Nakama Japanese Steakhouse

06/01/2008 Posted by Pittsburghfoods

While Nakama is the perfect place for a few cocktails and some 'okay' sushi and steak, don't come here expecting the world's greatest meal. You will leave unsatisfied. A few things to understand before making your reservation at nakama: it is expensive, it is crowded, it is loud, and it is filled with 20 and 30-somethings. So, if you are looking for a more upscale but still young scene, Nakama is a great place. If you are looking for SUSHI, walk about 8blocks up the street to Sushi Too. There you will find better prices and MUCH better sushi. The review below me said new to Pittsburgh, and I am happy to tell you, friend, that luckily that is NOT the best sushi in Pittsburgh. Try these places: Sushi Too (south side) Little Tokyo (Mt. Lebanon) the Fish Market (in the Westin Hotel) and surprisingly, the stand inside Wholey's is great if you get there when its open (i.e. lunchtime) Hope you find a place you like:)

05/29/2008 Posted by tyee17

I made reservations at Nakama on a Friday night. It was very busy and valet parking was the only way of parking. We waited about 20 minutes past our reservation and were seated at large table where our chef performed "tricks" for us while cooking. He wasn't very good. One of the first things I noticed when entering the restaurant was all of the sushi chefs were black/hispanic. I thought this was slightly odd. My girlfriend and I ordered strictly from the sushi menu. The rolls were very small and the taste was less than mediocre. This place is not a place to go if you want a good Japanese/Sushi. I wouldn't recommend this place for anyone who wants good food.

Pros: Trendy

Cons: Expensive, poor service, subpar food

05/10/2008 Posted by oiffer

I wrote my original review (below) and was wondering who these people were that were giving Nakama 5 star ratings. So I did a little exploring and found that most of the five hundred and sixty some reviews were given in a 1 to 2 month time period in 2006... all the users who gave these reviews only gave 1 review using their citysearch accounts... and that review was for Nakama. I'm sorry, but I have to call shananagans on this. Looks like 'someone' decided to get a good rating on citysearch and wrote themselves a whole mess of good reviews. I just couldn't believe that Pittsburghers have as poor a pallatte as these 5 star reviews led me to believe. Shananagans! <original post> I just moved to Pittsburgh recently and was hoping to find a decent place to get sushi. Everyone has been talking about Nakama, supposed to be a great place to eat. So, I took my wife to try it out. I actually enjoyed the atmosphere, which some people didn't like. It is loud, but isn't supposed to be a quiet suit-n-tie place. We ordered strictly from the sushi menu. First things first... ordered hot tea, which was cold. Asked for another, got it... still cold. Never got the miso soup we ordered. Got our sushi which was missing some of the order, which we had to ask for. The sushi itself was just ok... nothing spectacular. sushi should be fatty... this was not. Very lean... kind of bland. And the check was quite hefty for the low quality of the meal. This was a real dissappointment. Will not go back here. I hope this isn't the best sushi place in Pittsburgh.

Pros: Atmosphere

Cons: Food, Service

04/03/2008 Posted by PGHfoodcritic

Been there 3 times....shame on me but wanted to give it a chance....nothing good to say. Overpriced, terrible service and is way over packed/booked on Fridays and Saturdays!!

Pros: nothing

Cons: nice building...wippy

02/13/2008 Posted by sobigandhungry

SO expensive..try some of the other places for hibachi in pittsburgh and you will see they are so overpriced. Average food and the sauces are horrible.

Pros: nice place

Cons: price, food quality, attitude

01/02/2008 Posted by femenesca

The only thing this place has going for it is it's atomsphere- and by that I mean the building and decor. It was noisy and over crowded as soon as we walked in. The place was completely packed and had a line around the restaurant waiting to be seated. Enough is enough- take a reservation or stop accepting walk-ins! I have never had such a bad server experience as well- unattentive and horrible! Our entrees came out before our apps... the food was horrible... our order was wrong... and the sushi was HORRIBLEEEEEEE. I have been to many sushi restaurants and restaurants in general... never again.. not recommendeddddddddd at ALL.

