Noma Sushi Santa Monica has been an institution for locals since 1982, known for its boisterous greeting of every customer who walks through the door and reasonable prices for its stellar sushi and other items on the extensive menu.

But like most remaining original mom and pop businesses on Wilshire Blvd., it was squeezed out of its cozy corner on the property to make way for new development, erasing more original fixtures of the old beach town.

But that’s not the end of the story.

Noma has re-opened across the street, in the old Carlos and Pepe’s space, made famous for its Mexican tuna dip, and next to another institution, The GasLite bar, one of Santa Monica’s few remaining dive bars.

The new Noma is everything it ever wanted to be across the street.  

Noma Sushi

Sushi Ensemble (Michele Stueven)

Two huge floor-to-ceiling bonsais are the focal point of the restaurant upon entering, surrounded by tables, private pagodas, and a sushi bar that alone is about the size of the former location.  It’s almost the Japanese old school version reminiscent of another Santa Monica institution that used to live on the next block, Madame Wu’s Garden. The greetings and mood lighting are the same in the new space, and best of all, you can still have dinner for two with beer for 100 bucks.

The menu and quality of dishes might be better than before. Bento boxes with their signature tempura selection that include miso soup and salad are $22.  New items include a hambagu steak that comes with soup, salad, and rice for $23, as well as crispy rice with spicy crab and elaborate sashimi towers that look like you just dove into a coral reef.

The tempura ice cream is still on the menu in addition to grilled mochi served with ice cream and drizzled with sweet syrup for dessert.  Mochi flavors come in green tea, coffee, chocolate, mango, and strawberry.

The friendly service that has lured locals in for years hasn’t skipped a beat, and they still don’t take reservations. Noma is open regular hours on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day.

Noma Sushi

Noma Sushi bar (Michele Stueven)