Nami Nori Montclair — Restaurant in Montclair

I was so overwhelmed with our experience at Nami Nori Montclair, NJ that my review feels like I'm writing a book! First, to say the food was incredible would be an understatement. I spent a month in Tokyo and Osaka years ago with a Japanese friend of mine on Hip Hop Music Business. He introduced me to some of the culture as well as the food. In short, so much of the Japanese mindset is based on detail and excellence to the highest order with everything the people do in their life. That being said, the food I had at Nami Nori was on the same level as the food I had in Japan, which I haven't been able to say for too many years now in NY or NJ. Being a vegetarian I especially enjoyed their "Vegan Set" and the way they advanced the seasoning of the food which is by far the best I've eaten to date!

I went to the Montclair location before booking a reservation for my wife's birthday. She too loves Japanese food but has also been very disappointed with the choices in NJ and the Tri -state area so I wanted to feel the energy beyond viewing the pictures and menu online before choosing to dine there. In terms of customer service, when I arrived the restaurant had not opened yet but there was a young lady outside (wish I got her name) that after sharing my concerns about Japanese food and my wife's birthday she graciously brought me inside. She introduced me to Sam (a female) who allowed me to look around and then took the time to book my reservation as well as some special requests for the evening. At dinner the customer service from our server Lisa, and all of the staff-team followed the same positive energy and more! My wife was overjoyed on every level. So much so she's been following Chef Taka's tutorials on YouTube! Nami Nori is guaranteed excellent food and customer service from a caring professional staff.

Lastly, I need to mention the assistant manager Zeek who was not only gracious, sensitive and attentive through out our evening together but also extremely knowledgeable about the restaurant in general. Just as we finished our meal Zeek brought a sesame miso chocolate chip cookie, incredible! with a candle in it and wished my wife a happy birthday... the epitome of customer service. We came back the next evening after leaving the gym. Same outstanding quality food and service. Thank you Chef Josh, massive respect to you and your skills as well.

Sincerely, Grateful and Thankful Steven Emmy Nominated Multi-Award Winning...

We’ve never been here before but I’ve heard many good things from people who work in the area. It’s really recommended that you make a reservation. We came a little late and they said we had by a certain time since they need to seat the next reservation. Fair. It seems like they have a lot of regulars. Instantly feeling out of place and having the host have a personal conversation with both of them, we didn’t get that same personable experience

Like I said, we’ve never been here before so we aren’t sure how ordering works. We needed some guidance so we asked the waitress to explain a little bit so we make sure we order correctly. I felt glances from the customers sitting closely next to us and instantly felt uncomfortable. I felt almost judged by the waitress too for not knowing how to order here. We’ve never been here before, we simply don’t know how it works, why are strange looks So right from the bat I felt out of place and uncomfortable.

The appetizers we ordered were extremely salty we both agreed. We ordered the shishito peppers and the top neck clams. Despite the salt, the peppers were extremely yummy ranging in spice head depending where you bite (due to the seeds). The sauce was very good. The clams were meh, again very salty but I wouldn’t order them again. Extremely chewy and wasn’t that good.

In between rounds, they gave us clean plates. They gave us extremely hot plates to eat the cold sushi on. Super weird but at least they’re clean. We only selected 5 temaki for our first go around since we weren’t sure what was going to be served to us. We ordered them and expected more to it. Most of the rolls we got were just meh. We ordered two more rounds since we were still hungry. Our favorites were the fried oyster and spicy lobster. The triple (with sea urchin and caviar) honestly tasted like dirty sea water. I have never had it before and this is the best I can describe it. $38 roll, $19 a bite and about two bites per roll. We split it, didn’t like it, and ordered it by accident since we didn’t check the price. Not worth it.

We were expecting more. And we’re a bit disappointed. We spent the car ride home trying to decide if it was worth coming back to try again, perhaps on a quieter night. They also let us stay past when they originally said so we could order more. We still left and ordered more food at another restaurant since we were’t filled and spent over $100/person.

Oh,...

I don’t like to leave low reviews, but I feel that Nami Nori has potential and can definitely improve in several areas. I arrived with high hopes after hearing rave reviews about their sushi offerings, but my excitement quickly turned to disappointment when I tried their Tuna Dip, which was a mixed bag of flavors that left much to be desired.

To start, the presentation of the Tuna Dip with little chips that came with it was rather underwhelming. It looked more like pure Sriracha than a thoughtfully crafted sauce, lacking the creativity and finesse I expected from a sushi restaurant of this caliber. A little twist on the sauce could elevate the dish tremendously—perhaps a citrus-infused aioli or a tangy ponzu would have added a refreshing flair.

Moving on to the Temaki, I found that not only did the flavor profiles fall short, but the prices were also hard to justify given the portion sizes. For the amount spent, I expected a more satisfying meal, but I walked out feeling hungry and a bit regretful about my lunch choice. A sprinkle of unique dipping sauces or a creative twist on traditional flavors could transform these offerings into something truly memorable.

Additionally, I must mention the seating arrangements. The wooden backs of the chairs were uncomfortably rigid, and my back was practically begging for support. A simple addition of cushions could turn a dining experience from discomfort into delight, allowing guests to linger longer and enjoy their meal. I also ordered a drink which I thought was good but was full of ice and the size was too small for the price.

Overall, my experience at Nami Nori was a letdown. With uninspired flavors, lackluster presentation, and uncomfortably rigid seating, it fell short of the expectations set by its reputation. I believe there’s potential here, but they need to spice things up—both on the plate and in the dining atmosphere. Until then, I’d recommend exploring other options on the menu or even giving this place a little time to refine...