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Nara Oriental Restaurant
Rating Details »
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- No
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Alcohol:
- Beer & Wine Only
5 reviews for Nara Oriental Restaurant
Wellllllllll...it's really four stars, considering just the food, but the service by the waitress brings it down a coupla notches. She's just not a very friendly gal, or even a people person, it would seem. Or she's just selective about to whom she's courteous. We got the 'curt' version of her personality.
Anyhow, poor waitressing aside, the sushi is actually quite good here. I was really hesitant about trying sushi in this landlocked mountain state but was pleasantly surprised. We had the tuna and salmon sashimi plus the yellowtail roll, and it seemed pricey initially, but hey, for the quality, it was worth it - better (and cheaper!) than having to fly to a more metropolitan area like San Fran or Seattle or Denver for raw fish.
Nara may be the best sushi in town as they advertise, but in Billings that's not saying much.
I recently visited and had the "Japanese Platter" (or something like that). The miso soup was very odd- I'd almost say it was made with beef broth. Far from the flavors normally associated with miso.
The tempura was so-so, but there was way too much of it compared to the two small skewers of meat that went with it. Deep fried overload.
The spicy tuna sushi wasn't bad, but the presentation could have been better. Rather then trimming the end of the roll neatly it was left "sloppy".
If you're in serious need of a Japanese fix in Billings Nara will do the trick, but otherwise I'd avoid it.
PS- Adam, where are you treating me? :-)
I had originally lowered my rating by a star due to a slight increase in prices; however, the owner of the restaurant has informed me that Japanese companies exporting goods have had to raise their prices due to fluxuations in the value of the yen, and as a result Nara had to raise their prices as well.
I've been frequenting the restaurant for many years, and I appreciate the time the owner took to explain the change in prices to me. The food has always been worthy of at least four stars, and I'm impressed enough by the customer service to raise my rating.
The extra dollar or two is a small price to pay for such good sushi.
On another note, ignore the other review for this restaurant. One star? Really? The guy is clearly delusional. At the very least, check out Nara for yourself. If you don't love the food, I'll buy you dinner somewhere else (ok, not really).
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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3/23/2008 First to Review
NaRa (it means 'country!') is basically your only option for maki and sashimi in the entire city.… Read more »
I was craving Japanese food for lunch and Nara sounded like a good place. But the young woman at the front counter was so rude I turned around and left. She stated that "we only serve sushi for lunch" in a very curt and unfriendly way. I understand that lunch menus can be different than dinner but her attitude was off-putting and unnecessary.
Someone else told me that they saw a large bowl of rice in the flower bed in the parking lot......what was it doing there.....marinating!!!!!
I can not recommend this restaurant and I would never go back!
Had sushi here once.. could not eat it as they left the skin on the fish and put it down.. no not the Saba but the Toro. Ick. The fish was old and of low quality. Definitely not Japanese.
