Overall: Do it, go, spend the money and enjoy. I'd be amazed if it isn't one of the best you've had. Location: Extremely hard to find. The location is in a strip mall, the door is actually in the back thru the parking lot. Give yourself time to find it, it is worth it. We took a cab there and the cab had a hard time finding it also. Food: Best sushi I have ever eaten, really don't even know how to describe it. Just go with it and let the chef bring on the experience. Environment: Extremely small inside but that is one of the best parts. You are talking and sitting with the chef. They only do certain sitting times for the entire restaurant so you'll need to work that in as well. Cost: Yeah, you get what you pay for and we paid for it here but again one of the best sushi meals I've ever eaten. Hint: Order a couple of the 'Belly of the Salmon' pieces. Amazing! read more

Chose the 6 pm seating on a Thursday night. Spoke with them a few days before and chose to sit at the bar in front of the chef (best seat in the house by the way). I was warned that it can be difficult to find but they gave me excellent tips on how to get there. At the entrance there are only numbers above the door and a small Naoe business card by the handle. I knew I was going to love it right then. Upon entering Naoe we were greeted with such pleasant smiles and felt as if we were entering someone's home. They were quick to wish my husband a happy birthday. From there it just kept getting better. This was the Alinea of sushi. Wendy and the staff were impeccable. As there are only 8 guests per seating and there are 3 attendants you never have to worry about anything. I have never experienced service like this in my life. If I had a sip of my sake the glass was promptly refilled. Speaking of the sake, we ordered the glory of the sun ginjyo per Wendy's recommendation. The caliber of this sake was, again, like nothing I have ever encountered. It was smooth, delicate, just fantastic and perfect for the meal. Every single course was immaculate and it was such an experience being able to watch the chef at his craft. This is really something special here. Naoe is not simply a meal it is something complex, beautiful, extraordinary. I really can't rave enough. The most incredible, intimate dining experience I have had to date and I cannot wait to return. Bravo to the chef, Wendy and the rest of the Naoe team. read more

See all

We spent close to 4 hours celebrating our anniversary @ NAOE. While I think about our experience, and how to start the review, all I can think is "I want to go there again tonight". Amazing food, amazing service, amazing everything. The Organic sake was superb!! The frozen sake was fun. The Okaiseki, the variety of Nigiri sushi's and the dessert was palate orgasm. Thank you to Kevin & Wendy. Thank you for the memories and the gift. read more

Amazing food and also amazing staff. Everyone was so knowledgeable and attentive. They made it very memorable for my boyfriends birthday! Thank you NAOE! read more

Others have already explained graphically and eloquently this wonderful restaurant, so I'll just work off that. The concept here is a schmancy pay-by-the-plate sort of thing. We got the bento box which consisted of slow cooked pork jaw, a thick red miso, various pickled and unique japanese vegetables, some kind of egg cake thing, and beautiful seared white fish. The bento box is amazing for its variety of tastes, textures, and complexity. It is like a little taste-experience that unfolds. Following the bento box, the nilgiri came. We were actually pretty full having made the mistake of bbq-ing all day before coming. I tried the poached lobster, salmon belly, and trumpet fish. The sushi is traditional japanese style with real wasabi freshly grated and house blend of soy sauce applied before you get it. The flavors were perfect and the fish could not be fresher. This place is less a sushi restaurant or japanese restaurant as it is an experience. The blends of flavors and composition of the meal itself is art work, and is paced to make for a pleasant outing with friends or loved ones. The wait staff is beyond friendly and super nice, they actually remind me of coworkers in the hospital in terms of knowing how to treat people. A huge star in my book is their tea menu. I'm a tea junkie and it's the only place in miami I've found with quality gyokuro (my favorite japanese tea next to roasted kukicha). The deserts have a secret and I won't spoil that for anyone. I went here on my birthday and they went way out of their way to make it special. Thanks! read more

