Naka Naka

Service was phenomenal. Fabulous, romantic little spot. Food: off the chart.

What struck me the most about this place was how jovial the waiter was (an old Japanese man with a nice accent. He laughed/​chuckled a lot… it’s been awhile since I’ve met anyone who seemed that happy. It was a really a delight.
The second thing that struck me is that this is a very cute, cozy little place, it really gives a Japanese vibe, with paper lanterns, dark wood beams. At the center of the room is a wooden platform with a wooden cabinet and some decorations. I really appreciated the Japanese decorations (like the low seats with red cushions), it really contributed to the feel of the place.
The food was decently good, though with the numerous Japanese restaurants in the city, I’ve had much better. The presentation of the food was nice, elegant, simple, and traditional.
The shrimp tempura was light with a rather salty dipping sauce (4 pieces of shrimp with 1 kabocha tempura). The Naka Naka box had four appetizers.
Mostly I want to come back just to see how hapoy the waiter is! :)

Good sushi and great ambiance! This isn’t your swanky sushi lounge, it’s a small, quaint and authentic restaurant, a bit of a walk west but it’s not far from Meatpacking and West Village bars. Definitely a pricey meal, a bit over priced if you ask me as there are other places that are just as good for much less, and in more convenient locations. But worth a visit to check it out if you’re looking for something new.

The most authentic japanese place I have ever been to. When the owner and waitress all speak really bad English and the food is all served in japanese traditional tables you know this place is good!
Portion is small though

This is simply the most authentic Japanese restaurant in the Chelsea/​Meatpacking area.
It is not cheap, but also not prohibitively expensive — and honestly, the only place where I can go to get truly delicious, absolutely fresh sashimi. One step inside Naka Naka is like being transported to Japan.
Eating solo here is wonderful, and the kind staff (although not excessively attentive) will make sure you’re well taken care of. Make sure to try whatever sashimi they have as their current special, finish it off with whatever roll is recommended to you, and enjoy some draft Kirin (or sake, if that’s your thing) with your meal.
This place is lovely. Don’t come here expecting a 15 East/​Jewel Bako/​etc. experience, and you’ll have a great time. So glad I found this neighborhood spot.

Outstanding pork shumai! Extremely fresh sushi and icy cold Sapporo on tap! Fabulous way to end the day after walking the High Line with my wife earlier.

The minute you walk in, you will instantly feel like being transported thousands of miles away– at a country house in a small Japanese village. Although in reality you are in the heart of meatpacking, right across the street from Avenue. Food is super fresh and home-​made style. Loved the authenticity and ambience.
Will definitely come back!

pricey…, but very fresh delicious sushi and sashimi, one of the best in NYC. Small cozy but very inviting and comfortable ambiance. great courteous genuine service. definitely a treat to dine here.

Great authentic Japanese restaurant in town, sincere traditional Japanese courtesy. Highly recommended.

Had a lovely meal at naka naka! Wonderful small place with a true Japanese feel. Waitress was really sweet and helpful. Food tastes wonderful, nice fresh fish and very authentic. Had the mochi ice cream and loved it! A little pricey for smallish portions but it’s chelsea in NYC, I’m used to it.
Would definitely come back !!!

Very good quality sushi in a quiet, traditional zen-​like Japanese environment. Only thing I didn’t like when I went was that sitting in the front, the chairs don’t have backs, so after about an hour or two, it started to get a little uncomfortable. And, at times, it can be awkwardly quiet as the place is so small and everyone basically whispers. That being said, I’m not going to lower my rating because of that cause the sushi is quite good.

