We ate at Nara twice this week - dinner on Tuesday and lunch on Thursday. At $36.95 and $24.95 respectively, I was leary of the AYCE pricing. There was absolutely no need. I've eaten a lot of sushi. Maybe not always the highest quality, but a lot. This was the best I've ever had. The rolls were simple, elegant, and delicious. The nigiri (lunch) and sashimi (dinner) were magnificent - fresh and tender, obviously from quality cuts of quality fish. I was told that the chefs butcher the fish in house. The side dishes and appetizers were delicious as well. And the presentation was immaculate. The decor and ambiance are gorgeous in my opinion, the wait staff were both knowledgeable and helpful, and the chefs were skilled and very fast. Some specific highlights... The Buddha roll and the dragon roll were wonderful. The avocado on top was perfectly ripe and impeccably sliced. The flavors were well balanced. The tataki (I tried salmon, sirloin, and peppered tuna) was outstanding with savory proteins on fresh greens with a sweet and tangy dressing. Their tempura was wonderfully light and crispy. Sweet potato was definitely my favorite. But for me the Sashimi was the absolute star of the show. Every slice melted like butter. I had salmon, tuna, masago, peppered tuna, mackerel, and white tuna. They were all delicious, but the salmon and white tuna were probably my favorite. And finish it off with some creamy ice cream and tempura fried Oreos. Heavenly! For context, we were in town to see my oncology team to begin a more intense phase of treatment. It will be a very long time before I feel like eating much at all. I had a couple of days window... and I chose Nara, not once, but twice. Postscript. I was so excited about eating that I forgot to take even a single picture both times I went. read more

Dropped by Nara's yesterday afternoon around 2pm for my first visit in. The restaurant is at the corner of a parking lot with lots of space to park outside and is equally big and roomy inside.. So this place is an all u can eat sushi experience, where you pay 39.95 per adult ( not including drinks) to theoretically have action at eating all the menu items you have an inkling for ( in a 2 hour time frame).. And to be honest I am usually not that excited about these types of restaurants because you usually end up sacrificing quality for quantity.. Well to be fair , Nara wasn't the best sushi I've had by no stretch , but it certainly held its own, and for the myriad of food options that are available, cooked and raw, big and small, I believe you cannot beat the price point - especially if you are HUNGRY ... Service was also attentive, so I gave it 4 stars read more

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AYCE sushi seems to be the latest food fad, and this one is in a convenient location and done well. Only gripe is they charge for all kids regardless of age, which I think is a silly policy, but our waiter was very kind and waived it for our 2 year old and it does seem to be a standard practice for these types of restaurants. Overall everything we ordered was pretty good. Only the fried Oreos were a slight disappointment as the batter was too thick and it wasn't served as hot as I would have liked. Portion sizes of appetizers are pretty small, so order a few of the same depending on your party size. The hand rolls and rolls are a big size and will fill you up fast. Only gave 4 instead of 5 stars as dinner price is slightly more expensive than other nearby comparable places and lack of a differentiating menu item. read more

Seeing that Nara had taken over the old Sushi King spot on Kirby, we swung by for a Mother's Day lunch a few weeks ago. We admired the sleek interior makeover before settling in and studying the extensive AYCE menu. Here are my thoughts on what we tried: Sushi appetizers - These are your standard tataki and seasoned sashimi offerings - our favorite was the seared salmon tataki, with just a hint of sear and a briny burst of masago. They are served on lettuce for presentation but personally I wouldn't recommend eating them together. Sushi - The nigiri is fresh and the fish-to-rice ratio was well-proportioned. We particularly liked the seared salmon (only available as nigiri) and the yellowtail! Unlike my friends, my family and I don't typically opt for rolls so I didn't try any on this occasion - they do have a fairly long list of cooked and raw rolls so there's sure to be something for everyone :) Hot food - The quality of fried food is decent, without excess greasiness or stale oil taste - I'd recommend the veggie tempura and the age tofu for a texture and "tempura"-ture contrast to your sushi journey! However, I can't endorse the popcorn chicken (a little overcooked and dry for me) or the shrimp tempura (these are the cylindrical panko-crusted babies you can get at Costco at a much better price). Desserts - My favorite banana tempura was fried beautifully (and you have to get it à la mode with red bean or matcha ice cream!) The three of us also split the fried vanilla ice cream, which was quite well done too. Service was prompt, friendly, and efficient - at the end of our meal, our server came by with a pink carnation to celebrate the holiday :) What Nara has going for it is its central location, open parking, and lower risk of overcrowding (at least during the day). But its menu variety and pricing aren't as competitive as Umiya in Midtown, Machi on Washington, or Kimoto and Masa off Westheimer. Hemmed in by more appealing options, Nara needs to find its niche or risk getting pushed out by its competition - I sure hope it will stick around as long as Sushi King did! read more

