I was intrigued by this place when I walked by so I walked in and grab a menu. A few weeks later I got take-out and was very disappointed. I had a steak bento box and sushi. Nothing tasted right and the spicy mayo and eel sauce were yucky. I do not foresee myself returning. read more

Got the sashimi and the fish was fresh and good quality. Additionally the service was fast and friendly!

Always greeted with a friendly smile and the food is consistently delicious. I have been going there with my family for years and look forward to each trip read more

My wife and I saw Aji-Nippon. We lived in DC from 1995 to 2010 (she lived there longer than that), and we have occasion to return regularly now due to my elderly father living on his own past a time when he ought to be doing so. That means we are in the vicinity; we stay a bit more than a mile away. When we were running errands, stopping into Strosnider's Hardware across the street, we spotted Aji-Nippon. We had not dined there before, despite having shopped at the long gone Japanese grocery in the same little complex. Here is a summary. When we finished our dinner, my wife said, I hope they have more patrons. For a Friday night, it was awfully quiet. I love places like this. It is mom and pop. I assume it is a team of husband and wife. I infer, from the review on the wall, it is not the same as the original pair. They are either of Korean ancestry or like Korean food (I make no assumptions, even if ostensibly benign). I had the chirashi Korean style (with lettuce and hot sauce, which may have been home made; the proper term is hoe-deopbap, though the Anglicization can include the hyphen or not). We also got the seafood pancake to go. My wife had the bento box with salmon teriyaki. Everything was fine. The decor is modest, but not cheap or plain; it feels as if you have been welcomed into an intimate space. Service was friendly and warm. Given where we spend our nights in the area, I am sure we will be back. There are fancier venues, to be sure, more expensive, too. But if you are looking for casual, easygoing, high quality, fairly priced, you won't do much better. read more

Perfect lunch. Totally solid sushi. Beyond lovely service and ambiance. Coming here really made my day

Always guaranteed fresh food! Great food and great service. We've been coming here for years! read more

Aji-Nippon Restaurant - Crab mountain roll and 2-pieces of Ikura - Japanese Near Me - Bethesda, Maryland

Excellent service Had the shrimp tempura appetizer and unagidon which was delicious! I enjoyed the softshell crab the best. The fried tofu was tasty as well. Will return again. read more

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Came to this place for the first time because it was located near me. I got a togo order ... I asked if they could replace the rice for my teriyaki chicken meal with extra veggies. Upon leaving I noticed my container felt empty... when I opened it I had 1 carrot and 1 broccoli... I was told that was considered "extra" ... the chicken wasn't even cooked all the way. Wouldn't recommend this place if it were a LAST RESORT. Eat else where. read more

Aji-Nippon Restaurant - Chicken Teriyaki, no rice, with extra veggies - Japanese Near Me - Bethesda, Maryland

My family and I were in town and we're craving sushi. We decided to come here because we wanted a place that offered sushi, udon, and other options. My son and daughter ordered the udon and they ate it up. I had to order another bowl because my son wanted more. My husband and I shared the sushi and sashimi special, and since they had uni, I ordered that as well. The fish was fresh, but I was a little disappointed because they put a lot of red snappers. I would've wanted a few hamachi sushi. Since it was "special" I was expecting either more variety or a few special pieces. The uni wasn't as sweet as I would like it to be. It had a bad aftertaste, not sure if it was going bad or just the type. The main thing is that the sushi was fresh, which is a big deal for us. My cousin ordered kalbi, which came boneless on a sizzling platter. She said it wasn't as flavorful as she hoped. Overall, the service was great and our server was very sweet. It looked like there was only our server and the sushi chef. We arrived around 6:30 pm, and we were the only dine-in customers, but they had about 4 take-out orders during the time we were there. We are glad to have tried this restaurant and love supporting small businesses especially one that has been in business since 1986. read more

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Took my elderly parents for dinner. The location is good and there's parking garage behind the restaurant. Food was delicious and I believe priced just right. Soup was the right temp. Tempura was crunchy, lightly battered to perfection. Shrimp siomai was tasty. Not very elderly or disabled friendly place for drop off or parking. However it's worth a try if you don't have problems with waking. The service was quick and the server was attentive. Small but cozy. It's ok overall but I don't know if I will return. read more

Treading lightly, DMV. DC is a (good) sushi desert. Aji-Nippon is one of only two Sushi restaurants in the Washington area #DCGourmet approves of. The owners work very hard and produce and do everything as a team of two. Very high quality sushi ingredients. Sushi pieces in the small side. It's a Chevy Chase food institution, inside of which is frozen in time, but it's comfortable. Nice cold Japanese beers. Limited Korean items on menu. Note: Korean execution of sushi, in my opinion, is more robust and flavorful than Japanese traditional. You will find the former at this restaurant. read more

