Sushi Nara

I wanted to like this place… it’s close to my office, the service is good, the prices are reasonable.
Unfortunately, the quality was disappointing. I ordered Spicy tuna rolls and spicy tuna shashimi. Both were very mediocre and did not taste fresh at all.
I won’t be going back here.

Sushi Nara’s service was slow, but friendly.
This is a small sushi restaurant located on Victoria Drive. There’s about 5 tables in this place with 3 sushi chefs when I visited last time. Since there were only 2 other tables, I was surprised it took as long as it did. (Even getting us tea)
However, the service and food made up for it. The Special Assorted Sashimi platter was only $ 19.95 so we ordered that along with a few other staples. I felt the pieces were of high quality and everything we had was pretty fresh.
Sushi Nara is not run and operated by Japanese people, but it was run well and they also take credit card.

After renovations this place is really good. I came here after new owner and it is great. There are a lot of choices now and high end rolls. Not a typical take out restaurant.
They had a deal awhile back and I missed out on those internet coupon things. Even without it the meal is not expensive.

Surprised there aren’t more reviews here.
A smaller sushi joint that specializes in rolls and fresh salmon sashimi, pretty impresssed w/​its wide variety – ever heard of hokkigai? surf clam… next time
when i’m more brave…
Just here for a sampler, so can say the wild salmon was quite fresh, and here’s the extra star, the value, just $ 13 for 9 good size pieces. though not authentic in the sense it’s taiwanese-​owned, that’s why the place is quite clean, modern décor w/​a bit of a real japanese flavour.
white ginger is a bonus ;)
but parking can be a headache on this part of the busy Victoria street.
i’ll be back soon.

I came to try Sushi Nara with my family on recommendation from a friend. I have seen this small Japanese restaurant before but never tried the food. I did not realize until my friend mentioned it that Sushi Nara is under new ownership and management since April 23^rd of 2012.
I must firstly thank my friend for making her recommendation, as this was one of the best sushi places I have tried in years. As a big sushi fan for many years, I have tried many sushi restaurants around the world. Sushi Nara scores a ⁹⁄₁₀ in my book with their high quality ingredients and care in details of the preparation.
I started my dinner with some appetizers — miso soup and gomae salad. This was one of few places that used fresh tofu in the miso soup. We had the toro sashimi and salmon sashimi after with amaebi (sweet shrimp sushi) and spicy tuna sashimi. The sashimi fish were very fresh and delicious. The amaebi was particularly commendable as it was so fresh that the shrimp was actually a bit crunchy in the mouth — not mushy as I have tried in many other places. Of all the nigiri sushi types, the amaebi had been one of my least favourites until I tried this at Sushi Nara. They have completely redefined what the amaebi should taste like to me. The spicy tuna was also worth noting. This was a sweeter tasting spicy tuna sashimi which was reminiscent of a sweet chili thai sauce. The sweetness and spiciness worked well to leave just enough tuna taste for a full enjoyment on the palate. I highly recommend this dish for those who likes spicy tuna.
We had a good appetite after the sashimi and asked our server (Jamie, who is also the owner) and the sushi chef to recommend their special rolls. We were presented with a kiwi roll and a smoked salmon roll. The kiwi was fresh and sweet, which complemented the fresh tuna inside the roll nicely. The smoked salmon roll had a nice touch of fish roe on top of each piece (two different types of roe) and real crab meat inside. The flavours and textures were well balanced. The server recommended also a rainbow roll and a mango roll with real crab meat. I should point out that most Japanese restaurants serve pollock which is an imitation crab meat made from fish. If you have had California rolls then you will have tried this imitation crab meat. Real crab meat (probably from a can) has a much different texture and taste that one must try. Real crab meat is often found only at high end Japanese restaurants (think Tojo’s). Sushi Nara offers this if you just ask the server or the chef as a premium product. Once you have tried real crab meat maki rolls, you would not want to go back to pollock. Thanks go Jamie for her excellent recommendations.
Our wonderful dinner ended with a nice mango and green tea gelato. Through out the night, our server provided very attentive service. Even though she is the owner, one can tell that she definitely has a passion to provide the best Japanese sushi restaurant experience for her patrons. Every detail from the hearty green tea, to the comfortable seating, to the simply yet effective decorations all contributed to a nice family restaurant experience. Our best surprise was bill at the end, which was well below what we would have expected to pay for such a sushi feast. Sushi Nara delivers excellent value and superb quality. We are definitely coming back soon for more!
P. S. Sushi Nara is located on a busy part of Victoria Drive. It is best to park on the side street behind the restaurant (Beatrice St. near E. 41^st) unless you happen to be lucky to find parking on Victoria Drive. Alternatively, Sushi Nara delivers within 10 km so you can just call them to place an order.

Went the other night with a group of four.
Their Korean menu was very limited that night. They were most apologetic but didn’t really catch why that was — so we settled on shared sushi tray — a monstrous selection of fresh and delicious sushi for $ 18 — enough to feed a small army as well as some edamame and gyoza from their 2-​for$ 5 menu.
We four stuff ourselves beyond belief and when the bill came — under $ 30 with taxes, I found myself thinking that this should be our destination more often. As hungry as I was when I arrived — I was fully completely satisfied upon exiting.