Sonobana Japanese Restaurant
40 White Bridge Rd, Nashville, TN, 37205
Sonobana Japanese Restaurant Menu
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Diabetics at Jason's Deli
Diabetics must not get carried away at Jason's Deli as there are several tempting items on their menu to easily spike your blood sugar. You can try the salads at Jason Deli's or start your meal with hot soup to ensure that you don't stuff too much while at Jason's Deli. You can also pick the right kind of sandwiches to complete your meal.
Foods to Avoid at Jason's Deli for Diabetics:
You must skip all kinds of sandwiches, wraps, and paninis at Jason's Deli for their high sodium content. Even among the salads, avoid the regular ones such as Chicken Club Salad, The Big Chef, Mesa Chicken Salad and go for the lighter versions. In addition, it is also recommended to avoid desserts totally while dining at Jason's Deli.
Food Suggestions for Diabetics at Jason's Deli:
Breakfast Sammy
Nutritional Facts: 250 calories, 12g (Tans. Fat 0g & Sat. Fat 3g), 370mg sodium, 23g carbs, 3g sugar, 0g fiber, 12g Protein
Chicken Club Salad (Lighter)
Nutritional Facts: 540 calories, 44g (Tans. Fat 0g & Sat. Fat 8g), 900mg sodium, 11g carbs, 3g sugar, 3g fiber, 24g Protein
Mesa Chicken Salad (Lighter)
Nutritional Facts: 460 calories, 30g (Tans. Fat 0g & Sat. Fat 5g), 850mg sodium, 26g carbs, 4g sugar, 7g fiber, 22g Protein
Spinach Veggie Wrap
Nutritional Facts: 350 calories, 14g (Tans. Fat 0g & Sat. Fat 4g), 830mg sodium, 51g carbs, 5g sugar, 12g fiber, 16g Protein
Fresh-Brewed Black Currant Tea
Nutritional Facts: 0calories, 0g (Tans. Fat 0g & Sat. Fat 0g), 0mg sodium, 0g carbs, 0g sugar, 0g fiber, 0g Protein
Hot Organic Green Tea
Nutritional Facts: 0calories, 0g (Tans. Fat 0g & Sat. Fat 0g), 0mg sodium, 0g carbs, 0g sugar, 0g fiber, 0g Protein
Hot Tea
Nutritional Facts: 0calories, 0g (Tans. Fat 0g & Sat. Fat 0g), 0mg sodium, 0g carbs, 0g sugar, 0g fiber, 0g Protein
Fresh-Brewed Unsweetened Tea
Nutritional Facts: 0calories, 0g (Tans. Fat 0g & Sat. Fat 0g), 0mg sodium, 0g carbs, 0g sugar, 0g fiber, 0g Protein
Visit below restaurant in Nashville for healthy meals suggestion.
High Blood Pressure at Jason's Deli
Blood pressure patients mustn't indulge in sandwiches offered on Jason Deli's menu. Most sandwiches, whether Muffalettas or Po'boys, are high in sodium and could easily spike your blood pressure. Be careful while you order at Jason's Deli and opt for healthy food options such as salads, soups, or soups to ease your cravings.
Foods to Avoid at Jason's Deli for High Blood Pressure
Sandwiches must be avoided at all costs at Jason's Deli as they are loaded with sodium. You must also skip the paninis and wraps if possible and stick to healthy salads and soups while dining at Jason's Deli. Skip adding any kinds of salad dressing, extra cheese, croutons, etc. in your order to limit your sodium intake for the day.
Food Suggestions for High Blood Pressure at Jason's Deli
Banana Nut Muffin
Nutritional Facts: 220 calories, 10g (Tans. Fat 0g & Sat. Fat 1g), 170mg sodium, 25g carbs, 14g sugar, 1g fiber, 5g Protein
A bowl of Fresh Fruits
Nutritional Facts: 390 calories, 8g (Tans. Fat 0g & Sat. Fat 6g), 45mg sodium, 23g carbs, 62g sugar, 9g fiber, 6g Protein
Pollo Mexicano (Lighter)
Nutritional Facts: 800 calories, 22g (Tans. Fat 0g & Sat. Fat 12g), 550mg sodium, 121g carbs, 14g sugar, 11g fiber, 30g Protein
Gluten Free Snickerdoodle Cookie
Nutritional Facts: 210 calories, 8g (Tans. Fat 0g & Sat. Fat 4g), 150mg sodium, 34g carbs, 17g sugar, 0g fiber, 1g Protein
Wild Berry Hibiscus Tea with Pure Cane Sugar
Nutritional Facts: 100 calories, 0g (Tans. Fat 0g & Sat. Fat 0g), 0mg sodium, 26g carbs, 26g sugar, 0g fiber, 0g Protein
Fresh-Brewed Black Currant Tea.
Nutritional Facts: 0calories, 0g (Tans. Fat 0g & Sat. Fat 0g), 0mg sodium, 0g carbs, 0g sugar, 0g fiber, 0g Protein
Hot Organic Green Tea.
Nutritional Facts: 0calories, 0g (Tans. Fat 0g & Sat. Fat 0g), 0mg sodium, 0g carbs, 0g sugar, 0g fiber, 0g Protein
Hot Tea
Nutritional Facts: 0calories, 0g (Tans. Fat 0g & Sat. Fat 0g), 0mg sodium, 0g carbs, 0g sugar, 0g fiber, 0g Protein
Fresh-Brewed Unsweetened Tea.
Nutritional Facts: 0calories, 0g (Tans. Fat 0g & Sat. Fat 0g), 0mg sodium, 0g carbs, 0g sugar, 0g fiber, 0g Protein
Sorry, We are updating this restaurant blood pressure menu details.
High Cholesterol at Jason's Deli
If you are concerned about your cholesterol, then you got to be very cautious at Jason's Deli. Most sandwiches available on Jason's Deli's menu are high in cholesterol and sodium content. You must choose wisely and opt for salads or soups to please your appetite.
Foods to Avoid at Jason's Deli for High Cholesterol
Avoiding foods at Jason's Deli can be trickier if you are a foodie. It is recommended to skip the heavy sandwiches which are both high in cholesterol and sodium at Jason's Deli. You must also avoid paninis and wraps at Jason Deli's or order the lighter version to reduce your calorie intake.
Food Suggestions to Maintain Cholesterol Level at Jason's Deli
Blueberry Muffin
Nutritional Facts: 190 calories, 5g (Tans. Fat 0g & Sat. Fat 1g), 180mg sodium, 34g carbs, 19g sugar, 1g fiber, 3g Protein
Nutty Mixed Up Salad (Lighter)
Nutritional Facts: 430 calories, 21g (Tans. Fat 0g & Sat. Fat 4g), 810mg sodium, 41g carbs, 33g sugar, 3g fiber, 21g Protein
Texas Style Spud (Lighter)
Nutritional Facts: 830 calories, 22g (Tans. Fat 0g & Sat. Fat 11g), 740mg sodium, 139g carbs, 27g sugar, 14g fiber, 29g Protein
Jason's Deli Bottled Ginger Ale
Nutritional Facts: 140 calories, 0g (Tans. Fat 0g & Sat. Fat 0g), 0mg sodium, 36g carbs, 36g sugar, 0g fiber, 0g Protein
Fresh-Brewed Black Currant Tea.
Nutritional Facts: 0calories, 0g (Tans. Fat 0g & Sat. Fat 0g), 0mg sodium, 0g carbs, 0g sugar, 0g fiber, 0g Protein
Hot Organic Green Tea.
Nutritional Facts: 0calories, 0g (Tans. Fat 0g & Sat. Fat 0g), 0mg sodium, 0g carbs, 0g sugar, 0g fiber, 0g Protein
Hot Tea
Nutritional Facts: 0calories, 0g (Tans. Fat 0g & Sat. Fat 0g), 0mg sodium, 0g carbs, 0g sugar, 0g fiber, 0g Protein
Fresh-Brewed Unsweetened Tea.
Nutritional Facts: 0calories, 0g (Tans. Fat 0g & Sat. Fat 0g), 0mg sodium, 0g carbs, 0g sugar, 0g fiber, 0g Protein
Sorry, We are updating this restaurant cholesterol menu details.
Q & A on Jason's Deli
When did Jason's Deli open?
First Jason's Deli was started on 30th November 1976 at Beaumont, Texas, United States.
Where's the nearby Jason's Deli?
There are around 275 delis in 28 states of the United States. You can locate a nearby Jason's Deli by using our Restaurant Listings Directory.
When does Jason's Deli open and close?
Jason's Deli opens early in the morning daily at 6 AM and closes at 6 PM on weekdays and 3 PM on weekends.
Does Jason's Deli have a drive through?
Yes, Jason's Deli has a drive-through. Besides the drive-thru, Jason's Deli also set up Jason's Express especially for on-the-go families to make things faster. Drive-thru and take-out options help individuals and families to order and pick their meal quickly while on a busy schedule.
Does Jason's Deli serve gluten-free items on the menu?
Jason's Deli isn't entirely a gluten-free environment, but it does offer a gluten-sensitive menu. You can order food from the gluten-sensitive menu to ensure your food is gluten-free.
Does Jason's Deli serve vegan items on the menu?
Yes, they do. The vegan options are limited at Jason's Deli. You can try the organic vegetable soup, spinach veggie wraps w/o cheese, hummus, salsa, guacamole, and many other options from the salad menu.
Does Jason's Deli Cater?
Yes, it does. You can use Jason's Deli's catering service to serve hot and fresh foods to your guests. Whether you want to feed 5 or 5000, Jason's Deli's experienced team can handle your catering order and ensure timely delivery.
What's on Jason's Deli breakfast menu?
Jason's Deli serves a variety of different items on their breakfast menu. You can try the breakfast sandwiches or wraps prepared with fresh-cracked eggs. You can pick up breakfast as early as 6 AM at any Jason's Deli nearby.
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About Jason's Deli
Jason's Deli is a popular bakery restaurant in the United States. Jason's Deli started its operation in Beaumont, Texas on 30th November 1976. The bakery restaurant was started by four partners: Joe Tortorice Jr., Rusty Coco, Pete Verde, and Pat Broussard. Currently, the delicatessen restaurant chain operates in more than 268 locations across 26 states in the United States. Jason's Deli is one of the most successful restaurant chains with under 300 locations.
Deli Management Inc. owns Jason's Deli along with several other deli restaurants in the United States. Jason's Deli is famous for its standard deli style menu where the customers can order from traditional sandwiches to salads, baked potatoes, and pasta. After initiating a health drive in 2000, Jason's Deli successfully eliminated added trans-fat from its food in 2005, later got rid of high fructose syrup in 2008, and finally removed MSG from its food. Today, Jason's Deli offers a wide range of food items including vegan and gluten-free dishes.
