashimi), I thought it was a great deal for the portion. Ok sushi, nothing tastes particularly good, or bad. My biggest issue was...SO BORING! Only 4 variety, and seriously, 4 pieces of salmon really just grosses me out. They could've done a much better job or even presentation by presenting 6-8 varieties, for 1 person. Dragon rolls: SMALLEST portion I've ever seen! The shrimp tempura tastes really weird... Argh...we need better sushi in mission bay area!

    (2)

  • Courtney W.

    Not the best sushi I've ever had, but tasty and SOOOO many options! I especially loved that when I said, "Is your sushi gluten-free (since some sushi has gluten-y soy sauce)?" the hostess immediately said, "no! and I'll get you GF soy sauce, too!" instead of looking at me like, "WTF? Guten? Sushi?" Convenient and not outrageously priced or overcrowded (went on a non-game night) means we'll come back again!

    (4)

  • Kevin S.

    I was their first customer at 11:20 AM today. I ordered chicken terriyaki to go with brown rice. I waited until 11:55 until I was told that the brown rice would not be ready for another 20 minutes. I was never offerred white rice as a substitute until noon. I took the food back to my office and discovered the food was cold and the chicken was very undercooked. I have had only marginal success with this place.

    (1)

  • Dana S.

    Totally solid sushi, and a good pick if the main goal is dinner in the neighborhood. The cooked stuff we got was better than the fish (the shui mai were especially good), but the fish is pretty good, and the selection of rolls is wide and tasty. I'm not full of raves about this place, but neither can I complain.

    (3)

  • Tina S.

    I always get the seafood udon and sashimi. The fish is super fresh and the slices are generously cut. Sure, the price is a bit high but the quality has been consistent.

    (4)

  • Lucy H.

    The food is passable. Each time I've gone in, whether it was busy or not, it seems like either they are severely understaffed or a little on the lazy side. I wouldn't go if you were in a rush, the food doesn't come out quickly and the servers are difficult to catch. The food is edible, but the sushi wasn't exactly fresh or expertly rolled/cut. The cooked dishes are ok, but it's expensive for what you get.

    (2)

  • Cynthia C.

    This place gets 4 stars just for it's location. It's basically a 4 minute walk from the restaurant to my apartment. Perfect place to pick up to go. I've been here many times. It's one of my favorite place in my neighborhood. I've gotten many of the sushi rolls, sashimi, cold soba, karage, shrimp and squid tempura, salmon... and the list goes on! I'd definitely recommend this place and will be back here often!

    (4)

  • Sarah C.

    I really wanted to like this place. It was close to school and its sushi! I would have been better served if I went to Safeway across the street. Here's my story: My friend and I arrived here and we asked if we could sit here. The host said "No 1 hour wait" We asked what about at the bar? She rolled her eyes and slowly walked us over to the bar. I wasn't sure if the bar with two empty seats was for Obama and Michelle but hey we took 'em. Next we asked for some water. This was task impossible as we sat with my friends order out the door and onto the bar in less than five. We waited impatiently for both my mystery order: veggie tempura and a glass of water to come out. Twenty minutes later VEGGIE TEMPURA! Forty minutes later only ONE glass of water. Even after we spoke to 3 waiters we were not given water. As the bill came we asked for some water again. I don't understand what happened here. I know lunch can be stressful since I've worked in a restaurant before and it sucks when you are short staffed. This wasn't the case that day. I don't think I'll return here but recommend it to you if you want to study how to not manage a service operation. ENJOY.

    (2)

  • Lynn N.

    Not too shabby. Near caltrain and ballpark and the waitress we had was nice. We had the White Blossom roll, Godzilla and Cherry Blossom. We weren't blown away but it wasn't bad either. 49.00 with tip included for 3 rolls and it was almost 5.00 for a bit of edamame that was kind of overpriced in my opinion seeing how they werent seasoned or anything special.

    (2)

  • Amanda C.

    If you are a sushi lover do NOT get sushi here only thing worth ordering is the pork bento box. The sushi comes in huge portions drenched in mayonnaise sauces that you are able to pick from out of a catalog like at Denny's

    (1)

  • Victor C.

    Not sure why this place had such low overall reviews... The rolls were good... no worse (or no better) than most rolls than I've had. Our server was great, which is what made this place worth returning to. Average food + great service GREATER THAN Above-average food + crappy service

    (4)

  • BB H.

    First off, this is not a "real" Japanese restaurant. It's more a Korean take on it (hence the bibimbap on the menu). That's not saying they don't know how to get it done but some items on the menu do not exactly have the original Japanese flavor. For example, the tonkatsu or other "katsu" dishes are great but the sauce is not tonkatsu sauce. The sauce is fine. It's just not the real thing. Extremely close to AT&T Park so a must-visit either pre- or post-Giants game.

    (5)

  • Linda S.

    The location is great, but the sushi is really mediocre given the price they charge. I ordered a Chirashi. The food was presented very nicely, but it just tasted so-so, and the sushi did not come with Wasabi.

    (3)

  • Julie S.

    The numerous 3 star reviews are spot on. The place is nothing special but decent. Even though nothing to write home about, I must confess that I eat here a couple times a month out of convenience.

    (3)

  • Alex V.

    I have been here a few times for lunch. Walking distance to my office. I have to say, the place is pretty good. If you are going on a weekday fro lunch, you better be there no later than noon. 12:05 you are going to have to order togo. The lunch specials like the bento boxes are really good. I have tried the Spicy Chicken, Beef teriyaki, and the Spicy pork. All very good. The wait staff is fast, the service is pretty good, and the place is modern. A Good place for the lunch $$. I will keep going. I thought they needed a rating.

    (4)

  • Jean K.

    What? I came back even though I thought the sushi was meh? Yes, I returned! Not for the sushi but for the spicy pork lunch. I would never have returned if not for my coworker who annoyingly was eating a very mouthwatering lunch in the cube next door. I had to ask what it was that smelled so good and it turned out to be the spicy pork from Nama. So I couldn't resist. Next time I had to go out for lunch it was back to Nama. The verdict? The salad and pickles were nice and I wish there were more. But I guess catering to Americans it's no surprise that the bulk of the lunch (and by bulk I mean enough to make 2 lunches for me) is rice and spicy grilled pork. Which was okay with me as the pork was packed with flavor and really tender. I'm not sure this would be my go to place for lunch as I generally don't eat that much meat. But when the craving strikes it's a pretty good option.

    (3)

  • Jane N.

    I was craving quick sushi for lunch and this is pretty close to my place, so I said why not even though the reviews were mediocre. Have to say though, I've become a fan of this place! I ordered to-go so I can't really judge their service, but the waiter was extremely attentive during my short stay there since I couldn't decide what I wanted (their menu is pretty extensive btw). I honestly can't remember what I got, but I ordered 3 fresh rolls and they were all huuuuuge! Even the maki ones. I was so happy since they lasted me lunch AND dinner. I thought the prices were reasonable. It's sushi, good quality fish, and it's next to a touristy area so can't blame them. I'll definitely be coming back!

    (4)

  • Andrew M.

    You can choke down a bad burger. You can eat awful pizza and it's still pizza. You can suffer through a bad Burrito. But bad Sushi is an entirely different animal. Bad Sushi is just foul, and this place is bad. I've eaten here multiple times, a few times being edible (side note - this is one of the few places open on Sunday in the area), but the last few times being so bad it's scary. I will never eat here again.

    (1)

  • Kristine W.

    Being one of the only sushi spots in the area, the bf and I came here a handful of times. Return visits probably occurred because of proximity to his place, the hours it was open, and of course, cheapness is always a factor. The good: Cheap-ish dinner bentos when you consider the portions and the location. Try the beef teriyaki--different than most places we've tried--tastes more Korean than Japanese. The maki menu is pretty large and features a ton of specialty rolls (if you're into that). Customer service is always great here, but that could be because we've never been there when it's busy or because I supposedly look like one of the server's friends. The location--right next to the ballpark and froyo (in case the sushi didn't make me gassy enough)! The bad: Certainly not a genuine Japanese restaurant, but the pickings are slim in Soma, the food rates high on the mediocre scale, and a girl has got to get her sushi fix! Basically, don't come out of your way to eat at Nama--it's a place of convenience. You'll have a pleasant experience, not an orgasmic one. Your choice.

    (3)

  • Ziyan C.

    8 of us got the party platter for 8-10 people. It was a whirlwind of a lunch, we got at least 8 giant plates of sushi. The service was fast despite it being a busy lunch and all the rolls were fantastic!

    (4)

  • Minako S.

    Food is decent. Had some seared salmon nigiri, california rolls, salmon avocado roll, and the sake don. Nothing too special. Service is ok. I asked the waiter if they could do seared salmon nigiri and he said no since they don't have a torch. So I asked him how they could have seared albarcore on their menu and got him to ask the chef about it. I think he was confused, but he shouldn't have said no when he didn't know. And turns out, my hunch was right and they could do seared salmon nigiri. Otherwise, the service was still just ok b/c our food took some time to come out and no one came and poured us much tea or water throughout the meal. Price is not great. Meal came out to $50 for two people which we could have eaten AYCE sushi or cheap rolls elsewhere. Overall rating: Service: Ok Food: Ok Value ( price for quality ) : Eh. Atmosphere: Ok.

    (3)

  • Tasha D.

    I avoided going here even though it's down the street because I love sushi, and yelpers consistently hate this place's guts. I did notice, however, that in spite of the evil tidings of yelp on this sushi restaurant's head, that there was consistently a full crowd inside the restaurant, even when that area of SOMA is completely deserted everywhere else. So I began to wonder to myself, you see -- that perhaps Nama sushi was worth an experimental foray into its suspiciously cheerfully decorated interior. One evening, after several beers before hand, curiosity won out. I took backup -- 3 well built men with a hankering for sushi who were also willing to brave the bowels of a yelp-despised locale. Short story short: rolls were great, sashimi was fantastic, edemame and miso soup was provided for free (maybe because we ordered the sashimi?) and both were excellent, while the sake sampler was not my kind of sake, they did have a bottle of unfiltered sake for $10/bottle that my husband-the-sake-snob declared as the best he'd ever had. We've gone there a couple times and service is consistently quick and excellent -- even fun and personal -- and I dunno what y'all's problems are, but I have not experienced them ... or even observed a person across the room experiencing them (aka seen a cranky face). It's cool, though, there are enough people here already. I'd hate to have to wait in line for a table if yelpers make it their new go-to spot. :D

    (5)

  • Garrett N.

    I was super excited when i stumbled onto this place. Nice area, nice decor, pretty hostess, great name for a sushi place. I had a ramen craving and even though I know what it means to eat ramen at a sushi place i ordered the spicy tonkotsu and a dream gina roll. After reading a few yelp posts i was doubtful. True to form the ramen came in a korean style stone soup bowl. Looking around i had noticed that their presentations are very good. Unfortunately the ramen broth was lacking in flavor aside from the obvious kochijong sauce...i think thats what its called...idk im not korean. Sushi roll was good, not sure what other yelpers were expecting when they walked in..menu is on the door and who orders traditional at an american sushi place. Was going to give 2 stars but the atmosphere was nice and they had toro for their special. Might go back from time to time because of the good location, but probably getting a bibimbap and sashimi

    (3)

  • Nhung T.

    This place had horrible customer service!!! Literally the server only came by twice, once to take our order and then to give us our bill. OMG, we didn't even asked for the bill too. Our water was never refilled and never asked if we wanted more sake. What made it worst was that our combination sashimi platter took sooooo long to come out, they probably forgot. We asked twice!!! The sashimi was horrible, tasted like it was frozen and just thawed because it tasted so watery (1 star). The tofu was not too bad, nothing special (3 stars). I liked the tuna salad, that was about it... the rolls were just okay and pretty expensive!!!

    (2)

  • Michael W.

    I had the spicy chicken bento bowl with california rolls (delivered to our office). I love sushi, although I don't consider myself an expert on it. I also don't consider myself very picky. However, I know terrible tasting food when I have it. This most definitely falls within that category.

    (1)

  • Jenni S.

    Just got back from lunch, it's the second time that one of my coworkers hasn't gotten his food. They're always apologetic and make it quickly and free once the problem has been pointed out to them, but it's still a bummer. Their vegetarian sushi is pretty ok, with some good tempura rolls, but it's nothing special here. This place is probably best gone to outside of the lunch rush, earlier rather than later.

    (2)

  • Becca L.

    South Beach doesn't offer a great sushi selection, in fact I think there are only 2-3 places. Nama isn't bad but it's not memorable either. It's a decent sushi spot if you live in the area and don't feel like traveling out of your neighborhood. The price is consistent with the average sushi bars/restaurants in SF. They offer sushi, ramen and udon though I've never had the ramen or udon. Oh and if you get hot tea, be careful the cups are super hot, they're thin ceramic cups and don't insulate the heat well.

    (3)

  • Louis N.

    I knew this place would be expensive, but I came here for the ramen. I was craving some noodle soup, and there are no really great pho places nearby. I figured this was the best available option. My gf and I were seated, and we started off with baked mussels (hella good, fair price) and seaweed salad (can't go wrong with this). When we ordered the ramen, we were disappointed to find out that they did not have any ramen that day. Wtf? Well, we decided to order udon instead to satisfy my soup craving. We got the udon with chicken, shrimp tempura, and veggies. It was alright...I mean, nothing spectacular. After almost finishing it, we found a small bug in it. Kinda gross. As for the sushi, we ordered the Fireman roll, Viper Roll, and Chef's special roll. All three were delicious, and the octopus in the fireman roll was actually fresh and tasty. In conclusion: 1. Didn't have ramen: minus 2. Expensive (60+ for 2 people, no alcohol): minus 3. Sushi was good: plus I would actually say that Live Sushi Bistro near 7th and Bryant is better, but Nama is in a better location, Soma-wise. PS: I don't know what the heck was in the food, but both my gf and I knocked out for 4.5 hours right after eating. Now it's 2am and we can't sleep.

    (3)

  • Annie L.

    The seafood is fresh and the service is spot on. Nama offers a variety of creative specialty rolls and delicious lo-cal healthy alternatives. Josh, Executive Chef in the kitchen and behind the counter, is brilliant! I have eaten there three times this week and I just placed my lunch order for this afternoon. I love it to say the least!

    (5)

  • Jon M.

    REALLY surprised to find there aren't more better (mo' betta!) reviews on here. Been going to Nama basically since they opened, and have always been entirely satisfied. The wait staff has always been super-friendly, the place is clean, and the food is great! Good selection of sake & beer. Maybe try ordering off the board at the sushi bar rather than off the menu... Or ask the sushi chefs what they want to prepare. Nama has ALWAYS done right by me!

    (5)

  • Paran Y.

    $5 for a bowl of edamame?! I can go to costco with that amount and get enough edamame to feed a family of 3. Came here and ordered $25 worth of sushi (Dragon and Rainbow I believe) for lunch and was not full. That has got to be the most disappointing thing ever. I went to safeway afterwards and bought a cookie to drown my sorrows. The sushi rolls were indeed fresh (hence the 2 stars) but beyond that, the rolls were nothing spectacular. They didn't have brown rice either like some other places. My friend got the bento that looked like it could have been a little more fulling. Service was fast even though it was sort of full. I'll probably come back just because its so close to work. Coming from east bay I ate Joshuya Sushi in Berkeley all the time and am still on my search to find a great sushi place in SF at a reasonable price.

    (2)

  • ALAN Y.

    On the way to the Thursday Giants game yesterday, my buddy and I stopped at Nama's for a hot bowl of satisfying ramen before the game. What a disappointment!! 1. Even though the place sports a neon "Ramen" sign on the window, the menu does not mention ramen. The waitress didn't know they offered ramen and then came back to tell us they offer only 4 types - pork, miso, shio and shoyu. She could'nt even pronounce shoyu. Unfortunately we were so intent on having ramen we dis-regarded the tell-tale signs. Waitress in a Japanese restaurant that doesn't know how to pronounce Shoyu? Are you kidding me?? I had to help her say it. 2. After ordering, it took another 20 minutes to get served the two bowls. 3. the broth was absolutely tasteless. Zippo. Nada. If I wasn't hungry and pressed for time at that poit I would have returned it back to the kitchen. I would give a zero star if I could. Too bad... it's so close to AT&T Park. I'll never go there again. Ever.

    (1)

  • Denise M.

    After over two years of not coming back to this place, we finally decided to give it another chance. After all, they were still fairly new when we first went, and we saw that their prices had gone down quite significantly. The prices were the main reason we didn't return in two years. The food is still OK. Nothing mind blowing, though they do have an extensive list of special sushi rolls. We tried the Mango Lobster roll. I liked it a lot, though I'm not a wasabe fan, and I think they mixed a little of it into the sauce or something. There's the undertaste of it. We also had the Dragon roll (good) and the Viper roll. OK, the Viper roll was good, but lacking in something. It was rather dry. Maybe with a little sauce on it? Lastly, we shared a Tonkatsu entree (breaded pork cutlet). It was good, only the pieces were pounded paper thin, and some were cut into practically non-existent slices. Really not much for $14. Overall, this time we left full, even had leftovers, and the bill was about $40. Very different from our last experience. Will we go back? Yes. But only if we're too lazy to drive the 5 minutes to Live Sushi Bar.

    (3)

  • Tina U.

    Its fine if you need a quick sushi fix.

    (3)

  • Sista S.

    This place was terrible. The food was okay but took a while to arrive. The service was horrible; they never came by once while we were eating. Then they charged us 20% gratuity when all they did was put 2 tables together. We could've done that ourselves! We will not be going here again.

    (1)

  • Traci H.

    Not bad, not good. Convenient if you live in the area (ie: about 15 steps away). Sake collection is not bad. Nothing to write home about. Food is not bad. Most hot dishes come with both soup and salad, so at least it's a full meal. Dinner runs around $15. I think it's a little pricey, considering what you get. Have had the oyako donburi many times (It's decently authentic since a lot of American/Japanese restaurants don't even know what a donburi is). Service is pretty friendly and usually quick. Take out is fast and convenient. If I didn't live so close, I wouldn't come here so often, but it's acceptable Japanese food. You can't beat Japantown, and when you walk in here, you know you're not in Japantown. It's a neighborhood Japanese restaurant in SOMA. If you're here, great, if you're not, it's not really a must-see destination. Overall, I give it repeat business, so I have to give it some positive stars, but I also live next door.

    (2)

  • X L.

    For entries, we only had ramen there. The tonkasu ramen they have is not the best, but is pretty good. Hope it's helpful to other ramen lovers.

    (3)

  • Lefty R.

    Waited to be seated, waited to order drinks, waited to receive drinks, waited to order - food came right away. That's not good. I sat at a table, but got up to peruse the chef's fish case and noticed much of the fish had been pre-sliced. That's not good. When my fish arrived, most were flavorless, the halibut was good, but the uni, my favorite was bitter. I won't go back.

    (2)

  • Pete W.

    3.5 stars would be better, but in this case I'll round down. Was a little pricier than I expected, but the roll I had was pretty good and the teriyaki chicken was great. It was little too empty during our meal, and service was still a little slow. I'm sure it's plenty crowded on game nights. We'll definitely come back.

    (3)

  • Iggy V.

    They raised prices, without adding anything to the dishes. The service is still slow, to the point of neglect. Not going back.

    (2)

  • Stephen Y.

    Fresh fish... friendly service... terrible ramen! Stay away from the ramen. All other entrees are great! Especially the sashimi. Generous slices and very fresh taste. Also try the agedashi tofu.

    (4)

  • Rohit D.

    Fast food sushi place. Staff is friendly but very rushed. Food is delivered and cleared quickly. Chicken Teriyaki's meat was very chewy and really salty. Place to grab quick lunch but definitely not a place to go out for. Tusnami is way better.

    (2)

  • Lilian W.

    I've tried several dishes here, including an udon dish, the super spicy pork ramen, the Alaska roll, the spicy tuna roll, the California roll and a few others. The sushi was decent but not particularly good, and the ramen was really greasy and a bit lacking in flavor. The interior was relatively boring and the space is small. While the waitress was friendly, the service itself was not impressive. She had to be asked to refill our water and our hot tea, which we asked for as we were ordering, did not come until we had already finished our meal. We keep going back here because it's one of the few Japanese places in SOMA and is decently priced.

    (3)

  • Jess H.

    Nama is a decent place with ridiculously high prices for some of their standard Japanese dinner food and maki rolls, but low-ish prices for more simple rolls. There are really only two reasons to go to Nama: 1) You want to eat non-stadium food right before the Giants game starts, but don't want to fight huge bar crowds and long wait times 2) You work nearby and don't want to go to Safeway for sushi. I've fallen into both categories, but most recently the latter. I wanted sushi, but my main problem with Safeway sushi is that the refrigeration robs it of all its taste so I just get some cold rice and fish that tastes like nothing. So I went to Nama. It was after the lunch rush, but even though there were still quite a few tables occupied (around 1:15pm) I had no problem getting a seat at the sushi bar. After blankly staring at the AMAZINGLY huge menu with at least 200 options for 10 minutes, I ordered miso soup and Kanpai roll (shrimp tempura, crab, avocado, cucumber and lettuce- $8.50) And because I'm white, I order it with cream cheese. I don't know...I just like cream cheese in sushi rolls, especially ones where I already have lowered expectations. I refuse to apologize for this. The miso soup came quickly and it was actually a little sour. 'Sour' isn't a taste I'm accustomed to in miso soup. I considered sending it back, but it wasn't so sour that is set off any "I am willingly allowing myself to get food poisoning" alarms, so I finished it. I didn't get food poisoning, but I am still perplexed at what possibly could have been done to that miso soup for it to come out sour. Maybe some seaweed took a bath in the bar salt. I can only speculate. I got the Kanpai roll quickly after I finished the soup and it was mediocre. The shrimp tasted ok and was somewhat crunchy. The crab was so meager I couldn't tell if it was imitation or not. The veggies were fine, even though lettuce in a sushi roll is the most ridiculous thing in the world, even more than cream cheese. I will openly apologize for ordering a roll with lettuce, but I was intimidated by the menu. Over all, the meal for $10 minus tip was just ok. Nama gets 3.5 stars since the service, décor, prices and food are all just ok. The extra 1/2 star is for not charging for my cream cheese add-on because other restaurants would change 75 cents for a piece of cream cheese the size of my thumb nail. One last fun fact about Nama's menu is that the rolls range from $5 to $17 with no discernable reason why some rolls are so grossly expensive. For example: The Volcano Roll- tomato, spicy tuna or a California roll with spicy mayo- $13.50. Since everything here is just ok, I strongly recommend sticking to rolls under $9.50.

    (3)

  • Buford M.

    Service - 6 Atmosphere - 6 Food - 7 Vegetarian Friendly - 8 General Awesomeness - 6 I was here for lunch with a big-ish group. The service was a bit slow and careless. It was lunch on a weekday, I might not go here at a really busy time.

    (3)

  • Jane S.

    Their bento box lunch specials are quite the steal that will make your belly incredibly happy and full. I got the chicken teriyaki for about $7.50. There are a bunch of other Bento box options, from donkatsu to grilled salmon to even sashimi and more. My box came with: - generous amounts of chicken teriyaki - serving of rice - pickles with a ginger-y taste - edamame - salad - some cold noodles that were very reminiscent of Korean japchae noodles but were...cold. You can also choose to add tempura or 4 California Roll pieces for $1-3 bucks extra. As the only girl among three bigger and taller male co-workers, I finished my plate cleaner than anyone else. :"-) (that is a blushing emoticon that I had to look up like a noob.)

    (4)

  • David C.

    Heading to the Giants game we were planning on grabbing Quiznos on the way in when we walked by Nama's. I stopped dead in my tracks, one left still in the air for the next step but the rest of my body didn't want to keep walking. We had ~40 minutes until game time and we decided to take a chance! Pros: In and out in time for the game $12.50 for my Teriyaki Chicken was damn good :D (see pictures) My GF's sushi dish had a nice presentation (see pictures) Bathroom was really clean Two people, waters, Gyozas, Chicken Teriyaki, two sushi plates = $36 The only sorta Con I had was with the Gyozas, I don't really dig the deep fried ones. I like the pan fried ones. I don't know why this place got bad reviews. I'd come again. Go Giants!

    (4)

  • t h.

    An OK place for dinner. Stick with the dinner specials. On Giants game night you'll notice Giant's fans in the restaurants. The servers tries to accommodate the diners to make the game in time.

