Sushi Koji — Restaurant in Vienna

Being Japanese and a Foodie, I’m often asked, “Where is your favorite sushi restaurant?” My answer now is Sushi Koji - thanks to my Korean friend who chose this place.

TBH, I hesitated ordering my go to the Chirashi sushi after having a bad and sad sushi experience at a “Japanese” restaurant in NOVA the previous week. Today’s meal came with the standard miso soup and salad, but one sip of the soup and I remarked to my friend how above-standard the soup was. The umami of the dashi - especially the katsuobushi fish flavor showed quality, care, and craft. It’s the way my mom taught me using kombu kelp and katsuobushi when you don’t have good dashi and have time.

My eyes opened in surprise when they brought Chawanmushi, a savory egg custard appetizer. This dish is traditional/refined and so far from the standard greasy Izakaya gyoza, karaage bites or the boring salted edamame. It was so delicate; so subtle and what my parents would say - so Japanese. A good piece of shrimp added flavor and texture to the light, warm, and smooth dish. It was a pleasant surprise.

Now on to the Chirashi sushi. I’ve never seen it served on two dishes - one for the sashimi and the other with a chirashi rice. Both were generous portions and pleasing to the eye. But I need it to be pleasing to my gut and palate! My first bite was salmon and the chef won my trust and I could now and enjoy my meal. iI was smooth yet firm; it tasted fresh - not the cheap frozen, chewy/tough, fishy pieces. The maguro/tuna, o-toro/fatty tuna, hamachi/yellowtail, saba/mackeral, unagi/eel, octopus were all outstanding slices of sashimi that provided a broad range of flavors from mild to bold.

Lastly, it’s said by a samurai, shogun or was it a ninja? - that you can tell the skill and knowledge of a sushi chef by the Tamogoyaki sushi, the sweet egg omelet. It was more sweet and refined than what I am accustomed to, so light and smooth. It sums up everything about Sushi Komi - unique, high quality, outstanding curated food. Compliments to the chef and my friend who knows good food!

I personally think, this will be known as the best sushi restaurant in NOVA. But note, it is pricey, but you’re paying for quality. (Also agree with the others reviewers about the less than...

UPDATE: we hadn't been to Koji for a while but ordered take out tonight. Half the fish in the chirashi was inedible and almost caused hurling. The white fish and tuna were beyond fishy. Definitely not fresh. The tuna wasn't even close to the right color. Not sure we'll be back - this was shockingly disappointing.

We came upon this sushi place during a visit to somewhere else in the same shopping center and had to come back and try it - always on the hunt for decent quality sushi in Nova! We tried sushi and sashimi platters as well as the karaage. The food was all quite good and the fish was fresh. The only piece on the sashimi plate not fresh was the tuna - you could smell and taste the fishiness, but everything else tasted quality. The -1 star is due to the service functionalities. Our server, though incredibly friendly and nice, was not effective. She kept coming by to pick up empty plates and did so too quickly - at one point I had to pick up a call and was interrupted by her picking up a plate where I had set my chopsticks on and a plate that still had a piece of karaage on it. Had to tell her to just leave everything be. Also, our sushi plates came out immediately following the karaage, which gave us no time to enjoy the karaage while it was hot. Something to work on, but we'll definitely be back for the fish quality. Hopefully it stays and isn't a predicate of...

This is hands-down the best place for sushi in the DMV area! As a Japanese person, I can say that this is my go-to place for sushi. If you are looking for high-quality sushi, fish, or Japanese dishes, definitely look no further than Sushi Koji. You simply will not get better value anywhere else. The fish is of excellent quality and the tastes are reminiscent of Japan, which is often hard to find in the states.

Sushi Koji opened relatively recently and they’ve been nothing short of fantastic. Chef Lee is so incredible at what he does and he is also simply a wonderful person. All of the staff at Sushi Koji are so kind and attentive. The service is 10/10.

If you like salmon or tuna, I’d recommend the salmon don or tuna don. You cannot go wrong with the chirashi, and they offer some really great appetizers (our favorites include Agedashi tofu, fried oyster, chicken karaage). I also enjoy getting takeout from Sushi Koji, as the quality is always well-preserved.

I’d give more stars if I could. I’m so grateful to have found such a fantastic place for authentic Japanese cuisine — haven’t found one with such good value in other big cities like NYC or Boston. I’ve recommended this place to all of my friends and would highly recommend it to...