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Akasaka Japanese Restaurant
Categories: Restaurants Japanese Restaurants Sushi Bars Japanese, Sushi Bars [Edit]
514 S Van Dorn StSte C
Alexandria, VA 22304
(703) 751-3133
- Hours:
Mon-Thu, Sun 11 am - 10 pm
Fri-Sat 11 am - 11 pm
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Attire:
- Casual
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Good For:
- Lunch, Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Beer & Wine Only
- Noise Level:
- Quiet
- Has TV:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
36 reviews for Akasaka Japanese Restaurant
Review Highlights
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"...lunch there today and the bento boxes are fresh and among..." In 4 reviews -
"I usually get the spicy tuna and the Philly rolls." In 3 reviews -
"Terrific lunch specials and also good nigiri deals on..." In 3 reviews
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36 reviews in English
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Review from Caroline P.
Springfield, VA
1/7/2012
Best place to get great japanese food, especially for non-sushi, vegetarian eaters. They have the best tofu teriyaki bento box for a really good price. I eat often here for lunch on saturdays and am puzzled to find it so deserted.
In comparison, the Hana Tokyo nearby have the worst non-sushi food, i.e. tofu teriyaki, that I have ever had.
I truly truly recommend this place. The food is authentic at a great affordable price, especially the lunch specials. -
Review from Jim W.
Alexandria, VA
3/10/2012 1 Check-in Here
We walked out after waiting 15 minutes without a waitress acknowledging us. Then, she said "first come first serve!" No water or tea or silverware brought to the table. I can't believe the restaurant can maintain a business. The waitress also placed us in a table that was completely unbearable and uncomfortable. I felt squeezed in and Joel didn't have much room between the chair from the next table.
We will never go back again. -
Review from Stephanie A.
Accokeek, MD
2/14/2012
I go here for lunch often. Service is usually very prompt even thought there is always only 1 lady at the front (used to have 2 people when I first started going).
The sushi is always fresh and the miso soup is good. Even the bento boxes are decent (a lot of food!).
Nice place if you are in the area and in the mood for sushi. Always happy when i leave so I would recommend it. -
Review from Andrew S.
5/20/2012 1 Check-in Here
So, I've been living in this neighborhood for a few years now and didn't even realize this place was right under my nose the whole time. The strip-mall that Akasaka hides in does a good job of concealing it, but upon entering, you're greeted by what you would expect from a small sushi restaurant: little tables, a sushi bar, and friendly service. The sushi wasn't too shabby and at a decent price too. The green tea is fantastic, and the portion sizes for the dinner combos are just right. I'll definitely be back here.
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Review from Dana M.
Waldorf, MD
1/11/2012
I have been here a few times and some have been better than others. Some sushi is really good and others are just ok. Its good enough to come back I suppose and the service is always great.
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Review from Michael G.
Hermosa Beach, CA
1/17/2011
I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the sushi here. I guess that I'm a bit of a West Coast snob when it comes to sushi. I've never had it in New York City, but I can't imagine any better sushi here in the US. than we get in LA., other than perhaps Hawaii. I was not disappointed at this restaurant.
There is something not quite right about eating sushi when there are snow flurries outside, but the sake quickly warmed my tummy, and I soon forgot that I was in a subfreezing environment. We did have to ask for a table further away from the draft that entered every time someone came through the door, and they were very accommodating.
A guest at our table enjoyed one of the bento boxes. It had a generous assortment of teriyaki, tempura, and sushi. Perfect for the person who likes a little sushi, but prefers the other things that a Japanese restaurant has to offer.
When I go for sushi, I go for sushi. As you can see from my review of Sushi Roku in Scottsdale, I don't give a rat's arse about gimmicks and decor. Sushi is raw, and as far as I'm concerned the restaurant should be simple and understated in the humble Japanese tradition. In other words, it should be raw. Otherwise you end up compromising quality to enter the trendy new wave of so-called Japanese restaurants that seem to be sweeping LA. and everywhere else the beautiful people hang. You can have your Nobus, Sushi Rokus, and Katsayas. Give me any of the original sushi restaurants in Little Tokyo, or Sushi Sei here in Hermosa Beach, CA.
