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Asahi Japanese Restaurant
Category: Restaurants Japanese Japanese [Edit]
2250 Clarendon BlvdSte G
Arlington, VA 22201
(703) 243-7007
- Nearest Transit:
-
Courthouse Metro Station (Orange)
Clarendon Metrorail Station (Orange)
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Quiet
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
Christina B. said: "Really yummy but kind of expense." read more »
43 reviews for Asahi Japanese Restaurant
Review Highlights
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"Friendly service and tasty sushi rolls." In 32 reviews -
"I will definitely be going back to this tucked away gem." In 5 reviews -
"Great selection for sashimi fans, and very creative..." In 7 reviews
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43 reviews in English
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Review from Brett C.
Arlington, VA
2/23/2012
Excellent service and food. Consistently great food and value. One of the best sushi restaurants around. Spicy crunchy tuna roll is the best!
-
Review from Amanda M.
Alexandria, VA
12/23/2011 4 photos
I give Asahi 2.5 stars.
I lived near Asahi about two years ago, at that time I would have given it 4 stars.
I went back this week because I was craving their Wasabi Tobiko sushi (wasabi flavored flying fish eggs). The Wasabi Tobiko used to be head clearingly wasabi spicy. This time it was bland.
The agedashi dofu (which is supposed to be deep fried tofu served in a dashi sauce) was nothing close to what it is supposed to be. Don't get me wrong, it was still good, but I was looking for the traditional agedashi dofu that they used to serve and this wasn't it.
The spicy tuna roll was good, as was the ume shiso, but it just wasn't the Asahi that I remember from when I lived nearby.
The one upside is that the service is A LOT better than it used to be. Although they did not give out the hot towels before dinner - something else they used to do.
Maybe if I hadn't been here so often when I lived nearby I wouldn't have been so disappointed, but based on my most recent visit, I have no plans on going back. -
Review from Daniel L.
Alexandria, VA
5/18/2012 1 Check-in Here
Man, I wish I could give them a better review.
First, let me say that the sushi was decent quality.
However, the place was understaffed, and we waited for an hour to get our food (we had a table of 7). I heard from others that it wasn't the first time they waited so long.
They did offer us some edamame for free for waiting, but we didn't expect the wait to be that long.
The prices are reasonable to slightly high.
I don't think I'd go out of my way to go back because of the experience I had with them. -
Review from Sam J.
Chantilly, VA
4/30/2012
Asahi Sushi is the best Japanese restaurant in D.C area. It was so fresh and delicious. Also it was reasonable price. I will definitely come back again.
Thanks Asahi, Sam -
Review from Heather D.
Falls Church, VA
10/23/2011
Asahi gets high marks from us for the quality of service and the quality of their sushi. I loved our server-what a sweetheart! Not much ambiance for a restaurant, but maybe that would have taken away from the food. We ordered a sushi dinner and a chirashi dinner instead of a la carte because they seemed to be a really good value. They both came with your standard miso and salad. Our dinners both came out on boats-a little surprising, but I love attractively-plated meals. The chirashi wasn't what I expected, but it turns out I liked their balls of rice with the colorful roe. Different, but not bad at all.
At first I thought we'd be left a little hungry because the pieces of fish looked small, but it turns out they were plentiful! The chef even sent over a little amuse bouche for us afterwards, and then a little orange to freshen us up a bit before we went on our way.
What takes Asahi from three to four-star for me was their sushi-I'm pretty sure that was some of the best quality I've had in a loooong time. It was so fresh, I realized I've been having some pretty piss-poor sushi lately. I'd like to go back to try their spicy tuna-if its true that they don't use wasabi mayo I am going to be a weekly customer. -
Review from Monica H.
Arlington, VA
2/6/2012
Delicious sushi. You won't see pages of complicated rolls because it's a short menu, but their offerings are delicious, and they do them all well. Quick service, polite waiters, love the orange segments that come with your bill.
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Review from Emily Q.
Arlington, VA
2/7/2012
Great service! Food was terrific!!
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Review from Andrew H.
