Very good quality sushi. Great rice texture and quality. The fish also tastes great. Efficient, helpful and pleasant service. Beside sushi, they also offer authentic Japanese dishes which are also really good.
(5)
Nicole L.
We were excited to try Yuzu since the chef came from Sushi-Ko. The restaurant was simple decor. We started with some wines they were good. I started with the seaweed salad but it was not what I expected I thought it was be more premium seaweed but it was average plus the dressing was not impressive. I also ordered the Chef's chirashi supposedly came with premium fish. It had good sashimi but not good enough for $35. I had better chirashi for much less. So I had very high expectation for their chirashi. Overall the price was too high for the quality, it was good quality but not mind blowingly good.
(3)
Herschel S.
It's been a while since I've gone to a place without knowing the Yelp review for it. I must say I was pleasantly surprised when I visited this establishment. First off, when my colleagues and I came in, I noticed that the servers are mostly Americans. Given that, I thought the Japanese food will be Americanized. However, I was proven wrong. I ordered their lunch special- the grilled mackerel served with rice and miso soup. When I tasted the miso soup, it transported me back to last year when my husband and I visited Japan. The grilled mackerel also reminded me the day we followed the Japanese salarymen to lunch in Japan. The portion is also huge considering it is fish. The green tea is also very good. I had to check what's in the teapot because it really was THAT good. I thought they were using matcha powder but no they were just using a pouch with a lot of green tea leaves. This place is pretty authentic. (A Japanese family was also in the restaurant eating. That must be a good sign, right?) Now, why 4 stars? The service was a little off. The server made assumptions about me just because I'm Asian. She gave my colleagues their soup spoon and was about to not give me one because she thought I wouldn't need it.
(4)
Courtney D.
The sushi was delicious but service was dreadful. Had to wait over an hour and a half for two rolls of sushi when we were one of three tables there. Also we had to ask for a glass of water 3 times until it finally came when they brought the check. Great food, but would not suggest going there hungry or if you have plans afterwards.
(2)
Sam C.
The miso soup, which you'd think to be the simplest of things to make at a Japanese restaurant was not only "meh" but not even hot when we got it. The sushi was definitely sub-par and I would not go back there again. Not to mention the service was incredibly slow - I think they had only one waitress working.
(2)
Katie M.
Great sushi in a quiet restaurant in Bethesda. Fresh, clean, everything that's great about sushi. Be sure to try the green tea ice cream!!
(4)
Jen O.
After checking out the menu posted outside the front door, I decided to give Yuzu a try. The service was excellent right from a prompt greeting as I entered straight thru the meal and the friendly farewell. I ordered the house salad which was above average in terms of the quality of lettuces used and the light ginger dressing. I also had the shrimp and vegetable tempura entree. The portion size was generous and it came with rice. Pricing was reasonable with my meal, soda, tax and tip coming in at $35. I would recommend them and plan on going again!
(4)
Michael H.
I had the Premium Assorted Sushi - 10 pieces of nigiri with a 'chef's choice' roll. Nigiri wasn't terrible, but nothing spectacular. The selection was unimpressive (egg?) and the fish wasn't great. The 'chef's choice' was a huge disappointment. It was half cucumber / half spicy salmon maki. I'm not local, but I'm guessing you could have a much better meal elsewhere for $35. I guess I should have known since the place was more or less empty at 7:00pm (on a Tuesday, but still a bad sign).
(2)
Guo T.
My husband and I went there on my birthday, such a nice place with Japanese clean and neat style. The decoration at front door was so cute with mini size sushi. The server was friendly, and the food is same as what we ate in Tokyo, so delicious that make us grab food without any left. We ordered the yellowtail calpaccio and toro, the best of all. The yellowtail calpaccio was more than I can imagine, the yellowtail was soft, savory especially with ponzu sauce. toro was great, the buttery part of tuna gonna melt in your month. We also ordered the edamame tempura, which we NEVER had in any other place. It's a little bit salt and sweet with tempura sauce, with the fried young soy beans gonna subvert the traditional boiled edamame. The crunchy spicy tuna is my husband favorite, crispy, spicy, and aromatic tuna, with a little bit sour in the sushi rice and the outside part nori, yummiest in the world. The server bring our desert with a candle on the top, we ordered the black sesame ice cream, scented sesame is not too heavy to make you faint, just savory enough to attract you eat more. We will definitely come back more often, most native Japanese food in town.
(5)
Amanda F.
Finally! an AUTHENTIC sushi restaurant in Bethesda. This family owned establishment is a gem and a must go if you are a sushi fan. Food-Go for anything-sashimi, nigiri and sushi rolls in addition to small grilled plates. (Thank The Lord above there is isn't a communal hibachi grill in sight.) I had the deluxe chef sushi selection and nigiri daily special-the fish was fresh, embodying that clean oceanic flavor. We also had the edamame, which wasn't your run of the mill frozen Whole Foods variety. No, it was black edamame purchased fresh, steamed and chilled. Drinks-I (surprisingly) didn't drink, but there is a relaxed bar area with a great selection of Japanese and southeast Asian beers. The cocktail menu was enticing, and actual yuzu could be found in several of the offerings. Atmosphere-You may as well be in Tokyo. Service-Friendly and prompt.
(5)
Brittany J.
I echo the helpers that say this is on par with Sushi-Ko, the quality of the fish, the skill of the chef, the portion size, and price points are quite similar. This location also happens to have nigiri that isn't covered in wasabi. The manager/bartender Remi is adorable and gives great suggestions along with great service. She's also really easy to talk to. There was only me and one other patron there tonight so we had her full attention. I had the anubi style (flame seared) nigiri. Amaze balls. I also had two specials whose names are escaping me, but one is a seasonal fish they were almost out of. I also had one of the summer cocktail original creations, a matcha mojito which is perfect for the drinker who doesn't like her drinks too sweet. I finished off with a yelp recommendation of green tea and yuzu ice cream which I would go back for. Apparently Chef Yoshi's wife also makes some dessert selections but only if they sell well so ask what the special dessert offerings are when you go! Apparently they've only been open for 3 months and the chef came from Kushi and decided to open his own place. I'm so glad. The price point puts this firmly in the once-in-a-while-treat category, but it's nice to know the person who brought Kushi to its former glory is still doing strong culinary work in the area.
(5)
Ammie L.
Came here for dinner twice. Both had a very pleasant experience. The food is very authentic Japanese. The tofu dengaku and yakuniku were delicious! Yakuniku is quite large portion as an entry for one. Chef's chirashi is also good-portion, both the sashimi and chirashi were premium quality, fresh and tender. The staff are very friendly, helpful and respectful, like a typical good restaurant in Japan. Love this place. Will definitely come back.
(5)
Erica C.
Yuzu is good times. The sushi selection is quite nice and wasn't the ridiculous lineup that most sushi places have. Yuzu keeps it classy. But with that being said, Yuzu is a bit on the expensive side compared to other sushi spots. Parking is easy to find. The beer selection looks decent. The atmosphere is open and clean.
(4)
T R.
Pretty decent service. Had a cold beer brought to me soon after sitting down. The options on them menu are pretty good. I am a vegetarian so the message saying they didn't know what was or was not vegetarian at the bottom of the menu seemed sort of lazy. I mean how much effort would it take to parse out, like 10 minutes? Got some hopefully vegetarian sushi rolls. Good, not bad. The corn tempura was fun to break into... hopefully it was meant to be finger food because that is what I had to do. Not bad for a quick dinner. I'll go back now and then.
(4)
Sheila W.
I got the bento box lunch special. It was good, but not the best I've had (and I've had a lot of Japanese food.) I liked the miso soup, contrary to other reviews. Pleasant service, though there was a slight glitch in that it took a while for my food to arrive. The hostess was very apologetic. I would have given it 3 stars, but bumped it up to 4 after they found my lost credit card and held onto it safely with no false charges. When I picked up the card, they were careful to check that I was really the cardholder. I will go back and try their $9.99 weekday lunch special.
(4)
Andrew R.
dinner with a friend saturday night. a little sake, sashimi platter, some crunchy rolls, edamame. everything was excellent, great service, nice atmosphere and the prices are what you would expect to pay in bethesda. the standout for me, however, was the fried eggplant dish. yummers. it is a must have.
(4)
Dustin G.
THEY HAVE ORION!!! I lived in Okinawa for 2 years and outside of Japan this is the best sushi I've had in years... Very very pricy though
(5)
Teresa L.
Yuzu is a new-ish Japanese restaurant in Bethesda. I was actually there for a special sake and washoku pairing event so I can't comment on the regular menu. The special menu we did have was very good, from some a small starter of three different presentations of tofu, to an exceptional flounder and mushroom dish, to small selection of sushi. The restaurant itself is simply decorated and smells wonderful when you walk in the door. I'd certainly be happy to go back here and taste some of their regular offerings.
(3)
Tanya G.
Often I find myself wondering if there is more to a particular cuisine than just what is found in this country. Have you ever wondered what Japanese ppl eat on a daily basis? I mean yes eating sushi and ramen every day would be amazing but there's got to be more right?? What am I missing that restaurants aren't providing?? My not so recent trip to Japan gave me a glimpse of what that diet might be and my very recent trip to Yuzu gave me some more insight. Yuzu just opened a mere few weeks ago so the food and drink menu is a little bit on the limited side but I was very impressed with what I saw and tasted. Edamame - Black edamame served instead of the usual green and it was very tasty. Slightly sweeter, tasted like it was cooked in one of my favorite teas (pandan) and lightly salted. Age Nasu Dengaku - Fried eggplant with chicken miso sauce. Now I am partial to eggplant and I am partial to miso sauce so this dish was a shoe in for deliciousness. I do find the miso sauce can be over powering so lather with caution. Mushroom Tempura - When they say variety, they really mean it. It really is whatever is available/fresh that day. So just be satisfied with a medley of mushrooms that is tempura-ed to perfection. Grilled Black Cod - Remember when I said that I was partial to eggplant and miso sauce?? Well black cod and miso sauce trumps that eggplant ANY DAY. Possibly my favorite fish of all time and this one did not disappoint. Again the miso sauce can be overwhelming. Chef's Choice Sushi - Supposedly the creme de la creme of sushi available. The fish was fresh and delicious, sadly uni or toro were not in season when we ordered this dish. Aburi 5 - This is the dish that you MUST order. Five delectable sushi nigiri seared with a freakin blowtorch. It adds that crisp smoky flavor to the fish and that combination is simply divine. If it were up to me, all fish would be this way!! I cannot wait to see what Yuzu does with its menu as it grows and establishes itself as a restaurant. Take note worshippers of Japanese cuisine, there's a new hot kid in town!!
(4)
Anna S.
Decided to try Yuzu for dinner after a Japanese friend recommended it. There were a fair amount of customers in the house and only two front of house staff members, but they did a fantastic job caring for all guests and preparing take out orders. We tried the seaweed salad, corn tempura, and mushidori to start. The salad had a beautiful assortment of four types of seaweed. The corn tempura was light and unique - served with green tea powder which you mix with soy sauce to dip the tempura in. My favorite was the mushidori - it's a chilled chicken dish in sesame sauce and it was so refreshing in this heat. Next we ordered some sushi - the aburi 5, a premium assortment, and the usuzukuri at the recommendation of our server. The aburi 5 was amazing..seared nigiri that melts in your mouth. The usuzukuri was also a treat - apparently it is a traditional Japanese New Years dish. Overall, this was an amazing experience. I see some comments about the slow service - I felt well cared for at all times, especially considering there were only two chefs hand crafting each dish. This is a family run restaurant and I felt as if I were being treated to a home cooked meal in a home rather than having pre-made dishes reheated quickly and brought to me. Trust me, it's worth the wait :) P.S. Try the desserts! Apparently the chef's wife/co-owner makes them herself as she is a trained pastry chef. The panna cotta was to die for!
(5)
Giovanni B.
I'm really torn about this place. I've driven by here a couple times a week for the past couple months and watched it develop from the ashes of DIVINO. The best thing about Yuzu was the menu. It has a really interesting and comprehensive menu that probably is the best sushi/japanese restaurant i've ever been to in the DMV area. There were really interesting and creative dishes on the menu which i really liked. There was a really nice combination of sushi and kitchen dishes beyond the standard chicken teriyaki and shrimp tempura. I love japanese food and was like a kid in a candy store ordering from the menu. We ordered A LOT of stuff. Another thing I really liked was a small menu of special fish offerings that were flown in fresh from Japan. It's really nice to have a variable special menu so that you can try new interesting things every time you return. I saw some fish on this special menu i'd never seen offered anywhere else before. In addition to this, the front of house staff really knew their stuff about Japanese cuisine. They were really helpful and offered great suggestions. Everyone was exceedingly nice and polite. So far everything about this review seems good. But the theme of our visit (and this review) was that this place has so much potential but we felt that many things fell short of delivering a top-notch experience. First of all, the ratio of front of the house to back of the house employees is waaaaaay out of whack. There were 2 hostesses (or maybe 1 hostess and 1 FOH manager?) and 4-6 servers and what looked like only 2-3 people back in the kitchen. This led to having servers/hostesses buzzing around the restaurant with no food to take to their tables. This also lead to waiting 20+ minutes for a crumb of food being delivered to our table after our order was taken. I should add here that it was friday night but probably only about 60% of the seats were filled. We ordered a couple cold dishes (Oshinko, Hijiki Salad in Dashi broth) and a miso soup. We didn't get the Oshinko or Hijiki for at least 20 minutes despite the fact that all these dishes needed was to be plated. Our miso soup never showed up (except on the bill). Why wait so long to deliver the cold dishes? There were serious issues with the timing of service. We also ordered a large array of Nigiri. We were excited to try some of the flown in from Japan sushi and also to try Aburi style (seared w/ torch) nigiri. When the fish arrived, we were a little disappointed with the cuts of fish as they were much smaller than we were used to for $5-$8 for 2 pieces. None of the fish blew us out of the water and the construction of the nigiri was a little suspect at times. We didn't notice much difference for the 5 Aburi style pieces we ordered. That was a let down. After scarfing everything down, we ordered 3 rolls and a tofu dish because the unusually small nigiri pieces didn't quite fill us up. The rolls came quicker and were quite tasty (and straightforward). When the bill came, we knew we were in for some trouble with all the food we ordered. It wasn't horrible but certainly more than we would usually spend eating sushi. I'm ok paying $100+ for two people for a sushi dinner, but it should knock my socks off for that price. My socks were still firmly rooted in my shoes. In the end, I hope they work out their issues and are able to kick their execution up a notch or two. With a menu like they have and a staff as knowledgeable as they are, this place has the potential to be among the best in DMV area. Unfortunately too many shortcomings has left me feeling slightly disappointed. Side note: the interior of this place lacks a certain finish for how expensive the dishes are and what caliber of restaurant it presents itself as. The decor was very nice and classy, but it just lacked the level of fit and finish you would expect in a restaurant that presents itself as classy as Yuzu.
(3)
Rachel M.
I went to Yuzu tonight with a few friends. It was their first night open so I there were definitely a few kinks and a nervous waitress. I've been really looking forward to Yuzu opening because its close to my work and Bethesda is really lacking a quality Japanese restaurant. The good: a varied menu with some small hot and cold items offers choice for people who aren't sushi lovers. The staff was really attentive...to the point it felt awkward because there were lots of staff and it was empty. The bad/mediocre: the place was dusty. The backs of the booths were covered with dust, the spoon was dirty, chopsticks too. The sushi and nigiri were just okay and kind of small for the price as was the veggie tempura. I disliked that you don't get a pot of green tea only small cups but it was free (opening night only). I ate the previous night at Sushiko and found myself comparing everything to there and we all agreed Sushiko was more enjoyable and surprisingly less expensive. Bottom line: it has potential. I will give it another try but will wait until they've been open longer and had a chance to work out the menu.
(3)
Brad C.
Great Japanese food for vegetarians. Veggie sushi rolls, tempura edamame, tempura corn, yuzu ice cream and black sesame ice cream were all winners.
(5)
Richard D.
First, I would like to say I do not Yelp, However I would like to make an exception this time. I truly enjoyed my experience at YUZU! First time at a Chef's table, and definitely not my last! I am an official groupie. The Nigiri Omakase was out standing, looking forward to having it again.
(5)
Brett M.
Delicate, high end Sushi comes to Bethesda. The quality of the fish is the reason to go. The atmosphere is quiet, and relaxed. Yoshihisa Ota has created something special.
(4)
Consumer X.
Discovered this little gem about 9 months ago and will continue to keep going back for the seaweed salad, braised pork belly, udon and toasted sesame ice cream. And the sushi and sashimi are pretty darn tasty as well!
(4)
Nobody I.
Having read some of the reviews on Yelp I went expecting fun, interesting, and flavorful Japanese-inspired food. My wife and I left $100 lighter, and not at all satisfied. The food wasn't bad. It just wasn't especially good - nothing to justify the high prices (that $100 included only green tea and bottled water to drink). We left hungry and got a charcuterie plate at a bar up the street. Highlight: the yellowtail "cheek" (collar). Lowlight: having to ask for ponzu to go with it. And then ask again for another (tiny) bowl of ponzu, as we were sharing the fish across the table. Portions were scant and, did I mention, high-priced and entirely unremarkable?
(2)
Rex H.
Tofu was on another level, completely changing my idea of what tofu should taste like. It was nice and sweet with interesting flavors. The other food was also good. Sushi was nice. Anago in particular was rather tasty. Maguro as well was remarkably good. The seaweed salad was fresh and delicious but somewhat salty. The mountain vegetables and pickled vegetables were excellent and tasted as though they had been recently harvested. Nice atmosphere and friendly staff.
(5)
Bill P.
Great new sushi place.....I hope they pack them in more frequently though. Never busy when I've been by and this Saturday only one other table late lunch. Had the Japanese pickles (Oshinko) $5 very tasty and varied. The Tuna Jalapeno $8 very good and spicy kick to it. The California rolls $6 and well prsented. Server Maia attentive without being overbearing which can sometimes happen at a slow time. I'll be back and they start happy hour this week also.
(4)
Robert J.
Only came here once for lunch, but considering they are still in a soft-opening phase, the quality of the food was excellent. The menu is gradually being expanded, so the current selection is limited, unless you have come specifically for sushi. I am planning on returning in a few weeks, once the menus are going full tilt and they have their liquor license; I have a hard time eating sushi without the requisite beer to compliment it.
(5)
Michael S.
Really, really good. The food is definitely on a par with Sushi-Ko or Kaz. The ambiance has a way to go, but the place is in its "soft opening" phase. We will definitely be going back often. I had some of the best Uni negimaki that I've ever had. Nicely garnished with a little dab of wasabi on top. The Miso black cod did *not* come with an overwhelming miso sauce as one reviewer said. It was miso-marinated, but sauceless, and just tasted like "ooh, mommy!," as I exclaimed when I took my first bite. What a wonderful piece of fish! The fried eggplant with chicken miso sauce, described as a staff favorite, was a family favorite, too. Wow. The seared albacore with jalapeno appetizer was super, as was the four-seaweed salad. And the soft shell crab and avocado roll, and ... well, you get the idea. Even the vegetables in sweet tofu sauce were great. Service was excellent and enthusiastic. Minh explained the dishes well and gave us frequent status reports on progress.
(5)
Mahoko E.
I ate dinner at Yuzu twice already after it opened on Monday. We became kind of Chef Yoshi's groupies after we first discovered him as the head sushi chef at Sushiko couple years ago. We've been patiently waiting for him to open his own restaurant... And yes, it was every bit as good or better than I imagined. There are sushi chefs who make sushi to make some cash, and there are sushi chefs who are obsessed with food (or more precisely, how to make better and better food) 24/7. Chef Yoshi is the latter. Just like Jose Andres whom we met before he became super famous. Yoshi had his own restaurant in the prestigious Ginza district before he came here to go global. Their loss, our gain. Chef Yoshi knows how to pick, prepare, and serve fish. I had salmon, yellow tail, eel, tuna, sweet shrimp, sardine, etc. Everything tasted fresh and exquisite. The consistency and proportion of rice were perfect. Salmon and yellowtail melted in my mouth. I also tasted pork kakuni, age tofu, yakitori, eggplant dengaku, chicken tatsuta-age, ganmodoki, and mushroom miso soup. There wasn't one thing that I didn't love. Their food just made me happy. And full:-) They are slowly expanding their menu in the coming weeks, as well as waiting to get their liquor license. If you need good sake or beer to go with their magnificent meal, you should wait couple weeks and then go crazy. In the meantime, I'm sure my friends and I will keep going back to be blessed with Yoshi's food regularly.
(5)
Eugene H.
Me and my cousin tried out this place and when we saw that there was a special imported menu, we had to try a couple of items from there. It was ridiculously expensive, but the food was top notch. Definitely a fun experience to try out food that you usually can't get in the area, but be prepared to pay for it.
(4)
Denise P.
I like the location, I like the service and although the menu won't blow your mind with creativity the end product is high quality. We ordered a couple of rolls to share, their house specialty tempura corn and some udon noodles. If you're near and you want sushi this is a really reliable and authentic option. The tempura corn was super unique with the green tea/salt dipping powder. Worth a try.
(4)
Wayne F.
Hum, this is right down the street and I was hoping I would love it. Overall good, just not great-- 3.5 stars but just don't feel the urge to round up on this one. The highlight was the yakatori chicken-- plump, good char, juicy...just good. The sashimi platter portion of the chirashi was disappointing. It comes out on ice, which was nice, but the flavor gets lost when the fish is so cold. The rice for the nigiri was a good consistency but just not flavored very well-- I like mine to have a bit more vinegar (I douce fries in vinegar also, so maybe this is just me being weird here). The bartender/manager, who was great btw, said the uni was from a special source, etc, but I found it kind of bitter and bland. The owner's wife makes an awesome dessert from scratch, which is definitely worth a try. For Bethesda, this is solid, but overall would try other places.
Ordered tempura, great, very light & tasty ! The nabe hot pot was delicious as well. We had 8 people in our party & everything went well. Had dirty martinis that were some of the best I've ever had. In fact, went back again and had more the next night. Definitely will go back again. A recommend! And I'm only in this area once a year :)
(5)
Kate O.
Maybe I came on a bad day? I'm not really getting all the raves for this place. The sushi was just meh- didn't seem all that fresh and quite, well, tasteless. The blow torched sushi makes all the sushi taste the same. So is it me or them? Well you can try yourself but a word of warning- it's an expensive shot to give...
(2)
Linda H.
I wanted to love love this place. I liked it a lot. The fish quality was quite good. The rice was not warm & seasoned enough. We also waited quite a long time for our food which meant the nori was soggy. But, I think they're working out the new kinks, so I'll definitely give it another try and hope the food comes out faster.
(4)
Foodrunner F.
Pretty good sushi. The fish is fresh. They do not have crazy rolls, just simple sushi and Nigri. The restaurant is pretty laid back. A casual place that is nice to hang out with friends or go on a casual date.
(3)
Mahsa K.
They have only one lunch special "bento box" but they allow you a vegetarian modification option which is nice. The sushi is good enough. For the price I would expect it to be a little more cold, with wasabi dots underneath--classically done, and more plump. The crunchy shrimp and "cooked" rolls turned out better than where I could compare their raw rolls.... the sushi buffet down the street makes more sense for the price at lunch I'd say. But this would be a good dinner place. And I will give them this... their edamame is awesome. It served cold and sweet but each bean has such a silky texture---pleasant surprise.
(4)
Brian J.
Udon was delicious, the sushi however was just ok. I haven't found great sushi anywhere in bethesda yet.
(3)
Mark O.
Great food, great service. I've been there 4 times already in just a few months (and I don't eat out much). Great eggplant appetizer. Wonderful sushi. A different, interesting take on some traditional fare. Will definitely be back.
(4)
Shelly G.
Yuzu is a wonderful restaurant. Try the seaweed salad and the eggplant appetizer--to die for. Other favorites are the oysters, crunchy outside, warm and tender inside, and the soft shell crab roll. I think I like it better than Tako Grill, which I did not think possible.
(4)
Eric B.
Nice new spot. Very good sushi. Decor and atmosphere, inviting.
(4)
Thanh N.
ordered the chirashi and was very pleased. fish was fresh and delicious. a little bit on the expensive side though. service was very fast and attentive but then again, i was there for a very early dinner.
(4)
Andrew S.
New favorite place for sushi and authentic Japanese dining. Chef is super experienced and food is always good!
(4)
Maru T.
I seem to have hit an unlucky streak with service lately and while Yuzu doesn't have the worst service I have been tortured with lately, their food does little to offset the complete incompetence we experienced which started with really slow drink service, appetizers coming out in a delayed piecemeal fashion, forgotten orders, and an incorrect bill. The sushi was mediocre with minuscule pieces of fish in the rolls, mediocre flavors on the tofu, and a blah hot pot. We had 7PM reservations on a Friday night and the restaurant wasn't completely full so I don't think they should have an excuse for not being ready for the average size crowd. There are many better options for sushi in Bethesda - I will not be back.
(1)
Vmc R.
Very authentic Japanese sushi - I feel like now that Americans have embraced sushi they tend to like the really huge slices of fish and rolls, but I prefer this traditional style... it's really good quality: silky, tender fish that melts in your mouth in two reasonable sized bites. (In my opinion, better than gnawing on a big chunk of tasteless fish, with no balance of flavor & texture to the rice, etc.) I've eaten at the other venues that Yoshi's been involved with (big fan of Sushiko & Kushi) and the food here lives up to his reputation. I had the seaweed salad (BIG portion, tasty dressing... ok - I'm liking a big portion in this case!) and some nigiri & maki. My favorite is that they have umeshiso on the menu (in the sushi rolls)!!! Only a very few restaurants in DC offer it. Yum!
(5)
Gordon M.
This place is terrible. Service is slow. Food is not kept at proper temperatures and for raw fish that is a disaster waiting to happen. They just opened this month but they should just give up and close. The staff keeps apologizing to every table. My order was wrong. Portions are not what I would expect for the price. Just a disaster. Don't be fooled by the reviews from friends of the owner.
(1)
Andrew V.
Absolutely incredible top to bottom. Food was out of this world! They apparently get shipments directly from Japan a couple of times a week and it shows. This was as close as you can get to a sushi experience in Japan without buying a plane ticket. The daily specials (which were shipped from Japan the morning of our meal) were unbelievably good. I highly suggest the Toro and Hamaki collar if they have it when you try this wonderful place out. The service was outstanding. Staff was very knowledgeable and even showed us pictures of the chefs butchering the fresh tuna that they received that morning. Deserts were incredible as well with some traditional Japanese deserts that I had never tried before but was delightfully surprised. This is a place that all sushi lovers should try. I promise you will not be disappointed. And when you do, be a good neighbor and rate this restaurant on every site you know of. This place deserves to be the premier sushi restaurant in the Washington DC metropolitan area.
(5)
Jessica C.
I live a few blocks away and I really, really wanted to love it...unfortunately, it just didn't live up to my expectations. The dishes were just ok and the sushi was fine, but lots of rice and not too much fish. The service was ok. There are much better Japanese places in the area.
(2)
Nancy L.
Not sure how this place had 4 stars. Maybe we visited on an off day. Maybe I've been spoiled by Philly sushi. The place was completely empty which was strange given that it was a weekday at noon. I think we ordered a sushi platter and a handroll. Nothing was bad per day but nothing was great either.
(3)
William M.
