Sushi Nara

Okay, so here’s a «brief» rundown of my fiancée and I’s Sushi Nara experience:
— I usually don’t pay much attention to environment, especially if the food is tasty, but the environs here were «fixer-​upper» at best.
— Our tea (mine black, hers green) was the nastiest tea I’ve ever had, and she concurred. We asked the waiter for sugar; he gave us 3 packets between the two of us. We made the best of it, but opted to just drink water instead.
— The appetizer I got was the «scallop brown». It was pretty tasty, but WAY too expensive for the portion size. My fiancée got a salad with her meal; she said it was gross. Too much water in the apparently freshly-​rinsed lettuce.
— My fiancée got some Korean dish, and said it was tasty. I got the Dragon sushi roll with eel sauce, and it too was tasty, but a bit pricy.
— And now, the absolute worst part of the experience: they were playing a 90s mix CD over the loudspeaker which, while not a bad selection of songs, apparently had a scratch on the disc. Every single song was skipping like a schoolgirl. My fiancée was a band kid, so she was trying to ignore it. I, however, am an ESTJ with OCD, so it positively drove me up the wall. Whoever’s decision it was to just let that play all this time should be dragged out back and strung up by his ankles.
So yes. The food was (mostly) decent, and the waiter was polite, but everything else was dreadful. Including the bill. In essence, we will not be returning to Sushi Nara. To anyone thinking about going here, give Chef Lin’s a try instead.
Edit: Oh yes, I forgot to mention. We never got silverware at the table until I specifically asked for it. And even upon asking, I was given chopsticks. No fork or spoon, but chopsticks. It is ludicrously difficult to eat rice with chopsticks; I took the fork out of my fiancée’s gross salad.

Sushi Nara is okay. Just okay. It’s over priced and the service is never great. They can do that because it’s not much competition in Oxford Ohio. However you can find better sushi in Cincinnati for much better prices.
I don’t go there often but it’s good enough if you’re in Oxford and craving sushi.

Sticky tables, loud voices, slow service, overpriced food. I like the half priced sushi sun-​tue 5 – 9 PM, though. That’s why I keep returning.

Well. We are sitting at our table an hour and 20 minutes after our reservation and still no main course. The staff is diligent but way overtaxed by the idiot who runs this place.
I hope the sushi is worth the wait.

I Would not recommend this place to my worst enemies. My problem with this place is not that it’s extremely crowded or the service takes at least 40 minutes even if you only ordered a lunchbox, it’s that this place is unsanitary. Our waitress, after handling cash and dirty plates and all that good stuff, dipped her figures in our soup. Her entire finger nail was inside the soup while the soup splashed everywhere. We did not even get a new soup. How gross is that??? If you don’t want to dine in a over crowed room drinking the waitress’s hand-​dipped soup, while waiting 40 minutes for your warm, overpriced low-​grade sushi, I recommend that you do not come here.

This is a great place to go for sushi in oxford. It is a nice place to take a date, family or friends. They have a downstairs sushi bar, a bar upstairs and a cute patio area as well. One recommendation I have would be to add nice tea lights outside and some strands on the walls to set the mood! All in all though I love the outdoor space. The ambiance is perfect, especially in the summer.
If you are going to order sushi, don’t forget to start with miso soup and their ginger salad. The dressing is fantastic and by far the best I have ever had. My favorite rolls are the double dragon roll and the spider roll. Anything with eel and the spicy mayo really satisfies my taste buds.
This is a must try while you are in oxford!

Service is generally slow, but you can’t expect much better in Oxford. The rock salt chicken will change your life.

I was literally just at this restaurant, with a group of 10 people. I walked in, noticed that an entire room was empty, and was delighted because the service here is notoriously slow. School has been out for a few days now, so I didn’t anticipate much of a struggle getting a table for a moderately sized group.
I called earlier in the day and was told that there were 3 servers working tonight. We asked for a table and were told flat out no. They would not serve us because they «didn’t have the capacity». Really? Three servers and one of 2 rooms completely empty? Things just don’t add up.
I had been craving sushi, and this, while undeniably sub par, is oxfords best option. I’m going to thoroughly enjoy getting actual service and good seafood after graduation. If you go here plan on spending an entire night.
I will never be back.

