Sono Bana Japanese Restaurant

Being from the area, I grew up eating at Sono Bana. I don’t live nearby anymore, and boy do I miss this place, it has always been my favorite restaurant! Their lunch box sets are the best. I especially love the calamari salad and also the crunch roll… everything there is good though. It is very well priced and the quality is always outstanding. Great food, service and atmosphere, Sono Bana is a gem.

Great value. Sushi was delicious, got a spicy tuna and an Oshinko roll. Perfect amount of rice. I also ordered the vegetable spicy udon which was also delicious and healthy. They gave me such a large portion I had lots of leftovers to take home. The Gyoza was on point as well. Awesome spot!

Quick hands!
The night started off pretty amazing the waitress made an excellent catch and prevented my beer from falling. We ordered 2 boats and wow the presentation was great and they were very filling. Really enjoyed my experience here.

I am always bragging about this place. I grew up in this area, and this is my ALL TIME FAVORITE sushi joint. I am IN LOVE with the dragon rolls and there is NO OTHER PLACE that makes it better. I even learned to make them at home since I love them so much.
I actually had my first mochi here many many years ago; and I also had my first Japanese toilet experience here. Go check it out!
The owner is so kind, and the service is always excellent! I highly recommend this spot to all sushi lovers!

I like to come here. Price is reasonable. Food is so delicious and the staffs are friendly.

Best sushi int he New Haven area. I have been here for 6 years and I’ve eaten everywhere. This place is fresh, reasonably priced, and there is tons of variety. Go to dating destination or if you want tasty take out.

I drive by this place often and wish I had stopped in sooner! I have friends in a few different towns that recomended it so I finally went in on a Friday night. The food was fresh, wonderful, and a lot more creative than that all you can eat place down the street.
The kids meal was adorable, served on a boat with a little fruit, a little vegies, and her chicken entrée’. Great and friendly staff who never stop running around. Great find!

Drove by this place a bunch of times and finally decided to check it out. We went for the menu option that comes with miso soup, California roll, and lets you pick one item off one list and two items off another list. Nice selection too.
Place was pretty full and the Food took a while to come out but was worth the wait. We were out of there for under 40 bucks and were completely satisfied. Our waitress seemed a bit out of it but I’m sure the manager probably figured that out by now and dealt with it. Inside wasn’t anything fancy but was very comfortable. The lighting was kind of low which was just right for this place.

at Friday night, I go with my friends I order sweet potato roll not cook well done, even my sushi roll is not fresh, I would never come back .this ‘s bad experience.

Zero Stars should be an option — :(
If I were eating in, I would have sent all the sushi back. I did need delivery due to my broken ankle.
The sushi I ordered was: spicy scallop, hot tuna and sweet potato. The scallops were not spicy and was so overloaded with mayo I couldnt eat it, the hot tuna had no flavor and the sweet potato was not cooked, almost raw which makes it uneatable.
I will not eat here again.

Really great place to eat! I kove the selection of sushi and sushimi and the prices are decent. The menus have oictureoof what they offer which is a nice treat. I’d definitely come here again as the staff were really nice amd friendly.

3.5 stars — Food is pretty decent and I would rate a 4, esp. for Japanese in the area, but minus a half star because of the slow service (only 2 waitresses) and delayed use of air conditioning. Their nabeyaki udon is delicious and you can’t get anything better for $ 8.95. I would not recommend the spicy seafood udon. Sushi is pretty good as well — the alligator roll is so yummy! Also, it is nice that they have parking right in front on the street and if that is filled up, there is additional parking in the back. This place has probably one hundred different things you can order and there are lots of pictures so I would definitely recommend.

I still come here regularly — there is no better sushi in the state.
I do find that the sushi can still take a while at busier times (e.g. Saturday night) — seems like they’re pushing out all the takeout orders first. However, the quality has improved. There was a period of time where they were going through a bunch of different sushi chefs so that probably explains that.
Service has generally improved. There’s been some turnover and I think it’s been for the better.

I have been eating at Sono Bana for 17 years now. While these days it is much easier to find sushi in CT, it is hard to find sushi and other Japanese dishes that are nearly as delicious. And not only is the fish incredible, but the prices are more reasonable than any other place I’ve tried. If I lived closer to Sono Bana, I wouldn’t get my raw fish anywhere else.
Another dish you can’t miss is their soft-​shell crab appetizer. Not only is it difficult to find this dish at many Japanese restaurants, but their light batter and meaty pieces of crab are paired perfectly with a vinegar sauce. I believe the $ 10 appetizer comes with two crabs, so it’s quite filling for the price.
While dinner prices are good, you can’t beat the lunch special prices. Despite getting such a great deal, you get to choose your sushi/​sashimi and special rolls.
And if amazing food isn’t enough, the staff at Sono Bana is the best. Everyone is friendly and happy to answer questions without making you feel rushed or imposing. The restaurant’s ambiance is quiet and wonderful. They play soft Japanese music in the background, so it is a wonderful place to catch up with friends.