We dined there last night after reading that this restaurant had opened. We are big fans of Sushi-Ko, especially the one in Georgetown, and the owner of Yuzu apparently used to be the executive chef at Sushi Ko. You could definitely see the influences. My wife had the jalapeño tuna roll (which we both love) and the crunchy shrimp roll. Both were excellent. I had the deluxe sushi plate, also excellent. We highly recommend. Best in Bethesda.
(5)
Jeannie E.
Dinner at Yuzu is fantastic. The food is fresh and delicious, the staff took great care of us, and the clientele was a wonderful mix of families, groups of friends, couples, individual business travelers, and Japanese patrons. The ambiance is a relaxing mix of modern, spacious, and comfy. I will definitely be back during Yuzu's soft opening and I very much look forward to its grand opening and beyond. This one is a winner.
(5)
Barbara A.
Definitely the best Japanese restaurant in the area. Seaweed salad with 4 varieties was excellent. Nice vegetarian options. Tempura was very light and not greasy. A winner. Other dishes were good too.
(5)
Marie C.
Yuzu is a great addition to Bethesda. I've gone back several times for lunch specials (which remind me of trips to Japan as soon as the flavors hit) and told friends about the place. Lunches are not crowded and the staff did tell me that the summer is a very tough time to open a restaurant--So, patronize this wonderful place! The red bean gelatin dessert is hard to find here and so refreshing.
(4)
Hilary B.
We have been trying to get to Yuzu for a few weeks since it opened and tonight we finally made it there. And it was amazing! If you have lived in Japan or know what Japanese food is supposed to taste like then this is the place for you. The sushi is small like it should be and room temp. You can taste the delicious fish in every bite. They had great specials that were comprised of fish flown from Japan. The red snapper nigiri was delicious. I have also been searching for Yakitori since I left Japan and this finally brought me back to the delicious Yakitori street carts that you find around the city. The sauce is exactly as it should taste, chicken is perfectly grilled and every bite was fantastic. The nuta maguro is delicious as well. And thank goodness for the absence of mayonnaise. Gross! I hate all the mayo places put in their sushi. This is convenient and has a comfortable, relaxing atmosphere. Will definitely be back. This is worth every dollar. Staff was very friendly and helpful. This is a real Japanese restaurant in the heart of Bethesda. Decor is beautifully understated.
(5)
Shad M.
How did I not know about this place sooner!? Stumbled here one night when another sushi place down the street was closed. And thank god it was closed - because this place was great! The shrimp tempura and avocado roll was probably one of the best shrimp tempura rolls I've had. My mouth is watering now as I'm typing this. It was just sooooo good. The other rolls we got were also very good - crunchy california, jalapeño tuna, and crunchy salmon. The seaweed salad was also great - and came with this tasty peanut sauce. The server was very attentive and everyone else there was really nice too. So happy I found this place randomly and can't wait to go back!
(5)
Jim L.
We walk by this place constantly in that never-ending serch for a decent lunch (fas) place in Bethesda. Yes you all: Bethesda. Yes there are tons to eat, but if you work here, you will find that most places are sit-down and take way too long for a lunch. Boss was paying, so why not? Walked in for the first time and was pleasantly surprised at the decor. It is much larger than it appears from the outside. Got the Bento Box for $12,95 and it was good, nothing to complain about. Not much meat and no roll? He got a plate of rolls which were good and the rice was very fresh. One thing that always got to me from reading the menu that they have outside the door are the prices. A bit high, but then again, we are in Bethesda. I get it......the landlords that control EVERYTHING probably have their lease jacked higher than the Hilton Hotel tower.
(3)
Kathryn L.
Came here with a Co-worker for the lunch specials, wasn't impressive by far. The Take-Out Menu I picked up the day before had so many spelling errors that should have been the first ticker. The lack of variety for lunch was a turn off, as you are offered three Tempura Bowls, Teriyaki Chicken, Shrimp & Chicken and Vegetable. I opted for the Veggie bowl, yet it still came out with Shrimp on it...there's goes my Shellfish allergen LOL. The server went back and corrected my order. I wasn't in the mood for the Miso Soup so when I inquired about the options to substitute for a salad, one would think I asked for a $100 Sushi Boat in exchange. I offered to pay for it, yet what I got was a mini three bite seaweed salad. & please don't expect to request Brown Rice as they don't offer it. I get the whole lunchtime aspect of price point & timeframe, yet if you are going to offer "lunch specials", make it special. Or at least have a variety of selections & or substitutions as not everyone possess the same palate of Sushi cuisine. The plus was the convenience and hostess as she was very nice.
(3)
Mike N.
Went to Bethesda with my girlfriend to see a play at 8pm on Friday, so we decided to try Yuzu out based on the 4 star review average. We were seated by 6:40pm, submitted our order shortly after. Food was taking a while so they comped us a seaweed salad, but neither of us liked seaweed so that was a waste. Finally got our Tsukune appetizer 30 minutes after placing our orders. So 30 minutes to cook two chicken meat balls... By 7:25pm we were still waiting for our sushi and at this point were irate with no updates on our order. We decided to simply leave before one of us lost our composure and told them we had to go since we had a show to attend and didn't want to have to scarf down pricey sushi just to make it on time, assuming we would have gotten the food in time to do even that. We went to subway a block over and at least we're able to get our fill there promptly and for cheap. Not exactly the optimal date night dinner we had hoped for prior to my gf flying out the next day for a week long business trip. Been a long long time since I simply up and left a restaurant like that. At least the staff was cordial about it and didn't seem surprised or try to convince us. They need to do some serious review of their operations and fix the bottleneck. I'd be glad to consult as an operations manager.
(1)
Ruth C.
Two and a half stars. Clean single occupancy bathrooms in back. Service is good, but it's really pricey, even for Bethesda. Miso soup was good. Decent quality fish but thin slices, crispy skin on the unagi, tamago that trends savory, a radish slice and mushroom quarter to garnish the jo-chirashi; pickled ginger was layered between the fish and the rice, kind of defeating its point as a palate cleanser. By the description, the chef's chirashi would be similar to SY's format in Vienna. $2 for quality hot green tea, so skip it unless you have multiple diners to benefit from the free pot refills. At these price points, literally every other sushi joint in Bethesda offers a better deal on chirashi. Maybe kitchen entrees are where it's at?
(2)
Aakash P.
The rolls we ordered tonight were great. I came here about 2 months ago when I first moved to Bethesda and had an okay experience. But this time the Spicy Crunchy Tuna and the Spicy salmon Rolls were both on point. Don't be afraid that it's a little empty at night, it's probably just a location thing. Because the food was definitely worth it. I would now come back and I'm glad I didn't write it off after my first visit. Walking distance to my apt so I'll be back
(4)
Ed B.
Authentic Japanese! A hidden gem along Wisconsin Ave. Yuzu has a tremendous selection of sushi (the Umeshiso - flavorful sour plum and shiso leaf was a revelation), but the real joy is in the hard-to-find traditional cooked dishes. We enjoyed the agedashi tofu, eggplant dengaku (superb), gomaae, kimpira gobo, and a main course of the saikyo miso black cod (delish). The combination of flavors, all cooked to perfection, were washed down with refreshing draft Kirin Ichiban. A delightful culinary experience! Parking is easy - stop around the corner at Waverly Garage on Montgomery Street, across from the police station. Be sure to make this your stop for Japanese food in Bethesda! My friend is bringing her Japanese mother here next week!
(5)
Linda Z.
We stumbled upon this place while walking to our hotel around the corner. We were craving some sushi after a long conference day. We walked inside and was pleasantly surprised at the space and how nice everything looked. There was a nice sitting area up front so we sat there to determine what tasty rolls to order for take-out. So many interesting options! The place must be authentic, we thought. So we each ordered two rolls - one of the special rolls like lobster, and one other roll like spicy tuna or salmon. Got a seaweed appetizer to share. Order placed by a nice gentlemen - now to wait for the food to take back to the hotel! So the three of us just started chatting... about the conference, about life, husbands, science, kids, World World I... we witnessed a cute prom couple (so cute!)... and we realized it was probably 40 minutes and the food hasn't come. We were getting irritated and tired but finally, a man brings us the sushi boxes in a paper bag; he looked anxious, apologized, and quickly left. We then walk back to the hotel, looking forward to eating. How disappointing! The rolls were so small !! Okay, for the simple rolls that is expected. But for a special roll? My two rolls comfortably sat in a small container and I paid $22 for this? They were good but great. Nothing special. The seaweed salad, however, was terrific. Three types of seaweed that were lightly salted. We enjoyed the salad. The sushi was good too but we were disappointed at the value / taste, especially after the slow service. Although we were visitors to Bethesda, we wouldn't want to come back again. They say everything is expensive in Bethesda but we experienced bigger portions and taste for the money in other restaurants in the area.
(2)
Nazareth M.
The sushi rolls and miso soup I had were great. The service was good. It says here they have free wi-fi but when I asked for the password they said they do not give it out.
(3)
Ken L.
I came here on a weeknight and it was pretty empty so I don't think reservations are required. The sushi was pretty good but nothing out of the ordinary. Prices were kind of high but it's in Bethesda so that's expected. I ordered a hot sake but it came out room temperate, asked them to warm it up and it came out slightly warmer lol. I mean I guess they were afraid we would burn our tongues. Sushi rolls seems to be worth the price and pretty tasty.
(3)
Bella K.
Great quality on the food, lousy service, the servers don't listen to you and let you wait long time for every query. Updated 2 hours later. Got food poisoning, still recovering :'(
(3)
Sonya M.
We decided to have lunch at Yuzu on Christmas Day, one of the very few restaurants in the downtown Bethesda area open on Christmas Day. They first sat us in the middle section of the restaurant. But we were overwhelmed by the smell of bleach and what seemed like an old wet cloth (ICK); we asked to be moved toward the front of the restaurant. We placed our order, had to wait a while for the food to arrive. The suhi rolls were good. The fried chicken was really good. But the nigiri was mediocre. The fatty salmon was not fresh and had a stale after taste. The Toro had this weird color that we did not even touch it! They were nice not to include the Toro in our bill. Our server was very nice and attentive. The highlight of the meal was the Yuzu ice cream which was heavenly. I would go back there just for the ice cream.
(3)
Alexander K.
I just finished lunch here with my aunt and brother; it was a pleasant experience. The staff is very accommodating and friendly. The interior of the restaurant is modern but still has a Japanese flair to it. However, I wish there was some kind of partition at the front door to prevent the chilly air from directly coming in contact with the patrons. Anyways, we ordered a multitude of dishes which included tofu, scallop carppacio, flounder sashimi, the larger sashimi assortment, and others. The sashimi itself was decent, nothing really exceptional; however I did enjoy the fact that scallop came with the assortment. I reserve judgment until I try the omakase at dinner time. The dessert here is fantastic! Our hostess verified that all the desserts are made by the chef's wife. I actually ate FIVE portions of the dessert by myself. Two portions of the chocolate cake, caramel cheesecake, panna cotta, and all 3 flavors of the ice cream (yuzu, black sesame, green tea). The panna cotta was absolutely divine, with the most delicate silken texture that I have ever had in a custard. I will come back in the near future for the omakase, and of course the dessert!
(4)
Michael F.
I came in craving Udon thanks to their sign on the sidewalk. Unfortunately, I was a bit late as they were out. No biggie, the menu was robust enough for me to find another suitable option. I opted for OSHINKO and the small SHRIMP AND VEGETABLE TEMPURA PLATE. The OSHINKO, house made pickles, were disappointing. They really didn't taste very pickled. If I had wanted a selection of veggies, I would have just ordered veggies or gotten the large tempura plate. The small SHRIMP AND VEGETABLE TEMPURA PLATE was of average quality and taste. However, the "small" was a very decent size with a generous amount of shrimp. All the food arrived promptly and the service was friendly. While my meal didn't blow me away, I'd be open to returning to give the Udon a chance...
(3)
Kelvin C.
My two favorite Japanese restaurants in the DMV area is Tachibana and Yuzu. Yuzu has the best sushi in the Montgomery county area. Their grilled mackerel is also the bomb, and they have some of the best nigiri sushi in the area. Their yakitori (grilled chicken skewers) are also very well done.
(5)
Aviva G.
We have been to just about every Japanese restaurant in NW DC, Bethesda, Rockville and Silver Spring and we were so pleasantly surprised by this one! The food is so fresh and they have some dishes that are unusual, perhaps more authentically Japanese, but definitely a treat for adventurous and selective diners. We loved every dish we ordered, probably 12 - 15 small dishes in all including sushi, tempura, tofu, seaweed salad and many others. The other thing we loved is the great selection of vegetarian dishes including a really interesting tofu appetizer, 3 skewers of tofu with different flavorful sauces, that our 16 year old vegetarian daughter devoured. The atmosphere is not too inspiring but the restaurant is quiet and spacious which is great for groups or people dining with elderly parents/grandparents who have trouble hearing (as we were). We will absolutely return to Yuzu asap!
(5)
Andrew H.
Yuzu was tasty for sure. The sushi was well made, and the hot dishes we got all were well seasoned and executed better than I had expected. The only real feedback that I have for Yuzu was service. Understanding that a meal in a Japanese restaurant doesn't always get served in what we would consider a traditional format, the food for our meal was a bit "Too" staggered. There were three of us, and we each order a soup, a small plate, and at least one sushi dish. It took a good amount of time for the food to start rolling out and when it did it was very inconsistent, with one member of our party almost completely finishing his meal before another was given his second dish. Notable dishes from our meal were the Corn Tempura, served with a tasty wasabi salt and O-Toro Nigiri. We also order a few of their specials that ranged in success. The Blue Crab miso, while tasting very good, wasn't really served in a way that my friend could eat it (just a large split chunk of crab body). The spicy chicken was excellent, well fried and the spicy sauce offered the perfect level of heat. Overall, Ill be back to Yuzu - but lets get the service issues worked out.
(4)
Marivic L.
Yuzu is so much bigger inside. It's a really nice, open space - which is so different from the outside appearances. We were lucky to have an excellent server who answered any questions we had. The sushi was really good (the best was the chef's roll and the eel nigiri was better than most places) - probably my second fave place in Bethesda at this point, so I was happy. Prices are reasonable too. That said, I'd still go to my fave place first and only come here if the wait was too long.
(3)
Scott S.
Dinner on Boxing Day. The place was mostly empty, there was plenty of staff, but service was still hard to flag down, not particularly quick (I saw our sushi sitting on the pass for several minutes), and imperfect (forgot one drink, and on a pretty small party). Food quality, though, is much higher than the norm for storefront sushi in Bethesda, albeit priced accordingly. (Who doesn't include miso soup in a sushi dinner? Well, Yuzu.) I'm a little surprised it's held on this long, and could use a boost in attitude, but the food really is excellent.
(3)
Mel L.
What are you looking for when you go to a restaurant? My answer is service and the quality and value of the food. Unfortunately, Yuzu has neither of those. Drove from Rockville at rush hour for dinner because my friend and I heard it was relatively new and it has pretty good Yelp reviews. They left us unattended for about 20min when the restaurant was not even busy (at around 7pm). We told one of them that we were ready and it was another 5min until someone finally came to take our order. I ordered: tuna roll($6) and eel roll($7) My friend ordered: nigiri combo($28) My friend seemed to like her dish, but I can't believe my own eyes when my order came. The 6 pieces of each roll were pathetically tiny!!! They were appetizer size and I paid $13 (before tax and tips) for them! The rolls were only half of what you normally get at other places, and only 1/5 of the roll was actually fish. So you do the math to figure our how much fish you get!! I could barely taste the fish so I can't tell if they were good. I'm definitely not going back to this place to waste my money. Adios!! If you don't mind a short drive, Rockville has better sushi restaurants and anywhere else I have been in DC area is better than this.
(1)
Richard C.
OHad a nice afternoon walking around Bethesda looking at the cherry blossoms. Came here for nice dinner afterwards but we were met with slowest service I've ever experienced. We were sat down at our table 6:30 on the dot but our food did not arrive until 8:00. When ever we asked for something even simple like a glass of water, it took 15~20minutes for it to arrive. For a restaurant this size, 2 servers working on a Sunday evening is just asking for a bad experience for the patron and a bad review. Food was alright but I don't think I will he returning here anytime soon. We ended up canceling rest of our order when we found out they not even being to prepare them.
(1)
Mark F.
This place was fine. Not bad, but not great. For people used to great sushi in LA or NY, you will be disappointed. I typically don't trust sushi places that serve "Americanized" sushi to have good Japanese sushi. That's not to say I don't like Americanized sushi. I do. But I was told this was an authentic Japanese restaurant and that may be true, but it'd only be considered an average sushi restaurant in Japan. The fish is fine, the rice was seasoned unevenly. Some of my nigiri had too much wasabi and some had too little. If you have a craving for sushi and just can't wait, this place will do the job, but just don't expect it to be great. P.S. The yuzu ice cream was good. But again, not amazing. P.P.S. The commenter who said that the sushi servings were only half the size has never eaten at an authentic Japanese sushi joint.
(3)
Cb M.
2.75 stars in my book. Sushi quality was good as well as the service. However, the price for amount of sushi you get is ridiculous. I had a chirashi bowl for 25 bucks. Sushi was so thin I could see thru it. Felt like an appetizer. Also had salmon sashimi which was delicious but had to pay 40 some bucks.
(2)
John H.
The best sushi in the Washington D.C. Area......the corn tempura is fabulous Also love the spicy chicken....the panna cotta is a great dessert....My wife who is a Japanese citizen and I think this is the best Japanese restaurant in the area......We live a hundred yards from the most popular Japanese restaurant in DuPont but we go here instead because the sushi is so much better
(5)
Georgina S.
Last June we cam by and rated this only three stars. Now I must say the service has greatly improved...the food quality and menu selection has expanded tremendously. The last star not given was the pricing. Either increase the portions or adjust the print and you will see how savvy your guests are and will appreciate your talent. We want this place to succeed but it must have an outstanding menu and value proposition! The place must have vibrant servers who know what the menu offers and what it can become. Tako is taking off with Robatayaki, Raku is the family friendly menu for kids. Tamari is Donburi and curry or Unagi heaven, and you?
(4)
Mike B.
The decor is sleek, the menu is unique, and the service is excellent. They surely have something special here. As I sit, I can smell wafts of perfectly cooked and sesasoned rice. It's the soft opening so the whole menu isn't up for grabs. Unfortunately my attempt to order the "Stewed Pork and tofu with soy sauce and dashi broth" is thwarted. But, I did get to try the Grilled Tofu Skewers with miso sauce. It said two on the menu but came out with 3. I AIN'T COMPLAININ' ! The sauces, which there were three of, were all different and fairly subtle; my favorite being the yellow tinted sauce. The tofu was grilled to perfection and was truly high quality. I decided to go with an order of California rolls, crab cake , and sweet shrimp sushi for my entree. The California roll was what you would expect. I prefer no cucumber in my roll, which this one had, but to each their own. The sweet shrimp were VERY food and fresh- I've never had raw shrimp before. And the crab cake....well lets just say...me and Yuzu have a very different definition of what a crab cake is. The fake crab that was served to me on top of rice was actually really good though. I love my fake crab- I eat it constantly. This is some of the best I've ever had. I know that sounds weird, but it was. Had to top of my meal with the Yuzu "Gelatto" which tasted and looked more like ice cream. It was very good nonetheless. I would definitely go back. They have some very eclectic menu items that I can't wait to try. The chef certainly put his heart into crafting a diverse menu.
(4)
Mark M.
A solid lunch and dinner spot on the chain-ridden main drag of Bethesda. Hardly ever a wait, this place is great for the solo business traveler--whether you are in need of a speedy lunch, or a relaxed/slow dinner. The menu has the usual suspects when it comes to slightly Americanized Japanese. Everything is fresh and comes our rather quickly. The udon I had, while certainly not spectacular, was piping hot with fresh ingredients and a well-balanced broth. Perfect on a cold day. All of the maki rolls I had were fresh, flavorful, and not at all soggy. Good service, too.
(4)
Jess L.
Dropped in for 20 minutes before a Tripper Bus trip, and they accommodated a quick meal (and beer!). Tempura was perfect, and beer selection is pretty good for a Japanese restaurant. Kind waiter. Space is large, so I imagine it'd be good for groups, too.
(4)
Alice Z.
We went in, took some time to order, then waited around half an hour for our food to arrive. One of my friends ordered Yakitori, and that was an especially long wait, so we sat there for almost 45 minutes before everyone's food arrived. The restaurant was half-full on a Thursday night, around six tables, but there was only one waiter bustling about, when they should have employed two. Food was good - I ordered the seaweed salad and the crunchy spicy salmon roll - but it wasn't anything spectacular, especially for the price.
(3)
Atsuko H.
The restaurant is run by the former head sushi chef of Sushi-ko. While they were going through some teething issues a few months back, I think the place holds great promise, run as it is by a properly trained sushi chef. I am taking back my critical review after hearing back from the restaurant, who graciously took in my feedback and promised to keep improving. That kind of customer responsiveness is what will ensure that a business will thrive in the long run. DC area is in dire need of more Japanese restaurants so I welcome the arrival of Yuzu and wish them all good things.
(4)
Tom H.
Excellent in everything we had. Miso soup the best we've had. Sushi excellent. Service great. Agedashi tofu appetizer excellent. Yuzu ice cream great- we had never tasted that before.
(5)
Janet L.
Fine Japanese Dining, you could say. Quite pricey. The servers were friendly, however, they were not too attentive. On a not so busy early evening (the restaurant was pretty empty), it took some effort to flag our server down. The sushi was good, so was the black sesame ice cream!
(3)
David S.
we went there tonight. I ordered the chef chirashi and the fish miso soup. also some tempura to share with my friend. Yuzu is very busy. The food is very authentic and delicious. the shrimp and vegetable tempura is so good that we really want order another one. one problem with it is its hard to find parking. we finally parked at the public garage at waverly. The service there is very friendly. The waitress we had looks nice and pretty. We will definitely coming back!!!
(5)
Mike F.
I'm only giving it two stars because our server was friendly. However being dead on a Saturday night should've been a tell take sign. The sushi was awful, and they ran out of cold beer?? The ice cream was pretty terrible, the best thing we had was salmon nigiri. Wasted $110.
(2)
Chiang K.
I've been to several Japanese owned sushi restaurants and if this is not one of the better ones. I even question if this is Japanese owned because the server seemed Chinese to me. Everyone in our party was shocked to see the tiny portions for which they paid too much for. I don't see the value that another reviewer mentioned. The sushi / sashimi entrees didn't even come with soup and rice costs extra. The sashimi wasn't anything special and the pieces were small. I spent $33 including tax and tip for basically nothing. One friend ordered the snow crab hot pot and that was small too. We had 8 people and was charged a 17% gratuity. If gratuity is charged, at least provide service. We had to flag the server to refill our water glasses. There are other places with better food and ambiance.
(1)
SY C.
The sashimi was buttery and lovely. Need I say more? Ok, I will. Definitely one of the higher quality sushi places in the Bethesda/Rockville area. It is pricier with smaller portions than the other places, but you get what you pay for. If you want economy sushi because you can down 50 pieces of sashimi, then this isn't the place for you, BUT a must try for a special occasion. We ordered an oyster/shrimp tempura as an appetizer (I think it was from the Valentine's menu); Chef's Chirashi (both delicious and beautiful); and a sashimi/roll combination. The staff is also extremely friendly and polite. I only have good things to say about this place!
(5)
Matthew D.
Nasty is all I can say. Worst Japanese meal and service I have ever had. The portions of food you get for the money you spend are ridiculously small. I had the Chefs Chirashi and it is not worth the price.
(1)
Haru O.
Was expecting a bit more for a Japanese restaurant in Bethesda. Went on a Weds at 8pm and it was empty. Ordered premium sushi and it was decent but not melt in your mouth delicious. Didn't even have a piece if toro. Ama-Ebi was kinda big. Hamachi was delicious. I'm Japanese-American and have eaten great sushi in Japan and NY so maybe set my expectations too high?
(3)
Brian S.
Definitely one of my favorite places to eat around DC. The food is really good and reasonably priced. The staff is very friendly and knowledgeable, and I've never really had to wait for a table or for my food. I usually come here every week or at least every other week, and the sushi has always been tasty and a good value.
(5)
Courtney R.
Mediocre. I liked the cucumber appetizer, but the salmon and tuna tasted a bit off. Friendly service, but I will most likely not return. The place up the street across from the Doubletree is much better.
(2)
Sally Y.
Small sushi restaurant but I've been to smaller. I would say the service is a little slow because there isn't a huge staff but I also happened to visit on a slow night. The sushi tasted great, very happy with that. On the other hand, the chicken teryaki that I ordered was not amazing. I'll admit that my favorite chicken teryaki is from Sakura Japan (I know it sounds wrong but it is packed with so much flavor). This chicken teryaki did not have quite as much sauce as I would have liked.
(4)
Setsuko O.
The Best of Tokyo Sushi Restaurants arrived in DC! Yuzu's sushi is remarkable. I started one evening with Omakase. Dish after dish carried me to wonderful world of delight and culinary satisfaction. Then I followed up three days later with Jo-sashimi, thick cuts of fresh fish presented beautifully on a giant butterbur leaf . The service each time was excellent: friendly and competent, taking extra care to make clients comfortable. Yuzu is certainly the best in Washington area. At the sushi bar made of solid walnut, the chef uses his beautiful pottery and ceramics that enhances the pleasure of dinning. Rare is a restaurants even in Tokyo that knows how to make people enjoy food also with eyes. The restaurant is elegant but simply decorated and with taste. I have recently gone to New York to lunch at Jean George. Yuzu is its Japanese twin brother!
(5)
Stephanie C.
I can't say the food tasted bad: tempura are rarely disappointing; i can't say the service was bad either: both waiters were nice. However, the prices are way too high for what we get. Furthermore, you need to top up your bill if you want a bowl of miso soup, a cup of green tea or even a bowl of plain rice to be served with tempura... The fish on nigiri sushi also ordered at the table looked quite dry... Overall there are better places to go to for a Japanese dinner.
(2)
Yulai L.
Expensive for what they are offering
(3)
Andrew L.
Very creative Japanese fusion restaurant. They have tasty and well presented tempura appetizers (I've had the corn and the mushroom). Their sushi is good as well. They have some unique miso soups I'd like to try in the future: a crab miso and a seafood miso.
(5)
Paul C.
I went to YUZU based on recommendations I saw on Yelp for great Japanese and I was not disappointed. The sushi was extremely fresh and the specials were excellent. We chose one of their higher end sake's and it was extremely smooth. The service was attentive and we were not rushed. We were able to speak with the chef and tease him about him being out of stock with quail eggs. The atmosphere was very conducive for conversation. We did go later so the restaurant was only partially occupied.
(5)
Antonio M.
Disappointed.... Stopped in yesterday (Thursday) for lunch and was underwhelmed by the quality of the fish and sushi. We ordered an assortment of sashimi (10 pieces) and the fish just didn't have that fresh flavor. The squid in the sashimi assortment had an off "soapy" flavor and slimy texture that wasn't all that appealing. We ordered a few rolls and were also disappointed by the mushy rice and fall-apart quality of the rolls. The roll with the tempura softshell crab had a bad burnt oil taste that stayed with me for the rest of the day. We kept looking at all the Yelp pictures and felt like we were in a totally different restaurant from what was reviewed. The service was okay (waiter forgot my drink), but I was happy that the place was clean. Sadly, I don't think I'd give Yazu another try after this lackluster lunch experience.
(2)
Shad M.
