Nomikai
Asian · San Jose
Experience the bold flavors of Asia in the heart of San Jose
About Nomikai
At Nomikai, we believe that dining should be an experience that enriches your day. Nestled in the heart of San Jose at 48 S 1st St, our restaurant stands out not just for its location but for the authenticity and passion we bring to every dish served. Our Asian cuisine is a vibrant fusion of flavors...
At Nomikai, we believe that dining should be an experience that enriches your day. Nestled in the heart of San Jose at 48 S 1st St, our restaurant stands out not just for its location but for the authenticity and passion we bring to every dish served. Our Asian cuisine is a vibrant fusion of flavors from various regions, reflecting the rich tapestry of cultures that make up our community. With a rating of 4.1/5 based on over 131 reviews, our commitment to quality and innovation has earned us a special place in San Jose's culinary landscape. We offer a variety of dining experiences—from intimate dinners to celebratory occasions—that are designed to delight your senses and satisfy your cravings. Whether you're here for the casual lunch or an elegant evening, we promise to deliver a memorable meal that will transport you on a flavor journey through Asia.
What Customers Say About Nomikai
Nomikai is a hip, Asian fusion restaurant and bar known for its creative pizzas like the five-spice duck and banh mi. Customers rave about the drinks, especially during happy hour (5:30-8:30 Tues-Sat). Service is generally excellent, with several reviewers mentioning specific staff members.
Popular Dishes
Best For
Tip: Happy hour is 5:30-8:30 Tues-Sat. Whiskey Wednesday and Punchbowl Thursday are great for business meetings or groups of friends.
What to see nearby
Data from Wikidata
Explore the area around Nomikai
Nomikai is located in San Jose, surrounded by cultural and historical points of interest. Here are some of the most notable places nearby.
Historical Heritage
- 27–29 Fountain Alley (A 80m) — Historic commercial building located in San Jose, California, USA. Lugar inscrito en el Registro Nacional de Lugares Históricos
- Twohy Building (A 371m) — historic building in San Jose, California Lugar inscrito en el Registro Nacional de Lugares Históricos
- Adobe Luis María Peralta (A 464m) — building in California, United States Lugar inscrito en el Registro Nacional de Lugares Históricos
- First Unitarian Church of San Jose (A 480m) — church building in California, United States of America Hito histórico de California
- Dohrmann Building (A 584m) — building in San Jose, United States of America Lugar inscrito en el Registro Nacional de Lugares Históricos
Museums
- Ira F. Brilliant Center for Beethoven Studies (A 412m) — museum and research institute in California
Parks & Gardens
- Plaza de César Chávez (A 352m) — plaza mayor de San José, California
- Plaza Park (A 353m) — park in Santa Clara County, California, United States of America
- Pellier Park (A 623m) — park in San Jose, California, United States
Other Points of Interest
- San Jose Civic (A 489m) — building in California, United States
Data from Wikidata
Frequently asked questions about Nomikai
Nomikai San Jose Reviews
First time here while visiting San Jose on 11/23/2024. Came here because the place across the street was too busy and no regrets! Amazing drinks! The bar tender delivered great service. The Green Day seasonal cocktail was my favorite!
Warning: I like spicy food. I'm an Indian bois, deal with it. Pollo Adobo Pizza (wish I had the photo) Gayoza (chicken potstickers) Other food we had: Trio Mushroom Pizza Mac and Cheese Mazcal drink was ♥️
Drinks was bomb, food was fantastic, service was fast at 9pm Friday night. This place is underrated
Really nice place. Drinks were reasonably priced and they were very well made! Nice atmosphere as well!
Good food great vibe and friendly with groups.
First time here while visiting San Jose on 11/23/2024. Came here because the place across the street was too busy and no regrets! Amazing drinks! The bar tender delivered great service. The Green Day seasonal cocktail was my favorite!
Warning: I like spicy food. I'm an Indian bois, deal with it. Pollo Adobo Pizza (wish I had the photo) Gayoza (chicken potstickers) Other food we had: Trio Mushroom Pizza Mac and Cheese Mazcal drink was ♥️
Drinks was bomb, food was fantastic, service was fast at 9pm Friday night. This place is underrated
Really nice place. Drinks were reasonably priced and they were very well made! Nice atmosphere as well!
Good food great vibe and friendly with groups.
