The food was fresh, unique, and flavorful! We loved the ambiance and were happy we made it for happy hour which was awesome and the deals were great! Highlights included the Miso eggplant starter which was a MUST. It was genuinely one of the most delicious things I've ever had. The desserts are also amazing. So unique and well crafted. We got the purin (I think that's what it's called) pudding and I could probably eat that everyday of my life! SO GOOD read more

Love this place! Love the fresh fish and seasoning combinations and the Katsu! Also fun to hang at the bar!

Tried many different dishes some were better than others. Amber jack and Black Sea bass dishes were tasty. Waygu beef is excellent but pricey. It was about 200.00 for the whole with a beer and non alcoholic drink. Located inside the Hotel Thaxter. read more

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We came here on a Sunday evening and tried several dishes from each section of the menu. First of all, I love the decor and ambiance and simple menu. The highlights of our $350 dinner were the Seared Wagyu, Sake roll, and Hotate nigiri. For the cocktails, the dream apparition was delicious with a hint of smoke. We also had a bottle of Sake, Sho-Une · Soaring Clouds · Junmai Daiginjo, very yummy. Things I would pass on: oyster trio, Okonomiyaki, ebi and Kani roll, o Toro, gingerly yours, and the valentine day menu item of sweetheart bentonite box for two. read more

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I came here for date night and left with a new favorite restaurant! I don't think I've seen okonomiyaki anywhere outside of Japan and yet here it was- along with a ton of other very unique, very tasty menu items. We wanted to order one of everything, it was hard to choose! Our favorites were the sashimi, the sake roll, and the okonomiyaki. The steamed buns and tonkatsu were also really good, I like that we could get a bunch of small plates to share. Definitely get dessert- it was incredible! The cocktails were also top notch. The service was excellent and prompt, and overall the vibes of the place were really nice, it was cozy but still elegant, I will definitely be back! read more

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Nichinan is one of the restaurants that made me fall in love with visiting Portsmouth, NH! We stayed in the Hotel Thaxter and the restaurant is on the first floor of the hotel. There is a special door for Nichinan on the side of the hotel where the side street is. We have been back a number of times since our first visit and the food is always delicious, fresh, and well prepared. Although the restaurant primarily serves sushi, there are a number of small plates and entrees where the protein is cooked. We absolutely LOVE their Karaage. The chicken is so juicy and the sauces and cucumber kimchi is delicious. It's a 10/10 dish! We have also tried the Oyakodon which is a chicken dish with caramelized onions and rice and the Spicy Crab Fried Rice, which is my absolute favorite dish. It is so flavorful, the portion is generous, and it is sure to be a favorite for the table. We have also tried a number of their sushi rolls including the Nichinan, the Sake, and the Maguro rolls. They are all so fresh and delicious. You will be thinking about this food long after you leave! The ambiance of the restaurant is more modern and sleek. It's perfect for a date night or as a way to celebrate something special. The service is amazing! If the menu is intimidating, they will take the time to help you and make recommendations. They will also explain to you that they recommend you place your entire order all at once and then the chef will send out food in the order that makes sense for the palate. These plates are all meant to be shared, which is great because you get to try it all! read more

I want to love this place but I don't. The rolls are fine, not great but find. It is definitely not a bargain, I do like the eggplant appetizer. The people are nice I have no plans going back there. read more

This place is a hidden gem! It is an intimate and special little restaurant at the edge of downtown Portsmouth. A great special occasion spot! The fish was really fresh, the cocktails were great, and the menu was thoughtfully created. Our favorite items were the glazed pork belly and pineapple steamed bun, the Amaki sashimi, and the spicy crab fried rice. We felt that the roll we got, the Ebi & Kani was a little plain, as was the Hotate sashimi, but I think that was more of us playing safe on the ordering - they had tons of interesting options on the menu! We will definitely be back to explore new items. read more

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This place is inside a hotel so keep that in mind. It's basically the hotel's restaurant, not a standalone business. And the quality of the "sushi" reflects it. Maybe it's a good place to stop by for drinks before heading out, but I wouldn't recommend the food. The rice was undercooked, so that should tell you something about the rest. read more

