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I was incredibly skeptical of eating sushi in the Smoky Mountains, but one trip to Nama and I was blown away. It is expensive, but not outrageously so. The price is not a problem when you have your first bite. I had the Shrimp and crab dip, the Jg, Soy joy, and Bahama mama.
I went with someone from Knoxville so she knew about the special menu. Make sure you ask for that, that is where the Soy joy was.
I have posted pictures I took in the Nama gallery that show what I ate.
This place would be 5 stars, but loses points for mediocre sushi and ehhhh service. I know what you're thinking, a sushi place loses points for mediocre sushi but still gets 4 stars? It's because of the CEVICHE. It may be a mexican dish, but damn this was delicious. for $13, you get a huge bowl of fresh fish, fresh shellfish, or both of ceviche with the perfect lime, cilantro, onion and saltiness that just KILLS. Homemade blue corn tortillas chips and a 4 cup bowl deep of delicious fish.
I also got salmon sushi. It barely tasted of anything (which I guess is better than tasting like bad sushi) but my local grocery store put this to shame.
Finally, I am not going to make any sweeping generalizations about the south, but Betina, our waitress, spent more time chit chatting it up with her friends on the phone, in the kitchen, and falling off the chairs at the bar than she did on her customers. We were at the bar, sitting directly in front of you; it shouldn't take 10 mins for you to notice my water is empty.
Finally, save for the ceviche this place is overpriced. I'm not paying $12 for spicy tuna in Chicago, so unless it's magical tuna, It's not happening.
Nama is as good as it gets! I live in Chicago now - where there are a lot of Sushi places...but NONE of them compare to Nama. The atmosphere and the Sushi are incredible and you will leave satisfied and smiling, especially if you had some wine with your dinner!
We did not expect such a good sushi place in the mountains but we found it. The food was good.The service was good. The only negative is the roll were not rolled that tight.
Big-city sushi served in a small-town closet. I can't add much beyond the other reviewers other than to say you've got to give it a try. I know what you're thinking. You're thinking, "Tim, we're hours from the coast. Who wants to eat inland seafood that's old enough to vote?" Well, I don't know how they do it, but the quality of the fish is top-notch. It ranks up there with high-end places in Philadelphia that are situated right on the water. If you snag the lunch special with miso soup and seaweed salad, you can leave with your credit score intact. It's best deal around.
Sitting outside is nice, but with its proximity to the Mission district, prepare to have a conversation with a vagrant or two while you dine. I like to eat inside downtown and outside at the Bearden location.
Wow, I was not expecting this in Knoxville. Excellent Sushi, and a really diverse menu. You could really see the attention to detail, beginning with the appetizers and salads. I was really impressed with the presentation.
With over 8 craft beers on tap, it was the best beer selection I've ever seen in a sushi restaurant. The staff was very attentive. I have no complaints, Nama is a diamond in the rough.
This review is for vegetarians, because I don't eat fish. Nama has wonderfully creative vegetarian options on the menu. My favorite is the 'Marley', which is a mango, asparagus, red pepper and tofu roll. Mmmmm, perfect. There is also an insanely hot spicy tofu roll which brought me to tears (in a good way), and another roll that has deep fried sweet potato in it, called the Crispy Veggie. My favorite vegetarian appetizer is the wasabi hummus dip with warm pita bread. I order this every time and long to know the recipe. Vegetarians will not be disappointed here. I take off 1 star because the seating is not very comfortable and there are sometimes long waits for the appetizers. Too long for me, because I'm always starving.
Nama also has a half-price menu on Monday nights- but the line to get in the door is frustrating at times.
Ok at best some good food but fish wasn't the freshest. Service kinda slow. I expected a lot more after reading the reviews. They did have outside seating. Good selection of draft beers.
I was in knoxville on a business trip and happened to find this place on yelp. Great sushi and great service (even though they were a swamped at the time, our waitress was extremely apologetic... she even offered us an extra side of edamame for our wait!). Definitely worth checking out.
Small space with a tightly edited sushi menu, but the attention to detail is great. The pineapple/basil sushi was a super sweet drink that would have gone nicely w/a mojito from the Cuban place next door. Hamachi was fresh, thinly sliced and perfect. Maybe the biggest surprise was the seaweed salad, most places in Knoxville make it too saucy and salty, but this was lightly dressed and slightly crunchy ... fantastic. Not the cheapest sushi in town, but certainly one of the swankier ways to eat sushi around here.
