This is a tiny restaurant located on a side street in downtown Monrovia. Although small in space, the food speaks volumes. We ordered the fresh shrimp sashimi, salmon sashimi and albacore sashimi. The fresh salmon sashimi was my favorite out of the three. It tasted fatty, smooth and scrumptious, and the price was reasonable. We also ordered the Lime Roll and the Nigitoro cut roll and they both had great flavors but not overpowering to a point where you can't taste the freshness of the fish. The savory egg custard was just alright. The texture could have been more smooth. Service was excellent and since we were celebrating a birthday, we got a complimentary birthday dessert (Ube cake with Mochi). If you live in the area and don't want to drive too far, this is a great spot for fresh sushi! read more

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Great little sushi spot in Monrovia! They have lunch specials. It's a little restaurant; two tables inside plus 7 spots at the bar. There are tables outside as well. There is free street parking as well as more spaces in the city lots in the about 1 block away from the main Myrtle st strip. Ask the server for the specials as well. read more

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This spot was really cute! We came awhile ago so this review was long overdue. I think this place can seat 8-12 people **total** inside (some bar seating and 2-3 tables for parties of 2). I believe there is also outdoor seating for parties of 2-4)! Small restaurant, but homely kind of feeling. I really enjoyed the little knick knacks and decor they had. Service was great, quick and attentive! We came in for lunch and it seemed like regulars frequented this spot. The main reason why I wanted to try this place was because of the Suntory Malts :,). I thoroughly craved a good Suntory Malt and it's not a beer you can get in a can or at any sushi spot. So when I saw this place had it + great sushi reviews, I wanted yo go forsure! We ordered 2 nigiri sets and the fish was very fresh! One of the pieces had uni and it was very fresh!! I normally do not order uni because it can be really musky and briny at okay sushi spots, but def fresh here! The other highlights of the set were the tuna and toro! I also love the bit of yuzu kosho/ yuzu pepper paste that some of these nigiri had. The handroll at the end were a nice way to end the set too! Be sure to eat it quickly before the seaweed gets too soft. read more

I love coming to Sushi Nakata for their lunch specials! I've tried 3 of their lunch sets - the Regular Nigiri (8pc and 1 hand roll), Regular Chirashi bowl, and their 4 Hand Roll Set. All three are $28 or under and well worth the price. My favorite out of the three was the nigiri as there is a good variety of different fish, plus it comes with a California or Spicy Tuna Handroll as well. All their sets come with a yummy starters of a bowl of miso soup and a salad with ginger sauce. I love that the fish here is always fresh and great quality. Everything is delicious and their service is quick. The restaurant is super small with only 2 tables inside and a few spots at the bar, but they also have a few outdoor tables as well. Lots of street parking and free public lots in downtown Monrovia just a short walk away. Will be back soon for my sushi fix! read more

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Note that we chose to sit outdoor since we brought our dog. Good thing we reserved a table on a Friday (when there is an evening fair every Friday), that means lot of people with kids around. Imagine dining in the noisy crowd. Food served was tiny and overpriced, tasted okay. Sashimi slices are super thin. Miso soup is not free. Took 20 mins+ to receive the Uni Pasta appetizer after eating the rest of our sushi orders. We were ready to leave and pay the check without the pasta but it eventually arrived. Would we go back? Probably not. Sometimes trying something new can leave you disappointed. read more

Lucky enough to live less than a mile from Nakata. Ordered some takeout last night and made our own his and hers mashup. We have been coming here since they opened. Not super often, but probably once every couple of months. It has never disappointed. Everything is always fresh and delicious. Service is always amazing. read more

Sushi NAKATA - Ordered takeout and made a little his and hers. Everything was fresh and delicious as always! - Sushi Bars Near Me - Monrovia, California

Literally the best sushi spot in the area for great quality fish. My significant other and I have gone here three times so far and everything we ordered was amazing. Servers are very helpful and patient in us choosing because it was my mother in law's first time and she normally doesn't eat sushi. We got her a veggie roll, chicken karaage, and cucumber salad and she loved it. We loved starting with the spicy tuna crispy rice as well. We get that every time here plus the Negitoro hand roll to end our meal. We've gotten the omakase which was delightfully flavorful. We also love the salmon avocado roll, salmon truffle roll, and another roll called the lemon roll with tuna and ponzu. Everything here is fresh and delicious. FYI there is no bento bowls or teriyaki bowls. Just fresh clean sushi. We can't wait to come back again. read more

