Nara Restaurant & Sake Bar

Review based on delivery:
Edamame $7.50 free when you spend over $40
Loco Spiderman Roll: Spicy tuna, spicy salmon, scallions, mango, cucumber, panko deep fried soft shell crab, and scallions with spicy mayo and chef's special tare sauce $22.50
California Roll $11
Miso Soup $3
O Toro $25
Tobiko $10

Service and ambiance were great, decor is very relaxing.

Blazing glory - served with blue blaze around the sushi

Special K x 2

Hamachi roll

Happy hour tuna and salmon handrolls $5 each

Sake

My friends and I walked in at 5:45pm on a Monday, and there was no wait for a table of 4. Our waitress was nice but a little slow since she was the only one working. Place was simple and modern with a rustic influence. Parking is street.

It was happy hour, so some food and drink items were discounted. We ordered half a dozen oysters ($2.5 per), spicy tuna handrolls ($5 per), spicy salmon handrolls ($5 per), salmon tacos ($4.5 per), Mr tako balls ($11), sweet shrimp nigiri ($16 for 2), chu-toro nigiri ($16 for 2), red dragon roll ($), and sake bomb roll ($). The oysters were pretty good, meaty but not briney. The handrolls were fine, nothing special and expected for $5. Salmon tacos had an avocado cream, were fun and yummy, and the shells were very crisp. We're pretty sure the minced spicy salmon is the same for the tacos and handrolls and definitely had a kick. The takoyaki balls were not great; the batter was dense, exterior was somehow chewy, and octopus filling was sparse. Nigiris were solid. I've had way sweeter sweet shrimp, and there was too much rice that overpowered the shrimp. The chu-toro was nice, lean yet tender. The rolls were average but still flavorful thanks to the sauces on top. The sake bomb roll was better than the red dragon.

Overall, this sushi spot doesn't live up to its high rating on yelp and average at best. The fish quality is alright, and happy hour items were decently priced. We probably won't be back; there are definitely better sushi spots in sf.

They give a lot of fish per dish but didn't pair it well or used too much sauce that it drowns the flavor of the fish. Service was ok, a bit judgmental when I declined ordering the specials.

Would give this place a 2.5/5, not the best sushi taste or experience in SF.

Dishes: best to worst
1) Belly Flight ($22)
2) Spicy salmon hand roll ($5 happy hr)
3) Spicy salmon taco ($4.50)
4) Spicy tuna hand roll ($5 happy hr)
5) Sake Bomb roll ($19)

Logistics:
-street parking only
-accepts cc
-1 gender neutral bathroom
-lots of tables available

My partner and I were searching for a place to eat before our stand-up comedy show when we spotted this restaurant. We saw that the window seats with a lamp on the table were empty and thought it looked like a cute and cozy spot. We love sitting next to each other instead of across from one another. We went inside and were able to get the table we wanted. It turned out to be really intimate, and the view of the street was pretty entertaining. Anyway, the time to talk about the food! The food was so fresh, filling, and tasty!

Fantastic restaurant. We had sushi rolls for dinner and it did not disappoint. The rolls were delicious, fresh and well prepared. I love the Sake Bomb Roll the most. The ambiance is also very nice. The decor and furniture all come together to make a cozy yet contemporary environment. The star of the show was the service. Right off the bat, everyone greeted us when we sat down with a warm welcome. The servers were so kind and professional. They really made us feel special. it's hard to describe exactly, but the whole experience had a family friendly vibe. We will definitely be. back.

Atmosphere- 98% - sparkling glass, flickering light, oasis
Service - 95% - attentive, well paced
Food - 93% - fresh fish, many standout items, tuna tacos!


Very fresh fish and ambiance for dayzzzz!

From large groups to tables for two, Nara is a solid dining spot in the lower Haight.

Featuring a large dining room with lots of dark wood, sparkling glass and flickering light, it's at once expansive yet intimate.

Service was attentive but didn't mention we were 10 minutes from Happy Hour ending until I asked.

I quickly chose (2) tuna tacos (so fresh with three or more tablespoons of chopped tuna topped with greens, HH $4.50 each), fried calamari (HH $12, excellent) and Mr. Tako Ball (HH $11, four very generous pieces topped with salty bonito flakes).

My son devoured most of the appetizers having swum countless lengths in the pool for two hours. The only sound he made for 10 minutes was "Mmm!"

I was less thrilled with the rolls. The Special K ($20) topped with seared butterfish didn't have an umami grilled taste, it just tasted dry and flavorless and obscured the hamachi underneath. It was also missing the truffle ponzu sauce that would've given a heavenly taste it needed.

I didn't realize until later the truffle ponzu oil was missing until I reflected on dinner then looked at the photos. The anemic, barely pickled jalapeño strip didn't unite flavors or spark taste buds.

The standout roll was the Red Dragon roll ($17) that impressed with shrimp tempura and lots of fresh, spicy tuna with tobiko and unagi sauce and crunchy cucumber. The tastes and textures were perfect.

The Loco Spider-Man Roll ($18) left me frustrated that it (predictably, it was rolled so loosely) fell apart in a mess on my plate. I wouldn't order it again.

Chirashi ($40) was good but underneath the bigger pieces were small diced bits of tuna, halibut, avocado that were difficult to grasp with the tips of my chopsticks. The fish was fresh; I would've preferred slices of sashimi.

Service was delightful and kept the pace with a smile.

In all, a choice experience but needs a push at the sushi bar to fully execute details, refine two of the rolls.

Pretty cool sushi spot. Parking can be an issue, but worth it overall.

Quality sushi at a fair price as well as good service. Menu isn't super extensive, but what they have is great.

If you want good vibes and sushi in SF, this spot does it.

A lot to say about this place so I'll get the bad out of the way. Our server sneakily upsold us three pieces of uni for $51!! (which I guess is kinda her job so she did it well). It really wasn't worth $51, sadly. It tasted extra fishy, and they went heavy on soy sauce which makes me think it was old and they needed to push it on people. Chirashi definitely didn't live up to the photos either. :( To top it all off, they also charged me full price for one of my late night happy hour beers!

One positive was that I really enjoy the lighting in the space and the music was subtle and not overpowering.

Cute sushi spot in Lower Haight. We walked in on a Saturday night and the restaurant was surprisingly empty.

Their fish was pretty fresh; we shared some rolls and nigiri. Our server explained that the nigiri was already seasoned, which I thought was nice. My favorite was the sweet shrimp; they deep fry the shrimp heads so you can eat them as well. I was also pleasantly surprised by the tako balls -- would recommend!