Review content:
Nakama WAS my favorite restaurant...four years ago. Yes, it's been around that long but most of its current clientele won't be able to recall the days when the seating was ample, sushi was uniquely fresh, or when you could still find parking on the South Side.\r
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I've lived in the South Side for 5 years, and my, have I seen a dramatic shift. Nakama is a quintessential example of what can happen to a great restaurant or neighborhood. The establishment traded good food, fun and quality for martini's, bad (live?) music, and halter tops in January. Yin'zers go to Nakama so that they really feel like they are ""going aught, aught"" to the ""COOLEST!, HIPPEST!, EDGIEST!, HOT SPOT IN THE 'BURGH! "" Why? Because Nakama has done a phenomenal job of marketing itself as such. \r
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The bottom line? The food is lackluster, the crowd is obnoxious and the staff is over worked, (and occasionally rude...hey, they're not hurting for business so few ticked off customers are just a drop in the bucket). \r
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If you want to escape the monotony of suburban life and pretend like you're eating exotic (aren't we SO worldly with our saki-drinks and new duds from the SouthSide Works) then by all means go. Pay for the valet, otherwise you'll be circling around looking for parking for 20 minutes (yes, even on a Tuesday) but know that you'll be taking parking away from residents and run the risk getting side swiped by your fellow party pals since the valet simply huts for street parking so you don't have to.\r
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If you want to try REAL sushi, go to Kiku in the nearby (and equally trendy) Station Square (oodles of parking!) or try Wholey's for a less expensive (and less classy) option.\r
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Oh and a side note: \r
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Attn. Frat Boys: Please try to remember after your 8th Yager Bomb that there are tax-payers, elderly and families residing in your party central. PLEASE! Stop the unnecessary vandalism and violence! And call a cab for God's sake!\r
Pros: Feel like a hipster, parties can be fun
Cons: Crowded, noisy, no parking, unauthentic food, over worked staff
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