Sonobana Japanese Restaurant

This place is NO FRILLS but it’s actually very good! Service is friendly, it’s family owned, and it is at a good price point. Don’t dress up, come as you are. Drink sake and enjoy some tasty sushi. With so many new & shiny new restaurants, Sonobana is really refreshing in its unpretentiousness.
I DO wish they would play a little background music, but the awkward silence somehow adds to the charm.

Had lunch on Memorial Day. The meal was disappointing in all respects: the miso soup was tepid, the salad wilted and the chicken teriyaki was chewy and flavorless. The sauce served with the rice was so salty it was inedible. It is clear the management does not care about customer satisfaction. Avoid!

I just didn’t feel it. Great reviews and crowded. But no ambiance whatsoever. No music, bright lights, seats with little cushioning left and sticky tables. Bento Box a bit strange. Vegetable Tempura was all starch items. Chicken teriyaki so dry could not eat it. Other sections filled with random stuff: peeled orange, picked cabbage, chunk of carrot, but no dumplings, etc. Tuna crunchy roll good. Mixed drink flat — even the replacement. Heading back to Sushi Train. But happy for the owners…

Great selection of sushi, good quality and well priced. Love the ambiance here too. My favorite place for sushi in Nashville

TIP: It gets extremely busy on weekends ESPECIALLY the sushi bar. If you order sushi, make sure you get kitchen food (appetizers) as well so you have something to munch on till the sushi arrives.
This is the ONLY place I order sushi from because it tastes fresh, delicious, and the price is great compared to other sushi restaurants that aren’t even half as good as here and also, the chefs are Japanese.
I highly recommend…
SUSHI: Blake Roll, Sonobana Roll, Chirashi, Takoyaki Roll, Big John 1, Sunflower Roll
KITCHEN FOOD: Yellowtail Neck, Nabeyaki Udon, Fried Calamari, Eel Bowl, Chicken Cutlet bowl, Curry

We arrived at 6:15. There was a lengthy and obvious line of people waiting to put their name in, and no one came to the counter for nearly 10 minutes. We were the only party of 2 on the wait list, saw multiple open tables for two, and still weren’t seated for another 5 – 7 minutes. We set a timer to see how long the food would take… 1 hour 22 minutes for 4 rolls. We paid over 60 dollars (we were unwittingly charged for refills each time because they only serve soft drinks in bottles). The sushi was better than average, but there are too many other, more affordable sushi options in Nashville to go here again.

Yummy first visit. We had 6 rolls ranging from the standard California roll to the Sonobana specialty roll. Reasonable price. Friendly staff. Nice neighborhood sushi place.

Ill start with my pro-​tip. You have to go to the Japanese store on the weekend and get the fresh mochi at the register. The cashier/owner’s wife makes them. They are twice the price of the refrigerated ones (so $ 2 each) but WORTH IT. She makes them fresh each weekend and they have way more filling then the prepackaged ones from who knows when. It was hands down the best mochi Ive ever had.
To the food.
I ordered the sukiyaki which is clear noodles, broth and choice meat in a fajita like skillet. The broth was incredibly flavorful and the combination of bamboo, mushrooms and cabbage with the slippery clear noodles was excellent. At $ 14, it was probably the most expensive non sushi entrée. Sushi wise, we got two pieces of nigiri (fatty and diet salmon). They were $ 2 each and very good. The rolls I thought were the best deal in Nashville. The white bridge roll was wrapped in amazing pickled radish with a good amount of fish inside. The cucumber wrapped roll had eel, smelt roe and avocado. Both rolls were about $ 5 for 6 pieces. Anywhere else in Nashville would be twice the price. Overall the value and quality is the best Ive seen yet in Nashville. Its also the only place where most of the sushi chefs are Japanese…

I love this place! Last time I was there, I ordered udon and a sushi boat, which were worth every penny I paid. Their udon noodle
is bigger than other places I have been and I like that a lot. The broth also tasted fantastic. Highly recommend it!

I’ve recently realized how much I rely on everyone else’s reviews to make good restaurant choices, so here I go with my first.
This sushi restaurant has a quirky mom and pop atmosphere. All the staff were friendly to us and seemed to know a lot of the other people eating. Feel free to be casual! I had the sunflower roll and Sonobana roll and they were delicious and refreshingly light. The prices are incredibly reasonable, especially considering the lovely presentation of the rolls. We ordered some gyoza that were also yummy. I will definitely eat here again and hope to try other items from their extensive menu.

