Nooshi, Pan-Asian and Sushi on 19th & L Street Downtown, and Now Open in Barracks Row

[Mark Slater]

Sakana is a reliable neighborhood joint, and in my four years of living around the corner, I found it unwaveringly friendly and steady. I wouldn't go there looking for gustatory heights, and the sushi list is unfortunately given to kinky concoctions a la Rock-n-Roll sushi, but stick with traditional choices and you should be fine. Damn cheap, too.

Rock-n-Roll Sushi is at least better than the flyer Nooshi mailed out last year advertising "Funky Sushi" at happy hour. Funky sushi. EWWWWWWWW.

[New Foodie]

Haha...yeah, not so appetizing is it!

I don't know much about the sushi at Nooshi (I'm still learning to love sushi) but the restaurant is a big favorite among my co-workers. I love their Mee Goreng and haven't really branched out to try other things on the menu.

[qwertyy]

I'm a fan of their gado gado. Actually I'm a fan of just about everyone's gado gado, but this is a pretty good version.

[Antonio Burrell]

I used to eat here alot when it was oodles of noodles and I worked at Vidalia. I loved the Teppinaky Udon, the Phucket Noodles and the Curry Laska. I haven't been since they changed the name....don't know why.

[entropy]

My co-workers seem to love Nooshi as well, though I don't share the same level of unconditional adoration. There are some quality dishes (can't get away from the Drunken Noodles, particularly when ordered spicy and I'm definitely a fan of their Curry Laksa as well), but for the most part the place is relatively ho-hum for me. I feel that it suffers from the similar difficulty that all-kinds-of-asian food restaurants tend to experience. Nearby Cafe Asia tends to do a bit better of a job, in my opinion, and if you want a cheaper and dare I say more authentic option, Malaysian Kopitiam is close as well. As for Nooshi's sushi, I've had it a few times (and I indulged when they still had their $20 all you can eat deal) and while not horrible, they did tend to pack a bit more rice into it than most other places.

[Mark Slater]

I used to eat here alot when it was oodles of noodles and I worked at Vidalia. I loved the Teppinaky Udon, the Phucket Noodles and the Curry Laska. I haven't been since they changed the name....don't know why.

Nooshi = noodles + sushi.

[AlexC]

One thing that distinguishes Nooshi is their take-out express counter. It's one store front past the Nooshi restaurant, on the other side of the (extremely filling) Greek Deli.

At Nooshi Express you can get excellent pre-prepared take-out sushi for eat-it-every-day prices. Six-piece spicy tuna rolls for $3.50? Six-piece salmon rolls for $3.25? When I worked in that area I grabbed take-out from Nooshi once a week.

One tip to consider -- if you want to take out noodle dishes or soup, call ahead for pick-up, as it takes ten minutes for them to produce a cup of miso soup. Also, there's no price break on those items, just on the pre-prepared sushi (includes a variety of rolls, some sashimi, salads, etc,)

Alex

[Antonio Burrell]

Nooshi = noodles + sushi.

Yeah....I get that part.........

[edenman]

Every once in a while, I deviate from my normal orders at Nooshi (Singapore Noodles, Curry Laksa) and try something else. Today it was Katayuki Noodles.

It is these days that I remember why I stick to my normal orders at Nooshi.

[Laura24601]

In a few weeks, I'm going to be 31. I had conveniently forgotten about that fact until I received one of Don's friendly reminder-to-wish-people-happy-birthday messages. While I'm sad about being old, I also happily remembered that I am a member of this forum, a fact that I had inconveniently forgotten because I am old. See how that works?

Friends, though I have neglected to post lo these many months, I had to make sure everyone knows about Crazy Hour at Nooshi. All alcoholic beverages are half-price from 4-7 p.m. (I could be wrong about that start time, but I am definitely right about the last call time.) Mojitos! Beer! Martinis! Combinations thereof! The food isn't amazing, but it's easy to walk away feeling happy and satisfied when you've had that extra mojito just because they are HALF! PRICE!

