Nama Sushi Bar - Downtown Knoxville 506 South Gay Street, Knoxville, TN 37902

"This review is from the perspective of a Houstonian coming to Knoxville to visit. Was the sushi bad? No. Was it anything special? No. The avocado was a little old and i felt the price was too expensive based on the smaller portion sizes. On the plus side, everyone is super nice!"

"TLDR- food cold; hair in food. I’m gonna be THAT lady for a minute. Nama on Gay St. has gone way downhill from what I remember when I lived here 11 years ago. My car is still stuck in the snow, so I walked 7 miles round trip to get out of the house for a bit and intended to use a gift card I got for Christmas. I decided to get a hot dish after walking an hour in the cold, sweet glazed salmon. There were two other tables in the restaurant, and two guests at the bar. The bartender was my assigned server. I sat in a booth facing the bar and kitchen window (the heat lamp was off in the window). My food came up, and I watched it sit there for five minutes while my server mindlessly made tea for an empty restaurant. She finally brought my food and did not come back to check on me. It was cold. Since she did not come back, I walked up to the host stand to ask if they could pop it in the microwave for a minute or two. The manager walked up and said it would not be an issue. He brought my food back a few minutes later and I thought all was well and continued to eat. At the last bite, I found a hair in my food. The manager was really friendly and apologetic. He gave me two $5 off coupons for a future visit. Obviously he comped my meal and felt really bad. I still tipped my server because she deserves an income despite her negligence. I apologized to them multiple times for being “that lady,” but like- come on. The restaurant is empty, mine is the only food in the window, and I’m sitting there staring at it for five entire minutes, multiple servers and staff walking by it- leaving it there. I won’t be going back to Nama! They are just not as good as I remember."

"Great little spot to grab a bite! Service is a bit slow but the sushi is well worth it. The Atlantic roll and edamame are a real delight!"

"Spicy shrimp egg drop soup was more filling than expected. It comes with rice & crunchy! It’s not very spicy but good. Sushi is good here too."

"Half-price sushi was definitely not reduced in size! Portions were as expected and each roll definitely had its own individual flavors. I was not a huge fan on a couple but to each his own. I will say as far as atmosphere it’s a bit crowded if you’re not willing to have people close to your table. Staff was very friendly and efficient. Although staff wasn’t dressed to reflect the high standard expectations that Nama’s name carries, the restaurant was still a pleasant family atmosphere."