Had the premium set, yellowtail and tuna nigiri and a dungeness hand roll and both sauces, all very good
The service here is top notch. Customer service at its finest. Happy hour 5:30-8:30 tues-sat. Whiskey Weds. Is perfect for a business meeting or a couple to have an intimate moment & punchbowl Thursdays are a great time with a group of friends. FRIDAYS & SATURDAY NIGHTS ARE JUST AN UNBELIEVABLE TIME LOUD MUSIC, DANCING, FOOD, DRINKS AND GREAT TO SOCIALIZE WITH AMAZING PEOPLE. ..5 STARS +++++
Weekend reviews: There's usually no line to get in and their Japanese old fashions and lychee martini are delicious! That's probably why I keep coming back and I really should order something different next time haha. Not sure if we get lucky every time but there's always like one last open table for us. Drinks: 7/10 Service: 5/10 Vibes: 5/10 Value: 5/10
Fun employees! I really felt like my friends and I can let loose. Great drinks and all smiles! I walked in because they had a sign for happy hour from 5:30-8:30!! No where else in San José did they offer this! Daniel, and Amanda were so helpful with helping select drinks. Derrik was a nice gentleman and always had us smiling. Please come here if you want a fun friend ambiance! Well chosen team! Will come back when in the area!
Had the premium set, yellowtail and tuna nigiri and a dungeness hand roll and both sauces, all very good
Weekend reviews: There's usually no line to get in and their Japanese old fashions and lychee martini are delicious! That's probably why I keep coming back and I really should order something different next time haha. Not sure if we get lucky every time but there's always like one last open table for us. Drinks: 7/10 Service: 5/10 Vibes: 5/10 Value: 5/10
Fun employees! I really felt like my friends and I can let loose. Great drinks and all smiles! I walked in because they had a sign for happy hour from 5:30-8:30!! No where else in San José did they offer this! Daniel, and Amanda were so helpful with helping select drinks. Derrik was a nice gentleman and always had us smiling. Please come here if you want a fun friend ambiance! Well chosen team! Will come back when in the area!
The service here is top notch. Customer service at its finest. Happy hour 5:30-8:30 tues-sat. Whiskey Weds. Is perfect for a business meeting or a couple to have an intimate moment & punchbowl Thursdays are a great time with a group of friends. FRIDAYS & SATURDAY NIGHTS ARE JUST AN UNBELIEVABLE TIME LOUD MUSIC, DANCING, FOOD, DRINKS AND GREAT TO SOCIALIZE WITH AMAZING PEOPLE. ..5 STARS +++++
A nice little spot in downtown San Jose. We had a few starters, pizzas and drinks. The best and most impressive was the pizzas. We ordered the five-spice duck pizza and the pork banh mi one, which were very creative and of great fusion taste. Beers and cocktails were also good while the cocktails were a little bit overpriced in general. Overall a good experience!
I really wanted to come here for the Banh Mi pizza and it was good timing as there was a game on so the BF got to watch the game. Me – Food, Him – Game = win-win. We got the pizza and it was pretty good. The flavors were good and I liked how it was more like a flatbread. We also go the kimcheese fries which were good as well. With those two items, we were pretty satisfied. Since we stayed long to watch the game, we ordered a couple of drinks to justify taking up our seats for so long. We got the mugi mule and the lychee martini, which were pretty good, but definitely pricey for what it was. I don’t know if it was just that day, but there was only one girl serving the whole place, until a second one came to help her out at least an hour later. Because of that, the service was kind of slow, but she was a really good waitress. Overall, they have good Asian Fusion bar food and drinks and a chill place to watch a game. Make a reservation though as they don’t have a lot of seating.
Drinks were pretty good. Chicken wings and fries have great flavor. Highly recommend. Wish the happy hour was a bit more extensive. Only a few signature drinks and starters are included on happy hour prices.
Very attentive hostess, nice interior, music at a reasonable volume, not too crowded or empty. Hostess Lena kept coming back just in time to refill our glasses from the bottle of soju being shared at my table. (The mere fact that Nomikai carries soju is a point in its favor.) These are the good things! The not so good: they were out of the soju we wanted (there were only two varieties available). They were out of the duck far popcorn. And the "seven spice nori fries" were dry, kinda stale, and generally boring. (McDonald's fries are way better and far cheaper!) So... skip the fries... and don't count on anything you order actually being available! That said, the spam musubi was delicious, and Lena is definitely a credit to the establishment. I would probably go again... but it's not my new go-to spot ;)
Interesting Asian fusion place with food and drinks. Place really tries to be hip and clubby while the food is above average. Proposes interesting dishes like kimchi pizza and ends up perfecting nothing.
The best chicken wings I've EVER had!
A nice little spot in downtown San Jose. We had a few starters, pizzas and drinks. The best and most impressive was the pizzas. We ordered the five-spice duck pizza and the pork banh mi one, which were very creative and of great fusion taste. Beers and cocktails were also good while the cocktails were a little bit overpriced in general. Overall a good experience!
