Chris V.
Yelp
Some some solid solid sushi sushi.
Nama Nama is a sometimes-open sushi roll spot in a circular stall at the Canteen Food Hall at the Rio. It's the last of their spots which I had yet to explore, and it actually turned out to be one of the better ones. Like the other food hall concepts, they accept Rio Rewards vouchers and points, which is why I was willing to try every single spot here.
They do offer some poke bowls and an app that's probably newer style sashimi, but the main offerings are either hand rolls (dine-in only, i.e. you gotta sit at the counter) or simple cut rolls. Nigiri is way beyond the scope of Nama Nama, which is fine since they have machinery that helps cross-trained employees in the food hall with consistently making what they do serve.
Lump Blue Crab cut roll ($14.00): kinda bland, even with soy sauce assistance. The crab isn't really lumpy, just minced-y bits that don't provide much texture. The lone miss of the proteins which I tried.
Lobster cut roll ($16.00): a way better option. The lobster flavor is there, and the lemon juice is a perfect complement. I wish they'd added lemon to the crab roll too. This protein is a little on the chewy side, but not tougher than various mollusks and such that sometimes end up in sushi. It's actually worth giving this a try.
Salmon hand roll ($7.00) and Yellowtail hand roll ($8.00): presented by the chef to you on a paper. Both cubed proteins are actually quite fresh and flavorful, the rice isn't dry, and the nori wrapper stays intact. The issue with both hand rolls is that they simply roll them up into cylinders, so when you bite in, you're also pushing the rice and fish out the other end. Hey, at least I learned firsthand why hand rolls at sushi spots.
There is wordage on Yelp and on a postcard from Nama Nama that suggest that they used to have matcha on nitro tap, but this is no longer the case. You can get one or two alcohols on draft, various packaged sakes, or non-alcoholic beverages, but I asked for a simple cup of water and got it.
I'm not saying that Nama Nama is the greatest sushi around, but for a casual spot for rolls, they did a pretty solid job. If you are staying at the Rio or have some sort of food comps, consider trying Nama Nama when it's actually open (maybe Fri-Sun... definitely closed most Mon/Wed lately).