【Food Diary】 DMV Genki Izakaya 🍢🍶

We’ve been on a long break because of our wedding preparations, but today my wife urged me to post again—so I’m writing about Genki Izakaya, a place we recently revisited and still found delicious! 🥰 I love trying new restaurants, but one day after shopping at Tysons, we wanted skewers and decided to try Issho Izakaya, which is a bit farther from home than Genki. Turns out, it just didn’t measure up! So here’s a shoutout to Genki—close to home and seriously tasty! 🙌 ＊ 1️⃣ The first time we went was soon after moving to the DMV. We searched for Japanese food and found Genki, which looked like it had a great atmosphere. We grabbed seats at the bar so we could sit close together while eating. 🍻 Their dishes really hit the spot for us! We ordered skewers—chicken hearts, eel, and beef—all simply seasoned with salt and so flavorful. 🍡 I especially love their Mentaiko Cream Udon—it’s rich and creamy but never feels heavy. Every time we order takeout, I have to get it! The salmon rice bowl and fried chicken were solid too—generous portions of fish. 🍚🐔 We each ordered one of their fancy cocktails—super photogenic! 📸✨ ＊ 2️⃣ After that first visit, we never actually went back in person—we just kept ordering takeout whenever we craved it. Last year, we even got their “buy-one-get-one” fried squid deal with my parents. 🦑 A week ago, still unsatisfied after trying Issho, we ordered from Genki again—and it was still consistently good! This time, we got skewers: chicken hearts, wings, beef, and pork belly. Each was delicious—the beef was much more tender than Issho’s, and the seasoning was just right. 👌 My wife got the curry omelet rice—packaged so well that mixing it yourself felt just like eating in the restaurant. Really impressed! 🍛💛 ＊ Overall, for us, Genki is a reliable, tasty izakaya that’s close to home. I’ve searched around Google and Xiaohongshu—there aren’t many similar spots in Northern Virginia. Of course, if you know any other great izakayas, please recommend them! But for now, we think Genki is the best around! 🏆 📍 Genki Izakaya 🕒 Visited once last year, ordered takeout many times! #DMV #DMVFood #DMVLife #DMVJapanese #DMVFoodReview #DMVEats #Skewers #Izakaya #DMVWeekend #DMVTakeout #ComfortFood #DateNight #JapaneseEats #NoVAFood #FoodDiaries #EatLocal #StayCloseEatWell