n/naka in Los Angeles, California. 13-course Kaiseki with wine and sake pairing.
For people who have also been here, how does it compare to other Michelin Star restaurants in the area? I'm looking into whether I should return here or visit a different restaurant in the area. All recommendations are welcome!
by CowabungaCucamonga
9 Comments
highglove
Was it divulged why they lost their stars? Anyone been there before and after and seen a noticeable difference?
robarpoch
I can’t answer your question as I haven’t been there in over a decade (no Michelin in LA at the time), but loved it then.
Would love your thoughts on your meal this time. I’ll be there in a couple weeks.
General-Breadfruit59
Having dined there as well as other starred restaurants, I feel like it’s always been a 1 star restaurant. I never felt like it was deserving of 2 stars.
Southern_hog_85
Do they still serve dishes with truffle oil?
CreepyJellyfish1489
Presentation honestly looks kind of uninspiring, but the flavor definitely could be another story.
Plastic-Ferret7920
Deserves a 2 star.
MaryFrancieNolan
I’ve eaten at n/naka a few times. It’s hard to compare it to other fine dining because it’s thematically different than a lot of other starred places including other Japanese restaurants. I really enjoy dining there but would recommend eating elsewhere. Trying new places is always a treat and LA has a big variety.
santabread
My experience may be an outlier but I had an overwhelmingly better experience at n/naka than at Providence, both in terms of service and food
Benfood123
Been here 7 years apart. Both times it was just OK. First time almost all the dishes came out semi cold. Second time you can tell the cost cutting (a piece of sb uni cut in half for the sashimi dish, and using the same sashimi as the nigiri), but atleast the food came out the intended temperature.
I think n/naka gets more praise than it deserves mostly because of the the netflix treatment.
It arguably is a 1* experience but absolutely not a 2* experience. It does everything ok but not great. If you want a good 2* japanese kaiseki, go to hayato. If you want a high quality tasting menu, go to providence. If you want good sushi, go to kaneyoshi, inaba or any other sushi places.
9 Comments
Was it divulged why they lost their stars? Anyone been there before and after and seen a noticeable difference?
I can’t answer your question as I haven’t been there in over a decade (no Michelin in LA at the time), but loved it then.
Would love your thoughts on your meal this time. I’ll be there in a couple weeks.
Having dined there as well as other starred restaurants, I feel like it’s always been a 1 star restaurant. I never felt like it was deserving of 2 stars.
Do they still serve dishes with truffle oil?
Presentation honestly looks kind of uninspiring, but the flavor definitely could be another story.
Deserves a 2 star.
I’ve eaten at n/naka a few times. It’s hard to compare it to other fine dining because it’s thematically different than a lot of other starred places including other Japanese restaurants. I really enjoy dining there but would recommend eating elsewhere. Trying new places is always a treat and LA has a big variety.
My experience may be an outlier but I had an overwhelmingly better experience at n/naka than at Providence, both in terms of service and food
Been here 7 years apart. Both times it was just OK. First time almost all the dishes came out semi cold. Second time you can tell the cost cutting (a piece of sb uni cut in half for the sashimi dish, and using the same sashimi as the nigiri), but atleast the food came out the intended temperature.
I think n/naka gets more praise than it deserves mostly because of the the netflix treatment.
It arguably is a 1* experience but absolutely not a 2* experience. It does everything ok but not great. If you want a good 2* japanese kaiseki, go to hayato. If you want a high quality tasting menu, go to providence. If you want good sushi, go to kaneyoshi, inaba or any other sushi places.