Yuraku Japanese Restaurant — Restaurant in Arlington

I came here for a Friday night date with my girlfriend, as we live not too far away and pass by here regularly. It's a very large space inside that is full of windows - so at night had a nice dark vibe. Based off the decor and ambiance (modern pop music was playing), you wouldn't expect the most traditional approach to a Japanese restaurant - although there were 3 sushi chefs behind the bar preparing the nights dishes.

Service was a bit slow given how busy it was, but picked up throughout the night. The appetizers and drinks were solid - I had their take on a mojito and shared with my partner the Gyoza and Agedashi Tofu to start. From there we ordered the Crunchy Rice Balls (also quite solid) and four sushi rolls: Cucumber Roll, Avocado Roll, Eel & Avocado Roll and the Chesapeake Bay Roll.

The first two rolls were more for my partner, as she does not love raw fish. They were very solid - fresh ingredients very well prepared and rolled. I particularly enjoyed the Eel & Avocado Roll - once again proof of fresh fish.

The Chesapeake Bay Roll was the speciality roll we went with, loaded with fresh soft shell crab, salmon, spicy mayo, and more. While certainly delicious, it was quite heavy, and for me the salmon (which as a fish isn't my favorite) overpowered the other ingredients. Although it was still very delicious!

Overall I would recommend local residents and workers to give this place a shot if they are looking for good quality sushi. It's been hard for me to find great quality sushi in the DMV, but this place did...

I recently had the pleasure of dining at Yuraku Japanese Restaurant, and it was a wonderful experience from start to finish. From the moment we walked in, we were warmly greeted by the friendly and attentive staff, setting the tone for a relaxing and enjoyable meal.

The atmosphere at Yuraku is clean, fresh, and welcoming — a perfect setting to enjoy authentic Japanese cuisine. Every dish we ordered was made fresh to order, and you could truly taste the quality and care that went into the preparation. The sushi was especially impressive — beautifully presented, incredibly fresh, and absolutely delicious.

Beyond the sushi, the menu offered a wide variety of options, and everything we tried was flavorful and satisfying. It's clear that Yuraku takes pride in using high-quality ingredients and maintaining a clean, inviting environment for their guests.

Overall, Yuraku Japanese Restaurant is a standout spot for anyone looking for a delicious and authentic Japanese meal. With great food, a welcoming atmosphere, and a genuinely friendly staff, it’s a place I will definitely be returning to — and recommending to friends and family. If you're in the area and craving fresh, flavorful Japanese cuisine, Yuraku should be at the top...

The portions are huuuge! The mushroom soup is savory and salty; very delicious. The miso is great, too (hot, salty, savory, comforting). It is in a lovely contrast to the salad they also serve (it’s gingery, peanut-y, cold, crunchy, refreshing).

The udon vegetable dish had amazing noodles and a yummy sauce, but some veggies were under/overcooked or bitter. Not the yummiest! Some were already cooled with the rest of the dish remaining quite hot. But it was okay because the truly enormous serving size made it very cost effective and the noodles/sauce were redeeming.

Dessert was soooo good and the portion again was crazy big! Gigantic servings here, y’all. Like easily one entree could feed 2 (certainly). Some could probably split it between 3 people. The raspberry whip cream was special.

It was really fun and scrumptious. I’m not usually big on fried things, but the fried ice cream was so good. The outside was crunchy, but some parts were soggy from the chocolate sauce (which personally I like!!) and the ice cream was good.

Our waitress was lovely! She said I looked like Luna from Harry Potter 🥰 She was very attentive and kind. Bubbly and easy to like....