Amazing sushi, great service in a super hip setting. A must for anyone visiting Portsmouth.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Jillian DePaolo
Had a horrible dining experience here and the restaurant refused to make the situation right. They don't care about the safety of there customers and serve food that will leave you sick the rest of the night.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Ken Rygler
I have been eating sushi for about 50 years, all over the U.S., Europe and Asia, including many in Japan. When I saw Nichinan's website, I was impressed. And its prices for nigiri sushi at roughly $10 per piece are well above local market competition (i.e. Ikko II, Domo, etc) and suggested extraordinary offerings. The opening video on the website shows the delicate creating of sake (salmon) sashimi. The onsite menu says sake sashimi with burnt onion and microgreens, as on the video. The actual presentation is nothing like the video, and did not include burnt onion and microgreens.
The menu is quite limited, again suggesting the limited offerings were superior. There is no miso soup on the menu but we asked the waiter and he said it could be ordered. We did, got two fairly large bowls of pretty good miso soup. We ordered shrimp tempura as an appetizer, along with our sushi order. My wife's salmon sashimi (looking nothing like the video) arrived before the shrimp tempura. Just as well,I suppose, as the tempura was just awful. Nothing like the light, fluffy coating one expects, but a thin, crunchy, too spicy crust. At least the slaw in the bowl was good. By the way, those plastic chopsticks are so slick they are harder to maneuver than traditional wooden ones at other places, so get a fork.
My wife liked her sake sashimi as she likes thin slices of fish. I prefer thicker myself. They do not offer hamachi (yellowtail), my favorite and a favorite of many of my friends and family. The waiter offered kanpachi as an alternative, but it was nothing like hamachi, taste or texture-wise. We also tried the o-toro and sake nigiri, and it was OK but nothing to write home about, again, given the price of the sake, especially. O-toro is expensive everywhere.
The atmosphere is OK, they have a bar, but it is not a sushi bar, just an ordinary drink bar. Parking is a little tricky, too.
Our expectations were so high from their website but the whole experience was a big disappointment. Barring major changes, we do not plan to return. Ikko II is better and great parking.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 2
Service: 3
Jillian De Paolo
Came here for my birthday expecting upscale dining and premium sushi but was sadly disappointed. There was no sushi bar, which should have been reg flag number one - no clue who was preparing the sushi or the standards of the kitchen. After a 2 hr wait for the plates to come out one by one I was met with non sushi grade fish, a $200 bill, and a stomach ache. Save ur self the time, money, and disappointment - go somewhere else.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 1
Service: 4
Claire
Went for a date night and it was great!! It was pricey but we were excited to splurge for date night. Our server gave great recommendations and the atmosphere was elegant and cozy. Both my husband and my drinks, B O.A.T and the health, wealth+self, were fantastic. The roasted oysters, maguro roll, chicken nanban and toro sashimi were out of this world. Skip the SAKE roll, it was fine but other things in the menu were better. We got the purin for dessert and while it was good, I would probably try something else next time. Overall, highly recommend!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Marie Butler
Saw the menu and had to grab a table. Our server was Sydney and she was funny and fantastic. Everyone at the restaurant was informative and thorough, especially since there was an allergy concern to work around. We had the karrage, chicken nanban, bao buns, and crab fried rice, and dessert. Can’t wait to come back!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Allie Bonilla
Phenomenal service! We made a reservation online a noted a fish allergy at our table. Our host and server both took the time to clarify the nature and severity of the allergy and were understanding. Our server Sydney was friendly and knowledgeable. The food was fantastic. Generous portion sizes for the share plates and everything was delicious. I would come back to New Hampshire just for this restaurant.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Micah Alter-Meeker
This is the best Japanese food I have ever had. All of the food came out hot and perfectly garnished and tasted amazing!! I highly recommend the Miso Eggplant, Spicy Crab Fried Rice, and Karaage! All of the meat was perfectly cooked and basically melts in your mouth. Even though the items are a bit pricey, they are more than worth it! The staff here is incredible as well! They are prompt, helpful, and courteous. Our waiter did excellent in recommending the best dishes on the menu! Even though it is attached to the hotel, this restaurant is open to anyone. It's very beautiful and organized on the inside and was an extremely pleasant atmosphere for a slow meal.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
J C
Food A+, Service is a little green, but the server is working on it, Ambiance is perfect for a romantic night!