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So if your travels ever bring you to Monrovia, Ca. and are craving Sushi. This is a legit Sushi spot. I'm not talking about rolls or an AYCE spot. I'm talking about a Edomae style sushi spot. Small unassuming traditional Japanese sushi spot. Fish was fresh!!! Portions were just right, not a crazy amount of rice. Which by the way was prepared to perfection. Slices of fish weren't overwhelming. Some stand outs were the Aji, Hirame no Engawa, toro and Uni. The matcha ice cream cake was a great way to finish the evening. The service was great and very engaging. You know it's a good spot when they serve the Green tea piping hot!!! Tempura was a great appetizer. Nice crispy and not oily at all... Here's a tip- If the toro is outstanding, Order the negi-toro cut roll (Hosamaki) it was outstanding!!! Sure it's pricey compared to an AYCE or a Kaiten spot, but I assure you won't be disappointed!!! I'll definitely be back!!! read more

Sushi NAKATA - Crispy assorted tempura... Not oily or too much batter - Sushi Bars Near Me - Monrovia, California

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hole in the wall little gem in monrovia that has a lovely japanese couple running the show! $45 dinner sashimi came with a great clam soup and ginger dressing salad; there is a nice happy hour that runs tue thru sunday 5-6 PM. sashimi and rolls were wonderful and well priced ! will defiantly come back and make it a regular spot read more

Sushi NAKATA - lunch menu - Sushi Bars Near Me - Monrovia, California

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My husband and I love sneaking over to Sushi Nakata for a date night. We always end up indulging before I can take pictures but this last time I snuck in a few. Service is always pleasant. The place is small but worth the squeeze. Take a look at some of our favoritepicks. read more

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Tucked on the side of Downtown Monrovia is a small little Japanese Sushi restaurant that I adored. It is a small place, but has that Japan feel. I came here first for the good reviews of fresh sushi, but it ended up being more than that. Missing Japan, I miss the culture and this place gave you a small feel of that from the atmosphere, freshness of the wasabi, rice and fish, several small dishes and the very courteous waitress. Ordered the chirashi lunch special and a California roll. Both were so fresh! One of freshest I have tasted in the SGV area. The lunch special also came with miso soup and salad, which tasted sooo good. The miso soup is the best I have had in SGV as it wasn't too salty and just tasted perfect. On top of it, I loved the outdoor dining as it had a heated lamp. It was a lovely ambience and the waitress treated us with such care. I plan to come here again here again for any date. Since it is in downtown Monrovia, you can take a walk here afterwards and enjoy some tea, coffee or dessert somewhere. Parking is easy as there is a free parking lot northeast of the restaurant and there is street parking as well. read more

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This is one of the better sushi spots in the San Gabriel Valley. There are a few sushi spots in the area, but they are not truly authentic. Sushi Nakata has wonderful quality and the sushi is legit! If you're looking for quality, this is the spot to go to! They have this June special for $65 which was a great deal for the quality and the servings I got. Great job, Sushi Nakata! read more

Sushi Nakata is located in Old Town Monrovia near the movie theater. It's a really small restaurant and pretty popular. I came here with my girlfriends to catch up and we were seated right away because we had reservations. There was quite a bit of wait for others waiting because the food is really good. There are a lot of varieties for their appetizers, pasta/noodles, and sushi. The sushi we ordered were all fresh and tasted amazing. On the alcohol side there was a variety of sake, beer, and wine. We sat outside even though it was cold but there was a heat lamp right above our table which was nice. The price is a little on the higher side but it's worth it because the fish was fresh and the services was good. Definitely check this place out if you ever are craving some sushi. read more

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I just had to leave another review because the food and service is just that great! My dad and I were in the mood for simple, fresh, cool, quality nigiri on this super hot day in LA. We knew Nakata was our best option--sooooo good! Thank you Nakata & Team! Still our favorite sushi spot in all of LA. read more

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Sushi NAKATA is so amazing. Very family friendly. Their service is AMAZING even in a busy day. I love the miso soup it always tastes fresh. And I love their lime roll is amazing. Love this place so much! read more

Great restaurant in Monrovia...wonderful sushi and other cooked dishes. Ramen is really good!

!!! So glad we tried out sushi nakata :) Food: -nigiri set: so good! The rice to fish ratio was good and the quality of the fish was so fresh and delicious! The handrail milk is also cut into 2 pieces which is nice! -chirashi bowl: soooo worth it! Well i do love delicious rice!! But the fish was fresh, ample, and a good array of delicious fish!! Also the wasabi was so good! -hot sake: worth it Service: -very prompt, attentive, kind! Making a reservation was so easy and following it up was as well. It gets packed pretty quickly but the service is so consistent! Overall: Worth it! I personally don't have the fanciest palette for sushi but i would def come back for a chirashi bowl and hot sake : ) read more

Excellent quality food! Don't be fooled by the $$$. It's not as expensive as you think. I like the Orange Roll and the Crispy Salmon Skin roll. The service is top notch and the ambience makes you feel like you're in a hole in the wall sushi restaurant in Osaka! read more

