Nori Sushi

The ambience is relaxing and a cool place to escape the heat. Delicious cocktails, had the Cosmo which was light, sweet and subtly interesting. The avocado eel roll was divine. Edamame perfectly seasoned. Chicken lollipops were a bit on the spicy side, it would be nice if the dikon wasn’t saturated with the chicken sauce as to be able to provide a cooling contrast. I’ll be requesting them to do that the next time I’m there.
I would give 5 stars but a few knocks on the board. Crab cake was incredibly small for the price. Also the prices vs quantity is a bit skewed. Other than that great service, our server was attentive and timely. Also, they through in tempera ice cream dessert for birthday. Delicioso!

The place is overpriced, portions are small and food is nothing special. Service extremely lousy, had to ask for things multiple times, waiter forgot multiple items. We had eaten there before and things were better but this last experience was just too bad. Not going back.

My lil sis is a frequent visitor of this spot and has tried almost everything on the menu. So when it came to suggesting a place to eat it was easy. I love sushi so I was totally open to try and new spot when I was visiting for the weekend.
The ambiance was nice, inviting and very open. I was greeted by a lovely hostess who seated us right away. We opted to sit outside since it wasn’t super hot yet. It was nice to talk, eat and people watch.
Our server greeted us and took our drink order, we weren’t very sure on what to order so we asked a few questions. She unfortunately didn’t seem too knowledgeable on the drinks or what was or wasnt on the menu. Nonetheless we ordered some wine and a sparkling lychee. The lychee drink wasnt too sweet which was good but it didn’t have a very prominent lychee taste, so that was a bit disappointing.
We had a few dishes and just shared them. A couple recommendations that stood out the spicy, chili tofu. Delicious, it had a crunchy outer layer which was just right. The spicy sashimi salad was really good as well. The dressing was light and not too overwhelming with the fish. Yellowtail jalapeño, definitely try! Who doesn’t like Yuzu sauce?!!
To end your meal you must try the signature green tea waffle and ice cream. Sounded a lil different when they told me about it but I must admit, my curiosity paid off this time. Sooooooo good!!!

Went to Nori last night for sushi. We ordered shrimp tempura roll and Philadelphia roll. Both were good but could’ve used less cream cheese in the Philly roll. Drinks were excellent (5 stars really went for the drinks). I’m a gin girl so I got gin grapefruit and a splash of cranberry. Bartender hooked us up with a nice sake and new drink called Praying Mantis! Will definitely be returning!

The kitchen screwed up our order; brought eel but not the Philly roll and forgot the edamame, but Will made it all better and we ended up staying for hours! I’ll definitely go again.

Great sushi at fair prices. Only thing keeping this from 5 stars is consistently mediocre service.

We recently tried Nori and had a really good meal. The atmosphere is nice, cool bar area and an outdoor patio section. They have a decent drink menu and lots of yummy rolls. We had the baked lobster roll and the crunchy roll, both SO GOOD! For sushi this is one of our favorite spots in the neighborhood, they got the food and ambiance right!

Yum, yum and yum. It’s hard to think of good sushi being nestled between Yard House and Dave & Busters but it is.
Drinks were delicious — the Thai hot is the perfect combination of sweet and spicy with neither overpowering the other. I do not like cilantro but the tiny little bit they sprinkle on top adds a little something-​something.
The salmon sashimi was delicious as were our rolls. Husband can’t handle spicy but we took a chance and ordered a few of the spicy rolls — he deemed them acceptable. Rolls were creative, interesting and fresh.
It’s a bit on the spendy side but you’re eating raw fish in the desert. You should spend a little money. :)

Not an official review but omg I had a ball at Will’s expense… ty for entertaining us.
It was a, great night.
Kameran

The restaurant is on the inside of desert ridge mall, close to amc and the Yard. The place is super clean. The bar manager gave us Excellent service. The sushi is Fresh and the dsert was amazing. Wish they had reverse happy hour and I would eat here twice.