I lived in Japan in the service for three years in my late 20s. This place brings me back. The Sushi is great! The ambiance is unforced and authentic. read more

S-L-O-W service with a snarl. This cozy little restaurant offered the perfect setting for our extended family get-together and the menu offers a nice variety of Japanese and Korean choices. Unfortunately, the service was unbearably slow and inefficient and our server was in a horrible mood. One member of our party started to ask whether a different roll could be substituted for the California roll that came with the bento box. The waitress cut her off in mid-sentence with a harsh, "No!" We all laughed about it, but when we were waiting forever for food to show up, no one was laughing anymore. When food finally arrived, it was for only a few members of our party of 10. More than half of our party was left waiting for an inordinate amount of time. One of the young people finally gave up. He left, picked up a to-go order from Cava and brought it back with him--half our party was still waiting for their food when he returned! Our angry waitress bluntly informed another member of our party that her order was canceled because the kitchen had run out of an ingredient. No menu was offered, so she requested a shrimp dinner. A while later, a plate was delivered with exactly two pieces of shrimp on it (see photo). Two shrimp hardly constitute a dinner! I had ordered a teriyaki salmon bento box. The salmon was delicious and the box included a nice variety of tempura items but never in my life have I seen such a tiny California roll! Truly, a stingy portion for the price. Adding insult to injury, the avocado was either overripe or not fresh. Greenish-brown mush. Our family enjoyed the cozy atmosphere, but the food and service were definitely a disappointment. We were a large party, but I had made the reservation 3 weeks earlier, so they had plenty of advance notice. If you have a small group, this restaurant might offer a better experience, but if you have a large party, I recommend looking elsewhere. read more

Aji-Nippon Restaurant - Two shrimp do not constitute a dinner - Japanese Near Me - Bethesda, Maryland

Fresh delicious food! Clean and comfortable, good service! One thing that doesn't encourage me to go back was the portion of the food being served! We order two main dinner combinations of sashimi and tempura, which was very small! Tempura was under cooked and tasted like batter ! I am a regular at a different sushi restaurant, but I thought let's give this small restaurant a chance ! It was not impressive for us! The combination dinner entrees usually comes with soup, salad and rice! But not at this restaurant We spent close to $100 and were not completely satisfied read more

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Serene, small space with framed prints on the walls. Very nice service. As usual, Kirin and chirashi. Miso soup was standard, a bit salty. Salad was mostly iceberg, but I tasted toasted sesame oil in the dressing, and it did not have the usual cloying sweetness and ginger overlaod. Best surimai ever - there wasn't any! Tomago properly sweet and firm. I wonder if anyone but Jiro gets that little caramelized edge I saw in the PBS show. Rice correct in flavor and temperature. The only vegetable was a healthy dollop of shredded seaweed salad. Snapper, white tuna, yellow tail, salmon, tuna all excellent in texture and flavor. Very good portions, especially at a reasonable $17.95. The house made green tea ice cream was better than Häagen-Dazs. Five stars for excellence of fish, despite my quibbles on the accompaniments. On Sundays, the church bells drive Betheelzebub, the parking demon, back into its lair. Otherwise, see the photo of the sign on the front door for the location of validated parking. Also, it's a short walk to the Elm Street municipal garage. read more

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First thing first, I'm a huge supporter and fan of mom and pop shops and this is literally what it is. It's just a husband and wife that works here. I was so excited to try this place and let's just say that's all that they really have going for them. Food portions are so small for what they are charging. I'd have no problem with that if the food really blew me out of the water. However, taste was eh at best. I order a sashimi special and the fish came out razor thin.... As Quoted in Zoolander, it's food (size) for ants. read more

Very quiet place with good service. Ordered a japanese style Chirashi and tempura udon. Both were really good! I can tell they care about their customers because they were opened during a snowstorm when everywhere else was closed. Will come back! read more

I've been meaning to try out this place and finally did, and I'm glad I did. A family-run restaurant, and I can see why this place has been in business for over 36 years. Ordered the sashimi special, and it was excellent. Very fresh. Cozy little place that's a hidden gem in the neighborhood. I will be back, and most likely will become a regular here. read more