What I really mean to say is, give me generous slabs of raw fish, as little rice as possible, and don't try to pull one over on me. This place didn't, and I strongly encourage you to give it a try. -
Review from MacRae O.
6/21/2010
Many, many years ago, when I was just a wee lass in my mid-teens, my dad took me to Akasaka for my first taste of sushi. Back then the place was run by a delightful husband-and-wife couple; she ran the front of the house, he was head sushi chef. We loved coming here because they were both incredibly warm and hospitable, the sushi was fresh and top-notch, and the prices were right-on. In fact, Akasaka used to make "Washingtonian" magazine's Top 100 Cheap Eats every year.
Fast forward 15 years, and Akasaka is a different restaurant. It's under new ownership: the new owners are fine, but they're no delightful husband-and-wife duo. The old Akasaka -- if Yelp had been around when I was a whippersnapper -- would have gotten 5-stars. It was definitely our go-to sushi place as a family. The new Akasaka gets 3: it *is* OK, but I can think of several other places I'd rather go to first for delicious, affordable sushi.
The food is way more expensive than it used to be: Akasaka hasn't been on the Top 100 Cheap Eats in eons. However, lunch is really affordable, especially if you get a bento box (salad, soup, California rolls, rice, fried & steamed dumplings, and tempura all included), or if you stop by on Monday when they have half price à la carte items and $8 lunch specials.
The sushi/sashimi/nigiri is fine: rice is al dente, flavor is OK, fish seems fresh, but nothing extra special. It's all pretty pedestrian these days, whereas even the veggie maki would blow you away at the old Akasaka.
So unless it's Monday, or I'm in the mood for a tofu teriyaki bento box with 35 accompaniments, I will stick to Hana Tokyo or Yamazato. -
Review from Tony N.
Hayward, CA
9/3/2010
I sampled this place on impulse after a rather disappointing experience at a much higher rated sushi restaurant on Telegraph. With about 25 minutes before closing time, I stopped in and sampled some nigiri sushi (maguro, sake, hirame) and a cold 22 oz. Sapporo before they closed. The Korean staff here was quite pleasant, courteous, and had my food in no time, despite the fact they were getting ready to call it a night. Other than the fact that the edges of my unagi were a bit "burned" (somebody apparently got a little too happy - or rushed - with the propane torch used by many chefs to caramelize the sauce used on this dish) , the food was fine. The texture of the raw items showed that it had been handled and prepped properly, and the proportions were actually reasonable - about twice as much fish per order as I received at Katana.
My breakdown would be 3.5 stars for food, 4 for service, 3 for value. Take it as an equal-weighted average, and I would give this place 3.5 stars - probably closer to 3 stars if I compared it to my favorite haunts back in California but much better than what I have experienced in the DC/Northern Virginia area to date. Not a stellar dining experience, but better than the first round that night. This first impression was favorable enough that I would be willing to go back... -
Review from Tonya L.
Alexandria, VA
10/3/2011
Went in on a Sunday and there was hardly anyone there. I called in an order of California rolls. They were just ok, I've had better but wanted to try someplace close to my house. It was clean, the one waitress greeted me quickly. I do plan to go back and try more, they do seem to have a good variety.
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Review from Marianne L.
Alexandria, VA
12/14/2008
It's a horribly sad day when you return to a beloved haunt to find the memory is far better than its present day reality.
I discovered Akasaka by chance over 11 years ago. I was in town visiting a friend and had just become a sushi addict (pre-sushi addict support group however). I was raving up and down about raw fish and my friend agreed to go someplace with me and try it. Out came the yellow pages and we found Akasaka was literally 2 minutes away. It was wonderful. I moved to DC about a year later and many many trips to Akasaka followed. The hostess knew us, the chefs and waitresses knew us, our orders got priority service, the atmosphere and food was charming and wonderful. (Not sure where Mo C. ate as Akasaka does not have a "big grill".) It was always a 5-star experience and I've raved to people about it for years since.
The ONLY reason for my recent 2 year or so neglect was the parking lot is a miserable experience on week days and most Saturdays- and when I'm tired from work and looking for a relaxing meal - it does not help.