I can't recommend everything on le menu, but I can fully support the Mee Goreng with vegetables and any roll that begins with "spicy crunchy".

ETA: Now that I actually posted and saw my profile photo...I feel obligated to post a newer photo soon that does not perfectly capture me at 26.

[New Foodie]

Agreed about the Mee Gorgeng.

And I believe a new iteration of Nooshi is coming to Barrack's Row in the same building as a Moby Dick's Kabob.

[Chocolatechipkt]

I miss having Oodles Noodles in Bethesda. That space has finally settled in with the new Louisiana Express, which is good ... but I really liked ON's peanut noodles (switching out the egg noodles for the wide rice ones) and the mee goreng.

[wrash]

I've had a long series of disappointments at pan-Asian restaurants. This string of crummy dining has gone on long enough that when I was invited to join a few other former co-workers (when you're in journalism, everybody is a former co-worker because of the constant churn) at Nooshi on Thursday I approached with some trepidation. I'm glad I went. The menu has expanded since its days as a noodle shop, and includes sushi, grilled Asian dishes and soups. They have a nice Asian beer selection.

I ordered two items, an eel and cucumber roll for an appetizer, which is a reasonably safe choice when in unfamiliar territory, and Singapore noodles. I had a couple of bottles of Singha to go with it all.

The roll was well made. It was tightly rolled, and had the proper proportions of cucumber and eel to the rice. One of my friends had the soft shell crab roll which I also sampled. I was surprised to find that the soft shell crab was really soft shelled (something you see all too rarely) and was properly cooked and very tasty. My roll tasted of the eel, the sauce and the cucumber, it was very fresh. Next time I'll try a much broader range of sushi. On the way out I inspected the sushi prep area and I was pleased to see the selection and the obvious freshness.

A word about Singapore noodles. There's really only one way to enjoy these as they were meant to be enjoyed, and that's when they're purchased from a hawker stand at one of the many food markets in Singapore. Well, getting to Singapore just for noodles is a really complex process since first you have to book a seat, then fly for 16 hours while being fed caviar, chilled vodka and other specialties by lovely attentive flight attendants, sleeping in one of those private bedroom thingies, going through customs and immigration, then getting into town.

Instead, I took the Metro to Farragut West and walked a couple of blocks. Much easier and cheaper, although it would have been nice to have had a Metro employee serve some caviar and vodka. But when I got to Nooshi, I was delighted to see Singapore noodles in a setting where I thought perhaps they'd do the dish properly. They did. While they weren't quite as good as the noodles I've eaten in Singapore, they were really very nice. The rice noodles were properly cooked, the spices were correct, although they didn't exhibit the depth of flavor you'll get with the real thing, and the dish wasn't very spicy. Partly this is my fault since you can get them as spicy as they serve them in Singapore on request, but I forgot to request it.

This place is crowded, noisy, high-energy and everything is in constant motion. They have a happy hour that I just missed.

The good news is that I've found a pan-Asian place that's actually good. The only bad news is that it takes an hour and a half of driving, Metro and walking to get there. But I guess that's better than a 16 hour flight and a line at customs. Plus, you can chew gum.

I'd go back in a heartbeat. I really enjoyed my evening at Nooshi. This is a nice place.

Wayne Rash

[RWBooneJr]

Some nice Sichuan dumplings, a well done "Rainbow Salad," and an excellent bowl of Phucket Noodles here today have me wondering whether this may be the exception to the "Pan Asian is bad Asian" rule. It was my first visit, because I sort-of always assumed "this place can't be good." But I'm looking forward to my return.

[Biscuit Girl]

I'll delete this post later today, but this is too funny not to share. Right before - and I mean RIGHT before - I opened this post to read it just now, I was thinking aloud, wondering about whether to open up the dr.com dining guide to the public (so it will have higher readership), or to make it even more restrictive, i.e., to people who have posted twice rather than just once (after all, this website is worth nothing without people posting here). And I made a tentative decision, and right as I was opening this post, I said, out loud, "Fuck it." And then I immediately read what you wrote above and bleated out loud like a sheep.