Jennifer Driscoll
First time at Nichinan - very familiar with Sushi in all price ranges.
Food We Ordered - I've had better for less $, even in expensive locales Seaweed Salad - It wasn't bad, but it's not what I typically expect for seaweed salad - it does not have sesame oil. Sashimi Sampler - An underwhelming amount of Sashimi (very tiny pieces) compared to anywhere I've ever eaten sushi. Nichinan Roll & Ebi & Kani Rolls - Both Very Tasty but nothing outstanding Karaage - This was ok, but again not really awe inspiring.
Service - Very good - the servers were prompt, attentive, helpful and pleasant
Ambiance - Good - it's a cool little spot in Portsmouth - the ambiance is spot on.
We came here for a NYE dinner and I thought about not reviewing but I’ve found myself still thinking about the tuna we had that night. We order an otoro nigiri — the fattiest piece of tuna, usually the best (and priciest piece), the most decadent piece, and is supposed to melt in your mouth as you have it.
We both literally had to spit this one out. It was sinewy and chewy and I couldn’t even swallow it.
The other foods were fine but nothing was great. If you’re a sushi / Japanese food connoisseur, don’t expect quality stuff here.
I just had to write the review cuz I still think about how yucky that piece was. Kinda ruined the dinner tbh. Our server (forgot his name) also definitely didn’t know the menu at all lol or doesn’t know the food really at all. Overall an underwhelming experience.
Olga Shestopalova
I came here for date night and left with a new favorite restaurant! I don't think I've seen okonomiyaki anywhere outside of Japan and yet here it was- along with a ton of other very unique, very tasty menu items. We wanted to order one of everything, it was hard to choose! Our favorites were the sashimi, the sake roll, and the okonomiyaki. The steamed buns and tonkatsu were also really good, I like that we could get a bunch of small plates to share. Definitely get dessert- it was incredible! The cocktails were also top notch. The service was excellent and prompt, and overall the vibes of the place were really nice, it was cozy but still elegant, I will definitely be back!
MeMyself\u0026I
Have to make a reservation. Place is packed especially on weekends. Friendly staff and fast service. There's only one option for ramen though, if that is what your looking for. But food was great nonetheless...
dawn christensen
Thank you for such a lovely evening. We stayed at Hotel Thaxter and enjoyed our dinner immensely.
Amazing sushi, great service in a super hip setting. A must for anyone visiting Portsmouth.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Had a horrible dining experience here and the restaurant refused to make the situation right. They don't care about the safety of there customers and serve food that will leave you sick the rest of the night.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
I have been eating sushi for about 50 years, all over the U.S., Europe and Asia, including many in Japan. When I saw Nichinan's website, I was impressed. And its prices for nigiri sushi at roughly $10 per piece are well above local market competition (i.e. Ikko II, Domo, etc) and suggested extraordinary offerings. The opening video on the website shows the delicate creating of sake (salmon) sashimi. The onsite menu says sake sashimi with burnt onion and microgreens, as on the video. The actual presentation is nothing like the video, and did not include burnt onion and microgreens.
The menu is quite limited, again suggesting the limited offerings were superior. There is no miso soup on the menu but we asked the waiter and he said it could be ordered. We did, got two fairly large bowls of pretty good miso soup. We ordered shrimp tempura as an appetizer, along with our sushi order. My wife's salmon sashimi (looking nothing like the video) arrived before the shrimp tempura. Just as well,I suppose, as the tempura was just awful. Nothing like the light, fluffy coating one expects, but a thin, crunchy, too spicy crust. At least the slaw in the bowl was good. By the way, those plastic chopsticks are so slick they are harder to maneuver than traditional wooden ones at other places, so get a fork.
My wife liked her sake sashimi as she likes thin slices of fish. I prefer thicker myself. They do not offer hamachi (yellowtail), my favorite and a favorite of many of my friends and family. The waiter offered kanpachi as an alternative, but it was nothing like hamachi, taste or texture-wise. We also tried the o-toro and sake nigiri, and it was OK but nothing to write home about, again, given the price of the sake, especially. O-toro is expensive everywhere.
The atmosphere is OK, they have a bar, but it is not a sushi bar, just an ordinary drink bar. Parking is a little tricky, too.
