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Nimblefish

4.0 (224 reviews)
Ultra High-EndSushi Bars
Open • 5:00 pm - 9:00 PM
Updated 2 months ago

Nimblefish Photos

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NIMBLEFISH ATMOSPHERE

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Recommended Reviews - Nimblefish

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Andy V.

First time having Omakase and though the idea of it seems interesting, I don't think it was worth it. The chef was doing his best to be interactive but having been a Thursday dinner with only two groups, it felt a bit awkward. The food was very ok to me, the fish were definitely all fresh but nothing really grabbed my attention and made me like the price was worth it. The servers other than the main chef were constantly hovering and made sure we moved on through each dish which was nice. Overall I personally wouldn't go again, but I'm sure someone else could definitely enjoy the experience more than me!

Jerry P.

Nimblefish, in the heart of Portland, Oregon, is a place where the sea speaks clearly and kindly through rice, vinegar, and immaculate knife work. I have eaten sushi in a few fine establishments, in cities that glitter and in alleyways that hum, and while this may not be the single greatest omakase of my life, it sits among the saints. There were seven of us, and we occupied nearly the whole of the sushi bar. It felt conspiratorial, reverent. We were pilgrims and the altar was hip-high and lacquered. From the first starter to the final spoonful of sorbet, the experience unfolded with the precision of a pocket watch and the warmth of a handwritten letter. The chef, a man who treats fish with the seriousness most reserve for funerals or first love, spoke to us not just of what we were eating but why. This fish came from Hokkaido. That one from the California coast. The trout, rainbow and shimmering, was a particular surprise, new to me, and now unforgettable. Another chef talked about his rice like a poet would talk about meter. The host, too, guided us gently through the meal with enthusiasm and knowledge, like a teacher who remembers what it's like to be young and curious. The structure of the meal was intelligent and satisfying. Thirteen bites of sushi, each different, each deliberate. Soup that quieted the mind. Egg custard that felt like an apology from the universe for all the things that have gone wrong. The sorbet was a gentle goodbye, a kiss on the forehead. The whiskey and sake list is the kind of thing that could cause trouble in the best possible way. We tasted a few and they were each better than the last, the way good short stories are. If you find yourself there, let yourself be led. Trust them. It took two hours and not a second of it dragged. We laughed and whispered and stared up at our planks like children watching snow fall. The bill, at around $165 per person, felt less like a transaction and more like a tithe. If you're interested, and you should be, book ahead. There are few seats and many seekers. Nimblefish is not just a restaurant. It is a gentle argument for precision, quality and beauty in a world that too often forgets to offer any.

Lindsey H.

Nimblefish is my favorite place for omakase in town! It's perfect for date night or any special occasion. The setting is super intimate, but I love being able to sit at the bar and see the pros at work. The sushi chefs were also super friendly and chatty! I love Nimblefish for the quality of everything. Everything is paired so nicely whether it be with a sauce, seared, topped with someone, etc. It's hard to choose a favorite, but I actually enjoyed the fish that I wouldn't usually gravitate to, the best. Once years and years ago, I had a sardine nigiri that blew my mind, it was delicious. For the quality of everything, taste, and ambiance, it's definitely worth the tasting menu price!

Omakase
Andrew A.

You ever go to a restaurant, and it just is consistently better every time you go? That's the experience I always have when going to Nimblefish. It was my girlfriends first time here and of course I had to let her know we got to do omakase style and our chef absolutely KILLED IT!!!! Every single bite just melted in your mouth and the flavors of each fish was just so perfect that you just wish you can stay the whole day there and keep eating. The service is always friendly and top notch. Waters are always filled, and they check in with you the right amount of times during your meal to make sure everything is good. I love the vibes, I love the food, I love the service. You absolutely get your moneys worth at this place.

Japanese Eggplant appetizer
Nicole S.

The experience was honestly so fun, educational, and delicious! I made reservations for my partner and I's anniversary at the A La Carte Counter and the experience was treated with such care. Each piece of fish that was from the Chef's Choice was more flavorful with each bite. The chef made everything so gorgeous and with such precision. The sun of the afternoon seeping into the evening made our clean and quaint seating arrangement at the bar comfortable and cozy. We couldn't have asked for a more lovely anniversary experience!

Hanson K.

Amazing experience. Edomae-style sushi is hard to find in general, and trying it at a place that specializes in it was a treat. The omakase is on the affordable side, and each course was fantastic. Every bite was simple but elegant, and the cured fish, particularly the mackerel, was divine. I have to say the tamago was the sleeper hit. I wasn't expecting much from it, but I knew I had to order it when I saw it in an Eater video on Nimblefish--best bite of the night! The sake pairing was alright, probably wouldn't do it again. Ordered a few things a la carte, like the A5, but the omakase was definitely the highlight and was sufficient food portion-wise. Nice, clean interior with expectedly good service!

