The ambiance is spacious and lovely. Plenty of indoor and outdoor seating, serene lightning, and windows that overlook Fairfax. When I came in for Tuesday lunch, I wondered why this place wasn't teeming with more young professionals?! I mean, Ballston Quarter serves up $14 platters, which is the same lunch special here. And with tip screens so ubiquitous... you get the point. Anyhow, the server for my table was gracious. She exuded a very kind energy. And now onto the food... I was hungry so ordered the spring rolls appetizer AND one of the lunch specials (choose 2 sushi rolls + salad/soup) Spring Rolls - 6/10 They are actually fried and hot to the touch so be careful! I cut mine before eating. At $6, they are pretty decent value. Lunch Special Salad - 8/10 I loved the carrot miso vinagraitte on the iceberg lettuce. The only thing that would have made it better would be a nice crunch (toasted sesame seeds/wonton crisps) Shrimp Tempura Roll - 7.5/10 This is an elevated tempura roll with orange roe and eel sauce. Very filling as far as sushi rolls go. Salmon/Mango/Avocado Roll - 5/10 The rice layer on this roll was paper thin and the salmon tasted flat and flavorless, instead of that rich, buttery taste that high quality fresh salmon should have. On this visit, I noticed that the fillings are generous here but the rice is sparse/underseasoned on vinegar. I'd love to better appreciate the fine balance of the ingredients. Overall though, I enjoyed my meal. It is a strong spot and one that I would return to. read more

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Service. Absolutely inappropriate and inadequate. I walked in at 8:30pm on March 5th, 2026. There were two young female staff apparently taking care of something on the phone. Instead of actually greeting me, and asking me to give them a moment, she looks up at me (not even the staff member on the phone) and raises her finger at me??? The audacity of that was plenty of fuel for the one star. As if that weren't enough, when the associate that was on the phone was done, her colleague looks at me and asked what I "needed"...I chose to tell her I was there to dine, again, standing there alone, and her response was, "I'm not supposed to automatically know that." Representing the restaurant in this manner let me know she didn't desire my business, or presence. I promptly let her know that I'd pass on dining there, and left your establishment. I don't care HOW good your food may be, your staff's customer service and attitude ruined the chance I was taking to try a new local establishment. I'll be sure to share my experience with whoever asks, but I encourage the enhancement of customer service training to prevent losing more diners like myself. read more

This review was really simple!! I saw this spot on my timeline. It looked interesting. So I pulled up!! Yep, it's that simple sometimes...LET'S GO!! . Where I am: @kanjiizakaya . Location Reviewed: 4301 Fairfax Dr., Arlington VA. . Items Reviewed: STAMP!! Their Mocktails ($5 Their Little Samurai with pineapple juice, grenadine, & Sprite, and $5 Their Summer Rose with Lychee, soda water, & rose syrup). That Samurai jont STAMP!! Flavorful!! The Rose jont just tasted like unsweet soda water...DECENT. STAMP!! Their Spring Rolls ($6 with cabbage, carrots, & lettuce). Classic, crispy, & outright tasty!! LIKE THAT! Their Chicken Karaka ($9 fried chicken pieces with a sweet, & sour sauce). Crunchy, well seasoned, with a sweet dip!! STAMP!! Their Tempura Platter ($13 with tempura shrimp, onions, & broccoli). Airy crispy, with fresh shrimp, & flavorful veggies!! DELICIOUS. Their Shrimp Tempura Ramen ($16 with a soft boiled egg, fish cakes, seaweed, & bamboo in a miso broth). Good, I just needed more flavor with this ramen. LIKE THAT! Their Chicken Hibachi ($2/ with a chicken teriyaki, fried rice, veggies, & a yum yum sauce). Nicely sauced chicken that blended well with the veggies, & rice!! STAMP!! Their Sushi ($7 Their California Roll with avocado, crab meat, & cucumber, and $17 Their Deluxe Dragon Roll with shrimp tempura, avocado, cucumber, Tobiko, & eel sauce). Definitely STAMP their tasty, fulfilling Dragon Roll, the California Roll was DELICIOUS, it just lacked flavor. . Customer Service: On Point. . Recommendations: That Tempura platter hit! Accessibility: This spot is wheelchair friendly, & differently abled persons friendly. 5 Stars=STAMP 4 1/2 Stars=LIKE THAT 4 Stars=DELICIOUS 3 Stars=DECENT 2 Stars=PASS 1 Star=NAH #Bigschlimsreviews read more

