We are a small, family-owned restaurant serving authentic Japanese cuisine to the Santa Cruz community since 1991. Our portions are famously large and we have a loyal following of sushi fans from around the world.
For the best sushi, sake and sumo in the area, come join us for some fun!
Japanese restaurant preparing a selection of sushi platters as well as hot options. Based on 165 reviews, the restaurant has received a rating of 4.4 stars. Price
✔️ Dine-in ✔️ Takeout ✔️ No delivery
Address:
1200 41st Ave, Capitola, CA 95010
Phone: (831) 479-9620
Website: http://www.nakasushi.org/
Social Profile: 
Hours
| Friday | 5:30–9 PM |
| Saturday | 5:30–9 PM |
| Sunday | 5:30–9 PM |
| Monday
(Labor Day)
|
Closed |
| Tuesday | Closed |
| Wednesday | 5:30–9 PM |
| Thursday | 5:30–9 PM |
Menu
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Menu Photos
Photo Gallery
Reviews
Dave Mitchell
If you’re looking for an authentic Sushi experience, prepared and served by a master… this is the place. Portions are large – so one nigiri serving is really like two. The fish is fresh and deeeelicious and prices are fair for the portion size. Some of the best sushi I’ve had ever. The Salmon was bright and fresh, Yellowtail was like butter and the grilled Unagi was the best I’ve ever had, not some tiny piece covered in sauce but large, grilled to perfection and lightly sauced.
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Kwok
Some of the best, freshest, and most delicious sushi I’ve had. The sushi master is amazing. The sashimi and nigiri size are MASSIVE. Unagi Don is some of these best out there in the area. Highly recommend if you want to splurge a little but worth every penny.
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Carl O’Neil
Great little sushi bar with izakaiya standards as well. Cute Japanese couple running the place. The Sumo they have on TV is not from the current tournament sadly but it’s fun to see some of the guys who retired in the last couple years back on the dohyo. The sushi and sashimi pieces are big and fresh. The Age Dashi Tofu was good although the sauce was a little light. Nice quaint atmosphere, Hiroshige prints on the wall. If you live locally and want a “go-to sushi spot”, you can’t get more authentic than this!
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Julia Mazur
Very good quality fish. The ratios of rice to fish on the nigiri is something I’ve never seen before. Normal ball of rice but probably 3x times the size of fish. I accidentally ordered the amount I normally would at other restaurants only to discover the sizes. They do note a warning on their menu but I didn’t think that applied to the sushi portion of the menu. I personally did not care for a mouth full that big of fish but as I mentioned the quality was very good.
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Katy Lite
Can not wait to try Naka! I ordered from Mobo and was sorely disappointed in so
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Michiyo “Mike” Montague
Visited Naka Sushi and was pleasantly surprised at the authenticity of the dishes I ate. I’m half Japanese and recently lived in Japan for 2.5 years. The sushi chef, Naka-san, trained and worked in Japan and is a legit sushi chef. The Nigri portions of fish are huge and thick! It is actually 2 or more pieces of Nigri in 1. If you love unagi, their specially wood plank grilled technique makes their unagi the best I have ever eaten and that includes in Japan. Sooo good! Also, the salad and miso are on point! I drove 45 minutes from Monterey the next day to eat there again!!! Best in the entire region!
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Laura Delaney
I really enjoyed and appreciated the nigiri. The small rolls were exceptional. In general, the fish seemed extremely fresh. I found eating their large, house specialties very difficult to eat. The rolls were just so big they made it impossible to enjoy the eating process. The rest of our experience was fabulous.
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Matt Orbach
The owners are very nice, the sushi is good quality, the sumo wrestling on the TV was unique, and I love giant koi fish decal and pictures on the walls. However, the roll selection pales in comparison to the other local sushi bars such as Sushi Garden, Mobo, I Love Sushi, and Akira, who all have large selections of very creative rolls. I would also like to have more normal size roll options rather than the double size ones that normal humans can’t eat in one bite.
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Samantha T
Great sushi spot! Cute atmosphere, nice decorations inside. The nigiri is to die for; great fresh fish, huge amount, the nigiri is totally worth it!!!
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Max Threlkeld
Best sushi in Santa Cruz. Large fresh, tasty, delicious portions. Always good and the service is far better then most resturants in town.
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