Noda's Japanese Cuisine

One of the best Japanese restaurants in the state is located in a strip mall in Rio Rancho. Noda's has been open for many years. (To the left is a photo of my tempura noodle tree) I thought this was a really nice touch to my boat dish. I've eaten at Noda's a few times over the years, but do not make the effort too often to drive to Rio Rancho to eat the great Japanese cuisine due to laziness, time constrains, or gas prices. Noda's expanded in the last three years. It is now a much larger establishment. It is hidden away in a lackluster blue trimmed roof strip mall along Southern Blvd. When you walk in the decor is by no means impressive. It's functional, but nothing a long the lines of what you would see at Azuma. The restaurant is clean with parquet flooring, a few paper screens, and a few nice but simple fixtures.

The experience is in the friendliness of Mr. Noda and the great food. My friend ate the tuna dish that is covered in a teriyaki like sauce (pic to left). I cannot recall the names of the dishes ordered, but they were excellent. Despite the fact that they have been opened for years, Noda's retains a lot of their new small business practices which is great. Mr. Noda comes out of the kitchen often to greet the customers. He was actually the one who put my tempura tree onto my dish. I had a sushi dish that was a Noda's special. This type of fish was a special acquisition that the restaurant had made that week. It was some kind of tuna that I had never had before at any other sushi establishment. The taste and texture were excellent. Sorry to regress in the order of courses, but we had the edamame for an appetizer. This was good edamame; however, it was too salty for my taste. I should have known better and ordered with light salt, but each place salts their edamame differently. I asked our server about this and she mentioned that most people ask for more salt. I feel a sense of guilt that I cannot say more about how great the food is.

Overall, the meal was excellent. Noda's also gets a lot of local press and community outreach which is great to see from a local buisiness. Noda's is a gem located in non descript strip mall. If you have the opportunity to experice Noda's, take it and eat some of the greatest Japanese you will find in the state of New Mexico. I would give Noda's a rating of four out of five stars.