This new Phoenix izakaya offers gourmet takes on Japanese comfort foods and stellar sake

The sake came with a small wooden box.

For a second, I thought it was a mistake, but the server explained that it was a traditional way of drinking sake in Japan. I poured my carafe of chilled California junmai into the little box, which was the size of a measuring cup, and took a sip from the corner. I savored the intense aroma of cedar that played into the funk of the fermented rice.

From my seat outside on a European-style patio, I could hear a woman in the dining room belting out Elton John covers and playing a keyboard. Not what I would expect to find at a Japanese restaurant, but Nanaya isn't typical in any sense.

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Built in the shell of the former tenant, an upscale Italian bar called Crudo, Nanaya opened in the summer of 2020 on Indian School Road. The previous concept might have actually had more raw fish on the menu than this venture, which specializes in "Japanese comfort foods" like ramen, milk bread sandwiches, robata meat skewers and fried snacks.

The bar area takes up a substantial portion of the main dining room. Dark wood paneled walls are filled with vintage Japanese posters. The restaurant is serious about sake, with each selection marked with lines indicating where the wine falls on the spectrums of sweet/dry and light/rich. But Nanaya also boasts an interesting cocktail list of drinks that incorporate Japanese flavors like a black sesame old fashioned and a margarita made with the Japanese citrus paste yuzu kosho. 

All in all, it's a pleasant place to drink, though the scattershot menu skews more gourmet than izakaya pub grub. 

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The tempura set is a sizable starter and includes a healthy selection of shrimp and various veggies like long beans, kabocha squash and leafy bok choy. The vegetables managed to retain their crunch inside the delicate batter and were so tasty I had trouble pulling my attention away to try the other dishes we'd ordered.

A delicacy of Tokyo gas stations, Japanese sandwiches have become trendy in the U.S. as well. Nanaya makes three of them: a tonkatsu, a chicken miso katsu and a wagyu beef katsu in sweet yakiniku sauce. I splurged on the wagyu and wished I had just ordered the chicken, which was half the price. The beef was a tad overcooked and came off tasting heavy, though that may have been because it was deep fried in panko bread crumbs.

There were only three sushi items on the menu during my visit, and one was unavailable that day, so I settled on the Faroe salmon roll made with salmon from the Faroe islands near Iceland, along with avocado cream cheese and salty ikura salmon eggs served atop a sweet mango curry emulsion.

I wasn't expecting it to be deep fried, but the roll was still delicate and expertly prepared. I also enjoyed the scoop of real wasabi on the side, which cut through the richness of the fried batter. 

Though tasty, $20 felt a little steep for the portion, so next time I'll skip the sushi and try some pork belly, head-on prawns or wagyu beef skewers from the charcoal robata grill instead.  

The miso cod turned out to be the star of the evening. One of half a dozen entrees, the cod is glazed in a lush miso butter and seared to perfection with dueling layers of glutinous flesh and crisp edges. It was placed over an earthy forbidden rice drizzled with ginger butter.

Sensual and downright flawless in execution, the refined plate of fish helped me to understand what makes Nanaya so special. With its broad selection of Japanese dishes and sophisticated atmosphere, it's an under-the-radar date night spot that deserves to be discovered. 

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Where: 3603 E. Indian School Road, Suite B, Phoenix. 

Hours: 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday; closed Monday and Tuesday.  

Price: Small plates $6 to $18; robatayaki plates $17 to $20; sushi and sashimi $12 to $16; entrees $19 to $30; sandwiches $12 to $25.

Details: 602-354-3532, nanayajapanesekitchen.com.

Reach reporter Andi Berlin at amberlin@azcentral.com. Follow her on Facebook @andiberlin, Instagram @andiberlin or Twitter @andiberlin. 

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