Healthy Food Options at Jason's Deli
Jason's Deli offers a standard deli style menu which consists of traditional sandwiches, soups, pasta, baked potatoes, wraps, and salads. If you choose wisely and skip the extra sides or dressings as you order at Jason's Deli, you can find a good variety of healthy food options at Jason's Deli.
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Address :
40 White Bridge Rd
Nashville, TN, 37205 - Phone (615) 356-6600
- Website https://www.sonobananashville.com
- Click To Get Directions
Opening Hours
- Mon :11:00 am - 2:00pm
Specialities
- Takes Reservations : Yes
Delivery : No
Take-out : Yes
Accepts Credit Cards : Yes
Good For : Dinner
Parking : Private Lot
Bike Parking : Yes
Wheelchair Accessible : Yes
Good for Kids : Yes
Good for Groups : Yes
Attire : Casual
Ambience : Casual
Noise Level : Average
Alcohol : Full Bar
Outdoor Seating : No
Wi-Fi : Free
Has TV : No
Waiter Service : Yes
Caters : No
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Jonathan B.
My choice in Nashville for Sushi! I've been coming to this place for years and absolutely love their sushi. I tend to base any other sushi establishments off of my experience here - which is a good thing and a bad thing for some places. I've never had a bad sushi roll. I always go with my go-to Spicy Tuna and I try to include a roll I've never tried before. Service is great - the only time it was ever "slow" was because the restaurant was completely packed at dinner and there was a line out the door waiting. As far as ambiance goes - it is dated but neighborly so it's not so off-putting. If your the type to only eat sushi at modern establishments then get it to go, but you will miss out on what makes Sonobona so great. Their group / party rooms are also great as it sets you in what I assume is supposed to be a traditional Japanese home setting and by traditional I mean I felt like I should've worn a kimono. Overall fantastic place!
(4)Bridget S.
Lunch date with the hubby. This is a hidden spot in a white bride road plaza. My hubby had the tempura bento box, he enjoyed. The shrimp and vegetables were lightly battered in panko and deep fried. The veges were fresh and tasty. I enjoyed the chicken bento box. Yet the dumplings had too much onion in the chicken mix. Next time we will try the sushi.
(3)Sarah C.
Do not eat here. We waited 45 minutes for our food...and we saw 2 of our rolls sitting up at the counter for over 15 minutes. The waiter gave us an excuse that recently one of the sushi chefs had a heart attack. Not sure why that accounts for our food not being picked up earlier. Our tempura fried roll and shrimp were soggy and lukewarm and our "fresh" sushi was room temp which is dangerous to serve. We had a few bites but decided to not continue to eat for fear of getting sick. The manager only comped us 2 of the 3 rolls and we paid for one of the roll we had 3 pieces of, edamame and a glass of wine which equaled $17 and am really disappointed in their lack of customer service and the fact we weren't compensated for our time in any way. We ended up finding somewhere else to eat.
(1)EdDee P.
This is a review update for 5 stars to 3 stars and I'm sad to do this. This place has been my favorite, however they have been so busy and need more staff. The wait is forever!!!! Apparently they are one sushi chef short. Worth the wait. Call ahead of time!! For large parties order private room. The room looks like you are sitting on the floor, but there is room for your legs to hang . . . just like in the Geisha movies
(3)Holly J.
We went on a Sunday late afternoon and got right in. The sushi was great but the service was horrendous. Looked like they had plenty of help. 4 chefs too. After watching several people get served before us (we had plenty of time to do this), I was thinking there had to be some sort of server hierarchy going on. The rolls, seaweed salad, and broiled squid were so good that we will give it another try. Hopefully it was just a one night thing.
(4)Pamela B.
Oh my goodness, the spicy crunchy shrimp roll is amazing. Portion sizes are big, so fresh and tasty. Nice quiet and relaxing atmosphere. The staff is friendly (and super quiet ). I haven't tried much else but I plan to...
(4)Robin B.
This Nashville favorite is in the same shopping center as another sushi restaurant, so do not confuse the names! This place is so reasonably priced, I gawked at our lunch check and looked around for someone else whose lunch we could pay for. We are Memphians, and this slightly dated, but well-loved place harkens back to the grubby 1980s origins of sushi in America. It is TARDIS-like in that it appears tiny on the outside, and once you reach the back of the room, you realize that there are more rooms- private dining rooms, sprawling extra dining room, and a hallway leading to an asian grocery store. The Laura roll was memorable- it has both tempura shrimp and warm mayonnaise, PLUS warm avocado, so the whole thing is a melty, salty, chewy firework for the palate. I also enjoyed the Lilly roll, and one other. My son and I split the seaweed salad appetizer (really for one person), and my daughter loved the tofu steak appetizer, which has Mexican flavors, with stir fried green peppers, onion, and bean sprouts. If we lived in Nashville, this would be on my go-to list for sushi spots, and not just for the food. Our service was excellent. We were greeted by the owner, served by a red-lipped and lovely server whom we could tell was passionate about the restaurant and caring for her patrons. The owner's wife spoke with us at length to make sure the kids were happy (our children are used to Vietnamese food, so we have to explain to them what they are ordering with other asian varieties.) Likelihood of returning? 9.9 out of 10
(4)chad m.
My wife found a dead, dried-up, rotting mouse under our table. (Best to not bury the lead) Went for a party in that room where they make you take your shoes off. Ate our bland meal, a bento box and sushi rolls, then someone joked about how hard it would be to clean under the tables in that shoeless room, and so my wife grabbed her phone as a flashlight and shined it under there. There it was, dead mouse right at our shoeless feet the whole dinner. Waiter and Management offered nothing but a sad apology. I know these sorts of things happen, but this is a place I won't be coming back to. It was not a fresh mouse, it had been there a while. Literally the most grossed out I've ever been in a restaurant.
(1)David D.
Very traditional yet spartan Japanese restaurant. This is authentic in that you have Japanese chefs, dishes (sanma!), and even a Japanese grocery store. Sonobana has been around about thirty years, which is good because they have relationships to procure the best fish. However, it's also bad as the decor is reminiscent of a terrible Chinese restaurant and some of the staff are a little past their prime. That said people are friendly, the menu is very eclectic, and where else are you going to get broiled squid and hamachi kama in Tennessee? One other heads up, this place is very inexpensive, not in a good way. We re talking very casual. Chipotle is upscale on a relative basis.
(4)Kaleena 'Kala' H.
My husband and I have moved to the Donelson/Hermitage area, so we don't get to frequent Sonobana like we used to. However, while running errands the other day we decided to stop here for lunch. I decided to order 3 sushi rolls, while my husband ordered the mixed tempura lunch. I ordered the California roll, the New York roll, and the Scallop roll. The Scallop roll was good, but the California and New York rolls had absolutely no taste to them. The only thing I could taste was the roe. My husband said that his lunch was also tasteless as well. However, our waitress was very friendly, and kept our waters refilled. I was sad to see that the quality of the sushi had gone down the past couple of years since we were previously frequent customers. I just hope that it gets better.
(2)Julie B.
Best sushi in town! Little pricier then Sushi Train but so worth it!
(5)Num N.
I've been coming to Sonobana for over 10 years and this place never disappoints. Something to keep in mind is nigiri is by the piece so less commitment. Things to try: sweet shrimp nigiri, smelt toe with quail egg nigiri and a hand roll, particularly the spicy scallop hand roll. One last thing, this place is more of a family restaurant. So don't come here if you want to have a night out with your girlfriends and be out and about.
(5)Cher Y.
Pretty good sushi for the Nashville area at reasonable prices. My go to place when the craving hits. Pros: -Good fresh sushi - prolly about as good as it gets for Nashville -Nice variety on menu - noodles, bento boxes, etc -Good value for the buck - good portion sizes -Attached to a neat grocery store -Apparently you can rent japanese books/videos in the back... -They also have traditional Japanese seating private rooms if you have a large group Cons: - The service is a hit or miss as Yelpers have noted. After 4 terrible service experiences back to back (being ignored, waiting on the check for 30+ mins while these waiters were just obviously socializing with their fav customers at the expense of others), i stopped coming here for 6 months. Yes, it was that bad. I went back this past week, and it looks like they got rid of the terrible waiters - the new crew is much better. I hope it stays this way. If i ever walk in there and see the offending wait staff again, i am walking straight out. Keep up the great work with the food!
(4)Katie I.
some new favorites I've added to my rotation: Lily roll- a must! Yellowtail nigiri- so amazingly fresh! spicy salmon- yummmm emma roll- great for sharing. Staples like crunchy tuna/shrimp/crab- all so yummy and fresh. I recently asked what was in their crack-like salad dressing. Surprisingly it's a pureed conglomeration of carrots, apples, sesame oil, sesame paste, onions. Sells for $4.50 next door and makes for a great marinade at home along with just drinking it after you've devoured even the crappiest lettuce. Miso soup- divine. Fresh, crispy tempura. Broiled eel- delightful. Also love the Spring Roll, Futomaki and Nashville roll. There are so many weekly regulars here like myself, the staff has watched my family grow, they have become like family. I don't know what I would do if this place didn't exist. One of my all time favorites!
(5)Nilay H.
I really enjoyed their Bento box! So delicious and fresh. Also, the sushi was amazing and the atmosphere was very great :) also, there is a cute little Japanese market next door where we got some great Japanese snacks and candies!
(5)Daniel B.
Just average sushi and sushi rice. Service is good to excellent
(3)mary b.
My favorite sushi in Nashville! Fish is fresh and elegantly prepared. The menu has tons of options (great pictures of fancy rolls too!) and the Japanese specialties are excellent -- shumai, natto roll, etc... Downside: strip-mall ambiance and lack of speed. Last time I visited, the sushi chefs were so backed up that the restaurant stopped accepting to-go orders. To me, that just means the secret is out: best local sushi found here. Also, lunch menu special bento is a terrific value ($10.95 for soup, salad, lots of sashimi, rolls, and veggies).
(5)Lauren W.
FOOD: Awesome SERVICE: Poopy Explanation: I have to re-evaluate this place. While I have been going here for at least 3 years constantly and enjoying all the food, the service has completely gone downhill. The last two times that I have been (within the last month) I have had horrible service. The food took forever to come out and the waitress barely serviced our table. Our food this past week came out very late and cold. They even didn't divide up the order correctly so there was a bit of guessing at who ordered what. Everyone at the table came over to apologize about the wait and the food, but no one really offered to do anything to fix it. Eventually after a bunch of back and forth and them remaking some food- they reduced our bill significantly. While that eased the sting of the experience, it doesn't change the fact that they cannot handle the size of a regular dinner rush and service greatly suffers. It saddens me to write this because this has been my go to place for years! (I hope to change this if service improves!)