How did I not know about this place sooner!? Stumbled here one night when another sushi place down the street was closed. And thank god it was closed - because this place was great! The shrimp tempura and avocado roll was probably one of the best shrimp tempura rolls I've had. My mouth is watering now as I'm typing this. It was just sooooo good. The other rolls we got were also very good - crunchy california, jalapeño tuna, and crunchy salmon. The seaweed salad was also great - and came with this tasty peanut sauce. The server was very attentive and everyone else there was really nice too. So happy I found this place randomly and can't wait to go back!
(5)
Jim L.
We walk by this place constantly in that never-ending serch for a decent lunch (fas) place in Bethesda. Yes you all: Bethesda. Yes there are tons to eat, but if you work here, you will find that most places are sit-down and take way too long for a lunch. Boss was paying, so why not? Walked in for the first time and was pleasantly surprised at the decor. It is much larger than it appears from the outside. Got the Bento Box for $12,95 and it was good, nothing to complain about. Not much meat and no roll? He got a plate of rolls which were good and the rice was very fresh. One thing that always got to me from reading the menu that they have outside the door are the prices. A bit high, but then again, we are in Bethesda. I get it......the landlords that control EVERYTHING probably have their lease jacked higher than the Hilton Hotel tower.
(3)
Kathryn L.
Came here with a Co-worker for the lunch specials, wasn't impressive by far. The Take-Out Menu I picked up the day before had so many spelling errors that should have been the first ticker. The lack of variety for lunch was a turn off, as you are offered three Tempura Bowls, Teriyaki Chicken, Shrimp & Chicken and Vegetable. I opted for the Veggie bowl, yet it still came out with Shrimp on it...there's goes my Shellfish allergen LOL. The server went back and corrected my order. I wasn't in the mood for the Miso Soup so when I inquired about the options to substitute for a salad, one would think I asked for a $100 Sushi Boat in exchange. I offered to pay for it, yet what I got was a mini three bite seaweed salad. & please don't expect to request Brown Rice as they don't offer it. I get the whole lunchtime aspect of price point & timeframe, yet if you are going to offer "lunch specials", make it special. Or at least have a variety of selections & or substitutions as not everyone possess the same palate of Sushi cuisine. The plus was the convenience and hostess as she was very nice.
(3)
Mike N.
Went to Bethesda with my girlfriend to see a play at 8pm on Friday, so we decided to try Yuzu out based on the 4 star review average. We were seated by 6:40pm, submitted our order shortly after. Food was taking a while so they comped us a seaweed salad, but neither of us liked seaweed so that was a waste. Finally got our Tsukune appetizer 30 minutes after placing our orders. So 30 minutes to cook two chicken meat balls... By 7:25pm we were still waiting for our sushi and at this point were irate with no updates on our order. We decided to simply leave before one of us lost our composure and told them we had to go since we had a show to attend and didn't want to have to scarf down pricey sushi just to make it on time, assuming we would have gotten the food in time to do even that. We went to subway a block over and at least we're able to get our fill there promptly and for cheap. Not exactly the optimal date night dinner we had hoped for prior to my gf flying out the next day for a week long business trip. Been a long long time since I simply up and left a restaurant like that. At least the staff was cordial about it and didn't seem surprised or try to convince us. They need to do some serious review of their operations and fix the bottleneck. I'd be glad to consult as an operations manager.
(1)
Ruth C.
Two and a half stars. Clean single occupancy bathrooms in back. Service is good, but it's really pricey, even for Bethesda. Miso soup was good. Decent quality fish but thin slices, crispy skin on the unagi, tamago that trends savory, a radish slice and mushroom quarter to garnish the jo-chirashi; pickled ginger was layered between the fish and the rice, kind of defeating its point as a palate cleanser. By the description, the chef's chirashi would be similar to SY's format in Vienna. $2 for quality hot green tea, so skip it unless you have multiple diners to benefit from the free pot refills. At these price points, literally every other sushi joint in Bethesda offers a better deal on chirashi. Maybe kitchen entrees are where it's at?
(2)
Aakash P.
The rolls we ordered tonight were great. I came here about 2 months ago when I first moved to Bethesda and had an okay experience. But this time the Spicy Crunchy Tuna and the Spicy salmon Rolls were both on point. Don't be afraid that it's a little empty at night, it's probably just a location thing. Because the food was definitely worth it. I would now come back and I'm glad I didn't write it off after my first visit. Walking distance to my apt so I'll be back
(4)
Ed B.
Authentic Japanese! A hidden gem along Wisconsin Ave. Yuzu has a tremendous selection of sushi (the Umeshiso - flavorful sour plum and shiso leaf was a revelation), but the real joy is in the hard-to-find traditional cooked dishes. We enjoyed the agedashi tofu, eggplant dengaku (superb), gomaae, kimpira gobo, and a main course of the saikyo miso black cod (delish). The combination of flavors, all cooked to perfection, were washed down with refreshing draft Kirin Ichiban. A delightful culinary experience! Parking is easy - stop around the corner at Waverly Garage on Montgomery Street, across from the police station. Be sure to make this your stop for Japanese food in Bethesda! My friend is bringing her Japanese mother here next week!
(5)
Linda Z.
We stumbled upon this place while walking to our hotel around the corner. We were craving some sushi after a long conference day. We walked inside and was pleasantly surprised at the space and how nice everything looked. There was a nice sitting area up front so we sat there to determine what tasty rolls to order for take-out. So many interesting options! The place must be authentic, we thought. So we each ordered two rolls - one of the special rolls like lobster, and one other roll like spicy tuna or salmon. Got a seaweed appetizer to share. Order placed by a nice gentlemen - now to wait for the food to take back to the hotel! So the three of us just started chatting... about the conference, about life, husbands, science, kids, World World I... we witnessed a cute prom couple (so cute!)... and we realized it was probably 40 minutes and the food hasn't come. We were getting irritated and tired but finally, a man brings us the sushi boxes in a paper bag; he looked anxious, apologized, and quickly left. We then walk back to the hotel, looking forward to eating. How disappointing! The rolls were so small !! Okay, for the simple rolls that is expected. But for a special roll? My two rolls comfortably sat in a small container and I paid $22 for this? They were good but great. Nothing special. The seaweed salad, however, was terrific. Three types of seaweed that were lightly salted. We enjoyed the salad. The sushi was good too but we were disappointed at the value / taste, especially after the slow service. Although we were visitors to Bethesda, we wouldn't want to come back again. They say everything is expensive in Bethesda but we experienced bigger portions and taste for the money in other restaurants in the area.
(2)
Nazareth M.
The sushi rolls and miso soup I had were great. The service was good. It says here they have free wi-fi but when I asked for the password they said they do not give it out.
(3)
Ken L.
I came here on a weeknight and it was pretty empty so I don't think reservations are required. The sushi was pretty good but nothing out of the ordinary. Prices were kind of high but it's in Bethesda so that's expected. I ordered a hot sake but it came out room temperate, asked them to warm it up and it came out slightly warmer lol. I mean I guess they were afraid we would burn our tongues. Sushi rolls seems to be worth the price and pretty tasty.
(3)
Bella K.
Great quality on the food, lousy service, the servers don't listen to you and let you wait long time for every query. Updated 2 hours later. Got food poisoning, still recovering :'(
(3)
Sonya M.
We decided to have lunch at Yuzu on Christmas Day, one of the very few restaurants in the downtown Bethesda area open on Christmas Day. They first sat us in the middle section of the restaurant. But we were overwhelmed by the smell of bleach and what seemed like an old wet cloth (ICK); we asked to be moved toward the front of the restaurant. We placed our order, had to wait a while for the food to arrive. The suhi rolls were good. The fried chicken was really good. But the nigiri was mediocre. The fatty salmon was not fresh and had a stale after taste. The Toro had this weird color that we did not even touch it! They were nice not to include the Toro in our bill. Our server was very nice and attentive. The highlight of the meal was the Yuzu ice cream which was heavenly. I would go back there just for the ice cream.
(3)
Alexander K.
I just finished lunch here with my aunt and brother; it was a pleasant experience. The staff is very accommodating and friendly. The interior of the restaurant is modern but still has a Japanese flair to it. However, I wish there was some kind of partition at the front door to prevent the chilly air from directly coming in contact with the patrons. Anyways, we ordered a multitude of dishes which included tofu, scallop carppacio, flounder sashimi, the larger sashimi assortment, and others. The sashimi itself was decent, nothing really exceptional; however I did enjoy the fact that scallop came with the assortment. I reserve judgment until I try the omakase at dinner time. The dessert here is fantastic! Our hostess verified that all the desserts are made by the chef's wife. I actually ate FIVE portions of the dessert by myself. Two portions of the chocolate cake, caramel cheesecake, panna cotta, and all 3 flavors of the ice cream (yuzu, black sesame, green tea). The panna cotta was absolutely divine, with the most delicate silken texture that I have ever had in a custard. I will come back in the near future for the omakase, and of course the dessert!
(4)
Michael F.
I came in craving Udon thanks to their sign on the sidewalk. Unfortunately, I was a bit late as they were out. No biggie, the menu was robust enough for me to find another suitable option. I opted for OSHINKO and the small SHRIMP AND VEGETABLE TEMPURA PLATE. The OSHINKO, house made pickles, were disappointing. They really didn't taste very pickled. If I had wanted a selection of veggies, I would have just ordered veggies or gotten the large tempura plate. The small SHRIMP AND VEGETABLE TEMPURA PLATE was of average quality and taste. However, the "small" was a very decent size with a generous amount of shrimp. All the food arrived promptly and the service was friendly. While my meal didn't blow me away, I'd be open to returning to give the Udon a chance...
(3)
Kelvin C.
My two favorite Japanese restaurants in the DMV area is Tachibana and Yuzu. Yuzu has the best sushi in the Montgomery county area. Their grilled mackerel is also the bomb, and they have some of the best nigiri sushi in the area. Their yakitori (grilled chicken skewers) are also very well done.
(5)
Aviva G.
We have been to just about every Japanese restaurant in NW DC, Bethesda, Rockville and Silver Spring and we were so pleasantly surprised by this one! The food is so fresh and they have some dishes that are unusual, perhaps more authentically Japanese, but definitely a treat for adventurous and selective diners. We loved every dish we ordered, probably 12 - 15 small dishes in all including sushi, tempura, tofu, seaweed salad and many others. The other thing we loved is the great selection of vegetarian dishes including a really interesting tofu appetizer, 3 skewers of tofu with different flavorful sauces, that our 16 year old vegetarian daughter devoured. The atmosphere is not too inspiring but the restaurant is quiet and spacious which is great for groups or people dining with elderly parents/grandparents who have trouble hearing (as we were). We will absolutely return to Yuzu asap!
(5)
Andrew H.
Yuzu was tasty for sure. The sushi was well made, and the hot dishes we got all were well seasoned and executed better than I had expected. The only real feedback that I have for Yuzu was service. Understanding that a meal in a Japanese restaurant doesn't always get served in what we would consider a traditional format, the food for our meal was a bit "Too" staggered. There were three of us, and we each order a soup, a small plate, and at least one sushi dish. It took a good amount of time for the food to start rolling out and when it did it was very inconsistent, with one member of our party almost completely finishing his meal before another was given his second dish. Notable dishes from our meal were the Corn Tempura, served with a tasty wasabi salt and O-Toro Nigiri. We also order a few of their specials that ranged in success. The Blue Crab miso, while tasting very good, wasn't really served in a way that my friend could eat it (just a large split chunk of crab body). The spicy chicken was excellent, well fried and the spicy sauce offered the perfect level of heat. Overall, Ill be back to Yuzu - but lets get the service issues worked out.
(4)
Marivic L.
Yuzu is so much bigger inside. It's a really nice, open space - which is so different from the outside appearances. We were lucky to have an excellent server who answered any questions we had. The sushi was really good (the best was the chef's roll and the eel nigiri was better than most places) - probably my second fave place in Bethesda at this point, so I was happy. Prices are reasonable too. That said, I'd still go to my fave place first and only come here if the wait was too long.
(3)
Scott S.
Dinner on Boxing Day. The place was mostly empty, there was plenty of staff, but service was still hard to flag down, not particularly quick (I saw our sushi sitting on the pass for several minutes), and imperfect (forgot one drink, and on a pretty small party). Food quality, though, is much higher than the norm for storefront sushi in Bethesda, albeit priced accordingly. (Who doesn't include miso soup in a sushi dinner? Well, Yuzu.) I'm a little surprised it's held on this long, and could use a boost in attitude, but the food really is excellent.
(3)
Mel L.
What are you looking for when you go to a restaurant? My answer is service and the quality and value of the food. Unfortunately, Yuzu has neither of those. Drove from Rockville at rush hour for dinner because my friend and I heard it was relatively new and it has pretty good Yelp reviews. They left us unattended for about 20min when the restaurant was not even busy (at around 7pm). We told one of them that we were ready and it was another 5min until someone finally came to take our order. I ordered: tuna roll($6) and eel roll($7) My friend ordered: nigiri combo($28) My friend seemed to like her dish, but I can't believe my own eyes when my order came. The 6 pieces of each roll were pathetically tiny!!! They were appetizer size and I paid $13 (before tax and tips) for them! The rolls were only half of what you normally get at other places, and only 1/5 of the roll was actually fish. So you do the math to figure our how much fish you get!! I could barely taste the fish so I can't tell if they were good. I'm definitely not going back to this place to waste my money. Adios!! If you don't mind a short drive, Rockville has better sushi restaurants and anywhere else I have been in DC area is better than this.
(1)
Richard C.
OHad a nice afternoon walking around Bethesda looking at the cherry blossoms. Came here for nice dinner afterwards but we were met with slowest service I've ever experienced. We were sat down at our table 6:30 on the dot but our food did not arrive until 8:00. When ever we asked for something even simple like a glass of water, it took 15~20minutes for it to arrive. For a restaurant this size, 2 servers working on a Sunday evening is just asking for a bad experience for the patron and a bad review. Food was alright but I don't think I will he returning here anytime soon. We ended up canceling rest of our order when we found out they not even being to prepare them.
(1)
Mark F.
This place was fine. Not bad, but not great. For people used to great sushi in LA or NY, you will be disappointed. I typically don't trust sushi places that serve "Americanized" sushi to have good Japanese sushi. That's not to say I don't like Americanized sushi. I do. But I was told this was an authentic Japanese restaurant and that may be true, but it'd only be considered an average sushi restaurant in Japan. The fish is fine, the rice was seasoned unevenly. Some of my nigiri had too much wasabi and some had too little. If you have a craving for sushi and just can't wait, this place will do the job, but just don't expect it to be great. P.S. The yuzu ice cream was good. But again, not amazing. P.P.S. The commenter who said that the sushi servings were only half the size has never eaten at an authentic Japanese sushi joint.
(3)
Cb M.
2.75 stars in my book. Sushi quality was good as well as the service. However, the price for amount of sushi you get is ridiculous. I had a chirashi bowl for 25 bucks. Sushi was so thin I could see thru it. Felt like an appetizer. Also had salmon sashimi which was delicious but had to pay 40 some bucks.
(2)
John H.
The best sushi in the Washington D.C. Area......the corn tempura is fabulous Also love the spicy chicken....the panna cotta is a great dessert....My wife who is a Japanese citizen and I think this is the best Japanese restaurant in the area......We live a hundred yards from the most popular Japanese restaurant in DuPont but we go here instead because the sushi is so much better
(5)
Georgina S.
Last June we cam by and rated this only three stars. Now I must say the service has greatly improved...the food quality and menu selection has expanded tremendously. The last star not given was the pricing. Either increase the portions or adjust the print and you will see how savvy your guests are and will appreciate your talent. We want this place to succeed but it must have an outstanding menu and value proposition! The place must have vibrant servers who know what the menu offers and what it can become. Tako is taking off with Robatayaki, Raku is the family friendly menu for kids. Tamari is Donburi and curry or Unagi heaven, and you?
(4)
Mike B.
The decor is sleek, the menu is unique, and the service is excellent. They surely have something special here. As I sit, I can smell wafts of perfectly cooked and sesasoned rice. It's the soft opening so the whole menu isn't up for grabs. Unfortunately my attempt to order the "Stewed Pork and tofu with soy sauce and dashi broth" is thwarted. But, I did get to try the Grilled Tofu Skewers with miso sauce. It said two on the menu but came out with 3. I AIN'T COMPLAININ' ! The sauces, which there were three of, were all different and fairly subtle; my favorite being the yellow tinted sauce. The tofu was grilled to perfection and was truly high quality. I decided to go with an order of California rolls, crab cake , and sweet shrimp sushi for my entree. The California roll was what you would expect. I prefer no cucumber in my roll, which this one had, but to each their own. The sweet shrimp were VERY food and fresh- I've never had raw shrimp before. And the crab cake....well lets just say...me and Yuzu have a very different definition of what a crab cake is. The fake crab that was served to me on top of rice was actually really good though. I love my fake crab- I eat it constantly. This is some of the best I've ever had. I know that sounds weird, but it was. Had to top of my meal with the Yuzu "Gelatto" which tasted and looked more like ice cream. It was very good nonetheless. I would definitely go back. They have some very eclectic menu items that I can't wait to try. The chef certainly put his heart into crafting a diverse menu.
(4)
Mark M.
A solid lunch and dinner spot on the chain-ridden main drag of Bethesda. Hardly ever a wait, this place is great for the solo business traveler--whether you are in need of a speedy lunch, or a relaxed/slow dinner. The menu has the usual suspects when it comes to slightly Americanized Japanese. Everything is fresh and comes our rather quickly. The udon I had, while certainly not spectacular, was piping hot with fresh ingredients and a well-balanced broth. Perfect on a cold day. All of the maki rolls I had were fresh, flavorful, and not at all soggy. Good service, too.
(4)
Jess L.
Dropped in for 20 minutes before a Tripper Bus trip, and they accommodated a quick meal (and beer!). Tempura was perfect, and beer selection is pretty good for a Japanese restaurant. Kind waiter. Space is large, so I imagine it'd be good for groups, too.
(4)
Alice Z.
We went in, took some time to order, then waited around half an hour for our food to arrive. One of my friends ordered Yakitori, and that was an especially long wait, so we sat there for almost 45 minutes before everyone's food arrived. The restaurant was half-full on a Thursday night, around six tables, but there was only one waiter bustling about, when they should have employed two. Food was good - I ordered the seaweed salad and the crunchy spicy salmon roll - but it wasn't anything spectacular, especially for the price.
(3)
Atsuko H.
The restaurant is run by the former head sushi chef of Sushi-ko. While they were going through some teething issues a few months back, I think the place holds great promise, run as it is by a properly trained sushi chef. I am taking back my critical review after hearing back from the restaurant, who graciously took in my feedback and promised to keep improving. That kind of customer responsiveness is what will ensure that a business will thrive in the long run. DC area is in dire need of more Japanese restaurants so I welcome the arrival of Yuzu and wish them all good things.
(4)
Tom H.
Excellent in everything we had. Miso soup the best we've had. Sushi excellent. Service great. Agedashi tofu appetizer excellent. Yuzu ice cream great- we had never tasted that before.
(5)
Janet L.
Fine Japanese Dining, you could say. Quite pricey. The servers were friendly, however, they were not too attentive. On a not so busy early evening (the restaurant was pretty empty), it took some effort to flag our server down. The sushi was good, so was the black sesame ice cream!
(3)
David S.
we went there tonight. I ordered the chef chirashi and the fish miso soup. also some tempura to share with my friend. Yuzu is very busy. The food is very authentic and delicious. the shrimp and vegetable tempura is so good that we really want order another one. one problem with it is its hard to find parking. we finally parked at the public garage at waverly. The service there is very friendly. The waitress we had looks nice and pretty. We will definitely coming back!!!
(5)
Mike F.
I'm only giving it two stars because our server was friendly. However being dead on a Saturday night should've been a tell take sign. The sushi was awful, and they ran out of cold beer?? The ice cream was pretty terrible, the best thing we had was salmon nigiri. Wasted $110.
(2)
Chiang K.
I've been to several Japanese owned sushi restaurants and if this is not one of the better ones. I even question if this is Japanese owned because the server seemed Chinese to me. Everyone in our party was shocked to see the tiny portions for which they paid too much for. I don't see the value that another reviewer mentioned. The sushi / sashimi entrees didn't even come with soup and rice costs extra. The sashimi wasn't anything special and the pieces were small. I spent $33 including tax and tip for basically nothing. One friend ordered the snow crab hot pot and that was small too. We had 8 people and was charged a 17% gratuity. If gratuity is charged, at least provide service. We had to flag the server to refill our water glasses. There are other places with better food and ambiance.
(1)
SY C.
The sashimi was buttery and lovely. Need I say more? Ok, I will. Definitely one of the higher quality sushi places in the Bethesda/Rockville area. It is pricier with smaller portions than the other places, but you get what you pay for. If you want economy sushi because you can down 50 pieces of sashimi, then this isn't the place for you, BUT a must try for a special occasion. We ordered an oyster/shrimp tempura as an appetizer (I think it was from the Valentine's menu); Chef's Chirashi (both delicious and beautiful); and a sashimi/roll combination. The staff is also extremely friendly and polite. I only have good things to say about this place!
(5)
Matthew D.
Nasty is all I can say. Worst Japanese meal and service I have ever had. The portions of food you get for the money you spend are ridiculously small. I had the Chefs Chirashi and it is not worth the price.
(1)
Haru O.
Was expecting a bit more for a Japanese restaurant in Bethesda. Went on a Weds at 8pm and it was empty. Ordered premium sushi and it was decent but not melt in your mouth delicious. Didn't even have a piece if toro. Ama-Ebi was kinda big. Hamachi was delicious. I'm Japanese-American and have eaten great sushi in Japan and NY so maybe set my expectations too high?
(3)
Brian S.
Definitely one of my favorite places to eat around DC. The food is really good and reasonably priced. The staff is very friendly and knowledgeable, and I've never really had to wait for a table or for my food. I usually come here every week or at least every other week, and the sushi has always been tasty and a good value.
(5)
Courtney R.
Mediocre. I liked the cucumber appetizer, but the salmon and tuna tasted a bit off. Friendly service, but I will most likely not return. The place up the street across from the Doubletree is much better.
(2)
Sally Y.
Small sushi restaurant but I've been to smaller. I would say the service is a little slow because there isn't a huge staff but I also happened to visit on a slow night. The sushi tasted great, very happy with that. On the other hand, the chicken teryaki that I ordered was not amazing. I'll admit that my favorite chicken teryaki is from Sakura Japan (I know it sounds wrong but it is packed with so much flavor). This chicken teryaki did not have quite as much sauce as I would have liked.
(4)
Setsuko O.
The Best of Tokyo Sushi Restaurants arrived in DC! Yuzu's sushi is remarkable. I started one evening with Omakase. Dish after dish carried me to wonderful world of delight and culinary satisfaction. Then I followed up three days later with Jo-sashimi, thick cuts of fresh fish presented beautifully on a giant butterbur leaf . The service each time was excellent: friendly and competent, taking extra care to make clients comfortable. Yuzu is certainly the best in Washington area. At the sushi bar made of solid walnut, the chef uses his beautiful pottery and ceramics that enhances the pleasure of dinning. Rare is a restaurants even in Tokyo that knows how to make people enjoy food also with eyes. The restaurant is elegant but simply decorated and with taste. I have recently gone to New York to lunch at Jean George. Yuzu is its Japanese twin brother!
(5)
Stephanie C.
I can't say the food tasted bad: tempura are rarely disappointing; i can't say the service was bad either: both waiters were nice. However, the prices are way too high for what we get. Furthermore, you need to top up your bill if you want a bowl of miso soup, a cup of green tea or even a bowl of plain rice to be served with tempura... The fish on nigiri sushi also ordered at the table looked quite dry... Overall there are better places to go to for a Japanese dinner.
(2)
Yulai L.
Expensive for what they are offering
(3)
Andrew L.
Very creative Japanese fusion restaurant. They have tasty and well presented tempura appetizers (I've had the corn and the mushroom). Their sushi is good as well. They have some unique miso soups I'd like to try in the future: a crab miso and a seafood miso.
(5)
Paul C.
I went to YUZU based on recommendations I saw on Yelp for great Japanese and I was not disappointed. The sushi was extremely fresh and the specials were excellent. We chose one of their higher end sake's and it was extremely smooth. The service was attentive and we were not rushed. We were able to speak with the chef and tease him about him being out of stock with quail eggs. The atmosphere was very conducive for conversation. We did go later so the restaurant was only partially occupied.
(5)
Antonio M.
Disappointed.... Stopped in yesterday (Thursday) for lunch and was underwhelmed by the quality of the fish and sushi. We ordered an assortment of sashimi (10 pieces) and the fish just didn't have that fresh flavor. The squid in the sashimi assortment had an off "soapy" flavor and slimy texture that wasn't all that appealing. We ordered a few rolls and were also disappointed by the mushy rice and fall-apart quality of the rolls. The roll with the tempura softshell crab had a bad burnt oil taste that stayed with me for the rest of the day. We kept looking at all the Yelp pictures and felt like we were in a totally different restaurant from what was reviewed. The service was okay (waiter forgot my drink), but I was happy that the place was clean. Sadly, I don't think I'd give Yazu another try after this lackluster lunch experience.
Very good quality sushi. Great rice texture and quality. The fish also tastes great. Efficient, helpful and pleasant service. Beside sushi, they also offer authentic Japanese dishes which are also really good.
(5)
Nicole L.
We were excited to try Yuzu since the chef came from Sushi-Ko. The restaurant was simple decor. We started with some wines they were good. I started with the seaweed salad but it was not what I expected I thought it was be more premium seaweed but it was average plus the dressing was not impressive. I also ordered the Chef's chirashi supposedly came with premium fish. It had good sashimi but not good enough for $35. I had better chirashi for much less. So I had very high expectation for their chirashi. Overall the price was too high for the quality, it was good quality but not mind blowingly good.
(3)
Herschel S.
It's been a while since I've gone to a place without knowing the Yelp review for it. I must say I was pleasantly surprised when I visited this establishment. First off, when my colleagues and I came in, I noticed that the servers are mostly Americans. Given that, I thought the Japanese food will be Americanized. However, I was proven wrong. I ordered their lunch special- the grilled mackerel served with rice and miso soup. When I tasted the miso soup, it transported me back to last year when my husband and I visited Japan. The grilled mackerel also reminded me the day we followed the Japanese salarymen to lunch in Japan. The portion is also huge considering it is fish. The green tea is also very good. I had to check what's in the teapot because it really was THAT good. I thought they were using matcha powder but no they were just using a pouch with a lot of green tea leaves. This place is pretty authentic. (A Japanese family was also in the restaurant eating. That must be a good sign, right?) Now, why 4 stars? The service was a little off. The server made assumptions about me just because I'm Asian. She gave my colleagues their soup spoon and was about to not give me one because she thought I wouldn't need it.
(4)
Courtney D.
The sushi was delicious but service was dreadful. Had to wait over an hour and a half for two rolls of sushi when we were one of three tables there. Also we had to ask for a glass of water 3 times until it finally came when they brought the check. Great food, but would not suggest going there hungry or if you have plans afterwards.
(2)
Sam C.
The miso soup, which you'd think to be the simplest of things to make at a Japanese restaurant was not only "meh" but not even hot when we got it. The sushi was definitely sub-par and I would not go back there again. Not to mention the service was incredibly slow - I think they had only one waitress working.
(2)
Katie M.
Great sushi in a quiet restaurant in Bethesda. Fresh, clean, everything that's great about sushi. Be sure to try the green tea ice cream!!