I have been eating sushi for about 50 years, all over the U.S., Europe and Asia, including many in Japan. When I saw Nichinan's website, I was impressed. And its prices for nigiri sushi at roughly $10 per piece are well above local market competition (i.e. Ikko II, Domo, etc) and suggested extraordinary offerings. The opening video on the website shows the delicate creating of sake (salmon) sashimi. The onsite menu says sake sashimi with burnt onion and microgreens, as on the video. The actual presentation is nothing like the video, and did not include burnt onion and microgreens. The menu is quite limited, again suggesting the limited offerings were superior. There is no miso soup on the menu but we asked the waiter and he said it could be ordered. We did, got two fairly large bowls of pretty good miso soup. We ordered shrimp tempura as an appetizer, along with our sushi order. My wife's salmon sashimi (looking nothing like the video) arrived before the shrimp tempura. Just as well I suppose as the tempura was just awful. Nothing like the light, fluffy coating one expects but a thin, crunchy, too spicy crust. At least the slaw in the bowl was good. By the way, those plastic chopsticks are so slick they are harder to maneuver than traditional wooden ones at other places. My wife like her sake sashimi as she likes thin slices of fish. I prefer thicker myself. They do not offer hamachi (yellowtail), my favorite and a favorite of many of my friends and family. The waiter offer kanpachi as an alternative but it was nothing like hamachi, taste or texture-wise. We also tried the o-toro and sake nigiri and it was OK but nothing to write home about, again, given the price of the sake, especially. O-toro is expensive everywhere. The atmosphere is OK, they have a bar but it is not a sushi bar, just an ordinary drink bar. Parking is a little tricky too. Our expectations were so high from their website but the whole experience was a big disappointment. Barring major changes, we do not plan to return. Ikko II is better and great parking. read more

Best Japanese food ive had on the seacoast hands down. The oysters were a great start, briny and rich, tons of flavor. The wagyu nigiri was an amazing bite, im gonna get that every time. The service is top notch, everybody is so pleasant and seems like they like working there. The setting is also great in the little boutique hotel, they nail the vibe. read more

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A note to the users of wheelchairs in the Portsmouth area: Nichinan is very accommodating! It is very hard to find accessible places in Portsmouth, but Nichinan went above and beyond. The parking is still an issue, but if you can be dropped off at the ramp at the entrance, you're golden. It's a steep-ish ramp and the door opens outwards, so it's slightly tricky, but once inside, the staff was most accommodating. The food was perfectly amazing and the mocktails were so fancy and delicious! It was so nice to be able to take my friend out to eat at a very nice restaurant in Portsmouth and not have to worry about wheelchair access. Thank you, Nichinan! read more

Nichinan - Dessert - Japanese Near Me - Portsmouth, New Hampshire

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We enjoyed our meal here, and the restaurant has lots of potential, but is not there yet, particularly at this price point. First, the room is very nice, small and cozy. The music is a bit loud (loved the modern playlist), but this encourages diners to shout to hear each other, and then the whole room is just very loud. This is very common in many newer restaurants today and I trust they will find the right volume setting for the music soon. Our server was delightful and knowledgeable, and her explanation of the cocktails and food were spot on. Cocktails were priced at a premium, $17/$18 or so, and while they taste good, the presentation was quite average. Our drinks were garnished with nothing more than wilted, mint leaves. If my mint was that damaged I would not have used it, but we watched drink after drink served with this sad garnish. Did it affect the taste? Of course not, but it demonstrates a lack of detail and polish. We started with edamame, which came piping hot and topped with lemon zest, a new and unusual twist for us. Next, we moved on to an ebi roll, which was a shrimp tempura style roll. This was decidedly underwhelming as compared to any of the other local sushi bars, where it would be served at a better price. Appearance wise, again the plating was not up to expectations at this price point. We had high hopes for the crab fried rice, and while this was one of the nicer presentations, it was again just average I went back to look at their instagram page, and nothing served to us was remotely as nice looking. While this dish had lots of delicious crab and interesting additions, I felt that it was a tad too spicy. I love spicy food, but in this case it overwhelmed the mild crab flavors. If the heat level was dialed back a tad, this would be a hit. Our waitress raved about a special dish, a duck confit served bowl style on rice with a curry sauce, $21. The duck was indeed melt in your mouth delicious, and reminded me of perfect duck confit served in the south. I suppose I would not have included potato as the vegetables within a rice bowl, but that's what the chef decided. Other than that, this dish would have been a full on win for me. More of a fusion style dish however. We tried the chocolate fondant cake for dessert. Tasty enough, but plating was sloppy. Again, I think this restaurant has lots of potential. It is still new, and I trust they will retool based on feedback they hear. We look forward to trying it again in the future. read more

