Came here with my wife a month ago to try to cleanse my palette from the horrible bamboo experience. Service was good, sushi was fantastic, price is high but that's what you should expect for food like this. I loved the seaweed salad but my wife didn't care for it read more

This place is by far the best sushi I've tried in Portland. Fish is fresh enough but nothing special, portion is small and menu selection is quite limited. I've tried some of the top places (Shiro's, Kashiba, Wataru, Sushi Kappo Tamura) in Seattle, and for the same price I paid at Nimblefish, I had a much more fulfilling dining experience, in terms of portions/varieties/atmosphere/customer service. I never got any piece in my omakase that was like "wow let me enjoy this for 30 seconds", but overall fish quality is fine. Customer service was not very professional overall, they would chit-chat when the business was slow, and did not give me a towel when I was eating the nigiri pieces by hand during omakase (as opposed to at Kashiba, even though I was at the bar the bartender immediately set a small hot towel on a plate down by me). I will probably return because this is the best in town, but Portland really has a long way to go with having proper sushi places. read more

Best sushi I've had in Portland! I highly recommend sitting at the sushi bar if possible. Pure sushi. No cooked food. No rolls with spicy mayos, etc read more

The sushi here is amazing - fresh - the fish is from Japan! You can't get better than that! Every mouthful was delicious and fresh - the way it should be! I am from SF and was amazed that this place didn't have a crazy line - if this restaurant was in SF, this place would be packed; the prices would be ridiculous. I love Portland! The fact that you can get a sushi gem like this - decent prices with excellent fish - take advantage, guys! It definitely is not a sushi "roll" place - this is if you want to have like an omakase experience with super high quality and sushi made the right way. (I don't think the chef does omakase, but you buy each piece, etc.) Even the tomago/egg was amazing (for those of you who watched Jiro - you know what I mean). The kefir drink here is amazing, too - it's not yogurty but nice and bubbly - like sparkling water/juice but with probiotics, so good for your tummy! Loved it - Portland food is soooo good. Will definitely be back. read more

Best nigiri experience in pdx. High quality, unique seasonal fish that you won't find around town. If you are looking for complex sushi rolls covered in sauce, You will not find that here. Menu is composed of nigiri, sashimi and simple yet delicious hand rolls. Sit at the sushi counter for a full traditional sushi experience, served piece by piece by the talented chefs. Excellent service from the friendly staff. Looking forward to go back for another great dining at nimblefish read more

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Came on a Thursday night around 745pm. No line. Was immediately seated at the sushi bar. Simple menu. No complicated rolls. Soy sauce is given to you if it is appropriate with what you order (or if requested). Offers seasonal fish. Great quality of fish at that, one of the best I've had ever. So incredibly FRESH! You can really tell how fresh a fish is when you can actually taste the fish and not it's marinade. I was impressed and appreciative that the chefs appropriately serve you one nigiri at a time, as it should be, already brushed with soy sauce and ready to eat. The waitresses and waiters were attentive. Will definitely be coming back! read more

We were intrigued to eat here based on a glowing review. We were shocked by how disappointing and mediocre it was. Very small portions. Average tasting sushi, and odd pretentious service and plating experience. We thankfully indulged elsewhere after. read more

Nimblefish was a delightful experience for me to say the least. I never grew up with sushi and I've been to very few expensive sushi restaurants during my lifetime. But I do believe Chef Cody Auger is a chef who is extremely passionate about his craft and I had the extreme pleasure of experiencing that tonight at his restaurant. Chef Cody's sushi was a new incredible experience for me due to the fact that I felt like he tried his best to bring out the best flavors of the fish for me to experience and it gave me much greater appreciation for what sushi is. For the first time, I felt so much respect for the fish itself and it was extremely humbling. But it was not only the fish I felt humbled by, but also each of the dishes he served including the miso soup. read more

