Nara Ramen and Sushi Bar - Downtown Boise

Sushi is delisioso! Close to home. Gotta try ramen next time! 👍🏻👍🏻

Ramen broth was not hot enough. Sashimi and other sushi rolls that were to go didn't come with wasabi, to go utensils, etc. Service was not to par

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 2

Service: 2

I love Nara as it offers the most variety in ramen out of any other options in Idaho. However I greatly suggest against ordering from this location.

My second attempt ordering here and the portion sizes are about half of what you get at Franklin Nara and most recently, I’m confident the vegan meat was rancid.

If you want Ramen, go to the Franklin location.

Atmosphere: 2

Food: 1

Service: 3

I ordered the Tori Paitan Ramen and it came to me pretty much cold. I sent it back and they ended up microwaving it. On top of everything else, the broth was bland and not much flavor. One more thing, in terms of the sauces provided where pretty much none other than some salt, pepper, and soy sauce. Unsatisfactory and should be ashamed. This was during lunch time

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 1

Service: 4

Always enjoyed

We went in at 6pm on a Wednesday evening in downtown Boise. At first, we thought it was closed because of flooding... but it turns out that it was just a thick layer of water from when they "attempted" to mop the place, and never cleaned it up. Kind of gross in the middle of mealtime. We were seated, and then ignored. No eye contact. No communication. No water. No utensils. No one came by to take an order. Eventually, what seemed like the only worker in the place wandered over to drop off a check with another table, going right past us. At that point, we were so frustrated, we walked out. We went across the street and had a wonderful dinner. Nara's decor is very well done, but management should realize that it was a giant waste of money since the poor service level will ensure that people just don't return.

Atmosphere: 2

Service: 1

noodles undercooked. meat was not desirable. almost seemed greasy by taste and appearance but maybe that’s from what makes it spicy. the waitress was attentive and food was quick. hopefully just an off night. it was pretty clean but have no intention on trying again.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 3

Service: 4

I've been avoiding coming here because of the poor vegetarian selection. The vegan option didn't sound that good, but I decided to try it out. I ordered the edamame and vegan ramen I can now say that Nara Ramen treats vegetarian/vegan dishes, like most Boise restaurants, as a hasty after thought. The broth and noddles were solid. Edamame was good. Everything else was disappointing. The broccolini was inedible and stringy, corn in ramen is odd, the fake meat isn't necessary, and the soft tofu didn't really add anything to the dish. For that you get to pay the more than many of the meat dishes with eggs and better vegetables.

Nara Ramen, if you're reading this, please put some thought into your vegetarian options. You can offer a vegetarian broth in any of the other 12 options. Vegetarians often eat eggs. Katsu Tofu would be a proper protein substitute (ditch the fake meat). Until then, I'm going to pass.

Vegetarian options: Minimal and not worth it

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 2

Service: 4

Atmosphere was quiet with no other customers inside. The server was quick prompt and attentive to our needs. Food was amazing and filling. Tasted very good!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Spicy Killer Roll

We should have read the reviews first. We decided to give this place a shot because we were hungry and we ordered ramen and sushi and boba “the ramen was a little undercooked, the meat looked undercooked and fake, the sushi was old and the tobico was old and fishy…the boba was old and had the texture of really stale gummybears, the “spicy mayo sauce” wasn’t spicy and tasted funky and not in a good way. The onion looked like grass off the ground. It wasn’t horrible but not the best either for the price I feel like it could have been a lot better.

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 1

Service: 2

Sushi roll was equivalent to a AYCE roll when you expect a bit more when it is $12. The server didn't seem too happy to be there. And for some reason half the soy sauces are empty. Not bad but not $30 for one drink and a roll.

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 3

Service: 2

Recommended dishes: Spicy Killer Roll

Decent ramen and karaage. If you are looking for a decent japanese in Boise, Nara is a good choice.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 4

Service: 4

Recommended dishes: Chicken Karaage, Spicy Beef Ramen

Vegan options were awesome. The broccoli!!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

I’ve worked in their kitchen and seen how they operate. Nothing they offer is “authentic”. There ar eno Japanese people or methods in action at this restaurant. If you want something even moderately authentic check out Island Sushi and Ramen. These people understand the basics of broth and noodles but they don’t care about their product they just want it out the window fast. Good food requires time Johnny ? I wanna see all these trash ramen dumps out of business. They have no place in Boise. We are a city of class and we demand more than what Nara has to offer.

Atmosphere: 1

Food: 3

Service: 2

Very nice staff and great design/atmosphere, but this isn't what ramen is supposed to taste like. Ramen broth tasted too rich and salty, including a glob of wet broth powder on the rim of the bowl. Ramen should be simple flavors that should come together: slow cooked pork broth, fresh noodles, some light seasoning, and simple toppings. Replacing powdered broth with Better than Bullion and making it more diluted might help a bit, if it's not possible to make a simpler broth from scratch.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 1

Service: 4