Norikaya

I really hate to Share this spot but it was so good. It's a sushi hand roll spot but the hand rolls are not rolled everything is a culinary delight and absolutely amazing. The interior is such a date spot. The service was great and the food was amazing. Just look at my photos and order the same things I ordered. You really can't go wrong with anything they have on the menu.

I've passed by norikaya a few times so checked it out finally today. It looks very cool inside and out. Sleek interior.Initial service was pretty quick, hostess quick to greet and seat. Friendly servers. Didn't like the sake flight choices personally but to each their own.We got- furikake fries- not bad. Ketchup is good. Furikake falls off the fries so doesn't add much but also if you eat it separately, is too sweet- beef filet - the meat is tender and well cooked but the sauce is too salty- shishito peppers - dish itself is not bad but they recommended it with the beef to cut the fat of the beef but the peppers also felt kind of greasy. Maybe the pepper flavor was sharp but mouth feel still was oilyPretty much all the temaki was disappointingThey're all too sweet to start- the salmon one especially was way way too sweet.The fish seem to be pretty good flavor so I'm not sure why there's so much sauce doused on them. If not too sweet then it's too salty (ie the blue crab). I also felt like they put so much aioli with the blue crab I almost thought they puréed the crab. Crab flavor was strong but texture and the saltiness wasn't good. All in all, kind of a disappointing experience

We parked on the street at 5:56 PM (street parking is free after 6 PM, which is important to note). As soon as we arrived, a valet approached us, aggressively demanding the spot and immediately started yelling. I would like to note, there was no signage indicating that the space was valet, it was a metered spot that was available to the public DURING metered hours. Had she calmly explained that she had a permit for the spot after 6 PM, there would have been no issue. However, her behavior was extremely unprofessional and lacked tact. Before we could even respond, she stormed into the restaurant to speak with the staff.I will say that the host was incredibly gracious and apologetic, but by that point, the experience had already ruined our evening. Based on this encounter, I would not recommend using their valet service. I am so disappointed as I was beyond excited to eat here, and the food looks nothing short of phenomenal. Hopefully the restaurant is more cautious of who they do business with and I hope to be back in the future.

Found this spot the same day on TikTok. Once I saw Akira Back as the chef, I knew it was a must try. We're already on a regular schedule with his other restaurant ABSteak in Beverly Hills which is just stunning. So we def had to try this new spot. We've also tried Lumi is San Diego by Akira, and I can't tell you how much I love that place. Anyways, my bf and I would def come back here. The food was phenomenal, the ambience was relaxed, not loud, great music, and quick service. Everything was so comfortable. We ordered basically everything. Ashely was so helpful and kind. She was really passionate about food, and concept. My favorite item were the cucumbers, and I got 2 orders bc I loved it so much. The spicy tuna was fire. The handrolls were compact and easy to eat. I def recommend the fries. Coming back.

What a unique menu. Did not think pop rocks on hand rolls was going to be on my 2024 bucket list to eat.Very unique dining experience. Loved the creativity in the dishes. Got the strawberry unagi roll, the pop rockin, the lobster and the baby corn. As crazy as some of the combinations sound they surprisingly work. Especially the strawberry unagi. Only small complaint is the crab roll did have a few chunks of shell inside which I did have to spit out. Other than that i highly recommend trying it out if you're willing to go out of your comfort zone. Each dish was super flavorful, not like the traditional hand rolls where they focus on minimalism. I'll definitely be back to make my friends try the dishes here.Food: 8.5Service: 10/10Ambience: 9/10

