Nagato Sukiyaki

I just experienced the worst Chirashi bowl ! Maybe it was the fact, I ordered take out. It looked nothing like the pictures on here. It was a pile of rice with 3 mystery fish pieces… seriously I’ve never seen or tasted them. and two tiny pieces of salmon and tuna, the only recognizable fishes. One looked like some type of fish liver, my cat loved it! Two white fishes or some sort. That was def not a Chirashi bowl! The other things I’ve had here are ok, nothing spectacular. Their portions are on the small side… sushi pieces small. I will try an in dining experience before I write them off. My parents like this place, and go often.

The service was kind of bad, Slow mixed up and forgotten orders.
The soups and broths were tasteless besides salt.
The Teriyaki Chicken was very tasty. The Sashimi combo was okay.

Their miso soup was literally the best anyone at my table has ever had. Other menu items we ordered that were superb included yellow tail nigiri, tuna maguro, tear gas roll and the rox spin rolls!

My all time favorite deserves more than five stars! This place has been around for almost 50 years so that gives you an idea of how delicious their food is. They use fresh ingredients in their cooking and that most definitely shows. Their katsu don is to die for and their rolls are of excellent quality with a wonderful balance of flavors. Nagato’s is Japanese owned and you know the food is great when you see the old couple sitting and eating their own cooking together!

I never will come back here
The prices to high
Th portions to small
Customer service is poor
The taste of the food very low
I don’t understand how they run a business
Yeah they don’t have a cooked Susie in menu

I love how authentic and fresh the food is. The owner is a wonderful man and I always enjoy my experience!

Why have I not taken the time to write a review for Nagato? It’s because I’m too busy EATING at Nagato!
Basic sushi place, but without a lot of the Americanized mayonnaise-​based sauces with cream cheese you find at a lot of other local places. I don’t think they offer an «Elk Grove» or «Fair Oaks» roll, which is good!
They have a decent vegetarian sushi selections and an awesome donburi menu, but their big standout is the sukiyaki.
Their vegetable sukiyaki is warm and filling with a nice light flavor.
My husband and I love coming here when we want to have a big delicious meal without hating ourselves int eh morning — it’s possible at Nagato!

Pros: Great service, cozy atmosphere, very clean. The udon is delicious and served in beautiful handmade ceramic bowls. Cons: Edamame– scalding hot and overcooked upon arrival. Rolls– very very small, far too much imitation crab. Nigiri– the cut, sloppy. Clear broth soup-​strong chlorine smell (probably due to dishwashing liquid residue). Wasn’t a fan of the sukiyaki. Come for the Udon and atmosphere on a cold rainy day, perfect for that.

Pros: Great service, cozy atmosphere, very clean. The udon is delicious and served in beautiful handmade ceramic bowls. Cons: Edamame– scalding hot and overcooked upon arrival. Rolls– very very small, far too much imitation crab. Nigiri– the cut, sloppy. Clear broth soup-​strong chlorine smell (dishwashing liquid residue?). Wasn’t a fan of the sukiyaki. Come for the Udon and atmosphere on a cold rainy day, perfect for that.

Hi everyone, it’s been years since I’ve reviewed anything. I want to give you guys an honest opinion of what I thought of this place. I won’t be overly-​mean, but I truly think that given the fact that I had dinner here less than an hour ago, I can definitely say that the meal I had here should’ve warranted a one-​star review.
However, due to the saving grace of the sweet waitstaff here, I will spare them. It’s no fault of theirs that the food is a disappointment. Given the history of the establishment, I sincerely expected better. Our dinner came with a good suimono broth and salad to start, so the build-​up was somewhat exciting.
I’ve made many-​a-​hotpot for the few years I’ve been alive, and I am no stranger to sukiyaki. Thinly-​sliced beef, cooked medium rare with some butter or beef fat, it’s something I feel a lot of people can easily enjoy with the abundance of side vegetables, tofu, noodles, savory broth and a raw beaten egg to dip. I really really wish we got that tonight.
We ordered a «Genki Roll» and the «Udon Sukiyaki» dinner set.
I felt that for an inside-​out roll, there should’ve been rice covering the entire roll and nigiri-​sized pieces of sashimi on the top. I could still see nori from the outside and the portion of the roll was smaller than I am accustomed to for a sushi roll here in California. Okay. Well, that’s sushi. In America. At least the taste was okay.
The udon sukiyaki was definitely… skimpier than I expected. There were a handful of overcooked udon noodles, some napa cabbage, tons of onions, and maybe a few slices of overcooked beef. I’ll give Nagato credit for nailing the broth that was in our pot tonight, but what we ate was most definitely not representative of sukiyaki. The menu advertised that «tofu and vegetables» would be present — they were not. Unless you think napa cabbage and onions suffice as «vegetables.»
When we inquired why there was no tofu in our dish, the waitress took it up to the manager and the answer we received was something along the lines of «That wasn’t suppose to be in the dish.»
Then…well, why is it on the menu?
My boyfriend and I went to go get ice cream to make up for our disappointment at Parlor Ice Cream Puffs shortly afterward.
For the price, we feel incredibly scammed. I’m sorry. I wish I could say something nicer to an establishment that’s been around for so long.

