Sushi NAKATA — Restaurant in Monrovia

Elegant, cozy sushi spot in Old Town Monrovia. All our rolls were super fresh and light, and they had some unique, authentic dishes that you don’t find at the other sushi spots in town like Chawanmushi (Japanese egg custard) and Agedashi tofu.

For our sushi rolls we tried the Lime Roll and Salmon Truffle Roll. The Salmon Truffle Roll is exactly as it sounds - crab on the inside with salmon and truffle on top. I don’t usually like salmon sushi rolls anywhere but this was a pleasant exception. The Lime Roll has spicy tuna and crab inside topped with albacore and yuzu miso. It was my fave - very light and refreshing. And all their fish was super fresh!

We had their miso soup to start which was good - what you’d expect from a quality sushi spot. The Agedashi tofu was fantastic!! It was lightly fried with a delicate texture and came in a deliciously umami sauce - highly recommend!

The Chawanmushi was very unique - it’s a small cup of Japanese egg custard - it’s savory with a fish-forward profile and served slightly warm. I’m not a fan of strong fish flavors and this was too much for me (I was actually expecting a sweet custard desert haha!) - but my hubby loved it. It’s a quality appetizer and I would recommend if you like those sorts of dishes.

Prices are just a tad more than the other surrounding sushi spots but this experience was definitely a little more elevated. Staff were warm, welcoming, and attentive.

The shop is very small and space is tight - but it has excellent views of old town and felt very cozy. They fill up fast during busy night like the Friday farmers market but they take reservations I think.

Definitely had a great dinner and...

I was suddenly craving some sushi, and this place popped up on my Google out of nowhere. I had to say, it’s AMAZING! Especially they take reservations even during COVID for their limited outdoor seatings. I highly recommend for any Uni lovers to ask for Uni menus before going there, and they didn’t disappoint: very sweet and quality Uni for our visit. We ordered 2 Omakase sets (comes with appetizers, soup, a small dish and some nigiri), and 4 Uni sushi — great portion, and ok value. My only concern is that the side walk is too close to the tables due to limited space outdoor, and you will get a lot of walking pass you within 2-3 feet... most of them do wear a mask but still!! In summary, I do recommend this place if you are looking for a place to sit down and enjoy some good sushi during this uncertain time. Stay...

The best sushi experience I have ever had!

Love is the secret ingredient at this cozy, fun sushi restaurant. Sit at the six seat sushi bar and let master sushi chef Tadanari indulge you!

This is the kind of place that develops its reputation by word of mouth and time.

I had the omakase and a bottle Of sake which was Tadanari’s recommendation.

When I sat down I was surrounded by friendly, consistent regulars who even shared sake with me. Become friends with James who is there 4 days a week. He has travelled all over the world. No surprise why he eats here all the time.

Service is very attentive and humble. Cant wait to come back!

This place will go down as a legendary place and guests will travel from all over LA to make it here. I would recommend...