There are nine other sushi spots in the downtown Bethesda area, and their strongest edge is in friendly service and tea; on fish quality and location, they aren't quite able to compete. A little warm inside after dark, but we stopped in with just enough time left to dine in. Miso soup was okay, but the salad was pretty wilted on the bottom. Japanese chirashi is a little limited for the price: less than a centimeter layer of rice under five sushi types and a twirl of seaweed salad. Salmon was freshest, and the subtly sweet tamago was my next favorite. White tuna was okay. Tuna was cut extremely thin, and yellowtail was a little chewy. I guess they no longer include snapper in their chirashi! Spicy Mindy roll showcased an aggressive level of sriracha mayo, so thankfully a slice of cantaloupe was served with our check. I don't think I'll be back to try their Korean chirashi. read more

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A co-worker and I visited this charming little spot for a Japanese lunch, after discovering (and not having done the research to realize) that Ren's Ramen is closed on Mondays. There was actually a decent crowd seated in the small dining area - several booths on the right and tables on the left. The lighting is dim and there is minimal decor but there is still a cozy feeling about the place. A single server quickly attended to the dining room and immediately seated us in the far booth. Upon entering, we noted the specials board and my co-worker took full advantage by ordering the spicy pork rice bowl (http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/1vVDBE3YoSLzVhtQ4PA_zg?select=fqTrhDvMPRoL66jVFy0UOQ). Wanting something more, I opted for the shrimp tempura bento box (http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/1vVDBE3YoSLzVhtQ4PA_zg?select=OK5RdLBYKOyL-q68JRjRrA). Both of our selections came with miso soup and a salad with a gingery dressing. My bento box was filled with crab shumai, california roll and the shrimp and vegetable tempura. It was tasty enough but if we're doing a price/quantity comparison to the bento boxes up the street at Raku, it doesn't seem like it's enough for the cost. My lunch companion seemed pretty satisfied with his lunch choice, however so it really kind of varies dish to dish. Would I return? Possibly. But it is far from the top of my list for Japanese in Bethesda. read more

Aji-Nippon Restaurant - shrimp tempura bento box - Japanese Near Me - Bethesda, Maryland

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Aji-Nippon is a hidden sushi gem that caters to great service and taste. Even though the restaurant is small, it's quaint and feels very cozy. The miso soup and salad begins your tastebud journey! Then we had the shrimp and the crispy shrimp was THE BEST PART! It's the most savory and satisfying crunch. Then, we had the tempura udon and the broth was delicious. I made every slurp count. The restaurant is run by the nicest family and they treat their guests with great accommodation. Their smiles and hard work really heighten your experience. It's not loud here and definitely is a great place to stop by. You and your stomach will not be disappointed. read more

Aji-Nippon Restaurant - Crispy shrimp and regular shrimp - Japanese Near Me - Bethesda, Maryland

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Eh. I had high hopes for this restaurant but I was pretty disappointed. My friend said that it used to be pretty decent, but when we came for dinner recently, it was not particularly good. I got a katsu and my friend got some tuna sushi rolls which were plain and the fish didn't seem super fresh. I also felt like the food was a bit overpriced. Almost everything was around the $12-$15 price point. Maybe it's just what we got, but I'm not a huge fan... read more

UNFORTUNATELY, if we are playing the over-price and under-deliver game, Aji-Nippon has it winning. The cost of each item on the menu is inflated by about 130% while the servings of the food are only about 70% of what they should be. Despite these shortcomings, I did not see an increase of the quality of food nor the service. Both were average. I ordered a fish-katsu which costed about $16. Already an expensive price for just a katsu, I was hoping that both the size and quality of the food would be able to satisfy my hunger. Sadly, my hope became diminished when I bit into a flaky and undercooked fillet and quickly finished my small portion of rice. Will I be coming here again? Probably not. read more

Aji-Nippon Restaurant - Overpriced Fish-katsu - Japanese Near Me - Bethesda, Maryland

If there was a way to give a "half star" then I would. I could complain about every aspect of my experience. To quote Susan L., it truly was abysmal. We ordered avocado salad, which was NOT actually a salad. It was half an avocado. The avocado in my roll was also old and brown. See picture. I will never be going back here... I recommend you avoid it at all costs. read more

Aji-Nippon Restaurant - Japanese Near Me - Bethesda, Maryland

I tried this place to see if I could find another sushi place I really liked in Bethesda. Well, I tried a variety of rolls and while it's ok, this isn't going to be my go-to place. Sigh. read more