I ordered a rainbow roll and it was hands down the worst rainbow roll ever. I’ve had grocery store sushi that was better and less expansive. Based on the rainbow roll I wouldn’t eat here. Cheap ingredients, small portions and high prices.

Been here a number of times now and one word to describe Nori Sushi is: WONDERFUL :)
This is my new favorite Sushi place in Phoenix. Stumbled upon it a few months ago and been back frequently. The toro melts in your mouth, so good! I’ve tried 3 or 4 of their specialty rolls and my absolute favorite is the Sakana Trio Roll. It is mouth-​watering and has soft citrus filled boba on top — so unique! Could tell the fish was fresh and top quality from the first bite. Quality has been superb every time. Everything is good from the fish to the service to the cleanliness to the location to the patio and the desserts. I don’t drink sake but I saw they have a huge selection too!
Thank you Nori for bringing yummy sushi to our neighborhood. Always pleasant.

I came here last night for a dinner date with my mom. I found that the directions on Unilocal were super confusing and tried to take me to the Albertson’s in the Desert Ridge complex, but luckily I did see their awesome logo over by the Yard House instead of going to another restaurant.
We ordered two drinks that were definitely delivered quickly and we ordered the Edamame (yummyyyyyy), that was also out soon. We split 4 rolls, all really fresh. The rainbow roll was the first that came out and the fish tasted delicious. Our server was super cute and had a bubbly personality! The other three rolls we had were the shrimp tempura, the crunch roll, and the spicy tuna. All were delivered quickly and had a great presentation. The sushi chefs all said thank you and waved as we left, which is always a plus!
I would definitely come back in if I was in the area, but do advise them to check on the map on Unilocal to better direct people trying to get directions in the massive complex.

If there was a negative star rating that would be the most appropriate. If you like special rolls or ask for no rice don’t come here. We heard the sushi «chef» (right) complaining about having to make a roll with no rice as he couldn’t «keep it together.» Then said some other things that were rude while the manager was standing next to him. This is a true sushi place? Really — wrong chef today — we won’t be back and for the price service and quality is no where near standard — pass — !!
The «manager» contacted me after this review oblivious of any situation or how «his» operations run. Now you should know why this so-​called sushi restaurant is empty most of the time — Brent Pitts, you need to perhaps go back to MANAGEMENT 101. Again, folks. Pass on this place. Scroll down and review Tracie W’s review… Nothing has changed perhaps that may be one of the issues…

Visiting Phoenix from Iowa. First time here last night. Was not disappointed! Have to say we were very impressed with the speed our food came out after we ordered. Sure it was a Monday night, and they were not very busy, but still impressed.
The squid salad was fresh, refreshing, kind of citrusy (if that is a word). The sashimi was as excellent as I have ever had. We also had a vegetable tempura … relish The tuna carpaccio was absolutely tasty and literally melted in your mouth.
I was not very impressed with the coconut shrimp. I felt like the focus was on the breading and not the shrimp, or even a balanced focus on the two. Small potatoes, compared to the other great items we enjoyed.
We don’t get to Phoenix often, but when we get back this spot will be on the list.

We are trying so hard to like this restaurant. Tonight is our third visit and once again the bartender/​hostess is much more interested in flirting with the manager (they are sitting together in a booth in the back of the restaurant as I write) than taking care of the very few customers in the place. The sushi is good but the bar, management and wait staff are so inattentive it’s insulting. I sat in front of my empty martini glass with my sushi menu filled out for so long my husband just got up and delivered our order to the sushi chef himself. The atmosphere and location are great but sadly this was their last shot.

