Nanapo sushi — Restaurant in Helsinki sub-region

Disappointed.

First I saw a TikTok post about this restaurant from them and I wanted to try it out. They had a label "new best sushi restaurant" and I wanted to give it a try. Arrived on a Friday right before 19:30. They had 10% student discount which was nice. The restaurant still had people dining in around 7 groups of 2 people or more.

The buffet table looked really empty, especially the sushi section. Maybe 15 sushi pieces in total considering there were at least 20 people dining. I asked for more siu mai and they told me they would not be bringing more today "because it has been busy". Understandable, maybe there was a shortage but would've appreciated if the staff told us before paying the buffet price.

I asked for more sushi since the sushi section was really really empty. They told me to wait 10 minutes and after that only 2 stocked plates of salmon sushi was brought. I thought they would bring more soon. Many of the staff were going on a break at the same time, many of them being the chefs. Sushi rice was awful and too soft, mushy and warm, probably came straight from the rice cooker and didn't have time to cool down. Very disappointed in sushi.

At this point we had waited for 40 minutes and asked if any more sushi would come besides those two plates. They told us that they wouldn't make anymore sushi for today because it was late and "it has been busy today" but they still had customers coming in at this point (20:00) and assuming they didn't inform the customers about the situation. I honestly think they would have had time from 19:30 to restock sushi for the rest of the day since the closing time was 21:00. Don't know if this is chef's fault or the management's fault.

The server was nice enough to ask if there was any particular sushi we wanted more but it wasn't really why we came to eat. We basically ate the very last sad leftover sushis. They apologized and asked for us to come again the next time but do they think we would want to give this place another try after an experience like this?

Aside from sushi the salad table was okay but still a small selection. I loved edamame beans though. Warm food was decent too, I liked the dumplings and the dumpling sauce. Interior was pretty. But just a very sad experience with...

A treasure hidden in plain sight!

I've always loved sushi and been to many sushi buffets- and restaurants. Nanapo, however, took me by surprise. The restaurant is hidden between other businesses, and it's quite hard to stumble upon unless you're specifically looking for it.

The first time i ate here, it had only a few dozen reviews, but they were very positive, so i decided to give it a try. I was not dissappointed.

The restaurant is clean, well maintained, beautifully decorated and the atmosphere is great! The moment you step inside, you're greeted with a welcoming, cozy feeling, that makes simply spending time here a joy! The staff is also very helpful, kind and professional, and they keep everything clean, tidy and stocked.

Now to the main point: the food. The sushi at Nanapo is the highest quality i've seen in any buffet, being comparable to restaurants where the cost of Nanapo's buffet would barely get you a plate of 10 or 15 pieces. The fish tastes fresh, clean and delicious, the rice is the perfect consistency, very fresh and well balanced, and the selection of sushi is vast and carefully thought out, each piece delicious and a pleasure to enjoy!

Nanapo also has a wide selection of other foods, far exceeding the "cheap takeaway" feeling of most other sushi buffets. My personal favourites are the gyozas and the korean fried chicken, neither of which i've seen in a sushi buffet before. They also offer pitchers of ice cold water intricately decorated with mint leaves and lemon slices, which not only makes the water taste great and refreshing, but also looks beautiful on the table.

Nanapo has become my go-to sushi buffet, and by far my favourite, and with a cost of roughly 15€ for the entire lunch buffet on weekdays, or 20€ for the dinner- and weekend buffets, it's also affordable and even paying for it is a pleasure, the value for money being amazing. Thank...

I think I can safely say I've become a regular at this place over the past six months. Sometimes I'm also checking out other similar buffets around Helsinki, but this is the only buffet that doesn’t make me feel like I’m in some industrial cafeteria. The vibe here is just awesome.

As for the food, they might not have the biggest selection (that's why 4/5!) compared to other places, but what they do have is always fresh and gets restocked constantly. That’s a big plus in my book.

Cleanliness is way important to me, and this place nails it. It’s always clean, and the staff does a great job keeping the tables tidy and everything in order. At most other places, you're pretty much on your own with that business.

The staff here are friendly too. I’ve never had any negative experiences or seen anyone else being treated poorly here. Can’t say the same for some other places I've been to, where I’ve felt pressured by the staff or even been asked to leave for hanging around too long.

Price: The prices at this place vary depending on the time of day and whether it’s a weekday or weekend, just like at other spots. Overall, the price is pretty average and definitely worth it.

My personal comments and wishes: Overall, I don’t have much to add, but I’d really love to see more variety in the appetizers—maybe a couple more salads and some kimchi or other pickled veggies. Also, more sauce options would be amazing (the local chili oil is a bit too mild for me, and I’d appreciate to see at least some sriracha added). As for desserts, I’m all about the honey cake they have there; I don’t really need anything else. But it would be nice to have a few more ice cream toppings besides syrup, like caramel or chocolate sauce. That’s about it!

Thanks for such a...