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Yamazato, Korean-Owned Sushi in a Strip Mall Shopping Center off Little River Turnpike in Lincolnia


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On 7/10/2013 at 10:41 AM, DCDiningGuide said:

Hmmm . . . everything I've ever read about Yamazoto emphasizes that it's a place specializing in, well, humongous "specialty" rolls, which I've found to be a surefire sign that I won't like it. But if other Rockwellians would confirm its quality . . .

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I am a big fan of Yamazato. I wouldn't say it is in Sushi Taro's class, but for a casual (and more budget-friendly) sushi option, there is none finer in the area.

And in contrast to other establishments' "humongous 'specialty' rolls," such rolls are very, very good here.

(Another usual sign that myself I and others consider a warning --- the existence of an extensive Thai menu --- also should be disregarded. Indeed, the Thai food at Yamazato is excellent, best I have had in the area besides the authentic joints in Wheaton like Nava Thai).

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Just tried it on Friday night and I don't think it will be knocking out Momo as my go to place for specialty rolls (Momo can be as good as Kaz and Sushi Taro for specialty rolls). The fish is fresh and the service is pleasant, but the chefs' execution leaves much to be desired.

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Lady KN and I dined here tonight, and it was definitely one of the better sushi experiences we've had in quite a while. The three rolls -- Dragon Fire, Three Amigos and Spicy Toro -- were superb. The nigiri -- salmon and tuna -- were perfect, glistening and melt-in-mouth delicious. My only complaint was on me -- I asked for the brown rice option for everything, and while brown rice does not detract from the rolls, it certainly adds a different texture to the nigiri. And when brown rice mixes with Kirin Ichiban, the effect is not unlike drinking cement.....

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Another fine sushi experience at Yamazoto was had last night. Lady KN and I tore into a Three Amigos Roll and a Spider Roll, along with a side of the sashimi special. The sashimi blew me away -- it was perfect. (Thinking about that for a minute, I am amazed that pieces of raw fish, at the peak of freshness, prepared by slicing them uniformly and presenting them on a plate, can be called perfect.)

Daughter and her BF were less adventurous, but their orders of steak teriyaki and chicken teriyaki were illuminating for me. I would not be inclined to order off that part of the menu, but sampling their plates confirmed that the kitchen also knows what they're doing here.

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Picked up son-in-law from National Airport, and since he's from L.A., I figured he would know a thing or two about sushi and such.

Yamazoto gets his seal of approval. Started witht he special of octopus salad, which was finely sliced and umami-flavored octopus served with mixed greens (some of which appeared to be from the sea) and shredded daikon. It was so good I almost ordered another.

The sushi paltter was a work of art, with Three Amigo Roll, Turbulence Roll, L.A. Roll and Dragon Roll, served along with nigiri -- fatty tuna belly, regular tuna, eel and yellowtail. Every bite, every morsel, was perfection.

Price tag, all in, with drinks, tax, generous tip -- $60 per person. And we were stuffed.

(And this place is ranked too low in the Restaurant Guide....or Han Gang is ranked too high....one or the other.)

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Sorry to dominate this thread with the last five posts, but this place is nearing the top of my list of go-to places in northern Virginia.

I hosted a table for nine on a Saturday night. All in, the tab was $380 with tax and tip, which isn't a bad average. And we had many of their specialty rolls -- Firecraker, Spider, Super Dragon, Crunchy Kimchee, Tiger Fur, X.O., Three Amigos, TST, Black Hole -- plus lots of nigiri and a few octopus salads. Every bite was perfect, and I sampled everything.

Yamazato is probably the best sushi in northern Virginia right now, and I'll stop posting about it so that I can avoid repetition....

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Sorry to dominate this thread with the last five posts, but this place is nearing the top of my list of go-to places in northern Virginia.

I hosted a table for nine on a Saturday night. All in, the tab was $380 with tax and tip, which isn't a bad average. And we had many of their specialty rolls -- Firecraker, Spider, Super Dragon, Crunchy Kimchee, Tiger Fur, X.O., Three Amigos, TST, Black Hole -- plus lots of nigiri and a few octopus salads. Every bite was perfect, and I sampled everything.