Best sushi/​sashimi in N Scottsdale Area! This is our favorite Japanese restaurant! My husband and I go once a week for date night! I’m ashamed that it’s taken me over a year to write this review!
First, we are sashimi connoisseurs. We’ve traveled to Japan and my husband is half Japanese, so I think we can say that with much validity. Secondly, they have gluten-​free soy sauce and they don’t treat me like a difficult customer because I request GF!
The sashimi is our main course 90% of the time and it’s always extremely fresh and properly prepared. You can order the platters which start at $ 30 and go up from there in increments of $ 10. Obvious the larger amount, you will get the variety as well as upper grades of seasonal fish available. *Ask your server what the specialties are of the day. We recommend the Shochikubai chilled sake to go with. It’s our Japanese style «wine with dinner» concept.
The bartender, Chris, is very creative with making new and hip cocktails. The most recent favorite of mine is the Fig and Cherry Mule. Yummmmo! It is made with imported Italian cherries, lime, fig flavored specialty vodka and organic real ginger beer! There’s many options of specialty drinks, so explore!
We’ve had a few cooked dishes too! My favorite is the Baked Chilean Sea Bass. I’ve had it the usual way served, but I’m gluten-​free, so they prepare it a little different for me without the sauce. It’s excellent either way! Also, I love the scallop dish! Chicken Katsu is my husbands favorite. It’s always tender and juicy! It’s crisp and light on the outside! Seafood pancakes are my friend’s favorite! All of their dishes are a nice size portion too!
Lunch is perfect to have a bento box. Great value and you can check out different dishes.
Happy Hour: Very simple and great value! Tempura is so light and crispy! Chicken Yakitori is our personal favorite appetizer. Sushi rolls are awesome on the HH menu and regular menu. As crazy as it my sound, they have the best edamame that is never over cooked! I’ve had that happen at other restaurants numerous times. Not here!
We highly recommend Nori! Excellent service, friendly staff and cool décor! We’ve referred numerous friends and strangers there. Every single one of them had positive feedback and continue to dine there. I’ve posted a picture of most of the items I mentioned, so please check them out.
On a final note. There food is always so strategically prepared and beautiful when presented to you! We are always impressed and have to take pictures!

A gem in the Desert Ridge shopping center. Great rolls — LOVE the one with Doritos on top :) very reasonably priced and the service is awesome (super quick if you’re in a rush). I had some awesome unfiltered sake the other day for $ 9 a bottle. Unheard of!
Minus one star bc of the layout. The outside bar area and patio are great, but are right by the kids fountain. If we are having a date night, screaming kids aren’t our thing. But this area was in need of good sushi and you’ll find it at Nori.

Chose this spot in a bind when I had to find a nearby option to the hotel (JW Marriot Desert Ridge). I was pleasantly surprised at how good this place was and once again, Unilocal did me right.
Everything we ordered was delicious. The ama-​ebi was fresh (which is always a concern of mine when I’m in the desert). The winner was hands-​down the black cod. It was amazingly prepared with sweet sticky rice, and fantastic combination. The green tea mousse desert wasn’t too shabby either. The service was friendly. The space was clean and new.
If I’m around here again, I’d definitely re-​visit.

I love trying sushi at new locations whenever I travel, just to experience the variety and quality. Aside from the obvious location where I would expect sushi to be the best (Japan), I have visited Vancouver, Hawaii, Atlanta, Ohio, Missouri, California, Texas, Colorado, Utah, Florida, and a handful of other states.
I would never have expected some of he best quality and variety to come from this gem in Phoenix! The quality, freshness, texture, or sushi here is some of the best, if not THE best I’ve had. The variety is exciting, and eclectic. Their presentation (which we hold highly in Japanese cuisine) is one of the best, as we eat with our eyes first.
I definitely will be back for more… especially to try the desserts! Usually Japanese restaurants do not focus on desserts as their strong suit, this place shows pride in all their preparations it seems. Green tea waffles, chocolate lava cakes, bravo!

