Nanami Cafe

Favorite sushi place in the city! A great variety and some dynamite specialty rolls. I could drink the special sauce on the flaming dragon roll! The location is great too, especially for cool summer nights, you can sit outside next to the water. Friendly staff and great sake, too!

Oh my goodness! I can’t believe it took me so long to discover this little gem of a place– a friend recommended it long ago. Their sushi is DIVINE. I ordered a roll of shrimp avocado and a roll of salmon asparagus for takeout. So authentic and wonderful, and the takeout came with soup and a salad as well. I’m astounded! I didn’t sit down and eat, but the restaurant looked very charming. Definitely coming a second time.

I was looking for a new sushi spot in the city and stumbled upon Nanami. They conveniently had a Living Social at the time, so I purchased it and went straight to dinner. I’ve lived in Baltimore my whole life and always hang out in Fells and never knew Nanami existed. The sushi and mochi was great. Tons of options for rolls. Server was attentive. For some reason our wasabi wasn’t spicy so we had to keep asking for more — but that’s my only complaint. Go visit and take your shoes off! I’m glad to have found this spot and will be back.

Being from California, I thought I could only get great sushi there. Oh how wrong I was. This has the best sushi I may have ever had. I usually don’t like the tempura or any of the «crunchy» rolls because they can get really greasy, but my goodness, it was so well done here! My half-​Japanese boyfriend is a huge fan, and I’m thinkin he’s qualified to make a valid judgment.
We’ll be returning… a lot.
See you there!
Beware that parking could be a b*tch since it is in the great part of Fells next to the water.

It’s a cute little place right on the water in Fells Point. We had a big party so we couldn’t sit in the booths, but if you do, you can take off your shoes in the more traditional Japanese way.
Up front, I have to disclose that we knew the waiter so our service was top-​notch.
Our favs included the sashimi boat, which had a great selection of salmon, fatty salmon, various types of tuna, black snapper (sliced two different ways and presented with the skeleton and head on the dish) and yellowtail. The sashimi roll was a fun surprise– it was salmon and avocado wrapped in cucumber and came with a green mayo, which was super refreshing! The live scallops were a special that day and were extremely tender and delicious. The other special was live uni, which had a delicate, briney flavor. Both specials were presented in the their shells, which was fun.
We ordered plenty more that were good but not necessarily unique: spider roll, love roll (soft shell crab, tuna, crunchy stuff), flaming dragon roll (which was fun for the show but the roll itself was kind of overly cream cheese-​y), two orders of hamachi kama (cooked yellowtail jaw), and to fill us up a bit more, beef and salmon teriyaki.
We got a complimentary dessert of mango mochi ice cream and these adorable oranges that were transformed into the cutest bears. We also tried a tasty white peach sake!
Overall, our bill was about $ 260 before tax– not bad for 7 people eating a ton of fresh fish.
It was easy to find street parking just a few blocks away and the restaurant wasn’t too busy for lunch on a Sunday, though it apparently fills up a bit more after NFL games end in the afternoon.

Went in here on a cold weekend night.
Got a big bowl of noodle soup and some sushi. The staff was attentive and there’s a reason it’s been here for so long: they know how to do sushi well, whether it’s a simple roll or something complicated like the sea urchin.

If you are looking for a place to satisfy your sushi/​sashimi craving, definitely consider Nanami Café. I have tried this sushi restaurant 3 times, and each time has left me feeling happily satisfied!
Ambience — The restaurant is sparsely decorated, but it is one of my favorite sushi dining environments due to their attempts of recreating Japanese dining tables — guests can sit on a long bench on cushions while enjoying the nice window view of Fells Point outside.
Service — Every time that I have been here, the restaurant hasn’t been too crowded, making for very fast service. I usually wait for no more than 10 – 15 minutes for the first rolls to come rolling out.
Food — Similar to most sushi restaurants, the entrees are made to order. Each bite of sushi is fresh and flavorful. The sushi menu is varied, ranging from traditional California rolls to specialty rolls for the more adventurous. We tried two specialty rolls, the love roll and the crispy roll, both of which were so good that I would definitely order them again the next time that I am there. The crispy roll is especially worth the money, considering it was topped with a mountain of crispy fried ebi (shrimp). Also, the sashimi is as good as sashimi can get. We ordered a platter of sashimi, which included tuna, yellow tail, rockfish, «white tuna», and salmon. The salmon and white tuna were the stars of the platter, but the others were pretty tasty as well. I was happy that the sashimi came with a bowl of rice on the side.
Price — The prices are high, but standard as compared to other sushi restaurants. Basic sushi rolls range from $ 5 – 10, while specialty rolls cost around $ 10 – 15. Our platter of 15 pieces of sashimi was $ 22.
Additional tips:
*Check groupon before heading out to Nanami Café. Sometimes there is a $ 25 for $ 45 coupon, which makes the sushi meal cheaper than Nanami Café’s competitors.
*Order around 1.5 to 2 rolls per person for starters, since some rolls are quite large (especially the specialty roll).
*Be prepared to take your shoes off if you want to sit at the Japanese style dining tables by the windows.
*The sushi boats have great presentation, but may not be worth the money for people who are interested in picking specific flavors. The sushi rolls that come with the boat are pretty basic.

