About Us
One snowy night in the winter of 2000, Becky and Bob Gomes shivered their way into a cozy Japanese steak and seafood restaurant. It was wonderful to relax with a drink while the enticing aroma of steak and scallops wafted about. “You know, it would be great to have a steak house in our building on South Side”. Thus the idea originated.
Three years later, Becky and Bob opened Nakama Japanese Steakhouse and Sushi Bar on the corner of 17th and East Carson Street in Pittsburgh 's trendy South Side. The historical landmark four-story structure has been totally renovated, seamlessly integrating the most modern restaurant equipment, including the first smokeless hibachi tables in Pittsburgh, with the grace and charm of an 1893 structure. Since Becky and Bob were guests before they were owners, they planned the restaurant based on the guests wants. Guests on a tight time schedule have the option of “grabbing a bite” at the bar - including enticing appetizers.
Savor the incredible creations of our sushi chef providing limitless options, which are too beautiful to eat - well, almost too beautiful.
Becky's marketing background influences her strategies to promote the restaurant. “We appreciate guests who frequent Nakama. Nakama is a hip, trendy scene where patrons can enjoy the knife wielding skill and showmanship of our specially trained chefs, our unique appetizers and the best sushi in Pittsburgh.” Our guests will be rewarded with frequent dining points upon joining our VIP program (it's FREE).
The private party room is available for private functions and large group dining. Bob and Becky agree that they will “never take our guests for granted. We know they have lots of choices out there for dining and we want to say thanks for frequenting our restaurant in unique ways - ways that are fun and will let our guests know we appreciate their patronage.”
Nakama was recently voted #1 by Pittsburgh Magazine as the Best Overall Restaurant in Pittsburgh as well as the BestJapanese/Sushi Restaurant in 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008!!! Nakama was also voted Best Sushi and Best Steakhouse by USAirways Attache Magazine in 2005, 2006 & 2007. Voted Best Japanese Restaurant in 2005, 2006 & 2007 by readers of the City Paper. Nakama is also consistently rated among the best by rating organizations such as AOL & Citysearch. In fact, since opening Nakama has garnered over 49 “People’s Choice” Awards!!! Thank YOU Pittsburgh !!!
Nakama's charity of choice is the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation since Katie Gomes, Bob and Becky's daughter, was diagnosed with CF at four months of age. You can visit Katie's website at www.cruisinforkatie.com .