Nori = seaweed. As a child I remember eating nori as a snack and to this day still love it. It’s kind of funny seeing it evolve and have become the healthy form of chips and even sold in Costco. Eating nori solo is an acquired taste for some. Anyway, nori is what you see in your sushi, the part that wraps the main ingredients, just inside of the rice layer.
Going for family style for a table of 5 we chose the following:
Cold and raw sashimi:
— Toro (tuna belly) — 5 pieces of sashimi. This is my favorite because it’s a firm piece of the tuna belly yet melts in your mouth. You almost have to savor the bite or bites while eating it. When these types of fish are bought in a bidding war at the fish market they are well worth the battle. $ 28.
— Tako (Octopus) — 6 slices of octopus tentacle with lemon slivers. This probably is not my favorite because it was just too chewy. The penetrating white color against the yellow lemon looked nice on the bed of ice. $ 12
— Ika (Squid) — a mini bowl filled with squid decorated with masago (those tiny little orange fish eggs). These were better tasting than the octopus by far and were more edible to chew. $ 5
Cooked and warm sushi:
— 2 Vegas rolls — this puts the American spin in 2 ways: the cream cheese and the fact that it’s fried. This also has eel, salmon (I think) imitation crab, asparagus. If not salmon, then the imitation crab replaced it. And if not asparagus then some places use cucumber. Then the batter on the outside with some eel sauce.
— Shrimp Tempura Roll — another fried favorite. Shrimp tempura with imitation crab and asparagus. $ 10
— Soft Shell Crab Roll — fried soft shell crab with the same contents of the shrimp tempura. $ 13
Noodle dish:
— yakisoba — stir fried Japanese soba noodles with shrimp, red and green bell peppers, onions. A favorite noodle dish that anyone would love. $ 14
Then we decided to eat more. So we ordered a handful of nigiri raw fish on a little mound of rice.
— Tuna (maguro) = red color fish which is the basic of all fishes. It is firm in texture and robust in taste. $ 6
— Salmon — light peachy color with some white. This is your omega 3 fish! Semi-​soft in texture and a mild soft taste. $ 6
— Yellowtail (hamachi) — light white with hints of red flesh. This is considered an oily texture and intense in flavor. $ 6
— Mackerel (Saba) — silvery-​shiny fish that is delicate and flakey in texture and salty, cured in taste. $ 5
— Sweet Egg (tamago) — an egg cooked to a sweetness in a rectangular form. $ 5
— Salmon egg (Ikura) — large translucent dark orange salmon eggs toppled into nori and glazed over rice. Light bubble in texture and salty in taste. $ 5
— Fresh Water Eel (unagi) — Soft fish with a sweet taste because of the eel sauce made of soy sauce, rice wine and sugar. $ 6
There were a couple Kirin Lite and a large sake to show the spirit of the American way: Sake Bomber.
The waitress and the owner/​manager, as well as the bus boy were all spectacular in service. Our waitress always had a smile and was helpful. The owner/​manager was also helpful and professional to our table. The bus boy did his best to fill waters attentively. Nori hit the spot for a Friday evening!

Nori. First thing I thought of was Kanye and Kim’s daughter, Nori aka North. But no Kardashians in sight here!
One of the reasons we stopped and ate here instead of the other restaurants is because it didn’t look as busy as the others. It’s located near the movie theater which is the main reason we were in the area. We chose outdoor seating since the weather was nice out. It wasn’t too busy either since we came on a weeknight.
Service was good but food came out slowly. I’m not sure if they had a Happy Hour but it wasn’t mentioned if they did or else we would have jumped all over it. Prices are eh and our bill was way more than we expected. Food was good and tasted fresh. It’s a cute, hip spot to try if you’re in the area.

I loved Nori. It was my first time here. We were immediately greeted and sat. Given, it was 230pm in the afternoon so there was no wait.
I ordered a Tempura Bento Box. It included:
–Shrimp Tempura
–Vegetable Tempura
–White Rice
–Green salad
–Daily side (which was pork dumplings)
–Miso soup
I will say that I liked everything and ate all of it! Their tempura was very crispy. Their miso soup stood out to me because it had more ingredients than I’ve normally had in the past. YUM!
Others items that I tried off my friends plate was:
–Short back ribs
–Cucumber Roll
The ribs were very tender and flavorful. The cucumber roll was crunchy and fresh.
Our server, Jeanette, was awesome. She was kind and attended to our needs very promptly and accurately.
Awesome service, great food, beautiful decoration. I would definitely return :)