Nara Japanese Restaurant

There is really no place in Redmond to eat quality Japanese food. So this is probably as good as it gets. I tried the Oyako donburi. It was just average - nothing spectacular. For an average restaurant, the prices are fairly high (donburis around $10 and other entres like teriyaki, udon and > $10). The high prices don't seem warranted for the quality of food that you are getting. If i've got a craving for Japanese, this is not a place I'd come running to. more

This place isn't very authentic and service is bit lousy. I had Oyako Donburi which was alright but the Sushi didn't look to fresh. It's one of the few Japanese restaurants in Redmond, so for that, it's decent. more

Unfortunately my daughter has discovered sushi and sashimi. The unfortunate part of this is that she has acquired a taste for toro. I took her there once after school (4:00pm or so) and it was empty... usually I would turn around when I walk into an empty restaurant, but I decided to try this place so I stayed. The udon was served in a hot cast iron bowl, so the soup and noodles stayed hot. The flavors here tend to be more on the "mild" side of Japanese cuisine. The more "salty" flavors originate from the Tokyo region compared to the "Kansai" region. I ordered an "Omakase" toro sashimi plate from the chef. They had several types of toro there including super white, hamachi, blue fin, etc... Between my daughter and myself lunch cost us $50! It's O.K. toro is expensive, but this place has some of the best selection of toro on the Eastside. Besides, if any guy wants to date my little girl in the future, he'd better be rich! ;) more

Sushi can be good and very bad...there is little middle ground and Nara's has done a good job with what they have. Although the menu is somewhat limited, they do prepare everything well and I've always felt that the ingrediants are fresh. Prices are reasonable and the quality is consistent. more

Nara is across the street from RTC on Cleveland Street. I've found it's the freshest and tastiest of the Japanese places in the area (Todai makes me gag, and Kikuya's rolls are too big, dry & not the freshest tasting). more