My husband and I came here on a little date night during our hiking trip with the dogs back in October and had so much fun. We left the dogs at the Airbnb and drove over here for some sake and ramen and everything was amazing. We were seated right away and each got a handshake ~ sake style ~ and split an order of their wings. They were cooked perfectly and were SO flavorful. We each got a ramen - I got the Momo Chicken and my husband got the Mr. Spicy. We shared a little of the broth from each so we could try them both and they were equally delicious and very filling. Our server was friendly, checked on us often, and made sure we had plenty of water. We also got a couple of their bottles to-go so we could bring them back home to share with my sister and BIL. They are located in such a neat arts district with lots of other businesses and local art outside. They have a huge patio with different seating options and there is tons of parking. If we are ever back in VA we will stop in again. read more

North American Sake Brewery - Breweries Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

So much fun! I had never heard of this concept before but it was delicious. Great sake and great ramen. Would definitely come back if I lived closer!!! Staff was funny and super attentive! read more

Yum! Was delighted to find a ramen spot near the Airbnb we were staying at. North American Sake Brewery offers a variety of ramen dishes and other dishes plus an extensive sake menu. I tried the Nas Original, which is a tonkatsu broth & chashu pork. The broth was nice and rich. I also opted to add some chili oil on the side to add some spice to the ramen. I tried the saiko sparkling sake which was nice and refreshing. It was not too strong. If you're a big sake lover, they also offer sake flights. Our server was nice and knowledgeable and food came out quickly. There is plenty of seating inside and I enjoy that they play old anime around the restaurant. read more

See all

Absolutely awesome place in the heart of Charlottesville, VA. It was a true highlight of our Bachelorette weekend, we still cannot stop thinking about this ramen spot! Upon arrival, we were seated and the staff were well accommodating to our orders and questions. I ordered a sake flight and it was a fun experience! The spicy mango sake is SPICY! Our food arrived in good time and I enjoyed the veggie ramen. The vibes were fun, chill, and memorable, I cannot even believe that the ramen brewery was servicing a whole crowd of people for post-prom, they handled it all well and smooth! I would love to visit Charlottesville VA again, just for this ramen place! Highly highly recommend! read more

See all

It's so hard for me to review this! Apparently I don't like sake. BUT if you do - you'll like this place. They do flights - they have clearly, cloudy and spicy (which was similar to a spicy marg) Service was great! read more

North American Sake Brewery - Breweries Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

See all

Came across this place an earlier this year. While exploring Charlottesville. It's really cool on the outside . Super kid friendly plenty of open space . Outdoor seating is actually perfect . Music played outside as well. Inside seating is really sweet . Bar seating booth seating and this cute little nook in the window . You can play board games as you play. Perfect for family dinner night . Now the ramen is to die for . Sooooo good . It has this Smokey taste that just warms me up so delicious ! I honestly came wait to go back . Everyone is so friendly and cool . Probably the most laid back staff ever . read more

North American Sake Brewery - Creamy Veggie Ramen - Breweries Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

Egg rolls were delicious, yet the ramen was quite disappointing. Lots of noodles and sauce, decent amount of corn, lacked flavor (had to add soy sauce), minimal pork. One of our ramen's pork was all fat. Told our server, yet she just shrugged it off. Other than the quick interaction regarding the pork, service was fantastic. Not worth the money. Decent sake. Cute atmosphere. read more

Yum!! 4/5 stars for slightly above expectations. I came here with a friend for lunch and it is such a cute place! You can sit outside and enjoy the IX art park or sit inside. It is really cute and there are lots of cushions and the decor is really cute. I had the spicy ramen and a strawberry kush cocktail and my friend had the spicy ramen with a sake slushee. The ramen was SPICY which is what we wanted - spicy means spicy which is not the case for a lot of cville restaurants!! The broth was super flavorful and the noodles were delicious. The boiled egg, meatballs and mushrooms were all well seasoned and really yummy. My friend said her mango sake slushee was good and my cocktail was average. The drinks are just okay, I've also read reviews that the sake is below average so keep in mind we did not really try much sake while we were here. Food was the highlight. The cocktails average 12-14 and the food is about the same. Expect to pay about $35 per person. Very comparable for the area. Overall the ramen was really yummy and the drinks were good so I would probably be back! read more