This is one of my favorite places for sushi. I have been eating here since 1998 when it was still Hama. The name may have changed, but the food is still awesome and some of the staff is still there.
I love ordering the sushi sets. I feel it’s the most bang for your buck while getting delicious, fresh sushi. I have tried some of the all you can eat joints and I’ve never been pleased. They either skimp on the orders, forget something or rush you our. I have never had any of these things happen to me in the 15+ years I’ve been dining here.
I also like the atmosphere in here too. They did a remodel a couple of years back and it’s really nice. I like that there is a lot of seating but you never feel that you’re sitting on top of someone else. You can have an intimate conversation for two or have a large group and they can accommodate either nicely.
I

extremely friendly staff (new guy who just started a week ago)
this is a good place to go if you want variety at a decent price, their dinner special box of $ 15 let’s you choose from various combinations, and thus open the menu up to the individual preferences, a pretty good deal actually.
Spacious place, not crowded and not overly pricey.

The sushi at Sono Bana is excellent– always fresh with creative options. Their box deals are a bit complicated at first (bring a pencil and paper… seriously) but are great if you’re looking for value. The restaurant itself is perfectly acceptable but nothing special if you’re looking for atmosphere. They do both take-​out and delivery which is great. If at all possible, I’d stick to the take-​out, not because I’ve had issues with delivery but the wait can be significant and I personally just don’t feel sushi holds up well via delivery. As far as local sushi options go, this is definitely one of the best.

When we first moved to New Haven, I started checking out the nearby sushi places and immediately thought that we would never eat sushi again — expensive! And mostly basic in the so-​called «special rolls.» We love sushi, and I was determined to find some place relatively close by that could become that go-​to sushi place we need to survive. I was so surprised when Sono Bana popped up on my Unilocal search — not far at all when you have a car!
I went over to surprise my husband with a sushi dinner. Managed to score a spot right in front on the street — it’s a sketchy looking area, but that just makes this a hidden gem! I was immediately greeted by the entire staff (seriously), and the hostess very quickly took down my order and offered me a seat at the empty sushi bar and some green tea while I waited. Didn’t take long, but it felt like forever to wait for my husband to get home while looking at the delicious sushi.
I went wild — we hadn’t had sushi in like two months — and we shared several special rolls including spicy scallop, hama (Yellowtail, fresh salmon, scallion, cucumber & flying fish roe), isobe (Tuna, masago, scallion, avocado & spicy mayonnaise), hawaiian (inside real crab, avocado & masago, outside tuna and yellowtail), and the pink dragon (inside spicy tuna, avocado, cucumber, scallion & tempura flake outside salmon, lemon, masago & scallion). Everything was delicious! The various fish tasted fresh, as did the other ingredients, rice was cooked well and not too much of it used in each roll, they really do use real crab, and there’s a lot of food since each roll had 8 pieces (except where noted otherwise). My only complaint is with the spicy scallop roll — it’s my favorite type of maki, and they used waaaaaay too much mayo, it was kind of gross. I’ll just make a request next time, though, because the quality plus the prices are worth it!

This is the ONE OF VERY FEW authentic sushi place run by JAPANESE in new haven area. MISO/​HAYAMA/​SUSHI PALACE are good value but NOT authentic at all. True Japanese Sushi never has buffet! if you are looking for REAL japanese food, try Sono Bana/​Yooki Yama

Sono Bana is the sushi place I’ve always wanted for sushi takeout and delivery, and I didn’t even know it until I stopped in yesterday to grab dinner to go. The dining area looks nice, but takeout is a great deal, so this is my new go-​to place when I just want to vege out and eat sushi on the couch in front of the TV in the comfort of my own home. Unlike a lot of sushi restaurants, I can get enough sushi to be uncomfortably full at Sono Bana for around $ 15 – 20, even at dinner. The combination boxes and sushi set specials are especially good deals and come with a lot of food. The sushi itself isn’t the best ever, but it’s satisfying and more than above-​average, and there are several creative options on the menu. You can also get your fill of teriyaki, tempura, and noodle dishes, all reasonably priced.
The staff is very friendly and even offered me water or tea while I waited for my order. If you live less than 3 miles away, you can also get sushi delivered from 5 – 9 p.m. as long as you order a certain amount and pay a small delivery fee.