Founded by three alums of the much-lauded Masa, Nami Nori, a Japanese restaurant in NYC’s West Village, has a laid-back but design-minded, Scandi-Japanese vibe. Nami Nori is the trio’s attempt to be more inclusive without sacrificing quality (at Masa, the only 3-Michelin-star sushi restaurant in the country, omakase costs $595 per person).
This translates to a more casual menu (entirely gluten-free) that focuses on temaki hand rolls reimagined as “tacos”—as well as a more casual atmosphere. The interiors, by MN Design Professional Corporation, are light and bright, inspired by “both modern beach houses and traditional Japanese residences,” and counter dining dominates the 1,000-square-foot space.
Have a look.
Photography by Sebastian Lucrecio, courtesy of Nami Nori.
Above: Wall-to-wall storefront windows allow for ample natural light. The restaurant seats 40, many of them on these rattan stools.
Above: Delicate Japanese-inspired slatted screens are a design motif in the restaurant.
Above: Rose copper accents add a warm, sparkling touch.
Above: The design team stuck to a palette of “cream, sandy brown, and Champagne pink.”
Above: The ledge above the wooden counter is topped with speckled terrazzo.
Above: The Japanese-focused beverage menu includes sake, Japanese White Peach and Muskmelon sodas, soba teas, and matcha lattes.
Above: The back of the restaurant.
Above: A sampling of the temaki hand rolls. The seaweed acts as the “taco shell.”
Above: The front of the restaurant, on Carmine Street, has a blue awning that reflects the casual beachy sensibility of the interiors.
For more NYC restaurants we admire, see: