RFK Editorial · Nashville Spoke · Omakase
The Best Omakase in Nashville, 2026
Nashville's omakase counters are small in number and high in ambition. The five rooms below, with Kase x Noko at the front, are doing serious Edomae work in a city the sushi map ignored until 2023.
Compiled by the Restaurants for Kings editorial team · Updated 2026-05-17
Nashville was not a sushi city until very recently. The state of Tennessee did not have a single Edomae omakase counter open before 2018. By 2024 the city had three serious counters, by 2026 it has five, and the headliner (Kase x Noko in East Nashville) is now a regional destination drawing diners from Memphis, Atlanta, and Birmingham.
The five counters below are the entire serious Nashville omakase map in 2026. The list is sorted by RFK editorial. Kase x Noko first because the rice technique is the most accomplished, the supply chain (twice-weekly Tokyo Toyosu shipments) is the most considered, and the room is the most architecturally serious sushi space in Tennessee. Sushi Bar second because the seventeen-course format and the hidden-door entry create the most theatrical omakase experience in the city.
Pricing in Nashville sits dramatically below New York and California. Kase x Noko's $75 fourteen-course menu is the value proposition that other markets cannot match. That price reflects the lower rent of East Nashville and the smaller per-seat cost of fish flown into BNA rather than into JFK. It does not reflect a smaller ambition.
Kase x Noko
East Nashville · Edomae Omakase · $$$
The fourteen-seat omakase counter that put Nashville sushi on the regional map. Tokyo Toyosu twice a week, three cuts of tuna from Spain, and the most considered rice in Tennessee.
Counter: 14 seats omakase; 4-seat Japanese cocktail bar adjacent
Tasting: 14 courses; menu changes seasonally
Chef: Mat Riffe
Sushi Bar
Nashville · Edomae Omakase · $$$$
An unmarked door. A twelve-seat counter. A seventeen-course tasting. The most theatrical omakase experience in the city, and a Toyosu-direct supply chain that punches well above its strip-mall address.
Counter: 12 seats hidden behind unmarked door
Tasting: 17 courses
Chef: Phillip Frankland Lee (group)
O-Ku
The Gulch, Nashville · Modern Japanese / Omakase · $$$
The Gulch's modern Japanese flagship offers an a la carte sushi programme and an off-menu omakase. Bigger room, broader menu, the most accessible Nashville sushi gateway.
Counter: 10 seats sushi bar; broader dining room
Tasting: Omakase by request; a la carte available
Chef: O-Ku group
Sushi by Bou
Nashville · Edomae Omakase (Speed Format) · $$$
The 30-minute omakase concept landed in Nashville. Twelve nigiri, single chef, full Edomae. The format that taught a generation of Nashville diners what omakase is.
Counter: 8 seats
Tasting: 12 pieces in 30 minutes; longer formats available
Chef: Sushi by Bou group
Virago
The Gulch, Nashville · Asian Fusion (Sushi Programme) · $$$
Not strictly omakase, but Virago's sushi programme in the Gulch remains one of Nashville's most accomplished, and the rooftop sake bar above the dining room makes it the date-night sushi room in the city.
Counter: Open sushi bar; dining room separate
Tasting: Chef's selection by request
Chef: M Street Restaurants
How Nashville eats omakase
Nashville omakase rewards lead time. Kase x Noko in particular operates on a six-week-out reservation cycle that opens at midnight and sells out within minutes for prime weekend slots, the closest thing in the American South to the Tokyo three-star reservation experience. Sushi Bar at #2 is more bookable but its capacity (twelve seats per service) means weekend dates also fill four to six weeks out.
The Nashville omakase calendar runs hot during CMA Music Festival (early June), the Country Music Awards (November), and SEC Football season (late August through early December). Plan around those windows or accept that prime tables will be unbookable. January, February, and August are the quietest months in the city's reservation cycle and the best windows for a spontaneous omakase booking.
Two things distinguish Nashville's serious counters from the city's broader sushi market. First, all three top counters (Kase x Noko, Sushi Bar, O-Ku omakase) source from Toyosu in Tokyo on a twice-weekly direct shipment basis, the same supply chain Per Se and Le Bernardin use for the same fish. Second, the rice programmes at Kase x Noko and Sushi Bar both use aged red vinegar in the Edomae style, the technique most American sushi outside the top fifty counters does not employ.
Where to find Nashville omakase
East Nashville
The geographic centre of Nashville's most considered omakase. Kase x Noko anchors the neighbourhood. Walkable from Five Points and adjacent to Lockeland Springs.
The Gulch
O-Ku, Virago, and the city's broader high-end Asian dining cluster. Walkable from downtown hotels. The most concentrated luxury dining district in the city.
Downtown Nashville
Sushi Bar and Sushi by Bou operate in and around downtown, both walkable from Broadway and the Lower Broad hotel cluster. The least atmospheric of the omakase districts but the most convenient for short-trip diners.
The verdict
For the visitor with one omakase booking in Nashville, the answer is Kase x Noko. The rice work alone justifies the trip and the $75 price point makes it the best per-dollar omakase in the American South. Book at midnight six weeks out and have a backup. For the visitor with two nights, add Sushi Bar. The seventeen-course format gives you a deeper Edomae education than the fourteen-course Kase tasting.
Nashville's omakase market in 2026 is at the stage Austin's was in 2018: small, ambitious, undervalued, and likely to attract two or three additional serious openings in the next twenty-four months. The city's restaurant boom has not yet produced its own Otoko or Uchi-level sushi flagship. Watch this space.
And the long view: Tennessee will not have a Michelin Guide for at least three more years. When it does, Kase x Noko is the obvious one-star candidate and Sushi Bar the obvious one-or-two-star candidate. Until then, the rooms above are the unranked top of a market that is going to keep getting better.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best omakase in Nashville?
Kase x Noko in East Nashville is RFK's #1 Nashville omakase for 2026. Its fourteen-course menu at $75 represents the best per-dollar omakase in the American South, and the Toyosu twice-weekly supply chain matches what top New York counters use.
How much does omakase cost in Nashville?
Roughly $75 (Kase x Noko) to $165 (Sushi Bar). Sushi by Bou starts at $95. O-Ku omakase is $115. Nashville's omakase market sits dramatically below NYC and California pricing: the same fish, same technique, lower rent.
How far in advance should I book Kase x Noko?
Six weeks. Reservations open at midnight precisely six weeks before the booking date and sell out within minutes for weekend slots. Setting an alarm and a backup date is the standard play.
Where can I find omakase in Nashville besides Kase x Noko?
Sushi Bar (hidden 12-seat counter), O-Ku in The Gulch (omakase by request), Sushi by Bou (30-minute speed format), and Virago in The Gulch (sushi programme, chef's selection on request).
Are Nashville omakase counters worth the trip from Memphis or Atlanta?
Yes for Kase x Noko if you are visiting Nashville already. Probably not as a standalone trip. Atlanta has Brush Sushi and Hayakawa, both of which are stronger ranked rooms than anything in Nashville. Memphis has no Edomae counter of equivalent rank.