    (3)

  • Vivian W.

    Decided to pick up take out after getting off the train, but was disappointed. The scallop nigiri had no taste, the salmon sashimi didn't taste super fresh, and the hamachi sashimi was okay. The box was super cold when I picked it up so the sushi must have been frozen. The portions were large though. No comparison to quality of Ozumo in SOMA, but it is admittedly cheaper.

    (2)

  • Rosa C.

    With an awesome happy hour menu of delicious hand rolls, appetizers, and two dollar beers, how can you not like this place? Granted I used to eat here without knowing there was a happy hour menu and it was already inexpensive with good quality food. Now I can eat and drink my fill of fresh hand rolls (more fish, light rice at that!) and Asahi for around $30. Service is super friendly and the atmosphere is relaxed, definitely my favorite place to go to after work.

    (4)

  • Helene K.

    Ate here a few weeks ago before the Pillows concert at Slim's SF. The staff is Korean, not Japanese; a little disappointing, but that's how things go sometimes. My glass of water was not filled as immediately as I would have liked; took the server a little while to notice. The food was decent, though; I had the Lion King Roll and it hit the spot for me that night. Wasn't terrible, but wasn't the best. At least the bathroom was pretty clean.

    (3)

  • Vicky C.

    Great for take out after a long day at work. Their makis are a little heavy on the rice some days but in general it's a great value for money when you just want some traditional rolls. We're always getting our order completed in 15 minutes or less, perfect for picking up some groceries across the street while waiting.

    (3)

  • Sarah L.

    Oh nama, how I love your 49er roll, Ryan roll and stadium roll! And I especially love how I can usually walk in and be seated quickly. But you've broken my heart twice by accepting my open table reservation, only to find you closed without notice. I want to trust you, but in not sure if you're reliable enough for me..

    (3)

  • Joseph K.

    my office is near this place & time to time not by choice have to dine here, and i cringe every damn time i suppose i have something against people who really don't know about the food they are making nor have passion for them none of the staff are japanese, yet they want us to believe that nama is japanese restaurant. that is fine, as long as they can make the japanese food this isn't the case, the rolls taste like korean kimbab, and their hot food isn't complex and clean like japanese food should be one day just couldn't eat their food as it is, asked for togarashi (chili powder mix) korean waitress looked puzzled and brought out sriracha in small bowl. asian people! please if you feel like opening up certain restaurant, at least study their culture and food before claim their heritage

    (1)

  • Ben B.

    Nama is pretty good sushi, though I am not a huge sashimi fan so I I've only had their rolls. Everything tasted fine and fairly fresh, but it was not stunning in any way. I have a feeling I would be hard pressed to tell the difference between their sushi and what I'd find across the street at Safeway. The bento boxes are a decent lunchtime deal and the shrimp tempura is always pretty good. If you're in the area you probably won't find a much better sushi spot, but if you're willing to take a cab there is much better sushi in the city.

    (3)

  • Jenn R.

    Had dinner here with one of my girlfriends a couple weeks ago. It was "ok" for sushi, but we decided to go here since it's close by to where she lives. I had the Poke salad, Sunomono, and the chicken skewers. My girlfriend had the Tempura Roll. It wasn't so memorable, but it was decent. The price was also decent. It's just an "ok" joint... Not the best, but good for being close by and decent prices.

    (3)

  • Luis C.

    +1 on the Hamachi Surprise. Usually go with that, the bomb roll and the Chefs special. Great atmosphere, really sweet, attentive waitresses, friendly sushi chefs. Actually a very good neighborhood spot, hidden gem on King street. Ask for the secret desser

    (5)

  • Jessica U.

    Not much to look at on the inside, but any place that serves toro as part of their nigiri selection is okay by me. Seriously underrated, and seriously delicious. I'm here at least once a week.

    (5)

  • Jules L.

    I've been here three times now and ordered only ramen and bibimbop. So I can't speak to the quality of the sushi (I had spicy tuna rolls but that doesn't really count, now does it). Ramen - pretty damn good. Sometimes they offer kimchee ramen, which I wish they'd bring back as a permanent item. If any japanese restaurant f*@% up ramen, not only are they an embarrassment to the asian community, but they shouldn't be in business to begin with. Bibimbop - for those of you not familiar with asian cuisine, this is a Korean dish. The rice and vegetables are not that difficult to mess up (unless you're a caucasian from the midwest who's idea of good asian food is Panda Express). But it's the spicy sauce that you mix throughout the dish that makes or breaks it. It's what will either cause Korean grandmas to silently approve of your authenticity, or will have Koreans like me call you out on Yelp. Fortunately for Nama, Korean grandmas and I approve. Service - this is where it gets a little dicey. It's not that great. The waitresses, as nice as they are, seem a bit scatter-brained. I think they're overwhelmed by the amount of customers. Mr. Nama Manager - hire some more help, please, and save their sanity.

    (4)

  • Magda G.

    I lived in the area for 10 year and passed by this place so many time but my man wanted some sushi so we walked there yesterday. The place got busy but the waitresses were moving like diner dash characters, fast and super nice. Sushi was very good to my surprise due to the lower rating, fresh fish and just buttery, my favorite was the spicy tune roll.

    (4)

  • Lily R.

    We have free catered lunch at work. When I don't feel like free food, I come here. The sushi is fresh and I get exactly what I ask for, every single time. Chirashi bowl with lots of hamachi, sake and tuna. Easy on the tuna b/c hamachi is my current obsession. Minus one star for slow service but 4 stars go to the amazing sushi chefs here! Kampai!

    (4)

  • K B.

    Went with my boyfriend for a last-minute Friday night meal. It was our second choice but it was raining so we popped in to Nama. We were served quickly and the server made good recommendations. Food was good. The appetizer was the best; the one we ordered was a special, so not sure if they would have it again. It was raw tuna and caviar with an egg that you mixed and ate with delicious greasy rice crackers. We ordered two rolls, the Dragon and the Dynamite. The Dynamite was deep fried and a touch spicy. Both were decent. Solid meal overall and check was under $50 before tip, so a good deal for dinner in SF.

    (4)

  • Troy H.

    This place rocks. Joshua is the man. Great presentation, excellent discerning fish procurement, reasonable prices. We will be coming back for another date night here for sure.

    (5)

  • Nora N.

    This plane was fine. The sushi was all fresh and good. I got a baked scallop roll I think. The taste was nothing extravagant. I tried some other rolls of friends and they too were nothing to write home about. The tables and floors were sticky in the lunch hour. Like shoes sticking to the floor sticky. But the service was good and with a smile. Water refills kept coming and food came out pretty fast. I don't think it was worth the money, and I'd probably hunt down to see what else is in the area before I came back. It was fine.

    (2)

  • Xue H.

    I expected this to be pretty meh, but it was delightfully good--the food that is. I got the small chef's choice sashimi and the unagi sashimi. Chef's choice was delicious and very fresh (even the maguro it came with was great). Thanks sushi chefs :) Unagi sashimi was nice but tasted like candy--waaay too sweet for me. Rolls looked amazing and were tasty as well. Nice presentation for everything too. Service left much to be desired, but I'm pretty sure the waitress was new. Despite this it just seemed like she didn't really care. She had no idea what fish came with the platter (not even venturing into 'I'll ask'). She guessed that it came with things on the board (which read toro and other premium cuts on there...e_E). She didn't know any of the prices of the fish that didn't have the price on the menu. She didn't know what the hot tea they served was (it's genmaicha, could smell it from several ft away--I didn't want it but I didn't want to bother her again b/c I was definitely bothering her). Most crucially I asked specifically if there was sauce on the unagi and she clearly said no, which I thought was strange but due to her clear answer trusted her. This bothered me most of all because now that's 2 things I would not have ordered had I known what they were. I was excited about the prospect of such an unagi but I wasn't too surprised to see it slathered in sauce, which has ingredients I'm allergic to. I wiped off what I could and tried a small piece and friends finished the rest. I didn't bother asking about tamari instead of soy sauce, was too fraid--good thing I brought my own. Also my stuff was served first/separately before the 5 other rolls. O_o Anyway would be back for the good food, just come prepared if you are pickier and/or have allergies.

    (4)

  • Hsiao-Ting C.

    Overall the food is ok. I think the owner is Korean since they also have some Korean dishes on the menu. Great place to get a quick bite but just don't have high expectation and you'll be fine :) We've gotten the sushi, tonkatsu, and ramen. All average. Nothing to write home about. The only reason we come here so often is because it's close to our house and there's not that many places open late in our area. If we ever move out of soma, we probably won't be back ...

    (3)

  • Sarah T.

    I live near this restaurant. It's decent food. What I love about it is that I don't feel uncomfortable bringing my 2-year-old son. Not the best sushi I had, but certainly not the worst.

    (4)

  • Doug D.

    I frequent this place often on my way home from work. The food is fresh and tasty. They have a large selection of rolls. The menu also has a decent selection of non sushi items. The atmosphere is laid back, with fair prices, and the place hasn't been overly crowed the times I go (weekday evenings). It is also nice being able to watch a giants game in the front seating area. The waiters are very nice and prompt. Sushi chefs are good too. One interesting thing that happened last time I went was that I was told by one of the sushi chefs that the roll I ordered "will take a long time to make," which I have never been told that before at a sushi place. It must be because they have many patrons who need to catch a train and may have to get in and out in a hurry... (This was written while waiting for my roll) I recommend though

    (4)

  • Henry W.

    As I read through the list of reviews here I realize that people don't really critic on food in yelp. It's the overall experience that they are looking for.. The ones that gave 4 stars or above for food.. Probably got the food satisfaction from an emotional need. This is subjective because you are not comparing it to the other dinning experience you have in this part of the town but what you "feel" like that day. So if you feel like sushi and this is the only place you can find in this area, a 3 to 4 star is probably given if they don't serve you raw fish that has been sitting there for a week. But if you take this restaurant and place it in civic center or even japan town with other sushi joints you'll probably give it a 1 or 2. The ones that have rated this place based on the "experience"... Either don't have much experience dinning out or all they care about is how they are treated. This is not a luxury, $$$$ restaurant. And they don't control parking.. So adding that in review is simply idiotic.. I rate it 2 stars because the food is simply not worth it's value. I come here out of lack of choice for sushi in this area. Is the restaurant easy to get to? Yes my dear. Oh look it's right next to the trolley station and there is no line. Must be a "perfect" place for me to come to for lunch or dinner. And it's next to a bank! Perfect for me cause I have chase, how convenient.

    (2)

  • Todd J.

    If there was a "Cheers" sushi bar I would be entirely comfortable saying that this would be it. My fiancé and I are always treated like royalty each time we come in to dine here. Josh is a dynamo with the rolls and Emma exudes expertise customer service. The food is top notch here and the presentation (food surrounded by dry ice) is enough to make you begin salivating before it even hits your mouth. The service here is superb and the music is always great. HIGHLY recommend if you are searching for a comfortable vibe and atmosphere to enjoy mouth watering sushi.

    (5)

  • Alycia N.

    Nama is our local favorite because we live right down the road and it is less expensive than Tsunami which is very close to it. Also, the service is always very friendly and very fast. We have ordered a number of things from the menu so it is hard to choose a favorite. If you go for lunch, I recommend a bibimbop special - it is a great value and a TON of food. Also, the sushi is really great and comes out beautifully, almost more like art.

    (4)

  • Andrew H.

    This place is convenient, as it's one of the few Japanese restaurants in all of SOMA. I ordered one of my favorite dishes, the katsudonburi (pork cutlet, egg, and rice). I decided to stay safe, since it's really really tough to find good sashimi and sushi, so I didn't want to risk it here. My girlfriend ordered the salmon obento box, but was super hungry afterwards! It was surprisingly busy inside the restaurant, considering it was after peak lunch hours. I'm guessing that's because of the offices in China Basin as it's a very close walk. I enjoyed the quick meal, but my girlfriend had to chase the waitress down to pay. I blame that on the fact that we were put in an unseen corner. Come here when you are craving Japanese food and you don't really care about the quality of the food.

    (3)

  • Jacque A.

    Great variety of sushi with lots of combinations of sauces and toppings. I really enjoy sushi and this was conveniently located. The service was good, meals come with hot tea. My spouse asked for a chicken roll that wasn't on the menu (seafood allergy) and they accommodated without fuss. Overall I'd come back but I expected slightly better for 5 stars.

    (4)

  • Vicki T.

    Ramen: not very good. (2/5) Maybe its because I've been spoiled by the real deal back in my hood but I would def. not order their ramen again. The noodles aren't chewy and yummy like the other ramen places in town. Bibimbap: alright, I've def experienced better... (3/5) I only eat here because its one of the few close spots in this area for Asian food. The other sushi restaurant nearby ain't so great either... (the one across from Philz).

    (2)

  • Mark D.

    Nama - I wish I could treat you better. Sushi is average and somewhat overpriced. I hate to say it but think there is better quality and value across the road at the Safeway sushi counter. I like Nama, don't get me wrong, but the total picture never seems to come together here. It is either the service, quality of food or value that seems to just miss..... Here's what I like: 1. The Spicy Miso Ramen - it is really spicy and filling - it gives a great tingle in the back of your throat. They should promote this offering moreso than some of the sushi offerings. Get it with udon noodles..... 2. Bento boxes - especially the salmon, really good value and quantity/quality of food for the price. Sushi is a mixed bag - I have had good and bad here. Depends on day/chef. Sad because if it was a notch above I'd be every day. I recommend Safeway sushi across road which makes me sad.

    (3)

  • Stephanie W.

    Coworkers and I come here once in awhile to get our sushi craving, scratch that we typically come here when we want to get our udon-on. (LOL) Good udon for decent price. I recommend coming pretty early during the lunch hour or else it gets crazy busy.

    (4)

  • Ho N.

    Competes with Tsunami sushi for the number one rank of worst Japanese restaurant deal. Substandard food for a lot of dollars. I have no idea how they can be so packed. Here's a trick, just substitute this with a visit to the Safeway half a block away, their takeout sushis are better and cheaper.

    (1)

  • Joanne P.

    Walked in here last-minute for a late night dinner. The restaurant was half-empty with two sushi men at the counter and three waitresses (two at the end of dinner). Orders were taken promptly, but food took forever to come out. We ordered an appetizer, three rolls, ramen, and a yakisoba. The kaarage chicken was like Quickly's popcorn chicken. More batter than chicken. Rolls were pricey, but decent. Yakisoba noodles were undercooked. Ramen....I've never seen gyoza in ramen. The pacing of the food was pretty bad too, with a 30 min gap between the rolls and noodles. That would have been okay if we were sharing, but only I ordered the rolls and my two friends ordered noodles. I finished my roll when their food came out. Aside from food, they should really repair the bathroom. Toilet doesn't flush properly, and the paper towel dispense fell apart when I tried to dry my hands. Verdict: If you have other options, SKIP this place.

    (2)

  • Plaid B.

    Super nice staff, really good food, quick service. Obviously when you walk in this isn't the fanciest place in the world but for what they do, they do it really well. And they offer a great variety of entrees. We will definitely be back!

    (5)

  • Phuong M.

    This review is based on 2 takeout trips. Trip 1: I ordered online and waited the amount of time the email said to wait and showed up after the time it quoted as the food being ready. They actually didn't even see my online order until I walked in an said i ordered online. Apparently they have two registers, and the online orders come through the one that is unmanned. I waited a few minutes for them to prepare my rolls, which were decent. Trip 2: I ordered online again, this time getting the karai chirashi, which is supposed to be spicy. The food was ready when I arrived, but getting back to work I learned that it was all wrong. It wasn't spicy and there was no wasabi to even help it be spicy. The rice was plain and not sushi rice. The fish was cubed instead of sashimi style. And there was a ton of lettuce in the dish. This dish is so bland, I think the only thing I can do is season it with my salty tears after having spent $22 on it. Literally the worst chirashi I've ever had in my life.

    (1)

  • Bobby C.

    Dropped by for a pre-game dinner. They have a large variety of options, ramen, udon, bibimbap, rolls, sushi. So everyone in your party is bound to find something they like. Fish quality was okay, and portions were decent considering the price. Service was very nice and attentive. Parking is tough, but there are metered street spots around the area.

    (3)

  • Sandeep A.

    Solid restaurant with a friendly staff. Though disclaimer, I did not try the sushi opting for the Bibimbap instead. They had a variety of options for this dish including chicken and tofu which I appreciated. It was very tasty and I had no complaints. I would recommend to my friends.

    (4)

  • Huntting B.

    Walked in. Was greeted and told to sit in the neglected corner with the two small tables, while there were other tables open. I waited...8 minutes...without a menu, water, or any acknowledgement that I existed and then i walked out. I've enjoyed this place in the past, many times. Service is always awful. This was ridiculous. The two sushi chefs, looking straight at me the entire time, did nothing. I'll never be back, and you shouldn't come here either.

    (1)

  • Jamie H.

    i went to nama for dinner, and thought that overall the food was alright but the general experience with the service style and waitstaff was a bit awkward. as the waitress was seating us at the table and we were taking off our coats, she asked us immediately if we wanted anything to drink. i hadn't had a chance to look yet, so just requested ice water. she returned with water, but then at that point did not ask if i had decided on anything. our table then ordered hot sake, wine, edamame, miso soup, salmon sashimi, and a few sushi rolls. the waitress tried very hard to convince us to get the salmon toro sashimi special and it took a few times to insist that the regular salmon would be just fine. we then waited for quite some time, and then were happy to see the sake and wine arrive (and the wine was not opened for us, which i thought was weird even though it was a screw top and we could easily open it). just as she was placing down though, she also arrived with the sashimi, soup, and edamame. less than 5 minutes later, the sushi plate arrived. it was a little overwhelming to try to start everything at once, and the soup quickly cooled and became much less appetizing as we waited (and waited) for spoons. each of the food items were decent in quality, but not great. the sashimi was not perfectly cut and had a bit of the brown bottom part on it that comes from a normal fillet, and the pieces were also much too big for one bite. the soup would have been much better hot and i wish there had been more seaweed and tofu in it. the sushi rolls were the best part, but some of them were a little awkwardly presented. one was supposed to come with tobiko on top, but the pieces were placed in a circle with the tobiko in the center, so it was hard to enjoy it properly without having to use the soup spoon to transfer the tobiko onto the sushi. i would probably look for other sushi places if i were in the area again.

    (2)

  • Jenny S.

    Delicious rolls. My favorite: The Sunshine Roll. Wrapped in cucumber, not rice. Aesthetically pleasing. Pairs well with Sake.

    (4)

  • Asha S.

    This place is owned by Koreans, which explains the random Korean dishes on the menu. While I worked in the neighborhood, this was a favorite of many of my colleagues. I was focusing a little bit more than usual on healthy eating (at least on the weekdays) so I usually stuck to the sashimi & wakame salad combination whenever I went to a sushi bar/restaurant. Nama is not the right place for a meal that relies heavily on the quality of the fish or the freshness of the seaweed salad. Maybe if they didn't so proudly display "Sushi" in their name, I might be a little less critical.. I've also tried a few bites of random other things my friends ordered. None of them were tempting enough for me to want to order it myself on my next visit there.

    (2)

  • Mollyn R.

    Yesterday, my boyfriend and I wanted to try a sushi restaurant. We were in the area and decided to stop in and give it a shot. I can honestly say, I've had way better sushi in the past. But the customer service we received was great. Our waiter was VERY polite and friendly. Although our food took some time to get to us, he checked in with us with the status of our order, which was nice to know that we weren't forgotten about. Excellent customer service from him! 4 stars because the food was mediocre but service was great.

    (4)

  • Samir K.

    Solid sushi in a new area. Obviously going to be a little pricey because it's close to the ballpark, but the fish quality is good. The presentation is a little excessive in my opinion- dry ice and a beet tower just for a sashimi sampler? I appreciate it nonetheless. I'm dropping a star because one of the chefs was cursing at the waitstaff audibly. I'm fine with front/back house issues but you can't do that in front of customers.

    (4)

  • Tarah O.

    I love this place - the food is always fresh, the staff friendly, and my water glass never empty. I went there with a coworker today and we ordered 3 different rolls (my fav is the super California roll) and it was served on this cool boat with dry ice! Presentation was awesome! I'll continue going back and highly recommend it!

    (5)

  • Julie L.

    Food is decent but don't hold your breath when it comes to the service. Hubby + I were seated in the corner in front of the sushi bar. Took 15 minutes before we were able to order. Another 10 to get water. A couple who sat right behind were serviced immediately + had beverages less than 1 minute after they were seated. Wait was so long we actually contemplated leaving but decided to stick it out. Pretty "hangry" [hungry AND angry] at this point. Never had to inquire as to when our food will arrive before until now. Never say never, right? Bill wasn't cheap either + we ended up going to McD after.

    (2)

  • Rachel S.

    Really tasty Korean bibimbap and good sushi (not the BEST, but still would go back for more).

    (4)

  • Nene K.

    Unfortunately, terrible food with decent service. There is no reason to go to a sushi place that can't even get salmon teriyaki correct. It is also expensive. Save your money and go to Tsunami down the street.

    (1)

  • Hannah C.

    I really wanted to like Nama since it's the ONLY sushi place in walking distance of our apartment. But there was nothing I loved about my experience. Everything was just OK. The service was average, food was average. We ordered a few rolls - TNT, Crunch California Roll and Spider Roll- and they were fine, but not WOW. Also ordered miso soup, seaweed salad, and edamame (they didn't bring us a "trash" bowl for our edamame shells).

    (3)

  • Tanya B.

    Just moved to San Francisco and so happy we have this in our neighboorhood. I've already been here three times and so far I've had a good experience every time. It's good to have a casual, good quality sushi restaurant nearby. While it's not amazing quality/creative sushi, it's decent enough for when you are craving it. Here are the pluses: -no wait or short wait -good quality fish -great prices for dinner combination options -friendly service (although it can be a bit slow and some people don't speak English) -nice interior Not sure if I would come all the way here from the other side of town as it's nothing out of the ordinary, but if you're in the area or live/work nearby, this place is a must.

    (5)

  • Kira G.

    Great place to go with a group. Cheesy music, casual atmosphere and good food. The sake was also unexpectedly delicious.

    (4)

  • George P.

    Me and another table only. I inform the waitress I had 30 minutes to catch a train. I order one roll only. I waited 20 minutes. $%&£!!! Gotta pound food as fast as I can. Hey, they never asked me if I wanted more water. In fact, while I was in my earlier panic, they were chillin, relaxin, chattin.... Man, I am never comin back here again barring the invitation of someone I can not refuse. Suggestion to the biz....(1) service, (2) give a $%&£, (3) look busy

    (1)

  • Josephine L.

    Only got the Niku Udon. It was solid but a tad too salty. The udon was cooked well, though--very chewy.

    (3)

  • Henry M.

    teriyaki chicken was so delicious will most def be coming back..topped It off with a tall glass of sapporo on draft on our way to Giants fan fest..our server was ashley and she was nice and prompt with our drinks and food even though It was kind of busy..thanks guys!!

    (5)

  • ET C.

    New appetizer on the menu: (melts-in-your-mouth) spicy karaage chicken. Thank you Nama for recommending it, this will probably be a regular item on our sushi Friday menu.

    (4)

  • Scott C.

    Sushi is what you would expect. Nothing special. Tried fried noodles for the first time. Sort of blan, would not recommed or order again myself.

    (3)

  • Joe S.

    The food is ok, but the soups are oily. The wait staff are unfriendly and rude to customers. We came in and ordered some sushi. They seemingly forgot about out large table and we sat around waiting on them. After we asked to order something else the waitress responded by literally saying "so you know sushi takes a long time to make!? Right? it will take at least 30 more minutes!" in a very patronizing voice. I was shocked, but decided to order anyway since our group was starving and had already been kept waiting for so long. Never going back there again. Luckily there is another sushi place nearby we can try instead.

    (1)

  • L V.

    Had the Oyako Don. Totally inedible, worst Oyako Don and Japanese food I've had in my life! A pile of egg scramble with pieces of rubbery pork on very dried, hard rice. I'm putting this place on my No-Go list.

    (1)

  • Hien T.

    Please come here if you want some fresh fish and good sushi rolls! I hear y'all about the service being slow, but you know what? I'd go here just for their fresh sashimi. Isn't this what you want in terms of Japanese cuisine.. and not breaded pork? I recommend the sashimi for its good portions, nice presentation and very fresh taste. Lunch is INSANE, so go during dinner where it's more quiet. If you're in a rush, sit at the bar (where you can hide your beer and have a good time chatting it up with the chef).

