Sushi Nara — Restaurant in Guildford

Heard of this place from friends who've been and decided to give it a go.

The first impression I had wasn't very good, as the waitresses continued talking amongst themselves at the front counter even after noticing me. I had to go up to them and ask for a table before being shown to one.

Service staff didn't come across as knowledgeable as well, as when I asked for recommendations for starters, they were at a loss for words and after an awkward pause, pointed me to the first item on the list without any justification for the recommendation. When I asked about the bento set and if the Nigiri were customisable, they couldn't understand my request and I had to rephrase a few times.

Ended up ordered the Nigiri Bento and Takoyaki which were pretty average. The Nigiri didn't taste very fresh, although the maki were slightly better. The miso soup, fruits, and veggies that came with the set completed the meal, although all of these were again, just average. Takoyaki was slightly above average, though more work could be done on presentation as the bonito flakes used to garnish the appetiser were messily thrown above the balls, and started falling apart after the dish was served.

Price-wise, the sets are the only items on the menu that can be considered a worthy spend. For example, the takoyaki I had commanded a hefty price tag of £4.50 for a measly 4 balls. In comparison, the Nigiri Bento set was £13 and came with 6 Maki, 7 Nigiri, and the sides as mentioned above. It was a shame that the quality of the sushi in the set was lacking. If one wishes to charge such prices, the quality of the food should match.

Overall, average service standards, average food, but at a high price point. I don't see myself revisiting this place anytime soon. Better options for Japanese food...

My favourite Japanese & Korean restaurant in Guildford!! 🤎🤎🤎

We went to here for dinner last Saturday and the experience was fantastic! We have a really good time there!

Four of us ordered beers 🍺 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 We recommend Sapporo for everyone! Taste not very strong but very refreshing and instantly cool your body down! Really a good choice for summer.

And we order: Salmon + tuna sushi 🍣 (10pcs) 🌟🌟🌟 Salmon is very fresh and delicious, you can taste the quality of salmon is great. Tuna sushi is a bit not that good compared to salmon but still acceptable.

Nara Roll 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 Special roll with salmon and avocado with spicy mayonnaise sauce. Very tasty and delicious! This is our favourite one! They put the spicy sauce as a side so even you can’t handle spicy you can still enjoy it! Very nice😊

Crispy prawn roll with eel 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 I love eel and if you are same I recommend you to try it! Really great 😊

Beef bibimbap 🌟🌟🌟🌟 The bibimbap is hot enough and with the spicy sauce added on it is just perfect for us! We share it together and everyone like it! Quite healthy choice they mix with different vegetables and egg. Very fulfilling.

Chicken bulgogi 🌟🌟🌟 Pan fried chicken and vegetables with spicy sauce on. Not very spicy at all, quite delicious and we all like it!

Squid bokum 🌟🌟🌟🌟 I think this one is quite similar to chicken bulgogi. Pan fried squid with vegetables with spicy sauce added on. Same sauce with chicken bulgogi. We like it and I think if you looking for some hot food to eat I would recommend this.

Service is amazing all staffs are very helpful, friendly and you can see they are always put a smile on ☺️ the atmosphere is very chilling and relax. Recommend and definitely will come...

My boyfriend and I were looking around Guildford around 9pm for food and luckily for us, Sushi Nara took us in (we ordered real quick and left the restaurant at 10!) and the service was marvellous - everyone was very friendly and even the owner were cracking jokes with us.

The food - I have been here multiple times for the past few years and it's been a while since I have been - but after being back a few days ago, I remember why I loved this place. We had the kimchi pancake, which was crispy - just the way we like it! The chicken katsu was cooked to perfection, juicy and tender. My boyfriend had the udon chicken and the umami flavour dancing in our tongues! We had the mango mochi ice cream and matcha ice cream for dessert. The mango mochi was great, can never go wrong with it. The matcha ice cream was powerful, which we prefer but a bit too icy. Nonetheless, it was great!

We will definitely come back to try more from the menu...