I had high hopes for Kata Nori, but the experience was a real letdown. The food came out as more of a mush than anything else, with no real texture or freshness. Some dishes even had a fishy taste—and that’s definitely not what you look for in sushi. On top of that, a few items were so overly spiced that you couldn’t taste anything else, making it hard to enjoy the meal at all. We didn’t even finish our dinner, which says a lot. The drinks were good, and the service was fine, but when the food itself is this disappointing, it overshadows everything else. Definitely not a place I’d recommend nor I will be returning to.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 2
Service: 2
Katherine Clausing
Such a unique vibe with counter seating. Amazing fresh fish and preparations. They space out plates for you, so you can enjoy everything fresh and without rushing. The staff was talented, nice, chill. We’ll be back!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Angela Tepen
Amazing food and excellent service. Best sushi I have ever had!!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Catherine Waldrop
My favorite restaurant in KC. I just keep coming back and bringing friends. I haven't found anyone yet who isn't immediately hooked too. It's a different vibe than when you want to sit down and eat your body weight in sushi rolls but it's a superior experience in my opinion. While it's not the cheapest meal, it feels so worth it for the price to quality ratio. The balance of flavors, textures, and temperature in every dish is really superb. Don't sleep on the kinoko dish even if you aren't usually a mushroom person. I could drink that yuzu vinaigrette. And crunchy shallots? Put them on everything please. 10/10 I'll keep coming back.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Holley Diamond
It was The perfect touch to my birthday weekend upon answering on time for our reservation for me my son and two grandchildren ages 11 and 6 We were immediately greeted And seated The ambience was so relaxing and calm The music was at a perfect setting, not too loud and the sushi chefs Were amazing giving us their recommendations. The Waga Rest Roll is amazing. I need four right now just thinking about it grandson like spicy so he got four spicy type rolls And we all had the buttery rice topped with Wago YUMMY 😋 THE KIDS WERE ALSO HAPPY ABOUT THE JAPANESE SODAS. I BELIEVE THEY WERE MELON 🍈 and of course we had to try the Japanese whiskey 🥃 for Son! Service was a 10 food was a 10! We were there for a good time not a long time! and a good time was definitely HAD! food and family! I’m in love with the boutique style restaurant! It was definitely a EXPERIENCE! Chef Pham&Co You are definitely a Gem to Kansas City 🏙️ THANK YA! Now we need a couple unique Desserts 🍮 we were so full mabe we missed them 🧐🤣🫶❤️👍🙏
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Kayla Martinez
I love this place. The hand rolls are absolutely amazing. Each one comes one at a time and they are super filling and the drinks are amazing.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Ashley Pate
Absolutely fantastic food. Make sure to look at the specials too. I like trying the different crudo combinations and you can’t go wrong with the furikake rice and waygu.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Tara Silva
The food is good, nothing that throws me head over heels. You can get good sushi for half the price. It is a sushi version of fru fru food. So if that is what you like, this is your place. One of the reasons I love sushi is because it is simple and straight forward. Ohh and they talk about the nori being crispy (which to me makes it tasteless), I prefer my nori softer the taste comes through better.
Julia Chasen Thompson
Kata Nori has ruined all other sushi restaurants in Kansas City for me! The food is always excellent, and the people who work there are great - especially Lana. Prices are reasonable, especially for the quality and amount of food you get. I live closer to many other places, but Kata Nori has become my go-to!
David Ward
AMAZING sushi. Great staff, lovely menu, will be back ASAP.
The food and cocktails were amazing, but we went for our anniversary and were disappointed. We were there for the complete culinary experience and it was a total disappointment. We ordered two orders of the 5 hand roll, shared plates and cocktails. We were expecting to get the same hand rolls simultaneously, but my husband and I kept getting different rolls at different times. Come to find out our server only ordered one of the two orders. Once we identified what was happening, we had to figure out who had been served what roll during the first round. The whole experience, in my opinion, is to receive rolls at the same time and enjoy conversations about the why we like each roll more or which is the best. While the bar tender tried to offer us saki due to the mix up, it seemed our server was just avoiding the situation. I completely understand it was a mistake, but how she handled it was completely awkward. To be honest, we would have stayed and order more, but opted to spend the rest of our anniversary elsewhere.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 3
Bruce Chang
Kata Nori has quickly become our favorite hand roll bar. The atmosphere is relaxed and laid back, which makes it easy to settle in and enjoy the experience. The fish was incredibly fresh, and every dish was seasoned or sauced just right — balanced, flavorful, and never overdone.