(2)Jason B.
Prepare for a step back to the 80's when you walk in. This place definitely needs a cosmetic update. I was pleased to see a large table of Asians when I walked in. If Japanese people are eating at a sushi place, it has to be pretty good right? The sushi was really good. Our server was attentive and helpful. This place is not for a sushi novice. It has the feeling of being much more authentic than some of the more commercial sushi joints in the area. If your norm is crunchy shrimp and California roll, you could be a little overwhelmed. Overall it was a nice change from my normal sushi places. If you've been curious about Sonobana, give it a try.
(3)Brandon F.
Good by Nashville sushi standards but giving 3 stars for people visiting and looking for sushi. We go here plus a couple of other spots when we are dying for sushi but truth be told have a standing sushi night like we did in other cities. Nashville has a burgeoning food scene but sushi isn't on the list of great new places. As typical with Nashville sushi, Sonobana is heavy on rolls and not expansive or special on nigiri or sashimi.
(3)Mojo L.
The food was great but the portion small. The sushi special for 4 isn't enough for two persons. The service was great. I'm not going back because of the portion
(3)Peter M.
What an incredibly disappointing meal. The food was actually BAD. We waited a total of 45 minutes to even get a cucumber salad, yes 45 minutes, that was kind of bland. The Unagi was like a piece of old rubber. The udon so salty, I mean sooooooo salty. When I eventually got up from the table to walk back to the hostess to summon our waitress, whom we hadn't seen in a long time, to find out where our food was she came up to the table and said "I'll check". WTF? Then another lady came over who proceeded to explain that the people at the sushi bar were more important than the people at the tables and they would be served first that's why our food was taking so long. "Why then" I asked " were we not informed of this before I had to get up from the table and hunt someone down?". She had no response. Poor service, terrible food, never going back, EVER.
(1)Anna J.
Sushi here is great (for Nashville that is). They have very interesting and unique rolls on the menu, definitely try the Cajun, spider, and temporary rolls! Tempura shrimp was just average. I do have to agree with other yelpers that the service is slow, but not terribly slow. The grocery next door is cute, and offer a variety of Japanese groceries, not exhaustive of course, but enough. They also have a mini book store in the back that sells manga!
(4)Nate P.
First time here for the linch special. I knew I was going to eat some fresh sashimi and yummy rolls and yes I was not disappointed a bit. We got there at 1:30 pm but we did not get our food until 2 pm which was worth the wait. We ordered the Sashimi Bento Lunch. The fish was fresh and the rolls were good. The price was $10.95 if I remembered.
(5)Shafi K.
We went here last week for a quick sushi dinner. It's right off of White Bridge and we liked the convenient location although it was a little hard to find in the massive parking lot with lots of restaurants that looked so similar. It was quite busy for a Thursday night. We were seated promptly when we walked in. It took our waiter a little bit to get to us with our waters but we were fine with that. We ordered the Sonobana and spicy salmon rolls. Sonobana was great with the perfect amount of crunch. We had to remove a whole bunch of the fish eggs from the top but that's our fault for not telling them we dislike fish eggs. The salmon roll was like a California roll with salmon. It was fine but I expected it to be bigger (like the sonobana but later figured that's a speciality roll) and had to order another Sonobana to make up for the lack of food. Rolls were served promptly and in simple but decorative manner. We were in and out of there in a good 45 minutes I think. Overall, good experience. Nothing extraordinary so I can't say I am now a fan but if I need some quick, decent sushi around my house I'd sure return here! Also, for the three rolls we probably paid 30ish all together. Not bad at all for sushi!
(3)Kim H.
Sonobana is my all-time favorite sushi place hands down. I have eaten here since they were "Benkay," and have never been disappointed. It's difficult finding good Japanese food in Nashville, let alone a place that has a small Japanese grocery store attached to it. Sonobana has a pretty extensive menu, offering various types of sushi (many creative rolls as well), a great lunch bento box deal, and many japanese foods other places don't offer. My go-to orders include the soft shell crab (their spider roll has a lot of crab too), any of the lunch bento boxes (comes with miso soup, salad with home-made delicious dressing, and your choice of two of the following teriyaki, california roll sushi, tempura, shrimp, etc.), salmon roe sushi (not for everyone but my favorite and hard to find in Nashville), fried oysters, sashimi/chirashi, the california roll (you know it's good if it doesn' t have cucumber), snake roll (eel in general), age tofu, and the list goes on and on. There is a drink called the "Shirley temple" = sprite + maraschino cherry juice which is delicious. Also, the fried ice cream is SO GOOD. Again a very special touch. The green tea ice cream is also amazing, red bean if you don't like green tea. Everything is just so FRESH. It's definitely the most authentic feeling place I've found in Nashville (being born and raised here), and all their food is undeniably delicious. You get what you pay for and more. It's not ridiculously expensive, but it's in the nice-meal price range for a poor grad student. The ambiance is casual, comfortable, and nice. The interior is decorated very nicely, with comfortable booths, colorful pictures, just very clean and well-maintained (although a tad dated, I really like it). Mr. Jerry at the front is always accommodating and has a caring well-spoken personality. Although there is one server I'm not particularly fond of, everyone else are very thoughtful and provide amazing service. A few years ago one of the waitresses forgot to put in the order for a sushi roll, and insisted on paying for a ice cream out of pocket as an apology. Give it a shot, you won't be disappointed.
(5)Mary R.
You are getting what you pay for and more! No wonder this sushi restaurant has been around for so long! It is a Nashville original. I loved the Takomaki roll and the Crawfish roll. Pretty heavy, but nothing I couldn't handle. They were both packed with flavor and you could taste the good quality of the fish. I would recommend this place for a casual sushi night. It isn't trendy like virago, pm, or two ten jack but the food is decently priced and the waitress was impeccable. I will be dining here again.
(5)Dew T.
I always judge when I walk in the door... And I'm always happy to see Japanese families eating when I walk into a Japanese restaurant. It's a good sign. I love Sushi - my husband doesn't, so we're always looking for places that have sushi and other dishes. We've found it at Sonobana. Great sushi, and great dishes for my husband too. My most recent favorite: The Cherry Bomb roll is the bomb. Try it!
(4)Ian R.
I give up. Good Japanese food and Nashville just don't seem to go together in the same sentence. Had a truly depressing meal as Sonobana. Incredibly slow service, mediocre food, and a feeling that they just didn't give much of a damn. It was without a doubt the most disappointing dining experience I have had in recent memory. The sushi was poor, the pork cutlet came out cold and a mess, and every table around us seemed to either have something wrong with their food, or they had to wait 20-30 minutes between interactions with the servers. I don't think that anyone in our area had a good experience. Maybe it was just an off night, but at $20-30 per person I will not be back to give them another chance. What drives me crazy is that the market is great and they have some really good products. They just don't seem to use the good stuff when preparing the meal. Sigh.
(2)David O.
Most Consistent Sushi. I've been to many of the Sushi places in the Nashville area and I have to say this is my overall favorite. It might not have the flashy atmosphere of Ru'san, but you can always expect consistently good Sushi and a decent price. Also one of the few places you can get Umeshiso.
(4)Adam S.
The food is excellent. Try their home made ginger salad dressing. Service is a little slow but to be expected.
(4)Samuel L.
I went to this place with a friend after a long weekend, and a long drive back from out of town. I was just in the mood for some sushi, and she suggested this place. I thought the place itself was pretty cool, plenty of rolls, kind of interesting, and a few different sashimi options. We ordered a mixture of rolls and sashimi to split. The sashimi, was not very good, and was certainly not extraordinarily fresh. It was a Monday night, maybe they just get deliveries on Tuesday... The rolls were well prepared, and definitely worth the money charged for them. The place was not very expensive, and I pretty much got what I paid for. It's weird for me coming from a city of bad ass sushi restaurants all over, to discover this kind of mediocrity, but at least it wasn't poor. The service was good, and our server was very attentive. I will try some more places before I make a return trip here.
(3)Erin J.
While this isn't the best sushi place in Nashville, it's pretty good. And the prices are fabulous. One of the best deals is the lunch special bento box - sashimi, rice w/ roe, mussel, seaweed salad, veggie roll, cucumber-nori-octopus salad, and what I think is a burdock salad. All for $10! I like the sushi roll-tempura lunch bento box for $8.50. Great deal! I do feel that the rolls are sliced into pieces that are way too large. They taste pretty good too, but nothing amazing. As far as service - the last time we went we were ignored for quite a while before someone came over. My husband stopped a lady & asked to send someone over. After that we got very attentive service for the rest of the meal. I agree as well that the decor is a bit old and slightly dingy, but I do like the fact that's very casual. Definitely will go back again for lunch deals, but not so much for a dinner. Much prefer Samurai, Ichiban, or Hanabi.
(3)Kat F.
My favorite sushi place in Nashville! I have been eating here for the last ten years, and I have never been disappointed. Great service, delicious food, and a large menu...Plus, a nice Japanese market next door! My favorites are the Crunchy Shrimp roll, Mistake roll, Rebecca roll, and Tamago nigiri. They also have good miso soup, perfect green tea ice cream, and good salad. (The homemade salad dressing is amazing! You can buy it next door at the market.)
(5)Jamie P.
Sonobana is Nashville's hidden gem. My husband and I discovered it over a year ago. Ever since, we turn up at their door at least twice a month with a hungry glint in our eye that only the Sonobana roll can sate. I make a habit of checking all of those "Best Sushi in Nashville" lists that come out, and I am always appalled that Sonobana never makes the cut when it is, hands down, the best sushi in town. On one visit, we were seated at a table next to a businessman who used to live in Japan. He said that this was the best sushi he had ever had outside of Japan. Can a compliment get any higher than that? The staff is great and always accommodating. We always feel right at home. They handle groups very well, and there is even a private room that you can book ahead for authentic Japanese dining. I have never had a bad dish. I highly recommend the grilled sable fish and the pickled bean sprouts. The latter makes the perfect appetizer and palate cleanser throughout the meal. Their entrees are delicious, but I'm a sushi girl, so I tend to veer in that direction. My husband and I can put away an embarrassing amount of sushi, and, being small people, it always seems to amuse the servers. You have to order the Sonobana roll - it's the best thing I've ever eaten. We also have a few other favorites - I love the Emma roll - but you really can't go wrong. Even ordering their sushi for take out leads to a delicious dinner. I really can't say enough great things about Sonobana. Just writing this has given me cravings. I guess I know where I'm going for dinner tonight!