Omaksase at its finest! Chef Kevin is amazing, and his wife/gf (the waitress) is the most knowledgeable and incredible server ever. The fish and uni were sooooo good. It's one of those places you can't complain about the price, but to the non wealthy who loves real authentic sushi, and not Americanized sushi rolls, this is a once a year kind of treat read more

It's now years later and we've been living in Florida since my last review. I can't believe I said then that I don't really eat sushi. Well that has changed and Naoe is still the favorite. We celebrate every family milestone at Naoe. I'm posting photos of our various anniversaries. Naoe is like family. read more

See all

What a unique experience we had, we can't even look at other Japanese restaurants the way we enjoyed them before. We also made a reservation well in advance and were travelling from Philadelphia area where we have a good number of outstanding restaurants. To tell you the truth we were a little concerned with all the rules of confirmation, paying with credit card and being on time, especially that we were flying into hurricane Sandy. But our experience at Naoe settled all the worries. When we found the restaurant and parked, Wendy was already waiting for us outside the door and welcomed us inside, we were a little early being out of town, didn't want to be late. It was a smart decision on our part to reserve to sit at the bar. The arrangement is 4 people at the bar and 4 at the tables. The kitchen is a state of the Japanese art, all stainless steel with the array of Japanese pots and pans. The whole evening was like a fine art theater performed in front of your eyes. On the other hand it was very relaxing, like you came to a home of your dear friends who would like to treat you to a special meal. Wendy, the manager and fine hostess was a pleasure and a wealth of information, explaining all the elements of the food, drink and even showing us interesting pictures related to Japanese food and fish catching business. We also met a very nice young guy Alisher, who is a sui chef to chef Cory, we learned that he has an aspiration to be a fine Japanese chef himself. We chose a nice unfiltered beer and a frozen sake for drinks. Then the dinner began. The bento box was very interesting combination of different dishes. Flounder soup, sashimi with ikra that wasn't salty at all, chef Cory showed us how it looked like before he prepared it for dinner. The art of Chef Cory's knife technique was amazing to watch, he was slicing fish like a violinist playing his violin with the bow. After bento box will follow nigiri sushi accompanied by a fine soy sauce prepared by chef Cory's himself, you would never eat any other one after that, such an earthiness of a smell to it. salmon belly, kumomoto oyster, cod liver with the small octopus on top, kohada etc. We also ordered uni and unagi as extra sushi dishes and my husband enjoyed the cod liver with octopus so much, he ordered more of that. Then we had the most delicious fruit platter and a tea with a desert. I guessed the mystery ice cream pretty close to what it was, have fun with it. What an unbelievable time we had, we were not rushed, very full of food and experience, definitely coming back and telling all of our friends to come. read more

See all

I've been staying in Miami for more than 2years, and NAOE is absolutely my favorite restaurant in Miami! Chef Cory's cuisine is like art, plus nice and friendly service, exquisite and wonderful sushi, quite and private environment...love everything here! Even though I've moved to NY last year, I'll fly back just for a meal in NAOE. read more

See all

Love the food , I almost tried most of their food it's really good , wish I can go every day, I highly recommend this place

I think this place is worth every penny. My friend and I decided to go, we made a reservation one month in advance, we heard amazing comments and we needed to try. We got there and a very nice girl took us to our seats, we sat on the bar, and we could see the chef cooking. I love that you can see the kitchen, so clean and perfect. Eating in this place is not for everybody, you have to be ready to try new things, new flavors. SERVICE The service was amazing, a girl explains you everything you are eating in detail. FOOD This is a culinary experience. From the Bento Box at the beginning to the Nigiris at the end. The Dessert was perfect. DRINKS Make sure you drink Sake. read more

Not sure what all the hype is I tried this place when it opened. I guess you have to be open to eating anything they serve to you. I am not, and I do not recommend this place to people who are not into trying odd weird food. I have to admit this is by far the most authentic japanese/sushi I have ever eaten. It is a very nice romantic atmosphere and they definately do not rush you. I think we were there over 3 hours for dinner. I would love if this place offered a menu. I definately would be eating there more often if I could order what I wanted to eat ! read more

