Restaurants

Nakato

 Since 1972, generations of Atlantans have celebrated their birthdays around Nakato’s family-owned teppanyaki tables, more widely recognized as the sizzling stage for the circus chefs of Benihana. Along with the cocktail bar and a dated dining room that resembles a 1980s hotel, these tables are distractions from the real show that awaits at the sushi counter helmed by Tokyo-born Tetsuji “Nishi” Nishihara. Nishihara has proven to be every bit as talented as his predecessor, Yoshiharu “Kaki” Kakinuma, who left in August 2012. Expect the same arcane delicacies—silvery mackerels, rich sea urchin, monkfish liver, vegetarian rolls with pickled roots or fermented soybeans—prepared with a soulful modesty rooted in Japan’s most honored tradition.