Nuka is very, very easy to love because it’s simply put, great. It really only has one problem: the wait. So I’ll tell you up-front: no reservations and waits can be long. They open for dinner at 4:30 PM and I’ve never had a problem getting a table right away if I show up at 4:15. But starting at maybe 5:30, especially on weekends, you could be facing a 90 minute wait. Of course, in the evening on the North Shore, the weather is likely to be heavenly, so 90 minutes of enjoying that isn’t the worst thing.

OK: about Nuka. Nuka is an izakaya, which, for those who don’t know, is a lot like a Japanese gastropub. They serve alcohol, but also a lot of great casual dishes that really work well with sake and beer. For an izakaya, Nuka actually has a pretty wide range of food styles including sushi and sashimi, some udon soups, a couple of rice bowls, some salads, and a whole array of small plates that are usually vegetable-heavy, and while all of these options are very tasty here, I think the small plates and the salads are where Nuka really shines.

The nasu miso (eggplant) and karaage (fried chicken) are probably my two top small plates here – essentially perfect every time. I also like the agedashi tofu (very umami broth), the crispy calamari (which you can also get on a salad), the miso butterfish (I know, it’s everywhere these days, but for a reason!), and, how can you not get ahi tataki here since you know they’ll prepare it well and the ahi couldn’t be fresher!

I put this place on my You Can’t Go Wrong list – I’d be really really surprised if you ever found a bad item on this menu!

Just a few more notes: the sushi and sashimi are great. The udon? Fine, but I’m just not often in the mood for udon unless it’s an unusually cold day. Always get something pickled – I think they do their pickling in-house. And make sure to get the black sesame ice cream for dessert! They do make this in-house and it’s really, really stunningly good.