Dungeness crab
Taylor B.

It is an amazing experience when you have dinner at Nimblefish. We were one of four couples who sat at the bar to enjoy Omakase, so it was a very intimate evening. Each dish was served one by one and each party is told what we are eating as it's served to us. The attention to detail is what makes this place special. They have a special process of washing their rice and brush a homemade soy/sake mix onto most pieces of fish. Not to mention we tried fish we've never had before because of their fresh global shipments. It's very pricey to eat here but worth every dollar.

Ben C.

Especially expensive tasting menu $$$$ Especially tasty tasting menu ~ generally it is expected that higher priced sushi bars have fresh fish. The fish at Nimble not only are fresh, but unique catches not readily seen anywhere else. Very limited chef's bar top seating ~ watch them prepare each serving and personally share the origin and preparation. Intimate decor & setting, almost too quiet. No lounge or bar area. Strictly for sushi lovers. A special treat for a special occasion.

Gloria T.

We did a la carte because the next omakase seating was about 2.5 hours later and we didn't want to wait. I left thinking maybe the omakase would have been much better. ??? I wouldn't know until I try. The various blue fin tuna sashimi and nigiri I had was good. One of my hand rolls was good but not memorable. The rest was underwhelming. It was disappointing for all the hype I've heard about this place. Their menu is strictly sushi, nigiri, hand rolls, and bowls. There is not any appetizers like salads or hot food items. We were not offered any dessert selections.

average and sense-less
Jin C.

Average in every way, we're sorry to say. Came in from Philly, excited to have our first dinner in Portland here, but the quality of foods and service were not up to standard. Service is rote as the vibe. Standout is the chef, and how personable and welcoming he was. Overall, does not warrant the price point. Disappointing and in no way fine dining.

Interior
Natasha K.

What an incredibly intimate dining experience this was. No matter your thoughts on the food and price, you have to admit that you feel pretty exclusive to be eating among the 12 other people in the restaurant. You also pretty much have your own private sushi chef who is knowledgeable, attentive, and an absolute artist. I came with a group of 4, the seating was a little bit awkward with a group all sitting together but they planned it so we had to corner of the bar so we could see each other at least. We ordered the 13 plate omikase and it was the perfect amount of food. All of the different types of fish, with incredible flavor combinations and fresh ingredients made it into an absolute culinary experience. The only reason for the 1 star deduction was simply because of the price. I know with inflation that prices went up but it does feel like a very pricey night out at the end of your meal and I wouldn't have thought it was worth it if we had gone with the non-premium omikase. Would I come back? Probably not. Would I refer it to my friends, absolutely!

Omakase selection
Ridley N.

4.75 stars. An edomae-style omakase that resonates similarly to the intimate Okamase Yume in Chicago, IL, Nimblefish intermingles local seafood with excellent selections across the globe. This experience included seafood endemic to Oregon such as two dishes featuring shrimp from Coos Bay as well as an assortment of global experiences. For example, your journey may involve smoked mackerel from the waters of Norway or perhaps striped jack outside a tiny province in Japan. You'll definitely enjoy some of the best sushi rice I've ever eaten in a Stateside sushi restaurant. The rice here is sourced from a northeastern province in Japan, and it's stunningly clear that sourcing and preparation are taken very seriously at Nimblefish. I've seen a few reviews that have complained about price which is odd to me. This was one of the more reasonably priced omakase experiences I have had in the States and doubled as one that was certainly well above standard. I thought that was another reason Nimblefish is excellent. I will note, however, that drink pairings outside of sake tend to be expensive. Everyone who worked here was fantastic. Our sushi chef certainly added value to our experience as he thoroughly explained each of the dishes and even spent some time speaking about why they use different Japanese knives, how they clean certain seafood, and other interesting items that increased our relative knowledge base during our dinner. Obviously, there are plenty of wonderful options for sushi within Portland for omakase but I would note that this experience is worth your time.

Omakase (9 of the 11 nigiris)
Megan L.