Would never recommend to friends, family, or any human interested in a «decent meal.» The restaurant is an absolute disgrace and it is questionable if they serve fish or dog meat. Stray away — much better options in town. Servers are worthless and plan on a two hour minimum meal with little attention.

The food is OK, but the service is terrible. If you go on a busy night and you aren’t a member of a fraternity or sorority, you’re going to have a horrible time. I was ignored almost all evening so the wait staff could cater to the drinking games of a local sorority. Sound like the kind of place you want to spend $ 20 a head? Me neither.

The food is actually pretty good, and the drinks they serve are QUITE nice, but they certainly have their issues… the service isn’t usually «stellar» (usually the wait-​staff is comprised of dippy college kids who just don’t care), though the lunchtime and bar staff are usually friendlier and the owner is very pleasant. NOT a good place to go with a large group as it is usually pretty busy, but it is okay if you plan in advance and reserve a space. Pretty interior, but NOT the place to host a large event (maybe small birthday parties or something of that sort, but not the place for a social with dancing). Basically, unless you are going there for lunch or a quick drink at the bar, I suggest ordering takeout.

Décor in old historic building. Looks «sketch» from the outside but interior is fine, nothing fancy. Food was quite good. A few traditional Korean dishes on the menu which my wife and daughter both had and enjoyed. Pleasant, fast service.

Perusing the other reviews for Sushi Nara, I’m not sure what the fuss is about. I feel like it has to be inconsistency on the part of restaurant staff/​management. I would also say you have to have reasonable expectations. Remember, it IS mostly college kids working here and eating here. Some people love this place, others hate it. We’re on the «love» side.
The place isn’t cheap, that’s true, but sushi never is. I’ve been a few times and had rolls, tempura, soup, sashimi, negiri, etc. i.e. been around the menu and haven’t been disappointed. Service each time has been good — not amazing, not horrible. Sake is hot and yummy.

I tried to like it. I really did. But come on, sushi in Oxford? Catering to students with too much money and too little taste, the place smelled like fish the two times I was there. A sushi bar should NOT smell like fish (at least not like this). I would consider blaming the managers/​owners and not the sushi chefs. The rolls are over complicated and over sauced, and as another reviewer pointed out, the fish too cold and poorly presented. I hear some of the cooked dishes are better; can’t speak to it as I never tried one. This is a FAVORITE among certain student sorority/​frat crowds. That is all the recommendation I need.
This is the greatest wast of one of the best bar/​restaurant spaces in Oxford. Sad.

This place gets very busy during the school year but it is very good sushi. My favorite is the Sunday Morning roll which is salmon and cream cheese deep fried. The menu has grown a lot since the restaurant opened two years ago. The sushi roll choices are abundant and the sushi chefs are really quick and talented. There are definitely many other food choices if you don’t like sushi, the chicken dishes are good.
The servers are inexperienced and overwhelmed. I sat at the sushi bar recently and sushi rolls were piled up for about 10 minutes before the servers came to get them — so be prepared the service is slow. This place has good specials and a full bar upstairs.

Average sushi, very very small rolls and extremely over-​priced. Unfortunately they can get away with this since Oxford isn’t exactly overflowing with sushi places. OK for a quick fix (we live in Richmond, IN), but we prefer driving to Dayton, Cincy or Indy for sushi which we know will taste better and is priced much better. Not exactly family friendly, either. Dined with our eight year old daughter and two year old daughter. No booster seats or high-​chair for the two year old, she simply sat in a regular chair like the rest of us. A bit precarious, but she survived the dinner! Also, their rolls were so small that I did not have to cut my toddlers California roll in half like I do at all other sushi places… that is one small @ss roll! Small, overpriced, average tasting rolls = we will not be dining here again.

