Sushi Nami - Metairie — Restaurant in Louisiana

If I could give this experience 0 stars then I would. If I could give the service negative stars then I would in a heartbeat. I'd been here before with others and had a good time but my last (and I do mean LAST) experience at this restaurant was appalling and intolerable.

I was ignored by staff, not assigned a waitress, and did not even get WATER for 35 minutes. After I got water, I was still ignored by the staff. This lasted about 50 minutes until I was able to place an order.

On the AYCE menu, 3 sashimi and 2 nigiri come with an order. When it came to my table, I had been given one piece of each. When I brought this to my waitress's attention, I was told that that was how the order usually came. As I have dined here before, I knew that was not the case. I was asked if I wanted the order how it was advertised. After another 30 minutes (1hr 20m for those keeping track), I was given the proper order. However, at that point I had waited over an hour to get a single order and it initially came completely wrong and not as described on the MENU. I even showed the waitress the restaurant's own menu and asked about my order. I was given a runaround about how my waitress was messing around with an ice cream machine and got my order wrong because of that. I was struggling to understand what that had to do with the quality of service given. Then I was ASKED if I wanted the order as it was advertised. Literally, "do you want the other pieces." Of course I do. It's how the menu says the order comes.

I watched multiple tables around me gets order within minutes of ordering. I watched dish after dish after dish go to every other table around me while the staff either ignored me outright or just gave me blank side eyes. I watched parties come, leave, tables get turned over, and then a new party seated and served immediately. Imagine being somewhere for over an hour, getting no server, no water, and an incorrect order that I was told did not come as advertised.

When I spoke to the manager, she told me every single person in the restaurant was new and poorly trained. She gave me the excuse about the waitress messing with an ice cream machine (which still had nothing to do with my poor service).

Ultimately, I was disappointed in the service, atmosphere, food, staff, and management. I've never seen a restaurant 180 in quality like that in my life. I walked out, will never come back, and will never even dream of recommend this place to anyone again.

If you're going to spend the same amount of money for a group AYCE then you might as well go to Shogun, Daiwa, Asuka, Yakuza House, Kanno, Origami, Bisutoro. Literally anywhere else. The service, experience, and quality will be...

This was my second trip to Sushi Nami for the AYCE. The first time the food was WAY better and the portions were much larger and actually hot. This time the food was literally luke warm, including the soup. They are now serving half rolls instead of whole rolls, which I get because of waste, and they have removed the take home option as well. All the food was pretty good, service however, left something to be desired.

Our waiter Chris took forever to come to the table and this was after we waited over an hour to be seated after being told the wait was 20 minutes. Then he brought the drinks and disappeared, despite us having already filled our selection sheets out. The orders finally got in and we waited, and waited, and waited some more. So much so that the lady working the front desk, who I assume was the FOH manager or a higher up, noticed and told us she was going to check on the food. Immediately out came our rice and fried items, none of which were hot, all room temp. Which means, they had been sitting. Last time these items were smoking hot and super fresh. Our waiter seemed to play around quite a bit as I noticed him dancing and talking and then flat out disappearing for long periods of time. The gentleman in the button down and dress pants was phenomenal. He did not stop moving and was filling our drinks, getting our food and servicing all the tables and doing a knock out job. I wish I caught his name. He is an invaluable employee to the business. I also watched him twice to tell our waiter to get a move on.

I also feel a better job advertising the AYCE on the website and giving the times and pricing would help. We were not informed that all day dinner pricing applies on Sundays, which would have been nice to know. We were also unable to get any dessert besides ice cream, as the matcha swiss roll and taiyaki were out again, which is disappointing.

In total we were here over 3 hours including the wait time to be seated. Most of the time was spent waiting on food that took a significant amount of time to come out. I watched tables that arrived after us getting food much faster than us, so not sure what happened there.

Overall an ok experience. I will go back, but I hope my third experience is better...

As a restaurant owner, I had the pleasure of dining at the newly opened Sushi Nami, and overall, it was a delightful experience.

Food: ★★★★★ The food quality at Sushi Nami is exceptional. Each dish is prepared with great attention to detail and fresh ingredients. One standout aspect is the tea service; the tea is served in a heavy craft iron tea pot, adding an authentic touch that enhances the dining experience. This is a welcome change from the usual cheap silver aluminum pots found elsewhere. The sushi and sashimi are top-notch, with generous portions and beautifully presented.

Service: ★★★★☆ The service at Sushi Nami is commendable, especially considering the restaurant is newly opened. The staff are incredibly friendly and attentive. They informed us that they were short-handed, which is understandable for a new establishment. Despite this, they managed to provide a pleasant dining experience with only a few minor kinks that need to be worked out. One area for improvement is the clarity in pricing and order amounts between the buffet and regular dine-in options, which could be better communicated to avoid any confusion.

Atmosphere: ★★★★★ The atmosphere at Sushi Nami is inviting and well thought out. Upon entering, you are greeted by a stunning Japanese painting mural, setting a serene and culturally rich tone. The lighting is inspired by pop culture, adding a modern twist while maintaining a relaxing ambiance with light background music. The restaurant also caters to sports fans with TVs showing live games, and it boasts a full bar for those looking to enjoy a drink with their meal. Even though the restaurant is located on the second floor, it is fully wheelchair accessible, thanks to the elevator.

Overall Experience: If you typically spend $20 for two rolls or $22 for a sushi/sashimi box at other Japanese restaurants, you need to try Sushi Nami. The combination of high-quality food, friendly service, and a charming atmosphere makes it a must-visit destination. As Sushi Nami continues to refine its operations, I have no doubt it will become a favorite spot for Japanese...