(4)
Jen O.
After checking out the menu posted outside the front door, I decided to give Yuzu a try. The service was excellent right from a prompt greeting as I entered straight thru the meal and the friendly farewell. I ordered the house salad which was above average in terms of the quality of lettuces used and the light ginger dressing. I also had the shrimp and vegetable tempura entree. The portion size was generous and it came with rice. Pricing was reasonable with my meal, soda, tax and tip coming in at $35. I would recommend them and plan on going again!
(4)
Michael H.
I had the Premium Assorted Sushi - 10 pieces of nigiri with a 'chef's choice' roll. Nigiri wasn't terrible, but nothing spectacular. The selection was unimpressive (egg?) and the fish wasn't great. The 'chef's choice' was a huge disappointment. It was half cucumber / half spicy salmon maki. I'm not local, but I'm guessing you could have a much better meal elsewhere for $35. I guess I should have known since the place was more or less empty at 7:00pm (on a Tuesday, but still a bad sign).
(2)
Guo T.
My husband and I went there on my birthday, such a nice place with Japanese clean and neat style. The decoration at front door was so cute with mini size sushi. The server was friendly, and the food is same as what we ate in Tokyo, so delicious that make us grab food without any left. We ordered the yellowtail calpaccio and toro, the best of all. The yellowtail calpaccio was more than I can imagine, the yellowtail was soft, savory especially with ponzu sauce. toro was great, the buttery part of tuna gonna melt in your month. We also ordered the edamame tempura, which we NEVER had in any other place. It's a little bit salt and sweet with tempura sauce, with the fried young soy beans gonna subvert the traditional boiled edamame. The crunchy spicy tuna is my husband favorite, crispy, spicy, and aromatic tuna, with a little bit sour in the sushi rice and the outside part nori, yummiest in the world. The server bring our desert with a candle on the top, we ordered the black sesame ice cream, scented sesame is not too heavy to make you faint, just savory enough to attract you eat more. We will definitely come back more often, most native Japanese food in town.
(5)
Amanda F.
Finally! an AUTHENTIC sushi restaurant in Bethesda. This family owned establishment is a gem and a must go if you are a sushi fan. Food-Go for anything-sashimi, nigiri and sushi rolls in addition to small grilled plates. (Thank The Lord above there is isn't a communal hibachi grill in sight.) I had the deluxe chef sushi selection and nigiri daily special-the fish was fresh, embodying that clean oceanic flavor. We also had the edamame, which wasn't your run of the mill frozen Whole Foods variety. No, it was black edamame purchased fresh, steamed and chilled. Drinks-I (surprisingly) didn't drink, but there is a relaxed bar area with a great selection of Japanese and southeast Asian beers. The cocktail menu was enticing, and actual yuzu could be found in several of the offerings. Atmosphere-You may as well be in Tokyo. Service-Friendly and prompt.
(5)
Brittany J.
I echo the helpers that say this is on par with Sushi-Ko, the quality of the fish, the skill of the chef, the portion size, and price points are quite similar. This location also happens to have nigiri that isn't covered in wasabi. The manager/bartender Remi is adorable and gives great suggestions along with great service. She's also really easy to talk to. There was only me and one other patron there tonight so we had her full attention. I had the anubi style (flame seared) nigiri. Amaze balls. I also had two specials whose names are escaping me, but one is a seasonal fish they were almost out of. I also had one of the summer cocktail original creations, a matcha mojito which is perfect for the drinker who doesn't like her drinks too sweet. I finished off with a yelp recommendation of green tea and yuzu ice cream which I would go back for. Apparently Chef Yoshi's wife also makes some dessert selections but only if they sell well so ask what the special dessert offerings are when you go! Apparently they've only been open for 3 months and the chef came from Kushi and decided to open his own place. I'm so glad. The price point puts this firmly in the once-in-a-while-treat category, but it's nice to know the person who brought Kushi to its former glory is still doing strong culinary work in the area.
(5)
Ammie L.
Came here for dinner twice. Both had a very pleasant experience. The food is very authentic Japanese. The tofu dengaku and yakuniku were delicious! Yakuniku is quite large portion as an entry for one. Chef's chirashi is also good-portion, both the sashimi and chirashi were premium quality, fresh and tender. The staff are very friendly, helpful and respectful, like a typical good restaurant in Japan. Love this place. Will definitely come back.
(5)
Erica C.
Yuzu is good times. The sushi selection is quite nice and wasn't the ridiculous lineup that most sushi places have. Yuzu keeps it classy. But with that being said, Yuzu is a bit on the expensive side compared to other sushi spots. Parking is easy to find. The beer selection looks decent. The atmosphere is open and clean.
(4)
T R.
Pretty decent service. Had a cold beer brought to me soon after sitting down. The options on them menu are pretty good. I am a vegetarian so the message saying they didn't know what was or was not vegetarian at the bottom of the menu seemed sort of lazy. I mean how much effort would it take to parse out, like 10 minutes? Got some hopefully vegetarian sushi rolls. Good, not bad. The corn tempura was fun to break into... hopefully it was meant to be finger food because that is what I had to do. Not bad for a quick dinner. I'll go back now and then.
(4)
Sheila W.
I got the bento box lunch special. It was good, but not the best I've had (and I've had a lot of Japanese food.) I liked the miso soup, contrary to other reviews. Pleasant service, though there was a slight glitch in that it took a while for my food to arrive. The hostess was very apologetic. I would have given it 3 stars, but bumped it up to 4 after they found my lost credit card and held onto it safely with no false charges. When I picked up the card, they were careful to check that I was really the cardholder. I will go back and try their $9.99 weekday lunch special.
(4)
Andrew R.
dinner with a friend saturday night. a little sake, sashimi platter, some crunchy rolls, edamame. everything was excellent, great service, nice atmosphere and the prices are what you would expect to pay in bethesda. the standout for me, however, was the fried eggplant dish. yummers. it is a must have.
(4)
Dustin G.
THEY HAVE ORION!!! I lived in Okinawa for 2 years and outside of Japan this is the best sushi I've had in years... Very very pricy though
(5)
Teresa L.
Yuzu is a new-ish Japanese restaurant in Bethesda. I was actually there for a special sake and washoku pairing event so I can't comment on the regular menu. The special menu we did have was very good, from some a small starter of three different presentations of tofu, to an exceptional flounder and mushroom dish, to small selection of sushi. The restaurant itself is simply decorated and smells wonderful when you walk in the door. I'd certainly be happy to go back here and taste some of their regular offerings.
(3)
Tanya G.
Often I find myself wondering if there is more to a particular cuisine than just what is found in this country. Have you ever wondered what Japanese ppl eat on a daily basis? I mean yes eating sushi and ramen every day would be amazing but there's got to be more right?? What am I missing that restaurants aren't providing?? My not so recent trip to Japan gave me a glimpse of what that diet might be and my very recent trip to Yuzu gave me some more insight. Yuzu just opened a mere few weeks ago so the food and drink menu is a little bit on the limited side but I was very impressed with what I saw and tasted. Edamame - Black edamame served instead of the usual green and it was very tasty. Slightly sweeter, tasted like it was cooked in one of my favorite teas (pandan) and lightly salted. Age Nasu Dengaku - Fried eggplant with chicken miso sauce. Now I am partial to eggplant and I am partial to miso sauce so this dish was a shoe in for deliciousness. I do find the miso sauce can be over powering so lather with caution. Mushroom Tempura - When they say variety, they really mean it. It really is whatever is available/fresh that day. So just be satisfied with a medley of mushrooms that is tempura-ed to perfection. Grilled Black Cod - Remember when I said that I was partial to eggplant and miso sauce?? Well black cod and miso sauce trumps that eggplant ANY DAY. Possibly my favorite fish of all time and this one did not disappoint. Again the miso sauce can be overwhelming. Chef's Choice Sushi - Supposedly the creme de la creme of sushi available. The fish was fresh and delicious, sadly uni or toro were not in season when we ordered this dish. Aburi 5 - This is the dish that you MUST order. Five delectable sushi nigiri seared with a freakin blowtorch. It adds that crisp smoky flavor to the fish and that combination is simply divine. If it were up to me, all fish would be this way!! I cannot wait to see what Yuzu does with its menu as it grows and establishes itself as a restaurant. Take note worshippers of Japanese cuisine, there's a new hot kid in town!!
(4)
Anna S.
Decided to try Yuzu for dinner after a Japanese friend recommended it. There were a fair amount of customers in the house and only two front of house staff members, but they did a fantastic job caring for all guests and preparing take out orders. We tried the seaweed salad, corn tempura, and mushidori to start. The salad had a beautiful assortment of four types of seaweed. The corn tempura was light and unique - served with green tea powder which you mix with soy sauce to dip the tempura in. My favorite was the mushidori - it's a chilled chicken dish in sesame sauce and it was so refreshing in this heat. Next we ordered some sushi - the aburi 5, a premium assortment, and the usuzukuri at the recommendation of our server. The aburi 5 was amazing..seared nigiri that melts in your mouth. The usuzukuri was also a treat - apparently it is a traditional Japanese New Years dish. Overall, this was an amazing experience. I see some comments about the slow service - I felt well cared for at all times, especially considering there were only two chefs hand crafting each dish. This is a family run restaurant and I felt as if I were being treated to a home cooked meal in a home rather than having pre-made dishes reheated quickly and brought to me. Trust me, it's worth the wait :) P.S. Try the desserts! Apparently the chef's wife/co-owner makes them herself as she is a trained pastry chef. The panna cotta was to die for!
(5)
Giovanni B.
I'm really torn about this place. I've driven by here a couple times a week for the past couple months and watched it develop from the ashes of DIVINO. The best thing about Yuzu was the menu. It has a really interesting and comprehensive menu that probably is the best sushi/japanese restaurant i've ever been to in the DMV area. There were really interesting and creative dishes on the menu which i really liked. There was a really nice combination of sushi and kitchen dishes beyond the standard chicken teriyaki and shrimp tempura. I love japanese food and was like a kid in a candy store ordering from the menu. We ordered A LOT of stuff. Another thing I really liked was a small menu of special fish offerings that were flown in fresh from Japan. It's really nice to have a variable special menu so that you can try new interesting things every time you return. I saw some fish on this special menu i'd never seen offered anywhere else before. In addition to this, the front of house staff really knew their stuff about Japanese cuisine. They were really helpful and offered great suggestions. Everyone was exceedingly nice and polite. So far everything about this review seems good. But the theme of our visit (and this review) was that this place has so much potential but we felt that many things fell short of delivering a top-notch experience. First of all, the ratio of front of the house to back of the house employees is waaaaaay out of whack. There were 2 hostesses (or maybe 1 hostess and 1 FOH manager?) and 4-6 servers and what looked like only 2-3 people back in the kitchen. This led to having servers/hostesses buzzing around the restaurant with no food to take to their tables. This also lead to waiting 20+ minutes for a crumb of food being delivered to our table after our order was taken. I should add here that it was friday night but probably only about 60% of the seats were filled. We ordered a couple cold dishes (Oshinko, Hijiki Salad in Dashi broth) and a miso soup. We didn't get the Oshinko or Hijiki for at least 20 minutes despite the fact that all these dishes needed was to be plated. Our miso soup never showed up (except on the bill). Why wait so long to deliver the cold dishes? There were serious issues with the timing of service. We also ordered a large array of Nigiri. We were excited to try some of the flown in from Japan sushi and also to try Aburi style (seared w/ torch) nigiri. When the fish arrived, we were a little disappointed with the cuts of fish as they were much smaller than we were used to for $5-$8 for 2 pieces. None of the fish blew us out of the water and the construction of the nigiri was a little suspect at times. We didn't notice much difference for the 5 Aburi style pieces we ordered. That was a let down. After scarfing everything down, we ordered 3 rolls and a tofu dish because the unusually small nigiri pieces didn't quite fill us up. The rolls came quicker and were quite tasty (and straightforward). When the bill came, we knew we were in for some trouble with all the food we ordered. It wasn't horrible but certainly more than we would usually spend eating sushi. I'm ok paying $100+ for two people for a sushi dinner, but it should knock my socks off for that price. My socks were still firmly rooted in my shoes. In the end, I hope they work out their issues and are able to kick their execution up a notch or two. With a menu like they have and a staff as knowledgeable as they are, this place has the potential to be among the best in DMV area. Unfortunately too many shortcomings has left me feeling slightly disappointed. Side note: the interior of this place lacks a certain finish for how expensive the dishes are and what caliber of restaurant it presents itself as. The decor was very nice and classy, but it just lacked the level of fit and finish you would expect in a restaurant that presents itself as classy as Yuzu.
(3)
Rachel M.
I went to Yuzu tonight with a few friends. It was their first night open so I there were definitely a few kinks and a nervous waitress. I've been really looking forward to Yuzu opening because its close to my work and Bethesda is really lacking a quality Japanese restaurant. The good: a varied menu with some small hot and cold items offers choice for people who aren't sushi lovers. The staff was really attentive...to the point it felt awkward because there were lots of staff and it was empty. The bad/mediocre: the place was dusty. The backs of the booths were covered with dust, the spoon was dirty, chopsticks too. The sushi and nigiri were just okay and kind of small for the price as was the veggie tempura. I disliked that you don't get a pot of green tea only small cups but it was free (opening night only). I ate the previous night at Sushiko and found myself comparing everything to there and we all agreed Sushiko was more enjoyable and surprisingly less expensive. Bottom line: it has potential. I will give it another try but will wait until they've been open longer and had a chance to work out the menu.
(3)
Brad C.
Great Japanese food for vegetarians. Veggie sushi rolls, tempura edamame, tempura corn, yuzu ice cream and black sesame ice cream were all winners.
(5)
Richard D.
First, I would like to say I do not Yelp, However I would like to make an exception this time. I truly enjoyed my experience at YUZU! First time at a Chef's table, and definitely not my last! I am an official groupie. The Nigiri Omakase was out standing, looking forward to having it again.
(5)
Brett M.
Delicate, high end Sushi comes to Bethesda. The quality of the fish is the reason to go. The atmosphere is quiet, and relaxed. Yoshihisa Ota has created something special.
(4)
Consumer X.
Discovered this little gem about 9 months ago and will continue to keep going back for the seaweed salad, braised pork belly, udon and toasted sesame ice cream. And the sushi and sashimi are pretty darn tasty as well!
(4)
Nobody I.
Having read some of the reviews on Yelp I went expecting fun, interesting, and flavorful Japanese-inspired food. My wife and I left $100 lighter, and not at all satisfied. The food wasn't bad. It just wasn't especially good - nothing to justify the high prices (that $100 included only green tea and bottled water to drink). We left hungry and got a charcuterie plate at a bar up the street. Highlight: the yellowtail "cheek" (collar). Lowlight: having to ask for ponzu to go with it. And then ask again for another (tiny) bowl of ponzu, as we were sharing the fish across the table. Portions were scant and, did I mention, high-priced and entirely unremarkable?
(2)
Rex H.
Tofu was on another level, completely changing my idea of what tofu should taste like. It was nice and sweet with interesting flavors. The other food was also good. Sushi was nice. Anago in particular was rather tasty. Maguro as well was remarkably good. The seaweed salad was fresh and delicious but somewhat salty. The mountain vegetables and pickled vegetables were excellent and tasted as though they had been recently harvested. Nice atmosphere and friendly staff.
(5)
Bill P.
Great new sushi place.....I hope they pack them in more frequently though. Never busy when I've been by and this Saturday only one other table late lunch. Had the Japanese pickles (Oshinko) $5 very tasty and varied. The Tuna Jalapeno $8 very good and spicy kick to it. The California rolls $6 and well prsented. Server Maia attentive without being overbearing which can sometimes happen at a slow time. I'll be back and they start happy hour this week also.
(4)
Robert J.
Only came here once for lunch, but considering they are still in a soft-opening phase, the quality of the food was excellent. The menu is gradually being expanded, so the current selection is limited, unless you have come specifically for sushi. I am planning on returning in a few weeks, once the menus are going full tilt and they have their liquor license; I have a hard time eating sushi without the requisite beer to compliment it.
(5)
Michael S.
Really, really good. The food is definitely on a par with Sushi-Ko or Kaz. The ambiance has a way to go, but the place is in its "soft opening" phase. We will definitely be going back often. I had some of the best Uni negimaki that I've ever had. Nicely garnished with a little dab of wasabi on top. The Miso black cod did *not* come with an overwhelming miso sauce as one reviewer said. It was miso-marinated, but sauceless, and just tasted like "ooh, mommy!," as I exclaimed when I took my first bite. What a wonderful piece of fish! The fried eggplant with chicken miso sauce, described as a staff favorite, was a family favorite, too. Wow. The seared albacore with jalapeno appetizer was super, as was the four-seaweed salad. And the soft shell crab and avocado roll, and ... well, you get the idea. Even the vegetables in sweet tofu sauce were great. Service was excellent and enthusiastic. Minh explained the dishes well and gave us frequent status reports on progress.
(5)
Mahoko E.
I ate dinner at Yuzu twice already after it opened on Monday. We became kind of Chef Yoshi's groupies after we first discovered him as the head sushi chef at Sushiko couple years ago. We've been patiently waiting for him to open his own restaurant... And yes, it was every bit as good or better than I imagined. There are sushi chefs who make sushi to make some cash, and there are sushi chefs who are obsessed with food (or more precisely, how to make better and better food) 24/7. Chef Yoshi is the latter. Just like Jose Andres whom we met before he became super famous. Yoshi had his own restaurant in the prestigious Ginza district before he came here to go global. Their loss, our gain. Chef Yoshi knows how to pick, prepare, and serve fish. I had salmon, yellow tail, eel, tuna, sweet shrimp, sardine, etc. Everything tasted fresh and exquisite. The consistency and proportion of rice were perfect. Salmon and yellowtail melted in my mouth. I also tasted pork kakuni, age tofu, yakitori, eggplant dengaku, chicken tatsuta-age, ganmodoki, and mushroom miso soup. There wasn't one thing that I didn't love. Their food just made me happy. And full:-) They are slowly expanding their menu in the coming weeks, as well as waiting to get their liquor license. If you need good sake or beer to go with their magnificent meal, you should wait couple weeks and then go crazy. In the meantime, I'm sure my friends and I will keep going back to be blessed with Yoshi's food regularly.
(5)
Eugene H.
Me and my cousin tried out this place and when we saw that there was a special imported menu, we had to try a couple of items from there. It was ridiculously expensive, but the food was top notch. Definitely a fun experience to try out food that you usually can't get in the area, but be prepared to pay for it.
(4)
Denise P.
I like the location, I like the service and although the menu won't blow your mind with creativity the end product is high quality. We ordered a couple of rolls to share, their house specialty tempura corn and some udon noodles. If you're near and you want sushi this is a really reliable and authentic option. The tempura corn was super unique with the green tea/salt dipping powder. Worth a try.
(4)
Wayne F.
Hum, this is right down the street and I was hoping I would love it. Overall good, just not great-- 3.5 stars but just don't feel the urge to round up on this one. The highlight was the yakatori chicken-- plump, good char, juicy...just good. The sashimi platter portion of the chirashi was disappointing. It comes out on ice, which was nice, but the flavor gets lost when the fish is so cold. The rice for the nigiri was a good consistency but just not flavored very well-- I like mine to have a bit more vinegar (I douce fries in vinegar also, so maybe this is just me being weird here). The bartender/manager, who was great btw, said the uni was from a special source, etc, but I found it kind of bitter and bland. The owner's wife makes an awesome dessert from scratch, which is definitely worth a try. For Bethesda, this is solid, but overall would try other places.
Ordered tempura, great, very light & tasty ! The nabe hot pot was delicious as well. We had 8 people in our party & everything went well. Had dirty martinis that were some of the best I've ever had. In fact, went back again and had more the next night. Definitely will go back again. A recommend! And I'm only in this area once a year :)
(5)
Kate O.
Maybe I came on a bad day? I'm not really getting all the raves for this place. The sushi was just meh- didn't seem all that fresh and quite, well, tasteless. The blow torched sushi makes all the sushi taste the same. So is it me or them? Well you can try yourself but a word of warning- it's an expensive shot to give...
(2)
Linda H.
I wanted to love love this place. I liked it a lot. The fish quality was quite good. The rice was not warm & seasoned enough. We also waited quite a long time for our food which meant the nori was soggy. But, I think they're working out the new kinks, so I'll definitely give it another try and hope the food comes out faster.
(4)
Foodrunner F.
Pretty good sushi. The fish is fresh. They do not have crazy rolls, just simple sushi and Nigri. The restaurant is pretty laid back. A casual place that is nice to hang out with friends or go on a casual date.
(3)
Mahsa K.
They have only one lunch special "bento box" but they allow you a vegetarian modification option which is nice. The sushi is good enough. For the price I would expect it to be a little more cold, with wasabi dots underneath--classically done, and more plump. The crunchy shrimp and "cooked" rolls turned out better than where I could compare their raw rolls.... the sushi buffet down the street makes more sense for the price at lunch I'd say. But this would be a good dinner place. And I will give them this... their edamame is awesome. It served cold and sweet but each bean has such a silky texture---pleasant surprise.
(4)
Brian J.
Udon was delicious, the sushi however was just ok. I haven't found great sushi anywhere in bethesda yet.
(3)
Mark O.
Great food, great service. I've been there 4 times already in just a few months (and I don't eat out much). Great eggplant appetizer. Wonderful sushi. A different, interesting take on some traditional fare. Will definitely be back.
(4)
Shelly G.
Yuzu is a wonderful restaurant. Try the seaweed salad and the eggplant appetizer--to die for. Other favorites are the oysters, crunchy outside, warm and tender inside, and the soft shell crab roll. I think I like it better than Tako Grill, which I did not think possible.
(4)
Eric B.
Nice new spot. Very good sushi. Decor and atmosphere, inviting.
(4)
Thanh N.
ordered the chirashi and was very pleased. fish was fresh and delicious. a little bit on the expensive side though. service was very fast and attentive but then again, i was there for a very early dinner.
(4)
Andrew S.
New favorite place for sushi and authentic Japanese dining. Chef is super experienced and food is always good!
(4)
Maru T.
I seem to have hit an unlucky streak with service lately and while Yuzu doesn't have the worst service I have been tortured with lately, their food does little to offset the complete incompetence we experienced which started with really slow drink service, appetizers coming out in a delayed piecemeal fashion, forgotten orders, and an incorrect bill. The sushi was mediocre with minuscule pieces of fish in the rolls, mediocre flavors on the tofu, and a blah hot pot. We had 7PM reservations on a Friday night and the restaurant wasn't completely full so I don't think they should have an excuse for not being ready for the average size crowd. There are many better options for sushi in Bethesda - I will not be back.
(1)
Vmc R.
Very authentic Japanese sushi - I feel like now that Americans have embraced sushi they tend to like the really huge slices of fish and rolls, but I prefer this traditional style... it's really good quality: silky, tender fish that melts in your mouth in two reasonable sized bites. (In my opinion, better than gnawing on a big chunk of tasteless fish, with no balance of flavor & texture to the rice, etc.) I've eaten at the other venues that Yoshi's been involved with (big fan of Sushiko & Kushi) and the food here lives up to his reputation. I had the seaweed salad (BIG portion, tasty dressing... ok - I'm liking a big portion in this case!) and some nigiri & maki. My favorite is that they have umeshiso on the menu (in the sushi rolls)!!! Only a very few restaurants in DC offer it. Yum!
(5)
Gordon M.
This place is terrible. Service is slow. Food is not kept at proper temperatures and for raw fish that is a disaster waiting to happen. They just opened this month but they should just give up and close. The staff keeps apologizing to every table. My order was wrong. Portions are not what I would expect for the price. Just a disaster. Don't be fooled by the reviews from friends of the owner.
(1)
Andrew V.
Absolutely incredible top to bottom. Food was out of this world! They apparently get shipments directly from Japan a couple of times a week and it shows. This was as close as you can get to a sushi experience in Japan without buying a plane ticket. The daily specials (which were shipped from Japan the morning of our meal) were unbelievably good. I highly suggest the Toro and Hamaki collar if they have it when you try this wonderful place out. The service was outstanding. Staff was very knowledgeable and even showed us pictures of the chefs butchering the fresh tuna that they received that morning. Deserts were incredible as well with some traditional Japanese deserts that I had never tried before but was delightfully surprised. This is a place that all sushi lovers should try. I promise you will not be disappointed. And when you do, be a good neighbor and rate this restaurant on every site you know of. This place deserves to be the premier sushi restaurant in the Washington DC metropolitan area.
(5)
Jessica C.
I live a few blocks away and I really, really wanted to love it...unfortunately, it just didn't live up to my expectations. The dishes were just ok and the sushi was fine, but lots of rice and not too much fish. The service was ok. There are much better Japanese places in the area.
(2)
Nancy L.
Not sure how this place had 4 stars. Maybe we visited on an off day. Maybe I've been spoiled by Philly sushi. The place was completely empty which was strange given that it was a weekday at noon. I think we ordered a sushi platter and a handroll. Nothing was bad per day but nothing was great either.
(3)
William M.
We dined there last night after reading that this restaurant had opened. We are big fans of Sushi-Ko, especially the one in Georgetown, and the owner of Yuzu apparently used to be the executive chef at Sushi Ko. You could definitely see the influences. My wife had the jalapeño tuna roll (which we both love) and the crunchy shrimp roll. Both were excellent. I had the deluxe sushi plate, also excellent. We highly recommend. Best in Bethesda.
(5)
Jeannie E.
Dinner at Yuzu is fantastic. The food is fresh and delicious, the staff took great care of us, and the clientele was a wonderful mix of families, groups of friends, couples, individual business travelers, and Japanese patrons. The ambiance is a relaxing mix of modern, spacious, and comfy. I will definitely be back during Yuzu's soft opening and I very much look forward to its grand opening and beyond. This one is a winner.
(5)
Barbara A.
Definitely the best Japanese restaurant in the area. Seaweed salad with 4 varieties was excellent. Nice vegetarian options. Tempura was very light and not greasy. A winner. Other dishes were good too.
(5)
Marie C.
Yuzu is a great addition to Bethesda. I've gone back several times for lunch specials (which remind me of trips to Japan as soon as the flavors hit) and told friends about the place. Lunches are not crowded and the staff did tell me that the summer is a very tough time to open a restaurant--So, patronize this wonderful place! The red bean gelatin dessert is hard to find here and so refreshing.
(4)
Hilary B.
We have been trying to get to Yuzu for a few weeks since it opened and tonight we finally made it there. And it was amazing! If you have lived in Japan or know what Japanese food is supposed to taste like then this is the place for you. The sushi is small like it should be and room temp. You can taste the delicious fish in every bite. They had great specials that were comprised of fish flown from Japan. The red snapper nigiri was delicious. I have also been searching for Yakitori since I left Japan and this finally brought me back to the delicious Yakitori street carts that you find around the city. The sauce is exactly as it should taste, chicken is perfectly grilled and every bite was fantastic. The nuta maguro is delicious as well. And thank goodness for the absence of mayonnaise. Gross! I hate all the mayo places put in their sushi. This is convenient and has a comfortable, relaxing atmosphere. Will definitely be back. This is worth every dollar. Staff was very friendly and helpful. This is a real Japanese restaurant in the heart of Bethesda. Decor is beautifully understated.
