Endo Sushi
- Price Range: $$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Take-out: Yes
- Waiter Service: Yes
12 Reviews for Endo Sushi
I've never been disappointed by Endo. I go there pretty regularly, and the quality is always good, if not excellent. The standard rolls are good, but I really recommend trying their specialties, including the fresh scallop appetizer (awesome) and the salmon skin hand roll (which my friend turned me onto and which is, in a word, fan-friggin'-tastic).
Time and again, Endo continues to be the best sushi I've found in Arlington.
Meh. This place is a solid 3.5.
I have gotten carryout sushi here on several occasions when I was looking for something easy and convenient. It's less than a block from my front door, so it doesn't get much more convenient than that.
The sushi is an upgrade from the grocery store, but certainly not the best I've ever had. I mainly stick to tuna and salmon rolls of some sort. The rolls were good, but I think the fish to rice ratio was skewed a bit too heavily towards rice.
They get bonus points for not skimping on the wasabi and ginger in the To-Go container.
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This is admittedly not the best sushi Ive ever eaten, but since it's right next to my boyfriends place, and since we eat here all the time, I've waded enough through the menu to know what items I enjoy.
First, the things that are so so:
Uni nigiri--if they have it, its not the freshest, best, uni you will ever pop into your mouth, but we still get it anyway bc we love uni that much.
Sashimi deluxe--I hate it when you order a sashimi platter and they cheat by giving you imitation crab. Endo does this, and it annoys me. They also always give a spicy tuna cup of sorts featuring chopped up tuna (or some other kind of fish) in a cup. Also cheating, if you ask me. Still, like the uni, we always order this.
Age dashi--good, not great. The tofu seems like they are using the pre-fried variety, and its served with seaweed (??) slivers rather than radish, scallions, and ginger. Still good though.
nemo roll--the concept sounds good, but i found the flavors to be competing with one another. sometimes, the wasabi mayo and jalepeno roll is so overpowering that you would never guess there was cream cheese or asparagus in the mix.
soup&salad side dishes--the salad is the most forgettable thing ever--a clump of iceberg lettuce dressed in some kind of ginger dressing. It comes with dinners, I suppose. If you can get them to not give it to you, then you wont feel obligated to eat it for fear of being wasteful.
Things I really like, and these alone are why I give Endo 3stars:
sweet scallop nigiri--huge proportions, sweet, firm, yum
mackeral nigiri--I'm a mackeral person, so I gravitated towards this (cautiously, I will admit, since Endo can be hit or miss). What a lovely surprise--mackeral was dressed in I believe garlic and scallions. Whatever it was, it tasted good together.
pop corn shrimp roll--shrimp, crab, avocado, egg, tempura...need I say more? Its so good. If you like mayo-based stuff (I do), you will love this.
salmon skin roll--crispy + soft=yummy. It sounds strange, but its really quite good.
Overall--good enough to order for take out and eat at home. I probably wouldn't go out of my way to eat there otherwise.
Okay, I read the other glowing reviews for this place, and I've started to think that maybe I'm just not a sushi connoisseur because although I love sushi, I just don't see what all the fuss is about Endo. I just didn't think it was that good. It was okay. The Spider Rolls and Unagi Rolls I had were decent, but nothing to write home about, and to boot they were pretty expensive, more expensive than they should have been. I can find sushi of the same quality for cheaper at other places in DC. Plus when I went there the service was lacking. It took forever to get our check.
Anyway, in summary, I live in the same building as this place, but despite how convenient it is, I'd probably rather go to Whole Foods in Clarendon to get sushi that's almost as good for a hell of a lot cheaper. I just don't think Endo is worth the money. Just my two cents.
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Lucky Karmz has been raving about this incredible $27 dinner special for quite some time so we went last night. It's so much food and so much variety.
It starts with miso soup and a salad with ginger dressing. Then you get a plate of sashimi - 3 pieces of salmon, 3 pieces of tuna, 1 crabstick and 2 pieces of red snapper. The sashimi was good - I've been spoiled by Bonsai Grill's perfect, fatty salmon so it's hard to compare.
The entree you get a choice of meat- either beef, chicken or gal bi (korean bbq short-rib). I had to get the gal-bi and it was the most delicious ribs with the tastiest marinade. The entree box also has seaweed salad, rice, veggies, shrimp tempura, veggie tempura, 4 pieces California roll, 4 nigiri sushi (tuna, salmon, white fish and shrimp), and 4 pieces of some fried thing that I can't recall. AND to top it off, you get a mochi for dessert (your choice - vanilla, green tea or mango).
I will definitely be back for this special. My advice is to split it with someone - there was so much food I had to take some of it home - and get an extra roll or appetizer. That keeps the cost down and you can try more of their other offerings. I also had a bite of Lucky Karmz's Avocado Salad with Miso Dressing and caterpillar roll - so, so, so yummy.
The service is not that good but the quality of food and price for this special more than makes up for it.
***Update 3/20/07***
I ordered the Nuta (raw fish with miso dressing) appetizer and the Spicy Roll Combination. The Nuta was excellent - 5 stars. It's basically sashimi over a bed of cucumbers, doused with miso dressing. I'm adding this to the dishes I must have at Endo. The Spicy Roll Combo (california roll, tuna roll and salmon roll) was very disappointing - not very spicy, too much rice.
