Trattoria Nakamura-Ya

This is a whole in the wall Japanese-​Italian fusion. We found out about this place from a family friend and we ABSOLUTELY love this place. We’ve been back four times already.
Here’s the breakdown of our experience:
Ambiance — From the moment you walk in, you can tell this is a small restaurant that is constantly packed on the weekends! The restaurant can probably hold about 30 people max. I recommend calling ahead to see how long the wait is or make a reservation. The parking also sucks! However, you can park across the street if you want or circle around a bit until you find an open spot. The place is loud, with a trendy ambiance. The service is great. It’s cool to see the Chef’s make the food! The servers have very thick Japanese accents… So make sure you pay close attention to what they’re saying.
Food — We had the Uni linguini, which is considered their #1 dish. It’s THE BEST pasta dish I think I’ve ever had. I usually don’t like uni when I eat sushi, but the way the Chef makes it really transform the dish into something creamy, delicious, and incredible. The noodles were cooked perfectly. There were bits of uni pieces in the dish with a creamy sauce that really pulled it together.
My husband had the squid ink pasta with calamari. This dish was okay. Be careful! The squid ink will stain your lips, teeth, and stain your clothes. The dish was simple and unique, but it lacked taste in comparison with the Uni pasta. I recommend first-​timers try the Uni linguini!
Price: Place is fairly priced. The quality of the food is great. The service was on-​point. For two pastas and two glasses of wine the total came out to $ 65, which isn’t too bad. There are cheaper pasta dishes ($ 11 – 15 a dish) that’s available and the portions are pretty large. You can share it or take the food home to eat later if you want. So if you’re looking for cheap eats, you definitely can at this place depending on what you pick.
Drinks: The drink selection is minimal. I had two glasses of their house merlot that tasted like average Merlot. One drink was approximately $ 9 a glass. They have beer and sake as well. There isn’t well drinks or specialty drinks available.
Overall, I enjoyed it. The uni linguini is a must. Remember to call ahead and account for parking. My husband and I will definitely be back again!

Another gem in the same plaza as Monta Ramen, Snowflake, Sweets Raku, and Curry Zen? Looks like I’ll have to make this my official favorite plaza in Las Vegas.
Nakamura’s storefront is relatively unsuspecting and may go unnoticed next to the huge «Big Wong» sign right next to it, but the food here is worth visiting this restaurant at least once.
The food is nicely arranged and tastes great. Trattoria Nakamura-​Ya advertises itself as a Japanese-​Italian fusion and does an excellent job executing it. The pasta served here is cooked just right, and the broth served with it does remind of Japanese food. Note that the main dishes here do not come with rice, however.
The service was impeccable. Since we were the only people in the restaurant for a while, we enjoyed the «single-​table» treatment: We never had to ask for refills, the waitress was friendly and helpful, and we barely had to wait for our food to come out after we placed our orders! Even when more customers came in, and it got a little busier, getting our checks and paying was done quickly and efficiently.
The pricing is a little questionable when comparing the individual items on the menu to one another. My friend’s Linguini with Jidori Chicken ended up costing $ 8 when my Jidori Chicken with Kinkoku sauce (no rice included) cost me $ 15. It could have been because his Linguini hardly had any chicken in it, but that’s really not a good thing, either.
Overall, this restaurant offers good food and splendid customer service. It could easily be a 5-​star place if the pricing was more consistent.

WOW!
One of my favorite places to eat in LV.
I would recommend this place to anyone.
Pasta is to die for.
Great experience!
Very interesting dishes.
Only down part is parking.
Parking is very hard to find.

We wanted to try something different and it was Xmas eve, so places were either closed or already booked. TNY does not take reservations, so we took a gamble… lol…well, we are in Vegas. We didn’t have to wait too long and the little area had a number of different restaurants, some that seemed very popular with the Japanese community. Parking is a nightmare.
The food is a very interesting… in my humble opinion, it’s more like the Japanese take on Italian food. I eat a lot of Italian, so it felt like I was in Japan and the chef was making his version of Italian food. Each dish was unique, like the daikon salad, which tasted better if you tossed the sundried tomatoes with the daikon. My miso carbonara was tasty though the sauce a little more like a thick broth. I liked how it was served in a large bowl.
The partner had the chicken with a spicy sauce which he thought was interesting that they used thick Japanese noodles. My mom’s salad came without the chicken she wanted, so they politely redid it for her. My dad loved his clams in white sauce. We also ordered these mozzarella basil egg rolls… they were a little small but alright. They also have a really nice wine list.
Overall, it’s a really great place to try, especially if you want to eat something different. The people are all very friendly and I can’t wait to try some of the other items when I return.
Domo arigato! Tutto era deliziosa!