North American Sake Brewery - Strawberry kush cocktail - Breweries Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

See all

We only tried the sake when coming here, but I was so impressed that there's a space just for sake in Charlottesville! It's a distillery and ramen restaurant in one, and they had the most varieties of sake I've ever seen. We got the sake flight, and I thought it was worth it just to get a taste of the different types of sake out there. What's nice is they also sell cans or bottles of the sake you happen to like the best. read more

North American Sake Brewery - Breweries Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

We stopped by for an early dinner on a week night. The good, service was good (note that we were the only customers). The bad, the chasu pork was like bad bacon in the Nas Ramen. When I've eaten this at other ramen shops, the chasu is more like pork belly. Everything was over priced. The kids teriyaki bowl was 95 % rice and 5 % chicken. For $8, pretty unreasonable. It was convenient but I wouldn't go back. read more

We've been wanting to try this sake brewery ever since we went to Ben's Tune Up in Asheville, NC. Sake breweries are such unique places and this gem is Charlottesville really is a vibe. We sat at the bar and the bartender was attentive, knowledgeable and really friendly! There are plenty of drink options if sake isn't for you. They offer beer on tap, Japanese imports and cocktails. Loved all of the drinks we ordered, and regretted not trying a flight. We only had time for a quick bite before our dinner reservation so we ordered the spicy tuna sushi board. The rice was warm and moist, the fish was good portion and quality! Can't wait to come back and try more food items!! read more

We enjoyed the ambience of this place. A retro Japanese vibes. Sake tasting selection had a good variety though there is still room for improvement knowing great sake from all over Japan. We wish the server gave us a better table instead of the one right by the entrance, especially when it was pretty much empty and workers started setting up some things right next to us - felt like I had my food and drinks all dusty... Ramen and edamame were just OK, again from our extensive experiences in Japan. Friendly service and overall good experience. read more

See all

Just left Japan after 7 years and stumbled upon this amazing spot while getting lost bike riding with my wife. Food was amazing. The Sake was as in my opinion as good as Dassai in Japan.....(huge compliment) Can't wait to come back and try the ramen! We ate right before so we snacked on the gyozas. 10/10 recommend. read more

After doing a dramatic reading of a one-star review, my husband and I were a little afraid. But a SAKE brewery? We're from Nova and as far as we know, we don't even have one of those up there. We just had to try it. We had our two kids with us, ages 4 and 1. Walking from the downtown mall wasn't exactly stroller friendly, and we even had to do a maneuver where we unclipped the baby and rolled the stroller down the hill next to the stairs. Lol. There may be an easier way that we didn't see. Right away, we saw that this arts park is really quite an extensive and beautiful cultural landmark. There was a winter night market happening outside of the entrance, and there was an artsy themed tour that we thought about doing to the left when we entered the building. I can't recall exactly what the exhibit was, I think it was like Alice in Wonderland, or along those lines. The staff were friendly and accommodating. My daughter was super interested in sitting in the section where you can sit on the floor cushions, and they helped us move some of the tables together to make her dream come true! My husband and I wanted to try a lot of different things, so we opted for a flight to try them all. We enjoyed most of them, but big baby was our favorite! We even bought a bottle for ourselves and some friends who are having a (big?) baby soon. The food was pretty good, too. We enjoyed the dumplings. I got the poke bowl and thought things were a little too salty and seasoned but mostly good. My husband got the Japanese curry. I might be outing him as a huge nerd by mentioning that he plays a Japanese video game where a lot of things take place in a coffee and curry shop, so he was curious to try the real deal. It was so delicious and cozy that when we got home from our trip to Charlottesville, the first thing we did was buy all the ingredients to make this meal at home! I cannot state enough how family friendly this establishment was. We were not the only people there with kids, and there were lots of books and other things to keep the kiddos occupied for the 2+ hours we hung out there. the next time we are in Charlottesville we will definitely be back! read more

