Temari Cafe — Restaurant in Rockville

“Authenticity” is a factor I used to care very little for at American restaurants until traveling to Japan myself and realizing what is actually Japanese and what is American Japanese. Temari Cafe is one of the 3 truly authentic feeling Japanese restaurants I have had in the DMV area SO FAR.

Temari makes an excellent no frills bowl of ramen, much to the spirit of the ramen we had in Tokyo. The bowl comes out quite unassuming, much like the restaurant itself. The broth (tonkotsu this time) was the deepest broth I have had here, you can just taste how long it’s been soaking in the flavor of the bone. The pickled ginger was a fantastic touch, and I don’t even like regular ginger!! HUGE cut of naruto I’ve never seen so much lol and good meat. The noodles…. Freshest I’ve had here; it was just fantastic.

While the ramen was very good and the craving led us to Temari, I will note that based on online reviewers and what other customers were ordering… it does not seem like it’s even what they are mainly known for! I will have to try the rice dishes they have here. Rice dishes coming from the kitchen looked amazing and it's hard to find a Japanese place these days that does anything more than apps, ramen, and sushi.

As an app we just got salmon onigiri and it was a thicc boi! We wanted to get strawberry daifuku for desert (have been hunting for the item ever since tasting it at common street vendors at Tsukiji market Tokyo and Dotonbori Osaka) but they were out, but they have a huge menu and I even saw someone get a really cool parfait looking item.

Bonus: when you’re done go upstairs to the also incredibly authentic grocery store. There are other “Japanese” stores in the area, but just like with Temari, this one actually feels authentic.

Final note: the main lady working is Japanese and will often speak small common Japanese work phrases (no need to respond). If you want to say thanks to her in Japanese, it’s not just arigato, that would be rude as it is very very casual. It’s arigato gozaimas!!

Edit: the guy taking a star off complaining that this meal would be cheaper in Japan is out of his mind lol. Of course it would be, the USD has been overpowering the Yen the last two years….. the prices here are consistent...

Hi this is my review for Temari Cafe

Temari Cafe is one of the places that I have been coming to for about 2 years now. I like coming here becuase of the food, service and home comfy feel. The staff is very nice and friendly and is always willing to help if you need something or if something came out wrong.

The place is good with groups a little crowded sometimes. The place definitely has its rush hour times but the wait is worth it in my opinion.

I have not tried all of the Menu however I do have some favorites so far.

· Ramen: all of the ramen here tastes great and has a good price for how much you get.

· Donburi: I have tried the beef, pork and chicken donbori and all of these are great specially for lunch or dinner if you're looking to fill up or just plain enjoy the flavors of rice and meats. Great price and tastes delicious.

· Katsu Curry Rice: this is probably this Temari's "special" dish and I rank I very high in terms of flavor, amount of food and price. Amazing flavorful curry taste and not spicy, the fried pork cuttled goes great with the dish over all a great choice if you're trying to get full. Price is on point becuase you get a big plate full deliciousness.

Temari cafe is one of the only places that serve Sake and original Japanese beers so if you're looking for either one this is the place to go.

Dessert is good. Fair selection of ice cream, mochi, and others. Matcha(green tea) ice cream is one of my favorites.

Oh and keep a look out for seasonal specials, Temari has a seasonal special every season I suggest you ask for what the special is becuase it is not usually on the menu and once its gone, its gone.

Overall I recomend Temari Cafe if you want great food and service or if you're looking to get full of tasty food. Many people say that the place is overpriced however I still recommend coming here to give the place a try who knows maybe you'll find your new favorite dish here.

Thanks...

A super cozy place with yummy food and great service. Came here with a friend for an impromptu dinner just before 8pm on a Friday, and this place was packed. We weren't sure we would get a table, but were told that we could wait for a little while. While waiting, the server came to take our order so it would be ready when we were seated - that was a really nice touch (and very efficient of them!).

I think we caught them at the end of their dinner rush because sure enough, a couple of tables cleared out shortly after. We were shown to our table (they actually just pointed in a general direction but we got the idea) and lo and behold, the drinks we had ordered were already on the table and the spicy tuna sushi we ordered arrived shortly after. We honestly weren't expecting much when they took our order ahead of time but they took it very seriously, which was fantastic. The beer was served in a chilled glass, which was a nice touch.

Spicy tuna was very nice. I had ordered the tonkatsu curry - the rice was sticky rice, which was great, and the curry came with onions as well as more unbreaded, tender chunks of pork (in addition to the tonkatsu!). My friend had the teriyaki, which she said was wonderful - she pointed out that usually teriyaki was drenched in this syrupy sauce but this sauce was lighter and thinner, which was much more to her taste. Everything was very yummy.

Service was very attentive, would let us know which of the jars on the table were soy sauce without us having to wonder. Despite us finishing our meal close to closing, they didn't once rush us and even asked if we wanted dessert! I don't know how to describe this experience but everything was very homey and cozy. Would definitely...