We tried the Hotate, Maguro, Hirame, the Walu Walu, and the Five Hand Roll Set. Our standout favorites were the Hotate crudo, the Walu Walu (a baked escolar dish that was rich and perfectly balanced), the negitoro hand roll, and — surprisingly — the avocado hand roll, which was simple but absolutely delicious.
What stood out most was the consistency: each hand roll was crisp, fresh, and delivered with the right amount of care. Kata Nori nails both quality and vibe, making it a spot we’ll keep coming back to.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Celeste Lebak
For my 53rd birthday, my wife and I celebrated with a meal that reminded me why food is one of the most profound art forms we have. I’ve been fortunate enough to taste extraordinary bites all over the world – from street food that hums with soul to Michelin-starred plates that dazzle with precision – and this chef belongs in that conversation.
Each course was layered, multidimensional, and creative in ways that surprised both my palate and my imagination. Flavors weren’t just combined, they were woven – sometimes in harmony, sometimes in tension, always in a way that expanded the whole. There were moments that transported me back to the best bites of my life, and others that stood entirely on their own, unforgettable and new.
This is a kitchen that deserves a beard nomination and a Michelin visit. The artistry here is more than technical skill – it’s vision, it’s play, it’s craft at a spiritual level. If you care about food as memory, as celebration, as an experience that lives with you long after the plates are cleared, you need to eat here.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Billy Rae
Kata Nori is simply amazing! Every hand roll we tried was fresh, flavorful, and beautifully made—truly a sushi lover’s dream. The atmosphere is cozy and modern, with a U-shaped bar that lets you watch the chefs work their magic right in front of you. On top of that, the staff is friendly, attentive, and makes you feel completely welcome. A perfect spot for anyone who wants incredible food, a great vibe, and top-notch service.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
Tyrone Marquez
Incredible!! That is all I can say. The rolls were unbelievably amazing. Especially the fatty tuna. Superb!! The entire staff was amazing, knowledgeable and friendly. The most incredible experience I have had at a local sushi spot. I ate so much delicious food I needed to be rolled out in a wheel chair. It was great, I can not recommend it enough.
I had high hopes for Kata Nori, but the experience was a real letdown. The food came out as more of a mush than anything else, with no real texture or freshness. Some dishes even had a fishy taste—and that’s definitely not what you look for in sushi. On top of that, a few items were so overly spiced that you couldn’t taste anything else, making it hard to enjoy the meal at all. We didn’t even finish our dinner, which says a lot. The drinks were good, and the service was fine, but when the food itself is this disappointing, it overshadows everything else. Definitely not a place I’d recommend nor I will be returning to.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 2
Service: 2
Such a unique vibe with counter seating. Amazing fresh fish and preparations. They space out plates for you, so you can enjoy everything fresh and without rushing. The staff was talented, nice, chill. We’ll be back!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Amazing food and excellent service. Best sushi I have ever had!!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
My favorite restaurant in KC. I just keep coming back and bringing friends. I haven't found anyone yet who isn't immediately hooked too. It's a different vibe than when you want to sit down and eat your body weight in sushi rolls but it's a superior experience in my opinion. While it's not the cheapest meal, it feels so worth it for the price to quality ratio. The balance of flavors, textures, and temperature in every dish is really superb. Don't sleep on the kinoko dish even if you aren't usually a mushroom person. I could drink that yuzu vinaigrette. And crunchy shallots? Put them on everything please. 10/10 I'll keep coming back.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
It was The perfect touch to my birthday weekend upon answering on time for our reservation for me my son and two grandchildren ages 11 and 6 We were immediately greeted And seated The ambience was so relaxing and calm The music was at a perfect setting, not too loud and the sushi chefs Were amazing giving us their recommendations. The Waga Rest Roll is amazing. I need four right now just thinking about it grandson like spicy so he got four spicy type rolls And we all had the buttery rice topped with Wago YUMMY 😋 THE KIDS WERE ALSO HAPPY ABOUT THE JAPANESE SODAS. I BELIEVE THEY WERE MELON 🍈 and of course we had to try the Japanese whiskey 🥃 for Son! Service was a 10 food was a 10! We were there for a good time not a long time! and a good time was definitely HAD! food and family! I’m in love with the boutique style restaurant! It was definitely a EXPERIENCE! Chef Pham&Co You are definitely a Gem to Kansas City 🏙️ THANK YA! Now we need a couple unique Desserts 🍮 we were so full mabe we missed them 🧐🤣🫶❤️👍🙏
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I love this place. The hand rolls are absolutely amazing. Each one comes one at a time and they are super filling and the drinks are amazing.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Absolutely fantastic food. Make sure to look at the specials too. I like trying the different crudo combinations and you can’t go wrong with the furikake rice and waygu.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
The food is good, nothing that throws me head over heels. You can get good sushi for half the price. It is a sushi version of fru fru food. So if that is what you like, this is your place. One of the reasons I love sushi is because it is simple and straight forward. Ohh and they talk about the nori being crispy (which to me makes it tasteless), I prefer my nori softer the taste comes through better.