Aji-Nippon Restaurant - Japanese Near Me - Bethesda, Maryland

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Every time I drive down Arlington Road in Bethesda, I would pass by Aji Nippon and think "What a random place for a restaurant". Tucked between the post office and the CVS it is easy to miss! We went to check it out, not feeling like going to our other sushi standbys in Bethesda, and are now in love. The cosy, quiet and old school interior, the excellent (competitively priced) sushi and the extensive Japanese menu. My sushi came with a yummy salad and a little appetizer of marinated tofu. Excellent! Sure there are non sushi dishes you might find at any other Japanese/Sushi place, but you can also get other interesting Japanese dishes if you are not in the mood for sushi. When we went home and googled the place, we found out that the chef, Kazuo Honma is from Furano, Hokkaido and is way into golf (which explained all the golf pictures and signatures on the wall in between the Japanese prints)- so all the pro Japanese golfers eat there on tour in the states when they are in DC. The only downer is sodas come in a can with ice - which is ok for most people but I LOVE a fountain soda - but that is not enough to keep us away! read more

Aji-Nippon Restaurant - Japanese Near Me - Bethesda, Maryland

Horrible experience.Do not recommended. It used be my most favorite restaurant in the neighborhood, refered lots of friends to visit. we went there again after we moved away, when i advise one of the dish is not as good as usual, the feedback is soooo rude, racism and terrible. cannot image we used love it. read more

The sushi is fine, but don't bother ordering online. They will start your order only when you get there. (I placed an online order at 5:30, got there at 6:10, and left with my food at 6:50.) Maybe if they had more than one server and one chef things would move faster! read more

A very dissapointing experience. I went enticed by the place's name. I was really craving true Japanese flavor. That was not found here. I ordered the yakisoba. Sadly it was dry and and flavorless. In Japan, yakisoba is traditionally served with beni shoga anywhere you may get it (restaurants, street vendors, your friend's mom). I asked for some to try to save the dish. They charged me $3 for maybe half an ounce! The incredibly surly waitress did not help the situation at all. You will not find Japan flavors here. read more

Love this place! Special adventure and treat for best sushi in the greater D.C. area!!!

To sum it up in one sentence: This place needs to be put out of its misery. To sum it up in four words: Dingy, stale, tired, Abysmal. Do not take the hilariously fake 5 star reviews as anything but fiction subterfuge measures. If the owners wanna keep going with this place, they direly need to call in the Restaurant Rescue team. Two thumbs down. read more

While trying to go to Ren's Ramen last night, I discovered that they close at 7. To make up for it, I decided to try Aji-Nippon. I used to live a couple blocks away and would pass it every single day on my way to the metro, yet I never stopped in. The restaurant, like Juliana C. said, is very small and cozy. There aren't that many tables and is in fact only one waitress. She was very friendly and attentive. I ended up getting a bento style box for my main course which featured marinated steak with onions, a california roll (not very impressive), shrimp dumplings (excellent) and started with a miso soup and salad. Overall, I wasn't all that impressed with the steak, however, the salad, soup, and dumpings made up for it. If I were to go back here, I would stick to sushi, and only sushi. That was my mistake. I didn't have a chance to read through the Yelp reviews before I ordered. Regardless, this place is very homey, however, I have had better Japanese meals closer to my apartment. It is unlikely that I would go out of my way to come here, but if you stick to sushi, I think you'll be alright. read more

Three important things about this place: 1. phenomenal sushi 2. its 'hidden in plain view' location makes it emminently missable - I only went in for the first time as i was at the post office.... 3. family run, brilliant service pound for pound this is one of Bethesda's gems.... read more

This place is old school, but the sushi is TOP NOTCH. By old school, I mean it isn't trendy. It's not hip, doesn't have dimmed lights and cool music pumping through the speaker system. But the sushi cannot be beat, and the folks who work there take real pride in their food and service. Also great for carryout. Next time Raku tells you that you have to wait 30 mins, skip it. Just walk the few blocks to Aji Nippon. Trust me. I don't like many things about Bethesda, but this place is good stuff. Go Bulls. read more

If I hadn't moved to an apartment on Bradley Boulevard a year ago, I would probably never know this place existed. It's a tiny, blink-and-you-miss-it sushi place, tucked just beyond the corner CVS. There are about twelve tables max, and contrary to what a previous reviewer posted, I have never seen more than three occupied on any given visit. Of note: Aji-Nippon is closed for lunch on Saturdays and all of Sunday. The restaurant is cozy and minimally decorated, with the sushi bar in plain sight in the back left corner. The chef is super friendly, and every time I've come in for pickup he's thanked me for my order. There only seems to be one server, a very pleasant woman who is attentive without ever hovering. Whenever my roommate and have a sit-down meal we always order two rolls each, and they bring us soup and salad and this little marinated tofu square for free. The miso is good quality, the salad is your standard mixed with peanut ginger dressing, and the tofu square is surprisingly palatable. The prices are a little high; their specialty rolls run around $10, but are about the same size as their standards. My favorites are the Volcano and the Caterpillar, but I've never come across a roll I didn't like here. The fish is always fresh, and the ingredients are, dare I say it, perky? I'm seriously lucky to have Aji Nippon to go to when I'm too lazy to hit up the (inexplicably shady as hell) Safeway for groceries. read more