(5)Simon K.
Man, great food w/ bad service has gotta be one of the worse tragedies ever. Sushi is pretty top of the line. I came here b/c one of the chef's at Samurai's told me about it. So that should say enough right there. I still think Samurai's is Nashville's best, but if I was the chef I guess I would want to eat somewhere else too. However, this place has everything that Samurai's does not. They do several different dishes other than sushi, and the restaurant is much bigger for groups. I came with a group of 8 and it took an hour and a half to get our orders. The food only took another 30 mins to come out, which isn't bad. Avoid the server that has the "Android-like" personality. She's got a plastic smile and makes eye-contact with your hair-line. It's a little creepy, but I can't knock the food at all. The rice in sushi was perfectly cooked. If you can taste each individual grain of rice in your mouth, then you know you're eating good stuff. Don't take my rating too seriously. It could've been a fluke w/ the server. I might come back again to give 'em another try.
(3)Brien W.
I was a commited Samari guy but got turned on to Sonobana and haven't looked back since. Fresh, they usually have exotic stuff on the menu and pulled off with precision and excellence. No fluff or free extra's but who needs that! Go, enjoy!
(5)Jules W.
I'm not sure why this place is getting such good reviews. Average pretty much sums it up. Maybe there aren't a lot of really good, high-quality sushi options. Everything I experienced was average - the services, the prices, the freshness of the food, the atmosphere, the rolls, the veggies, everything. I'm sure there are better places around. Don't waste your time, money or taste buds.
(2)Adam R.
Some of the best sushi I have ever tasted.
(5)Benson C.
The sushi was great for Nashville's selection of sushi restaurants. I'm not exactly a sushi connoisseur, but I've had my fair share of good sushi. I had the bento box and was impressed with the quality of their sushi. I preferably like my sashimi more fatty, and I didn't get that buttery/creamy texture from this place, which made me disappointed. I know I can't compare this to a high-end sushi place, but when I visited Japonais in Chicago, I considered that the best sashimi I've ever had. And each piece was worth 3 dollars. I did like that they served their meals traditionally with the miso soup and the ginger dressing salad. And also they have a separate room for more traditional seating on the floor. Ooh, and I was actually surprised for once, that Japanese people were actually working within the restaurant, I get kind unimpressed with Korean and Chinese owners, because I have this thing that Japanese food must be good from Japanese owners. Don't get me wrong, Korean and Chinese owners can have great sushi restaurants, but I'm glad I went to lunch today at Sonobama. Sonobama offers a great variety of sushi that suits anyone and everyone's taste. The ambience, workers, and dinnerware definitely have a Japanese traditional vibe to it and if you're looking for a Japanese sushi experience, visit Sonobana Japanese Restaurant soon! :D
(4)Sarah C.
My favorite sushi restaurant in Nashville, without a doubt! Not only does Sonobana have pages upon pages of sushi rolls, their prices are fantastic for the amount of food you get. You'd never know that Sonobana exists in the plaza on White Bridge Road but inside is this quaint little restaurant adjacent to a Japanese store. I recommend the eel roll and spicy tuna roll. For two people having dinner of two rolls (12 pieces of sushi), you can walk out of there for under $25. Also, their lunch binto boxes, I've heard are fantastic. Give them a try, you won't be disappointed.
(5)Jon T.
Nashville is a big enough town that I would expect to find some decent sushi even though you cannot expect the freshness of west coast sushi. Sonobana was...OK. The prices are reasonable. I did not find their original rolls to be all that inspired. One big piece of advice I would make is ask them to go light on the smelt roe. I got a Johnson roll that was pure orange. I am not used to this being so heavy. It sort of ruined the roll. Additionally, one large disappointment was the absence of onion soup. The miso soup was decent, but I am just not a fan of the stuff, so I expect to be able to get onion soup most places I go. The service was friendly. I can say that. It was by no means a terrible sushi experience, but I expected much better.
(3)Tonya O.
As someone who seeks the perfect sushi roll, I have been to countless sushi places over the past 10 years since I had my first experience with sushi. I keep coming back to Sonabana. I'm not sure how long it's been called Sonobana, as I had eaten here previously when it was Ben Kay. It's funny how the place has now had two catchy names that are easier remembered as other words for me (Son of Obama and Ben Gay), but whatever works in making me remember it is fine with me! Sonobana is awesome in that they have some very common rolls mixed in with some very unique rolls. The unique rolls are what makes me keep coming back because I am unable to find their combinations at any other sushi place and the sushi is always guaranteed to be good. The other night, we found our perfect combination: Crunchy Shrimp Roll (a classic) Catepillar Roll (lots of avocado) Spider Roll (fried shimp) Bagel Roll (with cream cheese) Cherry Bomb Roll (yes, with maraschino cherries) Ume Shiso Roll (pickled plum) I highly recommend giving the last two a try if you're daring. They could forever change your sushi experience like they changed mine.
(5)Colleen E.
I want to comment on the grocery store attached to Sonobana, owned by the same folks. Last weekend I hosted a sushi making party at my house and to prepare, I traveled ALL OVER NASHVILLE to get the various supplies. I must have visited 6 stores before deciding to stop in at the Sonobana market. It really should have been my first stop. For being so small, they had everything, and I mean EVERYTHING I bought at all the other stores, and more. Truly authentic ingredients, fresh sashimi grade fish, a zillion varieties of curry, and even the supplies like bulk disposable chopsticks and sushi mats. I was kicking myself when I left because most of the prices were lower than other markets in Nashville too. If you need Japanese food stuffs, make this your first stop!!
(5)Krash T.
Oh, sorry to disagree with the most recent reviews. This restaurant was formerly Ben Kay, where they made their own ginger dressing, served the best hamachi kama (yellowtail collar), and were the first Japanese restaurant to open an adjunct Japanese grocery in Nashville. It used to be the only place you could find fairly fresh udon and Poke sticks without trekking to K&S, which always smelled bad and had no personnel who spoke English. (Not that that's a criticism, because it is an Asian grocery, but it makes it difficult to find anything if you can't read Japanese, Chinese, or Korean signs.) AT any rate, Ben Kay went a bit downhill, and at some point was renamed Sonobana and I assume taken over by new owners. The staff are still friendly, the shop is still there, but the food is increasingly poor. The basics - tuna, salmon - are tired. The rice is below par; maybe its Nishiki or another good brand, but it's often dried out. The menu is enormous - it would be better if they'd concentrate on half the dishes and do them twice as well. The saddest is their salad and dressing, which tastes nothing like the previous. Which brings me to my biggest beef about Japanese restaurants in Nashville. Why not spend the extra couple of cents a salad, and use something other than iceberg lettuce? Maybe drain the bowls so there's not a huge collection of water at the bottom? Oh well. There is a reason most of the reviews here date from a few years ago. This is no longer a good restaurant. More's the pity, because it's the only one in the neighborhood outside of a Sushi Train, which just opened.
(2)Sharon K.
Sonobana Japanese Restaurant and Grocery is my favorite place in town to get Sushi. It is a small place but their are several booths which make it more private. Also, they have great Japanese style private rooms which you can reserve for your group or family. They have a great selection of Japanese appetizers, including fried tofu, seaweed salad, soybeans, and tempura among many other items. For the main course, I would definitely recommend their sushi. All the fish is very well prepared and extremely tasty. The Udon noodles soups are also top notch. The prices at this restaurant are really good for the quality of food you get. I would even go to say this place is a bargain. My only complaint is that sometimes the wait is very long on weekend evenings because they do a lot of carry-out business which seems to get priority over the people actually dining in the restaurant. Next door in the Japanese grocery you can pick up spices, and seaweed salad, and all kinds of stuff in strange packages. It's fun to look through the grocery after having a meal, to see all the ingredients that went into its preparation. Sonobana is the best for Sushi! I recommend getting there early, like around 5pm when they first open for dinner, that way you can skip the long wait, and get the great food.
(4)Aaron D.
We ended up here around 9:30 on a Sunday night - a time when it seems like there are few dining options in the Nashville area. The waitress was both polite and friendly, which earns a star on its own. But the food was just downright awful. From the soapy-tasting miso soup and the watery salad to the over-fried tempura and the mushy sushi roll, the meal was a disaster from start to finish. I do have to admit that the green tea was tasty, although I thought it was a little tacky that they charged for tea since almost all authentic Japanese restaurants offer complimentary tea. The tatami room looked interesting, but I doubt we'll be coming back.
(2)Peter C.
This seems to be where the Japanese go for Japanese food. Very fresh sushi, skillfully prepared to be both delicious and beautiful. Great appetizers with all the usuals, and an array of sobas that are fun little diversions on days so cold that only scolding hot broth tinkers the appetite. Most memorable is the bed of rice that holds up the chirashi. Pearly, not so much sticky as magnetic, and flavorful in ways rarely found in sushi rice nowadays. It would be hard to eat here and not find it memorable.
(4)Sarah S.
My husband and I love sushi (raw and rolls) and we have been in search for a decent place in Nashville. We saw this place as we were going to Target. When we entered...we were not greeted immediately and had 4 people pass us. We thought we might be in for a disappointment. We finally got seated at the sushi bar and looked through the sushi selection. We had salmon, tuna, albacore and 4 different rolls. The sashimi was delicious and the portions were actually right for the price. They were thick pieces of sashimi. Prices are reasonable for rolls around $5- $8, their are some more expensive rolls too. Sashimi can be ordered by piece instead of 2 pieces per order. We will be going back here when we want sushi.
(4)james w.
The decor has definitely seen better days, and carpet in restaurants typically skeeves me out, but the sushi is definitely worth coming back for. I did not have high hopes for Japanese food in Nashville, but Sonobana is as good as many of the places I tried in New York. Will definitely try again.
(4)Greg T.
is it the best Japanese i've experienced? no. but for Nashville it will do. service was super friendly and food priced very reasonably. $9.99 sashimi bento included California roll (w/o tobiko), approx. 8 pieces of maguro and sake on a bed of rice with tobiko on top, 2 pieces of tomago, miso soup, salad, and some misc. cold salads like pickled cucumber, etc. $7.95 chicken teriyaki and tempura bento was decent. the tempura was fried well and came out hot. the chicken however was a bit over cooked. spicy tuna roll was tasty...didn't blow us away but we were satisfied. salmon skin hand roll hit the spot. Nigiri sushi is priced very well. they had toro priced @ $2.75 a piece! we didn't order it so not too sure how fresh it was. overall a nice lunch experience.
(3)Kim U.