8/22/2011 1 Check-in Here
four-stars? really? i hate to be the downer, but i don't share the love that others are espousing asahi. maybe it's my sushi snobbery in full swing, or the fact that i just ordered the wrong thing, but i wasn't sure what really pushed me into a rare negative review.
asahi had all the makings of a good sushi joint...traditional sushi bar, waitresses that were clearly japanese expats, and they gave the convenient option of ordering a la carte via individual check-off menus. so it shouldn't have been bad...maybe i should've stuck with that.
instead, i went with my traditional order or chirashi. which is normally a selection of sashimi layered on top of a bed of clean, white sushi rice. i love this dish, it's difficult to screw up. yet somehow, asahi turns it into some faux version of chirashi catered to the western image of japanese cuisine...the sashimi was still there, but the rice was some mix of reddish (??) sushi rice with smelt roe served as a ball, and all of it coming not in a traditional bowl or box, but on a damn boat!
no...no...no...this is not your grandfather's chirashi. hell, it wasn't even my chirashi. what a bummer...asahi, you had the potential, but it was lost on me. good thing i have other places to pick up my sushi fix. -
Review from MALLORY T.
Arlington, VA
1/26/2009
this is like, my little secret sushi haven. I bring family and friends here but for the most part I like to get down and EAT by myself. I'm not big on raw, but I like the order:
edamame
miso soup
salad
shrimp tempura roll
fish katsu
just for me! hehe
Its always clean and the waitress is super friendly. Very attentive to my table. I love that so I don't have to wait between plates. Haha! Fatso come eat cha cha cha! :D
This is a good quiet date spot. Reasonably priced. And I go because it's in walking distance from the crib. -
Review from StephandDoug M.
Arlington, VA
2/6/2011
My husband and I love sushi and thought we would give this place a shot after seeing a movie in the courthouse area.
Service was slow/only 1 waitress on a Saturday night
Small portions :( I've never been to a place with such tiny pieces of sashimi. The food was fresh however. We gave them 2 chances and we will not go back. There are too many sushi spots in the area to go back again. This may be a ok spot for a first time sushi goer. -
Review from Meghan G.
Washington, DC
6/27/2008
I am also giving this place a five star review to off-set the undue harshness of the one-star naysayer that basically hates anything Japanese on American soil for whatever reason. This place totally deserve a full 4 and a half stars. The staff is friendly, the space is minimal and super clean. Their sushi is tightly wrapped, uniform and petite, not the massive loose things you get at some places. My favorite part is the "spicy tuna roll" is actually spicy hot and not mayo based, just tuna and hot sauce with sesame seeds in it. Their lunch sushi combo is a steal at $10.95 for salad, miso soup, tuna roll, salmon roll & california roll.
In addition to their sushi they have a full diverse Japanese menu that I cannot speak to, but they offer tonkatsu so look for an update from me in the near future. -
Review from A.J. L.
Arlington, VA
6/26/2010
Wow -- really nice small, yet spacious and comfortable Japanese restaurant tucked away in Courthouse Plaza. It's contemporary in design with really nice presentation of their dishes. The service is very cordial and prompt.
It's a bit pricier than Hikaru Sushi across the street (see below), but you definitely get your money's worth. -
Review from Amanda B.
Arlington, VA
1/27/2009
By far my favorite sushi restaurant in the northern VA area, this place is cute, quiet, and has delicious, fresh sushi! Its really the only place my friends and I go for sushi anymore!
[Edit 7-10-09: Changed this review to 4 stars now that I've discovered Tomo Sushi (incredible!) in Rosslyn. Still love this place though] -
Review from Caroline G.
Washington, DC
2/9/2011
Very very good, nice waitress.
$$
we will definitely go back there. -
Review from Alex M.
San Francisco, CA
9/9/2009
I am ambivalent about this place. My boyfriend took me here because he knows I love and am willing to try any Japanese place. I love what I call sushi "accouterments," miso soup, salad, oshitashi, agedashi tofu..etc. But I am always excited to see a place that has tofu terriyaki on their menu. The salad and miso soup were ok, and the tofu in the teriyakki was too fried for me, but the flavors were good. The side of rice seemed small. I left kind of unsatisfied, but maybe its because I was so hungry I scarffed it all down so fast.
The interior was all light wood and very simple. Staff was courteous and accommodated our rushing to catch a movie.
Its kind of hard to find tucked away in a plaza. You can park for free under the building after 5 or 6. -
Review from Garrett M.
Washington, DC
1/23/2009
My dad, in his quest for "way too much food for very little money", wanted to fill the void after a local Indian buffet place had closed down. He read in the serious part of The Onion that there was an awesome sushi buffet at Asahi in Arlington.