I continue to think that Nanami is a good choice for a casual destination for sushi. The menu has a lot of sushi options as well as some entrees and other fare from which to choose. The service was a lot better since my last visit and we enjoyed our sushi. We ordered a variety of specialty and traditional rolls. The food quality tends to be consistent and while everything is good, I think I’m still more partial to the traditional rolls but that might be more personal preference. Overall, worth a visit, but if you’re looking for something with a little more ambiance I’d suggest elsewhere.

Yum!!! So many times I am in fells and say… What do i feel like today? Sushi! And guess where I go…
Over the years the quality has remained consistent here. Everything that I have ordered has been on point. From udon to sushi rolls. And more sushi rolls. It always amazes me that chefs are able to come up with so many different variations of rolls! Rainbow roll is a go to. The yummy roll with the craw fish on it… I was skeptical at first… But surprisingly it was really good. Eh, should’ve known. Then tried the Amy roll. Very nice. Good creaminess and flavor.
Depending on how hungry you are will depend on the number of rolls. But 2 per person to start is not too bad… Keep in mind some of the speciality rolls are huge!!!
Anyways… I’m going to be back. No question about it.

Shusi, sushi, sushi, yes, please! This is my favorite sushi place in Baltimore. They have the standard rolls you would find in most suhi restaurants, but then they have a variety of unique Baltimore rolls, and daily specials. On this visit we had the Alaskan roll and a Yummy roll. Both were fresh and delicious and larger than your standard rolls. The pieces of the Alaskan roll were so big it was a challenge to eat them in one bite. The Yummy roll was topped with grilled shrimp, which made it well, yummy!

I really did not know what to expect from this place when I first walked into this place. It is nothing spectacular about the atmosphere other than the Japanese style sitting area. But I will tell you one thing, the food is amazing !! Everything down to the rice is fluffy and delisious. We ordered the Chesapeake Bay roll #3, shrimp tempura, and the dumplings as a appetizer. And I ordered the 3 roll lunch and my girl had the vegetable tempura lunch special. Everything like I said was extremely fresh. My 3 rolls were California, spicy tuna, and shrimp tempura. I highly recommend this place especially if you love sushi

Generally good sashimi but a little pricey for the amount they give you, so I’m not super impressed. Would recommend Niwana up near Homewood because of the greater portion size.
Also they incorrectly calculated our check so make sure all your orders arrive or the orders that don’t are taken off.

Beef negimaki-​average. Beef is not very tender. Scallions are a little hard to chew. Good taste of sauce. The broccoli is almost raw and tasteless. Pickled red carrot, daikon and cabbage is not bad.
Chicken katsu-​bad. The sauce is absolutely awful. It tastes like cola, sour and strong. Average chicken. Rice-​delicious. Good quality of Japanese rice with sesame on top. Warm, soft and chewy.
Slow service.

Decent sushi lunch prices. Lots of food for how much you pay! I got the combo box which made me SUPER full. The service was very good, and I like the seating arrangements — you can choose between sitting at a normal table with chairs, or a table that is close to the ground where you sit. Would definitely go back for the awesome sushi!

Do not go here. Yes the food is great and definitely fresh. The service on the other hand, the complete opposite. Not friendly towards guests and very slow service. Completely forgot about my appetizer.
The main reason for my 1 star review is that they stole from me! I have been working in the hospitality industry for four to five years now. I have done front and back of the house work. I know the business.
I do not leave tips for service like I received here.
I signed for my total of $ 55.81, with no tip, on a Friday evening. Monday the charge clears for $ 61.81 on my bank account. Someone felt obligated to $ 6 of my hard earned money. Charging money that I did not sign for is stealing. It is absolutely and undeniably unprofessional!
UPDATE:
I have called the restaurant to inquire about my unapproved $ 6 tip. After asking to speak to a manager I was asked «who is this?»
The same lady proceeded to talk with me, never indicating if she was the manager, or if they even have one!
I was told that because the severs make their money from the tip that I am the one stealing from them! Absurd!
Continuously told me that if I am not going to tip, they are not going to serve me and to not come back. Extremely rude staff. Ashamed I spent my money there

This is my favorite sushi place in all of Baltimore. The sushi is delicious, relatively inexpensive (for sushi), and decently-​sized. I can’t stand the places that charge you $ 17 for rolls that have very little in them and are tiny. This is never the case here.
My boyfriend’s Dad began with an order of uni (sea urchin), and he said it was the freshest and most delicious uni he has ever tried. (But be careful! It was $ 30 a pop as we later found out!) For dinner we split the Amy, Love, Oscar, and a special roll. And as with any visit of ours, of course we ordered the Flaming Dragon. This is far and away the best sushi roll I have ever had. It’s truly a Baltimore gem.
The food here never fails to disappoint. Expect to find me back here shortly.