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Coming from the Bay Area, CA, the boyfriend and I have had some trouble finding good sushi in NoVA. We've always driven past Endo and never really payed attention to it, until one night we were desperate for sushi (and Sushi Zen wasn't sounding very good - see other review) and my boyfriend suggested Endo. You can never judge a good sushi joint by the outside. Plus, I usually like the sushi places that are small and not uber crowded (meaning: no ridiculous wait). I was hesitant at first, but pleased with our meal. Ok, pros and cons. (updated 2/7/08)
Pros:
- The specialty rolls are awesome! Great Caterpillar roll and plenty of food - no skimping here! The pieces are just large enough to cram in your mouth but you don't look like a buffoon with sushi falling out of your mouth. The Tempura California rolls and Tempura Spicy Tuna California rolls are also awesome! Plus they'll pretty much make whatever sushi combo you want.
- The service is kind and courteous, but be warned that sometimes there is only one or two waitresses for a crowded place - be patient.
- 1 street down from the Clarendon Metro.
- The mochi ice cream is great and I always order this for dessert.
- They actually play Japanese music in a Japanese restaurant - fancy that... you won't have to listen to UB40 or crappy pop music while you eat.
Cons:
- The other stuff on the menu that I've tried besides the sushi has been "meh" quality. The tempura is decent but if you absolutely love to get stuffed on Tempura and nothing else then that's ok too - the pieces are large and they give you plenty, but I think the sushi is better. The terriyaki isn't super. But like I said, I go here for the specialty rolls!
- The prices seem a bit on the high side but worth it and normal for the area - however, coming from Cali like I mentioned - I was spoiled. At Endo 4 specialty rolls of sushi and 2 drinks and a dessert of fried banana will be 60 bucks including tip.
Finally: If you like specialty rolls this place is great, clean and friendly, and metro accessible! I give Endo 4 stars.
NOTE: If you are from the SF Bay Area in CA - you will NOT find excellent AND inexpensive sushi in the NoVA-DC area. If you think otherwise and you have found just the place, for the love of Christ email me!!! :)
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Been meaning to try this place for a while now finally had the chance last night with Mom in town. Good thing she loves sushi too. Much of the clientel was asian which is always a good sign, no? The sashimi was really fresh and excellent but service was spotty, perhaps she had many tables so another night may be better. The decor is excellent and reminded me of Japan. The fish tank was really cool with the clearest glass ever. Excellent Edamame, shumai was ok(no steamed version, just fried), there is a sushi bar, will have to sit there next time.
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Ohhhhhhhhh ... ahhhhhhhhhh ...
I'm talking about the large fish tank, not the sushi. And no, this isn't Chinatown -- so the sushi you're gonna be eating isn't coming from the tank.
Not that the sushi isn't good and fresh - it is. I can't really speak about the menu and other dining options since our table ordered ala cart and ended up with an unspeakable amount of food at our table.
The toro, sake and hamachi nigiri we ordered was good. It was all the other rolls and mash-ups of fish and rice named after mystical dragons, insects and urban cities that left my head spinning. I think I had to ask several times what a roll was, and if there was actually any fish in it. In the end I just gave up, ordered another Asahi and tucked in.
Other then the nifty fish tank, the decor is meh. If you're looking for a hip, trendy sushi joint to bring a date this isn't the place. If, on the other hand, you're looking to grab some sushi in Arlington with mom or those nagging visiting in-laws ... well, you've found the place!
Very hit or miss. When it's good, it's great. Otherwise very average. Good for a neighborhood sushi joint, but nothing worth making a trip for. Just be prepared for the yell the woman will give after every order.
Hey ya! Just moved in the area!
Great local sushi restaurant for Clarendon! Grab the dinner special: Seaweed Salad + Sushi + Sashimi + Shrimp and Veggie Tempura + Salmon/Chicken/Short Rib w/ Rice + MANGO MOCHI!!! for $27
Yum Yum Yum....The Short Rib w/ Rice was GREAT!!!
One block away from Clarendon metro, turn a right after getting out of the station, then turn left on Washington Blvd. EASY!
Update: Specialty rolls like caterpillar roll are awesome!!!!
This place is decent. It's probably a 3.5 star type of joint, but, alas, I cannot rate it as such.
The regular sushi options and the special daily sushis are very well done and are the highlight of any visit to Endo. However, if you don't happen to be in an all sushi mood, you might be let down by the rest of the menu. The apps are pretty good (soup or salad are what I have had in my three trips here) but the donburi and other assorted entrees are big, but kinda lacking in taste. The rice is pretty good, in their defense.
Unless you luck out, there's a very good chance you will be the only customers in the restaurant when you enter. [I've walked by it dozens of time and peeked in to see the crowd.] In some places this can be a good thing, but here it just feels weird.
Overall, it's totally a viable option if you have a hankerin' for sushi. Just make sure sushi is the only thing on your mind...
Endo Sushi is located on the ground floor of an apartment building at the intersection of 10th Street and Washington Blvd. in the Clarendon neighborhood. I went with 4 friends on a Monday night, and it wasn't crowded so we were seated right away. I had Unagi Oshi Sushi, which is four pieces of what looks like a mini layer cake: rice, layer of tobiko rice and topped with luscious eel. The rice wasn't quite sticky enough to hold the whole roll together. My friends fared better with California and cucumber rolls. Service was fine, neither highly attentive (making suggestions) or bad, as in we got everything we ordered in a reasonable amount of time. The decor is safe, a giant mural depicting traditional Japanese ladies and rivers and padogas. The tea, salads and miso were pretty standard. The salads were very unevenly dressed, which turned out to be good because one of my friends like gobs of dressing and I do not like any, so we just switched among ourselves.
I'll need to go again, but my first impression is that this is a convenient sushi place that will do in a pinch. It looks respectable enough to take my roommate's timid parents to (there are cooked items available too), but has enough variety and eye appeal for a weeknight fix. Of course Matuba on Columbia Pike is also a neighborhood joint, but with most choices just not close to a metro.
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