We had some great fish along with a Kirin Ichiban beer. A set of sushi nigiri (fish over rice), and a series of rolls made for a great evening. The service was great.
Reagan H.
Honestly the food wasn't out of this world. The vibe inside feels like a cocktail lounge, but the staff was nice enough to move our table to somewhere a little more quiet when we had a loud table next to us. This place is definitely a little over priced for what you get, but overall loved the experience and atmosphere. But probably won't go out of my way to eat here again.
Michelle M.
Our group of 6 had 5pm reservations on a Saturday. The restaurant doesn't open until 5pm and we got there about 30 minutes early. This restaurant shares the same building with another restaurant called LaVie so they suggested we sit at laVie's bar until our 5pm reservation. We declined. At 5pm we were seated at our table. The restaurant itself had nice views of the DC wharf. Our server was attentive and knowledgeable about the menu. IThe edamame appetizer was so good, as well as the meat pizza and calamari. I had scallops for a main dish and for me it was just ok. My preference are scallops that are more seared but I think it's just a matter of preference. The best thing on the menu to me were the desserts and drinks. My Mocktail was delish. It was almost 800 dollars for 7 people. So over 100 dollars per person. Typical for the area and the service fee will definitely be included. Two cons: it was my son's birthday and in my humble opinion you're not too fancy to acknowledge with a free mini dessert or ice cream. LaVie did when we celebrated my daughter's birthday a couple of years back. We did get an acknowledgment from the manager though. Also my daughter ordered the wrong drink and they took it back and gave her the drink she wanted but they still charged for the original drink. I could understand if it was alcohol but it was a mocktail. Jeez. Will I go back? For the desserts, appetizers and the correct Mocktail yes.
Seng L.
Great decor , ambiance but very pricy. The vegetable tempura is fantastic but they seem to drizzle some fish oil/sauce on their sushi which off putting. The rolls are so so.
Ali M.
Stopped back into Nara Ya after a long break from Happy Hours and had a great time. Food, drinks, atmosphere and service were all great! Vegan options are delicious. We wanted to tip 40% for the great service, but ended up tipping almost 60% not realizing the tip had been automatically included. Not a huge deal because Jordyn was fantastic, but be warned in case it would ruin your experience. Enjoy- you'll love it!
Jamie J.
We came for brunch and I highly recommend this spot. Not only do they have a really great brunch deal ($40 pp all you can eat) but the food is incredible. The location is also unmatched with the beautiful views of the wharf. As someone who struggles with a sesame allergy, I cannot tell you how much I appreciated the restaurant for taking every precaution to keep me safe. They even went so far as to talk to the kitchen and have them mark items on the menu that were safe for me to eat and ones to avoid. It really meant a lot to see how much they cared. The food items I had were delicious and my fiancé, who was able to eat everything, really enjoyed the meal as well. We will definitely be coming back!
Mohanish Sheth
Great food but it's not enough for the service you receive. The server never submitted our main course order and informs about it when the kitchen closes. For a 20% service charge one would expect a better service. Additionally beware they charge 10% DC tax and 3.5% credit card service fee.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 4
Service: 1
Recommended dishes: Sushi
Daniela Salido
Me and a friend went to Nara-Ya for bottomless brunch and we really liked it. The food was good, I think we tried everything from the brunch menu! The view was amazing as we were seated by the window and you could see the water.I didn’t take pictures of the food but I would recommend the steak and eggs, the octopus dish (can’t remember the name) and the tofu skewers.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Jeff Harris
Great for brunch!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Steak and Eggs
Ed H.
Beautiful waterside restaurant in the Wharf with some great views and fun decor. The food however underwhelmed. Had the crispy cauliflower and the Kani Okonomiyaki as starters. The cauliflower would have been much better if the pieces were about half the size. But the flavor of the cauliflower was just so so. Thought the okonomiyaki was a but funky. Had the lobster fried rice and the lobster was delish but thought the fried rice part was a bit funky as well. Had a nice Junmai sake. They advertise this place as a sushi bar and izakaya. It would be more accurate to call it an Asian fusion place based on menu offerings and as it's not really an authentic Japanese restaurant. Probably a better place for a few drinks and to enjoy the view than a meal. Service was attentive.