    (4)

  • Stephen D.

    Went here for lunch. My office mate and I were craving Ramen. Well, there wasn't that much in terms of noodles, meat etc. We both left hungry. Meh. Service was ok. Music was too loud and an extremely annoying selection of horrible pop. WTH do people listen to that autotune crap, and why do the owners of this restaurant think it's a good thing to dine to?

    (3)

  • Kirill Z.

    When other Yelpers said this was a. 3-star place, I did not believe them. When they said "slow service", I did not believe them. Turns out, it takes 25 minutes to get one (!!!) roll and ramen is made with instant noodles. What the hell?

    (2)

  • Ms J K.

    Sorry to say one of the worst bowls of ramen I have ever endured was served to me at Nama. Broth was insipid, noodles rubbery I really couldn't recommend to any true ramen aficionado. Stick with the sushi it was adequate.

    (2)

  • David G.

    Not very good - whole place smells like cleaner - went for lunch and had bibimbap - it was ok bit the rice was a bit soggy Service was good There are not a ton of places for lunch in this area, especially when it is not giants season, which is how I ended up here. It is probably better than Panera and I didnt try the fish, so really can't comment on it as a sushi spot, but for atmosphere alone I don't think I would go back.

    (2)

  • Laura G.

    Everyone in my office has their friggin' birthday lunch at this stupid place. Every month or so, I get a stupid Outlook invitation for the obligatory medicocre sushi fest and I reluctantly accept (hey, if it ain't my birthday, I have to go with the flow). I really like my co-workers, so I want to partake in the birthday lunch.... and this is one of the only places you can get a reservation for 10 people on short notice, so I chalk it up to convenience. This is not a good restaurant. Every time we go--and I'm talking all 7 or 8 times I've been here--the fish is totally hit and miss... The salmon will be fine, but the hamachi will taste like it's been in the trunk of a taxi for 2 days; the tuna poke is good, but you can tell that underneath all that spicy sauce that it's yesterday's sashimi reincarnated. Not that I'm any sort of blade-wielding ninja, but I'm also kind of turned off by the hackery performed by the sushi chefs... It looks like they sliced the filets with a butter knife or something. No skillz. So, while you're staying away from the sushi, do yourself a favor and steer clear of the chicken teriyaki (mush), and...well.... anything that isn't fried. If you stay with tempura, don katsu, chicken katsu, gyoza, and things of that nature, it's pretty good. Which means that basically, you should skip this place and just get the $4 fried chicken meal at Safeway across the street. Because once you're playing with the fryer, it pretty much doesn't matter if it's Japanese or not.

    (2)

  • Raja D.

    I have experienced better. I mean the place is right behind my house and so I thought it convenient to go there. First thing, they messed up our order twice..twice. My friend got some spicy chicken, they brought him teriyaki instead. They took it back and then changed it..cool..right. OK now here comes my turn, I ordered couple roles and they bring my my friends and my friend gets mine..now I didn't know I got his till after I finished and I realized how it didn't look or taste like what I ordered. I told the waitress and she simply said sorry. Not like let me get you your roll that you ordered. It was horrible, I am never going here again, I do not recommend it.

    (2)

  • Nattie X.

    Given the overall lack of decent Japanese restaurants in Soma, this place is a default for me and my friends. There's never a wait, the place is clean, and the food doesn't disappoint. All the sushi rolls I've had here are tasty. I'm also a fan of the pork donburi. They give you a fatty piece of pork chop on top of delicious omelette mixed with onions and yummy goodness.

    (4)

  • Megan L.

    Nama is the type of restaurant you go to for the bento boxes, chicken teriyaki, tempura, i.e. stuff that's pretty hard to mess up. The menu has a generous selection of special rolls-- many of them contain cream cheese which I still find a weird concept/taste. Don't go out of your way to come here for sushi. Whatever you do, do NOT order the ramen here. I had the tonkotsu ramen and the broth was totally bland and tasted like buttery water. The same broth is used for all the ramen except for shoyu (which they were out of but the hostess said that shoyu was LESS flavored than the others ... ). Paying $9 for noodle water definitely knocked off 1 star for me. Ramen aside, Nama is just an average Japanese restaurant. Good for take-out if you live on King St, they typically have your food ready in 10 minutes, and the hostess is very sweet. Price point is standard, maybe a little on the pricey side considering the not-so-great quality.

    (2)

  • Mary J.

    Well i know they are busy but today's lunch was horrible! Long line is one thing but they don't have signup sheet that at least 5 groups with three people went in before us - we had 4. Took 30min waiting then after sit down, they forgot us and served three other tables sitted after us first! End up waiting 20 min more to get even a drink for being a patient customer!!! So not organized!!!

    (1)

  • Rachel R.

    We come here often because we live nearby and consistently, food and service are both above average.

    (3)

  • Alex C.

    Right down the street...food is decent and prices are reasonable so it fills the sushi fix if I have one. Good variety of rolls and a big fan of the Bi Bim Bob (a spicy brown rice bowl with veggies and your choice of meat). The other sushi place in the neighborhood (Tsunami) is so overpriced and quality is meh for what you're paying.

    (3)

  • Josie M.

    man has this place gone downhill. we used to eat here a lot because it's close to the office and convenient. last two times we were here the fish was not fresh and the bento boxes looked stale like they had been prepared the day before. rice was cold and hard. lettuce dark and shriveled. noodles were completely inedible. yuck. not coming back here anymore.

    (1)

  • Camille K.

    Nama is an excellent alternative to the more popular destinations near AT&T. I watched an NLCS game and game one of The World Series here. There was no pretense and no waiting in line. I ordered the LeRoy roll both times, in honor of Timothy LeRoy Lincecum, who pitched both games. I also tried the Giants roll and the King Street roll, savoring the former the first week, and the later the next. I washed these down with Sapporo on draft, served up in a frosty glass. Baseball, cold beer and sushi are done right at Nama.

    (5)

  • Jung Amy C.

    Checked this place out one Friday after partying all night. Woke up hung over, hungry and cranky. What's a girl to do...Miranda's answer "sushi and sake"...brilliant. It's walking distance from Miranda's apartment...so threw on some pants, tied our hair in pony tail and off we went. Obviously owned and employeed by Koreans, but no one bat an eye at our...bum fashion or the crust still congregating in the corner or our eyes. We sat down and ordered the special $2 Tiger beer and cold sake. Our waitress made a somewhat racist comment: "you sho you want tie-ga beer? you not like." because miranda is white LOL! Ordered and shared chicken edamame, udon and some rolls... edamame was over cooked...the chicken in the udon looked really suspicious, but over all everything tasted clean fresh and yummy...even though our taste buds were probably trashed! On Sat, we checked out Nama again, with a third party. I actually checked out Nama's review on yelp and was extremely surprised to find such low rating...but f*dge it...It is sooo close. we had the same thing except the nabeyaki udon and gyoza. Again, everything was good and fast which was awesome since we were in a tad bit hurry. The sushi rolls were fresh. Udon was yummy. Ask for the hot sauce if you get the udon. it makes it so much better. It's definitely not the hip sushi joint like sushi groove or ozumo, but it has a clean atmosphere, attentive servers, fast sushi chefs and reasonable prices...can ask for much else from your neighborhood sushi rest. Reviews like these make me wonder...normal people really do make terrible food critics.

    (5)

  • Rachael L.

    I HATE to give this place a bad review because the waitress was very sweet and cute but.... I appreciate big slices of sushi, but not when they taste terrible and are riddled with fat and some fleshy substance. I am a huge fan of sushi; hard to ruin it in my book. But this place was successful. Bleck.

    (2)

  • Shreya C.

    I'd give this place a 2.5 but it does border on scary sushi. There's nothing great about the rolls and you do gotta wonder how fresh the fish is. The place is very casual and, while there usually is a fair amount of locals inside, it's very easy to get a table here. I think the only roll worth mentioning is the tempura asparagus. I'd order it without the carrot though, maybe substitute avocado in its place. I'd say go here only if you have a really strong craving for sushi and any sushi will do. Short of that..don't say I didn't warn you..

    (2)

  • Tien H.

    This place is usually decent, but good god I'm never getting take out from there again. Came in for some take out Chicken Katsu. Got back to my desk to find NO katsu sauce, the salad was all warm and soggy and the entire meal just looked terrible. really very disappointed.

    (1)

  • Serena W.

    I ordered the salmon teriyaki bento with California rolls, which came with a side salad and rice. It tasted American, not that I don't like American food... food and price were decent, but nothing special. good when you're hungry, not when you're snobby

    (3)

  • J M.

    Nama is just okay - it really depends on when you go though. Hit the place at midday and you cant be guaranteed of friendly or prompt service. The food isnt bad. It's definitely fresh and reasonably portioned. The biggest turn-off though is the state of their toilets and the smell eminating from them directly into the restaurant.

    (2)

  • Terry D.

    Not my favorite sushi restaurant in the city but it's right across the street from me and it's decent. My only real gripe is that this place is expensive. All of their specialty rolls are $11+ and then Donburi's are around $13. Most of their sushi rolls are ok. Nothing really stood out for me. Miso soup tasted fine. One dish I will go back for frequently is their Katsu-Don. It's actually really really good. The Katsu is still really crunchy under all that egg, onions and sauce. It's pretty tasty.

    (3)

  • Christine O.

    I'm so disappointed but we can't go here anymore! My husband got food poisoning a few weeks ago. We think it was from the poke. It was so convenient but now we have to find another Japanese take-out place.

    (1)

  • Lola L.

    It was time for my bi-weekly sushi outting with my buddy and this was the closest to his work. After reading the yelp reviews I had to wonder why the reviews varied. I came in and the waitress was busy at the register but she acknowledged me and seated me right after she finished. We ordered a bevy of sushi and sashimi from the football roll, spicy tuna, poki roll, unagi, salmon, ikura and tamgao. The look and smell of the fish was fresh and when I threw a sashimi I my mouth, that buttery delicate fish melted. The service was friendly and both, yes both, of our waiters checked in on us multiple times. Prices differ from $5-$12 for rolls. They have lunch specials on sushi and cooked food. The crowd was loud as it was lunch time on a Monday. There's a sushi bar if your eating solo. The décor is minimal with a beautiful kimono in the back wall. Black tables that can pushed together for a big group after the games.

    (4)

  • Raymond C.

    Nama Sushi is located in the very trendy SOMA area of The City, about a block from AT&T park. It's well kept and a good spot to enjoy a nice lunch break during the work-day. I ordered the Salmon Terriyaki bento box lunch special at only $7.50. Other japanese restaurants rank higher in my opinion when it comes to quality of food. The quantity of food was on the low side, but at only $7.50, is still a good deal compared to many other in this category. There was enough salmon, and a cold noodle: previously described as similar to Korean japchae noodles. Overall, I'm satisfied with my lunch experience. I'm curious as to what the night experience would be like, either dinner or bar. I like Nama sushi, but I don't love it. I would come back if I'm in the area.

    (3)

  • Sandra T.

    Nama's sushi overall is nothing special. So why am I giving it 4 stars? Because its got an absolutely incredible HAPPY HOUR! Happy hour is only mon-thursday and starts around 5 til about 6:30. Gyoza, mixed tempura platter, chicken yakitori all just $3.50 each for a good sized platter. Insane amounts of decent hot food for super low prices. They also have 3$ house wine (per glass) during that time and specials on loads of beers all for 3$. Neither nigiri nor maki sushi is on the happy hour menu, but their hand rolls (esp. spicy salmon & spicy tuna) are not at all bad for 3$ each. If you are looking for great quality sushi, go elsewhere. If you want to have a great night out in recession times, go to happy hour at nama! Enjoy!

    (4)

  • Damon A.

    To preface, I did not try the sushi. On the other hand, the Donkatsu was over cooked, the service was slow and un-attentive. They didn't have the traditional spicy mustard that is always served with this dish (in my experience). Finally the noodles in the lunch set were more Korean than Japanese. Happily I did have good company, but I won't be eating here again.

    (1)

  • Leslie L.

    I am really surprised by the mediocre to negative reviews of this place. Nama is my go-to sushi joint in SOMA and one of the better ones in the city for the price. They have the best sushi rice! --Perfectly vinegary, not too mushy, and not too dry. They have a very large menu, so not everything is spectacular, but what they do well, they do very, very well. You just need to know what to order. We almost always get the chirashi, which is usually excellent, and their ngiri is fairly good as well. The fish is fresh and you get a lot of it! I generally avoid fancy rolls with lots of sauce, but that may be a personal preference. Good rolls to order if you agree: Max Roll, Sakana Roll, Cherry Blossom Roll, King St. Roll. Their teriyaki dinner combos are also an enormous amount of food. You get miso soup, salad, a lot of tempura, an ample order of teriyaki with rice, plus a side (gyoza or sushi or whatever) for under $20. Enough food for 2 essentially. The price is not cheap but reasonable for the area. You would be paying at least twice as much for comparable food at Tsunami down the street. The servers are also always very friendly. Just stick to simple sushi, and Nama will not disappoint.

    (4)

  • Boots B.

    Good vegetarian sushi is hard to find. Nama has hit the veggie nail on the head. Go for the Ashley Roll, it's very tasty. Fried yam, cream cheese, avocado. Very tasty. Minus one star because it takes absolutely forever for the staff to bring the check at the end. Sake is gone, dishes have been clean up, to-go boxes are neatly stacked on the table, my dinner date and I are no longer having an involved conversation - just bring the damn check already.

    (4)

  • Ryan V.

    If going on the sushi alone, this place is one star. But, the cooked food is ok, so they make up for it a little. As an example, last time I had a hamachi sashimi that was about the worst fish I've ever eaten. It was a horrible cut, I could hardly chew through it and completely unfresh. This is just one example of numerous, too. Service is also nonexistent. I usually ate there for lunch while at work and it often took the most time just to get the bill. You would think that with all the businesses around there they would try to be more timely. So if you must go, get udon or something cooked.

    (2)

  • Seema M.

    We live in the neighborhood and tried Nama not too long ago. The service is good but the food is just okay. Tastes like very generic sushi rolls (like something you would buy in a grocery) and is quite pricey for what they offer. We are going to try Tsunami next time, hopefully that experience is better!

    (2)

  • Fatty A.

    The uni is huge here. Its awesome. The sushi here is hit or miss. Some things are fresh some thing not so much. I've always wanted to order the bay bridge. I wonder what you get for $200.

    (3)

  • J. SOMA S.

    Nama Sushi fulfills it's function as the "most adequate sushi spot" in my SOMA neighborhood. The list of rolls is comprehensive and the quality consistent. The owners are SUPER nice and work hard to produce good food. Overall, I think the food is just OK and the price is right. If I could give 3.5 stars, I would. Unfortunately, it's more 3 than 4. Regardless, I'm a loyal customer and I'm happy Nama is in the 'hood

    (3)

  • Jennifer M.

    Been here twice for takeout. First time got Chicken Teriyaki combo box or something - when I got home I find they forgot half of the combo. There was a bunch of tempura which wasn't supposed to be involved, though. They were having a pretty busy lunch when I was there so maybe they just screwed up my order. The teriyaki was dry - mental note to ask for extra teriyaki sauce next time. Next time: today: sushi combo box - I know risky, but I was craving it. Like many people wrote already, the sushi is bad. It has a funny taste and it's not the sauce's fault. I have a theory about why the food is bad here: The owner is a real ball-breaker - I heard him berating a waitress right in front of me because she didn't run out with my food as soon as I walked in the door - I mean I hadn't even said who I was yet. It's probably just as unpleasant for all the staff there. Unhappy cooks = unhappy food. yikky, I still have the taste of bad sushi in my mouth as I write this!

    (2)

  • vinh p.

    I ordered 30 mins ago. Hungry as hell.

    (1)

  • Cynthia Y.

    Disclaimer: My ratings are based on value compared to other restaurants of the same cuisine and of a similar price point. A $10 meal could very well score 5 stars if the restaurant delivered excellent value. Similarly, a $100 meal could score 1 star if the food was dismal compared to its similarly-priced brethren. For the most part, my ratings will be based on the quality of the food, unless I explicitly comment on the service or the decor. In this case, my point of reference will be Sushi Rock, which is also your standard neighborhood cheap sushi place. The waitresses were nice enough, if a tad clueless, but the chefs have to understand that ponzu sauce is not supposed to be spicy. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Po… Pretty much every single roll on the menu was spicy. I understand that a lot of Americans like spicy rolls, but Japanese restaurants generally only use spice with sushi (if at all) when they're trying to cover up the taste of the fish. In other words, the fish is not fresh. That said, Nama's cooked dishes (e.g. katsudon) weren't bad and I might return for those. But the sushi? No way.

    (2)

  • Stephanie S.

    Nama Sushi is just down the street from my work. I actually do not like sushi, but I LOVE their spicy pork teriyaki and gyoza. It is always good!

    (4)

  • Katie P.

    Nama is what it is, a good mid-level sushi place for a reasonable price. It is easy to get 4 rolls, edamame and hot tea and leave with out spending more then $40 including tax and tip. The food comes quickly, the service is good and the food is defiantly better then the supermarket sushi, but cheaper then the other places in the neighborhood. Nothing fancy but a great easy place to grab a casual bite when its 8 pm and you don't feel like cooking, spending a fortune or dressing up. EDIT: 12/19/09 Prices went up, quality of food and service stayed the same so I had to drop a star. The price is now comparable to Tsunami just down the street.

    (3)

  • Tuppence D.

    Fabulous! This place is comparable to Sushi House in Alameda. The rolls are awesome and staff is friendly. It's quiet joint but it's also great for sake bombing one the peak dinner crowd leaves. This is my favorite reasonably priced sushi place in SF. PS - I don't understand the other reviews because I've been to this place several times over the past year and every visit has been great.

    (5)

  • Adam R.

    The place overwhelms you with the smell of fish that's gone bad when you walk in the door. The presentations of food were not pretty, which is unusual for a sushi restaurant, and it looked like the salad even had dirt in it. I got only cooked fish and tempura as I was scared to get anything raw from here. The salmon was slimy. My stomach hurt for the rest of the day. I'm not giving it 1 star as I've been to worse. There were also flies in the restaurant.

    (2)

  • Todd S.

    My first review! This is a solid ,average, sushi joint where you can have a reasonably priced meal that leaves you satisfied. I mainly eat the rolls from hear and the fish always seems to be fresh, zesty is always a good choice. Staff is always friendly and attentive to our needs. Will keep coming back which is now over 10 times.

    (3)

  • Christina Y.

    This is a 2.5 rounded up to a 3. The food was pretty much what I expected -- i.e., a watered-down version of real Japanese food, but it got the job done, considering the lack of reasonably priced restaurants in the area. Udon noodles were a nice texture. I was glad that I didn't order sushi. The service here was kind of bad. It was fine at first, but then we had to wait for a long time before we got our check, and even longer for them to actually take our payment. A lot of people were eating here during the lunch hour, since it's near all the businesses in SoMa/Mission Bay.

    (3)

  • Jen C.

    I'm still deciding what I think about this place. I'm giving it 3 stars because I'm hoping, hoping this place improves with time. The prices are not terrible for the amount of food you get. Service is...I'm not quite sure how to even start about describing service here. Let me just say that our waitress disappeared half way into our meal and I'm pretty sure the owner ended up serving our table. I think it's worth trying because it's the only sushi place in the neighborhood and just go without an expectations and the meal should be pleasant enough. I'll probably go back in a few more weeks and then I think I can give it a more comprehensive review (boyfriend read my review and said the last part about being candid and honest made no sense so I'm changing it...happy?) UPDATE: Went again for a quick bite. Tried their ankimo and saba shiyo. Their ankimo was actually really, really good, interesting preparation with roe on top and tasted really good with the shiso leaf. Saba was only okay, too bony and not oily enough.

    (3)

  • Paul B.

    We hit this place a few times a month. This is our go to sushi spot. Granted it's only a block away but it's good. Their sashimi and nigiri is always fresh and they give decent size pieces. There's also a good selection of rolls. Rolls don't make a good sushi place but I do appreciate a place that puts some creativity in having something more than the standard rolls and has their own creations. The staff is always attentive and nice.

    (3)

  • Tod G.

    Much of the sashimi was just barely defrosted, you could still taste/feel the ice crystals in it. Edamame ordered "warm" was served lightly microwaved, shading from warm to room temperature to refrigerated as you made your way down the bowl. I'm pretty thoroughly convinced that their seaweed salad is the same stuff you can buy in bulk at CostCo. Looks/tastes exactly the same as that, anyway. All in all, a totally mediocre experience. File Nama Sushi under "not worth your time and money."

    (2)

  • Tiffany T.

    I went here for lunch today, and ordered the donburi with tempura. I ordered it to go, and perhaps that was the error? The sushi chefs behind the counter were really nice. The guy who took my order, however, seemed really rushed and unfriendly. It's not like it was very busy in there, so I guess he was in a bad mood. I used to be a waitress, and I know a smile can go a long way. But this guy, no smiles to be found. I felt like I was annoying him. I even left a decent tip (which now I'm regretting, rawr D: ) My tempura was lukewarm, just to the point of crispiness before it gets mushy. It definitely wasn't the highlight of my meal. As for the donburi, well, it's actually katsu-donburi. I love all donburi dishes so I wasn't too picky about what it would be. My problem with it was that it was overcooked. The side salad was drowned in dressing, and just not very tasty. Overall, the food tasted the same as the food at a Japanese restaurant in a mall food court. It just may have been an off day, but I wouldn't go back unless someone else was buying.

    (1)

  • Eric G.

    Very average sushi place near AT&T Park. I've been here countless times for work day lunches, and after my first few months in SF I just gave up ordering sushi here since it was so unimpressive. Just about every cut of fish I've had here has been dodgy and clearly not fresh at some point or another. Once I even ordered the saba shioyaki (broiled mackeral) and they failed to fully cook it -- it was still frozen in the center. Just sloppy. This is the kind of place you go to eat chicken teriyaki & spicy tuna rolls, since they can't screw those up. It's actually run by Koreans, and I find the Korean-style dishes on their menu, like the short-rib, are better. Nice folks, but not great food here.

    (2)

  • Samir P.

    This place is great if you're looking for a good sushi spot where you can do sake bombs with friends. Seriously...if that's the mood you're in, then go to Nama. If not, then SF has a ton of other sushi places that you might want to try. Nama is a fun spot, where the waiters are friendly, helpful, and easy going. If you order a large Sake, don't expect the usual vase-looking mini-pitcher that most other sushi places give you. This place will give you a teapot full of sake...I would say, the equivalent of 2 - 3 of those usual sake mini-pitcher things (dunno what to call em). So order accordingly with some large bottles of Sapporo and you're set! In terms of food, the rolls that I would recommend are the 49er (of course!) and Ryan roll. Both were amazing! The rest of the stuff is good too...but again, we were doing sake bombs at the time, so um ha ha yeah!

    (4)

  • Maximillian M.

    The nabeyaki udon is pretty good, as is the yakitori. My friend also got some roll called Pink Lady which tasted pretty fresh and had black and orange caviar on it. Lastly, a Yebisu beer. I felt kind of bad coming in so close to closing time, but our server was very friendly and even joked around with us. And I don't care, in this case, that this is a Korean-owned place because the food was decent and came in large portions (a telltale sign), better than pretty much all other Korean-run Japanese places that I've been to. Shocked to see the low Yelp batting average, but I guess we just lucked out.

    (4)

  • dan s.

    I've been to Nama twice for dinner, and several times for lunch. If you're ordering specials from the sushi bar, the good news is that they are extremely fresh and well presented. The downside of these specials is the high cost - make sure you ask about the price before being talked into it by the chef. (Update 12/07 - their chef quit, and the current chefs are nowhere near as good. The quality of fish has also started to vary a lot more, in a bad way.) At lunchtime, the specials are a decent value for $10, and the food is overall slightly above average. Good miso soup, slightly greasy teriyaki chicken, average sashimi. What kills it at lunchtime is the leisurely service, even with a half empty restaurant and at least 4 servers. 90 minutes for a group lunch seems typical here, and we didn't order anything that unusual (which might require long prep times). The location is great for the area, of course, and they are the only sushi place around. But, as another reviewer said, they could be much better if they just tried a little harder.

    (3)

  • Rana A.