Takes Reservations : Yes Delivery : No Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Lunch Parking : Garage, Street Bike Parking : Yes Wheelchair Accessible : Yes Good for Kids : Yes Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Casual Ambience : Casual Noise Level : Quiet Alcohol : Full Bar Outdoor Seating : No Wi-Fi : Free Has TV : No Dogs Allowed : No Waiter Service : Yes Caters : Yes
Aurélien Z.
Very good quality sushi. Great rice texture and quality. The fish also tastes great. Efficient, helpful and pleasant service. Beside sushi, they also offer authentic Japanese dishes which are also really good.
(5)Nicole L.
We were excited to try Yuzu since the chef came from Sushi-Ko. The restaurant was simple decor. We started with some wines they were good. I started with the seaweed salad but it was not what I expected I thought it was be more premium seaweed but it was average plus the dressing was not impressive. I also ordered the Chef's chirashi supposedly came with premium fish. It had good sashimi but not good enough for $35. I had better chirashi for much less. So I had very high expectation for their chirashi. Overall the price was too high for the quality, it was good quality but not mind blowingly good.
(3)Herschel S.
It's been a while since I've gone to a place without knowing the Yelp review for it. I must say I was pleasantly surprised when I visited this establishment. First off, when my colleagues and I came in, I noticed that the servers are mostly Americans. Given that, I thought the Japanese food will be Americanized. However, I was proven wrong. I ordered their lunch special- the grilled mackerel served with rice and miso soup. When I tasted the miso soup, it transported me back to last year when my husband and I visited Japan. The grilled mackerel also reminded me the day we followed the Japanese salarymen to lunch in Japan. The portion is also huge considering it is fish. The green tea is also very good. I had to check what's in the teapot because it really was THAT good. I thought they were using matcha powder but no they were just using a pouch with a lot of green tea leaves. This place is pretty authentic. (A Japanese family was also in the restaurant eating. That must be a good sign, right?) Now, why 4 stars? The service was a little off. The server made assumptions about me just because I'm Asian. She gave my colleagues their soup spoon and was about to not give me one because she thought I wouldn't need it.
(4)Courtney D.
The sushi was delicious but service was dreadful. Had to wait over an hour and a half for two rolls of sushi when we were one of three tables there. Also we had to ask for a glass of water 3 times until it finally came when they brought the check. Great food, but would not suggest going there hungry or if you have plans afterwards.
(2)Sam C.
The miso soup, which you'd think to be the simplest of things to make at a Japanese restaurant was not only "meh" but not even hot when we got it. The sushi was definitely sub-par and I would not go back there again. Not to mention the service was incredibly slow - I think they had only one waitress working.
(2)Katie M.
Great sushi in a quiet restaurant in Bethesda. Fresh, clean, everything that's great about sushi. Be sure to try the green tea ice cream!!
(4)Jen O.
After checking out the menu posted outside the front door, I decided to give Yuzu a try. The service was excellent right from a prompt greeting as I entered straight thru the meal and the friendly farewell. I ordered the house salad which was above average in terms of the quality of lettuces used and the light ginger dressing. I also had the shrimp and vegetable tempura entree. The portion size was generous and it came with rice. Pricing was reasonable with my meal, soda, tax and tip coming in at $35. I would recommend them and plan on going again!
(4)Michael H.
I had the Premium Assorted Sushi - 10 pieces of nigiri with a 'chef's choice' roll. Nigiri wasn't terrible, but nothing spectacular. The selection was unimpressive (egg?) and the fish wasn't great. The 'chef's choice' was a huge disappointment. It was half cucumber / half spicy salmon maki. I'm not local, but I'm guessing you could have a much better meal elsewhere for $35. I guess I should have known since the place was more or less empty at 7:00pm (on a Tuesday, but still a bad sign).
(2)Guo T.
My husband and I went there on my birthday, such a nice place with Japanese clean and neat style. The decoration at front door was so cute with mini size sushi. The server was friendly, and the food is same as what we ate in Tokyo, so delicious that make us grab food without any left. We ordered the yellowtail calpaccio and toro, the best of all. The yellowtail calpaccio was more than I can imagine, the yellowtail was soft, savory especially with ponzu sauce. toro was great, the buttery part of tuna gonna melt in your month. We also ordered the edamame tempura, which we NEVER had in any other place. It's a little bit salt and sweet with tempura sauce, with the fried young soy beans gonna subvert the traditional boiled edamame. The crunchy spicy tuna is my husband favorite, crispy, spicy, and aromatic tuna, with a little bit sour in the sushi rice and the outside part nori, yummiest in the world. The server bring our desert with a candle on the top, we ordered the black sesame ice cream, scented sesame is not too heavy to make you faint, just savory enough to attract you eat more. We will definitely come back more often, most native Japanese food in town.
(5)Amanda F.
Finally! an AUTHENTIC sushi restaurant in Bethesda. This family owned establishment is a gem and a must go if you are a sushi fan. Food-Go for anything-sashimi, nigiri and sushi rolls in addition to small grilled plates. (Thank The Lord above there is isn't a communal hibachi grill in sight.) I had the deluxe chef sushi selection and nigiri daily special-the fish was fresh, embodying that clean oceanic flavor. We also had the edamame, which wasn't your run of the mill frozen Whole Foods variety. No, it was black edamame purchased fresh, steamed and chilled. Drinks-I (surprisingly) didn't drink, but there is a relaxed bar area with a great selection of Japanese and southeast Asian beers. The cocktail menu was enticing, and actual yuzu could be found in several of the offerings. Atmosphere-You may as well be in Tokyo. Service-Friendly and prompt.
(5)Brittany J.
I echo the helpers that say this is on par with Sushi-Ko, the quality of the fish, the skill of the chef, the portion size, and price points are quite similar. This location also happens to have nigiri that isn't covered in wasabi. The manager/bartender Remi is adorable and gives great suggestions along with great service. She's also really easy to talk to. There was only me and one other patron there tonight so we had her full attention. I had the anubi style (flame seared) nigiri. Amaze balls. I also had two specials whose names are escaping me, but one is a seasonal fish they were almost out of. I also had one of the summer cocktail original creations, a matcha mojito which is perfect for the drinker who doesn't like her drinks too sweet. I finished off with a yelp recommendation of green tea and yuzu ice cream which I would go back for. Apparently Chef Yoshi's wife also makes some dessert selections but only if they sell well so ask what the special dessert offerings are when you go! Apparently they've only been open for 3 months and the chef came from Kushi and decided to open his own place. I'm so glad. The price point puts this firmly in the once-in-a-while-treat category, but it's nice to know the person who brought Kushi to its former glory is still doing strong culinary work in the area.
(5)Ammie L.
Came here for dinner twice. Both had a very pleasant experience. The food is very authentic Japanese. The tofu dengaku and yakuniku were delicious! Yakuniku is quite large portion as an entry for one. Chef's chirashi is also good-portion, both the sashimi and chirashi were premium quality, fresh and tender. The staff are very friendly, helpful and respectful, like a typical good restaurant in Japan. Love this place. Will definitely come back.
(5)Erica C.
Yuzu is good times. The sushi selection is quite nice and wasn't the ridiculous lineup that most sushi places have. Yuzu keeps it classy. But with that being said, Yuzu is a bit on the expensive side compared to other sushi spots. Parking is easy to find. The beer selection looks decent. The atmosphere is open and clean.
(4)T R.
Pretty decent service. Had a cold beer brought to me soon after sitting down. The options on them menu are pretty good. I am a vegetarian so the message saying they didn't know what was or was not vegetarian at the bottom of the menu seemed sort of lazy. I mean how much effort would it take to parse out, like 10 minutes? Got some hopefully vegetarian sushi rolls. Good, not bad. The corn tempura was fun to break into... hopefully it was meant to be finger food because that is what I had to do. Not bad for a quick dinner. I'll go back now and then.
(4)Sheila W.
I got the bento box lunch special. It was good, but not the best I've had (and I've had a lot of Japanese food.) I liked the miso soup, contrary to other reviews. Pleasant service, though there was a slight glitch in that it took a while for my food to arrive. The hostess was very apologetic. I would have given it 3 stars, but bumped it up to 4 after they found my lost credit card and held onto it safely with no false charges. When I picked up the card, they were careful to check that I was really the cardholder. I will go back and try their $9.99 weekday lunch special.
(4)Andrew R.
dinner with a friend saturday night. a little sake, sashimi platter, some crunchy rolls, edamame. everything was excellent, great service, nice atmosphere and the prices are what you would expect to pay in bethesda. the standout for me, however, was the fried eggplant dish. yummers. it is a must have.
(4)Dustin G.
THEY HAVE ORION!!! I lived in Okinawa for 2 years and outside of Japan this is the best sushi I've had in years... Very very pricy though
(5)Teresa L.
Yuzu is a new-ish Japanese restaurant in Bethesda. I was actually there for a special sake and washoku pairing event so I can't comment on the regular menu. The special menu we did have was very good, from some a small starter of three different presentations of tofu, to an exceptional flounder and mushroom dish, to small selection of sushi. The restaurant itself is simply decorated and smells wonderful when you walk in the door. I'd certainly be happy to go back here and taste some of their regular offerings.
(3)Tanya G.
Often I find myself wondering if there is more to a particular cuisine than just what is found in this country. Have you ever wondered what Japanese ppl eat on a daily basis? I mean yes eating sushi and ramen every day would be amazing but there's got to be more right?? What am I missing that restaurants aren't providing?? My not so recent trip to Japan gave me a glimpse of what that diet might be and my very recent trip to Yuzu gave me some more insight. Yuzu just opened a mere few weeks ago so the food and drink menu is a little bit on the limited side but I was very impressed with what I saw and tasted. Edamame - Black edamame served instead of the usual green and it was very tasty. Slightly sweeter, tasted like it was cooked in one of my favorite teas (pandan) and lightly salted. Age Nasu Dengaku - Fried eggplant with chicken miso sauce. Now I am partial to eggplant and I am partial to miso sauce so this dish was a shoe in for deliciousness. I do find the miso sauce can be over powering so lather with caution. Mushroom Tempura - When they say variety, they really mean it. It really is whatever is available/fresh that day. So just be satisfied with a medley of mushrooms that is tempura-ed to perfection. Grilled Black Cod - Remember when I said that I was partial to eggplant and miso sauce?? Well black cod and miso sauce trumps that eggplant ANY DAY. Possibly my favorite fish of all time and this one did not disappoint. Again the miso sauce can be overwhelming. Chef's Choice Sushi - Supposedly the creme de la creme of sushi available. The fish was fresh and delicious, sadly uni or toro were not in season when we ordered this dish. Aburi 5 - This is the dish that you MUST order. Five delectable sushi nigiri seared with a freakin blowtorch. It adds that crisp smoky flavor to the fish and that combination is simply divine. If it were up to me, all fish would be this way!! I cannot wait to see what Yuzu does with its menu as it grows and establishes itself as a restaurant. Take note worshippers of Japanese cuisine, there's a new hot kid in town!!
(4)Anna S.
Decided to try Yuzu for dinner after a Japanese friend recommended it. There were a fair amount of customers in the house and only two front of house staff members, but they did a fantastic job caring for all guests and preparing take out orders. We tried the seaweed salad, corn tempura, and mushidori to start. The salad had a beautiful assortment of four types of seaweed. The corn tempura was light and unique - served with green tea powder which you mix with soy sauce to dip the tempura in. My favorite was the mushidori - it's a chilled chicken dish in sesame sauce and it was so refreshing in this heat. Next we ordered some sushi - the aburi 5, a premium assortment, and the usuzukuri at the recommendation of our server. The aburi 5 was amazing..seared nigiri that melts in your mouth. The usuzukuri was also a treat - apparently it is a traditional Japanese New Years dish. Overall, this was an amazing experience. I see some comments about the slow service - I felt well cared for at all times, especially considering there were only two chefs hand crafting each dish. This is a family run restaurant and I felt as if I were being treated to a home cooked meal in a home rather than having pre-made dishes reheated quickly and brought to me. Trust me, it's worth the wait :) P.S. Try the desserts! Apparently the chef's wife/co-owner makes them herself as she is a trained pastry chef. The panna cotta was to die for!
(5)Giovanni B.
I'm really torn about this place. I've driven by here a couple times a week for the past couple months and watched it develop from the ashes of DIVINO. The best thing about Yuzu was the menu. It has a really interesting and comprehensive menu that probably is the best sushi/japanese restaurant i've ever been to in the DMV area. There were really interesting and creative dishes on the menu which i really liked. There was a really nice combination of sushi and kitchen dishes beyond the standard chicken teriyaki and shrimp tempura. I love japanese food and was like a kid in a candy store ordering from the menu. We ordered A LOT of stuff. Another thing I really liked was a small menu of special fish offerings that were flown in fresh from Japan. It's really nice to have a variable special menu so that you can try new interesting things every time you return. I saw some fish on this special menu i'd never seen offered anywhere else before. In addition to this, the front of house staff really knew their stuff about Japanese cuisine. They were really helpful and offered great suggestions. Everyone was exceedingly nice and polite. So far everything about this review seems good. But the theme of our visit (and this review) was that this place has so much potential but we felt that many things fell short of delivering a top-notch experience. First of all, the ratio of front of the house to back of the house employees is waaaaaay out of whack. There were 2 hostesses (or maybe 1 hostess and 1 FOH manager?) and 4-6 servers and what looked like only 2-3 people back in the kitchen. This led to having servers/hostesses buzzing around the restaurant with no food to take to their tables. This also lead to waiting 20+ minutes for a crumb of food being delivered to our table after our order was taken. I should add here that it was friday night but probably only about 60% of the seats were filled. We ordered a couple cold dishes (Oshinko, Hijiki Salad in Dashi broth) and a miso soup. We didn't get the Oshinko or Hijiki for at least 20 minutes despite the fact that all these dishes needed was to be plated. Our miso soup never showed up (except on the bill). Why wait so long to deliver the cold dishes? There were serious issues with the timing of service. We also ordered a large array of Nigiri. We were excited to try some of the flown in from Japan sushi and also to try Aburi style (seared w/ torch) nigiri. When the fish arrived, we were a little disappointed with the cuts of fish as they were much smaller than we were used to for $5-$8 for 2 pieces. None of the fish blew us out of the water and the construction of the nigiri was a little suspect at times. We didn't notice much difference for the 5 Aburi style pieces we ordered. That was a let down. After scarfing everything down, we ordered 3 rolls and a tofu dish because the unusually small nigiri pieces didn't quite fill us up. The rolls came quicker and were quite tasty (and straightforward). When the bill came, we knew we were in for some trouble with all the food we ordered. It wasn't horrible but certainly more than we would usually spend eating sushi. I'm ok paying $100+ for two people for a sushi dinner, but it should knock my socks off for that price. My socks were still firmly rooted in my shoes. In the end, I hope they work out their issues and are able to kick their execution up a notch or two. With a menu like they have and a staff as knowledgeable as they are, this place has the potential to be among the best in DMV area. Unfortunately too many shortcomings has left me feeling slightly disappointed. Side note: the interior of this place lacks a certain finish for how expensive the dishes are and what caliber of restaurant it presents itself as. The decor was very nice and classy, but it just lacked the level of fit and finish you would expect in a restaurant that presents itself as classy as Yuzu.
(3)Rachel M.
I went to Yuzu tonight with a few friends. It was their first night open so I there were definitely a few kinks and a nervous waitress. I've been really looking forward to Yuzu opening because its close to my work and Bethesda is really lacking a quality Japanese restaurant. The good: a varied menu with some small hot and cold items offers choice for people who aren't sushi lovers. The staff was really attentive...to the point it felt awkward because there were lots of staff and it was empty. The bad/mediocre: the place was dusty. The backs of the booths were covered with dust, the spoon was dirty, chopsticks too. The sushi and nigiri were just okay and kind of small for the price as was the veggie tempura. I disliked that you don't get a pot of green tea only small cups but it was free (opening night only). I ate the previous night at Sushiko and found myself comparing everything to there and we all agreed Sushiko was more enjoyable and surprisingly less expensive. Bottom line: it has potential. I will give it another try but will wait until they've been open longer and had a chance to work out the menu.
(3)Brad C.
Great Japanese food for vegetarians. Veggie sushi rolls, tempura edamame, tempura corn, yuzu ice cream and black sesame ice cream were all winners.
(5)Richard D.
First, I would like to say I do not Yelp, However I would like to make an exception this time. I truly enjoyed my experience at YUZU! First time at a Chef's table, and definitely not my last! I am an official groupie. The Nigiri Omakase was out standing, looking forward to having it again.
(5)Brett M.
Delicate, high end Sushi comes to Bethesda. The quality of the fish is the reason to go. The atmosphere is quiet, and relaxed. Yoshihisa Ota has created something special.
(4)Consumer X.
Discovered this little gem about 9 months ago and will continue to keep going back for the seaweed salad, braised pork belly, udon and toasted sesame ice cream. And the sushi and sashimi are pretty darn tasty as well!
(4)Nobody I.
Having read some of the reviews on Yelp I went expecting fun, interesting, and flavorful Japanese-inspired food. My wife and I left $100 lighter, and not at all satisfied. The food wasn't bad. It just wasn't especially good - nothing to justify the high prices (that $100 included only green tea and bottled water to drink). We left hungry and got a charcuterie plate at a bar up the street. Highlight: the yellowtail "cheek" (collar). Lowlight: having to ask for ponzu to go with it. And then ask again for another (tiny) bowl of ponzu, as we were sharing the fish across the table. Portions were scant and, did I mention, high-priced and entirely unremarkable?
(2)Rex H.
Tofu was on another level, completely changing my idea of what tofu should taste like. It was nice and sweet with interesting flavors. The other food was also good. Sushi was nice. Anago in particular was rather tasty. Maguro as well was remarkably good. The seaweed salad was fresh and delicious but somewhat salty. The mountain vegetables and pickled vegetables were excellent and tasted as though they had been recently harvested. Nice atmosphere and friendly staff.
(5)Bill P.
Great new sushi place.....I hope they pack them in more frequently though. Never busy when I've been by and this Saturday only one other table late lunch. Had the Japanese pickles (Oshinko) $5 very tasty and varied. The Tuna Jalapeno $8 very good and spicy kick to it. The California rolls $6 and well prsented. Server Maia attentive without being overbearing which can sometimes happen at a slow time. I'll be back and they start happy hour this week also.
(4)Robert J.
Only came here once for lunch, but considering they are still in a soft-opening phase, the quality of the food was excellent. The menu is gradually being expanded, so the current selection is limited, unless you have come specifically for sushi. I am planning on returning in a few weeks, once the menus are going full tilt and they have their liquor license; I have a hard time eating sushi without the requisite beer to compliment it.
(5)Michael S.
Really, really good. The food is definitely on a par with Sushi-Ko or Kaz. The ambiance has a way to go, but the place is in its "soft opening" phase. We will definitely be going back often. I had some of the best Uni negimaki that I've ever had. Nicely garnished with a little dab of wasabi on top. The Miso black cod did *not* come with an overwhelming miso sauce as one reviewer said. It was miso-marinated, but sauceless, and just tasted like "ooh, mommy!," as I exclaimed when I took my first bite. What a wonderful piece of fish! The fried eggplant with chicken miso sauce, described as a staff favorite, was a family favorite, too. Wow. The seared albacore with jalapeno appetizer was super, as was the four-seaweed salad. And the soft shell crab and avocado roll, and ... well, you get the idea. Even the vegetables in sweet tofu sauce were great. Service was excellent and enthusiastic. Minh explained the dishes well and gave us frequent status reports on progress.
(5)Mahoko E.
I ate dinner at Yuzu twice already after it opened on Monday. We became kind of Chef Yoshi's groupies after we first discovered him as the head sushi chef at Sushiko couple years ago. We've been patiently waiting for him to open his own restaurant... And yes, it was every bit as good or better than I imagined. There are sushi chefs who make sushi to make some cash, and there are sushi chefs who are obsessed with food (or more precisely, how to make better and better food) 24/7. Chef Yoshi is the latter. Just like Jose Andres whom we met before he became super famous. Yoshi had his own restaurant in the prestigious Ginza district before he came here to go global. Their loss, our gain. Chef Yoshi knows how to pick, prepare, and serve fish. I had salmon, yellow tail, eel, tuna, sweet shrimp, sardine, etc. Everything tasted fresh and exquisite. The consistency and proportion of rice were perfect. Salmon and yellowtail melted in my mouth. I also tasted pork kakuni, age tofu, yakitori, eggplant dengaku, chicken tatsuta-age, ganmodoki, and mushroom miso soup. There wasn't one thing that I didn't love. Their food just made me happy. And full:-) They are slowly expanding their menu in the coming weeks, as well as waiting to get their liquor license. If you need good sake or beer to go with their magnificent meal, you should wait couple weeks and then go crazy. In the meantime, I'm sure my friends and I will keep going back to be blessed with Yoshi's food regularly.
(5)Eugene H.
Me and my cousin tried out this place and when we saw that there was a special imported menu, we had to try a couple of items from there. It was ridiculously expensive, but the food was top notch. Definitely a fun experience to try out food that you usually can't get in the area, but be prepared to pay for it.
(4)Denise P.
I like the location, I like the service and although the menu won't blow your mind with creativity the end product is high quality. We ordered a couple of rolls to share, their house specialty tempura corn and some udon noodles. If you're near and you want sushi this is a really reliable and authentic option. The tempura corn was super unique with the green tea/salt dipping powder. Worth a try.
(4)Wayne F.
Hum, this is right down the street and I was hoping I would love it. Overall good, just not great-- 3.5 stars but just don't feel the urge to round up on this one. The highlight was the yakatori chicken-- plump, good char, juicy...just good. The sashimi platter portion of the chirashi was disappointing. It comes out on ice, which was nice, but the flavor gets lost when the fish is so cold. The rice for the nigiri was a good consistency but just not flavored very well-- I like mine to have a bit more vinegar (I douce fries in vinegar also, so maybe this is just me being weird here). The bartender/manager, who was great btw, said the uni was from a special source, etc, but I found it kind of bitter and bland. The owner's wife makes an awesome dessert from scratch, which is definitely worth a try. For Bethesda, this is solid, but overall would try other places.
(3)Glen F.
My fiancé and I had a horrible flight back from Florida and the usual traffic from DC to Bethesda. Wanted to eat healthy and try something new. Could not have had better food and as or more important a better server than Chris.
(4)Cynthia B.
Ordered tempura, great, very light & tasty ! The nabe hot pot was delicious as well. We had 8 people in our party & everything went well. Had dirty martinis that were some of the best I've ever had. In fact, went back again and had more the next night. Definitely will go back again. A recommend! And I'm only in this area once a year :)
(5)Kate O.
Maybe I came on a bad day? I'm not really getting all the raves for this place. The sushi was just meh- didn't seem all that fresh and quite, well, tasteless. The blow torched sushi makes all the sushi taste the same. So is it me or them? Well you can try yourself but a word of warning- it's an expensive shot to give...
(2)Linda H.
I wanted to love love this place. I liked it a lot. The fish quality was quite good. The rice was not warm & seasoned enough. We also waited quite a long time for our food which meant the nori was soggy. But, I think they're working out the new kinks, so I'll definitely give it another try and hope the food comes out faster.
(4)Foodrunner F.
Pretty good sushi. The fish is fresh. They do not have crazy rolls, just simple sushi and Nigri. The restaurant is pretty laid back. A casual place that is nice to hang out with friends or go on a casual date.
(3)Mahsa K.
They have only one lunch special "bento box" but they allow you a vegetarian modification option which is nice. The sushi is good enough. For the price I would expect it to be a little more cold, with wasabi dots underneath--classically done, and more plump. The crunchy shrimp and "cooked" rolls turned out better than where I could compare their raw rolls.... the sushi buffet down the street makes more sense for the price at lunch I'd say. But this would be a good dinner place. And I will give them this... their edamame is awesome. It served cold and sweet but each bean has such a silky texture---pleasant surprise.
(4)Brian J.
Udon was delicious, the sushi however was just ok. I haven't found great sushi anywhere in bethesda yet.
(3)Mark O.
Great food, great service. I've been there 4 times already in just a few months (and I don't eat out much). Great eggplant appetizer. Wonderful sushi. A different, interesting take on some traditional fare. Will definitely be back.
(4)Shelly G.
Yuzu is a wonderful restaurant. Try the seaweed salad and the eggplant appetizer--to die for. Other favorites are the oysters, crunchy outside, warm and tender inside, and the soft shell crab roll. I think I like it better than Tako Grill, which I did not think possible.
(4)Eric B.
Nice new spot. Very good sushi. Decor and atmosphere, inviting.
(4)Thanh N.
ordered the chirashi and was very pleased. fish was fresh and delicious. a little bit on the expensive side though. service was very fast and attentive but then again, i was there for a very early dinner.
(4)Andrew S.
New favorite place for sushi and authentic Japanese dining. Chef is super experienced and food is always good!
(4)Maru T.
I seem to have hit an unlucky streak with service lately and while Yuzu doesn't have the worst service I have been tortured with lately, their food does little to offset the complete incompetence we experienced which started with really slow drink service, appetizers coming out in a delayed piecemeal fashion, forgotten orders, and an incorrect bill. The sushi was mediocre with minuscule pieces of fish in the rolls, mediocre flavors on the tofu, and a blah hot pot. We had 7PM reservations on a Friday night and the restaurant wasn't completely full so I don't think they should have an excuse for not being ready for the average size crowd. There are many better options for sushi in Bethesda - I will not be back.
(1)Vmc R.
Very authentic Japanese sushi - I feel like now that Americans have embraced sushi they tend to like the really huge slices of fish and rolls, but I prefer this traditional style... it's really good quality: silky, tender fish that melts in your mouth in two reasonable sized bites. (In my opinion, better than gnawing on a big chunk of tasteless fish, with no balance of flavor & texture to the rice, etc.) I've eaten at the other venues that Yoshi's been involved with (big fan of Sushiko & Kushi) and the food here lives up to his reputation. I had the seaweed salad (BIG portion, tasty dressing... ok - I'm liking a big portion in this case!) and some nigiri & maki. My favorite is that they have umeshiso on the menu (in the sushi rolls)!!! Only a very few restaurants in DC offer it. Yum!
(5)Gordon M.
This place is terrible. Service is slow. Food is not kept at proper temperatures and for raw fish that is a disaster waiting to happen. They just opened this month but they should just give up and close. The staff keeps apologizing to every table. My order was wrong. Portions are not what I would expect for the price. Just a disaster. Don't be fooled by the reviews from friends of the owner.
(1)Andrew V.
Absolutely incredible top to bottom. Food was out of this world! They apparently get shipments directly from Japan a couple of times a week and it shows. This was as close as you can get to a sushi experience in Japan without buying a plane ticket. The daily specials (which were shipped from Japan the morning of our meal) were unbelievably good. I highly suggest the Toro and Hamaki collar if they have it when you try this wonderful place out. The service was outstanding. Staff was very knowledgeable and even showed us pictures of the chefs butchering the fresh tuna that they received that morning. Deserts were incredible as well with some traditional Japanese deserts that I had never tried before but was delightfully surprised. This is a place that all sushi lovers should try. I promise you will not be disappointed. And when you do, be a good neighbor and rate this restaurant on every site you know of. This place deserves to be the premier sushi restaurant in the Washington DC metropolitan area.
(5)Jessica C.
I live a few blocks away and I really, really wanted to love it...unfortunately, it just didn't live up to my expectations. The dishes were just ok and the sushi was fine, but lots of rice and not too much fish. The service was ok. There are much better Japanese places in the area.
(2)Nancy L.