Foods actually really good to my surprise but the service so slow and so forgetful. We asked for a highchair clearly Bc we had a child w us and they never brought one over so I had to go get one myself, asked for hot tea about 4 times… They weren’t busy not sure why they are so scatter brained. And the high chair put at the end of our tad why does the waitress keep bringing out the food and putting it in front of the baby ??? Really lady and she brings out the udon and she goes be careful pot is hot and then puts it in front of my baby…
Would go back Bc food is good better than Ra and not as crazy expensive as Azumi

DONT GO HERE. I am literally appalled and shocked at what just happened at Nanami Café. After they once again left out part of our takeout order, the two rude employees I spoke with then proceeded to hang up on me when I called to ask about it because they said they were too busy.
When I walked back to the restaurant in person to ask them about the missing piece of the order we’d PAID for and not received, they told me I was an ASSHOLE and to not ever F****** come back. And there was one table in the restaurant total so earlier when I called, the employee was clearly lying about being so busy he needed to hang up the phone.
When I asked to speak to their manager, the five young staff members formed a line and said they were all managers and continued to curse at me. And again to not ever F****** come back.
It’s very disappointing as we’ve consistently ordered dinner from here at least 4x a month for the past two years, despite dealing with horrible customer service and extremely rude staff as a result of the convenience to our apartment and somewhat decent taste of the sushi.
Our orders have been constantly incorrect, missing pieces, wrong items etc. Isn’t the whole order of take out that you don’t have to go back to your home and request what you wanted in the first place?
a very frustrating experience that thankfully will be our last. Go to sticky rice or asahi sushi on Broadway for a much better experience and meal.

I love trying out different sushi places to see what kind of exotic rolls each place has to offer. A must try roll you absolutely have to get is the Flaming Dragon roll. It is a little pricey, but totally worth it. The waiter brings this roll out in foil, then lights it on fire. That’s right, LIGHTS IT ON FIRE! It had a smoky delicious flavor I’ve never had when having sushi. If you order enough rolls, they will bring you the sushi out on a sushi boat! That was incentive enough to my friend and I to order a ton of sushi just so we could say we had a sushi boat. The presentation was beautiful! It’s nice that it is located right on the water so you can enjoy beautiful scenery while you enjoy your sushi.

Not the freshest food that I’ve had, the fried onion sushi was my favourite so far. Miso soup was good, the chicken teriyaki wasn’t fresh according to my husband. We had the ume sake which was great.

Went on a Friday night around 9, and it was empty. I finally got to sit at one of those japanese tables by the windows, but it turned out to not be the best idea because we had to take our shoes off and it was cold outside.
I tried the Onion roll: Tuna and cucumber on the inside and a fried onion and a dot of hot sauce on the outside. This roll was DELICIOUS!!! It was almost like a thin onion ring on the outside. The combination was genius.
Next time I’d skip the Alaska Roll: It was just too big for a bite. There were other rolls that interested me more.
Today, I’m still talking about how good it was.
P. s. — try LivingSocial, they still may have a deal.

What this place lacks in ambiance and service, it makes up for in the quality of their raw fish and chef aesthetics.
The experience:
1) The sushi is fresh, delicious, and full of flavor. I can’t say for sure, but their sushi reminds me of the sushi I had in Japan aka the fish is/​was never frozen.
2) They have tatami mats! The one where you sit with your shoes off, which I think is an enjoyable and refreshing way to dine, especially if you’ve never tried it.
3) The sushi chef does a great job with making the sushi look aesthetically appealing. Don’t get me wrong, it’s nothing ridiculously fancy, but it reminds me of French cuisine, where presentation is not gaudy, but subtle and pleasant. Each piece of a roll looked like it was cut with very delicate precision, and each piece of sashimi was definitely laid out with consideration.
Lack of Ambience:
My first impression was fairly lackluster. The place does not look unkept, but it could use some remodeling. There are a couple of «signature» Japanese decorations, but otherwise the place looks kind of like my room — none of the interior décor really «speak» to each other as if everything was bought on an impulse *ahem* (haha, oh well, not like I’m trying to impress anyone here!).
There are 3 tatami tables with four seats each — definitely not an option for large groups.
Service:
The drinks and food arrived in a timely manner, but the waitress was definitely not in it for the tips. Imagine yourself going to work; you did your job quickly and efficiently, what more can your boss ask for? Well, this is exactly how I felt the service was here. Not amazing, no one smiled, but it was definitely efficient.
So, don’t come here expecting the kind of service where they anticipate your needs. It was one waitress for the entire place, so yes, at times you will have to flag the waitress down yourself. But once you do, she’ll get you what you need no problem!
Overall:
If you come here, you’ll definitely enjoy the sushi! I ordered Chirashi so I could try a variety of their sashimi. I tried the octopus first and it was an eye-​opening experience. It was the most tender, melt-​in-​your-​mouth octopus I have ever had (according to Unilocaler Pete F. they must have massaged the octopus a lot!).
The rest of the sashimi was equally heavenly! The only item I didn’t like was the tamago (Japanese omelette) which was slightly dry.
Price/​portion-​wise, it’s not cheap, but the quality of the fish is absolutely amazing. I have Emma W. to thank for taking me here and I will definitely be back!