Despite my protests that I could find no evidence to support the aforementioned buffet, I tagged along with him for lunch yesterday.
There was no buffet (score one more point for the new generation), so we each got a bento box. As someone mentions below, the crab meat is NOT crab, so that kind of sucked. Nigiri was fine, as were some of the side noodles.
Bottom-line: The sushi's not bad. But it's not good either. And I'm hesitant to give this three stars, as I think it was more expensive than what it was worth. Perhaps I'm just spoiled by Sushi Taro, though. -
Review from David R.
Arlington, VA
9/4/2010
Service was lackluster. Apparently they were missing one of their sushi chefs which they said was slowing them down. It took close to 45 minutes to get our food and we only ordered one sushi roll and chicken teriyaki. The sushi was unremarkable and slightly on the small side. The chicken teriyaki was dry and covered in salt and pepper. Since I live so close I'm sure that I'll try it again, and maybe during a slower time.
2 entrees
1 sushi roll
$45 including tip... Wasn't worth it. -
Review from Laura H.
Washington, DC
6/25/2008
Friendly service and tasty sushi rolls. This is my go to weekday takeout place for sushi.
I've picked up dinner here a couple of times... both resulting in fresh rolls that are the right bite size and not too heavy on rice. I like that the menu warns you which rolls have mayo (not many, thankfully)... and the spicy rolls are actually spicy. Novel concept.
I can completely fill myself up for between $10-$16 depending on whether I throw an order of sashimi into the mix.
Still searching for a fancier sushi joint to take the place of my beloved Sushi Wabi... -
Review from Alicia T.
Fairfax, VA
7/22/2009
By far my favorite sushi restaurant, if not my overall favorite restaurant :)
This little hidden away, almost hole in the wall sushi/japanese restaurant near Courthouse in Arlington is amazing! The food is delicious, the sushi is served in larger than average servings and is always fresh, and the waitresses are beyond friendly and attentive. The prices are reasonable, not much more expensive (and definitely not less expensive) than any other DC area sushi restaurant. Its so easy to come to this place for a quick bite, then find yourself leaving 2 hours later with a $200 bill. And you will never find a wait for a table as this place is never crowded. Its nice and quiet, private and is a perfect date restaurant.
My favorites are the asahi ball, miso soup, unagi (best I've had in the DC area), the tuna and salmon sushi, the vegas roll (a little fried sushi roll...i'm not usually a fan of fried foods, but this is to die for!) and the green tea ice cream. Delish! -
Review from Alex S.
Baltimore, MD
4/13/2008
Another place I wish I had tried sooner. Had the Yakisoba and a Spicy Tuna with Avocado Roll. Yakisoba was solid and the roll was one of the better I've had in this area. Nice interior but closed on weekends and is the only restaurant in Courthouse Plaza without outside seating. About $70 for two people and a bottle of wine.
Not to be confused with the now closed and dreadful Asahi Kaiten at Ballston mall. -
Review from Su Jin K.
Arlington, VA
12/7/2009
I would definitely go back to this place, but one thing prevented me from giving it 5 stars. There was only one waittress on staff on a Sunday night, and it was fairly busy. It took a VERY long time (over 45 minutes from the time of ordering) to get our main orders, and she forgot our appetizer. We gently reminder her and got it comped.
That being said, it's a cozy little place tucked away in the corner of the plaza, the prices are reasonable, and for the price, you get really good food. I ordered the katsudon and thought it was far better than the one I had at Sushi Taro (my former favorite sushi place in DC -- now fallen from grace after it renovated the interior, drastically raised prices, and cut basically all of my favorite items from the menu).
The restaurant also gave us complimentary Asahi balls as a quasi amuse buche, I guess, and the waittress was really pleasant/nice. Hopefully, next time there will be faster service, but there WILL be a next time. -
Review from Yvette S.
Alexandria, VA
7/13/2011 2 Check-ins Here
Fresh, yummy, prompt service. A pain in the butt to find and park near, but totally worth some of the best sushi this area has to offer for a very moderate price!
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Review from Susan M.
Arlington, VA
8/25/2010 2 photos
Fantastic sushi and service! I tend to be a "special orderer" when it comes to food, and the server was exceptionally accommodating - rice paper instead of seaweed in rolls makes ALL the difference in my opinion!
