Tonari — Restaurant in Washington

TLDR: Fun take on Japanese Italian fusion. Pricey at times, but definitely worth a visit. Come for the pizzas.

Vibe: 5/5. Tonari has a beautiful restaurant nestled in the heart of Chinatown. Taking a modern izakaya approach to their decor, the downstairs has a bar as well as several 4 top booths for small group dining. Upstairs they have a huge traditional tatami seating area (you take off your shoes and you sit in the floor with your legs in a recessed part of the floor under the table) which is a fun experience for larger groups. They also have a massive table top garden on display on the 2nd floor which is worth a look!

Service: 5/5. During our visit, we dined with a large group of 9 and Tonari was very accommodating. We had to make last minute head count change to the table and had no problems doing so the day of. During our meal, our waiter did a fantastic job at keeping the table well stocked on drinks as well as clearing plates as we progressed through the meal. We ordered with the intent of dining family style which can get a little hectic with the addition of extra serving utensils, plates and the passing of food. However, Tonari did a stellar job at accommodating this and I highly recommend trying the menu in this fashion in order to get a full taste of the menu.

Food/Drinks: 3/5. Toting their style of food as Wafu Italian (Japanese style Italian), Tonari does deliver a unique take on food, but at some points fell short on execution and value. During our visit, we ordered more or less the entire menu in order to be eaten family style amongst the table. I feel this is the only way to order at unique restaurants, as it gives everyone a chance to try everything and not be limited to a few dishes. In addition, we ordered several cocktails, a pitcher of negroni (draft) and a bottle of sake for the table. The bar program at Tonari is nicely thought out, with plenty of fun twists on classic cocktails with Japanese ingredients. I especially enjoyed my Drunk Oji, which had a deep smoke note similar to eating BBQ from the Laphroaig and Toki whiskey mixed together. On to the food, the first round was appetizers which we ordered the polpette, burrata, Caesar and robata style shrimp that was on special. Everything came out nicely and tasted fine, but honestly nothing stood out as must haves. Our second course was designated our pasta round, consisting of the curry kinoko and mentaiko. Both dishes were interesting, as we started to taste the playfulness between Japanese and Italian ingredients. The mentaiko pasta dish definitely came out on top, having a nice umami flavor from the nori and cod roe which paired perfectly with the creamy creme fraiche sauce. Our final round was the main attraction, pizza! We ordered whole pizzas of the clam, mushroom and mentaiko. The 2 pizzas we were most excited for, the clam and mentaiko, fell short on expectations. Both felt a little undercooked when compared to the mushroom pizza and just didn't have the flavor profiles we were expecting from the ingredient list. The mushroom pizza faired much better, as it was cooked just a little longer to achieve a nice crisp crust and letting the flavors of the sauce and brick cheese open up. It could of just been a one off situation with our two pizzas, so don't write them off just based on our experience. The pricing at Tonari was a little on the high side for what we received. Each 4 slice pizza costs in the neighborhood of $25-30, which is a stretch in my opinion. Pasta dishes, which could be a satisfying meal for 1 person w/ appetizers, hovered in the $15-20 range. In addition, all tables are automatically charged a 22% service charge in place of tipping. Considering we typically tip in that range regardless of service, we were totally fine with this, but felt it was worth making note. All in all, everyone walked away from our meal satisfied and happy, but just felt for the money we spent it would of been a more memorable...

Tonari has a pizza with corn ON it as a main ingredient…yep CORN!! Different right? I HAD to have it! Hold up @thepickyramenlover AND @cousinkim_ were with me on this adventure (FOLLOW them both). We got so much food, I had to split this review in 2 parts. Let’s GO!! . Where I am: @tonaridc . Location Reviewed: 707 6th St., N.W. Washington D.C. . Menu Includes: Burrata, Cauliflower, Salad, Chips & Prosciutto, Pastas, Baked Oyster, Skirt Steak, Roast Chicken, Chocolate Dipped Strawberries, Craft Pizzas, Cocktails, Beer, Wine, & MORE!! . Items Reviewed: Their Marcella Hazan (spaghetti with The Famous Tomato Sauce, butter, basil, pecorino, parmesan, meatballs & onion $25). DELICIOUS!! The noodles, & tomato sauce were flavorful, the meatballs, not so much.

Their Skirt Steak (grilled skirt steak with confit piquillo, & anchovy sauce $26). LIKE THAT!! The confit piquillo are slowly roasted peppers that blended well with the steak, but that anchovy sauce made this meal!!

Their Chips & Prosciutto (thinly shaved prosciutto on top of thick cut potato chips, sprinkled with parmesan, & an aonori $12). STAMP!! Perfectly fried & cut chips, fat less pork, with Aonari which is a Japanese sea cabbage!!

Their Mentaiko (Tagliolini, Cod Roe, butter, red chili flakes, Tsuyu lemon, Shiso, & shredded Nori $20). STAMP!! Savory with a tip of sweetness, impressive & super tasty!!