Nagato Sukiyaki is a quaint restaurant located a little off the main road. I’ve eaten at quite a few restaurants in Sacramento, but this was the first I had been here. My friend is a fan of sukiyaki so decided to come here for dinner.
The atmosphere of the restaurant is nice and well kept, but a little dated in terms of the overall aesthetic. It reminds me of the Japanese restaurants I frequented 10 – 15 years ago. The dining room could definitely use a little refresher.
The menu is diverse with a decent amount of Japanese cuisine choices. Of course you can order sukiyaki, but there are bento boxes, rice dishes, and a variety of rolls to select from.
For those unfamiliar with sukiyaki, it is a noodle in broth dish that can be had with either chicken or beef. The broth is unique in that it has a bit of sweetness to it. I’m more used to ramen, which is very savory or spicy. Sukiyaki is lighter than those noodle bowls. It has a nice taste an can be a nice alternative to other noodle soups.
The beef teriyaki comes presented well, and with a complete dinner will also come served with soup and some nicely prepared tempura. The beef was tender, but the dish was a bit smaller than I would have liked. In fact, all the dishes we had were a little small for the price — which was a little on the pricier side.
Overall Nagato Sukiyaki is a nice restaurant that I wouldn’t mind going to, but I think there are things that can be improved to make the experience better.

Sushi is amazing and staff is nice. My favorite is the rice krispy roll. Yummy wish i could go everyday.

Hands down the best sushi in Sacramento. I’ve been coming here for years. Since I was 19 actually! I’m 29… Very traditional, they have a great menu and they have many items that other places don’t have. One being NATO. Go and try it. The Sukiyaki is delicious. It’s always a good choice. Family owned for years. Get to know the crew, you’ll feel right at home. Try the sukiyaki, the Nato, Crazy Mary or have Don make you something to your liking! You can’t go wrong!

I’ve going there for a long time; not frequently but regularly over the years. The food has always been really good. The chef knows what he doing and it is high quality food. I do agree with that the portions are on the small side. If you’re really hungry you might have to have to add a few appetizers to get full.
Overall, Nagato’s is always an enjoyable dining experience. If I had the money, I’d be hitting this place alot more frequently than I do. If you like japanese food, you can’t go wrong here.

My friend recommended me and I brought him here for dinner as payment for fixing and soldering my macbook charger wire.
My first impressions of this place was noting how clean the whole restaurant is. The tables were remarkably clean alongside the front bar.
After a 10 second wait, I get seated and ordered the Chicken Katsu Japanese curry plate that came with a side order of soup. As my friend and I were waiting for our dishes, we downed that soup and noticed how amazing it tasted.
Not knowing what it was, I asked the waitress and found that it was some sort of kelp flavored something with some noodles inside which we should make on our own sometime.
Anyways, our dishes came thru and I loved how it had that home cooked meal feel to it. Seeing inside the kitchen from the constant waitress traffic, I can see that it was owners mom (i think) giving my food that «home cooked meal» feeling to it.
My friend ordered a beef bowl don buri and commented to me that it had that it too had that «home cooked meal» taste to it during our dinner conversation.
Service was good at a moderately busy time and I felt I was taken care of despite the «dinner rush». Whenever I needed water, the waitress was always there to pour for me.
Overall, it is a great place with that clean family feel to it. One thing that felt weird to me was how the restaurant sign looked more like a computer repair shop rather than a restaurant.
But anyways, the owner seems very relaxed and chill always talking to customers further adding that at home restaurant feel it.

This place is amazing. I’ve been here twice now and sat at the sushi bar. The chefs are friendly and care a lot about their customers.
We had the butterfish nigiri as an appetizer. It was lightly seared and so good we had a second order come out. The tempura has a light batter with the shrimp and veggies tasting fresh. The nagato sushi special had high quality fish cuts and a little seaweed salad.
I would come here everyday if I could.

FOOD
— Gyoza & California Roll Bento Box: miso soup, white rice, side salad, and 2 orange slices.
– Gyoza: 6 pieces of pan fried potstickers. Fresh and tasty. Could have been meatier. ⁴⁄₅
– California Roll: 4 tiny pieces. One of the better tasting CA rolls I’ve had. ⁴⁄₅
SERVICE
Friendly but moves a little slow. 3.5÷5
FINAL THOUGHTS
Good, authentic, handmade food. My only complaint is their small portions. I usually never finish my food, but I easily ate everything.

