Sushi Yoshi — Restaurant in Vienna

I really hate to give it this rating, since Sushi Yoshi was probably my favorite restaurant in the greater DC area for years. I've been coming here for the past 10 or so years and consistently enjoyed it here, at least until recently. The strengths of the restaurant that kept me coming back are still there, for the most part. The service is solid and responsive, the complementary salad and miso soup before the meals are still really great, prices (with the exception of the obscenely overpriced beer) are all still relatively reasonable, and the menu still keeps its best standout appetizers and entrees. However, in the past year or so, whether it's from a change in staff or management, it's clear they've been cutting costs. Portions have steadily been shrinking, and dishes that used to feature a variety of different vegetables and fish have become more conservative with their ingredient choices. (In one dish featuring tempura, three out of the five pieces of tempura are all now taro root, when the dish used to feature kabocha and potato.) Even the quality of the food itself has taken a pretty noticeable dip. The last time I went, pieces of the avocado they used in their makizushi were so unripe and hard they were borderline inedible.

Sushi Yoshi used to be a place that I could confidently recommend to people living as far away as Rockville or Silver Spring, because the food was just THAT good value. This place is over an hour drive away from where I live, but it always used to feel worth the trip, and that's what had me coming back. While I'm glad the prices haven't really gotten worse since I started going, it's really unfortunate that the quality of food has.

It's not terrible, or even bad. It's just okay now. But that's what makes this disappointing. Because Sushi Yoshi's definitely capable of being better than just 'okay', and I genuinely hope they're able to recapture what made it worth going back to in years to come. If you live within a half hour drive of this place or happen to be passing by, check it out. Any farther though, and you're better off...

After dining here twice in one month, I am pleasantly surprised to have found (and confirmed) this exceptional sushi restaurant that is West of Tyson's. Yea, there are other comparable establishments where you can easily pay 3x price for what is at Sushi Yoshi or buying airfare to Japan too. This means that my list of proper and best-value sushi places to eat grew to two: Sushi Yoshi and Tachibana. Keep in mind their menus are not the same but the value is definitely worth it.

Let's get down to what makes this place worth it. There are tons of pictures already but this is what I will be ordering every time I come in the future:

Sake Kama ("huge" broiled salmon collar) ..... ~$6 Chirashi (worth it for 'regular' dinner portion) ...... ~$20

For the chirashi, the sashimi and vinegar rice is served separately and to my surprise comes at a larger than expected portion compared to the sashimi entree. Now the absolute gem of a find is the Sake Kama - it's big, it's filling, it's yummy, it's cheaper than all other sushi places I've ever been, it's the part which I wish readers like you do not find out and drive up the cost. Sure there is the Buri Kama which twice the cost and prized for it's succulent meat and flavor but I can't justify ordering it [again] at twice the cost compared to Sake Kama.

Final notes to those thinking of dropping by. One, it is cramped. Given it's location, a lot of customers drop by so you might need a reservation during busy hour. I was able to get a table because we got there early or late. Lastly, you will be dining in the town of Vienna which typically means higher tax. Other than that - have fun and definitely try the...

The restaurant itself is pretty small, and it's always packed when I go--like VERY packed. The tables are all filled with customers.

The atmosphere...its small and cramped. You are right next to, behind, in front of other tables--so all conversations can be overheard (I heard conversations to the right of us, left of us, behind us, and in front of us). There isn't much lighting, but that could be an ambiance thing. Atmosphere 2/5.

We've ordered several things off the menu, and they all have different qualities. My mom is OBSESSED with their Chirachi--like she never gets anything else. The tempura appetizer was decent but not to die for (2 shrimp, 1 sweet potato, 1 squash, and 1 other vegetable which I couldn't identify but it was good). I wasn't too impressed with the chicken teriyaki bento box B--I mean it was alright, but could be improved on. The chicken teriyaki could've used more flavor. It's presented nicely though: rice shaped like a fish, chicken teriyaki cut to small bite size pieces, some sprouts, an unidentifiable fried thing, 3 pieces of california roll and 3 peices of salmon roll. By the way, every entree comes with a salad and a miso soup...if that's important to you. Food: 4/5

Now I know it's packed but I still believe BASIC customer service is a MUST. The waitresses never refilled our empty tea and water cups. They didn't check on us once--and when my poor grandmother asked for more napkins. The waitress didn't acknowledge her and passed by, but thankfully passed by again and tossed the napkins on our table...we were just thankful that we got the napkins. They need to hire more staff and retrain their current staff. Very...