Not sure how this place had 4 stars. Maybe we visited on an off day. Maybe I've been spoiled by Philly sushi. The place was completely empty which was strange given that it was a weekday at noon. I think we ordered a sushi platter and a handroll. Nothing was bad per day but nothing was great either.
(3)William M.
We dined there last night after reading that this restaurant had opened. We are big fans of Sushi-Ko, especially the one in Georgetown, and the owner of Yuzu apparently used to be the executive chef at Sushi Ko. You could definitely see the influences. My wife had the jalapeño tuna roll (which we both love) and the crunchy shrimp roll. Both were excellent. I had the deluxe sushi plate, also excellent. We highly recommend. Best in Bethesda.
(5)Jeannie E.
Dinner at Yuzu is fantastic. The food is fresh and delicious, the staff took great care of us, and the clientele was a wonderful mix of families, groups of friends, couples, individual business travelers, and Japanese patrons. The ambiance is a relaxing mix of modern, spacious, and comfy. I will definitely be back during Yuzu's soft opening and I very much look forward to its grand opening and beyond. This one is a winner.
(5)Barbara A.
Definitely the best Japanese restaurant in the area. Seaweed salad with 4 varieties was excellent. Nice vegetarian options. Tempura was very light and not greasy. A winner. Other dishes were good too.
(5)Marie C.
Yuzu is a great addition to Bethesda. I've gone back several times for lunch specials (which remind me of trips to Japan as soon as the flavors hit) and told friends about the place. Lunches are not crowded and the staff did tell me that the summer is a very tough time to open a restaurant--So, patronize this wonderful place! The red bean gelatin dessert is hard to find here and so refreshing.
(4)Hilary B.
We have been trying to get to Yuzu for a few weeks since it opened and tonight we finally made it there. And it was amazing! If you have lived in Japan or know what Japanese food is supposed to taste like then this is the place for you. The sushi is small like it should be and room temp. You can taste the delicious fish in every bite. They had great specials that were comprised of fish flown from Japan. The red snapper nigiri was delicious. I have also been searching for Yakitori since I left Japan and this finally brought me back to the delicious Yakitori street carts that you find around the city. The sauce is exactly as it should taste, chicken is perfectly grilled and every bite was fantastic. The nuta maguro is delicious as well. And thank goodness for the absence of mayonnaise. Gross! I hate all the mayo places put in their sushi. This is convenient and has a comfortable, relaxing atmosphere. Will definitely be back. This is worth every dollar. Staff was very friendly and helpful. This is a real Japanese restaurant in the heart of Bethesda. Decor is beautifully understated.
(5)Shad M.
How did I not know about this place sooner!? Stumbled here one night when another sushi place down the street was closed. And thank god it was closed - because this place was great! The shrimp tempura and avocado roll was probably one of the best shrimp tempura rolls I've had. My mouth is watering now as I'm typing this. It was just sooooo good. The other rolls we got were also very good - crunchy california, jalapeño tuna, and crunchy salmon. The seaweed salad was also great - and came with this tasty peanut sauce. The server was very attentive and everyone else there was really nice too. So happy I found this place randomly and can't wait to go back!
(5)Jim L.
We walk by this place constantly in that never-ending serch for a decent lunch (fas) place in Bethesda. Yes you all: Bethesda. Yes there are tons to eat, but if you work here, you will find that most places are sit-down and take way too long for a lunch. Boss was paying, so why not? Walked in for the first time and was pleasantly surprised at the decor. It is much larger than it appears from the outside. Got the Bento Box for $12,95 and it was good, nothing to complain about. Not much meat and no roll? He got a plate of rolls which were good and the rice was very fresh. One thing that always got to me from reading the menu that they have outside the door are the prices. A bit high, but then again, we are in Bethesda. I get it......the landlords that control EVERYTHING probably have their lease jacked higher than the Hilton Hotel tower.
(3)Kathryn L.
Came here with a Co-worker for the lunch specials, wasn't impressive by far. The Take-Out Menu I picked up the day before had so many spelling errors that should have been the first ticker. The lack of variety for lunch was a turn off, as you are offered three Tempura Bowls, Teriyaki Chicken, Shrimp & Chicken and Vegetable. I opted for the Veggie bowl, yet it still came out with Shrimp on it...there's goes my Shellfish allergen LOL. The server went back and corrected my order. I wasn't in the mood for the Miso Soup so when I inquired about the options to substitute for a salad, one would think I asked for a $100 Sushi Boat in exchange. I offered to pay for it, yet what I got was a mini three bite seaweed salad. & please don't expect to request Brown Rice as they don't offer it. I get the whole lunchtime aspect of price point & timeframe, yet if you are going to offer "lunch specials", make it special. Or at least have a variety of selections & or substitutions as not everyone possess the same palate of Sushi cuisine. The plus was the convenience and hostess as she was very nice.
(3)Mike N.
Went to Bethesda with my girlfriend to see a play at 8pm on Friday, so we decided to try Yuzu out based on the 4 star review average. We were seated by 6:40pm, submitted our order shortly after. Food was taking a while so they comped us a seaweed salad, but neither of us liked seaweed so that was a waste. Finally got our Tsukune appetizer 30 minutes after placing our orders. So 30 minutes to cook two chicken meat balls... By 7:25pm we were still waiting for our sushi and at this point were irate with no updates on our order. We decided to simply leave before one of us lost our composure and told them we had to go since we had a show to attend and didn't want to have to scarf down pricey sushi just to make it on time, assuming we would have gotten the food in time to do even that. We went to subway a block over and at least we're able to get our fill there promptly and for cheap. Not exactly the optimal date night dinner we had hoped for prior to my gf flying out the next day for a week long business trip. Been a long long time since I simply up and left a restaurant like that. At least the staff was cordial about it and didn't seem surprised or try to convince us. They need to do some serious review of their operations and fix the bottleneck. I'd be glad to consult as an operations manager.
(1)Ruth C.
Two and a half stars. Clean single occupancy bathrooms in back. Service is good, but it's really pricey, even for Bethesda. Miso soup was good. Decent quality fish but thin slices, crispy skin on the unagi, tamago that trends savory, a radish slice and mushroom quarter to garnish the jo-chirashi; pickled ginger was layered between the fish and the rice, kind of defeating its point as a palate cleanser. By the description, the chef's chirashi would be similar to SY's format in Vienna. $2 for quality hot green tea, so skip it unless you have multiple diners to benefit from the free pot refills. At these price points, literally every other sushi joint in Bethesda offers a better deal on chirashi. Maybe kitchen entrees are where it's at?
(2)Aakash P.
The rolls we ordered tonight were great. I came here about 2 months ago when I first moved to Bethesda and had an okay experience. But this time the Spicy Crunchy Tuna and the Spicy salmon Rolls were both on point. Don't be afraid that it's a little empty at night, it's probably just a location thing. Because the food was definitely worth it. I would now come back and I'm glad I didn't write it off after my first visit. Walking distance to my apt so I'll be back
(4)Ed B.
Authentic Japanese! A hidden gem along Wisconsin Ave. Yuzu has a tremendous selection of sushi (the Umeshiso - flavorful sour plum and shiso leaf was a revelation), but the real joy is in the hard-to-find traditional cooked dishes. We enjoyed the agedashi tofu, eggplant dengaku (superb), gomaae, kimpira gobo, and a main course of the saikyo miso black cod (delish). The combination of flavors, all cooked to perfection, were washed down with refreshing draft Kirin Ichiban. A delightful culinary experience! Parking is easy - stop around the corner at Waverly Garage on Montgomery Street, across from the police station. Be sure to make this your stop for Japanese food in Bethesda! My friend is bringing her Japanese mother here next week!
(5)Linda Z.
We stumbled upon this place while walking to our hotel around the corner. We were craving some sushi after a long conference day. We walked inside and was pleasantly surprised at the space and how nice everything looked. There was a nice sitting area up front so we sat there to determine what tasty rolls to order for take-out. So many interesting options! The place must be authentic, we thought. So we each ordered two rolls - one of the special rolls like lobster, and one other roll like spicy tuna or salmon. Got a seaweed appetizer to share. Order placed by a nice gentlemen - now to wait for the food to take back to the hotel! So the three of us just started chatting... about the conference, about life, husbands, science, kids, World World I... we witnessed a cute prom couple (so cute!)... and we realized it was probably 40 minutes and the food hasn't come. We were getting irritated and tired but finally, a man brings us the sushi boxes in a paper bag; he looked anxious, apologized, and quickly left. We then walk back to the hotel, looking forward to eating. How disappointing! The rolls were so small !! Okay, for the simple rolls that is expected. But for a special roll? My two rolls comfortably sat in a small container and I paid $22 for this? They were good but great. Nothing special. The seaweed salad, however, was terrific. Three types of seaweed that were lightly salted. We enjoyed the salad. The sushi was good too but we were disappointed at the value / taste, especially after the slow service. Although we were visitors to Bethesda, we wouldn't want to come back again. They say everything is expensive in Bethesda but we experienced bigger portions and taste for the money in other restaurants in the area.
(2)Nazareth M.
The sushi rolls and miso soup I had were great. The service was good. It says here they have free wi-fi but when I asked for the password they said they do not give it out.
(3)Ken L.
I came here on a weeknight and it was pretty empty so I don't think reservations are required. The sushi was pretty good but nothing out of the ordinary. Prices were kind of high but it's in Bethesda so that's expected. I ordered a hot sake but it came out room temperate, asked them to warm it up and it came out slightly warmer lol. I mean I guess they were afraid we would burn our tongues. Sushi rolls seems to be worth the price and pretty tasty.
(3)Bella K.
Great quality on the food, lousy service, the servers don't listen to you and let you wait long time for every query. Updated 2 hours later. Got food poisoning, still recovering :'(
(3)Sonya M.
We decided to have lunch at Yuzu on Christmas Day, one of the very few restaurants in the downtown Bethesda area open on Christmas Day. They first sat us in the middle section of the restaurant. But we were overwhelmed by the smell of bleach and what seemed like an old wet cloth (ICK); we asked to be moved toward the front of the restaurant. We placed our order, had to wait a while for the food to arrive. The suhi rolls were good. The fried chicken was really good. But the nigiri was mediocre. The fatty salmon was not fresh and had a stale after taste. The Toro had this weird color that we did not even touch it! They were nice not to include the Toro in our bill. Our server was very nice and attentive. The highlight of the meal was the Yuzu ice cream which was heavenly. I would go back there just for the ice cream.
(3)Alexander K.
I just finished lunch here with my aunt and brother; it was a pleasant experience. The staff is very accommodating and friendly. The interior of the restaurant is modern but still has a Japanese flair to it. However, I wish there was some kind of partition at the front door to prevent the chilly air from directly coming in contact with the patrons. Anyways, we ordered a multitude of dishes which included tofu, scallop carppacio, flounder sashimi, the larger sashimi assortment, and others. The sashimi itself was decent, nothing really exceptional; however I did enjoy the fact that scallop came with the assortment. I reserve judgment until I try the omakase at dinner time. The dessert here is fantastic! Our hostess verified that all the desserts are made by the chef's wife. I actually ate FIVE portions of the dessert by myself. Two portions of the chocolate cake, caramel cheesecake, panna cotta, and all 3 flavors of the ice cream (yuzu, black sesame, green tea). The panna cotta was absolutely divine, with the most delicate silken texture that I have ever had in a custard. I will come back in the near future for the omakase, and of course the dessert!
(4)Michael F.
I came in craving Udon thanks to their sign on the sidewalk. Unfortunately, I was a bit late as they were out. No biggie, the menu was robust enough for me to find another suitable option. I opted for OSHINKO and the small SHRIMP AND VEGETABLE TEMPURA PLATE. The OSHINKO, house made pickles, were disappointing. They really didn't taste very pickled. If I had wanted a selection of veggies, I would have just ordered veggies or gotten the large tempura plate. The small SHRIMP AND VEGETABLE TEMPURA PLATE was of average quality and taste. However, the "small" was a very decent size with a generous amount of shrimp. All the food arrived promptly and the service was friendly. While my meal didn't blow me away, I'd be open to returning to give the Udon a chance...
(3)Kelvin C.
My two favorite Japanese restaurants in the DMV area is Tachibana and Yuzu. Yuzu has the best sushi in the Montgomery county area. Their grilled mackerel is also the bomb, and they have some of the best nigiri sushi in the area. Their yakitori (grilled chicken skewers) are also very well done.
(5)Aviva G.
We have been to just about every Japanese restaurant in NW DC, Bethesda, Rockville and Silver Spring and we were so pleasantly surprised by this one! The food is so fresh and they have some dishes that are unusual, perhaps more authentically Japanese, but definitely a treat for adventurous and selective diners. We loved every dish we ordered, probably 12 - 15 small dishes in all including sushi, tempura, tofu, seaweed salad and many others. The other thing we loved is the great selection of vegetarian dishes including a really interesting tofu appetizer, 3 skewers of tofu with different flavorful sauces, that our 16 year old vegetarian daughter devoured. The atmosphere is not too inspiring but the restaurant is quiet and spacious which is great for groups or people dining with elderly parents/grandparents who have trouble hearing (as we were). We will absolutely return to Yuzu asap!
(5)Andrew H.
Yuzu was tasty for sure. The sushi was well made, and the hot dishes we got all were well seasoned and executed better than I had expected. The only real feedback that I have for Yuzu was service. Understanding that a meal in a Japanese restaurant doesn't always get served in what we would consider a traditional format, the food for our meal was a bit "Too" staggered. There were three of us, and we each order a soup, a small plate, and at least one sushi dish. It took a good amount of time for the food to start rolling out and when it did it was very inconsistent, with one member of our party almost completely finishing his meal before another was given his second dish. Notable dishes from our meal were the Corn Tempura, served with a tasty wasabi salt and O-Toro Nigiri. We also order a few of their specials that ranged in success. The Blue Crab miso, while tasting very good, wasn't really served in a way that my friend could eat it (just a large split chunk of crab body). The spicy chicken was excellent, well fried and the spicy sauce offered the perfect level of heat. Overall, Ill be back to Yuzu - but lets get the service issues worked out.
(4)Marivic L.
Yuzu is so much bigger inside. It's a really nice, open space - which is so different from the outside appearances. We were lucky to have an excellent server who answered any questions we had. The sushi was really good (the best was the chef's roll and the eel nigiri was better than most places) - probably my second fave place in Bethesda at this point, so I was happy. Prices are reasonable too. That said, I'd still go to my fave place first and only come here if the wait was too long.
(3)Scott S.
Dinner on Boxing Day. The place was mostly empty, there was plenty of staff, but service was still hard to flag down, not particularly quick (I saw our sushi sitting on the pass for several minutes), and imperfect (forgot one drink, and on a pretty small party). Food quality, though, is much higher than the norm for storefront sushi in Bethesda, albeit priced accordingly. (Who doesn't include miso soup in a sushi dinner? Well, Yuzu.) I'm a little surprised it's held on this long, and could use a boost in attitude, but the food really is excellent.
(3)Mel L.
What are you looking for when you go to a restaurant? My answer is service and the quality and value of the food. Unfortunately, Yuzu has neither of those. Drove from Rockville at rush hour for dinner because my friend and I heard it was relatively new and it has pretty good Yelp reviews. They left us unattended for about 20min when the restaurant was not even busy (at around 7pm). We told one of them that we were ready and it was another 5min until someone finally came to take our order. I ordered: tuna roll($6) and eel roll($7) My friend ordered: nigiri combo($28) My friend seemed to like her dish, but I can't believe my own eyes when my order came. The 6 pieces of each roll were pathetically tiny!!! They were appetizer size and I paid $13 (before tax and tips) for them! The rolls were only half of what you normally get at other places, and only 1/5 of the roll was actually fish. So you do the math to figure our how much fish you get!! I could barely taste the fish so I can't tell if they were good. I'm definitely not going back to this place to waste my money. Adios!! If you don't mind a short drive, Rockville has better sushi restaurants and anywhere else I have been in DC area is better than this.
(1)Richard C.
OHad a nice afternoon walking around Bethesda looking at the cherry blossoms. Came here for nice dinner afterwards but we were met with slowest service I've ever experienced. We were sat down at our table 6:30 on the dot but our food did not arrive until 8:00. When ever we asked for something even simple like a glass of water, it took 15~20minutes for it to arrive. For a restaurant this size, 2 servers working on a Sunday evening is just asking for a bad experience for the patron and a bad review. Food was alright but I don't think I will he returning here anytime soon. We ended up canceling rest of our order when we found out they not even being to prepare them.
(1)Mark F.
This place was fine. Not bad, but not great. For people used to great sushi in LA or NY, you will be disappointed. I typically don't trust sushi places that serve "Americanized" sushi to have good Japanese sushi. That's not to say I don't like Americanized sushi. I do. But I was told this was an authentic Japanese restaurant and that may be true, but it'd only be considered an average sushi restaurant in Japan. The fish is fine, the rice was seasoned unevenly. Some of my nigiri had too much wasabi and some had too little. If you have a craving for sushi and just can't wait, this place will do the job, but just don't expect it to be great. P.S. The yuzu ice cream was good. But again, not amazing. P.P.S. The commenter who said that the sushi servings were only half the size has never eaten at an authentic Japanese sushi joint.
(3)Cb M.
2.75 stars in my book. Sushi quality was good as well as the service. However, the price for amount of sushi you get is ridiculous. I had a chirashi bowl for 25 bucks. Sushi was so thin I could see thru it. Felt like an appetizer. Also had salmon sashimi which was delicious but had to pay 40 some bucks.
(2)John H.
The best sushi in the Washington D.C. Area......the corn tempura is fabulous Also love the spicy chicken....the panna cotta is a great dessert....My wife who is a Japanese citizen and I think this is the best Japanese restaurant in the area......We live a hundred yards from the most popular Japanese restaurant in DuPont but we go here instead because the sushi is so much better
(5)Georgina S.
Last June we cam by and rated this only three stars. Now I must say the service has greatly improved...the food quality and menu selection has expanded tremendously. The last star not given was the pricing. Either increase the portions or adjust the print and you will see how savvy your guests are and will appreciate your talent. We want this place to succeed but it must have an outstanding menu and value proposition! The place must have vibrant servers who know what the menu offers and what it can become. Tako is taking off with Robatayaki, Raku is the family friendly menu for kids. Tamari is Donburi and curry or Unagi heaven, and you?
(4)Mike B.
The decor is sleek, the menu is unique, and the service is excellent. They surely have something special here. As I sit, I can smell wafts of perfectly cooked and sesasoned rice. It's the soft opening so the whole menu isn't up for grabs. Unfortunately my attempt to order the "Stewed Pork and tofu with soy sauce and dashi broth" is thwarted. But, I did get to try the Grilled Tofu Skewers with miso sauce. It said two on the menu but came out with 3. I AIN'T COMPLAININ' ! The sauces, which there were three of, were all different and fairly subtle; my favorite being the yellow tinted sauce. The tofu was grilled to perfection and was truly high quality. I decided to go with an order of California rolls, crab cake , and sweet shrimp sushi for my entree. The California roll was what you would expect. I prefer no cucumber in my roll, which this one had, but to each their own. The sweet shrimp were VERY food and fresh- I've never had raw shrimp before. And the crab cake....well lets just say...me and Yuzu have a very different definition of what a crab cake is. The fake crab that was served to me on top of rice was actually really good though. I love my fake crab- I eat it constantly. This is some of the best I've ever had. I know that sounds weird, but it was. Had to top of my meal with the Yuzu "Gelatto" which tasted and looked more like ice cream. It was very good nonetheless. I would definitely go back. They have some very eclectic menu items that I can't wait to try. The chef certainly put his heart into crafting a diverse menu.
(4)Mark M.
A solid lunch and dinner spot on the chain-ridden main drag of Bethesda. Hardly ever a wait, this place is great for the solo business traveler--whether you are in need of a speedy lunch, or a relaxed/slow dinner. The menu has the usual suspects when it comes to slightly Americanized Japanese. Everything is fresh and comes our rather quickly. The udon I had, while certainly not spectacular, was piping hot with fresh ingredients and a well-balanced broth. Perfect on a cold day. All of the maki rolls I had were fresh, flavorful, and not at all soggy. Good service, too.
(4)Jess L.
Dropped in for 20 minutes before a Tripper Bus trip, and they accommodated a quick meal (and beer!). Tempura was perfect, and beer selection is pretty good for a Japanese restaurant. Kind waiter. Space is large, so I imagine it'd be good for groups, too.
(4)Alice Z.
We went in, took some time to order, then waited around half an hour for our food to arrive. One of my friends ordered Yakitori, and that was an especially long wait, so we sat there for almost 45 minutes before everyone's food arrived. The restaurant was half-full on a Thursday night, around six tables, but there was only one waiter bustling about, when they should have employed two. Food was good - I ordered the seaweed salad and the crunchy spicy salmon roll - but it wasn't anything spectacular, especially for the price.
(3)Atsuko H.
The restaurant is run by the former head sushi chef of Sushi-ko. While they were going through some teething issues a few months back, I think the place holds great promise, run as it is by a properly trained sushi chef. I am taking back my critical review after hearing back from the restaurant, who graciously took in my feedback and promised to keep improving. That kind of customer responsiveness is what will ensure that a business will thrive in the long run. DC area is in dire need of more Japanese restaurants so I welcome the arrival of Yuzu and wish them all good things.
(4)Tom H.
Excellent in everything we had. Miso soup the best we've had. Sushi excellent. Service great. Agedashi tofu appetizer excellent. Yuzu ice cream great- we had never tasted that before.
(5)Janet L.
Fine Japanese Dining, you could say. Quite pricey. The servers were friendly, however, they were not too attentive. On a not so busy early evening (the restaurant was pretty empty), it took some effort to flag our server down. The sushi was good, so was the black sesame ice cream!
(3)David S.
we went there tonight. I ordered the chef chirashi and the fish miso soup. also some tempura to share with my friend. Yuzu is very busy. The food is very authentic and delicious. the shrimp and vegetable tempura is so good that we really want order another one. one problem with it is its hard to find parking. we finally parked at the public garage at waverly. The service there is very friendly. The waitress we had looks nice and pretty. We will definitely coming back!!!
(5)Mike F.
I'm only giving it two stars because our server was friendly. However being dead on a Saturday night should've been a tell take sign. The sushi was awful, and they ran out of cold beer?? The ice cream was pretty terrible, the best thing we had was salmon nigiri. Wasted $110.
(2)Chiang K.
I've been to several Japanese owned sushi restaurants and if this is not one of the better ones. I even question if this is Japanese owned because the server seemed Chinese to me. Everyone in our party was shocked to see the tiny portions for which they paid too much for. I don't see the value that another reviewer mentioned. The sushi / sashimi entrees didn't even come with soup and rice costs extra. The sashimi wasn't anything special and the pieces were small. I spent $33 including tax and tip for basically nothing. One friend ordered the snow crab hot pot and that was small too. We had 8 people and was charged a 17% gratuity. If gratuity is charged, at least provide service. We had to flag the server to refill our water glasses. There are other places with better food and ambiance.
(1)SY C.
The sashimi was buttery and lovely. Need I say more? Ok, I will. Definitely one of the higher quality sushi places in the Bethesda/Rockville area. It is pricier with smaller portions than the other places, but you get what you pay for. If you want economy sushi because you can down 50 pieces of sashimi, then this isn't the place for you, BUT a must try for a special occasion. We ordered an oyster/shrimp tempura as an appetizer (I think it was from the Valentine's menu); Chef's Chirashi (both delicious and beautiful); and a sashimi/roll combination. The staff is also extremely friendly and polite. I only have good things to say about this place!
(5)Matthew D.
Nasty is all I can say. Worst Japanese meal and service I have ever had. The portions of food you get for the money you spend are ridiculously small. I had the Chefs Chirashi and it is not worth the price.
(1)Haru O.
Was expecting a bit more for a Japanese restaurant in Bethesda. Went on a Weds at 8pm and it was empty. Ordered premium sushi and it was decent but not melt in your mouth delicious. Didn't even have a piece if toro. Ama-Ebi was kinda big. Hamachi was delicious. I'm Japanese-American and have eaten great sushi in Japan and NY so maybe set my expectations too high?
(3)Brian S.
Definitely one of my favorite places to eat around DC. The food is really good and reasonably priced. The staff is very friendly and knowledgeable, and I've never really had to wait for a table or for my food. I usually come here every week or at least every other week, and the sushi has always been tasty and a good value.
(5)Courtney R.
Mediocre. I liked the cucumber appetizer, but the salmon and tuna tasted a bit off. Friendly service, but I will most likely not return. The place up the street across from the Doubletree is much better.
(2)Sally Y.
Small sushi restaurant but I've been to smaller. I would say the service is a little slow because there isn't a huge staff but I also happened to visit on a slow night. The sushi tasted great, very happy with that. On the other hand, the chicken teryaki that I ordered was not amazing. I'll admit that my favorite chicken teryaki is from Sakura Japan (I know it sounds wrong but it is packed with so much flavor). This chicken teryaki did not have quite as much sauce as I would have liked.
(4)Setsuko O.
The Best of Tokyo Sushi Restaurants arrived in DC! Yuzu's sushi is remarkable. I started one evening with Omakase. Dish after dish carried me to wonderful world of delight and culinary satisfaction. Then I followed up three days later with Jo-sashimi, thick cuts of fresh fish presented beautifully on a giant butterbur leaf . The service each time was excellent: friendly and competent, taking extra care to make clients comfortable. Yuzu is certainly the best in Washington area. At the sushi bar made of solid walnut, the chef uses his beautiful pottery and ceramics that enhances the pleasure of dinning. Rare is a restaurants even in Tokyo that knows how to make people enjoy food also with eyes. The restaurant is elegant but simply decorated and with taste. I have recently gone to New York to lunch at Jean George. Yuzu is its Japanese twin brother!
(5)Stephanie C.
I can't say the food tasted bad: tempura are rarely disappointing; i can't say the service was bad either: both waiters were nice. However, the prices are way too high for what we get. Furthermore, you need to top up your bill if you want a bowl of miso soup, a cup of green tea or even a bowl of plain rice to be served with tempura... The fish on nigiri sushi also ordered at the table looked quite dry... Overall there are better places to go to for a Japanese dinner.
(2)Yulai L.
Expensive for what they are offering
(3)Andrew L.
Very creative Japanese fusion restaurant. They have tasty and well presented tempura appetizers (I've had the corn and the mushroom). Their sushi is good as well. They have some unique miso soups I'd like to try in the future: a crab miso and a seafood miso.
(5)Paul C.
I went to YUZU based on recommendations I saw on Yelp for great Japanese and I was not disappointed. The sushi was extremely fresh and the specials were excellent. We chose one of their higher end sake's and it was extremely smooth. The service was attentive and we were not rushed. We were able to speak with the chef and tease him about him being out of stock with quail eggs. The atmosphere was very conducive for conversation. We did go later so the restaurant was only partially occupied.
(5)Antonio M.
Disappointed.... Stopped in yesterday (Thursday) for lunch and was underwhelmed by the quality of the fish and sushi. We ordered an assortment of sashimi (10 pieces) and the fish just didn't have that fresh flavor. The squid in the sashimi assortment had an off "soapy" flavor and slimy texture that wasn't all that appealing. We ordered a few rolls and were also disappointed by the mushy rice and fall-apart quality of the rolls. The roll with the tempura softshell crab had a bad burnt oil taste that stayed with me for the rest of the day. We kept looking at all the Yelp pictures and felt like we were in a totally different restaurant from what was reviewed. The service was okay (waiter forgot my drink), but I was happy that the place was clean. Sadly, I don't think I'd give Yazu another try after this lackluster lunch experience.