One of the things I miss the most about living in the building above this place is this place. Naka Naka is great– a family owned joint that serves up impeccable fresh food at reasonable prices (by NYC standards). The sashimi never failed to be remarkably good. The wasabi dumplings were always amazing. The chicken wings are also memorable. As was the lotus root dish. You really can’t go wrong with this place, I have eaten there tens of times and it was always wonderful. The service was also wonderful, friendly, attentive and kind. I used to routinely overtip them when they delivered (at that time, they only delivered to the Caledonia) because they were so genuinely warm and nice. It’s always on my itinerary when I return to NYC.

~~~~ Naka Naka ~~~~~
overrated. (small portions)
place is — too small
servers are kind of irritated (?)
don’t understand today’s specials (English)
good interior if you like the atmosphere, please go there… sunday is always empty so if you have time, please go there on sunday.
I just don’t understand why do they charge a lot for such small portions& today’s special is hard to understand… bc we can get same food a lot cheaper !
The waitress made mistake what I ordered, she did not apologize and she was just coming back with the correct one. (never had experienced)
”Oshizushi” (pressed sushi box) tastes good, it’s kind rare to find it in NYC

Me and my boyfriend have been here twice. Their menu is simple. Definitely get the sashimi. It’s fresh and delicious. The green noodle salad is also really good. We also had fried octopus balls– forget what they’re called. We got a duck dish in a noodle soup which was also delicious. It’s simple clean traditional Japanese food. I don’t think you could go wrong ordering anything here. The décor is also comforting and beautiful.

I feel like I’m visiting long lost Japanese relatives and getting a home cooked meal when I eat here.
The «waiters» are this cute elderly old man and a quiet young lady. They’re dressed in traditional japanese clothing completely with socks and slippers! Makes it feel like home. The space is also decorated so it feels kind of like a tatami room. There’s origami all around from toothpick holders to chopstick holders and paper cranes hanging around.
The food is great and well worth it. My friend and I split the omakase ($ 65) which consisted of an appetizer box, entrée, and dessert. We were full by the time we finished our appetizer box! We thought it was the entrée, although we don’t gorge ourselves on food, so it was great to split between two people.
Most noticeable is that their sashimi is SO SO fresh and melts in your mouth. I usually don’t like tuna or yellowtail and I ate all the pieces!
The takoyaki has a good amount of octopus in it as well :)

Authentic Japanese cuisine. Small menu but authentic.

Best. Sashimi. Ever.
We loved this place. Stopped in off the High Line, cruising little restaurants to taste this and that, ended up at Naka Naka around 7:30 or so on a recommendation by our guide Siri.
The two of us had big bowls of their lovely miso soup, a delicious roll, and the sashimi special which had about four pieces of four different fish. Über fresh, very cold, healthy sized pieces of lovely, lovely fish. Moderately priced (about $ 95 pre-​tip). What more could we want?
I’ve been eating sushi for years. I’ve never had better in the US.

Delicious and authentic Japanese cuisine, small intimate space and amazingly helpful wait staff made Naka Naka a perfect date spot. When I was told that I had to go to the Meatpacking District for dinner, I was expecting some place busy and trendy, but was taken to a quiet hidden sliding door that opened into a quaint and cozy restaurant. We were seated at a low table on the floor and had the waitress kneel in front of us to graciously explain every item of the extensive list of specials.
My date had been there before and took over the ordering process. We got the fried octopus balls (completely forget the name…) which were scalding hot, but very flavorful. We also ordered a sashimi platter and two sushi rolls. The seafood was super fresh and amazing and perfect.
Great place for a quiet date with great sushi. Plus, you can head over to the High Line after dinner for a fun way to end the night!

In case you’re wondering, the way you pronounce the name of this restaurant is exactly like that line in the Ying Yang Twins song, «Salt Shaker», but with one less instance of the Naka. If you can figure that out, you’re fine and you can dine here.
Also, you need to be okay with sitting near-​but-​not-​actually-​on the ground. And with your server kneeling in front of you every time you interact. And with there being only like 17 other people in the place other than you. And with sushi.
Yeah, you need to be okay with sushi.
You can’t just be a Ying Yang Twins fan and expect to have a good meal here. You’re going to have to try harder.
Side note: don’t read reviews from people who call something a «solid 3.75 experience.» Unilocal has five stars. No half-​stars, no quarter-stars…just whole stars. A place can be a solid three, a solid four, a solid five. It cannot be a solid 3.5. And it certainly cannot be a solid 3.75.
Otherwise, where does it end? This place was a solid 3.82, just like my undergraduate GPA (fact).
Solid is reserved for solid things, not partial things. And Unilocal didn’t stutter when it said there were five ways to rate something. I feel that Unilocal Elites need to remind people how to do this. Whole numbers. Or I’ll call you bojangles.

As soon as you slide open the door you feel like you have entered someones dining room in Japan. Its cute cozy and a far fry from the likes or morimoto round the corner.
If you want a romantic evening or a good chat this is the perfect place.
Now down to the food… simply amazing.
The trick is use the specials board. Its written in Japanese but they will translate and explain.
We went for the
Whole squid .very tasty and not too chewy
Octopus balls. superb much like the ones i had in Osaka.
Omakase …tuna, yelllowtail, salmon, squid and uni.
All were amazingly fresh and smooth.
Naka naka roll. how pleasant to have a rolll with 3 types of fish and no avocado or mayo…
I will be back, probably next week.
Love this place and love the staff.