I absolutely love this place. I have been here twice and always leave happy!
It’s definitely a little hidden gem stowed away in Chinatown. Small quiet cozy place and great for a date or even to bring the kids.
It’s a fusion of Japanese and Italian and everything is so delicately put together. For appetizers I have had the bruschetta and I just can’t decide which is my favorite they all melt in your mouth. However I leave the place and crave the tuna bruschetta. The octopus with wasabi sauce is fantastic. I also had the beef carpaccio amazing! We ordered the cheese platter and to my surprise it was great! Usually I don’t get that excited about cheese platters but definitely a must order.
For entrees I have been quite boring and both times ordered the Uni wild scallop tomato cream sauce pasta. I die and go to heaven every time I eat this. On one of my visits my Boyfriend ordered the squid ink pasta and I loved that too. But if your wearing white or have an engagement after dinner not the best choice your teeth will be black and if your like me it will be on your top no matter how hard you tried not to splatter.
Great waitresses excellent wine list and by the glass. This place is on my top 5 places in Vegas!

Been here before and really enjoyed the food… The Uni/​scallop linguini is off the hook… The squid ink pasta is also great… Thought Japanese-​Italian fusion was weird but it really works… It’s a little pricey but well worth it… I will be back !!!

Small hole in the wall.
Good Friend turned me on to their linguine uni in tomato cream sauce, da bomba

Miso carbonara: This probably won’t sound appetizing, but I promise it was good. The miso carbonara spaghetti tasted like spaghetti in a ramen broth made sauce. 16 years in Japan and I’ve never tasted anything like it– it may not be traditional Japanese, but it was good!
Kinoko meat sauce: Mushrooms with meat sauce. It had a very mild, light taste. If you’re a fan of American meat sauce, you probably shouldn’t order this. It has a creamier texture than you would expect. I liked the miso carbonara better!
Japanese spaghetti noodles are thinner and less doughy than what you would get at Olive Garden. As all Japanese food, it’s light and you aren’t going to end up with leftovers for home.
ask for refills on the bread!!!

Parking in this plaza is so hard to find during the night.
This place had really great food and service. My friend reserved us a table for 7 without any problems. We were a large group and our server was really patient with us while we were enjoying our time before she tells us their specials. She was also more than happy to split all our checks and remembered each of our orders correctly. Little things were also taken into consideration like they give you a nice moist toilette if you order the squid ink pasta because your mouth will be stained with ink from eating it. So nice :)
The place is a bit dark though. But it’s not so dark that you cant see the food. I love the open kitchen so you can see what they are doing behind too.
Japanese/​Italian is well done in this place utilizing the both Japanese and Italian ingredients respectfully. I got the squid ink pasta and it’s really good. Nothing else to describe it but that it tastes exactly like squid ink. It was also very light and easy to eat considering it was pasta. I also tried creamy uni pasta that my friend got and it was also really good. The taste isn’t like any other pasta and it was creamy but never heavy. They found such a great balance in their dishes which I really love. I will be coming back to this place and I’m ordering the uni pasta next time.