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This restaurant is so cute! We absolutely loved the vibes inside and service was fast and friendly. We tried a bunch of different rolls including the salmon mango avocado, yellowtail, and tuna avocado and all of them were great. We also tried the Tokyo Tonkotsu Shoyu ramen which was good. The punch and sweet mocktail was all of our favorites! read more

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When I first came here, which was really early on when they first opened, I didn't love this place. I tried this place again with some friends and absolutely loved it. They provide sushi with so many great toppings and a good layer of rice. My friend ended up getting an extra Alaska roll cause she loved it so much. They are so very good with taking care of allergies. My friends and I got the Alaska roll, spicy crunchy salmon roll and some other rolls. The service was semi-slow at first but after, they did much better. We also came pretty early for their dinner hour. It's a very spacious place. They have the lucky cats everywhere and wonderful decorations. Their bags for takeout are also so cute! My friends and I are already planning on going back! read more

Kanji Izakaya - Tuna Tartaki - Sushi Bars Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

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Great for groups esp ones with a range of ages! Go ahead and get the all you can eat option to get a full taste of their menu. Pink lady roll and the Monster roll were my favorite as I'm a non shell fish eater and like my seafood cooked in a roll. Pretty plates and friendly service for a non traditional Christmas meal made my family happy. read more

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This place should've been more busy. They're $40 all you can eat deal is pretty good, they offer a lot of specialty rolls as well as regular rolls in this as well as hibachi and Ramen. You can get sashimi and Aguri for $10 more which is such a steal for sushi in this area. Their roles were large and fresh. There was a lot of different seating options, I saw a large parties, small groups, and then a date night like myself. The staff was super friendly, and I love how they have mocktail options. read more

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The sushi rolls here were pretty good! The Tokyo shoyu ramen was also rich and good. I could pass on the pork buns though as there is nothing special about them. The butabara (pork belly) and gyu harami (beef skirt) were both also good. If I went back here, I would stick to the sushi rolls though. The restaurant was very big and spacious. The bathroom is all the way in the back of the restaurant. There is street parking on the side of the restaurant. read more

This is simply the best sushi I've had in the area. I ordered mostly nigiri, some fatty tuna sashimi, and a spicy tuna roll. The nigiri and sashimi were both very very generous portion sizes. Easily the biggest in the area. The fish was also very fresh and had great flavor. The spicy tuna roll was also very fresh and seasoned perfectly. Will be coming back for sure read more

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Love it here! Can't remember the name of the sushi rolls that I have gotten other than the Pink Lady Roll, but they have all been delicious. Reservation - we have never had one and always walk right in and get a table, even for 4 people. They have a lot of seats inside/outside. Dogs allowed on the patio outside. Parking - there isn't a specific lot for this restaurant but there should be a lot of street parking. It is also a close walk to the Ballston metro stop. read more

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Good service, but middling food. The garden salad came was disappointing, mostly white lettuce topped with a run-of-the-mill goopy Mayo-based dressing instead of the usual expected ginger dressing. Our Rainbow Roll and Salsa Roll were at best underwhelming. The best dishes were the salmon skin salad and the edamame. read more

Kanji Izakaya - Salmon Skin Salad, Rainbow Roll, and Salsa Roll - Sushi Bars Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

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Fresh, delicious sushi, nigiri, and sashimi. Happy hour offers better pricing on beer and cocktails. They have an All you can eat menu option, or you can order a la carte. For all you can eat menu, everyone at table must order that way, or everyone will have to order a la carte. Portions are very good, and they don't bulk up their sushi with tons of rice. I really love their ramen as well, and always request spicy, and it comes out perfect. Their noodles never get mushy, and the broth has very rich flavors. Service has been excellent every time I've gone. read more

Favorite Sushi in Arlington! Service is good and the food always comes out quick. Not too expensive!

