Sushi Nakano

Recognized as one of the Best in Phoenix for 2023!! A must try for sure!! Very intimate restaurant, just the way they are in Japan! Small and cozy! High quality sushi. The Chef is from Tokyo and gets all his fish shipped right from Japan. Rare fishes to have specific specials for those that ask. Definitely worth it all. He even did a little demonstration on Stonefish for us. He knew it was our first time.The chefs are very clean, they washed hands in between each roll when switching fish. The sake was yummy! They typically have specials and only open specific hours of the day. Keep that in mind.Both chefs were extremely nice! Totally worth it we will be returning. The server was nice, she was on it and the only one for the entire restaurant. Love the extra touch if the wet wipe. If you know you know!!

A perfect little hole in the wall that is super small and cozy! We wanted to try a local place for sushi and they did not disappoint. The waitress was a sweet Japanese lady who was very attentive and kind. We started with a soft shell crab tempura. It was hot, fresh, and crisp. Next we had 3 types of nigiri, the Las Vegas roll, and a California roll for my niece. Everything was super fresh and you can tell they took time and effort in their rolls. My favorites were the black snapper and yellowtail nigiri. The star of the show was the bay scallop hand roll. It was so creamy, soft, and surprisingly very filling! We will definitely be back again. We also really loved the Las Vegas roll, it was the best I've had in a long time!

We drove about 30 minutes from our home to come to Sushi Nakano after hearing about it from a friend. It was set to close at 8:30 p.m. and we arrived at 7:45 p.m.. I had originally called ahead to see if we could make a reservation, but the hostess told me there were no reservations allowed. This made sense after walking in and seeing how small and intimate the venue was. To give you an idea of the size of the place, it's like walking into a subway/chipotle where you can see all of the tables and kitchen. Everyone can see everyone. All the tables were full, but there was nobody waiting, so we decided to wait to see if we could get a spot. We waited about 10 minutes inside at the front and were not acknowledged by a single staff member. We got some glances from the chefs and the two servers, but nobody said a single word to us. Kinda strange after reading all the good reviews about the service being excellent. Even if you don't have capacity for any more walk ins for the night (or don't want to serve anyone else), someone should at least acknowledge the people at the door. We decided to leave, so can't comment on the food or dining experience. Hopefully will be able to come back here and have a better experience one day.

Found this gem by chance... we travel a good deal, and yet, this is the ONLY place we now go to for Sushi. Nothing better. Get there early to ensure a seat at the sushi bar!

Incredible quality is what you'll get at Nakano. When you walk into the small restaurant in Ahwatukee you might be taken back a bit by the fact that there are only a few tables in addition to the sushi bar. It is quite obvious they are not churning out huge volumes of covers and as soon as you get your first bite of fish, you realize why. You cannot put out this type of quality in large numbers. The freshness and variety of their offerings is outstanding and offered at a good value considering how good it is. If you appreciate sushi, you'll love Nakano. I highly recommend it.

Wow. Best sushi I've had in Phoenix by far.Very small interior - came in on a Sunday evening and it was packed. But really cozy interior. They have a YouTube plaque on display so I believe they do some YouTube videos which I thought was interesting.Sushi came out, and man there is a lot of fish! Not only that but it's RICH AND TASTY. I only took a pic of the nigiri but very generous cuts of fish and it's just wow. Rice is also very tasty and perfect portion in my opinion. Even the rolls were not skimping on the fish. They stuff it with a big ball of tuna, and it's good.Really impressed with this sushi highly recommend.

THE BEST. No notes. No, but really. If you think there is a better sushi restaurant in the valley than Sushi Nakano, you are simply wrong. Nothing beats this place. From the food to the service to the ambiance... everything made up for the most perfect experience. I never thought that my all-time favorite spot for sushi would be in Phoenix, but I've been twice already and I absolutely loved each time! This is my boyfriend and I's go-to spot every time he's visiting back in Arizona. We always try to make time to stop here and indulge in a few nigiri pieces and handrolls. Each time, we had the pleasure of being served by both Chef Janet and Chef Leo, the sweetest couple. We always sit at the bar just so we can engage in conversation with the chefs, you learn a lot about their history and work such as the interesting and unique techniques they use. Chef Leo actually uses a traditional barrel aged soy sauce, which can take up to a few years to make. The first time we came, Chef Janet kindly crafted us her favorite handroll for dessert to try - a tamago handroll with a sweet soy based sauce that was soft and heavenly.The fish itself is incredible. My favorite has to be the salmon belly with ume ponzu. I swear my body started to float and 20 years were added to my lifespan after having this perfect bite. A few other things I loved: unagi, toro, any of the handrolls! They have a bay scallop one that is extremely creamy and salmon cucumber that is so fresh. I want to try everything on their menu, you really can't go wrong with any of the options.It seems like they have quite a few regulars as they greet each guest with such familiarity. The customers already know off the top of their head what they want, and the chefs deliver. We made a mental note to order a few of their popular sushi rolls the next time we dine here - they look so pretty and delicious. There's also the sweetest waitress that rushes to open the door for you!The fish is also quite affordable - especially for how high quality everything is. They pack each handroll with a generous amount of fish. They do not skimp. The total for two people would come out to be a little less than $100 without tip, and we would leave feeling full! We will continue to stay true and loyal to Sushi Nakano forever. Thank you for your wonderful hospitality and keep up the amazing work!

I definitely recommend Sushi Nakano, it was extremely fresh fish, well prepared sushi. Staff were very friendly! I will visit again next time I visit Arizona.

Back again to one of the finest Sushi restaurants in AZ. Leo and Janet are a great husband and wife team with a wonderfully attentive high energy staff. The quality is amazing. If you don't know what to order let Leo and the team choose. A great selection of traditional and exotic options. This is small and the wait can be a little long on a busy night, but always WELL WORTH IT!

Leo and his staff are the absolute best! I haven't had food from here that I didn't like. I won't eat sushi from anywhere else now that I've been spoiled with Sushi Nakano!