The salmon nigiri was perfect - always my benchmark for good sushi - and the rolls were scrumptious. Even the presentation was artistic!
I will definitely be going back to this tucked away gem! -
Review from New to San Pedro C.
Arlington, VA
10/3/2011
We LOVE japanese food and this just didn't cut it for us. There just wasn't excitement when we tasted the food. Sorry-
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Review from Todd J.
Arlington, VA
12/22/2010
for perspective, I don't consider myself a sushi snob. But I go to NYC enough to know that the avg NYC sushi is far superior to anything we have here in DC... so that being said.
Asahi is serviceable for a nieghborhood sushi spot.
The staff is incredibly friendly and kind. But the portions are a tad on the small side. The product is decently fresh, maybe a 6 or 7 out of 10 for freshness. I thought the prices were very reasonable too. I will be back.
I wish they would open up a killer sushi place in Arlington, I don't know why DC has such a tough time w/ high quality sushi. -
Review from Joe W.
Arlington, VA
4/22/2008
I'm giving this place five stars just to make up for Mike T.'s poor review. Clearly he has a Woody Harrelson for all things Japanese and probably spends most of his time pulling it to anime and having Pokemon battles.
Anyhoo, on to the review. Honestly, this place is a solid 3 1/2 to 4 stars, with probably 4 being more accurate. Fresh fish is fresh fish and this place has it. I ordered an assortment of tuna and there was nothing at all disappointing about. You might find a place with finer furishings, authentic Yakuza thugs to remove fingers, and creepy businessmen to grope your date, but I don't require any of that to have a good meal. The staff are super attentive, very friendly, and obviously appreciate that you chose to dine with them. Think about it...if the place was serving Fancy Feast, I don't think they would have lasted this long. Definitely worth a visit. -
Review from Anna R.
8/20/2007
Did Mike T. and I go to the same place? According to the address, the answer is yes. My husband and I have been going to this Japanese restaurant for years. I wouldn't call us regulars, but when we would get a hankering for Japanese food not sushi, we would come here. Granted, we only got basic stuff like teriyaki and tempura, but it was pretty good. Now, we don't need to go here because I've learned how to cook teriyaki and tempura. Japanese food is surprisingly easy to make.
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Review from Michael K.
Arlington, VA
1/12/2011
As another reviewer mentioned, this place is hidden away a bit in Court House plaza (you can't see it from the street), but it is worth finding.
I saw somebody knocking on the service, but that to me is my absolute favorite part of this place! Every time we have gone (3 times now) we have had the absolute nicest, smiling server who can't help but put you in a better mood than you came in with. She is always attentive, drinks are refilled quickly, she's quick to bring extra wasabi if we ask for it, and so on. What more could you ask for?
The prices are pretty good, which is perhaps my favorite thing. Unfortunately I don't eat sushi, though my fiancee who does tells me it is really good. Sorry to undermine my credibility with that tidbit. But our server lady is just so nice that I had to post! -
Review from Kate A.
Arlington, VA
4/30/2008
One of my favorite sushi spots in the area. Great selection for sashimi fans, and very creative presentation. The only reason I give it four stars (instead of five) is because its a tad pricier than I would like, but we've always had notably attentative service and a quality meal to make it money well spent.
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Review from Tbone M.
San Francisco, CA
10/5/2010
Not as trendy as cafe asia or sushi rock, but much better quality in my opinion. Small space, with friendly staff and chefs. I recommend sitting at the sushi bar so you can interact a bit with the chefs (and get additional orders in easily). The sushi is better than the appetizers and entrees. Enjoy!
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Review from Derrick L.
San Francisco, CA
5/20/2009
We eat here a lot because sometimes it's just easier for us to walk here when we're craving sushi than to drive out of the neighborhood. We appreciate the consistent quality of the fish and reasonable prices. Not much else to say.
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Review from Michael E.
Falls Church, VA
6/28/2010
The preparation and freshness of the sushi was outstanding. The only knock I have to give is that the California rolls do not use real crab, but imitation crab sticks. I can't stress enough how fresh the ingredients were. Not tops in northern virginia, Koi Koi in Falls Church still has my top vote, but a very good Japanese restaurant if you are in the area.
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Review from Kenneth L.
San Francisco, CA
7/19/2009
Salad and soup before entree is nice. The sushi was only good for people who eat it for the first time. To an experienced sushi eater, this is definitely not enough. The service was curteous.