Stopped in for lunch on a Sunday and I wouldn't have noticed it had I just been looking for it as the store front is tucked into a walkway. It has a very clean, cute & neat aesthetic. Perfect for large groups as there is ample space for seating. Service was excellent, the restaurant was not too busy at the time of my visit. Food was pretty good! The crazy tuna sushi roll was tasty and I also really enjoyed the miso soup. There are a lot of options to choose from outside of sushi as well like hibachi! I expected steamy delicate yakitori meat, but in my opinion there was nothing stand out about it. read more

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This place is decent at best, since I've ordered takeout here during lunch. The sushi here is of good value, but not comparable to other high end sushi places out there in the area. I've ordered the pink lady roll and the spider roll to go, and other than the pink lady roll being a little soggy compared to the other rolls I've ordered, everything seems fine and normal. I don't think there's anything special about this place, but the sushi is of good value compared to other places out there. Service is good, and when I went, there's not a lot of people that frequents this location. The place is clean and cozy. Overall, 6/10 for the food, and 9/10 for the service. read more

Japanese restaurant with a solid menu of both food and drink options Although they have a good selection, a big chunk of their offerings are different types of sushi This being said, when I came here with my GF and friends I actually ordered a pork bun app & a ramen entree... The pork bun was delicious and filled with a ton of meat. The ramen was more underwhelming, and didn't blow me away. My GF ordered the hibachi salmon and liked her entree a lot more. I ate the miso soup and salad that came with her ramen and they were fine, but they also didn't blow me away nearly as much as the pork bun The server was very friendly, the space was nice, and they have a happy hour until 7 PM read more

Love the sushi. Excellent happy hour everything is so fresh. Now I discovered the ramen noodle bowls. Amazing. Easy walk to and from home, Metro GMU law. A must when In Ballston. Great vibe. Not dead, not too loud. Sit at the bar or table or head over to the sushi bar. The chefs are friendly and entertaining while preparing our meal. read more

Great new sushi spot! The interior is beautiful and service was great! We got the steamed pork bun app which was quite tasty. For our main course, we got a spicy tuna roll, yellowtail scallion roll, and Toolbox roll. The yellowtail scallion didn't taste like much (couldn't even taste the scallions), but the other two were great! I'd come back to try more of the special rolls, since there were several we wanted to try! read more

Kanji Izakaya - Toolbox Roll - Sushi Bars Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

Did not know what to expect but took a chance. I went with the sushi. The pricing was on the higher side but this can be suitable if the food is exceptional. Unfortunately, the sushi fell short. It tasted almost like buffet sushi - very low quality, mushy, and one dimensional. If each specialty roll is $17+ I have to be impressed. The establishment itself is beautiful. The service was very polite. I'll just leave my rating at a 3 star because who knows if the other menu items would be more satisfying. Great place. Mid Sushi. read more

I was invited here by some dear friends for lunch. This place would have gone unnoticed by me for no other reason than the area. I had not been out there for years; they had really built it up. I'm happy for them and the people in the area. Nevertheless, I digress, which you know I can. I was pleasantly surprised with the restaurant's ambiance; it was quaint, but the attention to detail was evident. I was welcomed at the front and seated while I waited for the rest of my party, which gave way to a great conversation with my waiter about Japan since I visited there a few months ago. The service was exemplary, and I left there in a Japanese food coma--is this even possible, ha-ha? Everything my friends ordered for the table was so good that we had to take some home because it was a lot. Who does that with sushi? However, an hour or so after getting home, I demolished the rest. Below are some of the highlights of what we partook in: Spring Rolls Vegetable Tempura Sushi Lunch Miso Soup Edamame Spider Roll Rock n Roll Please do yourself a favor and make the trip. Or if you're in the neighborhood, "run, don't walk," I'm confident that you will be happy you did. read more