I really wanted to come here for the Banh Mi pizza and it was good timing as there was a game on so the BF got to watch the game. Me – Food, Him – Game = win-win. We got the pizza and it was pretty good. The flavors were good and I liked how it was more like a flatbread. We also go the kimcheese fries which were good as well. With those two items, we were pretty satisfied. Since we stayed long to watch the game, we ordered a couple of drinks to justify taking up our seats for so long. We got the mugi mule and the lychee martini, which were pretty good, but definitely pricey for what it was. I don’t know if it was just that day, but there was only one girl serving the whole place, until a second one came to help her out at least an hour later. Because of that, the service was kind of slow, but she was a really good waitress. Overall, they have good Asian Fusion bar food and drinks and a chill place to watch a game. Make a reservation though as they don’t have a lot of seating.
Drinks were pretty good. Chicken wings and fries have great flavor. Highly recommend. Wish the happy hour was a bit more extensive. Only a few signature drinks and starters are included on happy hour prices.
Very attentive hostess, nice interior, music at a reasonable volume, not too crowded or empty. Hostess Lena kept coming back just in time to refill our glasses from the bottle of soju being shared at my table. (The mere fact that Nomikai carries soju is a point in its favor.) These are the good things! The not so good: they were out of the soju we wanted (there were only two varieties available). They were out of the duck far popcorn. And the "seven spice nori fries" were dry, kinda stale, and generally boring. (McDonald's fries are way better and far cheaper!) So... skip the fries... and don't count on anything you order actually being available! That said, the spam musubi was delicious, and Lena is definitely a credit to the establishment. I would probably go again... but it's not my new go-to spot ;)
Interesting Asian fusion place with food and drinks. Place really tries to be hip and clubby while the food is above average. Proposes interesting dishes like kimchi pizza and ends up perfecting nothing.
The best chicken wings I've EVER had!
Came here to visit my cousin. We came for drinks. Even though we just finished dinner, we still ordered the chicken wings. So glad I did!!! They were so good! The chicken wings were still crispy and they weren't overly dressed with the sauce. Still juicy and had a nice kick. Perfect! Service was great and the waitress that helped us was so nice (and pretty). I had the tom ka, the mule, and a couple of shots. Standard prices for drinks. Will definitely come back to check out the rest of the menu.
Came here to visit my cousin. We came for drinks. Even though we just finished dinner, we still ordered the chicken wings. So glad I did!!! They were so good! The chicken wings were still crispy and they weren't overly dressed with the sauce. Still juicy and had a nice kick. Perfect! Service was great and the waitress that helped us was so nice (and pretty). I had the tom ka, the mule, and a couple of shots. Standard prices for drinks. Will definitely come back to check out the rest of the menu.
Great location in downtown San Jose. But when we went on a Saturday night, how come the place was empty? The food was just okay. The service was good. A lot of the things on the menu was fried. We initially went for a Japanese whiskey flight tasting and stayed for the food. The whiskey tasting was fine.
This place is hit or miss. I've come on the good days and the bad days. The food is good, I liked korean Fried Wings and the Miso Mac. The club only has one bathroom for both genders, so expect to be waiting in line for a long time. The drinks are inconsistent, but I always go for the saki bombs.
This place is hit or miss. I've come on the good days and the bad days. The food is good, I liked korean Fried Wings and the Miso Mac. The club only has one bathroom for both genders, so expect to be waiting in line for a long time. The drinks are inconsistent, but I always go for the saki bombs.
Great location in downtown San Jose. But when we went on a Saturday night, how come the place was empty? The food was just okay. The service was good. A lot of the things on the menu was fried. We initially went for a Japanese whiskey flight tasting and stayed for the food. The whiskey tasting was fine.
Drink volumes are pretty inconsistent. In my picture, the drink on the left is served after, and untouched. The drink on the right is the same and had already been drank, yet still has more than the new drink.
Drink volumes are pretty inconsistent. In my picture, the drink on the left is served after, and untouched. The drink on the right is the same and had already been drank, yet still has more than the new drink.
This place was super unpleasant & unprofessional. My friends' & I were waiting in line forever to get in last Saturday night while we noticed they were letting certain ppl in without a wait. We totally felt discriminated against. The guys at the door seemed rude & unfriendly. Finally we were seated outside but told we had to buy drinks. Well duh why else would we be there? We were looking for a good time. This place wasn't it! If you're not what they like or you don't fit their criteria, you should just pass this place up.
This place was super unpleasant & unprofessional. My friends' & I were waiting in line forever to get in last Saturday night while we noticed they were letting certain ppl in without a wait. We totally felt discriminated against. The guys at the door seemed rude & unfriendly. Finally we were seated outside but told we had to buy drinks. Well duh why else would we be there? We were looking for a good time. This place wasn't it! If you're not what they like or you don't fit their criteria, you should just pass this place up.
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About Nomikai
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48 S 1st St, San Jose, CA 95113
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48 S 1st St, San Jose, CA 95113
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