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Review from William P.
Gaithersburg, MD
11/25/2009
This place rocks !!!!!!! Sat at the sushi bar with my lovely date Inna and I ordered Tuna Combo and it was 9 pieces of delectability in a HUGE wooden boat!!!!!! So cool.......Inna ordered ala carte of the sushi menu and her California rolls and other choices were great. Of course the usual miso soups and salads were good. Shin our wonderful sushi mix master then made us 4 special konk crispy rolls that were greattttt!!!!! With each of us having a mixed drink and the bill ONLY $50, it was a great experience. Doing the whole former Kobe steakhouse teriyaki grill and chef entertainment action can be done but why not try the sushi and their great innovative creations. We'll be back right Inna? :)
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Review from Sarah E.
Washington, DC
12/9/2009
I went for dinner on a Sunday night with a few friends. As a sushi lover, I really wanted to like this place--it's reasonably priced, conveniently located, and well-reviewed by others on yelp. However, the incredibly slow service that we received forces me to give Asahi only 2 stars.
We ordered sushi combinations and an appetizer directly off the menu. The appetizer was completely forgotten and the entrees took over an hour to arrive. While the sushi was decent, the incredibly long wait for a mostly empty restaurant was inexcusable. The server eventually delivered the appetizer for free, but we were mostly finished with our meals by its arrival. With so many sushi restaurants in the area, I doubt I'll return to Asahi. -
Review from may f. r.
Arlington, VA
7/7/2009
love this place - very nice owners and the BEST tempura ever. Great, fresh sushi. but, teriyaki not so great.....not like the regular teriyaki sauce....but, i go for the sushi and tempura anyway, thus 4.5 stars.
Sashimi - wow good, sweet buttery wonderful big chunks....yummy -
Review from Michael C.
Arlington, VA
11/28/2009
Miso soup - pretty good
Gyoza - not very good; lacking in taste, and was overcooked
Spider roll - alright; nothing special
Tempura shrimp roll - quite good
The service was very good, the atmosphere was nice, and they had a big menu. The sushi wasn't incredible, but I'd definitely come back. Oh, and I loved the very Japanese notes above the door handle :)
(I lived in Japan for two years and have eaten a lot of Japanese food.) -
Review from Eve Y.
Arlington, VA
1/11/2011
I love this place. I go here probably once a week and I always get the salmon combo dinner. It's about 17 dollars but you get so much food! It comes with soup, salad, 3 pieces of nigiri, 3 pieces of sashimi, a salmon roll and a spicy salmon hand roll. The salmon is always fresh and delicious. The staff is so friendly and accommodating as well. It's a pretty low key place tucked away in courthouse. The other rolls on the menu are also delicious. If you are looking for casual, quality sushi, this is the place to go!
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Review from C C.
Arlington, VA
12/6/2010
I tried this place for the first time last week and loved the experience. The place is not too big and offers a warm atmosphere. I ordered my usual chirashi and was very pleasantly surprised with the beautiful presentation. Instead of serving chirashi in a bowl, Asahi served it in a boat. The sashimi was fresh, good selection of fish, but I wish the pieces were bigger. The best part was the rice though. Instead of normal sushi rice, the rice included roe and other stuff to make it taste really delicious. My boyfriend loved his sushi platter. We will definitely come back!
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Review from Jessica H.
Arlington, VA
2/13/2009
A little hard to find inside a courtyard-area near the Courthouse movie theater. The sushi was good, but everything with fish was expensive, and I wouldn't order beef again. By which I mean that the ume shiso roll and salmon skin roll were excellent -- lots of sour plum, good sushi rice -- but I didn't get any nigiri because it was $4-5 for a pair. They must give lunch discounts, but nothing at dinner, is all I can figure. My dining partner had the beef teriyaki, which was $16 and Not Good. Very chewy and fatty, and doused in teriyaki sauce to try to cover it up. The accompanying vegetables were barely edible. The house salad had an unusual variety of toppings: a cherry tomato, 2 slices of cucumber, a sliced green bean, shredded carrot... oh, and also two slices of KIWI and four slices of APPLE. On my salad. I ate the fruit separately. The ginger salad dressing was good, though. And the green tea was nice. The place was almost empty at 6:30pm on a Friday night. Service was attentive. Bottom line: stick with the sushi, and this is a winner. Not the cheapest though.