Ambiance: Gatsby-esque mixed with industrial modern and Japanese elements. Even the restroom (mixed gender single stall) was stylish.Service: They called us before our reservation to confirm and while we were searching for a parking spot we realized it was mission impossible (save the headache and time, valet for $10 in front of the restaurant) and ended up being 10 minutes late for our reservation (make sure to book on OpenTable) and they were kind enough to save our table after we called in ahead to give them a heads up. Our server kindly checked in on us throughout the course of our meal and our dishes were always frequently cleared. We were asked if we wanted anything more before we were served dessert, which I appreciated.Food:Tropical salmon- the cure on the salmon changed the texture of the sashimi, the sauce was slightly overpowering in acidity and spice to where I felt it did not highlight the star of the dishFried ika geso- meaty pieces of squid legs, oil might be a little dark or maybe it could have been the spices in the batter but it was a little too greasy on the fry. The cocktail sauce was excellently executed and I really enjoyed the blend of spicy and tartness that breaks up the fattinessSpicy tuna temaki- sriracha was overpowering, fish to rice ratio was a little offUnagi strawberry temaki- I never thought strawberries worked so well with the unagi but the slight acidity and sweetness from the perfectly thin slices of strawberry really lifts the unagi which had been seared and melting into the rice. Great execution and attention to detail on all elements.Tuna "tacos"- I'm a big fan of fried wonton and tuna but I wish I could taste more flavor from the tuna itself. But it is still a fun fusion Yuzu granita-wow, this has made it to my list of top 5 desserts of all time. Very well-balanced I'm acidity, creaminess, texture, sweetness. I would come back just for this dessert!Overall, intriguing fusions of japanese, korean, and Mexican elements in their menu. Great for a date night and definitely get the unagi strawberry and yuzu granita.

Food was super great. Service was awesome. Ambiance was quite nice. Parking in the area is pretty difficult. I really recommend the hand roll that has pop rocks in it. I've never had anything quite like it -- amazing flavor combinations with the sweet and savory and such an innovative thing to add to change the texture of the dish. Gastronomic. Moving on. The bad. They got my order wrong, and the server must have entered the wrong rolls because I received hand rolls that I did not order and I was also missing hand rolls that I did order. Further, the server could not take the wrong items off the bill. My group sat around for at least 15-20 minutes waiting for the items to be taken off before giving up and just paying for it since we had to leave and didn't feel like fighting (which felt like might have been the goal...). Kind of absurd.

Norikaya is the new hot spot in town and I'm so happy - my friend and I loved it~! Not a huge menu, focused on handrolls, and a good variety of drinks to give you the izakaya feel. Very small and intimate vibe inside, I'm sure great for a date but my friend and I had a great time.We made a reservation and it's a small place, so recommend you do the same. There is a valet at the corner, but I walked over so am unsure of cost or efficiency.Great service throughout the meal and they are new so asking every few minutes how everything is. I'm sure that will dissipate a bit as time goes on. It was a little bit much while I was there, however as a Yelp employee, I obvi appreciate the customer service. Now the handrolls! What we're all here for.I loved the Unagi with strawberries handroll. I had never paired strawberries with eel and really enjoyed the flavor combination with the avocado puree, as well. We liked the lobster and salmon roll, as well, but the "Pop Rockin" handroll was my favorite of the lot. It had dynamite blue crab, spicy tuna, the same avocado puree that was on the Unagi roll that I loved, and pop rocks on top. Ha! Such a funny little touch but it somehow works.Now just because you're there for the rolls, don't sleep on the other dishes. We had the beef filet which sat in a nanbanzu sauce with mushrooms. Love this!The star of my show was the Grilled Baby Corn though. They say it's powdered with snow cheese and paremsan cheese but I'm pretty sure it's actually fairy dust. Loved it and totally craving it right now. It's a must get dish.Norikaya has made me fan! I love that it's within walking distance with high quality ingredients and flavors. I'll most definitely be back to work my way through the menu!

10/10 already planning on our next revisit. We went on Halloween night so it wasn't crowded, but I expect this place to get busy! The servers and manager were so nice and funny, loved the vibes in there. We ordered carpaccio, seared scallops, beef filet, all the handrolls on the menu except the eggplant one. Every single thing was 10/10 so unique and flavorful.Our favorite was the pop rocks handroll and the beef filet! The strawberry unagi handroll was interestingly good too! Can't wait to be back.

Had a lovely dinner here! The tropical salmon was really great! Eunice was awesome and gave great recommendations.