Torai Sushi — Restaurant in Washington

This was my first time visiting Torso Sushi, as I had placed a pre-order for pickup. When I arrived, I was informed that my order had been ready earlier but was just being prepared as I got there, so I had to wait. I didn’t mind waiting, but what happened next left me feeling uncomfortable.

While waiting, I asked the staff member at the front if I could use their restroom. The response was a very flat "no," without any explanation. Normally, I would expect to hear something like "It’s for paying customers only" or "It’s out of order," but there was nothing. The refusal felt personal, and as a first-time customer, it made me feel unwelcome in the restaurant.

I understand that sometimes people might react to others based on assumptions or how someone may resemble another person, but that doesn’t justify treating people unfairly. Everyone deserves to be treated with kindness and respect, especially first-time customers.

I stepped outside to wait because I didn’t feel comfortable staying inside after that interaction. When I returned, my order was ready, and I just grabbed it and left.

Overall, my first experience at Torso Sushi wasn’t very positive. I hope the staff can be more courteous and offer explanations when declining a request, as it would make the place feel more welcoming to...

I was very excited about the place since all the reviews are good. Yet I was very disappointed. The few rolls and sashimi pieces are not fresh and some very obviously old. The tuna was simply dry and that take a number of laying around to get to that state.

Another thing that was kind of shocking is that when I asked for a glass of water they told me, they do not have any and I have to buy a bottled one, which is fine financially, but I have never been refused a glass of water (even in Paris!)

The service was also very bad. Every time I had to get up and go get someone. First it was to take my order, then to remind about other things we have ordered and at the end they actually forgot one. The I had to get up and find someone to ask for the check and then the same thing to actually pay. We had a table and we actually had to get up and go to the bar to pick our orders ourselves. There were 4 of us, so it was quite a few times. If I wanted that type of service, I would have...

I’d been to Torai Sushi once prior to COVID, but once we started getting takeout from them in the age of social distancing, we were blown away. Ordering online is extremely easy and the time estimate they provide you is actually accurate. Whenever we’ve ordered from them, they’re super quick - no longer than 20-25 minutes. I will recommend doing takeout from them (whether we are in a pandemic or not). They are definitely a hole-in-the-wall spot and don’t have a ton of seating inside, so don’t go with a big group. Usually when we order from them, we’re in a sushi rut and go wild ordering 7-9 rolls at a time for the three of us, and they display them so nicely on a tray every time. The rolls are great for the price and we appreciate the time and effort they take in making our sushi beautifully displayed - it’s like we got catering for our own little sushi night. Definitely check...