My review is only for the small Japanese grocery part of Sonobana. I've actually never been to the restaurant, but judging from the reviews here, I need to give it a try. I first went to this grocery after a trip to Japan and I came back looking for some specific ingredients to prepare some of my favorite dishes from the trip. The grocery is great! They had all of the specialty ingredients I was looking for (and of course plenty of things I wasn't interested in, too). I've been back several times, and the staff are all quite nice and very willing to answer even the stupidest questions. It's not a giant store, but the selection is quite good for the small size of the shop.
(4)Matthew S.
This would be two stars on the Coast, but definitely worth four stars in Nashville. Fish are fresh enough to be very tasty. The menu has both the familiar staples and some interesting twists. I just wish that fewer rolls had cream cheese in them. I just don't like it. The staff is nice, the food is good, the tea is passable. No complaints. This is certainly one of the better places to get sushi in Nashville. It gets a bonus for having an awesome little Asian Grocery Store attached. Any place I can get good sushi and then take home a bottle of Sriracha is OK by me. BTW, if you don't know what Sriracha is...you haven't lived. It tastes good on EVERYTHING!
(4)Seth N.
Sonobana has excellent sushi at a reasonable prices. While this is not one of the uber trendy and super expensive sushi bars that seem to be popping up all around town, it is a consistently good lunch or dinner. I have been to Sonobana about five times throughout the last year and have left full and happy every time. The sweetheart roll makes for a great date night roll, while the dynamite roll will clear out your sinuses. The Rebekah roll has the best sweet sauce it town covering the bite sized shrimp which surround the roll. In my opinion the service is quick and attentive while not making you feel rushed. If you and your significant other are both into sushi, this place will make for a great date night at an affordable price.
(5)Emily T.
I've been coming to eat at this restaurant since I was a kid. I don't care what the sign over the door says, this place is Benkay and it is delicious. Service is fast, polite, and friendly. The old man who runs the floor may look like a creeper, but he's nice, I promise. I always get either a bento box or a rice bowl when I'm here. Oyakodon is a personal favorite--here, it's pretty good, although I liked the one at the now-closed Shintomi better. Katsudon's not bad either. The bento boxes are great--the special box in particular, with an amazing assortment of sashimi, is a treat. They've got these INCREDIBLE chicken wings that I could eat a hundred of. The portions are enormous and amazing. Good, solid Japanese food is always such a treat. The grocery store attached to it, though, kicks my level of love for this place up quite a few notches. For years, every time the fam would come here to eat, we would pass through the grocery store on the way out to buy dessert, whether it be the authentic plum candies or Chinese mochis (much larger than the Japanese version white people are used to, filled with red bean paste or black sesame paste instead of ice cream, in my opinion vastly superior), the Swiss rolls or those long rolls of sweet biscuit things that defined my early childhood in Singapore, or the red bean/green tea ice cream that are relatively new additions. You walk toward the bathroom and turn left past the row of Japanese mangas (comic books) and DVDs into nirvana. God, I love it. The woman behind the counter has been there for years. They have all the essential varieties of Hi-Chews and more Pocky than you can shake a stick at. Come here and stuff yourself for lunch or dinner, then go to the grocery store and buy snacks and candies to sustain you until your next trip here. Good for families, dates, lunch with friends, ANYTHING--this place was vital to my childhood and adolescence, and I can't wait to go home and go back.
(5)Karen L.
My husband had dinner there last night for the first time. We are not sushi people so we tried the teriyaki shrimp and steak. Everything tasted great and there was plenty of food with the salad and soup the dinners come with. The service was prompt and curtious, we will be back!
(4)Will M.
Great for lunch, the prices are great. Salmon teriyaki bento box is great for non raw fish eaters, and the special bento box is awesome. Dinner was just ok, as the atmosphere seems a little old, which can be charming.
(3)Gina L.
I've been coming to Sonobana for years (when it used to be called Benkay). They have the best Japanese food in Nashville, by far! The servers are generally nice and attentive. It's a long wait for the sushi bar, but it's worth it. They have really yummy ginger salad dressing that they also sell in the small grocery store next door. The free green tea is also an excellent addition to your meal. Honestly, because of the long wait for food, I usually get take out. Must try: lunch special - "Special Box" assorted sashimi over rice. It's a great deal and a lot of food! Vegetarian eats: Vegetable Roll #2
(4)Caitlin D.
As a disclaimer, I only tried the Udon (soup), so I have no opinion on the sushi or tempura type dishes. I have been suffering from some sort of Udon craze lately, it's all I seem to want these days. So last night I took my little sis, and that brave little girl dove straight into the Udon with me. We both loved it! We ordered the one with fried bean curd, which was really sweet tasting. There was kale (I think that's what it was) that added a delicious flavor, perfectly doughy thick udon noodles, and the broth was sweet but too much so. The waiter was shocked that I managed to eat the entire bowl. It was a healthy, delicious treat, and only $6.75! Totally filled me up. The interior of the restaurant is simple, nothing too special, until you pass by the special room with traditional low tables and "chairs" which have the seat part as more of a cushion on the ground. I imagine that's for parties or special occasions, looks like it would be fun to go with a group and request that room. Attached is a small market, which I didn't have time to peruse, but it looked like it has some interesting items if you want to try to make these dishes at home.
(4)Sarah-Marie S.
I went for an early 5pm dinner and had an awesome experience. Extremely attentive service, excellent food and environment, and good prices. I'll definitely be back.
(5)Modern L.
Consistently excellent food and friendly service. My boyfriend and I have been eating here for years. It is by far my favorite sushi place in Nashville.
(5)robby m.
Some friends of mine go to Sonobana every christmas eve (not sure why, maybe it's the only place open?) Anyways, things got off to a bad start by them putting our reservation in the smoking section. I guess it was our fault for not specifying, but it seems weird for someone to just assume that we'd be ok with it. I hadn't been in a restauant with a smoking section for a while, and was struck by how strong the smell was, even though when we got there no one was smoking. It kinda smelled like feet. Mmmmm feet and sushi, there's a magic combo. For the most part, the food was decent, I suppose. At least all my friends seemed to like what they got. There wasn't too much vegetarian stuff on the menu, so I ended up getting something called an Erika Roll that was described on the menu as "cucumber, avocado & crunchies". Yes, crunchies. Apparantly, "crunchies" is code for deep fried pencil shavings, and lots of 'em. After taking one bite, I coughed up a fine cloud of the tasteless fried sawdust that left me gasping for water. To be fair, I partly ordered it because it sounded kind of ridiculous, and I guess it didn't dissapoint on that level. Luckily, a big part of what makes a meal is who you have it with, so the good company more than made up for the settings and food. That place has become somewhat of a tradition with my friends, and I only get to see them a couple times a year, so there's a good chance I'll end up there again next year. So long as I stay away from the crunchies and the smoking section, I guess I won't even complain too much.
(1)Katrina Y.
Wow, I love this place for cheap, quality sushi! Sonobana is definitely not one of those trendy sushi places. It's located in a strip mall off White Bridge next to Target. I actually like the location. It's convenient to get to, and there is plenty of free parking (always a plus--hate having to scramble for few-and-far-between parallel parking spots). I've actually only gotten takeout from here, so I can't comment on the service but the decor (from what I could see) was your run of the mill "homestyle sushi trying to be hip" place. Looks fine, but definitely not romantic. I ordered my sushi at like 6:45 on a Friday last time, and the guy answering the phone immediately told me they were really busy and that it would probably take 35-45 minutes to get me food. I didn't mind the wait, and in fact I appreciated that before I even placed my order that he gave me that heads up and asked me if it was still ok before ordering and getting all excited about my sushi only to find out about the wait. When I arrived at the restaurant, it was PACKED. I mean, it was a Friday night, so I guess that's a good thing, but I have never seen one of these "homestyle" sushi places so packed. I go to Ginza all the time at peak dinner time on weekends, and it is never more than 60% full. Wow. There were tons of people getting takeout and tons of people waiting to sit down, too. It seemed like a very family-style, neighborhood hangout. Lots of families, and I saw the customers that were waiting making small talk with each other (one mom was asking a college-aged boy about his Montgomery Bell t-shirt, etc.). It was kinda cute. Gave the whole place a nice, friendly vibe. I got a shrimp tempura, Johnson roll (salmon, tuna, cucumber, and avocado and roe on the outside), and a spicy salmon roll. I planned to split the 3 rolls between my dinner and lunch for the next day. The Johnson roll was just delicious and was a great price ($5.50) for what would probably have been at least $8.50 at Ginza or somewhere else. The shrimp tempura was tasty also. I wasn't impressed by the spicy salmon roll though. It was fairly priced, but the fish tasted very....mushed up? Like they had made some spicy salmon puree. Not impressed. Anyway, I think Sonobana is a great deal, and would definitely go back there again and again for a laidback evening or takeout. Definitely not a romantic date, though!
(5)Tessa K.
Sonobana is a pretty good Japanese restaurant for Nashville. I've never really had anything bad here and the service and price are pretty good too. I would definitely recommend eating here!
(4)Megan C.
There are few things that I love more on a rainy day then going to get sushi. This may seem counter intuitive to some...seeing as sushi is typically a cold food...but i always get miso soup and green tea and find those two things to be particularly heartwarming. On a most recent Nashville rainy day, I visited Sonobana with a friend to catch up. I have to be honest, I have some mixed feelings about the place. We started with an order of edemame, usually a favorite for me, but this order was a little soggy and not quite salty enough. When the miso arrived, however, I was nearly knocked out of my chair by deliciousness. Great flavor, perfect temp, perfect for cheering up my rainy day. Also, they've got a most excellent sushi roll selection. They have about three full menu pages of specialty rolls, ranging in price from around $4 to $10 each. I selected a yellow tail roll (simple, delicious), and the spicy crunchy shrimp roll (um, just wow. amazing.). Our waitress here was phenomenal. My tea was never empty and she was super friendly. I found their prices to be a little higher than some others in town, but if I'm in the neighborhood, it's likely that I'll stop in, even if just for some miso!
(3)Scott B.
Great food and service, Kim way outstanding and knowlegable. A definite come back for us.
(4)stra s.
I have had sushi and rolls at every restaurant and grocery in town. This is by far the best in quality, consistency, and amount. their rolls are not skimpy at all and the full menu of delights covers just about any one's desire for Japanese foods. It is not "trendy" but is straight forward honest food. Go here to sit the bar, in the booth, or with a group in one of the the traditional style private rooms. Should have eaten here last night.
(5)Sue C.