I saw the marginal reviews here so yesterday evening I braved the parking lot and made it a point to return. Could it be true? Had things really fallen that much? Was a former favorite about to get the culinary axe?
Oh yes.
As other reviewers have noted - there has been a change in management - and it is very obvious in the decor. Gone are all the interesting sculptures that used to dot the center divider along with the well cared for bamboo plants. In there place are some odd "import store" wooden fish and pathetic looking bamboo sprouts (seriously - I have a friend that is famous for adopting "dying" plants from the garden center - these looked like candidates for her collection). My sushi was served on a strange blah "corelle" type plate instead of the nice bamboo servers it used to come on. (They are still there - you can see them neatly stacked on a shelf behind the chefs.) The place just looked sad. It was clean - but clearly a shadow of its former self.
My Food
Small dish of Edamame and a cream cheese & scallion wonton/rangoon thing delivered with my menu (complimentary) - Let me preface by saying, when I looked up online their hours, everything I saw said 4pm on Sundays, so that was when I arrived. They open at 4:30 (no problem - didn't mind waiting and just ran an errand in the interim). I entered the place at about 4:35pm and I was the first customer. The edamame were luke warm AT BEST and the wonton/rangoon thing (while the filling tasted ok) was cold - clearly fried awhile ago. I really found this quite odd. Steamed edamame are almost always piping hot and the fried thing was just wrong served cold. But hey - complimentary is complimentary - so how much can you really complain.
Small "salad" of daikon strings and seared (cold) tuna salad with peanut dressing (complimentary) - This was unexpected, but as I saw it given to the one other customer who entered after I did, I'm guessing its just something they do. Tasted ok. I'm not a huge fan of seared tuna - but the 3 thin 1" squares were good. I liked the stringed daikon and will probably find a way to try and do that at home.
Sake (salmon) nigiri - This was pretty fresh. The proportion of fish to rice favored the fish (I suppose that is good) but almost too much so. There was twice as much fish as rice in the pieces I had.
Sake (salmon) belly nigiri - This is one of the few places around here I've seen sake belly on the menu - it was pretty disappointing. The fish was as fresh as the regular sake nigiri, but just didn't taste like the best cut as I've had before. Same issue with proportion of fish to rice as above.
Dream Boat Roll (thinner sliced cali roll with salmon wrapped around it, japanese mayo stuff on top and broiled) - This used to be our favorite roll here and I was happy to see it on the menu still - until I had it. When with friends - even if you were stuffed - you still made sure you ate your "share" of this one and not a drop of sauce or rice ever remained on the little foil "tray" after we were done. It just wasn't as good and was clear that the chef who used to lovingly prepare it for us had moved on. :( The pieces were thinner than before (though it was never as thick as a regular maki piece) and the salmon wrap only went about 1/2 way around the rolls now.
No fear of being poisoned - the fish was still all acceptably fresh - but just not worth the higher prices now (and they are higher as compared to other sushi spots in the area) and not a memorable experience anymore in the slightest - not even for take-out. As far as the staff - service was fine. As I said there was only myself and one other patron and the 2 waitresses weren't stretched at all.
Also gone are the sliced 1/2 oranges you used to receive with your bill.
I've already told one friend who I'd recommended to go here not to bother. Will be calling my other sushi chums and sadly letting them know OUR Akasaka is no more. :(Listed in: Wasabi & Soy
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Review from Karen C.
Springfield, VA
8/27/2006
A good, solid sushi and Japanese place. It's pretty inside, the service always quick and attentive. This is a good choice in this neighborhood.
I can't really comment on any of the raw fish, I can't eat that but the cucumber, avacado and asparagus rolls are good and fresh as are the shrimp tempura rolls. -
Review from Felix Y.
Alexandria, VA
9/26/2010
Similar to others, I don't find this place special or extraordinary in any way. The sushi wasn't horrible, but it just wasn't fresh or flavorful.
I got a bit of sticker shock sitting down for dinner one night. Most dinner entrees (not talking about individual rolls, but plates and bowls) were at least $15 plus. Granted, this is a Japanese restaurant, but still, I should not have to spend more than $20 if I just want a simple chicken teriyaki dinner.
