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NAO Japanese Restaurant
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Delivery:
- No
- Take Away:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- No
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- No
12 reviews for NAO Japanese Restaurant
12 reviews in English
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Review from Stephene C.
Vancouver, BC
5/7/2012 1 Check-in Here
So glad that my sister, bro in law and niece live near this restaurant, or else I probably wouldn't have known it existed!
Their rolls taste very good with fresh ingredients that are cooked to perfection. The only qualm I have is that they don't hold up very well, especially the larger rolls like the dynamite roll. They seem to crumble and fall apart easily. No, it is not my chopsticking skills, my chop stick usage is highly skilled I'll have you know. I can probably out chop stick the best of them, especially if it is judged by how much food one can shovel in ones mouth. I would win hands down lol.
Their best dish I would have to say, is their beef teriyaki. I know I know, what's so special about beef teriyaki? Well you'll definitely know if you have it at this place! It's soooooooooooooo good! It's a mix of different things that make it so delicious, their sauce, the way they cook it and the meat they use is fairly fatty and thinly cut. I'm drooling right now thinking of it, even though I just ate some. So want some more right now!
St3Fin -
Review from David L.
Updated - 12/31/2011 3 photos
NAO is one of the few Japanese run Japanese restaurants in Burnaby. I've been coming here for over a decade because they are famous for their high quality rolls.
Lately, their rolls weren't so great because they used rice in centre of their California rolls mixed with only a tiny amount of "crab meat". There are a lot of Japanese restaurants that add rice as a filler instead of imitation crab meat for California rolls. Some of their rolls were even poorly wrapped and it didn't even stick together.
They must have addressed the complaints with customers. There are so many Japanese restaurants in Vancouver, and people really know what to look for in a good quality roll.
I ordered a bunch of rolls: California, beef teriyaki, eel (BBQ eel and cucumber), and dynamite (shrimp tempura).
All of the rolls didn't break apart when handled with a chopstick and the centre of the California rolls didn't have a single trace of rice. They need to add a little more avocado for the California roll though. I could barely see any avocado at all.
The beef teriyaki, eel, and dynamite rolls were tasted like they were made care with quality ingredients.
NAO is back to their roots with making quality Japanese food.2 Previous Reviews: Show all »
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7/10/2010
I ordered some California rolls from Nao Sushi restaurant. Inside the California rolls, instead of… Read more »
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Review from Vannessa S.
Burnaby, BC
4/19/2012
The rolls are good don't get me wrong, they are stuffed with fat chunks of meat and the California rolls are hearty, full of crab, not avocado and have a tiny bit of tempura crunch that is really the cherry on top. The fish is decently fresh( you know the lobster is since they're right there watching you eat), but it didn't knock me off my feet. There are other things I look for in a sushi place, great combos, trays, good deals, nice decor, seemingly bottomless green tea, here those things seemed to be lacking. Good take out? Sure. Sitting down? There's better.
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Review from K S.
Burnaby, BC
4/1/2011
Solid restaurant for take out.
Rolls still fall apart after years, vinegar+rice ratio all wrong.
At least fish is fresh enough. -
Review from Angie T.
Vancouver, BC
12/28/2010
Sashimi not fresh
Rolls of Sushi contains mostly rice
Unagi Donburi is burnt.
unhappy experience there and wont go again. -
Review from Mark H.
10/22/2010
Why was this place so busy?
We kept it simple. Gyoza, california roll, salmon & cream cheese roll, and bluefin tuna toro roll.
Service was slow and violated my pet peeve: later arriving tables getting their food first.
Rolls were small, as in 'tapas' style sushi. As David L pointed out, their cali rolls are stuffed with mostly rice and just a bit of imitation crab, WTF!
Only decent item was the gyoza which appeared to be fresh not frozen.
Bunch of tables ordered boats of sashimi, but for the price, I doubt their bellies were happy.
I left hungry. PS they oddly don't accept MasterCard. -
Review from Katrina R.
Burnaby, BC
1/11/2010 2 photos
Good value, everything is fresh and delicious. I have eaten here a couple times and have only had rolls and nigiri, but open to trying anything else on the menu if I get the urge.