Be prepared for an experience when going to Naoe, and reservations are a must. No walk-ins. Request for a seat at the bar - it's the best place to see the chef work. I have to say that I was very torn about how to rate Naoe. Ambiance and service were exceptional, so I'm giving it a 5. Naoe only seats 17 people and they only offer 2 half seatings at 8PM and 9PM, and then another seating at midnight. This means that you will definitely get personalized attention. It also means there's no pressure for you to order, eat and leave - it's an experience that you don't often get - even in the finest restaurants. As everyone else has remarked, Naoe is discretely located. Upon arrival I was a bit hesitant, but enter and they've managed to create an inviting and intimate space - very romantic. Secondly, the hostess is very friendly, warm, and very talkative. Right away, you just feel that you'll be taken care of. The food was very good, but I am giving it a 4. Chef Cory definitely has a style all his own - precise and yet not. He's talented and passionate about the food, but I was surprised by a few things. The bento box was complex and showcased several interesting dishes using high quality ingredients, but my pork belly was room temperature and I wished it would've been served hot. Second, I found the sushi rice to be a bit warmer than I'm used to. This threw me off a bit. I can see great potential, for example, the chef's special blend of shoyu is excellent - not over powering, but it's not quite there yet. My husband guessed the special dessert ingredients - we were told 1 in 100 people get it right, so we got a special treat to take home. A very nice gesture. Overall, we had a great time at Naoe. It was definitely a place worth going to in Miami. read more

Update: We visited again over the July 4th 2010 weekend and did the whole shebang that time - we each had the bento, drank some sake, and ate every single type of sushi Chef Cory had available that day (2 pieces per type of fish). It was amazing, and he remembered us from 2009! We're making a special trip again in September--all the way from NYC, so you know NAOE must be good! read more

An incredible treat! One of the best Japanese ever. Awesome service and unique atmosphere. Definitely a place to remember. read more

NAOE - Bento box. - Japanese Near Me - Miami, Florida

See all

Celebrated my birthday and graduation at NAOE! Coming from California, the dishes were well worth the travel. The chef is amazingly talented and the host was knowledgeable, kind and friendly. I could not have asked for a better Omakase experience. read more

Naoe is more than just culinary. It is about the whole dining experience. The restaurant is not that visible and not so easy to find so we called as we approached the place to make sure we were in the correct place. To our surprise, the waitress that was giving us the final directions was outside waiting for us. Both the waitress and sous chef are very friendly and know their customers by name.... Chef Cory is a bit more reserved and concentrated in his act. The food is very good (although sometimes I wasn't completly sure what I was eating) and the while dining experience took almost 3 hours. Go there with time... read more

I am for sure coming back here again! The food was amazing and the service was really good! I had so much sushi that I couldn't even get off from the table! read more

AWESOME. Totally worth the price (of course it's not cheap). Awesome sushi, prepared in front of you by an exceptional chef, with the best produce local and imported. The hotate ( scallop) Saba (mackerell) and sea urchins are delicious, and the Shuto was an amazing discovery (tuna innards marinated with honey and sake). The Sake was delicious, the service perfect and the environment is comfortable, intimate and quiet. Many people may find it too expensive, but that is not just a dinner, its an experience, yours and the people involved in cooking and serving you the food. You are eating for almost 3 hours, top notch product imported from all around the world, with a perfect service, attention to detail and atmosphere. That comes with a price. The extra expensiveness after that, well, you can blame Miami for that. An amazing experience. read more

Great place to privately dine. Good service. Expensive and worth it. Reservations are needed dues to covid however that keeps the atmosphere more private. read more

Amazing Omakase experience in a low key setting, best sushi I have ever eaten, this restaurant is about the food and the quality with a lot of care and pride coming from both chef Cory and his staff. We loved both learning from the food and some of the special touches like the soy sauce and sake coming from a brewery owned by the chefs family for many generations. The authentic Japanese pottery was another highlight making the experience even more authentic. read more