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It's a small restaurant with limited seating, perhaps 12 tables and 6 seats at the bar. They did a great job making use of the small space. The menus have tiny writing and the lighting is dim. The acoustics are such that you need to speak loudly over the ambient noise. The chairs are comfortable and the two tops are sufficiently wide. The decor is beautiful. Bathrooms were immaculate. Drinks: I ordered the Oh Mai. It was served with a whisky float but without any means of mixing the whiskey into the drink (no straw no nothing). It was mediocre for the $18 price tag. Food: It was a bust! The rolls fell apart. The wasabi was hard and wouldn't dissolve in the soy sauce (which tasted weird). The wasabi has about zero kick as well. The unagi (eel) was hard and served cold. The tempura shrimp inside the Ebi roll was really awful, I pulled it out of the roll and left it on the plate. See my attached pic, there was zero tempura batter. It was just supermarket shrimp and it didn't taste fresh. The rolls were between $18 and $20. The crab fried rice was oily, salty, and spicy but it wasn't bad. The portion was generous. The crab tasted like it came from a can. They are new, hence the extra star. read more

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Ugh, Nichinan. I had such high hopes, but ya gotta deliver for the price point and downtown Portsmouth digs you guys have. I ate here with girlfriend and a friend during restaurant week. Unfortunately each course was underwhelming in flavor, which is almost hard to do with Japanese cuisine. The service was good, and the ambiance is pretty cool, but the food just does not match with the advertising or the prices. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't great either. And sadly the common denominator was that each meal was lacking flavor. read more

Nichinan - Cheesecake - Japanese Near Me - Portsmouth, New Hampshire

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Bit overpriced and under whelmed food and beverage - "speciality cocktails" were average and sushi was also average. Maybe best part of the decor and ambiance. Worth a try but not sure is on my list of returns read more

For the most part, Portsmouth is a culinary desert and service is non-existent. Nichinan is a rare exception. The space is cozy and inviting. A great date spot too. The servers all know the food and drinks available - including the specials - inside and out. And couldn't be more charming and helpful. One little anecdote : I had finished my split of Champagne and my local uni was coming. Our lovely server noticed and asked if I'd like another glass of wine and when I said yes she recommended the gruner, adding it typically goes well with the uni. 100% right. It does. Have I experienced that at any other Portsmouth restaurant ? No. A small detail if you don't drink wine but it shows real passion for what their excellent kitchen turns out. Well done guys. Thank you for being here. read more

Was visiting Portsmouth for my friends birthday and made a reservation to come here. Ill start with the great stuff first, the inside is adorable and the chairs are super comfy. I loved the atmosphere. The service was great. Our waiter was friendly and prompt. That being said I was underwhelmed with the food and drinks for the price. The wine and cocktails were good but not for the expensive ticket. My favorite thing was the edamame for the price point. We got 3 rolls and they were okay but not at $20 dollars a roll. We also had shrimp tempura and same outcome, good but not for the price. I will go to other sushi places that have the same quality but lower prices. read more

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This place is incredible. From the ambiance to the service, it was all top notch. Best meal we had all Weeknd and you can tell it is super fresh. Have to say Kianna made it the best experience. She was phenomenal behind the bar and was super knowledgeable about the local area. Amazing service, and sent us to other awesome spots!! Must see spot! read more

We returned because we really loved our first experience but the second time proved to be less enjoyable. The food was still good, but not the mind blowing experience the first time was. Our egg custard was watery and the mushrooms not as flavorful. Our fried eggplant was missing something that made it so tasty the first time. The silken tofu and chicken was still amazing and a dish no one should miss. The biggest disappointment was the table bomb. Good lord, if people order more than two dishes please do not fire them all at once and jam a table with 6 plates. At what point do you ask yourself "Should we slow down so these people can eat hot food, hot?" It's rude, it's rushed and it doesn't show your food in the best light. The smarter move for guests reading this is to order as you go so you can eat with some space between courses. The staff is consistently pleasant. read more