I've been coming here for years (since it was Benkay), and it's by far the best Japanese food in Nashville. I'm now living in D.C., but when I go home to Nashvegas, I always treat myself here. I've spent extensive time in Japan, and the food at Sonobana comes pretty close to the authentic stuff (sans some of the sushi rolls that are laden in heavy ingredients like cream cheese that are meant to appeal to the American palette - but to be fair, these types of rolls are ubiquitous in sushi restaurants throughout the U.S.). The wait staff are always friendly, and it's a Nashville institution!
(4)bloopie s.
Aww, the reviews for Sonobana aka Benkay are breaking my heart! I came here for the first time when I was 12, had a giant 18th birthday party in one of their special tatami rooms, and have been here to eat for lunch and dinner so many times that I really should own some shares of Sonobana stock....if there is any. This was my first exposure to Japanese cuisine EVER and I must say that it has paved the way for some fine Japanese dining in my life. That being said, this is decent Japanese food. The sushi is decent, miso soup decent, udon is decent, tempura is decent, price is decent, green tea is great, and the service is fine. I think the decor this place had 10 years ago, when it was still called Benkay was better, but there's nothing to complain about now. Even though it would face tough competition in San Francisco, for instance, I think Sonobana holds up pretty well in Nashville and at least deserves a try.
(4)Jonny P.
Excellent sushi at a very good price. The spicy scallop rolls were very fresh and firm. Lots of flavor in the spicy mayonnaise. The tuna rolls featured large chunks of fresh tuna. I had an order of spring rolls as a treat they were crispy and not oily. The atmosphere was very traditional and pleasing. Great place to relax and eat some fish!
(4)Tran T.
Many people are going to Sushi Train next door out of curiosity. However, Sonobana is the best place for fresh, delicious, and less expensive sushi. I come here many time for lunch and dinner with my friends and coworkers. They haven't failed me in the past and I doubt they ever will. Appetizers: Seaweed & Squid Salads - They're the same in every Japanese restaurant Yakitori (chicken) & Broiled Squid - They're so good! I recommend to try these. Steak teriyaki & tempura bento box (comes with soup and salad) - average, Ginza makes better steak Sushi: I recommend you try Sonobana Roll, Daisy Roll, Rebecca Roll, and Sashimi (so so fresh!!). Recently I tried their Sweetheart Roll but it was just average. It has a heart shape which I thought was pretty cool and it's perfect for Valentine's day for the ladies out there. They also have a supermarket next to the restaurant, which I recommend to check it out. They have good ramen noodles and plenty of good Japanese snacks! The owners are very nice and friendly. They come talk to you and explain the menu when you have questions. Parking was never a problem for me but it could get pretty crowded during lunch time. 2013/#18
(4)Teresa B.
I went in for lunch on a Saturday afternoon and sat at the sushi bar. Service was attentive and friendly and the sushi was fresh and good. I will definitely go back to try more of the sushi options.
(4)Brian H.
Love this place it's all about the fish not a fancy atmosphere. They have tremendous hand rolls / king crab and snow crab nigiri on the menu year round. Spicy green muscles and baby octopus are a must! Compares to any place in town quality wise. Don't be surprised to find music row types seeking out the best sushi here and not the typical trendy spots around music circle.
(5)Mai H.
They definitely have very good rolls, though some items on the menu are highly Americanized.
(4)Trish T.
My friend took me here to eat lunch after class. She's a devoted customer to this restaurant. It has good quality fish, but I really hate when my sashimi comes out warm. It's happened here 99% of the time when I've gone with my friend. It is comparable to Peter's..quality and price (but I've never gotten warm sashimi at Peter's). This place is a low-key sushi joint, so nothing exotic or crazy here :)
(3)JJ S.
As a San Francisco native of Japanese descent I'm picky about my Asian food. This place impressed me. Super fresh fish and the sushi was well executed. Good selection of hot and other food including hard to find items like hiyayako, oshitashi and sukiyaki to name a few. Good service and a nice neighborhood vibe. The bonus was being able to buy the great Bonita flakes they used at their grocery store next door. I will definitely be a regular customer.
(5)Tracy F.
I come to Sonobana on a regular basis, since it is close to work and my coworkers love the fresh fish options. I very much enjoy the plentiful menu and the creative sushi rolls. The Sweetheart Roll is a particular favorite of mine (shrimp, avocado, cream cheese and fresh strawberries? Yes please!) The other rolls are average or slightly above, but not tremendously better than other sushi options in town. I also love their miso soup--I don't know what's in it that makes it better than the other miso soups in the area, but this is particularly delicious. On my last visit, I tried the vegetable tempura for the first time, which was outstanding! I was expecting the standard sweet potato, broccoli and peppers, and was pleasantly surprised to receive squash, carrots, and eggplant in addition to the standards listed above. My only gripe with the restaurant is the pricing--I spent $27 FOR LUNCH one day, and didn't feel like I over-ordered or overate at all. Every time I'm here I tend to spend more than I want to, and oftentimes leave feeling disappointed with what I receive for the money I spend. My favorite part of Sonobana, however, is the Japanese grocery attached to the restaurant. I helped to host a sushi rolling party for over 40 people this fall, and we were able to easily and inexpensively purchase all of the necessary ingredients--including very fresh tuna and salmon--all in one place. There are lots of fun products from Japan that are great for everyday use, and I love to stop by for sushi rice and lychee gummy candy. So fun!
(4)Mandy C.
Best affordable sushi around! Before coming here twice, I had yet to find high-quality sushi in Nashville. This place delivers. No frills establishment but high-grade sushi. I'll be back!
(4)Blair S.
I stopped by Sonobana late after a movie. I saw good reviews and wanted to give it a shot. Because it was late, two of us ordered enough food for four people. We got a large sushi and sashimi combination, a roll, two kinds of udon soup, and appetizers. We ate it all. ALL. Because it was so good. I'm not just saying that because I was hungry. The soft shell shrimp appetizer was fantastic. We slurped up the udon quickly. It was 4 stars. The nigiri and sashimi were the freshest I've ever had in North America outside of Seattle. The service was friendly, our green tea and water never ran dry, and they were attentive but not intrusive. To top it all off, all this food was cheap. I had to double check the tab to make sure the waiter didn't leave something off. I'll be back!
(5)Alex P.
Not the best I've ever had, but it was alright... First off, its tricky finding this place but its located behind Dalts and its in the same strip mall as Sushi Train. anyway, the interior seems dated possibly because of the wall facing the parking lot with all the ugly paintings, I mean local talent... And the booths were too cozy- it's not like I'm heavy or closterphobic, the space was just tight. Also, since it was a Friday, I guess it's not unusual, but the sushi wasn't super fresh. I was disappointed with my spicy salmon and eel rolls. But the house salad with ginger dressing and the miso soup was fine. I think I would have been more excited had I discovered the little market attached to this restaurant... I guess that means I'm coming back at least one more time.
(3)Libby B.
This was the first place I ever got sushi in Nashville, and a year and a half later, I still keep coming back. Sonobana boasts a vast array of sushi and sashimi. The sushi menu alone is two pages long, not counting their page of customer created rolls (The Rebecca Roll is quite tasty!). I myself am a fan of the Blake Roll, which comes covered in smelt roe, and their Cherry Bomb roll, which has spicy mayo and pieces of cherry in it. My other favorite roll has to be the Valentine's roll they came up with last year. It comes with six pieces grouped into three heart-shaped pieces of sushi, wrapped up in pink soy paper. Has strawberries, salmon, cream cheese, and mango sauce, and is oh, so tasty! Not to mention very, very pretty on the plate! I know that they have Bento boxes here, which I have yet to try. And for dessert, the green tea ice cream is fantastic! You can also come in/call and get to-go orders. If you come in sometimes they'll even offer you a free drink while you wait. There is also a cute little Japanese grocery attached to the restaurant. They have everything here from Japanese candy to pints of the aforementioned green tea ice cream and frozen entrees. There is a floor to ceiling shelf of anime videos, though I've never paused to peruse the titles. Prices here are very reasonable. For two rolls I can walk out of here spending less than $15. The service is pretty quick too, though sometimes they can get swamped. Also definitely check the hours of operation, they can be somewhat unusual - for example, I know they don't open on Sunday until 5.
(5)Kim L.
Love everything about this place! Yu Dofu was awesome! The Veggie Spring Rolls and the Nashville Roll are a must-try! As always top notch service!!
(4)Marcia M.
Good sushi at reasonable prices! My bill was just $7 for an order of 2 veggie springrolls and a rather tasty veggie roll that was pretty unique in flavor. Add on the fact that they have a nifty little Asian market attached and this Korean is happy. In addition to the Pocky and other Asian candies, there was a nice selection of ingredients to select from.. for those who have kitchen skills. I obviously need to pay others to cook for my helpless self!
(4)Jenn G.
I was sooo skeptical of this place (and its attached grocery store) when we first walked in, then intimidated when I recognized almost none of the rolls on the lengthy menu. But it was love at first bite! These people KNOW their sushi, and my friends and I turned our table into a free-for-all buffet, trying everything we could afford to order. It was the best sushi I've ever had, hands down. Everything was so fresh to the point that I can't even think the word "fresh" without remembering the Sunflower Roll! Not exaggerating, I want to make the drive back to Nashville just to eat at Sonobana again.
(5)Alishah N.
Possibly the best sushi I've had in Nashville. The salmon sashimi reminded me of a place I'd use to go to in Seattle where the salmon was so fresh and soft it tastes like butter. The place is super friendly, service is great (better than Peter's Sushi) and the price is incredibly low considering the quality. If you're looking for a new sushi place, I'd definitely give them a shot. I'd go more frequently if I lived closer.
(5)Leigh J.
Who would have thought incredible chirashi could be found in land-locked Nashville, Tennessee? The chirashi at Sonobana is so good it eats more like an expensive box of chocolate truffles than a box of raw fish. This one includes fresh cuts of maguro, sake, hamachi, white tuna, octopus, ebi, surf clam, mackerel, crab stick, and a delicious freshly-made tamago that is closer to a dessert. I'm not crazy about surf clam or mackerel, and Sonobana has always been more than willing to oblige with whatever I have asked to substitute-usually more yellowtail (which is my favourite) but they've also been known to throw in pieces of unagi (delicious barbecued eel) despite the fact that it's not something typically included in chirashi. I love spicy mayo, tempura crumbs, and ponzu as much as the next American sushi-goer, but the fish at Sonobana is so fresh and of such high quality that it is better with fewer embellishments so you can actually taste the subtle flavours of the fish. Better yet, you can alternate each mouthwatering bite with a forkload of one of a lovely selection of extra goodies they pack into that little box, including sweet pickled burdock root, seaweed sunomono, strings of crunchy diakon root, pickled ginger, and wasabi. All of this sits on top of a bed of seasoned rice sprinkled with sesame seeds, seaweed, tobiko that is a culinary triumph on it's own. I often ignore rice to fill up on more fish, but Sonobana's is so good I find myself continuing to eat it even after the fish is long gone. Hands down the most satisfying chirashi I have ever eaten.
