This place has the best deal on the freshest fish at the market. Restaurant itself was pretty basic Japanese food in nashville, but good quality and good prices. But the fish at the grocery store is just the best. read more

Restaurant - A 25 minute wait with open tables. Finally seated and the waitress tossed down 2 menus for 3 people. Brought the 3rd one with a audible sigh. Asked for water... she was too busy. Asked male manager for water... he was too busy. About 10 minutes later the waitress showed up with water (getting water was a battle through the whole meal) and told us she wanted our orders NOW (in response to asking asking for a minute to think after getting a question answered!). I ordered a bento box. ~~( CREATE YOUR OWN BENTO BOX $ 11. 5 0 CHOOSE TWO DIFFERENT ENTREES THEN A SIDE OF CHCKEN BON BONS OR BEANSPROUTS SUSHI CRAB & AVOCADO ROLL CHICKEN TERIYAKI SHRIMP TERIYAKI SALMON TERIYAKI STEAK TERIYAKI BEEF NEGIMA YAKINIKU TEMPURA COMES WITH TWO PIECES OF SHRIMP & ASSORTED VEGGIES GYOZA CHOICE OF BEEF, CHICKEN OR VEGGIE All entrees come with miso soup, salad, white rice. ~~ I ordered the sushi & steak teriyaki medium rare. I GOT in bento section 1- a small well done piece of beef with NO teriyaki sauce (bone dry) sitting on shredded bitter cabbage, in section 2- 3 small raw broccoli florets & 3 raw thick sliced 2" carrots slabs, in section 3 a slice of orange cut in half, and a fried chicken wing drummie, in the 4th section was a small bit of wasabi- NOTHING else. The sushi was on a shared board with the other person's sushi. The sushi had no sauce inside and the "crab" was fake crab... ie fish. There was nothing right about any part of the meal or the rude service. That many strikes... I will be checking out other places. GROCERY - Excellent, helpful, friendly. read more

After shopping at Trader Joes, we were craving Sushi and Japanese food. We noticed Sonobana and decided to give it a try. I ordered the Bento box, steak teriyaki and tempura. It came with a salad, miso soup, white steamed rice and bean sprouts in a rice vinegar sauce. All were so delicious and fresh. We have eaten at many Sushi bars and this place had very tasty food. The miso soup was made very well, the steak cooked to perfection. We were especially impressed by the tempura. The batter was thin and crisp and Shrimp tasted tender, not chewy. We will definitely be going back. The service is also great! read more

It may have been because I had high expectations based off of friends' recommendations, but I was disappointed and thought that the food was only okay. But I will say that our server was extremely nice in accommodating our big group of 16 people. Chirashi: 3/5 The positives were all of the components were arranged and presented beautifully in the bento box, the tamagoyaki (egg omelet) was prepared well, and the portion size was large. However, I guess I shouldn't have expected much given that Nashville is landlocked in the middle of the country, but the fish was not as fresh as it could have been. Also, the octopus was rubbery, and the rice was too dense. Takoyaki Roll: 4/5 This was a creative combination of two Japanese classics: takoyaki and maki rolls. I appreciated how the roll was made to resemble takoyaki by containing sizeable pieces of octopus, being deep fried to create a texture that mimicked that of takoyaki cooked in the pan, and being topped with the usual Japanese mayo, takoyaki sauce, aonori, and bonito flakes. The only things I didn't like were that octopus was a little rubbery, and I felt like the flavors could have popped more. Deep Fried Cheesecake: 2/5 I should've known better than to have ordered this, but my curiosity got the better of me. It was basically the standard frozen cheesecake covered in a thick batter, deep fried, and topped with bottled chocolate sauce, whipped cream, and a maraschino cherry. Not worth the $5.50. You're better off driving to Royal Boba down the street and getting bubble tea for dessert. Service: 5/5 Our server was extremely accommodating of our large group. She was helpful and patient at the start of the meal when we were figuring out how to rearrange the tables and chairs so that all 16 of us could sit together. Even with us being such a big group, the food came out relatively quickly. She was also understanding when we accidentally asked for the check early because we had forgotten about ordering dessert. read more

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Food was not quite average. Tons of choices for sushi but my two rolls were mushy. The ramen was bland. On to the next sushi place! Service was good. read more

Just went to Sonoba by myself, nobody was waiting and there were many empty seats. The wait was 20 minutes. I've worked at shogun before as a hostess....its wild that there are empty seats that you can't seat a person! read more

Best sushi in nashville, hands down, but there's so much more on the menu that you'll love if u love Japanese food. And hit the little shop next door, it's like a treasure trove of goodies! read more

We found this place using Yelp 4 years ago. Very delicious authentic Japanese food. We enjoy eating here when we visit Nashville.