Was expecting to be blown away. But unfortunately shocked at the value. Avg $20 for two pieces of nigiri. Fake wasabi (unless you pay for it) And just not the freshness and authentic type of sushi I was expecting at the expensive price point. Disappointed and leaving hungry with 6 pieces of sushi for $70 (including tip) read more

First time at Nichinan - very familiar with Sushi in all price ranges. Food We Ordered - I've had better for less $, even in expensive locales Seaweed Salad - It wasn't bad, but it's not what I typically expect for seaweed salad - it does not have sesame oil. Sashimi Sampler - An underwhelming amount of Sashimi (very tiny pieces) compared to anywhere I've ever eaten sushi. Nichinan Roll & Ebi & Kani Rolls - Both Very Tasty but nothing outstanding Karaage - This was ok, but again not really awe inspiring. Service - Very good - the servers were prompt, attentive, helpful and pleasant Ambiance - Good - it's a cool little spot in Portsmouth - the ambiance is spot on. read more

Found this hidden gem on yelp and went on a whim. The Japanese whiskey sour I got was excellent. Food and ambience overall were amazing too. Service friendly but occasionally MIA. read more

Nichinan is a Fantastic Japanese bistro in Portsmouth. Love the cocktails, sake, sushi and specialty plates. It's intimate, lively and friendly. We go back frequently. read more

As we sat there, we watched a number of employees belittle a new bartender they were training. It was uncomfortable as they were extremely unprofessional and you can tell the bartender in training was upset by this. Would not be back to a place that treats their employees this way. On top of it, the wagyu gyoza tasted like bland boiled beef. Very disappointing visit. read more

The space is beautiful and service is decent. Quality of the food is a little hit or miss. I had a sushi roll, it was decent. My wife started with short ribs and that was the beginning of the off experience. The short ribs had small bits of meat and were mostly bone. They tasted OK but at the price point you'd expect a little less bone. Wife said it seemed like one short rib divided amongst multiple plates. The timing was off with my sushi and my wife's short ribs. I pretty much finished the roll when the short ribs came out. We shared the pork belly rolls and gyoza; gyoza came three in an order but we could add another. Huh? The buns were a little sloppy to eat but we managed to make them work. Food was warm but not piping hot. We spent about $130 before the tip and left feeling hungry. Based on the reviews it seems like this is the kind of place you'll be totally enamored with or feel underwhelmed by. We were sadly underwhelmed. read more

The room is stunning; I did not know it was located in the Thayer Hotel. The food was delicious; presentation excellent. I wanted to try something new. When it arrived, neither one of us liked it. Our server was so gracious, she whisked it away and comp'd a dessert. A delightful and tasty evening experience. We'll go back. read more

The service was great and the food was amazing!!! Such a cool atmosphere and everything we ordered was delicious read more

Nichinan - dessert - Japanese Near Me - Portsmouth, New Hampshire

After reading the reviews on here I was a bit skeptical to try this venue out, but the menu really piqued my interest with the different and unique options. Firstly, both the service and the ambiance were lovely. The women working there were really sweet and the ambiance was beautiful, placed in a charming brick building that I'm sure has a lot of neat history. It was really the prices of the beverages and the amount of rice given with the sushi dishes that I would give less 'stars' to. My friends and I decided to just get one beverage there, and then another down the street after our dinner, given we did not want to pay another $17 per person for a beverage that could be just as well made for 2/3 the price. It just seemed really excessive and unusual. I think where I went wrong was going here with friends who aren't as into shashimi and nigiri as me, as I tend to like to branch out and try different items, but they were really into the rolls. They were all tasty, especially the hotate roll. My only wish is that there would have been less rice. Even if they kept the same amount of fish, I think the ratio was just off a bit. However, that could be my own personal preference. The edamame was really tasty, I love that they branched out and i'll certainly start making it this way at home. read more

nice environment. but if you're looking for a real japanese cuisine i can't say this was it. karage was not karage. just cubes of chicken thighs fried as is. No flavor. Miso soup was sour and weird. Only good thing i had was the green tea and the beef bun read more