Kata Nori has ruined all other sushi restaurants in Kansas City for me! The food is always excellent, and the people who work there are great - especially Lana. Prices are reasonable, especially for the quality and amount of food you get. I live closer to many other places, but Kata Nori has become my go-to!
AMAZING sushi. Great staff, lovely menu, will be back ASAP.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
The food and cocktails were amazing, but we went for our anniversary and were disappointed. We were there for the complete culinary experience and it was a total disappointment. We ordered two orders of the 5 hand roll, shared plates and cocktails. We were expecting to get the same hand rolls simultaneously, but my husband and I kept getting different rolls at different times. Come to find out our server only ordered one of the two orders. Once we identified what was happening, we had to figure out who had been served what roll during the first round. The whole experience, in my opinion, is to receive rolls at the same time and enjoy conversations about the why we like each roll more or which is the best. While the bar tender tried to offer us saki due to the mix up, it seemed our server was just avoiding the situation. I completely understand it was a mistake, but how she handled it was completely awkward. To be honest, we would have stayed and order more, but opted to spend the rest of our anniversary elsewhere.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 3
Kata Nori has quickly become our favorite hand roll bar. The atmosphere is relaxed and laid back, which makes it easy to settle in and enjoy the experience. The fish was incredibly fresh, and every dish was seasoned or sauced just right — balanced, flavorful, and never overdone.
We tried the Hotate, Maguro, Hirame, the Walu Walu, and the Five Hand Roll Set. Our standout favorites were the Hotate crudo, the Walu Walu (a baked escolar dish that was rich and perfectly balanced), the negitoro hand roll, and — surprisingly — the avocado hand roll, which was simple but absolutely delicious.
What stood out most was the consistency: each hand roll was crisp, fresh, and delivered with the right amount of care. Kata Nori nails both quality and vibe, making it a spot we’ll keep coming back to.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
For my 53rd birthday, my wife and I celebrated with a meal that reminded me why food is one of the most profound art forms we have. I’ve been fortunate enough to taste extraordinary bites all over the world – from street food that hums with soul to Michelin-starred plates that dazzle with precision – and this chef belongs in that conversation.
Each course was layered, multidimensional, and creative in ways that surprised both my palate and my imagination. Flavors weren’t just combined, they were woven – sometimes in harmony, sometimes in tension, always in a way that expanded the whole. There were moments that transported me back to the best bites of my life, and others that stood entirely on their own, unforgettable and new.
This is a kitchen that deserves a beard nomination and a Michelin visit. The artistry here is more than technical skill – it’s vision, it’s play, it’s craft at a spiritual level. If you care about food as memory, as celebration, as an experience that lives with you long after the plates are cleared, you need to eat here.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Kata Nori is simply amazing! Every hand roll we tried was fresh, flavorful, and beautifully made—truly a sushi lover’s dream. The atmosphere is cozy and modern, with a U-shaped bar that lets you watch the chefs work their magic right in front of you. On top of that, the staff is friendly, attentive, and makes you feel completely welcome. A perfect spot for anyone who wants incredible food, a great vibe, and top-notch service.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
Incredible!! That is all I can say. The rolls were unbelievably amazing. Especially the fatty tuna. Superb!! The entire staff was amazing, knowledgeable and friendly. The most incredible experience I have had at a local sushi spot. I ate so much delicious food I needed to be rolled out in a wheel chair. It was great, I can not recommend it enough.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
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