(5)Rachel C.
Great selection, everything is fresh. A little on the small side for seating and staff gets overwhelmed. Great service and descent prices.
(4)Jenn R.
I liked this sushi restaurant and was a repeat customer over the last few years. By Nashville standards it was one of the better ones.Was being the key phrase. I brought 4 friends in tonight for a birthday dinner and had such a poor experience that I was embarrassed and bummed out for the birthday girl.The waitstaff and the owner did not even come to the table to apologize only to make the excuse the two customers at the sushi bar were being taken care of first. In fact , they did not even try and make an effort to make the "over one hour wait to get our sushi after it was ordered", right. I was very embarrassed as I had recommended this place to people for a special occasion. It took 45 minutes before all of our salads arrived after ordering. It wasn't even busy as usual.The waitress was nowhere to be found. The eel was tasteless and rubbery and had to be sent back.The udon soup was gross.The sushi was not good as it once was. I am shocked that they made no effort to make four customers happy. I can not even recall the last time I was this disappointed in the overall experience of a restaurant. I will have to bring my business to Arigato Sayonara or Virago from now on.
(1)Tiffany M.
Hands down the best sushi I have here in TN. I'm from NY and I love this place. Food is good, tons of rolls to choose from and super affordable!
(5)Allison B.
Love!!!!!! This is my go-to spot for sushi! The staff is amazing and the food is to die for. Please don't choose Sushi Train over this place! They also do $20 all-you-can-eat every year during the Super Bowl!
(5)Howard L.
I still eat here on a regular basis. My only gripe is that the Tuna isn't what it used to be, but I'm guessing there are factors beyond the restaurant's control behind that. Overfishing, declining stocks, toxicity, etc etc. I read another review that made me angry: "This restaurant was better when it was BenKay". Ok dude, I was around when it was Ben Kay and the food hasn't changed. Beside the Tuna, everything tastes as great as it used to. That water collecting at the bottom of your salad bowl? That's salad dressing, smart guy. This place is still tops in Nashville. That sushi train place made a mistake trying to compete, because they pale in comparison.
(5)Kristen H.
after i wrote about this place, i got hungry, so we went again last night. and it was even better! same great service (different server though), and the food was even tastier. very good experience.
(5)Mark S.
Another great experience at Sonobana. As many of you probably know, Sonobana is owned by the family of Moon Sun-myung - a significant Korean industrialist who is known for the Unification Church and his many commercial endeavors including the Washington Times. They also own a sushi purveyor and that explains the quality of the fish that they serve. Moon died in 2012. Sonobana is easily the best sushi that I've had outside of New York, San Francisco and Chicago. Their sushi menu is diverse and includes things you don't often see such as ankimo and awabe - uni is also available if you ask. For Americans who don't understand or appreciate tratditional nigiri sushi or sashimi there are also fru-fru rolls. My guests all enjoyed the dinner and the excellent service we received, I'm looking forward to my next visit.
(4)Jamie A.
Rebekah...Roll....thank you Rebekah, whoever you are, for coming up with this delicacy! It was basically a tempura fried California roll sitting in sweet chile sauce topped with baked shrimp and spicy mayo. Definitely not healthy, but amazing! I have to say I didn't like the spicy crunchy shrimp roll. Honestly I don't much care for the toasted sesame seeds and it was covered in them. I'll probably try it again and ask they leave the seeds out of the rice. Hamachi (yellow tail) nigiri was pretty standard. Beef gyoza was delish. My boyfriend loved the caterpillar roll. I am happy that we have a new sushi place in the rotation! Oh, they appear to be very kid friendly. Usually not my favorite thing, but I was happy to see that all the kiddos were well behaved. Nice job, 'rents! ...one more thing...the sell McCallan 12 year scotch for $7ish!
(4)Esther L.
Sonobana is one of the things I miss most about living on the West Side. The udon soups (try the duck!) are a nourishing dinner during bitter winter nights, made even cozier by the green tea. The fish is the freshest in the city, so I choose sashimi or nigiri when I am lucky to be in that part of town. The only disappointment is consistently overcooked edamame, which doesn't seem dire enough to warrant a lower rating. Service is friendly, refills are prompt. I miss you, Sonobana!
(5)Mala H.
Astounding. Sashimi so fresh you'd swear it was about to jump off the plate. I am returning for their Sashimi boat and bringing my dining out group - Nashville Foodgasm next month. Totally an unexpected gem and worth a try. The lunch bento box is extremely generous and a terrific value. Angelfish liver was a delicious and lovely surprise item on the menu during my visit.
(4)Kurt R.
This was unfortunately one of the worst Japanese meals I have ever had. There is a distinctive smell to the restaurant. The service would be a 3 and the food a 1. Took my kids there (teenagers) as a special meal and we were all very let down.
(1)Morgan P.
I feel like everything that I have to say has been said. The sushi is fresh and yummy and when my boyfriend got the check he said, "Wow". Wow as in, did they add that right because that is low. We visited on a Tuesday night and the restaurant was pretty busy, which I think speaks to the quality. My favorite aspect of this sushi destination was that they had unique options. My boyfriend and I love to try new fish. They had some different options. I can't wait to go back and try some more!
(5)Jeremy E.
Looks can be deceiving. I chose this place entirely based on Yelp reviews. When I pulled up with my wifey, we shot each other a quick glance, both looking for reassurance we had made the right move. I stepped up, and decided we were there and going in. Yelp has a 99% success rate in my experience, so I "rode with the horse that brought me", so to speak. The outside signage is underwhelming, and upon entry, I felt like I was walking into a "Great Wall" or "Golden Dragon" type place. We were warmly greeted and our server was right over. Love that anywhere. We went overboard and ordered 3 rolls of sushi, a bento box and a chicken teriyaki. Have to say, the sushi was very good. Fresh and well made. Bento box was also tasty. The tempura veggies were just ok, but there is only so much you can do with fried broccoli. Teriyaki was delish. All for a very reasonable price. Will definitely be back!
(4)Justin R.
While the star count on my review is staying the same, I just want to clarify that even though the service at Sonobana is extremely slow, the servers are very nice and the sushi is delicious. At dinner a few weeks ago, we had such a great experience. I think if you go into it knowing that its going to take awhile, it's not as frustrating. Our server was really really nice. She made sure our sake glasses were never empty. Which is always great in my book. And the giant plate of sushi was some of the best I have had to date in Nashville. I cant wait to go back, and get some tasty sushi and sake.
(4)Jacque W.
My husband and I love this place. Sushi is fantastic and atmosphere is very casual and comfortable.
(5)Rachel M.
I really want to give this restaurant a 3.75 or something, but whatever. The service was fantastic. The lady that waited on our group (we had about 20) was super sweet. She didn't write a thing down, either. She was great. I really liked the feel of the place. The prices were very reasonable, and the other Yelpers that commented on the size and value of the bento box were right on: it is an excellent value. What kept this place from getting my 5 stars of approval was the sushi. I ordered the Rebecca roll and the Nashville roll. There was nothing wrong with either of them. It just was not the best sushi I have ever had. However, since I adore sushi and this place is oh-so-close to my place of work, I will be returning. I may find what I'm looking for the second time around.
(4)Karen T.
I'm a fan^^. My husband and I come there every week. Don't forget to try their sunflower roll and sweet heart roll. They are just so good
(5)Marilee S.
O.K., here's the deal. We moved too far from our favorite sushi restaurant - Peter's Thai & Sushi in Brentwood - to go every weekend. (If you're drinking sake, it's a tad too risky.) So we set out to find a new place up in the Green Hills/White Bridge Road area. We tried them all and Sonobana is the best you're going to find in the area. Maybe not the best sashimi, but the best sushi rolls. Maybe not the best decor (it's a little dark and worn), but it's comfortable like you're favorite sneakers and there's a place to rest your feet under the sushi bar (plus they give you a hot moist towel when you first sit down to wipe your hands). And maybe not the friendliest sushi chefs. It's like they're either so painfully shy, so snobby or so afraid to use their English, they barely look up when you sit down. But, there's something really honest about Sonobana that keeps drawing us back. Most importantly, their fish is fresh and their rolls are very creative. The Rebecca roll - a deep fried California roll, topped with baked shrimp in spicy mayo (I know, it's fattening!) $6.95, the White Bridge roll (tuna, salmon, egg, crab, mint leaf rolled in radish) $4.75, the Daisy roll (salmon, albacore, smelt roe, avocado, asparagus, sweet chili sauce and flying fish roe) $6.50, and the Hiroshi roll (radish, lettuce, burdock, ginger, cucumber, avocado, red cabbage, asparagus, a little cream cheese, rolled in radish) $4.25. I've tried their sashimi, but for me, the pieces of fish, while extremely fresh, were a little too thick and too big to eat in one bite. My Other Half ordered the Tuna Tataki, his favorite at Peter's. He said Sonobana's is not as good as Peter's. Maybe over time, we'll get that "Welcome back" greeting from the chefs. Until then, we're totally happy that we've found a new favorite. The fish is fresh. The prices are totally reasonable and the service is very good. Can't ask for much more from a sushi restaurant in Tennessee.
(4)Patric J.
Some of the better sushi I've had in Nashville. They are the first to have fatty tuna that I have seen. (big bonus)
(4)Sarah D.
The food? Awesome. The service? Awful. The sushi is always amazing and the rolls are all unique. My personal favorite is the cherry bomb roll. However, the service leaves a lot to be desired. The last time I ate in, I stood up front for 10 minutes before somebody even saw me and came to seat me. The last few times I've ordered take-out, it's the same thing. I stand up at the counter for a very long time before somebody even comes by to help me, and this is after many employees have looked right at me and continued doing what they were doing instead of helping me. I understand that restaurants get busy, but a 10 minute wait just to be acknowledged is a bit much. They need more staff desperately. However the sushi is so delicious that I always forget about the iffy service and remind myself it's all worth it. Tip: Call in your take-out order way before you need it. They run behind often and this saves you the frustration of waiting around for them to finish making your order. Especially on weekend nights make sure you get your take=out order in early because they will stop taking them if they get a lot. This is my favorite sushi restaurant in Nashville and I highly recommend it, just be sure to have patience when you do go.
(4)Micki C.