How do I begin describing what an amazing experience this evening was? NAOE is one of those true Miami secrets. I heard about it randomly, talking to a native Miamian while delayed in an airport lounge somewhere. I otherwise would have never heard of the place. Situated on beautiful Brickell Key, the restaurant has no signage, so you have to know where you're going. From the moment you walk in, it's a unique experience. We ate at the restaurant section, not the shabu shabu dining room. There's one 6-person table, one 2-person table, and 5 seats at the bar. There were a total of 8 people eating during our seating- early seating on a Saturday night. The menu varies daily based on imported ingredients, but I can only say that the meal was spectacular. First course was a bento box with all sorts of interesting goodies, mostly new to my palate. Then there was a yummy cooked fish course, and then the sushi began. They brought out maybe 7 or 8 pieces of sushi, one piece after the other, each made from different fish. I loved most of them, one or two weren't necessarily my taste, but I'm glad I tried- that's part of the adventure. For most Americans, a significant portion of the menus will be completely new dishes. Very authentic, our menu included some features that are fermented, or used seafood entrails or organs. They were surprisingly delicious. There were 2 dessert courses followed by tea. I was stuffed full of gourmet food by the end of the meal. The service was second to none. The servers went above and beyond. There are no words. We will definitely be back. Next time we'll probably sit at the bar to watch the chef work. What an artist... truly an amazing experience. read more

NAOE - Japanese Near Me - Miami, Florida

NAOE is probably the most expensive restaurant in Miami, but you definitely get some of the best service in Miami. The food was great, as expected, the service went a touch ahead with personalized menus (my name appeared) and a very attentive wait staff that made you feel like you were the only one's in that restaurant. Access to the Chefs was great, where questions could be asked. At the end you get personalized gifts which for us were bottles of sparkling water and recommendations for restaurants around Miami and South Florida. Bottom line, if you're looking for a truly exquisite night, NAOE is that, it will cost you but it will be worth it. read more

Expensive.....be prepared to drop a couple of hundred dollars per person easily. More if you like sake with your sushi. That being said, it was so worth every penny. Kevin is incredible and Wendy is super sweet. This is a dining experience that everyone who Ioves dining out must try. There is no menu, so you should be the adventurous type. Wendy will ask you of any allergies..... Then you are in the very capable hands vof Kevin. Limited seating. And reservations are required. Plan about 2-3 weekes ahead, depending on the day you want to dine. read more

Like other reviewers have noted, this place is HARD TO FIND. But no worries, Wendy will give you a call earlier in the day and give you instructions on how to get there. (make sure you listen if she leaves a voicemail VERY CAREFULLY) Even then, we still had to circle around the area a couple times to actually get to the place. The location is a little sketchy since it looks like a complete hole in the wall. The windows and doors are blacked out, and we ended up going through the BACK door to enter the restaurant (instead of front). But the interior is clean and modern. If you are doing the late dinner, make sure to eat a snack before coming, because you will be STARVING!! We did the late dinner and came HUNGRY. We were the first ones to arrive for that late shift and hesitated before deciding to sit at the bar. Initially we didn't want to sit at the bar bc we were afraid we'd have to spark up converstation and be chatty. But no worries. Boy are we glad we sat at the bar. It gave us a chance to see Chef Cory at work and see how our food was actually made. So make sure to sit at the bar. It gives you the entertainment factor.. that is.. unless you like staring into your partner's eyes for the entire 3 hours @__@;. Expect to spend at least 3 hours as he is preparing the food while you are there. So it takes a bit of time for each course to come out. Also note there is NO MENU. He has his own course planned out for the evening so you better be adventurous. You can, however, decide to skip a sushi or two if you feel full or don't want certain items. I am not a big wasabi person (I like a teensy bit) so if you're like me you may have to let Chef Cory know. He uses fresh wasabi so it is SUPER STRONG. It was so strong that my nose really burned and my eyes watered so much that it looked like I was crying HAHAH. My husband was fine though (he likes it strong). Overall the experience was fantastic. read more

See all

It was an amazing experience! The quality of the food was great but the sake was a bit overpriced. Overall we really enjoyed our first time here. We will be returning on our next trip to Miami. Highly recommend. read more