I have waited literal YEARS to try Trattoria Nakamura-​Ya and finally took the leap during their 4^th anniversary! The deal included half off (or close to) their two most popular dishes — the uni cream pasta and squid ink pasta.
SERVICE
As with pretty much almost any Japanese restaurant, service is ON POINT. Waitresses knew their stuff, were quick, friendly, polite, and just all around lovely. The only drawback was that I ordered a daikon salad appetizer and it did not come until the end of the meal… Free refills on bread totally made me forget about that.
There is gratuity for parties of 6+
ATMOSPHERE
Cozy and warm and oh-​so-​classy. My friend got ginger ale and it came in a nice glass bottle with a serving glass! Yes, I get amused by simple things. Appropriate choice of music as well.
Warning: space is limited, so there is a wait during peak hours.
FOOD
Bread rolls — they were so magically warm and soft on the inside but crisp on the outside. Such a good starter!
Uni cream pasta — perfectly balanced, not too heavy, generous amount of actual uni, well-​portioned
Squid ink pasta — stains!, taste was pretty good, not my favorite
My friend’s pasta with kurobuta sausage — decent
—-came with calamari — wonderfully crisp and not overcooked!
—-salad — standard
Daikon salad — refreshing and tart from the plum and sundried tomatoes, wish this came before I finished my uni cream pasta
I will definitely go back for their prix fix meals.

Finally tried to the Uni Tomato Cream (+scallops for the special) and had to bump my review up to 5 stars. It is as good as people say! Definitely give it a try. Worth the $$$ to treat yourself :)
$ 33 for the small portion is a bit steep so it isn’t something I would have on a regular basis but it is definitely worth trying at least once

If it weren’t for Unilocal events page using smoke signals to bring me to this restaurant, I wouldn’t have ever given uni pasta another try since my visit at the Maruhide Uni Club.
The restaurant is extremely tiny but still comfortable. We ordered both the uni spaghetti pasta and the squid ink pasta which both surprisingly was really great. The flavors weren’t overpowering and the fusion with Italian flavors really made it work. I did like the uni pasta more than the other, but at least I can say I tried squid ink finally.
I definitely want to come back to try some other dishes. The pricing here is a little steep, but it makes sense for the quality of food and variations you’re getting.

Happy Anniversary to one of the better fusion concepts around town!
I last visited Trattoria Nakamura-​Ya on their 3^rd anniversary last year, and they brought back their ~50% off pasta specials for their 4^th anniversary. I was disappointed that the happy hour specials have either been discontinued or are temporarily removed for anniversary purposes, so I didn’t get to revisit the fried oyster or Jidori chicken. I did have the uni tomato cream pasta again (twice, actually) and enjoyed it as much as last year, perhaps even a bit more now that I knew to tear up the basil leaves to spread out the flavor.
They did have another special printed menu for the anniversary. Alongside the discounted pastas, they offered regular-​price items, including two appetizers, one main course, and a dessert. I ended up trying most of these items tonight:
Salmon Carpaccio ($ 16): a playful dish of eight thin pieces of salmon over greens, with a karashi-​yuzu dressing (think mustard/​citrus), olives, radish, kiwi, a citrus-​y fruit (possibly yuzu, but I’ve never had the pleasure), and dill. It’s quite yummy and clearly shows off both Italian and Japanese influences, but I can’t say that I would choose it over some of the cold salmon dishes at Yonaka.
New Zealand Ribeye ($ 27): supposedly their 3^rd most popular dish, right after the uni and the squid ink pastas. Pre-​sliced, cooked to medium-​rare, flavored with white truffle EVOO, with some sauteed potatoes, asparagus, paprika, and green tea sea salt on the side. Let’s get it out of the way first that I couldn’t discern much in green tea flavor, but I enjoyed all the other flavors and accoutrements. The meat itself was tender and tasty, but the fat doesn’t seem to have been fully trimmed and. or rendered. I expect flawless execution at this price point, and I didn’t get it.
NakamuraYa’s 3 Dessert Sampler ($ 10): now this one was worth every penny. I loved each member of the trio equally. The tiramisu was as good as any that I’ve had, especially in terms of the alcohol-​soaked ladyfingers, espresso flavor, and balanced sweetness. The soy milk panna cotta lived up to my friend’s hype and more, with a perfectly silky texture and an awesome Okinawa black sugar sauce. The black sesame blancmange had so much black sesame flavor and also had a smooth mouthfeel. I would order any of those again in a heartbeat.
I’ve gotta find out whether happy hour is still on after this event. If so, I’ll certainly be back to revisit Trattoria Nakamura-Ya’s desserts and to explore more of their menu.