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This is the second AYCE sushi that I've been to that doesn't serve in a buffet format. The first one I went to, Umiya in Midtown, was pretty good, but Nara is better. The fish taste fresher, the pieces are bigger, and the overall portions are larger per order. I had remarked that I wished Umiya serve their sushi on ice. Nara does, and it helps with the taste even if there is a backlog due to the sheer amount that you order and conversations that may be happening. Their version of the jalapeno yellowtail or chili hamachi is excellent as the spice does not overpower the taste of the yellowtail. They also don't overdrench their sashimi appetizers with sauce. Their dessert offerings are pretty good. I was surprised at the crispiness of the tempura twinkie that it made me question whether it was actually a twinkie. This location used to be a Sushi King. When you go in, the layout and decor hasn't changed that much. There's plenty of parking that's shared by several businesses including Pappasito's and Office Depot. read more

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Seaweed salad - 9/10 Fried calamari - 8/10 Crab rangoon - 9.5/10 Spicy girl roll - 9.5/10 TNT roll - 9/10 Shaggy dog roll - 9.5/10 Tokyo roll - 7/10 Machi crunchy roll - 9/10 Crab meat - 8/10 Yellow tail - 8/10 Oreo tempura - 9.5/10 Another day another sushi spot We liked their spicy girl and shaggy dog rolls the most Overall a good sushi spot if youre in the area! Their lunch AYCE is $24.95 per person and dinner AYCE is $36.95 per person. They also offer 10% off to students! read more

Nara Sushi - Sushi Bars Near Me - Houston, Texas

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Their dinner menu is pretty extensive, I got the monster and kiss of fire rolls, baked mussels, rock shrimp, hamachi chili, beef tataki, salmon hand roll, salmon sashimi, and the salmon, tuna, seared beef, and seared salmon nigiri. They have a huge selection of rolls but eating 8 pieces for each roll is too much for just me. I loved the seared salmon nigiri, make sure to get a lot of those. Baked mussels were just ok. Rock shrimp is actually very good. I finished off with some green tea ice cream and banana tempura read more

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Came here for my sis birthday. We did call ahead same day to reserve a table for 7 and kids/baby. They were very accommodating. Our server was very sweet, I believe Mandy. The sushi quality was pretty good! Not too much rice on the sushi nigiri which was great. Good amount of fish. The rolls were plenty tho; about 8 pieces per roll order which is too much for me to finish so I didn't get any. I wish they did their rolls in 4-6 pieces instead. I got mainly sashimi and sushi which was unlimited. I did notice the scallop sushi I got tasted spoiled. That was the only piece I did not eat. I loved everything else I got. The drinks on happy hr were great too. We got the lychee martini and starburst. The starburst was the tastier of the two. The restaurant was busy but not packed on a Saturday night. There were tables avail throughout our time there. The entrance is a bit difficult for our stroller so I can't imagine anyone in a wheelchair can come here. read more

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We came in for the all-you-can-eat sushi on a Sunday morning, but at nearly $40 per person, it felt a bit high, so we opted for the à la carte menu instead. The selection was very comprehensive and gave us plenty of great options. We started with miso soup, mushroom soup, and two crab salads all were fresh, flavorful, and generously portioned. For our main dishes, we ordered the sushi and sashimi combo (beautiful presentation) along with a spider roll, which ended up being just enough. We were definitely full by the end and everything tasted very fresh. Our total came to $82 before tip. In hindsight, the all-you-can-eat option may have been comparable, but we really appreciated the quality and freshness of the made-to-order items. Service was friendly, and as first-time guests, we even received a fun plush toy, which was a nice and unexpected touch. Next time, I'll plan to come during happy hour and enjoy a cocktail instead of iced tea. read more

Nara Sushi - Sushi Sashimi combo ordered A La carte - Sushi Bars Near Me - Houston, Texas

The atmosphere was cute. They gave me a little stuffed animal on the day I came in. Service was good they take your order so it's not tablet based or paper based. There seems to be plenty of parking in my opinion. I tried a bunch of rolls and nigiri I felt like the quality wasn't too bad for all you can eat and the rolls were probably standard size. The tiger roll and dragon rolls were my favorite. Their salmon nigiri was also good. They had a variety of dishes and I really liked the flavors they used on the rolls. The crab mix they used blended well and were shredded up perfectly inside the rolls. read more