Make a reservation for a 2-3hr experience 2 starter dishes, 11 nigiris, soup, and dessert included in the $95 Omakase Set. Can make additional requests at the end for more nigiris!Lots of street parking. Absolutely loved the private 12-seater bar top setup with dim lighting. Starters: + Seared soy Smoked mackerel w daikon, ponzu, and Japanese mustard: one of my tops for the night, smokiness was perfect w the finely grated daikon (9/10) + Red Crab, pickled veggies: (7.5/10) Nigiris: + Botan Ebi: fresh, and prepped on the spot (8.5/10) + Blue fin off shoulder: melts right away (8.8/10) + Sea bream: a soft crunch (8/10) + Rainbow Trout w kelp and sesame seeds: very unique w the thin kelp layer and sesame seeds for nuttiness (9/10) + Horse Mackerel: had the most bite to it (8.7/10) + Dungeness crab: chilled w strong wasabi kick (8/10) + Medium fat Chu Toro: not the fattiest, but had the most chew (8/10) + Konoshiro: another unique fish for me! Saltiness and rougher skin cuts through (7.5/10) + Shima-Aji Striped Jack: a clean crunch (8.8/10) + Scallop w yuzu, kelp salt and seasalt: thinner, but large scallop wraps the rice (9.2/10) + Tuna Belly Toro finisher: soft crunch (9.2/10) Cut roll: + Seasoned and marinated gourd: sweet! (9.4/10) Extra requests: + Tamago ($2.5): a must get to end the meal. Can choose to get it as is or w rice. Super soft, creamy and sweet (9.5/10) Soup & Dessert: + Broth from white fish w ebi head: similar to miso soup w tofu, scallions, and the fishy broth but lighter. Enjoyed picking at the ebi head to have w the soup (7.3/10) + Yuzu strawberry sorbet: not too strong or heavy but a light, sweet dessert (8.3/10) Overall, the private environment, detailed descriptions from the chef, and unique fish cuts stood out to me. Sadly, I felt the waiter wasn't very attentive to my party, and only checked in on us once. Also didn't realize green tea costs $3, whereas it's usually complimentary.

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Ask the Community - Nimblefish

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Hamono Sushi

Hamono Sushi

4.2(243 reviews)
1.8 mi•Downtown, Southwest Portland

$110/person Omakase with 3 appetizer dishes, snow crab miso soup, and 12 pieces of nigiri. After…read morethat, its all you an eat sashimi, nigiri, sushi rolls and dessert. What kind of business model is that?! How do they even stay in business? It's all quality and fresh fish (see pictures posted). I did not expect the level of quality I tasted with an unlimited menu. The sashimi did have a 3 piece limit per fish per person. The market specials have a 4 piece limit per round. Our servers were quick to take our orders for our unlimited session following our omakase. The chefs also prepared them quickly so they were able to keep up! No mention of a time limit either, though we came on a Wednesday night so it was not busy. Our servers encouraged us to order more and asked if we were sure that we're all done. I would definitely come back because it was such an amazing deal for the level of quality.

TLDR: fish tasted watered down where it's the wateriness from being frozen long/thawing…read moreincorrectly. Not worth the price unless you have a hole in your stomach for the volume. Made a reservation here for Sunday 1pm doing their Omakase 1.0 for $110/pax. I did my research and read all the reviews and thought to give it a go. When we arrived, we were greeted and seated after they confirmed our reservation. But they didn't ask if this was our first time or we knew anything about the omakase buffet and just went straight into getting it started. Even though on their website reads complimentary soda with the omakase, they didnt even ask/told us and just served us only iced water. The omakase has a 13 items omakase fixed menu, then AYCE for you to order (sashimi section per person max 3 slices each). Market Special is unlimited but only 4 at a time each order but unlimited rounds of order within your 2 hours. Some tasted decent but definitely not for quality. Fish are definitely not fresh and very frozen (i know "culinary grade" sashimi such as Salmon calls for flash frozen for 3 days at industrial temperature), but this is definitely not that. You can taste the fish is very watery and lack of taste due to low quality fish being frozen long and/or thawed incorrectly. But if you read all the comments that called it great and quality has never had quality sushi/sashimi before. Their nigiri rice to fish ratio was great though as other AYCE has an insane amount of rice. So if you ever had any good quality sushi/sashimi japanese cuisine, look away. If you just want bang for your buck for volume, then you can consider. But after tips and tax you are looking at $150/persons so probably this wont be it. Inside of the restaurant looks nicely decorated with the ceiling all covered with sakura and some warmth and mood light here and there.

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Hamono Sushi - Soy Sauce

Soy Sauce

Hamono Sushi - Wagyu with uni

Wagyu with uni

Hamono Sushi

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Shigezo Izakaya

Shigezo Izakaya

3.5(783 reviews)
1.9 mi•Downtown, Southwest Portland
•$$

From sushi, to noodles and rice dishes, there's something for everyone. The service was excellent…read moreand the staff were so friendly and knowledgeable. If you're not downtown, they also have a smaller location on the east side! To start I got the takoyaki, or fried octopus balls. It was crispy on the outside, light and fluffy on the inside, with a tender and chewy piece of octopus, topped with a sweet sauce and fish flakes. Yum!! For my main, I wanted to try one of their broth-less udons and chose one of the specials, the Mentaiko kama-tama Udon--house-made flat udon noodles tossed in and onion oil, bonito, and soy dashi sauce. The noodles are topped with Men-taiko (spicy Tarako caviar), soft egg, tobiko, tempura puffs, green onions, and nori. I also added ikura (as recommended). I've never had flat udon noodles or broth-less udon but I'm forever changed. The minimal broth allows the toppings to be the stars of the show, and here was no exception. The flavors were complex, but balanced, and the variety of textures kept me coming back for another bite. The soy dashi sauce was full of umami and a subtle spicy kick, the fish eggs added pops of saltiness, and the tempura puffs and green onions added some crunch and offset the richness from the other toppings. The house-made noodles also made a huge difference, they were chewy but tender, and soaked up the soy dashi perfectly. I could not recommend Shigezo Izakaya enough!