(2)Shad M.
How did I not know about this place sooner!? Stumbled here one night when another sushi place down the street was closed. And thank god it was closed - because this place was great! The shrimp tempura and avocado roll was probably one of the best shrimp tempura rolls I've had. My mouth is watering now as I'm typing this. It was just sooooo good. The other rolls we got were also very good - crunchy california, jalapeño tuna, and crunchy salmon. The seaweed salad was also great - and came with this tasty peanut sauce. The server was very attentive and everyone else there was really nice too. So happy I found this place randomly and can't wait to go back!
(5)Jim L.
We walk by this place constantly in that never-ending serch for a decent lunch (fas) place in Bethesda. Yes you all: Bethesda. Yes there are tons to eat, but if you work here, you will find that most places are sit-down and take way too long for a lunch. Boss was paying, so why not? Walked in for the first time and was pleasantly surprised at the decor. It is much larger than it appears from the outside. Got the Bento Box for $12,95 and it was good, nothing to complain about. Not much meat and no roll? He got a plate of rolls which were good and the rice was very fresh. One thing that always got to me from reading the menu that they have outside the door are the prices. A bit high, but then again, we are in Bethesda. I get it......the landlords that control EVERYTHING probably have their lease jacked higher than the Hilton Hotel tower.
(3)Kathryn L.
Came here with a Co-worker for the lunch specials, wasn't impressive by far. The Take-Out Menu I picked up the day before had so many spelling errors that should have been the first ticker. The lack of variety for lunch was a turn off, as you are offered three Tempura Bowls, Teriyaki Chicken, Shrimp & Chicken and Vegetable. I opted for the Veggie bowl, yet it still came out with Shrimp on it...there's goes my Shellfish allergen LOL. The server went back and corrected my order. I wasn't in the mood for the Miso Soup so when I inquired about the options to substitute for a salad, one would think I asked for a $100 Sushi Boat in exchange. I offered to pay for it, yet what I got was a mini three bite seaweed salad. & please don't expect to request Brown Rice as they don't offer it. I get the whole lunchtime aspect of price point & timeframe, yet if you are going to offer "lunch specials", make it special. Or at least have a variety of selections & or substitutions as not everyone possess the same palate of Sushi cuisine. The plus was the convenience and hostess as she was very nice.
(3)Mike N.
Went to Bethesda with my girlfriend to see a play at 8pm on Friday, so we decided to try Yuzu out based on the 4 star review average. We were seated by 6:40pm, submitted our order shortly after. Food was taking a while so they comped us a seaweed salad, but neither of us liked seaweed so that was a waste. Finally got our Tsukune appetizer 30 minutes after placing our orders. So 30 minutes to cook two chicken meat balls... By 7:25pm we were still waiting for our sushi and at this point were irate with no updates on our order. We decided to simply leave before one of us lost our composure and told them we had to go since we had a show to attend and didn't want to have to scarf down pricey sushi just to make it on time, assuming we would have gotten the food in time to do even that. We went to subway a block over and at least we're able to get our fill there promptly and for cheap. Not exactly the optimal date night dinner we had hoped for prior to my gf flying out the next day for a week long business trip. Been a long long time since I simply up and left a restaurant like that. At least the staff was cordial about it and didn't seem surprised or try to convince us. They need to do some serious review of their operations and fix the bottleneck. I'd be glad to consult as an operations manager.
(1)Ruth C.
Two and a half stars. Clean single occupancy bathrooms in back. Service is good, but it's really pricey, even for Bethesda. Miso soup was good. Decent quality fish but thin slices, crispy skin on the unagi, tamago that trends savory, a radish slice and mushroom quarter to garnish the jo-chirashi; pickled ginger was layered between the fish and the rice, kind of defeating its point as a palate cleanser. By the description, the chef's chirashi would be similar to SY's format in Vienna. $2 for quality hot green tea, so skip it unless you have multiple diners to benefit from the free pot refills. At these price points, literally every other sushi joint in Bethesda offers a better deal on chirashi. Maybe kitchen entrees are where it's at?
(2)Aakash P.
The rolls we ordered tonight were great. I came here about 2 months ago when I first moved to Bethesda and had an okay experience. But this time the Spicy Crunchy Tuna and the Spicy salmon Rolls were both on point. Don't be afraid that it's a little empty at night, it's probably just a location thing. Because the food was definitely worth it. I would now come back and I'm glad I didn't write it off after my first visit. Walking distance to my apt so I'll be back
(4)Ed B.
Authentic Japanese! A hidden gem along Wisconsin Ave. Yuzu has a tremendous selection of sushi (the Umeshiso - flavorful sour plum and shiso leaf was a revelation), but the real joy is in the hard-to-find traditional cooked dishes. We enjoyed the agedashi tofu, eggplant dengaku (superb), gomaae, kimpira gobo, and a main course of the saikyo miso black cod (delish). The combination of flavors, all cooked to perfection, were washed down with refreshing draft Kirin Ichiban. A delightful culinary experience! Parking is easy - stop around the corner at Waverly Garage on Montgomery Street, across from the police station. Be sure to make this your stop for Japanese food in Bethesda! My friend is bringing her Japanese mother here next week!
(5)Linda Z.
We stumbled upon this place while walking to our hotel around the corner. We were craving some sushi after a long conference day. We walked inside and was pleasantly surprised at the space and how nice everything looked. There was a nice sitting area up front so we sat there to determine what tasty rolls to order for take-out. So many interesting options! The place must be authentic, we thought. So we each ordered two rolls - one of the special rolls like lobster, and one other roll like spicy tuna or salmon. Got a seaweed appetizer to share. Order placed by a nice gentlemen - now to wait for the food to take back to the hotel! So the three of us just started chatting... about the conference, about life, husbands, science, kids, World World I... we witnessed a cute prom couple (so cute!)... and we realized it was probably 40 minutes and the food hasn't come. We were getting irritated and tired but finally, a man brings us the sushi boxes in a paper bag; he looked anxious, apologized, and quickly left. We then walk back to the hotel, looking forward to eating. How disappointing! The rolls were so small !! Okay, for the simple rolls that is expected. But for a special roll? My two rolls comfortably sat in a small container and I paid $22 for this? They were good but great. Nothing special. The seaweed salad, however, was terrific. Three types of seaweed that were lightly salted. We enjoyed the salad. The sushi was good too but we were disappointed at the value / taste, especially after the slow service. Although we were visitors to Bethesda, we wouldn't want to come back again. They say everything is expensive in Bethesda but we experienced bigger portions and taste for the money in other restaurants in the area.
(2)Nazareth M.
The sushi rolls and miso soup I had were great. The service was good. It says here they have free wi-fi but when I asked for the password they said they do not give it out.
(3)Ken L.
I came here on a weeknight and it was pretty empty so I don't think reservations are required. The sushi was pretty good but nothing out of the ordinary. Prices were kind of high but it's in Bethesda so that's expected. I ordered a hot sake but it came out room temperate, asked them to warm it up and it came out slightly warmer lol. I mean I guess they were afraid we would burn our tongues. Sushi rolls seems to be worth the price and pretty tasty.
(3)Bella K.
Great quality on the food, lousy service, the servers don't listen to you and let you wait long time for every query. Updated 2 hours later. Got food poisoning, still recovering :'(
(3)Sonya M.
We decided to have lunch at Yuzu on Christmas Day, one of the very few restaurants in the downtown Bethesda area open on Christmas Day. They first sat us in the middle section of the restaurant. But we were overwhelmed by the smell of bleach and what seemed like an old wet cloth (ICK); we asked to be moved toward the front of the restaurant. We placed our order, had to wait a while for the food to arrive. The suhi rolls were good. The fried chicken was really good. But the nigiri was mediocre. The fatty salmon was not fresh and had a stale after taste. The Toro had this weird color that we did not even touch it! They were nice not to include the Toro in our bill. Our server was very nice and attentive. The highlight of the meal was the Yuzu ice cream which was heavenly. I would go back there just for the ice cream.
(3)Alexander K.
I just finished lunch here with my aunt and brother; it was a pleasant experience. The staff is very accommodating and friendly. The interior of the restaurant is modern but still has a Japanese flair to it. However, I wish there was some kind of partition at the front door to prevent the chilly air from directly coming in contact with the patrons. Anyways, we ordered a multitude of dishes which included tofu, scallop carppacio, flounder sashimi, the larger sashimi assortment, and others. The sashimi itself was decent, nothing really exceptional; however I did enjoy the fact that scallop came with the assortment. I reserve judgment until I try the omakase at dinner time. The dessert here is fantastic! Our hostess verified that all the desserts are made by the chef's wife. I actually ate FIVE portions of the dessert by myself. Two portions of the chocolate cake, caramel cheesecake, panna cotta, and all 3 flavors of the ice cream (yuzu, black sesame, green tea). The panna cotta was absolutely divine, with the most delicate silken texture that I have ever had in a custard. I will come back in the near future for the omakase, and of course the dessert!
(4)Michael F.
I came in craving Udon thanks to their sign on the sidewalk. Unfortunately, I was a bit late as they were out. No biggie, the menu was robust enough for me to find another suitable option. I opted for OSHINKO and the small SHRIMP AND VEGETABLE TEMPURA PLATE. The OSHINKO, house made pickles, were disappointing. They really didn't taste very pickled. If I had wanted a selection of veggies, I would have just ordered veggies or gotten the large tempura plate. The small SHRIMP AND VEGETABLE TEMPURA PLATE was of average quality and taste. However, the "small" was a very decent size with a generous amount of shrimp. All the food arrived promptly and the service was friendly. While my meal didn't blow me away, I'd be open to returning to give the Udon a chance...
(3)Kelvin C.
My two favorite Japanese restaurants in the DMV area is Tachibana and Yuzu. Yuzu has the best sushi in the Montgomery county area. Their grilled mackerel is also the bomb, and they have some of the best nigiri sushi in the area. Their yakitori (grilled chicken skewers) are also very well done.
(5)Aviva G.
We have been to just about every Japanese restaurant in NW DC, Bethesda, Rockville and Silver Spring and we were so pleasantly surprised by this one! The food is so fresh and they have some dishes that are unusual, perhaps more authentically Japanese, but definitely a treat for adventurous and selective diners. We loved every dish we ordered, probably 12 - 15 small dishes in all including sushi, tempura, tofu, seaweed salad and many others. The other thing we loved is the great selection of vegetarian dishes including a really interesting tofu appetizer, 3 skewers of tofu with different flavorful sauces, that our 16 year old vegetarian daughter devoured. The atmosphere is not too inspiring but the restaurant is quiet and spacious which is great for groups or people dining with elderly parents/grandparents who have trouble hearing (as we were). We will absolutely return to Yuzu asap!
(5)Andrew H.
Yuzu was tasty for sure. The sushi was well made, and the hot dishes we got all were well seasoned and executed better than I had expected. The only real feedback that I have for Yuzu was service. Understanding that a meal in a Japanese restaurant doesn't always get served in what we would consider a traditional format, the food for our meal was a bit "Too" staggered. There were three of us, and we each order a soup, a small plate, and at least one sushi dish. It took a good amount of time for the food to start rolling out and when it did it was very inconsistent, with one member of our party almost completely finishing his meal before another was given his second dish. Notable dishes from our meal were the Corn Tempura, served with a tasty wasabi salt and O-Toro Nigiri. We also order a few of their specials that ranged in success. The Blue Crab miso, while tasting very good, wasn't really served in a way that my friend could eat it (just a large split chunk of crab body). The spicy chicken was excellent, well fried and the spicy sauce offered the perfect level of heat. Overall, Ill be back to Yuzu - but lets get the service issues worked out.
(4)Marivic L.
Yuzu is so much bigger inside. It's a really nice, open space - which is so different from the outside appearances. We were lucky to have an excellent server who answered any questions we had. The sushi was really good (the best was the chef's roll and the eel nigiri was better than most places) - probably my second fave place in Bethesda at this point, so I was happy. Prices are reasonable too. That said, I'd still go to my fave place first and only come here if the wait was too long.
(3)Scott S.
Dinner on Boxing Day. The place was mostly empty, there was plenty of staff, but service was still hard to flag down, not particularly quick (I saw our sushi sitting on the pass for several minutes), and imperfect (forgot one drink, and on a pretty small party). Food quality, though, is much higher than the norm for storefront sushi in Bethesda, albeit priced accordingly. (Who doesn't include miso soup in a sushi dinner? Well, Yuzu.) I'm a little surprised it's held on this long, and could use a boost in attitude, but the food really is excellent.
(3)Mel L.
What are you looking for when you go to a restaurant? My answer is service and the quality and value of the food. Unfortunately, Yuzu has neither of those. Drove from Rockville at rush hour for dinner because my friend and I heard it was relatively new and it has pretty good Yelp reviews. They left us unattended for about 20min when the restaurant was not even busy (at around 7pm). We told one of them that we were ready and it was another 5min until someone finally came to take our order. I ordered: tuna roll($6) and eel roll($7) My friend ordered: nigiri combo($28) My friend seemed to like her dish, but I can't believe my own eyes when my order came. The 6 pieces of each roll were pathetically tiny!!! They were appetizer size and I paid $13 (before tax and tips) for them! The rolls were only half of what you normally get at other places, and only 1/5 of the roll was actually fish. So you do the math to figure our how much fish you get!! I could barely taste the fish so I can't tell if they were good. I'm definitely not going back to this place to waste my money. Adios!! If you don't mind a short drive, Rockville has better sushi restaurants and anywhere else I have been in DC area is better than this.
(1)Richard C.
OHad a nice afternoon walking around Bethesda looking at the cherry blossoms. Came here for nice dinner afterwards but we were met with slowest service I've ever experienced. We were sat down at our table 6:30 on the dot but our food did not arrive until 8:00. When ever we asked for something even simple like a glass of water, it took 15~20minutes for it to arrive. For a restaurant this size, 2 servers working on a Sunday evening is just asking for a bad experience for the patron and a bad review. Food was alright but I don't think I will he returning here anytime soon. We ended up canceling rest of our order when we found out they not even being to prepare them.
(1)Mark F.
This place was fine. Not bad, but not great. For people used to great sushi in LA or NY, you will be disappointed. I typically don't trust sushi places that serve "Americanized" sushi to have good Japanese sushi. That's not to say I don't like Americanized sushi. I do. But I was told this was an authentic Japanese restaurant and that may be true, but it'd only be considered an average sushi restaurant in Japan. The fish is fine, the rice was seasoned unevenly. Some of my nigiri had too much wasabi and some had too little. If you have a craving for sushi and just can't wait, this place will do the job, but just don't expect it to be great. P.S. The yuzu ice cream was good. But again, not amazing. P.P.S. The commenter who said that the sushi servings were only half the size has never eaten at an authentic Japanese sushi joint.
(3)Cb M.
2.75 stars in my book. Sushi quality was good as well as the service. However, the price for amount of sushi you get is ridiculous. I had a chirashi bowl for 25 bucks. Sushi was so thin I could see thru it. Felt like an appetizer. Also had salmon sashimi which was delicious but had to pay 40 some bucks.
(2)John H.
The best sushi in the Washington D.C. Area......the corn tempura is fabulous Also love the spicy chicken....the panna cotta is a great dessert....My wife who is a Japanese citizen and I think this is the best Japanese restaurant in the area......We live a hundred yards from the most popular Japanese restaurant in DuPont but we go here instead because the sushi is so much better
(5)Georgina S.
Last June we cam by and rated this only three stars. Now I must say the service has greatly improved...the food quality and menu selection has expanded tremendously. The last star not given was the pricing. Either increase the portions or adjust the print and you will see how savvy your guests are and will appreciate your talent. We want this place to succeed but it must have an outstanding menu and value proposition! The place must have vibrant servers who know what the menu offers and what it can become. Tako is taking off with Robatayaki, Raku is the family friendly menu for kids. Tamari is Donburi and curry or Unagi heaven, and you?
(4)Mike B.
The decor is sleek, the menu is unique, and the service is excellent. They surely have something special here. As I sit, I can smell wafts of perfectly cooked and sesasoned rice. It's the soft opening so the whole menu isn't up for grabs. Unfortunately my attempt to order the "Stewed Pork and tofu with soy sauce and dashi broth" is thwarted. But, I did get to try the Grilled Tofu Skewers with miso sauce. It said two on the menu but came out with 3. I AIN'T COMPLAININ' ! The sauces, which there were three of, were all different and fairly subtle; my favorite being the yellow tinted sauce. The tofu was grilled to perfection and was truly high quality. I decided to go with an order of California rolls, crab cake , and sweet shrimp sushi for my entree. The California roll was what you would expect. I prefer no cucumber in my roll, which this one had, but to each their own. The sweet shrimp were VERY food and fresh- I've never had raw shrimp before. And the crab cake....well lets just say...me and Yuzu have a very different definition of what a crab cake is. The fake crab that was served to me on top of rice was actually really good though. I love my fake crab- I eat it constantly. This is some of the best I've ever had. I know that sounds weird, but it was. Had to top of my meal with the Yuzu "Gelatto" which tasted and looked more like ice cream. It was very good nonetheless. I would definitely go back. They have some very eclectic menu items that I can't wait to try. The chef certainly put his heart into crafting a diverse menu.
(4)Mark M.
A solid lunch and dinner spot on the chain-ridden main drag of Bethesda. Hardly ever a wait, this place is great for the solo business traveler--whether you are in need of a speedy lunch, or a relaxed/slow dinner. The menu has the usual suspects when it comes to slightly Americanized Japanese. Everything is fresh and comes our rather quickly. The udon I had, while certainly not spectacular, was piping hot with fresh ingredients and a well-balanced broth. Perfect on a cold day. All of the maki rolls I had were fresh, flavorful, and not at all soggy. Good service, too.
(4)Jess L.
Dropped in for 20 minutes before a Tripper Bus trip, and they accommodated a quick meal (and beer!). Tempura was perfect, and beer selection is pretty good for a Japanese restaurant. Kind waiter. Space is large, so I imagine it'd be good for groups, too.
(4)Alice Z.
We went in, took some time to order, then waited around half an hour for our food to arrive. One of my friends ordered Yakitori, and that was an especially long wait, so we sat there for almost 45 minutes before everyone's food arrived. The restaurant was half-full on a Thursday night, around six tables, but there was only one waiter bustling about, when they should have employed two. Food was good - I ordered the seaweed salad and the crunchy spicy salmon roll - but it wasn't anything spectacular, especially for the price.
(3)Atsuko H.
The restaurant is run by the former head sushi chef of Sushi-ko. While they were going through some teething issues a few months back, I think the place holds great promise, run as it is by a properly trained sushi chef. I am taking back my critical review after hearing back from the restaurant, who graciously took in my feedback and promised to keep improving. That kind of customer responsiveness is what will ensure that a business will thrive in the long run. DC area is in dire need of more Japanese restaurants so I welcome the arrival of Yuzu and wish them all good things.
(4)Tom H.
Excellent in everything we had. Miso soup the best we've had. Sushi excellent. Service great. Agedashi tofu appetizer excellent. Yuzu ice cream great- we had never tasted that before.
(5)Janet L.
Fine Japanese Dining, you could say. Quite pricey. The servers were friendly, however, they were not too attentive. On a not so busy early evening (the restaurant was pretty empty), it took some effort to flag our server down. The sushi was good, so was the black sesame ice cream!
(3)David S.
we went there tonight. I ordered the chef chirashi and the fish miso soup. also some tempura to share with my friend. Yuzu is very busy. The food is very authentic and delicious. the shrimp and vegetable tempura is so good that we really want order another one. one problem with it is its hard to find parking. we finally parked at the public garage at waverly. The service there is very friendly. The waitress we had looks nice and pretty. We will definitely coming back!!!
(5)Mike F.
I'm only giving it two stars because our server was friendly. However being dead on a Saturday night should've been a tell take sign. The sushi was awful, and they ran out of cold beer?? The ice cream was pretty terrible, the best thing we had was salmon nigiri. Wasted $110.
(2)Chiang K.
I've been to several Japanese owned sushi restaurants and if this is not one of the better ones. I even question if this is Japanese owned because the server seemed Chinese to me. Everyone in our party was shocked to see the tiny portions for which they paid too much for. I don't see the value that another reviewer mentioned. The sushi / sashimi entrees didn't even come with soup and rice costs extra. The sashimi wasn't anything special and the pieces were small. I spent $33 including tax and tip for basically nothing. One friend ordered the snow crab hot pot and that was small too. We had 8 people and was charged a 17% gratuity. If gratuity is charged, at least provide service. We had to flag the server to refill our water glasses. There are other places with better food and ambiance.
(1)SY C.
The sashimi was buttery and lovely. Need I say more? Ok, I will. Definitely one of the higher quality sushi places in the Bethesda/Rockville area. It is pricier with smaller portions than the other places, but you get what you pay for. If you want economy sushi because you can down 50 pieces of sashimi, then this isn't the place for you, BUT a must try for a special occasion. We ordered an oyster/shrimp tempura as an appetizer (I think it was from the Valentine's menu); Chef's Chirashi (both delicious and beautiful); and a sashimi/roll combination. The staff is also extremely friendly and polite. I only have good things to say about this place!
(5)Matthew D.
Nasty is all I can say. Worst Japanese meal and service I have ever had. The portions of food you get for the money you spend are ridiculously small. I had the Chefs Chirashi and it is not worth the price.
(1)Haru O.
Was expecting a bit more for a Japanese restaurant in Bethesda. Went on a Weds at 8pm and it was empty. Ordered premium sushi and it was decent but not melt in your mouth delicious. Didn't even have a piece if toro. Ama-Ebi was kinda big. Hamachi was delicious. I'm Japanese-American and have eaten great sushi in Japan and NY so maybe set my expectations too high?
(3)Brian S.
Definitely one of my favorite places to eat around DC. The food is really good and reasonably priced. The staff is very friendly and knowledgeable, and I've never really had to wait for a table or for my food. I usually come here every week or at least every other week, and the sushi has always been tasty and a good value.
(5)Courtney R.
Mediocre. I liked the cucumber appetizer, but the salmon and tuna tasted a bit off. Friendly service, but I will most likely not return. The place up the street across from the Doubletree is much better.
(2)Sally Y.
Small sushi restaurant but I've been to smaller. I would say the service is a little slow because there isn't a huge staff but I also happened to visit on a slow night. The sushi tasted great, very happy with that. On the other hand, the chicken teryaki that I ordered was not amazing. I'll admit that my favorite chicken teryaki is from Sakura Japan (I know it sounds wrong but it is packed with so much flavor). This chicken teryaki did not have quite as much sauce as I would have liked.
(4)Setsuko O.
The Best of Tokyo Sushi Restaurants arrived in DC! Yuzu's sushi is remarkable. I started one evening with Omakase. Dish after dish carried me to wonderful world of delight and culinary satisfaction. Then I followed up three days later with Jo-sashimi, thick cuts of fresh fish presented beautifully on a giant butterbur leaf . The service each time was excellent: friendly and competent, taking extra care to make clients comfortable. Yuzu is certainly the best in Washington area. At the sushi bar made of solid walnut, the chef uses his beautiful pottery and ceramics that enhances the pleasure of dinning. Rare is a restaurants even in Tokyo that knows how to make people enjoy food also with eyes. The restaurant is elegant but simply decorated and with taste. I have recently gone to New York to lunch at Jean George. Yuzu is its Japanese twin brother!
(5)Stephanie C.
I can't say the food tasted bad: tempura are rarely disappointing; i can't say the service was bad either: both waiters were nice. However, the prices are way too high for what we get. Furthermore, you need to top up your bill if you want a bowl of miso soup, a cup of green tea or even a bowl of plain rice to be served with tempura... The fish on nigiri sushi also ordered at the table looked quite dry... Overall there are better places to go to for a Japanese dinner.
(2)Yulai L.
Expensive for what they are offering
(3)Andrew L.
Very creative Japanese fusion restaurant. They have tasty and well presented tempura appetizers (I've had the corn and the mushroom). Their sushi is good as well. They have some unique miso soups I'd like to try in the future: a crab miso and a seafood miso.
(5)Paul C.
I went to YUZU based on recommendations I saw on Yelp for great Japanese and I was not disappointed. The sushi was extremely fresh and the specials were excellent. We chose one of their higher end sake's and it was extremely smooth. The service was attentive and we were not rushed. We were able to speak with the chef and tease him about him being out of stock with quail eggs. The atmosphere was very conducive for conversation. We did go later so the restaurant was only partially occupied.
(5)Antonio M.
Disappointed.... Stopped in yesterday (Thursday) for lunch and was underwhelmed by the quality of the fish and sushi. We ordered an assortment of sashimi (10 pieces) and the fish just didn't have that fresh flavor. The squid in the sashimi assortment had an off "soapy" flavor and slimy texture that wasn't all that appealing. We ordered a few rolls and were also disappointed by the mushy rice and fall-apart quality of the rolls. The roll with the tempura softshell crab had a bad burnt oil taste that stayed with me for the rest of the day. We kept looking at all the Yelp pictures and felt like we were in a totally different restaurant from what was reviewed. The service was okay (waiter forgot my drink), but I was happy that the place was clean. Sadly, I don't think I'd give Yazu another try after this lackluster lunch experience.
(2)Aurélien Z.
Very good quality sushi. Great rice texture and quality. The fish also tastes great. Efficient, helpful and pleasant service. Beside sushi, they also offer authentic Japanese dishes which are also really good.
(5)Nicole L.
We were excited to try Yuzu since the chef came from Sushi-Ko. The restaurant was simple decor. We started with some wines they were good. I started with the seaweed salad but it was not what I expected I thought it was be more premium seaweed but it was average plus the dressing was not impressive. I also ordered the Chef's chirashi supposedly came with premium fish. It had good sashimi but not good enough for $35. I had better chirashi for much less. So I had very high expectation for their chirashi. Overall the price was too high for the quality, it was good quality but not mind blowingly good.
(3)Herschel S.
It's been a while since I've gone to a place without knowing the Yelp review for it. I must say I was pleasantly surprised when I visited this establishment. First off, when my colleagues and I came in, I noticed that the servers are mostly Americans. Given that, I thought the Japanese food will be Americanized. However, I was proven wrong. I ordered their lunch special- the grilled mackerel served with rice and miso soup. When I tasted the miso soup, it transported me back to last year when my husband and I visited Japan. The grilled mackerel also reminded me the day we followed the Japanese salarymen to lunch in Japan. The portion is also huge considering it is fish. The green tea is also very good. I had to check what's in the teapot because it really was THAT good. I thought they were using matcha powder but no they were just using a pouch with a lot of green tea leaves. This place is pretty authentic. (A Japanese family was also in the restaurant eating. That must be a good sign, right?) Now, why 4 stars? The service was a little off. The server made assumptions about me just because I'm Asian. She gave my colleagues their soup spoon and was about to not give me one because she thought I wouldn't need it.
(4)Courtney D.
The sushi was delicious but service was dreadful. Had to wait over an hour and a half for two rolls of sushi when we were one of three tables there. Also we had to ask for a glass of water 3 times until it finally came when they brought the check. Great food, but would not suggest going there hungry or if you have plans afterwards.
(2)Sam C.
The miso soup, which you'd think to be the simplest of things to make at a Japanese restaurant was not only "meh" but not even hot when we got it. The sushi was definitely sub-par and I would not go back there again. Not to mention the service was incredibly slow - I think they had only one waitress working.
(2)Katie M.