Their Cauliflower (a whole head with an anchovy butter, garlic aioli, creamy labne, & grotto crumbs $16). PASS. The toppings were a hit, but after cutting the cauliflower it became bland.

Their Little Caesar Salad (a mesclun mix with almonds, vinaigrette, & manhego $15). DELICIOUS!! It was a tasty salad. . Customer Service: On Point . Online Navigation: Easy. . Parking: Rough. . Music: YouTube: Backyard Band Socket . Recommendations: Their Mentaiko, Chips & Prosciutto, & Skirt Steak!!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️=STAMP ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️➕=LIKE THAT ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️=DELICIOUS ⭐️⭐️⭐️=DECENT ⭐️⭐️=PASS ⭐️=NAH

#Bigschlimsreviews

Tonari has a pizza with corn ON it as a main ingredient…yep CORN!! Different right? I HAD to have it! Hold up @thepickyramenlover AND @cousinkim_ were with me on this adventure (FOLLOW them both). We got so much food, I had to split this review in 2 parts. Let’s GO!! . Where I am: @tonaridc . Location Reviewed: 707 6th St., N.W. Washington D.C. . Menu Includes: Burrata, Cauliflower, Salad, Chips & Prosciutto, Pastas, Baked Oyster, Skirt Steak, Roast Chicken, Chocolate Dipped Strawberries, Craft Pizzas, Cocktails, Beer, Wine, & MORE . Items Reviewed: Their Pepperoni Pizza (with brick cheese, Pizzaiolo sauce, & pickled jalapeño $16 Half). LIKE THAT!! A slightly dense pungent cheese, fresh sauce, & cup pepperoni!!

Their Chef Katsuya’s Original Mentaiko, & Corn Pizza (with corn sauce, Kewpie-Mentaiko cream, brick cheese, & chives $30 whole). STAMP!! STAMP!! Thick buttery crust that the cream seemed to melt into!! I never thought corn would be a perfect topping for pizza!! GET THIS!!

Their KC Masterpiece (with kalua pork, KC BBQ sauce, corn, slaw, brick cheese, & pickles $30 whole). STAMP!! The sweetness of the sauce, saltiness of the pork, even the slaw blended well!!

Their Bundino (dark chocolate pudding with seasonal fruit, & whipped cream $9). STAMP!! One side espresso pudding, the other dark chocolate!! GET IT!!

Their Black Sesame Tea Cake (with almond flour, black sesame, olive oil, oranges, whipped cream, & coconut gelato $12). STAMP!! Moist, fragrant, sweet, & creamy!!

Their Panna Cotta (with Miso pumpkin butter, pumpkin seeds, & maple syrup $8). DECENT. A sweet creamy jello consistency. The seeds were overpowering. . Customer Service: On Point . Online Navigation: Easy. . Parking: Rough. . Music: YouTube: 8/18/99 Denos-Smoke Workout . Recommendations: Get EVERY pizza, especially the corn, & that...

If I had to choose one word to describe Tonari, it would be 'gracious.' It's been one month since my partner and I had dinner there, and thinking about it still fills me with the warmth and happiness we felt while we were their guests.

We arrived at 5 so we could try the early bird chef's tasting menu. It was raining outside, but as soon as we walked in, the warmth from the natural woods in the decor made me feel cozy. The first floor is a low-key bar, and a flight of stairs on the right takes you to the dining area. I was so delighted--you can take off your shoes and sit at dark polished wood Japanese-style low tables with hidden recesses beneath them for people who'd rather sit with their legs outstretched. At the very back of the room is an open view into the kitchen, and between the kitchen and dining area is what I think they called the "garden"; a waist-high platform with a diorama-like collection of different mosses that hide miniature figurines of Totoro, houses, etc. As we were being seated, our server lit little candles at each table. Everything twinkled, especially the energetic, glossy city pop pouring through the speakers like the house prosecco we had with dinner. Our server, David, was so kind, and spent a lot of time listening to what we thought of the food and making sure we were enjoying ourselves. Besides a family sitting at the tabletops close to the kitchen, the place was quiet--even though I know that isn't ideal for the restaurant, it made for a pretty romantic evening. The whole place felt like it was ours.

We tried the Caesar salad, which is probably the only Caesar salad I'll ever get excited about--we loved the nuts and oil in it! The inari was delicate and fishy and the rice was so soft and perfect! For the main course, we tried the spaghetti and the mentaiko. Both were wonderful; the mentaiko was everything I want pasta to be! The gentle fish flavors mixed with the light sauce and noodles were comforting. We finished everything off with the matcha affogato. I think I wished for a little deeper matcha flavor, but it was still the perfect end to the evening.

Hmm.. maybe that's it. At a restaurant, customers are usually called "guests," but it's not often that you feel bone-deep that you're being treated as one. We felt the grace of the experience Tonari invited us to be a part of.

[2025 Edit: My wonderful friends came into the city to visit, and I wanted to give them an impressive food experience. We had the classic Tonari pizza, the blood orange salad, I tried the pear pressure mocktail, and the meatball bao. Our server was just so lovely, and I just couldn't have asked for a nicer night. Thanks,...