Nami Sushi — Restaurant in Davis

I used to come to this restaurant in the mid '00s, and it changed both name and ownership at some point between then and now. Perhaps I'm having a bit of nostalgia fogging, but it seems the quality declined somewhat the change. However, Nami is still a perfectly serviceable mid-range sushi restaurant even if they are no longer a hidden top-tier gem the way I remember them having been in 2005. Their sashimi continues to be decent, as do their bento boxes. They rolled out an AYCE menu at some point as well, but I haven't tried this as I tend to be skeptical of AYCE anywhere. The lunch service tends to run a bit slow even when the place is nearly empty, which I find mildly frustrating when I'm in a hustle to get back to work. The staff does seem to have some difficulty with English (they speak Cantonese as their primary language), which has made for difficulties in recent visits (explaining that I was not in fact ordering AYCE), but I have since become somewhat of a regular so they remember my preferences, which is a nice touch. I wouldn't call this a destination restaurant, but I appreciate it for its convenience and its prices which I find to be far more reasonable than many other Japanese restaurants in Davis. All in all, a good mix of quality, convenience, and cost -- a good lunchtime choice for folks who live and/or work...

You know, I had hoped to leave a big tip as the sushi was great, sushi chef was nice and engaging as well the young tall thin male server had good energy and thoughts while helping me as I watched my movie at the sushi bar. Sadly and unfortunately, they switched my server to a tall thin lady at the end and she was very judgmental towards me. She ruined my experience by thinking she can think bad about me and not have me know. Well, I do know as I am highly intuitive (worldly known) and a very sensitive empath. Shame on you, lady! You are a bad addition to that company.

Since she was judging me because I am considered to be a voluptuous woman she might as well know that I put on this weight (100 lbs) 100% on purpose for reasons that I will not list here so your judgment on me is quite pathetic, not to mention even when I was thin like her I could eat just as much as I do now. I just ate less bread and cheese. So all who get the luxury to read this, NEVER judge someone off the way they look, EVER, because you never know their story or who they are!

Sorry guys for not making you feel as good as you are with my double that...

The maguro tuna nigiri, usually my favorite dish at Japanese restaurants, was tough and stale. The sake salmon nigiri was better but not great. The sunomono cucumber salad used huge, hard, tasteless cucumber slices with the centers removed rather than the usual small diameter thinly sliced flavorful cucumbers. The dressing was not the usual light, tangy, slightly sweet vinegar I am used to. Instead, it seemed they had just supplied tempura sauce on the side. The edamame soybeans were rubbery and overcooked, with squishy old beans inside. Definitely not fresh. The rainbow roll did not taste fresh, with too little raw fish on top. The shrimp was old and rubbery looking, no one wanted to try it.

Things I did like: I liked the ease of the online ordering system. The sushi was also very inexpensive, which I should have realized would mean low quality. My two favorite places in town were closed for the holiday, so I tried something new and was...