I ended up getting the dinner bento box, which was probably the only thing that was of good value if you don't want to do individual rolls. The box was very filling -- six or seven pieces of tempura, three of which are shrimp, plus salad, miso soup, the meat of your choice, rice, six california rolls (or something similar), finished off with a scoop of ice-cream. Again, everything was fine, but just not distinctive or fresh at all.
Good standby option, but can't justify going very often given its relatively higher prices compared to other Japanese restaurants. The quality of the food doesn't really make me crave going back anytime soon either. -
Review from Aaron P.
San Jose, CA
10/3/2009
Ate here tonight with a few friends... it was as others have put it, uninspiring. I'm used to eating at Mikaku in Herndon which is my gold standard for any sushi restaurant nowadays.
Food:
The Edamame and little scallion cakes were tepid when they should have been hot. The bento boxes have a large portion size, and come with dessert as well, but overall not worth the price. The tempura seemed ok, but the sauce left something to be desired. The toro, while a special item was extremely cold and probably hadn't been defrosted very long.
I would normally give an average place like this 3 stars but their parking lot must have been designed by a S&M company. It's one way, cramped, and just full of the suck. -
Review from black p.
Annandale, VA
8/30/2008
This place does fine by me... prices are right, sushi/sashimi is good, and the servers are friendly and efficient.
Two key items on their menu worth checking out is the Akasaka soup... yummy and a step up from the standard miso. Has much more stuff in it and filling. The other item is their special Akasaka balls, which is kind of like crab rangoon, minus the crab. They're slammin.
Great to come by on a chill evening after work if too lazy to make anything but want something healthy... with a side of sake. ;-) -
Review from Krissi H.
Hyattsville, MD
6/17/2010
I've only been here for lunch. Not sure how different it is for dinner.
The sushi is good, though nothing stellar. I usually get the spicy tuna and the Philly rolls. The lunch specials aren't bad ($7.95 for four offerings), but the only sushi special they have is for three veggie rolls - and I'm talking radish, cucumber, etc., alone in a bed of rice. I like a mix of things when I eat sushi.
The miso is yummy. The tempura is tasty, though they don't de-vein their shrimp before serving. Eck. The lunch boxes offer up MASSIVE amounts of food. My friend didn't want her gyoza, so I chomped on it. It was well spiced and crispy. Pretty tasty.
The service is great. Everyone is friendly. My friend forgot her sweater last time we ate there (like 2 months ago) and they returned it to her yesterday when we got seated. Pretty sweet that they remembered who she was and kept her sweater for that long.
When I'm in the mood for sushi at lunch, this place is close and it's pretty good. I probably wouldn't go out of my way to get to this place, though. -
Review from William P.
Alexandria, VA
1/25/2009
I've been there twice and it seems a decent place. I'll start off by saying I'm not a fan of Sushi so my experience is with their Japanese dishes, namely the shrimp tempura and the tonkatsu. Both dishes were good, I'd only change that there was more to them or cheaper somehow.
The real deal seems to be getting their lunch box deals where you get a lot of extra stuff with your dish all for about $7.
The short of it, I've had better, I'd had worse. It'd be a solid 3.5 if I could. To be fair I'm not the biggest fan of Japanese food, so I might not enjoy it as much as some but I also might not be as critical.
PS: Parking lot sucks -
Review from Mo C.
2/4/2008
The sushi is good, but get it to go!
While the setup is neat, very similar to Kobe, the service is horrible! You can sit with a group at the big grill and watch the show. Or, if you're eating solo (like myself) you have a seat at the sushi bar.
You will pretty much never see a waitress unless you tackle them as they run by.
I got my hot tea in a giant mug. Not very authentic and cold by the time you got to the bottom. But, I'm assuming it was served that way so that the waitress would not have to provide refills (which she didn't). I didn't even get a water, so by the time my sushi FINALLY arrived, I didn't have anything to drink.
The sushi itself is really good. I particularly enjoyed the "Mexican Roll" which consisted of spicy tuna and avocado.