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I came here after work and it wasn't too crowded yet but by the time I was leaving there were lots more people. I really like the Japanese inspired interior design with all the wooden features. I started with the takoyaki which was surprisingly really good. It seems like they were fried or something before serving it because the outside was unexpectedly crispy. You can tell they made them when we ordered it. The nigiri platter of 6 came with a California roll which I didn't expect so I was super full at the end of this. The pink lady was very fresh and I liked the lobster salad they had inside it. They gave a pretty big portion of fish to rice. One thing I did see the sampler came with miso soup or salad so I had to mention it when I ordered and when the waiter checked on us but I wasn't bothered. They prepared it very quickly after I mentioned it. It a really nice spot and I want to try their lunch special next time since my office is close to here! read more

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Solid sushi and yakatori. Place is spacious and customer service was quick and efficient. They have a pretty big menu too so lots of options. read more

Kanji Izakaya - Yakatori - Sushi Bars Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

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I've been wanting to try this spot since they opened and finally stopped in. The spot is definitely cutely decorated and has good people watching. Service was quite slow from being sat to ordering drinks or getting water. The drink prices were decent, though sake wasn't cheap. Food wise: we got the zucchini yakitori, chicken hibachi, and a few different rolls (deep fried and typical). Sushi rolls were huge and a decent amount of pieces too. Fairfax roll was great and we were happy with the sushi overall. The hibachi was ok- not as greasy as the ones I'm used to but a huge portion and tasty. Overall sushi was good and service could be faster but would come back again. read more

Decent sushi but not amazing to me! I tried the sushi dinner with 6 pieces and a Cali roll comes with it so it's a good amount of food. I liked the Cali roll the best actually. The salmon had like no flavor and wasn't buttery at all. The tuna was just okay and same with the yellowtail. I might come back but this isn't a top sushi spot to me. read more

My third time here. The teriyaki bento box is very decent. The chicken isn't over cooked and very fulfilling. read more

Kanji Izakaya - Eel Avocado Roll - Sushi Bars Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

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Grabbing dinner at Kanji Izakaya was pretty spontaneous. We finished a workout class and I was asked to join a couple friends for dinner this past Tuesday. I was surprised that there was another izakaya opened up in the area and I did not hear about it. It's also not out in the open like other Ballston restaurants and located on the north side of Fairfax Drive (where I don't frequent too often). The service was good and there's a lot of tables here. There were a good amount of people at the restaurant grabbing a late dinner like us. NIGIRI SUSHI SAMPLER (9 PCS) - 28 Each order comes with either a miso soup or house salad. I went with the house salad since I needed my vegetables. The salad dressing was creamy and nutty which I enjoyed. I was surprised to see that the sampler also came with a California roll along with 9 pieces of nigiri. I got two pieces each of salmon, tuna, and yellowtail. Then there were three other pieces that I wasn't really familiar with, which were the first three pieces I ate. All three was really good and I was impressed with the flavor, texture and freshness. Next up, I tried the yellowtail which was delicious as usual. I didn't like the salmon and felt like it wasn't very fresh. I'm usually a huge salmon fan, but I liked the tuna more, which is usually my least favorite of the three. The California roll was nice as I was very hungry, but not something I'd order for myself in the future. Overall, very good deal and I would recommend! The pricing here is very good, but the quality of the food could be better. One quip I have is that the rice is not very sticky. Each piece fell off very easily and every time I dipped my sushi or nigiri in soy sauce, a small clump of rice would fall off. Regardless, the pricing is good, so if I wanted sushi in the area, I'd definitely come back here. read more

Kanji Izakaya - Nigiri Sushi Sampler 9 pieces - Sushi Bars Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