This place was a disappointment on all levels. I know Tennessee is land locked so expecting great sushi is a tall order, but I'm from Minnesota and you can still find a decent roll. The restaurant is located in a strip mall and is decorated and feels like a strip mall restaurant. The menu is cheap plastic with terrible photos of the food. The prices are also cheap, and you definitely get what you pay for. We went on Sunday night at 7pm, and it was very busy. The service was slow. We ordered drinks right away, but then had to wait 10 minutes for the server to come back to take our food order. We shared a couple rolls and some edamame. It took over an hour to get our food! The server never stopped back to refill our drinks or tell us what was taking so long. I finally got up to go ask and was told they had a private party in the back who was ordering over $500 worth of sushi so our order was prioritized after theirs. I guess I get that, but I sure didn't like being told my business wasn't important to them just because I wasn't spending as much money as another table. To add insult to injury, when our food finally did arrive they only gave us three of the rolls we ordered (we didn't dare send the other one back for the correct roll because we'd probably still be waiting and we were so hungry we just wanted to eat something). The rolls were poorly made, the pieces were too big and weren't well packed. They fell apart when you picked them up and before you could get them to your mouth. The taste was flavorless. Really upsetting after waiting so long for our food. We got a couple half hearted apologies and a free glass of wine we didn't want since we were driving and had already had a couple drinks. I was absolutely shocked to see they charged me full price for the entire meal, including the part of our order that was wrong. I tried to intimate to the server that we were not pleased with our experience, but got a too bad, we were busy kind of attitude. Moral of the story: if you want sushi in Nashville, go somewhere else!
(1)A A.
Excellent food, excellent service, consistent!!!!!!!!!
(5)Karol C.
Oh...So...Goood!!! I'm kinda ticked because I just found this gem and I'm only here for another week. The best sushi I've had. Yeah, I know, I said that on another review. The other place is great but I was wowed by the yummy goodness I discovered at Sonobana. The prices are very reasonable. Two rolls cost me $15. I completely smashed my food. It was so delicious! The Rebecca roll looked amazing so I saved it for last. I wanted to spend a little time gazing at its "scrumptiousness" before I scarfed it down. I ate my scallop roll first, which too was a treat. Ok, so the Rebecca roll has to be the tastiest concotion I've had in quite some time. I won't even attempt to describe how happy my mouth was to feast on it. The highlights are the super yummy shrimp and the sweet chili sauce. I'd come back to Nashville just to experience Sonobana again. The portions were very ample...I'm stuffed. *falling out on the bed with a huge smile*
(5)Loren L.
My boyfriend just moved to Nashville and we searched through yelp for a good sushi place to try. This one is half a mile from his apartment and was amazing! Thanks to the reviews we tried the cherry bomb roll which was delicious, the tuna roll had melt in your mouth tuna, and we also really loved the soy wrap roll (my favorite) and the rebekah roll (his favorite). Waitstaff was extemely friendly and attentive enough. Also the price was very good for the amount of food you get! Our only tiny complaint was that the shrimp and veggie tempura could have had a few more veggies - but the shrimp in the tempura was very high quality (soft and flavorful instead of rough and fishy like other shrimp tempura I've had). Definitely give it this place a try!
(4)Christine M.
This is my favorite Japanese restaurant in Nashville. We've been here twice now, and both times the staff have been extremely friendly and efficient. The food is excellent. On the first visit we had a bottle of the unfiltered sake, which was yummy. We had the octopus appetizer, which is easy to get wrong in a million different ways, but it was great. We had the Spider roll, eel roll, and a lot of other rolls on our first visit, and they were all fresh and tasty. Second visit we both had the curry rice lunch special with pork cutlet, which is one of my hearty favorites. They make it perfectly at Sonobana. We will be going back! Also, the grocery next door is small but has a great selection of hard-to-find Japanese items, including tea, mochi, and snacks. They even have homemade mochi with red bean paste.
(4)Benjamin S.
When it comes to sushi, this place is still my number 1 favorite in Nashville and flat-out tie with Hanabi. The sushi here is top notch and you just can't beat the price. My hands down favorite is the sushi, sashimi combo. So good and the only one of its kind that comes with octopus sashimi. Since my I stopped frequenting the place and started coming less often, they have gotten a little lazy on the service, but as they were busy that night I will cut them some slack. That being said the sushi here is just awesome, and where else can you have a cheeseburger roll that is just melt in your mouth awesome. Yes, a cheeseburger roll, may not sound great but it is so good and a very creative spin on sushi. That being said this is still my favorite place to fill my sushi fix.
(4)Cynthia T.
Two Point Take: 1. Fresh, delicious food! 2. A restaurant worth visiting on a regular basis! Talk about a warm welcome into Nashville, and for my stomach too! The moment you walk in, you feel at home. Sonobana is almost always busy which is a good sign, but can cause a little bit of a wait from the sushi bar at times. To counter that, the service is friendly and they make sure you're well taken care of. Our favorite dish to order is the CHIRASHI which includes: FRESH SALMON, OCTOPUS, TUNA, YELLOWTAIL, WHITE FILLET, EGG & CLAM-----$12.95. And if you ask nicely, they're willing to substitute a thing or two (i.e. taking out the egg & yellow tail for more salmon)! The fish is well worth the price already but teamed together with the seaweed salad, masago, and mmm-mmm-good sauce on rice, makes it feel like a party in your mouth and wallet.
(4)Alana T.
The best sushi for a very good price. Amazing staff with a laid back atmosphere. Definitely my favorite place in Nashville!
(5)emily s.
Don't waste your time. The waitress was rude and harassed me and my husband after touching him multiple times. The food is hit or miss and their service is awful/illegal/inappropriate. When I mentioned that the waitress was being physical with my husband to the manager he told me that they have NO employee handbook and therefore have no standard of service that they can hold their staff to. Isn't that illegal under OSHA law?? In short, we will never go back again.
(1)chocovore s.
Sonobana seems to be one of the few sushi places in Nashville that also serves non-sushi Japanese food (Ichiban does as well, and the now long-closed Shintomi did). Yakitori, tsukemono, tonkatsu, agedashi tofu, chazuke, umeshiso roll, even natto if you like stinky/sticky things! They have a big selection of fancy western-style sushi rolls, too. Their fish has always been fresh. The service is also generally very friendly, we've had the same server maybe three times over the last six months or so and she remembered us on each subsequent visit. She has also been super attentive to our son -- having his sushi roll cut into smaller pieces, putting extra tofu in his miso soup, etc. Two negatives: A couple visits ago I had their kitsune udon and the broth was pretty meh. The second gripe is that a couple of times we have been there we were seated in the back room which is kind of dingy and harshly fluorescent-lit. Much less pleasant atmosphere than the front. It's one thing if they are full in the front, but tonight we were there early and it was at least 75% empty up there, and it kind of felt like we were shuffled to the back because we had our 5-year-old with us (though as we were finishing our meal a man dining by himself was seated back there). When we entered the server who sat us seemed like he was going to put us in the front room but the man I believe is the owner told him to seat us in the back. The server was actually apologetic when he sat us back there. I guess we could have asked for a different table . . . again, the servers have always been really nice so I don't think they are anti-kid or anything, maybe they just avoid putting romantic date-night couples in the dingier back room. Don't miss their tiny market next door for Japanese candy, handmade mochi, and even cuts of sushi-grade fish you can take home to roll your own!
(4)Josh F.
Excellent food, our waiter was funny without being obnoxious and I enjoyed the pieces of art hanging in the dining area.
(4)Lyndi S.
This little nugget of a sushi restaurant is hiding in the Steinmart shopping plaza like it ain't no thang. Well, it's definitely something! And by something, I mean authentic and delicious. Boyfriend hates when the menus have pictures, but what he doesn't realize is that is how you know it's authentic! So needless to say, I was thrilled to see the awful pictures next to each food item listed on their fairly extensive menu. Another way to know a sushi restaurant is great is when they have a lot of very simplistic sushi. That is, no more than 3-5 items in each roll. Again, Sonobana is right on the money. The fish was FRESH, the rolls were perfectly done and tightly rolled, and the ingredients had real flavor! The spicy tuna was spicy! The cajun shrimp was perfectly fried (no tempura, I'm talking true cajun style shrimp here). Everything was delicious. Another thing I noticed was that despite the quiet, fairly slow service, the guy who sat us was fantastic. I'm not sure if he was the owner or the host, or what, but he was just straight up cool. He refilled our water and came back to chat about New Orleans (he grew up there, we lived there for a year). Another bonus to this already fantastic restaurant. As if all of this experience wasn't already one of the best in my Nashville sushi adventures, we got the bill. For four sushi rolls and a huge bottle of Nigori, we only spent $35. What a great deal. Inexpensive, authentic, FRESH sushi? Yes please!
(4)Ali B.
Even though it's in a little hole-in-the-wall strip mall, it is the best place for sushi in Nashville I have experienced so far. Everything is always fresh, delicious (and served at an appropriate temperature). The owners and servers are friendly and polite, always. I always look forward to returning!
(5)Jenn Z.
I love this place. I truly do. It is not the BEST sushi I have had in my life, that is reserved for a few places on the Coast back home but, in Nashville this is the place for me. My man and I have been going here for two years on a pretty regular basis. So much so, that we often spend about 30 minutes just talking to Jerry the very accomodating, soft spoken, Manager of the place. I love the service staff, they are equally friendly and accomodating- the only time it gets slow, is if they are super busy and the sushi Chefs get overloaded. I have heard a few people complain about their sushi taking too long, but they were also over the top, ordered 10 rolls at once, and everyone hears my conversation types too - so I take things like that complaint with a grain of salt. I have never been disappointed. I love the creative and traditional rolls, I love the rolls they have named and created for Customers. They often have Bento specials, which drives down the price of their already inexpensive menu. When I was pregnant with our Son, we frequented here so I could get my fix of ginger and house salad with dressing, Miso Soup and rice! I often ordered take out on nights I was too tired and huge to sit and eat! The place could use a decor update, but then again, if that happened it is likely we would see an increase in the menu prices- no thanks. Keep the chairs and booths 70"s, Jerry visiting the patrons and the sushi rolls inexpensive. We love you Sonobana and we shall return, again and again.
(4)Joe C.
This used to be called Benkay's. Changed the name within the last year. Had been going there for years (more than 10). Granted the dcor is dated, but the foods are pretty good. Just remember this isn't Cali or NYC! If I go there for lunch, I always get their special lunch box. It's a mix of sashimi and spicy tuna rolls and salad and soup, too. I love it so much. As for dinner, I always get the chirasu or eel bow. Their subway roll is good too.
(3)