Pros: none

Cons: long wait, over crowded, horrible service

12/19/2007 Posted by mica037

I am a regular at Nakama. I must say, delicious food ( I am addicted to the sushi Maki Platter ) However, service is dreadful. My last 5 times at Nakama the waiters had no idea what came with my meal ( I had to litterally tell him what came with it! ) and almost seamed as though he was high on some reefer. They all seem very untrained and lazy. Its a shame, but I keep going back because of the delicious food. If you decide to go to Nakama, dont expect great service, but expect some good sushi!

Pros: Great Sushi ( depending on the chef of course )

Cons: Staff are morons.

11/30/2007 Posted by cmshetter

Nakama WAS my favorite restaurant...four years ago. Yes, it's been around that long but most of its current clientèle won't be able to recall the days when the seating was ample, sushi was uniquely fresh, or when you could still find parking on the South Side. I've lived in the South Side for 5 years, and my, have I seen a dramatic shift. Nakama is a quintessential example of what can happen to a great restaurant or neighborhood. The establishment traded good food, fun and quality for martini's, bad (live?) music, and halter tops in January. Yin'zers go to Nakama so that they really feel like they are "going aught, aught" to the "COOLEST!, HIPPEST!, EDGIEST!, HOT SPOT IN THE 'BURGH! " Why? Because Nakama has done a phenomenal job of marketing itself as such. The bottom line? The food is lackluster, the crowd is obnoxious and the staff is over worked, (and occasionally rude...hey, they're not hurting for business so few ticked off customers are just a drop in the bucket). If you want to escape the monotony of suburban life and pretend like you're eating exotic (aren't we SO worldly with our saki-drinks and new duds from the SouthSide Works) then by all means go. Pay for the valet, otherwise you'll be circling around looking for parking for 20 minutes (yes, even on a Tuesday) but know that you'll be taking parking away from residents and run the risk getting side swiped by your fellow party pals since the valet simply huts for street parking so you don't have to. If you want to try REAL sushi, go to Kiku in the nearby (and equally trendy) Station Square (oodles of parking!) or try Wholey's for a less expensive (and less classy) option. Oh and a side note: Attn. Frat Boys: Please try to remember after your 8th Yager Bomb that there are tax-payers, elderly and families residing in your party central. PLEASE! Stop the unnecessary vandalism and violence! And call a cab for God's sake!

Pros: Feel like a hipster, parties can be fun

Cons: Crowded, noisy, no parking, unauthentic food, over worked staff

09/01/2007 Posted by seafood_lover_101

had dinner htere last night on a reccomendation of a friends wife, really bad - sushi rice was overcooked and when we mentioned it the staff was less than concerned. Fish was obviously frozen and of poor quality to begin with. It really reminded us of sushi purchased in a grocery store or cafeteria lunch kiosk, really! The catchy menu items do not live up to thier descriptions, sublime service with no emotion or feeling. Overall I will not return - there are far too many places that offer good attempts at traditional sushi items around to have to put up with this typ of bad impression of classic japanese food.

Pros: Trendy location which probably saves this place.

Cons: Service, beat tired american versions of otherwise supposed good cuisine

08/23/2007 Posted by corty

I have been to Nakama a few times. The food is SALTY. The bartenders ARE TERRIBLE. My bachlorette party started here. We had a reservation for one of the private rooms for 9 p. m. We showed up at 8 p.m. and were told that the room would be ready. At 10:15 the hostess finally told us that a table opened up and we could have it but we wouldn't be sitting in the private room. The waitress took 20 minutes to come over and take the drink order. Not friendly. The chef...not friendly. I have visited for drinks on seperate occasions and apparently I am not cool enough to get a refill on my cabernet. After sitting for about 10 minutes with an empty glass the bartender, after flirting with a bunch of women, walked by and I grabbed his attention and asked what I had to do to get another glass of wine. He replied, smuggly mind you, "sorry, you don't have to get snippy". I have never snubbed any person tip wise but that chump got zilch from me. I say....don't waste your time. Especially if you really enjoy Japanese food. If you are 22 and superficial, by all means have a ball. The first time I went to Nakama I met the owner. Boy would I like to see her again.

Pros: They have electricity and running water

Cons: Too many to list