It’s becoming increasingly rare to find no-frills, hole-in-the-wall spots in Nashville, TN. Immense popularity among tourists and tax-dodgers alike has created a perfect storm in the city – a storm of capitalists that flatten the old, worn-in storefronts and homes in favor of flashy and fad-ridden restaurants and apartment complexes. Want to eat a charcuterie conveyor belt and walk 10 feet for a Muk bang – level milkshake? L&L Market on Charlotte avenue has you covered. International food on the other hand? Depending on the style of food, you’re lucky to get one spot.

If you want some no-frills Japanese food, you’re in luck: Sonobana is one of those spots. It’s a place that people don’t want to recommend because it’ll mean a permanently increased wait time for themselves. When you walk in to Sonobana, you won’t see much to write home about. You’ll see your standard wood tables and green vinyl booths; the walls adorned with slightly crooked pictures of japan, Sapporo promos, a lucky cat or three. Way in the back there’s the obligatory bamboo sushi bar (reserved for an ever-present avalanche of to-go orders). But more importantly, you’ll see locals of all ages, backgrounds and styles, happily chowing down on some of the best sushi Nashville has to offer.

“Street fashion shouldn’t be planned. It should be a genuine snapshot of people living in the moment – living in their clothes.”

Normally when my fiancee and I visit, we know the deal: That line is about to be at least a 45 minute wait. Like clockwork we put our names down and head over to kill time at Sonobana’s sister-storefront – a japanese grocery store that sells snacks, drinks, and knick-knacks. It gets a lot of foot traffic from the like-minded foodies you’re sure to sit next to for dinner. As we finished up our shopping, BOSS Coffees in hand, I happened to notice a young group of friends with really impeccable style. I immediately got nervous because I knew I would have to do a Kudzu League “first”, something I’ve always planned for this website: I was going to have to bother strangers for pictures of their outfits.

Yoshi – Party of Three

I’m not sure how many times I apologized to this group of friends – partially out of nerves and partially for approaching them in the middle of a parking lot (I’ve been approached by strangers in parking lots before – it’s literally never about being featured in a fashion blog). Nevertheless, we all chatted about ourselves, our clothes, even some future goals. Before you know it, they were getting called in for a table and we were shortly after them. It was brief, but it was exactly the bright flash of human connection I had hoped it would be. Here’s that photo, along with an outfit breakdown:

Knight Student	Amelia Student	Yoshi Student
Shoes — Haruta	Shoes — Birkenstocks	Boots — Dr. Martens
Pants — Thrifted	Shorts — Aritzia	Pants — Thrifted
T-Shirt — A Bathing Ape	T-Shirt — Vintage	Shirt — Thrifted

I was really amazed by the thriftiness this ensemble showed – I think the only thing Yoshi bought brand-new was his melon soda. He remembered exactly what city he got his oversized women’s jeans from and retold his finds with love and pride. The dad-core guitar shirt coupled with a thick-ass leather belt and 3-sizes-too-big denim jeans looks like something Vetements would slip into a S/S collection.

Knight sported a pretty similar silhouette in a different font with large baggy trousers waterfalling onto some wonderful piped shoes from a brand called Haruta (pretty similar to Lemaire’s piped slippers, for a fraction of the cost). He topped the outfit off with a bit of a red-herring: a BAPE tee he got off depop. That’s right, even the BAPE was, in a sense, thrifted. And who can forget the silver jewelry – flea market permitting.

Last but not least is a friend who actually wasn’t originally in Sonobana Grocery, but I was plenty happy to talk to. I’m not sure Amelia would say the same, given that she seemed to feel dressed too casually for this particular interaction. But I want to assure you that I love her outfit as much as the others. Street fashion shouldn’t be planned. It should be a genuine snapshot of people living in the moment – living in their clothes. Comfy santa socks (yes, this was in August) paired with some suede birks, simple denim shorts, and a vintage tee from who know where. Why not? I think she looks cool as fuck here and totally in step with her buddies.

I think we all understand why Amelia felt a bit shy here – sometimes we go out expecting to just blend into the background. Then, disaster strikes: Maybe you run into someone you know, or see someone you admire and suddenly you’re hyper aware of your clothes, your hair, your makeup, whatever. But if you care about your wardrobe the way these friends do, you will find yourself in outfits that you may feel lack intention – but they will never lack authenticity to yourself and the habits you hold.

Christian – party of Two

Luckily, I thought a lot about my outfit this particular day. I sort of had a feeling I was going to run into fashionable folk on our date. My camera-shy fiancée snapped a pic of me shortly after our talk with our new friends, featuring a recently purchase bandana “snufkin” bag from Kapital. I coupled this with a hand tye-dye’d tee shirt and huaraches for a sort of hippie-style abstraction.

Our Order of Traditional Cuisine

And just like that, it was our turn to be seated. People of all walks of life come to Sonobana – not because its flashy, trendy, or ultra-photogenic. They come because its simply some of the best Japanese fare in Music City. We started with traditional appetizers that I’m even surprised you can find in Nashville: Ika natto and takoyaki. Superfood Ika natto (squid and fermented soybean) is notoriously an acquired taste: nutty and savory, but incredibly slimy and pungent. Even as a regular patron, the wait staff still asks “… have you ever had this before?”. I haven’t demanded a refund yet*.

*your mileage may vary

How do I describe takoyaki if you’ve never had it before… It’s kind of like if hushpuppies stayed doughy, were filled with chopped octopus, and were topped with sweet bbq sauce and fish flakes. Come on, if you order catfish at Martin’s you’re already like 95% of the way there! I legitimately never pass up the chance to order takoyaki, it’s a singularly unique street food that is satisfying every time I’ve ordered it.

And of course we arrive at the main event – Sonobana sushi. I don’t have to explain sushi, right? Sashimi, nigiri, maki – you cannot go wrong here. No need to worry about overly fishy-fish, or overly seasoned sushi rice. It’s all the basics, and they’re done right. I think we’ve tried every cut of seafood they have to offer here and have never been disappointed. If you go, keep an eye on the chalkboard back by the sushi bar. It often has richer cuts of salmon and tuna. There may even be a rare catch for the adventurous.

There are plenty of really great restaurants in Nashville, and there have even been quite an influx of good Asian food. But Nashville is a city that’s often trying much harder to feed a tourist’s Instagram with aesthetic fare than locals. Luckily, few and far between, there are places like Sonobana Sushi and Grocery: Authentic places filled with authentic people.