It's usually better to go for a sushi place that's at least a little more upscale. The elevated cost is borne out by the fact that the gap between entry-level sushi and the better stuff is pretty wide. Nami Sushi, at the corner of Fifth and University, is on the less elegant end of the spectrum but it delivers a staggering value for lunch.

The $7.95 lunch combo buys a huge amount of food. For starters, a little salad and some miso soup arrive first. They're acceptable, thumbs neither up nor down. Mostly just a precursor, a warming-up for the ton of food to come. The miso, on a cold and blustery day, is definitely appreciated.

Included in the lunch special is a choice of two main dishes and a side of steamed rice. The selections include lots of Nami's basic plates: teriyaki chicken and beef, gyoza, grilled salmon, sushi, rolls, etc.

Ordering a roll gets an entire roll, which would be five dollars on its own. The crunchy roll is good, though hardly elegant with it's tempura shrimps, avocado, and cream cheese it's not exactly a first-grade toro. But, hey, it's big and seriously affordable.

But there's also a second choice involved. The chicken karaage at Nami is equally plentiful, though a bit aggressively fried and coated in a somewhat lackluster breading. Again, it's perfectly fine, just not fancy.

The lunch menu is filled with affordable lunch options for $10 or less, which is really quite nice. At the end of the day, Nami Sushi is a small step above a trip to the taco shop and the price isn't much different.

Service is very attentive and courteous, as is the case with almost all sushi places (barring some notable exceptions that shall for now remain nameless) and it's no problem to be in and out of there for a quick, comparatively healthy lunch and not spend more than a tenner.

Nami Sushi
501 University Avenue
619-297-7888
Lunch: M-F 11:30-3:00, Weekends 12-3:30
Dinner: M-Sat 5-10, Sunday 3-10