Great hidden gem! Offering a Japanese-​Italian fusion, Trattoria Nakamura-​ya has a menu unlike any other restaurant in town (that I’m aware of). Their miso carbonara is my favorite dish. The sauce is light, not too rich or creamy like some carbonaras can be, and the miso flavor isn’t overpowering. The serving size is perfect and prices are reasonable, especially for the quality.
It’s a small restaurant, but service is great and they’re well worth a try!

We kinda relived our Japan experiences this past weekend in Vegas. Seeking out good restaurants serving, that much hated word, authentic Japanese eats, we were pretty successful. Trattoria Nakamura serves up the odd-​sounding, but perfect-​tasting Japanese-​Italian dishes. The Japanese have been known to reinterpret other world cuisines in ways that make sense to them. Trattoria Nakamura is a perfect example of how they do this well.
I’ve not had too many experiences with Japanese takes on Italian pasta; however, I can tell you that this place prepares these dishes very well. He got the jidori chicken to start and had the wagyu beef pasta for his main. I, of course, ordered the famous sea urchin linguine in tomato cream sauce mmmmmmm.
Enthusiastic thumbs up from this foodie pair! He said the jidori chicken was really flavorful and juicy and unlike anything else he had ever had. The wagyu beef pasta came in a generous serving and really highlighted the American version of Kobe well. My sea urchin pasta was decadent and creamy, but not so rich that I got sick after a few bites. Nope, I pretty much emptied the plate. They were generous with the globs of uni, though they certainly should be with the $ 26 price tag. With that said, sea urchin pasta prepared this well is very hard to find. I’ve tried Italian takes on sea urchin pasta, usually ones that didn’t include cream in the sauce, and found them too salty and the sea urchin flavor not discernible. Not here. The uni mixed with bites of the noodles and creamy sauce is pure bliss.
Besides the delicious and harder-​to-​find fare, we also appreciated the friendly service, also characteristic of Japanese establishments. In Japan, we noted how customer service was nice even when tip wasn’t expected. In the U.S., tip is very much expected, but you’d never know that from this very kind, sweet server.
Get your carb fix here and see why Japan has more starred Italian restaurants than any other country in the world.

DARK HOLE IN THE WALL
An Italian & Japanese fusion resteraunt was quite an interesting twist! We came here for dinner & wanted to try the famous dish. It is a small little store that could possibly seat like 40 people MAXMAX… when we walked in we we’re the Only people other than the workers. Would have to say it was SUPER dark in there. it seemed like no difference of lighting from outside to inside ahahhha
One thing that was really apparent was the foul smell that would not go away which we assumed is the bad piping system for the sewer or something but it was only in this place which seemed to be coming directly from the bathroom & it filled the whole place possibly because there was no one there either to distract the smell… it definitely affected the taste of the food…
SPAGHETTI UNI TOMATO CREAM SAUCE $ 26.95 — I would have to say it was a large amount! It was DERICIOUS! although because of the smell of the place it was a bit hard to taste the uni… but the moment we walked out of the place it was like a kick in the face of uni cloud! We packed some Togo & ate it at home & you can taste the uni like AMAZINGLY perfect =]
KUROBUTA SAUSAGE RATAOUILLE SAUCE $ 5.95 — I had one piece… the hubby devoured this thing in seconds =[ I hate being a slow eater…
Definitely have to come back & try other dishes!

I’m having an uni moment…
Yes I love uni and proud to admit it! Most of my friends want nothing to do with it and that just means more for me!
This place is tiny and no wonder a lot of people complain about long wait times, what would you expect with only a few tables?
Some how everything in the planet aligned the first time we went and we sat down immediately. It was the middle of the week just after 5pm, securing a spot before rush hour.
We got a table at the window and the sun was shining right in to make our food look extra beautiful. I have to admit my hopes were high and knowing there was uni pasta on the menu I really wanted to experience it, especially since I never had it before. Luckily for me it was better than I could have ever hoped for. It was magical…
Bite after bite I closed my eyes and savored every single minute with this dish. I loved it. Pasta was cooked perfectly and that creamy and rich uni was all over it, melting to the warmth of the noodles. Holy shit folks, this was no joke. I could eat this every day!
My girlfriend ordered spaghetti with meat sauce that was fantastic as well but back to my uni! Wow! I dream of this dish…
The service was really great, all the ladies were extra sweet and loved that we were both newbies and we also ordered Italian spring rolls that were great in flavor but didn’t come with any sauce (we suggest they come with sauce). The warm bread was great and the ginger ale was delicious as well. Overall we loved our time here and will definitely be back. I can’t imagine ordering anything other than the uni so this will be my ultra decadent dish of choice!
So great! If you love uni this place does it right!