But, just as you finally find something redeeming about this place, then they break out the damned birthday song. Now, first of all, the waiters/waitresses do not sing, it is a recording. But, it is BLARED throughout the entire restaurant. And, it's not your regular Happy Birthday. Remember "A Christmas Story" when they go to the chinese place for xmas dinner and the waiters attempt to sing xmas carols? It's Happy Birthday in broken english and you will hear it over and over and over again. EXTREMELY annoying!!!!
So, sushi good, ambiance and service BAD! Call it in, get their sushi to go. Or, better yet, just go to Kobe a bit further up Sudley. -
Review from Lily Z.
8/28/2009
There are two tell tale signs when a sushi restaurant is being stingy with their maki.
1. Big glob of rice and tiny fillings.
2. Almost all rolls have cucumber and cucumber takes over half of the volume of all fillings.
Akasaka belongs to the second case. I don't hate cucumber, but cucumber has a high water content, so too much really waters down the taste of a good sushi roll. -
Review from Todd S.
Franconia, VA
7/26/2011
Gina and I love Akasaka. The folks there have come to know us, since we're there frequently. While we've probably had slightly better sushi elsewhere, there's nothing to complain about at Akasaka. Terrific lunch specials and also good nigiri deals on Monday.
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Review from Katie D.
Virginia Beach, VA
1/12/2008
I'm going to use a word that a previous reviewer has already used...but it's perfect.... Uninspiring. Good service..very nice people and I was impressed to see that this sushi place was commended for going smoke free before any other joint in the area.
I thought that this place was a STEAL with how cheap the sushi was! I ordered 2 pieces of Tuna Nigiri, a Philly Roll, and a Volcano roll (b/c the lady told me how great it was...). I got home and realized wow...these rolls are tiny and I TOTALLY needed more food! The philly roll was mediocre and the Volcano roll was NOT something that I would have ever ordered. It claimed to have a special sauce over it... it did.... Thousand Island. I may as well have ordered a Big Mac!
I probably won't go back here unless I pressed for time, as it's very close to my hotel and therefore convenient. -
Review from Barbara H.
Alexandria, VA
1/15/2011
We had lunch there today and the bento boxes are fresh and among the best in town. Not nearly as well educated on sushi as others, I found the rolls that came with the boxes (California, I believe) tasty, fresh and nicely put together. The service is extraordinarily kind and thoughtful. I will go back again and again. BTW: The plum wine is excellent, served with a lime wedge, as should be.
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Review from Maya C.
6/8/2010
Quick carry out last night...greeted by two smiling and welcoming Japanese ladies. I took advantage of the Monday Special some rolls at $3 . Had Spicy Tuna Rolls (6 pieces), Spicy Salmon rolls (6 pieces), Yellow tail crunchy roll (6 pieces). All tasted good, fresh and hit the spot! The place looks nice and I only spent $13.95!...
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Review from Maggie H.
Alexandria, VA
1/15/2011
I like this place! I went for the first time last night, so I can't say anything about the quality over time, but I thought the interior, the service, and the food were solid. I was impressed with the value, because they gave us complimentary Edamame, cream cheese and scallion dumplings (which were very fresh and hot) and they were generous with refills of hot tea. I'm not a sushi connoisseur, but it seemed fresh and we enjoyed the experience of dining in. It was surprisingly empty on a Friday night, which meant we had attentive service and a nice quiet meal.
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Review from Hilvic Ryan N.
Alexandria, VA
8/12/2009
No, never again. I think I'm like a lot of people here who was first very high on this place. If I had a list of top Japanese places, this would've made my top 5. But there must've been a change in management. The quality of the food suffered slightly through this change. It's generally good food with great service. And then about three years ago, I took a date here and was utterly embarassed. She had not one, but two creatures crawl out from under the bento box they served her. I am being polite; I think you catch my drift. Cleanliness must've suffered under the change, as well. Management was mortified, but not enough to pay for the meal. I don't push for that, ever, so I paid the bill and left. I have yet to return.
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Review from Alisha D.