    Came here for lunch with two of my coworkers. The lunch specials are a great deal! Basic Lunch special comes with: protein with rice, salad, pickled cucumbers, cold noodles and a few pieces of edemame. These ranged from $8-16 depending on what type of protein and if you wanted any "upgrades" such as tempura veggies, sashimi or CA rolls. The basic box was a fair amount of food. The rolls are a bit on the pricey side, so if you're craving yummy sushi rolls for a bargain, head over to Safeway (sounds odd, but it's really tasty).

    (3)

  • Jessica P.

    If you're in the area, this place isn't bad for a quick bite to eat. Good service and average sushi. However, I wouldn't go out of my way to eat here.

    (3)

  • Allie P.

    Walked there for lunch to get take-out; should have called ahead. My co-workers and I all ordered the lunch specials, which you would think would be simple, but they took FOREVER. We ordered one after another, so you'd think they'd come out close together. WRONG!@ Mine was ready in 12 minutes, the last one was out in more than half an hour! And apparently it had been sitting there and they "forgot" about it. By the time we got it back to the office, it was cold. My tempura was soggy and bland, my teriyaki chicken was dry on a bed of white rice. NO flavor. Co-worker had the teriyaki salmon- same thing, no sauce. The salad was old lettuce that was browning. This was a very disheartening experience. IF I ever go back, I will have to call ahead and ask for sauce, sine they apparently don't do that. That's a big "if". I will probably not go back. The only good things I can say are that it was priced well for the lunch specials.

    (2)

  • alita w.

    Even without ordering sashimi this place is super disappointing :( I ordere the saba shioyaki lunch bento, and not only was more than half the box filled with rice, but it had this depressing little salad and stale tasting cold glass noodles side to go with it. The saba came in a separate box, and it's just one small piece of saba that you eat with half a large takeout box filled with rice. You've got to be kidding me. Two stars for the fact that they at least didn't fuck up the tempura that came with my order, though they wrote saba on the box that had tempura (not useful when you're sorting through the orders of 14+ people).

    (2)

  • Jasmijn L.

    Food sucks! Don't know if they changed the cook but the past a couple of months the foods suck so bad and I am a regular, well after today, I won't be! The other day I ordered chicken teriyaki and special sushi roll, well the chicken was not cooked. And different day I ordered chicken bim bim bop, twice I noticed the chicken were not well cooked and they gave me raw egg instead the usual fried or scrambled, as they used to be and portion is much smaller. I called and complaint but they just said sorry, nothing changed. Today I ordered another bim bim bop and they forgot to give me the egg even though I had requested over the phone that I would like it fried. They just simply didn't give me one as a solution. So, with all these bad things I got from them, I will NOT be coming back! I will spend my money else where who want to appreciate my 20 bucks! Keep doing the shabby work, NAMA and soon you'll kiss goodbye your business.

    (1)

  • Deva H.

    OK, here's the simple guide to enjoying Nama. Don't think of it as a sushi place. Think of it as a fried roll place. Their sashimi and sushi is just not up to par with other similar priced places in SF. For about the same price as here, you can eat at Sushi Groove South or Blowfish or Sakana, all of which have significantly better fish. So, why go to Nama? Well, if you don't live in the neighborhood, I'm not really sure why. But if you do and you have a craving for some kinda-sushi, you can satisfy that urge with some tasty fried rolls slathered with spicy mayo sauces. It's not sushi and it's not very good for you, but they definitely do a good job of frying stuff and make good sauces. Also, their tempura is quite good. Rather than review rolls in detail, I'll just list some of the ones that are all very tasty, which will give you a good idea of what kind of place this is. Viper roll (deep fried spicy tuna) Dynamite roll (deep fried spicy hamachi, avocado) T.N.T roll (spicy tuna, avocado, tuna, special sauce, massago, green onions) Giant roll (shiso, tuna, sake, tai, hamachi, chilly sauce over soft shell crab, spicy tuna, cucumber, tamago) 49er roll (avocado, scallops, jalapeno over spicy tuna, tempura, crab) Craig roll (soft shell crab, crab, tempura shrimp, avocado, cucumber, lettuce topped with albacore, fish flakes, massago) Baseball roll (deep fried salmon, crab, cream cheese) The baseball roll and dynamite roll here are my two favorites. In general, the more fried, sauce, and cream cheese here, the better. The frying here is not the light fry a lot of places do with fried rolls. It is full-on frying. On the other hand, the type of rolls I generally prefer at other sushi places, ones that just have a couple of types of fish with some simple garnish, well, those aren't that great here. Go have some rolls here. It's not sushi, but it's tasty.

    (3)

  • S J.

    This sushi place is one of the worst I have had food at. The food is super expensive. It is not authentic japanese. The ambience is not that great either. I would describe it as a super-expensive cheap version of true Japanese food. Don't waste your money and go somewhere else in the city.

    (1)

  • Andrei Z.

    I wish I could give it 1.5 stars. Half a star for decor and proximity to work. That's about the only thing they have going for them, because the actual freaking sushi was as flavorless as a week old gum. Service was slow and food was overpriced. I did enjoy the tea though.

    (2)

  • B. Y.

    The food here is decent, not magnificent. We usually get take out - where service is just okay. We did eat in tonight - and had Korean bi bim bap - and the service was attentive and the food good. Portions were not huge, as in other places we've had bi bim bap, but we were definitely full.

    (3)

  • Ching Y.

    Nama has always been pretty consistent for me. Maybe it's the day and time that I usually go there but the food and service has always been great. Perhaps it's because I'm a regular? For those who like rolls, the selection is pretty extensive. They regularly have toro and "super white tuna" which is really another fish and is delicious. The sashimi comes in good size chunks and not wimpy little portions. The menu also has the other usuals like udon and sukiyaki. While this place is not a "destination", it is a good diversion from the other places in the area.

    (4)

  • Theresa T.

    The customer service is terrible. There was one time my husband and I went for a quick dinner and at the end of service the waitress handed us the bill and asked us if we noticed attitude from her earlier. Apparently, her manager was trying to tell her to be more courteous to the customers and instead of listening to her manager, she tried to convince us to tell her manager for her that she does not have an attitude with her customers. WTF!?! Another time, we ordered a beer with our meal and it didn't come until we were 3/4 of the way done with our meal. I really wanted to like them because I love sushi and it's nice to have a place so close to home. But the service is bad and the quality of the sushi is inconsitent.

    (1)

  • Emy B.

    Had to put my 2 cents worth on this place again. Their yakisoba with tofu was actually quite delicious for lunch, worth mentioning...it came hot, was favorful and fed my inner coldness.

    (3)

  • David D.

    The food here isn't bad at all. When they're on the ball, service is decent, when they're not it's horrible and I hate this place. Sometimes I really hate going here, but I'm that lazy. Oh well, what can you do when you've frequented every lunch spot in the two mile radius.

    (3)

  • Sara O.

    We were milling around the neighborhood and found this place. Happy with our order and service overall. It was neither the most outstanding nor the worst, but for a quick place to stop in the neighborhood, it does the job. The decor can use a little livening, but nothing to complain about.

    (4)

  • Lizete S.

    I tried to give this place a third try and it just fails miserably. The two previous times we visited was rather late at night and since we were hungry-had limited options. The food was fair but not great. It's in the neighborhood and convenient but lacks quality. The rolls have too much rice ( break apart quite easily ) and the fish is quite inferior compared to other sushi places in the city. Service was so-so but nothing to rave about. I can't speak for the non-sushi dishes but will not return as there are better options elsewhere!

    (2)

  • Jeff A.

    Nama isn't awful Japanese food- it's just not great. I went with a friend for lunch and got a bento box and sushi platter. The fish were moist, but the rice was a little bit underseasoned. Also, it was a bit odd that my bento box didn't come with a miso soup, like every other bento box I've ordered. I think the highlight of my meal was the extra large Asahi I ordered. It was reasonably priced and drinking over lunch was great.

    (2)

  • David d.

    this place sucks. oily nasty overpriced. service even worse. hit tsunami.next door if your in the unfortunate position of looking for good sushi in san francisco

    (1)

  • kelly y.

    This review is for the sushi. Great variety and fresh. I haven't tried the other items on the menu. Service is always good take out or dine in.

    (4)

  • Jacqueline C.

    I want to give it a 3.5 Star! Not the best place for Sushi and Shashimi! But it's a good place for lunch -Bento Box. After running a few errands this morning, I suddenly have the crave for Sushi. I walked in the place since it's close to Safeway. This first thing I usually check when I am in JP restaurant is what language the Sushi Chef speaks. Oh, Korean here!. (please don't hate me). So I decided to have lunch box instead. I ordered Saba Shiroyaki with Tempura(as usually). The fish is extremely hot, reasonable size, tender juicy inside, crispy on the skin which is amazing. I tried different lunch boxes in neighborhood JP restaurants, the fish is always cold, chewy or too small. The Tempura is also hot! A little hard though. So far I haven't had any real Japanese style Tempura here. The oil they seems never right. Overall, good place for lunch in my neighborhood! Afterwards then you can get your nails done or go to Safeway getting groceries.

    (4)

  • Nate A.

    I came here for lunch and had a dismal experience. Let's start with the good. For the most part the lunch sushi combo I ordered was fine. The fish was pretty much fresh tasting, but the eel was a bit fishy and scaly tasting/feeling. Now the bad. The service was terrible, maybe because it was a game day but we waited about 10 or 15 minutes after being seated before they even took our order. Next, they forgot our miso soups before serving us our entrees. When the waiter returned with the soup another waitress ran into him spilling the soup all over me. It was on my shirt and pants. That's fine, everyone makes mistakes, but what followed was unacceptable. They served us new miso that was barely luke warm; this is a blessing and a curse because imagine how bad it would have been to have had scalding soup land on you, but then imagine how untasty cold miso soup is. When the bill came I expected even a nominal discount, say about 10 or 20% off without question. Instead we got the full bill and were asked if we'd like dessert which the waiter said he "um... could probably get for free". Sorry, at this point in the game you make it up to me by taking charge of the situation. I'm not upset that you spilled the soup on me but you should tell me that I'm getting some discount in my meal and if you want to offer me free food, tell me you can offer it, don't be wishy-washy about it. Wait staff FAIL. We took off without leaving a tip. At this point another waitress who had been intermittently helping us yelled out "You're going to smell!" Thanks lady, I think I'll head over to Safeway for sushi from now on.

    (1)

  • Rena Y.

    when: weekday delivery My coworker was literally grunting "sushi!" the whole afternoon at work, so the boss ordered some and had it delivered for dinner. Since he was the one who ordered, I dont really know the name of the rolls. I did try to taste every roll that was ordered. There were a few nigiri dishes, but I dont usually eat sashimi, so by the 2nd roll i was ready to spit it back out (amateur sushi eater here). There were a few spicy rolls, and ones that were topped off with this glop of tomato looking thing. They were alright. My favorite was a deep fried roll. It might've been the Crunchy Californian Roll, though I dont remember it being spicy at all (i have a low tolerance for spicy). Whatever it was, it was good and my coworker and i went back for seconds of it. I was too hungry to notice much else about the other sushis. Only the deep fried roll caught my attention, but everything else was alright. They delivered within 30 minutes, and gave us a huge helping of soy sauce and edamame. We have a lot of guys and they cleared off about 8 take out boxes worth of sushi. Very filling.

    (3)

  • Mike M.

    This place has the best Chicken Teriyaki I have ever had. I go to lunch here once or twice a week and takeout. Very good!

    (5)

  • Marc P.

    Anytime you have to walk your check up to the cashier (even though you're not supposed to), the service can't be considered good. The food wasn't offensive at this place (though it wasn't good either), but the service left much to be desired. Of course, if you're hungry, service ain't that big of a deal. Still looking for that jewel of a restaurant in SOMA.

    (2)

  • Ty L.

    I had good things to say about Nama Sushi until they recently sent me over the edge! During a business lunch they spilled two bowls of miso soup on two of us. Like, burning hot miso soup. They ruined a nice collared shirt and a sweater. We are normal customers and they didn't even apologize! When the bill came, 6 of us just put down cards. They gave us two victims our cards back. I thought this meant they were giving us our meals for free Later we realized that they just distributed the cost of the meals over the other cards! I'm never eating here again

    (1)

  • Nina L.

    Went back again last month to find that they've finally figured out how to get me back. They serve dolsot bibimpab! Since they're a Korean-owned establishment, it makes sense. Sushi is mediocre but their Korean dishes are better! Service is still slow and it took 20 minutes for the server to realize I had no utensils. *sigh*

    (2)

  • Jen E.

    First off, their sushi is fabulous; reasonably fresh and yummy - I especially like their sashimi, which I feel is a pretty good price if you share with a friend. Their noodles are decent and their bento boxes are generous. The various rolls they have are also satisfying. The problem is NOT the food. The problem I have with Nama is their SERVICE. If, like me, you work in the area and are looking for a flavorful, sit-down lunch, DO NOT go here. If, like me, you only have an hour for lunch, then you will most likely spend about 50 minutes of it waiting, wondering where the waiters/waitresses are and trying to flag one down (who will almost always ignore you) for a mere glass of water. The last 10 minutes of your lunch will be spent quickly scarfing down the food. Which sucks. Especially when you're eating sushi. Which, HELLO, should be savored and eaten at a relatively leisurely pace, am I right??? Anyway, the crazy-wait-bad-service thing has happened to me more than enough times that I have learned my lesson and just call in my order and pick-up, because they always seem to do those in a quick, timely fashion.

    (2)

  • Jayson V.

    Good sushi. Good Service. Reasonable prices. Clean place. Try the Yaki Tori. If you like spicy scallops, try the Love Roll. It's divine. The combination portions are quite ample. The harumaki is good too. I live near here, so I've been here a number of times. After a few spots of bad service early on, I've determined that this place is really quite great 99% of the time. I find that it's very consistent, and when I dislike a roll, it's probably because I really just don't like that combination.

    (5)

  • Kat P.

    Let me begin by explaining that our first family sushi experience was in Colorado--at a Japanese joint in a converted IHOP (nothing screams raw fish like a Solvang-style building in the middle of a land-locked state) so my parents' sushi-judging skills may be a bit skewed. But we like our raw fish, so we headed over to Nama. Here's the deal...My folks loved it. They got to order fom the hundreds of rolls with cheesy names reminding us that we are indeed in San Francisco (Giants Roll anyone, or how about a SOMA Roll--it's stuffed with raw, aspiring yuppies!) Which is exactly what frightens me...A truly decent sushi house doesn't need to hide their fish under rice, sauce--especially mayo, and veggies. That said, the sushi was okay...Nothing special, but we didn't drop dead from Salmonella neither. The main reason this place gets three stars is the service is fantastic. Our waitress was extremely personable and very attentive (even though we slipped in right as they were trying to close). Bottom line: if you're stuck in SOMA and craving some 'Colorado' with your raw fish, this is the place to go.

    (3)

  • Eli B.

    Several ways to make you experience at Nama pleasant: - Don't come when you've got someplace to be. - Don't come in big groups. - Avoid it when it's a game day or at peak lunch hours. If you abide by those simple rules, you will find it a highly pleasurable experience. I work nearby and I LOVE Nama. I'm not a sushi connoisseur by any stretch, but Nama serves consistently tasty and inventive rolls and the wait staff is friendly. Yes, sometimes they need a little prompting, but once they know you, you're good to go. Oh, and the house roll is ORGASMIC.

    (4)

  • claudia y.

    ive come here a few times since it is close to where my bf lives. if we are craving japanese food or just something thats good and close by, we walk over to nama. the food is pretty consistent. sushi is fresh. most of the time i get the vegetable sukiyaki. they give a lot of clear noodles which i love. i just realized it was run by korean people. they were all speaking korean in there! the service is inconsistent. sometimes they seem really attentive. sometimes not so much. i would recommend this place to anyone nearby who wants japanese.

    (3)

  • Laurence H.

    No-no for Nama.... There are so many things wrong with this place that I can hardly begin. The greeting is weak, no hot towel service, the gomae (spinach) was a bit wilted, and the sushi could have easily come from the Safeway across the street.... I'm not here to hurt hardworking businesses but at the same time I'm not sure I think wasting money on food is a good idea either. For those who aren't picky about their sushi and want a convenient location off the muni-line that has a large selection of sushi rolls and watch Monday Night Football, this could be a place for you. All others, go with Plan B.

    (1)

  • Maria C.

    If you're a restaurant manager and want a project, here's one for you. I've had less than stellar service here before in terms of turnaround and accuracy in orders, but today was absolutely amazing. You'd think these people didn't realize that most people only get an HOUR for their lunch HOUR. And HOUR AND A HALF after arriving, our food came out only the order wasn't right. We sent it back and asked to have it corrected and that we'd take it to go. Back at the office, hunched over our desks, we opened our now to- go orders...and it was STILL WRONG. This is the only sushi place within walking distance of my office, but I think next time I want sushi, I'll save myself the afternoon and frustration and get sushi at Safeway.

    (1)

  • Belén T.

    Great neighborhood joint. Solid sushi at reasonable prices.

    (4)

  • Raymond S.

    I had a Ramen, the soup was very plain, I have add some soy sauce to it. It is the worst Ramen I ever had. This place is pretty pricey too compare to the quality of the food.

    (1)

  • Alicia K.

    I am so lucky to have so many good places to eat near where I work. I have been wanting to go here for ages but there is always a line out the door ( good sign). Plus, my assistant is alergic to eggs and avacado and doesnt like sushi. So we just never went. One day we FINALLY stopped and looked at the menu and he was able to pick out a few things he wanted to try. We got there a little early and good thing cause it got crowded quick. You can either sit at the bar or at a table, we went for the table, always gotta make room for people watching. The place was really clean and had alot of selection. I went with a few different sushi rolls and some edamame ( sp). My assistant got a box with chicken. Everything was really tasty! It is pretty pricey, but sushi always is. Next time I go I want to go at the end of the day so I can indulge in their selection of Japanese beers...yum!

    (4)

  • Brooke G.

    I like Nama. It is a little pricey, but I appreciate the openness of the decor, the friendly waiter, and the TV showing football. Granted, I have had mixed dining experiences here. When the place is not busy, and by that I mean at most three other customers, the service is great and relatively quick. I have been given free appetizers and green tea, and free things make me happy. However, with more than three customers, the kitchen gets totally overwhelmed. I have had my food come out in entirely the wrong order and not at all synchronized. As to the food, it is pretty good as long as you don't get too far out there. The specialty rolls are too expensive as far as I am concerned and can get a little strange, but the spicy tuna and tempura rolls are yummy. Good gyoza too. So, go if the Giants aren't in town and you have a little time. Oh, and it is closed Sundays, to my frequent, forgetful disappointment.

    (4)

  • Sarah S.

    Well, I have to admit that this place was far more intriguing when it was Mel's. But Nama's sushi isn't horrible at all, and I like to keep it in the 'hood when I can. I'm usually more of a sea urchin and quail egg kind of a girl, but ended up at this place with my friend Jessica and her friend Jessica, who prefer the fancy rolls. It was probably for the best. I think we tried 3 or 4 rolls, and they were all OK; the House Roll was reminiscent of an In-N-Out burger and the Lobster Mango roll was a little sweet for my taste, but both were, again, OK. I mistakenly pronounced Aji with a soft "a" and it seemed to throw the waitress off completely; I may have a *totally socal, like, accent* going for myself at times, but I do happen know the difference between Saba and Aji, so I was disappointed when she brought me the wrong kind of mackerel nigiri. The interior is so slick and pretty that I almost can't mourn the anachronistic chalet motif of Mel's. Overall, Nama is an acceptable neighborhood joint. I give it two Jessicas.

    (3)

  • Michael M.

    I had lunch here with a co-worker who is also an old college class mate. She and I have been meaning to go out for lunch and today we finally did! This review is on the bento boxes. I can't eat sushi =( Sucks! I had the spicy chicken bento box. chicken was good! well seasoned but certainly nothing that I would call "spicy." We had ordered the tempura calamari as an appetizer and that was really disappointing. We both agreed the calamari was way too rubbery and tough. I had sent it back and they brought a new order back. It too was rubbery to be enjoyable. I usually have a great time at Nama even though they sorta take a long time during lunch to serve. Overall the meal was good, but I certainly will not order the calamari if that's the intended texture. Blah!

    (3)

  • Peanut S.

    nama sushi, we have a situation over here. you just served... the WORST chirashi sushi ever. the sushi was horribly bland even tho I used cups of soy sauce, wasabi and the entire sriracha sauce thingy you gave me. had the spicy version, yo! the rice tasted day old. how did you do that? the chicken yakitori, on the other hand, was crazy salty! if i was a hamster, I'd be in heaven with that salt lick. but nama sushi, i'm human! and, I don't think humans should have to pay SOMA prices for your totally big ole let down japanese food - officially the WORST japanese food that I ever ate. congratulations for sucking!

    (1)

  • H K.

    Just an update to my recent update. I went here this past Friday and apparently they stopped the 10 percent discount for cash for now. The waittress said the owner may pick up on that again in December.

    (4)

  • Evan B.

    As my friend who took me there said, "its value sushi". Got out of there with a couple of beers, some seaweed salad, and some sashimi for like 30bucks. Not bad at all for a quick fix or for lunch.

    (3)

  • Ann M.

    When the slaving masses in this hood find time to sneak out for 45 minutes of good ol' Americanized Japanese food, we go to Nama. There, we indulge in sticky sweet chicken teriyaki, mayo-slopped California rolls made with imitation crab, and powder-based miso soup. It gets rather busy for lunch because the bento box specials rock -- at least when you're in the mood for that sort of a sushi experience. If you're expecting melt-in-your-mouth sashimi and chirashi that'll make your tongue dance, don't come here. (Um, DUH guys.)

    (3)

  • Danny C.

    As someone who appreciates Japanese food, I was delighted to find such an establishment not two blocks from the Fourth and King Caltrain station after missing the 8:25pm Southbound. Nama is part of a chain, apparently, also having businesses on 270 Portero and Walnut Creek. After being greeted by the hyper-energetic sushi chef behind the bar (who was also a bit lacking in English skills), I was seated at the bar by a waitress. Midway through a always delicious Soporro and Mizo Soup, I ordered the "Spicy Assorted Fish over Rice" dish (the Japanese name for it escapes me at the moment). The food was AMAZING. It was probably the best Japanese entre I've ever had outside of London (and by that measure, certainly the most affordable!). The waitress also had the courtesy to throw in a dish of edamame free of charge. "You look bored," she remarked as she slid the beans in front of me. They made a nice compliment to the previously mentioned spicy fish and rice. You can be sure that the waitress and the chefs got nice tips. Nama has a few flatscreen TVs placed around the walls which were nice for me but I imagine could be distracting/annoying if I was with a group. If it was not for the Dave Matthews' Greatest Hits CD playing (softly) over the speakers, this place would have gotten five stars. Make it four for their poor choice in music.

    (4)

  • A D.

    Walked in on a whim after my finals at school, was sooo hungry! I thought there were too many items on the menu, but in a nutshell the combos are your usual pork, chicken, and beef in variations...and they are pricey. I guess this was so since there aren't a lot of asian markets along King street compared to Clement street were restaurants worked out deals with produce markets, thereby they get it at inexpensive cost and customers eat at lower price. The service was okay, the waitress and I met at "hello", sat down, and was pretty much left on my own risk decision making experience. So to play it safe, I ordered the chicken teriyaki. It was a bit too saucy so it was unpleasantly salty! the tea was cold and been watered down. I've had better japanese food but at King street , cold at night, and a long ways from home, what can I do but accept the darn check and pay it.

    (1)

  • Jason S.

    If you're going to overcharge for average to below average Japanese food in a souless venue that could just as easily be in Salinas as San Francisco, at least get me my food in a timely fashion. A 30 minute wait for a bento box similar to the one I get in less than 5 minutes down the street from my office for lunch is not acceptable. As with the other night, I'm only going here if (a) I'm starving, (b) nothing else in the area is open, and (c) I'm too tired/lazy/hungry to leave the area. Oh and (d) I find a twenty in a jacket pocket and thus don't mind severely overpaying for my food. Other than that, this place is great!!!

    (2)

  • Tatiana R.

    We go to Namma fairly regularly, because it is conveniently located near my husband's work. We actually really love the exotic fancy rolls here, especially the Dream Gina. The spicy sauce is always nice. However, I won't give it more than 4 stars because the sashimi isn't the best, not as fresh as I would want. The menu is heavy on shrimp rolls. The miso is a bit thin. If you're in the neighborhood and looking for a good, reasonably priced lunch, it's a great place. If you love fun, exotic rolls, this place will inspire your appetite. But if you're a sushi gourmand who seeks out excellent ingredients, then you may be less thrilled about Nama.

