Nori Sushi Scottsdale

This is HANDS DOWN, the best sushi I’ve had in Scottsdale. The fish was so fresh and cold. Mmm. Just melted in my mouth.
The chili garlic edamame was sooooo good too! Definitely order the specialty rolls. I ordered two of them and don’t have a pic because I ate them too fast! Emily our server was top notch. She was attentive and so sweet! I can’t wait to come back! You will not be disappointed!

Outstanding sushi.
Great place for quiet cocktails.
Staff is very attentive.

You have to try Nori’s happy hour menu. Pretty amazing they charge so little for such high grade fish and high quality prep. Love this place!

Fast friendly service. Rolls came out fast just after drink order of Sake. Whole family enjoyed the experience. A place to visit and enjoy atmosphere. Definitely would come back.

This place rocks. We had the Las Vegas roll, crunchy roll, and Poke Poki roll. The first two were apart of the happy hour menu. They were all amazing. The atmosphere was calm, clean, and nice décor. I would definitely recommend it!

Of course you can’t rely on the people of Scottsdale on their Unilocal reviews, sad. Anyway, on to the my review. Ordered regular philly roll with miso soup. Both bland and something I wouldn’t go back to — which, glad I didn’t, looks like Nori Sushi has 4 food violations according to CBS 5 news.

I go to Nori in West Hollywood often and enjoy it. Here half the good items are not on the menu at this location and all the carpaccio a were seared fish which is not a carpaccio. Where is your sishito peppers and your spicy tuna on crispy rice? Would not return.

Craving Japanese style noodle soup since I was feeling poorly, found this place in the north reaches of scottsdale.
Service was prompt; drink was a delicious non sweet green iced tea. Ordered tempura udon and a Philly role to try out sushi. Sushi is pretty basic but good, hard to screw up salmon cream cheese and cucumber.
Star of show was udon; initially surprised by a smaller portion sizes served in small pot but it was perfect! There were not so many noodles that it made it hard to eat, and the vegetables were fresh as well. The broth was lighter, slightly oily and had a rich background of savory and heat. Noodles appeared to be home made to. They warned me it took 20 minutes to make but was in table in less than 10. God lunch spot if you work in the area, or looking for lighter fare in the summer

What a surprise! This unassuming restaurant caught my eye with Flame Heaters outside for the comfort of diners. The food was exceptional! The quality, texture and flavor of the sushi was a welcome surprise. The crab cake was excellent. The seafood soup was packed with shrimp, scallops, calamari, mussels, noodles and vegetables. I have never tasted anything like this. The dessert was delightful. The waiter Shawna was pleasant, knowledgeable, professional and provided fast service. The restaurant was clean and ambiance pleasant.

We are still looking for our regular Japanese restaurant since Sushi on Shed was closed.
I found this restaurant on Unilocal; it looked great, so we gave it a try.
We ordered Jjam-​Pong and Nabeyaki Udon; Udon was great, but Jjam-​Pong was tasteless.
I think the cook forgot to put salt in it; it smells good and looked good, but only tasteless.
1-​star was for the Udon, 1-​star was for the service, and 0-​star for Jjam-​Pong.
I think it’s just a one-​time mistake, so I will still go back to try other noodles, but won’t order Jjam-​Pong again.

This is one of my favorite spots for sushi. Their happy hour is solid, great service and the food has been great the 3 or 4 times I’ve been there. My biggest recommendation is their green tea waffle, you won’t regret it.

I’m not super into sushi but this place rocks. Don’t go here for a birthday, though. We told the sushi chef & waitress that it was my husband’s birthday and they didn’t do a single thing. A small gesture would have been nice. Great service. Modern, clean ambiance with a nice sushi bar & regular bar. Small place in a strip mall that will surprise you with its cool vibe. Delicious miso soup. My husband loved the poke poke roll with Dorito chip crumble & the lobster roll (I didn’t try the former and the latter was tasty, but too rich for me). Good California roll. Good sake selection.

There is a «but» coming, however, first let me say the food was delicious and the ambiance was terrific, as usual. I’ve been here a few times now, as well as other locations, and the food is always spot-​on. BUT, tonight I came in to celebrate my birthday, and despite telling my sushi chef and waitress… nothing, nada, zilch. I didn’t need anything comped, but something to make my experience special would have been, well, special. Instead I left feeling unimportant. Oh well.

Love their happy hour sushi specials! The food is fresh, exciting (they make things for you that are not on the menu if you ask) and delicious. We come here at least once a week — it’s terrific!!!

Ilona was awesome. Great recommendation on food and drink. Very friendly.
Sushi and all food great. Yes on the waffle dessert. Must try.
Will return

Found it by accident while on a getaway. It’s so much better than the West Hollywood location. Loved the ambiance, waiter and especially the food. We will be back the next time we’re in Scottsdale.

Sushi in the desert … oh YA!
We tried several rolls and types of Nigiri and were NOT disappointed by any of it! A good Japanese beer and vanilla gelato as a finisher. Our host and waitress were attentive, informative, friendly and FABULOUS!!! We are visitors from Iowa and know we WILL be back next visit.