I see a lot of other reviews complaining about the price, but honestly that's what you get for good quality sushi. You can tell the sushi is very fresh and prepare well, so it might be a little more expensive than your average sushi joint. They even had all the nigiri I wanted available such as uni and quail egg when other places didn't. I must say, 5 stars hands down. The only issue I have is with parking, but that's Bethesda in general. read more

Aji-Nippon Restaurant - Octopus and uni (sea urchin) nigiri with spicy tuna rolls. - Japanese Near Me - Bethesda, Maryland

This is a no-frills, solid option for sushi in Bethesda. If you want fresh, high quality sushi, Aji will fulfill your needs. I have tried a variety of their nigiri and sashimi, special rolls, and their nabeyaki udon. Also, one time we accidentally ordered the baked green mussels (don't ask how it happened) but those were also very good. I worked in a sushi restaurant for over 5 years so I know good sushi when I see it. This is a small family-owned and operated restaurant literally run by a couple and their son. Very nice people, great service, and great food. It's more traditional than trendy, but if I had a choice between here and Raku (also in downtown Bethesda), I'd come here almost every time. read more

Best sushi in the metro area, hands down. I used to live a few blocks away from Aji Nippon and would always pass it on my walk home from the metro. I don't recall a time there were more than two or three tables in the place, so don't be dismayed. The sushi is definitely some of the best I've ever had, and that's a lot of sushi. The sushi chef is very friendly and you can tell that he loves what he does and he's been doing it for-e-ver. One waitress seems to handle all dozen or so tables as well as carry out orders. But the service is still great and very quick. Usually, I order carry out, and if I run to CVS and back in about 10 minutes, my CA roll and nigiri is ready and waiting for me. Often, the kind waitress will throw in a nice little side salad with delicious soy ginger dressing at no extra charge. My one concern would be that it is pricier than most run-of-the-mill japanese houses (if I recall, about $6 for a CA roll?.) But, personally, it is definitely worth it! read more

I've been here a couple of times since then. And if I could, I'd rate this place 6 stars. Especially after the last time a friend and I went. We came about 6 or so on a friday, and it was packed. First thing I thought was "uh oh". I was aware that a small family runs the place, and that not many people work there. However, that didn't stop the amazingness. My friend ordered Yakisoba and I ordered Chirashi, plus we shared some sushi...First of all, I have never tasted Yakisoba so good. Just the smell was heavenly, and it was the first time I hadn't seen it drowned in boiled cabbage. Second, their Chirashi is the best I have ever had, ever. There was so much fish, such a nice variety, and I drool in the memory of it. I took a picture of it, and the sushi, and I'm sure I'll upload it here at some point. But I was absolutely blown away. We were even raving about how delicious the dressing on the salad was XD Their crunchy roll is the best I've had anywhere, hands down. They have beautiful variety in their spicy sushi too, which happens to be my favorite kind. And it's all delicious. In short, this place is amazing. I did not expect to be wowed as I usually was on a night that they were so busy, but I think I was more wowed then than I ever was. I've come here a couple of other times on slow nights and tried their dinner boxes and such, but my god...that heavenly chirashi will probably be my first choice from here on. I only regret that I live far away, and can only manage to come down twice a year or so. If you have an opportunity to come by, absolutely do. Tis my favorite sushi place in Bethesda, and on earth, after all. read more

This is probably the worst restaurant in Bethesda. The surly waitress is extremely rude and unfriendly (walking around with a very sour face and not even using simple phrases like "please" and "thank you"). On top of that, she told me that the green tea was "free of charge." NOPE! It was two dollars for a small cup of tea. I also ordered a Yakisoba. It was dry and tasteless. On top of that it contained VERY LITTLE MEAT. But at the same time, it cost $12. I wish that I had left once I read all of the terrible Yelp reviews because I can validate almost all of them (I only had one dish and that was all it took). I looked through other items on the menu (particularly the sushi section) and it is ridiculously overpriced. AVOID THIS PLACE AT ALL COSTS!!! DO NOT BELIEVE THE SHAM 4&5 STAR REVIEWS! IT IS JUST THE RESTAURANT DESPERATELY TRYING TO KEEP THEIR BUSINESS GOING! read more