4.5/5 Food was delicious, service was great, and the ambiance is authentic and calm. The one I didn't get a clear picture of was the Lime Roll. Absolutely delicious! I love sushi and trying out different places. We came here 8:00 on a Thursday for 2. Wasn't so busy that you needed a reservation, but there were a few groups eating. We got the house wine but didn't get charged for a refill. Not sure if intentional or not but I won't complain! The sushi was overall pretty good. I thought the rice was like an 8/10. The yellowtail was really good. They don't cheap out on the portions of seafood they provide. Their quality is also pretty good. The sweet shrimp was mildly sweet, but it didn't wow me. It comes with shrimp head too, those were pretty good actually. You're supposed the eat the whole thing, that was new for me! The place is great. It seems like they expanded for more seating next door? Great intimate date spot or even just for grabbing dinner w family and friends. Meal was about $100 for 2. Minus the sweet shrimp, could be a little cheaper. But that's okay, just about average price for good sushi nowadays! Plenty of street parking along the Main Street. The Google maps location is slightly off. It's around the corner, not directly on the Main Street. read more

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Very lucky to have some of the best sushi I've ever had walking distance from my house. It's super cozy and the staff is helpful. read more

A hidden gem in old town Monrovia that needs to be uncovered. We went because our usual spot was closed unfortunately. We shared the omakase and it was delicious!! Our chef was prompt and really cool so I bought him a shot of sake lol. Everything was reasonably priced and one item more delicious than the next. Definitely recommend trying here ! read more

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Ramen - Too salty. Tastes like ramen you can buy in the fridge section from 99 Ranch Market, but they added salt. Bamboo was not fresh, made me and my partner both feel sick...for $20? Really??? Otoro - Rice did not feel like sushi rice (not warm, was kind of hard). The texture of the fish was very soft and buttery, so that's a plus. But sushi was overall bland..All texture no substance. You'd expect better for one of the most expensive cuts, but I also got a big chunk of tendon that I spit out. That's a first. Takoyaki - Octopus was more hard than chewy, didn't taste good. Spicy Tuna Rolls - Decent. Best thing I had here. Nothing wrong with this, about same quality as a Marukai's or Mitsuwa's bento section. Everything was at least presentable and I had no issues with staff and their customer service. Came here to test their otoro and see if it's worth coming back for omakase... Not happening. read more

Sushi NAKATA - Tendon from otoro - Sushi Bars Near Me - Monrovia, California

The food here is amazing! I've been coming here since I was in middle school. Which was 15 years ago, so this place has been here for a long time. My boyfriend and I love coming here during lunch for the specials. The best thing is the fish is super fresh . The customer service is always top tier and the owner is super nice. They just purchased the other building next door so now there is more tables to be available soon. read more

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Sushi Nakata is soooo goood and soooo cozy and if you time it right you will see the sunset right behind the library from the sidewalk tables. Sushi is fresh and beautifully presented. Wonderful service and a true gem. Lots of specials and the sushi chef's are super inventive. Love. read more

Our favorite place for good quality sushi we've been there multiple time and always love! Small restaurant so we always call for reservation. read more

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When I dined in on 12/16/23 for lunch, we ordered the Lime Roll, among other things. The albacore on top of was not fresh. It was mushy. The service was good, but the chef on Saturday, December 16, 2023 for lunch that day served us mushy albacore on top of the Lime Roll. The nigiri lunch we ordered was fine but this was not fine. read more

Sushi NAKATA - Mushy albacore on top. Not fresh. - Sushi Bars Near Me - Monrovia, California

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Quality food. Fresh tasting fish Great lunch specials. Sweet, kind service. I will be back! :) read more

Sushi NAKATA - Lunch premium sushi, delicious! - Sushi Bars Near Me - Monrovia, California

Reservation highly recommended. It's a tiny location, 6 bar seating, 3 tables inside kind of intimate and cute setting. There's also outdoor (sidewalk) seating, but personally think indoor seating is better for the overall experience. We ordered almost all of the today's specials. It was absolutely delicious. Presentation was on point. Not overly drown with sauce. Fish and rice ratio beautifully together. Recommended: Skip Jack Tai Snapper Japan x2 Black Gnome fish x2 Bluefin Toro Oyster (pacific): medium/large, ponzu and masago/scallions dressing - we added wasabi to it (clean mild taste.. it's was so good) x2 Sea Eel Ono Escolar Hot Tea: subtle matcha taste Wasabi Towards the end of our meal, some of the other nigiris that we wanted to try or the oysters that we wanted to order more of ran out. It was sadness for my tummy. The service was wonderful, even with just two waitresses at the front and a consistently full booking. The ladies were very nice and not rushed in taking our orders again and again. They were very apologetic about the items that ran out and our last order of black gnome fish came out a bit late. It was very sweet of them to comp us an appetizer, we were told that its a whitefish, the meat from the bones area. It was really good, wish I had asked for the name. Definitely will go again. To eat and drink next time, they have a lot sake options. Plenty of free parking everywhere. read more

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Cute and cozy spot in downtown Monrovia. Awesome happy hour with kind and attentive staff. Will definitely be back!

