Kusshi Bethesda Downtown Woodmont Triangle — Restaurant in Bethesda

I stepped into Hanaro Restaurant with the intention to attend a Complimentary Sake Tasting but I ended having dinner here too. My parents and I ordered items from the regular dinner menu as well as items off the Naka Zima Specials menu and Happy Hour food and drink specials. If you love raw fish and/or a spicy touch, you'd probably think Hanaro got one of the best happy hours in town.

For dinner, we ordered the following: Seaweed Salad, Lava Roll, Yellowtail and Scallion Roll, Spider Roll, California Roll, and a 18 piece sashimi.

The Lava Roll consisted of crabmeat maki topped with chopped sashimi (e.g., scallop, smoked salmon, white tuna, shrimp, and avocado) and baked in Japanese mayonnaise. It was served with crispy tempura fritters and two types of spicy sauce (e.g., spicy mayo, Sriracha). Despite asking for the spicy stuff on the side, it was much hotter than what I have ordered at New Tokyo.

The Yellowtail and Scallion Roll consisted of six yellowtail rolls topped with thinly chopped scallion.

The Spider Roll consisted of soft shell crab tempura, avocado, and cucumber rolls topped with masago and eel sauce.

By the time we finished the rolls, it was time for the complimentary sake tasting. We got to try 7 different kinds of sake. My favorites included Dassai that was served at 2016 States Dinner, Kikusui Funaguchi Honjozo, Ikezo Peach Sparkling Jelly Sake, and Yuzu Lilly Yuzu Tini (a blend of Yuzu (citrus flavored) liqueur and shoju).

After the sake tasting, we enjoyed our 18 piece sashimi which consisted of chef's selection of fresh raw fish including octopus, white fish, white tuna, salmon, red tuna, and yellowtail.

I plan on returning to Hanaro Restaurant in the...

(Please see update below) We had high hopes, after a long day, of eating delicious sushi until we couldn’t eat anymore. Unfortunately that didn’t happen. When we arrived It was pretty empty so we expected fast service and that’s what we got. The food came out really fast! The plating was nice and it was clean in the area we sat in.

However, the sushi was mushy and lacked any flavor. I got a volcano roll, which is fried, and it tasted like the oil it was fried in was bad or had been reused too many times. The same was also true for some spicy shrimp we ordered. I’m also used to my sushi order being plated separately than the other people at the table. This wasn’t the case. All of our orders were mixed together and with no clue what each roll looked like it made it a little difficult to be sure which one was which. Also we are still in a pandemic so we didn’t really plan to share plates. There were also random boxes taking up half the restaurant. Very subpar experience.

Update 5/24/2024: since my last review this location has new management which is evident by how nice the bar is and now the side of the restaurant that was previously used as storage is now an open seating area. I was greeted as soon as I walked in. A menu was provided and I noticed an upgraded menu. Our server was attentive for the most part but it was the change in quality of food that stood out to me. I ordered an Unagi sushi bowl with a side order of dragon rolls. My friends ordered a variety of rolls and this time around we only left 2 pieces on our plates because we were SO full. The presentation was amazing and overall the experience was very pleasant. I would definitely go again. (I’ve provided...

Such a nice gem in Bethesda. They have great food and service with very nice and caring workers.

I initially came here with some friends for one of their Mochi events that I saw a Facebook event for. Even though I'm allergic to this stuff (dairy), I still came. The mochi that was being distributed around looked sooo good. I wanted to try a piece but I would have had to go to the hospital lol. They were the perfect iced and smooth texture. I could see from my friend's faces that they were enjoying every single bite.

While I was there, I ordered one of their ramen. It came out super fast and was quite filling for me. It came with pork, seaweed, egg, and I think bamboo shoots (not really sure what they were ). Needless to say, it exceeded my expectations. Because it came out so fast, I thought they might have half-assed my meal. But nope, it was cooked and prepared just right. It was hot with a salty flavor and a somewhat thick texture to it. I love eggs in ramen and this was no different.

The restaurant is also very modern to the younger generation while being very inclusive to an older crowd. They play a combination of chill, energetic, and hip music in the background. Which makes me feel great eating there. The workers also seem to have a good time.

Splendid food, service, workers, and atmosphere. I will...