See all

This review is based only on trying a flight of sake. They do serve food, but this was just a quick stop because we had never had much sake before. It is a little hard to find. It is located underneath three notched brewery and parking is a little bit of a challenge... or it was the day we were there. The man and lady at the outdoor bar area were very helpful in explaining sake. We sat down to have the flight at some outdoor seating, but they have indoor as well. Of all the sakes, Serenity Now was by far the best, IMO. Very smooth and not a lot of infused flavor or fermentation taste. It is a pretty cool place and if you have never had much sake definitely worth the trip. read more

North American Sake Brewery - Indoor sign - Breweries Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

Out of towners who got lucky and found this gem of a place. I can't tell you how great service, food, and drinks were. I'll be looking forward to our next trip to Charlottesville just to come back here! Pro tip: do the sake flight BUT DO NOT sleep on their beers. So so good. Food was delish too! Dog friendly to the MAX! read more

See all

My wife and I stopped by while the festival was on. She tried a Sake flight. She really enjoyed the Real Magic Junmai Sake. We also tried the dumplings, they were excellent. read more

North American Sake Brewery - I enjoyed the dumplings and my wife had the flight. Great service and good food. - Breweries Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

Great location in IX art park. Sake flight was ok but nothing special. They went down pretty smooth but I personally like drier flavors so these were more for people who don't like the stronger sake flavor. The ramen was pretty mediocre but it got me warm. The spicy option seems to add something like gochujang paste. If I come back I will probably just stick to a safer bet like the curry. read more

North American Sake Brewery - Shio Chicken Ramen - Breweries Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

See all

Found this place as it was within walking distance of the hotel I was staying at. This seems like the only Sake brewery in the area. I stopped by on a Saturday afternoon and was curious. At first impressions, it seemed like a really hipster place. It was not as busy compared to the brewery next door. They have plenty of indoor and outdoor seating. It was also cool to see some of the sake brewing process in the background. When I first walked in, the server said the kitchen was closing soon, which was fine; as this was one of the stops on my day drinking adventure. The bartender was really knowledgeable of the different sakes and provided some recommendations. I opted for the 5 sake flight and sat at the outdoor patio overlooking the art park. I would say it is worth checking out this niche brewery and would recommend it to others! read more

North American Sake Brewery - Inside - Breweries Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

See all

Delicious food, great sake options. Service was very attentive. Menu was varied and I particularly liked the bowl options.

Best spot in Charlottesville! Our server, Joey, was amazing. He was super patient, shared how Sake was made, and introduced us to the head Sake maker! The food was delicious and ramen was better than others in the area. Loved sitting Japanese style while playing Rummikub. Would definitely recommend and go back for more! read more

North American Sake Brewery - Dumplings - Breweries Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

See all

Stopped by here for a Friday night out with my husband. The menu was pretty basic. We ended up with the Japanese beef curry rice bowl and the tonkatsu ramen. Both decently done but nothing special (we've also both been spoiled with the real deal in Japan so probably slightly bias). The sake is were this place really shines with a good array of different types of sake. I thought the pricing was on the higher end for what they were offering but could also be COVID inflation pricing. The place also has some great vibes with the decor and a bookshelf of games for everyone. Overall, I would say it's a solid 3. Would definitely go back for their sake but the food would be an afterthought! read more

North American Sake Brewery - Japanese beef curry bowl - Breweries Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

This place is amazing. Came here on a vacation and so sad there is nothing like this back home. Service was awesome. The bartender seemed so excited that we were there and really elevated our experience. I had a sake flight and there was only one I didn't care for. Left with two bottles and a t-shirt to take home. if you have even a passing interest in sake. Can't vouch for the food because we didn't order any as we were in between meals. read more

See all

The service here was amazing-- the staff is super friendly, and the dog roaming around the restaurant was adorable as well! I had the poke bowl (4.5/5, fresh and filling) and inari to share (4/5, pretty tasty). Of course, we couldn't miss out on the sake at a sake brewery! My friend and I shared one glass of the sake (5/5). It was DELICIOUS BUT SO, SO STRONG!!! We had to wash our faces, run around/play tag in the art park outside, and walk a lap around downtown before driving home. Definitely would come back!! read more

North American Sake Brewery - Breweries Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