Our expectations were so high from their website but the whole experience was a big disappointment. Barring major changes, we do not plan to return. Ikko II is better and great parking.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 2
Service: 3
Came here for my birthday expecting upscale dining and premium sushi but was sadly disappointed. There was no sushi bar, which should have been reg flag number one - no clue who was preparing the sushi or the standards of the kitchen. After a 2 hr wait for the plates to come out one by one I was met with non sushi grade fish, a $200 bill, and a stomach ache. Save ur self the time, money, and disappointment - go somewhere else.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 1
Service: 4
Went for a date night and it was great!! It was pricey but we were excited to splurge for date night. Our server gave great recommendations and the atmosphere was elegant and cozy. Both my husband and my drinks, B O.A.T and the health, wealth+self, were fantastic. The roasted oysters, maguro roll, chicken nanban and toro sashimi were out of this world. Skip the SAKE roll, it was fine but other things in the menu were better. We got the purin for dessert and while it was good, I would probably try something else next time. Overall, highly recommend!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Saw the menu and had to grab a table. Our server was Sydney and she was funny and fantastic. Everyone at the restaurant was informative and thorough, especially since there was an allergy concern to work around. We had the karrage, chicken nanban, bao buns, and crab fried rice, and dessert. Can’t wait to come back!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Phenomenal service! We made a reservation online a noted a fish allergy at our table. Our host and server both took the time to clarify the nature and severity of the allergy and were understanding. Our server Sydney was friendly and knowledgeable. The food was fantastic. Generous portion sizes for the share plates and everything was delicious. I would come back to New Hampshire just for this restaurant.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
This is the best Japanese food I have ever had. All of the food came out hot and perfectly garnished and tasted amazing!! I highly recommend the Miso Eggplant, Spicy Crab Fried Rice, and Karaage! All of the meat was perfectly cooked and basically melts in your mouth. Even though the items are a bit pricey, they are more than worth it!
The staff here is incredible as well! They are prompt, helpful, and courteous. Our waiter did excellent in recommending the best dishes on the menu!
Even though it is attached to the hotel, this restaurant is open to anyone. It's very beautiful and organized on the inside and was an extremely pleasant atmosphere for a slow meal.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Food A+, Service is a little green, but the server is working on it, Ambiance is perfect for a romantic night!
First time at Nichinan - very familiar with Sushi in all price ranges.
Food We Ordered - I've had better for less $, even in expensive locales
Seaweed Salad - It wasn't bad, but it's not what I typically expect for seaweed salad - it does not have sesame oil.
Sashimi Sampler - An underwhelming amount of Sashimi (very tiny pieces) compared to anywhere I've ever eaten sushi.
Nichinan Roll & Ebi & Kani Rolls - Both Very Tasty but nothing outstanding
Karaage - This was ok, but again not really awe inspiring.
Service - Very good - the servers were prompt, attentive, helpful and pleasant
Ambiance - Good - it's a cool little spot in Portsmouth - the ambiance is spot on.
Restaurantji Recommends
We came here for a NYE dinner and I thought about not reviewing but I’ve found myself still thinking about the tuna we had that night. We order an otoro nigiri — the fattiest piece of tuna, usually the best (and priciest piece), the most decadent piece, and is supposed to melt in your mouth as you have it.
We both literally had to spit this one out. It was sinewy and chewy and I couldn’t even swallow it.
The other foods were fine but nothing was great. If you’re a sushi / Japanese food connoisseur, don’t expect quality stuff here.
I just had to write the review cuz I still think about how yucky that piece was. Kinda ruined the dinner tbh. Our server (forgot his name) also definitely didn’t know the menu at all lol or doesn’t know the food really at all. Overall an underwhelming experience.
I came here for date night and left with a new favorite restaurant! I don't think I've seen okonomiyaki anywhere outside of Japan and yet here it was- along with a ton of other very unique, very tasty menu items. We wanted to order one of everything, it was hard to choose! Our favorites were the sashimi, the sake roll, and the okonomiyaki. The steamed buns and tonkatsu were also really good, I like that we could get a bunch of small plates to share. Definitely get dessert- it was incredible! The cocktails were also top notch. The service was excellent and prompt, and overall the vibes of the place were really nice, it was cozy but still elegant, I will definitely be back!
Have to make a reservation. Place is packed especially on weekends. Friendly staff and fast service. There's only one option for ramen though, if that is what your looking for. But food was great nonetheless...
Thank you for such a lovely evening. We stayed at Hotel Thaxter and enjoyed our dinner immensely.
Best sushi in Portsmouth, but the cost is high.
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