---SOFT OPENING REVIEW--- Super excited to have a full sushi restaurant in the area! The interior is well designed and spacious. It didn't look like they set up for full capacity yet, so it will be interesting to see if they add a hightop standing-only bar section for a true izakaya experience. Our waitress gave some good recommendations for food options, and was attentive even with little things like refilling our water. The chicken wing yakitori came out hot and fresh. It would be fun to order a bunch of skewers to go with some beer. We also got a few fairly standard sushi rolls. The Kanji roll was pretty good, and all had good portions of fish/shrimp. This was only the soft opening and I don't recall seeing a beer/drinks menu so maybe the liquor license is still pending. I'll have to go back and update after they're fully up and running, but my experience was still pretty good so far. It seems like it'll be a great place for a salaryman to knock a few back after work. I have high hopes they'll start doing phenomenal happy hour specials! read more

Kanji Izakaya - Tokyo Roll, Shrimp Tempura Roll, Salmon Avocado Roll, Kanji Roll - Sushi Bars Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

The food is subpar in taste and quality. The cooks can't cook. Ordered the chicken karaka, sweet potato fries, edamame, spring roll, shrimp tempura roll, and a shrimp and chicken hibachi. The karaka seems air fried vs fried in oil so the texture is soft and the color is too light. The food is edible but not enjoyable. The service is polite but slow. Ambience is nice enough but the place is huge and empty. Gyu Kaku is way better. read more

the spirited away cocktail was so delicious and not just fun to look at! we loved the sushi so much we had to order more! our server was always giving us pointers and recommendations that helped us navigate the menu better. read more

Kanji Izakaya - tuna crispy rice with our cocktails - Sushi Bars Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

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I ordered takeout and once I got home I opened the bag and this is was what my roll looked like.. three rolls and two blops read more

Kanji Izakaya - Boston Roll - Sushi Bars Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

Decent ramen, wasn't blown away. Keep hearing about how good the sushi is - maybe I'll go back to try that. Nice looking space.

ok but not great. tempura was greasy and none of it was well seasoned. sushi was also ok, but somehow it all just tasted bland and the same.

Well, this place looks like a good dinner option and they close at 10pm. However, they shut their online orders and phone orders down at 9:30pm. My business and money will go elsewhere. Bye. Bye, Kanji! read more

Went with my siblings to try this new sushi restaurant out in Balston that opened up a few months ago. I have to say, I've been to a lot of amazing sushi restaurants and I always get the best sushi that just blows you away. The fish was fresh and the server was quick and efficient! I definitely recommend anyone to try out the Tool Box Roll, one of the special rolls from their menu and it's to die for. read more

Kanji Izakaya - Top: Tool Box Roll Bottom: Tuna Mango Avocado Roll - Sushi Bars Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

This place was decent, the rating feels high compared to all the options in DC but starting to think that's just how ratings are in Arlington vs. DC. The service was great as the restaurant wasn't super busy. We started off with the seared salmon toro which looked nothing like the picture, and was fine but disappointing. The mango avocado salad was also just like, canned mango and sliced avocado on top of some lettuce, pretty disappointing. The sushi itself was good, no concerns there with the specialty rolls we got. Also enjoyed the yakitori, both steak and pork belly. Did I enjoy the meal, sure, but would I come back, probably not with all of the amazing sushi and Asian food in the area. read more

Food was great and the service was great. I love the decor inside. I would come back again. read more

There was a wide selection of sushi, however the sushi rice was a little crunchy and vinegary. I had a match mojito and it was refreshing. The space was very big and nicely decorated for a sushi place. Our service was fine nothing good or bad. read more

Kanji Izakaya - Spicy Yellowtail Roll, spicy tuna role, and speciality role. - Sushi Bars Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

Such a good find. Really nice interior and great food! Watched the Commanders game at their bar and had great service. Their happy hour is 2-7pm everyday and has some great deals! Would recommend the gyoza and soup dumplings! read more

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Inside of the restaurant is well decorated very clean and bright. Started off with the mushroom soup and salad both great and the salad was huge. We got the Fairfax roll, toolbox, and kanjii roll and all were awesome and so fresh. Great addition to Ballston for sushi. read more

Kanji Izakaya - Sushi Bars Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

The service here is great. The restaurant is really cute. The sushi quality is so so. Portions for money are pretty decent. A super decent dinner spot if you're less likely of a fish snob than me, worth the money. read more