It is probably one of the better Japanese restaurants in Nashville, but that doesn't say much. The wait is always very long and the food is okay. I am still grateful that this place exists in Nashville, but server tends to be on the rude side, and it has very old vibe. read more

I was very excited to go here because I have been told many times that it is the best Japanese restaurant in Nashville. However, my experience did not match up to the hype. I don't know if it was because they were shortstaffed but all the food was mediocre at best. The tempura was way overbattered, the sushi was OK but nothing special. Takoyaki was cold by the time it came out and the sauce did not taste good. Still willing to give it one more try, but next time might just stick to nigiri sushi. read more

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This is the best sushi place in Nashville. The food is great and the staff are friendly. Came in here for our first time and was impressed with the quality of the fish! Get there early because the line is out the door by 6. read more

Hands down my favorite Japanese restaurant in Nashville. Sonobana is such a gem. There's even a little Japanese market next door where you can find some neat grocery items. I mostly come here for sushi, but there are also many other traditional Japanese meals offered here that aren't served at other restaurants that serve Japanese food. I believe the owners are Japanese, and I only point that out because we see a lot of sushi fusion (Korean/sushi, Thai/sushi) around here. For example, it's hard to find Japanese sukiyaki in Nashville, and they have it here. It's served in a hot skillet instead of a hot pot, but still delicious! As far as sushi goes, I think it's all amazing. There is a large menu of specialty rolls, and it can be a little overwhelming to choose from, but you're bound to find something you like. I like to stick to the classics - salmon, salmon skin, eel, tuna - and they're all well done. Sometimes they have specials, too! I've been here many times and have never been disappointed. read more

Sonobana - tenzaru zoba - Japanese Near Me - Nashville, Tennessee

I'm from out of town but every time I visit Nashville, I have to stop by Sonobana. I love love the sushi from here. Even the simple rolls are good. Must try! read more

Sonobana - Spider Roll* California Roll* Futo Maki* Scallop with smelt roe & mayo* Crunchy Shrimp Roll* - Japanese Near Me - Nashville, Tennessee

my husband and I came here to celebrate his birthday, as well as on a recommendation from my student. We were excited to eat. We arrived here at 4:35 PM as it opens at 4:30 PM, and there was already a line. However, we didn't have to wait long. This restaurant was very unassuming and a hole in the wall. We were immediately seated and were excited to scour the menu. For our first round, we ordered a house salad, a seaweed salad, ume, spicy scallop roll, tennessee roll, and a crawfish roll. to say that these were delicious, would be an understatement. Both salads were very fresh and delicious. My husband thoroughly enjoyed the ume, which had an abundance of different flavors, and loved his crawfish roll, which had a mix of soft and crunchy. I thoroughly enjoyed my spicy scallop roll and Tennessee roll. The scallops were delicious and an even amount of spicy, while the Tennessee roll packed a punch of flavors! For a second round, we ordered the pan fried beef gyozas, sakura, sonobana roll, and Emma roll. The gyozas were super flavorful and perfectly crispy. my husband love the Sakura roll and his sonobana roll; they were delicious and simple. I love my emma roll, it had the perfect amount of crunchiness and sweetness. surprisingly, we got all of this under $100. We'll definitely be back soon. read more

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The food is good, but the wait can get long very quickly (we went during the week around 2-3 pm and it was a 30-40 min wait).