Omgosh. Best sushi I've had in Portland. Heck, my desire to travel to Japan for sushi has been temporarily appeased thanks to the incredible meal I had tonight at Nimblefish! Walked in with higher expectations due to their recent claim to fame by BA Magazine ranking them as Top 10 Best New Restaurant in America and it did not disappoint! We must've tasted 15-18 different bites and every one was exceptional. The fish is unbelievably fresh, the rice is perfectly cooked, and even the seaweed wrapper had a lovely snap to it. The soy sauce was delicious but it was not necessary to add more as every bite was expertly prepared to maintain a simplistic approach that allowed the fish to shine. The reviewers who are complaining about this place being plain or small serving simply do not understand the beauty behind sushi. I am a Bamboo Sushi regular and love their "yakumi" style nigiri but the quality of fish at Nimblefish is much higher and there's no need to mask fish with fancy toppings. My only complaint is that there was just a *hint* of off-tasting rice in the first few nigiri bites of our omakase that was almost citrus like, not sure if it's from the cleaner or from yuzu or something but it went away as the courses came out. That and also while the staff was helpful and attentive it borderlined interruptive as the server was constantly eyeing our plates and attempted to clear them before we had finished our last bites which made us feel rushed. Overall though a solid meal and I plan on coming back to try more of their feature special fish! read more

Unfortunately, our first time at Nimblefish was very disappointing. Based on reviews, we expected to experience some of the best sushi in Portland. Instead, what we experienced was subpar service, excruciatingly long waits between rounds of nigiri, a painfully large bill, and unsatisfied appetites. We will not return. read more

Ignore the negative reviews. This place comes the closest to serving real sushi in all of Portland. People here seem to equate good sushi with large portions and a gallon of mayo based sauce. Sushi is a luxury meal that isn't supposed to be cheap. I don't want to eat budget raw fish unless I'm feeling lonely and want to make a new parasitic friend. I also don't want to eat a pound of poorly made and poorly seasoned rice. The fish is the star but the flavor of the rice should complement it. Those mayo based sauces serve one purpose...to mask poor quality fish. And yes, some fish taste fishy. It's not necessarily because they are bad but because they have a high oil content. The nigiri at Nimblefish has been great. The size is similar to other high end sushi restaurants in major cities so it was something I expected. The rice is well seasoned and the flavor of the fish comes through. I do end up having to request soy sauce when I get handrolls but it's not a big deal. read more

I have never posted on Yelp before, but I had to share my ultra negative experience tonight. We went to Nimblefish expecting to be wowed and we were so very disappointed. The fish was not the best quality and most portions tasted fishy, not the clear taste of the sea. Very over-priced and the rice was nothing special. We paid $11 per piece of Toro (fatty Tuna) and it looked and tasted like a piece of raw bacon thrown on some rice. The fish portions were irregular, very small and the sizes of the sushi were not consistent. Our server was very nice, but clearly needed help. We waited almost an hour with no interaction from the staff, no hot tea, no edamame nor the wine we ordered. I noticed that while we were waiting, there was no food on any of the tables in the restaurant except one corner of the sushi bar-THE ENTIRE RESTAURANT was waiting to be served. We left and went next door to Little Big Burger because we were still hungry after spending over $100 in mediocre (at best) sushi. We will not be going back. read more

Nimblefish is truly for sushi purists. If you love sushi and fresh, expertly prepared pieces, this is your place. There is no bad fish here. Even selections that can be tough to not be overwhelming, like mackerel, are delicious. You will find unique items like a recent offering of barracuda. All fish is wild, not farmed and you will definitely taste the difference, not to mention health and environmental factors. Cory and Dwight have perfected their craft and you will not go wrong here. Also order a double order for all of the seaweed salad. It sets the tone for your meal. Seating turns over pretty well, don't be intimidated by the line. read more