«Life is short, eat dessert FIRST»
The wisdom of this slogan will become apparent as you read my review.
My partner and I visit Japan several times a year and are always looking to find sushi that compares to Tokyo. Up until now, we’ve struck out in Scottsdale.
Kudos to Nori. Finally a sushi restaurant that is on par with the freshest sushi we enjoy in Japan. It took a Korean chef to create the ultimate Japanese sushi restaurant. How BRILLIANT is that!
The service is another standout. I hope Jenny, our fabulous and attentive server, reads this. JENNY is probably THE BEST SERVER we’ve had the joy to meet here in Scottsdale. That’s quite a compliment as we go out to eat at least 7 times a week, if not more, as we usually go out for lunch during the week and breakfast every weekend. That’s a lot of servers that we get to meet. What impressed me most was that Jenny knew exactly when my beverage had to be refilled AND she brought a fresh, cold glass every time! It’s the little things that make a difference.
But I digress… lets talk about dessert. From the minute I glanced at the menu, I knew I had found the ultimate home away from home. As not only does Nori offer the finest & freshest sushi in town, it also offers homemade gelato. We had to pinch ourselves, as finding our two favorite foods under one roof is unbelievable!!!
If you don’t order the green tea waffle with homemade gelato you’ll be missing out big time.
In conclusion: it doesn’t get any better than this if you are eating sushi in the desert. We leave tomorrow for Tokyo, but it will be nice to have Nori to come home to.
PS) special thanks to Brett for his patience in directing me to Nori. I wouldn’t have found it without him.

If anyone knows me I typically don’t show face in sushi joints. I have texture issues with anything slimy, mushy or fishy smelling near my mouth or olfactory buds. Joann and I were craving something new and exciting. and guess what Unilocal just happens to have a Hot and New category to explore! Unilocal is always my go to, embarrassingly I admit even in my hometown of Phoenix. I lived in North Scottsdale for a couple of years and it is still foreign to me when it comes to food, which is a cross I’ll bear, there I said it!
So, sushi… let’s get to it. I found Nori under the Hot and New category and wowzers we enjoyed ourselves! It’s a little hidden gem with a fabulously relaxing and quaint patio complete with bamboo stalks, water feature and breathtaking mountain views (I know, people don’t know we are surrounded by mountains in the Valley). Joann and I gussied up to the perfectly set sushi bar next to a Canadian family that was consuming mass amounts of the raw rolled stuff. I am a connoisseur of just sitting in awe at the knife skills of these clearly talented sushi chefs. I applaud those that can wield a sharp object like a surgeon without the anger management issues and produce artful masterpieces that I’m supposed to consume.
The GM Brett talked to us the entire time we were there. He was delightfully engaging, even spilling the ancient Japanese secret to their green tea waffles… nope, I’m not telling you, that’s for me and me alone peeps! He told us that there were 3 locations of Nori (Desert Ridge, Hollywood and this is the newest location). He also told us that their green tea waffles were ‘Valley renowned’, that people would trek near and far for these palate pleasing mind blowing desserts.
So after chitchatting for a bit are hunger pains took over and after perusing the menu, which was not overloaded with run of the mill crap, I decided on Golbi (Korean short ribs) and Joann did not disappoint with her choice of Chilean Sea Bass. It’s always a gamble at a new place to go hungry and expect to be satiated when you are done… this was definitely the case! Presentation of our plates was spot on; from the pedestal of beautifully dark and savory forbidden rice that the Chilean Sea Bass was strutting itself on like a new pair of red soled Loubitans to my personal cast iron cauldron full of short ribs that saturated my palate with a dark and stormy sweetness that urged me to gobble them up. Dessert… wow…Brett didn’t lie. If it were possible for me to have more kids (which are all Ginger’s for those that don’t know me well) I would name them Nori after the dessert experience we had. I felt apprehensive about anything green tea flavored, I love actual green tea but gelato and waffles?! Let’s start with the delicious aroma that came wafting out of the kitchen when the batter hit the waffle iron. Joann and I looked at each other and we knew that it was gonna satiate our inner fat girl cravings for anything sweet. When they presented our dessert it was masterfully upgraded like Beyonce with her weave… lattice work of some sugary concoctiion under the waffle, green tea macha powder dusted around the Picasso of a waffle and for the ultimate diabetic ending, the green tea gelato on top. It was not overly sweet but the crunch is what had us. yes, I said crunch. Brett just stood there watching us eat it and finally fessed up to the ancient Japanese secret. again, nope, not telling’ ya. It had hints of vanilla, and the green tea was most apparent in color but subtle in flavor, it was amazing! I won’t lie, I dreamt about that damn thing for several nights. it was that good!
To top off the great conversation, service, and food was the prices. Nori isn’t some overpriced place that you can only afford at happy hour (even though that is pretty spectacular as well). This is someplace that you can take the family and enjoy yourselves and not worry about having to send your kids to wash dishes at the end of the service. Relaxed atmosphere, beautiful surroundings… count me in again and again (well when I’m home). Excellent job Nori. thanks Brett for welcoming us and educating us!

wow this place so deserves a 4.5 rating. It is well designed and decorated and you can feel comfortable dressed either casual or well. They give you a nice warm towel when you sit down which is a great touch. Service is exceptional (reception and table-​side) and the ratio of staff to customer is perhaps the best i’ve seen in a reasonably priced restaurant.
If you are looking for a place to take the lady I think most will love the vibe here and it will feel like «a date night.» Though Nori is more or less a strip mall, once inside and you are in another world that feels contemporary, clean and rich. Steady grooves of Thievery Corp and Nightmares on Wax sneak around all night at just the right volume. Great lounge vibe.
Sake is served elegantly and correctly in a wooden box and mine had an integrated ice compartment to keep my sake cold. Sweet!
The fish quality is very good. They had bluefin toro a few of the nights I’ve been there and it was old school good. They also seem to consistently have fresh Saba and fry the bones correctly afterwards. Their presentation wows you every time and they have great plate ware and garnishes.
All of the sashimi as very fresh and high qualify right up there with some of the best.
On the down side I would say that I typically enjoy talking to the sushi chef and interacting on and off throughout the night but there is not a lot to work with here. They are a little indifferent and a little too serious. If this was a language barrier than my bad but I didn’t detect that in our limited interaction. They do certainly know sushi so this is a minor gripe.
Kanpai