Nagato Sukiyaki — Restaurant in Rancho Cordova

I was really looking forward to this from the stellar Sacbee review and all the great reviews here, but i was completely underwhelmed.

Obviously, some of this has to do with how busy they were on Thursday at 6:15 pm. But some of these things are just ridiculous.

We were seated quickly. 12 minutes later, after asking, we got menus and water.

We wanted to order for the kids first since they would make noise and be irritated if they didn't get food ... they adamantly wanted sushi, but the waitress said we shouldn't order sushi because the sushi bar was so far behind orders. OK, thanks for the warning.

We ordered miso soup for one child, who was asking for it ... "we don't serve miso at dinner usually," the waitress replied. Uh ... OK. She brought us clear broth instead, which tasted like it was made from over-salted chicken bouillon. Meh.

It then took a total of 47 minutes from ordering until we got the entrees.

I got the sukiyaki dinner, which according to the Bee is both traditionally Japanese and good. It was neither. I've been to Japan, and I've had sukiyaki there and at great Japanese restaurants all over this country. This dish had a super-sweet syrupy brown broth with a thick sheen of oil on the surface, a few slices of very well-done and gristly beef, and some tofu that was still cold in the middle. The tempura was greasy and not even hot when it got to the table, and decidedly not crunchy.

I wanted to eat it, but I also didn't want to be rude to my tablemates. i had to wait another 10 minutes after it arrived before the other entrees got there.

We got the agedashi tofu, which that same Bee review touted. It was awful: cold, soggy, with all the breading on the outside sloughing off into the chilly broth it was served in.

The kids ate their gyoza with gusto, not minding that they were incredibly tiny and slightly burnt.

I will give them credit for the rice: it wasn't awful. It could have been rinsed before cooking, as it was super sticky, but it was cooked for the right amount of time and the kids enjoyed it.

The third adult at the table had the teriyaki, supposedly delicate and filling, according to reviews. He – a small guy who always complains that servings are too large – was still hungry after he ate the five or six tiny pieces of chicken in the over-sugared sauce that they were drowned in.

The free dessert that others mention? Not there. The beaten egg served on the side of the sukiyaki that I've had in Japan and which others here on Yelp mentioned? Not present (I asked about it and the waitress had no idea what I was talking about).

Won't bother going back. In fact, even if we hadn't driven several miles out into the burbs to try this place – even if it were two blocks away from my house – I doubt I'd waste my time going to...

My aunt and I have been going to this place for years. We started dining at Nagato's at it's original location on Fulton. I've been to almost every Japanese restaurant in the Sacramento area and many more across the State of California (as I like to experiment) and they have the BEST tempura so far. I don't think I've ever dined here and not liked what I've tried. And I've pretty much tried everything on the menu. The wait can be a little lengthy. It's small place with a little staff. But the quality of the food is well worth it. Not cheap, but quality never is.

Tips: I've read other reviews about this place and I really think people mainly focus on the routine menu items that people readily recognize. But, for myself, what really makes this place stand out are the menu items that I have a hard time finding anywhere else. Favorite items: Shobu Nabe (Beef Pot Dish) Great for cold days or whenever you're in the mood for hot brothy soup. The portion is HUGE I can never finish even half of it myself. Zaru Soba w/tempuar (Chilled buckwheat noodles) This place is the ONLY place in Sac that I've been able to find Soba served cold. Absolutely one of my favorites for summer. Salmon Fusion (Cut raw tuna in lemon sauce: Sushi special) Very simple and refreshing with a little spice as they add jalapenos. I've had it with out the jalapenos (with guests who do not prefer spicy) and it's still delicious.

Lunch time gets REALLY busy. So, if you're on a time crunch, order in ahead of time for take out. And I suggest making reservations for dinner. This place has gotten...

A restaurant that offers Zaru Soba and a good variation of nigiri here in Sacramento is hard to find. When my husband found this restaurant that offered both in Marconi Avenue, we hurriedly called to order take-out. However, nobody was answering the phone, so we decided to go straight to the place and just order from there. To our surprise, there was a line. We didn't know it was that famous. We ended up dining in because we saw the old ladies who were in the kitchen, and they looked like legit Japanese cook.

It took us 30 mins to be seated, but the service from then on was actually quick. We ordered 3 types on nigiris (Cold Smoked Salmon,Uni, and Amaebi), Zaru Soba with tempura, salmon sashimi, and Krazy Mary roll.

The nigiris were fresh, and the sushi rice was authentic. It has the right amount of sweetness and sourness.

The Zaru Soba was very refreshing, and the tempura that goes with it is by far the best tempura we had. The batter was so light and crisp. (We really think the one who does the tempura were the old ladies in the kitchen, lol) We will definitely go back for this!

The salmon sashimi is fresh. It would be nicer if it comes with authentic wasabi roots.

Our least favorite was the Krazy Mary Roll. It had too much mayo, which overpowered the rest of the ingredients. Also, it wasn't as garlicky as I prefer it to be.

Overall, I rate it as 4. We really liked it, but I can't say that it is the best Japanese restaurant we have been to here in the US as my benchmark is quite high. Still, we will go back for more soba...