For our February meetup we headed to Nacionsushi in Poblado, which I had tried out a couple weeks earlier and was happy to find rolls without the city’s infamous cream-cheese-in-everything.
The restaurant is in the spot previously occupied by Krispy Kreme before they left the city, and there’s more than ample seating on the first and second floor. We went on a Wednesday to avoid it being too crowded, and had a group of 9 make it out (we had reserved for 18, and they were nice enough to wait about half an hour before asking if they could take some of the tables away for other guests).
As we ordered our drinks, a number of people went for the 2×1 sangria special, and there was some confusion over when to take the second one out, who would be sharing what, and who should get served first; I had to talk a number of times with the servers to make sure things were in order. There was also an issue in the beginning with getting separate bills, but that was sorted out and all was good in the end.
Food-wise, everyone was generally satisfied with the quality, and most said they’d come back. Price seemed fair for the quality/quantity, with generous portions on the sushi rolls. One guest did find the creamy sauce on top of her roll a bit much, taking away from the flavour of the fish. Here are the specific comments from some of the diners:
Sandy: I had a combo sashimi. Very nice presentation with a large portion of tuna, salmon, shrimp and crab. It did have way too many cucumbers and carrots. Flavor was excellent. My wife had Phad Thai Mariscos. She enjoyed the dish. It was a good size meal and flavors were mixed well. We also had Edamames appetizer. It was a nice size portion for 2. We chose the one without picante. Others chose with picante. Next time we will try those. The 2×1 Sangria my wife had was very good. The major negative was the service. The restaurant needs to work on that. Maybe it was because we were 9 people total. We will give it a second try and try different items.
Jeanette: The seafood pad thai was fresh and the calamari cooked right. The flavors were delicious with an enjoyable spice.
Debbie: I enjoyed the group dinner at Nacionsushi. For those like me in search of rolls without cream cheese, this is the place. I actually had a combo sashimi. It was a lovely presentation with a large portion of tuna, salmon, shrimp and crab. It did suffer from too many cucumbers and carrots and no rice. A bit of rice would have helped. Portions are large, prices reasonable. It is loud, but no louder than other Medellin restaurants. I will go back.
Norm: The menu is great and very extensive and the fish seemed super fresh and firm. Now maybe as I age my taste buds aren’t as sensitive but while the sushi was good and fresh, everything is blanded down for Colombians. I didn’t notice any tobiko, sesame seeds, rice wine vinegar, or any seasonings. Just different salsas. With more foreigners coming here, the restaurants will need to step up their game and give diners the choice of authentic flavor or Colombian style. It had a nice atmosphere and it wasn’t bad enough not to go back. If I was in the neighborhood I might give it a second try, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to go there.
I generally agree with all the guests’ comments posted here. I was also told during dinner that it would be great to be able to get half-size rolls, to make it possible to try more flavors if not sharing with various people, especially with the rolls being so large. A number of people said that it was really good for Medellin, which is an asterisk that we hope to eventually see disappear from the restaurants here.
There are also a few desserts on the menu, which weren’t bad, had decent prices, but were not jaw dropping either. All in all it was a satisfying experience, and a number of us will be back to try more on the extensive menu that actually goes beyond sushi.