This place is a hidden gem of The Wharf! Great service, great food, great bar, and unique atmosphere with a view. This place is a must and really appeals to all types. Young and old and everyone in between is here! Some giant murals that are popular backdrops for pictures. View is over looking the water on TheWharf!
Usamah Nelson
To the right of La Vie when you enter. I've been to Nara Ya a few times and the service is always exceptional here. Everything we had was delicious, the only thing I didn't really like was the chicken. Just 4 pieces of fried chicken. I thought it would be a rotisserie chicken based on how the waiter was describing it but I was wrong. It wasn't terrible but would have preferred non fried foodA5 Wagyu was really good and in my opinion their best roll, the lobster dynamite may have only had 8 pieces but it is super filling!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Sushi, Calamari
Chioma Okafor
Had a wonderful brunch with friends here. They have an all you can eat for $40 dollars and bottomless mimosa or bellini for $25. Everything we had for brunch was so good and after the 1st round we were stuffed but kept going. Service was excellent and very attentive and my friend enjoyed the French toast so much she called over the chef lolDefinitely plan to uber or metro and they charge automatic gratuity and a credit card processing fee FYi.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Steak and Eggs
Janet Brown
Love their wasabi calamari and Happy Hour specials. The sushi is always delicious and fresh!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Sushi, Calamari
Ogun Tosin
Went for brunch with friends, it was a bottom less lunch, they have great food options to pick from, all the food we choose taste good except for the French toast, it was abit mushy, soaked in butter or something. Overall service was great, love the interior details, I will definitely eat here again.Parking: There’s a paid parking garage around and it’s a short walking distance to the restaurant. There’s also parking on the street if you’re lucky to find a open spot.Wheelchair accessibility: There are elevators for easy accessibility.
We had some great fish along with a Kirin Ichiban beer. A set of sushi nigiri (fish over rice), and a series of rolls made for a great evening. The service was great.
Honestly the food wasn't out of this world. The vibe inside feels like a cocktail lounge, but the staff was nice enough to move our table to somewhere a little more quiet when we had a loud table next to us. This place is definitely a little over priced for what you get, but overall loved the experience and atmosphere. But probably won't go out of my way to eat here again.
Our group of 6 had 5pm reservations on a Saturday. The restaurant doesn't open until 5pm and we got there about 30 minutes early. This restaurant shares the same building with another restaurant called LaVie so they suggested we sit at laVie's bar until our 5pm reservation. We declined. At 5pm we were seated at our table. The restaurant itself had nice views of the DC wharf. Our server was attentive and knowledgeable about the menu. IThe edamame appetizer was so good, as well as the meat pizza and calamari. I had scallops for a main dish and for me it was just ok. My preference are scallops that are more seared but I think it's just a matter of preference. The best thing on the menu to me were the desserts and drinks. My Mocktail was delish. It was almost 800 dollars for 7 people. So over 100 dollars per person. Typical for the area and the service fee will definitely be included. Two cons: it was my son's birthday and in my humble opinion you're not too fancy to acknowledge with a free mini dessert or ice cream. LaVie did when we celebrated my daughter's birthday a couple of years back. We did get an acknowledgment from the manager though. Also my daughter ordered the wrong drink and they took it back and gave her the drink she wanted but they still charged for the original drink. I could understand if it was alcohol but it was a mocktail. Jeez. Will I go back? For the desserts, appetizers and the correct Mocktail yes.
Great decor , ambiance but very pricy. The vegetable tempura is fantastic but they seem to drizzle some fish oil/sauce on their sushi which off putting. The rolls are so so.
