Taiko Sushi — Restaurant in Virginia

Update 3/16/18: The Sushi Dinner was arranged differently today, which was a pleasant surprise. We also ordered fried calamari and the Happy Santa roll. I was thoroughly impressed with the calamari--not rubbery at all and the crust was like that of an onion ring.

Original Review: The first thing I noticed about this place was the slow music and quiet atmosphere that transports you away from the busy street outside. The chairs are plush and super comfy and the napkins, placemats, and menus make the restaurant feel really premium.

We ordered the sushi dinner, a phoenix roll, katsudon, and nabeyaki udon. All the sushi was fantastic. I'll refrain from commenting too much on the quality of the fish since I'm not a connoisseur, but I thought they were all delicious. I also especially liked the rice, which did not taste too heavily of vinegar. If I had to "complain" about something, I'd say the wasabi seemed a little dry, but that might have just been a function of how late it was on a slow Tuesday night.

I also really enjoyed the katsudon, which was about equal parts pork and rice--perfect to me since I dislike it when there is a lot more rice. It also came topped with small slices of pickled radish and seaweed, which lightened the dish just a bit without making it too acidic or too grassy. However, some might not enjoy this dish because the pork is topped with sauce and egg, making it lose it's crunchy outside.

My friend's nabeyaki udon looked great but tasted strongly of sesame or sesame oil, which was not something either of us expected in a Japanese udon dish... Though neither of us are Japanese cuisine experts so what do we know?

All in all though, eating here was a great experience, and I'll definitely be coming back for their other...

20250211 Came here with my co-workers for a late lunch. The tall waiter was very friendly, and attentive - ensuring our glasses are filled all the time. I ordered the Aged Tofu, and it was served in smaller pieces than other Japanese restaurant. I love the small pieces better because more surface is fried, which made it tastier. it is the best aged tofu I had so far. I also tried some of my coworkers' appetizers... the Takoyaki (octopus wheat ball) was yummy. The Taiko Crab Rangoon was amazing, and the crab meat was delicious. The Gyoza looks handmade (not frozen), and it was so good... I could eat 20+ of them. I ordered the Sushi Sandwich. It was good, but I don't recommend it. The rice to fish proportion was not good... too much rice - about 4/5 was rice, which made it harder to taste the fish. It was good, but I would have liked it better if there was more fish filling for the amount of rice... with a proportion of 4/6 rice. I would come back here and try another sushi selection. The service was excellent.

4 years ago... This is my first time dining at the restaurant. A friend picked it out. The presentation of the sushi was pretty and the sushi was delicious. The fish just melted in my mouth. The service was great, and the waitress was friendly. I believe the waitress and sushi chef are Chinese. The chair I sat in was sunk in, making the table a little higher than I prefer. I would...

Made reservation for mothers day here since my mom likes rolls and i read pretty decent reviews. Once we arrived, no one greeted us. There were two waiter/waitress working and they seem to not care. Waiter approached me and as I was about to tell them i made a reservation, he made this cringe on his face and yelled, “ NO MORE! No more people for tonight!” There were about 4 tables still open two sushi men working behind the bar. I understand its mothers day and its busy but thats why i made the reservation. Its not my responsibility that you understaffed your employees on mothers day. I told him i made a reservation after his fuss and he look disgusted and said, “you have to wait over hour okay!?” No sorries no apologies, just this attitude of tone making it sound like its somehow my fault... i told him “why do you guys take reservations if you dont want customers or make people wait this long?” He replies “ we have tables to sit!” “Alot of food ordered right now!” Again jusy excuses instead of a simple apology. we left the place and im damn sure we’re never coming back. Don’t talk to customers like that and you guys might as well get rid of reservations. Hire more sushi men or hire someone whos more skilled since i see alot of reviews where you guys are...