(As an aside, there used to be a restaurant on Georgia Avenue in Silver Spring called Phucket and yes I now know it's pronounced poo-kay but the first time I saw its big red sign I didn't know what it was and I was driving down Georgia Avenue doubled over laughing.)

Ah, yes. Foods like Phuket Fried Rice or Phuket noodles bring out the child in all of us. Imagine the giggles, snickers and snorts from folks if they saw Phuket Noodles on the same menu as Spotted Dick.

[ktmoomau]

Went the other night for a casual dinner with the Hubby. We had Vietnamese Spring Rolls- which were fine, dumplings- which were skippable, not bad, just fairly skinny and not plump or really flavorful, sushi (spicy tuna, cucumber roll, kimchi roll, yellowtail roll and a bit of nigiri) it was all fine, not exciting and different like Sushi Kaz, but it was tightly rolled and tasted good. I can see how they would do a good lunch express business on the sushi side. It wasn't fancy, or extremely different in any way, but it was a good meal and we had a fun night, service was quick, pleasant and very efficient. And it wasn't too expensive.

I also ordered the ginger salad, which I really liked. I am a big pickled ginger fan (have some I made in the fridge), so I found the recipe, well I found one the Washington Post got from Spices and I think the only difference is some fried scallion, and am planning to recreate it at home. I love the crunch and tangy flavor of that salad, it just tasted really fresh. I think I might love pickled ginger far more than the average person though. It is something I would order quite often. Anyway not anywhere to go out of the way for, but also not a bad meal at all in my book.

[Genevieve]

I'm a big, big fan of their ginger salad. Whenever I'm in the neighborhood, I stop in and get ginger salad, rice paper roll (fresh and tasty with an excellent dipping sauce), and dessert (which I can't find on the menu, but I think is mango and sticky rice with a good thick coconut sauce to pour over it).

Those who like ginger salad should also go to Burma in Chinatown.

[Night Owl]

...

I also ordered the ginger salad, which I really liked. I am a big pickled ginger fan (have some I made in the fridge), so I found the recipe, well I found one the Washington Post got from Spices and I think the only difference is some fried scallion, and am planning to recreate it at home.

...

I love this salad, too -- got it to-go for lunch for years when I worked in that area. ktmoomau, I have tried the Post recipe a few times, and can't seem to get it to taste like Nooshi's. If you nail it, please post about it/how you did it!

[Pat]

The Barracks Row Nooshi is on the verge of opening and will be participating in the Taste of 8th event Saturday afternoon, the 27th, between 1 and 4 PM: http://www.barracksrow.org/tasteof8th

[lindzjax]

So is Nooshi actually open on 8th or was Saturday just a pre-opening? While Nooshi isn't exactly Taro, it will fill a much needed niche for decent sushi on the Hill...

[cheezepowder]

^ PoPville says it heard that Nooshi at Barracks Row is opening at the end of this week or next Tues at the latest.

[Pat]

Open

[Kanishka]

Anyone know if there's an elevator up to the space?

[Kanishka]

Answering my own question: no, no elevator. We went to the 8th St location for a Mother's Day lunch and had to carry a rather heavy stroller up a flight of stairs. No big deal, really -- but good to know for next time, as we'll bring our lighter stroller.

Which is to say yes, there will likely be a next time. Nooshi 8th St made for a very good (and affordable) Mother's Day lunch. I had the sonomono salad with eel, and the Phuket soup. The latter, chicken and rice noodles in a hot and sour broth, had far more punch than your average Tom Yum. It came with a warning from the waitress regarding heat, and she was right, the soup was very hot, as in warm. As far as spice? Hot, yes, but not "very." Still, it was better than any other Asian soup you can get on 8th St. The eel with the sonomono was well cooked and the cucumber/seaweed salad was lightly dressed, which let the other flavors come through. My +1, the new mom, had pad Thai, which she said was far superior to the mediocre version they serve up at Old Siam down the street.