After trying to figure out when we could go, my friend finally managed to drag me here.
First of all, the sushi is phenomenal. I had the Snake Roll and then I tried some of my friend’s Blake Roll. I’ve never had sushi this good. The sushi not only tastes fresh but it also tastes clean. Everything is proportioned perfectly to where each element of your sushi roll complements one another instead of overpowering each other. They do not go light on the fish roe, however, so if you’re not a fan of roe you may want to either ask for less or just have it made without roe.
The teriyaki chicken was also wonderful. The chicken was flavorful; you could taste the marinade while eating the chicken itself, which is a common problem I’ve come across while ordering teriyaki anything. Once again, it was fresh.
My friend and I shared two appetizers; Beef Sashimi and what I want to say was fried octopus. It may have been squid… I personally can’t tell the difference. Either way, both of the apps were just as great as our entrées. The beef was tender and full of flavor; the octopus was lightly fried and the sauce it came with fully complemented its taste and texture.
Our service was good. I have no complaints. The waitress we had was very sweet.
All in all, I would most definitely come dine here again.

I hate being «that guy» but this is by far the worst place I have ever eaten for sushi/​sashimi in the Nashville/​Franklin area. I’ve lived here all my life, I am half Japanese, I’ve been making sushi since elementary school, and whenever I eat out with the family we only order sushi and sashimi. In short, I have made and eaten lots of sushi in my life time and will only continue to do so.
The squid salad I had was not fresh. Squid salad has a particular taste to it and if the squid is not fresh it immediately shows from the taste. If they make it themselves, they did not prepare a very exciting salad either. There are supposed to be a variety of spices and pepper flavors that compliment the squid, but instead I was served a bowl of sour squid.
The beef negami was passable. There were too many scallions in the center of the beef, but honestly it was the highlight of the meal so I wanted to touch on it.
I ordered a Rainbow roll and a crunchy shrimp roll. Two incredibly basic rolls that are staples in every sushi restaurant. Presentation wise, was sub-​par. When I saw the color of the avocado I felt let down. I hoped it wasn’t going to reflect the rest of the ingredients… but unfortunately it was the beginning. Here is a list of the inadequate ingredients.
1. Stale Sesame seeds
2. Stale Panko
3. Graying Tuna
4. Salmon that tasted like smoked salmon from a bag instead of sushi grade
5. sushi rice that was crumbling and lacked any flavor
6. imitation crab that tasted low quality and unwashed
7. browned avocado
I will reiterate, this is the worst sushi I have ever eaten. I have eaten sushi from grocery stores, sports bars, and off of conveyor belts that tasted superior to what I had. I’m not sure where all of these good reviews are coming from, but when your most basic crunchy shrimp rolls tastes like cardboard there is a massive problem. If I could give them less than a 1 star I would. I would never recommend this to anyone.
I did not try their bentos or any of their hot food besides the Beef Negami. This is strictly a sushi & sashimi review.

I was very disappointed. A friend of mine said that they had the best sushi around and it didn’t even come close. First, the restaurant is very small which gives it character, but they were very short staffed and took 10 minutes to be seated when half the tables were open. Second, our waitress was very nice, but you could tell that she was over loaded with tables. We only saw 3 servers the entire time we were there. I personally ran out of water twice and very rarely did I see the server. The hostess had to grab us more drinks and our bill. Lastly, the sushi was good; however, we ordered 5 rolls total and 3 of them were fried or partially fried and were cold as cold gets. The most expensive roll that we ordered was the Temporary Roll, which we never received. I was going to say something to our server but we were done eating by the time I saw her again.
Overall, we won’t be back. I’m sure it’s a good restaurant but the experience just left a sour taste in my mouth.

Went in for lunch with my boyfriend. He got the chicken teriyaki bento box and I got the special bento box. He wasn’t too impressed with his meal but I liked mine in general. The tuna was especially fishy and I am a huge sushi fan. The salmon, white tuna, mussel, and crab were pretty good! The sushi rolls that came with our bento boxes were subpar.
The managers/​owners (?) were the host/​hostess and were very nice. They kept filling our waters and taking finished plates out of the way.