Great service. The staff was welcoming, friendly and attentive. The food was prepared quickly but each bite was fresh, hot, and delicious. Love the sushi and the bento lunch box. It was a nice escape in the middle of the day. Good atmosphere. read more

Can't believe I've been sleeping on sonobana for soooo long. Not exaggerating at all when I say you can taste the freshness! The server is so nice and considerate. She paid attention to our orders and figured out that my friend is a vegetarian so she offered to bring us the vegetarian friendly soy sauce. The food was absolutely scrumptious and you CANT beat the price. Fresh, hot veggie croquettes -- crispy on the outside, soft and creamy on the inside. The citrusy sauce and grated yellow mustard that came with them help cut through the richness. Beef sashimi -- not the best I've ever had just only because it was a little tough but worth a try! White bridge roll -- Overall a very refreshing roll and a little on the sweet side bc of the tamago and crab. The mint leaves really bring out a nice flavor. Big john #1 -- Fatty unagi that melts in your mouth yummmm. Freshness is a top priority for raw items but even the cooked ingredient taste fresh in this roll. The unagi is still slightly warm and the unagi sauce has a good balance of sweet and salty, not too thick or strong either. The cucumber wrap cuts the richness and makes this roll so easy to eat. i can definitely down another roll in 5 mins and i was very tempted to lol Veggie rolls -- my friend who is a vegetarian ordered two veggie rolls that I don't know the names of but they have a wider selection of veggie rolls compared to other sushi/Japanese places in town and the ingredients vary from standard veggies (avocado, asparagus and etc) to an assortment of pickles and EVEN UME. read more

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My sister and I have been going to Sonobana for a while now. There are so many sushi places, but I chose Sonobana because it's the most decent one in Nashville. Here's the thing: I noticed that we got treated differently compared to other diners. Tested the servers many times. Time and time again, I feel like my sister and I are not welcomed there. Yesterday was the last straw. We ordered the nigiri and a beer. After 40 minutes, when we almost finished our food, the beer was nowhere to be seen. The server rather made ten rounds the other way than to go over to our booth to check on us. I've observed and she treated other diners exceptionally generous and made sure that everything was ok. And for our table, she just never bothered except for the food delivery. When the appetizer arrived, she (White and probably still in school (MTSU)) didn't bother to give us the plates to share. Talking about bad customer and low EQ... and for the beer, she just gave us the can, no glass... On other times, another server (older Asian lady), she also treated us differently. Only came to our table when the food is ready. Or else, good luck finding her. Talking about racism/discrimination against your own kind, which is disappointing. Really don't want to circle around the race topic here. But if you're Asian eating here, beware of their treatment. read more

Was crowded and we had a little wait. Servers worked very hard. Food was great. Will be back.

Pretty good, definitely better than sushi train next door. Spicy crunchy shrimp is very good. They make you pay for yum yum sauce which is a huge negative for me. read more

We were looking for authentic Japanese food, & a Japanese market. We went next door & bought a few items, & thought let's wait the 20 minutes until the restaurant opens up. While we were waiting in the car, a line started to form. We decided to get out of the car, and wait in line with the others. I ordered the beef bento box, with my beef medium well. I was disappointed when it arrived medium rare, was really fatty, and looked like such a small portion. The bento box is $17.50. I am also used to the meat being sliced thinner. I didn't want to complain so I left it alone, as the rest of my food was really good. I especially liked the veggie gyoza. Our waitress was really sweet, and was on top of everything. I feel terrible but I can't remember her name. We will probably be back. No more beef bento box for me though. Thank you for the excellent service Aya. I just looked at my receipt so that I could give her a shout out. She was wonderful. I also posted a picture of the bento box. I didn't eat the beef. read more

Sonobana - Beef Bento Box - Japanese Near Me - Nashville, Tennessee

The food was cold and just not good. I didn't eat hardly any of my food. The server I saw at the beginning and then when I asked for my bill. I had asked in the beginning for yum yum sauce and I never received it. I thought that could cover up the bad cold taste of fried food. The salad was old brown and wilted And, yes I payed full price for it all because I wasn't asked is everything alright. It's close to my home what a shame. read more

Always busy and for good reason, some of the best food you can get in Nashville and the servers are great and friendly. I prefer to go for hot food rather than sushi, and the lunch menu has much more of that than the dinner menu, which is restrictive by comparison, although there are plenty of appetizers. Everything is very reasonably priced and you could easily pay the same amount of money for a worse meal or fast food these days. I frequent this place. read more

So good. So fresh. Nigiri is delicious and thickly cut. What a gem of a restaurant in a strip mall. Great meal. read more