Yamazato is probably the best sushi in northern Virginia right now, and I'll stop posting about it so that I can avoid repetition....

Please keep right on posting, but in all honesty, I'm skeptical of anyplace that features the rolls you describe (scroll up to post #1 as well).

But I'm making a mental note to try this place - it sounds like they're sourcing good fish, so I may start with sashimi and go from there.

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We haven't been for a while, but when we were regulars, the fish was always exceptionally fresh.  Nice to see they're continuing to do that.  Guess we'll have to pay Steve a visit again soon.

(incidentally, the Japanese sushi chef who was there is now at Tampopo next to A&J in Annandale)

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If you were to peruse the menu online or upon stepping into this place for the first time, you would probably predict a mediocre experience at best. Any menu with Japanese, Korean, and Thai dishes included would usually get my eyes rolling. There is therefore no good reason the sashimi here should be so fantastic.

And it is. Fantastic.

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Lady KN's birthday was yesterday, so six of us settled in for a feast at Yamazato last night. In a nutshell, service was slow, but food was excellent. The back of the house was missing a few staff, we came to learn, and that may have contributed to the waitress's disappearance on occasion. But the sushi coming from the sushi bar was spot-on all through the meal.

We had a combination of about 40 pieces of nigiri and another 9 or 10 of their very fancy rolls, including all three of their special rolls last night. Among the latter, the Blue Fin Supreme Tuna roll was a standout, and among the former, and the Three Amigos, X.O. and Spider rolls were excellent. The nigiri was as good as ever, with each piece looking like it stepped off of a sushi poster. The tuna was an incredible dark red. Their sourcing must be top-notch.

All six of us ate to excess, with a few appetizers thrown in -- the lettuce wraps are very good -- and lots of beer, sake and wine thrown in. All in total with tax and tip was $475, which works out to about $80 a person. I consider that a fair price for an all-you-can-eat-and-drink sushi feast.

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On 1/15/2018 at 10:15 AM, Simul Parikh said:

How would you rank the sushi places in Alexandria?

Technically on the other side of I-395 from Alexandria, and therefore should be in Annandale, but its address is Alexandria:

Yamazato

It's one of my absolute go-to places for sushi. Quality is high, prices are fair, service is good. But it's only barely in Alexandria....

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On 1/15/2018 at 6:13 PM, Kibbee Nayee said:

Technically on the other side of I-395 from Alexandria, and therefore should be in Annandale, but its address is Alexandria:

Yamazato

It's one of my absolute go-to places for sushi. Quality is high, prices are fair, service is good. But it's only barely in Alexandria....

Have to agree with Yamazoto.  When Steve (the owner) took over from what was at one time a Sushi/Chinese/Korean buffet (Sushi Palace) and turned it into Yamazoto, the change was drastic.  He's made it a serious sushi (and Thai) restaurant.

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On 1/15/2018 at 6:13 PM, Kibbee Nayee said:

Technically on the other side of I-395 from Alexandria, and therefore should be in Annandale, but its address is Alexandria:

Yamazato

It's one of my absolute go-to places for sushi. Quality is high, prices are fair, service is good. But it's only barely in Alexandria....

I second Yamazato as the best sushi in Alexandria

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3 hours ago, DonRocks said:

Simul, Yamazoto is a straight shot down Columbia Pike (or even faster, I-395 - 10-15 minutes from your house).

Little River Turnpike (236W) exit off of 395.  Clear the exit ramp and get in the left lane immediately.  Go to the Little River Tpk/Beauregard St. intersection and make the left.  First driveway on the right for Yamazoto.

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Yamazato is no less impressive when received from UberEats. A perfectly packed order of Edamame, Octopus Salad, Torio Sushi, and Chirashi Special arrived at our doorstep and was happily devoured.

The combination of the quality of the food with the convenience of delivery is a greatly under-appreciated consequence of the COVID times. Added to that is our own wine selection to accompany the meal.

When we think of all the things that won't change after the pandemic, like washing hands and working from home more often, add high-quality food delivery such as from Yamazato.

 

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