See all

We ran into this place and decided to try it. So glad we did. The bartenders were so friendly. The drinks were amazing!! We didn't try any food because the kitchen was closed (preparing for dinner time), but the bartenders were glad to have us . We had sake bombs, a flight and a sake slushee. Everything was so good! We took a bottle home too. read more

North American Sake Brewery - Breweries Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

See all

Great little spot with tons of outdoor seating. There is a Japanese food menu with some bites so you can try all the sakes (not an empty stomach). You can make your own flight at $3 a tasting. It's got such a cute vibe reminiscent of the izakyas you'd find. Robin, the GM, makes great cocktails using sake as the base. Husband got a sake mule - the absolute best; refreshing, spicy. She also spent a good time educating us about the process and origin of this brewery. They can warm up the sakes for you as well so you can compare the palates. Can't wait to come back and try the food and see what else they have for tasting. The sparkling was out and that's one of my faves. Did I mention this is THE ONLY SAKE BREWERY in Va? So do yourself a favor, branch out from the regular ipa and be different. In order of preference from the tasting: 1. Bad Baby - the best one I tried. 2. Big Baby 3. Olympus 4. Real Magic 5. Quiet Baby 6. Serenity read more

See all

A unique Sake experience in Charlottesville. The atmosphere has gone from traditional to more eclectic, The sake is the focus opposed to the decor though. read more

Stumbled upon this place so we decided to grab a drink. Service was good they were very knowledgeable about the drinks. Great story behind how this place opened up. Drinks was good I ordered the piña colada slushy and had some rosé. I will have to come back to try out the food. Overall cool place read more

Service was amazing and the scene is totally awesome. I've been to Japan twice, ramen is life. This place did not disappoint. Caveat: it's not bad ramen in Virginia I've had worse. Pros. Excellent ambiance, cool location (next to art park), outdoor dining. Noods are al dente, nice crunch, not soggy. Broth was good, got the my spicy and it had flavor. Service was excellent. Sake was delicious, got a bottle of the junmai daiginjo. Not too sweet. The only con would be that the meat in my ramen felt a little undone, it was like a meatball of pork. I'd recommend switching that out for chashu or something else. But otherwise was not disappointed in my experience (but again, I did recognize where I was at. I certainly wasn't expecting Tokyo ramen). Well done!!! Also the tokens for a (bad) fortune are such a nice touch!!! read more

This was such a cool place to stop and visit. It had an edgy and urban vibe to it. I didn't order food, but the sake flights were so awesome and fun to try. They were at one point one of only eight sake breweries in America, now there's 22. The bartender was awesome and has been there since the start, she took such good care of us. It's in the IX art park which is a great setting for a place like this. read more

THE BIG: In the middle of Charlottesville Art Park, underneath Three Notch'd brewing. Spacious brewery with free sake tours on Tuesday and happy hour 5-7pm. THE BLACK AND WHITE: The bae and I came here on a Tuesday and managed to score a private tour with the head brewer, Andrew! The brew room is pretty spacious compared to some craft brewers in DC (rightly so bc space is more expensive up there). You get to glimpse at the wooden sauna room where the rice gets fermented into sake! I got a flight of 5 sakes, essentially every sake on the menu except for the unfiltered. I liked the unflavored filtered sake the most. The flavored sake didn't sit well with my stomach, maybe too sweet? The bae got a sake mule, NASB's sake twist on the moscow mule. It literally tasted like ginger beer. Sake has such a light neutral taste and you can barely taste the alcohol sometimes. THE FINAL BAMBOO: Overall damage was ~$37. Awesome ambience and will definitely be back for more happy hour! read more

North American Sake Brewery - Sale flight left to right (real magic, quiet giant, socky, sweet agony, spicy vacay) - Breweries Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

We had such a nice time here. The atmosphere is beautiful with lots of art to enjoy. We had a flight of the 4 house sakes and each were delicious. Our bartender was very personable. Can't wait to come back when the kitchen is open for some ramen. read more

North American Sake Brewery - View from the bar of the dining area - Breweries Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