It is really disheartening to read the negative reviews about the quality, price, and atmosphere. I frequent this restaurant and have seen some of the individuals that have left these reviews and in all honesty, they shouldn't have come here to begin with. This restaurant does not cater to the people who like the conveyor belt sushi, or cream cheese filled rolls. The fish is the featured item and stands alone. If you think it needs to swim in soy sauce, then you don't really understand what this food is all about. The price for each item is extremely fair for the quality and regions that the fish is coming in from. There is a lot of love that goes into each and every bite and you can not only taste it but feel it when you are in the presence of chef Cody. If you have the chance to eat here, go in with an open mind. What goes on at Nimblefish is art and there will always be those that don't understand and appreciated it. For those of you that do, it will be an unbelievable experience that will keep you wanting more. read more

Nimblefish - Sushi Bars Near Me - Portland, Oregon

I was excited to try this place out after doing a little bit of research about it. I agree with the previous reviewers that this is a welcome addition to the sushi scene in Portland (NOT a place to go for a quick California roll--hand rolls only here). The fish selection is varied and high quality. The ambiance is simple but elegant with low lighting. The sushi chef is fun to watch. The comments about the sometimes long wait, sign-in klunkiness, and lack of a streamlined ordering process (they lost our order slip and came back to have us recall our order instead of dealing with it internally) make it obvious that this is a place still very much working out the kinks. Be prepared to wait sometimes a long time between courses. Fish cuts are appropriately sized but not generous. The rice is sweet and savory. Hand rolls were tasty. It would be hard to fill up here (for the price and portions) so don't come too hungry. Overall, I think this will be a great spot for a long-form meal in a few months once they get the details worked out. read more

Authentic edomae sushiya. Best sushi in Portland. Definitely visiting again. Thank you Twight!

i echo two of the reviews below about the fancy 'donburi,' which is intended to look like this: https://www.instagram.com/p/Bz68i3UHnss/?utm_source=ig_embed . it's actually more of a two-bite gunkan maki, for $25. i'm typically not one to complain about paying premium for good food but the gap between the images (on the nimblefish menu and elsewhere) and the reality of what you're paying for is really far off. read more

I recently heard about Nimble fish from a close friend saying it was the best sushi in PDX, needless to say I was skeptical but also excited to try it. We received excellent service and were seated within 20 minutes on a busy Friday evening. When our food came out it was both beautifully plated and absolutely delicious. This place specializes in ultra fresh traditional plates, if that's what you're looking for I would highly recommend! read more

Best spot in town for Nigiri. If you want yr yummy spicy mayo deep fried trash can roll with a side of hecka basic, probz go else wherez. ;)

Some of the best, most tastiest things I have ever put in my mouth were from the hands of this sushi master. Beyond sublime. Simple as that.

never again....WAY over priced for what you get....Mio is still the best in town.

if you want quality over quantity this is the place to go. my husband and i just went on a date and both agreed that this was the best sushi we had ever eaten. although the prices were high for the amount of sushi we received it was amazingly fresh and the flavors were exceptional. all of the sushi was perfectly paired with the wine they had listed on the drinks menu, this place knows it stuff. the vibe of the restaurant is hip, up beat, and while you enjoy your drink you can watch your food be prepared and interact with the chefs if you sit at the bar. great and unique experience that i enjoyed all the way to the end. read more

I have followed Cody through all his sushi/omakase iterations and have never been disappointed. From Hokusei, to Fukami, to the pop-ups at Davenport. He is the best in Portland. Cody knows his fish and only serves the best, and he serves up fish that you just can't get anywhere else, and only when it is in season and at its peak of flavor and fat content. Nimble fish is no exception. Excellent service, fish, sake and spirit selection. John is always great at recommending pairings with the fish. Like other reviewers have mentioned, if you are looking for big slabs of boring, flavorless fish, or California rolls made with mayo and "krab"move on down the road. If you appreciate artfully and passionately prepared, hand selected cuts of really nice fish, roe, uni and the best tamago on the west coast, served in a beautifully designed environment, look no further. And, for what you are getting, the prices are extremely reasonable. read more