    (3)

  • Lissa K.

    It's fine, it seems fresh enough, ingredients are okay and the service is decent. It's just not fantastic. And don't you want fantastic sushi? I do. Better off going somewhere fun and better like ryoko's. Then again, Nama is about 2 steps away from my house and I'm lazy... so yeah, I'll be back.

    (3)

  • DeRonnie P.

    This place is a great spot to grab good sushi at a decent price. The staff is super friendly. My girlfriend and I go there all of the time, and we are always greeted with a smile and pleasant conversation. In terms of the neighborhood, I'd say it's the best place to eat on in South Beach. Huge menu and assortment of rolls, nigiri, and shashimi. Would push to 5 stars but not a big fan of the ramen there.

    (4)

  • Sandy L.

    I was craving for Sukiyaki last night after drinking, so we walked over to Nama. Nama is the only place I ever had Sukiyake...so I really have nothing to compare with. Is it suppose to be sooooo sweet? I actually really enjoy it on a cold day or night, but last night was HOT...wth was I thinking???!??? haha

    (3)

  • Shawna G.

    I don't eat sushi...but the other stuff on the menu is pretty good. The scene is great with a lot of locals and its usually easy to get a table any night of the week. As with all the places in this neighborhood it's crowded during home baseball games.

    (3)

  • christopher h.

    the sushi here is actually pretty terrible to be honest, but it was really close to where i lived awhile back. I've only been here wasted so ive always had fun here, so imma go ahead and give it 4 stars because i have to support my peoples, even though im not a fan of the japanese because of what they did to us in ww2.

    (4)

  • Vortex X.

    Went for a quick bite for dinner here on Saturday night and had a great time (despite the nay-saying commentators here). The mixed sashimi appetizer was fresh, tasty and plentiful. The Dragon Roll sushi was a nice entree meal size and tasted delicious. The Terriyaki Chicken was tasty, lean, and not over grilled. The service was attentive, and courteous without being overbearing. The menu selection is significantly larger than another recently opened Mission Bay Japanese restaurant - which is great if you're after a decent sized (hot) meal ;-) Overall i'd definitely recommend Nama for a quick and tasty Japanese meal.

    (4)

  • L L.

    I would have given this place a 2 star the first time...3 star the second try, and now it's a pretty consistent 4. The sashimi has improved greatly in freshness and flavor. Ask the chef what is fresh today. The rice is a little less than good. But the katsu don is fantastic, all 3 times I've had it.

    (4)

  • Margaret T.

    I love the rolodex of pictures of their menu items. Very helpful indeed. Overall, great food and convenient location (if you're going to a Giants game at least) and I'll definitely come back another time. On our most recent visit, the BF and I ordered the Dragon Roll and Ryan Roll, both of which were delicious, along with an order of Chicken Katsu. It was the perfect portion for two, plus miso soup and salad for both. I've been here twice and haven't been disappointed yet. Definitely recommended, as they have a very extensive menu to choose from.

    (4)

  • Melanie N.

    **EDIT** - just found out that the same people own I Love Teryaki over at Potrero Center....why is it that they're so much faster, cheaper and better than Nama?! BOO. Wow, this place has taken a beating! Granted, I've only been here once but I believe it deserves more than one star. I do agree with Omid about the KOIT radio being a bit odd....but the food I had was decent. The do know how to do seaweed salad correctly, and being that I could live on this stuff, they get 3 stars from me. (See edit note). However that being said, it was a bit slow considering there weren't many of us there. The servers were friendly enough, but we had to remind them about my Spicy Tuna Roll (after my eating companion had almost finished their sashimi plate!) It was obviously forgotten because that takes no time to make. I agree with anothe reviewer in that the size of the rolls are a bit small, but it was still good. Would I go back again? Yes, if I was in the area and didn't feel like traveling to one my favorite sushi haunts in the city. But the fact of the matter is, there are SO many good sushi restaurants that are just a short cab ride/drive away, unless you are in lazy mode or need something quick (although I hesistate to say this place is quick), it's more worth it to head to somewhere that's consistently better!

    (2)

  • Tiff T.

    I would rather eat the sushi across the street at Safeway.

    (2)

  • Jaclyn G.

    Satisfactory experience overall. The food is darn good but the service and staff are horrible. I went in with a friend of mine and we were ignored for a while then given hot tea in a plastic cup. Who does that? The guy taking our order looked like he was going to kill us if we asked for anything. It was weird but not uncommon. My fiance just gets the food to go now which works fine. He loves the Udon. I love the miso and sushi. Go for it. But wear your thick skin.

    (3)

  • Drew W.

    Decent Japanese cuisine generally accompanied by an inexplicable wait or at least one oversight in your order (or both). I find myself coming back due to its proximity to work, but it's rare I don't come away frustrated. The last time I came, I ordered a roll and bowl of udon as did my co-worker. They proceeded to bring out 3 rolls and one bowl of udon. Now I hate to be picky, but 4 items should be fairly easy to keep straight - it's not exactly rocket science. It then took 30 minutes to bring out the the other bowl of udon to correct the order. The explanantion was that the soup took time to prepare. Well unless they were melting down a glacier back in the kitchen, 30 minutes to boil soup is absurd. If you have a strong urge for Japanese, Nama will get the job done. On the other hand, I would argue it's generally not worth the aggravation.

    (2)

  • H. L.

    this place is just a couple of blocks from my place and across the street from the bf's office, so we come here (too) often. if i happen to be driving my car here, i would park in the safeway lot across the street (free with validated parking, but 90 minutes max). our favorite rolls are: love roll (baked scallops on california roll with mayo based sauce) craig roll (soft shelled crab, tempura shrimp, crab meat, lettuce, tabiko & some other stuff) mikey roll (spicy scallop on top of a cherry blossom roll) they also offer 10% off your bill if you decide to pay chase, and there's a wells fargos across the street and a chase next door. :)

    (5)

  • Omid T.

    Oyako Donburi. It's a morbidly cute name for a chicken and egg dish meaning "parent and child rice bowl." It also happens to be one of the simplest, most satisfying Japanese meals out there, packing a lot of flavor for so few ingredients. Here's how you make it: In a skillet, start frying up some onions and chunks of boneless/skinless chicken breast. Sprinkle in some dashi - this is bonito stock. It's totally inoffensive, but some people can't stand anything fishy, so you can use shiitake dashi (mushroom stock) for the same effect. Add some soy sauce, some sugar, maybe a little water if things are getting too thick/sticky in the pan. When everything's cooked down, beat an egg and throw it over everything. You'll have a loose omelettey type thing, and when the egg's texture is to your liking, you throw it all over a big, steaming bowl of Japanese rice. Simple, right? I'm putting up this recipe in the hopes that the people at Nama figure it out. Their oyako donburi - one of the easiest things you could possibly make - is BLAND. Their miso soup - another super-easy Japanese staple - is BLAND. Hell, I'd go so far as to say their drinking water is BLAND. Which is really a shame. The location's great, it's shiny and new, and the interior's immaculate. The servers are friendly, the sushi-yas are nice, and they're only slightly overpriced, but given the neighborhood, it's not unexpected. So why, why, why must the food be so uninspired and bland? Why is there bright pink, flavorless, rubbery kamaboko (fish cake) being used as garnish on my chicken dish? Why are they playing KOIT to a crowd that's obviously 15-25 years under that BLAND station's demographic? Well, these questions will likely go unanswered, as I probably won't be coming back. In the meantime, if you ever want to try a *real* oyako donburi, shoot me a message.

    (1)

  • Lisa B.

    I am done eating sushi rolls. No more rolls for me. That is my conclusion. I always end up feeling like a bloated mess. A salty bloated mess. Anyway, this place was definitely underwhelming. Clearly the reviews support that, so it wasn't a surprise. I have rarely eaten miso soup that was THAT bad. Dirty bathwater would have almost been more appealing. However, in their defense the fish was actually quite good. I wish I had skipped all the rolls - I ordered a California roll (why??!??!) and a tempura roll (double why?!?!??!) and just ordered a 4,000,000 piece order of Toro sashimi. YUM. It was really, really flavorful and buttery. The green tea was served in one of those diner-style hard textured plastic cups. That was one of the weirder moments. However...everyone there was very friendly, and I must have gotten lucky - even though there was a home game at the stadium, my timing was right and the place had just cleared out. One final note....the tables were just a little too high for me. And I am not freakishly small...let's just say tables being too high is not a problem I normally face.

    (2)

  • James T.

    I was referred to this place by a friend and came away very satisfied. The sushi menu is very extensive and I like how they have pictures of a lot of their rolls for visual/lazy people. There are a lot of your standard combinations but they do have a few unique ones. Its the first place that also took the rind off the lemon when placing it on top of sushi rolls. Service for the sushi was pretty quick. Our chicken terriyaki took a little longer. (we both slowly ate the 2 rolls we ordered and salads/miso soup) before the chicken came out. It was not over cooked and served sizzling on a bed of onion and zuccini. I do like their terriyaki sauce compared to other places because the sauce was not overly strong to the point where you had to have rice to eat it.

    (4)

  • Suzanne T.

    They might be great for sushi but this place is not for vegetarians. They gave no thought to the vegetarian plate. I felt like I was in Kentucky.

    (2)

  • Steve M.

    Not much I can say that hasnt already been said. This place is so so and just does the trick.

    (3)

  • Shawn B.

    Best priced and tasting sushi in San Francisco. Hands down. Dragon and Ryan rolls are unreal.

    (5)

  • Sam T.

    Standard sushi joint. No reason to go out of your way to eat here unless you happen to be around the area. The chicken teriyaki was good and the salmon and white tuna sashimi were decent, not the freshest. The service here gets an A for effort. The server was attentive enough to clear my table of scraps of paper and he asked me for more tea before I left. But he leaves my check on the opposite side of the table.

    (3)

  • Young Y.

    Pretty solid food. They just started coming out with ramen!

    (5)

  • Melissa P.

    Melissa and I have visited 4 times now so we feel ready to write this review. We eat a lot of sushi and believe the quality here stands up to many of the better sushi places in town. Service is competent. The atmosphere is nothing to rave about so we prefer to take out. Street parking in this area is always challenging. So if you're not walking, park at underground at Safeway, pick up a few items (a couple of big Sapporo's) and get your ticket validated! We like the wide variety and creativity of the menu...there are a ton of rolls to choose from if that's how you like your sushi. On our most recent trip, I walked in to place the order, sat at the sushi bar, was given complimentary tea and watched a bit of TV while waiting. The staff was friendly and I didn't think the wait was excessive. We had edamame, tempura, some nigiri (sake and hamatchi), and 4 rolls (crunchy California, Love roll, Dragon, and one other) for $55. (Watch out for the spicy rolls on the menu...they really are spicy!) We went a bit overboard on the ordering...eyes bigger than stomach. Still, it gives you a sense for what you can get for the price. If your into sushi and near this neighborhood, we feel it is definitely worth a visit...especially to take home and enjoy with a good movie! M&M

    (3)

  • Sherene C.

    Since I live close to Nama I was really hoping for a good neighborhood sushi place. But I got sick after eating there - twice. Ugh. We got some sashimi and a couple rolls and the fish just wasn't fresh. I only added one star because I went back one time for some ramen and it was pretty good. If you stick with the non-sushi items it might be fine, but I definitely don't recommend the sushi.

    (2)

  • Tom K.

    I've been to this place maybe a dozen times for lunch during the work week. Its become my favorite place down here for a sit down type of meal. The bento boxes give you plenty of food. I usually get the Chicken Terryakai as the all the other chicken bento's are deep fried. The place is usually really busy during the main lunch hours but they have a ton of tables so usually there is space. The meal comes quickly, although a few times we had to wait a long time to get the check. Also, the bento boxes don't come with miso, it has to be ordered separately, and I don't really get that. But overall a good place especially when considering the limited options in the neighborhood.

    (4)

  • Jennifer L.

    If you work in the area, your lunch choices are fairly limited, unless you can sneak out for more than an hour. If not, and you're craving sushi, Nama is fine. I've been here twice while visiting friends who work across the street. Nama gets packed during lunch hours, and service can be a little slow, but not unbearable. I've tried various sushi rolls and the sushi lunch, which is all nigiri. Both were fine with me, although I'm not a huge fan of the fake crab/mayo in the California roll. Friend ordered the spicy pork bento, which took a lot longer to arrive at the table than the rest of our food, so that's a service problem. Certainly not award winning sushi or service, but when you need your sushi fix and you don't have much time, Nama suffices. If you're really in a time crunch, you can order for pick up.

    (3)

  • Sarah R.

    Pros: Really fun, tasty, inventive rolls. Huge selection. Fresh sushi. Cons: Often extremely slow service. Sometimes they get a bit confused. I think they just haven't quite figured some things out yet. BUT I will say that they seem to be getting better. In sum: If you're feeling chill and don't mind a wait, this place is really quite good for some tasty affordable sushi.

    (3)

  • David W.

    We tried the Teriyaki Chicken combination set and the Chicken Nanban. Both were the saltiest dishes we've ever had. The teriyaki chicken was burnt in places too. The only saving grace was the serving size, but that doesn't excuse the poor quality.

    (2)

  • n s.

    2.5 stars. I've eaten the Oyako Don, Saba, Udon and Salmon Teriyaki - all take out. Everything was OK, not great. I live very close to Nama and only go there weekdays when I have no other options, and even then I always feel like I've paid 20-30% too much for what I got.

    (2)

  • David K.

    Not a bad sushi place, but not amazing either. I was there with 4 other people and they brought out our rolls on one big tray and we had to dish them out for ourselves; that part was kind of weird. The spicy tuna roll that I had was in fact pretty darn spicy, but not enough to be uncomfortable. Sounds like the Bento boxes would have been the way to go if you're looking for a value, but some of the simpler rolls (6 pieces) are around 6 dollars so that's a pretty good deal too. Would definitely come back, but would not go here to impress someone or with someone more picky about their sushi.

    (3)

  • Elizabeth H.

    The sushi here is good but nothing special. I thought the raw fish was fresh and the spider roll tasty. Service was excellent. Very attentive and quick. Not sure if I'd go back unless I was in the neighborhood.

    (2)

  • Sasha A.

    I liked it, but maybe the rolls tasted better because the large hot sake came out in a big tea pot and I had lost my senses by then! haha That was the best part. It easily serves 6 people, and was about the same price as a small decanter at a trendier restaurant. I thought the selection of specialty rolls was good. The Nama roll was tasty, and the seaweed salad was one of the best I've had. They definitely could improve the ambience with better lighting and music, and cleaning the tables faster. Hint: park in the Safeway lot at the Beacon and get it validated at Safeway. Gives you 90 minutes free parking if there's nothing on the street.

    (3)

  • Keith B.

    The negative review seem to mostly be from people who ordered non-sushi dishes - I had sushi and it was pretty good. I wasn't really impressed but it's in a good location and it would be an ok place to drop by if you're in the area.

    (3)

  • Ivan M.

    Nama is one of those places that you like sometimes, but really get frustrated the rest of the time. Having been to Nama several times at different times, the same things usually happens... Going in, I find the decor and setup to be very nice. The decor is clean and well laid out. The staff greeting you warmly and I get my table, but then things taper off from there. Right away the waiters are slow to my table to take the drink/whole order. Drinks come slowly, drink by drink. The food comes bit by bit too. A bit too long between entrees, you know? Sometimes they check up on my party, sometimes they don't until you ask for the check. Are they young? New? I don't know, but I've come to Nama over the course of a year and shouldn't that been enough time to get your act together? The food, however, is good. Specialty rolls are good and different. Bento boxes and tempura are fine, but nothing is out of this world. The prices of everything is what you expect from the neighborhood, not something you want every week. But if you're in the area, Nama will hit the spot if you have the time to wait for it.

    (2)

  • Adam W.

    Even though I didn't feel motivated to write this review for a long time, I do feel like I need to voice my opinion. This restaurant is the perfect example of unrealized potential. It's a great location, features inviting layout and decor, and could probably be packed 7 nights a week if they paid a little more attention to customer feedback. When people are constantly raising the same concerns, you have to believe there's some validity to them. Personally, I thought it was a little overpriced. In their defense, though, they don't cut corners with the amount of food. I felt the prep and presentation were noteworthy. Unfortunately, I also experienced a disappearing act by the waitress. It was a very slow night, so there was no excuse to keep me waiting for things like my check. I thought my meal was very tasty, but about on par with the food at Moshi Moshi (3rd and 18th St.). Ultimately, Nama is not worth the extra money to me, and Moshi^2 is still my go-to neighborhood sushi spot. Sure, your rolls might look a little better at Nama, but that's not enough to justify coming here regularly. Bring down the price a hair and work on service, though, and I'd swear by this restaurant.

    (3)

  • Milton W.

    I've gone here on numerous occassions and although most of those times have been somewhat okay, there was one time that I had some bad tuna sashimi that had me tossing it back up alnight. I haven't gone back since, but I may since its one of the only good Japanese restaurants in my area.

    (3)

  • Amina B.

    This place definitely isn't authentic Japanese but I don't really think it claims to be. So I rate it 3 stars on the point scale for Americanized Japanese places. It gets points because: -it is decent relative to Mission Bay options at lunchtime -bento box portions are good -sake sashimi was fresh -tuna poki with seaweed salad- okay, I realize it is so not authentic, but i really liked this cause I love all spicy-creamy-mayo-based sauces! Minus points for these items in which even white-washed japanese places should still get right... -sushi rolls fell apart -service is definitely lacking, I don't think our waitress was rude, just confused and inexperienced - and really, should they be playing the discovery channel on that huge flat screen? not really appetizing to watch a lasik eye surgery while i'm trying to eat lunch!

    (3)

  • Lauren H.

    Yet another place in this neighborhood that I really want to be better than it is. The first time I was there, I had acceptable tofu soba. The next time, some soba noodle tempura soup thing. The noodles and tempura were fine, but the broth was so foul that I could barely eat a few bites. It is seriously bad. The place is packed because there isn't much competition and it is a nice looking place, but I won't be rushing back.

    (2)

  • Lisa R.

    Ever wanted a night of delicious Japanese cuisine without the wait and fuss? Then go here! There's never much of a wait and the service is great. The rolls are creative and the sashimi are always fresh.

    (4)

  • R M.

    Blah! I came here for lunch once because it looked full (had to be good right?... Wrong!). Sushi tasted stale, service was ok at best, and prices were high because of the location. I really do wish there was a good sushi place within walking of caltrain.... Oh well, guess you can't have everything.

    (2)

  • Albertino M.

    It was Friday Aug. 7 2009 the giants vs. reds. So, me and a fellow co-worker decided to attend the game and given the fact it was also bobblehead night give away. We were in line waiting to get our bobble on...After that we got a chance to walk around the neighborhood so we did. At about 4:30 we started to look for a place to get a snack nothing big until unbeknownst we came upon Nama. We order a scallop foil wrap roll that was oozing with hotness and something like thousand island dressing seriously , i think that roll was name The Love Roll it didnt make any love to me or my co-worker. The place is what it is around that neighborhood other head over to any of the sushi places on geary blvd youre gonna find better food and love:)

    (2)

  • Joy A.

    Come on peeps! This sushi place is one of the BEST in SF! Another yummy one is in West Portal (Fiji Sushi). But Nama has the best specialty sushi rolls! I had the Nama, salmon skin roll, chicken teriyaki and salad there. Split everything with the BF and we both enjoyed it. The service was great and the sushi came out super fast. Try it for yourself!! You won't be disappointed!

    (5)

  • Tommy T.

    The food at Nama is mediocre at best... which would be fine if prices were low enough to make up for the lack of quality. But things are overpriced. The portions served are also on the small side. It's sad as Nama is the only sushi place in the area.

    (2)

  • eileen b.

    This sushi restaurant belongs somewhere in the Midwest. Not to insult midwesterners, but sushi-eaters in San Francisco know what's good and what's not. And this place, is not. Their sushi is overpriced and anything but outstanding. The Udon came out warm, and when we complained about it, the misunderstanding waitress took it back and put ice in it. I don't think Udon is supposed to be iced. If you were as excited as I was to see a new restaurant in the neighborhood, be excited no longer. This is one worth skipping.

    (2)

  • Dean F.

    Not bad - but to be fair, I'm all about ramen which is pretty hard to screw up. Menu was decent and I'd go back, but I don't know if I'd cross town for it.

    (3)

  • Sam N.

    I go to Nama frequently, because in my opinion it is the best Sushi in SOMA/South Beach area. There is certainly better sushi other places in the city, but if you are in SOMA and want sushi, this would be my recommendation. The service is always good, the prices are reasonable, and the atmosphere is typical.

    (4)

  • Aaron M.

    Good food, but service leaves something to be desired. After reading other reviews, I was a little unsure about this place, but decided to give it a try anyway. I think after trying it, I'd say people have been a little harsh. Now, I'm not a fish eater, so I didn't try the sushi, but I really liked the chicken teriyaki, tempura, miso soup, gyoza, etc. They do need more selection of wines by the glass and the service was pretty slow, but I thought the food was generally tasty.

    (4)

  • Byron W.

    Really good fusion sushi. Also loved the Sapporo on tap. Definitely would visit again. Try the Giants roll,

    (3)

  • A To The C.

    I've only been here for lunch. Overall the food is good and quick. Though the service is quick I wouldn't call it good. They are pretty bad at refilling anything...water, tea, you name it. A good lunch place, can't say I would go here for dinner unless it was take out.

    (3)

  • Jen Ken H.

    J says: Just ok for the food. Came with low expectations based on the reviews we read here and only came because it's one of the few Japanese joints in the area. Very extensive menu with at least 50 different rolls, but was a bit too much to read through for me. Service started off friendly but got annoying towards the end when 3 different servers each came over twice to ask if we were done with the meal. Then they slapped us with the check before we could ask for dessert. The place wasn't even half full and we were rushed out the door - not cool. Would probably only eat here again if we craved Japanese and didn't feel like driving. K says: Sad that they had all of South Beach awaiting their arrival, and they flopped like week-old sashimi. The rolls were ok/blah, the tempura was ok/blah, the service was just blah. If it were 50% cheaper, it'd be worth a visit. Given the prices though, their fate is sealed - in the garbage, just like the week-old sashimi.

    (2)

  • Elena N.

    ummm, this place is ok. Good for a fast sushi fix, and I tend to stay away from the majority of the "gourmet rolls" because of the preponderance of cream cheese in said rolls. The miso soup is a bit too gritty for my taste but will also do in a pinch. However, my standard go to rolls of spider crab, shrimp tempura and spicy tuna are good here. The only thing is that the rolls tend to fall apart when you pick them up, which can make for some awkward eating when you're trying to decide in 0.2 seconds whether or not you can actually shove the whole piece of sushi in your mouth before the whole thing unrolls and falls into your lap. But if you can't have a challenge while eating, where's the fun in that?

    (3)

  • Elizabeth A.

    Great sushi! Great prices. If you are in the area it I say go there!

    (4)

  • Shannon E.

    Good sushi, lots of rolls to choose from. Parking situation can be good or bad, depending on whether there's a game or function going on at the ballpark.

    (3)

  • K B.

    This place is getting a lot better. I think this is a first time job for the entire wait staff, and now, after 8months of fucking up....they are finally getting it right and realizing that when drinks are empty, they should be refilled, when you seat your guests, you shold take their order within 5-8min....not 20-30. The Ashley Roll is a personal favorite --- and Vegetarian. I love tempura in rolls and this is a great roll with CREAM CHEESE....YAY!

    (4)

  • Rada I.

    REALLY not into it... their rice is so thick (or something). I don't know what it is, but it's definitely NOT amazing.

    (2)

  • Cat S.

    It's the only sushi place around, so it is busy on any given day. Pro: Seaweed salad is tasty. Con: Being a bit of a purist, I find their extensive list of rolls annoying. Some of them include 4 different kinds of fish, canceling out the sublety of the flavors. It's like the american approach to a sandwhich. Also, the service is slow and the waiters *never* come to check on you.

    (2)

  • Polly C.

