Pike Kitchen — Restaurant in Rockville

Nov 2021 This review is mainly for the onigiri (rice ball) at Japomen. For Pike Kitchen in general, it looks like they have closed the individual counters and are just taking collective orders. The pickup section is in the far right corner, by the restrooms. You can identify it by the sheer number of paper takeout bags. I believe you can order in store, as there's a large order tablet by the pickup counter. Note masks are required and you are able to dine indoors. Does not look like there's table service though. All the staff members were behind the counters making or packing up food. You also have to prod a staff member to figure out which takeout bag is yours. They are not very proactive towards customers right now, but still friendly.

The onigiri was very delicious! I ordered a lot of them and liked most of them.

Note the fancy packaging, which more and more restaurants are using these days. It keeps the seaweed separate from the rice, so the seaweed stays nice and crisp. However, it can be a little confusing and difficult to remove. There are directions on the bottom. First tear off the red strip that divides the packaging into 2 pieces, one on each side. Remove each side one at a time. Note you have to unfold the corners before you can pull it off. Be aware that the rice may end up sticking to the packaging! It's common for the onigiri to break in half as you pull off each side (luckily the seaweed wrap keeps it all together).

To reduce breakage, I recommend a micro-pull technique. I don't know how to describe it, but basically instead of continuous pulling, you do rapid tiny pulls. Start at the corners so the wrapper is free of the top of the onigiri, then do the bottom. The onigiri may still end up breaking, but the likelihood is drastically reduced.

Also note the packaging is not air-tight; the corners of the onigiri are open to the air.

Very good onigiri. A little expensive, but with a generous amount of filling. I think most of the price is because of the fancy packaging. The rice was good, lightly flavored like sushi rice and neither too dry nor too wet. Most of the filling ingredients were also good. The shrimp tempura was crunchy and does not include the tail. The pork katsu, chicken teriyaki, and crispy eel include their particular sauces. I felt like the teriyaki sauce didn't taste right, but I'm not sure if it was actually wrong or if was mixed up with the rice flavor. The smoked salmon was so-so. The vegan soy-based meat's taste and texture was like pork sung flavored with soy sauce; interesting. The definite negative was the ume (pickled plum). Instead of an actual japanese pickled plum, it was sliced sour pickles with some plum sauce. Disappointing.

Overall, would definitely come back for (most of)...

Our overall experience was good. Inside the hall was spacious and clean. My family just relocated from NC unfortunately we don't have much variety so findly places like this is a treat. My hubs and I decided to get two different bahn mi, grilled pork and beef with fried eggs. From a different stall, we got the bulgogi tang for our 2.5 year old. The other two dishes shown was my niece and her boyfriend's meal. The bahn mi was absolutely wonderful from the crusty bread, to the spicy condiment and the soup. The grilled pork was a bit on the sweet side and a tad bit tough but once you dip it in the soup, they just balance well in your mouth. The beef bahn mi with egg was my favorite. Next time I'll ask for the eggs to be fried easy. The beef was tender and had a good flavor. The bulgogi tang was a bit flavorless. My little one ate a few bites but wouldn't eat anymore unless I gave her some of that spicy condiment that came with the bahn mi. Since I didn't get to see the menu, I just thought we would get some sides like kimchi with it but you had to buy those separately. The dish could have done without the tteok. I would have liked the beef in more of a bigger solid piece instead of like ground beef in small crumbs but again very suitable for young kids. It had lots of veggies and noodles, my favorite part of the dish. I couldn't tell you what my niece and her bf got but they said it was good. They eat here from time to time as they are local. I'll definitely be back to...

This was a place I use to rave about and recommend but not anymore after today. I decided to visit on a scorching hot day and treat a friend and myself to lunch. I purchased a beverage near their dessert station and proceeded to make an order at one of the kiosk with pager in hand. I then walked back with my friend to their boba station where an older man was staring at me, mouthing something in my direction. All of the sudden an old lady with no identification that she works there proceeded to harass me about whether or not I purchased my beverage. Startled by her with no proper introduction, I told her yes as it was quite obvious, why would I buy food and then try to steal a beverage dining in. She then continued and said from who x3. The young lady at the dessert station said no he purchased it from me. She then walked away and said oh sorry and left the building and the old man went into the back. After I got my food their staff continued to stare at me as I ate and I decided to leave. I’ve never been profiled like that and I’ve been to this place numerous times. It wasn’t even a busy day but the way the situation was handled lost them a customer and potential new customers. I’m sure they’ll continue to get foot traffic but with their overpriced food and embarrassing customer service I’ll NEVER set foot back into that place. I don’t expect profiling in Rockville...