Once again another perfect meal! Everything was fabulous and the service stellar.
Thank you Don and your staff for a wonderful evening!!!
Just finished another dinner and it was just as delicious as the last. The quality, taste, presentation and consistency is alway top notch. My favorite restaurant, based on their careful considerate preparation of their meals. I might mention this last meal was completed at closing time and we never felt rushed to leave.

Maybe we caught them on a bad day however the experience is the only one I will have with them. My dad actually made a reservation, cuz he’s weird like that, and we had dinner a bit later then normal because they were booked up, a good sign usually.
So we arrived to a pretty packed place and stood at the entrance. No acknowledgement from the wait staff or even from the two sushi chefs, although that’s not expected. But after standing a bit we get seated to our table that is reserved for us, which is nice. But we don’t get menus or asked about any drinks. We wait for a few minutes giving them some leeway because it’s busy but we are hungry. So we give the «eye» to the servers, chefs, even the bussers. That didn’t work so someone went up to ask for menus, which we got eventually during which we get asked if we want any beverages.
We then look and figure out what we want. So as most people do we put the menus down and started looking on our phones. More time pass and we give the looks again and recheck the Unilocal ratings to make sure we weren’t going crazy. Finally we get our order in and the waiting game begins. We look around and notice others are waiting for food or their check. So we brace for a wait.
So we wait and drink our beverages never being asked for refills. We also notice partiea coming in that wait at front much like we did. So at least they’re consistent. About 25 – 30 minutes later we got our food from our waitress who was in a rush to avoid eye contact. 4 of 5 dishes came out then the 5^th came a few minutes later. Finally time to eat. The food ehhhhh average. It wasn’t bad my any means but not great in any way. Some dishes seemed good but others, like the curry, seemed like it could’ve been packaged. The other thing about the food is the portion size was under average for sure.
So we finish our plates, a strange thing but portion size meant everyone cleaned up, and the busser quickly cleaned our table. No refills on drinks though. And again we wait… and wait. We wait long enough to write this and have to walk up to ask for the check.
Like I mentioned maybe we caught them on a bad day, but they knew it’d be busy since reservations were back logged. However if you look at the reviews plenty of others generally complain about the service, never a good sign.

This is our favorite place. The friendly staff and fresh food make it a once a week must for our family.
I love all the rolls, but my favorites are the Hokkaido & Teargas roll. I love that there is other traditional dishes and variety for those who may not be sushi fans. Like for example the in-​laws, who always leave full and happy.
If you have not tried it I highly suggest you do cause if you don’t you’re missing out.

The sushi is marginal at best lots of rice very little fish the bad part about this place is the absolute lack of service of any kind. You’re pretty much on your own after they see you. If you do gather up the courage to ask the waitress for some more water be prepared for many dirty looks as they clearly have other important things to do like talk to each other.
I’ve eaten there now about a dozen times and today was my last forever it gets worse each time. Too bad because their prices are very reasonable.

The sushi was ok, but there wasn’t a very big selection — and they don’t have cream cheese!!! Philadelphia rolls are my fav :-(
Anyways, the night we went there they only had 1 sushi chef so it took a while to even get our appetizers. Also, they don’t do half priced rolls. I’m not very impressed with this place but it seems popular. It’s small and I think over priced.

If there were ten stars I would give it a ten! I had been eyeing this place for quite some time, considering it is walking distance from my boyfriend’s place. We finally made it out there and I am so glad we did! Hands down best sushi place in Sacramento. It is now our to go place every time we are craving sushi.
Very intimate ambiance with great staff especially the sushi chef! Their Nagato roll is so delicious, by far my favorite from the ones I have tried. They have plenty of options. Everything tastes fresh and is made to order.
They have a TV and if you are sitting at the sushi bar you will have a perfect view!
Highly recommend this place!

Reeeeally large selection and really tasty stuff here. They have everything from sushi, udon, donburi… Plus those rolls were delicious. Rice was perfect texture, the fish was super fresh and those sauces were heavenly. My nabeyaki udon was heart warming and so flavorful.

Not an easy task finding authentic Japanese cuisine in Sacramento. Nagato Sukiyaki has been on the scene for years. Glad to have known them since their previous location on Fulton Avenue and happy to see the new location on Marconi. It’s the same great food and hospitality.
They have up the variety in beer selections. I enjoyed the Koshihikari Echigo from Niigata Prefecture of Japan. I finally had the opportunity to try the Roxspin Roll once again. It’s the same great roll that puts a smile on my face!
They have put a lot of thought behind their new location. It was a pleasant sight finding regulars continue to dine here as well. Nagato Sukiyaki is here to stay and many years beyond.