    I've only had their lunch specials, mainly because I can't afford their dinner items. My experience with Nama usually goes something like this: 1. Place a call for pick-up 2. Walk 3. Stand around the restaurant looking mighty embarassed as I am wearing rubber ducky pajamas in a sea of Prada suits and Coach bags. 4. Pick-up order 5. Walk 6. Enjoy delish food I recommend the Chicken Udon. The Udon is flavorful and the noodles are cooked to perfection. The Chicken Teriyaki is decent, however I'm not a huge fan of the wilted salad and sparse dressing that comes with it.

    (4)

  • Marissa R.

    One of my favorite things about going to Nama (though this may be a negative thing for people who are not as cheesy as me) is the early 90's VH1 -type music mix that's almost always the soundtrack for my visit. Call me crazy, but it makes me happy to hear some good old 'Hey Jealousy' while I consume my yummy but totally unhealthy deep fried roll. Aside from that... Nama has tasty and inventive specialty rolls, though rolls that include 'spicy sauce' tend to be covered in copious amounts of a mayonnaise-based sauce that's barely spicy at all. My favorite treat may be the baseball roll, the aforementioned deep fried roll that includes smoked salmon, cream cheese, and green onions. Sure, it's totally inauthentic, but I'm not too concerned about that, since it tastes damn good! The tempura is good, the miso could be better (last time I had it, the miso tasted like it had half a shaker of salt in it), and we always order the edamame hot as we've been served cold edamame here a few times, which we can't stand. The teriyaki chicken and beef are decent. The service can be spotty, but I've never experienced the dismal service that so many others have mentioned. We come here probably once a month (we live down the street), and each time we're generally out in about 45 minutes. All in all, not the best sushi I've ever had in my life, but I'm still glad to have Nama in my hood.

    (3)

  • Thomas W.

    Something is wrong with Yelp. Nama at 2.5 stars is far superior in every way to Sushi Fantastic (3 stars). I actually passed up going there because the folks here at yelp hate on it so much. Go, its good, its really good. It was fast, the fish, not fishy, the service was on. I dont know if I would fly my friends in to go there, but, its a great place for lunch!

    (4)

  • Brian K.

    I eat here all the time and have always enjoyed the service s well as the sushi. I have never had the noodle / grill options. Cant understand why they get so many bad reviews...

    (4)

  • Boss H.

    I ate lunch there recently and thought it was pretty good. Had a salmon teriyaki bento box. The box I had included salmon teriyaki, rice, salad, some pickled cucumber (or something that seemed to be cucumber) and tempura (included two shrimps and 3-4 vegetables). I was surprised how much food it was (and as you can see from my photo, I can eat). They were supposed to substitute the salad for miso soup and ended up giving me the salad and miso soup, at no extra cost. Total cost was $11.50 (plus tip, of course). The people who work there seem very nice. Can't speak to the sushi, but the restaurant was half full on a Saturday afternoon and it didn't look as bad as people say, it just probably isn't as good as some of the really good sushi places in SF. Would eat there again. UPDATE, I tried the sushi here and have removed a star. Very mediocre. I'll stick to the cooked lunch options.

    (3)

  • Will A.

    Nama is just about what you'd expect in a sushi restaurant next to a baseball stadium. Which is to say that it's good but very American, and with a heavy focus on big fancy rolls. Although you can do much better elsewhere, the fish is definitely fresh and tasty. I'd probably go back if I was on King St, wanting sushi, and feeling incredibly lazy.

    (3)

  • Asya K.

    Know what to expect when you come to Nama. You will get some great rolls (see picture menus they have available). You will get slow services. The rest of the food is okay -- obviously people's opinions and tastes vary, but I've never had anything bad here. But two things are always consistent: excellent rolls and slow service.

    (4)

  • Amber G.

    I have been here several times with my husband, and even with my mother and stepfather, who are all very discerning sushi addicts. Each time, the fish has been extremely fresh and of high quality, and the creative, unique rolls have been out of this world. There are literally pages of rolls with creative combinations I'd never heard of before--spicy tuna rolls fried in tempura (!), to give one example. I have not met a dish or roll or piece of fish here that did not delight my senses. To top it all off, the prices are extremely reasonable. My husband and I can go out and have a great meal--with beer and tip--for $75, which for sushi is fantastic value. This is the only sushi restaurant in our neighborhood, but that doesn't mean we settle when we go there!

    (4)

  • Neha A.

    Oh Man - I feel so badly for the people living here in Mission Bay who have nowhere else to go but this sushi place. Just hope that the million dollar condos will bring you better restaurants!! The food was OK - but the atmosphere was just not great. I was listening to Celine Dion and Michael Bolton while watching Baseball on a large screen TV - what? This place had too much of a 'fast foodie' type sushi place - It's still a decent place to go if you are craving sushi and don't care to walk anywhere...heck, I bet Safeway sushi across the street can give this place some competition..

    (2)

  • Barrett D.

    Some of the sushi is pretty good but not much else. Very typical but just outclassed in the neighborhood.

    (2)

  • David M.

    If the trend for new SOMA restaurants is to assume that because there's nothing else around that serves what you serve, you can get away with bad service, high prices and mediocre food, I'm going to be spending a lot more on cabs to quality places to eat in the future. For starters, the service was a mix of horrible and absent. I think we were there for 15 minutes before anyone came to take our order, then another 30 before someone came to actually really take our order since nobody actually turned it in the first time. Awesome! Then we didn't get the appetizer we ordered. I never even saw the waitress who didn't even really apologize for being a ghost, messing up our order and generally wasting our time. And oh, the food. Unfortunately, some of the fish tasted too 'fishy' which says to me that they've got some old fish in the house they probably shouldn't be selling as nigiri. The rolls were decent but definitely not worth the price tag. For the $100 we spent, I'm usually of the opinion that I should go away both full (we didn't even want to finish the rolls we ordered) and happy. Or at least satisfied. We probably should have just left when we were sitting around being ignored by the wait staff, but we didn't. So, yet another uninteresting, overpriced restaurant in the SOMA area that's really not very special or worth going to a second time. It's becoming a very disturbing trend by restauranteurs lately to just assume that the people buying the million dollar condos in the area are too busy fondling their money and driving luxury cars to actually care about the quality of service and food they're getting with their huge piles of money.

    (1)

  • Mary L.

    This is the only sushi place in my neighborhood (Mission Bay/SOMA)...so sad since i LOVE sushi. They have a lot of choices and really creative/interesting rolls and so everytime I go there I try a different one. Food wise they are pretty good although a little pricer. Not an amazing place but decent. They still haven't gotten the service aspect completely down even though they aren't new anymore. Oh, I would recommend that you ask them for the pictures of the different rolls since the menu doesn't elaborate much.

    (3)

  • Don C.

    I had lunch at Nama today for the first time. I will definitely be back. I had the katsu chicken, and it was very, very good. I believe the price was $6.50; comes with edamame, rice, salad, and a relish. Highly recommended.

    (4)

  • Gregg S.

    Having worked right at The China Basin building for over a year, I've come to know the restaurant quite well and most of its staff. The food here is relatively good, at best. I think overall the quality of the rolls is the most consistent of anything on the menu. Their delivery service is fantastic, but unfortunately because of the quality of the food, I'm sure their pricing will not entice everyone.

    (3)

  • mary p.

    Seems they have a new sushi chef and he is talking to customers and hearing the issues and is going to be making changes (Hopefully for the good) The big problem they have is that they are in a residential neighborhood (SOMA) and yet they want to charge TOKYO prices for fish (Actually I take that back - the prices in Tokyo were cheaper than here). To their credit - they do have a wide gamut of traditional Japanese dishes like tempura, sukiyaki, udon, domburi, you name it and these are affordable (in the $8 to $16 range) and certainly do great with their wine and sake menu (Ranges from affordable to moderate prices). BUT, their fish prices are through the roof - they seem to specialize in rolls and BIG rolls too - but you and I both know rolls are a large part rice (And rice is cheap) yet their rolls are in the $10-$20 ranges for a big wad of rice with a sliver of fish inside. Even their Nigiri and sashimi prices are over done. Worse then that - there is NO variety or creativity - meaning its the same old boring sushi choices and the sashimi choices are NON-Existent. By this I mean there is no sashimi sampler options. if you want sashimi, you have to order 5 pieces of tuna or 5 pieces of hamachi (Who the hell wants to eat 5 pieces of the same fish?? Then they charge like $7-$10 for it - I mean really, if I bought 5 pieces of nigiri sushi (That includes rice and seaweed and such) it is cheaper or the same price as sashimi. Ideally, they need to make a sampler 1 piece each of tuna, sake, tako, hamachi, ika (Or whatever combinations) and charge like $6 or $7! hopefully things will change here soon or they won't last in this neighborhood.

    (2)

  • Webber B.

    foul, wretched "sushi." veiny yellowtail that I couldn't bite through with fish skin hanging on it. I couldn't eat sushi for weeks after this experience. Tempura was ok . . .

    (1)

  • Sung P.

    Not bad - especially for an area that is starved for anything resembling a decent asian restaurant, Nama does well with passable sushi and filling lunch specials. EXTREMELY slow - so don't plan on being in and out quickly during lunch. For some reason even simple things like chicken teriyaki and oyakadon takes freakin twenty minutes to make. Decent place - would go there for lunch again as there really is nothing else for sushi nearby.

    (3)

  • David K.

    I had lunch at Nama on a Thursday. Thankfully it wasn't crowded at all. My friend and I sat at the sushi bar. They were out of Kirin Light so I had a Sapporo Light which I didn't enjoy. The sushi, however, was amazing. So fresh and delicious. I always order a Rainbow Roll at sushi restaurants, and this one was really good. I also tried a Ryan Roll, and I highly recommend it to all of you. This place is definitely worth checking out. I'll be a returning customer soon enough.

    (4)

  • Natalie N.

    So did you hear... Nama just hired a Top Sushi Chef from LA... and ohhh yummy! I love sushi especially when it is a quick, delicious, always has a new special, and is a good price point. I find so many times in the city the sushi restaurants can basically charge what they want and treat you how they want because they are the closest spot in your neighborhood Ie: Tsunami in SOMA. But we will leave that for another review. The only down side to Nama is the atmosphere... it is having a bit of an identity crisis. It can't figure out if it wants to be a cool spot, cater to the sports fan, or be a traditional sushi restaurant. Candles are on the table but not lit, and the games are on but not the focus. Go for the food and the sake not the view.

    (4)

  • Maricar B.

    Today was the first time I ate there. The restaurant is very clean. Everyone was very polite. I ordered there california roll and it was delicious. I will definitely go there again :-)

    (4)

  • Rajiv B.

    Sadly, as we live close to Mission Bay, this is the only sushi restaurant within walking distance. The food is entirely perfunctory. The menu is small, which I tend to like in a sushi restaurant, but does not compensate with exemplary dishes. It is overpriced considering its mediocrity. The miso soup is expensive and they fill the very small bowl only halfway. The wait staff seemed intent on not bringing our check after the meal. Additionally, our server continued to ignore us during our whole dining affair. I probably won't go back unless I have a dire craving for sushi.

    (2)

  • Ankur P.

    The sushi here tends to be fresh, but I have eaten here enough that once in a while I get a less than stellar meal. In general, I find the meals to be tasty and very reasonably priced. I am not sure where the other reviewers are able to find sushi for much cheaper than this place. For the best bang, try the special sushi bento or the combination dinners. You will get enough food to really stuff yourself! The miso soups tend to be good, and I especially like the salmon nigiri on a good day. Service is usually good but I have had a few days where it was very slow. I share one of the gripes with another reviewer that they do not refill the tea frequently enough or without having to ask.

    (4)

  • Yve T.

    Not impressed at all. But then again - I didn't expect much being that it's right by the ball park. Food is less than average and way overpriced for the quality. Totally caters to ex-suburbanites that don't know any better. I will not be going back again (even though I am one of those ex-suburbanites that live around the corner...) ;)

    (2)

  • Chou K.

    Nama means "raw" if you look in a Japanese-English dictionary, but it is not the "raw" of "raw fish" but actually means not-well-done, not done enough. Unfortunately, this sums up our experience at Nama. We ordered unagi donburi and they put yakisoba sauce on it instead of the proper one. When we complained, the chef refused to believe he made such a mistake, and he became extremely haughty. Even the server was embarrased. The chef finally tasted it and tried to apologize but it was too late. Not very Japanese. It is too bad since SOMA needs a good Japanese restaurant.

    (1)

  • Elaine R.

    Crappiest customer service ever. My best friend works for the Giants. When I come out there for lunch and we want sushi, we have one choice and one choice only. The food is fine. We tried suffering through the crappy service because we like sushi that much. But once we began referring to it as Nama Sucky we knew there was no going back. They charge you 18 or 20 percent gratuity if you have five or more people. It's probably smart of them since their staff doesn't do much more than take your order and glare at you. And they have really weird stuff on their tv's. One time we went and there was a cow dissection on the tv right behind my friend's head. It's like they're trying to get bad reviews. I'd rather eat a bucket full of AT&T Park garlic fries and dissected cow parts than suffer through this place again.

    (2)

  • Viv L.

    I was a customer of Nama sushi for about a year until I finally had enough of their horrific customer service. I am like some people in this area because there aren't many choices of Japanese restaurants. In fact, Nama is the only choice around(Now of course, there is Tsunami a few blocks away). Since I was more interested in the food than anything else, I was willing to deal with it despite of their services. Having said that, it's important to state that what I normally ordered had a little to do with their techniques of making it, it's has everything to do with the freshness of the fish/shrimps as it's all raw. To get around sitting in the restaurant, I decided to order take out instead of sitting in the restaurant for unnecessarily long period of time. But ordering to go was no picnic either. One day I realized I had enough. They just couldn't get their orders right 90% of the time. Let me get this straight. To the person who picked up the phone, her job was to put the order in and yet 90% of the times, she couldn't get it right. And it's really frustrating that you walked all the way to the restaurant and got the order and walked a few blocks back to my office and realized the order was either wrong or some orders were missing. There were accommodating most of the time all year around when they gave us the wrong order but it just got so old. Their food was already relatively pricey for what you got but having to call them every time I got my orders wrong and walked back became too taxing that I decided not to go back ever again.

    (2)

  • Steven O.

    If you go expecting great sushi, you'll be disappointed. However, if you just need a quick sushi fix and this place is walking distance for you, it'll suffice.

    (3)

  • Moko S.

    this place is yucky...i don't understand why my colleagues love going here. ugh.

    (2)

  • Amy P.

    The food is excellent but the staff is very hit or miss or me. Some of the waitstaff tries very hard while others don't seem to realize it is their JOB to take your order. I hope they don't split their tips because some of them would get screwed. It is still VERY good sushi for a decent price and is very close to my office so I go there despite the occasional attitude. If you want something a little different before a baseball game, give it a try

    (3)

  • vicki g.

    service sucks. food is okay. only sushi place around this area so there's no other option if you're craving sushi. could be sooo much better if management changed and i know other soma-ers feel me.

    (2)

  • Megan K.

    I've been here a few times for lunch and it's always crowded. The food doesn't really live up to the wait or the poor service. The first time I went, I was happy enough with my sushi, even if it took a long time to arrive. The second time, the sushi was pretty uneven. The bento boxes looked a little more promising, so maybe that's the way to go if I come here again. But with not-so low prices, not-so great sushi, and not-so fast service, I'm not-so eager to come back.

    (2)

  • sabrina b.

    I was appalled at the service I received and I found it grossly overpriced. My girlfriends had nice things to say about the place, particularly that the food was good, but our server was snooty and the food was oookay, but as I said, I found it over priced. SF has so many great sushi places (that aren't as pricey) to choose from, so I would advise skipping this one

    (1)

  • Mark C.

    I've been going to Nama since they've opened. Unfortunately, they have gone down hill since. The quality of the fish is abysmal and it appears that the chefs can't tell the difference between Hamachi and Albacore Tuna. Seriously, there are WAY better places to go, one of which amazingly enough is Safeway just down the street.. As long as you order it fresh. Its just that SAD. Nama, if you're reading this, do yourselves a favor and work on the quality and presentation. Nori needs to be dry, not wet and chewy. Rice needs to be fresh and slightly warm, not hard and cold.

    (1)

  • Tamara M.

    Well, this joint is in my hood and it is not bad. I have went their twice and it was pretty good and the service was good. The servers are nice...and they make sure you are ok and the rolls they have are a quite variety of choices. I had some fresh fish...and it was FReSH and Yummy....If you are in the area and you want to grab a bite to eat..of sushi I do not think you will be disappointed....good eats good times....good place...

    (3)

  • Nick J.

    Nama doesn't have the freshest sushi in the world, however the service is great and the food is pretty darn good. The atmosphere is what you would expect from a smaller sushi restaurant and the location is pretty convenient, especially before an event at AT&T park. I would recommend one of their rolls with tempura shrimp. Although a new place opened up around the corner, I will still go to Nama to get my sushi fix because it is much more affordable and good quality.

    (4)

  • Stacy N.

    Stopped in for bento boxes during lunch. food okay a little greasy though (gyoza) but the salmon was well cooked in the bento box. would eat here again if in the neighborhood but would definitely not make a special trip. service could have been a lot better.

    (3)

  • omar b.

    was in the mood for a snack and decided what better time to give Nama a try. went there with the intention of picking up some rolls on the go...but ended up watching a whole quarter of the suns & spurs. i never enter a place expecting super-fast service, especially as a walk-in asking for take out--but dude not to pull the race card but i swear the staff was japanese but with the lack of attention and non-service i took them for more as sushi nazis. but where it is forgiving with delictable eats...no points were made up here. quite mediocre flavors and the only somewhat memorable taste was the yam roll. prices were reasonable but i woulda been just as satisfied at home throwing some spam and rice in my musubi maker.

    (2)

  • Jessica F.

    My fiance and I had dinner here on a Wed night and there was no wait for a table, the service was good, and the food was very good. We had the hamachi cheek for an appetizer ( a tiny bit overdone), dynamite roll (SO good!), and spicy tuna roll with seaweed salad on top (good). We also had an excellent bottle of unfiltered sake, which the waitress recommended. I thought it was a good place in general and will be going back!

    (3)

  • J M.

    Let's be clear, this isn't a destination in and of itself, but rather a decent neighborhood Sushi joint if you happen to live in SoMA/South Beach. Only nit is that they cut the Sushi pieces waaaay too thick (does anyone else notice that?). Definitely beats the other restaurants in close proximity: quiznos, subway, burger joint and safeway. If looking for something nicer try Ame or Ozumo.

    (3)

  • Jen Jen W.

    We had a group dinner here one night and I thought the food was pretty good (we had different sushi rolls to share). The service was ok...not fantastic... However parking was a major issue around that area so I probably won't be going back there any time soon..

    (3)

  • Naomi N.

    This place is a decent lunch spot. The prices are reasonable, it's clean and the food is decent. Although I haven't come here dinner, I probably wouldn't, as there are better Japanese restaurants with more memorable meals.

    (3)

  • Kathy M.

    I live in the area so I went out of my way to walk by Nama and looked through the window to see when this place was going to open while it was still under construction. When I found out that it was going to be a sushi place, I was so excited! I must say that I was quite disappointed once it was open. Like Kelsey K's review, I too, so baaaadly wanted this place to be good. I'm still waiting for that amazing neighborhood sushi place in South Beach. I ordered the Negihama roll, and it had hamachi in it, but no negi, and the hamachi part ended before the end of the roll so the last piece only had a sliver of hamachi and it was mostly rice. I don't like it when you can't see the fish in the middle when eating a sushi roll. Sorry, Nama, thumbs down from me.

    (1)

  • Michelle C.

    Pretty good selection, but probably a little higher priced than I expected. Their noodles are good, as well. Customer service is spotty - they forgot an appetizer we ordered, which we eventually told them to cancel. Can take a while for them to notice you need something.

    (2)

  • kiki d.

    The food here is okay. They were slow, but so were we. I came with a group, and they did not mind our loudness and beer/sake ordering ways. In fact, they gave us some free beer and edamame.

    (3)

  • Shing M.

    It's nothing to rave about. But it'll satisfy a mild sushi craving. The prices are too high. But that's SOMA for you.

    (3)

  • Michael S.

    Nama is very run-of-the-mill, nothing special but not too bad either. Service is quite slow usually, unless you specifically tell them that you're in a rush. Sushi could be bordering on sub-par, I usually go just for a quick lunch by way of bento set or donburi. It's not much cuz it's nama.

    (3)

  • Kimberly P.

    I think it's a nice restaurant. Been there a few times and fish has always been fresh, last time I was there tho, the place smelled like fish and the sushi wasn't the best. the people were somewhat attentive and the food came in a timely manner. The downfall is that it's a lil on the pricey side, but then again so are most things in this area.

    (3)

  • Al B.

    decent sushi and tempura. lunch specials are the run-of-the-mill teriyaki slop. the seafood udon is canned clams with krab - couldn't even splurge for real shrimp. the service is very spotty. wouldn't go here if i didn't work down the street and have the occasional japanese jones. ***UPDATE: went here again and waited 30 -45 minutes for food. some orders came out in 30 minutes, some at 35 minutes, some at 40 minutes, the rest at 45 minutes. some of the orders were wrong or missing. when we complained about the poor service the manager's attitude was 'there's nothing we can do about it.' sorry but if this is your attitude you should not be in the restaurant business. next time i will take my business elsewhere.

    (1)

  • Kelsey C.

    i sooo badly want this place to be good. located directly across the street from my condo, i wanted Nama to become my new sushi joint. after my first visit here, i decided i wouldn't be coming back. the rolls are lacking fish (teeny tiny rolls) and the miso soup doesn't have any tofu in it. however, my husband and i ventured back to Nama on friday night craving sushi but not wanting to go far to get it. we even ordered the $18 toro toro roll (not worth it!!). while not as bad as our first visit, the miso soup still lacked tofu, and the tea was still luke-warm. i typically don't write negative reviews, but i'm just not impressed with this place. :( the decor should never be more pleasing than the food.

    (2)

  • Bobbie L.

    i work around this area and eat here all the time! the food is pretty good, especially the teriyaki chicken and spicy pork! sometimes the rice is a little hard and dry but whatever!~ i've never had the sushi before but my friend ordered it once and it took forever to come. oh yea, lunch time here gets packed on the weekdays! sometimes during baseball season, they will have teriyaki chicken bowls for sale before the game... which is nice cuz you can bring it to the game!! i will try the fish/sushi sometime if i ever go there for dinner. raw fish for lunch is not my thing! ^_^ anyway, i would give this place 3.5 stars - but i will round up because the people working there are awesome!!

    (4)

  • Kevin O.

    Stopped here only for a quick dinner, so I don't think I got the full experience, but all in all a quality sushi joint. Bento set was reasonably priced, and the sashimi we ordered was quite fresh. Definitely going back for round 2.

    (4)

  • Zet G.

    Just tried this place for the second time tonight (just to give it another chance) and it's definitely pretty average. To start, we ordered edamame and agadashi tofu, which I requested without bonito(fish flakes) but of course it came piled high with 'em. When I asked for them to fix it I'm pretty sure they just scraped them off because the tofu still had a lingering fishy taste. Yuck! The edamame tasted pretty good, but it was cold and it's just so much better warmed up. For dinner I ordered an ashley roll (asparagus, cream cheese and, um, yam I think with avocado on top) as well as a tofu dish that I can't remember the name of (more on that later). I ordered the ashley roll the first time too and remember it being pretty good, but tonight not so much. For some reason this time they made it with soy paper instead of seaweed. When I asked what happed to the seaweed they said that because it was a vegetarian item it comes with soy paper. Last time it definitely had seaweed, which I'm pretty sure isn't like part of a cow anyway, so I was confused but I decided to roll with it. Turns out the soy paper sucked because it had no taste and it didn't hold together at all - blech. After the sushi the entrees didn't show up for a really long time. My fiance's chicken came out first while I had to wait another 5-10 minutes for my dish. I can't remember the name of what I ordered, but the menu described it as tofu with tomato sauce and parmesan cheese. Didn't sound japanese at all but I thought what the hell, I should really expand my horizons! Turns out that was a bad call. What showed up at the table was a little metal skillet with what I can only describe as a tofu "pizza" inside it. A bunch of cubes of tofu covered in pizza sauce and topped with melted mozarella (NOT parmesan) cheese. Seriosuly nasty. Why would a sushi place even put that on the menu? The only good thing about this place is the location (two blocks away from us) and the ambiance/decor, which I like. I have a feeling we won't be going back here anytime soon . . .

    (2)

  • Josh K.