This might be the best place for sushi and specifically, sashimi in Nashville. I’ve tried Samaurai, Nama, and a few other smaller restaurants for my sashimi fix. The other places overcharge and have poor quality fish. Nama charges the same as Gari of Sushi in NYC with barely any fresh fish in their food! Why do people praise their california and spicy tuna rolls for $ 12 when you can have authentic sushi/​sashmi/​rolls here for cheaper???
This place has the best authentic sushi and sashimi for a reasonable price. Their Fatty tuna and fattiest tuna sashimi was on par with East or West Coast sashimi. Their salmon sashimi was also delicious. I am excited to return for their sushi and roll options.
Also japanese people eat here without hesitation. So it’s gotta be good!
Side note: The grocery next door is legit as well — bought some green tea kitkats which were pretty awesome.

This is, in my opinion, the best sushi in Nashville, HANDS DOWN. Me and my girlfriend try to go here at least once every month or two, and always wish we went more. The prices are generally average to below average (especially given the quality), and the service is always impeccable. The alcohol prices might be slightly high, but that’s not surprising considering alcohol is not a main fixture of the restaurant, The wait staff is incredibly friendly and happy to explain things, and I’ve yet to have any bad rolls here. The sushi chefs are very authentic and they do not disappoint! Some nights of the week this place can be really packed, but middle of the week it tends to be pretty easy to get a table quickly. Call ahead if you’re concerned. Also, definitely try the Sonobana roll and the nabeyaki udon!

This is actually my favorite place for sushi in Nashville. My old roommate introduced me and my boyfriend and I love this place as well.
We had the spicy tuna, sonobana, temporary and one more that I can’t remember at the moment and they were all really good. The one I can’t remember had octopus in it and I’m not a huge fan of octopus but I enjoyed this one.
The Nabeyaki udon was really good as well and was good kind of as a shared appetizer for us.
When the rolls came out we realized we ordered way too much food but were glad to have had a variety.
When people into Nashville and are looking for a great place for sushi, sonobana is the first one I recommend. Highly recommended!

This review is for the GROCERY ONLY. Love love love their grocery. Their food seems touch and go so I have not been back recently. Again the Grocery. They have their seasonal items which makes me so very happy. Seasonal and cultural presents on a timely basis! What fun is that? Son likes the sweets that we had in Japan and in Hawaii. I don’t feel the same about the sweets, but then again, I don’t like Mochi as much as he does or the red bean sweets. Must be an acquired taste like mushrooms. They have lots of green tea things, like Mochi Ice cream, see what I did, I like green tea but not the mochi but will forgo the mochi flour to get to the ice cream. We all make sacrifices. They have green tea nestle chocolate and Kit Kats in different flavors. Sakura– Cherry, is seasonal and difficult to get unless you are Osaka, but this grocery store has carried Raspberry, Cheesecake and of course green tea. I used to go for the Wasabi paste when we could not get it in everyday grocery stores, but now go for monthly sweet visit for the son and to see what flavor Kit Kats that may come in. The people at the registers is always sweet and speaks decent english and also my son and whomever is there talk a little so he doesn’t forget his Japanese. Really love how great this little store is off White Bridge.

We had high hopes for Sonobana but it was for naught. No one wanted to help us during our visit. Our waitress disappeared and I literally tried to hunt her down after 15 minutes. None of the other employees would talk to me and the manager wouldn’t talk to us either. After literally going to the kitchen door to find her, she finally returned.
Our Miso Soup was barely warm, practically cold. The accompanying salad was very soupy, swimming in salad dressing. When my bento box arrived it had the wrong meat in it. That might have been find except the meat was hard as a rock. The fried tempora was cold and chewy. Who the heck serves cold fried food? They finally offered to bring the right meat out but it arrived very late after we had stood up to leave. Again, the meat was overcooked and hard as a rock.
In my mind, this place is likely a shadow of what it used to be. That is the only way I can imagine how the previously good reviews of Sonobana reflect on this restaurant. Memories don’t create good food folks. I’d skip this place and go somewhere else.

Very traditional yet spartan Japanese restaurant. This is authentic in that you have Japanese chefs, dishes (sanma!), and even a Japanese grocery store.
Sonobana has been around about thirty years, which is good because they have relationships to procure the best fish. However, it’s also bad as the décor is reminiscent of a terrible Chinese restaurant and some of the staff are a little past their prime.
That said people are friendly, the menu is very eclectic, and where else are you going to get broiled squid and hamachi kama in Tennessee?
One other heads up, this place is very inexpensive, not in a good way. We re talking very casual. Chipotle is upscale on a relative basis.