Sonobana - Crawfish sushi - Japanese Near Me - Nashville, Tennessee

The Bento box lunch brought was the best Japanese food and was very authentic. The box had fresh sashimi with rice, a Tuna roll, a cucumber and seaweed salad. Very authentic Japanese restaurant. read more

Sonobana - Special Bento Box - Japanese Near Me - Nashville, Tennessee

To start they didn't have broiled sanma. It is rare to find and ots tastes good. It is kinda like a big anchovy but less salty. It is on the internet menu but not on the restaurant menu. So I got the sable fish instead. It was good sweet and tender fish but not what I wanted. Then I got anango or sea eel. It has always been awesome but today it just tasted sad and stale like it was older. I also got the sushi special bento box and it just wasn't as good. Part is my fault. I know the sushi is better around wednesday or Thursday because it is when the order of fish for the week comes in almost everywhere. But it wasn't bad just not as good as other times. Plus the missing menu item. read more

Average restaurant. The entree dishes are not very good as they are bland or are lacking substance. The sushi is very average with some variety with their specials such as the fatty tuna. The sashimi/nigiri typically comes out warm and not chilled but that's perhaps due to how long it takes. Some things they do well are the sable fish, salted salmon, and yellowtail collar. The market is really cool to shop in. The kind lady is helpful and they have uniquely Japanese products so if there is something you want but can't find elsewhere they typically will have it. read more

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Great sushi & very cool Asian grocery store I love simple spicy tuna roll & my girl loves the Sonabana roll read more

Sonobana is my go to place for Japanese food/sushi when the craving hits (which happens almost monthly). It's probably THE BEST place to get a wide offering of authentic (well, for Nash standards) Japanese food. When you first walk in, you immediately see the constantly busy sushi bar and are hit with the scent of Japanese pickles. The sushi menu is huge, and they have a variety of options. Rolls with excessive amounts of mayo, fried rolls, minimalist rolls, and sushi boats. They have everything for everyone. If you're not feeling sushi, which I wasn't this particular day, their hot food options are just as good. The unagi-don ("bbq" freshwater eel over a bed of rice) is amazing and is probably the only place in Nashville where you can get a decently priced/portioned eelbowl. The appetizers here are great too, as they have the Japanese street food staple takoyaki and grilled squid. The takoyaki tasted a little battery on the inside, but that was fine considering the rest of their food was amazing. The service is also the best too. When you walk in, you are greeted by a few staff members and are immediately seated. Throughout our meal, our server constantly kept our waters refilled and asked if were doing okay throughout. Afterwards, it's worth going to the little market next door for a variety of Japanese groceries/snacks to go. Overall, whenever friends in Nashville/those who visit dare ask for Sushi in Nash, I always point them towards Sonobana because I know that Sonobana rarely disappoints. P.S. They're also famous for their super bowl sushi buffet. read more

Sonobana - Takoyaki! - Japanese Near Me - Nashville, Tennessee

You know how hard to find real sushi or legit Japanese restaurants in Tennessee? I found this place by searching on Yelp and of course we can't compare with what we have in California, Sashimi is pretty fresh! The joy of eating sushi is about the warm rice with a little bit cold fresh fish that why when I go to any sushi place I love to sit at the bar ! And then real wasabi with yuzu kosho ! I wish we have that here but this restaurant is still the best! I will come back again to other things they have! read more

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Long wait but delicious sushi and favorable prices. We will definitely add this to our sushi rotation.

Sonobana is a favorite to many! I went here and experienced the private rooms for a birthday party. It's traditional Japanese seating with your legs under the table and shoes outside the room. We got two sushi boats and a couple rolls for the table. I think the sushi was just okay and the fish was sliced too thickly. Although, many people I was with went crazy over everything. Their selection of sake is robust and they carry some of my favorites! read more

Sonobana - Sake cheers for the birthday lady - Japanese Near Me - Nashville, Tennessee