    Since I have been working in San Francisco, I have been getting sushi at Safeway at least once a week for lunch. More than a few concerned colleagues have asked, "Aren't you afraid of getting sick from sushi at a supermarket?" When the new sushi restaurant Nama opened in the China Basin area, I thought that would be the end of weekly Safeway sushi. I have had sushi at Nama a few times and am overall disappointed. The sushi isn't bad but just average and I thought the same about the chicken teriyaki I ordered. For just average sushi, I rather pay a few bucks less and take my chances at Safeway. The sushi is decent at Safeway.

    (2)

  • Michele K.

    We stumbled on this place before the Paul Mcartney show since all the places in front of the park were not taking walk ins. We had the Mikey and the house roll at the suggestion of our server. I loved the Mikey and my husband loved the house roll. We also enjoyed the lobster roll and hamachi Kama. We were very glad to have found this place. Will come here again before giants games.

    (4)

  • Erica L.

    Super good sushi, pretty cheap but crappy slow service... We literally saw the server when we ordered and when we had to flag someone down for our check.

    (3)

  • SheRat R.

    It's hard to enjoy a restaurant when it's cold. I never really felt settled in enough to enjoy my food--and I'm someone who has 4 large sakes all to myself when I go to sushi, as I did here. It was, all around, an odd experience. The menu must list like, 100 different specialty rolls...it was hard to decide and the rolls were HUGE, which can be (and was) a waste--especially if your husband doesn't like fish and is barely humoring you by being in there to begin with. The stuff we ordered was good, but the atmosphere seemed cold, impersonal and confusing. We were the only people in there for the majority of our stay---maybe if there had been more people it would have seemed more friendly and warm?

    (2)

  • Margaret B.

    I'm a fan. It's not the BEST sushi I've ever had in my life (and I'm no sushi conisseur) but they have a big menu with a huge variety of rolls, friendly and prompt service, and I enjoyed my sushi. I recommend the roll that has spicy scallops and tuna, yum. Convenient location to work where there aren't that many places to grab sushi, and it's open late for dinner, and I thoroughly enjoyed my meal.

    (4)

  • Mrs. G.

    I was surprised to see such bad reviews! I love their sushi!! I can't comment on some of the bad reviews on other meals, this is based 100% on raw fish and rolls. The restaurant is VERY clean and nicely put together, the service has been consistently great, and the fish always very very fresh. They have a fantastic variety of innovative rolls that are to die for!!! I come here often just because it's two blocks away from home, but my friends that have tried Nama come down to SOMA often because they love their rolls. (Try the Love roll if you like scallops - unbeatable). Seriously... some people are crying about their glass of water not being filled immediately... freaking signal the waiter instead of crying on yelp about it! And for the savvy connoisseurs talking about REAL Japanese sushi... GET OVER YOURSELVES and enjoy what tastes good. I highly recommend this place, it's always easy to get a table, they are quick and the sushi/sashimi very fresh and delicious.

    (5)

  • Thomas V.

    Terrible customer service. I asked for tea then water and both never showed up. The terryaki beef was also very sub par. Great location though.

    (2)

  • Sarah F.

    Came here because I lived down the street. Can't say it was the best sushi I've had in the city or otherwise. They do have happy hour specials on beer, however. Not many sushi restaurants by the ballpark, which is why I feel people come here. Still, the staff was nice and friendly.

    (2)

  • Jason H.

    People that like this place apparently don't know anything about sushi. They never have anything good, a lot of times they've never even heard of what you're asking for, and their service is always bad. Basically, the worst place to eat in south beach.. which isn't a very hard feat in the first place.

    (1)

  • Dave L.

    I've been here perhaps a dozen times and it's always been decent. Certainly not fantastic but I don't think it's as bad as what some of the people here make it out to be. Service would be what I'd call European style - they don't particularly rush you nor do they particularly go out of the way to check up on you. So if you're looking for a casual dinner in SOMA and want Japanese, this isn't a bad choice.

    (2)

  • John L.

    This place is the only Japanese restaurant from where I work, and because I like Japanese food, I came here quite often. While their food is decent, its somewhat expensive. But what is really lacking at this place is the service. Despite they only have 2-3 servers, the customer service I received from this restaurant has been fairly disappointing. 1) the food takes forever to come, 2)you ask for something and it will never come, and they are only very prompt when you are about to pay the bills. I have learned now - order to go.

    (2)

  • Brian H.

    I'm a hard person to please when it comes to Japanese food since I grew up eating a lot of traditional Japanese food. (No we don't eat sushi every night) The food at Nama is pretty OK, you enjoy the typical white-washed Japanese food + sushi + rolls. I find it tolerable for lunch and definitely better than Safeway sushi. The first time I came, we waited an hour and a half for our food, the owner was nice enough to comp our meal. But a few days later, my coworker came and found a piece of metal in her meal, she wasn't comp. I guess in the owner's mind it's more offensive to make the customer wait than to be served metal. I would actually give this place 2 1/2 stars but since you can't give out 1/2 stars I will round up to a 3.

    (3)

  • Scott S.

    overpriced, small fish prompt service, savory soup hit north beach instead

    (2)

  • Sebastian N.

    "entree". this is a basic enough word. very useful to know, especially if your job description is SERVING PEOPLE ENTREES. our waitress? pronounced it "entry". dude, "entree" does not rhyme with "tree". it probably is a little confusing, because the word "tree" sneaks into the word "enTREE", so one may think that you can simply add the "en" syllable in front. not so simple, my simple friend, not so simple... a waitress not knowing how to pronounce "entree" is like kirstie alley not knowing how to pronounce "buffet" or paris hilton not knowing how you pronounce "rimjob". the word is part of what defines you. perhaps this is advanced second semester waitressing, but i would think that "entree" would be near the beginning. like day 1: appetizer. day 2: entree, day 3: graduation food wasn't too bad, but our orders were mixed up a number of times. two people ordered the same thing and they came out looking like 2 different dishes. we got charged twice for another entrEE. hopefully they're working out the kinks because we really don't have many restaurants around here.

    (3)

  • Carol C.

    good japanese food but expensive. fulfills my craving tho. nice atmosphere. not much else to say. oh, please add seating for us while we wait for to go orders.

    (3)

  • Andrew D.

    Good consistant sushi at a price that won't break the bank. Staff is a bit spacy so getting a refill is sometimes an adventure.

    (3)

  • Colleen B.

    See Dan S's review...I fully agree with everything he said. However, it is the only sushi place by my office that's reasonably priced and offers a nice walk. Took forever to ge the bill, our young intern had to 'ahem', at least they are friendly, clean and filling.

    (4)

  • David B.

    We are regulars here and always receive fantastic service. The presentation is always consistent with fresh fish and we have NEVER been disappointed.

    (5)

  • Beau G.

    About as generic as a San Francisco sushi restaurant can be, except that it's overpriced. You notice approaching it that a lot of other retail and restaurant spaces on this block are empty. It's more than likely that the Mission Bay property owners expected much higher foot traffic here on non-Giants game days and priced the rents to match. The limited businesses and overpriced food indicate that the property owners need to lower their rents before you'll see quality businesses here.

    (2)

  • Jessica C.

    Waste of Calories and Time. I wanted this place to be good since its location couldn't be more fabulous and the place had cute decor. All looks. A couple of my friends decided to check it out -- as the choir chanted in the other reviews, its the first japanese place to open in this south beach area. We arrived, nice little greeting, got our menus, gave our orders of salmon and albacore nigiri, max roll, yellow tail with green onion roll, spider roll, and some roll with salmon and lemon to the waitress. A great start to our dinner but no - that is where all the positives end. The rest of the dinner was like being a customer in Hell's Kitchen. 1. When they come by to refill tea, they only refill those that actually ask for one as opposed to attempting to refill all 2. If there are empty dishes on the table, they still leave them there even after multiple repeat visits to the table 3. They don't make their sushi inside-out, which to me, is the tastier way. The nori is much too chewy to be quality sushi. 4. They mix up your orders with other tables 5. You wait for your food for a reallly long time. And went it arrives, everything is either too salty or too bland. The saddest part was bonding with the other 2 tables next to us over the slow service. We went ahead and gave them the heads up that they were going to have to wait a while for their food. The table next to us didn't even get past the "Garden Side Salad" by the time we finished our dinner when they sat down only shortly after we did. We suggested that they might have better luck getting pizza across the street at Amici's. So all in all, no bite. No service. =( Forgive me father, for I have sinned.I will stick to the cardinal rule next time - never try a new restaurant until they've been open for 5 weeks. By that time, if the kinks aren't worked out, it'll never be good. If you decide to come, abide by the rule: come here after 8/18/2006. And make sure you allow yourself at least 90 minutes for your meal and bring enough change for your meter.

    (1)

  • t t.

    I work nearby and go in for lunch fairly regularly. It is a little spendy for lunch if you are ordering a la carte and not a bento box, but most sushi places are. I've always been satisfied with my meals. They are not a top-tier fancy S.F. sushi restaurant, but it is clean, the decor is welcoming, the service is really good and the food is tasty. Would I drive across town for it in the rain? Probably not. Would I make it my default Mission Bay choice because it's near work and they are really sweet and friendly there? Sure. Plus, if you are headed to a game, it's close to the ballpark and they do take out! It's also really close to public transportation (MUNI, CalTrain).

    (3)

  • Rachael O.

    clean, fast, affordable and good service. Good menu options.

    (3)

  • Margie L.

    Sushi night, and we were torn between the standby -- i luv teriyaki & sushi -- and giving the newcomer a try. Since we could walk to Nama we figured what the heck. We walked in and immediately recognized one of the sushi guys from Teriyaki. What gives? The places are all in the same family (yay!). We sat in front of him at the sushi bar but he recommended we move and sit in fronf of.. the Sushi Chef. We did. Told the sushi chef we liked everything and feel free to put whatever he felt like in front of us. Great idea but we couldn't get him to stop! We were so full when we left... We had: halibut sashimi. This was great. served on fuji apples. Great presentation, too. Oh, and he gave us the fin on the side which was also good. a roll that we ordered. was good. a bbq pot (it's the bast way to i can describe it) with a bunch of fish that you sear in the flame. This had a really nice assortment of fish. half dozen oysters. Me, i'm full here. i ate half a one (they were HUGE). really fresh tasting but i dunno. not my top choice at a sushi place. well, and it's AUGUST. There's no R in august. think we're done? nope aji (I think) sashimi. This is a really non oily mackerel. He used the fish as presentation and put the pieces back in the fish. If that makes sense. It was really light (I don't like mackerel but I dug this). I'm crying uncle now, but he gives us some abalone. Then some green tea sponge cake. Phew, we're done. Well, not quite. THEN it was time for Toro (see? I also thought Toro was the dessert of sushis). Top it off with 2 bottles of sake. I'm full. Exhausted. And really happy that I can walk here (and, more importantly, walk home).

    (3)

  • J G.

    alrighty! after reading the past two reviews i've reached the conclusion that i'm fortunate to have had dinner as my first experience. it has taken ages for this place to open and i was giddy to actually try it today as it is the only sushi restaurant in the area. we were pretty early and got seated quickly. our waitress was eager to help and seemed a little nervous at first as we had to recite our "asahi" order a couple of times before she realized we wanted beers. the menus were presented and it was ex-ten-sive, what i coined to my date as "the cheesecake factory of sushi joints." here's the run-down of what we ordered: - miso soup - edamame - dynamite roll: deep fried spicy tuna with acovado - king street roll (to honor the location of course!): maki of tuna, hamachi, green onion, and avocado - katie roll: shrimp tempura, spciy tuna, hamachi on top with spicy sauce and a thin slice of orange (recommended by our waitress) - shiromaguro nigiri: this is my date's litmus test for all japanese restaurants contrary to the previous review the miso was hot but quite salty. the edamame was good although i have yet to find a place that can screw up boiling soy beans. the dynamite roll was good and crispy. the king street roll was pretty plain and simple compare to the other selections. by far the katie roll was the most intriguing. the orange was an unexpected burst of freshness and was equally matched to the spicy sauce. finally, the shiromaguro... like buttah, but i've had bettah. as my company for dinner stated, this nigiri is much better when served with thinly sliced lemon and green onion/chives on top just for a little bit of bite. the only poor part of the experience was once we were finished there were people waiting to be seated and the manager rushed our bill. before asking if we would like some green tea ice cream (i was seriously contemplating it) she brought us our bill! it seemed rude but on the other hand two of the waitstaff had come by throughout the dinner to ask if everything was ok. i would think that given another couple of week to work out the kinks, this place will be booming. a large part due to the fact that it is the only japanese restaurant around. the bill was reasonable for the quality and attention. i will definitely go again and i may even risk lunch.

    (4)

  • Liz D.

    After being deprieve any decent local "neighborhood" sushi/japanese restaurant in this mission bay/south beach area, I was HIGHLY dissapointed. Upon arrival, I sat at the Sushi Bar, horribly designed, reminds me of the old pharmacies, very high and hugh corner bulk head. Behind the counter the so call "sushi" chef didn't hear my request, had to talk extremely loud, anyways orders were screwed up. Waited for 2 hours for the water, dirty dishes were piled up, The service staff is horrible, maybe relatives, don't understand this is the 3rd restaurant for the owners. So call chef owner, insisted that he "orders" for me, which is a great way for the restaurant to run up your tab - carte blanche. He presented after a super long wait with this horrible "parmesan cheese roll" i suspect this was another "mistake" pawned off on a unsuspecting diner. Please don't get scary creative on us, stick to sushi, what next sushi pizza...I informed the chef, that i already i cannot each spicy tuna. I returned this order. At the end I had to chase the waitress to pay out....which my bill was messed up, with items i never ordered. hmmmm I don't recommend this place, if you try to act like a Sushi / Japanese restaurant, please give us what we are paying for. They don't evening have the moist towels!!!! Also, naming items on the menu after lame names...PLEASE!!! Nama, please pack up and leave! you are fired! Save your money,,,,go to Trader Joe's or Whole Foods and cook something fabulous at home! or if you are desperate zap some food! EEK! Pity!!!! We need REAL restaurants.....pack it up NAMA! also, pricey place... Minus 5....

    (1)

  • Andrea W.

    Very convenient location in SOMA. The bento boxes are great! I highly recommend both the teriyaki chicken and the spicy pork. The sushi on the other hand is not so good. If you are a sushi snob this is NOT the place to go, but it's decent.

    (3)

  • Rich C.

    The fish is pasty and flavorless, and the kitchen food is way too sweet. To add insult to injury, the prices will hurt your wallet.

    (1)

  • Herb F.

    i used to work right around the corner from nama, so i used to frequent this place quite a bit for lunch... they have good bento box lunches which are pretty affordable for lunch... the sushi is average and nothing really special... decent restaurant... they do have saparro on draft which is nice... h-100...

    (3)

  • Al C.

    I live in the neighborhood, and I have eaten at Nama at least 30 times. I have no idea what all the negative reviewers are talking about. The service is very good, the food is good, and the prices are reasonable. I wonder if someone is organizing negative reviews because they have it in for the owner. Who knows. Just try this restaurant and see for yourself.

    (4)

  • Lisa K.

    I checked this place out last night, it was OK. Everything was very mediocre...from the food to the service. I am pretty finicky about where I get sashimi from, so I went for the rainbow roll. It was good, but glad I didn't opt for straight raw fish as it didn't seem to be the freshest. All and all the place is nothing to rant and rave about, but certainly a perfect place for pre party sake bombs!

    (3)

  • courtney o.

    the only reason i have been here more than once is because it's in my neighborhood. i have tried this place 3x (each time in the hopes that the restaurant was just having an off day on the previous occasion)...and been disappointed each time. soooo in spite of the convenience, i will not return to this spot, because it's just not worth it to pay money for such a poorly made meal. SUSHI there is something SERIOUSLY wrong with the rice at this place....it is fully compressed so that all the rolls and nigiri take on a hard-ish quality. also, some of the rice that they use is either old or not cooked properly!!!! ===== bad sushi. i don't think that there is anything wrong with the fish or the ingredients in the rolls (and if they fixed the rice, i would consider returning), but the bad rice makes for seriously poor sushi. TEMPURA the tempura is below average. i get tempura whenever i go to a japanese restaurant (it's my fave)...and the tempura here tastes like the kind that comes frozen at trader joe's that you can make at home yourself. it does not taste freshly battered and cooked...it tastes frozen and reheated. SERVICE while the servers at this restaurant are EXTREMELY friendly, they are seriously disorganized and undertrained. every time i have been there (even when it's been slow), they appear to be running around like chickens with their heads cut off...and the manager/possible owner sushi chef treats them like crap and yells at them from behind the sushi bar. the yelling does not make for a happy and relaxed atmosphere and just makes me wonder if the service is poor because they are so freaked out that this guy is going to yell at them at any second. also, as other reviewers have mentioned, the service is ridiculously slow. the servers don't seem to be able to keep track of their tables, so you will have to wait a LONG time if you order dessert or anything out of the ordinary (like extra wasabi or more hot tea). sadly, i do not recommend dining here.

    (1)

  • Regina J.

    Fish was flavorless and not fresh. The only thing that was good was the asparagus roll. Do not recommend.

    (1)

  • Shelley L.

    Waiting. That seems to be the theme for Nama. Waiting for Nama to open. Still waiting for Nama to open. Nama is finally open!!! Waiting for my sushi to arrive. Waiting for my sushi to arrive... One can only do so much waiting. So here is the deal with Nama. It is finally open. All of us South Beacher's are happy to finally have a sushi restaurant in our 'hood. So granted, our expectations are lowered a bit due to desparation. This was my experience: the staff was friendly, the decor was nothing to write home about, the edamame was on par with the frozen ones I buy at TJ's, the miso was barely lukewarm and the sushi was pretty good. If there is one thing Nama has, its an insane selection of rolls. I like that the menu broke them down by spicy (yum), veggie, etc. I'm sure we'll be back because its across the street, but I will still be making the trek over to Grandeho when I want the really good stuff. NOTE: I have recently updated to 3 stars as the service has improved since my original posting.

    (3)

  • Shells H.

    Decent sushi. Nothing out of the ordinary. Came in for dinner on a Sunday around 8. Seated right away as they weren't busy. Order some rolls and udon. Nothing too special. Sushi rolls are a bit small for $8-20. Udon soup was big with lots of vegetables but overall pretty bland. Prices are a bite high but better than some other sushi spots in the area. Come here for something quick otherwise pass.

    (3)

  • Maria S.

    I ordered a combination bento of California rolls and salmon sashimi. The bento came with the California roll, but a combination of salmon and tuna sashimi. The waitress brought over an extra slice of salmon as she said the order was supposed to come with 5 slices instead of the four I received. I guess I could have mentioned then that I didn't order tuna, but what the heck, I like tuna. Then I paid $25...for lunch...total with tip. I felt cheated. Sorry, never again. I've definitely experienced better for that price.

    (2)

  • Pallavi K.

    Went here on a Tuesday for lunch around 130 and was seated immediately. Service was quick. I had the Ashley roll, which is vegetarian and I loved it, especially because it had cream cheese 3 stars mostly because of the prices. You're paying a lot for not much food, especially when you're ordering vegetarian rolls. There's better sushi places around the area in terms of food & prices but here, you are paying for the atmosphere (nice place for a date or business lunch).

    (3)

  • Ariana M.

    BEST DINNER I HAD ON THIS TRIP~! I was surprised how fresh everything was. Everything we ordered was amazing! The staff was really nice too. I have to say the coolest thing was when we ordered the sashimi. It was served with dry ice and made a really cool smokey effect when it was served to us. I'm extremely impressed with this restaurant.

    (5)

  • Laura B.

    Came in mid-week at 1 pm for a business lunch, and this place was packed! With no tables open, we decided to sit at the bar, which - though small - was comfortable enough. If you like the person you're with, it'll be no problem. ;-) Service was prompt and attentive without being intrusive. There were lots of business-y types having meetings over lunch, so staying out of peoples' hair seems to be the service culture at this place. Worked for us! I ordered the Chicken Teriyaki Bento Box ($9.75). It was OK, but I feel like the chicken got a little over-cooked, and I would have loved some miso soup with it. They could take out the clear noodles and cabbage slaw and replace it with tempura, and I'd also be stoked. :-) Not a terrible meal, but I'm not rushing back anytime soon for it. Their rolls are definitely the star of this place - large, fresh pieces of fish very cleanly arranged. The spicy rolls are great. If I return in the future, I'll stick with that! A decent place to go if you're in need of a quick bite during the day!

    (3)

  • Shell J.

    A very low key neighbourhood place with great service and good food.

    (4)

  • Ly D.

    Meh, do yourself a favor and skip this joint. We were looking for a place to eat after getting of Caltrain & this place was conveniently located nearby. Sushi rolls looked good so we figured why not. Walked in & was seated right away but it took forever for the waitress to come by and ask what we wanted to drink! We placed our order at the same time out of fear it would be another 15 mins before we saw her. The tables around us were already seated and had drinks before us but their food hadn't even arrived yet. Great... 20 mins went by and we finally got our rolls. The chef's special spicy roll was okay. The rice was weirdly cold. Fish was pretty fresh. The spider roll was such a disappointment.. Hardly any soft shell crab!!! I can't remember the name of the last roll but it had "crunch" on top.. Which was no longer crunchy but super stale! $50 later, we walked out not satisfied or full. I'm sure SF has better places around so make sure you plan your meal beforehand! The restaurant was only half full so I'm not sure why it took incredibly long to get service and food. Pass.

    (2)

  • Robin L.

    Dine here all the time because it's close to work. Always order the same dish, tonkatsu broth ramen. Ramen isn't their flagship dish, ramen is listed in the far back of the menu. It's not comparable to other locations in the peninsula, but it's lunch hour and I'm hungry.

    (4)

  • Lindsay F.

    Yay close and quick!

    (4)

  • Joe Z.

    Your typical asian go to spot in soma by the cal train station. I usually head there for lunch with my classmates because they have their lunch specials! It's a little pricy but that's expected for most restaurants in the nice part of SF. The lunch specials range from 11-14 bucks depending on what you want in your bento box. I would give this place 4 stars for the food but I have to demote it down to 3 stars overall because of the service. Although I understand it gets busy during lunch hours, it takes on average 10 minutes before we can order our food and another 10 before it comes out. There was a situation where I went to eat with 3 other buddies and it took 10 minutes longer for my friend to get his order after mine came out. Being he courteous friend I didn't start my meal until everyone's came out, which ended up cooling my food.. Also the waitresses are really picky about splitting checks which becomes a pain after awhile. Overall 3 stars as I still come back here once in awhile to satisfy my Japanese food craving. Still bomb!

    (3)

  • Colleen M.

    Ramen here is such a joke - overpriced and not what I'm looking for in ramen. My partner and I were starving and in the area so we came in for ramen on a rainy day. It served its purpose, but the chewy noodles, bland broth, and hard boiled egg (this is just me being nitpicky at this point) is not worth that much money. You can get superior ramen for cheaper a short bus ride away. The spicy tonkatsu ramen was so weird - the meat was marinated... Did not go well at all. And the price difference for an extra HALF order of noodles is ridiculous. Service was chill, although our waitress forgot to give us our utensils and napkins for some time even after setting our food down. If I ever came back, I would try the sushi - it seems to be the only thing worth getting!

    (2)

  • Christina N.

    Came here for a quick lunch with my friend. We ordered two rolls and were told that it would be a longer wait of about 15-20min. Service was efficient and fuss free. Food was delightful. In fact, the rolls came on a nice plate with a shotglass of dry ice so it was "smoking". Fancy. Would come back again if I'm looking for a quick lunch hunt.

    (3)

  • Paul R.

    My Girlfriend and I go to Nama a couple of times a month on "date night." We go for the two chefs, Josh and Eric ( I did not know either of them before eating there), as well as the freshness of the food. Both chefs are creative and skilled. We always sit at the bar and they 'invent' rolls for us to try that are not on the menu. And once in a while, there are these exotic dry-ice dishes that are imprssive as they fill the air with 'smoke' ... The dishes are very delicious and we react audibly with every bite. I can't imagine fish that is any fresher. (Oh and the Tempura is the best I have ever had in my life) Nama is priced in the medium range, neither expensive nor economical. But it is worth every penny. Nama is by far the best kept secret in town when it comes to Sushi restaurants. A true GEM!!! If you have never been, and you like good sushi, definitely go there and meet Josh and Eric and experience it!!! You will be glad to did. (And no, I am not friends with anyone there, I just like to give credit where credit is due!) Enjoy!