Forget south beach, take your friends and loved ones to naoe! Heaven, heaven, heaven... Miss you guys btw! read more

Innovative yet holding to the traditions of Japan's wonderful cuisine. A perfect mixture of sushi and cooked items with the sushi dominating. There is no menu and it is Omakase style with the chefs inventive and delicious creations for the day. There is an outstanding sake and beer selection served by very professional and knowledglble staff. The dining room is minimalist in design but very poetic in the quiet Japanese aesthetic. read more

NAOE - Japanese Near Me - Miami, Florida

Being big foodies we had to see what all the fuss was about. Service was awesome , food was super fresh, very traditional and enough of it. I feel for the 600$ price tag for 2 diners, which I don't mind paying when I go to somewhat, exclusive restaurants, needed some wow factor. Don't get me wrong it was a great experience and I know it's not cheap to import such fresh ingredients. I just expected a lot more , in presentation, and variety, considering they only seat 8 guests. The final courses ( dessert)need quite a bit of work! Overall great experience and great staff. just being honest as I have been eating my way around the world for years. read more

My second time w naoe was as today... my mom claimed to me that some of the three bottles of saki was comprised l. Sushi was very good and food I enjoyed everything chef Kevin kory made I only wish I was presented with optional extra nigiri... my mom did not like it as she thought the saki was not full bottles as the first bottle seemed much more than the other two. I love naoe so much but Being totally truthfully it just did not add up as 3 bottles of saki is a lot to drink but who knows read more

We had an amazing time at NAOE. Chef Kevin Cory and his staff were very attentive and hospitable. The atmosphere was very nice, food was top-notch, and the service left nothing to be desired. Thanks so much for taking care of us! Can't wait to come back. read more

Excellent Japanese experience!! Atention to all details and personel was very responsive!! Well recomended!! read more

An exploration of authentic Japanese cuisine in our midst. The swish and swish will make you happy beyond your dreams. Top grade Kobe beef immersed in a vegetable soup you create with farm to table fresh organic vegetables is a delight for the senses. Highly recommend. read more

The meal was unbelievable. My friend couldn't have more impressed. Though the restaurant decor was simple and unimpressive, the presentation of the meal more than made up for it. The staff was very attentive. Im am a novice to Japanese cuisine, so for me to critique it wouldn't be fair. Everything I ate was fantastic. My friend, who is a bit of a food snob, couldn't believe the authenticity of the meal. read more

The best REAL sushi ever! The place is very small, and you need to make reservation ( open Table) Be prepare to eat the fresh and best suchi that you had in your life! Highly recommended! read more

Sushi is my life!!! Love it! This is a great place fresh excellent sushi, Most amazing Sake, and so many wonderful disses - Never ending.... A little pricy but I think it worth it!!! read more

A special and unique experience. The chef and close-knit staff was a treat to be with for a meal. Everyone was friendly and welcoming. The food was inventive and delicious. The junmai ginjo sake was also very delicious and complemented the meal perfectly. You will leave stuffed in your belly and full of warm wishes from the staff. read more

See all

Simply phenomenal Japanese cuisine and sushi. The service is top notch and the chef is a master of his art. It's a pleasure to watch him in action. Sit at the bar if you can. read more

Unfortunately the reviews were off for us this time around. Service was nice however there was nothing to write home about. I'd rather go to NOBU and skip the uncommonly delayed and über expensive dinner"experience" We felt our tim was wasted and weren't at all impressed by which farm in Japan certain foods were coming from. After all how do you know! :) Hopefully the new restaurant will be different. P.S We ended up going to Shake Shack after all. Party of 4 $500 read more

I went there a week ago for a Bday dinner. Being a foodie, I had heard great things about this place. I am sorry to say that it was a bit disappointing. The whole experience takes 3hrs, a bit long I would say. And the food was not that mind blowing, as a matter of fact it fell a bit flat and really really expensive. Hello and goodbye, never going back again. read more