I’ve only tried one dish here and for that one dish they deserve 5 stars!
I have a coworker/​friend who is a foodie and she has been raving about this place being her absolute favorite because of their uni cream tomato pasta… However when she told me the price is almost $ 27, I strayed away.
Finally months after, I gave in and wanted to try this place out with my coworker after work. We both order the uni cream tomato pasta. Before the main dish arrived, we were served complimentary bread with butter. The bread was sweet and very good. It was warm and toasted on the outside.
Our dish arrived, immediately she sprinkle chilli flakes on hers so I copied what she did. First bite was just ok but as I keep eating and finding chunks of sea urchin and the red tomato dried flakes… My oh my I couldn’t stop… It was amazing. We finished to our very last bite and cleaned our plates completely. The next day & I’m still dwelling on this epic uni cream tomato pasta… Must must must try! Totally worth splurging on this high quality meal!

Not cheap, nor super expensive, but worth every penny! The food here is so unique and so delicious!
After seeing everyone’s review, it was hard to pass up on the Kobe Style beef carpaccio, and Uni spaghetti. My husband got a pork katsu cordon blue type dish which was not bad either. But if you like uni, you cannot pass the uni spaghetti. The flavor was phenomenal. It was quite heavy in the sense that half of the plate made me feel super full. But I wasn’t planning on letting that going to waste since we were about to board a plane shortly after; I ended up eating the whole thing. I was so satisfied. Excellent recommendation from my girlfriend Kristen T!
There were quite a few dishes on the menu that were so unique, I wish I could try them all. But I guess that just means that I will have to come back next time!
Side note: This place is so good, even their bread was off the hook. So fresh, warm and yummy when they bring it out!

Wow. An Italian-​Japanese restaurant. Yes, two completely different types of cuisines fused into one place to dine at and it is simply delicious! Come with an open mind!
I remember my first time coming here a few years ago was solely for the uni tomato cream spaghetti, but my memory’s fuzzy about that visit. The only thing I remembered was eating the uni spaghetti dish, falling in love, and that’s that! If you’re a fan of uni at all (I know uni is the type of dish that’s hit or miss…) this is a MUST try. I have to rave about this dish because it was just as delicious as I remember it. And there I go – falling in love FOR THE SECOND TIME!
I love eating uni by itself at sushi places, but this dish is something. The second it hits your mouth, you’ll taste the uni, but it is not overpowering. It is sooo creamy and rich in flavor, mixed with some subtle hints of alfredo (?) flavoring. I’m hungry thinking about it!
Now to comment on the other foods:
Beef carpaccio was great! We also shared the octopus carpaccio. The beef carpaccio was better, but then again, I’m not the biggest fan of octopus. I like it, but I love beef more.
We then tried a steak dish where you dip the beef into green tea salt. I really enjoyed this as it was very juicy meat, but the dish itself was nothing spectacular. The green tea salt is a unique feature but does not actually add a *wow* factor to the dish itself.
The squid ink pasta was better than I expected, but nothing to rave about like the uni spaghetti. This dish would be great for seafood lovers as squid ink has a very «seafood» flavor to it that I enjoyed. Warning: this dish makes your lips tinted black! Take pictures!
Lastly we tried a risotto with sausage and mushroom. It was very rich in texture and I was very amazed and how it tasted. I loved it, but was getting very full as this was the last dish served.
We were able to share 5 dishes between 4 people, kind of like tapas style.
Side note: the bread was actually very enjoyable! The bread being edible at Italian places could make or break the restaurant for me.
Overall, I love this place and would not mind coming back. Anyone I bring here MUST try the uni tomato spaghetti! No ifs, ands, or buts! It is a bit on the pricey side but it is definitely an adventurous ride that I would not mind dishing out for every now and then.