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Sonobana surprised me in a good way for being located in a strip mall in West Nashville. I had some errands to do and figured I'd get some sushi to go. They told me it'd be 15-20 minutes for my order which was ready in the time frame that they gave me. When I stepped inside the restaurant I immediately noticed the traditional Japanese decor. It is nicely decorated and would be a good place to dine in. Service was quick and easy to pick up and pay. Their menu is pretty big but I noticed that a lot of their rolls had a fried or partially fried element to it so I steered clear of those since I like raw rolls. I ordered a spicy tuna handroll, a yellow tail handroll and the Allison Roll which is just like a Philadelphia roll except it also has ahi tuna inside in addition to salmon, avocado and cream cheese. This totalled me about $18 which I'll admit is on the pricer side but the handrolls were actually bigger than I expected. I'd say my favorite of what I ordered was the yellowtail. It had green onion slices in it which went well with the flavor. Overall great experience! read more

Sonobana - Allison roll, spicy tuna handroll and yellowtail handroll - Japanese Near Me - Nashville, Tennessee

We went here on a Sunday evening (5 P.M.) to celebrate my friend's admittance to grad school. The wait wasn't long (~10 mins) so we ventured into the market next door to pass the time. Once we were seated, the waitress was patient with us while we decided our orders. Our salad came out quite quickly, but the sushi bar was backed up. When our sushi was ready, it sat there for a few mins while our waitress delivered food to other tables. Once she delivered the food, she did apologize for the wait though. We ate our sushi, got our check, and got out of there. The check was delievered quickly, but the waitress did not give a parting greeting, which I felt was impolite. I guess she was done with our table and that was it! TL:DR If you're willing to wait a while (~30-40 mins) for sushi during peak dining hours, then you'll be fine here. read more

Sonobana - Left: Bankroll; Right: Nashville roll; Top: Tuna and salmon nigiri; Bottom: Smoked salmon nigiri - Japanese Near Me - Nashville, Tennessee

Stopped in for lunch and ordered the gyoza, edamame, rainbow roll, and sonobana roll. The rolls were great, especially the sonobano! Many sushi restaurants pack too much rice in the rolls, but this one was perfect and not stuffed with so much rice. Will definitely return! read more

I love Sonobana!!! We eat here often, and the food is always fresh :-) We love you guys! Their take out is great too. **One small thing to the owners---PLEASE change the carpeting to hardwood floors or anything else. The carpet gives off a terrible smell; musty and old, noticeable as soon as you walk in. read more

I have seen many recommendations online for Sonobana, and I feel like overall it has positive reviews here and on Google...but for us it was a complete miss. I started with the Miso Soup, which was just Miso Soup. He got the House Salad. His opinion was that the dressing wasn't the best, very lemony. I ordered the Bank Roll and the Rebekah Roll. Bank Roll was fine, forgettable. The Rebekah Roll was better, the fried shrimp was definitely the star. The roll underneath with crab (imitation) and avocado was bland. He also ordered the Dynamite Roll...if you don't want a face full of wasabi, do NOT get this roll. It was totally overpowering, could taste nothing else. Phew! We were disappointed in our visit. :( read more

Sonobana - Bank Roll - Japanese Near Me - Nashville, Tennessee

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Absolutely bussing phenomenal scrumptious food. Service is amazing and all of the women are major slays. Sushi bar is iconic. Compliments to the chef. You guys ate down fr fr. read more

This is our family's go to for the last 25 years. Even before it changed the name. We go at least once a week and always say, "I could eat this everyday." Love it, Love it, Love it! read more

I was a regular customer here for about two years until this month. Since I'm such a regular, the management was keeping tabs on the amount I generally gave as a tip, which averaged between 10-15%. Call me cheap, but I did tip based on the quality of the service that was provided to me. This last time I visited, the manager, Jerry, approached my table where I was sitting with a new friend who was dining here for the first time and proceeded to tell me that I had not been tipping sufficiently and it would be appreciated by the staff if my future tips were "at least 18%." Keep in mind, I had been coming here for around TWO YEARS. Besides being completely mortified and appalled at the nerve he had to tell me this, a waitress (Janet) came up and explained that it was because of the last time I was there, with another friend, who picked up the tab for both of us and apparently HE had been the one to leave such a horrible tip. At this point, I was infuriated. I will never return to Sonobana. Sad. The sushi was on point, but the staff are lacking in tact. I kindly wrote a note on the back on my receipt saying that they will no longer need to worry about being shortchanged, because that was the last time they'd see me. read more