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The best Japanese food in NH by far. We literally walked by it and said let's try it out. So authentic and the dishes were creative and well put together. Drink menu was also well done! Totally worth the stop. read more

Nichinan - Sake service - Japanese Near Me - Portsmouth, New Hampshire

This was delicious and so fresh tasting! Our server, Sally, was very kind, attentive and knowledgeable. I loved the beautiful decor - relaxing and interesting. Will come back! read more

I will state this quite simply- this was the best meal we have ever had in Portsmouth. We eat out often, have travelled everywhere, usually towards the cuisine of the area. Our waitress, whose name I cannot remember, charmed us with her knowledge and sweet nature. The food: -the eggplant appetizer truly delicious, with different textures and flavors. -sushi. Beautifully presented, and of high quality. Not the greatest, due to lack of variety and adventure, but I have a feeling that this will improve once they understand that safe is not necessarily the best approach. -ramen. We had the large bowl. Initially there was not enough broth, but our waitress took care of that immediately. Absolutely delicious, with the ramen cooked perfectly, with a slightly alkaline tinge. -Nicolas Feuillate champagne- a bargain at 72.00. The rest of the list was lackluster but adequate. The pacing of the meal, the quality of the food, and the gorgeous surroundings(we were in a living room setting next to the dining room) blew us away. Is there room for improvement? Sure, but it is more a matter of expanding the reach of the kitchen, and not playing to the middle. read more

I lived in San Francisco for 10 years and had the best sushi in the country. Nichinan rivals any of the best places in San Francisco. We branched out and tried a lot of different things because it was our first time there. And the best way I think to get an overall idea of a restaurant is to order different things from the menu. The service was excellent. We were at a cozy table. While I had wine, the drinks the bartender was making looked absolutely delicious. One of my close friends went to Nichinan when it first opened and has been back multiple times and raves about it. Glad we tried it! And we already have plans to go back! read more

This is a place where from the first bite I knew that I could order anything and it would be magnificent. Sushi is fresh, well cut, and seasoned. They also serve hot sake which is shockingly hard to find in New England. Great place to splurge every now and then. And now a rant: I've seen a few people complain that it's overpriced. My brother in Christ, it's a sushi restaurant with a publicly available menu that details what you are going to get with every order. They serve food you can get elsewhere, but they elevate it to give you a better experience. If you don't appreciate that then do us a favor and stay home. Crack open a can of cold spaghetti and try to convince your girlfriend it's just as good as Massimo's, and when she leaves write a scathing review about how you don't get what the hype is about. All I know is along with the seasoning my salmon didn't have bones in it like I get at Surf, and my tuna didn't taste like low tide because it wasn't sitting out for a few days like at Domo. Take that for what you will. read more

Nichinan - Yaki Udon - Japanese Near Me - Portsmouth, New Hampshire

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Good atmosphere and the food is great! Best expresso martini I've had! Wagyu beef is a must try

Beautiful and surprising decor. Excellent service. I was apprehensive based on the photos- I'm not sure if it's the filter the use when they post but I didn't find the food to look particularly enticing. Sadly, I don't think it's the filter. The food was not for me. Good wine selection tho. read more

I'm not sure why this place doesn't have more 5 star reviews. We had a delicious dinner here and found the food to be very balanced and flavorful. We had a mix of different things - the sushi and sashimi stood out as the highlights. The yellowtail sashimi was melt in your mouth. The ambiance was great and the restaurant was cozy. The only piece of constructive feedback I have is that they should season the edamame differently. It's pretty plain with minimal salt and some lemon zest - I think this is a missed opportunity. read more

Incredible small plates and sushi spot - awesome cocktails and great service / hospitality- highly recommend with great atmosphere

Service on point, all our mocktails were delicious. We especially recommend the shrimp tempura, the ramen, the fried rice with egg and scallop roll. Restaurant itself is gorgeous and the seating was incredibly comfortable. I think I'd ask to be seated in palor next time. So good!!! read more