Well the good news is, we tried everything. and it was perfect. There was even free dessert which a really nice older lady brought us! (gosh, i hope she worked there and didn’t just wander in with pie… although that’s been known to happen).
Of the udon we all tried, the hands down favorite was the oyako udon (chicken and egg) followed closely by the okame and nabeyaki.
the sushi was all fresh and delicious, and the hand rolls were particularly generous.
I’m not usually a «fried» or «partially fried» roll person but we all loved the Rice Krispie.
And naturally the hot sake was plentiful and delicious (like there’s any other way).
And the background music? epic.

There is beauty in simplicity. There are merits in authenticity and traditionality. Credit is due to this family-​owned restaurant that has withstood the test of time. Expect none of the trendy, fancy schmancy décor but a clean, smart looking, no frills interior. Gone are the days where you see shoji (rice paper) windows and a huge noren (door curtain) hung at the main door. Kudos to NS for being the oldest Japanese restaurant in Sacramento with an impressive full house on a random Tuesday night!
Browsing their online menu, I was humming along to the haunting refrains of the timeless song «sukiyaki» that was played on their website. (As a side note, the lyrics of this song have no relevance to the hot pot dish). There is no hint of any «fusion-​y» food of any kind, just the uncorrupted 100% authentic Japanese cuisine (Americanized sushi rolls excepted). I always have an interest to try a restaurant that serves standard Japanese fare. To write an interesting review though when the menu is boring can be a challenge. There is nothing out of the ordinary in NS’s menu to write home about. Predict the predictable… teriyaki, tempura, donburi, combination bento dinners, udon, and hot pot dishes (nabemono). Throw in the standard nigiri and sashimi and add in the ubiquitous yummy crummy sushi rolls and wham! I have covered the whole gamut of NS’s menu in a nutshell.
I skipped the entire appetizer section, as nothing seemed to grab me. I did however learn at the end that the gyoza (potsticker) was homemade by the owner and a must try. While I regretted my oversight, I was more than compensated by my order of cold Somen noodles ($ 9.00), perfect on a scorching day. Nowadays, somen is a rare find and is not something you normally eat at restaurants. It is truly a simple home cooked meal. Somen is a fine white Japanese noodle served cold (with ice cubes in the bowl) with a side of dipping sauce. Dip the somen in the soy based sauce along with grated ginger and chopped green onions. We enjoyed the cool noodles and slurping was allowed even if we are no longer kids! The sauce was delicious and I’ll bet the recipe is a family recipe handed down from generations. (4 stars)
NS serves Suimono instead of the more well known Miso. This is a delicious refreshing Japanese clear soup with no ingredients except for a few strands of somen noodles. Sure hits the spot! (4 stars)
Oyako Donburi ($ 8.00) is a classic Japanese comfort food. It is a charming culinary expression of «Parent and Child». NS uses white meat chicken and beaten eggs simmered in a sweet and savory stock and nestled on top of a bowl of white rice. Covering the bowl with a lid helps the rice to better absorb the broth. The sweetness of the cooked onions is a nice contrast to the other flavors. The eggs in NS’s version were too well done for my liking, as I prefer them with «runny» yolks. I may also suggest that adding a little more stock would prevent the eggs from drying. (3.5 stars)
Sukiyaki ($ 15.95) is my weakness and I’ll never pass up the chance when offered in a restaurant. Japan has its own variety of «nabe» dishes (similar to fondue or bouillabaisse), which are cooked in a single pot at the dining table. Sukiyaki is the classic of this genre. The broth is important as it makes or breaks the dish. Their broth had good flavor but I felt it was a little diluted or watered down. I commend NS though for offering a raw egg on the side. The traditional way to enjoy sukiyaki is dip the meat and vegetables into a beaten egg as you eat, which enhances the flavor and cools off the food. (3 stars). The sukiyaki dinner came with shrimp and vegetable tempura. The tempura tonight was the low point of tonight’s dinner although touted the finest in Sacramento. The batter was too thick for my liking and not hot and crispy. I’ve to cut them some slack since they were jamming the whole time we were there. (2 stars)
There was nothing to warrant a quick return trip but at the same time NS is as good as it gets in Sacramento for standard Japanese fare. The crowd that night was mostly whites although there were quite a few niseis (second generation Japanese Americans) and sanseis (third generation). Their presence is usually a good sign as they are frugal and know where the good traditional Japanese restaurants are.
Gochisosama deshita! (Thank you for the meal)