Moved to Knoxville from Boston, and was excited when I rolled up to my new apartment and saw a sushi place right across the street. It seemed to be pretty busy all the time, which is definitely a good sign.
My only complaint is that the place is a little cramped so that the smell of raw fish can sometimes be a little strong (doesn't bug me, but might turn off first-timers)
However, the service is top notch...I've had three different waitresses so far and each one has been relaxed, fun, and extremely helpful. Happy hour applies to both sushi and draft beers, so you can get a Kirin Ichiban for $2, and large te-maki rolls for $2 or $3!
The special rolls are great, I recommend the Chef's choice or the Dragon Rolls (shrimp, avocado, eel, and spice)
It's unfair. I can see the place from my front window. Given this kind of convenience, it would take a lot for this place to get less stars for me. But seriously, they have a long way to go before losing a star.
My vegetarian roll was so yummy. My waitress was so helpful and went out of her way to give me some suggestions on white wines. The fianC and his mom loved their rolls, especially the chef's roll--a special, daily creation.
The decor was nice and simple, but trendy. They have a couple of outdoor tables. They stay open super late on the weekends (something like 2 I think?).
And best of all--HALF PRICED sushi and drinks during happy hour (and not really that expensive anyway!! Seriously, I'm cool eating at fogie hour for half the price.
Yum.
this is my favorite sushi bar in knoxville! i have never had a bad roll here, and everything is super fresh. i LOVE the warm shrimp and crab dip appetizer YUM :)
I know what you are thinking "Sushi? In Knoxville, Tennessee"?!
Well....you would be right...
Full disclosure...I am incredibly spoiled having grown up near the coast with a cornucopia of Sushi at my doorstep. Always authentic and creative, with a dash of hip.
Nama's menu is pretty standard and space is cramped with really nowhere to wait for a table. The Kimchee app was refreshing and tasty.
I guess it is good enough if you happen to find yourself 1,000 miles from an ocean...
knoxville....sushi....not exactly two things that go together int he mind of a sushi lover who has been splitting time between san francisco and nyc. so last friday, i'm in knoxville for the UT/Florida game and am walking to my lovely 930 reservation at fondue mecca The Melting Pot....i was entirely famished and literally crawling down the sidewalk when we noticed a bustling little nook that turned out to be Nama.
after being told it would be a 20 minute wait for a table we saddled up to two open stools at the bar and promptly ordered a great, sonoma valley pinot gris and a bottle of cold sake (Nobu i think?). We were greeted by Trey, adorable long hair, southern drawl darling who introduced us to the restaurant and sold us on what turned out to be an unbelievable sushi extravaganza. Due to trey and his fabulousness we ended up sitting at the bar throughout dinner and left him to his own devices in providing us our meal.
First up was a veritable feast of sashimi and nigiri....buttery salmon, spicy tuna tataki, delicious albacore and eel that defied any other in terms of taste and texture adorned the plate. The only one we didn't love was the tuna with shiso --- some sort of japanese herb or something - anyways, it tasted great but the texture was a little...uuhh...icky.
after that little "tasting" and by tasting i mean enormous amount of food, trey - the new sushi love of my life - asked us what our favorite was and ten minutes later we were greeted with two enormous rolls. I told trey that I loved the albacore and my favorite roll (from a teeny tiny place in SF) consisted of asparagus, thinly sliced lemon and salmon.....what he brought out was an amazing roll with albacore, avocado and asparagus inside, and lemon, salmon and crunchies on top. AMAZING. honestly i can't even remember what myf riend got because I am so in love with a) trey and b) the experience as a whole......i think his roll had avocado, tuna, crunchies? seriously who knows but i definitely ate like, half of it.
lesson learned....even knoxville can provide top notch sushi.....if i return to the land of the volunteer i will without a doubt return to see trey....
i love this crowded little house of crazies! just tell the chef to surprise you and sit back and wait for the payoff. amazing!
Knoxville, TN
Category: Sushi Bars
Knoxville, TN
Category: French
Knoxville, TN
Category: Japanese
Knoxville, TN
Category: Food
Knoxville, TN
Category: Pizza
Alright guys. Here it is. The true consolation…
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