Being from a small town means in order to enjoy the finer side of dining, it has to be done somewhere that does not include here. Being pregnant in a small town means that 90% of my cravings are for things that can not be found within the realm of my town.
Enter Oxford, OH, which is a mere 30 minutes drive from my location and Sushi Nara, which can satisfy my undying craving for sushi.
While I noticed there weren’t many positive reviews for Sushi Nara on Unilocal,we decided to roll the dice and take our chances, since there aren’t many options any closer. I am no where near a sushi connoisseur and am VERY amateur when it comes to anything raw-​fish related. However, I know what I like and what I crave, and it’s a simple, good California Roll.
I’m not much help with the service or the atmosphere, as we grabbed our roll to go. However, the California Roll (minus avocado, add cream cheese) was absolutely delicious, even after a 30 minute drive back to Indiana before breaking in to it.
I’m not sure how difficult is is to roll some crab and cucumbers up in some sticky rice and seaweed, but regardless, I was satisfied and so was my craving. Also, Sushi Nara provided me with two more pieces of roll than the place I usually frequent and it was a little less expensive. More food for less money is ALWAYS a plus.

Well I sure would have like to have tried out Sushi Nara, at least that was the intent. So having a couple of little ones, I called to find out if they had a high-​chair for my 13 month old son. Both of my children have been dining out with my wife and I since they were newborns, and they do exceptionally well. They love it actually and are extremely well behaved. We take them to nice establishments all the time without any problem and they charm the entire crowd.
So some bimbette answers the phone and is extremely rude to me for simply asking about high chairs. She made it perfectly clear that we weren’t welcome, and made it very clear that in no uncertain terms, that I was clearly an idiot for simply calling and asking such a thing.
I mean, she simply could have explained that the restaurant was not set up for kids and left the szchitball attitude at the door. The attitude alone over the phone was clearly enough to keep me from ever stepping foot into the place — with or without my kids.
Now mind you, we eat sushi regularly with groups of people — 6 – 20 strong. I have been at a table where the dinner bill for sushi was close to $ 1000. In fact, the last bill for our sushi dinner out to Kyoto last month was $ 120 for a dinner of four, and that’s about typical for a once-​a-​month occurance for us. I have already told several friends and family members about my experience, and figured that it was worth a post here on Unilocal as well.
So hey little typical Miami beehotch snotnose twit that answered the phone and belittled me for inquiring about facilities for my kids — you can explain to your boss why you’ve managed to make your way onto Unilocal with this review.
Not only will I see to it that not a single penny of mine or anyone connected with me will ever be spent in your establishment, but I will evangelize to anyone and everyone who will listen about what a stellar image you set forth. Lest you forget, you’re really just a second rate place in what is ultimately a small town in rural Butler County, Ohio, that wouldn’t amount to squat if it weren’t for Miami U keeping you afloat. God knows the locals don’t put up with that sort of crap.

What is a San Francisco Bay area Californian doing, having sushi in Oxford Ohio?
My friend’s family reside in this college town (home of the Miami Redhawks) and they told me that Oxford had gotten a new sushi restaurant. Being a sushi fan and adventurous food consumer, I went there this afternoon to try some sushi served in the midwest, far, far away from the ocean.
I dove into my midwest sushi adventure by ordering some bulgogi (Korean marinated beef, cooked and served in a hot skillet), a caterpillar roll, spicy tuna roll, and the Godzilla roll.
The bulgogi– very tender, well prepared and cooked. The seasoning is a bit sweeter than I’m used to (I’m normally used to garlicky, savory seasoning versus the carmelized brown sugar notes in bulgogi). Other than this seasoning difference, it was very good.
The spicy tuna, caterpillar, and godzlila rolls were all good– it reminded a lot of LA style sushi. Of the three, the godzilla was probably my favorite– it was spicy (from the tuna), crispy (from the shrimp tempura), and overall it was pretty tasty.
For those who are interested in martinis and other specialty drinks it looks like this place is fully stocked with top shelf alcohol. I think this would be a nice place to take someone on a date… drinks, sushi, and jazz music does make a good environment.
After this recent adventure I’ve decided to revisit this place on visit to Oxford again.

Formerly the Alexander House, Sushi Nara is the newest restaurant in Oxford, Ohio. By the way, it’s about time we got some more food options in town! The staff was very professional and welcoming. The décor is a cross between contemporary Japanese and Western design. The food was outstanding and the sushi was really fresh. My only negative feedback is that they play hip hop /​R&B music (from about 4 to 6 years ago) and it seriously detracts from what could be an exceptional dining experience. If they were to switch out their music, I would have given them 5 stars.
Update: they’ve toned down the music. Great place to eat!