I was very excited about being here after reading the reviews. Loving Sake. Never been to a Sake Brewery before, never even heard of them.... Anyways its a beautiful day. First visit to Charlottesville. Outside bar and seating its bright and charming, many flowers along the picnic tables and big colorful umbrellas. Very relaxing and inviting. Limited menu .. for food.... appetizers are...Edamame or Garlic Green Beans Three different kinds of dumplings and There were a five different rice bowls to choose from : I ordered Pork Ginger Dumplings perfectly crisp... The Poke Bowl.... freshly made with yellowfin tuna and salmon with ginger and spices over rice. Flavorful and just the perfect sized portion. Now for the Sake...bottled or by the glass...the prices for the bottles were reasonable The BIG Baby and Serenity Now enjoyed each one's unique flavors. The decor inside the restaurant was very artsy and kool. The bathroom even had art hung all around the walls. I have never been in a bathroom like this one. I must admit I was truly surprised and disappointed to find no sushi on the menu... To me SAKE and sushi, sashimi go well together. I needed my sushi fix too.......hope when the pandemic is over and the world returns the way we knew it.....the menu here will be including sushi to accompany the SAKE read more

See all

We had a great time at the Sake Brewery! The food was surprisingly really good! The sake slushes were also really refreshing and sweet, which we all loved! The vibes are good given that it is in the art park and the service was really fast and helpful! Will definitely be back again! read more

North American Sake Brewery - Beef Curry Rice and Tekka Poke Bowl and Sake Slush - Breweries Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

Service was off, bartender didn't know how to open the plastic salt rim thing for the Margarita. The Smokey and the Veg ramen bowl was not good, tastes like liquid smoke and gets worse as you eat the bowl of ramen. I was excited for a new ramen place, but I got let down. My good friend ordered an assaultingly bad take on a Gin and Tonic. Hope it's better next time. read more

This place is my favorite to visit when I'm in C'Ville! I love the poke bowl and the sushi and of course the sake. I've tasted amazing sake in Japan and I'm here to say that I think this sake is right up there with the best I've had! Love the vibe, both indoor and in the back. Can't wait to finally try the ramen everyone raves about, can't believe I haven't yet. See you again soon, guys! read more

Sake is phenomenal and the ramen portion is such a unique experience. be sure to get the chip for your bad luck fortune, it's the highlight of the trip, so funny! read more

North American Sake Brewery - bad luck fortune - Breweries Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

Socked in for Sake (Or, buried in the back of iX Park) You'll have to hunt a hair, to find it, back there. But this Sake's worth the 'go.' I've long graduated past the hot sake 'commodity sippers' served at sushi and teppanyaki US stops. Once dipped into cold, flavorful, subtle and beast-like sakes in the States and Japan, ain't no more warm bath sakes for me. You can bury any bad humors in a heated liquid, bad tastes and every subtlety. Chilled is where distinction emerges. And N.A. Sake brewery serves it fine and cold, to taste. A flight of current brews is surprising: an unfiltered nigori-type, a filtered sake-- and their own branches-- fruit infused, and chili(?mango) sharp beast. I'm a fan of the traditional first two, and a sucker for all nigorizakes-- and now they're here local. And falvorful and subtle. Get acquainted-- it's worth it. The owner and brewer gave a great tour, and i'm a hundred times sake-smarter, but thats compared to starting at nil. Cold brewing, koji-prompted, plate-filtered, and triple milled. All starts with rice. And the food was good. Including a curious miso humus, and nice dumplings. I'll be there again-- for the brazos tacos, and, a minutes walk, the Sake. C'ville local. *Now we just need a little collaboration with 3Notched brewery next door, and they'll have the Sake Irish CarBomb.... Hint. read more

See all

Food is always fresh and delicious and the sake will definitely get you where you want to be!

This was just not a pleasant experience. The service wasn't great...apparently there were 'so many reservations' that we couldn't sit at any of the very many inside tables. Also once seated by the hostess outside, we had to go back inside to order and pay at the bar. Not sure what the point is of this process, but fine. We tried 2 flights and both didn't like any of the sakes. They were all very alcohol forward and tasted off...I've had sake a few times before but it never tasted this bad. I almost couldn't finish each shot but for the price forced it down. We did our shots quickly and left. Not impressed and not a great stop for the area. The actual brewery next door was much busier for a reason. read more