Best Sushi restaurant in NoVA or DC? (Alexandria, Leesburg: insurance, costs)

[pseudo]

I like Bonsai in Shirlington. I really feel the place is genuine when the chef and wait staff are speaking and are Japanese.

[IndiaLimaDelta]

Now, let me just note that not all Japanese-run restaurants are good and not all Korean-run ones are bad either. I had sushi and sashimi in South Korea at some excellent restaurants -- they were fresh and well prepared. And I had some horrendous food in Japan.

It's just that in the U.S., Korean-run places tend to cater to downscale sushi/sashimi market.

[Claire2900]

My MIL is Japanese and prior to meeting my husband I thought I knew what decent sushi was.......My MIL has been going to Niwano Hana in Rockville for many, many years and I still haven't found anything comparable to this restaurant

[katarinakeren]

Oh man I LOVE Bento Cafe in Woodbridge.! They are privately run, everything made fresh to order, and they are very passionate about their business. I have never been disappointed there.

[applepick]

try blue ocean in fairfax. otherwise if you want buffet, there is one inside fairoaks mall that is pretty huge.

[kevinm]

Originally Posted by k8p

I like Momo Sushi. It is a tiny place but the sushi is really good.

MOMO Sushi & Cafe

Matsu Sushi in Centreville!!!!

[kutra11]

I'm the OP.

Since Tachibana in McLean received the most mentions on this thread (4), I went there for Sunday lunch. The decor was really nice and their sushi was awesome. I highly recommend Unagi (Eel), Tachibana Roll and Spicy Tuna Roll.

The next contenders on the list are Todai (Fairfax) and Yamazato (off Little River Turnpike) with 3 mentions each.

Thanks to everyone who wrote in.

Regards,
K

[Alicia Bradley]

I'm not sure if it's the *best* sushi in the metro area, but I really liked Sushi Yoshi in Vienna. (I also liked supporting a historic Church St. business - not that SY needs any help, though. )

My mom was the only one of us who got actual sushi (I cheated and got two of the few (ovo-) veg options - inari sushi and a kappa roll; my dad got some teriyaki dish), and she said it was excellent.

Here's a little blurb about Chef Yasu (who was adorably humoring [and sort of humorous, incidentally] when I tried out some of my crappy Japanese on him) from the SY web site:

"Chef Yasu was trained in classic French cuisine and worked at Le Gavroche, a Michelin 3 star restaurant in London, for many years. He left Le Gavroche to accept the position of chef at the British Embassy in Washington, D.C., where he worked for more than 10 years.

Chef Yasu now works with Chef Yoshi at the sushi bar, but sometimes he can’t resist the urge to get in the kitchen and create some of his favorite French and European dishes. We believe that Chef Yasu’s creations add an extra dimension to the Sushi Yoshi menu and make Sushi Yoshi unique among local Japanese restaurants. We are honored to have Chef Yasu as a member of the Sushi Yoshi family and are pleased to be able to offer some of his special dishes and fine desserts for your dining pleasure."

I have made my sister promise to let me take her there if I can ever get her to visit. She lived in Japan for four years in the late '80s, teaching English and modeling (back then, 5'10" mocha-skinned ectomorphs were hard to come by in the Land of the Rising Sun, apparently) and is a hard-core sushi connoisseur to this day. So, we'll see.

[nova99]

I personally find Tachibana's meal too sweet and some of the dishes don't have the high quality I would expected from an authentic Japanese restaurant.

You may want to try "Mikaku Sushi Taro".
(703) 467-0220
3065 Centreville Rd, Herndon, VA 20171
Cross Streets: Between Highland Mews Ct and McLearen Rd

If you don't mind driving to Maryland ( Rockville/Bethesda), you may want to try these two restaurants.

1. Temari Japanese restaurant
1043 Rockville Pike
Rockville, MD 20852
(301) 340-7720
( Talbott shopping center )
Note: There's a japanese grocery store on the 2nd level of the shopping mall, should you want to sample some japanese food/drink/etc. There's a japanese bookstore next to the grocery store, should you want to check it out.

2. Tako Grill
7756 Wisconsin Ave
Bethesda, MD 20814
(301) 652-7030
[url=http://www.takogrill.com]Tako Grill Japanese Cuisine[/url]

[IndiaLimaDelta]

Mikaku is pretty authentic in that it IS run by Japanese staff. Reputedly the Udon noodles and broth are made from scratch (no instant stuff).

Lots of Japanese favorites there, not just sushi & sashimi.

However, service can be interminably long at times (up to an hour before food arrives).

The sushi has been inconsistent for me. There had been good days and other days when the sushi was below average.