The space is gorgeous -- the top floor in particular, with a very attractive round bar near the large deck. The art is striking as well. We'll be back.

(in case you were wondering, our youngest dining companion slept the whole time, which I believe was his Mother's Day present to mom.)

[Pat]

I stopped in for a late lunch - early dinner on Barracks Row yesterday and sat downstairs at the sushi bar. It's a very attractive space. I'll need to check out the upstairs in the future. There's also a whole lot more of the menu I need to explore.

Maki-rolls were what I had on the brain going in, but I couldn't resist ordering the Vietnamese deep-fried spring roll (minced pork, fresh crab, and cellophane noodles), which came cut in two pieces. I haven't had a deep-fried spring roll in a couple of years, and it was worth the $5.50 and the deep-fried calories. Off that same menu, I ordered the KFC ($6.95), one-boned Korean-style fried chicken coated with a "slightly spicy tangy sauce" that seemed to contain honey. This is quite a contrast to the one-bone chicken on the menu at Tash, which is dry and crusted on the outside. These were a bit messy but enjoyable. I picked up more sweet than spicy/tangy from these.* Now I'm feeling like I need to order the one-bone wings again at Tash to compare.

Maki-rolls: California ($4.50), just because...; yellow tail and scallion ($4.75), good enough but a little sloppy in construction and the nori wasn't wrapped quite all the way around the filling; and vegetable tempura roll ($5.75), because it sounded interesting, I think the tempura aspect was kind of lost for me in the end. Fine but I don't know I'd order it again. Of course, this was way too much food to order, but I had enough left over to bring home an assortment of maki-rolls to have for breakfast.

*ETA: I also brought a few wing pieces home and would revise this to say it was more balanced sweet/spicy after the fact than I said above.

[ktmoomau]

I love this salad, too -- got it to-go for lunch for years when I worked in that area. ktmoomau, I have tried the Post recipe a few times, and can't seem to get it to taste like Nooshi's. If you nail it, please post about it/how you did it!

The post article doesn't include shallot oil, so I think that may be part of the difference.

[ktmoomau]

I just bought way too much pickled ginger and was thinking to myself... I found a recipe for that really good salad one time.  Huzzah, I saved it to DR and found it on a google search of Nooshi pickled ginger.  I haven't been to Nooshi in a long time, but I might have to go back and taste this salad.

[Pat]

The Barracks Row location is closing Sunday, September 11th, so I got an assortment of takeout from them last night for one last meal. Back in the 2014-2018 period I was going there semi-frequently, but I hadn't been in a long time. It seemed like not very much food for the price, but it was well-prepared. The wasabi was potent. I'll miss having this option around, even though I hadn't been partaking of it.

The 19th and L location will remain open.

 

[Tweaked]

Not sure if Nooshi is still related to Spices in Cleveland Park, the menus are still almost identical.  

Based on that and having ordered much Spices over the past several pandemic years, you can eat well if you order the Vietnamese sping rolls, ginger salad, and curry laksa.  

[Mark Slater]

A few years ago, Nooshi sent a flyer to my zip code advertising their new promotion called "FUNKY SUSHI". I never took them up on that one. 

[Mark Dedrick]

On 9/8/2022 at 12:18 PM, Pat said:

The Barracks Row location is closing Sunday, September 11th, so I got an assortment of takeout from them last night for one last meal. Back in the 2014-2018 period I was going there semi-frequently, but I hadn't been in a long time. It seemed like not very much food for the price, but it was well-prepared. The wasabi was potent. I'll miss having this option around, even though I hadn't been partaking of it.

The 19th and L location will remain open.

 

That's too bad. This has been our go to for to go sushi for years.