Stopped back into Nara Ya after a long break from Happy Hours and had a great time. Food, drinks, atmosphere and service were all great! Vegan options are delicious. We wanted to tip 40% for the great service, but ended up tipping almost 60% not realizing the tip had been automatically included. Not a huge deal because Jordyn was fantastic, but be warned in case it would ruin your experience. Enjoy- you'll love it!
We came for brunch and I highly recommend this spot. Not only do they have a really great brunch deal ($40 pp all you can eat) but the food is incredible. The location is also unmatched with the beautiful views of the wharf. As someone who struggles with a sesame allergy, I cannot tell you how much I appreciated the restaurant for taking every precaution to keep me safe. They even went so far as to talk to the kitchen and have them mark items on the menu that were safe for me to eat and ones to avoid. It really meant a lot to see how much they cared. The food items I had were delicious and my fiancé, who was able to eat everything, really enjoyed the meal as well. We will definitely be coming back!
Great food but it's not enough for the service you receive. The server never submitted our main course order and informs about it when the kitchen closes. For a 20% service charge one would expect a better service. Additionally beware they charge 10% DC tax and 3.5% credit card service fee.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 4
Service: 1
Recommended dishes: Sushi
Me and a friend went to Nara-Ya for bottomless brunch and we really liked it. The food was good, I think we tried everything from the brunch menu! The view was amazing as we were seated by the window and you could see the water.I didn’t take pictures of the food but I would recommend the steak and eggs, the octopus dish (can’t remember the name) and the tofu skewers.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Great for brunch!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Steak and Eggs
Beautiful waterside restaurant in the Wharf with some great views and fun decor. The food however underwhelmed. Had the crispy cauliflower and the Kani Okonomiyaki as starters. The cauliflower would have been much better if the pieces were about half the size. But the flavor of the cauliflower was just so so. Thought the okonomiyaki was a but funky. Had the lobster fried rice and the lobster was delish but thought the fried rice part was a bit funky as well. Had a nice Junmai sake. They advertise this place as a sushi bar and izakaya. It would be more accurate to call it an Asian fusion place based on menu offerings and as it's not really an authentic Japanese restaurant. Probably a better place for a few drinks and to enjoy the view than a meal. Service was attentive.
Restaurantji Recommends
This place is a hidden gem of The Wharf! Great service, great food, great bar, and unique atmosphere with a view. This place is a must and really appeals to all types. Young and old and everyone in between is here! Some giant murals that are popular backdrops for pictures. View is over looking the water on TheWharf!
To the right of La Vie when you enter. I've been to Nara Ya a few times and the service is always exceptional here. Everything we had was delicious, the only thing I didn't really like was the chicken. Just 4 pieces of fried chicken. I thought it would be a rotisserie chicken based on how the waiter was describing it but I was wrong. It wasn't terrible but would have preferred non fried foodA5 Wagyu was really good and in my opinion their best roll, the lobster dynamite may have only had 8 pieces but it is super filling!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Sushi, Calamari
Had a wonderful brunch with friends here. They have an all you can eat for $40 dollars and bottomless mimosa or bellini for $25. Everything we had for brunch was so good and after the 1st round we were stuffed but kept going. Service was excellent and very attentive and my friend enjoyed the French toast so much she called over the chef lolDefinitely plan to uber or metro and they charge automatic gratuity and a credit card processing fee FYi.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Steak and Eggs
Love their wasabi calamari and Happy Hour specials. The sushi is always delicious and fresh!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Sushi, Calamari
Went for brunch with friends, it was a bottom less lunch, they have great food options to pick from, all the food we choose taste good except for the French toast, it was abit mushy, soaked in butter or something. Overall service was great, love the interior details, I will definitely eat here again.Parking: There’s a paid parking garage around and it’s a short walking distance to the restaurant. There’s also parking on the street if you’re lucky to find a open spot.Wheelchair accessibility: There are elevators for easy accessibility.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5