Today we just did a takeout order, but when we came in to pick it up the servers made us feel welcome and made sure we had been helped. One also chatted a little with me about the live lobsters in the tank that I had been looking at.
It seems to be busy every time we go there (mostly with asians) so I believe I can assume the food is authentic.Listed in: Places I Keep Coming Back To
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Review from Jaime T.
Burnaby, BC
Stopped here for lunch and had one of their chicken teriyaki bento boxes, plus a roll. The sashimi was fresh -- and slices were generous. Prices weren't bad either, and they kept my tea cup refilled.
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Review from Sarah O.
8/17/2009
Tasty little Japanese place. The food is authentic and run by a Japanese family. Very clean decor, friendly service, reasonable prices and an interesting menu. They serve lots of kamameshi and also zaru soba. They are open from lunch to dinner without closing in between, as well as on Sundays. Very nicely done, I'd definitely come back here if I was in the area.
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Review from Ed L.
Vancouver, BC
4/5/2010 7 Check-ins Here
One of the best Japanese restaurants in the GVRD region. Their prices has increased a little over their old Sushi House days but good value and very fresh sashimi overall.
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Review from David X.
4/4/2010
This is hands down the best sushi I have ever had! The restaurant is so named because the lady owner's last name is Nao, quelling any doubts about its Japanese authenticity. The interior decoration is nicely done with a touch of Japanese artwork without being too flashy. The same goes for the uniforms on the waitresses. It certainly is reassuring to see the sushi chefs in front have a certain aura of experience about them bestowed by their age. The sushi chefs aren't merely a trio of fresh-faced bright-eyed college students with no experience who are only wearing the traditional uniforms for appearances.
For a party of 5, we ordered the lobster sashimi (lobster and other sashimi placed in a plate shaped like a boat), the deluxe assorted sushi (nigiri and rolls), the palace tray (another combination of nigiri and rolls), and some other things that I can't remember the name of. I really liked the lobster sashimi in the boat. Aside from its beautiful presentation, they took the lobster and used it to make udon for us after we finished off all the sashimi. Everything tasted top knotch in terms of taste and freshness. Their rice was extremely well made so that it never fell apart when you tried to pick up the sushi while still being firm and flavorful. Even the more Westernized rolls were well-made, although I think the other items were better. Although we didn't order much tempura, what we did have have tasted excellent. The only thing that could be labeled a disappointment is that they didn't have live uni (sea urchin) that night, which is but a minor quibble.
The sashimi and nigiri cuts were very generous, the thickest and biggest I've seen. Therefore, the ratio of fish to rice in the nigiri is very good so you never feel like you are eating way too much rice and getting full from just rice. The variety was phenomenal and there's no way you'll be forced to eat only salmon and tuna like some other sushi restaurants. Add in the exceptional food presentation and the good service, the only question left is the price. For about $35 per person after tax and tip, we got absolutely stuffed with absolutely high quality sushi. The price is extremely fair and even cheap for what the quality and quantity you are getting. For example, the lobster sashimi was only about $38 but if you were to hypothetically buy a lobster by itself without the other types of sashimi, it would probably run you about $30 anyways.
Nao is by far the best sushi place in its area, and you would have to go to maybe Richmond or downtown Vancouver to get comparable sushi. I would try to come here as often as I could, but alas I live in Seattle, which is inferior to Vancouver B.C. in every aspect of Asian cuisine. -
Review from kumquaticus p.
Richmond, BC
9/11/2011
i am bewildered by the low ratings that this restaurant has received...quality and service were so impressive after my first visit with my husband and his family that we decided to return on our own. the portions are very generous- outstanding fish-to-rice ratio, and great value for the price. sashimi cuts(specifically the tuna and salmon) are large and fresh with a perfect, succulent texture. we also ordered a spider and a crispy roll- structurally sound, perfect ingredient ratios, decent size for the price, fresh, and delicious, as well as the yam and prawn tempura, which was beautiful- large pieces, breaded to light, crispy perfection...great flavor and texture as well. service was very friendly and fast, even though they were packed- they were able to squeeze us in at the bar;) complimentary tea was also hot and tasty, and we were frequently offered refills^_^ haven't been to Japan, but after tons of experience with sushi in California, Washington, and the lower mainland, i highly recommend giving Nao Sushi a try:)