Nakata is an amazing fresh high quality sushi restaurant. Very very authentic and the owners are always so nice and attentive.

It's a cute small place - make a reservation if you want to guarantee entry. My friends and I came to try the omakase, which was $120 per person. It came with clam miso soup, a 4-dish appetizer, and a matcha crepe cake for dessert. For our visit, the fish we got were the halibut, snapper, black cod, white tuna, toro tuna, bluefin tuna, uni, scallop, kohada, salmon, yellowtail, squid, and blue crab. The quality of the fish were all pretty amazing and I loved how some of the sashimi melted in your mouth. It felt fresh and rich with flavor that some didn't need much soy sauce. My personal top faves were the tamago and oyster in the appetizer, entire tuna trio, the black cod, the uni, the yellowtail, and the halibut. I enjoyed the variety provided and the servers were considerate and decently attentive. The only thing is I'm not sure if $120 is an average price for the meal as my friend has been to others with similar amount of dishes/quality (in her opinion) for a lower price. Other than that, it was a great experience overall. read more

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I love the food, but what I originally order is 1 California 1 spicy tuna 2 salmon, Sushi and white rice read more

It was good but I've definitely had better. I thought it was a bit overpriced for the amount of food we got. I would try again for their lunch menu. read more

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Updated review - we've been loyal customers of Sushi Nakata for years (going there on a regular basis since it opened and have brought friends and family along the way). Although the fish and quality of the meals are still exceptional, I have to agree with another comment I came across on Yelp. The chef was incredibly rude to us last week. I brought my family for omakase lunch and as we were about to ask the chef a question he quickly interrupted with a "WAIT!!" Did not once acknowledge us or explain what he was serving us (we sat at the bar). We asked about an alternate option for one of the dishes, to which he replied "NO!" I have to specify, this is not the original Chef we absolutely love and have been supporting but the older gentleman who's been around for a couple years now. Disappointing to see customer service declining ... read more

The chef and sous chef here are great guys. Sitting at the sushi bar is the treat. They banter alone is worth the price of admission. Omekaze is the way to go. Love sushi surprises. Suntory premium beer on tap. It's better than Sapporo or Asahi. This cozy sushi is not to be missed. read more

Love Sushi Nakata! Right now it's my favorite place to get sushi. The sushi is always fresh and tastes great! Been going for a few years now and the quality has remained the same, even after the pandemic. read more

Sushi NAKATA - Sake - Sushi Bars Near Me - Monrovia, California

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Very nice and quite area in Monrovia old town to have an authentic sushi restaurant Nakata! I've a regular Chirashi, salad and miso soup! A casual lunch under a regular weekday, nice and quite! Will recommend if you like authentic sushi and a nice quite area!! read more

Sushi NAKATA - Salad - Sushi Bars Near Me - Monrovia, California

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I was introduced to Sushi Nakata by my boss! My workplace is just down the street and it was not hard to find. The staff was very friendly and recommended some items for us to share. We ended up getting 2 rolls and a Chirashi set. It was delicious! For starters, complimentary miso soup and salad with ginger sauce was given to us. It was great! The salmon avocado roll was perfect and just the right ratio. Its my favorite and it never disappoints. We also tried the Spicy Yellowtail roll and it was both refreshing and appetizing. I just love the sauce that is added on top. The Chirashi Bowl was filled with fresh fish on top and fluffy sushi rice on the bottom. All of this was just the right amount to share. I'll definitely be coming back! read more

Sushi NAKATA - Salmon Avocado Roll + Spicy Yellowtail Roll - Sushi Bars Near Me - Monrovia, California

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My first dine in at Los Angeles since the pandemic - albeit, I sat outside seating today. The chirashi bowl is great bang for dollars! The quality of sashimi is superb. So is the culinary skills of the chef and selection of the dishes. Highly recommended. We ordered the black sesame flavored Mt. Blanc. The sponge cake at the bottom is soft and not flaky. The cream inside is delectable and the black sesame on top is so flavorful. Great ending for a Sunday lunch. read more

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Came here for lunch. I ordered the unagi don and it was good. The service was fast and nice too. Will be back! read more

Sushi NAKATA - Unagi Don - Sushi Bars Near Me - Monrovia, California