Fort Myer, VA
12/21/2010 1 Check-in Here
What is with all of the sub-par sushi restaurants on the east coast? Small portions, and extremely over priced. The Inari was extremely off, and that's usually my favorite choice. It seemed like it was soaked in soy sauce and extra salt. The tuna roll was good, but the tiniest pieces of tuna possible stuffed inside. Probably won't be coming back here.
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Review from Cindy L.
Centreville, VA
8/27/2006
The restaurant has reasonable prices and decent food, but the sushi rice leaves something to be desired. It is plain rice and should be seasoned. Avoid the tempura. It's doughy. The atmosphere is non-descript.
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Review from Rac Leng S.
Arlington, VA
10/7/2011
Pretty authentic food even the tempura and tonkatsu sauce. Food portion is good and so is the price and service. Only thing is the rice which is not sticky enough so my california maki fell apart both time I had them. I really enjoyed the tempura.
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Review from Lee L.
6/18/2009
I came here on a weekday for lunch with some friends. We each got a box lunch. I got the chicken katsu (fried breaded chicken). It was a good amount of food for the price ($7, I believe). But nothing was mind-blowing. The fried dumplings was sitting in a small pool of oil, and I actually burned my mouth when I bit into the first one. Doh! The chicken wasn't that flavorful either, and I wasn't a huge fan of the syrupy sauce. The place is average, like most Americanized Japanese places.
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Review from art f.
Annandale, VA
11/23/2007
Good service and pretty good food, but the deluxe sushi plate was uninspiring both in therms of its breadth and taste. At one time, Akasaka stood out as destination dining for inexpensive Japanese fare. Now I think there is much more competition in Northern Virginia.
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Review from Jamie H.
3/18/2008
I've been to Akasaka many times, just to give it a chance and I've been disappointed every single time. They're miso is excellant but I've never been satisfied with their sushi. The price is a bit high for low quality fish. The service is alright.
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Review from J B.
Alexandria, VA
5/5/2008
I'm admittedly a purist about Japanese restaurants (i.e., they have to be run by Japanese while this place seems to be managed by Koreans) but this place was close to my job and they seemed to have fresh fish around lunchtime and lunch deals so I used to come here quite often about 2 years ago. I stopped going for a while, and I came back a few months ago -- I ordered my lunchtime chirashi, and what did I get? A sashimi dish with a tiny strip of sushi rice on the side (like, as big as a nigiri sushi without the fish on top). I asked if they made a mistake and served me the wrong dish, and they said nope, this was chirashi. Come on, the real reason anyone orders chirashi is because they love sushi rice! And lots of it!
The people looked new so I'm wondering if they had a management change. Anyway, blah, I won't be going back... -
Review from Allen H.
Alexandria, VA
3/1/2008
We usually order their food to go since the place is close by. We've sat in once and the service was good, staff very nice. Portions are on the small side and the prices could be better. But it's convenient and gives you that quick fix when you need it.
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Review from YaiUs C.
Woodbridge, VA
2/15/2010
I give 5 stars because this is my favorite place for sushi, I haven't tried anything else from the menu. I have been back to this restaurant at least 10 times, the sushi chef at the bar already knows me, you always get free samples if you sit at the bar.
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Review from Stephanie D.
Alexandria, VA
7/28/2010
I love this sushi joint, my fiance and I tried it out back when he moved to the area about 4 years ago and we immediately fell in love with the hole in the wall atmosphere and the attentiveness of the wait staff.
The sushi they serve is absolutely delicious and fresh, so we have been coming back for more ever since. The staff always greets us and asks how we are, now knowing us as regulars. They remember what we like to drink and promotly serve us. We love going on Mondays for the discounted sushi. We always have a delightful, quiet dinner and leave satisfied. -
Review from Zachary M.
Alexandria, VA
1/31/2010
Pretty good fish, it's fresh- servings are small.
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Review from Claudette R.
Alexandria, VA
9/14/2009 2 photos
The sushi is solid, not stellar, but decent and flavorful. We had good service: polite, helpful and very attentive. The dinner boxes are ginormous and pretty generous with both the sushi and the main item. The dining room was clean and the food was served quicky. Overall a good experience, and I highly recommend the bento boxes.
