NALA Japanese Restaurant Reviews Summary

Staff and Service

Pros:

• "Staff were also friendly."
• "The service was extremely wonderful, the waiters ate welcoming and come across as very pleasant people!"
• "The staff were attentive and friendly."
• "Staff speaks fully Japanese, which adds an authentic touch to the experience."
• "Staff was very friendly upon arrival."
• "Chikayo and Yoko are very sweet and kind and offer great service."
• "The staff very polite and helpful."

Cons:

• "The service was terrible. The Japanese old man work there was rude and with a terrible attitude."
• "I did feel like it was hard to get the waitress's attention."
• "Sushi has turned average and waiters don’t seem to interested in being attentive whatsoever."
• "Extremely rude service."
• "The guy didn't speak English well which was quite frustrating."
• "One of the female staff was very impolite to customers."
• "THE WORST Japanese restaurant in London!... this miserable looking old Japanese worker... was incredibly rude and made a racist comment."

Food Quality

Pros:

• "Sashimi was some of the best I've ever had - succulent, fresh, incredible texture."
• "The food is truly divine. Best sushi I have probably ever had."
• "The quality of the fish is amazing, I’ve rarely had sushi that fresh."
• "The sashimi was REALLY fresh."
• "A quaint little Japanese restaurant that serves authentic and fresh Japanese food at a reasonable price."
• "Sashimi was fresh and delicious, we had some toro, unagi and sweet shrimps."
• "The food was really rich in flavour & the portions were very generous."

Cons:

• "The quality of the food was average and tasteless."
• "I was very disappointed with my 2 choices."
• "The gyu don was too salty and not sweet enough and the beef slices too thick."
• "One of the worst Japanese places I’ve eaten at... And there was only one piece of Inari sushi at £2.99."
• "The prawns in the tempura felt as if they had been frozen for a year and the black cod with miso was dry."
• "The hot food was better than sashimi. Sashimi were fresh but not the freshest or highest quality."
• "Food was so so and the portions were small and prices not cheap. Seafood was not fresh."

Ambience and Atmosphere

Pros:

• "A tranquil oasis in a busy area of central London."
• "A very relaxed, intimate place to eat."
• "The place is small and familial. Truly a hidden gem."
• "Well prepared sushi 🍣 in a cosy, friendly and relaxed space."
• "The atmosphere is lovely and peaceful unlike other places where it's too loud to have a conversation."
• "A calm haven tucked away from the busyness of Soho."
• "It's small, cozy and classy."

Cons:

• "They brought the bill without request when I haven't even finished my food."
• "Visited Nala hoping for a relaxing dining experience. However, the constant stream of people coming in for takeaways disrupted the ambiance."
• "Food was fine and upstairs ambience was nice. But downstairs ambience is lacking."
• "Restaurant was busy and I was sat outside under wind smashing on my back."
• "The place was very small and the ambience was dark and gloomy that made me feel claustrophobic."
• "When I went downstairs to the toilet it was a little off-putting though... Staff on their break sat at the tables."
• "It is not a relaxing place to have your lunch during peak office lunch time hour."

Value for Money

Pros:

• "Great food and lovely staff all at a reasonable price."
• "Mind your spending if you're on a budget, but for the price point you certainly get what you pay for."
• "Their takeaway rice boxes are a great deal too!"
• "Price reasonable for the area."
• "A quaint little Japanese restaurant that serves authentic and fresh Japanese food at a reasonable price."
• "Great value for money."
• "The food is very good and inexpensive."

Cons:

• "Limited drink service (£4+ for a can of iced green tea)."
• "Just a tad too expensive."
• "Bentos are a tad expensive compared to other Japanese restaurants."
• "The prices were much cheaper than the average Japanese food price in London."
• "Sushi was okay but overpriced."
• "You get a small piece of salmon for bento box, and it cost £7 extra (£19) to sit in and dine in compare to take away price only £12."
• "Good place, kind of authentic but VERY expensive!"