Been sleeping on this spot for sure! The outside looks a bit dingy but inside is decorated with…read moreJapanese interior. They got modern and traditional booth seatings for you to choose from. Menu is filled with rolls, appetizers, and ramens. We tried two ramens and they're some of the best we've had in town! Noodles were well-cooked, both the thin and thick ones. Generous meat portion and it's cooked well. The broths were piping hot and flavorful too. We also tried the Fried Squid Legs and Tsukune. Again, both were delicious and made fresh. Nothing to complain here, we'll definitely be back.

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Shigezo Izakaya
Shigezo Izakaya
Shigezo Izakaya

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Kaizen Sushi - The Pacific NW Roll

Kaizen Sushi

4.5(168 reviews)
1.5 mi•Old Town - Chinatown, Southwest Portland

Such a great experience at Kaizen Sushi!! Our server, Jillian, was SO sweet, attentive, and quick…read more I gave her a pretty complicated custom roll to order (literally a whole list of ingredients lol) and told her it was totally fine if it was too difficult to ring in or too much to ask of the sushi chefs. She immediately reassured me that it was no problem at all, wrote down every single ingredient, and got it PERFECT. Exactly what I wanted!! I really appreciated how happy she was to help instead of making me feel like I was being difficult. My boyfriend ordered the Dragon Roll, Rainbow Roll, and Firecracker Roll, and he especially LOVED the Firecracker. Everything tasted incredibly fresh, came out quickly, and was super filling. The quality definitely makes the price worth it. The restaurant also has such a nice vibe -- perfect for a cute, casual date night. I honestly have zero complaints. Great service, great quality, delicious sushi, and everything came out perfectly. I'm so happy we stumbled across this place because it's a little tucked away and easy to pass by. If you're in the area, definitely stop by Kaizen Sushi!! We'll absolutely be back!

The sushi here is top quality and WELL worth the money. The service was great. We sat outside,…read morebeing such a nice day. There are only four tables outside, and there seemed to be limited indoor seating, but that does not detract from the overall experience.

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Kaizen Sushi
Kaizen Sushi - Green tea cheesecake

Green tea cheesecake

Kaizen Sushi - Salmon Belly Aburi

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Salmon Belly Aburi

Momoyama - Keeper Roll - special for the day

Momoyama

4.3(246 reviews)
2.1 mi•Pearl District
•$$$

We came here for dinner for a nice date night option. The restaurant has moody lighting and nice…read moreprivate booths with tall partitions, which we liked. We ordered the Portland Timber, Rainbow (w/real crab), and the Big Easy. All amazing. Super fresh fish, good portions, didn't skimp on the good stuff. The miso was also delicious. The boyfriend also said their old fashioned was the best he's ever had. Which is saying something, because he orders those almost everywhere we go....he loves those things. We stayed for dessert, which we don't normally do, but good thing we did because the Matcha crème brûlée was a surprising combo that we loved. Staff was friendly and service was timely. I wish I had pictures but we eat before the cameras unfortunately for yall Would very much recommend!!

We sat at the sushi bar, and immediately a server came over to introduce himself and try to assist…read moreus. Maybe the idea is to help with any language barrier -- the server spoke fluent English, while often the sushi chefs do not -- but we found him way too attentive. We sat at the bar so we could interact with the sushi chefs. We did talk with a chef, but his advice wasn't very specific. So...despite plenty of suggestions from the server, and some advice from the chef, and a long time perusing and discussing the extensive menu, we still weren't sure what to order. We finally went with a combo and were disappointed to see it served in a boat! That just seemed like a gimmicky, touristy thing, we would have preferred a plate. The fish actually was very good, and so were the salads. A shrimp nigiri was the only misstep, as the shrimp was overcooked. I guess I would return to this place -- hopefully on that server's day off! And make sure my order is not coming on a little boat. And skip the shrimp.

Photos
Momoyama - Blue Dream

Blue Dream

Momoyama - Unagi nigiri

Unagi nigiri

Momoyama - Takoyaki

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Takoyaki

Nimblefish - sushi - Updated October 2026

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