Great sushi in a quiet restaurant in Bethesda. Fresh, clean, everything that's great about sushi. Be sure to try the green tea ice cream!!
(4)Jen O.
After checking out the menu posted outside the front door, I decided to give Yuzu a try. The service was excellent right from a prompt greeting as I entered straight thru the meal and the friendly farewell. I ordered the house salad which was above average in terms of the quality of lettuces used and the light ginger dressing. I also had the shrimp and vegetable tempura entree. The portion size was generous and it came with rice. Pricing was reasonable with my meal, soda, tax and tip coming in at $35. I would recommend them and plan on going again!
(4)Michael H.
I had the Premium Assorted Sushi - 10 pieces of nigiri with a 'chef's choice' roll. Nigiri wasn't terrible, but nothing spectacular. The selection was unimpressive (egg?) and the fish wasn't great. The 'chef's choice' was a huge disappointment. It was half cucumber / half spicy salmon maki. I'm not local, but I'm guessing you could have a much better meal elsewhere for $35. I guess I should have known since the place was more or less empty at 7:00pm (on a Tuesday, but still a bad sign).
(2)Guo T.
My husband and I went there on my birthday, such a nice place with Japanese clean and neat style. The decoration at front door was so cute with mini size sushi. The server was friendly, and the food is same as what we ate in Tokyo, so delicious that make us grab food without any left. We ordered the yellowtail calpaccio and toro, the best of all. The yellowtail calpaccio was more than I can imagine, the yellowtail was soft, savory especially with ponzu sauce. toro was great, the buttery part of tuna gonna melt in your month. We also ordered the edamame tempura, which we NEVER had in any other place. It's a little bit salt and sweet with tempura sauce, with the fried young soy beans gonna subvert the traditional boiled edamame. The crunchy spicy tuna is my husband favorite, crispy, spicy, and aromatic tuna, with a little bit sour in the sushi rice and the outside part nori, yummiest in the world. The server bring our desert with a candle on the top, we ordered the black sesame ice cream, scented sesame is not too heavy to make you faint, just savory enough to attract you eat more. We will definitely come back more often, most native Japanese food in town.
(5)Amanda F.
Finally! an AUTHENTIC sushi restaurant in Bethesda. This family owned establishment is a gem and a must go if you are a sushi fan. Food-Go for anything-sashimi, nigiri and sushi rolls in addition to small grilled plates. (Thank The Lord above there is isn't a communal hibachi grill in sight.) I had the deluxe chef sushi selection and nigiri daily special-the fish was fresh, embodying that clean oceanic flavor. We also had the edamame, which wasn't your run of the mill frozen Whole Foods variety. No, it was black edamame purchased fresh, steamed and chilled. Drinks-I (surprisingly) didn't drink, but there is a relaxed bar area with a great selection of Japanese and southeast Asian beers. The cocktail menu was enticing, and actual yuzu could be found in several of the offerings. Atmosphere-You may as well be in Tokyo. Service-Friendly and prompt.
(5)Brittany J.
I echo the helpers that say this is on par with Sushi-Ko, the quality of the fish, the skill of the chef, the portion size, and price points are quite similar. This location also happens to have nigiri that isn't covered in wasabi. The manager/bartender Remi is adorable and gives great suggestions along with great service. She's also really easy to talk to. There was only me and one other patron there tonight so we had her full attention. I had the anubi style (flame seared) nigiri. Amaze balls. I also had two specials whose names are escaping me, but one is a seasonal fish they were almost out of. I also had one of the summer cocktail original creations, a matcha mojito which is perfect for the drinker who doesn't like her drinks too sweet. I finished off with a yelp recommendation of green tea and yuzu ice cream which I would go back for. Apparently Chef Yoshi's wife also makes some dessert selections but only if they sell well so ask what the special dessert offerings are when you go! Apparently they've only been open for 3 months and the chef came from Kushi and decided to open his own place. I'm so glad. The price point puts this firmly in the once-in-a-while-treat category, but it's nice to know the person who brought Kushi to its former glory is still doing strong culinary work in the area.
(5)Ammie L.
Came here for dinner twice. Both had a very pleasant experience. The food is very authentic Japanese. The tofu dengaku and yakuniku were delicious! Yakuniku is quite large portion as an entry for one. Chef's chirashi is also good-portion, both the sashimi and chirashi were premium quality, fresh and tender. The staff are very friendly, helpful and respectful, like a typical good restaurant in Japan. Love this place. Will definitely come back.
(5)Erica C.
Yuzu is good times. The sushi selection is quite nice and wasn't the ridiculous lineup that most sushi places have. Yuzu keeps it classy. But with that being said, Yuzu is a bit on the expensive side compared to other sushi spots. Parking is easy to find. The beer selection looks decent. The atmosphere is open and clean.
(4)T R.
Pretty decent service. Had a cold beer brought to me soon after sitting down. The options on them menu are pretty good. I am a vegetarian so the message saying they didn't know what was or was not vegetarian at the bottom of the menu seemed sort of lazy. I mean how much effort would it take to parse out, like 10 minutes? Got some hopefully vegetarian sushi rolls. Good, not bad. The corn tempura was fun to break into... hopefully it was meant to be finger food because that is what I had to do. Not bad for a quick dinner. I'll go back now and then.
(4)Sheila W.
I got the bento box lunch special. It was good, but not the best I've had (and I've had a lot of Japanese food.) I liked the miso soup, contrary to other reviews. Pleasant service, though there was a slight glitch in that it took a while for my food to arrive. The hostess was very apologetic. I would have given it 3 stars, but bumped it up to 4 after they found my lost credit card and held onto it safely with no false charges. When I picked up the card, they were careful to check that I was really the cardholder. I will go back and try their $9.99 weekday lunch special.
(4)Andrew R.
dinner with a friend saturday night. a little sake, sashimi platter, some crunchy rolls, edamame. everything was excellent, great service, nice atmosphere and the prices are what you would expect to pay in bethesda. the standout for me, however, was the fried eggplant dish. yummers. it is a must have.
(4)Dustin G.
THEY HAVE ORION!!! I lived in Okinawa for 2 years and outside of Japan this is the best sushi I've had in years... Very very pricy though
(5)Teresa L.
Yuzu is a new-ish Japanese restaurant in Bethesda. I was actually there for a special sake and washoku pairing event so I can't comment on the regular menu. The special menu we did have was very good, from some a small starter of three different presentations of tofu, to an exceptional flounder and mushroom dish, to small selection of sushi. The restaurant itself is simply decorated and smells wonderful when you walk in the door. I'd certainly be happy to go back here and taste some of their regular offerings.
(3)Tanya G.
Often I find myself wondering if there is more to a particular cuisine than just what is found in this country. Have you ever wondered what Japanese ppl eat on a daily basis? I mean yes eating sushi and ramen every day would be amazing but there's got to be more right?? What am I missing that restaurants aren't providing?? My not so recent trip to Japan gave me a glimpse of what that diet might be and my very recent trip to Yuzu gave me some more insight. Yuzu just opened a mere few weeks ago so the food and drink menu is a little bit on the limited side but I was very impressed with what I saw and tasted. Edamame - Black edamame served instead of the usual green and it was very tasty. Slightly sweeter, tasted like it was cooked in one of my favorite teas (pandan) and lightly salted. Age Nasu Dengaku - Fried eggplant with chicken miso sauce. Now I am partial to eggplant and I am partial to miso sauce so this dish was a shoe in for deliciousness. I do find the miso sauce can be over powering so lather with caution. Mushroom Tempura - When they say variety, they really mean it. It really is whatever is available/fresh that day. So just be satisfied with a medley of mushrooms that is tempura-ed to perfection. Grilled Black Cod - Remember when I said that I was partial to eggplant and miso sauce?? Well black cod and miso sauce trumps that eggplant ANY DAY. Possibly my favorite fish of all time and this one did not disappoint. Again the miso sauce can be overwhelming. Chef's Choice Sushi - Supposedly the creme de la creme of sushi available. The fish was fresh and delicious, sadly uni or toro were not in season when we ordered this dish. Aburi 5 - This is the dish that you MUST order. Five delectable sushi nigiri seared with a freakin blowtorch. It adds that crisp smoky flavor to the fish and that combination is simply divine. If it were up to me, all fish would be this way!! I cannot wait to see what Yuzu does with its menu as it grows and establishes itself as a restaurant. Take note worshippers of Japanese cuisine, there's a new hot kid in town!!
(4)Anna S.
Decided to try Yuzu for dinner after a Japanese friend recommended it. There were a fair amount of customers in the house and only two front of house staff members, but they did a fantastic job caring for all guests and preparing take out orders. We tried the seaweed salad, corn tempura, and mushidori to start. The salad had a beautiful assortment of four types of seaweed. The corn tempura was light and unique - served with green tea powder which you mix with soy sauce to dip the tempura in. My favorite was the mushidori - it's a chilled chicken dish in sesame sauce and it was so refreshing in this heat. Next we ordered some sushi - the aburi 5, a premium assortment, and the usuzukuri at the recommendation of our server. The aburi 5 was amazing..seared nigiri that melts in your mouth. The usuzukuri was also a treat - apparently it is a traditional Japanese New Years dish. Overall, this was an amazing experience. I see some comments about the slow service - I felt well cared for at all times, especially considering there were only two chefs hand crafting each dish. This is a family run restaurant and I felt as if I were being treated to a home cooked meal in a home rather than having pre-made dishes reheated quickly and brought to me. Trust me, it's worth the wait :) P.S. Try the desserts! Apparently the chef's wife/co-owner makes them herself as she is a trained pastry chef. The panna cotta was to die for!
(5)Giovanni B.
I'm really torn about this place. I've driven by here a couple times a week for the past couple months and watched it develop from the ashes of DIVINO. The best thing about Yuzu was the menu. It has a really interesting and comprehensive menu that probably is the best sushi/japanese restaurant i've ever been to in the DMV area. There were really interesting and creative dishes on the menu which i really liked. There was a really nice combination of sushi and kitchen dishes beyond the standard chicken teriyaki and shrimp tempura. I love japanese food and was like a kid in a candy store ordering from the menu. We ordered A LOT of stuff. Another thing I really liked was a small menu of special fish offerings that were flown in fresh from Japan. It's really nice to have a variable special menu so that you can try new interesting things every time you return. I saw some fish on this special menu i'd never seen offered anywhere else before. In addition to this, the front of house staff really knew their stuff about Japanese cuisine. They were really helpful and offered great suggestions. Everyone was exceedingly nice and polite. So far everything about this review seems good. But the theme of our visit (and this review) was that this place has so much potential but we felt that many things fell short of delivering a top-notch experience. First of all, the ratio of front of the house to back of the house employees is waaaaaay out of whack. There were 2 hostesses (or maybe 1 hostess and 1 FOH manager?) and 4-6 servers and what looked like only 2-3 people back in the kitchen. This led to having servers/hostesses buzzing around the restaurant with no food to take to their tables. This also lead to waiting 20+ minutes for a crumb of food being delivered to our table after our order was taken. I should add here that it was friday night but probably only about 60% of the seats were filled. We ordered a couple cold dishes (Oshinko, Hijiki Salad in Dashi broth) and a miso soup. We didn't get the Oshinko or Hijiki for at least 20 minutes despite the fact that all these dishes needed was to be plated. Our miso soup never showed up (except on the bill). Why wait so long to deliver the cold dishes? There were serious issues with the timing of service. We also ordered a large array of Nigiri. We were excited to try some of the flown in from Japan sushi and also to try Aburi style (seared w/ torch) nigiri. When the fish arrived, we were a little disappointed with the cuts of fish as they were much smaller than we were used to for $5-$8 for 2 pieces. None of the fish blew us out of the water and the construction of the nigiri was a little suspect at times. We didn't notice much difference for the 5 Aburi style pieces we ordered. That was a let down. After scarfing everything down, we ordered 3 rolls and a tofu dish because the unusually small nigiri pieces didn't quite fill us up. The rolls came quicker and were quite tasty (and straightforward). When the bill came, we knew we were in for some trouble with all the food we ordered. It wasn't horrible but certainly more than we would usually spend eating sushi. I'm ok paying $100+ for two people for a sushi dinner, but it should knock my socks off for that price. My socks were still firmly rooted in my shoes. In the end, I hope they work out their issues and are able to kick their execution up a notch or two. With a menu like they have and a staff as knowledgeable as they are, this place has the potential to be among the best in DMV area. Unfortunately too many shortcomings has left me feeling slightly disappointed. Side note: the interior of this place lacks a certain finish for how expensive the dishes are and what caliber of restaurant it presents itself as. The decor was very nice and classy, but it just lacked the level of fit and finish you would expect in a restaurant that presents itself as classy as Yuzu.
(3)Rachel M.
I went to Yuzu tonight with a few friends. It was their first night open so I there were definitely a few kinks and a nervous waitress. I've been really looking forward to Yuzu opening because its close to my work and Bethesda is really lacking a quality Japanese restaurant. The good: a varied menu with some small hot and cold items offers choice for people who aren't sushi lovers. The staff was really attentive...to the point it felt awkward because there were lots of staff and it was empty. The bad/mediocre: the place was dusty. The backs of the booths were covered with dust, the spoon was dirty, chopsticks too. The sushi and nigiri were just okay and kind of small for the price as was the veggie tempura. I disliked that you don't get a pot of green tea only small cups but it was free (opening night only). I ate the previous night at Sushiko and found myself comparing everything to there and we all agreed Sushiko was more enjoyable and surprisingly less expensive. Bottom line: it has potential. I will give it another try but will wait until they've been open longer and had a chance to work out the menu.
(3)Brad C.
Great Japanese food for vegetarians. Veggie sushi rolls, tempura edamame, tempura corn, yuzu ice cream and black sesame ice cream were all winners.
(5)Richard D.
First, I would like to say I do not Yelp, However I would like to make an exception this time. I truly enjoyed my experience at YUZU! First time at a Chef's table, and definitely not my last! I am an official groupie. The Nigiri Omakase was out standing, looking forward to having it again.
(5)Brett M.
Delicate, high end Sushi comes to Bethesda. The quality of the fish is the reason to go. The atmosphere is quiet, and relaxed. Yoshihisa Ota has created something special.
(4)Consumer X.
Discovered this little gem about 9 months ago and will continue to keep going back for the seaweed salad, braised pork belly, udon and toasted sesame ice cream. And the sushi and sashimi are pretty darn tasty as well!
(4)Nobody I.
Having read some of the reviews on Yelp I went expecting fun, interesting, and flavorful Japanese-inspired food. My wife and I left $100 lighter, and not at all satisfied. The food wasn't bad. It just wasn't especially good - nothing to justify the high prices (that $100 included only green tea and bottled water to drink). We left hungry and got a charcuterie plate at a bar up the street. Highlight: the yellowtail "cheek" (collar). Lowlight: having to ask for ponzu to go with it. And then ask again for another (tiny) bowl of ponzu, as we were sharing the fish across the table. Portions were scant and, did I mention, high-priced and entirely unremarkable?
(2)Rex H.
Tofu was on another level, completely changing my idea of what tofu should taste like. It was nice and sweet with interesting flavors. The other food was also good. Sushi was nice. Anago in particular was rather tasty. Maguro as well was remarkably good. The seaweed salad was fresh and delicious but somewhat salty. The mountain vegetables and pickled vegetables were excellent and tasted as though they had been recently harvested. Nice atmosphere and friendly staff.
(5)Bill P.
Great new sushi place.....I hope they pack them in more frequently though. Never busy when I've been by and this Saturday only one other table late lunch. Had the Japanese pickles (Oshinko) $5 very tasty and varied. The Tuna Jalapeno $8 very good and spicy kick to it. The California rolls $6 and well prsented. Server Maia attentive without being overbearing which can sometimes happen at a slow time. I'll be back and they start happy hour this week also.
(4)Robert J.
Only came here once for lunch, but considering they are still in a soft-opening phase, the quality of the food was excellent. The menu is gradually being expanded, so the current selection is limited, unless you have come specifically for sushi. I am planning on returning in a few weeks, once the menus are going full tilt and they have their liquor license; I have a hard time eating sushi without the requisite beer to compliment it.
(5)Michael S.
Really, really good. The food is definitely on a par with Sushi-Ko or Kaz. The ambiance has a way to go, but the place is in its "soft opening" phase. We will definitely be going back often. I had some of the best Uni negimaki that I've ever had. Nicely garnished with a little dab of wasabi on top. The Miso black cod did *not* come with an overwhelming miso sauce as one reviewer said. It was miso-marinated, but sauceless, and just tasted like "ooh, mommy!," as I exclaimed when I took my first bite. What a wonderful piece of fish! The fried eggplant with chicken miso sauce, described as a staff favorite, was a family favorite, too. Wow. The seared albacore with jalapeno appetizer was super, as was the four-seaweed salad. And the soft shell crab and avocado roll, and ... well, you get the idea. Even the vegetables in sweet tofu sauce were great. Service was excellent and enthusiastic. Minh explained the dishes well and gave us frequent status reports on progress.
(5)Mahoko E.
I ate dinner at Yuzu twice already after it opened on Monday. We became kind of Chef Yoshi's groupies after we first discovered him as the head sushi chef at Sushiko couple years ago. We've been patiently waiting for him to open his own restaurant... And yes, it was every bit as good or better than I imagined. There are sushi chefs who make sushi to make some cash, and there are sushi chefs who are obsessed with food (or more precisely, how to make better and better food) 24/7. Chef Yoshi is the latter. Just like Jose Andres whom we met before he became super famous. Yoshi had his own restaurant in the prestigious Ginza district before he came here to go global. Their loss, our gain. Chef Yoshi knows how to pick, prepare, and serve fish. I had salmon, yellow tail, eel, tuna, sweet shrimp, sardine, etc. Everything tasted fresh and exquisite. The consistency and proportion of rice were perfect. Salmon and yellowtail melted in my mouth. I also tasted pork kakuni, age tofu, yakitori, eggplant dengaku, chicken tatsuta-age, ganmodoki, and mushroom miso soup. There wasn't one thing that I didn't love. Their food just made me happy. And full:-) They are slowly expanding their menu in the coming weeks, as well as waiting to get their liquor license. If you need good sake or beer to go with their magnificent meal, you should wait couple weeks and then go crazy. In the meantime, I'm sure my friends and I will keep going back to be blessed with Yoshi's food regularly.
(5)Eugene H.
Me and my cousin tried out this place and when we saw that there was a special imported menu, we had to try a couple of items from there. It was ridiculously expensive, but the food was top notch. Definitely a fun experience to try out food that you usually can't get in the area, but be prepared to pay for it.
(4)Denise P.
I like the location, I like the service and although the menu won't blow your mind with creativity the end product is high quality. We ordered a couple of rolls to share, their house specialty tempura corn and some udon noodles. If you're near and you want sushi this is a really reliable and authentic option. The tempura corn was super unique with the green tea/salt dipping powder. Worth a try.
(4)Wayne F.
Hum, this is right down the street and I was hoping I would love it. Overall good, just not great-- 3.5 stars but just don't feel the urge to round up on this one. The highlight was the yakatori chicken-- plump, good char, juicy...just good. The sashimi platter portion of the chirashi was disappointing. It comes out on ice, which was nice, but the flavor gets lost when the fish is so cold. The rice for the nigiri was a good consistency but just not flavored very well-- I like mine to have a bit more vinegar (I douce fries in vinegar also, so maybe this is just me being weird here). The bartender/manager, who was great btw, said the uni was from a special source, etc, but I found it kind of bitter and bland. The owner's wife makes an awesome dessert from scratch, which is definitely worth a try. For Bethesda, this is solid, but overall would try other places.
(3)Glen F.
My fiancé and I had a horrible flight back from Florida and the usual traffic from DC to Bethesda. Wanted to eat healthy and try something new. Could not have had better food and as or more important a better server than Chris.
(4)Cynthia B.
Ordered tempura, great, very light & tasty ! The nabe hot pot was delicious as well. We had 8 people in our party & everything went well. Had dirty martinis that were some of the best I've ever had. In fact, went back again and had more the next night. Definitely will go back again. A recommend! And I'm only in this area once a year :)
(5)Kate O.
Maybe I came on a bad day? I'm not really getting all the raves for this place. The sushi was just meh- didn't seem all that fresh and quite, well, tasteless. The blow torched sushi makes all the sushi taste the same. So is it me or them? Well you can try yourself but a word of warning- it's an expensive shot to give...
(2)Linda H.
I wanted to love love this place. I liked it a lot. The fish quality was quite good. The rice was not warm & seasoned enough. We also waited quite a long time for our food which meant the nori was soggy. But, I think they're working out the new kinks, so I'll definitely give it another try and hope the food comes out faster.
(4)Foodrunner F.
Pretty good sushi. The fish is fresh. They do not have crazy rolls, just simple sushi and Nigri. The restaurant is pretty laid back. A casual place that is nice to hang out with friends or go on a casual date.
(3)Mahsa K.
They have only one lunch special "bento box" but they allow you a vegetarian modification option which is nice. The sushi is good enough. For the price I would expect it to be a little more cold, with wasabi dots underneath--classically done, and more plump. The crunchy shrimp and "cooked" rolls turned out better than where I could compare their raw rolls.... the sushi buffet down the street makes more sense for the price at lunch I'd say. But this would be a good dinner place. And I will give them this... their edamame is awesome. It served cold and sweet but each bean has such a silky texture---pleasant surprise.
(4)Brian J.
Udon was delicious, the sushi however was just ok. I haven't found great sushi anywhere in bethesda yet.
(3)Mark O.
Great food, great service. I've been there 4 times already in just a few months (and I don't eat out much). Great eggplant appetizer. Wonderful sushi. A different, interesting take on some traditional fare. Will definitely be back.
(4)Shelly G.
Yuzu is a wonderful restaurant. Try the seaweed salad and the eggplant appetizer--to die for. Other favorites are the oysters, crunchy outside, warm and tender inside, and the soft shell crab roll. I think I like it better than Tako Grill, which I did not think possible.
(4)Eric B.
Nice new spot. Very good sushi. Decor and atmosphere, inviting.
(4)Thanh N.
ordered the chirashi and was very pleased. fish was fresh and delicious. a little bit on the expensive side though. service was very fast and attentive but then again, i was there for a very early dinner.
(4)Andrew S.
New favorite place for sushi and authentic Japanese dining. Chef is super experienced and food is always good!
(4)Maru T.
I seem to have hit an unlucky streak with service lately and while Yuzu doesn't have the worst service I have been tortured with lately, their food does little to offset the complete incompetence we experienced which started with really slow drink service, appetizers coming out in a delayed piecemeal fashion, forgotten orders, and an incorrect bill. The sushi was mediocre with minuscule pieces of fish in the rolls, mediocre flavors on the tofu, and a blah hot pot. We had 7PM reservations on a Friday night and the restaurant wasn't completely full so I don't think they should have an excuse for not being ready for the average size crowd. There are many better options for sushi in Bethesda - I will not be back.
(1)Vmc R.
Very authentic Japanese sushi - I feel like now that Americans have embraced sushi they tend to like the really huge slices of fish and rolls, but I prefer this traditional style... it's really good quality: silky, tender fish that melts in your mouth in two reasonable sized bites. (In my opinion, better than gnawing on a big chunk of tasteless fish, with no balance of flavor & texture to the rice, etc.) I've eaten at the other venues that Yoshi's been involved with (big fan of Sushiko & Kushi) and the food here lives up to his reputation. I had the seaweed salad (BIG portion, tasty dressing... ok - I'm liking a big portion in this case!) and some nigiri & maki. My favorite is that they have umeshiso on the menu (in the sushi rolls)!!! Only a very few restaurants in DC offer it. Yum!
(5)Gordon M.
This place is terrible. Service is slow. Food is not kept at proper temperatures and for raw fish that is a disaster waiting to happen. They just opened this month but they should just give up and close. The staff keeps apologizing to every table. My order was wrong. Portions are not what I would expect for the price. Just a disaster. Don't be fooled by the reviews from friends of the owner.
(1)Andrew V.
Absolutely incredible top to bottom. Food was out of this world! They apparently get shipments directly from Japan a couple of times a week and it shows. This was as close as you can get to a sushi experience in Japan without buying a plane ticket. The daily specials (which were shipped from Japan the morning of our meal) were unbelievably good. I highly suggest the Toro and Hamaki collar if they have it when you try this wonderful place out. The service was outstanding. Staff was very knowledgeable and even showed us pictures of the chefs butchering the fresh tuna that they received that morning. Deserts were incredible as well with some traditional Japanese deserts that I had never tried before but was delightfully surprised. This is a place that all sushi lovers should try. I promise you will not be disappointed. And when you do, be a good neighbor and rate this restaurant on every site you know of. This place deserves to be the premier sushi restaurant in the Washington DC metropolitan area.
(5)Jessica C.
I live a few blocks away and I really, really wanted to love it...unfortunately, it just didn't live up to my expectations. The dishes were just ok and the sushi was fine, but lots of rice and not too much fish. The service was ok. There are much better Japanese places in the area.
(2)Nancy L.
Not sure how this place had 4 stars. Maybe we visited on an off day. Maybe I've been spoiled by Philly sushi. The place was completely empty which was strange given that it was a weekday at noon. I think we ordered a sushi platter and a handroll. Nothing was bad per day but nothing was great either.
(3)William M.
We dined there last night after reading that this restaurant had opened. We are big fans of Sushi-Ko, especially the one in Georgetown, and the owner of Yuzu apparently used to be the executive chef at Sushi Ko. You could definitely see the influences. My wife had the jalapeño tuna roll (which we both love) and the crunchy shrimp roll. Both were excellent. I had the deluxe sushi plate, also excellent. We highly recommend. Best in Bethesda.
(5)Jeannie E.
Dinner at Yuzu is fantastic. The food is fresh and delicious, the staff took great care of us, and the clientele was a wonderful mix of families, groups of friends, couples, individual business travelers, and Japanese patrons. The ambiance is a relaxing mix of modern, spacious, and comfy. I will definitely be back during Yuzu's soft opening and I very much look forward to its grand opening and beyond. This one is a winner.
(5)Barbara A.
Definitely the best Japanese restaurant in the area. Seaweed salad with 4 varieties was excellent. Nice vegetarian options. Tempura was very light and not greasy. A winner. Other dishes were good too.
(5)Marie C.
Yuzu is a great addition to Bethesda. I've gone back several times for lunch specials (which remind me of trips to Japan as soon as the flavors hit) and told friends about the place. Lunches are not crowded and the staff did tell me that the summer is a very tough time to open a restaurant--So, patronize this wonderful place! The red bean gelatin dessert is hard to find here and so refreshing.
(4)Hilary B.
We have been trying to get to Yuzu for a few weeks since it opened and tonight we finally made it there. And it was amazing! If you have lived in Japan or know what Japanese food is supposed to taste like then this is the place for you. The sushi is small like it should be and room temp. You can taste the delicious fish in every bite. They had great specials that were comprised of fish flown from Japan. The red snapper nigiri was delicious. I have also been searching for Yakitori since I left Japan and this finally brought me back to the delicious Yakitori street carts that you find around the city. The sauce is exactly as it should taste, chicken is perfectly grilled and every bite was fantastic. The nuta maguro is delicious as well. And thank goodness for the absence of mayonnaise. Gross! I hate all the mayo places put in their sushi. This is convenient and has a comfortable, relaxing atmosphere. Will definitely be back. This is worth every dollar. Staff was very friendly and helpful. This is a real Japanese restaurant in the heart of Bethesda. Decor is beautifully understated.
(5)