Nara Sushi

I think this place is closed. I wish it wasn’t, their food and sushi was so good!

Had a Groupon so gave Nara Sushi a try for lunch. Place is very we decorated creating a great atmosphere. The wait staff was very helpful in leading us towards their specialty rolls. We were surprised by all the items that were included with the meal (soup, salad and edamame). We tried the Playboy, Volcano and the Lobster roll. We also had a jalapeño popper appetizer. If you like spicy then this is the place. Just the right amount of heat with these dishes. Very tasty and different as they have some nontraditional sauces on their rolls (Barbecue sauce on the Playboy roll.) I liked it but was a bit much for my wife.
All in all the place was very good. They are a bit pricey at $ 13-​$ 15 per roll for the ones we had. The Lobster and Volcano roll were smaller than we expected but were both very good. The presentation for all the dishes was very well done. Two of the rolls came out on fire!
They offered two nigiri if we checked in on Facebook. We were too full but checked in anyway.

Love the sushi! Great place. Great service.

Decided to try this place with Sean a few weeks ago because I had heard good things about it from Allan C.
To be honest, it was more of a 3.5 experience but I bumped them up to 4 because the staff was so friendly and accommodating.
The décor was also very nice… I forgot to ask them who did the paintings of the trees because I totally loved them! The lanterns were cute too and Sean remarked that the sushi bar area looked nice, especially the structure over it. He said it was odd that they had paper taped to the wall and he couldn’t see outside, but I remarked that the view would just be a parking lot anyway, lol.
Drink-​wise, I tried to order Japanese beers but they were sold out of everything. She apologized profusely and said they needed to re-​order. No big deal, I got a hot green tea instead which was pretty good.
Food-​wise I ordered some traditional nigiri (including uni!) and the gnf roll. (I think that’s what it was called… see my photos.) The sushi was very fresh! No problems there. And this is going to sound weird but the only thing I didn’t like about the nigiri was that they cut the fish wayyyyy too big on top. You’d think that would be a pro not a con, but sushi is meant to be eaten in one bite. The size and texture is what contributes to a pleasant sushi experience. And this was just… well, it was hard to eat. It’s always awkward when you have to pick it up, take one bite, and put it back on your plate with the rice spilling out everywhere. They should cut it a bit thinner. Maybe just slightly thinner. It would be easier to eat that way.
The sushi roll I had was alright but I didn’t really like the sauce they put on top. Kudos, though, for being experimental with their sauces… it gets boring when places repeatedly just use unagi sauce, sriacha, and spicy mayo over and over again (lol Sushi Ai.) I wish the tuna tataki had more of a rich seared flavor though, like the kind at Wasabi. This was a little too bland for me.
The uni wasn’t super duper fresh but considering it is not in season yet, this was pretty dang good. I want to go back sometime when it’s in season and do their cheap nigiri deal… I forget if that was just a lunch deal or what??? I think someone left it as a tip on 4square.
And why is it they sell uni here but no ikura? That was SO weird to me. It wasn’t even on the menu. :-(
Sean did not like his teriyaki beef too much because it had TONS of gristle on it. Ick. Nothing cockblocks me more than fatty meat. It had a good flavor though, maybe a touch too sweet though. He ended up pigging out on the rice that came with it instead.
I was tempted to get their fried green tea icecream but was too full. Maybe next time! I’d like to come back again but it’s not exactly close by either. Not sure when we’ll be back.

Food was really good. Exceptionally good. It also helps that the owners are Japanese, so the food is authentically good.
But the price is way over the top. I just recently got back from Japan and there are two types of sushi: the expensive works of art and the cheap but tasty pieces of fish.
This restaurant is trying to charge for works of art, but only giving the tasty pieces of fish.
I’d suggest going to Banzai on Mid Rivers, or Oishi in Chesterfield. Both are better, cheaper, and have more options.

I don’t normally go rushing home after a meal to write a review, but this could arguably one of the best sushi places in the St. Louis-​St. Charles area. And I have eaten in all of them
Do not let the drab location/​exterior of this place fool you. Inside the décor is spacious and lovely. Soft music touches the air. We were be greeted warmly by the wait-​staff. Our server was Corey, who is extremely knowledgeable of the entire menu. Master Kim, who has been preparing sushi for 40 years, oversees the kitchen and visited our table to say hello.
Complementary edamame appeared on the table a moment after we were seated. After we ordered we were brought complementary miso soup.
We ordered tuna, white tuna and salmon nigiri. As you will note in the picture, the beautifully presented fish is cut generously long so that is hangs off the rice. It was fresh and delicious. In addition we had the Cilantro, Playboy* and Japanese rolls. The Cilantro uses very thinly sliced lime as well as cilantro to harmonize with the ingredients (tuna, yellow tail, crab/​avocado/​cucumber). The Japanese roll is ginormous and includes Ebi tempura, crab, soft-​shell crab, among many other ingredients. The Playboy (Ebi tempura and avocado) is simply NOT to be missed; it comes to the table wrapped in foil and some vodka is ignited to gently warm the roll in a secret sauce. Then the foil is broken and the rolls is served. I have never eaten a more savory roll in my life.
The entire experience was extraordinarily pleasant. The food was matchless. I wish I could throw in an extra star to my review!
*The menu is a bit rated R with roll (not drink) titles like ‘Sex on the Beach’ and ‘Screaming Orgasm’. Given the location of the restaurant, my guess is that version two of the menu, which Corey assures me is coming soon, will have tamer titles