If you’re looking for a new sushi spot, Nanami Sushi Diner & Onigiri is knocking it out of the park at their quaint

Magazine Street location. 

Nanami had its grand opening on Sept. 5, after a soft opening in late July. It is a smaller place on Magazine and Sixth Streets, with a handful of seats at the bar and around 10 tables. The restaurant only takes reservations over the phone, with walk-ins welcome, along with a BYOB policy with no corkage fee. I had no trouble strolling in at 6:30 p.m. on a Thursday evening with a friend and grabbing a seat at the bar. 

Our appetizer of choice was the crispy tuna rice for $20 with a large portion, which was appreciated at this price point. Unlike other crispy rice dishes I have had, this didn’t have the rice cut and fried into separate portions, but rather all the rice was fried together. This resulted in it being less crispy than other versions of this dish. The flavors impressed, with the sauce on top as the star of the show. If you are a crispy tuna rice enthusiast, you will be satisfied.

For nigiri on the permanent menu, I went with the salmon nigiri dressed for $6 and the yellowtail nigiri dressed for $6, each served with a wasabi gel that packed the perfect punch. This was a great piece for salmon lovers like myself. Yellowtail is my favorite type of fish for sushi, so I was very happy with the thick cut that was perfectly smooth and flavorful. Dressed with a touch of sauce, it was a perfect pairing to complement the flavor of the fish.

For the sushi bar specials, I got sea eel nigiri for $9, Seki-Aji, house mackerel nigiri dressed for $8 and the purple uni nigiri dressed for $13. This was only my third or fourth time trying eel and it blew me away. 

The large cut was creamy, perfectly melting into my mouth with a lovely briny aftertaste. The mackerel was served torched with chives on top, creating a crispy texture to go with the meatier bite of the fish. Like all the other bites of the night, this was buttery and flavorful without being fishy. This was my first time trying uni, and I loved it. The texture was close to mush, which is unique, but it tasted like the ocean. It was perfectly salty and briny, almost like the flavor in a fresh oyster. This was a great location to have a first uni experience. 

Nanami served up fresh fish with great dressing pairings to highlight the flavors and textures of their cuts. For the quality and unique options, the price point was very reasonable. My friend and I almost made our own mini omakase experiences with the bites of nigiri we wanted. 

We agreed we would love to go back and try the smaller nigiri omakase, which comes with seasonal soup, nine pieces of sushi, dessert and Otsumami  — Japanese-style tapas — all for around $100, though the price seems to vary with their selection of fish. They also offer a full course omakase for market price, including medium dishes and a larger sushi section, including chef-selected sashimi in addition to the items in the nigiri omakase. 

Whether you choose your own adventure or let the chef make the tough decisions for you, it’s hard to go wrong with the sushi at Nanami. I highly recommend trying all your favorite cuts and branching out to try something new, especially with the fantastic specials they run. Take advantage of the BYOB, bring a fun drink of choice and enjoy a meal of great sushi.