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This was our first AYCE sushi in Houston. We are AYCE regulars but new to Texas AYCE. We went for lunch after an appointment. After being seated, we were bummed to see the whole menu wasn't available at lunch. It also took a while for our server to be greeted which is always awkward wondering if you've been forgotten. The server turned out to be great and was helpful in recommending things. we stated with Harumaki (Japanese fried spring roll) and Crab Ragoon. Harumaki was good, light and fresh. We did a bunch of Nigiri which was ok. My husband comment it all tasted the same. Surprisingly, our favorite was the seared beef and salmon. Also, we were disappointed they did not offer ordering half rolls as an option. For sushi rolls, we ordered shaggy dog roll which was my husbands favorite of the meal. The skinny girl roll which was my favorite roll of the meal. We also orders the Salmon Monster Roll which was not our favorite, it was too much. For dessert, tempura oreo. Overall, everything was ok but not somewhere we will return. We are still on the hunt AYCE sushi. read more

The all you can eat lunch menu was great! Not a reduced menu. Many many rolls to choose from. And a great price!!

ambiance is nice. service was extremely friendly. both the waiter and the other staff came by to make sure i was okay. the food itself was really bland. i've had better all you can eat japanese at other restaurants. they gave me a coupon for my next time but i was so under impressed that i didn't take it with me as i don't see myself coming back. read more

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Great place for when you are craving sushi or Asian food! Ask for Adam - he is very attentive and wonderful!

Excelente calidad de los sushis nos encantó vamos muy seguido Muy buen servicio La decoración no es la más linda, pero la comida muy buena read more

We love the remodel from the old Sushi King location. Our server Huy was attentive, funny and super knowledgeable of the menu. The food was fantastic! We had the miso soup, TNT, Crazy Salmon, Shaggy Dog and the Rock and Roll rolls. We loved the Miso Soup, and the TNT and Crazy Salmon rolls. Our server recommended the Tokyo roll and the seared salmon sashimi. We will definitely try those next time. Great job Nara Sushi! We will be back! read more

Little sushi place tucked away. The service was attentive and kind. Their menu is simple with some good options. We tried their 3 roll combos, miso soup, edamame and were impressed that the fish was fresh. Some reviews mention an all you can eat menu, but they noted that was not something they offered. It feels more cafe style with dim lighting, clean, with soft instrumental music. read more

Nara Sushi - Miso soup (very large bowl of it!) - Sushi Bars Near Me - Houston, Texas

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I have searched all over houston for incredible sushi, uchi has been the only restaurant to rise to the occasion, until I tried Nara. The Tokyo Roll was a beautiful balance of citrus and spice, without over powering the fish. Each flavor in harmony. I poured a dish of soy sauce only to find that I did not need or want it, the sushi was so flavorful it shone on its own. Can't wait to go back for all you can eat and try more of their sushi! read more

Nara Sushi - Tokyo Roll - Sushi Bars Near Me - Houston, Texas

Lets start with atmosphere. Great. Not overdone. Just right. Good music and super clean look. Then the service. Our server Jefferson was exceptional. Always attentive. Quick with the recommendations and good with followup to make sure we got exactly what we ordered. Finally the food. All you can eat sushi that is not basic. The menu has something for everyone. From their appetizers to their speciality rolls to their hibachi grill, everything was amazing. A+++. Would recommend to everyone and would come again. read more

The sushi is light and fresh. Smaller more delicate pieces than usual but perfect because they are bite sized and not overwhelming. The service is so good. They don't bring you all the food at once. The servers are very attentive. Jon was the best Definitely will be coming back here read more

Val gave us great service. She was very helpful with the menu and kept our glasses full all the time. read more

Nara Sushi - Pat eating food - Sushi Bars Near Me - Houston, Texas

The moment we walked in we were greeted with a smile. The host gave us a plushie which I thought was so cute! The server was nice and explained the menu to us and was very attentive. We ordered so much food! In my opinion everything was good from the beginning all the way to the end. I will definitely be returning. read more

Delicious, will be back! Guy was so kind, attentive, and super knowledgeable. Thanks Huy!!

great new spot. Valerie was an excellent server! Great variety of menu items. would recommend!

Valerie was our wonderful waitress. The food was great and tasted great. The atmosphere is warm and comforting. They clear the table as you finish your dishes. I love that so I dont have a bunch of dirty dishes on the tables. read more