    (4)

  • Tao Tao W.

    went here last night for dinner after coming back from ATL. I think this place is pretty good but pricing wise its kinda high for some of the rolls. It's a small restaurant located near AT&T park and parking is kinda tough since you can't park on townsend but there are places nearby to park. It's korean run i believe but they have a number of special rolls. We got the following for about $54. Gyoza - you get like 5 pieces and seems to have good consistency in taste and crunch Spicy Tuna roll - standard roll Chef's Special Spicy Roll - this look a lot like a rainbow roll but with spicy tuna. for $15, it was ok but price was a bit high Kiara Chirashi - for $21, its pricey i think. I have gotten the same amount for less but it wasn't bad. You get 3 types of fish and then some roe along with lettuce. Fish versus salad its a good quantity but still pricey for chirashi. I think this probably has to do with it being near the ball park. It does come with a miso soup but also very small. overall not bad. good quality

    (4)

  • Alex T.

    What started out as my least fave sushi spot has become my regular sushi spot. My how times have changed and what can be achieved when you give a place not only a second chance, but a third and fourth... Josh, the head chef has some creative rolls and really refreshing specials. I am glad to be in this place's neighborhood :-)

    (4)

  • Leina K.

    I'm on the fence about this one which is why it's getting 3 stars. It's definitely not the best sushi or the worst I've had and seems to be one of the only places near King and the ballpark with decent sushi ratings. It was pretty busy the last time I went during the lunch time rush but the service was on point. I'm sure I'll be back.

    (3)

  • Kristen S.

    Four years later...still two stars. I've just dined at Nama Sushi for the 2nd and last time...yesterday. The food was consistently lukewarm (for all three of us), as was the service. Not only did they mess up my order and bring the wrong item, they overcharged me. And the place was only a third full! Now I know why...

    (2)

  • Alex S.

    Hmmmmm. Sushi was okay but the prices... Especially for the tiny portions they were serving. Even the waitress hinted that they were tiny. And the ramen was too spicy. I don't think I'd come here again. Their sushi bar was pretty much dead and the entire experience was shifted to people just buying off the dinner menu. This seems to happen far too often for restaurants that aren't able to win with their sushi. They default to "teriyaki" or "ramen" charge hefty prices, even more so for sushi and get by. :(

    (2)

  • Jia H.

    The sushi here is nothing to get excited about, and our special rolls were clearly made with rice that had been sitting out too long and hardened. If you come here because there not many other Japanese options in SOMA, get the tonkotsu ramen. It is surprisingly good with a rich and flavorful broth, tender fatty pieces of pork, and noodles that taste freshly made.

    (3)

  • Marc R.

    It's been almost a year since my last review. Service has gotten much better, now sit at the bar and the chefs take great care of party. Seems they specialize in rolls.

    (4)

  • Nader E.

    Good Ramen. The chashu pork was excellent.

    (3)

  • I A.

    this is s great spot to come for dinner, after the noon rush of lunchers. Nama is clean and spacious, and offers a good variety of foods, even if you don't love sushi as much as I do. price is very fair for SoMa, and i take all my guests there for dinner, when the chefs are less busy and often send us very colorful dished with beautiful garnishes. the music is sometimes questionable but still give it 5 stars!

    (5)

  • Ryan B.

    I've eaten here a few times and I've always enjoyed the sushi here. One of my favorite rolls is the Football Roll, which is made with salmon, spicy tuna, and crab. It's also deep fried on so it's really crunchy. It's an interesting roll and I highly recommend giving it a try.

    (4)

  • Chris L.

    Wow look at all these sushi and ramen snobs on Yelp. I'm giving 4 stars to offset those reviews because of the efficiency and service during dinner when we came here on a weeknight. There was a Giants game going on. There was no wait. The wait staff are efficient and really friendly. The prices are more for dinner but I think it's worth it, considering the portions. You can share with one person for a bento box and order one other small thing. The miso salmon was pretty good! The tuna and salmon sashimi were pretty good. I normally don't like tempura but it was good too. The sashimi combo platter comes with this fancy beet plant and dry ice in a small candle container (pretty fancy!). This place is close by so it's convenient when you don't want to drive (if you live in SOMA) b/c of Giants traffic.

    (4)

  • Alex D.

    This is the worst "Japanese" restaurant I have ever been to (and I'm from Ohio). The staff is unfriendly, they don't know how to properly say anything on the menu, and I wish I could say the food made up for their lack of service, but it doesn't. Luckily, I could share a photo of my meal with you below. I ordered Katsu-don, which is one of my favorite dishes. For a white boy, I'd like to say I'm fairly skilled at chopsticks. I mean, I ate everything with chopsticks in Japan. This meal was so drenched is oil and sauce that they served it with a spoon. What is this, a bibimbap? If it wanted Korean food - one of my other loves - I would have ordered korean food! Garnished with carrots and cucumbers, I knew this meal was just going to be not what I wanted: a JAPANESE dish. Dont' waste your time waiting for these less-than-personable waitresses to take your order, and certainly don't waste your money and their sub-par, non-Japanese food. There are plenty of other authentic and delicious Japanese restaurants in the city.

    (1)

  • Ryan L.

    I've been here a few times now (it's near my new office) and have never been disappointed. The bento boxes and other package meals are well priced, and the "crazy rolls" are interesting (even if the menu is a bit overwhelming...40+ choices). The quality of ingredients is high -- they tend toward popular items rather than getting obscure or very seasonal choices, but that's the right choice for the location. The restaurant itself is attractive and comfortable, and I was quite happy with both the waitstaff and sushi chefs during interactions. A very solid choice in the neighborhood, especially for lunch.

    (4)

  • Ranjani S.

    Nothing worth raving about... Just your average sushi bar this side of the city... The hot sake was potent though.

    (3)

  • Jenny L.

    I'm only a fan of their chirashi with brown rice that was surprisingly fresh, delicious and decorative. Their dishes tend to be a bit salty whether you start with spinach or miso soup. However, their saba shioyaki is seasoned lightly with a good sauce. The Rock 'n Roll was tasty, but only decently made with small portions. Basically, this place tries too much with fusion concepts including ramen, bibimbap and other dishes instead of focusing on making a few well. Service is friendly and helpful. The place is clean and not too noisy, but there isn't much that would bring me back except if I'm hungry near the ballpark.

    (3)

  • Andrew M.

    UNDERRATED - This is my goto spot in SOMA for the Blue Fin Tuna Sashimi and Spicy Tuna Rolls with Soy Paper - sit at the bar for fast service, otherwise things can go awry. The head sushi chef is nice and approachable and will serve you well, just sit at the bar! Great for Postmates or Take Away. If you want service, head to Live Sushi

    (5)

  • Peonie S.

    This is the second occasion I've been to Nama for lunch. The first time was for some togo order and they weren't very nice. Understandable... it was lunch time and they were busy. Today, I went with a coworker for a quick birthday lunch as she told me was to eat some noodles for a long life (some philipino tradition) so I thought yakisoba and sushi would be a good mix. We got there around 12:05 and they were already pretty full, the waiteress there was NOT very nice and just asked us to sit without a hello or anything. We finally got our table and ordered. We got the yakisoba (good portions and we shared between the two of us, but bland as heck!) and the 49er roll (ok but nothing special). Throughout the entire meal, the waitress did not come and ask us how the food was or refilled our waters. She was not very nice. Not the best meal, or service. :/

    (2)

  • Robert R.

    This place was pretty good for a late night place. I would definitely come back!

    (4)

  • Hen A.

    once upon an evening dreary...while I pondered...weak and weary...over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten eats..while I nodded...nearly napping...suddenly there came a tapping...as of some one gently rapping...rapping at my building door...tis some visitor... late thursday eight pm hunger....wanting for drink and japanese...location south beach baseball park...thoughts of nama since never tried...pair walk on over to flag flapping.....fair sized and few patrons eating...seated with menu on table....pair wanting sake... quick check of identification...large teapot of hot sake starting...edamame given complimentary...although seeing on menu for pricey sum...free is good...order of stadium and nama roll...pair of unagi guys....ponder over sashimi large or medium...request waitress assistance on portion sizing...suggesting medium and middle pick... rolls thick and hefty sizing...rice packed overly tight pressing...but, tasting quite good and filling...sashimi enormous blocks of fish....thoughts of sixteen pieces...slicing easily into thirty-two pieces...for better eating suggestion....nama not the "authentic" sushi experience...appearance korean owned and run....fine for casual roll and drink....above dinner for two with two large hot sake....$one hundred fifteen total spent....but, for future just roll and sake be good for $twenty dinner...

    (3)

  • Lucy W.

    It's quite hard to find things to eat around china basin that won't burn a hole through your wallet. Nama happens to be one of two sushi spots in china basin, with them being the least expensive. I've been here a few times, but most recently with some coworkers for a farewell lunch. while the food is decent for it's price, I have to commend them for their excellent and efficient service during a rush lunch period. We arrived at the restaurant and had our reserved tables already set up for us. After getting settled in, we were promptly served drinks, and then orders taken. Our food came out within 10-15 minutes - record time for serving a party of 8! The service was always attentive, the hot tea was always flowing, and the food is decent. All in all, if I'm ever craving for sushi or something Japanese and do not feel like walking two blocks to safeway, nama hits the spot. Ps - they serve ramen now!

    (3)

  • Scott C.

    four stars for the Chicken Katsu 1 stars for the sushi. The kicken Katsu was pretty good. Nice crunch from the crust but still juicy. You need to ask for the tonkatsu sauce though. they have it, but for some reason they serve the chicken katsu with this weird watery sauce. The portion was huge and well executed. Cant ask for much more. The sushi on the other hand sucked. The fish was not fresh, the rice was not seasoned properly and they cuts of fish were kind of small. Not much more to say about how sucky it was. If you are in Soma and have a craving for Japanese food, get the hot dishes and skip the sushi.

    (3)

  • Dadasd d.

    $50 "bridge" (assortment of sushi split 3 ways) Excellent, filling, clean fish. Clean plates, fast service, roomy, nice atmosphere and music. Don't listen to the people complaining, I think they were expecting Chanel sushi or something. It's a little pricey, but it's worth it for a nice night and the staff is quick and great. Great water too, and napkins.

    (5)

  • ana w.

    Fell in love with their unagi don & chicken teriyaki. Consistently delicious & very reasonably priced. Service is also very friendly & accomodating. My husband & brother tried the ramen (spicy pork) and weren't as impressed with it. Wouldn't recommend ordering this.

    (4)

  • deathstar j.

    A friend treated me to dinner here this evening. We had a very satisfying and surprisingly affordable meal ($32 each for dinner w/ booze plus a take-out order for a big Maguro-loving dog). The service was excellent: attentive, relaxed, not too chatty, and they were there when we needed things. Sat at the bar and the chef was also very attentive without being pushy. Despite the exuberantly sprawling list of specialty rolls, we ordered basic nigiri and maki options. The fish was extremely fresh, cut well and combined in proper proportion to the rice. Another plus was the delicate size of both nigiri and maki. I hate rice bombs and I appreciate small, elegant maki. Nice rice, too. The shiro maguro was outstanding: buttery and fresh. The humble negihama maki was just plain awesome (unexpected huh?): the roll was small, the fish was superb and the simple combination of ingredients was perfectly balanced. Also very good were a New Zealand Tai Nigiri and a well-proportioned Spicy Tuna roll. But I do think that some rolls would benefit from the addition of kaiware. I missed it in the Spicy Tuna and a Maguro/Avocado/Cucumber maki. Their fish selection is pretty standard fare, ie. no kanpachi, multiple toro grades, salmon belly, umi mase, etc. Which is totally fine: I don't think they present themselves as that kind of restaurant and I didn't expect more exotic options. But if you're looking for more unusual fish (as I usually am), probably good to bear it in mind. I also probably wouldn't order ramen here. I like to eat ramen in places that specialize in it and Nama is not one of those joints. The Specialty Roll list was long and included a lot of baroque options, heavy on the tempura: not for me. But the sushi chef was a good craftsman and maybe I missed out on the best part of his repertoire. I'm not militantly opposed to elaborate specialty rolls (almost lol), but I prefer simple, well-crafted sushi with extremely fresh fish and ingredients. I would guess that most of their profit comes from cocktails and the "Cream Cheese/Mango/Maguro/Salmon Skin/Softshell Crab/Spicy Dragonfruit/Tobiko/Pepperoni/Pineapple/then fried" type deal. Avoiding those options is probably what made our experience so affordable and so satisfying. And we're both pretty irritating food snobs. Hey, I own it. ** Extra Emphasis: Again, they were very nice and the service was super attentive without being overbearing. I love good service as much as super fatty toro, so that goes a long way with me.

    (4)

  • Jaclyn A.

    It's not that bad. But it's not all that good either. If you've got no choice, then it's good enough. Don't expect amazingly good food. And it's a little on the expensive side. I wouldn't normally mind but there are better-tasting food for cheaper. The people there are nice though and the place is clean so that's a plus.

    (2)

  • Jina B.

    My sashimi tasted like it had just come out of the freezer. 'Nuff said.

    (1)

  • Stephanie R.

    Huge menu, fresh fish, very creative with presentation. Solid, friendly service. Great for a week day dinner with friends. We will be going back for sure and will do take out when we're craving sushi - the prices were very reasonable.

    (4)

  • Tawnee K.

    I am not convinced. I have a personal mantra that one should try everything twice. One time is not enough data. But that is hard to hold to when you live in SF- there are so many amazing places to eat, why go to the mediocre places twice just to see if they really are mediocre? The sushi was meh. The waitstaff are friendly. The price was too much for what we got. Something about SoMa, man. The buildings are bland, the restaurants are pretentious, the results (please don't include Philz coffee in this generalization) are underwhelming. If you are desperate for something close, try Tsunami (for a slightly better than average sushi place) around the corner, or Live Sushi up the ways a bit. I recommending passing on this one.

    (2)

  • Tiara H.

    Sushi was good, and the fish was fresh. Nothing to necessarily write home about. As we were 1 of only 2 parties in the restaurant, I would have expected great service, but we ended up having to ask the waiter to refill our water multiple times.. would go back, but life will go on if I don't..

    (3)

  • Cathy L.

    Decent, reliable food but nothing to write home about. Someone mentioned that this was "affordable"? Not exactly... Nice, casual ambience though.

    (3)

  • seema s.

    Food - waste of calories Service - what service? Ambiance - none, like every other irritating place near the ballpark. I don't like to write mean reviews, but as a South Beach / Mission Bay res, I'd love for these guys to a) get MUCH better or b) pack up and make room for someone much better.

    (2)

  • Jay P.

    The only reason Nama would get a good rating would be location. Its surrounded by housing units, Amtrack and bus stations. When youre starving and on the move... youll give anything a good rating. I ventured quite a way out of the Financial district to try this place out for lunch. BIG DISAPOINTMENT. It was packed, which made me think the food would be great, or the prices reasonable but neither of those were true. Fish quality was ok... absolutely no creativity in any of the dishes... even the way they presented the fish on the plate was sad. Prices were outrages... why the hell did I pay $20 bucks for 10 pieces of fish?? Tasted like is was just thawed out of the freezer. Maybe the service was below par and the presentation lacked any luster due to the lunch crowd. Check out my pic, the fish didnt have any color, and it looked like they just kinda slid it on the plate. I wouldnt waste my time.. unless your feenin' Japanese and your in the neighborhood.

    (2)

  • Linda W.

    My friend and I stepped in for a little pre-game eats. Overall disappointed. They have sake by small, medium, and large. I asked the waitress how many ounces were in each size. She ignored the content of the question and proceeded to hand gesture out bottle height. She was way off. We ordered a medium and would have been better off with a large. I ordered a rice bowl and my friend ordered a tempura dish. The food was flavorless and practically cold. Never again.

    (1)

  • Carlie C.

    nama isn't the best japanese food you will find in SOMA, but if you're lazy and in the mood for japanese food, i would recommend ordering takeout from here. don't get their ramen but do order the following below: +bento box: chicken teriyaki, chicken katsu, or beef or salmon teriyaki with tempura and choice of: sashimi, gyoza, or cali. roll (this monstrosity is enough to feed 2-3 people). it also comes with miso soup, chap chae, and salad as well. +vegetable soba: best noodles out of their noodle selection.

    (4)

  • Susan K.

    Was craving sushi for lunch and thought I'd try out Nama since it's really close to where we're living right now. Was totally underwhelmed... Ordered a roll without cucumber and it came with cucumber anyway. They just totally forgot to bring out one of my rolls but I didn't even bother to ask since the first two weren't great. My hubby ordered the sashimi and the pieces were HUGE and sloppily cut. Definitely not the worst sushi I've ever had, but I won't be back.

    (2)

  • David C.

    Sushi was good. My combination dinner (tonkatsu, tempura, and croquette) was good. My miso soup was good. The agedashi tofu appetizer was good. My large bottle Asahi beer was good. Service was good. Atmosphere and ambiance was nice. Interior was clean and organized. However, the pricing is a little high and the menu, as extensive as it was, does not describe the items very well. It's right next to the ballpark where the Giants play so I assume many of their clientele are either tourists or higher income folks which I am neither. I only ate here because it is close to my friend's place. Would I ever come here on my own? Probably not since there are plenty of great sushi places near to where I live.

    (4)

  • Linda I.

    Tried Nama for the first time today, and it was ok. I've had better, but the fish was good... just a little pricier than better sushi places. I tried the Maguro nigiri, the Sake nigiri, the Viper roll and the Sakana (?) roll. All were good, especially the Viper roll. I still can't understand how they can deep fy something without it being all greasy when you bite into it? Is there something I'm missing?? Maybe my boyfriend and I went at a good time, but we had no problem at all with service. The waitress and the chefs were actually very friendly. Even hooked it up with the Miso soup :) Parking not so great. We parked at the Safeway parking lot across the street, and then just bought something (min. $5) to get our ticket validated (max. 90 minutes-which is more than enough time to eat and take off).

    (3)

  • M P.

    FINALLY! A sushi place in SOMA! RIght?? RIGHT???! Unfortunately the prices are way too high for the quality of sushi they serve. The staff barely speaks English, but don't let that fool you into thinking their food is any more authentic. When asking them for a sake recommendation, they just pointed to the most expensive item. When asked to reconsider, they suggested another sake off the menu that was even more expensive. So we ordered it. It was no impressive. Nonetheless, its the only sushi place in the area. Prices don't come down for lunch, fyi.

    (3)

  • Dana W.

    Worst place ever. We live next door and were really excited about a local sushi place. Then we discovered that this place doesn't know what the hell they are doing. They have 1-2 servers no matter how busy, and there service suffers terribly from this. The servers are friendly when the place is empty but as soon as it gets a bit busy, they freak out, forget orders, and rush you through your dinner. Then there is to-go orders. We have made the mistake of getting to-go orders too many times simply because they are conveniently located next door. Half of the time, we get home and are missing something (that we paid for), are given the wrong item, or are given no ginger or wasabe. Recently, we placed a to-go order (our last), and were given yellowfin tuna roll instead of salmon rolls with green onion. I went back and kindly told them that they messed up. Instead of apologizing for messing up, and making me come back, they accused me of telling them the wrong order over the phone. I told them that I didn't even know what yellowfin tuna was so I would never have ordered it. They reluctantly remade our order. When I got home, the salmon looked good, but of course, they never put the green onion in them. I have given this place too many chances, and am continuously disappointed. Please don't make the same mistake that we did.

    (1)

  • Liz M.

    i must say that there isn't much to speak of for the sushi. in fact, the sushi is just not that great. and it is very expensive for what it is. BUT, the 5 stars go for the very excellent Udon. best in the city that i have found so far. i mean, this is good. the noodles are nicely tender but firm. just chewy enough. perfectly cooked noodles. the broth is pretty transparent, transparent enough for you to know that the noodles haven't been swimming in the broth for too long, like koi fish in their ponds. (i hate koi fish). there is just enough beef - and tofu - and fresh veggies, i.e. napa cabbage, that is still tender and crunchy - in the mix that a bowl of udon is a bowl of goodness. the best part - only if you like salty goodness - is the vial of japanese salt/spice. i recently found out that you can buy that stuff at japanese grocery stores, but i fear that it may overload my taste buds if i bought something like that for home use. but at nama, it is mandatory and it adds to the already delicious taste. if you go to nama, go for the udon. you can't go wrong. just make sure to chug some water afterwards b/c it is perfectly salted. oh and the agedashi (tofu appetizer with japanese flaky stuff on top - i think it is seaweed and fish flakes? it sounds gross but it's really good) is really good too. mmm, my taste buds are watering for nama udon. i can't wait for my next visit!

    (5)

  • Sleep E.

    This place use to be way cheaper. What I mean by that is, you used to be able to get Teryaki with tempura for 9 bucks. Now its almost 11 bucks. Oh well, the bento box still fills me up, and its conveniently located near my job so what the hell. Oh and for you sushi lovers....better luck at Safeway down the block, they carry way better sushi.

    (3)

  • Millo M.

    I'm excited to to have an alternative Japanese restaurant in this neighborhood. The service is not the best but food is decent. The bento boxes for lunch is very reasonably prized and sizable portion. I am most excited that they have vegetable and potato croquette appetizer. Good place to go also before a baseball game.

    (4)

  • Jeff W.

    three words: too much mayo. too much mayo on the salad, too much mayo inside and on top of the rolls. a touch of mayo is nice in many rolls, but it was massively overdone when i ate here last night. i'll alter my ordering strategy accordingly if i go back. the sashimi was also unimpressive. i don't know if it was just a little on the old side, or if -- horror of horrors -- it was previously frozen, but it certainly wasn't very good. on the positive side, they did seem to offer a lot of creative rolls that you don't see at every sushi place. i like to see that, so they get bumped up to three stars. the execution was lacking, but this location is new, so i'll give them the benefit of the doubt.

    (3)

  • pat y.

    Wow, this place was really really bad. I went for lunch on a weekday, so I can understand that it is packed due to fairly limited options in the hood. However, having sat our table for an hour and half we still had not been served. When they did come to serve us the orders were wrong so we ultimately asked for our food to go. Once back to my desk I eagerly opened my to go box and found yet again that the order was wrong, and the food sucked, bummer. Suffice to say you would do yourself a favor by skipping this place.

    (1)

  • Sheri M.

    We liked this place. Admittedly it was close to both our apartment, and my office, but it was a good sushi restaurant overall. It did not quite have the ambiance of some other sushi restaurants in the City, but the people were always nice, service quick and attentive, and the food was always good. Have never had any complaints - and although we've moved, I'll continue to go back for lunch.

    (3)

  • dobi d.

    went here for the first time today. i had the udon which wasn't too bad (definitely not bland) but what make it such a crappy experience was the incredibly slooooow service! waited up to 45 min for everyone to get their food, plus they kept bringing the wrong dishes to us and to other tables! manager was unsympathetic when we complained about the service and tried to bribe us with stale mochi ice cream. then they dumped a 20% tip on us after all this! needless to say, we left and will never come back.

    (1)

  • Katya A.

    my co-workers and i eat lunch here about once a week. i really like this place, although it is indeed pricey. the rolls are standard size, maybe a bit on a smaller side, but the quality of fish is great. it's super fresh. my favorite rolls are: - zesty roll: california roll topped with salmon topped with tiny slice of lemon. very unique and refreshing. - ashley vegetarian roll: some vegies with cream cheese. - leeroy roll - viper roll: deep fried spicy tuna roll their rolls with special sauce are all right, nothing too impressive. i've definitely had better tasting special sauce at other places. it's true that the service is not lighting fast, but it's not too slow either. i like to take time to enjoy my sushi. if you order edamami, your sushi will be ready by the time you're done eating it.

    (4)

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Map

Opening Hours

  • Mon :11:30 am - 3:00pm

Specialities

  • Takes Reservations : Yes
    Delivery : No
    Take-out : Yes
    Accepts Credit Cards : Yes
    Accepts Bitcoin : No
    Good For : Dinner
    Parking : Street
    Bike Parking : Yes
    Wheelchair Accessible : Yes
    Good for Kids : Yes
    Good for Groups : Yes
    Attire : Casual
    Ambience : Casual
    Noise Level : Average
    Alcohol : Beer & Wine Only
    Outdoor Seating : No
    Wi-Fi : No
    Has TV : Yes
    Dogs Allowed : No
    Waiter Service : Yes
    Caters : Yes

Nama Sushi SF

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